2020-03-18 -

2020-03-26 -

2020-04-08 -

2020-04-09 -

Everyone is breathing a sigh of relief. Everyone in my family, that is. We are about to take some holiday, spend some time taking friends round the sights of Washington DC and then visit a national park. Now these attractions will stay open for business.

I am sure many Americans share this sense of relief - that their government has not shut down, and for more serious reasons than mere avoidance of holiday season disappointment.

There's little doubt that it would have made America look rather ridiculous and people would have blamed politicians as a class.

But who are the winners and losers?

The Republican leader, Speaker John Boehner, is a clear winner. Had there been a shutdown, his party would have suffered, and his authority would have been damaged. He negotiated skilfully between the Democrats and his own ardent members and won a deal that many independents will welcome as sensible and necessary.

For the Tea Party movement, too, it is a success. They have made their agenda Washington's agenda. They have stiffened the steel in their leadership's spine to hold our for deeper cuts. But if they complain that this is not enough, or that they've been betrayed, they will look petulant and fall into a Democrat trap - that of looking and sounding like extremists.

The social conservatives, for a time insisting on a rather incoherent anti-abortion policies tacked onto the budget ("fungible money" doesn't make it into a soundbite), risked disaster for their party.

They appeal to a minority in the country and look politically irresponsible - a danger to their party's electability and the purity of the Tea Party's economic and constitutional messages.

The Democrats as a whole don't come off well. They look like realists, but they've given a lot of ground. These cuts will hurt their natural supporters and undermine plans and projects dear to their hearts. The tactics were quite skilful but I can't see the strategy .

President Obama has made the best of a bad job. He has tried to celebrate the agreement as the American virtue of compromise in action. He made himself look like an honest broker, standing for sensible compromise, rather than the deeply involved player that he is. He did a good job of making a shutdown sound really scary, and so pushing the Republicans towards a deal. But once again he looks like a skilful chairman, rather than a leader. The cuts he has had to accept will, I imagine, undermine important parts of his programme.

With bigger battles ahead, over the 2012 budget, the debt ceiling and the deficit, President Obama has yet to explain how he will fund hope and pay for change. By welcoming the deal, as he must, he has embraced a pared-down vision, accepted something smaller and meaner than he offered in 2008.

It was obvious this blow was coming after last year's elections, but it is a serious blow to the presidency nonetheless.

I'll be back in a couple of weeks.

Obama got Osama.

That's what some people chanted when the news of Osama Bin Laden's killing broke. But will it have any impact on the President Barack Obama's politics and popularity?

Mr Obama has gone out of his way to stress that "get Bin Laden" was his direct instruction and that the arch villain's death is, in part, his victory. White House officials are doing all they can to capitalise on what looks like a mood of nationwide elation.

Any president who "got" Bin Laden would benefit. Former President Bill Clinton's efforts were mocked by George W Bush. Then he failed too, losing Bin Laden in the caves along the border land, as US soldiers stood by.

But perhaps Mr Obama will benefit more than most. His style of decision making is to take time, to deliberate, to chew over every option. His critics call it dithering. There are now some excellent "tick tocks" as they are called here - blow by blow accounts of the decision making process. But you always have to remember all sources are in the circle, and liable to portray the president positively. It sounds as if Mr Obama gave this decision as much time and thought as all the others but away from the public gaze.

Not only did Mr Obama's security advisor John Brennan praise him, but Republicans have even called his decision "gutsy". He did not simply go for bombs or drones but rather a helicopter raid. One insider is quoted as saying that Black Hawk Down was mentioned a few times in the discussions. When that helicopter did go down, Mr Obama surely thought of Jimmy Carter and Iran.

So he's a risk taker, too. It also makes him look focused on what is truly in the US's national interest. You can argue Iraq wasn't, Libya wasn't, even Afghanistan no longer is. But getting the head of al-Qaeda clearly was a number one priority in the minds of many Americans, and Mr Obama decided it was his as well.

Even habitual enemies, indeed even Rush Limbaugh, have praised him. At a reception for Republicans and Democrats last night, he got a standing ovation.

So the wind is behind him. Whence will he sail? At a White House dinner for members of Congress, he used Bin Laden's killing as a call for unity.

He said: "We were reminded again that there is a pride in what this nation stands for, and what we can achieve, that runs far deeper than party, far deeper than politics."

