Why Parents Fear the Needle

By MICHAEL WILLRICH

New York Times

DESPITE overwhelming evidence to the contrary, roughly one in five Americans believes that vaccines cause autism — a disturbing fact that will probably hold true even after the publication this month, in a British medical journal, of a report thoroughly debunking the 1998 paper that began the vaccine-autism scare.

Why Bedbugs Won't Die

Irritating Pests Are Evolving Rapidly to Withstand Pesticides, Gene Study Finds

By ROBERT LEE HOTZ

Wall Street Journal

The first comprehensive genetic study of bedbugs, the irritating pests that have enjoyed a world-wide resurgence in recent years, indicates they are quickly evolving to withstand the pesticides used to combat them. [Slide Show]

Should You Buy a New Car?

By Brett Arends

Wall Street Journal

Looking for a car or truck?

Conventional wisdom says that the smart move is to buy used. Purchasing a brand-new vehicle, it goes, is a big waste of money.

After all, a new car loses a fifth of its value the moment you drive it off the lot. That new-car smell, as they say, is one of the most expensive things you can buy.

There's just one problem.

It's not quite so easy.

Firm: People e-mailing less with webmail, more with phones

Seattle PI Blog

As Americans find more and more ways to communicate, they are e-mailing less via webmail sites and more via their smart phones, according to new research from comScore.

Webmail sites -- such as Microsoft's Hotmail.com and Google's Gmail.com -- saw a 6 percent overall drop in U.S. visitors from November 2009 to November 2010, the research firm said today. Meanwhile, the number of people who used their mobile phones for e-mail skyrocketed 36 percent.

Childhood Last Name Predicts Whether You Buy Early, Late: Study

Memories of always being last in line spur 'late alphabet consumers' to buy early

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

FRIDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The first letter of your childhood surname may influence your consumer behavior as an adult, according to a new study.

DOGS GUIDED REMOTELY BY STEALTH SYSTEM

New tech could turn search dogs into remotely guided super dogs that could take on risky jobs.
By Alyssa Danigelis
Discovery News

Trained dogs are smart enough to find bombs, drugs, people, and the safest way to cross the street -- but only with a capable handler nearby. Now a new system developed at Auburn University could turn canines into remotely guided "super dogs" that can take on risky tasks.

"With our system you don't have to be in eyesight, versus human guides that do have to be within sight," said David M. Bevly, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Auburn University who worked on the research.

Walking shoes: Features and fit that keep you moving

Walking shoes have some features other shoes don't. Here's what to look for and how to get the best fit.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Mayo Clinic

Wearing walking shoes that are comfortable and fit your feet can help prevent injuries such as blisters and calluses. A walking shoe should also be fairly lightweight and provide good shock absorption. But not all walking shoes are created equal. Find the fit and features that are right for you.

Room Service in Terminal B

Flight Canceled? How to Get a Cot, Food, a Shower and the Fastest Flight Out
By SCOTT MCCARTNEY

Wall Street Journal

Almost every night, stranded travelers can be found sleeping inside the terminals of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

"This is the new reality," said James Crites, DFW's executive vice president for operations. "You're becoming a hotel."

These days, airlines are canceling flights more readily due to bad weather and other disruptions. Rebooking is tricker than ever—as many discovered during the recent snowstorms in the South and Northeast—because airlines have reduced their schedules and are running at capacity. As a result, passengers should prepare for the dreaded airport sleepover.

Scientists fight bugs with poo

By Kate Kelland

Reuters

(Reuters) - Once a year, every year, Professor Thomas Borody receives a single-stem rose from one of his most grateful patients. She is, he says, thanking him for restoring her bowel flora.

It's a distasteful cure for a problem that's increasingly widespread: the Clostridium difficile bug, typically caught by patients in hospitals and nursing homes, can be hard to treat with antibiotics. But Borody is one of a group of scientists who believe the answer is a faecal transplant.

