PSoTD

Tired of blogging? 7,439 posts.

Tired of politics? 7,785 posts.

Seniors have paid to educate their children and shouldn't have to pay school taxes once they reach the magic age of 65. Maybe people at city hall and candidates in the provincial election should look at removing the burden from seniors by freezing property taxes and removing education taxes – especially when some seniors don't have children or have no children left at home who are being educated.

It's amazing to me how many people see "education funding" as use taxes. It isn't. They are societal improvement fees, like the costs of building hospitals and roads and police departments.

It's really, really, really, really, really, really sad that people can live to their 60s and not figure this out, or not care enough about the world to consider the stupidity of such a belief.

October 1st is the 104th anniversary of the very first World Series game, between the Boston Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Last week at Bethany Beach.

Pretty damn amazing.

On the other hand, if they, at this point, still don't make the playoffs, it would be the cruelest collapse in a history laden with such.

Cool, a Horslips tribute band! Horslypse.

(New York Wakes is by far the better song, about halfway through the clip)

The 2007 Great Insect Fair is tomorrow at Penn State's Snider Ag Arena.

Here's a question - would it be for the better, for the worse, or no change, if Hampden Township and Silver Spring Township merged?

More than 20 percent of Pennsylvanians are obese.

Interesting article on MSNBC about business types facing extinction with ten years. But I really think that they've missed the boat on this one:

Coin-operated arcades

With Nintendo Wii, casual gaming online and the Xbox 360, the video game arcade industry is thriving, but not the standalone brick-and-mortar arcades. For those of you who thought arcades were already dead, they still exist — at movie theaters, miniature golf courses and other touristy spots — but it seems only a matter of time before they vanish from the landscape. Ten years ago, there were 10,000 arcades in the nation, and now the number is close to 3,000, according to the American Amusement Machine Association. Revenue from arcade game units brought in $866 million last year, which sounds good until you consider that in 1994, the industry was pocketing $2.3 billion and that the profits are only still high because it costs so much to play a game.

Odds of survival in 10 years: Game over.

I think the fact of the matter is that arcades are not going to be stand-alones, but they'll still exist due to complimentary entertainment combinations (think much more imaginative Chuck E. Cheese) and greater imagination used in game development. Hasn't anyone noticed that the arcade games of today look a LOT like casino games? Think that's an accident? I don't. How better to build the customers for slots and other machine casino games of the future by building starter games for kids today, using tickets and prizes for rewards.

It won't be going away.

A double dipper of Garland Jeffreys...

Escape Artist
Ghost Writer

Hey, his MySpace page has a lot of friends!

Of the two albums, I strongly recommend Escape Artist, even though Ghost Writer has his biggest hit, "Wild in the Streets". I'm probably going to end up buying a best of album, however, since both albums have quite a few infectious pop songs.

For hiring a bulletin board spamming service to promote their perhaps legitimate business:

Dimwits

Mistaken and Unimaginative

This is really the first time I’ve heard of a use of a camera phone where I thought, “that could be handy after all”.

I would say that Lower Mount Bethel is the only township of this bunch showing any common sense.

Supervisors in Washington Township, Northampton County, have approved an ordinance restricting where convicted sex offenders can live.

The supervisors voted 3-0 Wednesday night to adopt the ordinance, which prohibits sex offenders from living within 1,500 feet of child care facilities, community centers, and any other place where children might congregate.

The township is the third community in the Slate Belt to pass such an ordinance. Upper Mount Bethel Township created one last month, while Bangor and East Bangor adopted theirs last year. Lower Mount Bethel declined to restrict where sex offenders can live, but has an ordinance that requires the township to be notified if an offender moves to the township.

Places where children might congregate:

Parks
Fast Food Restaurants
Stores
Libraries
Churches
Public Events
Empty Parking Lots

Bring protective gear for basketball with PSoTD!

I'm thinking about it.

Roger Simon provides a truth for the Democratic Party in the case that Hillary Clinton wins the primaries:

If Hillary Clinton gets the Democratic nomination — and she certainly may not — her first and most important decision will be her choice of a running mate.

The rest of the article is sheer speculation and probably isn't worth even Roger Simon's brain cells used in the consideration, but there is this to be concerned:

Does this mean that only white males need apply to become Hillary’s running mate? Probably.