From Bin Laden, he moved effortlessly to domestic public enemy number one, the deficit. "It is my fervent hope that we can harness some of that unity and some of that pride to confront the many challenges that we still face," Mr Obama said.

On Thursday, Mr Obama will travel to New York City to remember those who died in Bin Laden's assault on America. I expect more talk of unity but perhaps some big foreign policy themes as well. There are those who think the halo of success makes it easier for the president to confront a military that wants July's Afghanistan wind-down to be small and fairly insignificant. Others, however, think the momentum runs the other way, and that it gives all the more reason to stay and finish the job.

So the killing sends waves that will wash against these shores and those of a wider world. Some are saying this moment assures Mr Obama's re-election. It assures no such thing.
Apart from the obvious point that there can be many other unexpected events that will have an impact, positive or negative, It just doesn't work like that. However huge this event snow seems, wait a couple of months. In the relentless frenzy of the 24-hour media cycle, it will probably be half forgotten by the the time of the election.

This far out, only events that mean change to people's lives on a day-to-day basis have that sort of game changing impact. But image is important. The president has burnished his in the eyes of many Americans and looks like a resolute commander-in-chief. He knows it, and intends to milk the moment for all it is worth.

"I look at that group — it was not sexy at that time to play for Indiana. They made it sexy."

Matt Balis has tried to guide Fighting Irish football players through offseason training from a distance.

He showed enough as a freshman to suggest IU has a bonafide Big Ten shooting guard in Armaan Franklin, waiting to be developed.

Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez announced his school will not submit waivers for spring-sport seniors to regain a year of eligibility.

Tiawan Mullen, who will be a sophomore, has been throwing questions at IU football cornerbacks coach Brandon Shelby all spring

In this time of social distancing and online learning, athletic departments across the country have scrambled to embrace flexibility.

"I could miss 15 shots, and I always have the mindset that the next one's going in," Grace Berger says. "I'm not worried about those other shots."

IU baseball, softball working out expanded rosters

"I look at that group — it was not sexy at that time to play for Indiana. They made it sexy."

Jobless claims have surged amid the coronavirus outbreak, revealing the limitations of a state unemployment system.

Grocery stores continue to make changes for the safety of shoppers and employees during the coronavirus pandemic.

As coronavirus shutters cookie booths in Indiana and around the country, Girl Scouts take sales online and embrace an entrepreneurial spirit.

Plans have been delayed by actions taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but Indianapolis restaurant owners have not given up on their dreams.

Here's how grocery stores are trying to accommodate shoppers with new hours, special times for at-risk customers and other changes as of April 29.

The parent company of Indiana's second largest coal company, with ties to the Trump administration, landed $10 million in coronavirus relief aid.

Simon Property Group has published protocols to keep shoppers safe during coronavirus. Here's what changes the shopping mall owner is planning.

Simon Property Group has changed the opening date for malls in Indianapolis to May 16. Its other shopping centers in Indiana will reopen earlier.

The Boston Herald writes that a "video vigilante faces numerous charges after being arrested outside Massachusetts General Hospital where police say he was recording the emergency ramp at the height of the coronavirus pandemic." schwit1 shares their report: John L. McCullough, 41, was charged with trespassing, disturbing the peace and threats to do bodily harm after police say he refused to stop recording Sunday evening. "I informed him that I could not make him stop filming but I asked him to stop out of respect to patient privacy," the arresting officer wrote in a police report obtained by the Herald through a public records request. The next day the newspaper's senior editor posted a follow-up: John L. McCullough told the Herald Tuesday evening he is a First Amendment crusader who takes videos of police and posts them to YouTube. That's what got him a June 2 arraignment date. "I understand how people may feel, but that doesn't mean I should be locked up," McCullough said... "Did I break the law? No. I may have been rude," he added. "I understand people may feel jittery, but where peoples' feelings start my rights don't stop...." Cambridge civil-rights attorney Harvey Silverglate said McCullough will probably have his case tossed, even if what he was doing is seen as crass. "There's no amendment in the Constitution called the humanity amendment," said Silverglate. "It's a free country and you have a right to be a jerk." But taking video outside a hospital during a pandemic and as people try to social distance — and first responders, including the police, face all-too-real health risks — is "pretty distasteful," Silverglate added. Still, he added the judge will "have to throw it out." He added it's "punishment itself" to go to court in this climate. McCullough, records state, does not have an attorney yet. He did say he's ready to plead his case. "Don't be brainwashed," he added, "and it shouldn't be a problem when a black man has a camera." The Herald suggests one more interesting detail. "McCullough said '20 other cameras' were probably rolling at the same time as he was — alluding to security cameras in the area."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

