This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on October 12, 2009). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.
Sometime between October 7th and October 12th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!
- Goodbye Halloween, Hello “Safety”: "'The bottom line is that I cannot find any evidence that any child has ever been killed or seriously hurt by a contaminated treat picked up in the course of trick-or-treating,' says Joel Best, a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware. The fear is completely unfounded."
- Eyman Initiative Gets an ‘F’ From Teachers: "'If this goes through, we will never recover money lost in this budget: We will never fund the class size initiative that voters passed,' said Meg Town, who teaches science at Redmond Jr. High. The teachers talked forcefully of what they do. It's a heckuva lot more than teach core classes five periods a day: The 'more' motivates students, opens up career choices, and keeps at-risk kids in school. The 'more' is what's getting whacked. The Legislature's budget is being felt now: The pains will be magnified and made permanent if voters approve Eyman's initiative."
- In Surprise, Nobel Peace Prize to Obama for Diplomacy: "The Nobel Committee announced Friday that the annual peace prize was awarded to Barack Obama, just nine months into his presidency, 'for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.' The award cited in particular Mr. Obama's effort to reduce the world's nuclear arsenal. 'He has created a new international climate,' the committee said."
- Toys"R"Us Scolded for Gender Discrimination: "Last winter, a sixth grade class at Gustavslund school in Växjö in south central Sweden reported Toys'R'Us to the Reklamombudsmannen (Ro), a self-regulatory agency which polices marketing and advertising communications in Sweden to ensure they are in line with guidelines set out by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). According to the youngsters, the Toys'R'Us Christmas catalogue featured 'outdated gender roles because boys and girls were shown playing with different types of toys, whereby the boys were portrayed as active and the girls as passive', according to a statement from Ro."
- An Open Letter to the Guy Who Put Just a Geek the Audiobook on His Website for People to Steal: "I'm Wil Wheaton. I wrote Just A Geek, and I created the audiobook you're helping people steal. You may not know this, but I 'm just one guy, without a publisher, so when you help people steal this copy of Just A Geek by making it available for download, you're basically stealing directly from me. You're not stealing from some big publisher with deep pockets who is trying to rip you off with overpriced stuff; you are stealing directly from me, an indie artist and publisher who counts on every sale to make a living. I have to tell you, guy-who-I-won't-link-to-for-obvious-reasons, what you're doing sucks. It sucks a lot."