by Erin Blakemore National Geographic What do Liberia, Myanmar, and the United States have in common? They use imperial measurements—feet, pounds, and miles—instead of meters, grams, and kilometers. Critics call this shameful. The truth however, is more complicated: Though imperial units are commonly used in the U.S., the metric system is actually the …
Category Archives: business
The Great Depression Featured Funny Money
by Dictionary Scoop The Great Depression, a period of economic instability that lasted from the early 1930s until the end of the decade, was one of the most challenging times in American history. Kickstarted by the Wall Street Crash of October 1929, the recession hit hard, bankrupting thousands of businesses and leaving no one …
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Blind Hong Kong Men Pulled Off Airplane
by Emily Hung South China Morning Post Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways’ budget wing, HK Express, became embroiled in controversy after two visually impaired passengers said they were forced off a flight, triggering outrage from a campaign group for the blind. But HK Express denied that the men had been forcibly removed and insisted …
Boom, Boom: Fireworks Store Erupts In Flames
by Kevin Burton You hear this phrase a lot: “don’t judge.” Well in this case, go ahead. Be my guest. Judge, and jump in with both feet, or both wagging index fingers, if you want to. I don’t care. On our first regional beep baseball trip, to Indianapolis in late May, I …
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Surge Pricing Coming To A Wal-Mart Near You
by Kevin Burton The Wal-Mart closest to our house is almost finished with a major remodel, including all shelves and bins and even its drive-through pharmacy. I am guessing this is not about being tidy, but about making a tidy profit. I think this is about surge pricing. Apps such as Uber …
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Feds: Pepsi Discriminated Against The Blind
by Kevin Burton If you’re looking for something to drink, or somewhere to work, choose Coke, not Pepsi. According to multiple published reports, PepsiCo hired a blind man for a call center, then fired him rather than get him a screen reader – even after a state vocational rehabilitation counselor offered to buy …
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Coffee Chain Creating Jobs For The Disabled
by Karen Shimizu Food &Wine Bitty & Beau’s is a civil rights movement disguised as a coffee shop. Bitty & Beau’s has everything you could want from a neighborhood café. The coffee is hot and strong, there’s ample seating, and the free wifi encourages you to linger. But the experience it offers is rare …
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Mary Wells Disappeared After “My Guy”
by Kevin Burton In my alternate Motown universe there is a lot more Martha Reeves and a lot less Diana Ross. There is also at least a little more Mary Wells. It’s Wells we focus on today. Sixty years ago, Wells’ “My Guy” became the first Motown record to hit number one on …
Gerry Rafferty Was Born 77 Years Ago Today
by Kevin Burton The headline to an article in The Independent called Gerry Rafferty a “bipolar alcoholic industry misfit.” His biographers including his daughter Martha dispute none of that. The article was printed on the occasion of the 2021 release of “Rest In Blue” an album of Rafferty demos polished and completed by …
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Karaoke Machine Inventor Dies At Age 100
by Kevin Burton Shigeichi Negishi, the inventor of the world’s first commercially-available karaoke machine, has died in Japan at age 100, according to National Public Radio. Never knew the man, but boy has he filled up my Saturday nights. You take a character from Billy Joel’s Piano Man who is“sure that I …
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