Well, here it comes:
Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) will release long-awaited climate and energy legislation today that reflects eight months of closed-door negotiations with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), while still leaving wide open additional room for changes as they search for the magic 60 votes.
Wlady Pleszczynski of The American Spectator spent his first 20-some years in California, so he knew nothing about "the languid charms of humid summers or the heavenly silence of snowy nights. Or springs that come alive when they're supposed to, and not after the first rainfall, which might be in November." He spent the next dozen years in Indiana, and he remembers what he liked most about spring here, the redbud:
I haven't bothered you with a word-usage peeve lately, so indulge me today. Under the headline "Emigrant first in her family to earn degree," the South Bend Tribune has a story about a refugee from Bosnia getting her degree from Indiana University South Bend. There is this short paragraph:
She and her family eventually found their way back to their village, but learned there was no future for them there. They immigrated to South Bend 10 years ago.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources decided to replace its glossy, 44-page, color Indiana Fishing Guide with a six-page, green and white pamphlet. The cost went from about $100,000 to less than $20,000:
"We took out a lot of feature stories and advertising," said Phil Bloom, director of communications for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
[. . .]
Oh, drat, I can't make it:
Rock band Kiss will make its Indiana State Fair debut Aug. 9 at the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand.
Led by founding members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, Kiss is known for face paint, platform boots and 1970s hits “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “Calling Dr. Love” and “Beth,” among others.
Watch it, you'll put somebody's eye out with those!
Struggling Playboy magazine has an eye-popping new trick to attract readers - put its centerfold in 3-D.
Tempus fugit, but the shuttle won't for long:
And today's nominees for brazen political huckster of the year are:
One of President Obama's remarks on nominating Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court reminds me of a line you hear in a Western movie now and then -- "Why, we're not hastyhere. We're gonna give him a fair trial before we hang him":
The Pacers have been trying to shake down Indianapolis because they don't want to keep paying the $15 million a year in operating costs for Conseco Fieldhouse. Under consideration -- "We might move if you don't agree!" -- is for the Capital Improvement Board to take over the costs and still let the Pacers play there. Sweet deal. The latest tool to be trotted out is that old standby, the economic impact statement:
So we have the youngest, hippest, coolest president since JFK, and he admits he doesn't even know how to work an iPod, an iPad, an Xbox or a Playstation. Must be a bitter disappointment for those who were delighted to believe George H.W.
I've been poor. There were no food stamps when I was growing up, but our family qualified for the government commodities program. I remember standing in line with my parents waiting to pick up staples such as potatoes and powdered milk and giant blocks of orange-looking cheese. I guess that qualifies me to have a skeptical attitude about this:
Mitch Daniels keeps saying no, but the speculation (and even encouragement) just won't stop. This is from Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School:
Conservative pundits are in love with a candidate for 2012, and it is not Sarah Palin. If you ask many top Republicans their favorite pick for the presidential campaign, they will answer Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Are those of us on the right lucky? We don't even have to decide how to oppose Eleana Kagan for the Supreme Court -- we have a Washington Post expert telling us what we're going to do:
I can't remember how many times it has been noted here or on the editorial page that once government starts something it's almost impossible to get it undone. It's always depressing to see one more example:
The Quinnipiac polls, conducted in three states across the past month, all find likely voters to have complex and contradictory views on these repeal lawsuits as well as health care reform itself.
When it comes to city services, what's the difference between an amenity and a necessity? Does the line move when times get tough? As the recession and state tax restructuring put more and more pressure on municipal governments, those are the kinds of questions we need to be asking: not just how to keep providing the same services, but whether those services still need to be delivered and, if they do, whether there are better ways to deliver them.
Food in the news today. It's bad at a bakery:
Aunt Millie's confirmed Thursday the company will lay off 33 people from its Fort Wayne plant effective May 14.
According to Melissa Dunning at Perfection Bakeries, two shifts are also being eliminated. Dunning said the layoff is due to a decline in bread sales.
Is that your big baton, or are you just glad to see me?
A Miami International Airport federal security screener has been arrested for allegedly using an expandable police baton to beat up a co-worker.
The source of their conflict, police say: daily ribbing about the size of the screener's genitalia.
The Journal Gazette is annoyed with Gov. Mitch Daniels because he won't jump when Washington says jump. On tuesday, Health and Human Services sent a letter to state insurance commissioners and governors calling for them to chek on the data WellPoint used to justify big rate-increase requests. But:
According to a statement e-mailed to the Indianapolis Star by Daniels' spokeswoman, Jane Jankowski, Daniels will not respond to the letter.
I'll just say what I did in an earlier post about gourmet coffee -- throw in a Hooter's-costumed woman who will rub my feet, and I might go $7.50:
Newsweek's for sale. What would you pay for it?
