Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Hot Cross Buns

At Poole Hospital in England, patients were not served their traditional hot-cross buns on Good Friday because the manager of the catering department was worried that serving the rolls would upset non-Christian ethnic minorities. Foxnews.com has the full story...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,265132,00.html

How many more examples of political correctness gone too far do we need before everyone is sufficiently outraged to stop this nonsense?

Monday, April 9, 2007

More Money for New Orleans

Yet another story today on USAToday.com about the government and people of New Orleans asking for more money... this time in lawsuits against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. More than 70,000 claims have been filed, including one for $200 billion by Louisiana's attorney general and other by the city of New Orleans for $77 billion. Here's the link to the story with all the details...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-08-katrina-corps_N.htm#uslPageReturn

This is beyond outrage. Will New Orleans' demand for money ever stop? The government and people there act like this is the first time there has ever been a natural disaster anywhere. It's time for this town to stop playing the victim and start helping itself.

Friday, April 6, 2007

Car Chase

Four years ago, a 19 year-old Georgia woman was involved in a high speed chase with police after failing to stop when an officer tried to pull her over for speeding. The woman was driving her father's car. Police damaged it when they had to bump it, then smash in a window in order to arrest the woman. She has since pleaded guilty to DUI and evading police.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is now reporting that the father is suing his insurance company to get them to pay for damages to the car.

Full details are available here...

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cobb/stories/2007/04/06/0406metchase.html

The only party who should be liable for any damages here is this man's daughter. The fact that he doesn't seem to realize that and wants someone else to pay for damages caused by her actions is an outrage.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Wrong Testicle

An article from the San Francisco Chronicle today tells the story of Benjamin Houghton, who recently had surgery to remove a painful and potentially cancerous testicle. Unfortunately, doctors at the VA Hospital in Los Angeles removed the wrong testicle by mistake. The story descibes the hospital's procedures that are supposed to avoid this sort of thing...

By its own guidelines and those of national hospital regulators, the VA hospital was required to obtain informed consent from the patient for the surgery, mark the operation site and take a "timeout" in the operating room to double-check that doctors were targeting the correct site, doing the right procedure and operating on the right patient. According to Houghton's medical records, all three of these steps appear to have gone awry.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/05/MNGFAP352U1.DTL&type=bondage

Mistakes like this are said to be rare, but it is an outrage that they happen at all, and that the hospital seems to have done such a horrible job of following its own procedures.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Food Labels

An Associated Press story on USAToday.com says the FDA has proposed relaxing its requirements for labeling food as "irradiated" (which is a technique used to kill bacteria that involves zapping food with radiation).

The new rules would apparently allow some irradiated food to be labeled as "pasteurized" instead (or to be labeled with a variety of other terms as proposed by food manufacturers) and would only require food to be labeled as "irradiated" if the radiation causes a material change to the product, such as to its taste, texture, smell or shelf life.

Even the FDA acknowledges that the new rule could confuse consumers, noting as follows in its proposal...

"Research indicates that many consumers regard substitute terms for irradiation to be misleading,"

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-04-04-food-radiation_N.htm

It is an outrage that the FDA would propose a rule that it knows will confuse consumers, and that they are even considering not required irradiated food to be labeled as such.

Consumers should always have complete and accurate information available on food product labels to allow them to make the most informed purchasing decisions possible.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Airline Performance

The 17th annual Airline Quality Ratings were released yesterday, and overall performance of U.S. airlines is down for the third consecutive year. Performance fell in the areas of on-time arrival, involuntary bumping and mishandled luggage. An article on USAToday.com summarized some of the findings as follows...

• The industry had about 75% of their flights arrived on time, compared to 77.3% in 2005. Ten out of the 18 airlines had worse on-time arrival performance in 2006 than in 2005. Only three airlines had 80% or greater on-time arrival.

•The industry's rate of involuntary denied boarding worsened in 2006 — to 1.01 per 10,000 passengers from 0.89 a year earlier. Atlantic Southeast was the worst, with 4.47.

• The industry mishandled 6.5 bags per 1,000, up from 6 in 2005. Atlantic Southeast was the worst also in the rate of mishandled baggage — with 17.37 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-04-02-airline-quality-report_N.htm

Given the unbelievably poor quality of airline service 4 years ago, it is an outrage that it has only gotten worse in the three years since.

