Dispatches

This week's Dispatches was a heart-rending look at the victims of the credit crunch.Mark Torkington was made redundant when Fenland Foods closed, and we see him having just left his last day at the factory.He plans to move away and is worried he will never again be employed.Estate agents are suffering a decline in business, with Melvin Danes describing how many people cry when they learn how much

OOOH. Dispatches: Sandwiches Unwrapped sliced opinion right in half. Wife announced she's never going to eat a packaged sandwich again after watching the Channel 4 shock fest because they were so unhealthy. It would have been more dramatic but it's...

Two weekends ago I returned to Wilkesboro, NC for my second Merlefest, one of top Americana music festivals in the country. I'm not a bluegrass kid and for me its just a nice change of pace rather than being all about the music. I did get to see Old Crow Medicine Show and The Avett Brothers, both of whom I enjoyed, and attend a Blues guitar workshop with Roy Book Binder, who impressed me greatly.Last weekend, the Obama people threw a rally in Carrboro, NC. Superchunk opened for Arcade Fire. It was a hot and sweaty affair, but one of the first outings of the year that fully felt like summer. I'm still supporting Hillary and had to suffer the wrath of the sun god (in the form of a sunburn) for attending the Obama rally. Still, the concert was great. I had not seen them live before an

  If you’ve ever wanted to unleash the full power of all the time you’ve invested in trying to make money online, then this is the most important message you will get in a long time. You see, over the weekend, a series of videos went live, revealing money pumping tactics so good and so fresh and [...]

Back sooner than expected, our roving reporter, Steve Finch, has another story to be filed under “that’s something that would really benefit humanity.” openDemocracy (ASA) SANTA MONICA, CA — The YZ Prize Foundation has announced a second interesting initiative to help the world to move toward stability. Unlike the YZ Prize for Peace, this one strikes straight at their vision [...]

Miami Beach is, predictably, warmer than Saskatchewan. Though surprisingly, the last couple days, not actually so much. I have high hopes for the weekend.Got to play with gators today...it was much fun. And for my dear friend Pumpernickel, as promised, a picture of the rare "South Beach Pastrami on Pumpernickel" to add to your collection. More to come.

This is one of those things I’ve thought I probably should write for a long time but never got to actually doing. Until now. Dispatches, for those who don’t know, is a semi-regular feature on this site. It consists, essentially, of a few sentences that laments that our (fictional) reporter hasn’t been in touch in a while [...]

At 4:42 p.m. on Tuesday, I received a new e-mail from WeAreTheAnswer.org for “The Dark Knight” viral marketing.Dear citizen,Today is a momentous day for Gotham and for all of us who have participated in We Are The Answer.Tips from concerned citizens like you are helping to bring corrupt officers to justice. You can be proud that you have aided your fellow citizens in taking the first step toward a safer city. Due to the overwhelming citizen response, we at We Are The Answer are pouring through an avalanche of police corruption tips.We should be through with the current backlog of tips by the very beginning of the New Year. Thank you again. The good citizens of Gotham have to stick together to fight crime and corruption. All of us have a brighter future to look forward to.

Steve Finch has finally gotten around to filing another report. He asked that this one be filed under: “Is every lie a deception?” HOLLYWOOD — In a town made famous for the lies it tells to both itself and the world, this reporter found something quite expected: a class about lying well. The surprise wasn’t finding a class which aimed to teach students how to lie, but the way it taught to do it. Joanna Saltin had nurtured quite an interest in “radical honesty”—the ethic of never telling a lie no matter how minor or face-saving—before she broke away from her mentor, moved to Hollywood, and decided to teach Californians the secret to lying well. Ms. Saltin makes a quick and careful distinction between what she called “lying well” and “lying successfully.” As you may expect, lying successfully is when you convince people to believe an untrue story. Lying well is very different, as she explains: “To lie well, you

