11.01.2014
ATTN kids: I'm not gonna buy you one of these either, so sit down and shut up
The Best First Smartphone for Your Child | TIME
"There’s no more modern rite of passage than the first smartphone."
Hang in there, Dude, you can get that space filled up if you just keep trying
Dreaming Up Ways To Use Fall Back's Extra Hour | Public Radio East
"The hour of light we gain each morning until spring just brings the darkness an hour earlier in winter; that can get grim after the holiday lights come down. And I wonder how many people will miss busses or planes on Monday because they forgot to turn back the clock on their rice cooker — one of many unexpected spots where clocks show their faces these days."
We hope it's not leaky apples; that would be terrifying
Leak week: Obama team shows signs of strain as anonymous officials take gripes to media | Fox News
"Whether it's a few leaky apples or the sign of a larger morale problem is unclear. "
Not a good day for the space tourism industry
"Branson’s fledgling spaceline, which brands itself as having the world's first commercial rocket-plane, attributed the tragedy to an 'in-flight anomaly,' according to a company tweet."
And really? A company tweet?
This is the second big rocket blow-up of the week: Last Tuesday, an Orbital Sciences Corporation rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station got vaporized (intentionally) off Virginia.
10.31.2014
Climate change, anyone?
Why Republicans Keep Telling Everyone They’re Not Scientists - NYTimes.com
"‘It’s got to be the dumbest answer I’ve ever heard,’ said Michael McKenna, a Republican energy lobbyist…"
We couldn’t have said it better.
[Noted by our Midwest and Elsewhere Bureau.]
You hadda be there
1950 Studebaker Champion - The Plane Car
“…building his '50 Champion Starlight coupe to resemble a Lockheed P-38 Lightning 'as close as the Illinois Department of Transportation would allow.' Doug gave instructions to the body shop to, in his words, 'make the body shine like the underside of a pop can.'"
Despondent Bears fans look forward to…the Cubs?
Joe Maddon: A real ray of hope for Cubs - Chicago Sun-Times
"Finally, after five seasons of bad baseball from the Cubs and superhuman patience from their fans, something real."
The mongering
"I say nothing lest I be accused of insulting the intellectual acuity of tree stumps."
We are shocked
Vote Suppression Laws Suppress Vote - Lawyers, Guns & Money
"Concealed handgun licenses are allowed, but college student IDs are not, nor are driver’s licenses that have been expired for more than sixty days."
10.30.2014
The third third
The entirety of Ken Follett’s Edge of Eternity, the formidable third and final volume of his massive Century Trilogy, occurs within my adult lifetime, which leaves me with a very different perspective than the one I had on the trilogy’s first two installments, Fall of Giants and Winter of the World. Edge tells an engaging story (although these family epics are not my normal literary fare) and represents a writerly feat of the first magnitude, but it’s CliffsNotes history, concentrating primarily on Cold War politics in Russia and the U.S., the American civil rights movement, “free love,” and the rock music scene. The Vietnam war is worth only a scene or two, the American peace movement even less; totally ignored are such fairly significant events as the French-Algerian war, the end of apartheid in South Africa, the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, the deposition of the Shah and the Iranian-U.S. hostage crisis, turmoil in South America, and Bill Clinton’s most famous escapades (although JFK’s bedroom adventures are a major obsession).
Still, seen as the story of several interconnected families played out against the background of the 20th Century, the series—all three installments—makes an absorbing read.
So. If you read the first two books in the series you do not want to miss this one, if for no other reasons than to see how (some) things turn out.
How much fun can you take?
Marvel's plan to make you watch its superheroes all year, every year | The Verge
"It’s not the fans Marvel has to worry about, many of whom have waited for years to see their favorite characters and story arcs on the big screen, but the average moviegoers, who won’t want to do homework on 20 movies worth of backstory just to be able to keep up with Avengers: Infinity War, Part 2 when its released in 2019."
