Let Newspapers Fail!
Members of Congress have recently suggested that the federal government should undertake a billion dollar newspaper bailout. President Obama seems interested. Really? Why? Because the other bailouts worked out so well? Congressional investigators have disclosed their doubts that AIG will ever be able to payback it’s government loans. At the same time, economists suggest that [...]
Black Sea Wars
In August, the Georgian navy seized a Turkish tanker carrying fuel to Abkhazia, Georgia’s former province whose declaration of independence a year ago is recognized by Russia but not the West. The Turkish captain was sentenced to 24 years. When Ankara protested, he was released. Abkhazia has now threatened to sink any Georgian ship interfering [...]
Florida Experiments with Online Textbooks
Pay $200 for a O-chem book at the campus bookstore or $0 for an online version? Tough choice? Not really. And it may become a reality for some Florida students in the near future. The University Press of Florida is partnering with Orange Grove, an online open access depository for academic materials, that would make [...]
‘Fame’: Not Much Behind the Curtain
“You have talent,” Kelsey Grammer, playing a music teacher at New York City High School of Performing Arts, says to incoming students. “Now let’s see what you can do with it.” Clearly, the actors playing artsy students at the elite high school have talent. But the filmmakers behind this musical redux don’t do much with [...]
‘Surrogates’ is a Poor Substitute
Half a howler but not nearly funny enough, the seriously intended (or at least somberly mounted) Surrogates naturally wants to reap some of the praise and permanent fandom accorded Blade Runner and RoboCop. Instead, it more resembles Michael Crichton’s Looker (in which sinister surgery further “perfects” dishy advertising models), one of the more risible misfires [...]
Mercury Probe Prepares for Close Encounter
Mercury gets a close look Monday, when NASA’s Messenger spacecraft slings 142 miles over the puny planet closest to the sun. For mission scientists, it’s a festive occasion. “A planetary flyby is very much like Christmas morning for the science team. We know there are presents under the tree,” says Messenger principal investigator Sean Solomon [...]
Kathy Ireland Gives Away ‘Dancing’ Money
Skateboarding superstar Rob Dyrdek may have amassed a huge fan following with his “Rob & Big” and “Fantasy Factory” MTV reality shows, but he foresees the day when he might be too busy to remain a television star. “I’ll do TV for a little bit more,” assures the holder of multiple Guinness book records for [...]
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