Giant crayfish found in Tennessee is new species

by Maggie Fox
Reuters

(Reuters) - A new species of giant crayfish literally crawled out from under a rock in Tennessee, proving that large new species of animals can be found in highly populated and well-explored places, researchers said on Wednesday.

Alcohol Calorie Calculator

collegedrinkingprevention.gov

Find out the number of beer and hard alcohol calories you are consuming. Simply enter the number of each drink you have in an average week, click ‘Compute’ and see the number of calories alcohol adds up for you in a month and year.

The New Cold Warrior

When Your Old Shovel Isn't Tough Enough, High-Tech Gear Is Easy on Driveway, Joints
By GWENDOLYN BOUNDS
Wall Street Journal

he makers of the Snow Joe, the Sno-Thro, the SnoBoss, the Sno Wovel and a bevy of other products say clearing snow off the driveway doesn't have to be so darn hard.

Internet time tied to teen depression symptoms

Reuters

(Reuters Health) - Spending time online is normal behavior for teenagers. But too much Internet use by teens -- or too little, for that matter -- might be related to depression, a new study finds.

When Self-Knowledge Is Only the Beginning

By RICHARD A. FRIEDMAN, M.D.

New York Times

It is practically an article of faith among many therapists that self-understanding is a prerequisite for a happy life. Insight, the thinking goes, will free you from your psychological hang-ups and promote well-being.

Bending and Stretching Classroom Lessons to Make Math Inspire

By KENNETH CHANG

New York Times

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — At the aptly named Tiny Thai restaurant here, a small table, about two and a half feet square, was jammed with a teapot, two plates of curry, a bowl of soup, two cups of tea, two glasses of water, a plate with two egg rolls, a plate of salad and an iPhone.

Shooting Suspect Had Been Known to Use Potent, and Legal, Hallucinogen

By A. G. SULZBERGER and JENNIFER MEDINA

New York Times

TUCSON — No one has suggested that his use of a hallucinogenic herb or any other drugs contributed to Jared L. Loughner’s apparent mental unraveling that culminated with his being charged in a devastating outburst of violence here.

Yet it is striking how closely the typical effects of smoking the herb, Salvia divinorum — which federal drug officials warn can closely mimic psychosis — matched Mr. Loughner’s own comments about how he saw the world, like his often-repeated assertion that he spent most of his waking hours in a dream world that he had learned to control.

Grown-Up Problems Start at Bedtime

By ANDREA PETERSEN

Wall Street Journal

Every parent knows that a tired kid is a cranky kid. Now, scientists are discovering that children with chronic sleep problems are at increased risk for developing a mental illness later in life.

5 tips to maximize financial aid packages for college

For those scrambling to get up to speed, the FAFSA is used to determine how much applicants or their families should contribute toward education costs. Schools then use that figure — known as the expected family contribution — to determine how much financial aid should be awarded to bridge the cost of attendance.

By Candice Choi
(The Associated Press)

Seattle Times

NEW YORK — It's crunchtime for families counting on loans and grants to pay for college.

Banks allow ads in online checking accounts

By Ylan Q. Mui

Washington Post

First they showed up in your e-mail. Then they found their way onto Facebook. Now ads are coming to your checking account.

Cunning, Care and Sheer Luck Save Rare Map

By MICHAEL WILSON

New York Times

It was rolled up among other yellowed maps and prints that came off a delivery truck at the Brooklyn Historical Society’s stately office near the East River. Carolyn Hansen, the society’s map cataloguer, began to gently unfurl the canvas. [Interactive Graphic]

Defying Conventional Wisdom to Sell Glasses Online

By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER

New York Times

Shopping skeptics said people would never buy certain things —shoes, diamond rings, cars — online because they needed to see the products in person. They were wrong. E-commerce companies have found success in all of those fields.

