PSoTD

Today's question: Who will be the next Tom Sizemore?

Sunday should be a big day for Tennessee newspaper analysis of the Frist SEC investigation. But will it be?

It's not like Tennessee hasn't been thinking about the ethical question before...

From Glass Houses: Congressional Ethics and the Politics of Venom
Book by Martin Tolchin, Susan J. Tolchin; Westview Press, 2001

Similarly confusing are the growing accusations of conflicts of interest, an issue that will surely dominate congressional ethics for years to come. Sen. William Frist (R-Tenn.) is a former heart and lung transplant surgeon whose family founded one of the nation's largest for-profit hospital chains, the Hospital Corporation of America. Many of his critics believe that his family ties should preclude him from voting on managed care reform or from bringing the first managed-care bill to the Senate floor, and they brought their concerns to the Senate Ethics Committee. Ruling in his favor, the committee said he did not have to recuse himself from votes on issues of health care. Rep. Harold Ford (D-Tenn.) disagreed and barnstormed the state in 1999, charging Frist with "protecting his family's company at the expense of his constituents."

Frist's experience with the Ethics Committee could either be considered a heavily partisan issue, because his accuser is a Democrat and he is a Republican, or a serious question of legislative ethics. Frist defended his actions. He put his stock in a blind trust before the Senate considered managed care legislation, he argued, and made it a practice of not discussing pending legislation with his family. For-profit hospitals did not particularly benefit from the legislation that Frist pushed. His record, he said, spoke for itself and included ten thousand medical procedures and missionary work in Africa. His defenders argued that he was an ideal citizen legislator, a specialist in a complex field, and that the Senate should take full advantage of his expertise.

We await ye Sunday Editorial Pearls of Wisdom, Tennessee newspapers. Don't disappoint.

Now up and running. So far my pic isn't there. Don't forget to donate for the cause, which goes to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the American Red Cross.

In business, this would be specifically the fault of leadership and policy...

The Small Business Administration is the worst place to work in the federal government, according to employee surveys analyzed by the Partnership for Public Service and American University.

The SBA ranked 30th out of 30 federal agencies, just behind the Department of Homeland Security.

Downsizing and restructuring of the SBA's regional offices appears to have taken a toll on employee morale at the agency. The agency employs 2,813 people, down from 3,315 in 2001. The SBA ranked 29th on training and development, 28th on performance-based rewards and advancement, and 27th on leadership. The only high ranking was for pay and benefits, where the SBA was No. 9.

All small business organizations ought to be kicking George W. Bush's ass for letting SBA slip in morale. And the rest of the nation ought to be greatly concerned about the morale at Homeland Security.

I think Harrisburg might be a bit slow in accepting this trend...

Anus bleaching has taken the world by storm and is available at a beautician near you.

“It’s like giving your anus or sphincter a bit of a facial, a bit of a cleanse...”

R-word is coming:

Economists and Wall Street seers are quietly hedging their bets after months of rosy reports about a vibrant United States economic outlook. They are now seeing the growing possibility of recession ahead.

Why? Soaring petrol prices, nightmarish home-heating costs this winter, plunging consumer confidence, rising interest rates and falling new-home sales. Similar energy-price spikes, rising interest rates and housing slowdowns played important roles in past recessions. Forecasters are now dusting off the R-word, which almost all of them brushed aside before hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"People are starting to hedge bets. Obviously it's an uncertain time," said Wachovia Bank global economist Jay Bryson.

Wall Street analyst Ed Yardeni is known largely for his bullish forecasts in the past, but since Rita hit, he has sounded bearish.

"The US economy has been remarkably resilient ... but consumers may start to postpone discretionary spending to build some cushion against higher heating bills on top of rising fuel prices," he wrote to investors this week. "I am not sure that the economy is resilient enough to withstand the one-two punches from the Katrina/Rita tag team."

Mr Yardeni said it was "increasingly likely" that the economy could soon face a six-month bout of stagflation - when prices rise but wages and hiring stagnate.

Gloomier is the Institute for International Economics' energy analyst Philip Verleger. He predicted today's energy crunch more than three years ago and now sees a US saddled with dangerous parallels to President Lyndon B Johnson's (LBJ) in the mid-1960s.

More reading: Politics Plus Stuff, Calculated Risk, The Capital Spectator

Boy, the crap sure rises to the top these days in the Republican Party!!

November 2002:

--- snip ---

Only hours after Rep. Roy Blunt was named to the House's third-highest leadership job in November, he surprised his fellow top Republicans by trying to quietly insert a provision benefiting Philip Morris USA into the 475-page bill creating a Department of Homeland Security, according to several people familiar with the effort.

The new majority whip, who has close personal and political ties to the company, instructed congressional aides to add the tobacco provision to the bill — then within hours of a final House vote — even though no one else in leadership supported it or knew he was trying to squeeze it in.

...

The provision would have made it harder to sell tobacco products over the Internet and would have cracked down on the sale of contraband cigarettes, two practices that cut into Philip Morris's profits. Blunt has received large campaign donations from Philip Morris, his son works for the company in Missouri and the House member has a close personal relationship with a Washington lobbyist for the firm.

