Jethro Tull In Space: Innovation Frontier?
Missing An Important Moment Last month we celebrated the fact that, fifty years ago, Yuri Gagarin became the first man to visit space. Fantastic and inspiring as this news tidbit was, it largely passed right over me, reaching only the periphery of my auditory field. Why? Simple. This achievement just didn’t seem all that extraordinary. The rightful wonder and awe such an event should have inspired in me had seemingly been eroded away by the various other achievements... Read More
Ryan’s Couponcare Health Plan: Republican Suicide
The Healthcare Plan No One Likes Never in all the years I have been watching politics have I seen so many politicians, one after the other, throw their support behind a policy that NO ONE likes. As written on countless message boards, chanted at dozens of political rallies and even voiced straight into the faces of various senators, no one likes the Paul Ryan Medicare plan. I would go so far as to venture that the Ryan Medicare plan rates somewhere between tax hikes and... Read More
World’s Oldest Female Bodybuilder Is Hot!
When you’re 74 will you have a six pack, and I’m not referring to beer cans? I don’t know about you, but I’d love to look like Ernestine Shepherd, when I grow up at any age. The septuagenarian runs 80 miles a week, eats bland chicken and brown rice daily, drinks raw egg whites for protein, and wakes up at 3am every morning to meditate. This woman is a real inspiration, especially given that she was once a regular Joe Josephine who was content... Read More
Your Commute Could Be Killing You
Commuting sucks. Unfortunately, for most us, commuting is just one of those necessary evils that we deal with on a weekly basis. But, have you ever considered the long-term effect commuting may be having on your health? I’m not just talking about the transient adrenaline rush you experience when you’re cut off in rush hour traffic yet again and risk being late to clock in. Consider: Commuting is a migraine-inducing life-suck—a mundane task about as pleasurable... Read More
How Playgrounds Are Endangering Our Kids
Everyone wants to keep their kids safe, all the time. But when it comes to playgrounds have we gone a bit too far? Early childhood specialist, Prue Walsh believes (speaking at an Early Childhood Education Conference in Melbourne this week) that today’s “hurt-proof” plastic playgrounds are actually doing more harm than good. “Children need to actively explore and discover the world around them and to do that they need to learn to take calculated risks.”…... Read More
Yale Frat Houses: Boys Gone Bad
Bad Boys, Bad Boys It’s Spring and what could herald the beginning of the season better than the sound of birds in song? Treetops and branches are full of male birds twittering so heartily that they are fit to burst. Their message is simple: “I’m here ladies, come and get me now.” Female birds watch from a distance, skeptically. Their message is also simple: “Buddy if you want me, you’d better sing real good.” Last October, the campus of Yale University... Read More
Government Has A “Secret” Patriot Act
Everyone knows about the Patriot Act (or should), and about how it infringes on our rights as citizens by allowing the government to spy on us without our permission. Unfortunately, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore) says that we don’t even know the half of it: Congress is set to reauthorize three controversial provisions of the surveillance law as early as Thursday. But Wyden says that what Congress will renew is a mere fig leaf for a far broader legal interpretation of... Read More
Dinner Theater For The Masses
I’ll admit it, I’m one of those people who goes to the movie theater carrying a big-ass purse stuffed with snacks I brought from home. After paying $12 for my ticket, I cannot afford to be doling out another $20 on stale popcorn and warm soda. I am not alone. About a third of moviegoers do not buy at the concession stands, but this may soon change. The vice-president for AMC’s food and beverage sector, George Patterson, wants to introduce seat-side dining... Read More
Republican Science: Trees Cause Global Warming
When it comes to global warming, I’m not expert, but I’m pretty sure that global warming is real, that trees are NOT the problem, and that our polluting the planet is definitely part of the issue. However, it seems that a lot of folks don’t want to accept that we humans are somewhat responsible for the warming of our planet. Unfortunately some of these folks are in positions of power; Representative Dana Rohrabacher of California (a Republican, no... Read More
Dear Time-Warner, You Suck!
This is just priceless. I’ve been so ticked at big companies like ATT, Comcast and Time-Warner that treat their customers like crap, that I have literally dreamed of smacking “them” upside the head. Evidently stand-up comedian Eugene Mirman has had similar feelings and decided to do his “smacking” by writing a scathing letter to Time-Warner which he then published in the New York Press and in the Greenpoint . This dude wasn’t cutting... Read More