We weren't planning to mention this, but…
Ebola could crash U.S. healthcare system | New York Post
"In its 2014 national report card, the American College of Emergency Physicians gives the country a D-plus grade in emergency care, asserting the system is in ‘near-crisis.’"
And it gets worse. Quite a bit worse, in fact.
10.29.2014
Free Fido!
NRA Victory Means It's Still Perfectly Legal to Cook Dogs and Cats in Pennsylvania | Mother Jones
"Over the past few weeks specifically, NRA officials have been sounding the alarm over the bill, deeming the 'radical' Humane Society's proposal as a 'slippery slope' to increased regulation. Unsurprisingly, Pennsylvania lawmakers caved."
Is there some type of mope test you have to take in order to work for the government these days?
Israel's Netanyahu Furious Over 'Chickensh*t' Quote From U.S. Official
"'The thing about Bibi is, he’s a chickenshit,’ the unidentified official was quoted as saying, using Netanyahu's nickname and a slang insult certain to redden the ears of the U.S.-educated former commando."
A moment of awe
Someone failed 2 brief POTUS that you never want to get on the bad side of Army spouses in battalion-sized increments http://t.co/0MrSQY2RT5
— John Schindler (@20committee) October 29, 2014We're hoping the answer is yes, but we are apprehensive
Is it ever, ever OK to put Cheez Whiz on cheesesteak? http://t.co/p0n9rXyoUB
— Esquire Magazine (@Esquiremag) October 29, 2014Is this a great country or what?
Have Ebola? Know someone who does? Need a lawyer? - The Washington Post
“…one law firm is now making itself available for all your legal Ebola needs."
Ebola is nothing compared to this rabble
Cuomo calls public school system a ‘monopoly’ he wants to bust - The Washington Post
"In his rhetoric about public education as a monopoly, Cuomo sounds somewhat like former Republican Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a national reform leader who refers to public schools as ‘government-run monopolies run by unions.’"
10.28.2014
Just can't have any fun any more
Stop taking selfies with bears, hikers warned | Daily Mail Online
"Hikers have got as close as a few feet away from the wild bears, and officials have now been forced to send out an official warning."
Yeah, we can't find it in our dictionary either
What does Christie's tough talk on Ebola say about him as a presidential candidate? - CSMonitor.com
"Christie has been vintagely defiant…"
Chicago from space (too far away to see the Bears)
Passed over #Chicago about 5 minutes ago. Looked like a beautiful crisp fall day. pic.twitter.com/kJCYgftwZD
— Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) October 25, 2014
Don't sweat it; we're worried about something else right now
Cannon barrel found in checked bag at Kahului airport - Hawaii News - Honolulu Star-Advertiser
"TSA agents have found cannon balls in the past, but never a cannon."
The wringing of hands, the gnashing of teeth
Bears fans deserve better than this clueless crew - Chicago Sun-Times
"What did Chicago do to deserve these people? Was it something we said? Did we take George Halas’ name in vain? Or are we simply the butt of some cosmic joke?"
The Big Boom
From the Wikipedia entry for Hell Gate, a narrow spot in New York City’s East River…
Hell Gate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"In 1851, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began to clear obstacles from the strait with explosives; the process would last 70 years. On September 24, 1876, the Corps used 50,000 pounds (23,000 kg) of explosives to blast the dangerous rocks, which was followed by further blasting work. On October 10, 1885, the Corps carried out the largest explosion in this process, annihilating Flood Rock with 300,000 pounds (140,000 kg) of explosives. The blast was felt as far away as Princeton, New Jersey and sent a geyser of water 250 feet (76 m) in the air."
Bang! It’s about 59 miles from New York City to Princeton.
And what more could you ask for?
