By Patrick Derocher, on Thu Nov 3, 2011 at 9:15 AM ET Puppies! The City of Los Angeles has recently instituted enormous fines for these guys barking excessively in that city. Okay, maybe not puppies, per se, but the City of Los Angeles has instituted rather steep fines for “excessively barking dogs,” including $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second, and $1,000 for a third. City Prosecutor Dov Lesel defines “excessive” as happening for 10 minutes or more continuously or intermittently for 30 minutes or more during a three-hour period. One wonders how this will change the public relationship so many celebrities have with their small, loud dogs. [AZCentral.com]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Wed Nov 2, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET The Politics of Laughter (Halloween Edition) First you trick them, then you treat them. [picture]
Just a very well done costume. [picture]
Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. [picture]
Dad of the Year. [picture]
How you can tell someone pulled out all the stops when decorating for Halloween. [picture]
Anther classic! [picture]
College professor win! [picture]
Finally, a non-Halloween-related bonus: a couples’ diary entries from the same day. [picture]
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Wed Nov 2, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET Trouble sleeping lately? New research suggests that people who feel lonelier are more likely to have restless sleep. [Time]
Bad news for you sommeliers out there. A new study shows that women who routinely have even small amounts of alcohol have an elevated risk of breast cancer. [NY Times]
More depressing science: why our brains our hard wires to spend, spend, spend. [Newsweek]
Check out these tips on making it out of the grocery without a lengthy receipt and a cart full of junk food. [Prevention]
Feeling disgust is… a good thing? [BBC]
By RP Staff, on Wed Nov 2, 2011 at 12:30 PM ET How long was their wedding special advertised on television? Likely longer than their actual marriage lasted. Here’s a list of things that lasted longer than Kim Kardashian’s marriage. [The Daily Beast]
Ever wondered whether men or women are funnier? Here’s a study that examines humor preferences in men and women. Is it possible that both genders prefer male humor? [Science Daily]
We all know Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry is conservative, but just how conservative? Apparently he is supporting efforts to repeal same-sex marriage laws and defund Planned Parenthood programs. How will this affect his campaign? [Huffington Post]
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Wed Nov 2, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
Google has rolled out a new look for Gmail. Check it out here. [PC World]
Microsoft’s new Kinect projectors turn your entire room into a touch-screen. [The Verge]
How has Apple changed under new CEO Tim Cook? [Gizmodo]
Will an online piracy bill combat rogue site or constrain the entire internet? [PC Mag]
By RP Staff, on Tue Nov 1, 2011 at 5:30 PM ET College admissions rates have consistently decreased over the past several years, often with dramatic annual drops. See here for the Top 100 Lowest Acceptance Rates in Fall 2010. [US News]
The Common Application is an online, standardized first-year application form and is currently used by 456 colleges across the the United States and internationally. Its widespread implementation has had palpable effects on college admissions trends, such as students applying to many more schools that they ordinarily would have. See here for the Common Application website, as well as an account of the effects the University of Michigan saw immediately following the form’s implementation in its admissions process. [Common Application] [Ann Arbor]
While the number of applications at many universities is continuing to increase, colleges are going to be seeing a smaller number of applicants as high school graduation rates are projected to decrease over the next four years from the 2009 record high. In fact, the number of schools seeing decreasing numbers of applications is growing alongside those seeing more. As more students consider two-year or only public colleges, the economy will perhaps take its toll on college admissions. [The Chronicle]
Social media is changing college admissions processes for both the applicants and admissions counselors. For the applicants, information about colleges is now more widely available through Facebook pages and blogs, and means of contacting current students have become much more accessible. For the admissions counselors, a new means of screening applicants is visiting a student’s Facebook page. See here for an article commenting on both of these phenomena, as well as a report conducted in 2008 by KAPLAN on the number of admission officers utilizing social media to evaluate applicants. [Politics Daily] [KAPLAN]
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Tue Nov 1, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET Former Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina is reinventing his career… as a paid contributor on Fox News. Call it the Spitzer Effect. [NY Times]
A new level of experiential journalism: The Daily paid for one of its reporters to take Oxytocin for a week so she could report on its, ahem, affects. [The Daily]
How do the presidential candidates compare when it comes to their use of Twitter? [Time]
The debate continues on whether or not journalists should conceal their political views from the public. [The Atlantic]
Look at how different media organizations decided whether or not to reveal the names of the jurors in the Casey Anthony case. [Poynter Institute]
By Zac Byer, on Tue Nov 1, 2011 at 12:30 PM ET As the country continues to debate the role of the federal government in the health insurance arena, we ought to consider the historical framework of risk and liberty upon which America rests. [YouTube – The Federalist Society]
Interesting note from about 5 years ago about Milton Friedman’s evaluation of liberty and drugs. Basically, Friedman concluded that drugs themselves are not the problem, but rather their illegality causes the troubles. [The People’s Voice]
Here is a letter from Libertarian Party Chairman Mark Hinkle addressed to the Occupy protestors. Both groups are upset about crony capitalism, but the Libertarians would rather direct their frustrations at Washington, DC rather than Wall Street. I agree. [Libertarian Party]
By Kristen Hamilton, RP Staff, on Tue Nov 1, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
BREAKING NEWS: Louis Vuitton is debuting its ‘Icons’ Collection in December! [Fashionista]
Even though Halloween is over, check out these pumpkins carved and styled by fashion designers! [Vogue]
Scented mascara? [Nylon]
Missed Project Runway‘s season finale? Look no further! [Styleite]
Fendi’s lastest design? You guessed it – a car! [WWD]
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Tue Nov 1, 2011 at 9:15 AM ET The Politics of Herman Cain
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain fights against accusations of sexual harassment. [Real Clear Politics]
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