Which is why Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, former Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa, Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio, Sen. James Webb of Virginia, and even former Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri are all having their names tossed around.

If Clinton wins the nomination, she must consider the future direction that the VP selection might take the Party in future elections. The Democratic Party is still paying a price for the selection of Lieberman in 2000, as he is listened to and given more credibility than deserved due to that selection.

I do not want to see a U.S. Senator in the VP role, one on the ticket is enough. I do not want to see Vilsack, I think he's incredibly ordinary and uninspiring and of very little new direction. I don't know anything really about Strickland. But just to be lumped with the rest of these guys is damning with faint praise.

Would I lie to you? I took a listen for the first time in a long time to The Eurythmics "Be Yourself Tonight". I like Annie Lennox, a lot, she's taken a lot of interesting angles at performance and recording and she has the vocals to make those efforts work, and Dave Stewart knows how to create a song, but there's something too... corporate... about this album, especially compared to a classic like Touch.

BTW, Annie is on tour, and will be getting to Philly in November.

Here's my suggestion for anyone caught - and survives - going over 120 miles per hour in a vehicle on a public road in America with speed limits under 90 MPH:

life imprisonment

okay, maybe that's too much, but is 20 years too much?

I'm sorry, but clearly anyone who does this doesn't give a shit about the risk they incur towards other people - normal, average people who aren't expecting drivers to go 120 miles per hour. And in this case, society should return the favor. Nobody will miss them except for EMS and funeral industry professionals.

And it's not like it's that uncommon. There's this and this and this and this

Hell, 437 drivers in Oregon alone were busted for driving over 100 MPH in 2006.

It's just unacceptable, and as dangerous as improper use of any other weapon. I say screw them, send them away to prison for a long, long time. I don't want them on taxpayer roads. I don't want them near me. Innocent people get hurt and killed by these imbecilic actions all the time, and enough is enough. Put them away.

You know you're special when you're visited by this goober.

Note to Joe Trippi - sometimes less is more, and that includes your often much-too-liberal use of sending emails with just ordinary campaign content. I'm very close to removing myself from your list, even though I like Edwards' candicacy, because there's just WAY TOO MUCH PITCHMAN in those emails.

I bet you didn't know there were such things as "Conway Twitty films"...

The Fixx - Phantoms

I dunno, it's okay, but I liked Reach the Beach better.

btw, they're still touring...

and even more btw, they were in Mechanicsburg this summer!

(see, I'm so out of touch)

Without you and your partner alternating the traffic flow through six month construction bottlenecks in day-glo yellow vests with cigarette butts dangling from your lips, how would we ever complete our daily commutes?

(How long till lunch break?)

And we'll be sure to proceed with caution, if you'll just let us be that one last car through!

(Mr. Stop/Slow Sign Flipper Guy!!)

Clears your head. Maybe it just empties your head. Don't know, don't care, just glad the weather was so nice.

We like the Delaware beaches this time of year. For one thing, you don't have to deal with the parking and pass issues that happen during peak time. Secondly, we like to rent a place for just a few days, and most everyone wants a week commitment during peak, but it's pretty easy to find a weekend rental in the fall. Thirdly - stretch out on the beach. Throw a football. Make a gigantic fortress of sand. You have the room, there's just not that many people there, even though, generally, the weather is pretty warm, and the water is warm enough.

I know, I know, BUT THE BOARDWALK! Yes, a lot of the boardwalk is closed, particularly on weekdays at this time of year, but even though it may disappoint the kids briefly, parents can celebrate... Celebrate... CELEBRATE (cue Kool and the Gang) the good times that come with not having to be stuck at the boardwalk every night until near bedtime. Maybe it's just that I didn't grow up with it, but the idea of hanging around arcades and shops and mini-amusement parks every night isn't my idea of the best way to spend time at the beach.

(And just a plug: we like Grotto Pizza, a lot. Why can't we get one of those out in the Harrisburg area?)

I'll return to the blogging world, but meanwhile there's a bit of sand and seawater still lapping in my brain, and it's worth keeping another day before polluting it with the crass favor factory that we call American politics.

Now where's my boogie board?

