The FTC has changed its rules for the first time since 1980. Indpeendent bloggers who fail to disclose paid reviews or freebies will be fined up to $11,000.

From the FTC press release today:

"The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that 'material connections' (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers--connections that consumers would not expect--must be disclosed. These examples address what constitutes an endorsement when the message is conveyed by bloggers or other 'word-of-mouth' marketers.

[More...]

UPDATE: Tebow misses Mon. practice, still not cleared to play. I guarantee you this is the biggest story in Florida this week.

Could Max Baucus look any more like a bumbling fool? Apparently, yes:

The Senate Finance Committee was supposed to convene for a vote on its controversial health care bill tomorrow. Now, that's looking doubtful.

A cynic might think Baucus' overlords, the insurance industry, do not like the way this is going. I am more a believer in the "Baucus is an idiot" theory. YMMV.

This is an Open Thread.

Some may be watching football, I'm waiting for Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters.

The Forbes list of the wealthiest 400 Americans came out last week. Bill Gates is still number 1, Michael Bloomberg is at 37, and so on.

For those of you with more important things on your mind, here's an open thread. All topics welcome.

Another beautiful fall day here. It's my last one for three weeks, as I'm leaving next Sunday for a week-long trip to my favorite health spa in California, returning late the following Sunday.

Here's Padma Lakshmi, talking about how she wakes up every day in New York, hits the gym for a few hours and returns to have tea and breakfast in bed. For me, it will be waking up at 6am for a five mile mountain hike, followed by a very healthy and elegant breakfast brought to my room. (Then the gyms for flexibility, cardio and strength training, yoga, pilates, etc, interspersed with massages, herbal wraps, facials, etc.)

It will also be the first time since I started TalkLeft in 2002 that I won't blog or be online for an entire week.

What are you doing to stay healthy and reduce the future cost of your health care? And how many of you are spending less time online these days and more attention to your own lives?

The game garnering the most attention is Monday night when Brett Favre faces the Packers. I'll talk about that game tomorrow (hint - Percy Harvin comes up.) Today I am picking 5 games, trying to bounce back from my miserable 1-4 week (now 10-10 for the season.) So I am looking for 5 sure winners, and I found them.

Cincinnati travels to Cleveland. The Browns are terrible. Cincy is only a 6.5 point favorite. I think bettors have not yet absorbed just how bad the Browns are. I like the Bengals (-6.5).

When was the last time an 0-3 team was favored on the road? Well Tennessee is a 3 point favorite at Jacksonville. I like the Titans (-3). More . . .

It's a perfect fall day here, I'm headed out to enjoy it. And then back to cook a long, slow chili using the recipe in my 1969 edition of Alice's Restaurant Cookbook.
There are fancier ways to make red chili, but this one is the favorite in my house.

For those of you not following football, here's an open thread for all other topics.

The most important games of the weekend include USC at Cal, Oklahoma at Miami and LSU at Georgia. Florida is off this week as we await the call on whether Tim Tebow can play next week. Here are my picks for today's games:

USC is a 5 point favorite over a Cal team reeling from a 39 point beatdown in Autzen. USC has better players, has already suffered its yearly Pac 10 letdown and Barkley is back. I like the Trojans (-5) in Berkeley. And we'll be hearing a lot of this today.

The Wolverines travel to East Lansing to face the hapless Spartans. While Michigan is not anything special in my mind, and this should be a perfect spot for Sparty, I think the Forciers (+3) beat their little Cousinses. In other words, Hail to the Victors. More . . .

Good for Taylor Branch (and Somerby and Digby), but it does not matter anymore. The Media has no credibility. Not any part of it.

And the progressive blogs can not now pretend they did not play along in the 2008 primaries. To this day, they lionize Olbermann, who is as big a hack as there is (even when he hacks for things I like, like the public option.)

It's too late for the Media, and in some ways, too late for the blogs too. (Speaking for me only of course.)

This is an Open Thread.

What I'm reading:

• Federal Judge orders release of most of Dick Cheney's Valerie Plame interview

• David Letterman reveals extortion plot over his intimate relationships with employees -- plotter who worked for CBS' 48 Hours is arrested and suspended. The Manhattan DA's office used a sting to get the suspect, identified as producer Robert "Joe" Halderman.

• McCain Aide says Palin would be disasterous for GOP in 2012; There are few takers for her talks on the lecture circuit.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

BTD is watching Fringe. For me, it's Survivor and Grey's Anatomy.

I'm signing off for the night, here's an open thread for you, all topics welcome.

I'm watching Fringe tonight. What are you doing?

This is an Open Thread.

Also, Jon has nixed any more "Plus 8" shows. Thanks to the Gawds.

Lambert needs some help. Even though he rips me all the time, he's got a great blog. If you agree with me, give him a hand. (Speaking for me only)

This is an Open Thread.

KDog is going to see Bruce on Friday. They are doing the Darkness album, one of the great albums of all time. So, in the hopes that I get to go too, here is a performance of "Streets of Fire," circa 1978: