Dogs haven't quite become man's best friend in China, but at least man will stop being dogs' worst enemy for a time:
Canine cuisine is being sent to the doghouse during next month's Beijing Olympic Games.
Dog meat has been struck from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants, and Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage consumers from ordering dishes made from dogs, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.
First gambling, then strip clubs, now this. There's just no stopping the effects of this bad economy:
It's not just the Porsches and the expensive lunches that are being credit-crunched down in the City
I'm sorry to tell you that your life is worth only $5.9 million, a drop of nearly $1 million from five years ago. And that drop has real consequences:
When drawing up regulations, government agencies put a value on human life and then weigh the costs versus the lifesaving benefits of a proposed rule. The less a life is worth to the government, the less the need for a regulation, such as tighter restrictions on pollution.
And this year's Sam Sheppard Award for jumping to the wrong conclusion goes jointly to the media (especially electronic) and the prosecution for:
New DNA evidence does not match any family members to the death of JonBenet Ramsey, according to the Boulder County District Attorney.
We're gaining on them, or at least not losing to them as quickly:
Chicago and St. Paul were among the cities that saw their populations grow during the 12 months ending July 1, 2007, after declining the previous year, according to figures released today.
Guess gambling isn't the only supposedly recession-proof industry that really isn't:
It seems the lousy economy is keeping guys away from strip clubs. In Tampa -- a city known for its adult entertainment businesses -- attendance has dropped at usually thriving strip clubs.
Joe Redner, the owner of the well-known Mons Venus club, says his business is down 25 percent.
Another cause of global warming is . . . wait for it . . . clean air!
GOODBYE air pollution and smoky chimneys, hello brighter days. That's been the trend in Europe for the past three decades - but unfortunately cleaning up the skies has allowed more of the sun's rays to pierce the atmosphere, contributing to at least half the warming that has occurred.
Via Hit & Run, here is a helpful Detroit Free Press graphic explaining Flint's new law against saggy pants. That ought to kick the crime problem in the butt. Niney-three days to a year in jail and/or up to $500 in fines -- zowie, that's a serious law.
Hope Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton can get right on this before Barack Obama's election puts them out of the race-hustling business:
A special meeting about Dallas County traffic tickets turned tense and bizarre this afternoon.
County commissioners were discussing problems with the central collections office that is used to process traffic ticket payments and handle other paperwork normally done by the JP Courts.
I have a friend who complains that the press is lousy on followup. We make a big deal out of something for days or even weeks, then just drop it. Why do we so seldom go back and do an update? This one's for her.
Remember Chandra Levy? Well, she's still dead. Her murder is still unsolved. And Gary Condit is still losing defamation lawsuits over hints by various people (such as Dominick Dunne) that he might have been involved or at least knows more than he lets on.
