Current Affairs

I'm baaaack!

We may not lead the world in education, but at least we can be first in something:

DESPITE an increase in entertainment choices, watching television remains as popular as ever, according to data from the OECD's Communications Outlook report. American households watch the box for over eight hours a day on average, twice as long as anyone else.

Come to think of it,

First, they came after our toilets, and we said nothing . . .

There is a battle for America's behinds.

It is a fight over toilet paper: the kind that is blanket-fluffy and getting fluffier so fast that manufacturers are running out of synonyms for "soft" (Quilted Northern Ultra Plush is the first big brand to go three-ply and three-adjective).

Whoda thunk it?

This year, the deep pockets of New York's rich were tapped like never before. The state's wealthiest pay new higher income tax rates, higher taxes for limousines and yachts, more to enter a horse in a race and more to dabble in real estate.

Meanwhile, many are losing millions from the closing of business tax loopholes and those making over $1 million are losing tax deductions others get.

I suspect some of my neighbors are among the 1,100 signers of this petition. I can't agree with them:

Some Waynedale residents are making sure that their voices are heard before a decision is made to close their post office on Old Trail Road.

The branch is on a list of 413 offices to be closed. Waynedale resident Billie Rykard collected nearly 1100 signatures from people who oppose the closings.

Please, please, please, use these coupons to save money at our store, but just come here and shop real soon, OK? Oh, wait. Everybody's using the coupons, and we're losing money. Put that coupon back in your pocket and get the heck out of here!

Sears has joined a growing list of companies forced to pull online coupon offers early due to a surge in popularity.

A judge in Indy who heard juvenile cases can now really relate to the youngsters:

Teens are warned every day not to text anything inappropriate, and definitely not while behind the wheel or in the classroom.

But it's a message that escaped a Marion County Juvenile Magistrate.  She was fired for texting violations while hearing cases.

[. . .]

Is nothing sacred? From The New York Times:

So the discovery calls into question theories about the evolution of T. rex . . .

Oh, well. We shall press on.

Well, here's a shock:

If U.S. health reform efforts lead to higher costs for employers, employees may end up bearing the brunt, according to a new survey.

Employers will not absorb higher costs, choosing instead either to reduce benefits, lower salaries or cut jobs, the survey from professional services firm Towers Perrin said on Thursday.

The one thing government can't mandate is a divorce from reality.

Most people writing about the film career of Patrick Swayze discuss his two most famous roles in "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost." Many delight in his role as the Zen bouncer ("I will