Frankly, I don’t understand why these dubious government contracts with Halliburton haven’t come under wider media scrutiny.

Today’s Washington Post has an article on quick, inexpensive tweaks to ease traffic congestion. Some ideas, taken directly from the story:

• Fixing confusing road signs that cause motorists to swerve from lane to lane;

• Making intersections safer for pedestrians so people will feel more comfortable walking instead of driving;

• Crack down on double-parked vehicles that create bottlenecks;

• Remind highway drivers that the left lane is for passing;

• Make it easier for commuters to work at least some days from home;

• Eliminate more street parking on busy thoroughfares during rush hours;

• Retime signals to keep vehicles moving from one green light to the next;

• Add a lane to intersections that back up from cars waiting to turn;

• Fill gaps in sidewalks and bike paths so people can avoid driving a half-mile to the grocery store;

• Invest in longer-lasting pavements so that roads are ripped up less often;

• Having a public education campaign to teach drivers how to keep traffic moving while they merge.

Knoxville doesn’t have traffic on a scale remotely close to the nightmare around Washington, D.C. But we do have traffic issues. And, as in metro Washington, the debate on how to address the problem has been dominated by the political clout of those supporting massive highway projects. That’s unfortunate, because some of these ideas are viable remedies to ease local commuter pain.
Take, for instance, the last point: an education program to teach drivers how to keep traffic moving. I don’t know how effective that would be in practice, but in theory it’s a great idea. It really frustrates me every time I get bogged down in traffic crawl only to discover that the apparent cause for the slowdown was a vehicle parked on the side of the road. Why?
Granted, none of the above ideas will ultimately solve the ills of increased traffic volume. But they will help. And they’re being drowned out by the clamor of check-writing lobbyists.
According to the TDOT website, there is one good project in the pipeline. Knoxville is slated to have 73 closed circuit television cameras installed along the interstate next spring, which I presume will be part of a webcam system similar to Nashville’s. This won’t make the traffic tie-ups more enjoyable, but it will make them easier to avoid.

Reading this story on a recently-released study, you’re almost left with the impression that two-year olds do their own grocery shopping:

“Study: Toddlers Have Poor Eating Habits”
Even before their second birthday, many American children are developing the same bad eating habits that plague the nation’s adults–too much fat, sugar and salt and too few fruits and vegetables.
A new study of more than 3,000 youngsters found significant numbers of infants and toddlers are downing french fries, pizza, candy and soda.
Children aged 1 to 2 years require about 950 calories per day, but the study found that the median intake for that age group is 1,220 calories, � an excess of nearly 30 percent. For those 7 months to 11 months old, the daily caloric surplus was about 20 percent.

Of course “many American children are developing the same bad eating habits that plague the nation’s adults” because the adults are establishing the toddlers eating habits, and not the other way around. Anyway, this is more evidence that the American trend toward obesity will continue for the foreseeable future.

I don’t plan to watch any of this rehashed Elizabeth Smart stuff on T.V., though I might catch a random snippet while channel surfing. So I’m not interested in the details of this purported fight over the story. Still, this article caught my eye.
Based on past coverage, we can easily accept this:

An unseemly clash for control has erupted among the three major U.S. television networks, Oprah Winfrey and a leading publisher over competing plans to tell the sensational tale of teenage kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart.

But how about this?

The various media outlets have all pledged to treat her story with restraint and dignity. After all, the object of their attention is a 16-year-old girl from Utah who police say was sexually assaulted during nine months in captivity at the hands of a homeless street preacher and his wife.
(Emphasis added.)

Ha! “Restraint and dignity”? Why start now?
I don’t understand the public fascination that’s driving the demand for this programming. But it’s out there. Just glad I have a remote control and lots of channels.

I’m special.
Ed Gillespie, Chairman of the Republican National Committee knew I needed entertainment. So, “in the interest of public affairs,” he sent me an e-mail featuring “Democrat Debate Bingo” and a special message.
What a guy. Someone should return the favor:
Ed Gillespie, Chairman, RNC
ChairmanEdGillespie@rnc.org