PSoTD

Okay, so the other Dem candidates hit her a little harder than they have been last night. Good for them. So the issue of her possible "unelectability" came up as a theme last night. Good. I see that Scarecrow at Firedoglake argues that going negative on Hillary is a mistake. I disagree.

Here's why - that issue is one of the biggest issues about her right now, and it has to do with her history and her positions on recent events. That's all fair play, and open game. And frankly, if she can't do better than she did last night in the debate, then voters deserve to know that now, instead of September of 2008 in a debate against the Republican nominee.

Ignoring this issue doesn't help the Democrats. If she's going to succeed to being the nominee, it should be because she successfully refuted her opponents' efforts to define her, not because she was able to run out the clock. There's not going to be a "running out the clock" option in 2008, so the time to get this heavy lifting done is now.

I don't prefer Clinton as the candidate. Then again, I don't like the fact that there are so many candidates, or that the media primarily only gives attention to two of them, or that most of them seem pretty mediocre. But it is what it is. It's going to get negative for a few months until things play out, that's the reality. If Clinton can push forward through this, she'll have earned the nomination. If not, it should be a new race.

In honor of Halloween, a post about movies - scary movies. And in particular - the music used in scary movies. Do you have any favorite soundtracks of horror/monster/scary movies? And sorry, no, The Rocky Horror Picture Show doesn't count.

The one soundtrack that blew me away the very first time I saw the movie in the theater was the original Halloween. It worked, it kept working, it built the mood, it built tension. I stayed for a second viewing of the movie just to witness how the soundtrack worked again. According to IMDB, the music was actually written by John Carpenter, although that is the first time I've realized that he deserves credit for writing it as well as using it for incredible effect.

So... what about you? I know there's a lot of great soundtracks to consider - The Exorcist, Psycho, Attack of the Killer Tomatos (okay, that one doesn't count, either). You might find HorrorMovieSoundtrack.com helpful in reminding you of movies worth considering.

Does anyone even use that search engine anymore?

I wonder how much money this will generate for Iowa to make it worth being a butt of jokes?

The Iowa Department of Revenue is taxing jack-o'-lanterns this Halloween. The new department policy was implemented after officials decided that pumpkins are used primarily for Halloween decorations, not food, and should be taxed, said Renee Mulvey, the department's spokeswoman.

"We made the change because we wanted the sales tax law to match what we thought the predominant use was," Mulvey said. "We thought the predominant use was for decorations or jack-o'-lanterns."

Previously, pumpkins had been considered an edible squash and exempted from the tax. The department ruled this year that pumpkins are taxable — with some exceptions — if they are advertised for use as jack-'o-lanterns or decorations.

Iowans planning to eat pumpkins can still get a tax exemption if they fill out a form.

There's a place down the street with me that has been selling pumpkins for Halloween, and they still probably have a couple of hundred sitting out. What do they - and everyone else with overstock - do with their pumpkins after Halloween? Is it garbage, or can they be used for something beneficial?

Time to sneak a YouTube in while Dr. Demento's not around.

The sublime Arcade Fire!

And cut in half.

Scientists have dredged up the oldest known living creature and have called it Ming.

According to reports, the 405-year-old clam (for it is that kind of mollusc) has not been named for the ex-leader of the Liberal Democrats, but for the Ming Dynasty which ruled China when it was young. The clam is so old that during its youth Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne and Shakespeare was penning his famous works.

The ocean quahog clam was dredged up off the coast of Iceland, and researchers calculated its age by counting the rings on its shell.

...

Sadly, since being discovered by science, Ming has popped its clogs. We can conclude from this that to live a long and healthy life, it would be advisable for a person to avoid being sliced in two by someone intent on counting one's rings.

I think there's a Clams Casino joke in here somewhere but out of respect for Ming, I'm clamming up.

I wonder whatever happened to the concept that a candidate needed to look and act "Presidential". Oh, I know, all this time with the current White House resident has diminished our future preferences to "coherent".

If the old standard of looking and acting Presidential was in place (not that I recommend we go back to selection by statue bust), then it's pretty clear that Giuliani does not come close to measuring up. Whenever he gives one of those freaking no-blink stares into the camera it reminds me of a imitation of a psychotic Harold Lloyd just realizing he shit instead of farted in his pants. It's a VERY DISTURBING look.

