Le Show; 2009-07-26

from deep inside your radio ladies gentlemen it's good news and it's bad news and i'm not talking about the hum in the studio it's it's good news and it's bad news i say it all wrapped in one you know about the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico i have discussed it uh at other times on this broadcast it is uh an area of the Gulf of Mexico where there's no oxygen so there's no living things you see hence the name dead zone and the news is that it's less than half the size it was predicted to be earlier this year that's the good news the bad news is it's also unusually severe so so put the champagne on ice but don't open it the area forms every year in the Gulf it's caused by bacteria feeding on algae blooms the blooms occur because of the flow of runoff from farms in the Midwest hello Chicago and other nutrients from the Mississippi River and its its feeder rivers

this year's area covers 3,000 square miles it's unusually thick stretching from the bottom nearly to the top the surface that is to say this is according to nancy robolays you gotta love these Louisiana names a researcher who specializes in the problem for the Louisiana University's marine consortium nancy robolays the three thousand square miles is one of the smallest dead zones since measurement began way back in 1985 only three years were smaller scientists had predicted this year's dead zone would cover 7,500 to 8,500 square miles imagine the happiness of the fish possible reasons for the difference high winds and waves that help mix more oxygen into some waters the um some areas where oxygen was lowest according to robolays crabs, eels and shrimp which usually live on the bottom we're seeing swimming at the surface

oh look there's so many of the studies indicate severely low oxygen levels early in July contributed to jubilee's not what you think it's jubilee's in this context is means the forced movement of fish crabs and shrimp into shallow waters that's a jubilee y'all invited stop dumping that stuff into the rivers up north would you thank you but by the way it's not just the Gulf of Mexico that's the most well-known and largest dead zone there are more than 250 such areas in the United States alone thank you for dumping and uh now ladies and gentlemen stands in the digital wonderland well we're well into this thing now there's no turning back

so let's just give into it dear harry says david love the show you've been focused on the impact of the digital conversion on over the air viewers but did you know it's affecting cable viewers as well calm cast david's running from northern california decided the being digital was so much fun for everybody not on cable they should ape it for their customer base so in the bay area they're making everyone convert over to digital converter boxes even if they have an old analog tv they have two classes of converter box the real one that has a zillion features that don't work and the fake one that doesn't have any features and both of these boxes crash in wonderful ways for instance every time there's a power failure the fake features boxes forget who they are and don't change channels anymore you're stuck with whatever it thinks you were watching last or some random channel that chooses all on its own the remote for that box has only a few buttons which is good but they're too small for ulster's fingers and you can't use anybody else's remote control with big buttons the full featured digital box on the other hand has a really incomprehensible remote

that's incompatible with tvo boxes so changing channels takes several seconds and you think it's broken even though it isn't going to video on demand on channel one puts the system into i can't hear you anymore mode so you can't stop and restart a video on demand movie it might as well beyond broadcast so the comcast conversion is a huge step backward in ease of use for old people that offers no usable features but it does have the wonderful benefit of a lower sound level dear harry writes math you are live in Denver where there are two pbs stations in addition to the big three networks before the transition i could receive both pbs channels as well as the big three now after purchasing the converter box i received the big three ten spanish and six jesus channels i only watch pbs with my four-year-old daughter and the simpsons on sundays well you know oh sorry the transition seems to be deployed to enlarge the subscriber base for cable and dish based providers i'm worried about the fma m digital switch will there be a similar business concept nothing for free it truly is a digital wonderland randy writes dear mr. shears as you evidently

are the only person covering this national story i'm hopeful you'll be able to help me yeah that's that's who i am i'm the helping guy living a greater suburban fresno i can get well i'm sorry about that the help would be move no sorry i can get most of the major stations most of the time during the day though our fringe stations are iffy which is particularly troubling when i'm trying to watch leave it to bevery runs on the retro channel my question is this why does my digital stream weaken at night yes i'm waiting for you ladies and gentlemen write your own answers to that straight line this is always a problem continues randy and every channel is subject to messing with the rabbit ears and uh... on our electronic amplified antenna in fact most nights at nine p.m. there is no signal for any channel i can't even get a healthy dose of pixels i was really watching looking forward to watching the history detective on pbs but could not receive the signal please help and advise the upside of this of course i have more to more time to read watch great old movies right from the library and of course listen to the show

