Bits and Pieces in the News

Teamsters trying to supplant Fred Phelps in disgusting behavior, though their effort is for gold rather than faith.

States rotating the homeless problem.  "No, it's your turn."  "Is not!"  When I worked in Eureka, CA the city had just finished a suit against San Francisco for busing the homeless up there.  At the time SF didn't care if they had a place to go once they got there, it was just an effort to clear out SF.  And what a surprise, one of the methods of convincing the homeless to take the ticket was by telling them that welfare benefits were better in Humboldt County.  I took that assignment mainly for the hiking, but was uncomfortable on hikes because there were so many homeless camping among the redwoods.

Dog eats Man!  This happened to one of my patients when I was a Medic, though it was a couple of toes, not a testicle.  Interesting patient, I'll have to tell his story sometime.

Europe is much too weak to play a civilizing or moral role in world politics. Nice speeches and well-intentioned admonitions carry little weight when made from a position of weakness.

Though Europeans are pissed at the NSA, too.

Politics in former communist countries.  Maybe we'll be there someday, too.

Improving resuscitation.

And, finally, this is a real sportsman.