Why? Cops are making more arrests and judges are handing out more and longer sentences. The data compiled for the feds is not limited to women prisoners. Nearly 10 percent of the country’s Black men aged 25 to 29 are in prison.

The gruesome society—“Coeur d’Alene, Idaho—Workers at Bluebird Recycling found the crushed body of a homeless man between layers of compacted cardboard. Authorities said the man may have climbed into a recycling bin to keep warm. The men’s emergency area was filled.”—News item.

Greed, speed, and recall—General Motors is recalling 1.23 million vehicles, bringing the year’s total to 24.8 million, a record-buster. GM said the recalls may be rising because automakers are speeding the line to fix more quickly the defects caused by installation of more complex equipment. No mention of the assembly line workers battered by relentless line speed.

Yo skinny, low plane fare—Airline moguls are wailing about the slew of passengers with swelling girth lines. What with rip-off fuel prices, they wail that the asserted increase of portly passengers, boosts costs.

P.S.—Some time back air lines tried to limit the size of carry-on bags by checking dubious ones if they fit into special-size boxes at the check-in counters. Perhaps they are considering reviving the practice with passenger scales?

Not peculiar to USA?—Without much thought, we tended to assume “zero tolerance” was a nutty practice of U.S. school boards. Not so. In Liverpool, England, zero tolerance on littering is now a force in the municipal anti-littering ordinance. Gary Colbert was one of 42 recently brought into court. He pleaded guilty to dropping a match on the ground. He was stunned by a fine and court cost near $200.

A steal—Generally, most folks in New York’s Manhattan live in the streets’ aged tenements and, sometimes, apartments. One-family houses are hardly noticed. Currently, one such home, possibly still available, was featured in the Wall Street Journal. It includes four bedrooms and five baths, an outdoor garden, etc. But, dig this: Also included, a two-car garage. Asking price, $5.25 million. That may sound pricey, but with mind-boggling Manhattan parking fees and the brisk sale of parking-slot condos, a two-car-garage included should easily fetch more than the house.

Militant sub, anyone?—“The idea that candidates are packaged like a brand of cheese or beer may be distasteful to some, but political marketers are counted among a candidate’s political advisers.”—A staff pundit for the Chicago Tribune offers an analysis of the recent elections.  
 
 
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