But some purchases still happen mostly offline, including one of the most personal: prescription eyeglasses.[Graphic]

An ex-Weather Underground radical on the Tucson shootings and political violence

By Mark Rudd

Washington Post

In 1970, when I was 22 years old - the same age as Jared Loughner - I was a founder of the Weather Underground, an offshoot of the antiwar group Students for a Democratic Society. That spring, a small contingent of the Weathermen, as we were known, planned to plant three pipe bombs at a noncommissioned officers' dance at Fort Dix, N.J. Our intention was to remind our fellow Americans that our country was dropping napalm and other explosives on Vietnam, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians. I wasn't among the bombmakers, but I knew what was in the offing, and to my eternal shame, I didn't try to stop it.

Faith on the Hill

The Religious Composition of the 112th Congress
ANALYSIS January 5, 2011

PEW Research Center

Many analysts described the November 2010 midterm elections as a sea change, with Republicans taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives and narrowing the Democratic majority in the Senate. But this political overhaul appears to have had little effect on the religious composition of Congress, which is similar to the religious makeup of the previous Congress and of the nation, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Did Your Horoscope Predict This?

By JESSE McKINLEY\

New York Times

SAN FRANCISCO — Astrologers, not surprisingly, say they knew this would happen.
Enlarge This Image

But that didn’t stop a furious response among horoscope fans on Friday, as news shot around cyberspace — and, no doubt, outer space — that the world’s zodiac signs might somehow be out of whack, a development with potentially life-changing impact on professional and personal relationships, pickup lines in singles’ bars and, presumably, the day-to-day schedule of the former first lady Nancy Reagan.

Is this what airliners could look like in 2025?

NASA recently awarded contracts to three teams to study concepts for more-efficient airliners that could enter service by 2025. Now, they have artist conceptions of what these aircraft might look like.

The designs come from teams led, respectively, by Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

[Pictures of all 3]

Finding Cheaper Textbooks: 2nd Edition

By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD
New York Times

With the start of a new semester comes another giant textbook bill.

But instead of heading straight to the campus bookstore, where the books often have the highest price tags, students can now tap a long list of Web sites that aim to make comparative shopping easier. There are so many options, however, that the whole process can begin to feel like the semester’s first major research project.

Mass Killings Aren't the Real Gun Problem

By GARY KLECK

Wall Street Journal

Mass killings make for lurid news coverage—and human tragedy—but they aren't the real problem when it comes to gun violence. We can't hope to stop utterly unique crimes, and crimes that unfold in bizarre ways are rarely repeated. Sensible gun-control policies have to respond to the kinds of crime that occur relatively frequently, in familiar patterns of behavior. The more narrowly we try to tailor policies to atypical crimes like mass shootings, the less likely they are to save lives.

Stepping Into the Sole of Luxury

From Oxford brogues to Derby loafers, English shoemakers still lead the way in bespoke footwear
By WILLIAM LYONS
Wall Street Journal

Tony Gaziano loves shoes. Which is a good thing, since he has spent his entire career making them—first, in the Northampton, England, workshops of Edward Green, before moving on to learn the art of handmade shoes at neighbors George Cleverley & Co., and finally setting up his own bespoke and made-to-measure shoe business in Kettering, with his partner Dean Girling.

Tree of Failure

By DAVID BROOKS

New York Times

President Obama gave a wonderful speech in Tucson on Wednesday night. He didn’t try to explain the rampage that occurred there. Instead, he used the occasion as a national Sabbath — as a chance to step out of the torrent of events and reflect. He did it with an uplifting spirit. He not only expressed the country’s sense of loss but also celebrated the lives of the victims and the possibility for renewal.

Free Phone Calls

By David Pogue
New York Times

Look, you might have a problem with advertising. But face it: Ads pay for your free TV, free radio and free Web sites.

So I’ve always found it weird that ads can’t pay for free phone calls.

Preventing Heat From Sneaking Out of the House

By BOB TEDESCHI\New York Times

LITTLE known fact: your house breathes.