and mark rights dear harry i've been listening to your skepticism of digital tv since i started listening to the show way back in two thousand five i live in the middle of of nowhere in central florida that's unlike the guy who lives in the suburbs of fresno i guess and basically presumed that the digital switchover would require an investment of my time and money i was not willing to make i saw the deadline as the end of my days of being a broadcast television viewer since the switchover i only use my tv to watch the occasional dvd and play video games when i feel like catching up on my favorite shows i go on the internet and watch them on hulu it's great because it's on demand and virtually commercial free i owe you gratitude for basically scaring me away from tv i spend a lot of time working out to painting drawing and taking part in activities i feel are much more productive than my previous tv watching habits thank you mark from windomere florida mark you are so welcome um my only advice to uh i put as a Matthew re-scan it's night time of course things change different animals are around your antenna it's just a guess but you

won't get better hello welcome to the show and in the streets we're just trying to give the summer a lie the boys try to give the summer a lie just try to give the summer a lie

just try to give the summer a lie just try to give the summer a lie the boys try to give the summer a lie

just try to give the summer a lie just try to give the summer a lie yeah yeah from the edge of america from the home of the homeless i'm harry sheerah welcoming you

to this week's edition of the show what a week it's been ladies and gentlemen we had the the unbelievably edifying spectacle of the president of the united states pointing out that a a concerto a disagreement a a situation where apparently everybody involved acted poorly made did not use their better judgment himself professor gates and the police sergeant that the all the parties involved acted poorly and the problem was sobriety so he's a pledge to fix that and now it is in gentlemen the apologies of the week more about that later by the way a week after cursing and swinging at a security guard during a performance in columbus Ohio

Anthony Gonzales the frontman of the french synth pop act known as m 83 has apologized by reactions in the heat of the moment that caused me much regret wrote gondolas 28 i sincerely apologize for trying to physically interfere with security stuff trying to do their job of ensuring proper protection for both the band and members of the audience the old occasion took place last week at the end of the sold out show after Gonzales invited concert goers to join him on stage it can't support the way to the crowd says the marketing director for the center on stage dancing isn't typically allowed anyway because chords instruments and other equipment after offering the same invitation during a non-core just one song when the staff again interviewed to get intervened to get patrons on stage off stage Gonzales took several swipes at a guard the video is circulating on youtube but don't watch it yet wait till the shows over deadline kingston jamaica the oxford presses apologize to jamaicans for its definition of the word maroons in the concise

oxford dictionary the university press apologize for stating the maroons were a member of a a maroon is a member of a group of black people descended from runaway slaves and living in parts of sernam in the west indies there was no mention of the jamaican maroons defeating the british in two wars in the description of the word and no mention of nanny a national hero the dictionary is promised to correct the anomaly in future editions nanny mayor michael bloomberg of new york or albeit for two fun-filled days starting tomorrow has apologized for letting his SUV's idle it's right he has SUV's in new york more than one the auditors drivers to stop the practice this week after the ap observed the park vehicles engines running for long periods of time throughout the city bloomberg said on his weekly radio show there's no excuse any thoroughly apologizes he added the mayor's cars should send an example and tell the cars to put their hands over their

grills when they sneeze idling causes pollution and waste fueling money the mayor had no engine idling science installed months ago and all the Chevrolet suburbans that transport him the city's idling limit is three minutes but bloomberg recently shortened it to one minute around schools the limit does not legally apply to bloomberg's SUV's which are classified as emergency vehicles out of my way the mayor is coming daylight Los Angeles Jackson Brown has settled a lawsuit and received an apology from senator John McCain in the Republican Party of the use of his song running on empty during last year's presidential campaign the settlement announced this week includes a pledge by the GOP not to use any musicians work without proper permission in future campaigns a statement Brown said he hoped would benefit other artists McCain's loss in November what why don't people tell didn't end the lawsuit which had been slated for trial early next year financial details of the settlement were not announced McCain didn't know about the ad which is created by the Ohio Republican Party

