Local News, 80s Style

This is hilarious, but what makes it truly great is that it is real.  It has to be from the early 80s.

It is almost Anchorman worthy.

16 July 2013

"5 Things Parents Need to Stop Saying to Non-Parents"

John Kinnear on The Huffington Post.  Yes, this is true.

16 July 

The Eddie Murphy Rule

From Robert Smith of Planet Money at NPR:

It's been 30 years since Trading Places came out. And, to be honest, I never really understood what happened at the end of that movie. Sure, Louis Winthorpe (Dan Aykroyd) and Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) get rich, and the Duke brothers lose all their money. But what actually happens? How does it work?

I recently talked to Tom Peronis, a guy who has spent years trading OJ options. He walked me through every step of Winthorpe and Valentine's plan.

I loved this movie as a kid.  (I still love it.)  At the time, I didn't have any idea what the heck happened at the end either.  So I read until I understood it.  Some years later, I was having a conversation with one of my grandfathers about wheat futures.  It was this research that allowed me to follow that conversation and better understand the work that he'd been doing in his career.  Thanks, Eddie and Dan!

You can see the entire explanation of the happenings at the end of Trading Places here.  The movie's page at IMDB can be found here.

A big thanks to my sister for the heads up.  Does anything not make me feel old now?

15 July 2013

"Hunger Games, U.S.A."

Op-ed by Paul Krugman on SNAP in the NY Times.

15 July 2013

Living Sculpture

The Montreal Botanical Garden is featuring living sculptures made of plants.  From Houzz.com:

If you wander through the Montreal Botanical Garden this summer, you'll find furrow-browed gorillas peering from the shrubs, a row of ring-tailed lemurs walking down the road and massive red cranes towering over you. 

It's not an invasion from the zoo — it's mosaiculture, a type of horticultural art as wild as it sounds. Mosaiculture designers install carefully selected and pruned plants onto two- and three-dimensional designs, creating massive and surprisingly realistic living sculptures. In this exhibit visitors walk along a 2-kilometer (1¼-mile) path to see the work of 50 participants from more than 20 countries. Each designer worked with a set plant catalog to sculpt something from his or her country's culture. 

The event is on through September 29, open every day.  The photos are amazing!  Check them out.

And see the official site here.

15 July 2013

David Brooks on Immigration Reform

Conservative commentator David Brooks explains his strong support of the Senate's immigration reform bill in the New York Times.  Republicans in the House would do well to mark his warning.

12 July 2013

15 July 2013 Addition:  Interesting reader response at TPM regarding the prospects for immigration reform in the House and why breaking the legislation into smaller bits might actually work.  Key word: might.

Dining Etiquette From Around the World

This is kind of fun on The Huffington Post.  And you can see drinking etiquette and how to order a beer in many countries here.

11 July 2013