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SEC IG on Madoff: Major FAIL

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has found that the SEC recieved “ample information in the form of detailed and substantive complaints over the years to warrant” an investigation of Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, but that “a thorough and competent investigation or examination was never performed.”

The executive summary on Case No. OIG-509, posted here, is a thorough indictment of the SEC’s ability to carry out its mission. It remains to be seen how, or even IF, the commission can be reformed.

 

 

PBS: Ken Burns Tackles the National Parks

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Ken Burns, maker of lengthy, well-funded, at times boring, but nonetheless valuable documentaries about creations uniquely American (jazz, baseball), has chosen to train his camera on the National Parks, maintained by the National Park Service, a bureaucratic, underfunded, but nonetheless vital guardian of nearly 400 natural, cultural, and recreational sites located in just about every U.S. state.

The result is “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” a 12-hour, six-part film debuting Sept. 27.

It’s entirely unclear how many viewers the film will attract, but the website already has an array of video clips, materials for educators, interactive widgets, and more information designed to engage communities to learn more about sites that many Americans may take for granted. In fact, if the film does anything, it will hopefully disabuse anyone of the notion that it’s easy to preserve these sites and keep them open to visitors for almost no charge.

Watch a preview of the series below.

[video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F87BLyb_Rq8&eurl=http://pressroom.pbs.org/programs/the_national_parks_americas_best_idea&feature=player_embedded]

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The National Parks Traveler is a blog — not linked to the film — about life in America’s parks.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy: 1932-2009

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Family Statement: “Edward M. Kennedy—the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply—died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port. We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it’s hard to imagine any of them without him.”

More on Kennedy’s accomplishments.

The John Brown 2009 Sesquicentennial Anniversary

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The 2009 Sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry is coming up, so break out your pronunciation tool and head out (or over, up, east, west, north, south, what have you) to the storied West Virginia town. Lots of events are planned in and around Harper’s Ferry, which was bustling during a quick stop last weekend. Fall is an even better time to visit this masterfully preserved town, when you can check out the foliage, the river views, and get up close and personal with Civil War history. (Photo from the John Brown 150th Anniversary Quad-State Committee’s website, which is planning many of the commemoration events.)

If you can’t visit  in person, take this awesome virtual tour of Harper’s Ferry, courtesy of the National Park Service.

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