--- snip ---

I liked this meme spotted at Give Me Five:

Five (5) Things I Did 10 Years Ago Every Day That I Don’t Do Daily Now

Commute to Work
Drive a Saturn
Use dialup to access the Internet
Talk to lobbyists
Buy a morning coffee at Dunkin' Donuts

U.S. Keeps Minting Millionaires

...the number of millionaires in the United States jumped 8% to 8.9 million, from 8.2 million a year ago.

The firm's Affluent Market Research Program considers millionaires to be households with more than $1 million in net worth, excluding the primary residence.

Just think, what kind of interesting "governing" experience would it be if all 9 million of these millionaires moved to the same state? Let's say they all moved to... Wyoming. They'd easily overwhelm the local population and be able to put their own government in place. No personal taxes? No corporate taxes? What would 9 million millionaires choose for their own state government policies?

From The Jakarta Post:

As the country braces for more street protests and panic buying ahead of the fuel price increase on Oct. 1, the fuel scarcity has created long lines on Wednesday at filling stations and kerosene distributors nationwide.

In Bandarlampung, the increased price of kerosene from Rp 800 to Rp 2,000 per liter made the three-day wait for the fuel -- which the nation's poorest people use for cooking -- all the more frustrating. Moreover, a purchase of five liters was the most a family could hope for. Several small-scale industries have reportedly switched from using kerosene to diesel fuel.

In some areas, like Way Kanan regency, the price of kerosene had surpassed that of Premium gasoline at Rp 3,000 per liter.

Ruslan, a kerosene agent in Bandarlampung, said he let customers deposit their empty containers with him out of pity.

He said he usually received 5,000 liters of kerosene every three days but, over the last month, he received it once a week.

"Now we only get the supply once a week, on Saturdays, so it's not enough for all residents," said Ruslan.

In Harapanjaya subdistrict, a 200-liter supply of kerosene was quickly sold. "Once the kerosene supply arrives, customers storm in and it's gone within an hour," said Husin, the trader.

In Lempasing, South Lampung, residents pitted against fishermen who are now powering their boats with kerosene, while in Kotakarang subdistrict in Bandarlampung, kerosene was hard to come by as retailers preferred to sell it to fishermen at higher prices.

Head of state oil company Pertamina in Lampung, Amilin Ali, blamed the kerosene scarcity on panic buying ahead of the imminent fuel price increases.

Currently, he said, the company had a three-day supply of 2,700 kiloliters of Premium gasoline, 4,400 kiloliters of kerosene for six days and 17,400 kiloliters of diesel oil for 11 days. "Although the supply is counted on a daily basis, two tankers provide a fresh fuel supply everyday," Amilin said.

Long queues were observed at gas stations across the country, including in Semarang, Surakarta and its surrounding cities like Salatiga and Magelang, as many motorists had to wait for hours to get gasoline.

At Tanjung Emas harbor in Semarang, tanker MT Sinar Yogya unloaded on Tuesday 24,000 kiloliters of Premium gasoline.

"We hope the arrival can help with the fuel shortages at several gas stations in Semarang," Pertamina's spokesperson in Semarang, Heppy Wulansari, said on Wednesday.

Several gas stations, including in the North Sulawesi town of Manado, had run out of gas on Wednesday, while in the East Java town of Kediri, several stations had set a five-liter limit on sales to prevent stockpiling ahead of the fuel price increases.

"We support the move (to set a five-liter limit) as it makes it easier to control," Kediri Police chief Adj. Comr. Suyono, told Antara.

Meanwhile, security is being ramped up for protests are expected on October 1:

City police are tightening up security in the capital, especially at 14 places that are likely to be targets of protesters out to oppose a government plan to raise fuel prices on Oct. 1.

Besides securing the streets, police have also deployed several officers to guard each of some 200 gas stations in the capital to ensure that all of them serve motorists as usual.

City police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said Wednesday that police have deployed around 5,500 personnel from various units, including the antiriot unit, mobile brigade, intelligence and detective units, at 14 strategic locations.

"Upon receiving intelligence reports we decided to focus on these 14 places as we believe that most protesters will concentrate at those places," he said.

The 14 places included the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta, which was guarded by some 1,200 personnel, and the House of Representatives (DPR) building, which was secured by 374 personnel.

State oil company Pertamina's station in Plumpang, North Jakarta, an area near the Christian University of Indonesia (UKI) in East Jakarta and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta, were guarded by 440, 270 and 173 personnel respectively.

Other areas being given special security attention included the Golkar Party's national headquarters in Slipi, West Jakarta; the area near the Islamic State University (UIN) in Ciputat in South Jakarta; Semanggi and the Istiqlal Mosque, both in Central Jakarta; the Vice President's office and residence, both in Central Jakarta; and Tugu Tani, Harmoni and Pecenongan, all in Central Jakarta.

The House voted to raise fuel prices on Tuesday in order to save the country's budget from blowing out. Vice President Jusuf Kalla said earlier that prices of heavily-subsidized fuel would increase by up to 80 percent.

The plan, which is expected to come into effect on Oct. 1, has drawn strong opposition from students and labor activists.

