Des Moines Isn’t Boring, Really, I Mean It

by Kevin Burton    Did you know there is a Memphis, Missouri?    Fewer than 2,000 people live there. We came perilously close to joining them on vacation two weeks ago.    We had planned to see the big Memphis – the BB King-Jerry Lee Lewis-Johnny Cash Memphis – but a flood warning for the …

This Girl Had A Pocket Full Of Determination

by Kevin Burton    It’s girl power times three on Page 7 today.    The third story is about car repair, the first two about clothing, beginning with my favorite, a rare tale of a big company responding to consumers. All three are from the Good news Network:    “A young English schoolgirl named Georgia …

Here’s Why Canada Has No Egg Shortages

by Kevin Burton    Look, I’m not bragging, I’m just sayin’ .We have a source.    No, not giving up my source, go get your own.    I’m not saying the eggs we get are cheap-cheap, not like before. But they’re not 70s gasoline-lines expensive either.    You know where else eggs are not expensive …

The Latest Ripoff: Surveillance Pricing

by Charlotte Cowles thecut.com    It’s 5 a.m. and your toddler is crying. His forehead is hot. You remember, cursing yourself, that you are out of Tylenol.    You squint at your phone and order more, selecting the quickest delivery option. Actually, that’s not soon enough. You pay the $2 fee so that it will …

Why Valentine’s Day Is A Fake, And Worse

by Kevin Burton    A co-worker of Jeannette’s told her that he and his wife didn’t celebrate Valentine’s day, calling it a “fake holiday.”    Many people agree. But as it turns out it’s worse than that.    “Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate romance and love and kissy-face fealty. But the origins of …

The Blind At Work: Two Stories, Two Traumas

by Kevin Burton    Just a sampling today, as you carry on with life, of what blind people face every day when they dare go into the workforce.    Our first look is in New Jersey, the second, across the Atlantic in Wales.    I could string all the news like this into a blog …

Giving Women Credit Where Credit Is Due

by Dictionary Scoop    Did you know that women made many scientific contributions, but their names were hidden and their discoveries attributed to men?     This phenomenon is so common that it even has a name: the Matilda Effect. American historian of science Margaret W. Rossiter coined the term in 1993 in honor of Matilda Joslyn Gage, …

Cruise Ship Tourism Threatens Alaska’s Capital

by Christian Karim Chrobog The Guardian    “The noise never stops,” says Karla Hart, her voice competing with the hum of approaching helicopters. “I can feel them before I see them.” She looks at her phone to check a website that monitors air traffic and identifies operators. Hart wants to know whether the pilots are adhering …

Grandpa Kev’s (Grumpy) After-Christmas Sale

by Kevin Burton     Your favorite retail outlet will be having an after-Christmas sale just now. It’s sort of their version of New Year’s resolutions, you know,  out with the old, in with the new.    They won’t spare the hype, the bold print or the volume. God help you if you miss this sale! …

Ten Festive Facts About Christmas Trees

by Nicole Garner Meeker interestingfacts.com    Christmas trees are perhaps the most recognizable symbol of the winter holiday season.    Whether you buy one from a tree lot or cut your own, nearly 30 million evergreens are sold every year in the lead-up to Christmas, and that’s just a fraction of the 350 million that are …