and removed after Brown campaign complaint we apologize that a portion of the reaction Brown song was used without permission said the statement amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos has issued an apology for the way quote we previously handled the legally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle our solution to the problem is stupid thoughtless and painfully out of line with our principles it is wholly self-inflicted and we deserve the criticism we've received who will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward ones that match our mission with deep apology to our customers now that's an apology okay you can take crap off my Kindle whenever you want Jeff if you apologize like that Chris Brown you know who that is Chris Brown has posted a video on YouTube telling his fans how sorry he is for the assault on Rihanna he pleaded guilty to assault last month and will serve five years on probation

yeah he's the guy who assaulted Rihanna you know who he is you know who she is hey listen I can't keep you up on everything I'm here don't worry about me just thinking anyway he says since February my attorney's advised me not to speak out even though ever since the incident I wanted to publicly express my deepest regret and accept full responsibility I felt it was time you hear directly from me that I am sorry I cannot go into what happened most importantly I'm not going to sit here and make any excuses I take great pride in me being able to exercise self-control what I did was inexcusable I'm very saddened and very ashamed of what I've done I've told Rihanna countless times I'm telling you today I'm truly sorry I wasn't able to handle a situation both differently and better I tend to live my life so I'm truly worthy of the term role model don't watch that until after the show get off a YouTube deluge with complaints about her conduct district attorney Dolores Carr and San Jose publicly apologize this week for

failing to see that her husband's financial involvement with the victims family in a murder case her office is handling raised conflict of interest questions her husband was paid for $14,000 by an attorney for the slain victims family would file a separate lawsuit with that payment the Santa Clara County DA in effect was receiving income from an advocate for the victims family even though she was prosecuting the case and deliberating whether to seek the death penalty which the family strongly advocates I made mistakes and I regret it she said I regret the situation I will not make those mistakes again she has disqualified herself from the case other California government apologies at water city California councilman Gary Frego this is not at water the neighborhood in Los Angeles this is at water the I guess the little city near Modesto in central California whoa it's hot up there he's a Gary Frego is apologized after forwarding emails to city officials and others containing jokes aimed at president Obama the first lady and black people how much of this have we heard this year this is going around this is worse than

swine flu in terms of its prevalence I made a mistake he said of the seven emails circulated from October to February yeah you made one a month I guess for four months it was a mistake I shouldn't have made and I apologize for it I wasn't being racist I was just passing on emails some residents have called for his resignation and several city council members have distanced themselves from him I'll be sitting over here now the local newspaper published emails that Frego forwarded to local officials from its private email account the story made its way to a national audience it was then that Frego realized he had offended people he said I didn't think it would go nationwide to tell you the truth if it would have stayed local we would have been able to handle it a lot easier he said he will not resign the city still refused to provide additional emails sent by Frego the city said those emails are not public documents because they do not pertain to city business we'll see about that Boston Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay said he hopes Major League Baseball has learned a lesson after airing a taped version a taped version a

recorded version of O Canada prior to the last week's All Star Game Baseball Major League Baseball apologized for the faux pas and explained that a tight schedule permitted it from having a live performance Cheryl Crow saying the star Spangled Banner live now but I'm going to interrupt this just for a moment to say ladies gentlemen I don't know about the All Star Game but at the Super Bowl a Betcha nine times out of ten when you see a singer singing a song at the Super Bowl star Spangled Banner or not their lip syncing so the issue here would be whether they had somebody up there to lip sync a recording I think it means everything said Bay the Red Sox outfielder a lot of people were upset myself included I don't think Major League Baseball understood that would have the magnitude it did Bay hails from trail British Columbia but became an American citizen in Boston on July 2nd so you might ask what's his beef did he really mean did he really renounce his