“[White House press secretary] Earnest said [Ebola honcho] Klain’s work — he’s been on the job 10 days — already produced ‘a significant number of announcements'…"
10.27.2014
Do not mess with an Ebola nurse
Nurse quarantined in New Jersey after returning from Ebola mission is released - The Washington Post
"‘First of all, I don’t think [Christie is] a doctor,’ Hickox told CNN on Sunday, in an interview from her isolation tent. ‘For the first 12 hours, I was in shock. Now I’m angry.’"That same day, she hired civil rights attorney Norman Siegel, who told NBC News that Hickox planned to sue for her release."
On selling books
"At this point, Obama probably wishes that his key appointees were solely people who preferred to retire to microphone- and media-free caves. "
And they don't want it back
Tons of BP Oil Is Still on the Bottom of the Gulf of Mexico | Mother Jones
"In a statement today, the company dismissed Valentine's findings as 'grossly overstate[d]' and said there was insufficient evidence to link the hopane concentrations to the Macondo well specifically. "
Introducing a new line of tinfoil hats (err…well, no, a book)
EX-CBS reporter: Government-related entity bugged my computer | New York Post
"A former CBS News reporter who quit the network over claims it kills stories that put President Obama in a bad light says she was spied on by a ‘government-related entity’ that planted classified documents on her computer."
No good deed goes unpunished
Ebola nurse’s quarantine hell | New York Post
"Kaci Hickox told CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ that she was stuck inside a tent without a shower or flushable toilet, despite having no symptoms and twice testing negative for the deadly virus after caring for patients in Sierra Leone."
10.26.2014
Meanwhile, in other sporting news…
Bears can’t stop Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady, lose big to Patriots 51-23 - Chicago Sun-Times
"FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The most important game of the season produced, maybe, the worst first half in the history of the Bears franchise.…
The comedy of errors rendered the second half irrelevant, but for fantasy football nerds, and the Patriots won, 51-23"
Winning streak snapped
Rimrock High School (Bruneau, ID) Football Home - MaxPreps.com
The Rimrock High School Raiders ended their season Friday night with a 56-6 loss to Horseshoe Bend, in Idaho. The Raiders were 1-7 for the season, the same as the Jacksonville Jaguars, currently 1-7 in the AFC South. So, way to go, Raiders, and wait till next year.
Facts get in the way
"Last night, as the news broke that a doctor who had worked in west Africa had returned to New York and, subsequently, after riding in an Uber car, taking the subway, and bowling, had self-diagnosed and been found to have come down with Ebola, if you took a drink every time CNN's Don Lemon said 'the most populous city in the country,' I certainly hope you didn't drive home. If you did, you were a greater danger to the public health than Dr. Craig Spencer ever was. According to that pesky CDC, we lose 30 people per day to alcohol-related automobile accidents, which means we lose 29 more people every day than we have lost to Ebola in total since Thomas Duncan went to that hospital in Texas. Just sayin'."
…and more.
But what other words can you think of?
Feet-on with RocketSkates, which are exactly what they sound like | Ars Technica
"Some words just make other words seem cooler. Add 'rocket' to just about anything—car, backpack, toast—and suddenly you've made those words way more interesting. Rocket car! Rocket backpack! Rocket toast!
"
And you thought those fern bars were there for you
Ferns send signals to decide what sex to be | Ars Technica
"The chemical signal itself is a hormone called gibberellin, which plants use to control all sorts of biological activity. Most of what goes on in ferns is controlled by the usual collection of genes involved in gibberellin signaling; they seem to only have needed to evolve two additional genes in order to get this communal sex determination system to work."
Just in time for Halloween
How Wonky Homelessness Consultants Helped Ban Food-Sharing in 22 Cities | Alternet
" In its recent report, the National Coalition for the Homeless found that since January 2013 alone, food-sharing laws have been adopted in 21 cities. This past Tuesday, Fort Lauderdale, FL, passed the latest of these restrictions, making it city number 22. About 10 other cities are in the process of placing restrictions on food-sharing. This is a 47 percent increase since the coalition’s last report in 2010."
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