Monday, April 2, 2007

Philadelphia Murders

CBSnews.com reported yesterday that the murder rate in the city of Philadelphia is currently averaging more than 1 per day this year, as it did last year. The story says that the murder rate in Philadelphia right now is higher than New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Philadelphia Mayor John Street had this to say...

"Well, I don't want to quarrel with you about the murder rate because for us, one homicide is too many. Just a few years ago homicides in our city was at a 17-year low. Well I mean there are a number of things that go into the homicide rate. There... this is... this is a social problem."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/01/eveningnews/main2635629.shtml

The extent of the problem is dramatically depicted in this Philadelphia Inquirer map...

http://inquirer.philly.com/graphics/shootings_map/

With the murder rate rising so rapidly and half the killings remaining unsolved, this is a police department problem in addition to a social problem. And, whatever the cause, it is an outrage.

Friday, March 30, 2007

Muslim Suit

A story on msnbc.com today reports that six Muslim men who were removed from an airplane last year after being accused of suspicious behavior are suing not only the airline (for violating their civil rights) but also the passengers who complained about them after overhearing them praying and chanting in Arabic, speaking of Saddam Hussein, and cursing the United States.

The Muslim men say they were humiliated, and their attorney says this was a case of members of the community creating stories that do not exist due to prejudice. In the article, Billie Vincent, a former director of security for the FAA, identified the huge problem this lawsuit creates...

Airline passengers “are your eyes and your ears. If attorneys can get those names and sue them, you put a chilling effect on the whole system.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17874497/

Whether it turned out to be an overreaction or not, these passengers were only trying to do their part to make themselves and their fellow passengers safe in the air. Thankfully, numerous attorneys have offered to represent the passengers free of charge, and Congress this week approved an amendment to a transportation security bill that would make passengers immune from such lawsuits, unless they say something they know is false.

It is an outrage that any attorney would represent these Muslim men in this lawsuit against the passengers. It will be an even bigger outrage if the judge assigned to hear it doesn't dismiss this case against the passengers immediately, with friviolous lawsuit sanctions against the Muslims' attorney.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Circuit City

It has been all over the internet this morning that electronics retailer Circuit City plans to lay off almost 3,500 of its highest paid employees, and replace them with lower wage workers. In a story discussing local impact on signonsandiego.com, Circuit City spokesman Jim Babb attempted to justify the decision...

“This is no reflection on job performance. We deeply regret the negative impact. Retail is extremely competitive, and if we're going to thrive and operate a successful company for our shoppers, employees and shareholders, we just have to control costs.”

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20070329-9999-1n29circuit.html

The company is struggling financially, so the need to do something to control costs is understandable. However, to fire workers in this way, for this reason is an absolute outrage... especially since many of these workers had been with the company for several years, had outstanding performance records, were still only making about $35,000 - $40,000 per year, and were not given the option of taking a pay cut. Circuit City deserves to lose customers over such a heartless move.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Disney's South

The Walt Disney Company rereleases its classic movies all the time; on VHS, then DVD, then special edition DVD. Only a few titles have never been released on home video. One of those is "Song of the South", which has been criticized as racist for its depiction of black characters on a southern plantation.

A story on washingtonpost.com today says Disney may finally be considering releasing this 1946 movie. Disney CEO Bob Iger made the following comments at a recent shareholders meeting...

"The question of 'Song of the South' comes up periodically, in fact it was raised at last year's annual meeting. And since that time, we've decided to take a look at it again because we've had numerous requests about bringing it out. Our concern was that a film that was made so many decades ago being brought out today perhaps could be either misinterpreted or that it would be somewhat challenging in terms of providing the appropriate context."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702315.html

While the concerns are legitimate, Disney should find a way to let "Song of the South" be seen. It is an outrage that it has been hidden for so long.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Passport to Mexico

A story posted on cnn.com yesterday touts the benefits of traveling to Mexico from the U.S. by car or bus. Among the stated benefits is the following...

