It's a tough year to be one of Santa's helpers:
As a longtime Santa Claus at a suburban Chicago mall, Rod Riemersma used to jokingly tell children they would get socks for Christmas if they were naughty.
This year, he stopped telling the joke. Too many children were asking for socks. "They've probably heard their parents say, 'Geez, I wish I had some money to get them clothes,' " says Mr. Riemersma, 56 years old.
The president thinks he's doing a pretty good job:
US President Barack Obama, in remarks aired late Sunday, awarded himself a B plus for his first 11 months in office, stressing in an interview with talk show queen Oprah Winfrey that there was still much to be done.
"A good solid B plus," Obama said during an hour-long, intimate soft-focus ABC network Christmas at the White House special, when Winfrey asked what grade he would give himself.
Whether we want to admit it or not, most of us do have a double standard when it comes to child molesting, don't we? It really doesn't seem as bad when an adult female sleeps with a boy as it does when an adult male sleeps with a girl. And even if we think the women should start getting as much attention as the male perverts, does this seem a little excessive?
I know there are a lot of you Santa deniers out there. How can one person possibly keep track of all the boys and girls in the world? How can he make all those toys? Most absurdly, how can he deliver all those toys in one night? The people trying to sell this nonsense must have cooked the data.
But, I tell you, the science is settled, OK? He uses the Internet. A lot of the Elves are really automation. Santa makes use of science and technology the rest of us just don't have at our disposal yet:
Wouldn't want you to get behind on your People news, so know that early this morning came the birth of Hank Randall Basket IV, son of Hank Randall Basket III, a wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts, and Kendra Wilkinson, who said the name was important because "it was very important to us to carry on the family tradition":
It's nice to know not everyone is suffering because of the lousy economy:
The number of federal workers earning six-figure salaries has exploded during the recession, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal salary data.
I admit to being morbidly fascinated by the last-meal requests of condemned prisoners, so I searched all the stories about Matthew Eric Wrinkles' execution at the state prison in Michigan City early this morning until I found out what he ordered:
Wrinkles received his "last meal" Tuesday -- prime rib with a loaded baked potato, pork chops with steak fries, rolls and two salads with ranch dressing.
Ever see "Anatomy of a Murder?" It's a great, gritty courtroom drama from Otto Preminger, considered pretty daring for its time (1959) and featuring one of Jimmy Stewart's best performances. At the heart of the story is the character played by Lee Remick, a boozy, cheerfully amoral slut of an Army wife ("slut" in the film noir movie sense, I hasten to add, not in the 21st century making moral judgments sense).
Common sense wins out in southern Indiana:
A task force appointed by Bloomington's mayor has decided against supporting his push to ban new chain stores and restaurants from parts of the city's downtown.
[. . .]
I hate to be caught on the side of an environmental group that might turn out later to be full of nuts, but I have to say this is a good point:
A Boston-based consumer and environmental group is bringing its campaign against bottled water to four states, urging them to cut hundreds of thousands of dollars from strapped budgets by ending their purchases of water in plastic containers.
On the occasion of President Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama showed himself to be the master of tactful understatement:
'I think if you are realistic, it may have been a little early but it doesn't matter, I know Obama is a very able person.'
The Tibetan leader also warned President Obama against relying too much on his advisers.
When do you decide you won't have enough people to do the job right so it would be better to just close up shop? Where and how do you draw that line? Two groups in two Indiana cities are making that decision in the wake of budget problems. The mayor of Muncie says she will close the animal shelter after City Council voted to cut the staff from eight to two employees. Homes will have to be found for the 70 dogs and cats now there, and no more will be taken in.
Home ownership may be the American dream, but it's nice to keep the renters happy, too:
The Journal Gazette reports this morning on the daylong public meeting of the sheriff's merit board into whether officer Brent Whan should be fired for "anger management" issues -- a temper that the board's attorney says puts the public and his fellow officers at risk:
After bungling a radio conversation, Whan was too angry to leave the squad car and assist a state trooper, Baker said.
The good guys win one:
RICHMOND, Va. — A 90-year-old Medal of Honor recipient can keep his 21-foot flagpole in his front yard after a homeowner's association dropped its request to remove it, a spokesman for Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Tuesday.
The Sussex Square homeowners' association likewise has agreed to drop threats to take legal action against retired Col. Van T. Barfoot, Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said.
One more reason to drive, or just stay home, for the holidays
Muncie wants to use money from the federal government's stimulus program to rehire five laid-off police officers. But the money comes with a catch -- it funds only three years, and the city has to prove it can handle a fourth year on its own. The city won't have enough property tax revenue for the salaries in year four, so it is considering some creative alternatives, including a "surcharge" on local traffic tickets:
Why Colts fans should be thinking "2," not "16":
It's the goal that counts and not what happens along the way.
The Indianapolis Colts will bring a 12-0 record and a 21-game winning streak into Sunday's National Football League home game with the Denver Broncos. Indianapolis has already notched a sixth AFC South crown and is getting closer to clinching home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Guess we should stop arguing about climate change. It's real, and it's dangerous. We know this because The Associated Press has declared it so, not in an opinion piece but in the middle of a straight news story:
