More information on the McDonald’s Makeover. The McD’s in Redstone burned down a while back. I wondered if they might put one of these hoity-toity locations since they’re rebuilding it anyway. Probably not. In fact, it’s probably on the “Why bother?” list.
Why 107-degree overnight temperatures should freak you out. The link about night-time highs is very interesting. As is the part about the urban heat islands. It sounds to me like a reason to have housing formations that are more spread out.
Speaking of dying of heat: The history of air conditioning.
Walmart is accused of suppressing wages for a particular reason. Does Costco increase prices?
This article came out seven years ago, but it’s a worthwhile read if you missed it. It’s about the history of population heights, what it says about a country, and why Europe is getting taller and we are not (note: it’s not immigration - or not solely so).
A disturbing case out of North Dakota involving a kid getting kicked out of college based on sexual assault allegations so dubious that the police want to charge the woman with filing a false police report.
The decline and fall of the hardback book. I still have a post on ebooks I need to get to. As far as hardbacks go, I can take or leave them. What’s kind of annoying, though, is having half an author’s collection in paperback and the other half in hardback. So I guess we may be avoiding that, going forward.
Cigarette butts are everywhere. Can they be recycled?
How 38 monks took on a funeral cartel and won.
A pretty disturbing look at the hospice industry.
I’ve never been a fan of hardback books. Paperbacks were always eaier to read. But now with ebooks, I don’t have to worry about that any more. Between the iPad and Kindle I’m set!
Comment by Abel Keogh — July 29, 2011 @ 1:54 pm
With the sign, the NTA can fine the estate of the deceased…
===
Linkluster XLX
OK, now you’re just messing with me…
Comment by Mike Hunt — July 29, 2011 @ 2:08 pm
Abel, I am inclined to agree. The hardbacks don’t even *look* better, in my view. They’re still covered with paper.
Comment by trumwill — July 29, 2011 @ 8:48 pm
With the sign, the NTA can fine the estate of the deceased…
Sorta like making the family pay for the executioner’s bullet…
OK, now you’re just messing with me…
:)
Comment by trumwill — July 29, 2011 @ 8:49 pm
The sign strikes me as eminently reasonable. There are naturally going to be expenses associated with removing a corpse.
Also, I have it on good authority that the death penalty isn’t a deterrent. They need the $200 fine to stop people from touching the wires.
Comment by Brandon Berg — July 29, 2011 @ 9:57 pm
Useless fact, there’s no such thing as the Newcastle Tramway Authority. Newcastle in the UK doesn’t have a tramway, while Newcastle, Australia eliminated trams before introduction of the Australian dollar.
It sounds to me like a reason to have housing formations that are more spread out.
Or buildings that have better passive cooling systems. FWIW, being spread out doesn’t magically solve the problem given that the alternative isn’t a dense urban landscape, but just sprawling suburbs with large paved over parking lots and highways with poorly designed office parks.
Comment by David Alexander — July 31, 2011 @ 12:39 am
FWIW, being spread out doesn’t magically solve the problem given that the alternative isn’t a dense urban landscape, but just sprawling suburbs with large paved over parking lots and highways with poorly designed office parks.
Including, though, freestanding houses with better odds of circulation with the ability to open windows on more than one wall. And in some parts of the country, basements!
One way or another, I would be interested to know the comparative heat island effects of dense cities and suburban landscapes. You might have a lot of concrete, but still comparatively more grass and fewer people per square mile. I would think the heat island effect would be less, but I could be wrong.
Comment by trumwill — August 2, 2011 @ 1:18 am
Also, I have it on good authority that the death penalty isn’t a deterrent. They need the $200 fine to stop people from touching the wires.
Reminds me of Fritz Hollings’ answer to 9/11. Put signs on the cockpit doors that say “Hijack a plane, go to jail!”
Comment by trumwill — August 2, 2011 @ 1:20 am
Newcastle in the UK doesn’t have a tramway
Plus a UK authority isn’t going to issue a fine in dollars…
Comment by Mike Hunt — August 2, 2011 @ 7:27 pm
Including, though, freestanding houses with better odds of circulation with the ability to open windows on more than one wall. And in some parts of the country, basements!
You can have that in urban locations too! Density does not imply small apartments, but can easily mean townhomes, dense single family housing, and brown stones. And with garages!
FWIW, some have argued than an easy way to mitigate the urban heat island effect is to paint roofs white, and have newer structures support green roofs with vegetation. Even the use of concrete over asphalt is supposed to help.
Comment by David Alexander — August 2, 2011 @ 10:59 pm
The more density, the higher a premium is put on square footage. Therefore, while there would indeed be row houses and townhomes, they would be reserved for the people that now have larger houses. People that have smaller houses would likely be stuck in more constricted accommodations.
Comment by trumwill — August 3, 2011 @ 11:03 am
Could be from the Newcastle in New South Wales. They have a tram system, and the Australian currency is called the dollar.
Comment by Brandon Berg — August 3, 2011 @ 9:09 pm