All U.S. citizens must have a passport for airline travel to Mexico and the Caribbean. But, those traveling by land or boat need only a driver's license or birth certificate.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/03/26/mexico.no.passport.ap/index.html

Requiring passports for airline passengers is a security measure put in place last year, presumably to make sure only U.S. citizens get back into the country, and to keep terrorists out. Passports are also now required for cruise ship passengers for this same reason. But if passports are not required for some modes of travel into and out of the country, requiring passports for any other mode is a pointless hassle for well-intentioned travelers. Unless we know for sure that terrorists never travel by car or bus (or boats smaller than cruise ships), there should be outrage at this security loophole and at the inconsistency of enforcement.


Monday, March 26, 2007

Deadbeat Pizza

USAToday.com featured a story over the weekend about three Cincinnati pizza parlors that have started putting "wanted" posters on their pizza boxes. These posters feature deadbeat parents who are accused of failing to pay child support payments. A local child enforcement agency asked the pizza joints to do it. Karen Willis, the owner of Karen's Pizzeria says she hasn't heard any complaints...

"Some customers joke about it and say they're glad they aren't on it. Most seem to think it's a good idea."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2007-03-25-pizza-deadbeat_N.htm

While deadbeat parents should be tracked down and forced to pay, there should be complaints, and a fair amount of outrage, at this practice.

Pizza should come in a box with a picture of a pizza on the outside and the words "fresh" or "hot". Maybe the name of the place where you ordered the pizza from too. That's it. Instead, like product advertising messages that have become commonplace on pizza boxes, these "wanted" posters force another unwanted message on a captive audience that was just hoping to enjoy dinner without having to track down accused criminals at the same time.

What's next... suspected drug dealers on the back of cereal boxes?

Update: Foxnews.com now has a picture of the pizza box with the wanted poster attached. Here's the link:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,261051,00.html


Friday, March 23, 2007

Duke Lacrosse

Foxnews.com is reporting tonight that all remaining assault and attempted kidnapping charges are about to be dropped against the Duke lacrosse players originally indicted last year for rape. Inside Lacrosse Magazine writer Paul Caulfield is quoted in the article as follows....

"There is no case here and they will be hearing a dismissal in the coming days."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,260426,00.html

This story has been covered so much and for so long that the details need not be repeated here. Suffice it to say that it is an outrage that it has taken anywhere close to this long for this to happen.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Wasted Vaccine

An Associated Press story on msnbc.com yesterday reported that 10 million doses of last year's flu vaccine are about to be destroyed. According to the article, this happens every year to make way for new vaccine in the fall... despite the fact that there is nothing yet wrong with the old vaccine, there is no guarantee that there will be enough new vaccine produced, and according to CDC flu strain expert Alexander Klimov, there is a good chance that the new vaccine may be very similar to the old vaccine...

Usually only one of the three vaccine strains changes — often, only slightly. Twice in the last decade, the recipe didn’t change at all."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17708169/

Klimov also noted that three times in the last decade, the vaccine strains recommended for the United States in one winter were identical to what was recommended for the Southern hemisphere the following summer. And several recent studies have apparently shown that even poorly matched vaccine from a previous year can still be highly effective.

This practice of destroying unused vaccine is costly, and has driven some vaccine manufacturers out of the business in the past. But the real outrage is how wasteful it is, when there appear to be viable uses for the old vaccine, and very good reasons for holding onto it, at least until the new vaccine is tested and ready.


Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Polar Bear

A story on CNN.com yesterday tells the story of two polar bear cubs at a zoo in Berlin, Germany that were rejected and ignored by their mother. After one of the bears died, the zoo intervened and began feeding and caring for the other. This should be a "feel-good" story, but animal rights activists are apparently outraged, saying that the bear would be better off dead than raised by humans. Activist Frank Albrecht explained his position in this way...

"Feeding by hand is not species-appropriate but a gross violation of animal protection laws. If a polar bear mother rejected the baby, then I believe the zoo must follow the instincts of nature. In the wild, it would have been left to die. The zoo must kill the bear."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/03/19/polar.bear.ap/index.html

Albrecht isn't alone. Other animal rights organizations have agreed with his position, calling the current treatment of the bear "inhumane". Thankfully, zoo officials are ignoring them. We should all do the same. It is an outrage that people and groups that take ridiculous positions such as this continue to call themselves animal rights organizations.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

More Pork

A story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune last week reported that Muslim cashiers at Target stores in the area have refused to scan and bag bacon for customers, saying that because eating pork is against their religious beliefs, selling it to customers amounts to encouraging others to sin. In the article, customer Beryl Dsouza described a recent experience....

