Today’s Dumb Search Request.

Today’s Dumb Search Request.

Greg Greene has more good stuff on Alexander Cockb…

Greg Greene has more good stuff on Alexander Cockburn and “David Hilliard”.

Villagers beat five women to death for being ‘witc…

Villagers beat five women to death for being ‘witches’ – The Times of India

Apparently, India didn’t want the Muslim world to have all the fun of being medieval. A mob beat five women, aged 45-55, to death, while another mob stood around and cheered. What more is there to say?

BTW, the story is datelined “Kolkata” (not where the beating took place, but I’d guess the nearest major city) but the body refers to “Calcutta”.

Sea creature spooks swimmers A group of friends…

Sea creature spooks swimmers

A group of friends was surprised by an unidentified “creature” while swimming off the Rhode Island coast. You want my guess, alcohol was probably involved, but that’s just a guess. And that if there is a creature, it’s nothing like 15 feet long.

Health officials call for cooperation in battle ag…

Health officials call for cooperation in battle against wasting disease

“Deer AIDS” update… Authorities are calling on agencies to stop trying to assing blame for the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease, to cease turf wars and start cooperating. No doubt, bureaucrats will soon start accusing each other of not being team players.

Song case first in department to use psychic Ok…

Song case first in department to use psychic

Okay, a Penn State student disappeared ten months ago. They’ve been used by using a psychic since May. And guess what? They haven’t found the body. Think it’s safe to say that the psychic isn’t helping? What, if they find the body tomorrow, will they say, “Thank God for the psychic! If not for her, we might have taken eleven months!”

Stadium Lifts Seating Ban for Bruce A note for…

Stadium Lifts Seating Ban for Bruce

A note for the kids… Cincinnati has long had a ban on general admission or “festival” seating. There’s a good reason for it; in 1979, eleven people were trampled to death at a Who concert there, trying to get in to get the best seats.

Bruce Springsteen has asked the city to allow GA seating for his concert Nov. 12, and they have agreed. And they’re thinking about making it permanent. I’d guess that the Boss’ fans generally are a well behaved bunch. But what happens if they lift the policy for one of those rap-metal groups the kids listen to? Or whatever the kids are listening to. I haven’t liked any popular music since 1991.

Poll finds voucher enthusiasm fades over chance th…

Poll finds voucher enthusiasm fades over chance that public schools may lose money

WASHINGTON (AP) – Americans tend to favor the idea of school vouchers that help send low income children to private or parochial schools, says an Associated Press poll, at least until they hear that could decrease the money available for public schools.

Then support dwindles rapidly.

Jeez, what do you expect, people? If you want vouchers, the money has to come from somewhere. Either you have to increase revenue (meaning higher taxes) or you cut something else. And that something else would have to be the public schools. This is why, even though I’m generally in favor of experimentation in education, I’m anti-voucher. It seems to me that they will inevitably hurt many to help a few — almost certainly a white, middle-class few, and I say this as a white middle-class product of parochial schools.

Taiwan scraps military drills after war threats …

Taiwan scraps military drills after war threats

Because, God knows if there’s a war you won’t want your army to be prepared for it.

China lays claim to its own Nessie Rumours that…

China lays claim to its own Nessie

Rumours that the 373-metre deep lake harbours some sort of monster have been circulating for more than a century, the paper said.

However, scientists dismiss the reports, saying volcanic eruptions happening as recently as 300 years ago would make life extremely hazardous for any animal making the lake its home.

Heck, if not existing doesn’t keep people from believing in you, you expect volcanic eruptions to stand in the way? By the way, the story also claims that there’s a 33-foot long salmon living in a lake in Xinjiang. Maybe we could import it to take care of the snakeheads.