Kids these days don't know about money. The problem, as laid out in this USA Today story, is devastatingly simple: today's high school students can't pass simple tests of financial literacy, even though they will most likely be heavily in debt and facing poor job prospects within a decade. Furthermore, most states don't teach kids anything about the topic.
Possession of a small amount of weed in New York is only punishable by a ticket and a small fine. So why do cops bring so many people to NYC jails for the same violation? They use tricknology.
Illustrious Doubleday book publishing exec Julie Grau takes to the pages of Vogue this month to muse about her "definitive ab-sculpting workout": "On the floor, we pretzel our legs and torque our bodies through an array of exercises that Tanya promises will 'fry the fat off your hips' and get rid of unsightly waistband overhang." Sorry Julie, spot reduction of fat is a myth. I'm surprised you didn't know that. You can read about it in a book. [NYO]
Hey, reporters out there: here's a good line you can use when those pesky fact-checkers mess with your most colorful and fabricated quotes. Nan Talese, who published James Frey's bogus A Million Little Pieces, has weighed in on the latest literary scandal: "I don't think there is any way you can fact-check every single book. It would be very insulting and divisive in the author-editor relationship."
Thanks, health and public policy journalist Maia Szalavitz, for finally writing some Heath Ledger News We Can Use. Her service-y piece for HuffPo is called "What We Can Learn from Heath Ledger's Death: Don't Mix Downs!!!" In a perfect world, it would run in the crappy health section of every major Sunday paper, instead of "TEARFUL CHILD THANKS DEAD ORGAN DONOR" or whatever. Here's how to avoid dying like Heath Ledger:
Just like that Woodward "Bush at War" volume of the same name, today's Post article "Plan of Attack" promises an inside account of high-level military planning—"sure-fire tactics [to] make a successful Black Friday." It's practically a slam-dunk for a good Christmas season. The insider in this case is Marina Vataj, "a former staffer at a major New York department store," who's "been on the other side of those doors and...picked up all the tricks of the Black Friday trade." Shopper beware, though! Again like with that other thing, this credentialed expert's attack plan might just make EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD HATE YOU.
Today Kent Brownridge, Jann Wenner's former right-hand man and the honcho of new Alpha Media, the former Dennis Publishing, shouts the praises of media headhunter Karen Danziger. She's the exec vice president of Howard-Sloan-Koller Group, and she was the one who suggested somewhat frightening former Rolling Stone guy Jim Kaminsky as the new editor of Maxim. Brownridge tells Portfolio: "Karen Danziger, the only headhunter in the editorial world that I think is worth anything, and she's worth a lot — I love her; she's my sister, shrink, priest, whatever — she gives me a list of people that I should go see, and on it is Jim, and I think, oh, well, Jim." Heh. That's how we felt about Jim too—but then Kent got all frothy on him, and hired him. We've met Karen—she's fun, mouthy, doesn't like idiots, and she dresses like the high-end version of a sharp Long Island lady. But is she all that? Your experiences sought, anonymity guaranteed.
Brazen Santa Monica jaywalkers, beware! A concerned operative with your best interests at heart writes: "Massive jay-walking sting operation outside HBO, MTV, and Lionsgate. No fewer than four Santa Monica motorcycle cops at the corner of Colorado and Cloverfield, ticketing dozens of pedestrians. Be warned."
The Onion, America's Finest News Source, has an eerily prescient report on what would happen if the Internet were to suddenly disappear, including the devastating toll it would take on the blogging community. Says one LiveJournal user, after years of online documentation disappeared, "I feel like control-alt-deleting myself." Apparently, Nigeria's economy, balanced so carefully on the backs of 419 scams, would be the first casualty.
From the mailbag: "There are about 100 paparazzi and black SUVs across the street from my office on 62nd and Lex waiting for Brad Pitt to exit a pretty anonymous looking brownstone." Go forth!
If you go over to the Waldorf-Astoria, like, NOW, you can join the throng of 200 paparazzi who are waiting for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to emerge from the hotel.
