February 2009
72 posts
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Apple Finally Hires New Accounting Firm
Apple had steadfastly used KPMG as its independent accounting firm for at least a decade. That’s a no-no because fresh eyes are needed every so often to route out possible corruption like the stock options scandal Apple experienced. Nonetheless, the company fought shareholder attempts to hire a new accounting firm a year ago.
If a stock options scandal weren’t enough, perhaps the...
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“It’s a strange world when poop is more valuable than milk.”
– Matt Freund, a Connecticut farmer in Turning Cow Manure Into a Growth Industry. (N.Y. Times) Apparently, it’s poop day at the Times. (See below.)
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Yellow Is the New Green →
Some homes around the world have innovative toilets that separate liquid from solid wastes saving a lot of energy and improving the environment. (N.Y. Times)
Cities should deploy new plumbing networks that separate human waste from storm sewers and excrement from urine. It would have a tremendously positive impact on the environment and save a lot of money operating sewage treatment centers....
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Obama Plans to End Combat Mission in Iraq in... →
35,000 to 50,000 troops will remain in Iraq after August 2010. (N.Y. Times)
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Vatican Says Bishop Fell Short →
The Pope repudiates Bishop Williamson, the Holocaust denier, with whom the church had earlier attempted to reconcile. (N.Y. Times)
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5 Hidden Costs of Running a CMS →
Keep your eyes wide open when choosing a Content Management System (CMS) for your website. (ThinkVitamin via Big Contrarian)
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New York Experiments with Closing Broadway →
New York City will experiment with closing several blocks of Broadway near Times and Herald Squares to traffic. Paradoxically, it is expected to relieve vehicle congestion in those areas by giving longer green lights to cross streets. An earlier experiment with using lanes of Broadway for bike lanes and promenades with tables, chairs, and planters has been successful on blocks south of Herald...
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Ford Executives Cut Own Pay 30% for 2 Years →
Wow — a company being responsible about the downturn. Ford may be the best-managed American car company (plus more than a little lucky). (N.Y. Times)
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In the Open at Last, a Secret All Women Share →
“My Little Red Book,” covers fascinating, new ground in telling women’s stories about their first menstruation. (N.Y. Times)
I’ve never understood men’s disgust with menstruation — especially men who purport to love vagina.
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Is ‘Marriage’ Subject to Compromise? →
In response to an Op-Ed piece espousing a compromise on gay marriage, Daniel Rein offers the best idea (halfway down the page): Completely remove government from the religious aspects of marriage. Let religion confer the sacrament of marriage (or choose not to), and let the government offer the contractual rights and responsibilities of civil unions to any couple who wants them. This has the added...
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Tofu-Chili Taco With Kimchi →
Mexican-Korean fusion food takes over L.A. (N.Y. Times)
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Slow Economy Means Faster Traffic →
American roads are less congested, and Americans are watching more TV (hopefully not while driving).
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Citing Cost, States Consider Halting Death Penalty →
Under economic strain, some states are looking to save $500,000 to $1.9 million per murder case by not seeking the death penalty. (N.Y. Times)
If we can’t do it for moral reasons, maybe we can end the death penalty for economic ones.
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Northern Untrustworthy →
Last week, Northern Trust of Chicago became the latest bank to throw an extravagant party after accepting billions in taxpayer money. (N.Y. Times)
Shame on them.
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Saner Approach to Drug War →
Latin American former Presidents call for a saner approach to the Drug War. (Denver Post via N.Y. Times)
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Op-Ed Columnist - That Can’t-Do Spirit -... →
We need to bypass government inertia and massively rebuild American infrastructure. (N.Y. Times)
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What Part of ‘Stimulus’ Don’t They Get? →
Some Republican governors refuse to accept federal aid to the unemployed on ideological grounds while those affected languish in poverty. (N.Y. Times)
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The 3 R’s? A Fourth Is Crucial, Too: Recess →
Scientific studies prove that play is critical to learning. (N.Y. Times)
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“Isn’t [bank] nationalization un-American? No, it’s as American as apple pie.”
– Paul Krugman in Banking on the Brink (N.Y. Times)
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'There's an App for That' →
The iPhone platform is the only unfragmented one out there, and that will determine its success. It’s also why there won’t be an ‘iPhone nano’ that doesn’t run every app currently in the App Store. (eWeek via Daring Fireball)
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Student Expectations Seen as Causing Grade... →
Some professors are studying the culture of entitlement amongst college students. (N.Y. Times)
Then, they need to study the culture of entitlement in the work world.
