It is a practice critics say has gone too far. Entrepreneurs from around the world gathered this weekend for the 11th annual Invention Convention, hoping to lure investors with a bewildering array of gadgets and things designed to make life easier - or maybe just more fun. On the first Saturday in September, after being commissioned with full fanfare, the USS Louisiana steams from the submarine base at Kings Bay, Ga., and heads for the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. It will be the last new ballistic missile-carrying submarine the Navy sends to sea.
Admission is free.
Earplugs cost extra. After leading the nation in welfare reform for a decade, Wisconsin is taking the final step. The state's newest welfare program, called Wisconsin Works, requires all able-bodied adults to work or get job training in exchange for a check, food stamps, medical assistance and subsidized child care. It also puts a five-year cap on benefits. At 47, a hardworking family man like Lon Farris could be forgiven if he gave in to an urge to buy something sleek, fast and impractical.