Canadian citizenship can we check this and can I get a copy of his bit birth certificate while we're at it and yours by the way I don't want you listening unless you're a citizen sorry got a little head up there a time-order cable in Los Angeles as issued a statement apologizing for the inconvenience with during the Dodgers game please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience you had I know how frustrating it could be especially during the time of home run what do you mean we should hire citizens deadline Trent New Jersey Wayne Bryant a once-powerful new day by the way ladies gentlemen as a part-time New Orleansian I am very proud to note this week the announcement that New Jersey is the most corrupt state in the union all right go Jersey Wayne Bryant a once-powerful New Jersey state senator convicted on bribery and pension fraud was sentenced Friday to four years in federal prison Bryant apologized for his crimes before he was sentenced

quote I cannot express how deeply sorry I am for the scorn my actions have caused scorn it's just a scorn he minds continental airlines apologize this week to former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam for frisking him before a recent flight flight to New York the apology came a day after Indian civil aviation authorities lodged a police complaint against the US carrier in New Delhi accusing it of both gross violation of Indian security protocols that forbid pre embarkation body checks on a number of dignitaries including former president's quote our intention was never to offend Dr Kalam or the sentiments of the people of India we have tended to formal apology and we sincerely hope he will fly with this again says continental it's an ashamed bird New York representative Carolyn Maloney a democrat apologize this week for using the N word in a recent interview while recounting a phone call she received I apologize for having repeated a word I find disgusting it's no excuse she said but I was so caught up in

relaying the story exactly as it was told to me that in doing so I repeated a word that should never be repeated spanned out ballet remember them they've apologized after more than 20 years for terrorizing a fellow 80s pop star with sandwiches the band confessed to bombarding synth pop star Howard Jones remember him with food when they were bored in a dressing room at a Belgian award show it gets better and better a Belgian award show ladies and gentlemen spanned out oh soon to start a comeback tour told the September edition of Q magazine they were sorry for the incident good timing just as you're about to announce and embark on a tour Western Union is apologized to Robert Napoli of stock analyst firm Piper Jaffrey after a man posing as Robert Napoli infiltrated the money transfer firms conference call and cursed a chief executive officer Christina Gold that was not me Napoli said in a telephone interview Napoli said Western Union sent an email to me and

apologized for the person using my name 70 years late the state of California is formally apologized to the thousands of Chinese immigrants who helped build the state many are no longer alive but their children and grandchildren had pushed for such an apology the state assembly adopted a resolution expressing profound regret for the persecution of Chinese immigrants who in the 1880s and 90s performed the dangerous work of cobbly together California's nascent into infrastructure although they were denied civil liberties the bill does not seek any financial compensation for Chinese who were mistreated or denied liberties and if it did where would California get the money the secretary of the Likud faction in the Israeli Parliament parliament Alisa Barashi has apologized for calling a member of the parliament or levy abakasis a bimbo bimbo go back to modeling Barashi told levy abak abakasis outside the parliament as she tried to urge levy abakasis a

former model and TV presenter to vote in favor of a reform levy abakasis said she could not in good conscience vote for the reform and intended to abstain she was deeply hurt after being called a bimbo burst into tears and locked herself in the bathroom for several minutes it's the only reason i read to that item the response sir palin hasn't done that yet deadline book arrest Romania a Romanian mayor as apologized for dressing up in a Nazi uniform saying he's not a fascist or an anti-Semite can't stand to mayor radoom masari wrote in an open letter that he wanted to express his regret to people offended it's just your due protests he said in his letter he was trying to draw attention to the courage of a Nazi officer who opposed Hitler retail giant walmart at walmart is apologizing to a british Columbia mother who is apparently asked to move to a washroom when she started a breastfeed in public at one of the chain's stores in length for an outside victoria and

we have a couple more apologies first off this is a brand oh this is a doctor from florida doctor david mccallup who uh was opposing barak obama's health care plan and uh in the course of such opposition sent out an email depicting obama as an african witch doctor here's the doctor so you know i want to apologize for that a terrible uh image that i helped to get circulated i sent it to about a hundred and fifty maybe two hundred people and then it somehow took on and um you know all i really want to do is make sure that patients get the best medical care and i've been fighting that fight i'm very concerned that the the proposals that are coming will make patients not be able to trust their doctors because insurance companies and the government will be in charge of the care they can receive and that has been shown to hurt a lot of

