THE PEACOCK REPORT (TPR)

Media Coverage of Obamas' 'Fist Bump' is a Disgrace

The meaningless, publicly displayed 'fist bump' between Mr. and Mrs. Barack Obama has been elevated to the level of "the gesture everyone's talking about," according to Yahoo! News and other media outlets. The Peacock Report only has this to say about media coverage of this non-issue: you should all be ashamed of wasting readers' time. It is no wonder so many people don't bother reading the so-called "news." Please cease such moronic coverage. The U.S. is embroiled in a deadly, costly war in Iraq and Afghanistan, millions are people are losing their homes and/or their jobs here in the U.S., the federal government is robbing the American people blind via massive corporate-welfare and wasteful Nanny State social-welfare programs, and the media is center-columning and jumping all over a playful 'fist bump' between a politician and his wife?!?! Truly a sad state of affairs.

Be Back Soon

The Peacock Report (TPR) anticipates remaining on hiatus until mid-May at the latest. Stay tuned, as TPR is preparing to embark upon a few big FOIA-related projects.

Goodbye 'Exhortations'

Exhortations to the Oblivious, the political humor sister-site of The Peacock Report (TPR), exists no more. It's not that I didn't enjoy engaging in such humor, but I just don't have the time to devote to a separate writing venture. Plus, by eliminating the site, I have freed up enough space via Typepad to devote that alloted segment to what I hope what will come to represent a more noble endeavor. Stay tuned for more on that new initiative. In the meantime, I have imported most of the archived Exhortations posts to TPR.

Now, moving on to more serious matters.

Afghanistan Media Adviser Document Missing

The Peacock Report (TPR) last year broke the story about USAID's planned deployment of a so-called "cognizant technical officer"  to Afghanistan, where this private contractor purportedly would be tasked with fostering the growth of independent media. An accompanying planning document, which TPR had uploaded to this site via the piece USAID Recruiting Independent Media Consultant for Afghanistan, has mysteriously disappeared.

Adding to this mystery is the fact that the document similarly has been relegated to the Orwellian memory hole of FedBizOpps, the U.S. government contracting-opportunities database. Though FedBizOpps typically places such documents in a searchable database of archived material, a search today of the system produced no such document or related literature. TPR is looking into this matter, and will report any developments as soon as possible.

Perspective on Spitzer Prostitute Scandal

I once personally encountered a top police official whom a hooker had robbed at the Helmsley Palace in New York City, where for years I had worked as a hotel detective. People like him -- and those such as ex-N.Y. Governor Eliot Spitzer -- are not simply patrons of prostitutes. They are violators of the public trust; indeed, they are criminals who should be prosecuted for violating that trust. -- Steve Peacock; author, Hotel Dick: Harlots, Starlets, Thieves & Sleaze; editor, The Peacock Report.

Education Program (Title) of the Year

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is launching a five-year, nationwide professional-development project for health education teachers, a measure the agency deems critical toward enhancing school-based HIV prevention, nutrition, and physical fitness programs. The first order of business for this new endeavor? Creating the most unnecessarily lengthy and redundant program moniker: The "Enhancing Professional Development Among Education Agency Personnel and Others Who Work With Youth to Deliver Effective Education for Reducing Health Risk Behaviors Among Youth" initiative.

The agency on Tuesday began soliciting potential contractors to carry out the "Enhancing, etc., etc., etc." program. CDC did not disclose the estimated cost of outsourcing this initiative to a U.S. nongovernmental organization.

Checking In? First Check Out Hotel Dick

Thanks for visiting The Peacock Report (TPR). As founder and editor, I'm thrilled that so many people have arrived here in recent years. TPR continues to report primarily on U.S. government contracts that affect -- for better or for worse -- U.S. taxpayers as well as citizens across the planet. Enable such independent reporting to continue and even increase in frequency: acquire a copy of Hotel Dick: Harlots, Starlets, Thieves & Sleaze, a memoir about my former career as a house detective, or "hotel dick," of the infamous Helmsley Palace in NYC. Proceeds will enable an important source of investigative research to flourish. -- Steve Peacock

Merry Christmas!

The Peacock Report wishes all visitors a Merry Christmas.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." -- John 3:16-17

TPR's Hiatus is Over

The Peacock Report has officially ended its its unofficial (and previously unannounced) hiatus that the site was on for the past month. As TPR editor and founder Steve Peacock over the past month had been immersed in end-of-semester grad-school activities (he's studying to be a high school English teacher), there has been zero time, sadly, to devote to TPR. However, stayed tuned for more digging and reporting on federal contracting, military and homeland security endeavors, and other governmental actions not reported elsewhere.

Happy Labor Day (I Think)

The Peacock Report offers its best wishes to all working men and women across the United States and around the globe this Labor Day weekend. Like many folks, I, too, am simultaneously working while celebrating this holiday.

Remember, the act of working  is honorable, even when our jobs seem less than dignifying. Be proud, yet stand up for your rights when necessary.