You Better Be Cool, Man
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Gary [email protected]
I'm not sure I understand that. Seems to me that when it gets really hot out, you just want to sit around and do nothing.
Aggression takes energy. Heat makes you want to conserve energy. Siesta comes to mind.[[In-content Ad]]But no, counterintuitive as it may seem to me, studies show that heat can have an negative effect on our behavior.
And it's worse in urban areas because of what meteorologists call the "Heat Island Effect." That's where higher populations, more buildings, more pavement and higher consumption of energy make cities warmer by several degrees on average than surrounding rural areas.
Accuweather.com recently noted a study done by the American Automobile Association. A car was placed at a red light on a hot summer day. The driver was told to ignore it when the light changed to green.
Researchers nearby watched the horn-honking patterns. Seems drivers with their windows rolled up - the ones with air conditioning - honked later and less often than drivers with their windows down - the ones without air conditioning.
Accuweather.com also noted a Centers for Disease Control study that found that homicides increase between July and September.
And even though there are lots of other factors that weigh in - school's out, more daylight, less sleep, more time outdoors - there does seem to be a link between hot weather and crime.
Cops seem to support the theory, too. Generally, they will tell you that there's more crime when it's hot out.
So the answer becomes obvious.
Go to the pool. Go to the beach. Spray off with a hose. Stay inside. Go shopping or go to a movie. If you don't have air conditioning, fill up your tub with cool water and chill out. You should drink a lot, but not alcohol.
Do whatever it takes to beat the heat. Stay cool - physically and mentally.
Double Standards
Abound AT NYT
I don't have a problem with the New York Times orchestrating a news blackout with regard to their reporter, David Rohde, being abducted in Afghanistan.
I can say with clear conscience that I likely would have done the same thing if I really thought I was saving my reporter's life by doing so.
Problem I have with the decision is the glaring double standard the NYT seems to employ with regard to what they're going to publish or not publish.
I mean, it wasn't that long ago that the Bush administration all but begged the NYT not to release sensitive information during the Iraq war. Bush officials cited the safety of troops and Americans. Not only did the NYT go ahead and publish the information, they expressed contempt for the administration just for asking them to withhold it.
The NYT has a long history of ignoring blackout requests when it comes to national security - Pentagon Papers, the National Security Administration's eavesdropping on terrorists, the Abu Ghraib prison photos.
All those "scoops" could arguably have endangered the lives of troops, covert operatives or even just plain old Americans.
But in each case, the NYT cited the public's right to now.
And when it comes to politics, the NYT's double standards are even more jarring. It seems as long as you have the correct political ideology, you have a good chance of your story being spiked.
They're always judicious when it comes to printing stuff about Demos, but it's a free-for-all when it comes to the GOP.
The NYT was real careful not to report on John Edwards' tryst until it was all out in the open and confirmed truth. But they were eager to print the rumor about John McCain's affair, which never has been confirmed.
"A small circle of the senator's advisers on the Straight Talk Express in 2000 feared their boss was having a romantic relationship with Washington lobbyist Vicki Iseman," New York Times reported in February 2008, when it broke the story.
The "advisers" weren't identified and the rumor was never substantiated, but hey, if you can make a candidate look bad during an election and put your guy over the top - why not?
Not so long ago I gave President Obama credit for not releasing additional prison abuse photos. He weighed his commitment to open, accountable and transparent government against endangering the lives of military personnel overseas.
What that the NYT could be so thoughtful.
And I wonder. Would the NYT have imposed the same months-long news blackout if the abducted person was an oil company executive? What about a soldier? How about an employee of government contractor Blackwater?
I think we all know the answers.
I'm not sure I understand that. Seems to me that when it gets really hot out, you just want to sit around and do nothing.
Aggression takes energy. Heat makes you want to conserve energy. Siesta comes to mind.[[In-content Ad]]But no, counterintuitive as it may seem to me, studies show that heat can have an negative effect on our behavior.
And it's worse in urban areas because of what meteorologists call the "Heat Island Effect." That's where higher populations, more buildings, more pavement and higher consumption of energy make cities warmer by several degrees on average than surrounding rural areas.
Accuweather.com recently noted a study done by the American Automobile Association. A car was placed at a red light on a hot summer day. The driver was told to ignore it when the light changed to green.
Researchers nearby watched the horn-honking patterns. Seems drivers with their windows rolled up - the ones with air conditioning - honked later and less often than drivers with their windows down - the ones without air conditioning.
Accuweather.com also noted a Centers for Disease Control study that found that homicides increase between July and September.
And even though there are lots of other factors that weigh in - school's out, more daylight, less sleep, more time outdoors - there does seem to be a link between hot weather and crime.
Cops seem to support the theory, too. Generally, they will tell you that there's more crime when it's hot out.
So the answer becomes obvious.
Go to the pool. Go to the beach. Spray off with a hose. Stay inside. Go shopping or go to a movie. If you don't have air conditioning, fill up your tub with cool water and chill out. You should drink a lot, but not alcohol.
Do whatever it takes to beat the heat. Stay cool - physically and mentally.
Double Standards
Abound AT NYT
I don't have a problem with the New York Times orchestrating a news blackout with regard to their reporter, David Rohde, being abducted in Afghanistan.
I can say with clear conscience that I likely would have done the same thing if I really thought I was saving my reporter's life by doing so.
Problem I have with the decision is the glaring double standard the NYT seems to employ with regard to what they're going to publish or not publish.
I mean, it wasn't that long ago that the Bush administration all but begged the NYT not to release sensitive information during the Iraq war. Bush officials cited the safety of troops and Americans. Not only did the NYT go ahead and publish the information, they expressed contempt for the administration just for asking them to withhold it.
The NYT has a long history of ignoring blackout requests when it comes to national security - Pentagon Papers, the National Security Administration's eavesdropping on terrorists, the Abu Ghraib prison photos.
All those "scoops" could arguably have endangered the lives of troops, covert operatives or even just plain old Americans.
But in each case, the NYT cited the public's right to now.
And when it comes to politics, the NYT's double standards are even more jarring. It seems as long as you have the correct political ideology, you have a good chance of your story being spiked.
They're always judicious when it comes to printing stuff about Demos, but it's a free-for-all when it comes to the GOP.
The NYT was real careful not to report on John Edwards' tryst until it was all out in the open and confirmed truth. But they were eager to print the rumor about John McCain's affair, which never has been confirmed.
"A small circle of the senator's advisers on the Straight Talk Express in 2000 feared their boss was having a romantic relationship with Washington lobbyist Vicki Iseman," New York Times reported in February 2008, when it broke the story.
The "advisers" weren't identified and the rumor was never substantiated, but hey, if you can make a candidate look bad during an election and put your guy over the top - why not?
Not so long ago I gave President Obama credit for not releasing additional prison abuse photos. He weighed his commitment to open, accountable and transparent government against endangering the lives of military personnel overseas.
What that the NYT could be so thoughtful.
And I wonder. Would the NYT have imposed the same months-long news blackout if the abducted person was an oil company executive? What about a soldier? How about an employee of government contractor Blackwater?
I think we all know the answers.
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