people so i i didn't recognize how you know how much i had hurt people until i had you know hurt from and and recognize the the voices of so many people calling in and emailing me and saying you know you're setting back progress for america and as i reflected on that as i as i thought about it it seemed the only way that i could know it began to make amends was to apologize and and that's what i'm doing i want to apologize for this very bad mistake and in addition i agree with it a representative that i need to find other ways to serve my community other ways to help people and so at this point i will resign as a president elected a press of panelist county medical association so that that group which is an outstanding group can continue their mission of helping patients and won't be distracted by my friend okay and here's what i think is is uh... fair though doctor of course he's not calling into this show um i think just just to make everything

square uh... you should go on a little tour florida at the very least dressed as a witch doctor now here's brian killmead a co-host of fox and friends on fox news channel earlier he had uh in discussing something had observed that uh... you can't compare americans with suede because suites have quote pure genes unquote while americans quote keep marrying other species and ethnics on july eight while we were discussing a study on marriage and al cimer's it was conducted in Sweden and Finland i made comments they were offensive to many people that was not my intention in looking back at those comments i realized they were inappropriate for that i sincerely apologize america huge melting pot and that is what makes us such a great country steve species that's the part i i didn't hear the the apology mentioned species and ethnics but he apologized the apologies of the week ladies and gentlemen

a copyrighted feature of this very broadcast summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time summer time Take her by two noses of his foot, go out and change her ass, it's on the time. Well, no more studying, it's three and no more ranging. Or the fee and no more dodging, or the fee because it's all her time. It's time to head straight for the mills, it's time to live and have some drills. Come along and have a ball, or regular free roll. Well, are you coming or are you waiting? You saw folks on my long gone way. Hurry up and find it, it's all the time. Well, I'm sorry, I'll be back.

My flip bow, how I love to. Take a dip, I'm sorry, teach it how. Tick enough because it's all her time. It's time to head straight for the mills, it's time to live and have some drills. Come along and have a ball, or regular free roll. Well, we'll go slow every day, no time to work, just time to wait. If your folks come, when you say it's all the time. And every night we'll have nips, guys, what's the vacation with? Well, we're meant to live, it's time to head straight for the mills, it's time to live and have some drills. Come along and have a ball, or regular free roll. It's summertime. It's summertime, summertime, summertime, summertime, summertime. This is Lesho, and now, ladies and gentlemen,

news from outside the bubble. The Obama administration, you remember them, has declined requests from UN Human Rights Investigators for information on secret prisons and for private interviews with inmates at Gitmo. According to UN officials, dampening their hopes of greater U.S. cooperation on human rights issues, this is the Obama administration. This isn't a Washington Post, but didn't get much attention here. The rebuffs are the latest instances of U.S. government resisting international human rights organizations' efforts to learn about Bush administration practices. Apparently, we really don't want to look back. In June, Hillary Clinton turned down a request from the top U.S., sorry, UN anti-torture official for a meeting in Washington to discuss practices that secret CIA detention centers and at Gitmo, despite the administration's devout commitment to being open to greater scrutiny by the United Nations. Two separate UN Human Rights researchers separately

requested visits to Gitmo in recent months and were turned down. It was not a no-no, said one. It was a diplomatic no. The two and two other UN experts also requested details on the secret CIA prison's history, locations, and detainees. The answer received from the United States is meaningless. There is no meaningful information. They're just repeating that the Obama administration stopped using secret places of detention. U.S. officials say they support the work of the UN Human Rights researchers, but they are constrained in releasing information on sensitive intelligence matters. They insist they have not formally closed the door on visits to Gitmo. U.S. efforts to engage the UN have been slowed because several key diplomatic positions in the Obama administration are still open or have just been filled. And from the age newspaper in Australia, an official inquiry into the combat death of an Australian soldier reveals serious failings

by the Afghan troops he was mentoring, highlighting the massive task facing foreign forces in building the Afghan Army. The inquiry report shows Afghan troops played only a limited role when a joint Australian Afghan patrol came under intense Taliban fire, even though the Afghans are likely to have formed the bulk of the patrol. And it shows that Australian soldiers who were meant to support the Afghans, supposedly leading the patrol, had to take charge amidst a fierce and chaotic battle. The heavily-centered Army report found medical intervention would not have saved the life of a corporal who was shot to death. Teams are helping to train Afghan National Army so it can take charge of security and allow foreign troops to leave. Where have we heard that plan before? We're always doing that. The Australian Defense Minister said last week that task could take up to five years.