Many student organizations and trade unions have warned that they would stage massive protests.

The Mandiri Workers Union, for instance, has announced that some 16,000 of its members would hold rally in front of the Presidential Palace on Thursday. Student organizations are also expected to join the group.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged those who oppose the policy to stage peaceful rallies without disrupting the daily activities of other people.

"We are not going to ban any protest rallies against the fuel price hike since this is a democratic country. You are free to voice your protests. But please do it peacefully, don't burn anything," said Susilo during a gathering of university heads and academicians including members of the Rector's Forum.

Susilo also urged protesters to clearly explain to the public the reasons for their objection to the fuel price increases, as well as providing reasonable solutions to address the problems.

"Please explain the objections clearly to the public in order to provide good political education. Don't just provoke the public with unreasonable solutions to the problem," said Susilo.

Meanwhile, Governor Sutiyoso said that his administration had prepared around 400 buses and trucks to anticipate dysfunctions in public transportation because of massive demonstrations.

"We have prepared our personnel and equipment for the worst scenario if people from the public transportation sector stage a rally and paralyze city's transportation," he said.

From the Hollistown TAB

Thursday, Sept. 22

Police received a report of a nude sunbather at Pleasure Point at 2:27 p.m. Police said the sunbather was an overweight white male and was gone upon police arrival.

This struck me as funny, since there was a description yet the police didn't see the sunbather. Gotta wonder if the cops took their sweet time getting out there based on the description...

From the Beaver County Times Online:

Federal and state agents staged simultaneous raids Wednesday at Pete's Apothecary drugstores in New Brighton and Monaca, seizing scores of boxes filled with financial documents and other unidentifiable items.

Agents from the FBI and the Pennsylvania attorney general's office, some of them wearing flak vests, arrived at the New Brighton store along Third Avenue just after it opened at 9 a.m., according to employees of a State Farm Insurance agency next door. The agents asked customers to leave and closed the store.

Agents at the New Brighton store said they were executing a search warrant, but refused to elaborate further, referring all questions to the FBI district office in Pittsburgh.

FBI spokesman William Crowley said the agency was "conducting an investigation" in Beaver County, but would not offer specifics. He said more information would be released if the case proceeds.

Drugstore owner Pete Antinopoulos refused to comment, as did employees at both stores.

I just find this Pennsylvania story... curious.

It's not just for women. I'm thinking of submitting mine. C'mon, it's for charity.

Yep, I'm in. I doubt that would surprise my former UPC compatriots... I'm proud! ;)

Among the other bloggers participating: Such a Pretty Face, Random Late Night Ramblings, Geeksmakemehot.com, Being A Woman is Hard Work, Kitta.net, Talk with Desiree, Tainted Elysium, Crazy Like a Fox, Riri's Brain Dump, The life cycle of a fruitfly ...

Atrios says that Tom DeLay is done, based on what David Brooks is already saying.

I'll go a step further. It won't take long before Tom DeLay is the favorite Republican scapegoat for out of control Republican federal spending. Not that it wasn't partly his fault, or that he deserves any sympathy for the choreographed Congressional chorus, but he's going to get the boot of blame from his colleagues.

Perhaps God is in attendance on this earth.

Heralds: Majority Report, Nitpicker, Unfogged, I'm Just Waiting for the Robot Invastion, Centerfield, Radical Georgia Moderate...

Spotted this at Majikthise. At the risk of advertising my lack of recent reading, I'm going to answer...

How many of the American Library Association's top 100 most frequently challenged books have you read?

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Cujo by Stephen King
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Carrie by Stephen King
The Dead Zone by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Private Parts by Howard Stern

The FTC has come up with a web site with practical tips to help be on guard against Internet fraud. It's called OnGuard Online.

If I were with the Federal Trade Commission, I would strongly investigate the possibility of having all U.S. based Internet Service Providers email a brief blurb about this site - and internet fraud - to their subscribers, at least once. If they really want to get the word out, that's the way to do it using the Internet.

The Moderate Voice has a good roundup of yesterday's hearing, from both sides. There are still people supporting Brown on the right.

The First Gore-Bush Presidential Debate
October 3, 2000

George W. Bush:

The man is practicing fuzzy math again. There's differences. Under Vice President Gore's plan, he is going to grow the federal government in the largest increase since Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1965. We're talking about a massive government, folks. We're talking about adding to or increasing 200 programs, 20,000 new bureaucrats.

From the Independent Institute:

Since 2001, even with record low inflation, U.S. federal spending has increased by a massive 28.8% (19.7% in real dollars)—with non-defense discretionary growth of 35.7% (25.3% in real dollars)—the highest rate of federal government growth since the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson.

And that Independent Institute report is from 2004... pre-Katrina. It's only gone up since then.

George Bush accusing somebody else of fuzzy math... now that's irony!

For the second year in row, Nickelodeon will celebrate its "Let's Just Play Worldwide Day of Play" by going off the air for three hours (noon-3 pm ET/PT) on Saturday, Oct. 1, to encourage kids to spend the afternoon being active. "Let's Just Play" is Nickelodeon's pro- social commitment to encourage kids to participate in active, healthy, and playful lifestyles through daily on-air messages and activities.

