You may have seen reports that Campbell is going to sell Halal certified products.

Well, that is sort of true, but you probably won’t be able to buy them because it is the Canadian division that is making and marketing Campbell Halal-certified Products.

For those who don’t know, Halal is the Islamic version of Kosher, and they generally follow the same rules about cleanliness and no artificial ingredients. Trust me, if you want hot dogs, Kosher is the only way to go, because most hot dogs qualify to be sold by CMOT Dibbler.

See, the thing is, most religious groups are a lot harder to bribe than government inspectors, and they are a lot pickier about the rules. If you are new to an area, Kosher and Halal are your friends until you develop immunity to the local cuisine.

Paul Krugman has an Epitaph For An Administration

Surely this can serve as a generic statement:

As NAME ISSUE HERE has come to light, the Obama administration has resisted calls for a more forceful response, worried that added pressure might spook the banks and hobble the broader economy.

Stimulus, bank rescue, China, foreclosure; it applies all along. At each point there were arguments for not acting; but the cumulative effect has been drift, and a looming catastrophe in the midterms.

The days of voting for “the lesser of two evils” are over as under Obama the Democrats have achieved an equity of evil with the Republicans. The policies will be same no matter which major party you vote for.

My personal plan is to vote in every election that is held, but not vote for either party unless the individual has shown a willingness to vote for my interests. I want them to be aware that my vote is there, but they are not getting it. There are qualified people running with no party affiliation, or in third parties, and there is always the write-in line.

Shannon Behnken of the Tampa Tribune has the latest from the Florida Attorney General’s investigation – Witness: Foreclosure firm owner gave gifts for altering documents

The office released transcripts of two interviews it conducted for its investigation into the law offices of David J. Stern. The sworn statements were from Kelly Scott, a former employee of Stern’s and Mary R. Cordova, a former employee of G&Z, a process server used by Stern’s office. The women’s testimonies appear to back up that of former Stern’s employee Tammie Lou Kapusta, whose statement was released last week. The three statements paint a picture of a secret system designed to speed up the foreclosure process. Attorneys and staff members forged signatures, changed dates, passed around notary stamps, the women say in interviews with attorney general’s staff.

This is not a “technical problem with the paperwork”, this is criminal fraud. The entire process was operated this way.

The banks have no idea where the paperwork is, because filing paperwork was an overhead cost, so they skipped it. They didn’t file changes with county clerks, because it was an overhead cost, so they skipped it, despite charging a fee at closing to do it.

This is a civil investigation, so criminal charges won’t directly follow, but the fact that it is a civil proceeding gives the public immediate access to the information.

the houndfish [Tylosurus crocodilus] might.

From a local NBC affiliate in South Florida: Woman Impaled By Fish In Keys.

Minding her own business, paddling her kayak through the water, and a houndfish leaps up and rams its beak through her chest.

Come on down and enjoy the water sports.

Update: More information from the Miami Herald.

Position: 17.4N 123.0E [10:30 PM CDT 0330 UTC].
Movement: West-Southwest [250°] near 15 mph [24 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 165 mph [265 kph].
Wind Gusts: 180 mph [290 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 70 miles [110 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 35 miles [ 55 km].
Minimum central pressure: 914 mb.

Those are the approximate values when Megi made landfall on the Philippines island of Luzon at 10:30 PM last night. It should be back over water shortly and re-intensify before continuing towards China.

Dr Masters has more on the storm. It was really more of a large tornado because of the intense winds and relatively small size, but the high winds and intense rain will create havoc.