I hesitate to write about the heat wave, lest I fall into one of those weather cliches, but this is a nice story. A friend's father, an 80-year-old World War II veteran, took their dog Maisy out for a walk yesterday in his neighborhood. At one point, Maisy decided she needed a rest and sat down. She wouldn't get up, so her walker decided to sit down with her.
The usual debate you hear these days on a return to the draft is between conservatives who think it would be a good idea because it would be a unifying force in the country and liberals who don't particularly like the military culture. This, from Thomas Sowell, is a viewpoint I haven't heard before.
No matter how long I keep looking at the baseball numbers for a downtown stadium, they don't make sense. Attendance is now about 3,500 a game. Let's say moving downtown could increase it to 4,500. If you say, well, that would be 300,000 people downtown over a five-month period, that would be one thing. But it won't be. It will be maybe 3,000 of the same people coming over and over again and a few thousand more who come occasionally.
Boy, if conspiracies are reaching down into Little League, I guess they're everywhere:
On our editorial page, we've been extremely supportive of downtown development, and we've advocated some things most of our readers probably haven't favored, such as the library renovation. But we've had two editorials in a row expressing skepticism about a downtown baseball stadium. The latest one wonders why, given all the "catalyst projects" that could have been chosen, a baseball stadium is the one everybody is zeroing in on.
Could we now have, say, a six-month moratorium on all the stories about how the U.S. is "creating more terrorists" and "destroying the world's good opinion of us" and "not living up to its obligations as a civilized nation" by violating the rights of these cute and cuddly "detainees"?
If dogs could talk. The story, under the headline, "Seriously, Get This Sweater Off of Me," begins:
It's nice that our courts are going 21st century hi-tech:
Now, a $250,000 project to outfit each of the four “Grand Courtrooms” on the courthouse's third floor with plasma video screens, digital sound, digital recording, telestrators and other gadgets designed to make trials and proceedings run faster and smoother is on the cusp of being complete.
Here we go. With a certified heat wave, naturally the news outlets have to trot out their hoary weather cliches. This one amounts to: Stay cool and take it easy, as if we'd never been through this before:
If you must be out:
_ Limit outdoor activity to morning and evening hours.
_ Cut down on exercise.
I never paid much attention to the "is Mel Gibson an anti-Semite?" debate. Some said they saw proof of it in his background and/or artistic work, but he vehemently denied it; a reasonable person could believe either position. But I think the proof is there now; he's not just anti-Jewish, but a raving nut about it:
Do you wish you lived in Denmark, the "happiest country in the world"? Are you sorry the United States came in at only 23rd? Note the standards used in the judging:
"Smaller countries tend to be a little happier because there is a stronger sense of collectivism and then you also have the aesthetic qualities of a country," White said.
"Gas gouging" in Indiana is not just a matter of saying someone has been charging too much. A specific case has to be made:
The law defines gouging as charging a consumer an unconscionable amount for the sale of fuel.
Regular readers know I've expressed concerns about some privacy issues. I don't see this as one to worry about:
A Hoosier takes a trip and gets lucky:
What do you get a 288-pound man for his birthday? How about 288 pounds of jelly beans? His family didn't plan it that way, but when Mike Lively became the 1 millionth person to tour the Jelly Belly Center on his birthday Wednesday, he won his weight's worth of the sweet treats.
The 41-year-old Indiana man, who claims he weighs only 278 pounds, said he wasn't planning on sharing his windfall.
The backlash against the Supreme Court's horrendous Kelo decision continues, and this has to count as a major victory:
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday that economic development isn't a sufficient reason under the state constitution to justify taking homes, putting a halt to a $125 million project of offices, shops, and restaurants in a Cincinnati suburb that officials said would create jobs and add tax revenue.
Once in a while, there is something so dunderheaded that the negative impact will be seen almost immediately. The Chicago City Council has just provided us with such a moment:
The measure requires retailers with more than $1 billion in annual sales and stores of at least 90,000 square feet to pay workers at least $10 an hour in wages plus $3 an hour in fringe benefits by mid-2010. The current minimum wage in Illinois is $6.50 an hour and the federal minimum is $5.15.
Is the press now just another special interest looking our for its own?
A pair of Indiana lawmakers face a steep uphill climb for passage of a bill to shield reporters from having to disclose news sources, but it is a cause worthy of the struggle.
The Free Flow of Information Act, sponsored by Sen. Richard Lugar and Rep. Mike Pence, both Republicans, limits instances in which reporters could be forced to reveal sources.
Come to our fish fry on Friday night. THE CHEMICAL DEPOT HAS BEEN BOMBED! All you can eat for $6.50 a person. RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!! Children under 12 half-price. WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!! Thanks for your support.
Only in Indiana:
Saddam Hussein said Wednesday he would rather die by firing squad like a soldier than hang "like a common criminal," as the defiant ex-president made his final appearance before the tribunal until it renders a verdict.