Clearly the Chicago Bears offense has reached disaster status. There are lots of reasons it has reached this status, and as much as I've denied it before, a big part of it has to be put on Rex Grossman's shoulders. I'm convinced, he's not going to be a top tier quarterback in the NFL in any time frame that's going to help the Bears, and he increasingly reminds me of Steve DeBerg, a man who could generate just enough awesome stats on occasion to keep getting chances, and then destroying a team's hopes once he received that chance.

But when I watched that game last night, there's a lot more going on that I found dispiriting, first and foremost the continuing performance of one Ron Turner, offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears. Play calling is, for the most part, crappy. I cannot understand the reasoning behind why the Bears do not use the shotgun, which possibly could help Grossman see the field better. There aren't planned rollouts, either. Rex Grossman may not be a Super Bowl winning player, but Ron Turner doesn't look like he knows how to provide the tools to develop such a player, either.

Bernard Berrian should be getting close to being benched. Crappy routes and drops of wide open passes don't cut it in the NFL, and for whatever reason, Berrian is routinely displaying both. Of course, Moose Muhammed isn't getting open much, either, so Berrian may be safe for a while longer.

The Bears defense is getting banged up in a hurry, and last night looked like it exposed an expanding hole - pass coverage. It was embarrassing that the Bears didn't try to harass Romo's middle of the field vision all night long, and they paid the price, getting killed on the crossing patterns.

The Bears can't afford another crappy performance like yesterday during the first half of the season. Unfortunately, I don't see them stopping the bleeding. I tend to agree with this post, that Kyle Orton may really be the game manager we need at this point. But I doubt we'll see it.

I'm not even going to think about that but Ana Marie Cox does ...

Unfortunately, the pleasure that comes from creating an LOLCheney is overwhelmed by the nagging question: What kind of disgusting, F-d up flavor could "Cheney" possibly be? I don't think it's "Chunky Hubby." Yellowcake Batter Swirl? "I'd Tell You the Flavor But I'd Have To Kill You" Mint? [Redacted]? Shoot-an-Old-Man-In-the-Face'n'Cream, maybe. Oh, I know: Super-fudge Oil Chunk, with Tortured Prisoner Tears.

Yuck!

The Vanessa Hudgens Nude Photo Scandal is now officially yesterday's news.

At least I've heard of Meg White before. She's the drummer for The White Stripes!

This one's for PSoTD. I'll let Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune do the dishonors.

It's almost impossible to see how the Bears can reach their goal of a Super Bowl victory this season, not after what we saw Sunday night in a 34-10 loss to Dallas.

After the game, there was only one thing on the mind of clear-thinking people: For the love of all that is good, don't say it, Lovie Smith. Bite your lip. Resist the temptation.

Don't.

Say.

It.

"Rex Grossman is our quarterback," Smith said.

I was afraid he was going to say that.

Last night was no surprise to me. My investment in the Cowboys was handsomely rewarded.

Rex Grossman is the Anthony Morelli of the NFL.

Esquire writer A.J. Jacobs spent last year trying to live according to the Bible - literally.

In addition to his 72 pages of explicit biblical rules, there were also lots of guidelines and suggestions, many of them bizarre, unexplained, even inexplicable. But Jacobs decided to try to follow these as closely as he could, which meant no mixed fibers, no winking, no coveting and no cutting his beard. He hired a specialist to inspect his clothes. He carried a folding cane chair so he didn't have to sit on chairs sullied by menstruating women. He consulted rabbis, priests and experts over finer points. He even made pilgrimages to such literalist outposts as the Creation Museum in Kentucky and Jerry Falwell's Liberty University.

Throughout, Jacobs explores the dark side and the light side of the Bible. As his beard grew, so did his sense of isolation. On the streets of New York, people called him the Unabomber or Gandalf and frowned at him for reading his Bible on the subway. But over the year, Jacobs discovered a few things. He tried to love his neighbors, which was hard. He felt newly thankful for little things, which was refreshing. And he learned that even the most strident biblical literalists don't follow all 800 rules: They pick and choose like everyone else.

What book would you want to devote a year of your life to? I've narrowed it down to either "The Playboy Advisor" or "The Twinkies Cookbook: An Inventive and Unexpected Recipe Collection from Hostess".

Featuring Jack Penate!!

Difficult to feel proud as an American when we have a murderous outfit like Blackwater on the payroll.

