THE TRIAL BAR ON TRIAL: The Wall Street Journal is gloating. I’ll just note that I know a lot of trial lawyers, and their lives and practices don’t have much in common with the high fliers like Dickie Scruggs. They have actual clients that they try to help, as opposed to megabuck litigation factories.

TOTAL TIME SPENT ONLINE: Up 24.3% from last year.

YEP: “Congressional Democrats are reporting a striking change in districts across the country: Voters are shifting their attention away from the Iraq war. . . . One House Democratic aide summed up the challenge for the leadership, and admitted that it may be a smart move for Democrats to focus on the economy since they haven’t been able to deliver on Iraq.”

GADGET HEAVEN: Just got a box from Sony with a teeny-tiny VAIO UX490 PC, in a kit with a bluetooth GPS unit and a bunch of other goodies. It was so small that when I opened the box, I couldn’t figure out which of the small wrapped objects was the actual computer at first. No, I didn’t buy it. I’m reviewing it, along with several other little computers, for Popular Mechanics. I love stuff like this . . .

EDUCATING JOE BIDEN on the Constitution.

COLOR ME UNSURPRISED: “One in five carbon credits issued by the United Nations are going to support clean energy projects that may in fact have helped to increase greenhouse gas emissions, environmental group WWF said on Thursday.”

Okay, actually I’m a bit surprised. Only one in five?

BOMB SCARE at a New Hampshire Clinton campaign office. Hostages taken. “A young woman with a 6-month or 8-month-old infant came rushing into the store just in tears, and she said, ‘You need to call 911. A man has just walked into the Clinton office, opened his coat and showed us a bomb strapped to his chest with duct tape.'” Coverage is live on Fox; CNN is covering a train accident in Chicago.

MORE ON THE DISASTER THAT IS ZIMBABWE, but with what might actually be good news: “Zimbabwe’s neighbors are increasingly worried about spillover violence and economic damage from Robert Mugabe’s self-made war zone.” Given that Zimbabwe’s neighbors don’t seem to care what happens to the people of Zimbabwe, this kind of worry may be the only thing that produces any action.

FEMALE CIRCUMCISION: Now becoming multiculturally correct!

DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL — CNN’s policy on debate questioners!

HARVARD CRIMSON: Repeal the Second Amendment.

Rand Simberg calls it “sophomoric,” adding: “But perhaps it’s forgivable, since it was probably written by actual sophomores.” He also notes that calls for the repeal of the Second Amendment are implicit admissions that the Second Amendment is an actual barrier to gun control. Indeed.

UPDATE: Reader Thomas Baker emails:

I read the article calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment in the Harvard Crimson. While poorly reasoned, it is a huge leap forward in intellectual honesty for the gun control movement as it impliedly acknowledges an individual right.

However, the authors obviously believe that the right was initially thought necessary because of foreign threats. As I’m sure you are aware, the primary purpose of the Second Amendment was to protect the citizenry from tyrannical government here at home. That students at a top university are so ignorant of their nation’s history is disturbing.

I wonder if I currently enjoy any other constitutionally guaranteed rights that the editors of the Harvard Crimson believe I no longer need? I wonder how bold they would be in trying to strip them away after confiscating my firearms? Scary.

To you. They no doubt believe that Harvard grads will be among the strippers, not the stripees. Which I’ll admit is more likely, if the rest of the populace weren’t armed.

I HAVE NOT YET BEGUN to give up.

SAVE THE DEBATE, ditch CNN.

INDIANA JONES with a particle accelerator.

OUCH: “Leopard is the new Vista, and it’s pissing me off.” I haven’t upgraded yet. Maybe I’ll wait a bit longer.

UPDATE: A more positive take.

MORE ON THE CNN PLANT SCANDAL, from the Union Leader. “This is bad journalism.” And read this, too.

IN THE MAIL: The new Halo novel, Contact Harvest, by Joseph Staten. Staten was writer and cinematics director for Halo, Halo 2, and Halo 3.

THE MOST BUSTED NAME IN NEWS.

WHY PUTIN DOES IT: Because he can:

Vladimir Putin does not want to win the upcoming Duma Parliamentary elections. He does not want to win big. He wants an overwhelming victory. He wants to annihilate the opposition. And Putin probably will get what he wants.

Furthermore, Putin feels no need for any “seal of approval” from the West. He so circumscribed election monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that they can’t do their job, so they’ve withdrawn.

