Meet the press

FEMA has truly learned the lessons of Katrina. Even its handling of the media has improved dramatically. For example, as the California wildfires raged Tuesday, Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson, the deputy administrator, had a 1 p.m. news briefing.

Reporters were given only 15 minutes' notice of the briefing, making it unlikely many could show up at FEMA's Southwest D.C. offices. They were given an 800 number to call in, though it was a "listen only" line, the notice said -- no questions. Parts of the briefing were carried live on Fox News, MSNBC and other outlets....

He was apparently quite familiar with the reporters -- in one case, he appears to say "Mike" and points to a reporter -- and was asked an oddly in-house question about "what it means to have an emergency declaration as opposed to a major disaster declaration" signed by the president. He once again explained smoothly....

Of course, that could be because the questions were asked by FEMA staffers playing reporters. We're told the questions were asked by Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of external affairs, and by "Mike" Widomski, the deputy director of public affairs. Director of External Affairs John "Pat" Philbin asked a question, and another came, we understand, from someone who sounds like press aide Ali Kirin.

I hate you, humanity

...One day we as a species will be extinct, and it's people like this that make me glad.

A Naples mother who had her 13-year-old daughter’s head shaved and private area pierced to prevent her from continuing to have sex was acquitted of child abuse charges Thursday.

A five-man, one-woman Collier Circuit Court jury deliberated roughly three hours before deciding the 39-year-old mother was not guilty of aggravated child abuse or child abuse, finding her actions didn’t involve punishment, malicious intent or cause permanent damage or disfigurement.

This also serves as a very compelling argument for people with frontal lobes actually reporting for jury duty.

The Brit's Guide to American Football

In preparation for the first NFL game across the pond, ESPN has a quick survival guide to American football, aka pigskin, gridiron -- as George Will put it, "the two worst things about America: it is violence punctuated by committee meetings." ESPN's take is slightly less acidic:

Space is limited here, but there are two things you should know. First, while soccer games are low-scoring, 3-2 snooze-fests, American football games are exciting, high-scoring, 21-14 affairs. Second, American football players are allowed to touch the ball with their hands. You may not see any Dolphins receivers do this, but trust me, they are allowed....

Picspam, blogspam-resplendent edition

So things are beginning to quiet down from the most chaotic month in recent memory. It's about damn time.

Today: not quite up to par, but there is moose and bunneh. ( 32 pics below.... )