Other than crazy naked Ronnie, I haven't had any problems since returning to the Waycross ghetto. This is most probably because the people next door (the drug dealing lesbian prostitutes who stole my electricity and my copper pipes, cut a hole in the wall of my house with a butcher knife and took a baseball bat to my mailbox) were evicted while I was in Korea. The people who live in that house now are a grandmother, a mother and her three kids. One kid is a baby, but the other two are probably around 6 and 8 and are really cute and like to talk to me about my cats. I actually hung out with them for about an hour yesterday. Sadly, it is really hard for me to understand them. They probably think I'm nuts because I keep asking them to repeat themselves. The people in the house behind me moved in while I was in Korea. There is (or perhaps I should say was...) a man, woman and three kids there. There was also - at least while the weather was warm - a large group of somewhat "gangsta" look

Our roving correspondent Steve Finch has finally gotten back to us with another story. He asked us to file this under “Wouldn’t it be scary if…” Elkhart, Indiana — The rise of the Evolution Party and it’s unconventional platform has left at least a few unsettled and scratching their heads. The leader of the small political party is Albert Hillman, an Indiana man running for both mayor of Elkhart and President of the United States. Mr. Hillman is in his mid-forties, and says he’s been a Republican his whole life. He said that after seeing how “unconservative” George W. Bush has been since elected, he’s convinced the party no longer represents any of his views. “I liked the small-government view of Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater, but the Republicans don’t represent that anymore. Frankly, I’m not sure what they represent.” But if the party left Mr. Hillman behind, many critic think he’s completel

PetSmart Charities dispatched two tractor trailers stocked with emergency pet supplies today to help the affected pets of the California wildfires. Each Emergency Relief Waggin' trailer contains enough pet products, food and supplies to support up to 500 companion animals. One PetSmart Charities Emergency Relief Waggin' was dispatched from PetSmart's Phoenix distribution center, and one was

This one is pretty wacko, even by California standards.In June, the Collards received a fire abatement order from the Glendale Fire Department reminding them of the requirement there be a five foot vertical clearance between roofs and vegetation.The Collards' lot is surrounded by thirteen oaks.But the limbs of the stately oaks were encroaching upon the fire danger zone.Being good citizens they hired a guy to prune back the trees.On October 1 the homeowners received a citation fining them $350,000 for illegally trimming the trees. Apparently the City of Glendale has an ordinance which prohibits the trimming of trees unless there is an immediate emergency and the police or fire chief gives specific written notice.Everyone loves a tree, but this is idiotic. But we now live in a world where idiocy is the norm, and the drafters of the Nanny State enforce their good hearted edicts with tasers and financially ruinous fines.In the America of 2007 it is ok to strip search a middle schoo

The White House announced a major change in its Iraq policy earlier today when it was revealed that President Bush has dispatched the four Warriors of the Light to Iraq to quest for the fabled Orb of Democracy, a mystical object that, according to myth, was lost in antiquity and is the only thing that could truly bring democracy to the Middle East. The coming of the Light Warriors was foretold in Reagan’s Prophecy, spoken as the former president was leaving office in the late 80s. The prophecy states that at the Republican Party’s greatest need, four mighty warriors would appear and solve all of America’s problems by retrieving the Orb of Democracy and restoring balance to the Middle East and oil prices through the maintenance of heavy U.S. ground forces in the region.

Heineken Pushing Non-Alcoholic Brand in Europe: In an effort to attract the growing Muslim population in Western Europe, the Netherlands' brewing giant Heineken is backing the Fayrouz non-alcoholic beer brand with a $48 million advertising effort. +++ +++ +++ +++ Honey Porter in a Landslide: The Boston Beer Co. polled beer fans and the winner of the brewery's annual Beer Lover's Choice is Samuel Adams Honey Porter. The brew beat Samuel Adams Smoked Lager by a vote of 8,206 to 5,984. Attendees at nearly 800 tasting events nationwide cast ballots during August and September. Honey Porter will be released in January. +++ +++ +++ +++ Pyramid Exits Soda Business: Seattle's Pyramid Breweries has sold its Thomas Kemper soda brand to Portland, Ore., based equity firm Adventure Funds for $3.1 million. The soda line includes a root beer, ginger ale and orange cream. +++ +++ +++ +++ Only Happy Cows: It just might be that a division of