Take the case of the Blackwater guard who got drunk at a Green Zone party last Christmas Eve and reportedly boasted to his friends that he was going to kill someone. According to both Iraqi and U.S. officials, he stumbled out and headed provocatively over to the “Little Venice” section, a lovely area of canals where Iraqi officials live. He had an argument with an Iraqi guard, then shot him once in the chest and three times in the back. The next day Blackwater put him on a private plane out of the country—probably only because the incident involved a rare killing inside the Green Zone and the victim was a security guard for a high-ranking politician. That was it. The company has refused to disclose his name. (Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell did not return phone calls seeking comment.)

Sure seems like a lot of you are. So, for your enjoyment...

At this point, any national Republican who is not washing their hands from Bush and his Iraq policy shouldn't be considered credible. Sticking along for the ride with an imbecile driver isn't reasonable. There must be a large minority of Republicans - folks who believe in fiscal restraint and social responsibility - that are finding the current crop of Congressional Republicans absolutely depressing. Welcome to reality. These Congressional Republicans are people who are hiding behind the Bush mantra, behind a man with the level of intelligence that most of America wouldn't trust to do something as simple as figure out their income taxes. These Congressional Republicans hunker down frightened behind a person that will not be in power two years from now - the same person that will suffer some of the greatest immediate reputation trashing by his own party of any President, ever. By these very same Republicans currently in Congress. You can bank on Bushbashing by Republicans when they get the message in the next national election - America doesn't like their leadership, or lack of it, and won't be trusting them with it anytime soon.

I don't know how anyone with at least half a mind or half a soul could claim themselves to be a Republican at this point. Conservative, sure. Republican? No. Where do these conservatives go? Who will lead them? Will they continue to lower their expectations - and their self image - by following the Congressional Republicans? It's pretty depressing sometimes, as a progressive, to watch the Congressional Democrats, but it can't be anything like being a conservative questioning the Republicans.

Anyways, I guess perhaps the greatest questions for these conservatives about their party might be When Will The Republicans Be Serious About America? And the best case scenario - a scenario that there's really no evidence for at this point, but perhaps shock treatment will do it - is after they grotesquely lose the 2008 elections, everywhere. And those conservatives - those conservatives that believe that the current Congressional Republicans need replaced by a corps of responsible, intelligent, morality-based Americans - should be active in getting rid of the current rotten group.

Color me uninspired by Cactus World News "Urban Beaches".

It's almost... almost... amazing that even the most obscure bands that had record contracts can have their own web sites, although I almost always find the Wikipedia entry for a band more helpful in providing the history I'm interested in.

Math troubles, language troubles, c'mon Comcast.

If not, why does Mike Johanns get to go home, but the soldiers in Iraq have to stay?

Maybe they'd get to go home now if they promised to run as a Republican for Congress next year...

There's something incredibly wrong with this country when we decide it's a good idea for state government to actually own and operate casinos. What's next? State owned brothels?

Just because a state can make money doing something doesn't mean it should be doing something.

No, it's not very exciting or interesting, just experimenting with the process of loading and naming. Meet Maggie.

If you like the date tomorrow, I guess you can dress for the occasion...

How did Instapundit's website not make it?

I hope, I hope, I hope that the Reds do not bring La Russa into their organization. I don't care about his record of winning, I think the record of his players being seen as "enhancers" with steroids and other supplements isn't something that Cincinnati needs to stigmatize their franchise with - and yes, I think both Oakland and St. Louis players under La Russa's management periods will end up having a bit of skeptical stigma to their performances. As will La Russa.

Plus, I really don't think he's that great of a manager, it's just that there's a lot of pretty dumb managers that have been clogging up major league baseball for years.

Do you wonder what the news media could do with 18.24 million dollars?

O.J. Simpson's latest troubles may bring back terrible memories, a sense of outrage, bemusement or just a big yawn.

But for the media and the Las Vegas tourism industry, the arrest and pending case against "The Juice" could be the biggest thing since Siegfried and Roy.

About a month ago we adopted a terrier mix dog named Maggie, who's just an adorable and sweet pet and companion. When I grew up we had a dog in our family, and as a young adult I had dogs for about 14 years, but we haven't had one since Cecilia was two - almost nine years.

I didn't realize how much I missed having a dog, but there was a bigger "missing" that I would not have known if we hadn't gotten a dog.

