It's Sad Because It's True...

You Are Candy Corn

Your Halloween personality is whimsical, colorful, and creative. You see Halloween as a time to get your creative juices flowing. Each year, Halloween can't start soon enough for you. You tend to go all out for Halloween. You decorate like crazy and always dress up.

What Halloween Treat Are You?

The first candy I brought in to work this year was candy corn. One of my co-workers was trying to have a semi-serious meeting with my while I was trying to wear the candy corn as multi-colored vampire teeth and other silliness. I know that Lewis Black thinks that candy corn is pretty much from the devil, but that's ok, he can give his to me. You can read Lew's opinion here, watch it here, or watch the animated version here. Streeter Seidell rebuts Lew under #7 of his article Burning Halloween Questions UNMASKED! from Mental Floss (on CNN).

The Jungle

...the watchdog group [Project on Government Oversight] said oversight offices throughout the government have been underfunded and co-opted by political appointees with a partisan agenda. The report recommended that all organizations with oversight responsibilities--from inspectors general offices to the Defense Contract Audit Agency--be "afforded the resources, authority and incentives" to complete their missions... ~ Government Executive

No surprises there for anyone who has been paying attention. We've already seen the some "results" of this in finance. The issues with our financial systems are deeply unpleasant, but we will most likely recover from them. My fear is the long-lasting impact of the lessening of regulation and oversight in the food and drug industries and the irrevocable impact of our irresponsible environmental stewardship.

It's a Dog's Life

James Lileks, the author who brings us entertaining nostalgia books like "The Gallery of Regrettable Food," has a gallery of newspaper dog photos Dateline:Kennel (They Gave Their Dignity So That Others Might Laugh).

All Hallows Eve Reminder

Don't forget to get your Halloween costume, crank up some Halloween music, and stock up plenty of Halloween treats for Friday.

What Is Wrong With People?

I was blown away by the findings from this Chicago Tribune investigation, inspired by the Stolen Valor Act (2006).

Scores of Americans, from clergymen to lawyers to CEOs, are claiming medals of valor they never earned.

A Tribune investigation has found that the fabrication of heroic war records is far more extensive than you might think.

Take the online edition of Who's Who, long the nation's premier biographical reference. Of the 333 people whose profiles state they earned one of the nation's most esteemed military medals, fully a third of those claims cannot be supported by military records. ~ Claims of Medals Amount to Stolen Valor, John Crewdson, Tribune correspondent

Seriously, what is wrong with these people? Are they that insecure?