Oink, oink—ORLANDO, Florida—“The Judicial Qualifications Commission accused Judge Alan Todd of chastising a deputy sheriff who had a child out of wedlock, saying she was ‘a disgrace to society,’ ‘had no morals’ and her child was ‘a bastard.’ Todd told the deputy ‘it is acceptable for a male to have sex before marriage, but if a female does so, she is not respected and considered a tramp.’”—USA Today.

Education and morality—At the University of Texas, Brownsville, a low-income area, students have been taking high-cost textbooks across the border to Mexico where a $100 book can be copied for as little as $13, and the book then returned. School officials warned this was illegal and federal action could be taken.

Where your money goes—Big-time drug dealers have a long-standing argument to justify their outrageous rip-off prices for their products. That is the claim that they spend a bundle for research to develop new medicines. Last year, drug companies spent $3.9 billion—22 percent of income—advertising name-brand and over-the-counter products.

That’s capitalism—SANIBEL ISLAND, Florida—“Lee County commissioners voted to raise tolls on the Sanibel Island bridge from $3 to $6. Discount tolls for residents and commuting workers will be raised from 50 cents to $3. The tolls are expected to reduce traffic on the deteriorating 40-year-old bridge.”—News item.

Plain talk—“WASHINGTON—The military’s system for compensating soldiers who become sick, injured or wounded can be as unforgiving as the battlefield: Fewer than one in 10 applicants receive the disability payments applied for.”—Associated Press.

And that’s just the surplus—ANNISTON, Alabama—“The Army’s chemical weapons incinerator at Anniston marked its first year of operation… Managers say it has destroyed more than 34,000 rockets and 343,000 pounds of sarin nerve agent. More than 4 million pounds of sarin, VX and blister agent remain to be burned.”—News item.

New recipe?—With poultry processed by the trillions, flavor has pretty well vanished. A few select chickens are available in posh stores, like in Los Angeles, for a mere $6 a pound. Now its reported that Banquet frozen chicken breasts have had a major recall because they contained pieces of metal. Maybe the metal was added to lend some snap to the rubbery quality?  
 
 
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