October 2008
29 posts
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For Some in the Military, Danger Is Off Duty →
So many members of the armed forces have been dying on sport bikes like the Ninja that the Navy and Marines have made special training mandatory for sport bike riders this year. (N.Y. Times)
I took the Motorcycle Safety RiderCourse about a decade ago and recommend it highly.
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AIDS Treatment Should Start Sooner →
The implication being that one should get tested more often as well. (AP)
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Everybody’s Voting for the Weekend →
One in four people who didn’t vote in 2006 said that they were “too busy” or had “conflicting work or school schedules.” It’s time to move voting to the weekend. (N.Y. Times)
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Multitasking Can Make You Lose... Um... Focus →
The RAC Foundation, a British nonprofit organization that focuses on driving issues, asked 17 drivers, age 17 to 24, to use a driving simulator to see how texting affected driving. Their reaction time was around 35 percent slower when writing a text message — slower than driving drunk or stoned. (N.Y. Times)
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WatchEugene Jarecki on the Daily Show: Jarecki, author of “The American Way of War,” believes American society is destroying itself in an attempt to obtain perfect security.
Jarecki voices concerns that have been percolating in my head for some time. Like him, I’m afraid that we’re going to destroy America from the inside — all in the guise of false patriotism.
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Apple: The Phone Company →
Apple’s main business is quickly becoming phone manufacturing as revealed by sales numbers in the company’s financial conference call yesterday. In the quarter ending September, Apple was the third largest mobile phone maker by revenue worldwide — ahead of Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and LG. (Daring Fireball)
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“To put [undecided voters] in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The...”
– David Sedaris in “Undecided” (The New Yorker via Daring Fireball)
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This Bailout Doesn’t Pay Dividends →
Officers and directors of nine crippled banks stand to make an extra $250 million in the next year from the government bailout via stock dividends on top of existing compensation. (N.Y. Times)
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Dump Dobson →
The Museum of Broadcast Communications (here in Chicago) plans to induct right wing extremist, James Dobson, into its Radio Hall of Fame on November 8. A coalition of groups is working to stop this. Add your protest to the dialogue at this site.
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Apple's Next iPhone: A Laptop?
The Thrill of a Cheap Apple Laptop
In the lead up to Apple’s announcement of updates to its laptops earlier this week, there was a rumor of an $800 laptop that took hold like wildfire. The idea of a cheap Apple laptop captivated industry watchers. And rightly so; low-priced “netbooks” are a quickly growing sector of the computer industry.
As we learned on Tuesday, although it...
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Republican Supporters Endorse Obama
In the past three days two traditional bastions of the Republican Party have broken rank to endorse the Democrat for President, Barack Obama.
Last Friday, the Chicago Tribune endorsed Obama. For the first time since its founding 161 years ago, the paper endorsed the Democratic Party’s nominee for President.
This morning, General Colin Powell, a stalwart Republican, endorsed Barack Obama on...
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WatchGeneral Powell endorses Barack Obama on “Meet the Press.”
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Q.E. 2 Makes Final Visit to New York →
The Q.E. 2 had 10 male escorts for unaccompanied women. That would be an interesting job! (N.Y. Times)
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Cleveland joins Miami and Boston in bid for Gay... →
It would be nice to see some bids from non-American cities as well. The 2010 Gay Games will be hosted by Cologne, Germany. (Outsports)
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WatchGet Your War On: Moose Meat - (23/6)
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“The Republicans have alienated whole professions. Lawyers now donate to the...”
– Conservative columnist, David Brooks in “The Class War Before Palin” (N.Y. Times)
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Rubyfruit Bar, on Edge of Closing, Is Rescued by a... →
What led to a lesbian bar’s transformation. (N.Y. Times)
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No, Really, the Fundamentals of the Economy Are... →
Casey B. Mulligan, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, argues that the larger economy, outside the finance industry, is quite healthy. (N.Y. Times)
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States Block Voters Illegally →
Thousands of voters are being purged from the registration lists after the deadline to do so. (N.Y. Times)
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Who You Callin’ a Maverick? →
The story of the true Mavericks. (N.Y. Times)
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Obama or McCain? →
The New Yorker makes a strong case for Obama.
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Strippers, armadillos inspire Ig Nobel winners →
The 2008 Ig Nobel winners include researchers who found that Coke is a spermicide, a British psychologist who found foods that sound better taste better, a group of researchers who discovered exotic dancers make more money when they are at peak fertility, and a pair of Brazilian archaeologists who determined armadillos can change the course of history. (a British psychologist who found foods that...
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Small Companies Unite to Foster Employees’ Health →
Small businesses in Jackson, Michigan are banding together to fight health insurance costs by improving employee health. (N.Y. Times)
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Apple Drops iPhone Gag Order →
Apple will drop its non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone/iPod touch applications. The NDA had become a sore spot in developer relations. (Daring Fireball)