Because it has been SO cool to watch our kids as "mini-parents" the past month, as they adopt Maggie further and further into their hearts. They want to involve her in everything, they want to play with her and feed her and give her water and walk her (but not pick up her poop, of course). They take great pride in teaching her "new" things, and when she shows off her smarts by learning something.

Having a dog has changed the status quo around the house in nuanced ways. Whereas, the situation was that we took care of the kids and Cecilia watched after Carter in minimalist big sister style, now everyone has somebody to look after - Maggie. Everyone shares in responsibility of taking care of someone, and everyone appreciates the returned love you can feel only from someone you are taking care of. I didn't really see this part coming, not like this at least. And it's been the best part of the deal so far. I'm glad I didn't miss it.

More of the same of that U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration failure to perform duties.

Federal regulators missed required inspections during the past two quarters at a Logan County mine where a worker was killed Sunday, government records show.

U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration inspectors had not conducted a complete review of the Mountaineer II Mine since March, agency records show.

Under federal law, MSHA is required to conduct a complete inspection of every underground coal mine once per quarter.

So, how often do inspections get missed?

Apparently a language dies every two weeks.

I'm not sure what was more interesting, Rome or Estelle Bingham. (That's not a complaint)

OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ OJ

This is so much bullshit.

Second, John Kerry did not handle this well at all. I liked him all right before — I voted for him, but what were the alternatives? — but now I really dislike the man. His behavior here is pathetic. Listen to him droning sonorously on in the background as a guy is dragged down the aisles and pinned the ground. He does say something like, "Officers, can we--" but then trails off ineffectually... and you can also hear him make what sounds like a joke about Meyer: "...unfortunately he's not available to come up here and swear me in as President..." At that point, fair enough, maybe it didn't seem as bad from the stage as it looks on the video. But then the guy is screaming in pain, and Kerry is still droning on, not agitated, nothing. He should have gotten off the stage and told the cops to get the hell off that guy. It's not what a politician would do, but it's what a fucking man would do.

I mean, c'mon, let's give Kerry the benefit of the doubt here. People have to stop acting like they have more testosterone than the average guy. How was Kerry supposed to know exactly what was going on? Okay, there's screaming, but Kerry's off in the distance, with lights in his eyes, trying to see what is going on - what do people really expect him to do at that point? Do we really expect a Senator to intervene in a police action if he doesn't know what is going on?

There are LOTS of different ways to respond to that situation, and only in hindsight does the best course of action become obvious. The guy wasn't armed. He hadn't committed any crimes. The police acted beyond the pale, but Kerry didn't know what circumstances were causing the police to act that way. We shouldn't be blaming Kerry for his response - he did what he did, and there was nothing wrong with what he did. It just didn't turn out to be the most "right" thing he could have done, based on the circumstances.

You want to pound on someone, pound on those police.

We are, and I'm just curious as to suggestions/ideas/recommendations.

This is EXACTLY why the whole Big Ten Network thing is BS. Focus, Penn State, on what your mission is, and quit carrying the water for this tinhorn sports network in negotiations with Comcast.

I just think this whole thing is crap.

A Penn State trustee Tuesday called for township supervisors to back the Big Ten Network in its standoff with cable television provider Comcast, and a working group of municipal officials plans to meet today to strategize against what township Manager Mark Kunkle called "a monopoly that operates in the township."

George Henning, a Ferguson Township resident, Planning Commission member and Penn State trustee, urged the supervisors to "ask Comcast as strongly as we can to include the Big Ten Network in their cable package."

Board of Supervisors Chairman Dick Mascolo replied that "there's no question that we'll do our best."

Henning said he's urging residents in the seven other municipalities that have given a cable franchise to Comcast to lobby their own local governments to support the Big Ten Network, though he said at one point that the new network and Comcast are "two big groups fighting" and "a pox on both of them."

Apparently, this was an obscure one - and it is bluesy rock.

New Adventures (self titled album)

Apparently they're Dutch, although they sing in English.

I do remember the song "Come On" getting airplay on the radio.

Bread lovers, prepare for rising prices:

Wheat prices continue amazing market climb

The U.S. wheat market continues to go up, up, up as all three market exchanges - Minneapolis, Chicago and Kansas City - all hit historical highs in early September.

