Growing Problems Blog

Sign of the Times: Taliban on Twitter

2011-05-14T05:41:00.000-07:00

You know how it goes - the boss gets all hyped up about the latest technology trend from 2009, sloshes back into the office from a two-mojito lunch to tell you to drop everything and jump on the bandwagon.

This is probably how the Taliban ended up on Twitter.

The Taliban joins Twitter, starts tweeting in English
Digitaltrends.com
Call it a sign of the times: Afghan militant group the Taliban, one of America's top enemies, has its own Twitter feed, and has begun to post messages in English. With the recent revolutions that swept across the Middle East, Twitter has secured a firm ...

Growing Problem: Watertown Graffiti & Vandalism

2010-09-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

Not only are graffiti and vandalism a growing problem in Watertown - ominously, they could be a sign of something worse.

Police say Watertown vandalism could be signs of something worse
KSFY
Graffiti has become a growing problem in Watertown. "We've had recurring, a series of graffiti and vandalism over the last several months," Watertown police

Growing Problem: Trees by Airport

2010-09-21T21:00:00.001-07:00

Half the world is going green, the other half is pondering tree assassination.

Who's right? You decide.

Trees by airport could be gone as Port of Port Angeles suggests master plan ...
Peninsula Daily
Since the trees continue to be a growing problem, the council also will consider a request from the port to remove between 39 and 45 trees from the park.

Growing Problem: Texting Lifeguards

2010-09-21T20:58:00.001-07:00

Texting - is there anything it can't screw up?

Texting Lifeguards Endanger Lives
CalorieLab Calorie Counter News
Even lifeguards can't seem to resist the urge to text while on duty, a growing problem that endangers lives. Bernard J. Fisher II, the director of health

Growing Problem: Huffing in Treasure Valley

2010-09-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

When I was kid, "Huffing in Treasure Valley" was a beloved Hardy Boys book. Today, it's seedy drug slang.

Where did we go wrong, America?

Huffing Growing In Treasure Valley

Huffing looks to be a growing problem in the Treasure Valley. Today's 6 talked to several teens swimming at in the Boise River in Star about the problem.

Growing Problem: Too Many Kangaroos

2010-09-21T07:02:00.000-07:00

Australians should be a little more grateful - most places have the opposite problem.

Authorities say its hooroo to too many roos
Mordialloc Chelsea Leader
And Melbourne Water will launch a new sterilisation program early next year in a bid to curb the growing problem. A recent survey found 31 eastern grey ...

Growing Problem: Literacy (lack of)

2010-09-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have figured out why some people remain illiterate - it's to avoid the pain of reading the name of a pro-literacy group called "Between the Lions."

Read it again - hurt very much it does.

TV.com

Between The Lions 10th Anniversary Season Hits Sept. 20th
TV.com
"Ten years ago, Between the Lions was brought to life by producers armed with the goal of addressing the growing problems with reading literacy," said ...

Growing Problem: Distracted Drivers, 2010-style

2010-09-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

A lot of people are angered or annoyed by distracted drivers and their god-awful driving habits. Instead of just operating their vehicles safely, concentrating on the "rules of the highway," and being on the lookout for the fuzz, people do all kinds of wacky things instead.

In the past few weeks, I've seen a lot of strange activities go on in other cars around me while I drive. I am going to make a list of some of those things, but I have to say right up front that observing these activities was not a distraction to me, not in the least. I only observed these infractions as I scanned carefully back and forth, looking for incoming threats to my vehicle, or checking around for interesting free objects that may have dropped into the roadway. To be truthful, at times I may have also been trying to find a decent tune on the radio in order to aid my concentration, but this just shows how aware I was of my environment as I drove - the song has to be just right if I am going to remain on top of my game.

I also have to add that while I was watching out for dangerous "drivers" and noticing their terrible driving, and thinking about their ungraciousness, and perhaps yelling a bit at them inside my car, and also sometimes checking them out as I drove past "to see what kind of person drives like that," my own concentration was not compromised, nor would I allow it to be ever, because I am a good driver.

So, now that that's out of the way, a few things I have seen (some I made up for illustration purposes):

Distracted Driving List 2010, as Seen on this Nation's Highways & Byways

A woman eating a Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco while merging onto the highway (speed limit 65, but most people drive at least 70)
A man (I think) adjusting the default margins in Pages for the iPad while also performing a "rolling stop"
A very short individual, who could barely see anyway, reading a Bible (or Thesaurus?) and writing comments in the margin with a green permanent marker
A different woman eating a snack-size Oreo McFlurry while parallel parking on a pretty busy street

Until activities like these stop, none of us are safe. If I see any other distracted driving, I'll post the activities of the perps here. Or, feel free to leave your favorites in the comments!

Distracted Driving Accounted for Nearly 5500 Roadway Deaths in ...‎ -6 hours ago

For the second year in a row, national statistics show that distracted driving had led to 5474 deaths and 448000 on US roads in 2009. ...

Growing Problem: China's Water Quality

2010-09-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

This one shocked me - didn't know it could get worse, but it has.

Go Team China!

Green Doesn't Apply Here: China's Growing Problems with Water Quality
Green Building Pro
China is trying to lead the way as the world's greenest country, and while it may manufacture the most or near the most solar panels of any other country, ...

Growing Problem: Dog Waste Bags in Trees, etc.

2010-09-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

I suppose that when people do the right thing, you should be happy, right? Their dog takes care of business, and they pick up the refuse in a plastic bag, just like a good citizen should. We applaud, at least internally. Well, more accurately, we just give them a passing grade, because they have finally reached our expectations, which - let's be honest - are pretty much at the bottom of the barrel. So, score one for the home team, they picked up some poop in a bag. Yay!

But then, what do they do? Just fling the bag into a tree.

Groan!

Manchester Toddler Fronts Campaign
Key 103 Manchester
In recent years, there has been a growing problem of dog waste bags found hanging on trees, on railings or stuffed in hedges. It would appear that some dog ...

Growing Problem: Parking at Missouri Western State University

2010-09-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

In the past, most Growing Problems seemed to occur in Wisconsin. Don't ask me why - I'm not providing analysis here, just straight facts. Well, lil ol' Missouri has caught the Growing Problems bug in a big way, as evidenced by the m&%#d up parking situation at Missouri Western State University. Get a handle on it, Missouri - your days of flying under the radar are over!

I'm watching you...

Growing problem requires attention
Griffon News
School has only been in session for approximately two weeks and Missouri Western has already made $8285 in parking violations. We have to show up for class ...

Growing Problem: Piracy in Pro Wrestling

2010-09-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that more pirates would greatly enhance pro wrestling.

Bleacher Report

Piracy In Pro Wrestling, A Growing Problem That Needs to End Now!
Bleacher Report
In the world of entertainment Piracy has always been an issue that music artists and film makers have had to deal with for some time now. ...

Growing Problem: Superbugs at the Beach

2009-02-14T07:19:00.001-08:00

MRSA is a superbug. Imagine the stress- the hard work of being infectious, all the mutating to look after, never knowing when you'll find your next host. Suddenly some punk lab tech gets a gleam in his eye and tries to take you down with all the resources of his fat GlaxoSmithKline bankroll.

It takes a toll on a superbug, and now MRSA is headed to the beach for some umbrella drinks and sand-borne disease vector action. Oops!

