WHY IS SWINE FLU MORE DEADLY IN MEXICO? Four theories.

ON PJTV: Randy Barnett talks about his new federalism amendment proposal, which is online for discussion at Federalism Amendment.com.

UH OH: 8th WSJ UPDATE: Airplane ‘Photo Op’ Angers 9/11 Witnesses.

Evacuations were quickly called off, but many who thronged the banks of the Hudson River opposite Manhattan were found crying.

“For anybody who had gone through the World Trade Center, this was the most thoughtless, senseless thing they could do to somebody,” said a woman who declined to be identified. The woman said she had worked on the 13th floor of the World Trade Center’s north tower.

Good grief. What were they thinking?

UPDATE: An IndyMac connection?

ANOTHER UPDATE: A reader emails:

Isn’t Obama looking for ways to cut $100 million from the budget? What did this photo op cost? $25-50-$100K? Talk about your low hanging fruit…

Also, if this photo op was for the Office of the President of the United States, that’s one thing. If this photo op was for President Obama (assuming it wasn’t in conjunction with his official duties), I’m expecting a large check to be written from his campaign funds to the treasury.

Good luck with that.

MORE: Moe Lane: You think that they were actually thinking? Good point.

FASTER, PLEASE: Universal Flu Vaccine Shows Promise.

MORE BAILOUT QUESTIONS: “The spectacle of Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson running roughshod over Kenneth Lewis and his minions at Bank of America Corp. raises a pivotal question for all Americans: Is the U.S. a nation of laws, or a nation of banks? . . . It didn’t matter that investors were buying and selling billions of the banks’ shares without a clue that Merrill had lost more than $12 billion during the fourth quarter. Bernanke and Paulson had a singular objective — to get the Merrill deal done, on time — even if that meant duping the stock market and threatening to fire Lewis as chief executive officer, along with the company’s board.”

ADVICE ON cutting grocery bills. I’ve found that buying staples online — paper towels, toilet paper, detergent, etc. — reduces the number of trips, which also causes me to spend less overall. When I go to Target for paper towels, I generally come out with about a hundred bucks worth of stuff. . . .

MICKEY KAUS on Robert Reich’s card-check strategy. “OK, so the idea is to target unskilled workers who do work that can’t be outsourced, and who work for large institutions. . . . Of course, if unions do for Best Buy what they did for Chrysler, they’ll shrink the sector quite effectively. But they won’t rebuild the middle class. …” Nope. Just boost Amazon’s competitive advantage.

Plus, how CNN can save itself!

SWINE FLU STILL SPREADING: More info and perspective at Aetiology.

Plus, WHO Raises Swine Flu Alert Level. “The WHO raised its pandemic alert level to phase 4 over the deadly swine flu virus, indicating a significant increased risk of a pandemic, a global outbreak of a serious disease.”

UPDATE: Swine flu epidemic enters dangerous new phase. “It could take 4-6 months before the first batch of vaccines are available to fight the virus, WHO officials said.”

And at Pork.org, don’t call it “Swine” Flu. “’The virus has not been isolated in animals to date. Therefore, it is not justified to name this disease swine influenza,’ the Paris-based organization said in a statement.”

WAPO: In N.Y., Low-Flying Planes Panic Locals, Infuriate Lawmakers: White House Apologizes for Not Warning of ‘Aerial Photo Mission’. This seems emblematic, somehow.

And check out the cellphone photo accompanying the photo. Eerily reminiscent.

UPDATE: Reader Greg Lesko writes: “Is anyone going to press the administration on this ‘photo op’? Sure would be ironic if O was using all that carbon for promotional purposes. Mission accomplished!”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Heh: “Several writers on NRO have mentioned that the Obama administration is returning to a Sept 10 mindset. I guess the flyover is proof of that. But if they’re going to go back in time, how about letting us wear our shoes through airport screening? ”

And reader Kevin Harmon emails:

Scare the crap out of a known terrorist . . . . . it’s torture

Scare the crap out of thousands of New Yorkers . . . . . . . it’s a photo op.

Hope and change!

And reader Wayne Dahl writes: “Wouldn’t Photoshop have been cheaper? And less C02?”

AND HERE I THOUGHT THE WAR AGAINST SCIENCE ENDED WITH BUSH: Swine Flu Border Closures are Political, WHO Says: “Travel restrictions under consideration by the U.S. to prevent the spread of a new flu virus may be influenced by politics more than science, the World Health Organization’s chief said today.”

SOME LONG-TERM TEST DRIVE RESULTS, from Popular Mechanics.

RICHARD FERNANDEZ: Left to ourselves.

THE COUNTRY’S IN THE VERY BEST OF HANDS: Mayor Bloomberg outraged over military photo-op involving low-flying presidential jet. Judging by the comments at this WSJ site, Bloomberg’s not the only one. And reader Michael Grubbs writes:

In Jersey City, where I work, was in a mini-panic. Fire alarms pulled, buildings were evacuated. People were running down the streets. I heard it was worse in New York. All for a photo-op! Doesn’t sound like the present administration, does it?

What is it; the country is in the very best of hands? My gosh, if Bush did this, Rosie O’Donnell would be laid out prostrate on Broadway right now to protest.

A side note: Immelt must have got to CNBC. People in the WSJ comments section are calling for heads to roll. CNBC is talking about what a beautiful picture it will be.

Immelt seems to get to everyone. There’s bailout money for GE at stake, and the tone of their coverage must not interfere . . . ..

UPDATE: A hedge fund reader emails:

It’s not just Immelt. I can think of no high profile Street firm that is questioning the manic Keynesian tax and borrow and spend and spend government program.

It was bad enough when investors had to assume the Street was pushing its own financial agenda via its research product.

Now we have to assume the banks and brokers are pushing the government line.

As Yoda notes in Revenge of the Sith, “To a dark place this line of thought will carry us.”

To a place of getting out of the markets.

GRAN TORINO called one of the Best DVDs of 2009. I ordered my copy — I figure I’ll need stuff to watch while quarantined at home for the Great Mexican Flu Scare of 2009 . . . .

TEA PARTY PROTESTS: The Threat Recognized. I like all the talk about police and parks. As my father-in-law once said, when they want to raise taxes all they talk about is policemen and firemen and teachers, but when it’s time to spend the money it goes for a leather chair in some office downtown you’ve never heard of . . . .

AN EPIDEMIC OF INFORMATIONAL FAILURES: It Isn’t Just Health and Human Services.

RED-LIGHT CAMERA gets wrong car. Not the first time that’s happened.

ANDREW BREITBART ON PEREZ HILTON, OBAMA, ET AL.: “We’re Here, We’re Queer, and We’re Hypocrites!”

THE CARNIVAL OF THE CAPITALISTS IS UP!

A RANGE-EXTENDED ELECTRIC CAR with micro-turbine powered generator.

MICHAEL YON REPORTS from Tracking School in Borneo.

THE DALAI LAMA doesn’t have children to feed.

IT’S LIKE JOURNOLIST FOR GROWNUPS: The Media Elite’s Secret Dinners. “Still, the catered gatherings also sound rather cozy, like some secret-handshake gathering of an entrenched elite. Are the top-level officials, strategists and foreign leaders there for serious questioning or risk-free spin sessions? And what exactly is the journalistic benefit if the visitors are protected by a shield of anonymity?”

FUNNY, I NEVER GET THOSE PLUM ASSIGNMENTS: Test-driving the new Jaguar XKR convertible, in Provence.

HOW BAREFOOT RUNNERS are reshaping the running-shoe industry.