Poor Bluffton. It got to be trendy for just a few months:
Starbucks Corp. has announced company-operated stores in Indianapolis and Bluffton are on the initial list of locations to be closed as part of the coffee retailer's massive streamlining plan. A store on West 16th Street in Indianapolis and another on North Main Street in Bluffton will close by the end of the month.
Pssst. Wanna hear about a strange endorsment by a foreign country of an American presidential candidate? No, not an Islamic country and Obama:
We hope McCain wins," says the 62-year-old Vietnamese. "He remembers us and will do good things for Vietnam."
The world is getting to be such a serious place that I'm glad there are still a few silly things left, like this Wells County 4-H Fair opener:
The Bluffton Fire Department's “Greased Pig” contest saw children in different age groups compete to see who could catch a greased pig in the shortest time. Over 100 entry forms were completed by youngsters eager to test their skills in the mud at the horse and pony arena.
In another push to deal with soaring gas prices, President Bush on Monday will lift an executive ban on offshore drilling that his stood since his father was president. But the move, by itself, will do nothing unless Congress acts as well.
How to get out of a big mistake -- like the push for corn-based ethanol -- without admitting to the mistake: Why, that was just Phase One, and now we're moving on to Phase Two.
And they're also not talking about replacement so much as supplementing: using switchgrass or wood waste products, for example, along with corn.
Ah, remember the "family farm," which politicians regularly praise the virtues of when they're taking billions from us to give to corporate agriculture? Add another to the list of myths and illusions we're paying to maintain: the one about the "family of four" that takes a day off to enjoy a leisurely day at the ballpark. From 1991 to 2006, the NFL's average ticket price jumped 147 percent. It was up 110 percent in the NBA and a whopping 151 percent for major league baseball.
You probably haven't been losing any sleep wondering about this, but in the digital age, a snooze alarm could be any length of time. It's nine minutes because of the limitations of tehcnology when the alarm was invented:
Phil Gramm is sent into political exile, some say, for stumbling into the truth by saying we have a "mental recession" and America has become a nation of whiners:
Campaign Econ says the American economy is a certain way because Americans think it is. Campaign Econ competes with real economics and often wins -- with damage that extends way beyond, say, the political career of either Phil Gramm or John McCain.
[. . .]
Bill Clinton says we are becoming increasingly polarized:
He cited statistics compiled by Bishop that found that in the 1976 presidential election, only 20 percent of the nation's counties voted for Jimmy Carter or President Ford by more than a 20 percent margin.
A 1 percent food and beverage tax is being proposed in Richmond, and restaurant owners are not happy about it:
"My concern is there will not be enough business," said Galo Molina, who owns The Olde Richmond Inn, Galo's Italian Grill, and 5th Street Coffee & Bagels in Richmond.
Some of us believe that a few guns, in the hands of responsible teachers and administrators, can contribute to school safety. This guy , overreacting in a case of mistaken identity, doesn't help make our case:
A South Bend elementary school teacher was arrested Thursday for reportedly threatening three neighborhood kids with a shotgun.
And one of the children -- a 10-year-old girl -- is supposed to attend the school where the man teaches this fall.
Indianapolis Star columnist Matthew Tully takes a ride up north and asks a good question: What's all the fuss about the Toll Road?
This column probably would be more interesting if I'd found anything to complain about: A traffic jam. A pothole to rival those that marked Indy's streets this spring. An obvious sign of mismanagement.
Anything.
At least the administration is ending on a high note:
The Bush administration on Friday rejected regulating greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, saying it would damage the U.S. economy and cause too many job losses.
Dogs haven't quite become man's best friend in China, but at least man will stop being dogs' worst enemy for a time:
Canine cuisine is being sent to the doghouse during next month's Beijing Olympic Games.
Dog meat has been struck from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants, and Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage consumers from ordering dishes made from dogs, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.
Dogs haven't quite become man's best friend in China, but at least man will stop being dogs' worst enemy for a time:
Canine cuisine is being sent to the doghouse during next month's Beijing Olympic Games.
Dog meat has been struck from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants, and Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage consumers from ordering dishes made from dogs, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.
A couple of losers are looking for a shortcut to get back to even:
The lawsuit alleges the lottery advertised over $8 million in prizes for its Cash Blast game from May 2005 to July 2006 that were not available. More than $20 million in losing tickets were purchased in that period, and the suit seeks a refund for losing tickets sold.
[. . .]
For the "things are not always what they seem" file:
A report of a family fight Wednesday afternoon in New Castle didn't turn out to be what police expected.
A nine-year-old girl called 911 after she awoke from a nap and heard her mother screaming. She went to her mother's bedroom and thought her mother was being attacked.
Turns out, her parents were just enjoying marital relations.
Congressional approval ratings have dropped into the single digits. Taxpayers for Common Sense might have one of the reasons with its Top 10 resolutions of the 110th Congress. My favorite:
Expressing support for designation of a "National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day."
And a close second is the expression of support for the designation of National Corvette Day. What tough work they do.
First gambling, then strip clubs, now this. There's just no stopping the effects of this bad economy:
It's not just the Porsches and the expensive lunches that are being credit-crunched down in the City
