Don’t you just love it when you get your own anecdote to back up a news story?

Today, an unusual offer arrived in my inbox: a sales pitch for swine flu vaccine. All I’d have to do is send in my contact info. and a major credit card and the cure would arrive in the mail. Depending on how bad the pandemic gets, it could be a decent deal. Sure, whoever sent me the email could steal my credit card number or completely make off with my identity before proffering the precious antidote. But, at least, I’d be protected against the dreaded scourge, know officially as the global H1N1 flu pandemic.

 OK, OK, so you’re on to me; I have no intention of providing my personal information to swine flu scammers. But, there must be some takers. The Food and Drug Administration has launched a crackdown on Internet purveyors of bogus flu cures.

AFTER THE JUMP: More on Internet scams and a new twist on pork-barrel politics.

Among the “unapproved, uncleared, or unauthorized” merchandise FDA officials have found in THEIR inboxes are shampoos, dietary supplements and anti-virus sprays. There is even an “electronic instrument” that supposedly uses “deeply penetrating mega-frequency life-force energy waves” to strengthen the immune system, protect against the flu, and God knows what else.

Speaking of swine scams, the pork industry is fighting congressional efforts to strengthen regulation of the country's food system. If enacted, the new rules would cover, among other things, the industrial-sized pig farms similar to the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, CAFOs, in Mexico, where swine flu allegedly got its start.

In a case of curious timing, one day after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, the National Pork Producers Council announced it had “a number of concerns” about the Food Safety and Enhancement Act of 2009, which passed a vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health last week.

The trade association says it’s unnecessary to give the FDA authority to inspect farms, enforce animal quarantines and build a “farm-to-fork” system to trace public health threats back to the source. From the Pork Council’s POV, the Department of Agriculture already plays an oversight role, and it would be one big hassle for farmers to have to comply with a new set of federal rules.

In the wake of numerous food-related illness outbreaks – spinache, tomatoes, avocados, mad cow beef, etc – some may point out that the Department of Agriculture’s efforts have been far from robust. 

Beyond the food-borne illnesses, however, there is a swine flu angle here: The Pork Council also objects to letting the FDA set farm safety standards on such things as employee hygiene and what to do with all that manure – the very issues gadflies suggest may have played a role in incubating swine flu and passing it along to humans.

Those are suggestions that the pork council would like to slaughter. Ever since the pandemic made international news, the industry has been working overtime to convince consumers that their pigs have nothing to do with it. And, even some public health pundits have exonerated the massive Mexican pig farms and say CAFOs aren’t necessarily unsanitary.

But not all the experts are sure CAFOs are so healthy. Last year, the Pew Charitable Trusts published a report that concluded the industrial-scale farms often pose “unacceptable risks to public health, the environment and the welfare of the animals themselves." 

On Tuesday, Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham pre-emptively told reporters that he'll be directing a grant or two in his pending committee report. "We do have earmarks," he said, "but we have kept them to an absolute minimum."

Absolute minimum, eh? Quite a boast for a guy whose committee report last year LL called "a true masterpiece of the porkly arts."

LL spent this evening poring through his report, released today. Graham's barely lost a step. By LL's count, he's sent more than $6 million to favored community groups and to projects almost entirely located within his home ward. That's roughly the same amount he sent to Ward 1 groups and projects last year.

Where'd the money come from? Most of it came from three spots: $6.8 million came from the new "Sweeper Cam" program, where street sweepers are now equipped with automated cameras to record illegally parked cars. That revenue, from an estimated 237,500 $40 tickets, hadn't been figured into the 2010 budget. Another $12.6 million comes from "enhanced neighborhood parking enforcement citations"—in other words, more parking enforcement officers writing more tickets on nights and weekends. Graham also found $12.7 million in Metro funds "double counted" in the budget. So he spent that, too.

Now most of that went to fund various agency budget lines and to restore programs in other agencies. But a bunch of it didn't. Here's the full list:

