Geithner’s new book rips Kirk on U.S. debt and China

Geithner says Kirk, a Republican, warned the Chinese that U.S. spending “was driving us toward default” and the Federal Reserve Bank was “creating hyperinflation.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” Geithner writes. “Not only were those fears delusional, but he was undermining American interests on foreign soil.

via Geithner’s new book rips Kirk on U.S. debt and China – chicagotribune.com.

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Elite Violinists Fail to Distinguish Legendary Violins From Modern Fiddles

The violins were winnowed to six old and six new in a double-blind listening test judged by the soloists. Then, each of them donned dark goggles so they couldn’t distinguish the instruments by sight and tested out these top fiddles in two 75-minute sessions, one in a small room and one in a 300-seat auditorium. Soloists could also play their own instruments for comparison. After each session, the soloists picked his or her four favorites fiddles and rated them on scale of zero to 10 for qualities such as articulation, projection, and playability. Finally, after the second session, each subject had to guess whether instruments in a small selection that included some of their favorites were old or new.

via Elite Violinists Fail to Distinguish Legendary Violins From Modern Fiddles | Science/AAAS | News.

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I write for SkyMall

Align-N-Drive Kit

Knowing your exact driving path helps keep you safe.

The Align-N-Drive “method” – and I am using that term with utmost charity – targets two key groups: geriatrics and the legally blind. So if you’re the kind of driver that needs a helpful reminder of which way is forward, the Align-N-Drive’s window decals will gently guide you ever ahead as you plummet your way through the local farmers’ market.

I admit that I respect the Align-N-Drive’s devil-may-care attitude when it comes to driving anything but a straight shot. Curved roads, turns, impending pedestrians: These are all worries of a bygone era, one that the Align-N-Drive has long since overcome. For the Align-N-Drive is a system for the free and unhinged, the elderly but energetic, and those who no longer pay heed to complicated directions, police barricades, or restricted licenses.

via I write for SkyMall.

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European Border Changes

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Labor case shows NU taught its athletes well

Former Wildcats quarterback Kain Colter, who helped lead the fight, clearly learned a bit about economics, ethics, history, political science, mathematics and other academic disciplines.

That Northwestern education fueled the sense of what is needed, what is possible and what is right when it comes to protecting player interests in a multimillion-dollar business that treats them as chattel rather than partners.

via Labor case shows NU taught its athletes well – chicagotribune.com.

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