January 2011
46 posts
January 30, 2011
When Life Gets in the Way of Paying for College
Bad luck exposes cracks in one family’s financial foundation
Kelvin Ma for The Chronicle
Diane Schillinger, a freshman at the U. of Massachusetts at Amherst, sorts through loan forms and other paperwork. She always expected to go to college, though her plans for paying for it were hazy. “We’ll manage to find...
The Real News about Ophiuchus: There’s a Runaway...
by NANCY ATKINSON on JANUARY 24, 2011
The blue star near the center of this image is Zeta Ophiuchi, a runaway star plowing through the constellation Ophiuchus. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
Lots of folks seem to be up in arms about the “new” sign in the zodiac, Ophiuchus, and the news that all the star signs are no longer in sync with the actual constellations. Of course, *most* of us already...
Global unemployment has reached dangerous levels,...
ILO data provides an alarming picture of joblessness, especially among the young, that surely threatens more political instability Read the full report
Job seekers crowd together at a job fair for postgraduate students in Beijing, China. Nearly 40,000 applicants competed for around 14,228 job positions at the fair. Photograph: China Photos/Getty Images
A jobless recovery. Entrenched levels of...
Electricity Generating Dance Floors and Other...
ARIEL SCHWARTZ Journalist
Even if the planet doubled the amount of solar and wind power available tomorrow, there would still be a shortage of clean electricity. We need to grab energy from wherever we can find it, which is why piezoelectricity—the charge that gathers in solid materials like crystal and ceramic in response to strain—has recently begun to pique the interest of entrepreneurs and...
The Quotables Blog: Quotable News: Eric Schmidt →
quotablesblog:
Day-to-day adult supervision no longer needed!
— Eric Schmidt
Eric Schmidt, Google’s Chief Executive Officer, announced Friday that he is stepping down from his post with the above message today via Twitter. (Read his full statement here.) Meanwhile, the internet laments the end of…
Robert Reich: The State of the Union and the... →
robertreich:
Word has it that the President will be emphasizing “improving American competitiveness” in his State of the Union Address Tuesday night. As I’ve noted, the term is meaningless — but it’s politically useful. CEOs and many conservatives think it means improving the profitability of American…
Colin Powell on Obama: ‘We didn’t elect Superman, we elected a human being’
By Jeff Poor - The Daily Caller | Published: 12:20 PM 01/23/2011
In 2008, former Secretary of State Colin Powell bucked the Republican Party and endorsed then-Sen. Barack Obama in his campaign for president against Arizona Sen. John McCain. He described Obama then in very glowing terms – “a transformational figure” and...
Robert Reich: The State of the Union: What the... →
robertreich:
The President will have to devote a big part of his speech to the economy, but which economy? Corporate profits are up but jobs and wages remain in the doldrums. People with lots of financial assets, or who are deemed “talent” by large corporations, are enjoying a solid recovery. But most…
The GOP's rude awakening on health-care repeal
VIDEO House votes to repeal health careSwiftly honoring a campaign pledge, Republicans pushed legislation to repeal the nation’s year-old health care overhaul through the House Wednesday, brushing aside opposition in the Senate and a veto threat from President Barack Obama.» LAUNCH VIDEO PLAYER By Eugene RobinsonFriday, January 21, 2011
This whole health-care thing isn’t quite...
Robert Reich: American Competitiveness, and the... →
robertreich:
Whenever you hear a business executive or politician use the term “American competitiveness,” watch your wallet. Few terms in public discourse have gone so directly from obscurity to meaninglessness without any intervening period of coherence.
President Obama just appointed Jeffry Immelt, GE’s…
Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior
THE SATURDAY ESSAY
JANUARY 8, 2011
Can a regimen of no playdates, no TV, no computer games and hours of music practice create happy kids? And what happens when they fight back?
By AMY CHUA
A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it’s like inside the...
Yahoo IPv6 upgrade could shut out 1 million...
From: www.itworld.com
by Carolyn Duffy Marsan
January 19, 2011 —
Yahoo is forging ahead with a move to IPv6 on its main Web site by year-end despite worries that up to 1 million Internet users may be unable to access it initially.
Yahoo’s massive engineering effort to support IPv6 — the long-anticipated upgrade to the Internet’s main communications protocol — could at...
There Were Not Enough Blacks at CES & It’s Our Own...
Black parents are raising a generation of financially and educationally underpowered wimps, who’ve become experts at mastering the inconsequential
While walking among the 2,700 technology companies and hundreds of thousands of participants at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show two weeks ago, it became evident to me that there were very few African-Americans in the crowd. The...
5 Ridiculous Things You Probably Believe About...
By Jacopo della Quercia Dec 20, 2010 2,103,061 views
#2.Western Cultures Are Far More Humane Than the Bloodthirsty Muslims
Even before the whole terrorism thing, Islam had a reputation in the West for violence. Part of it has to do with how abruptly Islam was all up in everyone’s face. For instance, while Hinduism took about 1,000 years to spread through India, and Christianity took...