Then there's the sourpuss who hates kids, puppies, candy, and the concept of friends.

Sometimes he looks like he's morphing into one of the characters from Hellraiser.

I always saw "looking Presidential" as a Republican Party obsession, which makes Giuliani's lead in the polls even more ironic. And as for acting Presidential? Giuliani hasn't shown any of that since he's been a candidate.

Don't forget to hit up Taco Bell for gratis grub if you can - cleverly scheduled when most everybody is at work!

Taco Bell pitched a softball during the World Series. On Tuesday, it will pay.

The official quick-service restaurant of Major League Baseball is offering everybody in America a free taco between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. in their local time zones. The offer is good in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

What's behind the largesse? A bet the Yum! Brands (nyse: YUM - news - people ) subsidiary was fairly likely to lose. Rob Savage, the company's chief operating officer, detailed the "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" promotion last week, during the first game of the Series: If a player from either team could steal a base in any of the series’ games, everyone in the entire country would be eligible for a free taco.

Thing is, in an average baseball game in 2007, there were about 1.2 stolen bases. In the 2006 World Series, two bases were stolen. So, over the course of the best-of-seven contest this year, it was pretty likely that somebody would steal a base.

Red Sox centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury (who may go down in history as “Tacoby Bellsbury”) completed the task in Game 2, stealing second base in the bottom of the fourth and thereby gifting everyone in the United States a free beef taco.

That's a 77-cent value, so in theory, Taco Bell is on the hook for $233.5 million ...

In reality, they probably break even if you buy a soda.

Be sure to thank a Red Sox fan!

Don't be surprised if you bump into a naked sleepwalker.

A surge in naked sleepwalking among guests has led one of the country's largest budget hotel groups to re-train staff to handle late-night nudity.

Travelodge, which runs more than 300 business hotels in Britain, says sleepwalking rose seven-fold in the past year, and 95 percent of the somnambulants are scantily clad men.

"We have seen an increased number of cases over the years so it is important that our staff know how to help sleepwalking when it arises," Leigh McCarron, the chain's sleep director, said in a statement.

One tip in the company's newly released "sleepwalkers guide" tells staff to keep towels handy at the front desk in case a customer's dignity needs preserving.

I received a spam fax from some company called Kipling's Who's Who, and you know the drill, they want to include me in their directory of Who's Who in business and fill out my listing information and in a few days after I do that I'll get hit with a push to buy their book. Who buys these things, anyways? Who cares whether they're listed in such a thing? Do these people also keep the telephone book if they're listed there, or keep every article that quotes them?

It might even be worse than a pitch to sell me - they could sell lists to spam me. I don't see any disclaimer on their site. By responding, I could be grossly increasing the junk I already get.

I bought a book once that quoted me - a real book about the Internet industry with case studies, not one of these bizarro directories - and I was sadly disappointed with the book. I was in there, but the entire book was boring to me, and simplistic to boot, and there's no way anyone I know of would care that I was in it. It's down in the basement in a box somewhere, and it was a waste of twenty something dollars of mine. Ego made me buy it. Not again.

The Hearth, Patio, & Barbecue Association has some interesting statistics from their new study on recent changes in the industry. The HPBA is an international trade organization for barbecue and patio retailers. Based on a representative sample of more than 8,000, the report revealed that over 60 percent of Americans are grilling year-round and nearly half grill during winter months.

I'm one of them. Are you?

Slappy McBluelips and his slimeball agent Scott Boras called on the carpet for dissing the World Series in announcing their latest greedfest.

NEW YORK (AP) - Major League Baseball had this message for Alex Rodriguez and agent Scott Boras: Shame on you.

Boras announced during Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday night that A-Rod was opting out of the final three seasons of his contract with the New York Yankees. The timing left baseball officials livid, and Boras apologized Monday evening, just after Rodriguez filed with the players' association and became a free agent for the first time since 2000.

"We were very disappointed that Scott Boras would try to upstage our premier baseball event of the season with his announcement,'' Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said Monday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

"There was no reason to make an announcement last night other than to try to put his selfish interests and that of one individual player above the overall good of the game,'' DuPuy said. "Last night and today belong to the Boston Red Sox, who should be celebrated for their achievement, and to the Colorado Rockies, who made such an unbelievable run to the World Series.''

Think Progress highlights this barf-worthy moment from before game three.