“These are the highest prices ever,” said Erica Peterson, marketing specialist for the North Dakota Wheat Commission. “Just this week alone, all exchanges were limit up two days in a row. Over the last two weeks prices have shot up about a dollar. Spring wheat futures for Minneapolis have been as high as $7.81. Chicago hit a high of $8.49 and Kansas City had $7.91.”

Although prices were down slightly on the day she gave this report, (Sept. 6), they are still very high. “They've gone practically straight up the last week or so,” Peterson said.

The main factors that continue to drive the market remain the same - tight supplies, world production concerns, and strong demand.

In fact, there was stronger export demand this past week that really caused a stir in the market.

Bread lovers all over the world, that is:

Prices for bread and other wheat products have been rising in Central Asia to record highs over the past three months, causing hardship for many people. Experts say the reasons behind the surging prices are not local, and that prices have gone up worldwide. Some Central Asian governments, however, are trying to find a solution to the problem inside their countries.

The start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan this year has coincided with soaring prices for bread, flour, and wheat in Central Asia. The increase in the cost of a staple like bread has caused severe problems for many people in the poverty-stricken region, where many have already cut down on other staples such as meat and butter.

Rahmatullo Saidov, a Dushanbe resident who came to the city market to buy flour, found the price has gone up by almost 60 percent since the beginning of September. Saidov says his family usually buys flour to make bread at home because it is cheaper than buying bread. However, Saidov says he is no longer able to pay for all of the flour he needs.

"I can't believe that during one week the flour price goes up from $20 [per 50-kilogram sack] to $32," Saidov says. "Do we have any law or government that could do something about it? Our salaries are not enough for flour anymore. My family needs three sacks of flour every month. My income is about $22 a month. I don't know what we are going to do."

Regionwide Crisis

People in the rest of the region -- including Kazakhstan, which is the main exporter of wheat in the region -- are facing similar crises with steep price increases reported in the other four Central Asian countries. But it is far from being a local problem.

Some posts that are more than worth checking out:

What's the deal now about encores, really? Do you feel manipulated?

Now you too can be a porn critic.

I already knew this, but still, worth celebrating: Pennsylvania is number one in mushrooms! We're number one!

Ugh, ugh, ugh.

Privatized highways are for losers. Hear that, Governors?

We are all baby boomers now.

But does it make sense to advertise a coffee shop on MySpace? (BTW, this is a pretty good coffee shop in the West Shore area near Harrisburg)

(Maybe it is me - there seems to be a lot of coffee shops doing their web sites on MySpace these days...)

I had a chance to listen the past few days to:

Easterhouse - Contenders

Zzzzzzzzzzz. Huh, still on? Zzzzzzzz.

The Men They Couldn't Hang - How Green is the Valley

I can see the comparisons to The Pogues. It doesn't look like you can buy it on Amazon, which is a shame, since I think this album has some pretty good tracks, particularly Ghosts of Cable Street.

Dead Can Dance - Spleen and Ideal

I kinda like this album. I don't remember "darkwave", though, as a genre. However, I find myself liking many of the groups that were lumped into that definition, particularly The Cocteau Twins.

I wonder how well a nightly national television news program would work called "Middle Class News". One of the requirements of the program would be that nobody on the program - period, nobody, from anchors to reporters to producers - were compensated more than a middle class salary. Of course, defining that would take some work, but the whole intent would be to keep the news program staff from being insulated from the real world, which is something that people like Katie Couric and Brian Ross seem to be, and more importantly, what the editorial content decisionmakers seem to be as well.

Homeowner associations as police departments. Do I really have to say what I think of this idea?

They've pulled their soldier out of Iraq.

Foreign Minister Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir has decided to remove an Icelandic Crisis Response Unit (ICRU) member from a NATO training program for the Iraqi army in Baghdad next month, causing disappointment among NATO leaders.

The ICRU member has been working in Baghdad for the last two years, primarily as a media representative, and will cease working there October 1, Morgunbladid reports.

John Craddock, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe for NATO and the US European Command, said at a press conference in Iceland yesterday that Iceland is an important and active NATO member and that he was disappointed with Gísladóttir’s decision.

But Craddock added that he understands that NATO member nations have to make decisions according to their best interests and “estimate what they can do and what they cannot do, what they want to do and what they don’t.”

(Tip of the beanie to TPM)

Are Republicans a Sectarian group?

