Yesterday was February 1st, and so the Birthday Song Poll preempted the normal news chum collection. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have a collection of marginally interesting news articles for you. Heaven forfend!
- Handling Comments. I’ve complained many-a-time before about the trolls in the online comments on news articles. Andrewducker alerted me to an interesting article related to this from the Online Journalism Review. The article makes the statement: “If you can’t manage comments on your news articles, don’t allow commenting at all!” I agree with the position. A nicely moderated site, where the author participates, can be great. Most are just open cesspools, even with real names.
- Entertaining News. A couple of entertainment items. The first explores a change in how television is viewed: we’ve moved from watching serially to binge viewing. What’s interesting (and not mentioned) are the parallels with the book world: remember that many novels were serialized in the papers before the fashion moved to reading the knowledge in a binge. The second has to do with the Laemmle Theatre at Fallbrook Mall. Although it is closing, it is going to be replaced by an AMC who will remodel and upgrade the facility.
- Medical Insurance. A couple of interesting medical items. The first explores the excessive out-of-network charges some providers are attempting to charge insurers. This is actually a follow-up to a detailed article in the Times about how a $3,000 knee-surgery was marked up to $87,500 before being charged by an out-of-network provider to an insurer, knowing full well that the insurers rules required them to pay it. This is one reason our premiums keep rising. We might be facing this, as UC SHIP (the student health insurance plan) is considering double-digit premium increases.
- Sliding Down the Razor Blade of Life. David Lazurus in the LA Times has an interesting piece on why razor blade manufacturers have no interest in making a blade that lasts longer than a week. Now, I’ve never changed my blades that frequently — I normally use them for a couple of months without noticing a problem. I think weekly changes is marketing hype.
- Property News. Two property related items. The first relates to Las Vegas, and the potential move of the (currently closed) Liberace museum to Neonopolis downtown. Evidently, Neonopolis is now becoming a location marketing to the LGBT community, and Liberace fits quite well there. The second is from CurbedLA as part of their whale week: it explores all the Scientology properties in Southern California. I’ve seen this from the ground as I’ve walked Hollywood near the Pantages: L. Ron is everywhere! It also gives a nice mention to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, which is now a Scientology property. Reuse of old building always fascinates me. I always get Cedars confused with the former Queen of Angels Hospital, which is now the Dream Center.