Fox highlighted famous individual accomplishments by baseball icons in World Series history — such as Kirk Gibson’s game-winnning homerun in 1988 and Babe Ruth’s “called shot” in the 1932 World Series. Fox also deemed President Bush’s first pitch in Game 3 of the 2001 World Series worthy of inclusion.

In the segment, actors playing firemen gather around the television to laud Bush for “wearing our uniform” and watch in awe as Bush throws “a strike.”

I'm not going to embed it but click here to see the YouTube. Don't watch if you have a weak stomach.

It sures like there could be a lot more creativity in ideas of things to do with Hot Tub Parties with almost 28,000 listings in Google.

We may be going to Cleveland for a long weekend getaway in the next month or so. Any recommendations of things to see or do or go, beyond the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

If there is a God, and I'm an agnostic, so I don't I have any way of knowing, but if there is a God, then a sports tragedy of sorts is pending in New England, and it has to do with the football Patriots. Take a look at the scoring summary of their game yesterday, and perhaps you'll see something pop up at you.

What you see there is ego. Is it Tom Brady? Is it Bill Belichick? Is it everyone with that team? In their pursuit to crush their opposition, they seem to insist on playing some of their most important players well beyond the necessary time needed to guarantee victory. At what risk? Is it so inconceivable that Tom Brady or Wes Welker or Randy Moss could get hurt? Doesn't that happen to other teams? Why take the risk?

Whatever the reason, it isn't common sense. Maybe Matt Cassel could use some more reps, some more action. Maybe that would be good for the Patriots - not that I care about their team, but this arrogance of playing starters to run up the score is just the kind of thing to make one actively dislike a team, considerably so.

I think Tom Brady is going to find himself a bit of a marked man in the NFL if the Patriots don't wise up about when to put in the second string because the game is over.

Tommie Harris - fucking shut up already.

Detroit 16, Chicago 7

Bears Needs, in Order:

A real running back
A real quarterback
A real defense that tackles
A real offensive coordinator

And most of all, somebody who can use first round picks in a way that actually benefits the team.

Why is Tom Brady playing in the 4th quarter of a game the Patriots are winning 38-0?

Bill Belichick might be a football genius, but this seems pretty dumbass to me.

Two of our neighbors have, I believe, very large Eastern White Pines growing in their back yards, each at the border of where their property meets ours. As any east coast homeowner might tell you, this is the time of year to grumble about these trees if they're at maturity, because they drop a LOT of needles, and if you don't get the needles cleaned up, they will create a cover that will kill your grass.

Which is what I'll be working to avoid this afternoon.

Even Central PA has a chapter.

(The National Organization is here.)

I registered that domain almost a year ago, thinking that I'd set up a sideline of shirt sales through CafePress that focused on wear for the back scratching enthusiast. Recipient, not giver. I had an artist lined up, or so I thought, but after a few months of no results she bailed on the idea, and I've lost the mojo for following up.

Can't think of much else to use the domain for, particularly since I'm not planning a porn site, so it'll probably expire. Too bad - it sure seems like a fun domain name.

Banner days for bungling in the nation's capital!

FEMA tries to demonstrate their integrity with a fake news conference...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's No. 2 official apologized yesterday for leading a staged news conference Tuesday in which FEMA employees posed as reporters while real reporters listened on a telephone conference line and were barred from asking questions.

"We are reviewing our press procedures and will make the changes necessary to ensure that all of our communications are straight forward and transparent," Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson Jr., FEMA's deputy administrator, said in a four-paragraph statement.

"We can and must do better, and apologize for this error in judgment," Johnson said, a view repeated yesterday by press officers at the White House and the Department of Homeland Security, who criticized the event.

FEMA announced the news conference at its Southwest Washington headquarters about 15 minutes before it was to begin Tuesday afternoon, making it unlikely that reporters could attend. Instead, FEMA set up a telephone conference line so reporters could listen.

In the briefing, parts of which were televised live by cable news channels, Johnson stood behind a lectern, called on questioners who did not disclose that they were FEMA employees, and gave replies emphasizing that his agency's response to this week's California wildfires was far better than its response to Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

"It was absolutely a bad decision. I regret it happened. Certainly . . . I should have stopped it," said John P. "Pat" Philbin, FEMA's director of external affairs. "I hope readers understand we're working very hard to establish credibility and integrity, and I would hope this does not undermine it."