From SSRN:

There is, however, another way to assess the Surge. This paper shows how data from world financial markets can be used to shed light on the central question of whether the Surge has increased or diminished the prospect of today's Iraq surviving into the future. In particular, I examine the price of Iraqi state bonds, which the Iraqi government is currently servicing, on world financial markets. After the Surge, there is a sharp decline in the price of those bonds, relative to alternative bonds. The decline signaled a 40% increase in the market's expectation that Iraq will default. This finding suggests that to date the Surge is failing to pave the way toward a stable Iraq and may in fact be undermining it.

I wonder if the blackouts are going to give it a big black eye this year. I heard a DJ complaining about the Penn State game not being on just a few minutes ago, won't be surprised if we hear that more often this year.

Sure seems like a nice opportunity for other football conferences to get some deserved exposure on national television, however.

I just had to respond to this article in Wired entitled "Why We're All Suckers For Buying Ringtones"...

Hello, America. I have a cellphone. I leave it off unless I'm absolutely expecting a call, or if I need to make a call, or I want to check my messages. Period. I don't buy ringtones, I don't play stupid little games on my cellphone, and for God's sake I wouldn't waste any time taking a photo with my cellphone, which of course, I can't, because I don't have such a ridiculous contraption.

Yes, I feel enlightened compared to those who have chosen to be slaves to their telephone number, always on, always ready, with a zillion little rings customized for each person. I think many of these people are wisdom-impaired. I haven't been blessed with more than my share of wisdom, but unless you're in emergency services or some other life-impacting mode, there's really no compelling reason to have your cellphone on and with you, all the time, every place.

And buying ringtones? Again, wisdom-impairment. Who gives a shit what your ringtone sounds like as long as you can tell it is yours and you can hear it? Because here's a clue: the objective of a ringtone is to get you to act TO STOP IT.

I know I sound like a crank, but some of the obsessive cellphone lifestyles of people should be studied, because it's either a personality defect or a behavioral problem. It's really pathetic.

And now, for your entertainment:

Makes me feel feel like I need to carry a 3-wood with me.

Hoodoo Gurus - Blow Your Cool

Pretty good, but I'm pretty sure there's a better album of theirs on tape in my collection. I'll be looking for it.

The Woodentops - Giant

Just can't get very excited about this album. Very unexciting music.

One thing I was wondering by all the focus on Anbar is whether the Bushies are hoping for a re-emergence of the "flypaper" theory. If there was one obvious place where a knife could be struck in the heart of Bush's fantasy on progress in Iraq, it would now be Anbar province. I'm sure all the zealots on the other sides have figured that out, not sure about the zealots in the Bush administration.

But you have to think that the Republican members of Congress up for election in 2008 now know that their careers are linked to this simple equation - regardless of what happens elsewhere in Iraq, that there can be no major debacles in Anbar - without the whole premise, and Republicans along with it, being shown as pure fiction.

Guess who pays for the number one listed advertisement?

Fun Family Devotions
No more bored kids! Our proven
Family Night activities are a hit!
www.HeritageBuilders.com

So, what do they have to offer for a family to do on Friday night?

Heritage Builders exists to help educate, train and equip families to become intentional about passing on a Godly Heritage to their children.

Wheee, that sounds fun! So what are these Family Night activities that will help us do that? Here's some ideas:

We have put together, at a deep discounted price, a set of four critical items that you need to get started right in implementing Heritage Builders in your family. The kit includes:

1.) The book Your Heritage. Read this book first because it explains the entire Heritage Builders concept in great detail.

2.) CD introducing you to Heritage Builders and the Family Night concepts, featuring the ministry founders Jim Weidmann, J. Otis Ledbetter and Kurt Bruner. This tape will give you the reasoning behind implementing the Family Night concept.

3.) The workbook called Ten Commandments Family Night Tool Chest. This features 12 Family Night lessons for kids of all ages. Lessons include "Teaching children the importance of the 10 Commandments as a target for righteous living", "Teaching children the importance of the 10 Commandments and to call sin - sin", "Teaching children that God is the one true God" and 9 other lessons. These are easy and fun to use!

4.) The book Family Fragrance. This book is filled with practical, intentional ways to fill your home with the atmosphere (AROMA) of love.