The report shows the complexity of the task hinting at disputes between Australian and Afghan soldiers the flaw of the flaws of some Afghan commanders and wider failings by the Afghan Army. In public comments, the Australians referred to cultural challenges in mentoring Afghan troops. In private, some were scathing, particularly towards the Afghan commander, who they complained was obstructive, lazy, reluctant to fight and unwilling to conduct a detailed planning that's normal for Australian troops. If as we go in and then we go in. So as obstructive, lazy, reluctant to fight. I like that. I like those odds. The inquiry report just hints at the attention saying planning for operations in support of the Afghan National Army lacks certainty due to the disparate nature of the Afghan National Army and individual commanders. The report reveals Afghan soldiers played little part

in the actual battle. Yeah, and we're, how deep? Are we knee deep? Are we hip deep? Nipple deep? How deep are we there? Also, from outside the bubble, ladies and gentlemen, this, if you're a lover of irony, come on. It don't get any better than this. Iraq this week asked tea nations on the United Nations Security Council to lift sanctions against Iraq left over from the Saddam Hussein era, including those related to the production of weapons of mass destruction. That's right. Iraq wants us to allow them to make WMDs now. Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki spoke to the UN Secretary General then individually with representatives from the five permanent members of the Security Council in an effort to persuade them that with Hussein gone, Iraq is no longer dangerous. The United Nations has gradually pulled back the sanctions he did imposed on Iraq.

However, restrictions connected to potential nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons activities have remained in place. And a Baghdad is still not allowed to field missiles that could fly more than 93 miles. The Secretary General has launched a review of the situation and his report will be issued shortly. Washington supports an end of the sanctions, but concerns from Kuwait could extend the process. Come on, write your congressman, WMDs for Iraq, now more than ever. News from outside the bubble ladies and gentlemen a copyrighted feature of this broadcast. And White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs confirmed this very morning that Officer Crowley and Professor Gates will be invited to the White House for that beer. Thank you, Mr. President. Sergeant, you finished your first one, you're entitled. And now write, skip. Mr. President, I've got to say, if I had to get arrested to taste a logger this good, it was worth it. For the good times, for the bad times, for all the times,

beer makes it happen. Oh, sorry, Mr. President. Oh, that's okay, and I got people here for that. You okay, Crowley? I'm okay. Where's the head? Life. For the low life, beer brings people together. Okay, now skip. No more talking to cops about their moms, right? No, not even about their poppers. So, you're not going to arrest them today, Sergeant. Okay. Oh, I think I've lost the cuffs. In the White House or your house, beer belongs. The Beer Foundation reminds you. Beer. Now I got to go talk to Gaddafi. It's what you want to be near. Always intoxicated responsibly. It's what you want.

There were a lot of gas so far. Although we used to have Antiquity and hat for a minute. And pọi videos are called Orders to support your physically independent死it muscles. So I'd like to present those we'll meet in our next phase of conversation as well. For the bad times. Now they are with the scientists who give us the reason We have to value the sun, but it is a logic of the maximum consumption of today With the barb to the technology and the law of technology The sun, the feeling that it hurts the evil It's fire, it's fire, it's fire It's fire, it's fire, it's fire Two beautiful morning and unique, of the speed of only 11 forces The path of the sun is synonymous, but there is the earth in the energy of the forces

What will be more, to some, to the stars, of a bayonet Or a lion, a lion, climbing to the stars, to climb up a lot of energy And to the sun, what will be of each supply of each home It's fire, it's fire, it's fire, it's fire The part of the fourteenth, we leave our mark on the planet We already live on the part of the ring, announced with a beta The star will be paid by the people of all It's fire, it's fire, it's fire

It's fire, it's fire, it's fire It's fire, it's fire, it's fire It's fire, it's fire He's not a general, he commands no troops He's not an inspector, he speaks at no stoop season