Don't sweat it, "Pat". You have no credibility to undermine.

Meanwhile in Congress, John Conyers' House Judiciary Committee badly botches their whistleblower operation (and likely destroys a few careers)...

This summer the House Judiciary Committee launched an effort to collect tips from would-be whistleblowers in the Justice Department. The U.S. attorney firings scandal had shown that much was amiss in the Department, and with the danger of retaliation very real, the committee had set up a form on the committee's website for people to blow the whistle privately about abuses there. Although the panel said it would not accept anonymous tips, it assured those who came forward that their identity would be held in the "strictest confidence."

But in an email sent out today, the committee inadvertently sent the email addresses of all the would-be whistleblowers to everyone who had written in to the tipline. The committee email was sent to tipsters who had used the website form, including presumably whistleblowers themselves, and all of the recipients of the email were accidentally included in the "to:" field — instead of concealing those addresses with a so-called blind carbon copy or "bcc:".

It's enough to turn you into a libertarian! Or an anarchist. Can I get a refund?

photo by dziner

It could look like this.

You know, it doesn't matter who the person is that is the subject of a letter to the editor, there should be some sort of standard for... intelligence. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but newspapers ought to do the job of determining that standard so that the reader base isn't insulted by the vapidness of the letter.

I just can't imagine the editorial decision making process that made someone decide: Hey, this is the best we've got to put here, let's run with it. Our readers will find it informative. It's interesting. Who would think that?

Proud American and conservative

Dear Editor:

In answer to the Oct. 16 letter in the Mountain Mail:

The only thing I would hire Al Gore for is to clean bathrooms.

Let's hope another country does get him and takes Hillary with him.

I am a proud American and a conservative. Praise God.

Wanclaire Trammel, Salida

I mean, why not just print completely blurry photos of the sky or lint or walls, the information or interest value isn't any less. What is the point.

Just an open question about today's Pennsylvania government scaredycat move, whereby officials have decided not to publicize the list of polling places in Pennsylvania, supposedly due to concerns that terrorists could disrupt elections in the commonwealth:

What is the state's liability in situations where a private facility is used as a polling place? I vote in a church, and I know it's not state land, so what kind of arrangements are made between state and property owner to use the property? If an electronic voting machine somehow shorted and fried out the wiring of a building, is the state liable? If officials at the precinct accidentally start a fire with a space heater, is the state liable? What is the exposure of the state by using private property for elections?

I'm really just trying to figure out what is driving this Pennsylvania election decision, because it really makes no sense on the face of things.

This is ridiculous. Cowardly. Won't work. And it has to be an idea from lawyers having to do more with liability than anything else.

State officials have decided not to publicize their list of polling places in Pennsylvania, citing concerns that terrorists could disrupt elections in the commonwealth.

The Department of State made its decision as a result of terrorist bombings that occurred just days before Spain’s national elections in 2004, spokeswoman Leslie Amoros said. Election officials consulted with state police, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the state Office of Homeland Security.

“The agencies agreed it was appropriate not to release the statewide list to protect the public and the integrity of the voting process,” Amoros said.

Americans are eagerly anticipating the end of an error!

In addition to Pozono's backwardsbush.com, there are sites like www.bushslastday.com, which sells its own countdown clocks, 01-20-09 golf balls, drinking glasses with 01-20-09 on the front and "But Who's Counting" on the back, and Fire Bush hot sauce (use liberally, its instructions say).

"It's a cottage industry," said Bryan Coonerty, the Democratic vice mayor of Santa Cruz, Calif., and vice president of Bookshop Santa Cruz, which sells anti-Bush items on nationalnightmare.com. "It's the cornerstone of our business. We've sold between 35,000 to 40,000 clocks."

But Coonerty and others realize that their Bush-bashing business is approaching its term-limited end. Ponzo said that he's frequently asked by customers whether their clocks will chime or make noise when they count down to zero.

"No," he tells them. "You get a new president."

Coonerty said 01-20-09 will be a mixed blessing for him and his business.

"Personally, I'll be ecstatic not having Bush in the White House, but our business will fall off a bit," he said. "It's a price I'm willing to pay."

I'm thrilled to have the Red Sox in the Series again but how about starting the games earlier or speeding them up? I hate waking up on the couch at two in the morning wondering who won the game. Made it all the way to the bottom of the eighth inning last night and then zzzzzzzzzz ......