• $400,000 to "fund construction of an alley in Square 394/Lot 59 in FY 2010 to include paving, drainage easement, lighting improvements, and other required services."
• $1,250,000 to the Columbia Heights / Shaw Family Support Collaborative, the fiduciary agent and member of the Citywide Coordinating Council on Youth Violence Prevention Executive Committee "to sustain progress in the creation of a city-wide, community based gang/crew violence intervention."
  —$250,000 to the Ward 4 Georgia Ave. Family Support Collaborative
  —50,000 to the Columbia Heights Youth Club at the DPR Columbia Heights Youth Center
  —$75,000 to MentoringWorks2 at the DPR Parkview Recreation Center
  —$70,000 to Keely’s Boxing and Youth Center at the former Meyer Elementary School
  —$50,000 for In-Da-Streets at the Hubbard Place, located at 3500 14th St. NW.
  —$600,000 for "gang / crew intervention and prevention grants awarded by the process established by the CCCYVP and in consultation with the Children’s Youth Investment Trust Corporation and other members of the CCCYVP Advisory Board."
• $50,000 to the Reeves Recovery Group, Inc.
• $250,000 to the U Street Theatre Foundation for the Lincoln Theatre "for grants to support non-profit organizations and performance based activities, including developing performance arts groups and school cultural enrichment activities."
• $300,000 to the Columbia Heights / Shaw Family Support Collaborative "to continue the services of the Georgia Ave. / Kennedy St. Green Team"
• $250,000 to the Park Road Business Association and North Tivoli Business Association "to establish a Green Team in their respective business corridors"
• $150,000 to the Columbia Heights / Shaw Family Support Collaborative "for sustaining and enhancements to the U Street Green Team"
• $150,000 to the Columbia Heights / Shaw Family Support Collaborative "for the Lower Georgia Avenue Green Team."
• $500,000 to "support the newly assembled community stakeholders group representing the youth, parents and stakeholders of Clubhouses #10, #11, Eastern Branch and Jelleff" for "seed money to begin to establish community based programming back into their respective Clubhouses and technical assistance to help incorporate their group as a citywide body to represent all of the District Boys and Girls Clubs."
• $250,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington "to support their ongoing efforts to increase capacity training and programs at the District’s Clubhouses."
• $100,000 to Uniting Our Youth, Inc. "for the operating costs associated with the Children’s Centers located at Kelly Miller and Park Morton housing communities."
• $75,000 to the Lower Georgia Ave. Job Training Center "for job training, skill building, family support, and employment placement services."
• $150,000 to the D.C. Caribbean Carnival Inc. "to support its annual Caribbean style parade and 2 day cultural festival."
• $200,000 to Fiesta DC "to support its annual Latino Festival of Washington."
• $100,000 to AdamsMorgan MainStreet Group "to support its annual Adams Morgan Day Festival of Washington."
• $50,000 to the Mautner Project "to enhance its ongoing programs."
• $50,000 to the D.C. Latino Federation "to enhance its ongoing programs."
• $50,000 to the Ethiopia Community Service and Development Council "to enhance its ongoing programs."
• $50,000 to the CuDC "to support the Source Theater’s operational efforts."
• $100,000 to the Gala Hispanic Theater "to support GALA’s operational efforts."
• $75,000 to the Vietnamese-American Community Service Center "to enhance its services to the community."
• $50,000 to the Wilderness Leadership and Learning (WILL), "a positive youth development program focusing on using the outdoors as a learning resource."
• $75,000 to Educational Organization for United Latin Americans "to maintain the Center’s ongoing efforts to support Latin American seniors in the District."
• $50,000 to New Futures "to support their scholarship fund for young people living in poverty to attend vocational training programs and colleges."
• $50,000 to Mt. Pleasant Main Street "to support street cleanup (“Green Team”) and business development in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, including historic way finding signs produced by DDOT."
• $125,000 to the Dance Institute of Washington "to enhance its ongoing programs."
• $75,000 to the Barbara Chambers Children's Center
• $100,000 to the Joseph’s House
• $75,000 to the Latino Economic Development Corporation "to support its Small Business Development program and the expansion of the Local First DC program in Wards 1 and 4."
• $100,000 to Jubilee Housing "to support its Jubilee JumpStart program to promote bilingual care and education for infants, toddlers and preschoolers in Jubilee Housing and for low-income neighbors."
• $250,000 "to fund capital improvements at the 12th Street YMCA/Thurgood Marshall Center."
• $250,000 "to fund capital improvements at the Mary Church Terrell House."
• $150,000 "to support storefront improvements in the Georgia Avenue and 14th Street Corridors."
• $250,000 "to fund capital improvements at the U Street Foundation."
• $50,000 to Mt. Pleasant Main Street "to support street cleanup (“Green Team”) and business development in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, including historic way finding signs produced by DDOT. As such, this initiative is also described in that section of this report."

Once again, LL, as a five-year resident of Ward 1, expresses his thanks to his councilmember.

And Now, Anacostia explores an old masonic lodge. He's got the archival meat and potatoes i.e. old newspaper clippings to make this piece a must read for history buffs!

Prince of Petworth takes picture of building where a pizza place/wine bar is supposed to be in Adams Morgan . Finally, someone has combined two of the biggest cliches going: pizza-as-fine-dining and a wine bar. Thank God. Because there aren't enough of those around. (Well maybe there's always room for pizza). Meanwhile he asks if Polly's is OK. It is.

Upset the Setup worries about the health risks associated with plastic.

Penn Quarter Living reports that Wine Spectator has lavished praise on four PQ spots. Read the item to find out which spots!

Columbia Heights News provides the details for the upcoming Columbia Heights Day Festival on October 4.

Metrocurean details Art and Soul's opening: "This Southerner's heart went pitter-patter when I read that the restaurant's bar will offer boiled peanuts and pork cracklins as bar snacks..." Sounds pretty cool.

Farm Fresh Meat shares: "I am really busy and don't have time to say much, but this is about the longest I've gone without a post since this whole thing began so I wanted to drop by my own blog for a minute. It's been a pretty crazy week in finance. It remains unclear what will happen in the long run, but it's pretty safe to say that the face of Wall Street is pretty damn battered and will probably never be quite the same..."