Does Nickelodeon have an exercise show for kids? That would seem to be a step towards that commitment.

I just submitted PSoTD as a potential news source for Google News last week.

By Monday PSoTD was rejected (not a surprise). I'm impressed at their speed!

This probably would be funnier if it wasn't so close to the freakin' truth:

(Originally posted in August, but Revere's recent post made it seem timely to repost)

I put our five year old to bed. My wife was grinding coffee downstairs, so it was making a noise he's not accustomed to. He asked what it was, I told him, and then I suggested he ignore it.

"What's ganoring mean?" he asked.

"Ignoring," I said, and then I told him it meant to not pay attention to something. Pretend he didn't hear it. Don't listen.

"I'm ignoring you," he told me cheerfully.

It still makes me laugh.

Froomkin nails Bush on his adherence to the gas "conservation" suggestion today.

One fair test of how seriously Bush takes his new energy conservation kick will be whether he exercises any self-restraint. But don't expect cardigans or thermostat-lowering in this White House.

Bush's gas-guzzling motorcade was whizzing all over town yesterday--and today he flies off in his fuel-gulping 747 for his seventh trip to the Gulf Coast since Katrina struck a month ago.

Somebody in the White House Press Corps asked yesterday:

Q Will you tell us how much gas the motorcade uses?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?

Q How much gas the motorcade uses?

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me take your question. I'll look into it.

I hope somebody continues to ask that question. Let's see if McClellan gives a real answer.

From today's press gaggle: They've scaled back on vans!!!! A couple less in the motorcade. Oh, yeah... those are press vans.

It'll be going on for a while. Take a look at the list, and pick the one that pleasantly surprises you or that you'd most easily toss off the list.

I, for one, am glad to see Crash Test Dummies on the list, it was a fluke but God Shuffled His Feet is a great album.

Even with rain.

I wasn't at Rock the Capitol, but check out these blog posts.

Interesting concept:

Philip Meyer, who holds the Knight journalism chair at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said at the Nevada Press Association's annual meeting that, despite the inevitable flops in a trial-and-error process, papers have "to invent new stuff."

Meyer also said the newspaper industry should work to improve reporter competency in various areas, and to improve moral standards and weed out "pseudo-journalism" in the industry, possibly through an independent committee review process.

He went so far as to suggest journalism set up a certification procedure that would identify journalists as "experts" in certain fields - and hold them accountable should they fail readers.

Keep talking, we're listening.

I wish they'd quit calling my home. I'm not buying any more steaks from them - that was a one time gift deal.

I see I'm not the only one they pester via phone, regardless of telemarketing laws.

From Business Week:

Last week, I raked Omaha Steaks over the coals as a particularly annoying example of the continuing poor privacy practices of many Web sites. Well, I have to give the company credit for listening at least a little.

A few hours ago, I got a letter via UPS to my doorstep from Omaha Steaks CEO Bruce Simon. He apologized for my receiving repeated, unwanted telemarketing calls and apparently took me off the company's list. (He also said the company is sending me a complimentary box of filet mignon. While I appreciate the sentiment, journalistic scruples will require me to decline the shipment. So if it hasn't been sent out, Mr. Simon, please hold the steaks.)

I don't want the steaks either, I just want them to quit calling after I ask them to quit calling.

Just thought I'd put down a marker about the areas around the country starting to become concerned about drought:

Kentucky:

State officials are warning homeowners to prepare for what could turn out to be a year of dangerous forest fires.

If drought conditions that have plagued the state over the summer continue into the fall, MacSwords said the results could be disastrous.

North Carolina:

The water supply in Durham is too low for comfort. As a result, the city has enacted voluntary conservation practices, effective Wednesday.

Texas:

Grayson County Judge Tim McGraw said weather forecasters don't predict the county will get out of the danger zone on the drought index any time in the next 14 days.

New York:

In a year when farmers of many other crops are complaining about severe drought, "Sun generates the sugar in the fruit," something that is technically called the brix level, so apples are "sweeter than normal," according to Peter Gregg, a spokesman for the New York Apple Association.

Question of the Day: Does it seem like your area is in a drought this year?

Good night, Don Adams. Whether you were Maxwell Smart, Tennessee Tuxedo, or Mr. Gadget, you were an entertaining actor and voice for kids and adults alike.

Rest in peace.

CHINA: Freedom of speech 'like X-rated films'

Outspoken Taiwanese legislator, author and talk-show host Li Ao delivered an appeal for free speech at Peking University yesterday and called on students to embrace the Chinese Communist Party.

Quoting Mao Zedong and former premier Zhou Enlai , he said different voices should be heard. He compared freedom of speech to the legalisation of pornography, saying the number of sex crimes had dropped in northern Europe when pornographic movies were legalised.

"Freedom of speech is just like X-rated videos. If you let people speak, talk and criticise, and let them touch the tiger's behind, it will be OK," Mr Li said.

That is either a euphamism that is lost in a comparison to x-rated videos, or there's some really strange videos available in China.

I'm just one voice, but...

