2006 archive

Police say a man stole nearly $500 of baby formula at a supermarket then led police on a brief chase on Interstate 93. James Lavoie, 37, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of theft, resisting arrest and disobeying a police officer.

I used to know someone who worked at CVS. She told me that the item most often shoplifted was baby formula. Apparently, there is an active trade in smuggling baby formula.

I have been struggling the past few days, amongst getting ready for Christmas and changing flat tires, about how to react to the Current Federal Administrator’s disappearence since the release of the Iraq study commission released its report.

It seems clear that he is floundering casting about for some way to avoid implementing any of the recommendations in the report, all of which imply that his adventure in Iraq is coming to a sticky, malodorous, end–an end that sprung from the hubris and lies in which it was conceived, brought forth, and prosecuted.

But Will Bunch beat me to it.

Here.

From today’s Local Rag:

Where’s Gandalf?

Who says outgoing Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.) is a rubber stamp for President Bush? In one of his final votes in Congress, Santorum voted against the nomination of Robert Gates for defense secretary.

Santorum said he voted “no” because Gates favors negotiating with Iran over Iraq and other issues. If we do that, the senator apparently believes, the Eye of Mordor might zero in on poor Frodo. Or something.

Here.

Establishment of religion.

No, wait! A favor granted to one religion must be granted to all:

The dispute started last summer when Gabriel and Joshua Rakoski, twins who attend Hollymead Elementary School, sought permission to distribute fliers about their church’s Vacation Bible School to their peers via “backpack mail.” Many public schools use special folders placed in student backpacks to distribute notices about schools events and sometimes extra-curricular activities to parents.

School officials originally denied the request from the twins’ father, Ray Rakoski, citing a school policy barring “distribution of literature that is for partisan, sectarian, religious or political purposes.”

A Charlottesville weekly newspaper, The Hook, reports that Rakoski “sicced the Liberty Counsel on the county,” and the policy was soon revised to allow religious groups to use the backpack mail system. Liberty Counsel is a Religious Right legal group founded by Mathew Staver and now affiliated with Falwell.

Some local Pagans who attend Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church, a Unitarian-Universalist congregation in Charlottesville, decided to take advantage of the new forum as well. They created a one-page flier advertising a Dec. 9 event celebrating the December holidays with a Pagan twist and used the backpack system to invite the entire school community.

Ya know, the public schools just should not be used for proselytizing.

Let’s just leave it at that.

With a tip to All Spin Zone.

McCain’s showing his true colors, hiring a notorious hitman as his campaign manager:

At an event last month in New York City, I got into an interesting conversation with some notable journalists. The topic was John McCain. More specifically, the topic was why so many notable journalists give such a free ride to John McCain. And, of course, it only took about 30 seconds before we came up with a consensus answer:

McCain is at ease around journalists, he gives them access, he’s not afraid to think out loud – all of which is so unlike so many contemporary pols, who treat the press like dirt unless they are armed in advance with robotic talking points that are bound to make them look good.

It’s a simple formula, really: Give access, get good press….And it continues to pay off. Even though ’08 GOP candidate McCain continues to curry favor with the religious conservatives leaders whom he once condemned as “the forces of evil,” he is still widely described as a “maverick.” Even though McCain was ranked in 2005 (by voteview.com) as the third most conservative U.S. senator, he is he is still widely described as “independent.” Even though he has flip-flopped lately on a number of issues (he voted against the Bush tax cuts in 2001, but voted to extend them last winter), he is still widely described as a “straight-talker.”

McCain is not a breath of fresh air. He’s a cold wind that blows no good.

Especially when they show that the guvmint is stoopid:

Last month Security Fix reported that Chris Soghoian — the Indiana University doctoral student who created an online boarding pass generator to demonstrate security holes in the Transportation Security Administration’s “no-fly” list — had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the FBI and the Justice Department.

Well, turns out the guy isn’t out of the woods yet.

On Wednesday afternoon, Soghoian received a letter from the TSA informing him that the agency is conducting its own investigation into the allegation that he “attempted to circumvent an established civil aviation security program established in the Transportation Security Regulations.” If Soghoian is ultimately found to have attempted said circumvention, the TSA said, he could be subjected to civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation. That could be a steep fine: Something like 35,000 people viewed and possibly used the boarding pass generator during the less than 72 hours that it was live on his site in November.

Download it here.

This is not to say I agree with it–frankly, I haven’t read it yet myself. But I think it’s certainly worth reading.

Review this post, then check out this column:

The typical American packs on a pound or two between Thanksgiving and New Year’s because of overindulging, dietitians say. This year, waistlines may be saved by the scare.

. . . except to take a bad place and make it worse?

If this report does not bring it home, nothing will. NPR staffer Saleem Amer tells of the difficulties of preparing for the birth of his child in Baghdad. The description of the story, from the website:

Becoming a new father in Baghdad requires persistence and patience. And in the end, new parent are left wondering if it was a good idea to bring a new life into such an unstable society.

He details the difficulties of finding a pediatrician and a hospital and worries of getting to the hospital across bomb-ravaged terrain.

The final words of the his report wrap it up:

Why would I want to bring a child into a bloody, savage world?

I don’t.

I regret what I did.

I got my wife pregnant in Baghdad.

Compare this list of the healthiest states, as ranked in 2006,

with this map:

Draw your own conclusions.

Picked yesterday. A little tired from the chill, but still holding on.

Just hangin’ around.

Sheila Kearns had a Christmas tree delivered to her home on Sunday. She says she thought she’d been pricked by pine needles when she reached into the tree while decorating it. But the next morning, she found a bat hanging upside down in her home.

It turns out that the Christmas tree farm Kearns bought from keeps bats around for pest control and that one unwittingly hitched a ride to her home.

We need to introduced this chap to Ray Sullivan.

A 54-year-old Doncaster unfortunate – dubbed “Britain’s unluckiest man” – has continued a lifelong tradition of mishaps by falling down a manhole, Ananova reports.

John Lyne, of Stainforth, near Doncaster suffered injuries to his back, left leg and both knees as a result of the tumble, and will be out of action for 32 weeks, according to the Doncaster Free Press.