"She made me scan the bacon. Then she opened the bag and made me put it in the bag. It made me wonder why this person took a job as a cashier."

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-uspork185134899mar18,0,6742319.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-print

Some Muslim cashiers at the store would apparently call other cashiers over to scan the bacon rather than ask the customer to do so, which of course resulted in delays. Customers like Dsouza were rightfully outraged, as were those who read of the practice in the newspaper article.

Target now says it is reassigning its Muslim cashiers to other jobs in the store. That is preferable to what was happening previously, but the problem is the slippery slope that this creates. What's next.... Catholics won't scan beef jerky on Friday? Vegetarians won't scan meat at all? Vegans won't scan milk and eggs? People who think circus peanuts are gross won't scan those?

The fact that anyone would take a job that he or she can't fully perform due to religious beliefs, then expect the employer to change the nature of the job to accomodate those beliefs is an outrage.

Note: See related blog entry on a similar topic from Friday, March 16th

Monday, March 19, 2007

Merit Scholarships

Hamilton College in upstate New York announced last week that it will no longer offer merit-based scholarships to students. Instead, more need-based assistance will be provided to students from low and middle income families.

A CNN story had this to say about the decision...

"The move won praise from educators who said they hope it will inspire other colleges to follow suit. The decision... comes at a time when colleges have been criticized for using their resources to lure high-achieving students."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/03/15/merit.scholarships.ap/

This decision couldn't be more misguided. Scholarships should go to the best students, period. The fact that any other criteria is used for determining who gets them is an outrage, as is the fact that any college would ever be criticized for usings its resources to lure high-achieving students. This is proof once again that they don't call them "liberal arts" schools for nothing.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Changing Pigs

Organizers of a children's musical at a school in the United Kingdom recently changed the name and theme of a production of the "Three Little Pigs" to the "Three Little Puppies" to avoid offending Muslims. Gill Goodswen, the head teacher of the school, defended the move, saying...

"We have to be sensitive if we want to be multi-cultural. It was felt it would be more responsible not to use the three little pigs. We feared that some Muslim children wouldn't sing along to the words about pigs. "We didn't want to take that risk. If changing a few words avoids offence then we will do so."

Unfortunately the school didn't do its homework. As Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra from the Muslim Council of Britain explained in an article in the Evening Standard, Muslims aren't offended in any way by the mere mention of pigs...

"The vast majority of Muslims have no problem whatsoever with the Three Little Pigs. It's always been the traditional way of telling the story and I don't see why that should be changed. There's an issue about the eating of pork, which is forbidden, but there is no prohibition about reading stories about pigs. This is an unnecessary step."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23389123-details/Church+school+renames+Three+Little+Pigs+to+avoid+offending+Muslims/article.do

Changing a 150 year old story in this way to try to be politically correct is an outrage. Doing so without even bothering to check to see if someone is offended first is just stupid.

Update:

BBC News is reporting this morning that this production has been changed back to "The Three Little Pigs". A council education spokesman by the name of Jim Dodds told the BBC that the decision changing the name had been overturned, saying....

"There is something barmy going on here and it has happened on my watch. I can tell you now that the three little pigs will be back into the school musical festival."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bradford/6456961.stm

According to the Encarta World English Dictionary, "barmy" means:

1. slightly irrational: unconventional or slightly irrational in behavior
2. nonsensical: completely lacking in good sense or reason.

Or, as noted above, outrageous and stupid.




Thursday, March 15, 2007

Marion Barry

A federal judge this week turned down a request by prosecutors to send former Washington, DC Mayor Marion Barry to jail for violating probation in a criminal tax case.

Barry pleaded guilty two years ago to failing to file tax returns from 1999 to 2004. As part of his plea bargain, he agreed to file future federal and local tax returns annually. Prosecutors now say Barry missed deadlines for filing federal and D.C. tax returns in 2005.

Barry had this to say about his troubles...

