ROTTING, DEAD PEOPLE MAKE CRUMMY HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS.

by Barry S. (NWM Staff Writer)

How jaded is this generation?  A body of a man was slumped over patio furniture on his balcony and was mistaken for a Halloween display.  As described in the NY Times, the body remained undisturbed for five days.  Sheriff's deputies were called and found the man dead, shot through the eye.  He looked fake said a nearby resident, "like somebody had thrown a dummy over the back of a chair."  How creepy is this?  People are so used to seeing dead body images around Halloween that no one notices a real one!  And of course, all the movies featuring blood and gore help uber-anesthetize people so that no one thinks anything about a dead body on a terrace.  It would be funny, if it weren't so sad.

ANGRY RETIREE OP-ED: 3D TV? TOTAL RIP-OFF!!!

by Barry S. (NWM Staff Writer)

I see the future in media and I don't like it. The NY Times reports that this new 3D TV tech will be available soon-ish. It will be high-def and wide screen but manufacturers can't avoid the one problem 3-D always had: those gooofy glasses. And while we would expect the TVs to be pricey (Panasonic has a 50-inch model for $2,000) those glasses will be pricey too--$50 a pair. If you want to buy a batch for your family it will cost more than a small HD TV. Good luck with that! But here's something even wilder: mega-screens that broadcast 8 shows at once. Toshiba has a TV that can display 8 windows at once and can even record all 8 channels non-stop for 26 hours. Don't get your credit card yet, it costs about $11,000. But here's the result of all this: terminal couch-potato-itis. I don't like it, and neither should you!

Check out the 3D TV at one of those crowded convention shows.

REALLY STUPID CRIMINALS GO ON BLIND DATES TOO.

by Barry S. (NWM Staff Writer)

How many of you have found yourself on a first date that you just couldn't go through with? To get out of it maybe you claimed sickness or the death of your cat was too traumatic. I bet no one has used the following technique as described in the NY Times. A Detroit man skipped out on a first date by saying he forgot his wallet in her car and asked for the keys. He then took off in the car. After he was caught, his defense was he's really a nice guy who made a bad decision. Keep that in mind the next time you need to get away man.

ANGRY RETIREE OP-ED: MEDICARE IN D FIB

by Barry S. (NWM Staff Writer)

OK, everyone's been talking about the proposed changes to health care so I suppose I should chime in. After all, I haven't seen any angry retiree being quoted. You can see plenty of them on TV demonstrating. And they should demonstrate because how else can they get their point across. But I have news for them. When all is said and done, get ready to see Medicare reduced. Oh, it wont happen overnight. When the final bill passes there will be projections of costs over the next ten years (and when did the government ever get cost projections right over one year let alone ten but that's another story) so Medicare will be safe for ten years (maybe). But after that it will be fair game and cut they will. So this generation will be safe. But people are living longer and what about the next generation? Before, people were worrying that Social Security would go broke. Now they can add reduced health care to their list of worries.

The NY Times has an article about Senator Bill Nelson of Florida struggling with this issue. He sounds like a decent guy who wants to look out for us seniors. But let me tell you Bill, give up. Medicare will be on the chopping block whatever you do.

400 YEAR-OLD MURDER BAFFLES NYPD AND ME!

by Barry S. (NWM Staff Writer)

The New York Times discussed the first recorded murder in NYC on Sept. 6, 1609. This might be interesting in a historical sense, but what makes this story special to me is that the NYC police are still investigating it. That's right. It is one of their cold cases. Now there have been 300 murders so far this year in the city. I would think these would get the attention of the force. Is it so important to solve a 400 year-old murder? Not many witnesses around. Suspects include the indians and the victim's shipmates. The police are considering looking for the body in Coney Island. You beachgoers watch where you step.