If you just happened not to speak English, and you just happened to be robbed by a guy wearing a bandana wrapped around his nose, and you just happened to take life saving advice from aerobics instructors, then this video is for you, my friend. You will not see anything funnier this week – that’s my solid gold guarantee.

Via Dave Barry

As an aside, being rubbed by two men can cost you a lot in Japan.

A couple of weeks back, I ridiculed Brian Blanchard for his attempt to keep former Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen in jail while he awaited his appeal. Blanchard laughably argued that Jensen would somehow “reoffend,” despite the fact that he is no longer in the State Legislature.

This week, predictably, Judge Steven Ebert agreed with me and ruled that Jensen could remain a free man while filing his appeal. Ebert couldn’t completely help himself, however, as he gave Jensen another in-court tongue whipping. One wonders if Ebert is going to show up at the birth of Jensen’s next child and berate him for his low sperm count.

In related news, a relative unkown in Waukesha County politics named Sven Jenovich has filed papers to run for his recently vacated Assembly seat. Originally a goat herder in Prague, Jenovich has recently moved to America to teach motor scooter safety to legless senior citizens.

Authorized and paid for by Jenovich for Assembly, Soda Popinski treasurer

Here in Madison, a big development is apparently on hold due to a new state law that prevents governments from condemning property with the goal of transferring it from one private party to another. Traditionally, “eminent domain” is used by municipalities to obtain “blighted” property to redevelop it into something with a public purpose. In this case, however, the City of Madison condemned land in order to turn it over to a developer, which is the same issue argued in last summer’s Kelo v. City of New London U.S. Supreme Court case.

Despite the Supreme Court upholding the practice of eminent domain in the case of private party transfers, states are reacting by passing legislation outlawing the practice. Wisconsin has done so, which means developers might actually – gasp! – have to pay for the land they want, rather than running to their city government to condemn it for them.

On the same day this article explaining the Madison situation appeared, I just happened to read this excellent piece in “The Region,” which is the official magazine of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. The article details how the use of eminent domain can actually harm economic development more than it helps. It’s long, but a quality read.