CTRL-ALT-JIM

Airborne Settles False Claims Suit

nobody@vox.com(Jim) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:03:13 -0400

I know...I know...some people swear by this stuff. Still, you should read or listen to this story. Interesting enough, the company admits to the false advertisement. The issue is that Airborne didn't have any evidence to prove that the supplement "boosts your immune system." The company had pointed to one research effort, but that was later revealed to be a two-person project paid for by Airborne. It was so bad the company wouldn't let anyone see it.

If it works for you, great. However, I never used the product, and I doubt that I will.

Airborne Settles Suit over False Claims : NPR

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

The Bryant Park Project, March 6, 2008 · Makers of the herbal supplement Airborne have agreed to pay $23.3 million in a class-action lawsuit over false advertising. David Schardt, a senior nutritionist with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says it's just one battle in his efforts to prevent companies from making misleading claims.

p.s. - I know this may be old new to most of you. I don't care. I'm playing catch up on my podcast.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Wash your hair with Palmolive? Why not!

nobody@vox.com(Jim) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 15:27:19 -0500

Mind you that I'm hair challenged, so I cannot try this. However, the main ingredient in your shampoo exists in most soaps you have in your house. This may seem trivial, but I found this short segment interesting. Give it a spin...

NPR : Are All Soaps Created Equal?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

All Things Considered, November 17, 2007 · Look around your house. You've probably got soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, dish soap and a host of other cleansers. They are full many different chemicals. But at the heart of almost every soap is the same basic set of ingredients.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

PropertyRoom.com - an eBay for Police Seizures

nobody@vox.com(Jim) — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:05:53 -0500

Ok...Caught this segment on one of my NPR podcasts. For those who are e-bay junkies, click to listen to the story or just hop on over at PropertyRoom.com.

NPR : Web Site Is eBay for Police Seizures

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

Weekend Edition Saturday, July 28, 2007 · An online auction site makes finding a steal far easier than it used to be. PropertyRoom.com works like eBay, only the items up for sale have been seized by police departments all over the country. Tom Lane, the founder and chairman of the Web site, talks to Scott Simon about how it works.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Fireproof Tents Save Crew Surrounded by Flames

nobody@vox.com(Jim) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:22:55 -0400

Here is an incredible story how a crew of firefighters in California were trapped and survived using these fireproof covers (kinda like a full body sleeping bag) for 18 minutes while the fire passed through them. You need to take a few minutes to listen to their tell.

NPR : Fireproof Tents Save Crew Surrounded by Flames

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

All Things Considered, October 27, 2007 · Capt. Doug Dodge of the Orange County Fire Authority came very close to death this week fighting the Santiago wildfire in Southern California. Dodge and other members of his crew had to hunker down under fireproof tents when they became surrounded by flames on the side of a steep hillside.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Diagnosing U.S. Health Care — and 'Sicko,' Too

nobody@vox.com(Jim) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 19:05:53 -0400

One of the better and informative interviews regarding health care. If you have the time, play the interview.

NPR : Diagnosing U.S. Health Care — and 'Sicko,' Too

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

Fresh Air from WHYY, July 9, 2007 · Jonathan Oberlander, a political scientist with an expertise in health-care politics and policy, discusses problems with the U.S. health-care system and considers how other countries handle health care. He'll also give us a critique of Michael Moore's documentary Sicko. Oberlander is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Awesome Interview with Denis Leary

nobody@vox.com(Jim) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 14:59:49 -0400

Another great interview with Denis Leary from NPR. If you have the time, click the link and listen this interview.