I see there's another example of it out there today: SPECIFIC CONTRIBUTION BY LEADING NEO-NAZI TO RON PAUL CAMPAIGN IDENTIFIED.

And now I suppose a lot of newspapers will run with this. It makes me wonder, what would newspaper do if other media did such diligence on the people who buy advertising space within their publications, or the subscribers of their publications. What if it were determined that:

Several Wall Street Journal Subscribers Belong to the Ku Klux Klan!

or

Advertising Buyer for Major Company That Buys Advertising in the Chicago Tribune Has Sex Offender History!

or

whatever. What would the news media say?

If it is "WHO CARES!!!!" then this kind of individual reporting of campaign contributions ought to take a back seat now. Honestly, if they can't find something more important to report about, then they're sad shit in the news industry.

We're very slow to television shows anymore. We didn't discover "Scrubs" until this summer, and of course it is both funny as anything and now in its last season. Thank goodness for syndication.

Last night was Trick or Treat in Hampden Township, and the kids had a good ole' time. Funny thing about trick or treating, parents end up carrying for their kids all the masks, hand held items, and other eventually uncomfortable or unwieldy parts of their costumes.

Sooner or later some discount costume maker is going to figure this out, and just put a grab bag of costume items that no longer sell out there together as a new costume - trick or treat parent - which requires the wearer to just carry everything.

Trick or treat night here. The popular costume this year seems to be "Slutty Chick".

Back before the days of cable when I was a kid in York, Pa, we'd tune in to faraway UHF stations at night. One of those stations was WBFF 45 in Baltimore and on Saturday nights, they ran a horror movie feature called "Ghost Host". The Ghost Host was George Lewis who also skippered their afternoon cartoon show "Captain Chesapeake" and I think was also a news anchor (and possibly a station owner). The video was always the same but the Ghost Host's lips were obscured and the announcer would dub in the appropriate lead-in for that week's movie. Clips are rare but luckily three survive on YouTube.

Here's blood in your eye!!

Let this be a warning to all hot tub owners!

In other football news, Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Jon Runyan was expected to make his 184th consecutive start Sunday despite a bruised tailbone. Runyan was hurt Thursday when he slipped while getting into a training room tub and landed on the tub's edge. Ouch. ...

I think it's kinda silly to generalize with "I don't understand that generation" as if everyone had the same growing up experience and resulting thinking processes.

Posts worth reading:

It's desperation time if you're a federal Republican - your chance to make policy probably ends for a while in a little more than a year. So they're trying to steal the media while they can.

Peace Pumpkin.

Blanton and Ashton write "Shut Up, Charlie Rangel", and I agree, although mostly because of his constant talk of the draft.

So, what did you get for your $8000?

Ha ha ha ha ha. Trying to sell invasive species can turn out to be a money loser. About time.

I don't know if I've ever seen a more honoring blog post obituary. I wish I had known Fred Neumann.

Is everything that comes from Fox just drenched in dipshittery? And while I'm on the subject of Fox Sports, I have to say, their fantasy football website is the crappiest out there, by far. It's slow, it's clunky - it sucks.

The Spinning Goth has a list of the Top 18 Scary Movies. Do you agree with her?

Fixer discovers his marital reality.

Thursday mornings are usually a time for soreness for me, but one I appreciate. For 2/3rds of the year, I play basketball on Wednesday nights, and I've always had some tightness or ache the day after, but at 48, well, these occurrences have increased. I can count on my ankles or feet to be achey - not pain as much as the dull reminder that they were used harder than normal yesterday, and they comment for a while after I get up, and then those aches go away.

Sometimes my right shoulder is sore, sometimes a tendon or ligament elsewhere. Lately my lower back has been tightening up a bit. Sometimes I know when something occurred during basketball that snagged me, most of the times I don't. I used to bemoan the Thursday Aches, if only as a reminder that hell, I'm getting older, my body's not as prepared as it should be for Wednesday nights. But I've actually learned to appreciate, if not enjoy, the Thursday aches now. Not because I like pain, but because it's at least hope that I'm doing something to slow down my decay.

What I really ought to do is pick up the regimen so that I "enjoy" the soreness three mornings a week, but it will have to be something other than hoops, something I can fit in while the kids are at school.

I wonder if anyone asked the obvious question of Tom Donohue:

Tom Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, speaking Tuesday at the 79th annual meeting of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas, proved to be just what the news release said he was - highly opinionated.