Just wanted to let you know, effective today, I'm putting down my marker. If the Democrats can't win back at least one House of the Congress in the 2006 elections, consider my membership in the Party over. Finito. Extinct. After 6 of the crappiest years in American history, if Democrats can't replace the party in power during those years in at least one House of the Congress, then the Party is, for all intent and purposes, no longer viable as a national political power, and it will be time for the rest of us to move on in a way to change things for the better without that dead weight.

And so, I say to you, National Democrats - concentrate on winning in Congress in 2006. I'm not waiting until 2008 for you to improve this country. Too long. You fail in 2006, and I'll leave. I'll find a niche party, perhaps one with a much longer road to travel for power but to a destination more appealing to my viewpoint, and leave you as wadded tissue. What you offer, Democratic Party, is a tourniquet to Bush's hemorrhaging policies. But only if you can lead at least one house of the Congress. And if you can't do it in 2006, I don't believe you can ever do it. The stakes are too high, and the opposition too disturbing, to play a waiting game.

But for 2006, I will help, as much as I can. And then we can work on fixing the Democratic Party.

I'm tired and felt like posting something worth a smile. From the Insect Fair on Saturday.

A Special session starts Tuesday in the Mississippi Legislature about the challenges left from Hurricane Katrina. From the Clarion Ledger, here's one of Haley Barbour's big priorities:

Barbour said during a news conference last week that he'll allow debate on whether to let casinos move on land. His draft agenda proposes letting casinos "operate in structures other than barges." It also proposes letting casinos operate temporarily, but it doesn't specify where that could happen.

Less than a month after the disaster, and one of the biggest priorities is to expand the capability of casinos of "winning" the wages of other members of the South's economy.

Gotta hand it to the gambling industry, they do not waste time.

From CBC News:

Formulas for new, inexpensive influenza drugs that could expand the world's tiny arsenal of weapons against pandemic flu are gathering dust because the pharmaceutical industry isn't interested in developing them, scientists say.

They believe governments should fund the testing and development of the drugs, side-stepping big pharma and bringing them to market as cheap generic medications.

And they point to the story of Relenza - one of only four flu drugs currently sold - as evidence public-sector involvement will be needed if crucial new flu drugs are ever going to hit pharmacy shelves.

Mark von Itzstein, who led the team that invented Relenza, says he has three compounds that are ready to be tested in animals and could be available on a commercial basis in three to five years for about $10 a treatment course. (Relenza and the more popular Tamiflu sell for about $55 in Canada.)

But under the existing profit-driven model of pharmaceutical production, where the next sexual dysfunction drug is more highly prized than a new life-saving antibiotic, cheap flu medications simply aren't on the priority list.

"What company would really be interested in developing another anti-influenza drug? Who's going to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to bring it to market?" von Itzstein asks with a shrug.

System's broken, and we have to wait until a pandemic to have government realize it needs fixed.

Sad example in point: Soj at Flogging the Simian...

The truth is that someone decided to ruin all the fun for all of us and butt their nose into my private business. I've always had my two lives separated - my offline world and my online one. That's the way I wanted it and that's the way I set it up and I've got my own reasons for it. And someone decided to ruin all the fun and be a smug ass about it and go to incredibly great lengths to find out where I "live" online. And they managed to do it, and now they're all snide about it.

This happened on Tuesday I think, and I've been sitting here all week trying to figure out what to do about it. I love writing, I really do - it's not even about the money or the "job" of it, it's part of who I am. But I can't do it if I can't write in peace. Everyone else in my offline world knows this and respects this. But it just takes one bad apple to spoil the barrel I guess, right?

So what does this mean? It means it's over. It means it's finished. Kaput. FTS and everything I've worked on for the past two years is gone. I've spent all week trying to figure out a way I can do keep this place but I don't see how I can do it.

So effectively immediately, this blog is no more. And you won't find me writing on the frontpage anywhere else either. I've written emails to them and explained it as best as I could because it's not their fault. Not at all. I asked people in my offline life to stay out of my online world and everyone did it except for one person who supposedly "cares about me" and everything else. Well fuck that.

Crap. I was wondering what was up at FTS, and now we all know. This was one of the brighter lights in blogtopia, and it's a shame, all the way around. Good luck if this indeed remains the reality, Soj.

Not a surprise. Maybe the way it will always be.

As Thomas Hardy wrote, "My argument is that War makes rattling good history; but Peace is poor reading."

Apparently the nation's editors agree - which is one of the nation's big problems.

Some other bloggers covering the lack of coverage: Don't Floss with Tinsel, No One Has to Die Tomorrow, Public Christian... On the Left Tip has a photoblog from yesterday.

I'll tell you, I wouldn't want to be Dr. Andrew Bernstein, author of "The Capitalist Manifesto", and be stuck in a disaster, desperately needing some water or some gas or some medicine, because according to his logic, in order to get it, it should cost him every cent he has.

Again, I don't get it. Price gougers during a disaster are the worst elements of capitalism and just the kind of lack of morality that drives capitalism into criminal activities. Protecting the "right" to gouge doesn't protect capitalism - it eventually limits capitalism by blaring that capitalism has no moral compass and therefore requires further government control.

