Tex McCrary, a legendary New York public relations man and political strategist who helped invent the talk-show format on radio and TV, has died at the age of 92. His obituary in the New York Times notes that McCrary helped elected President Eisenhower after serving as a public relations officer for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Richard Severo notes that McCrary also "became one of the first Americans to visit Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was dropped.

Sludge researchers, activists, and rural residents exposed to land applied sewage sludges across the nation are boycotting today's summit at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town, in Alexandria, Va., organized by the EPA, the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) and the New England Biosolids and Residuals Association (NEBRA). "We are boycotting this conference because its real purpose is to create an illusion that EPA and the sludge industry are concerned about people getting sick from sludge spreading.

Prime Minister Tony Blair's top spokesman Alastair Campbell's may be the next in a long line of government spinners to take a high-powered spot in corporate public relations. Rumors of Campbell's leaving No. 10 Downing Street, have him "being stalked by international agencies, keen to utilise his government and media contacts," the Financial Times reports. Campbell's potential career path is already well trod. Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer will hang out his shingle as an advisor to top corporate executives.