A new hydroxychloroquine study -- "the largest to date" -- was published Thursday in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. It concluded that Covid-19 patients taking the drug "do not fare better than those not receiving the drug," reports Time: Dr. Neil Schluger, chief of the division of pulmonary, allergy and critical care medicine at Columbia, and his team studied more than 1,300 patients admitted to New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Irving Medical Center for COVID-19. Some received hydroxychloroquine on an off-label basis, a practice that allows doctors to prescribe a drug that has been approved for one disease to treat another — in this case, COVID-19. About 60% of the patients received hydroxychloroquine for about five days. They did not show any lower rate of needing ventilators or a lower risk of dying during the study period compared to people not getting the drug. "We don't think at this point, given the totality of evidence, that it is reasonable to routinely give this drug to patients," says Schluger. "We don't see the rationale for doing that." While the study did not randomly assign people to receive the drug or placebo and compare their outcomes, the large number of patients involved suggests the findings are solid. Based on the results, Schluger says doctors at his hospital have already changed their advice about using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. "Our guidance early on had suggested giving hydroxychloroquine to hospitalized patients, and we updated that guidance to remove that suggestion," he says. In another study conducted at U.S. veterans hospitals where severely ill patients were given hydroxychloroquine, "the drug was found to be of no use against the disease and potentially harmful when given in high doses," reports the Chicago Tribune. They also report that to firmly establish whether the drug has any effect, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is now funding a randomized, controlled trial at six medical institutions of hundreds of people who've tested positive for Covid-19.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Despite a rough outing Tuesday night, Brad Stevens and Celtics believe the future is bright for the pride of New Albany.

This isn't normal, the way we love Larry Bird all these years later, not even for someone as special at sports as Larry Legend.

Joe Young has been playing in China since his time with the Indiana Pacers ended. He is a Houston native

Three boys grew up knowing someone named Roger Brown was their grandfather. Then, one day, they began to understand the legacy of the Pacers legend.

Justin (the oldest) and Aaron (the youngest) Holiday play for the Indiana Pacers; Jrue Holiday is the best-known of the brothers in the NBA.

Turner: 'It was a rough path for a couple of weeks'

The owner of FoxGardin in Fortville transformed himself into Joe Exotic to help his workers.

Two Indianapolis restaurants have announced they will permanently close.

IndyFringe, the popular Mass Ave. theater festival, has been canceled. Social distancing requirements will not allow the artists to prepare.

During the coronavirus pandemic, it's business as usual at Mug-N-Bun restaurant, and Historic Steer In embraces its drive-in roots.

Half-price tickets let you eat, drink wine and see Food Network's Scott Conant at the IndyStar Wine & Food Experience.

Janelle Monae brought a thinking-human's dance party to Indianapolis to promote standout album 'Dirty Computer.'

First-half incident resulted in an ejection for Illini player as he stepped on Boilermakers guard

George Faerber still holds 17 records from his high school career, including a game with 52 points and 32 rebounds.

Baylen, Bowen and Callen get a NBA-level call as they take to their lowered rim for a contest

Former Center Grove High School kicker gets a big-screen announcement from the former Colts punter.

Energizer is planning to open a facility in Franklin. Here's how much money they'll save in a 10-year tax abatement.

See the change happening in Bargersville from above

Town leaders and residents prepare for what's to come as the interstate replaces Ind. 37 as the direct route from Martinsville to Indianapolis.

The rural Johnson County town hopes to take advantage of growth while retaining its small-town charm.

One person died after the collapse of a well that was under construction in the 4900 block of W. Road 225 N. in Bargersville.

A Bargersville man died in a head-on crash in Johnson County early Saturday morning. Police believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.

Champ McCorkle notched his 1,000th-career point as the Cougars beat Center Grove for the Johnson County tournament championship.

Franklin Development Corporation's Krista Linke talks about the city's residential facade program being used to transform downtown homes.

A Bargersville police officer and the driver of an SUV were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after a vehicle crash Friday.