Just loading and reloading this page  can keep me entertained for a long time. And if I ever start clicking through on these things, God help my budget!

Jimmy Carter, from the introduction to his new book:

With the most diverse and innovative population on earth, we have learned the value of providing our citizens with accurate information, treating dissenting voices and beliefs with respect, and accommodating free and open debate on controversial issues. Most of our political leaders have extolled state and local autonomy, attempted to control deficit spending, avoided foreign adventurism, minimized long-term peacekeeping commitments, preserved the separation of church and state, and protected civil liberties and personal privacy.

All of these historic commitments are now being challenged.

Whatever you say, Jummuh.

From Yahoo! News :

 

Michael Fisk is a street fighting man. And the street he's fighting is named Dicks.

 

Fisk, who lives on Dicks Street in the Los Angeles suburb of West Hollywood, has gone to city hall to get the road's name changed -- saying that its slang meaning has made life difficult for homeowners.

 

And from The Daily Probe , a one-time humor magazine to which I used to contribute:

Housing Miracle in Idol Hometown

SNELLVILLE, Ga. (DPI) - Besides being the home of American Idol runner-up Diana DeGarmo, this small Southern town where "Everybody Is Somebody" also contains that rarest of housing anomalies -- an all- white enclave with reasonably priced homes, yet none of the restrictive measures taken in the name of protecting property values that activists contend actually are designed to keep a subdivision lily-white. Ofay Acres simply does not attract people of color -- a mystery that baffles its homeowners association. There are no Hispanic home owners on Maricon Mile or Puta Place, and Brillo Blvd is mysteriously devoid of all but the whitest families. Wetback Way sways nightly to the sounds of Perry Como and Celine Dion. "We would love to have somebody besides us white folks around, really," said tennis club manager Glen Notheis. "Heck, even a few Jews might liven things up around here. There was a family of 'em looking at houses for sale on Snipcock Street, but they didn't make a purchase. It's a complete and utter mystery."

(Reported by Brian Jones)

 

Score one for Bovious!

I'm the man!

 

A vent based on a submission of mine made it into today's paper.

 

I submitted:

 

 Idea! Name Atlanta's transit system after Rosa Parks. Besides paying tribute, "PARKA" would have the added advantage of describing the trains 3 days of the week.

They ran:

 

Here's an idea: Name Altanta's transit system after Rosa Parks. Besides paying tribute, "PARKA" would have the added advantage of describing the trains on weekends.

 

Needless to say, mine is funnier. For one thing, "Idea!" is funnier than, "Hear's an idea:". For another, mine was intended to convey that MARTA doesn't work nearly half the time. AJC makes it out that it's a weekend thing. I'm guessing not many of the people who report for the AJC ride MARTA.