Current Affairs

Now that I'm rested and refreshed from vacation, let's class up the joint a little with some lighthearted political moments. First we have President "I am in charge" Obama:

Happy 235th birthday to the U.S. Army, still out there on the front lines defending Americans' freedom and way of life. You're welcome. No, really, don't mention it.

Economic desperation is forcing public employers to make tough choices, e.g. Fort Wayne Community Schools' decision to outsource janitorial services. Some are getting creative, and at least one of the solutions is worth considering here -- the four-day school week:

FORT VALLEY, Ga. — During the school year, Mondays in this rural Georgia community are for video games, trips to grandma's house and hanging out at the neighborhood community center.

Don't bother showing up for school. The doors are locked and the lights are off.

Been there, done that:

Speaking with Meredith Vieira on TODAY Wednesday, People magazine's Washington correspondent Sandra Sobieraj Westfall said she interviewed a dozen Gore family friends in the wake of Tuesday's announcement. And those friends told her they might have seen the writing on the wall if they had looked closely enough.

But it's probably still OK to fill up the saddlebags with victuals when you ride the mule into town:

California would be the first state to ban plastic and most paper bags from grocery, convenience and other stores under a proposal that appears headed for a major legislative victory this week.

They came for the banks, and you said nothing. The came for the car companies, and you said nothing. They came for health care, and you said nothing. Ready to talk now, Obama toadies of the Fourth Estate?

Two different views from two sets of experts. The National Academy of Sciences:

Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for — and in many cases is already affecting — a broad range of human and natural systems."

But from the Royal Society:

Google News kicked out this story based on my "Indiana" word search because it's from Evansville, but it turns out to be Evansville, Wisc. I almost passed on it, but it's perversely fascinating and raises an interesting question:

A Wisconsin man is accused of secretly videotaping young children at a Florida nude beach.

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Cartoonists tend to be liberal. Henry Payne, who appears on our pages, is one of the handful of conservative ones. Here's his take on the Kagan nomination.

American flag stand in the ground near headstones, Thursday, May 22, 2008, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. in honor of Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)