Infectious Superbug Invades Beaches
LiveScience.com, NY - 7 hours ago
It has become a deadly and growing problem in hospitals in recent years. "MRSA is in the water and potentially in the sand," Plano told a group of reporters ...

Worrisome Trend: Overweight Hockey Fans in Quebec

2009-02-14T07:04:00.000-08:00

Editor's note: This blog is now tracking Worrisome Trends. It's important...

Another day, another hockey problem to report. Too many hockey fans in Quebec eat too much junk food at the rink, and that is making them fat. According to many Québécois, the pommes frites must be controlled!

I am holding back here, knowing the the heady mix of Canada, hockey, obesity, junk food and nannystatism on display is going to egg me on to make some uncalled-for cracks. There is enough blame to go around, I guess.

Let's just say this: I am beginning to think hockey is a bad influence on Western Civilization.

Arena junk food offside
Times Colonist, Canada - Feb 6, 2009
The plan to clean up the grease at arena canteens is well-intentioned, but unlikely to dramatically change a worrisome trend. Studies show the area has the ...

Growing Problem: Abandoned Chihuahuas

2009-02-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

Paris Hilton's crimes are many, and they have been enumerated and dissected many times in the pages of our finest celebrinewsweeklies and online gossip rags. Most of us know more about the failings of Ms. Hilton than we do about our own.

Well, Paris' tawdry parade of thin talents and seedy morals might be coming to an end. She has finally gone one dirty deed too far: She is causing people to abandon their chihuahuas. That is low!

Paris Hilton blamed for causing epidemic
Oneindia, India - 2 hours ago
But because some people think they are then realise they're wrong there's a growing problem of abandoned Chihuahuas," the Daily Star quoted Chihuahua Club ...

Ominous Trend: Economy Down, Bear Poaching Up

2009-02-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

New feature! This blog will now track "ominous trends"- so you don't have to.

Being up on emerging Ominous Trends puts you at the cutting edge of all the newest, hippest Growing Problems. Ominous Trends are the tidbits you store away for the next time some fool says "How bad can things get?" or "Everything will work out fine". Whip out one of these factoids and snap Mr./Ms. Optimism back into reality land.

In reality land, bears are meeting an untimely demise. Thanks economy.

Economy Drives Illegal Poaching Trend
KIMA CBS 29, WA - Feb 9, 2009
Another ominous trend: bears being shot out of season and without tags so poachers can sell their paws and gall bladders to buyers in Asia. ...

Growing Problem: Lymphedema

2009-02-12T07:08:00.000-08:00

All the ladies are down with Cardiovascular Disease, a well known straight-up player when it comes to health issues. CD has all of the foundations, the swanky benefits, the logo, the ribbon-shaped magnets. When Cardiovascular Disease comes to town, there is always an idling Lincoln waiting for the G5 and a pre-booked room near the top of the Marriott.

Everyone forgets about Lymphedema. Lymphedema flies coach with seats near the lavatories. Lymphedema has to ask himself multiple times a day, as he passes yet another "I Heart the Fight Against Cardiovascular Disease" t-shirt on another comely young lass, "Am I not a debilitating, painful and possibly fatal disease as well?"

Now this- cardiologists are actually calling Lymphedema "The Other Vascular Disease."

Lymphedema's agent is trying to buy up all the copies of this press release. Disease is gonna be peeossed.

Vascular Experts Call for Increased Awareness of Growing Problem ...
PR Newswire (press release), NY - 10 minutes ago
PHOENIX, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Although major advances have been made in the prevention and treatment of cancer, more attention needs to be given to one ...

Growing Problem: Graffiti in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, UK

2009-02-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

You may recall just a few days ago I sent up a warning flare over the growing problem of graffiti as it relates to our current World Financial Crisis™. I brought to your attention the fact that Iceland is now not only broke, but covered in an thick coat of Krylon™.

It seems that just as your country starts spiralling the drain of bank and currency failures and dropping precipitously toward the maw of the In-sink-erator™ of Financial Dismemberment, a group of wily vandals yells "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" and goes on a righteous graffiti tagging spree. What a mess!

Is it unseemly to quote from a post that is only three days old? I said, quote:

"Keep an eye out for more sad stories like this as the economic drama unfolds."

Turned out I was even more prescientious than I knew! The next victim on the block is the UK. Bank insolvency? Check. Now here comes the the graffiti. Sorry Britain- sometimes I hate to be right.

Cash reward for naming Beaconsfield graffiti vandals
Buckinghamshire Advertiser, UK - 48 minutes ago
Graffiti is a growing problem in the town with some areas such as the railway embankment, Maxwell Road, and The Mead, particularly badly hit. ...

Growing Problem: Inattentiveness in Business Dealings

2009-02-11T16:48:00.001-08:00

Now here is an interesting article. It is in English, yet I can not even get the general gist of it. It mainly seems to concern success and paying attention, and paying more attention leading to success. King Midas is also referenced. I think this person is angling to write a book about the "Midas Touch" and make that their business concept trademark.

Anyway, the message here is that being more attentive can stop growing problems. Good luck with that book, and as for the link to your burgeoning business idea- you're welcome!

How Attentiveness Makes Your Touch the Midas Touch
마인드스포츠올림피아드, South Korea - 12 hours ago
Attentiveness is important because it fosters improvements, necessary adjustments, and short-circuits growing problems before they turn into over-grown ...

Growing Problem: Hockey is Too Violent

2009-02-11T16:38:00.000-08:00

Last time we checked in on hockey, the goalies were getting so rotund that opposing teams couldn't squeeze a puck into the goal anymore. Kind of made for a low-scoring game.

No matter- seems there is more time for fighting now. Hockey violence is increasing to levels that make attending a hockey game feel a lot like watching that scene in A Clockwork Orange- you know the one. Your average hockey game now consists of men crushing other men against "the boards," hitting and slapping other players with their "hockey stick," and then at random intervals ripping off all of their protective gear, flinging it about, and furtively whomping each other until they are sent toothless and bloodied to continue their game at the nearest ICU.

Or at least, that's my impression from only reading the headline of this article.

Panel: Ban fighting in hockey at all levels
London Free Press, Canada - 2 hours ago
“Our goal is to move forward from this and work to find solutions to a growing problem”. Echlin has hands-on experience with concussion this season. ...

Growing Problem: Graffiti in Iceland

2009-02-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

It's a pattern repeated in countless countries across the globe- your banking system has a complete meltdown, half of all personal wealth is destroyed overnight, the government declares insolvency, and then the whole place is hit by a wave of unsightly graffiti.

Keep an eye out for more sad stories like this as the economic drama unfolds.

Reykjavik City Graffiti Tracking and Cleaning Project with GPS Mapping
GISuser.com (press release), MD - 4 hours ago
In 2007, the Reykjavik community began to notice a growing problem on the city streets: graffiti. Faced with this issue, the city’s department of public ...

Growing Problem: "Car Key Burglary" in Britain

2009-02-09T20:20:00.000-08:00

This will be my excuse the next time I play "hide the car keys from myself"- they've surely been burgled by a wily Brit!

80% of serial burglars are STILL handed a soft sentence
Daily Mail, UK - 4 hours ago
Police said homeowners should be aware of the growing problem of 'car key burglary', in which car keys are stolen from their home. ...

