Speaking of gambling . . .
It's interesting to periodically take up the books we read as children and teenagers. Lately, I've been revisiting some of Robert Heinlein's juvenile titles. The one I'm reading now is "Podkayne of Mars," which has, among other things, a skewering of capitalism run amok ala Las Vegas. There is a certain Dom Pedro Casino on Venus that claims to have "EVERY KNOWN DIVERSION IN THE UNIVERSE." It has the following sign outside the gambling sector.
Third-graders in the Brownsburg school district will be on the fast track to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:
A few people have asked if I plan to write anything for the page or here about Edward Kennedy in the near future. No, I'm not.
The Cash-for-Clunkers program may have set some sort of record for the most federal money thrown away in the shortest amount of time. But, hey, there is good news:
The “Cash for Clunkers” program ended with nearly 700,000 car sales, the Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.
Here's an end-of-life story for you:
"Schoolyards could be hotbeds of swine flu infection" -- Gee, do ya think?
One of the main battlegrounds in the fight against an expected resurgence of swine flu this fall will be the schoolyard, a place where the disease could, well, go viral.
[. . .]
Large groups of children and young adults? Check.
In close proximity? Check.
Lax sanitary standards? Check.
"Privacy ain't what it use to be" department. First I read this story on our Web site about how to find the old folks who wander off:
The state doesn't need to require adults with dementia to wear tracking devices because voluntary programs already offer electronic monitors for those likely to wander away, advocates told state officials looking into the matter.
[. . .]
You know that governor we have in our heads that tells us when we've talked enough and it's time to listen and also frequently advises us not to speak at all? Well, Antonin Scalia's wasn't working this week:
This court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is
One person's economic downturn is another person's opportunity:
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - A University of Notre Dame business expert says repair shops and discount stores are riding high in the recession even as other businesses struggle.
John Michel says consumers have turned frugal in the recession and have been shopping for the lowest-cost goods they can find at deep discount stores. They're also having their possessions repaired, rather than buying new items.
How could I not comment on Bob Dylan getting questioned by police and escorted out of the area? Most of the articles get a good chuckle out of the fact that these young punk cops had no idea who Dylan was and treated him like some little old man who looked suspicious and acted strange:
