This New England

I've been amused that colleges and universities seeking to avoid being taxed by cash-strapped municipalities in New England usually cite the fact that the higher-education indusry has been one of the few job creators in these parts in the last few years.

One wonders if that is in part because it pays so little in taxes compared to everybody else -- even as it raises tuitions every year by two or three times the inflation rate, in large part to pay for club-like student amenities undreamed of 30 years ago.

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The Portland Press Herald will stay in business! A Pennsylvania publisher is leading a group buying it after the publisher of The Seattle Times threatened to close the paper, which dates to the 19th Century. Very good news for Maine.

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Could the Coast Guard just tell people like this before they leave that they're on their own and the public has no obligation to rescue them at great financial cost and sometimes danger? Probably not.

Charles Girard was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter today about 130 miles east of Massachusetts after setting out May 19 in a 21-foot rowboat to row across the Atlantic. The Frenchman tried the same stunt in 2007 but returned after a few hours when his boat sprang a leak.

 Tags  Charles Girard Portland Press Herald

Comments

Help the crazies said:

Wanna row across the ocean? Go, but don't expect the US Coast Guard to risk the lives of its people to pull you out. Come back the way you went.

When someone says they want to row across the Atlantic, they should be committed for psychiatric evaluation for at least 30 days before their journey, and then sent on their way.

Bon Voyage..

Link | May 31, 2009 5:28 AM
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