Donohue, who has headed the national chamber organization since 1997, rattled off many challenges that America faces in its efforts to remain competitive in a global economy, but the main focus of his speech was the challenge of "an emboldened labor union movement that seems determined to turn back the clock to the 1950s."

The obvious question: what was so terrible about the commercial environment in the 1950s, for businesses or people?

Clearly, I'm on a break from much serious consideration of politics. At least it seems like it, because I see all the stories and yet I really don't want to blog about almost any of them.

And so, instead, a question for your consideration:

How many of your friends do you secretly think are just a little insane?

A little more about the Target case.

The federation for the blind says that's untrue. While Internet access for the blind might sound like a difficult proposition, the federation says standard screen-reading devices can read Web pages aloud to users. The problem is that those devices don't work appropriately on Target's site, the group contends.

"We frequently get to this point (with other organizations)," said the federation's John Pare Jr.

"Virtually all companies say they are willing to make changes to fix that. It's usually inadvertent," said Pare, director of strategic initiatives for the federation. "We contacted Target and they said they would not fix it. As a last resort, we brought them to court."

The federation has not surveyed all of the nation's retailers to see how many have Web sites that are accessible to blind people. But, Pare said, the organization is regularly approached by companies to get their sites certified as usable by the blind.

Some other posts on this topic of interest:

Spinuzzi
The IP Law Blog
Inspire Action
Helvidius, a Pachyderm
SiteProNews Blog
Chris F. Waigl
Adactio

I haven't had lumpia in quite a while, but this sounds like a tasty idea for a fundraiser.

Six thousand lumpia - 500 dozen, that was the goal reached Oct. 10, during Ketchikan General Hospital's LumpiaMania. The annual event raises money for the KGH Foundation. Gretchen Klein, Foundation Manager said "We've grossed over $8000. It's incredible, the support we get from the community."

The gallant staff from the Food Service Department began making lumpia Monday (Oct. 8) for distribution Oct. 18-19.

Each lumpia is filled with chopped vegetables and sometimes ground beef; it's then hand rolled and sealed. Klein said, "these are the most terrific people. They are the backbone of this campaign."

Previous LumpiaManias have also been successful, but this year's yield more than doubled previous years' averages of 200 dozen lumpia.

Don't forget to kick a Muslim.

When journalists use the term "no-no", it seems like it is a lighthearted disclaimer to an action or event. It's kinda like parent talk to a child, "that's a no-no", which basically means that the child shouldn't do something because it's not a good idea, but it's understandable that they were interested in doing it because they're in training.

So, when you see sentences like this in the newspaper, you understand what's going on:

The Richmond Public Works Department had already received several calls from citizens reporting people who were watering today, which is a no-no on Mondays under the new restrictions.

Designed like a miniature pull-behind camper, the trailer even features a simulated stove with a dishcloth laying on the burner. The idea is that children will identify why that's a no-no.

So I’ve never been bothered by a leaf blower. But I read last week that more than 20 California cities have some sort of ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, which are also a no-no in Aspen, Colo., and Vancouver, British Columbia.

So, it's a little annoying that AP decides to treat a story of abuse by authorities over prisoners as a "no-no":

Flashing for Candy a Jailhouse No-No

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) — A former jailhouse officer in San Luis Obispo County was charged with flashing a female inmate and having others expose themselves in exchange for candy bars.

A pretrial hearing is scheduled next week for Steven Irysh, 23, who was charged with misdemeanor indecent exposure and being a jail employee engaging in sexual activity with a confined person.

Irysh has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces up to 18 months in jail.

Prosecutor Steve Brown said the former County Jail officer allegedly offered the candy bars and would deliver notes to male inmates in exchange for female inmates flashing him.

Seems like nonchalant press coverage of an abuse of power, almost good ole' boy in tone. The headline even implies that the exposed were the ones that were in the wrong, not the jailers.

Enjoy.

Why doesn't one of the major polling companies ask this political question:

Which do you think has been George W. Bush's personal impact over the past 7 years on the chances of the Republican Party winning Presidential and Congressional elections in the next ten years?

1 - He has hurt the Republican Party's chances
2 - He has had no impact on the Republican Party's chances
3 - He has helped the Republican Party's chances

I'd particularly like to see the Republican poll result of that.

