With the Republicans and Democrats both in turmoil, finally there's a possible candidate who might unite the country:
Consumer advocate Ralph Nader said on Monday he will decide soon on whether to make a another bid for the White House in 2008, eight years after playing a key role as a third party presidential candidate.
"Sun is a suspect in plane crash":
The sun can often be almost unbearable," the Corona resident said. "If you were to come here at around 4 p.m., the sun is blinding for a good two minutes. You need to take extra precautions."
Inspectors with the National Transportation Safety Board said they were investigating whether the afternoon sun played a role in the 3:35 p.m. collision.
I don't quite believe this:
But hidden near the bottom of the survey of nearly 1,400 adult Americans Jan. 14-17 is some disturbing news for Sen. Hillary Clinton heading into tonight's Democratic debate in South Carolina and the party's primary there Saturday.
The survey's numbers show that Americans are more ready for a black president than a female president. You read that right.
Am I the only one creeped out by long-dead-and-buried Orville Redenbacher still on TV as the pitchman for his popcorn? His company was around Valparaiso in northwestern Indiana, so I got to see him a lot on TV up there when I was in Michigan City from the mid-'70s to early '80s. I feel like I'm in a time warp. Just imagine them bringing back Dave Thomas commercials for Wendy's.
Blogger and former Indianapolis Star columnist Ruth Holladay recalls the visit to Fort Wayne by Martin Luther King in 1963, when she was a junior at Concordia Lutheran High School:
It's the 35th anniversary today of Roe v. Wade, one of the worst Supreme Court decisions ever made, along with Dred Scott and a few others. When some of us passionately rail against the court making up constitutional rights out of thin air, this is the case that usually comes up first.
The Clintons have said Barack Obama, 46, is too young for the presidency, using words like inexperienced, unseasoned, etc. Now, Chuck Norris, on behalf of Mike Huckabee, says JohnMcCain, 71, is too old to be president.
``I didn't pick John to support because I'm just afraid that the vice president would wind up taking over his job in that four-year presidency,'' said Norris, who was hosting a fundraiser for Huckabee at his Lone Wolf Ranch.
I know it's a musty old joke, but now seems like a good time for it. Why don't Baptists believe in pre-marital sex? Answer: It might lead to dancing:
The first on-campus dance ever allowed at Anderson University attracted several hundred students over the weekend, although they mostly stood around and danced in large groups.
A couple of years ago, I did a post that just said: "Life sorts. Time levels." To that, perhaps we can add, "History decides":
By freezing him at that point, by putting him on a pedestal of perfection that doesn't acknowledge his complex views, "it makes it impossible both for us to find to new leaders and for us to aspire to leadership," Harris-Lacewell said.
She believes it's important for Americans in 2008 to remember how disliked King was in 1968.
Indiana may not be as ready for a recession as we would like:
Many experts fear the nation may be on the footsteps of a recession.
The country has seen indicators like higher unemployment rates and an economic slow-down for the last few months.
Purdue Ag Economist Larry DeBoer said Indiana expects to have about 1.15 billion dollars in savings by the end of June 2009.
Some "unsightly billboards" are finally going to come down in Indianapolis. I've seen them, and "big and ugly" is the only way to describe them. So I defintely won't miss them. Still, this is a little troubling:
Pinnacle's battle with the city galvanized some Indiana business leaders to side with the billboard company.
Bobby Fischer was a nut job at the end of his life, exiled and babbling about all sorts of conspiracy theories. But at one time he did one thing better than anybody else, and we tend to forget what a nerd genius he was:
...Kasparov hailed Fischer as "the pioneer and the father of professional chess".
Most of the controversy about public libraries and obscenity these days has been about whether or not Internet "porn filters" should be installed. But now comes a protest so low-tech it seems quaint:
Fort Wayne man is on a mission to ban what he calls pornography at the Allen County Public Library.
The bad news is that there has been no bad news:
The national chapter of the American Red Cross is facing a budget deficit of $200 million. About a thousand employees in the national headquarters are being laid off to help stem the red ink.
[. . .]
According to Red Cross officials the lack of a major high-profile disaster has led to lower than expected donations over the last year.
Ireland is thriving. Guess why:
The relatively new emphasis on entrepreneurs in Ireland is the culmination of nearly four decades of government policies that have lifted the economy from centuries of poverty to modern prosperity.
The Code Blue folks succeeded in stopping the $500 million FWCS renovation project, and now they've set their sights even higher:
Their new mission, they say, is nothing less than to control - and thereby reform - an unaccountable, underperforming bureaucracy that is out of touch with the public it supposedly serves.
Somebody finally has the courage to state the obvious:
LONDON (Reuters) - Bad news for Coco and Blinko -- children don't like clowns and even older kids are scared of them.
The news that will no doubt have clowns shedding tears was revealed in a poll of youngsters by researchers from the University of Sheffield who were examining how to improve the decor of hospital children's wards.
Need historical photos for your blog or Web site? The Library of Congress has a Flickr page where it will make available thousands of photos from its collection. The photo here is a mountain farm along Skyline Drive, Va., from 1914.
Congressional Democrats may have been ineffective on Iraq, earmarks, immigration and just about everything they campaigned on. But, by God, never let it be said that they can't get the big things done:
The processed cheese has been replaced with brie. The Jell-O has made way for raspberry kiwi tarts and mini-lemon blueberry trifles. Meatloaf has moved over for mahi mahi and buns have been shunted aside in favor of baguettes.