Of course, Bernstein is too locked into his philosophy to understand his own conundrum. Million dollar prescriptions for Bernstein if he had his way...

Ed, Ed, Ed...

You can't have this on your web site.

THIS SITE IS UNDER RENOVATION
PLEASE CHECK BACK SOON.

Real stars don't have that. Ditch it.

Look, I'm a pet owner. I've had dogs and cats and rabbits and hamsters and gerbils and so on. I know it is sad when a pet passes, and the loss of companionship can be painful. But let's be realistic: this is only about salving the pain of the loss of a pet's companionship.

Webb said the phenomenon is growing from the bottom up, as people of faith ask their religious leaders to preside at pet funerals. After initially being flummoxed, some ministers have begun to view it as a pastoral duty.

Clergy are no longer an unusual sight at pet cemeteries.

"I've had every type of clergy represented out here except a Buddhist monk," said Glenn Lane, director of Noah's Ark Pet Cemetery in Falls Church, Va.

"I've had a preacher come for a service for a ferret. I've had a Muslim family who brought an imam in. He wanted to make sure the pet was facing east when he buried it."

There's something about this need to include clergy that seems quite sad to me. And it is not a sadness for the pets.

Well, after convincing the kids to try Chocolate Covered Chirpies at the Great Insect Fair at Penn State on Saturday, I ate a couple of pieces myself, plus the mealworm stirfry (the mealworms are just like crunchy noodles). The Waxworm h'ourderves just didn't appeal to me, visually, at all.

And discovered this web site: Insects as Food. Worth a look.

Rita looks like it is expected to move about 125 miles in four days, from Eastern Texas into Southwestern Arkansas.

That's going to mean a lot of rain for a small geographic area. According to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, Arkansas has 79 dams that are identified as having high hazards and needing federal funding for repair, Louisiana has 10 such dams, and Texas has the most in the nation - 576.

Let's hope Rita doesn't stall as long as predicted.

Be loud. Be smart. Be brave. Be noticed. Be safe.

Huckabee for president?

Interesting article about whether Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee might run for the Republican nomination for President in 2008. I don't know if he has much chance, but I think one gist of the article is that the remaining national Republicans all have severe problems. Other than Hagel in Nebraska, most have some sort of major issue that burns them in either the primary or the general. Of course, so does Huckabee, but that may be less important, because the theory may be, for the Republicans, to go with someone who hasn't had the national spotlight. Pick a Governor, someone unattached to the current Administration which is so unapproved of by the American public, and go with that.

I noticed Ezra Klein also picked up the Huckabee story, albeit a different part of it. So does Education on the Brink. Check them out as well.

A lesson in how not-to-spend upon retirement.

I've been hearing some opinions on the general State Legislator attitude about the pay raise controversy from some friends that work in Harrisburg, both staff and government relations folks. General consensus: there's a lot of shock and more than a bit of fear among legislators and staff that the grassroots anger about the pay raise is still going strong.

This shouldn't help those poor legislators:

The "Rock the Capital" rally scheduled for Monday, September 26, 2005, from 1:30 to 3:00 pm is being sponsored by ten broad-based organizations (See Web Links). According to rally coordinator Eric Epstein, speakers, music and a visual feast of political props will be featured before citizens enter the Capitol to meet and greet their representatives.

Bob Durgin from WHP Radio in Harrisburg will broadcast live from the Capitol Steps from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. Durgin will display and deliver petitions with more than 117,000 signatures opposing the pay raise during his live broadcast.

Barry Kauffman, Executive Director of Common Cause/Pennsylvania said, "The Independence Day Weekend Payjacking was a wake-up call. This is not an antigovernment rally — actually it is just the opposite. For our representative democracy to survive and thrive it must be open, it must be accountable, and it must be responsive to the citizens. Today, it is none of these things."

William J. Parker, President of the Pennsylvania Club for Growth, a grassroots political action committee that supports conservative economic ideals added, "The definition integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking. The definition of arrogance is doing the wrong thing when everyone is looking. The definition of insanity is acting as if your arrogance has some sort of integrity. I guess that makes our law makers insanely arrogant

Quite a political range in the groups sponsoring the rally:

Club For Growth
Common Cause
Democracy Rising PA
League of Women Voters
Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in PA
Stop the Pay Raise, Inc.
PA Council of Churches
PA Operation Clean Sweep
Citizens for Legislative Accountability
Young Conservatives of Pennsylvania

This thing just isn't going away.

Who else is posting about this? Ales Rarus, Ross Notes, Froth Slosh B'Gosh, PA Pundits...

Most web developers assign some text to describe any graphic they put on their site, although not always. The "alt tag" is the text you see when you place your mouse over a particular image.

This laughable Scotty McClellan in Action image now graces the White House Press Briefings page. It has no Alt Tag. Offer your own in comments.

Republican partisan hardpan. Is it even about conservatism? Or is this just Party branding...

From NOAA...

AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED ABOUT 360 MILES SOUTH OF BERMUDA IS GRADUALLY BECOMING BETTER ORGANIZED. THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME EITHER A TROPICAL OR A SUBTROPICAL CYCLONE TODAY OR SATURDAY. LITTLE MOTION IS ANTICIPATED.