Inspector, general, oh yeah News of the inspector's general, ladies and gentlemen And this, federally to never department In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the federal emergency management agency was slow to address early signs of formaldehyde problems in emergency housing And overstated the actions it was taking to address the problem No, really? According to a report this week by the inspector general of Doesn't say, thanks CNN The highly critical 80 page report paints the picture of an agency that was overly concerned with its image to the detriment of the public FEMA says the report reacted to the formaldehyde health threat only after media attention grew to disturbing levels, you're welcome And once delayed testing so the agency could develop a public communication strategy

Federal tests found formaldehyde in emergency housing in October of 2005 just two months after the disaster Most of the tests weren't done until two years later During winter when formaldehyde levels are lowest The report says just as you heard on this broadcast years ago Because of the delays the test results may have underestimated the extent of formaldehyde exposure that residents had experienced Says the report Inspector General's report chronicles initial efforts to address the problem FEMA officials did make some attempts to identify the extent of the formaldehyde problem But they did so by trying to get an accurate tally of complaints from occupants rather than testing In hindsight it says a number of factors created a perfect storm For development of formaldehyde problems after Katrina one prime factor the report said Was that before the storms complaints about formaldehyde levels and FEMA trailers had not surfaced And therefore FEMA officials were unaware that this should have been an issue of concern I.e. the fact that it was new stunned them into inaction Among other factors all of the units were some form of manufactured housing

Which tend to have more manufactured wood products that can emit the gas Most of the trailers were hurried from factories to the Gulf and didn't have time to release the dangerous gases That speaks well for FEMA's advanced planning, doesn't it? The trailers were placed in hot humid climates increasing formaldehyde levels Sad that that's where most hurricanes happen, isn't it? And amid high numbers of children, the elderly and people with prior health problems Those were the people living in FEMA trailers all three have heightened sensitivity to formaldehyde Oh, I say this is the inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security, DHS is FEMA's parent department FEMA defense says the document does not adequately emphasize the compelling fact That there were no established formaldehyde standards for travel trailers How about for inhabited dwellings? The US Agency for International Development funded programs that rebuilt Iraqi mosques And used biblical lessons to promote sexual abstinence in Africa despite a prohibition on the use of taxpayer funds to support inherently religious activities According to a new audit by the AID's Inspector General

The Agency challenged the findings in a written response, saying the main goals of its programs in Africa and Iraq were secular in nature Nature These were projects initiated from 2006 to 2007 under the Bush administration That's right, rebuilding mosques is a secular activity For mosques in Fallujah As part of one faith-based abstinence program in Africa, officials conducted a session urging youth to memorize and recite Palm 199 Which says, quote, how can a young man keep his weight pure by living according to your word? The participants were then instructed to recite the passage's key concept, quote, God has a plan for sex, and this plan will help you and protect you from harm The Agency said the materials were religiously infused but showed no preference for Christian groups They also maintained the mosque repairs where aimed at gaining political support and providing jobs Speaking of which, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, you know, the mammoth thing, largest and most costly ever, is overstaffed and must be reduced to a size more in keeping with the evolving U.S. Iraq relationship and budget constraints

Said the State Department's Inspector General this week All of the U.S. Presidents in Iraq will become more civilian as the military withdrawals over the next two years The embassy should be able to carry out all of its responsibilities with significantly fewer staff and any much reduced footprint. Now they tell us The reduction has to begin immediately after they built the huge thing, you see I guess because they never thought we'd leave And the U.S. Army has acknowledged that the nerve gas leak monitors at a Kentucky chemical weapons storage depot were not working for nearly two years The mission is contained in the U.S. Army Inspector General report dated three years ago but released this week Managers of chemical weapons storage at the Bluegrass Army depot, 38 miles south of Lexington, Kentucky had rendered the detectors in operative And the problem was remedied only after a whistleblower was forced to file a complaint according to the Inspector General investigation

Bluegrass Army depot stores 523 tons of chemical weapons Saddamah done that, we have invaded News of the Inspector General ladies and gentlemen, a copyrighted feature of this broadcast So the economy is looking well, we don't know yet There are, I think, housing starts went up for the last three months Some indicators, of course, unemployment is still going up, California is a basket case So it's a mixed report, however, on the plus side of the ledger Goldman Sachs reported earnings for the second quarter this year, what, two, three, four billion dollars paying giant bonuses to its employees already? Again, it's business as usual