NPR : Denis Leary, the Renaissance Man of 'Rescue Me'

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

Fresh Air from WHYY, June 7, 2007 · On TV's Rescue Me, the comic, actor and writer Denis Leary plays a highly strung, highly macho fireman Tommy Gavin, who deals with raging fires and his own raging male ego. Season 4 of Rescue Me starts next week on the FX network.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Trip to Xenia, OH

nobody@vox.com(Jim) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:03:46 -0400

Well last Saturday, I got to try out my new GPS and went out to Xenia, OH. A while ago, I stumbled onto a website that sells used books, Blue Jacket Books, which is located in there. I never been to Xenia and I like going to used book stores, so I thought it would be a good trip to get out of the house on Saturday. About one and a half hour later, we were there. The store was nice and the prices on the books where much cheaper than the local used book store. I picked up a four Sue Grafton books, two on photography and a book on wilderness survival (spend too much time watching Man vs Wild, I guess), all for less than twenty bucks. Seeing how it was close to lunch, we decided to check out one of the local restaurants. We decided on the Oasis Cafe. First, the food was great. The service however, kinda sucked the big one. Not being clear when you come in, you are suppose to seat yourself...which we did. We waited close to ten minutes before someone took our order. Our server gave our food to another table. Oh..and if you want to get a drink refill...GOOD LUCK! Halfway through our meal, our waitress asked if I would like another diet soda. "Please" I said. Well time went by and she never came back. I stopped her again and asked for another refill. Nothing. Once more, and she said she would be right back. Needless to say, I never got my drink. Not sure if I'll go back to that cafe again. Like I said...the food was good, but I hate lousy service. However, I do recommend the used book store. Oh on the way down, I listen to an outstanding interview with Alice Cooper on a NPR podcast. Even though you may not be a huge fan of his, you should check it out. Fun fact, he was friends with Groucho Marx and he knew Frank Sinatra. Here's the link to the story - Alice Cooper, From Ghoul-Rock to 'Golf Monster'.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Blackwater USA - The World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army

nobody@vox.com(Jim) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 10:04:56 -0400

Once again, I've been trying to catch up on some of my podcasts, most notably, NPR: Most E-Mailed Stories. One of the segments was about the company, Blackwater USA. I'm not sure if I'm ignorant cause I never heard of them before, so I want to apologize if this is old news. Anyhow, I wanted to share this story, Journalist Scahill Charts the Rise of Blackwater USA because I found it interesting. Consisting to what amount to soldiers for hire, I can almost understand the need to use them to supplement the armed forces in Iraq. However, the company is under scrutiny with wrongful death lawsuit, and it's refusal to be held accountable for it's mistakes. In one sense, Blackwater insist it cannot be held under Military law or investigation, since it is made up of civilians. Then on the other side, Blackwater is resisting to releasing any information regarding to deaths of it's employees due to mistakes made or not providing them the equipment/manpower needed. They are claiming that the information cannot be released due to military classified information. This is were I believe we should re-think how we regulate the use of Blackwater. They cannot have any kind of immunity when something hits the fan. Please take the time to listen to this story. I not going to touch on the amount of money spent by the State Department. To me, it seems rather lopsided to the average amount of money that the U.S. soldier makes.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Creating Our Own Happiness

nobody@vox.com(Jim) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 10:59:43 -0400

Once again I was catching up on my podcasts, one of which is NPR's most e-mailed stories. Every week they do this segment called This I Believe. "This I Believe is a national media project engaging millions of people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values and beliefs that guide their daily lives." I enjoy listening to every one of them and some of them really strike home. Creating Our Own Happiness, was one that just did that. Wayne Coyne, the singer for Flaming Lips wrote this piece and I wanted to share it. He states towards the end - “Happiness is not a situation to be longed for, or a convergence of lucky happenstance. Through the power of our own minds, we can help ourselves.” To me, that's an important lesson we need to remind ourselves each day. Please take 5 minutes to read or listen to his piece. Thanks...

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Why do most songs last 3-4 Minutes?

nobody@vox.com(Jim) — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 19:51:35 -0500

Do you ever wonder why a piece of classical music lasts up to ten minutes or more, but most of the music tracks today average just three to four minutes? Have we become impatient? Is it A.D.D.? Nope. Blame it on the 78 RPM record. When the 78 came out over a hundred years ago, it could only hold three minutes worth of music. The artist back then had to make sure their songs were short enough, so it can be distributed using this medium. Even though we are now in the era of digital technology with CDs and MP3s, artist of today still produce most of their tracks less than 5 minutes. Kind of funny that something that is no longer used, still has such an impact. Guess you can say that old habits die hard. Take a listen to this insteresting segment from NPR - The Roots of Audio Recordings Turn at 78 RPM to get the whole story.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend