Hot off the Press: Moving day edition

Tracking, monitoring, and eavesdropping technology made in the ol' USA is being bought and used by repressive governments in Syria, Iran, and China: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trade-in-surveillance-technology-raises-worries/2011/11/22/gIQAFFZOGO_story.html?hpid=z2.

Apple denies claims the Siri feature on its new iPhones is anti-abortion after the voice-activated assistant suggests pregnancy advice centers for abortion inquiries: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15982466. This may be a bit overblown, but it is kind of scary to think there are people unable or unwilling to do their own thinking. This is where corporations step in to try thinking for us. (Perhaps I am being a bit too paranoid here.)

After a "60 Minutes" exposé "highlighting investments that congressional leaders made in companies while legislative efforts were underway that may have affected stock values," a bill to ban insider trading in Congress is suddenly very popular: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bill-to-ban-insider-trading-in-congress-is-suddenly-popular/2011/11/30/gIQAn193DO_story.html?hpid=z3.

Cumulus Media, which as a voracious appetite for radio stations nationwide, has given pink slips to a number of Des Moines radio personalities at stations the company acquired earlier this year: http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/12/01/kggos-round-guy-among-des-moines-radio-layoffs/. The best thing about driving through Kansas last year was listening to small town, locally owned radio stations that played whatever they wanted. There are fewer and fewer of them every year.

LA has introduced a bright green colored bike lane to the downtown area: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bike-lanes-20111121,0,4835734.story. It is not a bad idea, but I have noticed that types of pavement paint are very slippery when wet.

The Hansen brothers — who annoyed everyone except 12-year-old girls with "MMMBop" — will soon be releasing their own beer: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2011/12/hanson-mmmhop-beer.html?track=icymi.

In other beer news, the Boston Beer Corporation, of Sam Adams fame, has sued Anchor regarding a previous employee now working for Anchor: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2011/11/boston-beer-anchor-brewing.html. Consider this line:

In its complaint, Boston Beer claims it taught Hausner everything he knows about the beer business: “His expertise in the beer business is Boston Beer, exclusively.”

So wait: Boston Beer owns his knowledge and he cannot use it unless it is for Boston Beer? Crazy.

LA officials estimate that 30 tons of debris was left behind at the Occupy LA encampment, which was cleared out last week: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/occupy-la-30-tons-of-debris-left-behind-at-city-hall-tent-city.html. The dude interviewed in the article blames a lack of leadership for the filth, an opinion I find naïve. It was a lack of personal responsibility (i.e., acting like an adult), civility, and community. How sad (yet fittingly hypocritical) it is that the people clamoring for change cannot pick up after themselves. Granted, many were arrested, but seriously.

Wracked by rheumatoid arthritis, the author of a recent Dennis Hopper biography writes letter-by-letter using a red, plastic chopstick: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-adv-chopstick-book-20111203,0,2389268.story.

45,000 residents in the German city of Koblenz were evacuated when two World War II bombs, found in the Rhine River, were defused: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/tens-of-thousands-evacuating-german-city-as-experts-defuse-massive-british-wwii-era-bomb/2011/12/04/gIQAiqDMRO_story.html?hpid=z3.

Emergency room visits involving energy drinks have tenfold in the US since 2005: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-energy-drinks-20111205,0,2151254.story.