Growing Problem: "Couch Surfing" Homeless Teens

2009-02-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

Homeless teens- not a nice phenomenon. But what to do?

Well, I'm no advocate for the homeless, but how about not creating cool nicknames for teen homelessness like "couch surfing"?

Skigen seeks more for couch-surfing teens
VillageSoup Belfast, USA - 15 minutes ago
Rather than “struggle,” as she has done, a shelter, or safe homes, could be the answer for an apparently growing problem. That's the issue Skigen's group ...

Growing Problem: Canadians Eat too Much Sugar

2009-02-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

You would think that life in Canada is sweet enough, but no, Canadians can't just enjoy what life north of the border has to offer, they have to load up on sugar just to make it through the day. Sugar in their coffee, sugar in their Cinnabons, sugar in their hockey, sugar in their Saskatchewan.

Canadians! While sugar alone does make most of life worth living, you might also want to find some activities besides eating sugar to give your Canadian lives meaning- think volunteering, getting a hobby, or coddling a Castro brother or two.

I know you can do it.

Are Canadians eating too much sugar for breakfast?
Canada.com, Canada - 2 hours ago
I am one of those mentioned that really enjoys my coffee sweet so I can understand that sugar consumption is a growing problem. Although the morning sugar ...

Growing Problem: Agressive Panhandling in Edmonton

2009-02-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

Panhandlers in Edmonton, Canada used to be polite chaps and lassies, begging for a bit of a handout with a polite doff of the cap or a wee curtsy. It seems they've now taken a turn for the worse, and are now in fact quite churlish.

I say!

Edmonton moves to ban pushy panhandling
Canada.com, Canada - 48 minutes ago
... Edmonton city council gave the go-ahead Wednesday for the creation of rules to ban what police say is a growing problem of aggressive panhandling. ...

Growing Problem: Torn ACLs

2009-02-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

Of all the ligaments, I think we can all agree that the ACL is the most poorly designed. The ol' anterior cruciate ligament is as weak as it is important, and folds like a blue corn taco at the first sign of trouble. All you wanna do is play a little sports, and bam- it's staple time.

ACL Injury Prevention Program is First in Nation to Tackle Growing Problem ...
PR Newswire (press release), NY - 2 hours ago
ROCHESTER, NY, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nation's first - and only - program aimed at taking a wide-scale community prevention approach to ...

Growing Problem: Economy Tanks, Soccer Teams Hit Hard

2008-10-09T18:21:00.001-07:00

Welcome back, everybody. Yes, yes- I have let things slip here at the blog for quite a while. However, since I stopped chronicalling all that is getting worse, things have amazingly gotten a LOT worse. Monumentally worse. Out-of-control crazy worse. I am afraid there may be a relationship, so I feel compelled to get back in the game for the world's sake.

One story shifted my attention back here- one story compelled me to click the proper links, enter the proper keywords and commence to bang away yet again at the keyboard in front of me. I am rising like a superhero in a time of need, but sadly a superhero whose only power is to deliver bad news...

I am literally sorry to have to bring this up. The stock market is spiralling out of control, threats at home and abroad are crowding in like dang harpies, people's big screen TVs are in serious danger of repossession. Well, you ain't peeped nothin' yet, kemosabefolk.

Soccer is in trouble.

The financial meltdown shifts focus to soccer's growing problem
Perhaps it was always going to take the meltdown of the financial markets to get the folks who run the game to take an interest in things like ownership and debt. Whatever the case may be, it's better late than never.

Growing Problem: Art Theft

2008-02-21T05:58:00.000-08:00

It's not that too many paintings are being stolen, it's that paitings are worth too much. If there's anything that the Global War on Terror has taught us, it's to attack the root problems of any Growing Problem.

That's it then- we need to come up with some way to lower the value of art. Suggestions?

This would be a good time to mention that "Chubb" would not be my first choice for the name of a husky frat boy, and this is the name these folks chose for a high-powered international insurance company. Keep that in mind when you're insuring your valuable artworks this year.

Chubb Responds to Growing $6-Billion-a-Year Art Theft Problem
PR Newswire (press release), NY - 23 minutes ago
"Chubb has created a unique, comprehensive and cost-efficient way of resolving a growing problem for our art collectors," said Dorit Straus, worldwide fine ...

Growing Problem: Fat Goalies

2008-02-21T05:49:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite Growing Problems ever. You see, hockey goalies are getting too large compared to the size of the goal, and not because of the Obesity Epidemic. It's just that all of their gear has pumped them up to the point that they just stand there and stop up the whole goal.

Ha.

NHL GM's Think Goalies are Too Fat

AOL SPORTS, NY - 2 hours ago

Oh, but now the GM's are serious about this growing problem. Brrrr, I'm sure Martin Brodeur is SO scared! We are serious," Holland said. ...

Growing Problem: Priest Shortage

2008-02-21T05:45:00.000-08:00

Western New York has a problem: not enough men of the cloth. I am still trying to figure out which super hero you call when this is your problem.

Priest Shortage Hits Southern Tier
WETM-TV, NY - 1 hour ago
Carol Dady calls current statistics alarming and says the Diocese of Rochester is doing what it can to prevent a growing problem from getting worse. ...

Growing Problem: Binge Drinking (?)

2008-01-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder how growing problems are really defined. I suppose a problem can be a growing problem for a time, transition into becoming a lessening problem, and then head back to growing again when things get worse. Or is it just an average thing, where most of the time it's getting worse even though sometimes it's getting better, so we just all agree as a society that it's a growing problem?

What got me wondering is the fact that this article calls binge drinking a growing problem. As far as I am aware, binge drinking has been a problem at least as long as I have been alive, if not longer. It's just a fact- the kids, they like to drink too much.

However, what gets me is that binge drinking is always called a growing problem, not just a problem. The implication is that kids must be constantly drinking more, or at least the number of kids who are drinking too much must be growing constantly. I just don't see how a problem could grow so slowly for thirty-plus years that it can remain growing, and not have reached some kind of plateau.

Are we constantly adding just one or two new binge drinkers per year or something? Or is the population just growing at a rate that is faster than the growth rate of binge drinkers, meaning the rate can never catch up, providing an endless supply of worsening statistics?

Okay, I think you get the picture. My point is that if a problem is going to be given the status of perennially growing worse, it had better be backed up by some solid statistics that satisfy me, or I shall call shenanigans, because that's just the kind of tight ship I run in my brain.

A side note- if eventually every kid does become a binge drinker, the only way for the problem to continue growing is if all the kids drink more at a sitting, or drink too much more often. That will be hard to keep up, and at this point we may blessedly see the end of the binge drinking growing problem, and instead enter the golden age of a mere binge drinking chronic problem. Life will be sweet!

Binge Drinking A Growing Problem (KELO Sioux Falls)

Minnesota lawmakers are looking at legislation to stop binge drinking, after heavy drinking in recent months played a role in the deaths of three college students.

Growing Problem: Abandoned Horses

2008-01-28T20:07:00.000-08:00

The rising price of hay is making people abandon their horses. Now I've heard sad, but homeless horses about take the cake.

Abandoned horses a growing problem
East Valley Tribune, AZ - 3 hours ago
Bridle in hand, 12-year-old Madison Marino guides Sassy out for an afternoon stroll in the corral at Horse Rescue of North Scottsdale. ...