"Thousands of Americans have tax problems with the IRS, and they're not treated this way. It's a double standard, and the U.S. attorney ought to stop it."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-13-marion-barry_N.htm

Double standard? What double standard, Mr. Barry? The fact that you have to pay taxes every year, and that they're just trying to get you to comply with the terms of the ridiculous plea bargain that simply required you to file your taxes on time, means you're just being asked to adhere to the same standard as the rest of us.

The real outrage here is that this man continues to hold public office (he's still a sitting DC Councilman) and that he can still get away with almost anything in the nation's Capitol.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Cockfighting Ban

Governor Bill Richardson signed a bill Monday outlawing cockfighting in New Mexico. Cockfighting involves having two roosters with knives or blades attached to their legs fight until one of them is dead or very seriously injured. Governor Richardson had this to say about the new law...

"We're banning cockfighting, and I want to make sure that the message goes out everywhere. I don't want to see any illegal cockfighting events happening, and law enforcement will enforce it," he said.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_5421978

This is a good thing. Still there are 3 things to be outraged about:

(1) It took until 2007 for this ban to happen
(2) The first two offenses for violating this law are misdemeanors, not felonies
(3) Cockfighting is still legal in Louisiana

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Stardust Implosion

They blew up the Stardust Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas early this morning to make room for another new mega resort. Boyd Gaming Corp. Chief Financinal Officer Paul Chakmak told why in this tribute story prior to the implosion...

With real estate on the Strip valued at more than $30 million an acre, the Stardust is worth more demolished.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0313biz-stardust0313.html

In a time when retro and old-school are still fashionable in most places, it is a continuing outrage that Las Vegas places absolutely no value on history.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Hockey Suspension

This weekend, the National Hockey League gave Chris Simon of the New York Islanders a 25 game suspension for intentionally hitting New York Ranger Ryan Hollweg across the chin with his stick in a game last week. It is one of the toughest penalties in league history. In a story at SportingNews.com, the victim said the punishment was fair...

"I think what he got was pretty much expected around the league and by everybody else," Hollweg said Sunday. "What's done is done. The league has made its decision and it's time to move forward now. I think it's fair."

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=186322

Most fans seem to agree, and authorities say Simon may actually face criminal charges. Still, the league's punishment doesn't go nearly far enough. This was a brutal attack that could have killed or seriously injured another player. The fact that the NHL lets players who do this kind of thing ever play again is an outrage, as is the fact that fans, and even other players, think that this kind of violence is a tolerable part of the game.

Friday, March 9, 2007

Bronx Fire

A widely reported story yesterday details a horrible fire in a Bronx, NY home. The blaze killed several adults and children among the 22 people living there. The usual culprit, a space heater, appears to have been the cause of the fire. The reason for so many deaths was likely this fact reported by the Boston Globe...

"The home had two smoke alarms, but neither had batteries."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/03/09/woman_8_children_die_in_bronx_fire/

Many comments posted on news sites claim society is responsible for this tragedy and others like it, blaming the poor living conditions under which these people were forced to live.

Such comments ignore the fact that the numerous deaths in fires like this are largely preventable if just one adult in the household would take personal responsibility for the people living there. Blame society for the poor living conditions if you must, but society is not to blame for not putting batteries in people's smoke alarms. No one is too poor to spend a couple dollars on batteries for something as important as this.

The fact that adults continue to endanger the lives of their children by not following simple fire safety precautions is an outrage.

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Travel Ethics

A story on usatoday.com this morning discusses a new ethics rule in the U.S. House of Representatives restricting lobbyist-funded travel for lawmakers. Sounds like a good thing, right?

Unfortunately, the plan exempts trips paid for by colleges and universities. The story notes that such higher-education groups are a powerful lobbying force, and have spent nearly a million dollars on travel for lawmakers since 2000. Here's one example...

Recent travel included an overnight stay by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., in November at a villa in Florence, Italy, owned by New York University. NYU did not pay for Kennedy's air travel, but it provided about $1,500 in car-service fees.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-07-colleges-lawmakers-travel_N.htm

Ethics rules such as this should apply to everyone equally. The fact that they don't is an outrage.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

California Bill

You may have heard about a bill proposed in the California senate to give every child born in the state a $500 savings account for either college expenses, down payment on a house, or to start a retirement account when he or she reaches 18. The bill is a bad idea that the state cannot afford, but the part that is absolutely beyond belief is the provision that awards this payment to every child regardless of the parents' immigration status. Here's how State Senator Darrell Steinberg attempted to justify the proposal....

