Let the fainting spells begin. Sen. Barack Obama kicks off the Alabama leg of his presidential campaign with stops in Huntsville and Birmingham today. While the lunch fund-raiser in Huntsville will run you either $1,000 or $2,300, tonight’s Sheraton event in town will set you back a mere $25. (Suck on that, Rocket City.) Plus, Obama’s special guest at the 5 p.m. political affair will be Leeds NBA legend Charles Barkley, who no doubt will class up the joint with his bon mots and low-key style.

The Democratic candidate from Illinois last visited the state in March, along with fellow senator/hopeful Hillary Clinton, to stump and jive in Selma. Remember: It’s a mere 484 days until Election Day.
• Birmingham News: Obama backers prepare for visit

• • •

More headlines | send us your news tips.

Celebrities and
rock stars preach green awareness
while stuck in excess.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Even “lucky” pairs
who wed triple seven
face odds of divorce.

• • •

Read more haiku.

I cloak jealousy
in winced looks and snide asides
while plotting anew.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Sometimes fate isn’t
so much cruel as it is a
misguided joker.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Don’t simply fight for
freedoms. Exercise them or
they become worthless.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Have a wet and wild Independence Day! Or at least, wild.

Bonus video after the jump (not safe for work) …

(more…)

Thank God, I have health
insurance. Even if it
fails to cover me.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Why does no one share
my love of exotic tastes
and lowbrow humor?

• • •

Read more haiku.

Dear Lord, please don’t make
it rain. Instead, give us strength
when we are thirsty.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Then and now

D&D, dungeons and dollars: The Dick and Don show has moved to federal prison. After netting about seven years each and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy and former governor Don Siegelman are in custody, awaiting appeal.

Not much left to say, except see you in 2014.

(more…)

The calendar does
not lie, nor does it stand still.
Onward, year that’s left.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Goodbye, old printer.
You made my dreams into reams
of sprocket-fed sheets.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Volley of drinks and
come-ons make for social scene
fraught with odd peril.

• • •

Read more haiku.