Growing Problem: Diabetes and Obesity

2008-01-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

These are not new problems, but what's fun is the fact that they are featured in the same article. It's a rare "Growing Problem "Twofer""!

Could gastric surgery 'cure' your diabetes?
Daily Mail, UK - 5 hours ago
Diabetes affects two million people in Britain and, along with obesity, is a rapidly growing problem. The recommended treatment for both is weight loss and ...

Growing Problem: African Xenophobia

2008-01-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

According to this article, more and more people in Africa don't like people from other countries.

Zimbabwe: Citizens Face Xenophobia As They Flee Their Country

AllAfrica.com, Washington - 3 4 hours ago
The growing problem of xenophobia is already of major concern to the African Commission on People's and Human Rights (ACPHR), which says it will soon send a ...

Growing Problem: Unfree Money

2008-01-28T19:39:00.000-08:00

You ever notice how money isn't free? Whenever money comes your way, inevitably it's because you had to trade for something. Well, fair readers, I was out trading work for money again, and this fair blog sadly lapsed into silence for a few days. Okay, I'm back. Let's go!

Growing Problem Roundup, Jan. 22nd 2008

2008-01-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

It's not easy to keep up with all of the Growing Problems out there. I try hard to highlight the most important ones as they zing across my desk, but still, many fall through the cracks. Here are some that I've missed recently.

Growing Problem: Massachusetts water systems

Growing Problem: Eye disease

Growing Problem: Voting practices in Keene, NH

Growing Problem: Patient dumping

Growing Problem: Out-of-control cell phone bills

Growing Problem: Eating Disorders

More to come, stay tuned!

Growing Problem: Uncontrolled Outdoor Burning in Texas

2008-01-22T20:55:00.000-08:00

I think they sell something for this at Walgreens.

Burn ban in effect in Cooke Co. - KXII-TV
KXII-TV, TX - 5 hours ago
County judge bill freeman and the other county commissioners held an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the growing problem. ...

Growing Problem: South Dakota Dams

2008-01-22T20:49:00.000-08:00

Rural dams in South Dakota are suffering from problems ranging from seepage to basic erosion. If you ask me, it's a dam shame.

Our View: Dams in South Dakota need some help - Daily Republic

Daily Republic, SD - Jan 15, 2008
But the situation does still serve as a prime example of the growing problems that many rural dams in South Dakota face. Dams under the control of the ...

Growing Problem Update: U.K. Teenage Knife Crime Curbed!

2008-01-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

Just to show all things are relative, people in the U.K. are freaking about about knife crime in schools. Here in the U.S. we'd rather spend time worrying about how many rounds of 9mm ammo can fit into the lunchbox that the creepy neighborhood kid is carrying onto the schoolbus, but hey, to each his own.

I have referenced this problem before, but now there's good news- the problem of knife crime is being curbed through the use of hundreds of airport-style metal detectors. We'll watch this one and see how the solution works, but I'm betting that this still remains a growing problem. Even if they reduce knife crime kids will probably turn to cricket bat crime or rugby scrum crime, and then how will they stop that.

Knife scanners at school gates to curb attacks (Guardian Unlimited)
Airport-style metal detectors will be installed at hundreds of school gates under sweeping measures to confront the growing problem of teenage knife crime.

Growing Problem: Bovine TB

2008-01-21T21:50:00.000-08:00

When I saw this growing problem, the solution just jumped out at me- cull badgers!

Culling of badgers to be debated
Gazette & Herald, UK - 2 hours ago
By Lewis Cowen THE question of whether culling of badgers to tackle the growing problem of bovine TB is justified is to be aired at a public debate in ...

Growing Problem: DVD Piracy

2008-01-21T21:40:00.000-08:00

Most times you would read a headline like the one on this post and figure I'm probably teeing it up to take a crack at those rascally Chinese. True, they are probably the world champs when it comes to turning a blind eye to pesky copyright laws, so your instincts are right on target. However, you may recall the bit where you expect a person to zig and instead they zag, and just when you think I'm going after the Chinese instead I zag right on over and bust on a Canadian.

What happened here is that a Canadian guy created one of those shaky-cam handheld-camcorder-in-a-theatre copies of the new Johnny Depp movie "Sweeney Todd." Now the guy is all arrested. Too bad, Canadian dude, would've pegged you as smarter than that, but you broke one of the Growing Problems Blog's more obscure "Rules to Live By"- never risk jail over a musical.

Another Canadian Pirate Arrested
here's how!, Canada - 6 hours ago
Entertainment Inc.) Needless to say, the production and commercial sale of illegally copied and produced DVDs has become a growing problem worldwide, ...

Growing Problem: Antibiotic Resistance

2008-01-21T21:36:00.000-08:00

We've got this one beat- three words, people:

Saline Nasal Wash.

Coincidentally, I think this was the name of my junior high shop instructor.

Saline Nasal Wash Helps Kids Fight Colds, Flu - Washington Post
Washington Post, United States - 6 minutes ago
... and has the added advantage of having little downside and not contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. The study, published in the ...

Growing Problem: Wimpy Hikers U.K.

2008-01-19T21:17:00.000-08:00

It seems that U.K. hikers are wimps. They call for mountain rescue when they're simply "tired and fed up," and are causing a huge strain on non-wimpy volunteer wimp wranglers.

I am tired a fed up a large amount of the time, but I have never once called for a mountain rescue, even from my own home.

One quick-thinking couple even called for a helicopter to pick them up because they were late for a dinner party. Most crummy U.K. hikers are just doing your standard dumb stuff- not wearing proper shoes, not bringing nutritious food, hiking with their head up their arse, that kind of thing.

'Fed up' hikers call for mountain rescue (Daily Telegraph)
Mountain Rescue teams are being stretched to the limit by inexperienced hikers who phone for help over petty problems.

Growing Problem: Bootleg Wine & Prostitution in Kuwait

2008-01-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

You all know the Cyndi Lauper tune- well it turns out that Kuwaitis just want to have fun, too. I think we Americans cans empathize- prostitution is decidedly illegal in most parts of the country, and at one point in our history we too tried to cause people to stop drinking by force of law. However, the non-drinking nation thing didn't work out, and they haven't done a real hot job of getting rid of prostitution either. What I'm trying to say here, is that in the grand game of Kuwait vs. Basic Human Drives, I think that Kuwait has about 10 fingers and 8 toes stopping the leaks in the dam.

Good luck, ol' Kuwaitis! If the world can't stop a Spice Girls reunion, you sure can't stop alcohol consumption and paid sex.

Kuwaiti officials arrest 28, seize wine (Moldova.org)
Officials in Kuwait have arrested 28 foreigners and seized 165 packets of homemade wine in their bid to crack down on prostitution and illegal wine. KUNA reported Saturday that the 28 suspects are expatriates of various nationalities with alleged links to illegal wine production and prostitution that are a growing problem in central Kuwait. A Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior spokesman said that among ...

Growing Problem: China Floods Market with Stainless Steel Butt-Weld Pipe Fittings

2008-01-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

I am sure there are many people who work with stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings every day, or perhaps even work at a stainless steel butt-weld pipe fitting factory making the darn things. I am sure that these people can bring them up in casual conversation and still retain some level of dignity. However, for the rest of us, stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings are about the funniest thing we've ever heard of.

