Class-angle inebriation—The media has it that New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg got good marks for his “leadership” during the blackout (the cops didn’t kill anyone?). Anyway, back on July 4, the cops issued tickets to people drinking beer at a city beach 9/11 fund-raiser. A few days later a photographer got a shot of the good mayor sipping wine with numerous others at a park symphony. No busts.

U.S. crayon ring—During Washington’s initial assault on Iraq, several hundred people from Europe and a U.S. group went to Iraq and camped near an oil refinery as “human shields.” After their return, the Treasury Department warned them of possible jail terms and stiff fines. Trampling on democratic rights? Of course not, snorted a Treasury spokesperson. There’s no stifling of dissent such as practiced by Saddam Hussein. Merely enforcing sanctions.

Oops. We forgot—There may have been violations of the sanctions rule. A schoolteacher from Hoboken admitted she brought in two dozen coloring books and the same of crayons. She left these at a Baghdad hospital.

Chat about this—America on Line, the biggest U.S. subscriber network service, has asked the feds that it be exempted from labor laws. This was prompted by the demand of its 7,000 “volunteers” who monitor AOL’s chat rooms in return for free subscription service. The monitors are demanding wages and $80 million in back pay. AOL calls them “community leaders.” (Try that on your grocery.)

Maybe so—In Clinton County, Indiana, the Carson & Barnes circus was accused of using hooks and electrical prods on the animals. Circus operators responded they treated the animals like family.

How to run a railroad—Privatized some decades back, allegedly to improve service, the United Kingdom railroad lines are facing “years of chaos.” That’s according to a leaked report by the government, which has coughed up billions to hold the rail network together until 2010. Virtually all of it has already been spent.

Trendsetter?—In North Little Rock, Arkansas, a trolley car rail system that functioned until 1938 has been uncovered. We know nothing of the state of the line. But, it’s been public knowledge that in Los Angles, a trolley system was valued but scrapped by the swelling auto industry and suburban real estate sharks.

Here’s a man with vision—Patrick Hays, mayor of North Little Rock, has a proposal on the trolley track: “We may slice it up in little pieces to sell as bookends.”  
 
 
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