The Buzz: Hunger games

Three Republican state senators have introduced a bill that would cut the state Supreme Court from nine members to five by requiring the justices to draw straws.

After that, the measure would thin the ranks at the Department of Social and Health Services through an agency-wide rock-paper-scissors tournament.

Yo! This is your captain speaking: The grounding of the 787 has also grounded the men and women in the cockpit, since pilots usually fly only one model of plane at a time for safety reasons. One Air India pilot even created a rap number about his predicament and posted it on YouTube.

In response, India’s civil aviation minister has asked Air India to take disciplinary action against the pilot. Personally, The Buzz would feel perfectly safe in a jet plane flown by a pilot who can also bust a rhyme now and then.

But you promised: European Union regulators on Wednesday fined Microsoft $733 million for breaking a pledge to offer Windows users the chance to easily select a product other than Internet Explorer as their default Web browser.

Microsoft acknowledged what it called “a technical error,” which might well be MS-speak for “Geez, we’ve lost a truckload of market share to Google Chrome, so what’s the big deal?”

— Mark Carlson, Herald staff

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Sunday, May 5

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

A radiation warning sign along the road near the Hanford Site in Washington state, on Aug. 10, 2022. Hanford, the largest and most contaminated of all American nuclear weapons production sites, is too polluted to ever be returned to public use. Cleanup efforts are now at an inflection point.  (Mason Trinca/The New York Times)
Editorial: Latest Hanford cleanup plan must be scrutinized

A new plan for treating radioactive wastes offers a quicker path, but some groups have questions.

Eco-nomics: The climate success we can look forward to

Finding success in confronting climate change demands innovation, will, courage and service above self.

Comment: Innovation, policy join to slash air travel pollution

Technology, aided by legislation, is quickly developing far cleaner fuels to carry air travel into the future.

Pro-Palestinian protesters, barred from entering the campus, rally outside Columbia University in upper Manhattan on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.  Police later swept onto the campus to clear protesters occupying Hamilton Hall. (Amir Hamja/The New York Times)
Comment: Colleges falling into semantic trap set by the right

As with Vietnam War-era protests, colleges are being goaded into siding with the right’s framing.

U.S. must reconsider military spending, nuclear weapons

Americans oblivious or indifferent to the staggering U.S. military budget for 2025… Continue reading

Who is responsibly locally for Monroe school’s PCB contamination

Reading the Herald article on the Monroe Sky Valley Education Center victims’… Continue reading

U.S. must remain a leader of democracy in world

At one time, very recently, the United States’ democracy was looked on… Continue reading

A driver in a Tesla reportedly on "autopilot" allegedly crashed into a Snohomish County Sheriff's Office patrol SUV that was parked on the roadside Saturday in Lake Stevens. There were no injuries. (Snohomish County Sheriff's Office)
Editorial: Tesla’s Autopilot may be ‘unsafe at any speed’

An accident in Maltby involving a Tesla and a motorcycle raises fresh concerns amid hundreds of crashes.

A Black-capped Chickadee sits on a branch in the Narbeck Wetland Sanctuary on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Bird act’s renewal can aid in saving species

It provides funding for environmental efforts, and shows the importance of policy in an election year.

Volunteers with Stop the Sweeps hold flyers as they talk with people during a rally outside The Pioneer Courthouse on Monday, April 22, 2024, in Portland, Ore. The rally was held on Monday as the Supreme Court wrestled with major questions about the growing issue of homelessness. The court considered whether cities can punish people for sleeping outside when shelter space is lacking. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Editorial: Cities don’t need to wait for ruling on homelessness

Forcing people ‘down the road’ won’t end homelessness; providing housing and support services will.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Saturday, May 4

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.