The state of the culture

Oh, for God's sake:

From former Indianapolis Star columnist Ruth Holliday's blog I gleaned this tidbit about Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning:

The fashion police of Southwest Airlines try to kick a passenger off the plane for apparel that is "lewd, obscene or patently offensive” to ensure the comfort of children and “adults with heightened sensitivities.” Her outrageous clothing? A miniskirt:

Shocking, simply shocking:

LONDON (Reuters) - Rock stars -- notorious for their "crash and burn" lifestyles -- really are more likely than other people to die before reaching old age.

A study of more than 1,000 mainly British and North American artists, spanning the era from Elvis Presley to rapper Eminem, found they were two to three times more likely to suffer a premature death than the general population

Last week, a U.S. senator's life fell apart in public, and there was hardly a shred of sympathy for him. An 18-year-old beauthy pageant contestant was savaged to the nation's great flee. The U.S. attorney general gave a resignation speech in which he felt compelled to disparage his father's whole life. GeorgeWill:

Nobody needs to hunt anymore, and the rural lifestyle that supports it has been diminishing, so this seems like a natural evolution:

Hunters remain a powerful force in American society, as evidenced by the presidential candidates who routinely pay them homage, but their ranks are shrinking dramatically and wildlife agencies worry increasingly about the loss of sorely needed license-fee revenue.

We can be ghouls:

The report that Owen Wilson, the 38-year-old comic actor known for his easygoing demeanor, had attempted suicide was shocking and sobering for both fans and the industry. And it left many people wondering how this sensitive situation will affect the in-demand actor's workload.

How it will affect his workload? He tried to kill himself.

The ghoul of legend fed on human flesh, specializing in robbing graveyards of corpses.

I am learning more than I want to know about men's restroom etiquette. The only rules I have known for sure are that there is no eye contact at the urinals, and there is no talking except for a brief exchange during the hand-washing process or a "How you doin'?" if you meet while one is going in and the other is leaving. Now I have to wonder about my stupid feet:

Looks like 10 percent of us aren't holding up our end:

The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said.

At least Michael Vick didn't issue a non-apology apology:

"I made a mistake of using bad judgment and making bad decisions. Those things just can't happen. Dogfighting is a terrible thing, and I do reject it."

I love women, though some drive me crazy. I admire men, though some are jerks. I am not and never have been gender neutral, which probably means I would  be a bad fit in Vermont:

The University of Vermont's big new student center doesn't just have women's bathrooms and men's bathrooms.