According to Travel & Leisure magazine, you can move to Philadelphia and at least be considered average. Maybe even good looking!

Also, stupid people of all states - you can get a job at Travel & Leisure magazine and be considered "thought-provoking".

It didn't take long for somebody to make a little game out of the incident.

Cool, I just found out there's another PSoTD out there, which stands for

Porn Star of the Day

I wish I was that smart. I bet that gets traffic.

I caught the last 5-7 minutes of Stephen Colbert on Meet the Press yesterday, and I hate to admit - I really hate to admit - I'm disappointed by what I saw. I'm sure that could be turned around in later events - this is comedy by campaign, and it's probably by the campaign and not by the event that this should be judged by. Since it is a campaign, the nuance of humor might stand out a lot more after 2 or 3 similar events, especially for someone as slow as I might have been on a Sunday morning after our daughter's sleepover. What disappointed me didn't have to do with the jokes or the throw-off lines, it was the premise - the premise that Tim Russert should be included as one in on the "inside joke" of making fun of Presidential campaign politics. I just completely disagree, I think Tim Russert is a good sized component of the kind of thing that makes Presidential politics a joke, and he belongs on the outside, receiving the zings, and not on the inside, setting them up.

Yeah, I'm no fan of Tim Russert. Probably it taints my view of the humor.

Now there's still room for hope, I suppose, and I will hold onto that for now. That hope is that by using Russert so early in this "campaign", he plans to make fun of the experience after this point. We shall see. Here is, from what I saw, the best point made by Colbert on MTP:

MR. RUSSERT: But you would like to be a cult leader?

MR. COLBERT: I, I did, at the time, want to be a cult leader. I find that being a TV pundit is, is much more powerful, and you have to be less reliable.

This is one of the most annoying emails I receive, from Classmates:

Hi Wayne,

1 person signed your guestbook yesterday! Can you guess who they are? Find out who's thinking of you.

I'm not a paying member so I don't get to find out "who's thinking of me", and I'm sorry, but Classmates hasn't figured out that the price has to be considerably lower for me to be interested in being a member. Still, I'm curious who actually thought of me. If they offered something like $1 for a 3 day membership, I'd probably do it, just to satisfy my curiousity. But anything more than $15 per year for what they offer just doesn't fit my situation in life - that's the price I'd pay for not being THAT popular in high school!

From the Chicago Tribune:

Brian Griese was not hearing the voice in his head anymore.

This was not a result of modern psychiatry but of faulty technology. The audio communication from offensive coordinator Ron Turner's headset to the quarterback's helmet went on the fritz just before the Bears' last possession of Sunday's game, and all Griese could hear was the ominous roar of the crowd. It was like living inside a seashell.

There are cynics out there who would say this was a good thing, that taking Turner's vocal cords and play-calling ability out of the equation was not a technical difficulty but a competitive advantage.

Four of us ate at The Cedars Restaurant of Camp Hill before going to see the Cowboy Junkies on Friday night, and it was very good. It was my first real introduction to Lebanese food, and I'm glad we've finally met. Delicious. We wanted to try as much as possible, so we bought the 15 appetizer sampler and mixed and matched for dinner. We'll be back for much more.

We had to go before it started, but they also have belly dancing on Friday and Saturday night.

Well, our daughter's Halloween Birthday sleepover went as well as such a thing can go. I had ordered Horror Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection and they watched the one true "classic" in the bunch - Night of the Living Dead. This morning's verdict? It was pretty good for being in black and white, but the special effects didn't look like real zombies. Still, they were too scared to watch at a few points where there was screaming.

This leaves 49 more movies to watch - and I'm a sucker for these kinds of movies. I was a Creature Feature regular viewer, and these are just up my alley. I'm hoping that we can have a regular "Creature Feature" night around here and the kids and I will be sharing popcorn for the next year.

Our lives changed for the much better, much richer, with the birth of our daughter. Happy Birthday, C-Monster!

And now, I must prepare myself for the near future screams, giggles, and other carrying-ons when girls have a sleepover birthday party.

I think Stephen Colbert is taking a big risk with this "considering running for President" tack he's on. Or, at least I hope so. If he cuts this with the same cutlery he used on Bush at the Correspondents Dinner a few years ago, it will be a true benefit to this country. But the Dinner was a one night gig, and even though it is replayed, he's not going to be asked to do that again. This "campaign" is something that he'll want more media play - admittedly, entertainment media more than political media, but he'll want both - and that same political media is what needs to be ripped savagely apart with comedy. If he goes too far, he may not get the venues he wants to do what he wants to do - it looks to me like this could be a true comedy cliffhanger.

