THE OLD FOLKS ARE ALRIGHT

Former Secretary of Labor Reich makes a good point about the power of folks organizing and voting. 30 years-ago one out of four seniors lived in poverty. Then they organized and then voted in larger and larger numbers.

Now, 30% of every federal dollar is spent on seniors.

Basic lesson: If you organize well and vote, your tax dollars come back to you.

BUSH LEAGUE

• The Brits will pay about $10 million for policing and security

• The visit has been planned for 18 months. It is 85 years since the last State visit of a US president; Woodrow Wilson in 1918

• Up to 100,000 demonstrators will line the streets of central London for the demonstration on Thursday

• A total of 14,000 Metropolitan Police officers - including several hundred armed officers - will be on duty in London

• An estimated 250 United States Secret Service agents will protect the president

• Mayor of London denounced him as the "greatest threat to life on this planet that we've most probably ever seen."

Chasing Bush is a site devoted to Brits who want to coordinate a campaign to screw-up Bush's PR moments. I have said for years, the US needs better protest organization.

Good work, mates.

JACKASS

From the AP wires:

Gov. Jeb Bush joked during a Florida Cabinet meeting Wednesday that the people of San Francisco may be endangered and, "That's probably good news for the country."

It might be offensive, if it weren't Florida.

Fifteen of Nineteen

I got 17 out of the possible 19, but two weren't cabinet level - so I only got 15 right. Not too bad.

Shocking Poll: Majority Of Americans Cannot Name A Single Department In The Presidents Cabinet

Washington, DC – Most Americans are unable to identify even a single department in the United States Cabinet, according to a recent national poll of 800 adults. Specifically, the survey found that a majority (58%) could not provide any department names whatsoever; 41% could. Only 4% of those surveyed specified at least five of the 19 executive-level departments, a figure comparable to the poll’s overall margin of error.

The same firm that last year revealed an eye-popping 64% of Americans could not name any of the Justices of the United States Supreme Court, has now uncovered a similar lack of knowledge with respect to the Executive Branch of federal government.

“These poll numbers would make any high school civics teacher cringe,” says Kellyanne Conway, President and CEO of the polling company, inc., in Washington, DC, the firm that conducted the survey. “The differing levels of knowledge according to gender, race and age are astonishing,” she continued.

“An incredible 70% of 18-34 year olds failed to specify a single agency or department, and while a majority of men (52%) could name at least one, less than one-third of women (32%) could do the same.”

Can you name them all? LIST

Full Story

Cagan

Cagan's on the job. His new blog:

You know, give the kids slogans like, "Friends don't let friends pop a couple amyls and then take pictures of them making out with their 'Hello Kitty' doll dressed only in a pair of low rider boy shorts." Sure, it'll have to be a little catchier than that.

And there should be a mascot. How about "Snappy" the perpetually disgusted camera! "Kids, Snappy can't believe you're doing that in front of Snappy. For the love of all that is holy, put your top back on, because Snappy's gonna be freaking sick."

IN BALI

Maggie and I took full advantage of the many spas in Bali. At one place, Maggie had a exfoliating-ginger-facial-thing and a hair-cream-thing while I got a massage.

A few minutes into my massage, the nice lady reached for the oil, and said in broken English, "Do you want spicy massage?"

"Sure," I said, figuring it would be some cinnamon-cayenne rub. She nodded and started to work on my legs. Then I realized that I'd just asked for a "spicy massage". In a foreign country. On my honeymoon.

I tried to come up with the right "No Bad Touch" phrase. Nothing leapt to mind. So, I asked, "How long does the spicy massage take?"

She answered, "An hour and a half."

"Oh, cause my WIFE is having a facial and she'll be done in an hour. I should meet my WIFE in an hour. We're on our honeymoon, you see."

"Oh, then you won't have time for the cinnamon bath."

"Nope." I don't think that was a euphemism, either.

HONEYMOON ANIMALS

Maggie and I made some friends in Asia.