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New York (CBS) --
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE FOR HILLARY CLINTON?
Hillary Clinton wins the West Virginia primary. Is that enough to keep her in the Democratic presidential race?
"I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign," said Hillary Clinton, Democrat of New York.
She seems to think so. More after this...
It wasn't even close, but then most analysts didn't expect it to be.
It was a large victory for Hillary Rodham Clinton in the West Virginia primary, but some say it's largely symbolic because Barack Obama is too far ahead in delegates and super-delegates. Clinton doesn't see it that way...
"The White House is won in the swing states, and I am winning in the swing states," said Clinton.
She says she's the Democrat who can beat Republican John McCain in the general election.
"I am in this race, because I believe I am the strongest candidate," said Clinton.
But most analysts say it's not the case that as goes West Virginia, so goes the rest of the country.
The polls suggest Hillary Clinton was helped in West Virginia by the fact that state has very few minority Democrats, many of whom backed Obama in other contests. One in five West Virginia voters said race was a factor in their choice. And the state has relatively fewer highly educated voters, who've also tended to support Clinton's rival.
With her win in West Virginia, Hillary Clinton might indeed consider herself a Mountain Mama - one who's willing to hang tough even in hard times.
In short, the race for the Democratic presidential nomination isn't over until the Senator from New York sings.
THE ENGINEER WHO SHAPED ROCK'S "WALL OF SOUND"
Maybe you've heard of Phil Spector and his "Wall of Sound" production on such hits as "Da Doo Ron Ron" and...
Bet you didn't hear much about the guy who helped him create it. You will.
Phil Spector usually gets the credit for those pop songs of the 1960's with that huge, lush, almost tidal wave-like sound.
But I want to write a bit about the guy who gave Phil what he wanted - Larry Levine, who's died in Los Angeles on his 80th birthday.
Larry Levine was the recording engineer who made sure that what Phil Spector heard in his head was what ended up on the record.
There were two secrets to it. One, Spector sometimes had dozens of musicians playing on a tune. And the second was the echo chamber, which made 10 or 20 performers sound like 100 or 200. So, a small recording studio ending up sounding like a football field filled with singers and musicians.
The perfect example of the technique is the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", which at some points sounds like everyone on Earth is singing and soaring.
So, goodbye to Larry Levine, recording engineer extraordinaire. He's probably working on the sound of the heavenly choir right now.
"DARTH VADER" AND "THE JEDI CHURCH"
Maybe you thought the "Star Trek" fans were a little ... unusual. So are the "Star Wars" people, apparently.
Take for example, the guy who dressed up as Darth Vader and attacked some other guys who say they're members of the "Jedi Church." Does Luke Skywalker know about this?
It happened in a courtroom far, far away ... well, OK, in Wales, but that's pretty far.
Twenty-seven year-old Arwel Hughes has been given a suspended sentence for dressing up as Darth Vader, wearing a garbage bag for a cape, and assaulting the founders of a group calling itself the Jedi Church.
Police say Arwel attacked Jedi church founder Barney Jones - a.k.a. Master Jonba Hehol - with a metal crutch (he couldn't afford a light saber?) hitting him on the head, according to prosecutors.
They say he also whacked Jones' 18-year-old cousin, Michael Jones - known as Master Mormi Hehol - bruising his thigh in the incident.
The two cousins set up a local order of the Church of Jedism last year. Jedi or Jedism, as it's sometimes called, as that little pointy-eared guy tell you he could, is the faith followed by some of the central characters in the "Star Wars'' films.
Hughes' attack was recorded on a video camera that the cousins had set up to film themselves in a light saber battle. "Darth Vader! Jedis!'' Hughes shouted, as he approached.
Hughes claimed he couldn't remember the incident, having drunk the better part of a 2 1/2-gallon box of wine beforehand. Yeah, that could explain a lot of this.
Now, this is an unusual story. But what I found even more unusual is that in the 2001 United Kingdom census, 390,000 people listed Jedi as their religion. May The Force be with us all...
VIVA VELCRO!
Human beings have invented a lot of cool things: penicillin, space ships, the TV remote. But I'm here today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of what may be the coolest invention ever..
VELCRO!
It was 50 years ago that a miracle of technology was created...
Velcro was trademarked in the United States, and has been making ripping sounds ever since.
Former and current employees of Manchester, New Hampshire-based Velcro USA lined up for more than a mile to rip apart eight-inch lengths of the company's famous fasteners in celebration.
Perhaps you'd like to know more about Velcro? Who wouldn't? So, pull off those Velcro-laced sneakers and set a spell!
Swiss engineer George de Mestral came up with the design in the 1940s, after studying burrs that stuck to his dog's fur and his wool pants during a walk in the woods. He named his invention Velcro, a combination of "velour'' and "crotchet,'' the French words for velvet and hook.
Aren't you glad you listened to the radio today?
Production began in France ... but by 1958, the plant moved to Manchester, where textile mills had a long history. Since then, the product has been used in everything from sneakers and diapers to astronaut equipment and military body armor.
There are reports that Velcro USA is working on a version of Velcro that doesn't make that characteristic ripping sound. But for some of us, Velcro just wouldn't be Velcro if it didn't sound like your pants were ripping every time you used it.
Wait, I think one of those was my pants.
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