FACT SHEET: U.S.-China Economic Issues
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate ReleaseJanuary 19, 2011
The United States and China share one of the most important trade and economic relationships in the world. The U.S. exports $100 billion of goods and services to China, making China our largest trading partner after Canada and Mexico. Those exports support more than half a million U.S. jobs. China’s GDP...
Robert Reich: The Real Economic Lesson China Could... →
robertreich:
Highlighting today’s summit between Chinese President Hu Jintao and President Obama is China’s agreement to buy $45 billion of American exports. The President says this will create more American jobs. That’s not exactly right. It will create more profits for American companies but relatively few…
As PC Virus Turns 25, New Worry Emerges: Attack...
From: www.cio.com
– Bill Snyder, CIO
January 18, 2011
Happy anniversary Basit and Amjad! Twenty-five years ago this month, the Alvi brothers of Lahore, Pakistan, gave the world the Brain Virus, the first bit of malware capable of infecting a DOS-based PC. Back in those relatively innocent times, the brothers actually embedded their real names and business address in the code and later told...
Security Fail: When Trusted IT People Go Bad
Window
From: www.cio.com
– Tam Harbert, Computerworld
January 18, 2011
It’s a CIO’s worst nightmare: You get a call from the Business Software Alliance (BSA), saying that some of the Microsoft software your company uses might be pirated.
Slideshow: Security Quiz: How Well Do You Know the Insider Threat? Slideshow: When Rogue IT Staffers Attack: 8 Organizations That Got Burned
You...
Meet The GOP New Deficit “Reduction” Program – That Dramatically Increases The Deficit!
by DAVID BADASH on NOVEMBER 4, 2010
in ECONOMICS,NEWS,POLITICS
The GOP, which spent the George W. Bush years, and the American people’s hard-earned money, turning a Clinton budget surplus into a monstrous deficit, has spent the past year complaining about Democrats “mortgaging our children’s future.” Their...
Twenty-six Lies About H.R. 3200
Twenty-six Lies About H.R. 3200
A notorious analysis of the House health care bill contains 48 claims. Twenty-six of them are false and the rest mostly misleading. Only four are true.
August 28, 2009
Summary
Our inbox has been overrun with messages asking us to weigh in on a mammoth list of claims about the House health care bill. The chain e-mail purports to give “a few...
My 13 Golden Rules Of Twitter
Published: Tuesday, 11 Jan 2011 | 4:04 PM ET
By: Darren Rovell
CNBC Sports Business Reporter Today, I will reach 50,000 followers on Twitter. I’m obviously honored, but the truth is the reason I’ve been able to grow so much in the space in the last year is because of you, my blog readers and my followers. You have told me what you want from me, whether it’s a salary stat or the numbers...
BET Finds New Life in Its Guiding ‘Brand Pillars’
CMO Rolle Explains Changes That Have Lead to Network’s Ratings Renaissance
by Andrew Hampp Published: October 25, 2010
LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) — It’s barely fourth quarter, and BET Networks is already having its best year ever. The Viacom cable network has seen record ratings growth for the last 18 months...
Is the recession fueling a suicide epidemic?
New research suggests the nation’s unemployed are committing suicide at an alarmingly high rate. A quick guide to this grim side-effect of the recession
POSTED ON AUGUST 18, 2010, AT 3:04 PM
There may be a link between joblessness and suicide. Photo: CorbisSEE ALL 121 PHOTOS
Best Opinion: Washington Independent, Huff Po…
Unemployed people are two to three times more likely to...
How Many Jobs Do We Need?
September 13, 2010, 6:00 AMBy NANCY FOLBRE Nancy Folbre is an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The answer to how many jobs the United States needs depends on how you define “we” and how you define need.
People who have secure jobs may not be too worried about employment levels. Some may even anticipate a comfortable ride over the next few months, whether it leads...
6 Things You Should Never Reveal on Facebook
By Kathy Kristof | Jun 23, 2010 | 97 Comments
The folks at Insure.com also say that ill-advised Facebook postings increasingly can get your insurance cancelled or cause you to pay dramatically more for everything from auto to life insurance coverage. By now almost everybody knows that those drunken party photos could cost you a job, too.
You can...
5 myths about why the South seceded
NEWS | LOCAL | POLITICS | SPORTS | OPINIONS | BUSINESS | ARTS & LIVING | GOING OUT GUIDE | JOBS | CARS | REAL ESTATE |SHOPPING
By James W. Loewen Sunday, January 9, 2011; 12:00 AM
One hundred and fifty years after the Civil War began, we’re still fighting it — or at least fighting over its history. I’ve polled thousands of high school history teachers and spoken about the...
The GOP Is Holding the Economy Hostage, and It’s Time to Call Its Bluff
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_gop_is_holding_the_economy_hostage_and_its_time_to_call_its_bluff_20110/
Posted on Jan 6, 2011
By Joe Conason
In their ideological zeal, the new Republicans on Capitol Hill seem eager to gamble everything—the financial reputation of the United States, the international status of the...
Robert Reich: How the Republican Assault on Health... →
robertreich:
When it comes to health care, Republicans should be careful what they wish for.
