Too long
It's been too long between posts but to be frank, I haven't had much to write about. And, I've been busy with other things. Like the flooding this weekend which left the entire damn state under water. I don't know what it is about this weather but we are just not prepared for these hundred year storms happening twice a year. None of our communities have been built to withstand these attacks from Mother Nature a few times a year. But anyhow, on to the headline roundup.

First, a nice note: There is nothing like getting a kudos from folks in the media about the job you are doing. Here is a nice note from Dan Szczesny, who is the editor of the Concord edition of The Hippo, about all the great things going on at WKXL 1450: ["Support your local station"].

What’s the purpose of all this furious activity? It’s truly local community-oriented radio, a kind of broadcasting that’s increasingly rare in this age of syndicated programming and media consolidation. But that rarity, of course, makes it all the more valuable.

Yeah, that says it all. And so does this, in the Boston Globe no less: ["N.H. broadcasters honored for 2005 work"]. It's a little sad that there wasn't anything in our local daily newspapers about the radio stations winning. But hey, The Hippo is good enough.

Good economic times; bad heart attacks: ["A Good Economy May Be Hazardous to Your Health"]. I've often wondered about this. While bad economic times often create stress and anxiety, creativity can often excel during those time periods. Whereas, in good economic times, a person is often working harder and longer hours, and has little time to do the more creative things in life. Then, there is the issue of balancing all those things

"Perhaps more worrisome, the most at-risk population is younger workers aged 20 to 44. 'This is a group that's more heavily involved in the workforce and may be more affected by changes,' Ruhm says."

The theme of older workers being able to take on the responsibilities is a good point; the other side of that is that the older workers sometimes slide through the end of their careers, not getting caught in the hullabaloo.

This passed by without much notice: ["After 5 Years, Levy Case Yields Plenty of Theories but No Break"]. In an age of 24x7 media, and the obsession with hot little white girls who have been disappeared by whoever, I'm surprised there wasn't wall-to-wall on this anniversary.

Another side of freedom?: ["Bush Clears the Way for Corporate Domination"]. Antonia Juhasz makes some pretty good points in the piece. I wonder if it is worth reading the book since we already kinda know this stuff. This is another take on things: ["Overthrow"]. And this: ["The Worst President in History?"].

Ted Rall: Ted Rall does sometimes vicious cartoons. His commentary is sometimes beyond biting. Sometimes, he is also not a very kind person. But, he does, sometimes, make some really good points: ["America, You Lost! The Railroading of Zacarias Moussaoui"].

"Lest we forget, Moussaoui didn't do anything. He couldn't have. He was in jail on immigration charges; he had already been behind bars for nearly a month on 9/11. The government charged him with six counts--not of committing a crime, but of conspiring to participate in 9/11. Count Four, Conspiracy to Use Weapons of Mass Destruction, relied solely on Moussaoui's alleged membership in Al Qaeda. If Al Qaeda ever tried to acquire WMDs--evidence of this is sketchy to non-existent--it's absurd to imagine that Osama bin Laden might have involved a demented third-stringer like Moussaoui."

There is also this point:

But innocence isn't Moussaoui's only defense. He's also insane. Only a loon would refuse to cooperate with his own lawyers, testify against himself and shout "You will never get my blood! God curse you all!," "God curse America and save Osama bin Laden! You'll never get him!" and "I am Al Qaeda! I'm the enemy! This trial is a circus!" while on trial for his life before a jury of 12 Americans. After the jury sentenced him to life, he filed a motion for a new trial--a right he waived when he plead guilty to the original trumped-up charges. The man needs Zoloft, not a prison cell.

If Moussaoui had just sat back and took some of that TV advice and popped a pill, he might not have had these problems.

ARG 2008 polling numbers: ["ARG"]. American Research Group, one of the state's two biggest polling firms, has been doing some interesting things with the Republican primary. They've been polling folks in a number of states with potential primaries after - or before - New Hampshire and Iowa. While we expect them to poll in these states, along with South Carolina, it is interesting to voters queried in Utah, Michigan, New Mexico, Arizona, Alabama, California, and other New England states. Interestingly, McCain and Undecided rule the day, with Gingrich getting some so-so numbers. Put Guliani in, and he is an instant second. Hilariously, "Guy Smiley" Romney only gets 17 percent of Republican voters in Massachusetts ... where he is the damn governor! With Guliani in the polling, his numbers drop to 10 percent.

Who is this guy?: ["Ex-Alaska Senator Gravel Runs for Presidents"]. The first one out of the block. It is not in this report, but in another report he suggests scrapping the income tax with a national sales tax. Then, there is this:

"His Senate tenure was notable for his anti-war activity. He led a one-man filibuster to protest the Vietnam-era draft, and read into the Congressional Record 4,100 pages of the 7,000-page leaked document known as the Pentagon Papers."

R.I.P. Tony Crayton: ["City has lost a maverick"].

I love this: ["Energy crisis? Venezuela gas is cheaper than water"]. This is also interesting: ["The Fox News Effect"]. The only problem with the theory is that there aren't that many people watching the channel.

Hillary: While I didn't like getting banned from his site, I do like this piece: ["Hillary Clinton: Too Much of a Clinton Democrat?"]. I also like this piece: ["Hillary, Rupert, and the Culture of Corruption"]. And another side: ["Murdoch Defends Plan to Host Hillary Fundraiser; Calls Her 'Effective, Good Senator'"].