At first I wasn't sure whether this article about Haliburton's lucrative business in Iraq - I love the fact that Rumsfeld is described as "a champion of outsourcing" - or this article about the free pass the Bush Administration has just given to industrial plant - among the world's greatest environmental abusers of all time - deserved greater outrage. But that's why I blog.

There's no question - it's hands down the relaxation of antipollution rules for everything from paper mills to oil refineries. And oh yeah - power plants too. I don't know which is more troubling - that the Big Blackout is being used as an excuse to NOT do what these guys should have done already. Or the implication that the events of August 14 might have been prevented if only we'd come to our senses sooner about new source review (NSR). And last but not least, there's no basis other than anecdotal evidence for making this decision - and I quote: "We wish we had better data, but we're confident this rule will not have an emissions impact."

And the icing on the cake? All of this is Bill Clinton's fault, according to the perpetrators. The military has to make such deals with private firms because of Clinton-era budget cutbacks to the defense budget - and wait, it gets better - and of course we can now blame Clinton for the Big Blackout since his administration had the unmitigated gall to update 20-year old Clean Air Act provisions and actually enforce the rule.

Is it me? Really, someone please tell me it isn't me.

This is where I get confused. In response to the growing unease that we are "bogged down" in Iraq - not to mention the almost daily ambush of a U.S. soldier or Iraqi civilan - GWB talks about the war on terror - to an American Legion audience no less. Al Queda isn't killing soldiers in Iraq - Iraqis are killing soldiers in Iraq. Are they the terrorists now? They're certainly guerilla soldiers - but that's what happens in a war where your enemy outnumbers, outsizes and outfunds you by billions. The ultimate irony here: those Iraqis who are still fighting - and some of them hated Hussein as much as we did - now view US as the terrorists.

Bush's entire speech was manipulative and meant to appeal to the knee-jerk patriot in all of us. The real issue continues to be our soldiers are being used as policeman in Iraq - and there's not clear plan to get them out of there. On the contrary - Bush is talking about the other countries we could invade if the "terrorists" there aren't careful. I keep asking - where is the outrage? And when are enough people going to stand up and say "this matters."

Two new sites I need to add to my list of links - The Ultimate Insult and the Blog Herald. I love finding new ones to read. Not that there's really enough time in the day - it's just nice to know they're there when I do have the time.

Great piece by Jimmy Breslin about the NYC air quality lie. It makes me wonder - why do any of us lie? And all of us do - to one extent or another. (Thanks to RD for the link.) I'm not worried about eliminating racism, sexism, classism or any other -ism anymore. My goal in life is to be honest - and work with others who want the same. It may sound simple but the true victims in the workplace and elsewhere today are the ones who tell the truth. And you know who they are.

I worked in mid-town in September 2001 - and anyone who spent any time in the city knew EPA - or someone - was fudging something. You could smell it. Literally. So this news comes as no surprise - but that doesn't dampen the outrage.

I find the California recall vote fascinating - and though I don't believe in polls - this one is encouraging for those who do -- and support Gray Davis of course. I live and vote in New York but I care deeply about the outcome of this game. Read more - Time to Grow Up - on Watchblog.com.

I keep asking this question myself. I'm surprised to see it on ESPN - but it pretty much covers what I've heard from my husband and his equally unenlightened buddies. It just pisses me off because I want to see the return of a professional women's baseball league. Doesn't look good.

Why does Blogger Pro keep changing the publishing tool interface? Just stick with one for crying out loud.

My mom has been saying this for years -- if you've got a cold, there must be a stress factor involved. She didn't use those words exactly but the message is the same. She would talk about balance and incongruence - try digesting that with a stuffed head, runny nose and sore throat.

But I do have to say - I used to get colds all the time. But then I had my deviated septum fixed (more than 10 years ago) and I can't remember the last time I had the sniffles. Whenever it was, I'm sure it was because I was stressed out.

Outrage doesn't come close to covering it when you read a story like this one. You need a whole new word to convey what I feel right now.

Wondering after reading this article, Is it just me or are we dangerously close to losing our grip on reality. Does playing Sam Seaborn on The West Wing make Rob Lowe a campaign expert? Well, I guess it does in Hollywood.

If I hear one more news reporter say "where were you when the lights went out?" I'm going to...hit the mute button or turn the radio station. I know - it's nothing radical but I'm too tired to be outraged. And I see from today's Newsday headline (the print edition) that Gov. Pataki is outraged enough for both of us.