AN AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH A TROPICAL WAVE IS CENTERED A FEW HUNDRED MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. THIS SYSTEM HAS SOME POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO...AS IT MOVES WESTWARD OVER THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC. TR

Frist's HCA Stock Sale Being Investigated

The Securities and Exchange Commission and federal prosecutors are investigating Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's sale of stock in HCA Inc., the hospital operating company founded by his family.

In a statement released Friday, the Nashville-based company said federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York issued a subpoena for documents HCA believes are related to the sale of its stock by the senator.

Don't waste time on Frist or his staff's denials of wrongdoing, that is standard procedure on their part. Paper trail. Email trail.

At least 24 dead in evacuee bus explosion

From the Victoria Advocate:

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today issued a warning to all Texas businesses not to gouge customers.

The attorney general’s Office has received complaints, including allegations of rental car companies charging up to $137 per day for mid-size cars and grocers charging $35 for a 12-pack of bottled water. These complaints are under investigation.

Abbott’s office said teams of field investigators will be closely monitoring unseemly business practices and consumer complaints about price-gouging.

Businesses that gouge could face civil penalties of up to $20,000 per violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which encompasses price-gouging during a declared disaster such as this one.

I just do not believe in the power of "business fines" in these kinds of situations. The whole premise constructs, during periods of community emergency, a layer of individual irresponsibility in business operations decisionmaking. And the worse thing is, it informs the community BEFORE THE EMERGENCY that the business can not be counted on.

Individual responsibility is required in these cases. There is no excuse for selling water at that price except greed. There should not be a fine structure for such actions - there should be jail time for the person responsible for the decisionmaking on such gouging. And it should be heartily and publicly enforced.

I'll post more about this next week, but I thought I'd pass along this note from fluwiki:

Continuing the public health experiment, Flu Wiki in association with the blogosphere will use October 3–9 as Pandemic Flu Awareness Week.

It has been suggested that I can have PSoTD added to Google News feeds if enough folks request it. And so I am curious - can I really? If you're willing to help, please use this Google News suggestion box link and request PSoTD, and then email me or post in comments and let me know you did so. I'll keep track of how many folks "recommended PSoTD", and maybe we can determine what magic number gets a blog added as a news source.

It's been a busy work week, and I've fallen behind in my bloglines reading. Here's some of the good finds of the week I've finally caught up with...

Dark Bilious Vapors: In re Firefox: facts or FUD?

War and Piece: Departing CIA #2 operations chief gives Porter Goss a big thumbs down

The Left Coaster: Dear Democrats

MyDD: I'm Not Going To Blogroll You

BlueOregon: What is a Profiteer?

Pesky' Apostrophe: Bats in the Belfry

America's Hometown: Relocation vs. Rebuilding?

Question of the Day:

Excluding faith-based professions, what occupational profession seems most heavily populated by political conservatives?

Remember the cheapo metal clicker noisemaker? You'd press the bottom of it, and it would create a loud "click" sound? They came in a variety of looks:

I was under the impression that they were still as available today as they were in my youth.

Wrong.

I need one, or two, for my daughter's Click Beetle model she's building for the Insect Fair this weekend. Can't find one in a store anywhere. Sometime, between my youth and today, the demand disappeared and so did the product from store shelves while I wasn't paying attention.

No More Mister Nice Blog has more on Limbaugh's newest "branding" look.

So many public officials described Katrina as a storm of "biblical proportions". I suspect we're about to hear the same thing about Rita.

So here's something to chew over for those who see these events biblically. If there is a God, what do you make of God sending two hurricanes, two biblically-proportioned hurricanes, into the Gulf and seriously damaging America's energy industry in the same year? What do you make of God using much warmer than usual Gulf waters to energize these two biblically-proportioned hurricanes? What is God trying to tell us?

For those so inclined to believe this is something "biblical", what is God's point?

I noticed there is some investing in domains of hurricane names for the future. HurricaneRita.com, the domain, was registered in 2001. HurricaneVince.com, which could happen this year, was registered in 2002. HurricaneNana.com, which could be a hurricane in 2008 as it is one of the names for that year, was registered in 2003.

But... why? There is some advertising on these sites. But could that really be the reason? HurricaneKatrina.com, the domain, is for sale by the same folks that own HurricaneRita.com. If HurricaneKatrina.com wasn't sold or donated, what chances are there that any of these other hurricane domains will or could be?

Just seems weird.

PSoTD thanks the following fine blogs for adding PSoTD to their blogrolls...

GnostiNews

Left of Center

Macswain

RichardBellikoff.com

Thanks!

Today's Question:

What do you use for "scratch paper" (for making lists, taking phone messages, etc.)?

Won't be released until October 24, but already Number 1 at Amazon UK thanks to preorders.

More details at Kate Bush News about the upcoming album release.

US broadcaster NBC has announced that its drama show Law & Order brand will celebrate its 600th combined episode next month.

There are four franchises- Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: Trial By Jury. This achievement commemorates over 15 years of criminal justice programming that draws its inspiration from the real-world cases topping the headlines.

