The Full Moon Phenomenon: NBA Brawls, Vodka Experiments, Tax Return Snoops

There's an old wives' tale that people act a bit more bizarrely during the a full moon. Maybe folks are just jumping the gun a bit this week (the full moon's not due to emerge until Friday).

How else can one explain the all-out gang-like-war/street fight that erupted at the end of the Pacers-Pistons game over the weekend, or a sneak-through measure in the just-passed Congressional spending bill that allows Congressional committee chairpersons to look at anyone's tax return, whenever they want?

First, to the basketball game that gave professional sports perhaps it's biggest black eye ever (which is getting increasingly hard to do, isn't it?). The Indiana Pacers' Ron Artest rose to the top of BlogPulse's key people list over the weekend because of the fight in which players and fans duked it out (video links) in the stands and on the court. Likewise, five of Saturday's key phrases deal with the game and its aftermath. Among the weekend's finds is an ESPN description of the game.

In the land of politics, where the Congress last week raised the debt ceiling by $800 billion (yes, billion with a "B") and passed the new government spending bill, several bloggers are upset. Joshua Micah Marshall's Talking Points Memo (No. 2 among Sunday's top links) blasts the lawmakers for a clause that allows the chairs of the House or Senate appropriations committees or their agents to look at anyone's tax returns -- no restrictions. (Since publicity hit, officials have pledged to remove/amend it).

The Daily Kos blog points out that the spending bill also includes snuck-in language intended to further restrict women's access to health-care and reproductive services, including abortion and family planning. Do you feel safer, more secure now?

If not, how about a shot of vodka? One of the weekend's most intriguing finds is the "Oh My God It Burns!" blog. Which is kind of a like a science-fair project in blog form. The theory: a Brita water filter can turn a rot-gut brand of vodka into a pretty good one by leaching out the impurities. Follow along, with step-by-step photos and commentary....

And for Democrats who've been licking their wounds and wondering when to re-emerge from the shadows, Sen. John Kerry did it over the weekend with his "Protect Every Child" proposal, to be introduced in early January when the new Congress kicks into high gear. Instead of seeking a fellow senator to co-sponsor legilsation to provide every U.S. child with health insurance, Kerry is asking for citizen petitioners to get on board.

In teen-age land, LiveJournal bloggers are celebrating Casey Donovan's win as the new Australian idol.

TREND GRAPH OF THE DAY: With the food-laden, weight-gaining holidays approaching, who's carrying on about what: sugar, fat or salt?