Up tomorrow is the biggest pumpkinhead target on TV - Tim Russert. I hope Colbert doesn't go soft.

I really enjoyed their show at the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg last night, but then I'm partial to the band and the location. It was great to see that the house was pretty much full - the last couple of shows we saw at the Whitaker were not, and that has to be a bit depressing for the performers.

There was a good piece in the Intelligencer Journal yesterday that I missed. I thought there might already be some pics from last night's show on Flickr, since I saw several folks taking phone camera pics during the show, but not yet. If a good one comes along I'll post it.

A band with as big of a catalog of songs as the Cowboy Junkies can't play everything one might want to hear, and last night there were two I was hoping for that didn't happen: Misguided Angel and "To Live is to Fly". The crowd really wanted "Sweet Jane" but no luck with that, either.

Margo Timmins did something I don't recall seeing a performer at this level do before - invite the audience to meet her and her mates after the show in the lobby. We stuck around for a little bit but since we have kids and a babysitter we couldn't really stay. But a lot of folks did, and it's a very friendly thing to offer, and I hope to read somebody's account of it, somewhere, eventually.

Reggae star Lucky Dube blown away in ultra-violent South Africa.

Police said that Dube, 43, was travelling in a grey Chrysler and had just dropped off his son and daughter, aged 15 and 16, when he was attacked. Three carjackers fired at least three bullets into his body but then fled in a blue Volkswagen without stealing his car. Police have set up a special task force to trace a group of three suspected killers who are believed to be well-known local criminals. They said that the car had rolled down the road a few yards and then hit a tree. “He was declared dead on the scene,” Inspector Lorrain Van Immareck said.

The murder came just as the country was witnessing an outpouring of national pride in the Springbok rugby team and hoping for once to attract headlines other than about crime.

The issue of ever-worsening crime has cut across race lines and led to unprecedented criticism of the Government of President Mbeki. Last year one government minister provoked outrage when he said in parliament that “white whingers” should leave the country if they did not like it. It was seen as a turning point because many blacks and Coloureds then added their voice to criticisms of the Government’s failure to live up to promises to bring crime under control.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), traditionally a strong ally of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), said that it was appalled and outraged at the murder and added its voice to calls for solutions to crime. For years the Government maintained that crime was not as bad as wealthy people claimed, but recently the statistics, such as 50 murders a day and one rape every 40 seconds, have begun to damage investment and alarm big business.

Mr Mbeki, who is often accused of being in denial on the issue, appealed to South Africans to confront the “scourge of crime” together. “This is indeed very, very sad that this happened to an outstanding South African, an outstanding musician,” he said as he was boarding a flight to today’s match in Paris.

but there's some serious shitkicking deserved here.

And worth reading.

Is Steve King the biggest idiot in Congress? (Could be)

Fresh water needed in much of the country. More area is under drought conditions than I realized.

I don't know about you, but I'm liking Chris Dodd as a candidate more and more each day.

More talk about possible Democratic VP selections. I will keep saying, this is the most important decision for the future direction of the party that the nominee will make - so don't fuck it up with another Lieberman-like gambit. That one is still biting the Democrats in the ass.

Is there really a way to stop political robocalls?

5 pounds of chemicals per year absorbed, straight into the skin. Good God how stupid are we as a species?

Hey Bad Contractors - let's POGO.

Higher Learning at UC Davis! My wife's alma mater teaches the important stuff.

According to the Women's Resources and Research Center on campus, the average woman takes 20 minutes to have an orgasm, but the average man takes only two to five minutes to orgasm. To talk about this and other aspects of sexual encounters, the WRRC is hosting "I <3 Female Orgasm" this evening in 194 Chemistry. There will be two showings: one at 7 p.m. and another at 9:30 p.m. This is the third year the event has come to UC Davis, and every year the show has been at capacity or people have been turned away, leading WRRC organizers to add another showing to the event. Despite the multiple performances, attendees are still encouraged to get to the show half an hour early to guarantee a seat.

A few weeks ago I posted a link to the most popular pet names. Here's another article about it.

And here's a listing of the top 30 names.