Good week, Bad week

Good week for:

Sanity, after all but two Republican presidential candidates declined to participate in a debate to be moderated by Donald Trump. The billionaire businessman gave up on hosting a debate, but warned the GOP he might “run as an independent.”

Scrimping, after it was announced that new austerity measures would freeze the British royal family’s government stipend, limiting Queen Elizabeth and the royals to $50 million a year.

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Joy rides, after three people left a bar in Steamboat Springs, Colo., mounted horses, and rode them into a Starbucks and a Safeway to get some munchies. “I had a great ride right up until the very end,” said Michael Miller, whose night ended when police Tasered and arrested him.

Bad week for:

Trust in government, after a Gallup poll found that 64 percent of Americans rate the honesty and ethical standards of members of Congress as “low” or “very low,” their worst rating on record. In fact, Congress now rates below telemarketers.

Licking the bowl, after a new study found that a 2009 E. coli outbreak that sickened at least 80 people in 30 states was caused by eating raw cookie dough. Some people who buy cookie dough, researchers noted, “had no plans to actually bake cookies.”

Practicing what you preach, after Australian Communi­ca­tions Minister Stephen Conroy, who is in charge of broadcasting standards, said the F-word on live television. He quickly added, “Excuse me.”