Yeehaw! Lets make some popcorn! And later on after the kids go to bed, some Barry White tunes to go with that AROMA of love...

Seriously, I have to wonder how successful their Google advertising plan is. No such ad comes up under "Christian Family Fun" which, I dunno, seems like better targeting.

Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo ...

With the president's speech tonight it appears we are back to the supposed 'Korea analogy' for the occupation of Iraq. We've been in Korea for more than a half century, as we have been in Japan and Germany. And for all the commitment of troops and money, we now have three highly prosperous allied democracies where in two of the cases we had ardent foes.

Forgive me for saying the obvious. Because it is obvious. But sometimes, apparently, the obvious needs saying.

We garrisoned troops in these three countries for half a century, as we did in Saudi Arabia for about a decade. The periods of military government in Japan and Germany were relatively brief. And most importantly we never mounted counter-insurgency operations in any of these countries.

This simple fact tells you that all these Korean, Japan, Germany analogies are bogus.

Few things annoy me more than the intellectually dishonest historical analogies the wing-nuts are constantly throwing around.

Saddam as Hitler
Congressional Democrats as Neville Chamberlain
Maliki as George Washington
Bush as Truman
Iraq as Korea

If you gotta distort history to make a point, you probably don't have a point to make.

According to Wikipedia, the Republicans have 3 presidential candidate debates in the next month:

September 17, 2007 - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
September 27, 2007 - Baltimore, Maryland
October 9, 2007 - Dearborn, Michigan

I have a question that I think someone should ask Ron Paul:

Would you vote for a Republican running for Congress that supports continuing the surge, and the Iraq War?
If so, why?
And if not, is that your recommendation for Republican voters?

More dropping in on the work I did in the 1980s of making music tapes. Yesterday I listened to:

Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark - The Pacific Age

It's fine as background music. (Forever) Live And Die has a nice vocals hook.

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Broadcasting from Home

I remember listening to this quite a bit. I also remember that they had some pretty cool album covers, if you like penguins. You'll recognize some of the music, as it has been used in television and commercials over time.

Blue Oyster Cult - Spectres

Oh yeah, good times. Cranking up Godzilla and Golden Age of Leather in the old Nissan truck. I'm surprised, I still like this album.

I wish that Google News could figure out a way to dramatically increase the number of news sources it includes. There are literally hundreds, perhaps thousands, of legitimate news sources, both inside and outside of the United States, that are not included in their output.

In what was perhaps the most fantasy-driven speech given by Bush in years, we'll see how many in the media and the Congress now remain that just "want to believe".

In what was perhaps the best sign in a long time for broadcast media, Keith Olbermann set the tone for candid skepticism of Bush on MSNBC.

On the other hand, I don't know how big of a brown nose stain Wolf Blitzer ended with on his program.

Just in: Fred Hiatt believes in fairies.

The Ultimate PSOTD Experience ...

Siouxsie and the Banshees cover version of Sparks "This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both Of Us"!

Sacramento State University - c'mon, give the hornet a little more character, and a little more toughness, will ya?

A warning from Muhammad Abdel-Al of the Palestinian terror group "The Popular Resistance Committees"...

“If I meet these whores I will have the honour - I repeat, I will have the honour - to be the first one to cut the heads off Madonna and Britney Spears if they keep spreading their satanic culture against Islam ... If these two prostitutes keep doing what they are doing, we of course will punish them."

Everybody's a critic.

I know, the title makes no sense, but neither did the action:

A Caribbean steel band returning to London was turned off a plane by armed police after a passenger thought they were terrorists.

The five British musicians, on their way home after playing at a festival in Sardinia, were taken off the Ryanair flight after one of their members, who is blind, was reported to the pilot as acting "suspiciously".

Michael Toussaint, a drummer with the Caribbean Steel International group who is registered blind, was led by the arm to his seat by his friends.

One of the other band members then read football scores to him from a newspaper while they waited to take-off.

However, a passenger near the men believed they were behaving suspiciously and reported them to cabin crew.

Italian military police were called and took the whole band off the plane.

Mr Toussaint presented his disability card and removed his sunglasses to prove he was blind yet even after he was cleared by the airport authorities Ryanair still refused to let him, or the rest of the group, reboard the plane.

The five men are now seeking compensation after they were stranded in Sardinia last New Year's Eve.

Or not work.