"This is the essence of equal opportunity. Every child, every person ought to get a head start. There's no question these are significant dollars. But look, we spend so much more on things that don't have nearly as much significant value."

http://www.pe.com/breakingnews/local/stories/PE_News_Local_D_websavings.2892009.html

What exactly is the value in rewarding people for coming to this country illegally to have their children?

There has, in fact, already been a fair amount of outrage about this proposal. There should be much, much more.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

New Orleans Lawsuit

Cnn.com featured a story over the weekend about a $77 billion lawsuit filed by the city of New Orleans against the Army Corps of Engineers. Apparently only $1 billion of the amount sought is for quantifiable infrastructure damages caused by levee breaches. Mayor Ray Nagin gave the following reason for asking for an additional $76 billion...

The city "looked at everything and just kind of piled it on. We got some advice from some attorneys to be aggressive with the number, and we'll see what happens."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/03/katrina.claim.ap/index.html

Even people in New Orleans should be outraged at the mayor and their city for trying to take advantage of a bad situation by asking for such a huge amount of money to which they clearly are not entitled.

Monday, March 5, 2007

Hillary's Thesis

An investigative report on msnbc.com says that, during Bill Clinton's presidency, the Clinton White House asked Wellesley College to prohibit access to Hillary Rodham Clinton's senior honors thesis, even though the college had a policy of making all such documents public. The article states that as a result of a new policy approved by the college's president at the time....

"The senior thesis of every Wellesley alumna is available in the college archives for anyone to read -- except for those written by either a president or first lady of the United States. So far, that action has sealed precisely one document: Hillary Rodham’s senior honors thesis"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17388372/

Apparently, the document has been available again since Bill Clinton left the White House. Still, while a forty year old thesis seems to be of little relevance today, we should all (regardless of political affiliation) be outraged that people in power can get away with this sort of thing.

Friday, March 2, 2007

Senior Bingo

Foxnews.com has a story about a group of elderly ladies who have played bingo for several years at a cafeteria in their local mall. They played for prizes such as tea towel sets, costume jewelry or candles. The local police chief shut the games down this week for violating state gambling laws, and offered this justification...

"Yeah, this is nickel-and-dime stuff, but no matter how small it is, I had to do something. I can't give someone permission to break the law."

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Feb28/0,4670,BingoBust,00.html

The chief said he expects to receive complaints about the move. Let's hope there's some outrage too that the chief can't find something better to do with his time.

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Original Wendy's

Several sources have had the story this week that Wendy's will close its original restaurant location in Columbus, Ohio tomorrow due to sagging sales. Company spokesman Denny Lynch had this to say...

"This is a very difficult decision, but the truth is we kept it open for sentimental reasons much longer than we should have."

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=2900441

Isn't Wendy's doing well enough that they could keep this one location open for sentimental reasons even though it doesn't make money? There should be some outrage that a piece of history is lost to the corporate bottom line.

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Idol Photos

An msnbc.com story concerning the racy pictures that are allegedly of American Idol Contestant Antonella Barba contains the following quote from someone in her hometown...

“It’s the way this town is: Everybody knows everything about their friends,” said Mark Dillon, 17. “At least half the people in this town have pictures of their friends on the toilet. I’ve personally seen at least 20. It’s only because she’s on TV that they’re online.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17351591/

Really? At least half the people in this town have pictures of their friends on the toilet? If it is true, shouldn't there be some outrage, or at the very least, shock, over that fact?

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Nascar Cautions

A column on espn.com, recapping this past weekend's NASCAR race, featured this quote from driver Jimmie Johnson discussing whether NASCAR should have thrown a caution flag for "debris on the track" late in the race...

"If anyone has seen the debris, I would like to know where it was," Johnson said laughing after the race. "I didn't see any debris, but I think we all knew [the caution] was coming."

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/columns/story?seriesId=2&columnist=blount_terry&id=2779765

NASCAR has frequently been accused of altering the outcome of races with such caution flags, but when the reigning series champion essentially accuses them of doing it so often that drivers have come to expect it, that should be worthy of some outrage, or least a little investigative reporting.