i L i n d . n e t

Once again, the Advertiser has a breaking news item of police responding to a reported “brawl” in Haleiwa at 1:30 a.m. I’m mentioning it here for future reference if this violent trend continues.

“What happens when there is not enough water to go around?” That’s the question addressed in this Alternet story, which adds a broader perspective to water worries in parts of the U.S. And for your info on current events, try the very official National Integrated Drought Information System site. One wonders just how deep the planning is at our Board of Water Supply.

Is the push for disclosure of background documents in the Bob Awana extortion case essentially political? What happens when public documents become a political issue? This entry from the State Sunshine and Open Records blog, which takes on the same question in the context of Missouri politics, provides some insights.

I recently ran into this site, RGE Monitor, which captures a broad view of current global financial news and analysis. I have found it very useful in the current unstable environment. For example, today there’s a link to this assessment of the extent of fraud in the subprime mortgage fiasco, which looks like it could rival the prior savings and loan crisis. Has anyone gone back to compare the fraud losses in the two situations?

For Friday diversions, I suggest this minute of incredible extreme clapping (don’t try this at home!), or at the other extreme a few calming purrs. Or take the multimedia tour of Tiki history (found in the sidebar to this great NY Times investigation of the Zombie).

And, of course, Friday’s felines are the regular diversion for the day. Just click on Mr. Silverman for a few more.