IN THE NEWS NEWS
By Tim Colin
President Obama gave his health care speech last Wednesday. Most people were very disappointed. No where in his speech did he say anything about hiring one million more single female nurses. Many of us guys are looking for professional women who can support us financially and, take care of us like a mother (or kind nurse) when we get sick. Furthermore, in terms of cutting health care costs, if everyone married a nurse, health care costs could be cut by half or more. At least that’s what the guys said last night while we were playing cards. The nurse/wife could take care of all the minor accidents like getting stabbed while playing lawn jarts or cutting off your toes while playing lumber jack with the electric hedge trimmer. The savings from eliminating emergency room care would be fantastic. There are hundreds of tasks a wife/nurse could perform that would save millions in doctor’s visits. So, instead of requiring everyone in America to buy expensive insurance they can’t afford, everyone should be forced to marry a nurse, doctor or, some other health care worker.

BUSINESS NEWS
By Ted Colin
To quote Steve Martin the stock market has been “one wild and crazy guy”. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up this week but, it has been bouncing frantically up and down in a 700 point range for several weeks now. The pundits all say the economy is improving and I guess they’re right. I’m finding fewer people are picking up beer cans downtown on Saturday morning so, I have a lot more weekend play money than I did earlier this year. The armature canners must be feeling wealthier and not bothering to go canning.

It was announced this week that Disney is buying Marvel Entertainment for 4 billion dollars. Disney has changed a great deal over the last several years. It has gone from being a Mickey Mouse outfit to a high school, Hanna Montana musical business. Marvel Entertainment has brought us such hits as The Fantastic Four, Iron Man and The Incredible hulk. I didn’t know The Hulk could sing or that Iron Man could break dance. Disney has announced that High School Musical Fantastic Four will be available for sale by Christmas.

SPORTS I CARE ABOUT
I’m not sure if I’ll watch the Lions play the Saints on Monday. Last year every time I watched the Lions play I thought I jinxed them since, they always lost. Of course when I didn’t watch the Lions play I also thought I jinxed them into loosing. I guess I’ll flip a coin. Anyway, Stafford has finally been picked to be the starting QB. It’s about time a decision was made on who would be the starting QB. Some years the Lions wait until the season is over and then decide who they should have picked as QB. Well, I had better shut up. This year I know they will do better. If the Lions do as well as the Tigers this year I’ll think about deleting all the negative press I’ve given them over last years program.

In upcoming games:
The Lions play the Saints on Monday,
The Tigers play the Blue Jays on Friday, Saturday and, Sunday.
One college game that might be interesting is the game between Central Michigan University and Michigan State. MSU will most likely win but, sometimes CMU pulls off a fast one on old MSU.

THE OUTDOORS NEWS NUTS
A Brief Swim in Quicksand
By Tim Colin
I have seen a lot of movies where either the bad guy or the monster drowns in quick sand. I thought it would be interesting to find some quick sand to see first hand what the stuff was really made of. A warning to the public: QUICK SAND IS VERY DANGERROUS SO, IF YOU WANT TO GO SWIMMING IN IT YOU HAD BEST NOT GO ALONE. I was able to get my brother Mike to come along with me on this trip. I promised him he could keep all the cans and bottles we found so he could turn them in for the deposit money.

We picked a fast moving river that ran through a swamp. It had been raining for over a week so the river was about three times deeper and moved much faster than usual. We each wore waders since sometimes the water went up to the crack under your knee caps. We waded down stream from where we were parked for over an hour but, we did not find any quick sand. Finally, we had a little action. My brother had wandered off down river about a hundred feet or so when he lost his footing and was grabbed by the current and rushed down river over sharp rocks, sharp sticks and logs as hard as concrete. I smirked a little when he fell in but, when I saw his head bobble away down the rapids I decided I would be expected to at least go look for his body.

Just as I was moving along the river bank trying to figure out how I would explain my brothers demise to my parents and his new girlfriend, wouldn’t you know it, I stepped into some quick sand and was up to my waste in liquid earth. I immediately yelled for my brother Mike to come and save me in the off chance he had managed to save himself and could thus, save me. I yelled several times but, he never showed up so I knew I was on my own. I decided as I sank that I was not going to give up. I wanted to live to inherit some money from my parents one day. With my brother Mike and myself gone, my brother Ted would get everything. I just could not stand that thought. I had to find a way out.