But I really have no right to be tired. One of my freelance clients is based in Stamford, CT and I was there when it hit. I live on Long Island - more than 50 miles from Stamford. I was on my laptop - the lights flickered twice - on the third flicker everything went dead. I thought briefly about trying to make it home but several things stopped me: 1) we really didn't know what had happened for the first 20-30 minutes and by that time the roads were a mess 2) it takes me about two hours to drive home in a normal commute so five or six wouldn't have been out of the realm of possiblity 3) Long Island drivers are scarey enough regularly - give them pitch black and no traffic lights and you are without question taking your life in your hands and last but not least 4) a little voice inside my head said "go get a drink - run don't walk to the nearest bar." And so you don't have to ask, that's what I did. I went to a waterside bar, had a couple of margaritas with my co-workers and then headed over to the Stamford Westin. The room was pitch black - but after a couple of margaritas (they were strong and there was no food) I really didn't want to see anything anyway.

Fell asleep - kept waking up to look out the window - at some point between midnight and 7 am the power came back on in Stamford. I woke up, ordered breakfast, watched the news in Westin's chenille robe and figured it was safe to head back to the island. The scenes of people sleeping on curbs or the steps of the 8th Avenue post office and scenes of the previous night's traffic jams convinced me I'd done the right thing. So as things go, it was a pretty great way to spend the Blackout of 2003. And I kept the robe as a reminder.

While power was restored for many by mid-morning, I didn't have power at my house until 5:45 - I think my neighborhood was one of the last to be restored. So now everything's back to normal - but I can't help but feel we're missing something fundamental.

I think Google's a good search engine. But that's not why I love using Google. Check out today's header. A fitting tribute to Alfred Hitchcock (registration required), who was born on this day in 1899.

If I read this article right, (and I had to read it several times since it's not often I agree with the head of the American Conservative Union) every time I take the shuttle to DC from LaGuardia, a red, yellow or green light will flash next to my name. I'm astounded that besides this article, the only real press coverage has been the local angle about Operation Predator and the arrests of "sexual predators." God gawd - it's not a matter of if or when - it's already here. We're living in a police state - and so few seem to give a shit. That's the scariest thing of all.

Just saw a commercial - I can't remember what it's about but it featured Counting Crows Adam Duritz talking about something. Maybe everyone knows this already but he really should do something about his locks. He looks EXACTLY like Sideshow Bob - maybe a little heavier and his hair's brown instead of blue - but you know I'm right. This reviewer in Chicago thinks so too - not about Sideshow Bob...about the 'do.

Haven't thought about blogging for four days - my nephews and my sisters came to visit for a long weekend and I didn't turn the computer on for three days. Can't remember the last time that happened.

I heard this first on my drive home from work on CBS Radio. I laughed so hard I thought I was going to have an accident - and I'm not talking the vehicular kind. If this or this doesn't have story of the year potential - I'll hang up my Underwood for good. As my friend Stewie would say, for god's sake, man - put some pants on. (that's an inside joke that wouldn't really be very funny any more except to the three of us...oh never mind, you know what an inside joke is for crying out loud.)

Birth order personality differences are nothing new - but it's still fun to read. Can you guess which one I am?

What I've also found fascinating is the fact that each new sibling changes fundamentally who we are and the person we will become later in life. (This upsets my mother greatly - and I have to say it's not necessarily better or worse, just different.)

So my brother (who is the oldest) is different because my older sister was born. And she's different than who she might otherwise have been because I was born. And I am who I am because my younger sister was born. It's probably one of the reasons I never did drugs - these thoughts can keep me up nights when I'm not on something. Imagine the trips I'd have if I actually took a mind-altering substance. (Alcohol doesn't count - that's a mood-altering substance.)

Great post about Howard Dean on Doc Searls blog today. I think Rich Galen's mullings.com is a great read - I respect him greatly (he started writing for a web site I helped design for the YRNF a few years ago) but I prefer him in small doses.

And this is a great word I should have posted last week. I continue to say it over and over in my head - trying to figure out why exactly but I just love the sound of it. And I've emailed M-W with a suggestion that they add "see blogger" under synonyms. Has anyone seen a better description of a blogger anywhere else? Not me.

The word for today, courtesy of Merriam-Webster Online.

I'm not sure where I stand on flash mobs. My first instinct is this is just another symptom of a generation with too much time on its hands with another technology in search of a purpose. But this article (reg. req.-expires 8/11) in yesterday's New York Times contains a contender for quote of the year: "This is just the sort of thing that happens when you forbid New York to smoke. Said one Tobias von Schoenebeck, a Berlin tour guide, who "shook his head when he heard about how the phenomenon was traced back to Macy's" in NYC.

I think he's on to something. NYT followed that up with this AP story (reg. req.-expires 8/12) today. The end quote on this one is a little scarey though.

How exactly does one squander $300+ million? Ask Mike Tyson who has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I think if you blow a couple a hundred million, there should be a separate bankruptcy clause - or at least some sort of Jean Paul Sartre-like afterlife that you're forced to suffer.