PITTSBURGH:

I PREFER THE BACON KIND, but now there’s Cupcake Flavored Vodka.

FAST-FOOD BURGERS that won’t blow your diet. I’ve always felt the Whopper Jr. was underrated.

AT AMAZON, Up to 74% off on car electronics.

CHANGE: China Reduces Holdings Of U.S. Debt.

CARBON NANOTUBES ENABLE next-generation consumer electronics.

MICHAEL WALSH: “Change” Via Executive Power Grab.

I’M WITH PJTV AT THE NRA CONVENTION, and finding lots of interesting stuff to report on.

DOWN WITH CORPORATE AMERICA! And we’ll be right back after these words.

PRIMING THE BODY TO TACKLE CANCER: Immune therapy proves effective against melanoma in an early trial. Faster, please!

MARKDOWNS ON fire-resistant home safes.

BAD TIMING: I’m at the NRA Convention, and I saw Wayne LaPierre just before I read this story on how he’s going to call for Eric Holder’s resignation. If I’d seen the story first, I would have asked him about it.

KEEPING THE HIGHER-EDUCATION BUBBLE INFLATED: Mom Hates Boyfriend Because He Has No College Degree.

NOBODY TOLD THEM GREEN MEANT UGLY: New Jerseyites Hate New Solar Panels, Brand Them “Hideous,” “Eyesores.”

OH, GOODY: Omega 3 Fatty Acids Increase Prostate Cancer Risk? “Analyzing data from a nationwide study involving more than 3,400 men, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that men with the highest blood percentages of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, an inflammation-lowering omega-3 fatty acid commonly found in fatty fish, have two-and-a-half-times the risk of developing aggressive, high-grade prostate cancer compared to men with the lowest DHA levels. Conversely, the study also found that men with the highest blood ratios of trans-fatty acids – which are linked to inflammation and heart disease and abundant in processed foods that contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils – had a 50 percent reduction in the risk of high-grade prostate cancer.” People have often suggested that there’s a heart attack / cancer tradeoff. Perhaps there really is?

“HOW GETTING DIVORCED revived my sex life.”

UPDATE: Reader Marko Bukvic writes: “Should be titled ‘HOW FORGETTING THAT SEX WAS IMPORTANT RUINED MY MARRIAGE’ but that wouldn’t get her published on Salon.”

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: “The Mt. Hood Community College faculty association offered a sharp response Tuesday to MHCC’s plan to hire permanent replacements should union members decide to strike. On Tuesday, MHCC’s board announced it was prepared to hire full-time replacement faculty if union members walked out and administrators are reviewing applications.”

UPDATE: A reader emails:

As an adjunct instructor teaching kids to write–which I enjoy doing and do well, I think–I think the real part of the h.e. bubble that needs attention is the monstrous growth in administrators who have their own agendas that have little to do with student learning. I know you have mentioned that, but it’s worth repeating.

An example: there is some kind of student-tutoring center at my unnamed school which is run by an administrator that matches student tutors with students who need help with their writing. I went down there
a couple of years ago, innocently, and tried to talk with the student who is “tutoring” my students…so I could give that kid some advice about what I wanted attended to in tutoring sessions. I was received with puzzlement. The attitude seemed to be “why would a teacher want to have anything to do with the tutoring we offer.” This is a sample of one–but the sense was weird.

“We’re helping the kids–what does that have to do with you?”

Fulltime faculty like those in Maine who want more money strike me as not the real problem.

The Goldwater Institute found administrative bloat was the biggest driver in higher education cost increases.
And that’s Oregon, not Maine, but yeah.

IN THE MAIL: From Jody Lynn Nye, The View from the Imperium.

POLIWOOD: Atlas get Shrugged off: What we can learn.

OBAMA PUNISHING REPORTERS: History Rhymes At The San Francisco Chronicle.

Plus, “They told me if I voted for McCain, we would soon see the government quash new media reporting to control the message…and they were right!”

GREEN SERVER FARMS? Move Server Farms to Desert? Data Is Easier to Move Than Power, After All. Hmm.

DUNCAN KENNEDY IS READY FOR HIS CLOSEUP: Rush Limbaugh discovers the Critical Legal Studies movement.

RETHINKING rethinking the gas tax. No, that’s not a typo.

AT AMAZON, it’s the Friday Sale.

PJTV: Bill Whittle interviews me about politics, journalism, and the rise of the new media. (YouTube, so no subscription required.)