The problem with quick sand is that the more you struggle the more you sink. I was already up to my belly button and I knew I would not last long. I would have done something based on science but, I flunked chemistry in high school and took mostly PE and Wood Shop classes for electives.

Finally, I had some luck. An overhanging branch from a spruce tree was just in reach of my finger tips. Gradually, I worked my entire hand up the branch then; I grabbed the branch with my other hand and pulled my body up, out of my waders and safely onto muddy, but stable ground. I sat there a couple of minutes covered with mud. My shoes and waders were long gone so I would have to make my way back to the car with just my wet socks on. When I got to the car, my brother Mike was there. He had a lot of cuts and bruises but, he was still alive. He told me that the river wound around back up towards the pull off where the car was parked. Mike said that as he sailed past our car he grabbed onto a piece of brush hanging out over the river.

I told Mike that as I rushed to save him, I fell into quick sand and almost died I then asked him why he didn’t come when I hollered for him .He claimed he didn’t hear me scream. He said the rush of the river was so loud that my calls for help must have been drowned out.

In conclusion, you should be careful when looking for quick sand along Michigan’s rivers, lakes and, streams. If you do fall into quick sand hopefully there is a low hanging branch near by so that you can pull yourself out. You see in the woods of Northern Michigan, if you get into trouble, one can hear you scream.


PSYCHIC NEWS
By Madam Misty Merkel
Like most psychics, I use a number of methods and tools to predict the future. Taro cards, rare magical stones, crystal balls and various personal possessions of the dearly or even nearly departed. Today I used a wee gee board and a jigger of apricot brandy to make my predictions. I use to light a candle before I went into my predictive trance but, drinking heavily and having an open flame sometimes doesn’t end well. My aunt May got snockered on her own corn liquor. Then, she fell asleep smoking a cigar on a hay pile. It took a week to find a cup full of Aunt May to put in the urn. My poor cousin Jerry is still afraid of any kind of fire since his mama died so tragically. This makes it hard on the rest of the family since we have to all put out our cigs when the creepy mama’s boy comes around.

Anyway, today I am making financial predictions for the rest of 2009. The following are things that will probably happen but, if you wager on my predictions then you will mess up my predictive juices and anger the predicting angels. So, betting on my predictions may well make my predictions not come true. Therefore don’t make bets on my predictions or you will loose!!!

During the year 2009 there will be plagues, deaths and unhappiness. Finally, people will stop watching cable news and everything will be o.k. The stock market will go up and the stock market will go down. In the end, buy stock in Madam Misty Merkle’s Overnight Wrinkle Cream Remover and you will make me a fortune. I have several franchise opportunities in the Bay Area for people with winning attitudes. Remember, it’s not what’s inside that counts; it’s what your face looks like.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
By Gerrard
I like Kate Beckinale. She plays a U.S. Marshal in a Movie called “White Out”. In the movie, Kate tries to track down a killer in Antarctica. It’s rated R because it has so much violent action in it. I might ask my mother if she would loan me the money so I can go see this movie. I expect to make a lot of money selling the rats I raise to college psychology classes this fall but, so far I haven’t received any orders so my cash funds are kind of low.

Tyler Perry has another Madea film out. What can I say? It’s another Madea film. There are usually some hot chicks in his movies but, this one is about kids so I think I will pass.

I will also pass on the Disney flick “High School Musical Fantastic Four”. I like the Incredible Hulk better than the four space mutant guys. I don’t like dancing or musicals anyway. They bring back some bad memories about marching band. I was always getting yelled at for being out of step and ending up in the wrong spot on the football field. I was also looked down on by the other kids since I was the only kid that played the accordion in marching band. What’s worse, even though I was the only accordion player, the band leader never made me first chair. It’s humiliating to be the second chair accordion player when I was the only one that played the accordion. That met I never got to do a solo.