Their upcoming vote to repeal the health-care law will be largely symbolic — they don’t have the votes to override President Obama’s certain veto. The real thing happens later, when they try to strip the…
DECEMBER 16, 2010, 8:30 PM ET
Unemployment Extension Won’t Help 99ers
The extension for unemployment benefits that is part of the compromise tax deal is good news for many of the unemployed, but it won’t provide aid to anyone who’s been out of a job over 99 weeks.
As we’ve explained previously, the extension worked out by President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans only lets...
Many using technology to control impulses, enforce...
Jan 2, 2011 8:49PM
The Slow Down app alters the tempo of your music on an iPhone or iPod Touch, depending on your driving speed. Using GPS, the music slows down if you’re rocking out at the speed limit and stops altogether when you’ve exceeded it. | AP
NEW YORK — Dan Nainan can’t trust himself to work at his computer without clicking on distractions, so he uses an Internet-blocking...
Man Declared Innocent after 30 Years Behind Bars
Texas Court Overturns Aggravated Robbery Conviction for Cornelius Dupree Jr.; Law Provides $80K for Each Year in Prison
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Cornelius Dupree Jr. raises his hands in celebration in Dallas Jan. 4, 2011. (AP Photo)
STORIES
DNA Exonerates Man after 30 Years Behind Bars
(AP) Updated at 1:54 p.m. ET DALLAS - A Texas man declared innocent Tuesday...
China Today Equals America In 1966
China Today Equals America In 1966 2011 has been heralded as the year China’s consumer class comes alive, but just how much ground do they have to make up on their American rivals? If this chart from Credit Suisse is correct, a great deal. Chinese GDP is only at 1966 American levels. While in terms of overall consumption, China may be close to surpassing the U.S. on products like LCD...
WatchThe Century Of Self Part 1 (of 4) Happiness Machines
58:16 - 2 years ago The story of the relationship between Sigmund Freud and his American nephew, Edward Bernays. Bernays invented the public relations profession in the 1920s and was the first person to take Freud’s ideas to manipulate the masses. He showed American corporations how they could make people want things they didn’t...
Robert Reich: The Big Lie →
robertreich:
Republicans are telling Americans a Big Lie, and Obama and the Democrats are letting them. The Big Lie is our economic problems are due to a government that’s too large, and therefore the solution is to shrink it.
The truth is our economic problems stem from the biggest concentration of income…
Why the Rich Are Getting Richer
January/February 2011 REVIEW ESSAY
American Politics and the Second Gilded Age
Robert C. Lieberman ROBERT C. LIEBERMAN is Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs at Columbia University and the author of Shifting the Color Line: Race and the American Welfare State.
The U.S. economy appears to be coming apart at the seams. Unemployment remains at nearly ten percent, the...
The Poor House
Why the next Congress won’t be nearly as good for the poor as the current one.
By Annie Lowrey Posted Friday, Nov. 5, 2010, at 6:26 PM ET
Nancy Pelosi In the just-finished campaign, as usual, every candidate claimed to be standing up for the middle class. Democrats argued that they delivered what the middle class needed: tax breaks, health care reform, and federal aid to states to help...
“Shared Sacrifice” The F*** America Project.
Mon Jan 03, 2011 at 04:15:41 AM PSTby LaFeminista
Welcome to the meme of 2011.
How do you feel with it? All comfortable and rosy? Does it bring a warm feeling knowing that all Americans will pull together in this crisis?
If it does, you’ve been had.
No doubt the Weeper of the House with his plan for an austere swearing in ceremony...
17 Ways to Beat Your Television Addiction
Escape couch potato syndrome.
From Stealth Health
Glued to the Tube
Tired of wasting the equivalent of two months of your life every year glued to the tube? Spending more than an hour sitting in front of the television each evening? Like kicking any habit, half the battle of TV addiction is acknowledging the problem and making the commitment to change....
The Chronicle Review
Home | Opinion & Ideas | The Chronicle Review January 2, 2011
The Elements of Clunk
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By Ben Yagoda
Four years ago, I wrote an essay for The Chronicle Review cataloging “The Seven Deadly Sins of Student Writers“—the errors and infelicities that cropped up most frequently in my students’ work. Since then a whole new strain of bad writing...
Diseases of Affluence
Everywhere Western ideas touch down, people get fatter. Urbanization is literally making us sick.
RECENTLY I WORKED as an internist-intensivist at the Canadian Combat Surgical Hospital in Kandahar. Most of our casualties were Afghans: National Army soldiers, National Police and civilians caught in crossfire. They were diminutive men, almost always less than a hundred and...
Meet the Twiblings
Jeff Riedel for The New York Times
A FAMILY IN FULL Melanie Thernstrom (right) with her ‘‘twiblings’’ — Violet and Kieran — and husband, Michael (left). The children were born five days apart.
By MELANIE THERNSTROM
Published: December 29, 2010
Midway on our life’s journey, I found myself in dark woods, the right road lost. I’ve actually never read “The Inferno,” but I found...
