Remember when Australia was seen as the last bastion or rugged individualism and a lot of people in this country were talking about moving there to escape the wussification of America? But the country's already tough anti-smoking laws are set to become the harshest in the world, and Aussies won't even be able to cuss about it:
If Maslow were around to work on his hierarchy of needs today, he might need to make an addition to the five layers of his pyramid. The existing levels would remain the same (from bottom to top): psysiological needs, such as food and water and sex, are met first; then safety needs, followed by love/belonging needs; after those are met, we can work on our esteem needs; finally we can work on our self-actualization needs, such as morality and creativity.
Political opportunism is to be expected, but they're abusing the privilege: Even longtime Washington insiders say they are struck by the brazenness with which Rebuplicans and Democrats are changing their rhetoric to woo senior voters.
Just a little over a year ago, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) took to the House floor to warn America of the perils facing seniors if Democrats' healthcare reform bill wasn't stopped.
For the "Who in the world do you root for?" file:
Protesting members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church were met with an unlikely group of counterprotesters Monday at Arlington Cemetery.
It can get kind of tricky when you have two experts testifying in court who contradict each other, as happened in the case of Latisha Lawson, on trial for the murder of her 2-year-old son:
Another unanswered question is whether Lawson was sane at the time of Jezaih's death. Two doctors
While Fort Wayne struggles to get its downtown going, Indianapolis has done so well that downtown might be entering the "victim of its own success" stage. Nordstrom, the only anchor tenant originally committed to taking a spot in the new Circle Centre Mall, is leaving downtown, which is causing some to worry about the future of the other anchor tenant, Carson Pirie Scott, and the whole future of the mall. But the upscale company's departure doesn't mean downtown has stopped thriving.
Today's government tap dance comes from City Hall.
Indiana's NewsCenter voiceover:
Wednesday night, important road closure and flooding information was not relayed to the public, leaving some to question the Mayor's office.
This, after tax dollars were used to pay a consultant more than $70,000 just months ago to help with their social media efforts.
Cut to video of Mayor Tom Henry:
Tattoo artist Victor Whitmill is suing Warner Bros., saying a facial tattoo in its new movie "The Hangover 2" violates his copyright because the tattoo looks identical to the one he designed for boxer Mike Tyson. Apparently, no court has yet grappled with the question of whether tattoos can be protected by copyright.
We love the game, but don't mess with us, OK?
Yet Commissioner Roger Goodell conceded the owners' lockout of players that is in its third month -- and with no end in sight -- is doing damage to the NFL. Fans, he said, are beyond restless.
Do these people really deserve to be "survivors"?
Even as the search for survivors continues in tornado-ravaged Joplin, a number of faith-based organizations were mobilizing to provide relief and recovery services.
As of Wednesday, the death toll in Joplin stood at 125 as search parties continued to comb through piles of debris that mark much of the southwest Missouri city of 50,000.
Is Texas Gov. Rick Perry going to be the new Mitch Daniels, taunting us mercilessly with a "maybe I will, maybe I won't" tease on a possible presidential run?
The Perry camp is still telegraphing the notion that the default position is not to run, but it's safe to say they have cracked the door open, at least a little bit, over the last week. Specific wording matters — a lot — in these speculative political matters
I made it all the way to today -- the day after Oprah's last show -- in keeping my vow to myself not to comment. I mean, saying something snide about the insipid queen of gush and how she epitomizes the banality of popular culture, we're talking fish-in-a-barrel time. But, really, this just sent me over the edge:
I really lucked out with this afternoon's storm. It uprooted this tree right across the street from me but left the big sycamore in front of my house alone. It could have done serious damage to three houses, but it appeared mostly to have hurt the one in the middle.
Only the federal government would spend millions to save thousands. A pilot program in five Americann cities will provide some federal government workers with plug-in cars. In San Diego, there will be 116 of the electric vehicles:
The purchases announced Tuesday are expected to cut gas usage by almost 29,000 gallons a year, saving taxpayer an estimated $116,000 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 257 metric tons, said GSA administrator Martha Johnson.
For all their tough talk about cracking down on illegal immigration, Indiana legislators actually passed only two pretty weak measures, one denying in-state tuition at state-supported universities and the other revoking some tax credits for businesses that hire illegal immigrants. That doesn't mean the critics have been silenced or mollified:
The ACLU of Indiana is filing a lawsuit on behalf of foreign-born people Wednesday over immigration laws Gov. Mitch Daniels recently signed.
We don't have to turn our pork chops into rubber anymore:
Finally, the government agrees that pig should be pink. On the inside, at least.
New guidelines released Tuesday by the USDA
MARION, Ind. — About 100 people have attended the funeral of a Vietnam War veteran from Indianapolis whose body went unclaimed for months after his suicide.
The funeral was held Tuesday at Marion National Cemetery for 62-year-old Kenneth E. Taylor Jr. Veterans and a motorcycle group participated in the memorial, which included a 21-gun salute and a bugler playing "Taps."
The officious little rule-mongers are always coming up with something new:
Two Warsaw tattoo parlors were granted special exceptions for their business locations Monday night by Warsaw Board of Zoning Appeals.
Sigh. Ouch. Gulp. Or LOL, OMG and WTF, if you you prefer. Bob Dylan turns 70 this week.
As an NFL fan, guess that makes me a ticking time bomb just ready to explode into a crime spree:
Ravens star Ray Lewis issues a stern warning. He says if there is no football, crime will increase across the country.
[. . .]
Lewis painted a grim picture across America of people without jobs and nothing to do on Sundays.
