5/23 Morning Communiqué

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Rob Nelson reports from Cannes on the screening of Death Proof and the Quentin Tarantino press conference that followed at Culture To Go.

Andrea Myers reviews last night's Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at Culture To Go.

THESE DAYS

According to a Marine Corps document, the request for over 1,000 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles came in February 2005. A formal call to fulfill that order did not emerge until November 2006. [via Americablog]

A small-caliber bullet struck Michael Lusher of Huntington, Virginia, in the head as he slept Sunday morning, but he didn't realize it until he awoke nearly four hours later.

The Smithsonian Institution toned down an exhibit on climate change in the Arctic for fear of angering Congress and the Bush administration, says Robert Sullivan, who was associate director in charge of exhibitions at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

EverydaySuperGoddess blogs about the Twins, sharing a home computer with two daughters, and the joys of a new refrigerator at I Want a Cookie.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Travel the world watching photos being uploaded to Flickr in real time at FlickrVision

A montage of Stan Lee cameos from recent movies based on Marvel Comics

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not. But it's his property; it's his dogs. If that's what he wants to do, do it... I know a lot of back roads that got a dog fight if you want to go see it. But they're not bothering those people because those people are not big names. I'm sure there's some police got some dogs that are fighting them, some judges got dogs and everything else."

— Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis, on WAVY-TV defending Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick who was charged and convicted of being involved in a dog fighting operation

"In the recent interview I gave concerning dog fighting, I want to make it clear I do not take part in dog fighting or condone dog fighting in any manner."

— Statement issued by Clinton Portis through the Redskins organization hours later