You know, I used to watch Law and Order. The original. But NBC has oversaturated the marketplace with their programming. I can't watch it anymore. At all - if I see it on a television, I will walk away.

What a horrible trend to start... CBS is well on its way to doing the same with CSI.

I'm one that is hoping that the Law and Order franchise doesn't make it to 700 total episodes. There has to be some alternative programming options that America can appreciate. Dick Wolf has become the Quinn Martin of his day - but instead of coming up with detectives that work similar storylines but differ physically in appearance, he just works similar storylines but with differing components of the criminal law process. Americans grew weary of Quinn Martin in the 1970s. It's time for American to move on from Dick Wolf.

Besides, Sam Waterston needs to do something else - he's too talented to be stuck on that show much longer. Of course, he may be stuck with the McCoy typecasting now.

One of the things about President Bush, he is one repetitive fella. And his speechwriters recycle, over and over, the same old "disaster" speeches. And why not? The press gives him airtime for being "Presidential" every time.

If Hurricane Rita does any damage, expect Bush to dust this baby off, fly to the region, grab a couple of locals for a photo moment, and deliver a barely geographically tailored adaptation of the following (except the Michael Brown part, it will be a new name).

THE PRESIDENT: I have seen the devastation that took place. The storm and the floods were lethal, and they cause a lot of heartache and damage. I know there are people in this part of our country who are grieving for lost ones and we send our prayers to all who grieve.

I know there are people here who are concerned as to whether or not they'll ever get their life back together. I hope my visit here with the senators and congressmen say as clearly as we can that we care about the devastation that took place; that we understand the federal government has an obligation to help, and we will.

Most of all, I'm here to thank the people of this community who have risen up to deal with the hardship. My message not only is to the people of the Millvale, but is to Etna and Carnegie, as well, communities in this part of the world that were hard hit.

You know, the volunteer firefighters here, I was honored to be able to shake hands with some. I looked in the guy's eyes and said, "You got flood eyes" — obviously, he had no sleep. He's doing all he could do to help save lives and help begin to heal the hurt.

The first thing I want to do is thank all the first responders, firefighters and police — (applause) — and the EMS teams. I want to thank Dave Sango, of the state for — he's the FEMA, he's the emergency management director who has been on top of the situation ever since the flood started to come. I'm absolutely convinced that as a result of the coordination between the federal government, the state government and local governments loss of life had been minimized. Dave has done a terrific job, and I appreciate your service to your state. (Applause.)

Mike Brown is with me — he's the head of the FEMA. I'm down here to let people know that FEMA is going to move quickly. The best way to make sure people understand FEMA is going to move quickly is bring the main guy with me, and let the mayor — Mayor Burn — talk to him and county executive of the County. I wanted him to hear firsthand what the people in these communities and this county have been through. And I want Brown to know that he's going to respond as quickly as he can; and that's what I want the people to know.

I want to thank the local officials who are working hard to help the people in this community. You know, what happens when these disasters hit, the real character of a community comes out, people show up, neighbors love neighbors, firefighters help save lives. You met the storm — this storm with compassion and courage. You showed the true spirit of the American people by how you've responded and are responding to this — these floods.

I want to thank the National Guard and Coast Guardsmen who worked hard all across the state to save lives and do their duty. I want to thank the power workers, people that — and the telephone crews — for getting electricity back up and running for the people of this part of the world. I know there are some homes that still don't have their electricity hooked up, but I've been assured that the power company is working as hard as they can to get electricity up. I know there's some people without natural gas. I know they're working hard to get the natural gas lines fixed so people can have power in their homes.

I appreciate the men and women of the Red Cross. The Red Cross has been tested during the last months. I've seen Red Cross workers all across our country. They're out there providing compassion and care. The Red Cross is a great organization, mainly because it's got great workers, people who care a lot.

I want to thank the faith-based communities who have been responding to this disaster. You know, the concept of neighbor loving neighbor is a powerful concept, it helps lift people's spirits. I met the lady who runs the food bank here. She's working overtime to make sure people have got something to eat. I want to appreciate all those who are working at the food banks. I asked her, I said, "Do you have enough food to make sure the good people of this part of the world got something on the table to eat?" She said, "Absolutely." People are responding to the crisis and out of the harm is coming some good.

I want to let you know that we're dedicated to responding as quickly as we possibly can. I've been told that those who have registered with FEMA have started to receive checks. I urge people to find out the facts, to get 800 numbers that are available, and to sign up for help. We can't help you unless you sign up for the help.

Again, I want to reassure the people that a lot of people are praying for you. You know, I saw the look in the people's eyes when I was driving through the town here — small business owners and entrepreneurs whose businesses were destroyed, their stuff piled up in front of their business, wondering whether or not there's a future. There is a future. I predict to you, Mr. Mayor, that within a reasonable period of time this town is going to be back on its feet, better than ever, more hopeful — (applause.)

We ask God's blessings on everybody who lives here. And may God continue to bless our country. Thank you all for coming. (Applause.)

Millvale, Pennsylvania
September, 2004

Or something slightly shorter, like this speech from Lake Wales, Florida, a week later.

How many times