And business as usual for Goldman Sachs is pretty good because, let's see, the last two or three Treasury secretaries have all been Alumni of Goldman Sachs, the head of the New York Fed, which is the closest regulator to the financial industry Not, I don't know if the current one, but the previous one came from Goldman Sachs A lot of migration from Goldman Sachs to the offices of the federal government that regulate businesses like Goldman Sachs So as I say, business as usual, has been good So it's a mixed report, however, on the plus side of the ledger

Goldman Sachs, the head of the New York Fed, which is the closest regulator to the financial industry Spinning gold out of fax, Mr. Goldman and Mr. Sachs Slipped in sex with greed, our former chief now runs the Treasury, smelt Mr. Goldman to Mr. Sachs, everything's okay, we can relax We're blurry bubbles, Mr. Goldman grows, we're making money, I'm the money owed, our Wall Street earnings should be put out of fax, bubble Mr. Goldman to Mr. Sachs Goldman Sachs, the head of the New York Fed, which is the closest regulator to the financial industry

Spinning gold out of fax, Mr. Goldman and Mr. Sachs, all so pretty, stretch the slacks, Mr. Goldman and Mr. Sachs The century's journey, Mr. Sachs, so kind, our new kind of trains just boggle the mind, right Mr. Goldman with a toss of his head, one of our guys runs the New York Fed Mr. Sachs says the market's sword, we're totally wired to get each department involved, we regulate ourselves the next best thing to no tax, use the jolly Mr. Goldman to apply Mr. Sachs The regulators are really clacks, Mr. Goldman and Mr. Sachs, the regulators are really clacks, Mr. Goldman and Mr. Sachs

He said Mr. Goldman to Mr. Sachs, our final system is showing some cracks, Mr. Sachs to Mr. Goldman said he got it covered, go back to bed Paulson's our man, Mr. Sachs recalled, we may get a haircut, but we will go bald, we may be bailout rules, we'll be comfy and lax Mr. Goldman was reassured by Mr. Sachs and Bearsters just went down, Mr. Sachs told his friend and Lehman Brothers has met a harsher end, mayor village was so tough Right of facts, a dude of Mr. Goldman told Mr. Sachs, it's time Mr. Goldman said to pull some rank, so presto said Mr. Sachs will become a bank, we'll be backed up by the payers of tax, journal Mr. Goldman to Mr. Sachs

Mr. Sachs complained, we're ensured by AIG, Mr. Goldman responded, that's fine with me, our whiskey bets are gonna be paid off in full, said Mr. Goldman more than ever, a raging bull, not an employment is rising Mr. Goldman observes, while the partnership is still thriving a nerve Profits in the billions just ignore the attacks, says a flush Mr. Goldman to a flush Mr. Sachs Mr. Goldman and Mr. Sachs, Mr. Goldman and Mr. Sachs The missile defense system meant to shield Israel from Iranian attack were aborted three times over the past week because of various mal functions

I wonder which will be in good shape first digital television or missile defense, ladies gentlemen that concludes this week's edition of the show the program it turns next week over at the same time over these same stations NPR Worldwide throughout Europe the USN 440 cable system in Japan around the world through the facilities of the American Forces Network up and down the east coast of North America via the shortwave giant WBCQ the planet's 7.4.5 megahertz on the mighty 104 in Berlin around the world by the internet you've heard of it the two different locations live and archive Harry Sheer.com and KCRW.com available for your smartphone through the good folks at stitcher.com available say free download for members at www.audible.com slash Lucho available as a free podcast at KCRW.com And it'd be just like the test not being called off a few degrees with me then when you already thank you very much

you know what let's all meet at the White House for beer what do you say a typical show shoppo to the Chicago Pittsburgh San Diego and Hawaii desks the email address for this broadcast and the playlist of the music heard here on normally available at the ever burgeoning Harry Sheer.com and thanks as always to Pam Hallstead. The show comes to you from century progress productions and originates through the facilities of KCRW's Santa Monica community recognized around the world as the home

of the homeless. Search up everybody.