Chicago -
By Boing Boing
In 1944, a bizarre criminal assaulted the small town of Mattoon, Illinois. Victims reported smelling a strange odor in their bedrooms before being overcome with nausea and paralysis. The mad gasser vanished after 10 days, leaving residents to wonder whether he had ever existed at all.
Posted on January 28, 2020
By James Kaler/The Conversation
I was born a Capricorn (please don’t judge me), but the Sun was in the middle of Sagittarius when I was born.
As a professor emeritus of astronomy at the University of Illinois, I am often asked about the difference between astrology and astronomy. The practice of astrology, which predicts one’s fate and fortune based on the positions of the Sun, Moon, stars and planets, dates back to ancient times. It was intermingled with the science of astronomy back then – in fact, many astronomers of old made scientific observations that are valuable even today. But once Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo realized the planets orbit the Sun, rather than the Earth, and Newton discovered the physical laws behind their behavior, astrology and astronomy split, never to be reunited.
The science of astronomy is now at odds with one of the basic organizing principles in astrology – the dates of the zodiac.
Posted on January 27, 2020
By The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service
Amity Packing Company of Chicago is recalling approximately 2,020 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically clear, thin pliable plastic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Friday.
The raw ground beef items were produced on Jan. 6, 2020. The following products are subject to recall:
Posted on January 24, 2020
By United Airlines
Customers are seeing a new look on United Airlines runways.
Welcoming the new year, United is debuting new uniforms designed by Carhartt Company Gear exclusively for the airline’s 28,000 Technical Operations, Ramp Service and Catering Operations employees.
CCG worked directly with United employees for nearly three years to create a collection of uniform pieces that deliver hard-working designs that stand up to the unique demands of their jobs.
“This is more than a fashion statement for United Airlines,” said Kate Gebo, executive vice president of Human Resources and Labor Relations at United Airlines.
“This highly inclusive design process reflects how highly we value the input of our employees and union leadership. Every day all over the globe our employees on the ground are facing the coldest colds and the hottest hots. Through our partnership with Carhartt – the leader in workwear – we’ve confidently created a uniform collection enabling our employees to look good and feel good while continuing to deliver the best service for our customers.”
Posted on January 14, 2020
By Freeman Spogli & Co.
Easy Ice, LLC (“Easy Ice“), the leading provider of commercial ice machine rental and related services, announced it has been acquired by Freeman Spogli & Co. (“Freeman Spogli“), management and other investors.
Easy Ice’s co-founders, Mark Hangen and John Mahlmeister, and the rest of the management team will continue to lead and operate the company. Specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Posted on January 10, 2020
By The National Inventors Hall of Fame
Twenty-two innovation pioneers were announced as the National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF) 2020 class of Inductees on stage at CES® on Tuesday.
These innovators, whose landmark inventions range from the hard hat to the sports bra, will be celebrated as the newest class of Inductees during the NIHF Induction Ceremony. In partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), NIHF will honor these Inductees in Washington, D.C. on May 6-7 at one of the innovation industry’s most highly anticipated events – “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation®.”
Posted on January 8, 2020
By Markian Hawryluk/Kaiser Health News
After 20 years of experience, legal marijuana growers in the U.S. have the reputation of creating the best product in the world, scientifically grown and tightly regulated for quality and safety. The crop would be in high demand internationally – perhaps the centerpiece of a new U.S. industry – if not for the regulatory conundrum in which growers operate.
Because marijuana is legal in many states but still illegal federally, marijuana growers are unable to ship their products to other countries or even other American states that have legalized the drug. So while U.S. cannabis firms have driven product innovation and mastered the science of large-scale grow operations, they restlessly wait for the export curtain to lift.
Instead Canada has emerged as the dominant exporter in the burgeoning global trade of marijuana, which ArcView Market Research and BDS Analytics estimated at $14.9 billion in sales for 2019.
Companies there are raising capital and building international trade ties despite having an unlikely climate to be an agricultural pot haven.
Posted on January 4, 2020
By The Center for the Study of the Public Domain
On January 1, works from 1924 will enter the U.S. public domain1, where they will be free for all to use and build upon, without permission or fee.
These works include George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, silent films by Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, and books such as Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India, and A. A. Milne’s When We Were Very Young.
These works were supposed to go into the public domain in 2000, after being copyrighted for 75 years. But before this could happen, Congress hit a 20-year pause button and extended their copyright term to 95 years2. Now the wait is over.
Posted on January 1, 2020
By The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service
Ashland Sausage of Carol Stream is recalling approximately 1,092 pounds of pork sausage products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials – specifically hard, dark plastic – the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Friday.
The ready-to-eat (RTE) course ground sausage items were produced on Nov. 14, 2019. The following products are subject to recall:
Posted on December 22, 2019
By Anthony Dukes and Yi Zhu/The Conversation
Some of the most hated companies in the U.S. are also the most profitable.
Much of this consumer resentment may stem from poor customer service.
In 2013, Americans spent an average of 13 hours disputing a purchase or resolving a problem with customer service. Many Americans have experienced fighting with phone menus, desperately seeking a live service agent to seek a refund.
As professors of marketing, we have examined why customer service continues to be so unsatisfactory, including at many profitable companies.
Posted on December 20, 2019
