Fifteen years ago, CMD's book Toxic Sludge Is Good for You! first exposed the hidden government and industry PR campaign greenwashing toxic sewage sludge as "biosolids," an invented PR euphemism used to cynically re-brand toxic waste as "fertilizer" given free to farmers. Today, unfortunately, the biosolids scam is bigger than ever. The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) reports that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission "has come up with an ingenious plot to trick city residents into taking their toxic sewage sludge back and disposing of it in their own gardens. San Francisco is having Synagro, the corporate giant of the toxic sludge industry, 'compost' some of the toxic sewage sludge. Then they give it away to San Francisco's gardeners telling us it's 'high-quality, nutrient-rich, organic Biosolids Compost.' " OCA has launched a grassroots campaign calling on San Francisco's mayor to stop the practice, noting "municipal sewage sludge routinely contains thousands of dangerous pathogens, toxic heavy metals, flame retardants, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, pharmaceutical drugs and other hazardous chemicals coming from residential drains, storm water runoff, hospitals, and industrial plants."

After California voters passed Proposition 8 -- the law that amended the state's constitution to ban same-sex marriage -- in November, 2008, celebrity photographer Adam Bouska and partner Jeff Parshley created the "NOH8 Campaign," a photo project and silent protest that began with Bouska taking photos of everyday Californians who supported marriage equality. The project grew to include celebrities, politicians, military personnel and others. The campaign recently drew national attention when Cindy McCain, wife of Arizona Senator John McCain, contacted the project and asked to be photographed in support of the Campaign. Her photo is posted on the NOH8 Campaign's web site. In it, Mrs. McCain appears with silver duct tape over her mouth and the phrase "NOH8" written over her right cheek. Mrs. McCain's position supporting gay marriage is opposite that of Senator McCain, who backed an Arizona ballot measure in 2008 that defined marriage as between one man and one woman. The photo, reprinted here with the permission of Adam Bouska, is posted alongside an article titled, "Redefining Republican."

Documents obtained by the Guardian reveal that the chief constable of Kent police, Mike Fuller, lobbied the power generation company E.ON UK to seek injunctions to counter protests against the proposed Kingsnorth power station. In a letter to the head of security at E.ON, Fuller wrote that he was "surprised" that the company had not used injunctions to "restrain" protesters and urged the company to initiate legal action "in advance of protests, where possible, and if not as soon as possible after" they start. "My concern was that E.ON should improve their own site security, which if neglected could cause unnecessary costs for the policing of protests, not that individuals who wished to protest should be prevented from doing so," Fuller told the Guardian. However, in an earlier report the Guardian had revealed that the police had also lobbied "the local council to assist with automatic number plate recognition cameras to track protesters. When the council voiced objections, officials were told that senior officers were 'less than impressed, given the importance of this operation as the new power station build is likely to create a considerable number of jobs'."

The Tea Party movement is putting on its "First National Tea Party Convention" next month in Nashville, Tennessee, but the event is drawing the wrath of some Teabaggers. The convention will be held at a swank hotel where room rates start at $189 per night, and admission to the conference costs $549 -- a lot for a movement that purports to consist of ordinary grassroots Americans. Also, one faction of the party called the Tea Party Patriots, is irritated that another faction, the Tea Party Express -- which is strongly linked to a Republican consulting firm -- is attending, even though the "Patriots" faction doesn't mind working with FreedomWorks, a front group backed by ExxonMobil and billionaires Steve Forbes and Richard Scaife. Fox News commentator Sarah Palin is scheduled to speak at the conference, too, but Tea Partiers who can't afford to attend the whole conference will have to pay $349 to hear her speak.

A business news website notes, "Since early summer Wendell Potter, a former public relations executive for the health insurer CIGNA, has testified before Congress, given speeches and granted interviews aimed at boosting the cause of health care reform and especially a strong public alternative to private industry. He’s done it with the backing of Center for Media and Democracy, a progressive-leaning watchdog that seeks to expose and counteract business and government PR campaigns. Since CMD appointed him Senior Fellow on Health Care earlier this year, Potter has been busy. Time magazine profiled him in September. and President Obama alluded to some of his comments (though not naming him) in his televised national health care speech to Congress Sept. 9. ... In one mid-September weekend Potter turned up on shows with MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, HBO’s Bill Maher -- even Fox Business News. He shows little sign of letting up. 'I have never ever seen somebody get the sort of media attention that Wendell has,' says CMD founder John Stauber. Potter’s story is probably the biggest reason. Time called him 'the ideal whistleblower.' "