Predictably, there isn't much comfort for newspapers in the latest Pew study of Americans' news habits. The Internet is said to be the third most popular news platform, behing local television news and national television news. Of course, much of what's consumed on the Internet comes from newspapers, but we still haven't found a way of making money on it.
But the study does provide a hint that worries about people turning away from the news may have been overstated:
The claim that these are the funniest headline fails "of all time" may be a bit of an exaggeration, but they're worth checking out for a yuck or two. My favorite:
Public service advertising campaigns that use guilt or shame to warn against alcohol abuse can actually have the reverse effect, spurring increased drinking among target audiences, according to new research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.
[. . .]
I'll just do the juxtaposing, and you can come up with your own comments. Story 1:
In a sign of possible differences among top military officials, Army and Air Force chiefs voiced concern Tuesday about ending a ban on gays serving openly in the armed forces while the country is in the middle of two wars.
And story 2:
Further proof that we should take what "the experts" say with, well, a grain of salt:
For all the talk about the growing menace of sodium in packaged foods, experts aren't even sure that Americans today are eating more salt than they used to.
[. . .]
WANE-TV had an interesting piece last night on the 700 or so new GM employees who will be starting at the plant. Some of the people who have been working for GM elsewhere in Indiana are taking a wait-and-see attitude about moving here:
"This is my first day so I'm trying to get a feel of it to see what its going to be like" Mike Eley said.
These are heady days for 2nd Amendment fans. Under a new federal law that took effect yesterday, when you're packing for a trip to a national park, you can include heat:
Visitors now can pack heat in any national park from Gates of the Arctic to Everglades, provided they comply with the firearms laws of the park's home state, according to the new law that was passed as an amendment to credit-card legislation.
Goshen College, a "pacifist" school with ties to the Menonite Church, isn't the sort of place I would have gone or recommended my children go to. Its long history of not playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" (for some, because it's a "martial" song, for others because it puts country above God) is not a posture I would embrace. But now that the college is going to institute a compromise by playing an instrumental version of the national anthem before some sporting events, I have more sympathy for the protesters than I do for the school. The reason for the compromise is sadly familiar:
So, Indianapolis has the best airport in the country as rated by travelers. Woo hoo. I've been through there, and it's OK, but all I want out of an airport is the absence of avoidable hassles. They do that to make getting in and out of the place easy and unmemorable, I'm fine. On a related note, I noticed this article about the world's oddest airports.
The advocates of Big Government have pushed things too far, and it's started to scare people, which is what gave rise to the Tea Party movement. Those folks have managed to do in a year what my friends in the Libertarian Party haven't been able to do in two decades, which is to get the attention of those in power by changing the nature of the conversation. And that has brought us to this moment of clarity, when we can all see what the stakes are and choose sides for the battle.
