I don't often agree with The Nation, but it's hard to argue with this:
When the International Olympic Committee formally awarded Beijing the privilege of hosting the 2008 Olympic Games seven years ago, they accepted assurances from the historically repressive government of China that the country would dramatically expand its commitment to protecting human rights within its borders.
[. . .]
China has failed.
The IOC has failed.
This would be too easy, so I'll just let you do your own jokes:
Bill Clinton made a plea yesterday for a new emphasis on monogamy as a key element in the battle against Aids.
The former US president, not noted for his ability to keep his own marriage vows, said it was very important to change people's attitudes to sex.
I thought the Indianapolis Star supported the First Amendment. Guess I was wrong:
As it stands, state law allows any individual to give any amount of money to a political candidate. Political action committees also can lavish as much cash on a campaign as they desire.
[. . .]
The State Fair is joining the cashless society:
Whether it's buying an elephant ear or tickets for rides on the Midway, visitors to this year's Indiana State Fair will have more opportunities to use their credit and debit cards. Fair officials say after listening to customer feedback, they've added more ATM locations around the Fairgrounds and more vendors will accept credit cards.
Sure glad the PETA folks have stopped going over the top:
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man.
— An animal rights group has tried
A youngster is horrified by the killing of another young man. He is obsessed by the case and haunted by it all his life. Finally:
In 1995, Stewart became a State Police detective and renewed his interest in the unidentified body, putting hours into solving the case, or at least determining the teenager's identity.
Sigh. Fort Wayne is famous again. The complete text of the police report of our claw-hammer guy has found its way onto The Smoking Gun Web site. As the site advises:
Let's keep reminding ourselves that, no matter how much Chinese officials polish up the place during the Olympics, China is not really a citizen-friendly nation:
Living in Beijing? The government wants to know your shoe size, blood group, political affiliation and where you get your money from, according to police in at least one corner of the security-obsessed Olympic host city.
[. . .]
Have to say that when it comes to musical taste, I'd go with Barack Obama
Everyone knows you're a Jay-Z fan, but who else is on your iPod?
Don't judge a book by it's cover. Be wary of first impressions. Appearances can be deceiving. Not so fast there, you trusting soul:
Boy, this would have been a good night for some smart burglars to make a real haul:
An estimated 3,000 people converged at Brownsburg Town Hall Tuesday for the community's Night Out Against Crime.
Those Canadians really know how to handle scofflaws:
Jon Tennett loves to tinker in his garage. It's not an uncommon pastime for an 81-year-old man, but what is unusual is the city's response.
Because Tennett fixes his neighbours' lawn mowers and other small machines, the City of Pickering has charged him with operating an illegal business - even though he's never charged a penny for his work.
[. . .]
A new one for the "cruel & unusual" file:
A death row inmate scheduled for execution in October says he's so fat that Ohio executioners would have trouble finding his veins and that his weight could diminish the effectiveness of one of the lethal injection drugs.
[. . .]
The beginning of a story about the Olympics:
Four US Olympic cyclists who caused an outcry when they arrived at Beijing airport wearing smog masks have today apologised to Games organisers.
The four - Mike Friedman, Bobby Lee, Sarah Hammer and Jennie Reed - said that they were wearing the masks because of pollution fears, a touchy subject for the Chinese authorities.
And the beginning of the very next sentence:
Paris Hilton's energy plan. It makes at least as much sense as anything McCain and Obama have said:
Cheap gas and energy independence are mutually exclusive. U.S. energy policy up till now has mainly been to keep gas prices low and consumers content. Artificially reducing gas prices would reverse trends that are actually helping to break our dependence on foreign oil.
This report might shock a few of you, but I lived just around Lake Michigan from Chicago for eight years, so it struck me as just belaboring the obvious:
It's getting tougher for the dishonest, the mentally unstable and the overweight to get hired as Cook County jail guards these days. As a result, fewer guards are getting hired.
A newspaper uncovers some questionable public spending, and a public official is properly outraged:
But at least one government official has objected to the practice, arguing that the schools should not push students into voting booths at public expense.
Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott complained in April that Gary schools had taken students out of class and that the public paid to transport them to early voting polls at the county's Government Center.
Gov. Daniels wants to give taxpayers a break:
Gov. Mitch Daniels pitched a proposal Tuesday that would give taxpayers automatic tax credits if the state's banking account and reserves reached a level determined to be safe for weathering an economic downturn.
You know the question they used to try to scare us with? "Are a few moments of pleasure worth a lifetime of regret?" This guy should have asked it of himself:
Just one day after a convicted murderer escaped from an Indiana prison an arrest has been made. But it wasn't the prisoner who was taken into custody, it was a correction officer.
The worst song ever:
BAHA MEN's summer hit record WHO LET THE DOG'S OUT? has been named the worst song of all time.
The track, which topped charts around the world in 2000, is number one in a new list compiled by editors of Spinner.com and AOL Radio.
It beat off tough competition from rapper Vanilla Ice's memorable hit Ice, Ice Baby and a more recent chart success for Ricky Martin - She Bangs.
