SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:05 P.M. ET: 

THE MADNESS CONTINUES – FROM DAILY CALLER:   A university will be hosting a “Masculinity Confession Booth” along with a number of other workshops and screenings to combat “hypermasculinity.”  “We have all reinforced hypermasculinity one way or another regardless of our gender!!” explains the University of Regina event description. “Come and share your sins so we can begin to discuss how to identify and change our ways !!!”  The “Man Up Against Violence” initiative will be hosting these events at the University of Regina in Canada during the present week.  The Masculinity Confession Booth will be making its debut Monday, but is also listed on the schedule for Tuesday through Thursday — days on which students can also attend a “Healthy Relationships and Healthy Masculinity Workshop.” Yet another event will seek to redefine the phrase, “man up.”  I'm rushing with my application.

CONFIDENCE UP – FROM MARKETWATCH:   Consumer confidence in March soared to the highest level in more than 16 years, according to data released Tuesday.  The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index leapt to 125.6 in March from 116.1 in February, coming in well ahead of the MarketWatch-compiled consensus of 114.1.  The reading gave a pop to U.S. stocks DJIA, +0.73% , which turned higher after the report. The Dow closed 150 points higher.  Consumer confidence has taken off since the election of President Donald Trump, on the prospect of lower taxes and more infrastructure spending. Confidence has yet to be impacted by Congress’s inability so far to enact the president’s ambitions. The cutoff data for responses was March 16, before Republicans were forced to scrap a vote on repealing and replacing Obamacare.  I hope the Republican Congress understands the importance of consumer confidence, and doesn't destroy it by refusing to pass the president's economic program.

PRACTICALITY – FROM FAST FORWARD:   Brandeis physicist Daniel Perlman loves wine, but hates wine stains.  So he put himself to studying — for three years — how wine flows out of wine bottles, Daniel Perlman and has finally figured out how to prevent wine from dripping down the side of the bottle.  Perlman’s invention is simple, consisting of a small groove cut into the neck of the bottle just below the lip. The groove requires liquid to fight against gravity to move down the neck of the bottle, forcing the liquid to drip into the cup rather than down the side of the bottle.  Perlman is currently talking to bottle manufacturers about implementing his design in their products.  It's such a relief to see a college professor do something practical.  Build a statue to him at Brandeis:  Conquerer of Stains.  Man of the Century.

March 28, 2017