A Forbidden Thought: No matter how much you are tempted to, out of respect for other cultures, please don't try to imagine what a conversation in English between Chinese manufacturers about stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings would sound like.

A Second Forbidden Thought: No matter how much you are tempted to, out of respect for yourself, don't try to mentally catalog all of the uncomfortable mental imagery that stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings bring to mind.

Chinese stainless fittings flood market
Contractor Mag, IL - 4 hours ago
... stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings in mid-February pointed to increasing volumes of low-priced imports from China as a serious and growing problem. ...

Growing Problem: Fast Food Packaging

2008-01-17T22:41:00.000-08:00

It's a shame, really: Fast food wrappers are littering the ground all around the Liberty Tree and Potato Market in Carlow, Ireland. You can even see the mess on Google Maps if you down a few pints and squint.

View Larger Map

It seems this town has a clever solution- edible food wrappers that you can eat up after you eat out. Nice idea, Ireland.

Eat your burger, then your wrapper
Kilkenny Advertiser, Ireland - 6 hours ago
The IBAL report, which surveyed 50 towns and cities in the country, highlighted the growing problem with fast-food packaging, naming take-away food and ...

Growing Problem: Gangs Killing our Young People

2008-01-17T22:35:00.000-08:00

Gangs, gangs, gangs. I am seeing more proof by the day that "Gangs" are going to be the big growing problem this year. It's been spotted growing all over this great nation, popping up on the East Side, West Side, and all in between. Now they're in Pasadena, and they're killing our young people.

In the words of the D-R-U to the D-G-E: Developing...

Tie your own shoes
Pasadena Weekly, CA - 2 hours ago
... out $50000 to hire a consultant to help a city committee figure out the best approach to battling the growing problem of gangs killing our young people. ...

Growing Problem: Reality Television

2008-01-17T22:22:00.000-08:00

I thought this was a problem from say, 2003, but apparently it's still with us, and still growing. I blame the writer's strike for this fact, and I also blame the writer's strike for that crummy new Knight Rider replacement car they chose. A Mustang Cobra is not a suitable KITT, come on! I may just have to post on the growing problem of inappropriate product placement.

Anyways, back to reality shows, or as I like to call them, "What's RIGHT with America." Love 'em!

Another Reality TV Show or a Reality Check?
AfterElton.com - 2 hours ago
Reality TV, which is in the business of making us feel good rather than be good, actually contributes to the growing problems in our society by celebrating ...

Growing Problem: Wood Smoke

2008-01-16T21:57:00.000-08:00

People in Illinois have it bad, they are plagued by wood smoke. Better than gangs, but I guess it's all relative.

Anger burns against outdoor boilers
USA Today - 6 hours ago
Government studies say wood smoke is a growing problem. A report issued in Connecticut in 2002, when there were fewer than half the boilers in use than in ...

Growing Problem: Gangs of Sampson, North Carolina

2008-01-16T21:51:00.000-08:00

It's still early in 2008, but I'm about to declare "Gangs" the Growing Problem of the Year. These groups on criminally-minded youthful thugs are everywhere you turn, whether it's Wisconsin or somewhere else. Now the dastardly roving bands of drug-and-murder fueled young people have set up shop in North Carolina, and they're not going to leave until every last square inch of the place is all tagged to hell.

The Gangs Of Sampson
Dunn Daily Record, NC - 6 hours ago
... Teen Court programs for Sampson County, made this comparison of gangs to roaches to illustrate the growing problem of gang activity in Sampson County. ...

Growing Problem: Sinking Yards

2008-01-16T21:45:00.000-08:00

Imagine this- one day your yard is at a level you've always been used to, then weeks later it's quite a bit lower than it was. That's the living nightmare affecting people who live along Pochin Place in Hampton's Wythe, somewhere near Hampton Roads Virginia. Residents are afraid that cleaning out the culvert under Kecoughtan Road won't be enough, and from what I've seen, they're right.

Follow the link for video.

Residents blame city for sinking yards
WVEC.com (subscription), VA - 6 hours ago
However, even if the project is finally approved, residents believe much more needs to be done to solve the growing problem. “I’m not an engineer, ...

Getting Worse: The Situation on Dhaka University Campus

2008-01-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

Be honest, when was the last time you thought about Dhaka University? Don't worry, I won't judge, but I bet it's been a while. Not to bum you out, but while you haven't been paying attention they have detained some teachers and students unlawfully and won't free them. I agree with The Daily Star, "Detained teachers and students must be freed, unconditionally and soonest."

The situation on the campus
The Daily Star, Bangladesh - 2 hours ago
IT should be obvious to everyone that with each passing day the situation at Dhaka University keeps getting worse. This flies in the face of the earlier ...

Getting Worse: Kiwi Kids' Teeth

2008-01-16T21:36:00.000-08:00

As tragic as it is for everyone when things get worse, a lot of the time it's even more tragic for children. That's the case here, as New Zealand kids teeth are in shocking condition.

Hey kids, lay off the hokey pokey.

Paediatrician shocked at kids' teeth (TVNZ)
A paediatrician is appalled at statistics showing Kiwi kids' teeth are getting worse. Almost half of the country's children under five years of age have dental caries, otherwise known as tooth decay.

Growing Problem: Football players actually kidnap victims

2008-01-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

Have you ever watched European football, what we here in the states call soccer? This is not an easy or exciting game, with long periods between goals, long runs up and down the field, and long lobs of beer bottles by drunken fans that hit invariably players in the cup-area, hard. As if it couldn't get any worse, it turns out that a lot of the players are actually kidnap victims.

Bully-boy football clubs too big for their boots
The Herald, UK - 5 hours ago
Meanwhile, there is a growing problem of exploitation. Promising footballers are smuggled across borders and "groomed" by sinister figures who are similar ...

Growing Problem: Boise Airport Parking

2008-01-16T21:26:00.000-08:00

Boise, fix this quick, before the tourist finds out.

Boise Airport Creates New Parking Plan
Fox 12 Boise, ID - 14 minutes ago
Plan to solve the growing problem include expanding the overflow parking lot at the Orchard exit. Additionally there's talk of creating a new lot closer to ...

Getting Worse: Blog Posting Pace

2008-01-16T21:21:00.000-08:00

I'm sure all of my loyal fans will be relieved to know that I have not quit the blogging game. The name-calling, the cajoling, even the full-scale intervention didn't work (Sorry, Dr. T!). I merely slackened my pace in order to concentrate on pressing money-making ventures, the very ones that continue to fund the not-inconsiderable loss that this blog runs me each week. So have no fear, fans, there is more to come from where the rest of this came from!

Growing Problem: Cleveland Squatters

2008-01-11T20:47:00.001-08:00

The Cleveland Squatters is:

a) The worst name for a sports team ever

b) A specific, but disgusting, gastrointestinal condition

c) A really low-hygiene-standards backing band

Cleveland police can do little against squatters
Police can do little without complaint

Thursday, January 10, 2008
Michael O'Malley
Plain Dealer Reporter

Cleveland sees a growing problem of homeless people squatting in empty houses, but city law limits what police can do to combat the trespassing.

Growing Problem: Suburban Arson

2008-01-11T20:39:00.000-08:00

Remember what they taught you in health class- arson is not the answer!

Will foreclosures spark an arson boom?

As homeowners get more desperate, the insurance industry is bracing for an increase in arson.

