Go figure

"Vermonters don't care what outsiders think.''

[From 'Where's George W?' A Vermont mystery: The Swamp]

You might consider this good news, Bunky...

Sen. Barack Obama has fared better than Sen. John McCain in fundraising among several Republican-leaning industries that supported President Bush's record campaign fundraising four years ago, Bloomberg News notes today.

[From Obama outpaces McCain in Bush donors: The Swamp]

...or then again, you might consider it bad.

Noon

Noon, originally uploaded by tedcompton.

Rails

Rails, originally uploaded by tedcompton.

Whoa, they must have a pile of 'em by now

“They even steal toilet seats, I’ve been hearing,” [said Georgia President Saakasvili about the Russians].

[From Georgian President’s Accusations Grow - NYTimes.com]

I heard the same thing in Vienna in the 50s. Yes, Bunky, that's 1950s, I kid you not. The Russians took the toilet seats when they left. Maybe it's just some Russian custom, like bringing home a t-shirt. Maybe they've been trying to corner the market all these years. Maybe they're just sentimental about 'em.

Or maybe it's only what you say about the Russians when they go. I have no idea.

Piper

Piper, originally uploaded by tedcompton.

Wait...cable news?

Denver has promised to make its nearly 4,000 homeless people comfortable during the Democratic National Convention in August, enlisting private donations for extra hours at local shelters, flat-screen televisions tuned to cable news and bingo games in the evenings.

[From Degrees of Comfort - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog]

Yeah, sure, bingo's pretty hot. But still. Really? Cable news?

The law is the law, or maybe not so much

Mukasey used his sharpest words yet to criticize the senior leaders who took part in or failed to stop illegal hiring practices during the tenure of his predecessor, Alberto Gonzales.

But, he told delegates to the American Bar Association annual meeting, "not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime. In this instance, the two joint reports found only violations of the civil service laws."

[From Mobile News Network]

(Emphasis mine.)

And while you're at it, throw the canary another seed

The United States has made available 250,000 dollars in aid for ally Georgia aimed at providing emergency supplies for thousands of people affected by the Georgia-Russia conflict, the State Department said Monday.

[From The Raw Story | US releases 250,000 dollars for emergency aid in Georgia]

It works!

AP had a story this morning about scientists discovering a way to make things invisible, currently in the lab on a nano scale but (said the story) maybe someday we could have invisible ships and tanks too. They're working on it. But, whatever, I didn't have the energy to think about it just then (still waiting for the coffee) so I made a link, figuring I'd come back to it later.

I didn't. It was another really dreary, rainy, no-shadow kind of day, the kind we've been having way too many of this summer. I know water's good and all, but a little sun now and then - is that too much to ask? Well. I never did get around to looking at the story again until just now - and the page is gone. It's ... invisible!

So I guess they made some progress today.

When just a chirp is not enough

Bird perches on communications tower near Yellowstone park.

(Photo: Phil Compton)

Has your kid been acting weird?

Buffalo Grove police are asking for the public's help in returning a $150 pair of special goggles that are used to simulate the effects of intoxication. ...

"We believe it was taken by mistake," Officer Hector De La Paz said. "We're just hoping that a mom or dad finds it in a kid's stroller or wherever ...."

[From Buffalo Grove police seek return of $150 pair of 'intoxication' goggles -- chicagotribune.com]

So they can write good like us

“We ... will help Limited English Proficient students get ahead by supporting and funding English Language Learner classes.”

[From Op-Ed Contributor - The 2008 Democratic Platform, Decoded - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com]