Current Affairs

I grew up in a rural area where it wasn't that uncommon to barter, even for medical services: I can't afford to pay for that tooth extraction, but, say, do you need some chickens or a little firewood cut? Now, apparently, the deepening recession has gotten even city folks in the bartering mood.

At a children's racing carnival in Australia, swimmers in the past have competed for a team, not for themselves, because of, you guessed it, adults worried about their precious self-esteem. But this year, there will be competitive events as well. Guess why:

Nearly 300 children have registered for individual events at the carnival.

Bummer:

Government is teasing us with piecemeal bailouts. We can get out of our mortgage difficulties, trade in that old clunker for a cash bonus, perhaps soon get health "insurance" for pre-existing conditions. Why not go all out and just give us Whole Life Bailouts? Oops, looks like somebody else already thought of that:

Young adults, hit disproportionately hard in the current recession, are asking Congress for targeted aid to help them recover.

[. . .]

I hope this is the creepiest thing I read this week:

A company is offering a unique keepsake of the dearly departed - an urn shaped like their head.

The urns come in a full-sized version, able to "hold all of the ashes of any adult" or in 'Keepsake-sized', which hold a portion of the ashes and offer a smaller version of the deceased's head for display.

Gosh, here's a shock:

LONDON (Reuters) - Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, according to a major study published Wednesday.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007.

Car deals and the United States government? Nothing in that combination to instill a lack of trust, huh? 

This much seems certain about the Cash for Clunkers program: Consumers are happy to take government rebates to buy new cars.

The fate of the $1 billion trade-in program was up in the air over concerns that it may have already burned through its funds less than a week after it was officially launched.

I don't think it's such a hot idea for the institution that needs watchdogging to be called upon by the institution that's supposed to be the watchdog to save the watchdog's butt:

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather called on President Barack Obama to form a White House commission to help save the press Tuesday night in an impassioned speech at the Aspen Institute.

“I personally encourage the president to establish a White House commission on public media,” the legendary newsman said.

Like President Obama, the rest of us weren't present when the policeman and the professor had their now-infamous confrontation. But we really don't have to know the exact facts in order to make one declaration: Even if we stipulate that everything the cop said is true -- that Prof. Gates went on an unjustified, vile, race-inspired, hate-filled rant -- the cop should have backed down. He had the badge and the gun and therefore all the power. His was the greater obligation to calm things down by just walking away.

While some of you have been wasting your time worrying about who was going to win "American Idol" or "Dancing With the Stars" or even (the more traditional among you) the NFL or the NCAA, you've been ignoring the great and wonderful Annual World Peashooting Championsip. This year marks the 39th annual contest. Pictured below is one of the contestants.