Drive-Bys

I actually agree with Janeane Garafolo on something. Hell just froze over.

Seriously.

I may never be the same again.

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Go read Wayne Allen Root. It's true, you know.

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There's a low tech way to accomplish this:

Todd Atwood says he doesn't worry too much about accidents when walking down the street using his iPhone to make calls, send text messages or check his e-mail.

But he's seen the consequences of paying more attention to the gadget than what's ahead.

"I saw someone walk right into a sign," recalled the 32-year-old Silicon Valley resident. "She didn't hurt herself but she was startled. She dropped her phone, then her friends starting laughing at her. It was funny but I guess it could've been more serious."

While using a cell phone while driving has triggered the most alarm bells and prompted laws in several states, experts say, pedestrians are also suffering the consequences of mobile distraction -- tripping on curbs, walking into traffic, even stepping into manholes as they chat or type while walking.

It's called putting the damned device down and paying attention. Novel, huh?

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This Terry Savage column on two little girls giving away "free" lemonade at their stand got a lot of airplay here in Chicago earlier today:

The three young girls -- under the watchful eye of a nanny, sitting on the grass with them -- explained that they had regular lemonade, raspberry lemonade, and small chocolate candy bars.

Then my brother asked how much each item cost.

"Oh, no," they replied in unison, "they're all free!"

I sat in the back seat in shock. Free? My brother questioned them again: "But you have to charge something? What should I pay for a lemonade? I'm really thirsty!"

His fiancee smiled and commented, "Isn't that cute. They have the spirit of giving."

That really set me off, as my regular readers can imagine.

"No!" I exclaimed from the back seat. "That's not the spirit of giving. You can only really give when you give something you own. They're giving away their parents' things -- the lemonade, cups, candy. It's not theirs to give."

I pushed the button to roll down the window and stuck my head out to set them straight.

"You must charge something for the lemonade," I explained. "That's the whole point of a lemonade stand. You figure out your costs -- how much the lemonade costs, and the cups -- and then you charge a little more than what it costs you, so you can make money. Then you can buy more stuff, and make more lemonade, and sell it and make more money."

I was confident I had explained it clearly. Until my brother, breaking the tension, ordered a raspberry lemonade. As they handed it to him, he again asked: "So how much is it?"

And the girls once again replied: "It's free!" And the nanny looked on contentedly.

No wonder America is getting it all wrong when it comes to government, and taxes, and policy. We all act as if the "lemonade" or benefits we're "giving away" is free.

What I found fascinating was how many callers to the John Williams Show suggested that if the girls charged for the lemonade, it would be good to donate their "profits" to charity so they would learn a valuable lesson.

I could visualize Terry banging her head repeatedly against a brick wall.

There was still no comprehension that the ingredients weren't free and had a value. That someone had to pay for those ingredients in order for their to be lemonade in the first place. That until those costs were repaid, it cost somebody.

Between that story and this one about the effects of taking competition out of schools, and you have to wonder what's in store for the coming generation's value systems.

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Giggle of the Day:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

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One More Thing:

They made me laugh. (And my gorgeous daughter makes bacon waffles when I go to visit. Yum!)