By Jon Birger, senior writer, Fortune

The arson increase in 2006 marked a change from the prior three years when suburban arson fell 3 percent, 5 percent and 6 percent, respectively. Says Dennis Jay, the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud's executive director, "It's a growing problem."

Growing Problem: Grayson County Running out of Space for County Records

2008-01-10T22:19:00.000-08:00

This is a problem that keeps only a select few up at night, but I thought you might want to share the burden a bit.

Grayson Co. running out of storage space for county records
KXII-TV, TX - 37 minutes ago
"It’s an ever-growing problem because we just continue to accumulate more documents so to try and stem that we're looking at a digitizing effort where we ...

Growing Problem: Fuel Poverty

2008-01-10T22:13:00.000-08:00

Sometimes there are growing problems that you don't understand (fuel poverty?), you just need to learn to accept them.

Letter from Parliament - Rochdale Online

Rochdale Online, UK - Jan 9, 2008
I have written an Early Day Motion (EDM) requesting that the Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Committee considers the growing problems of fuel poverty...

Growing Problem: Landfills cluttered with remnants of unwanted TVs

2008-01-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

Man, this writer's strike is really hurting the environment. Thanks again, Hollyweird.

How To Recycle Your Old TV
CityNews, Canada - 10 hours ago
It's a growing problem as landfills get cluttered with the remnants of unwanted TVs and monitors of the past. Some simply don't work anymore. ...

Growing Problem: The New Towne Grill

2008-01-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

I have to be up front here. Just yesterday I was hassling the town of Milwaukee, a town apparently awash in gangs and elder abuse. I even advised Milwaukee to try and shape up a bit, maybe be more like Madison.

Now I hear this news- when DJs or live bands play at the New Towne Grill(e?) in Madison, all hell breaks loose. There are fights, noise complaints- people in the neighborhood are really at wit's end, and I can see why. What I can't see is how Madison could go so bad- are they in some kind of race to the bottom with Milwaukee?

Wisconsin, take a look at yourself in the mirror!

Bar's Entertainment License Suspended Amid Residents' Complaints (WISC Channel3000.com via Yahoo! News)

A Sun Prairie bar's entertainment license was suspended after residents complained about growing problems in their neighborhood when DJs or live bands play there.

Growing Problem: Ignorant "Hoodies" running riot in Aylesbury

2008-01-10T21:50:00.000-08:00

Any headline that uses the word "Yobs" is a pretty special one. But seriously, people in Aylebury please be on the lookout for ignorant hoodies- they are throwing snowballs.

These yobs area public nuisance
Aylesbury Today Bucks Herald, UK - 7 hours ago
... ignorant 'hoodies' running riot on our streets. This is becoming a growing problem in Aylesbury, especially Quarrendon - which is the estate we live on.

Growing Problem: Teens harassed over the internet

2008-01-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

Nowadays, even bullies seek to leverage the inherent efficiencies of electronic communication. Back in my day, they mostly leveraged wedgies.

Teen-Age Suicide Could Lead to a Change in Law
Missourinet.com, MO - 4 hours ago
By Brent Martin A teen-age suicide in St. Charles County drew national attention to a growing problem: harassment via the Internet. ...

Growing Problem: Air Traffic Controller Exodus

2008-01-10T21:34:00.000-08:00

At some air traffic control towers, there are no people left and a handwritten sign that says "Last person out- you can have Bob's Cokes in the fridge. Also, please avert any midair collisions."

Exodus of Air Traffic Controllers Suggests Skies Aren't Safe Anymore

ABC News - 2 hours ago
Earlier this year, congressional investigators pointed to air traffic controller fatigue as a growing problem that contributed to "high risk of a ...

Growing Problem: Meth Labs in North Carolina

2008-01-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

I have covered this already, but I guess that the North Carolina meth problem I mentioned earlier is going to be battled by Methodists. I couldn't think of finer folks for the job, but do they really want to be responsible for a wave of heroin junkies? Methodists, it's your call.

Isn't it also a bit weird that the METHodists are going after methamphetamine? That's like Unitarians running an anti-unitard campaign, which, BTW, I would be all for.

Methodist program to battle meth labs - FayObserver.com

FayObserver.com, NC - 38 minutes ago
The labs are a growing problem in North Carolina, particularly in some of the rural counties around Fayetteville. The money for the Methodist program is an ...

Growing Problem: Feral Cats

2008-01-09T22:58:00.000-08:00

Tell me about it! I can't do anything without feral cats getting all mixed up in my business.

Feral cat population growing, experts says - Meriden Record-Journal

Meriden Record-Journal, CT - 26 minutes ago
... In areas with state-defined low-income housing, experts say the presence of feral cat colonies have been a growing problem in recent years. ...

Growing Problem: Milwaukee Gangs

2008-01-09T22:51:00.000-08:00

Milwaukee, I have my eye on you. First you're all about elder abuse, now you're into gangs. Milwaukee, I don't like these so-called friends you've been hanging out with. It's time to straighten up- can't you be more like Madison?

The Gangs of Milwaukee
WTMJ-TV, WI - 3 hours ago
It's a frank explanation of a growing problem. Bergemann tries to break the family cycle by talking to kids about their parents being in gangs -- but that's ...

Growing Problem: Toy Guns

2008-01-09T22:47:00.000-08:00

If toy guns are criminalized, then only criminals will have toy guns.

Three teens charged for using pellet gun in Alton hold-up (KMOV St. Louis)
Alton, IL (KMOV) - Three teenagers are charged with using a pellet gun during a hold-up. Police tell News 4 that toy guns are a dangerous and a growing problem.

Growing Problem: Martha's Vineyard Racism

2008-01-09T22:42:00.000-08:00

Martha's Vineyard has growing problems growing on top of its growing problems. It seems that the combination of labor shortages, illegal immigration and the best of everything is driving everyone nuts.

Okay, no more Martha's Vineyard news today.

Letters to the Editor (The Martha's Vineyard Times)
ITo the Editor:

This letter is in response to Shaun McCarron's accusation that my letter to the editor published two weeks ago was nothing more than a racist rant.

Upon first reading Mr. McCarron's letter, I decided not to respond. I decided to stop trying to shed light on the growing problems that affect the year-round people who actually live here. However, as I discussed it with friends and others, I was encouraged, and in some cases urged, to respond.

Growing Problem: Martha's Vineyard Labor Shortage

2008-01-09T22:24:00.000-08:00

Some of the jobs that won't get done because of the Martha's Vineyard labor crisis:

Pool cabana filled with empties
Butler's Pantry dishwasher full again
Decorative shrubs growing out of control
Wine not decanted

Island businesses face labor shortage, as H-2B visa system is ... - Martha's Vineyard Times

Martha's Vineyard Times, MA - 1 hour ago
A shortage of seasonal workers has been a growing problem for the local tourism industry, but one development this year added a new dilemma for employers ...

Growing Problem: Head Lice

2008-01-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

I have a haircut scheduled for today, and then I read this.

Sometimes I feel like I know too much.

Professional nit pickers are making a killing
Daily Press, VA - 5 6 hours ago
Salons are helping parents deal with what many believe is a growing problem with head lice. By Kristen Kridel/ | Chicago Tribune January 9, 2008 CHICAGO ...

