The New York Times has learned that Genentech, a subsidiary of the Swiss drugmaker Roche, was able to get an estimated 42 House members from both sides of the aisle to use their exact talking points, written by their lobbyist, Matthew L. Berzok, in the congressional record of the health care debate. And the Genentech folks are the ones who provided that estimate! Proudly! The most depressing part of this investigation is that nobody is even denying it:

"Asked about the Congressional statements, a lobbyist close to Genentech said: “This happens all the time. There was nothing nefarious about it.”

We're not being naive idealists here -- it's impossible to read this entire article without getting a little depressed. We all know our lawmakers are ventriloquist dummies for big corporations, but we'd like to think it's a little less literal than this.

In House, Many Spoke with One Voice: Lobbyist's [NYT]

An article in the New York Times today outlines the pros and cons of teachers selling their lesson plans to other teachers online, and there are decent arguments on each side, but we found one aspect kind of odd: the Times repeatedly mentions the vacations, home improvements, and other "extravagances" teachers buy with their lesson-plan money. You know, exactly the way they would mention all that stuff if these teachers were thieves or Bernard Madoff instead of entrepreneurs. It's bizarre:

"While some of this extra money is going to buy books and classroom supplies in a time of tight budgets, the new teacher-entrepreneurs are also spending it on dinners out, mortgage payments, credit card bills, vacation travel and even home renovation."

EVEN home renovation? Even? The article goes on to mention over and over the personal products and services upon which teachers are spending the money they make selling lesson plans of their own invention. It seems like, if this were any other profession, they would just say "They sell something, legally, and then keep the money, spending it on themselves the way they do their salaries."

Selling Lessons Online Raises Cash and Questions [NYT]

Yesterday's announcement that five accused 9/11 plotters will finally face civilian trials in downtown Manhattan next year has families of the victims feeling emotions ranging from a desire to see justice finally served in the place where the murders happened, to firm opposition against the "circus" of a trial so close to the former site of the towers. It seems from this article that most 9/11 family members who oppose the news are actually against any trial at all, and would like to see the alleged plotters summarily executed.
Trial Venue Leaves 9/11 Families Angry or Satisfied [NYT]

We hear from multiple sources that Budget Travel, the popular discount-vacation magazine, is shutting down, and that the announcement will be made to the press on Monday. Apparently, the offices of the title, which is owned by the Washington Post Company, are already emptying out. The company had a 33 percent drop in revenue for their magazine division in the most recent quarter, compared to the third quarter last year — but they attributed it publicly to losses in ad revenue at Newsweek. Budget Travel, which was founded by travel legend Arthur Frommer, is run by the Newsweek group. We have a call in to reps for the magazine for confirmation, and will update if we hear back. (Editor-in-chief Nina Willdorf replied to our inquiry only with: "Heading out of town. Can't talk. You can call me Monday.") If it's true, this is very sad — for readers, for employees, and for all of us — that people can't even afford to travel on a budget anymore.