What is Tom Cruise doing trying to tell Brooke Shields how she should cope with postpartum depression? Is he so in love that he’s lost touch with reality?
The closest thing I have experienced to postpartum depression came after watching his painfully labored performance in Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut,” one of the worst movies ever made (and, worse yet, by one of my all-time favorite directors!).
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Former Wichita Mayor Bob Knight, Park City Mayor Dee Stuart and Foxwoods Development official Gary Armentrout have scheduled a press conference this morning in Wichita. They will propose combining the best of the state’s gaming proposals.
Opinion surveys show that area residents support expanded gaming and think it’s the best way to pay for increased school funding. But without the backing of members of the Wichita City Council, Sedgwick County Commission and our legislative delegation — who don’t seem to care what the public wants or how many jobs a destination casino could create — the Park City project’s odds remain slim.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Huck Finn might be in handcuffs if he tried to float a raft down the Arkansas River these days. And Mark Twain would presumably have to write an epic novel about the importance of water safety.
Three teenagers were arrested Friday and two adults Saturday after they attempted to float down the rain-swollen river. One of the adults ended up needing emergency rescue help.
Wichita police arrested and handcuffed all of them for the crime of reckless navigation and swimming in a prohibited area.
It’s pretty clear that what they did was dumb — are people watching too much “Jackass”-like stunts on TV? — and maybe they deserve a citation and fine, because public resources were needed to bail them out.
But should we arrest and handcuff people for such public stupidity? If so, there would be a lot of people in jail.
What are the acceptable limits of public risk-taking? Reader Mark Schooley e-mails that Wichita is woefully backward in punishing people for taking adventuresome risks. People living out west, he points out, routinely get into trouble dealing with ocean surf or whitewater rapids, but they aren’t handcuffed and arrested.
He speculates further: “Actually, if somebody contracted bacterial disease during the River Festival float, would they be arrested for reckless navigation, since it is well known that the river contains fecal bacteria that can make one sick?”
What do you think? Click below and weigh in.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
If a Kansas City, Kan., abortion clinic was a fraction as unsanitary as reports claimed, it’s good that the State Board of Healing Arts voted Saturday to revoke the medical license of Krishna Rajanna.
It’s also good that the Kansas Supreme Court announced last week it will hear arguments in September on Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline’s attempt to access medical records at abortion clinics. The court needs to determine whether there is a legitimate law enforcement reason to release this private information or if, as it appears, Kline is on a fishing expedition.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Schools have enough problems getting kids to eat their lunches. Now the government is studying whether chicken nuggets — one of the few menu items nearly every kid enjoys — are vulnerable to tampering by terrorists. Of course, nutritionists will argue that nuggets are already a weapon of mass destruction.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Bush administration strategy in Iraq centers on training Iraqi troops to eventually take over against the insurgency and allow a U.S. pullout.
But when will that be?
By many recent accounts, including this one in The Washington Post, not for a long time. There’s a language barrier between U.S. soldiers and Iraqi troops, according to the article, and our troops by and large don’t respect the Iraqis, who feel caught in an impossible situation. Said one Iraqi private: “The way the situation is, we wouldn’t be ready to take responsibility for a thousand years.”
The president continues to claim progress in Iraq. But dismal polling for Bush on Iraq shows that a majority of Americans are troubled by what they see and are becoming impatient.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Wichitans’ flag etiquette has frayed a bit since the post-Sept. 11 period. This is a good day to start showing the Stars and Stripes more respect: It’s Flag Day, a holiday rooted in a Continental Congress resolution passed in 1777. Some basic flag rules: Don’t let it touch the ground. Fly it at night only with illumination. Take it down in lousy weather. Retire it when it’s worn out, turning the flag over to the Boy Scouts or another group that will properly dispose of it. For more help, consult the American Legion’s Web site.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
After four months of a trial, seven days of jury deliberation and too many late-night jokes to count, the main reaction to Monday’s verdict in the Michael Jackson trial was relief — and that was for the American people. Imagine what Jackson must feel. Would that cable TV would find some news to cover now, instead of returning to the missing-ingenue-du-jour.
Jackson’s acquittal on all counts gave the King of Pop the freedom to return to his Neverland Ranch. Here’s hoping, though, that the singer won’t be able to return to the Neverland of his previous existence, in which he thought he could invite children to share his bed — and inexplicably found parents willing to allow it.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Officials with DMJM Aviation, the national company that the city of Wichita is hiring to oversee the development of its new airport terminal, met with Eagle editorial board members last week. President John O’Connor called the new terminal “a wonderful project” that speaks glowingly about the city’s foresight in planning for the future.
Sure, he says that because DMJM is getting a $4.5 million contract. But it’s also true; this is a great project.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
