News and Views

Everybody has pet peeves, and reading about other peoples’ is probably not very interesting, but I’m going to post a couple anyway. If someone describing their pet peeves is one of your pet peeves, then don’t read! There are a couple that detract from my enjoyment when watching TV. 1) When someone is being interviewed […]

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There’s a lot of talk about “Net Neutrality” lately. Basically, net neutrality means that those who provide and control the internet cannot adjust speeds or give preference based on content or other criteria. They have to remain “neutral” to the content. Here’s a useful analogy: Compare an electricity utility and cable (or satellite) TV. For […]

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From the Daily Banter: 1) The Bundy Ranch: On one hand, a large group of armed white men marched in a line of battle while at least one civilian rifleman in a sniper’s perch trained his weapon at Bureau of Land Management officials. In reaction, the government didn’t fire a single round or canister of […]

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One of the silliest conspiracy theories around is that the government is using high-flying jets to distribute chemical or biological agents to the public for sinister purposes. The believers claim that “Chemtrails” act differently from normal contrails (the white water vapor clouds left in the sky after a jet plane passes) in that they disperse […]

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This seems like an appropriate topic for today, Friday the thirteenth, with a full moon in the sky. I was in Las Vegas a few years ago with some friends and passed a little idle time playing Keno. Keno is a game like the lottery, where you choose some numbers and hope they match the […]

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I was watching American Idol a few weeks ago, and I suddenly noticed that almost all the contestants said “Thank you so much” when the judges complimented them. “Thank you so much”, “Thank you so much”… And I began to hear it everywhere; on TV, on the radio, in restaurants and stores. I started wondering […]

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Starting January 1, 2014 it is now illegal to manufacture or import incandescent light bulbs in the US. Actually, the law (signed by George W. Bush) doesn’t specifically state incandescents. It just sets a maximum wattage to produce a given amount of light, from 40 to 100 watt equivalents, and there are many loopholes for […]

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A recent Harris poll indicates that belief in God is steadily declining in the United States. In 2009 82% believed in God, while in 2013 it was down to 74%. As might be expected, Republicans are significantly more likely to believe (87%) vs Democrats (72%); independents were at 70%. Belief rose from 64% for those […]

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After returning from Taiwan I finally signed up for new health insurance, and found the healthcare.gov website working well. I ended up buying a policy that costs about $100 more than my current policy and has a higher deductible ($5500). There’s no copay for doctors; I pay everything until I reach the deductible, then the […]

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The word “malaria” comes from the Latin for “bad air”. Before the mosquito connection was discovered, people thought that the disease came from exposure to air from swamps. Black Plague in the middle ages was also thought to be caused by exposure to bad air, and the rat-flea connection was only discovered in the 19th […]

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