A typical home is supposed to exhale about 33 percent of its air every hour, sparing your lungs from mold, dust and other tiny invaders.

My house doesn’t breathe. It hyperventilates. [Graphic]

The Housing Slump Has Salem On a Witch Hunt Again

Buyers Worried About Bad Vibes From Foreclosed Homes Seek a Cleansing

By S. MITRA KALITA

SALEM, Mass.—There's a certain look and feel to a foreclosed home, and 31 Arbella St. has it: fraying carpet, missing appliances, foam insulation poking through cracked walls. [Slide Show]

Spread of Deadly Virus Tied to Forest Decline

By JOHN COLLINS RUDOLF

New York Times

Around 2004, large numbers of aspens in the West began dying off, and with no immediately identifiable cause, scientists dubbed the phenomenon “sudden aspen decline.” Ultimately the die-back was pinned on a severe 2002 drought and heat wave that left aspens vulnerable to pests, cankers and fungi.

Now, a new study suggests that the decline of the West’s aspens is not just marring the landscape, but also helping to spread a strain of hantavirus fatal to humans.

10 foods that can help you sleep better tonight

Indianapolis Star

If you struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep, take a look at your diet.

Eating certain foods a few hours before bed, can help bring sleep better and improve its quality.

What is Marriage?

Girgis, Sherif, George, Robert and Anderson, Ryan T., What is Marriage?. Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 245-287, Winter 2010. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1722155

Abstract:
In the article, we argue that as a moral reality, marriage is the union of a man and a woman who make a permanent and exclusive commitment to each other of the type that is naturally fulfilled by bearing and rearing children together, and renewed by acts that constitute the behavioral part of the process of reproduction. We further argue that there are decisive principled as well as prudential reasons for the state to enshrine this understanding of marriage in its positive law, and to resist the call to recognize as marriages the sexual unions of same-sex partners.

Besides making this positive argument for our position and raising several objections to the view that same-sex unions should be recognized, we address what we consider the strongest philosophical objections to our view of the nature of marriage, as well as more pragmatic concerns about the point or consequences of implementing it as a policy.

Internet 2010 in numbers

Royal Pingdom

What happened with the Internet in 2010?

How many websites were added? How many emails were sent? How many Internet users were there? This post will answer all of those questions and many, many more. If it’s stats you want, you’ve come to the right place.

We used a wide variety of sources from around the Web to put this post together. You can find the full list of source references at the bottom of the post if you’re interested. We here at Pingdom also did some additional calculations to get you even more numbers to chew on.
Prepare for a good kind of information overload. 

How the Microplane Grater Escaped the Garage

By JOHN T. EDGE

New York Times

“YOU mean it’s only going to be used in the kitchen?”

Eek! A Male!

Treating all men as potential predators doesn't make our kids safer.
By LENORE SKENAZY

Wall Street Journal

Last week, the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, Timothy Murray, noticed smoke coming out of a minivan in his hometown of Worcester. He raced over and pulled out two small children, moments before the van's tire exploded into flames. At which point, according to the AP account, the kids' grandmother, who had been driving, nearly punched our hero in the face.

Why?

Mr. Murray said she told him she thought he might be a kidnapper.

When hackers' talents are used to help

New tools ease the work of emergency managers.

By Pete Spotts

Christian Science Monitor

Craig Fugate, who heads the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington, had a potentially lifesaving item on his wish list: a tool people in a disaster-hit area could use to tell friends and relatives that they are OK without swamping cellphone-service capacity needed for emergency crews.

For College Students, Praise May Trump Sex and Money

Movement to make everyone a winner created 'damaging' sense of entitlement, research suggests.
By Maureen Salamon
HealthDay

TUESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- After a lifetime of being told that they're "winners" who are "special," today's young people crave these boosts to their self-esteem more than sex, drinking, money or food, new research suggests.

