BarbaWire, May 1

Song of the Day: "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" by The Smiths

The Royals
Prince William and Catherine Middleton got married! Of course, you already know that because you got up at the crack of dawn to watch it, I know you did. I didn’t, but I didn't mind all the pomp and fluff of this function. Between all the birthers, natural disasters and wars so far this year, it is nice to have a little wedding distraction.
I particularly like this story from the Guardian. The writer strikes this dandy tone and it is just a good read about the royal wedding. Plus, the now famous photo of the “I’m over this mess!” flower girl is at the top. More.
Second only to the little grumpy flower girl is Princess Beatrice’s hat, which I happen to think is dope. Ugly, but dope. More.
Also, did you guys see this a few weeks ago? I love the idea of the royals really being like this. You know they are, right? More.

Tornadoes
President Barack Obama traveled to Alabama on Friday to tour the damage left behind by the tornadoes and horrible storms that ripped through the South and left at least 284 people dead. The president promised aid and said he had never seen damage like that. More.
There are some pretty incredibly devastating images and stories coming out of the South. This video is particularly terrifying. More.

Endeavor Delayed
The launch of the space shuttle Endeavor was abruptly cancelled on Friday and has been pushed back at least until Monday. Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in January, traveled to Florida earlier in the week to watch her husband, astronaut Matt Kelly, lift off as the commander of the shuttle’s final mission. It is unclear if the recovering congresswoman would remain in Florida until the rescheduled launch. More.

Blessed Pope
Pope John Paul II will be beatified this weekend, in a step that brings him one step closer to sainthood. Beatifying means he will be referred to as the Blessed Pope John Paul II. Traditionally, the sainthood process can't begin until 50 years after the death of the would-be saint, but the church has a fast-track system. I remember seeing the pope when he came to Denver in 1993 for World Youth Day. The closest we got was seeing him board a helicopter from a distance. Yeah, not a great story. My dad’s first cousin is a priest in Vatican City and held a service with the pope in the 80s? Yeah, that’s a slightly better one. More.

You Nasty
Sucios! A new study says that you all are all kinds of kinky. To quote Macy Gray, you’ve got express what is taboo in you and share your freak with rest of us. (Actually, don’t. I really don’t wanna know. Well, I might, depending on who is reading) More.

Couric Calls It Quits
Katie Couric is leaving CBS News and is looking to explore ways of “multi-dimensional storytelling” – whatever the eff that means. There are rumors that she and her frenemy Matt Lauer are going to start a show together. I think that is a brilliant idea, actually. People really liked their chemistry. Anyway, back to the important part of this news. Sarah Palin naturally weighed in on Couric’s departure and snidely said “I think I read that in a newspaper, one of many newspapers that I read online.” If you remember, Couric famously asked Palin what newspapers she read and Palin couldn’t answer the question and just kind of stuttered. Couric and her “gotcha” journalism. Palin still hasn’t said which newspaper she was reading. Maybe she should read the BarbaWire. Although I am guessing that she reads the papers as much as I write the BarbaWire these days. Sorry.

Obama Was Born in Hawaii
Given the fervor of the eager birthers, President Barack Obama finally released his long-form birth certificate on Wednesday.
I’ve gone back and forth on this issue – part of me thought he should have just released it at the beginning of the birther movement, but also thought this was just a xenophobic witch hunt against the black man with the funny name and releasing it wouldn’t do much but motivate them to find some other issue. It was the latter. Argh.
Eternal Sunshine
Great news! I can finally forget losing the student council president election in the 5th grade. More.

Father’s Day Is Coming Up. So is Mother's Day. #justsayin