A final meditation on Black Friday

Happy Black Friday

And thanks, Cynical, for the photo.

Oregon governor halts executions

Gov. John Kitzhaber has stopped executions in his state. In a prepared statement, the Democrat said his state had a “long and turbulent history with capital punishment.” Gov. Kitzhaber, who has presided over two executions as governor, said: I do not believe that those executions made us safer; and certainly they did not make us …

Mr. and Ms. Smith go to court

Eleven of the 12 protesters who were arrested at Hartford’s action that blocked the Broad St. I-84 on-ramp on Thursday went to Hartford Community Court this morning. The protesters (the 12th could not be in court today and will appear later) were charged with disorderly conduct in violation of Section 53a-182 of Connecticut law. Before they …

We may live until we’re 90…

…but will that necessarily be a good thing? DickG. send this, a news story about the increased possibility of the average American living to 90 and beyond, and what that means for the use of resources. It’s a good time to ponder this, as the Super Committee’s Nov. 23rd deadline approaches. What will they cut? …

New York police evict Occupy Wall Street

While you were sleeping, New York police cleared out Occupy Wall Street protesters who’d been encamped at Zucotti Park since September 17. Roughy 70 people were arrested. They were evicted, say police, because of concerns for health and fire safety. A Twitter message from Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office said the protesters could return after the …

Are you smarter than the average bear?

Or a fifth-grader? Pew Research Center has a new news quiz out. See how you do, and then go here to see how test-takers fared on the last quiz.