Swine flu survivors developed super flu antibodies

By Julie Steenhuysen

Reuters

CHICAGO, Jan 10 (Reuters) - A study of antibodies from people infected with H1N1 swine flu adds proof that scientists are closing in on a "universal" flu shot that could neutralize many types of flu strains, including H1N1 swine flu and H5N1 bird flu, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Crossed-eyed opossum becomes German media star

BBC

A cross-eyed opossum called Heidi, who is being housed in Leipzig Zoo, has become a media sensation in Germany.

Consumer Product Safety Commission to launch public database of complaints

By Lyndsey Layton

Washington Post

The federal government is poised for the first time to make public thousands of complaints it receives each year about safety problems with various products, from power tools to piggy banks.

Arizona's Sheriff Dupnik and the 'vitriol' debate: Do words matter that much?

Yes, they do. Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik is being criticized for his comments linking Saturday's shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others to antigovernment vitriol. But he's right: The words we use carry great power to shape how we respond to others.
By Deborah Tannen

Christian Science Monitor

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik was eloquent in linking Saturday’s devastating shooting to “the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government.” Some will applaud his articulating an obvious pathology of our times. Others will attribute the shooting to an individual’s unbalanced mind, and dismiss the notion that language – “just words” – could motivate such action. Years ago I experienced directly the power of talk to shape how people respond to others – with animosity and belligerence, or with compassion and a sense of connection.

Your BlackBerry or Your Wife

When the Whole Family Is Staring at Screens, Time to Try a Tech Detox
By ELIZABETH BERNSTEIN

Wall Street Journal

When you're out to dinner, does your BlackBerry occupy a seat at the table? Does your spouse ever check email before saying "good morning" to the kids? Does your son sleep with his laptop?

It may be time for a technology cleanse.

The Politicized Mind

By DAVID BROOKS

New York Times

Before he allegedly went off on his shooting rampage in Tucson, Jared Loughner listed some of his favorite books on his YouTube page. These included: “Animal Farm,” “Brave New World,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Through the Looking Glass” and “The Communist Manifesto.” Many of these books share a common theme: individuals trying to control their own thoughts and government or some other force trying to take that control away.

Maker of Foot Measurer Tries to Stop Other Shoe From Dropping—On It

Iconic Brannock Device Hangs On By Its Toes Against Foreign-Made Rivals
By TIMOTHY AEPPEL

Wall Street Journal

LIVERPOOL, N.Y.—Many have tried, but no one has ever come up with a more elegantly simple way to measure the human foot than Charles Brannock, inventor of that ubiquitous metal gadget found in shoe stores and known, fittingly, as the Brannock device.

Giffords shooting: What the Civil War can teach us about political restraint

The past year in US politics has been full of more alienation and polarization than at any time since 1861, all of it now capped off in the Arizona shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. As in 1861, today's divide has opened up over a single deep question. But this fundamental collision of values doesn't mean violence is inevitable.
By Allen C. Guelzo

Christian Science Monitor

Gettysburg, Pa.

One hundred and fifty years ago, American passions over politics blew off the lids we usually keep in place on our political debates and turned a war of words into a war of arms. By its end, the US Civil War had taken the lives of 620,000 Americans – the population equivalent of 6 million today. And despite the emancipation of more than 3 million slaves, the war ended up replacing slavery with a century's worth of racist Jim Crow laws.

BBB Lists Top 10 Scams and Rip-Offs of 2010

Better Business Bureau (BBB)

Arlington, VA - The Better Business Bureau today released a list of the top 10 scams and rip-offs of 2010. Job hunters and those struggling to make money and get out of debt were common targets of fraudsters, hackers and deceptive businesses in this tough economy.

Is Law School a Losing Game?

By DAVID SEGAL

New York Times

IF there is ever a class in how to remain calm while trapped beneath $250,000 in loans, Michael Wallerstein ought to teach it.

National Clandestine Laboratory Register

U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

Pick 5 for the Environment

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Pick 5 International!Being an environmentalist means different things in different places, but it begins by taking the simple steps where you live. By choosing five or more of these actions and sharing your stories, you are joining thousands of others who are doing the same. Together we can make the biggest difference. Get started today!

