One step closer to Chicken-Littledom
Interesting news over the weekend from Mexico.  Swine flu, they say, has  ceased to spread.  In what by far has been the hardest-hit country, reporting the lion's share of fatal cases, the "impending pandemic" is over just weeks after it began.  Yes, any deaths are too many...but with breathless forecasts from the cable news outlets predicting disaster over months and years it seems to have been blessedly mild.  Admittedly we're not completely out of the woods.  New cases across the US continue to surface.  But if the world's worst outbreak is already waning quickly there seems to be less reason than ever to panic.

I want to make clear that the blame here lies, in my mind, wholly with the newscasters.  The WHO and the CDC have been doing their due dilligence to report the facts and give warnings as necessary.  But the constant drumbeat of doom coming from the cable newsrooms (and to a lesser degree the network newsrooms) has been nothing short of irresponsible.  And of course we've seen this all before.

From West Nile to Bird Flu to SARS and now H1N1 we've been threatened with impending pandemics biannually since the turn of the century.  All of these diseases have petered out with little damage done on the world scale.  So as the networks continue to foment panic at the drop of a hat they continue to give us less reason to trust them.  This scares me to death given what could happen the next time a real, nascent threat comes down the pike.  When warnings to stay home, wash hands, and keep kids home from school begin to go largely ignored we set ourselves up for the disease version of Hurricane Katrina. 

So please...use a little common sense.  Don't panic.  Use your head.  Do what mom told you and you'll likely be fine.  But don't confuse the breathless rantings on cable news for the real headlines coming from the scientists. 

The Rolling Stone article that may cost Gen. McChrystal his job
Read it here.
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Summer Science Experiment
Looking for something fun, engaging and educational to do with your kids this summer?  Here's the recipe and instructions for the Sidewalk Chalk science experiment that our Tuesday morning guests referred to.  Have fun!
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Check out our new TV guy!
Always looking for new, talented people to add to the show, we've scored again.  Television critic Tom Jicha from the Sun-Sentinel newspapers will join us every friday to talk about the highlights and lowlights of this week in TV.  In between visits please follow Tom's blog online...
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Eco Car Challenge info
Right now 16 colleges from around the country are competing in a challenge issued by the US Department of Energy and sponsored by General Motors.  The teams are using existing technology to come up with implementable solutions to improve gas mileage and limit harmful emissions. 
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Help us help Brett Erlich
As you know if you caught the show this morning, our movie reviewer is up for a Webby Award!  Brett Erlich, co-host of the "Rotten Tomatoes Show" on Current TV has been nominated and is a finalist for the video that's currently our featured video on the homepage.  It's very funny, and Brett deserves a win.   
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Hotline numbers set up for fans of Super Bowl losers
No matter whether the Saints or Colts emerge victorious on Sunday, there's bound to be tens of thousands of disappointed fans of the loyal opposition.  Jeff Goldblatt, founder of the Rejection Hotline (www.humorhotlines.com) joined us Friday morning and said he's set up local "It Could Suck Worse" hotlines for fans of the losing side. 


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From Monday's show...
Learn more about LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) here:
www.copssaylegalizedrugs.com

And visit the personal page of our guest, Judge Jim Gray, here:
www.judgejimgray.com

The Ultimate Horror Movie List
Here they are...your picks for the must-see horror flicks for this Hallowe'en week.  So what are you waiting for?  Hit the video store!

1. SUSPIRA
2. DAWN OF THE DEAD
3. SCARECROWS
4. ZOMBIES ON AN AIRPLANE
5. MONSTER CLUB
6. PET SEMATARY
7. SLEEPY HOLLOW
8. IT
9. OMEN
10. MONSTER SQUAD
11. FRIGHT NIGHT
12. BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA
13. FORBIDDEN PLANET
14. THEM!
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The Incredible Overnight America Balancing Broom
Last night on the program a caller alerted us to a broom standing by itself on the floor of a convenience store.  We decided to try to replicate the experiment here in the studio and...voila!
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Misguided "Justice"
A grandmother from Rockville, IN, Sally Harpold, was recently arrested for violating the state's laws against the purchase of more than 3.0 grams of pseudoephedrine in less than 7 days.  That violation occurred because she purchased a box of 24 Zyrtec-D tablets for her sick daughter, then six days later purchased a 36-count box of Mucinex-D for her husband and herself.  
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"It Might Get Loud..."
Here's all the info you need about the new documentary film featuring Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White:
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It Might Get Loud...
Here's all the information you'll need about the new documentary film featuring Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White:
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Cool stuff from the show
Monday morning you heard us talking about statistical analysis of the red-shirted "expendable crew members" from Star Trek.  Here's the article:

http://www.sitelogicmarketing.com/blog/02-analytics-according-to-captain-kirk
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Now THIS is funny.
Best article I've seen in a long time...a series of pictures of the top 20 stupid protest signs.  Nice work, wordpress.

http://unreasonablysafe.wordpress.com/2009/08/25/bestprotestsign/

Now THIS is funny.
Best article I've seen in a long time...a series of pictures of the top 20 stupid protest signs.  Nice work, wordpress.

http://unreasonablysafe.wordpress.com/2009/08/25/bestprotestsign/

Les Paul gone but never forgotten...
Many thanks to our good friends Bob Heil of Heil Sound and Dave Hinson of Killer Vintage Guitars for joining us on this morning's program in tribute to the life, music, and legacy of Les Paul who died yesterday at age 94.  Bob and Dave were also kind enough to furninsh us with some pictures of their interactions with Les...
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Get your UCLA Slang Dictionary here...
Friday morning we talked with UCLA linguistics professor Pam Munro about the newly-released 20th anniversary UCLA Slang Dictionary.  If you want to order a copy online you can email Anya at anya@humnet.ucla.edu for information.  Enjoy!
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