STANDING UP TO PUTIN, in Britain.

A TAX REVOLT in Norway? “Norwegians have long accepted high taxes to finance their social welfare state, but a new survey indicates rising dissatisfaction and, in some cases, outright hatred of some taxes that are viewed as way too high and unfair.”

COP FIRED OVER YouTube video.

A TIGERHAWK caption contest.

A LOT FASTER THAN HILLARY’S: Fred Thompson’s billing records resurrected? But not much of a there, there, apparently.

MORE ON BILL RICHARDSON: Richardson Rising. “WaPo fails to point out that Richardson has also statistically tied former North Carolina Senator John Edwards among New Hampshire voters. I’ve long expected that Bill Richardson could capture the Democratic nomination, for at least three reasons.”

MODERN JOURNALISM IN A NUTSHELL: “The Narrative Was Right, But The Facts Were Wrong.”

DESPERATE TO STAY IN THE QUEUE:

A pregnant woman in inflation-ridden Zimbabwe gave birth in a queue for groceries rather than surrender her place to other shoppers, Zimbabwe’s state newspaper the Herald has reported.

Other shoppers didn’t come to her aid for fear of losing their own places in line. Socialism — it’s funny when Keith Laumer writes about it, but not in real life.

WORST CONGRESS EVER? “14% job approval. Nixon did better. On the day he left office!”

As I’ve noted before, this has gone past the point of being funny. It’s really worrisome.

UPDATE: Reader Ranald Hay takes a contrary view on Congress:

With due respect, this may be the finest congress in living memory. They’ve gotten almost NOTHING done, and little seems possible until ’09.

Good point!

ANOTHER UPDATE: Richard Aubrey is less positive:

To repeat:

Civil institutions falling apart. The military is the most trusted institution in the country. The only institution which comes close in efficiency is ad hoc packs, and they don’t hear about each other or themselves. They don’t know what they can do until they do it, are forced to do it by the failure of formal institutions.

This is scary.

Yeah, that’s more my take.

A RELIGIOUS HATE CRIME? Gaia’s worshippers are angry.

EXPLOSION AT GRAND CENTRAL: An accident, apparently, but Ed Driscoll has lots of stuff rounded up. And Dan Riehl notices something: “But what caught my eye via Drudge was this picture. Everyone is taking video, or snapping photos with their cell phones. I imagine they easily outnumber the journalists doing the same.”

UPDATE: Ron Coleman: “Yes, we’re all on board — journalism is something you do, not something you ‘are,’ i.e., not a privileged caste.”

WELL, I’M HOME: No photo-traffic-blogging today, as the Interstate was wreck-free. It’s not bad going to Nashville and back in one day, but it winds up being 6-8 hours of driving for a two hour meeting even when there are no holdups.

We’re nearly done with our revised (Tennessee) constitutional language, so there was more pre- and post-meeting banter than usual; I heard some choice Tennessee political gossip that I guess I won’t repeat — people ought to be able to talk without worrying that their words will be blogged. But I think it’s gone well, and I’ve appreciated the way the politicians and lawyers have managed to work together on this. Plus, people were trading stories on Tennessee history and politics that I found interesting: Ned Ray McWherter was talking about how when he became Speaker of the House he went back and read the old journals and found all sorts of hardball politics that wouldn’t pass muster today: My favorite was a story about tying up the ferry across the Tennessee River to keep the West Tennessee delegation from getting to the Capitol in time. Standards have changed, which is a good thing except for colorful stories. I can’t compare to other states from personal experience, but Tennessee politicos seem to have a strong sense of the state’s identity and history — is it that way all over?

It was also interesting to me the way the political people looked at constitutional language differently than the lawyers like me do: They’re not exactly more cynical, but they have a different take on things, and how officeholders are likely to interact. It’s a good experience for an academic to spend time in their company.

UPDATE: Here’s an AP report on the meeting.

SO I’M DRIVING BACK FROM ANOTHER CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION MEETING IN NASHVILLE — well actually, at the moment I’m stopped in Cookeville to grab a bite of dinner — and I was listening to Dick Morris on the radio, saying that Republicans should stage an all-nighter of their own, but on earmarks. I think that’s a great idea. But are they smart enough to do that?

WILL COLLIER says that the Associated Press is lying about him: “I post to officially call shenanigans on the Associated Press; I have not been contacted by them either by email or in any other medium, and as such I have not declined to talk to them.”

Harry Potter is involved.

HERE’S A WHOLE ROUNDUP of World War II stories for kids. Just keep scrolling.

THE 1983 Apple Phone.

A LOOK AT THE FUTURE OF energy-efficient household lighting.

GIRLS OF THE ’08 RACE.

WATCH OUT FOR THE BATS. Plenty of frogs and crickets audible from my deck, though.

HOMER SIMPSON commits sacrilege.

SO MY POST ON CIVILIAN SUBMARINES THE OTHER DAY led me to the U.S. Submarines website, where I learned of some pretty impressive private subs:

The Phoenix 1000

The ultimate personal transportation device, 65 meters (213 ft.) in length with 470 square meters (5000 sq. ft.) of interior space on 4 levels.

Powered on the surface by twin turbocharged marine diesels, all of our luxury submarine models, with the exception of the small Triton 650, have extended surface range and are capable of diving to 305 meters (1000′). Bad weather? Simply close the hatch and dive, cruising effortlessly far below the waves in air conditioned comfort. The submarines’ battery capacity and life support systems allow you to stay submerged for days at a time.

That’s pretty cool, though some of this stuff seems to be projected rather than currently available.

MORE EARMARKS: Rep. Charles Rangel puts in money for . . . The Rangel Library! Plus, free training for Hollywood employees.

Probably not the biggest reasons why Congress’s poll ratings are hitting new lows, but certainly symptomatic.

A LOOK AT malaria in Malawi: “Director of Preventive Health Services Dr. Habib Somanje defends government decision to use DDT to destroy malaria, arguing that it (DDT) shall only be used in indoor sprays. Somanje observes that DDT can reduce malaria drastically as it sticks to walls for many weeks, thereby curbing malaria and saving the lives of children. . . . According to statistics 40 percent of all deaths in children are caused by malaria, as established in 2000 report by the World Bank.”

BILL RICHARDSON: Movin’ on up.

A LOOK AT libertarian class theory. Plus, the Jock/Nerd theory of, well, nearly everything.