INDCJournal: Quick Links

April 26, 2006

Quick Links

Posted by Bill

*** Tony Snow as White House Press Secretary, eh? I think he'll do fine, as the man knows how to handle criticism.

*** Allah's posted a handy resume of the winding spins and twists of the Mary McCarthy leak story:

This is one of those stories where, if you miss the first 48 hours, you end up feeling so far behind the curve that you tune it out and never bother with it again. So here’s a round-up of news and blog coverage which, while longish, will bring you up to speed.

(Via Commissar)

*** Dave Price on the Donks:

Not only do they have the problem of a Democratic partisan who has clearly put the interests of her party ahead of those of her nation, they're compounding their mistake by actually defending her as some sort of whistleblower patriot, instead of running away from this whole imbroglio as far and as fast as they can like any sensible post-9/11 politician would. I'm at a total loss to explain this behavior; how could they possibly think that's going to fly? Does anyone else suspect Karl Rove mind control rays?

Those zany D's. Dean cuts to the heart of the matter in the comments:

[D]o you want these CIA agents manipulating public opinion by UNILATERALLY deciding for themselves WHICH information to share, and WHICH to keep secret, solely on their own discretion?

*** Neat:

In their quest to create the super warrior of the future, some military researchers aren't focusing on organs like muscles or hearts. They're looking at tongues.
By routing signals from helmet-mounted cameras, sonar and other equipment through the tongue to the brain, they hope to give elite soldiers superhuman senses similar to owls, snakes and fish.

Researchers at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition envision their work giving Army Rangers 360-degree unobstructed vision at night and allowing Navy SEALs to sense sonar in their heads while maintaining normal vision underwater -- turning sci-fi into reality.

Yeah, that's right - "neat" is all I got.

(Via WWR)

*** Following the logic of my earlier discussion of the perception of junk food vs. cigarettes, are tanning salons a valid threat to kids?

Tanning salons are targeting high schools. A study of Denver-area schools found that 11 of 23 put tanning ads in their newspapers; 18 salons placed the ads: nearly 40 percent of the ads offering unlimited tanning; and only two ads mentioned parental involvement. Authors' conclusions: 1) According to the World Health Organization, ultraviolet radiation from tanning beds or sunlamps is a likely carcinogen. 2) It's being "specifically marketed to adolescents." 3) This is why more young women are getting skin cancer. 4) Studies suggest tanning can be addictive. 5) Schools and legislatures should ban tanning ads to minors, just like cigarette ads. (For updates on tanning addiction and regulation, click here and here. For Human Nature's take on the shift from regulating tobacco to regulating junk food, click here)

If I told you that ...

In addition, exposure to tanning salon rays increases damage caused by sunlight because ultraviolet light actually thins the skin, making it less able to heal. Women who use tanning beds more than once a month are 55 percent more likely to develop malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer.

and

Perhaps dovetailing with the increased use of tanning beds, melanoma is becoming increasingly and alarmingly more common, moving from the No. 6 slot in 1997, to a projected No. 1 by the year 2022.

... would it affect your initial judgment on the matter? Remember, we're talking about minors.

Posted by Bill at April 26, 2006 08:55 AM | TrackBack (4)

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Comments

The whole tanning-salon tan is a phenomenon I don't understand. Every gym I checked out before I signed up for membership noted their free tanning rooms. I guess with my fair skin and freckles they think I need one, but I think I'll pass.

I wasn't reading you in '04, and I followed the Tony Snow links and they were hilarious, including Tim Meadows' Handsome Black Male routine. I vote for Brit Hume too, but mostly b/c I feel I know what his politics are, as opposed to Leher, who like most journalists, pretends not to have them.

Posted by: Nancy at April 26, 2006 12:51 PM

Tanning is a crazy addiction where I'm from in FL; it's the sunshine state, yet you see more tanning salons in strip malls than you ever come across in, say, NJ. Almost odd.

Yeah, this blog used to be good in '04.

Posted by: Bill from INDC at April 26, 2006 12:57 PM

The Pre-Dorkafork Golden Age.

Posted by: dorkafork at April 26, 2006 02:00 PM

The salons are all over N. Texas strip malls as well, and it's fairly easy to point out who's got the extra paid-for tan and who doesn't because they get so, so dark and most women around here don't have outdoor jobs.

From a style viewpoint, it's so odd. A healthy tan is one thing, but the dark, dark tan on people who would otherwise become only moderately tan--if they spent thirty minutes a day outdoors--makes them look unnatural, and thus someone who stands out, instead of someone who fits in fashionably, which I thought was the goal. But being a non-tanner, perhaps I'm wrong.

Posted by: Nancy at April 26, 2006 03:28 PM

I kinda wonder who they're going to test that tongue-sensor thing on.
What are you going to taste food with, for starters. If your tongue is hyper-sensitive, are you gonna even be able to choke down an MRE?
Also, you (or more to the point, I) gotta wonder what that's going to do one's... personal life. I knew a guy who didn't like kissing a girl with a simple tongue piercing. That has got to raise the twitch factor by about 100.

Posted by: Nony Mouse at April 27, 2006 06:47 PM

I don't really get the whole tanning salon thing, but I really don't get this line: "4) Studies suggest tanning can be addictive."

What, UV rays cause the release of endorphins? I'd be more inclined to believe "Studies suggest Elvis kidnapped by space aliens, now bringing rock and roll to the galaxy."

Posted by: owlish at April 29, 2006 11:45 PM

Have you seen this before? It's a number guessing game: http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/guessthenumber.html. I guessed 60170, and it got it right! Pretty neat.

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