Getting Worse: Scams

2008-01-08T21:00:00.001-08:00

Scams are never good, but sadly they're getting worse. You heard it here first.

Scams of the year
Sun Publications Chicago, IL - 3 hours ago
"It's increased in the last couple of years and it seems to be getting worse and worse," he said. "We're hearing from bureaus across the country as well. ...

Growing Problem (get it?): Fruit Virus impacting Local Farmers

2008-01-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

The Plum Pox Virus is here- looking back it's now clear it was only a matter of time.

Farmers, watch your peaches.

Fruit Virus Impacts Local Farmers
WKBW-TV, NY - 4 hours ago
Raby is thankful that he still has acres of healthy peaches, but is fearful this could be a growing problem for fruit farmers. "We're concerned that it's ...

Growing Problem: Electronic Waste

2008-01-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

I have a feeling that if they stopped making new electronics, we'd stop throwing the old ones away. Problem solved, no charge!

Jackson Elementary School holds electronic waste collection Saturday
Amador Ledger-Dispatch, CA - 3 hours ago
"Electronic waste is a growing problem that affects the environment and human health. Events like these provide the community with a great, ...

Growing Problem: Australian IT Shortage

2008-01-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

It's all going to H-E-Double Hockey Sticks in the land down under- there is a shortage of IT guys & gals. If you head down there, bring a Torx wrench and pitch in. They'll thank you, and if you're lucky even crack a lager the size of a tennis ball canister with you, mate.

IT outsourcing market to hit $11b
The Australian, Australia - 16 minutes ago
On skills shortages, Mr Longwood said: "Staff shortages for internal and outsourced projects are a growing problem in Australia and in most other countries ...

Growing Problem: Violence 'against' and 'by' youth in the community

2008-01-08T20:23:00.000-08:00

Youths, knock it the heck off. I'm really losing patience here. Just stop using violence "against" other youths in the community please!

Fighting back against youth violence and gangs
WKYC-TV, OH - 2 hours ago
CLEVELAND -- A growing problem in the nation that has recently hit home time and time again is violence 'against' and 'by' youth in the community. ...

Growing Problem: Methamphetamine Manufacturing in the Davidson County Area

2008-01-08T20:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, this is a head-scratcher. Did you see this post? The gist of it is that when the supply of meth dried up in Minnesota, desperate drug abusers were forced to turn to heroin instead. I am now calling this my "Conservation of Junkies" theory- same number of junkies, just different drugs depending on supply. In Minnesota they went from hopped-up, hyper junkies to spaced-out, lazy junkies, but no qualitative diff either way.

In this case, we have too much meth being produced in North Carolina. This is certainly a growing problem, but is it really a good idea to crack down (so to speak) and just condemn people to a life of heroin?

I guess the only ethical thing to do is figure which is worse for the drug addled- meth or smack? Darned if I know.

17 charged with violations of federal narcotics laws - Lexington Dispatch

Lexington Dispatch, NC - ~~49 minutes~~ 1 hour ago
... law enforcement agencies and was a serious attempt to address a growing problem with the manufacture of methamphetamine in the Davidson County area. ...

Getting Worse: Pregnancy Discrimination

2008-01-08T05:46:00.000-08:00

As if reduced mobility, weight gain and moodiness weren't challenging enough, now the preggified are being forced out of their jobs. Hey employers! Just because a lady is "with child," it isn't an opportunity unleash your inner Donald Trump. Hey, speaking of Mr. Trump, remember that show "The Apprentice"?

Yeah.

Workers rights expert calls reason for jump 'a mystery'

By KRISTEN GERENCHER
MARKETWATCH

last updated: January 08, 2008 03:48:02 AM
"Employers are getting better at avoiding racial discrimination; they're getting better at training people not to commit sexual harassment," Maltby said. "Why they would be getting worse on pregnancy discrimination is a mystery."

Growing Problem: Dropped Butts

2008-01-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

I have noticed for some time that cigarette smokers are careless about where they put their butts. Can Obama change this too?

Smokers pick-up fines for dropped butts - Rochdale Online

Rochdale Online, UK - 5 7 hours ago
... dropping their cigarette stubs in the street as Rochdale Borough Council services joined forces to try and stamp out the growing problem in December...

Growing Problem: Juvenile Crime

2008-01-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

Kids these days. Seriously.

Teen court disciplines offenders
Community Press, KY - 5 hours ago
There is no denying that juvenile crime is a growing problem. Our juvenile court dealt with more than 46000 cases last year. Some of these are criminal in ...

Growing Problem: Knife Crime U.K.

2008-01-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

There are not many guns in the U.K., but those intent on killing have figured out that you don't need a gun to kill people. They use knives instead. I am still not clear though- do knives or people kill people? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Call for tough knife laws after teen death (The Observer)
Police were investigating London's second teenage murder of the new year last night amid fresh demands for tougher laws to tackle the capital's growing problem of knife crime.

Growing Problem: Heroin in Minnesota

2008-01-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

Heroin is taking hold of MN. Reason why- not enough Meth. In science class this is referred to as the "Conservation of Junkies," whereby addiction can't be created or destroyed- it just changes from one form to another.

Editorial: As Northfield grows, its problems mount

Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription), MN - 1 hour ago
Law enforcement sources say heroin is a growing problem throughout Minnesota, in part because the state has been so effective in fighting methamphetamine. ...

Getting Worse: Hump in the Middle of the Road

2008-01-07T04:34:00.001-08:00

There is no excuse for this type of thing on public roads, unless it is clearly marked.

Lane Ranger, Potomac News

Published: January 7, 2008

Dear Lane Ranger: I am writing in reference to Ridgefield Road.

There is a hump in the middle of the road. People are stopping completely to go over this hump, I have lived in Qualey for a year and a half and the hump is getting worse. I was wondering if you could get someone to check it and fix it please. Someone is going to cause an accident because they are completely stopping.

Getting Worse: Russian Inflation Demons

2008-01-07T04:29:00.000-08:00

Inflation Demons were in room #3 of last year's "Federal Reserve Hell House" down at Grace Lutheran.

Russian growth is stalked by inflation demons

By Desmond Lachman

Published: January 7 2008 02:00 | Last updated: January 7 2008 02:00

For markets ignore several special, and most likely transitory, factors that have underpinned Russia's remarkable economic performance over the past seven years. They also ignore the fact that Russia's inflation demons are rearing their ugly heads and showing every sign of getting worse.

Getting Worse: Aggressive Motorcycle Driving

2008-01-07T04:13:00.000-08:00

This is pretty interesting- in the post below this one I take on the issue of self-driving cars, which are under development by GM and others. Turns out that many motorcycles already have an autopilot feature, and that motorcyclists are taking advantage of that hands-off ability while standing tall on the seats of their bikes at highway speeds.

Read this next sentence aloud in your best local news voice- "It's called "stunting", and it may be coming to a street near you."

When people worry about overpopulation, I always point them to articles like this.

'Stunting' is a motorcycling craze that can kill
By Steve Rock
KANSAS CITY STAR
01/06/2008

"We're seeing 'em popping wheelies on the interstates and performing stunts on the streets.
"It's getting worse. It's getting to the point where a lot of agencies are getting together and asking, 'How can we combat this?'"

