LOCAL and NATIONAL NEWS Back To School, Back To School...
Well, it looks like the kiddies are back at the school thing. As I was walking past the Moody Bible Institute Sunday, I couldn't help but notice all the activity on the campus that had been dormant all summer. And, from what I hear, Albion is back at the ol' grind. The new class this year, the class of 2009, will graduate the same summer as my 10 year high school reunion. That's a scary thought, huh? How about this (which I brought up last night while we were messing around at tech rehearsal)... the freshman in high school, this year, were probably born in 1990. In eight years, there won't be a single college student who remembers the 80s. While they're better off without that music (gag), they will have never known the joy of Saved by the Bell, or MacGyver... or life *gasp* BEFORE CELL PHONES! *screams!* Here's me, wishing those who still have classes (heehee... so young) have an amazing year! Best of luck.
NATIONAL NEWS Wal-Mart: Always Bastards. Always
This is a fun story from Oregon. I'm using "fun" loosely. It seems a retired couple in Oregon forgot to pay for the $10 worth of 10 bags of steer manure during a recent trip to Wal-Mart. After explaining the hilarious mix-up to the city's attorney, the charges of shoplifting were dropped. The story ends there, right? Not exactly. Apparently a law in Oregon allows a retailer to "pursue civil penalties regardless of whether a person is found guilty or innocent of theft" the article says. And that's just what Wal-Mart did, demanding $175 in civil DAMAGES for the $10 worth of MANURE. Since the court costs would be several thousand dollars to challenge the civil action, the couple decided to just pay the $175. In a classy move (notice the sarcasm), Wal-Mart has decided to refund the money... a spokesman saying "It simply seems like the right thing to do." Um, I'm sorry, but to me the right thing to do would be to not charge $175 to someone who was not found guilty of anything. Call me old fashioned.
LOCAL NEWS Who Are These People?
Here's a story about how people in Chicago are paying $7 for tours of Chicago-land landfills. It actually sounds like a cool tour: a three-hour bus tour of over a dozen sites which include landfills, a recycling center, and a waste water treatment plant. Not sold? Haven't you ever wondered what happens to the stuff you throw away? Have you wondered $7 worth? No? Okay, I don't know how else to sell this tour to you then. You're so choosy. Let me guess, your mom chose Jif?