Credit Reports

Answers.USA.gov

Religion and Representation

By CHARLES M. BLOW

New York Times

Years ago, my oldest son told me that he thought those in our small Baptist church had all been brainwashed. How else could they believe in the unbelievable? At the time, I was shocked.

Under Siege in War-Torn Somalia, a Doctor Holds Her Ground

By MOHAMMED IBRAHIM and JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
New York Times

ON May 5, just after sunup, 750 militants surrounded Dr. Hawa Abdi’s hospital. Mama Hawa, as she is known, heard gunshots, looked out the window and saw she was vastly outnumbered.

Too drunk? Your car won't go along for the ride.

By Ashley Halsey III

Washington Post

The technology developed in the past decade to sniff out terrorist bombs eventually could be used to combat another scourge: drunk drivers.

As National Championship Battle Looms, Oregon Reflects on the 'Toilet Bowl'

Rain-Soaked Game in 1983 May Be Worst Ever; The Last Scoreless Tie in Major College Football Was a 'Joke'

By DARREN EVERSON And BEN COHEN

GLENDALE, Ariz.—Decades before the University of Oregon's football team reached this year's national-championship showdown, the Ducks played in a much less auspicious game: the Toilet Bowl.

Asian-Americans and Technology

PEW Internet Project


[SlideShow]

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior

Can a regimen of no playdates, no TV, no computer games and hours of music practice create happy kids? And what happens when they fight back?
By AMY CHUA

Wall Street Journal

A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:

Five myths about why the South seceded

By James W. Loewen

Washington Post

One hundred and fifty years after the Civil War began, we're still fighting it - or at least fighting over its history. I've polled thousands of high school history teachers and spoken about the war to audiences across the country, and there is little agreement even on why the South seceded. Was it over slavery? States' rights? Tariffs and taxes?

Dynamic pricing: Internet retailers are treating us like foreign tourists in Egypt

More online merchants are launching 'dynamic pricing' schemes, which adjust prices based on perceived willingness to pay. But just as foreign tourists in Egypt grow tired of being overcharged based on looks, consumers may well object to being singled out based on their Web habits.
By Justin D. Martin

Christian Science Monitor

Cairo

Fewer things frustrate tourists in Egypt more than skin-dependent pricing. Have Irish freckles? Expect to pay double in a Cairo taxi. An Italian tan? The price of that basalt model of the Sphinx just shot up 200 percent. Have glowing blue eyes? Some restaurants suddenly have no menus and prices are delivered orally. I’ve been overcharged by more merchants in this country than I can tally in Excel.

Bye-Bye, PCs and Laptops

Smart phones and tablets will soon handle the majority of our personal computing needs.
By MIKE MALONE AND TOM HAYES

Wall Street Journal

Las Vegas

As inflection points go, the Consumer Electronics Show that kicked off yesterday couldn't be sending a clearer signal: The era of the personal computer is drawing to a close. For an industry gathering that once showcased each new generation of desktop and laptop, this year's show is buzzing with every imaginable flavor of tablet, smart phone and mobile appliance. Welcome to the age of mobile computing.

Navigating the Airfare Maze Online

By MICHELLE HIGGINS

New York Times

With online travel sites battling with some airlines, where does that leave travelers shopping for flights online? The simple answer is that they’re going to have to do more digging.

From Papyrus to Gutenberg to Kindle

Those who scorn e-readers should remember the Sumerians and their clay tablets.
By LIBBY MALIN STERNBERG

Wall Street Journal

Kindle, schmindle, say steadfast lovers of DTBs ("dead tree books"). These readers value books as objects, not just as a means of communicating a story. Perhaps some historical perspective can help them adjust to our new era, when electronic reading devices will be king.

