Cyber bullies prey on girl

The above referenced story is an example of undisciplined democracy in action.

Would You Let Your Kid Bunk With Jacko?

Most of the media attention focused on Michael Jackson is tawdry and boring, yet, there is an interesting article on FOXNews.com that looks at the story of his alleged molestation of a young boy from an angle which I have yet to see pursued by other media mavens: the possible culpability of the parents of the boy who was allegedly molested.

I can't believe they gave a wrong address!

Massachusetts has lost track of where one-third of their registered sex offenders live or work.

I went to the coin-operated laundry this afternoon. One of my pet peeves is the lack of consideration someone shows when they leave their laundry in a washer or a drier after the cycle has finished when someone is waiting to use that machine.

Well, both of the four dollar washers were in use when I got there. One of the machines finished, and no one took the clothes out. I waited for ten minutes. Still no one looked to see if the cycle had ended, so I removed the clothes and put them in one of the wheeled laundry baskets which the management provides.

My clothes were halfway through washing when a woman came looking for her clothes. I mentioned that I had removed her clothes. She was not a happy camper. Instead of apologizing for leaving her clothes in the washer after they had finished washing, she told me that I should have asked around to see if the clothes belonged to anyone in the laundry! I told her that I wasn't about to poll those in attendance and that I had only removed the clothes ten minutes after they had finished washing and when no one had shown any interest in them.

I should mention that in the laundry there is a sign stating that clothes may be removed from machines when patrons are waiting to use them. Harrumph!

Way to go, Reuters!

The United Methodist Church signed a contract through an agency to run a series of ads during the Thanksgiving season on the giant Times Square video billboard belonging to the Reuters news service. Reuters quickly nixed the deal, citing its long-standing policy against accepting religious or political advertising, but, when faced with withering criticism from religious liberty and free-speech groups, Reuters flip-flopped and will now permit the ads.

A statement by the National Council of Churches read, in part, "To imply that religious and political speech might be in the same class with messages that are ‘pornographic… libelous, misleading or deceptive in nature,’ as Reuters did in explaining its refusal to carry the United Methodist ad, is a frightening use of the power of media ownership."

Now, Reuters said that perhaps the company should accept any ads, as long as they aren’t confused with Reuters’ news coverage. If that happens, and if Reuters accepts messages that are pornographic, then, I predict, legitimate advertisers like the United Methodist Church will pull their ads, and Reuters will be left with nothing but ads that are "pornographic… libelous, misleading or deceptive in nature."

An Increase in the Number of Beggers?

This is getting ridiculous! I was panhandled out in the front yard, this morning! I went out to the car to put Mother's library books in the trunk, and a man came across the street from the store with a "sob story" about his car breaking down. He asked me for a ride. I told him that I couldn't give him a ride, because my eighty-two year old Mother lived with me, and I couldn't leave her. So he asked for some gas money, five dollars worth, to be exact. I didn't have a five, so I gave him two one-dollar bills, after getting him to agree not to replay me.

That's not too bad, but it comes on the heels of the man that panhandled me yesterday. It was at the Burger King restaurant on High Street. When he asked for help, I suggested that I buy him something to eat. Instead of saying, "Thank you," he wanted to know what I was going to buy him. I asked him what he needed. He replied that he was hungry enough to eat three sausage biscuits. I told him that was two too many and walked into the store. I bought my breakfast and got another to go. When I finished eating and went outside, the guy was nowhere to be seen. I took the breakfast back to the office and gave it to the company secretary, who was glad to get it!

The day before that, which was Thursday, I was panhandled in the parking lot of the Shell convenience store on High Street. I could go on. My point is that there seem to be more people asking for a handout than there used to be. If that is the case, I wonder why?