No Busch in NASCAR: Since 1984 NASCAR's Grand National Series, basically the Triple A level of stock car racing, has been sponsored by Busch beer. That will all end when the 2007 season finishes up next fall. Anheuser-Busch announced this week it has decided it will not renew the title sponsorship. NASCAR, which faced a similar challenge a few years ago when cigarette maker RJ Reynolds dropped the Winston sponsorship of the top level series, must now find a replacement. Sports marketers predict the annual price tag for the series could be as high as $30-$40 million. NASCAR fans are recognized as among the most brand loyal in any sport. +++ +++ +++ +++ What Everyone is Really Drinking: During my travels I'm reminded that for every great beer bar and even for every bar that has at least one craft beer on tap, there are dozens that offer nothing more than a few pale domestic lagers and light beers, with a token import tossed into the mix. That's why it comes as no

Fuller Set to Grow: After experiencing a 31 percent jump in profits during a six month period following the acquisition of George Gales & Co., executives at British brewer and pub company Fuller, Smith & Turner said its thirst for acquisitions has not yet been quenched. Fuller is said to be placing a greater emphasis on food in its pubs as Britain prepares for a pub smoking ban in 2007. +++ +++ +++ +++SABMiller Plans More Investments in India: Fresh off its acquisition of Foster's Group holdings in India, SABMiller says it plans to pump $125 million into existing operations during the next two to three years. The money will be spent on marketing and brewery expansion at nine plants in India. The company's brands in India include Royal Challenge, Haywards 5000 and Castle. The company is the second largest brewery operation in the country behind and United Breweries. +++ +++ +++ +++Beer Too Cheap?: A beer price war among supermarkets in the United Kin

Tonights Dispatches programme was wonderful. It secretly filmed life on some of britains psychiatric wards. I am so lucky to be alive and cant believe the gamble that the people in hospital were willing to take with my life - The programme shows that such disregard and cynicism for self harming patients is actually typical. As far as I could tell the most unrepresentative aspect of the programme was that they sometimes showed patients without a cup of tea and cigarette in their hands.

The UK Channel 4 documentary Dispatches: Undercover Mosque anticipated in the following article has been made available in three parts on YouTube (h/t LGF).Revealed: preachers' messages of hateAn undercover investigation has revealed disturbing evidence of Islamic extremism at a number of Britain's leading mosques and Muslim institutions, including an organisation praised by the Prime Minister.Secret video footage reveals Muslim preachers exhorting followers to prepare for jihad, to hit girls for not wearing the hijab, and to create a 'state within a state'. Many of the preachers are linked to the Wahhabi strain of Islam practised in Saudi Arabia, which funds a number of Britain's leading Islamic institutions.A forthcoming Channel 4 Dispatches programme paints an alarming picture of how preachers in some of Britain's most moderate mosques are urging followers to reject British laws in favour of those of Islam. Read it all.Part IPart IIPart III

This Sunday's Times carried a report from "The People's Republic of Richmond" describing the effects of the London Borough's anti-car jihad, which includes proposals to charge residential parking permit fees according to a vehicle's CO2 emissions. The article paints a vivid picture of a city under siege by its own government. "Across the road, carpet retailer Martin Herdman has erected 1,000-watt speakers outside his shop that emit an air-raid siren blast whenever parking wardens are spotted in the vicinity — usually four or five times a day. An underground network of fellow retailers and residents phone in alerts, and children on bikes cycle ahead of the wardens to give warning." The rest of the piece offers the usual examination of government hypocrisy (300 parking spaces for city council staff) and greed. The most telling quote comes from a sports car-loving immigrant. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful," Zoran Jokic told the Time