Pesticides Threaten Ant-Eating Tradition in Brazil

By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO and MYRNA DOMIT

SILVEIRAS, Brazil — Jorge da Silva plucked a giant ant from the muddy ground, pulled off its wings, legs and mandible, and tossed it into his mouth like popcorn.

“Tastes like mint,” said Mr. da Silva, 58, with an audible crunch of his teeth.

11 Tricks to Cutting Travel Costs in 2011

By MICHELLE HIGGINS

New York Times

BARGAIN hunters will need to be craftier when booking a trip if they want to get the best prices this year. It’s no secret that airfares are up and added fees for everything from checked bags to exit-row seats are pushing the cost of flying higher. On top of that, hotel bargains are expected to be harder to come by as business travelers begin to return, diminishing the need for hotels to discount rooms in major cities.

Kaplan

January 4-10, 2011 Free eBooks

FCC: How to receive a broadcast TV station if it is dropped from your pay TV service

Federal Trade Commission (FCC)


Cable operators and other pay TV service providers, such as satellite operators, carry local television broadcast stations based on contracts with the stations. When these contracts end, the parties generally extend or renew these contracts. The process by which the contracts are negotiated is known as “retransmission consent.” In almost all cases, agreement is reached and stations continue to be carried without interruption. On some occasions, the pay TV service provider and the station fail to reach an agreement, and the pay TV service provider is required by law to stop carrying that station until an agreement is reached. These are private agreements, though federal law requires the parties to negotiate with each other in good faith.

How to Beat the Online Scammers

By JENNIFER WATERS

Wall Street Journal

Your pet's name is a fraudster's best friend.

You may think you're giving up precious little when you tell your Facebook friends that you're dressing your pooch, Puddles, in your favorite color, red, for brunch at Grandma's on Sunday. But you've actually just opened a Pandora's box of risks.

The information consumers willingly, and oftentimes unwittingly, unleash on social-media websites sets off a feeding frenzy among fraudsters looking to steal everything from your flat-screen TV to your identity.

With Air Force's new drone, 'we can see everything'

By Ellen Nakashima and Craig Whitlock

Washington Post

In ancient times, Gorgon was a mythical Greek creature whose unblinking eyes turned to stone those who beheld them. In modern times, Gorgon may be one of the military's most valuable new tools.

This winter, the Air Force is set to deploy to Afghanistan what it says is a revolutionary airborne surveillance system called Gorgon Stare, which will be able to transmit live video images of physical movement across an entire town.

Perfecting Animation, via Science

By PATRICIA COHEN

New York Times

Eitan Grinspun, the director of Columbia University’s Computer Graphics Group, doesn’t quite qualify as hairdresser to the stars. But if you want computer-generated hair (or fur) to look convincingly real when it is twisted, clumped, matted, coiled, soaked, dusty, wind swept, singed — or just about anything else a film director could possibly think to do to it — then Mr. Grinspun is the man to consult.

This Year, Change Your Mind

By OLIVER SACKS

New York Times

NEW Year’s resolutions often have to do with eating more healthfully, going to the gym more, giving up sweets, losing weight — all admirable goals aimed at improving one’s physical health. Most people, though, do not realize that they can strengthen their brains in a similar way.

Chop, Fry, Boil: Eating for One, or 6 Billion

By MARK BITTMAN

New York Times

“Revolutionary” diet books flood the market this time of year, promising a life changed permanently and for the better — yes, in just 10 to 30 days! — but, as everyone knows, the key to eating better begins with a diet of real food.

Equality, a True Soul Food

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

New York Times

John Steinbeck observed that “a sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ.”

That insight, now confirmed by epidemiological studies, is worth bearing in mind at a time of such polarizing inequality that the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans possess a greater collective net worth than the bottom 90 percent.

Computers That See You and Keep Watch Over You

By STEVE LOHR

New York Times

Hundreds of correctional officers from prisons across America descended last spring on a shuttered penitentiary in West Virginia for annual training exercises. [Interactive Graphic]