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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check
December 7, 2009
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Holiday Shopping:
The Wall Street Journal is going Grinch this holiday season and advising shoppers to stay away from the mall.
In his "Return on Investments" column, BRETT ARENDS slams the idea that there's any holiday magic left to be found at the mall, given retailers' astronomical mark-ups (35 percent at Nordstrom!) and shoppers' poor taste (You don't actually know what your sister-in-law wants, now do ya?).
Arends says 20 percent of money spent on gifts is wasted. That money would be much better-off invested somewhere, earning interest, than it would buying something as uneconomical as a Christmas present.
Gift cards are a bit better, he allows, because recipients can pick what they want. But even gift card purchases involve 10 percent waste, so, really, cash is the way to go. "It's funny that cash is considered somehow déclassé," Arends writes. "You wouldn't order for somebody else in a restaurant. Why do we presume to choose their sweaters or cellphones or golf clubs?"
As for those pesky kids you have to buy for? Just put some money in a college savings account: "Nobody knows what to buy someone else's children anyway." (Maiman)Drug Bust of the Day:
Mexican officials working alongside the D-E-A have uncovered a secret tunnel being dug below the US-Mexican border.
The Earth Times says the 900-foot tunnel had been under construction for nearly two-years. The only entrance was through a fake toilet hidden near the town of Tijuana. Mexican police spokesman RAFAEL AVILES said, "We found a room which was used as an office, and a pretend toilet that was equipped with a sophisticated hydraulic mechanism that allowed the toilet to move completely."
The tunnel, which is 65-feet below ground, has electricity, air conditioning and even a phone line. Thirteen construction workers have been arrested and charged with digging the tunnel. They are believed to be working directly for the Mexican drug cartel. (Still)Good fences make good neighbors:
Visiting Los Angeles? Make sure to book a Gang Tour.
The LA Times reports that for the low, low price of $65, anyone looking to up their street cred can spend two (safe) hours in South Los Angeles, checking out graffiti, eyeing the projects, and getting schooled in the history and culture of gangs.
L-A Gang Tours is slated to start giving the tours in January after a VIP preview this past weekend. ALFRED LOMAS, a former gang member and current gang intervention worker, is heading up the tours. He says it's safe and believes the tours will be a great way to educate people about the plight of impoverished urban areas and push some yuppie money back into the cities. (The venture's profits will be reinvested in the communities where the tours take place.)
Some residents and officials are squirming at the idea of an L-A equivalent to "slum tours" in Rio de Janeiro. One staffer on the city's Human Relations Commission said the tours might be good for "sensitizing people, connecting them to the reality of what's on the ground." But there are drawbacks: "The other side is that it could come across like a zoo or something." (Maiman)Trolling for IQ points:
It's pretty common for a martial artist to use his fists or his feet. But, what about his eyes?
The London Metro has published pictures (here) of a kung fu expert in China demonstrating his prowess by pulling a van with his eyelids. The unnamed man in the province of Anhui attached one end of an aircraft cable to the van, the other to his eyes. No word on how far he managed to tow the vehicle. (Still)Your Body:
Even before you notice physical changes in your child, you may get a hint that puberty is coming. That's because there are changes in the sleep patterns of children who are close to reaching puberty.
Writings in the journal Sleep explain the most evident sleep changes involve later bedtimes and rise times. Kids are drowsier during the day and sleep longer on weekends to compensate for less shuteye during the week.
Researchers say it's important for parents talk to their kids about the importance of sleep and keep an eye on how much rest they're getting. When kids don't get enough rest it affect their well-being, psychological functioning and school achievements. (Page) -
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