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No Way, No How, Not Here →
Muslims in India refuse to bury the bodies of the Mumbai terrorists. (N.Y. Times)
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Vitamin Pills: A False Hope? →
Science says that vitamin pills don’t help. (N.Y. Times)
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Obama Gains Support From G.O.P. Governors →
At least, the Republican governors are focusing on the real problems facing America vs. the Republican members of Congress who are all about ideology at the expense of the people. (N.Y. Times)
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I Dream of Denver →
The American Dream circa 2009 looks like Denver, San Diego, Seattle, Orlando and Tampa. I wish it would look more like Amsterdam. (N.Y. Times)
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We’ll Take It →
Washington, D.C. may finally get voting representation in the House of Representatives. (N.Y. Times)
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Library Job Gets an Update →
This makes me want to be a librarian. (N.Y. Times)
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“Talking on a mobile device is just as bad as driving drunk.”
– David Strayer, who published a study on driving while on the phone, in Should motorists ever talk on the phone? It doesn’t matter whether the phone is handheld or hands-free. (CNN)
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Universal Cell Phone Chargers Coming Soon →
All major phone manufacturers have standardized on the mini-USB plug for cell phone charging (and presumably wired data connection). Some models are already on the standard; remaining phone models will be converted to mini-USB by 2012. Even better, the new phone chargers aim to save electricity by reducing the “vampire” effect of chargers that suck electricity even when they’re...
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2008 Deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan →
Of course, civilian deaths caused directly and indirectly by the wars, which are likely to much higher than these numbers, are excluded. (N.Y. Times)
My parents are war survivors, and any politician who starts a war should have to live through one first.
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Stimulate Our Minds →
The best way to secure our nation’s future is to invest in high-quality teachers. (N.Y. Times)
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“The government can’t create jobs without spending, and… Bush-era...”
– Frank Rich in They Sure Showed That Obama (N.Y. Times)
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A Big iPhone Break-up →
Om Malik, a high-profile tech writer, very publicly dumps his iPhone. He blames the low quality of the AT&T network (although there is anecdotal evidence that call quality may be a problem with the iPhone itself). (GigaOM via Daring Fireball)
I can’t wait for the iPhone to go non-exclusive and get on my network, US Cellular.
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“The vast majority of Republicans rallied behind the idea that the appropriate...”
– Paul Krugman in Failure to Rise (N.Y. Times)
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Sensors Help Keep the Elderly at Home →
It’s wonderful that these sensors help people keep their independence. They have unintended downsides though — like relatives may visit or call less often. (N.Y. Times)
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Laid-Off Foreigners Flee as Dubai Spirals Down →
Hugely successful Dubai has taken a turn for the worst. (N.Y. Times)
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DARK 5: Detroit Area Rough and Kinkfest →
Now, you know what I was doing last weeked in Detroit for the Leather Archives & Museum. (Road Show)
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First Openly Gay Performer at White House Dinner →
Wanda Sykes, one of my favorite comedians, has been selected to roast President Obama at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner. Between Sykes’ and Obama’s comedy skills, it should be hilarious. Sykes recently came out as lesbian. I never knew she worked for the ultra-secret National Security Administration until 1992. There better be a video of this dinner on YouTube!...
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Pope Condemns Holocaust Denial →
The Pope calls the Holocaust a “terrible crime… against humanity” in the face of controversy over trying to bring excommunicated Bishop Williamson, a holocaust denier, back into the Catholic Church. The Pope also prayed for forgiveness.
So far Williamson has not renounced his position on the Holocaust saying that he needs more time to review the evidence. (Reuters in the N.Y....
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The Demise of Dating →
Kids are dating less and less. This is not a good sign for future community building. (N.Y. Times)
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You're Blowing Your Nose Wrong! →
Hot on the heels of not putting your hand over your mouth when you cough or sneeze, we learn something new about blowing your nose.
(In regard to coughing and sneezing, you’re supposed to cover your mouth with the inside of your elbow so that you don’t spread germs by hand contact.)
Now, scientists tell us that blowing your nose in the traditional manner may possibly cause further...
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KenKen →
A new math puzzle by the name of KenKen, comes to America. Like soduku, it’s from Japan.
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“[Republicans are] comforting the comfortable while afflicting the afflicted.”
– Paul Krugman in The Destructive Center (N.Y. Times)
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WatchSony Releases New Stupid Piece Of Shit That Doesn’t Fucking Work (The Onion via Daring Fireball)
I bought the old piece of shit, a $400 Sony DSC-T70 camera that only works when it wants to. I don’t think I’m going to upgrade to this new piece of shit.