And most Russians, with no great enthusiasm for political freedom in their national character, are okay with that.

SPOTTING CANCER AND ALZHEIMER’S long before you get sick.

SEND ONE TO GARRY KASPAROV: “Polonium Pen a Pocket-Sized Must-Have for Anti-Putin Russians.”

ADVICE TO HOMEOWNERS: I’ve long thought this, but my recent plumbing-problem experience restated its importance — always own a wet-dry vac. Mine broke a couple of years ago, and I don’t use it much, so I hadn’t gotten around to replacing it. As my toilet overflowed, I wished I had. I was (barely) able to contain the leakage before it got to the carpeted areas using towels and a mop, but I was really wishing I’d replaced the wet-dry vac sooner. I immediately ordered one — they’re cheap — and it’s my fond hope that I won’t need it again. But it’s good to have one.

Also, know where your water shutoff valve is and have the necessary wrench to close it, and know where your sewer cleanout is, and have the necessary wrench to open it to relieve the pressure in backups.

UPDATE: Reader Bob Bonsall emails:

In regards to your advice to homeowners, let me also point out that any home renter should follow the same advice. We have had a double wammy of a leaking water heater and a clogged drain in our cellar stairs recently, and there’s nothing worse than trying to keep carpets dry that are getting flooded from both sides. My top priority is to get a wet dry vac so I don’t have to again enjoy the thrill of soak-wash-dry-repeat with towels at 1 am.

Indeed. And in my experience, once carpets get really soaked, they’re never the same.

And while I’m at it — know where to turn off your electricity and gas, too, and have the wrench for the gas shutoff.

MORE: Another good reader suggestion:

All good ideas, but, here’s one important idea to add to the list: have the wrench needed to turn off the gas supply hung close to the shut off valve.

If gas is leaking, or in danger of leaking, you don’t want to have to rummage through your tools to find the right wrench – especially if the electricity is off and you’re in darkness.

Excellent point.

MORE STILL: Reader Ryan Kelley emails:

All that advice is great but the absolute most important thing to have is home/renters insurance. While not at home I had a ‘sewage backup’ in my apartment which basically ruined 3 seperate rooms (drywall,
carpet, etc.).

Prevention is great but had I not had that specific flood problem covered I would have been out $10k+. Make sure that all the man-made flood problems that can occur in your home are covered.

Oh and the vacuum you linked to looks fine but for flood/leak control people might want to consider one with more than 2 1/2 gallon space. This one has a 10 gallon tank but still works for most household things and gets very good reviews. Hopefully people can figure out what’s best for them but you have earned a lot of trust some might just buy it blindly (and probably be happy with it – that’s why you’re trusted!)

Yeah, good point. I went with the 2 1/2 gallon one myself — it came yesterday — because my house has three floors and it’s easy to carry around. My old one was a 5 gallon and seemed bigger than I needed — but of course if you had a really big flood, you’d want a bigger one. On the other hand, the big ones take up more space when you’re not using them, too. To each his own.

As for the insurance — absolutely! If you don’t have that coverage, you should have it. Sooner or later you’ll probably need it. My brother emails: “One of my new colleagues had a toilet line pop off while he and his wife were away for the weekend. Trashed their entire downstairs and basement… repairs will probably come to over $30k. They’ve had to move out while the place is rehabbed. Eeeeeeeeek.”

Eeeeeeeek, indeed.

SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT with Energy Trek! No Shatner jokes, please.

But hey, he’s one of those planet-destroying Canadians!

POLITICO: Murtha’s comments on ‘surge’ are a problem for House Democrats. Excerpt:

Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), one of the leading anti-war voices in the House Democratic Caucus, is back from a trip to Iraq and he now says the “surge is working.” This could be a huge problem for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders, who are blocking approval of the full $200 billion being sought by President Bush for combat operations in Iraq in 2008. Murtha’s latest comments are also a stark reversal from what he said earlier in the year. . . .

Pelosi, who is scheduled to speak to a Democratic National Committee event in Virginia on Friday, will surely face tough questions from reporters regarding Murtha’s statement on the surge.

“This could be a real headache for us,” said one top House Democratic aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Pelosi is going to be furious.”

Read the whole thing.

SABBATICALS FOR SOLDIERS? Well, if professors need ’em, soldiers probably do too, right?

Speaking of which, where’s my sabbatical?