Growing Problem: Distracted Drivers

2008-01-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

Sure sometimes you are a distracted, dangerous and reckless driver- but soon your car is going to drive itself, so no worries. I have been dreaming about this ever since the days of "Knight Rider", so I'm super-psyched about self-driving cars.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful to engineers, but what about my Turbo Boost???

GM to Show a Vehicle That Drives by Itself
New York Times, United States - 46 minutes ago
By NICK BUNKLEY LAS VEGAS — Within a decade, General Motors thinks it will have the ultimate solution to the growing problem of distracted drivers: a car ...

Growing Problem: Horse Parasites

2008-01-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

If I were a horse, I would not worry about gastrointestinal parasites. I would worry that OMG THERE IS A GIANT PARASITE RIDING ON MY BACK.

(The link is (oddly) a PDF- buyer beware)

A Growing Problem
Most ascarids are comparatively large ... PARASITE PRIMER PART 3—ASCARIDS: A GROWING PROBLEM ...

Growing Problem: Phantom 911 Calls in El Paso

2008-01-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

I must admit that I had not been worrying sufficiently about this one. Shoddy cell phone-use practices are causing a plague of "phantom" calls to descend El Paso, Texas 911 operators. I already have a lot to worry about, so I hope that El Paso's cell phone users get their act together- if only for my sake.

El Paso 911 Dispatchers Coping With Growing Phantom Calls
KFOXtv.com, TX - 39 minutes ago
EL PASO, Texas -- For dispatchers, phantom 911 calls are a growing problem. The reason? Because cell-phone users often include the emergency number on their ...

Getting Worse: Gross Impatience in English Football

2008-01-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

This trend is new to me, but that doesn't mean I'm not already ramping my personal concern level to a point similar that of that my concern about a lack of government support for Lebanese olive press owners. What is going on here is that "luckless" English football managers are being sacked at an alarming rate because the English are impatient. I think English football managers deserve better- don't try to change my mind!

Time to give them time (Times of Malta)
There is a plague sweeping through English football which is threatening to rip apart the very fabric of the game - gross impatience. Hardly a day goes by without one luckless manager or other getting sacked and it is a trend which is getting worse with every passing season.

Getting Worse: Crimes

2008-01-06T19:46:00.001-08:00

According to this article, crimes are getting 'worse and worse' in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I am all over Nova Scotia news - see this post - and there definitely seems to be something going on up there. For instance, just last week, a man was stabbed on Pinecrest Drive.

Crimes are getting 'worse and worse'
The Daily News, Canada - 9 hours ago
This area is getting worse and worse, enough so that I never leave the apartment with my son past five unless my husband is with me. ...

Getting Worse: A Seaside Village

2008-01-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

This village is getting worse- it's falling into the sea.

People of the village of Skipsea, on Yorkshire's East Riding coastline, if you are reading this, my sincerest apologies. It's not your fault that you live on the fastest eroding coastline in Europe.

Disappearing world: The village falling into the sea
Independent, UK - 46 minutes ago
I can only see it getting worse," she said. "I remember when I used to sit out in the garden and tourists would be envious of our houses. ...

Growing Problem: Britney, K-Fed, Hostage Taking, Hollywood Influence Kids' Behavior

2008-01-05T21:53:00.000-08:00

With the latest on Britney in the news today- she popped a skillion pills including OxyContin, holed up in her master bedroom closet with her kids and a Beretta that K-Fed gave her, and offered K-Fed $100 million to un-baby-daddy himself- I would be seriously watching your kid's behavior today.

On a personal note, I'd like to commend K-Fed for calling in the SWAT team on a seriously Nyqiuled-up Britzilla. The kids will be remembering that on father's day for years to come.

Celeb meltdowns: Where are their parents?

Unraveling of the Spears family puts spotlight back on changing family dynamics

Kids are also under a lot of pressure. The culture pushes them to emulate what they see and a community can expect them to achieve. "And parents contribute to that," says Sue. "They're doing what they think is right. ...; But is it really any different, this desire to win or push? ...; (Parents) need to be parents, remember values are more important than winning. ...; It will help if they teach them how to fail and get up again on their own."

Getting Worse: The Economy

2008-01-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

If you don't like controversy, stop reading here. Apparently, things have gotten so good in Iraq that people are paying attention to the economy instead. In my book, that is good news. Yay!

Economy trumps Iraq in election (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
The Iraq war, once the key issue in the presidential election, is taking a back seat to the economy as voters fret over a possible recession and consider the improving security situation in Baghdad.

Getting Worse: Challenges in Laredo

2008-01-05T21:47:00.000-08:00

I don't know much about Laredo- perhaps normally it's a place with a regular amount of challenges. Now in 2008, those challenges are getting worse for some reason. Buck up, Laredo- it can't be that bad.

Monday Wash: New Year here as challenges getting worse

By Odie Arambula

The front page headlines at mid-week put this town (Streets of Laredo) on notice that we can look to 2008 as one tough New Year.The headline for Ashley Richards" story slapped the neighbors with "New challenges." The very next day, it was a triple whopper with "Crackdown" at the top and "City's tangled traffic dismays merchants" at the bottom...

Getting Worse: A Hairline

2008-01-05T21:45:00.001-08:00

This guy Peter McKay, bless his heart, is losing his hair. Now you can read an article about it.

Looking like Kojak would be OK (The Myrtle Beach Sun News)
As anyone who has seen me, or my picture in the paper, can testify, I have what can only be described as a monstrously huge forehead. And it's getting worse by the month as my hairline recedes further and further back across my cranium, racing to the point where it will eventually meet up with the back of my neck. My only real comfort is that, if this keeps up, I won't have to worry about a ...

Getting Worse: Traffic Congestion at I-35 & West Highway 9

2008-01-05T21:40:00.000-08:00

Word is this situation is headed for a crisis. You heard it here first.

Public meeting to address West Highway 9 concerns (The Norman Transcript)
Transcript Staff WriterThe public is invited to a meeting Thursday to address concerns over traffic problem...

Getting Worse: Mumps Outbreak in Lethbridge

2008-01-04T21:52:00.000-08:00

Will someone please contain this outbreak? Buehler? Buehler?

Mumps outbreak in Lethbridge worsens (Canada.com)

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - Health officials in Lethbridge say an outbreak of mumps is getting worse, fueled by a vaccine shortage. Tara Grindle, a spokesperson for the Chinook Health Region, said Thursday there have been 15 new cases in the region since Dec. 20.

Getting Worse: Lack of Government Support for Olive-Press Owners

2008-01-04T21:48:00.000-08:00

Just like my grandpappy told me, it's always olive press owners in Lebanon getting the shaft.

Olive-press owners allege lack of government support (The Daily Star Lebannon)

As olive presses in the mountainous Chouf region witness excessive activity with the fruit's harvest season coming to an end and weather conditions getting worse, press owners are criticizing the government's failure to set up marketing plans for their products. Every year from early November until late January, farmers throughout Lebanon engage in the olive harvest.

Getting Worse: Pollution of Air and Waterways in China

2008-01-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

I didn't think that our ongoing series on China would continue so soon! I Have revised the name from the aforementioned "China: Growing Population or Just Problems?" to "China: Growing Population or Just Worse Problems?"

Interview with a Chinese socialist

China Worker, China - 3 4 hours ago
The pollution of the waterways and the air pollution in the major cities is getting worse. There have been many mass protests about environmental issues and ...