SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:47 P.M. ET:

HOSTAGES – From Fox:  "An armed gunman is holding up to 13 people hostage inside a chocolate shop in Sydney with their hands pressed up against the windows, Sky News Australia reports.  Australian special forces have been called in to the city’s financial district and New South Wales police are advising people to stay out of the area.  Television footage shot through the store's windows showed several people with their arms in the air and hands pressed against the glass. The footage showed two people inside the Lindt chocolate shop holding up what appeared to be a black flag with white Arabic writing on it. It was not immediately clear what the flag said.  New South Wales state police would not say what was happening inside the shop or whether hostages were being held, The Associated Press reports.  But Lindt Australia CEO Steve Loane told News.com.au he believes there are 40 to 50 people inside the cafe, including customers and staff."  We'll of course be following this. 

ON EDGE – From Breitbart:  "New York police report that two officers were assaulted by marchers that took to the streets to protest police violence on Saturday. Police also reported finding a bag of newly-purchased hammers that were apparently intended for use as weapons.  Screaming 'No Justice, No Peace' and carrying signs that proclaimed 'Black Lives Matter' and 'Bring The System Down,' thousands of protesters hit the streets of the Big Apple, joining similar protests in other cities this weekend...While many protesters were peaceful, not all were, and some violence, threats of violence, and arrests occurred.  In once incident, a trash can was thrown at officers by a protester near the Brooklyn Bridge. After the can was thrown, officers attempted to make an arrest but a group of protesters swarmed them, assaulting two officers in the process."  I'm deeply concerned about an escalation of violence and intentional harm to police officers.  One spark can set off something awful. 

ARE WE SERIOUS HERE? – From Fox:  "WASHINGTON – A controversial Obama administration rating system for colleges and universities already is being scrutinized ahead of its late-December rollout by educators who claim the government's goal of more transparency could come at the expense of schools that don't happen to fit the ivory tower model.  The federal government, with its long-awaited rating system, is trying to hold the country's 7,000 colleges and universities accountable not only to taxpayers, but also to prospective students trying to weigh the pros and cons of different institutions.   But it has many in the education community on edge. Several colleges and education associations have launched a preemptive PR strike against the plan, though the details haven't yet been released."  I would love to see colleges and universities held accountable for how they spend federal dollars, but this should be a function of Congress, which represents both parties, not the Obama administration.  I can just see the leftists in the Department of Education handing down regulations on how colleges should be run.  Talk about a nightmare, brought to you by the wonderful guys who gave you school lunch menus.

December 14, 2014