Omigod, who knew?
Unpredictable gas prices have sent car shoppers turning to small, fuel-efficient vehicles, but a crash study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is warning that saving money at the pump could come at a greater cost in the event of an accident.
Hey, Larry, are you one a them "Texas nuts" getting "riled up" to "dangerous levels?
From time to time, we feel the need to point out that the weekly poll we run on the editorial page is meant for entertainment only. It is not designed as a "scientific" poll, and we've never claimed it is. This is one of those times.
We can usually count on a couple of hundred votes for the poll, although we've passed the thousand mark a few times. We did a poll a few years ago about whether our newspaper should publish the county gun-carry-permit database online. Word was passed around on gun-enthusiast Web sites, and we got a few thousand votes.
I've written about "smart growth" movement before. That's the notion that "sprawl," which I would define as the byproduct of people living the way they choose to live, but which is now considered by Those Who Know Better For Us as a great evil, or, as they put it, "no longer in the long-term interest of our cities, existing suburbs, small towns, rural communities, or wilderness areas. Though supportive of growth, communities are questioning the economic costs of abandoning infrastructure in the city, only to rebuild it further out.
A couple of dispatches from the economic-development front. The city could get a new hotel near Glenbrook:
Despite the challenging economy, a 6-million dollar hotel could be coming to the Glenbrook Mall area in Fort Wayne.
A Valparaiso-based company wants to situate an 89-room Towneplace Suites hotel next to an ice rink facility that's slated to be constructed over the summer months.
Heh, heh, heh. Look at that squirrel. He blowed up real good:
The squirrels at Finch Arboretum are becoming such a problem that they have called in for reinforcements. The city of Spokane has authorized the "Rodenator" to come and take care of the problem, in what is turning out to not only be a hot topic in the city, but a questionable one when it comes to animal rights.
City Council President Tom Smith has gone and spoiled everything by peeking behind the curtain of the government expansion stimulus program (you'll have to watch the video to seem him saying it):
There will be money coming in to schools and police departments to help hire new people to do certain programs. But when that money runs out . . . they're calling that job creation, becasue the local taxpayers will keep funding those new positions.
It's nice to run across an editorial page cartoon occasionally that isn't strictly political. This is the one we have in today's paper. I don't know why it's funny, but it made me laugh out loud.
This should be the most interesting juxtaposition you encounter this month. First up, a production of "The Vagina Monologue" is generating controversy and even a little fear in Kyrgyzstan:
Central Asia is not known as a region where women have tried to assert their rights.
[. . .]
A brave government employee stands up for his rights:
BINGHAMTON - A Broome County employee confined by bosses to the Department of Social Services' building during the April 3 massacre at the nearby American Civic Association wants to be paid for his lunch hour.
The employee made a formal complaint last week to Broome's Personnel Department, confirmed Michael Klein, the director.
Finally, what might really deserve being called the perfect food:
A new inhaler - dubbed Le Whif - has been developed by scientists, allowing chocoholics to enjoy all the treats they can handle for zero calories.
The revolutionary gadget means chocolate lovers can indulge their guilty pleasure without putting on weight.
Looks like the fight may be close to over:
A Minnesota court confirmed Monday that Democrat Al Franken won the most votes in his 2008 Senate race against Republican Norm Coleman, who had already announced plans to appeal the decision.
A comedian in the U.S. Senate -- each new day brings something once unthinkable to pass.
The Indiana House has approved legislation that would prohibit the governor from soliciting or receiving campaign contributions during the General Assembly's long budget-writing sessions, and the sponsor doesn't want any misunderstandings.
(Rep. Kreg) Battles says he wasn't implying that anything wrong has occurred, just that there should be more sunshine in state government.
"Mommy, Mommy! Billy got a bigger piece of cake! It's not FAIR, Mommy!"
The mayor of Greenwood said Monday his city was shortchanged when it came to the distribution of federal stimulus funds.
Republican Charles Henderson said the city had proposed several projects that he thought would create jobs and improve the area.
"We ended up with 11 different projects, but, originally, there were five we were hoping to get funded. But none of those got funded," he said.
I'm not a big fan of Futile Gestures That Make Grand Philosophical Statements, whichever end of the political spectrum they come from. Can anyone tell me what practical effect this proposal would have?
Women seeking abortions would have to be told that a fetus might feel pain under legislation approved by the Indiana House.
For the Little Lost Lamb Hall of Fame, today's nominee is -- Phil Spector:
“It hasn't been a very pleasant life,” Spector told writer Mick Brown in a rare 2002 interview. “I've been a very tortured soul. I have not been at peace with myself.”
Woo-hoo, it's party time!
Governor Mitch Daniels has proclaimed today through April 18 "Indiana Wind Energy Week."
To celebrate, take a state legislator to lunch.
Hooray for the Seals, and three cheers to President Obama for telling the military they could handle the situation, up to and including the use of deadly force. Obama will face tougher tests in dealing with Iran, North Korea, et al., but he seemed to have pretty good instincts in handling this one.
I always thought I was quite the clever one for coming up with the procrastinator's credo: Never put off till tomorrow what you can put off till the day after tomorrow. But of course Mark Twain said it first.
l still think I can offer an example of procrastination that it will be hard to top. I'm getting money back from the IRS this year -- not a king's ransom, but a tidy sum by my standards. I have known since the end of last year that I would be getting this money just as soon as I did my taxes and sent them in.
An Indianapolis woman warns propsective Hoosiers that "It only takes once to get hooked on the Indy 500":
