I Told You So

Does anyone else remember wondering whether soaps that kill 99.99% of germs on your hands are doing more harm than good? No? Didn’t think so. Most people are gullible when it comes to fraudulent advertising. But if you went to high school, you know that a balance of so-called germs are what protect us from…

Skyline vs. Battle: Los Angeles

Two big budget alien-invasion movies came out earlier this year. Skyline came out first and did poorly at the box office, being roundly panned by critics. Battle: Los Angeles came out later and did gangbuster business at the box office, although it too was roundly panned. Both movies focus on Los Angeles (what a surprise…

Armchair complainers take note

I ran into this story on Wired today and was encouraged by 21-year-old Aaron Tobey’s sense of resolve. Honestly, I am encouraged by any ordinary person in the U.S. who does not appear to be domesticated by federal and state policy (they are legion). When we’re young and educated, we tend to be dreamers, activists,…

Oh, my God, we’re pussies

The New York Times (sigh) has posted a much-blogged, much-read article about something called — don’t laugh — thirdhand smoke. In short, smokers who aren’t actually smoking at the moment carry molecules of nasty toxins like hydrogen cyanide and arsenic. Oh, my god, arsenic, it’s so famously poisonous, don’t you know? These molecules can transfer…

Banjo Jesus

Today was my last day in Branson, MO (trust me, 2 days is enough). As my previous post tries to demonstrate, it was, if nothing else, a superior sociological quickie. Grandma sent me off in style. After a visit to Wal-Mart, she took me to lunch at Shoney’s, where she splurged for the $7.99 lunch…