What is the deal with mothballs?

And why do so many people on my bus seem to bathe in them? Gah. What a hideous smell that is. Don't THEY smell it?
The odor was so strong this morning my eyes were watering.

Not a nice way to start the week.

And this might not be either, but it's very powerful. No matter where you stand politically, this has to move you (I can't seem to make the link work, so copy and paste into your browser):

http://theunitedamerican.blogs.com/Movies/2000A/2000.html

Oh, but things are looking up! I just caught some video on CNN of Anderson Cooper and John Zarrella, standing outside on a waterfront somewhere, as Wilma came ashore. It was everything I look for in absurd hurricane coverage. I literally jumped up and down with glee.