Dead water

Photographer Salva Lopez has a small but interesting collection of dead water parks here. Only two or three will initially show on your monitor. Scroll to the right. They’re obviously great graffiti canvases.

CLOSE YOUR EYES: and just pretend that nothing happened. The Guardian reports on cruise ships still docking in Haiti for good times:

Sixty miles from Haiti’s devastated earthquake zone, luxury liners dock at private beaches where passengers enjoy jetski rides, parasailing and rum cocktails delivered to their hammocks.

The decision to go ahead with the visit has divided passengers. The ships carry some food aid, and the cruise line has pledged to donate all proceeds from the visit to help stricken Haitians. But many passengers will stay aboard when they dock; one said he was “sickened”.

UNDERCOVER: New regulations about lobbying aren’t posing a big problem for those working our legislators. They’re just going underground and not registering as lobbyists. The number of registered lobbyists has plummeted:

The falloff began shortly after Congress passed a sweeping ethics and lobbying law that imposed on registered lobbyists both heavier reporting requirements and potential criminal penalties. The law required lobbyists to report four times a year instead of two, and to detail any campaign contributions and certain meetings with public officials. The law also made it a crime for registered lobbyists to provide gifts or meals to lawmakers or their aides.