Top Stories

Voting and Conscience

Election Day is just one month from tomorrow, and it’s going to be a busy month.  Two more presidential debates and a vice-presidential debate to get through, but when all of that is done – only two things are left:  Pray, and vote.  Author Melody Gardner says that last one is a matter of conscience, “what are you fully convinced by?” Gardner’s new book is called “Christianity & Politics.”  You can hear the full interview via the link at the right.

Unemployment Numbers Mixed

The latest unemployment numbers are out, and it shows that jobless rates fell in 90-percent of America’s biggest cities – but that’s mostly due to the fact that more people have quit looking for work.  The government only counts people as unemployed if they are actively seeking work, and according to the Labor Department the workforce continues to shrink.  The highest unemployment rate in the nation is in Nevada at just over 12-percent.  The lowest: Bismark, North Dakota at 2.6-percent.

The Tip App

Not sure how much to tip your barista at Starbucks?  There’s an app for that.  Starting in November, Starbucks will be making a digital tip function available on its new payment app.  To use it, you download the app - and then link it to a credit or debit card.

Costco Ventures Car Sales

Those big warehouse stores say they help you save cash by buying in bulk.  Now one of them is branching out – into car sales.  General Motors has inked a deal with Costco to offer its members discounts on new vehicles.  The list includes Buick Enclave, LaCrosse, and Verrano; GMC Acadia, Terrain, and Sierra; and the Chevy Cruze, Camaro, Malibu, Equinox, and Silverado pickup.  Along with the lower price from GM, Costco is giving a $500 cash card to folks who were members before October 1st.

Honda Recall

Another recall at Honda, this time on more than 820,000 Honda Civics and Pilot SUVs because the headlights can fail.  Apparently there’s a problem with the wires connecting a switch.  Check out Honda.com for more.

Manson Era Convict May Get Parole

A parole panel in California has okayed the release to 70 yr old Bruce Davis, who was part of the Manson family killings back in 1969.  Davis was not involved in the Sharon Tate murder, but has spent 40 years in prison for the murders of musician Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald Shea.  In that time he’s earned masters degrees in philosophy and religion, and has become an ordained minister.  His case now goes before the full parole board.

Landslide in China Kills 19

19 people, most of them young students, have died after being buried in a landslide that hit an elementary school in China.  The Tiantou School is in an area that’s been devastated by rain & is prone to earthquakes.  Even with this tragic loss, it could have been much worse – as Thursday was a holiday in China, and most of the kids were not there.

Names for Winter Storms

We’re used naming hurricanes, and now it looks like some blizzards will get the same treatment starting this winter.  The Weather Channel is going to assign the names, most of which will have a Greek/Roman theme.  The first 3 are Athena, Brutus, and Caesar.  At least it’s not “Snowmagaddon” or “Snowpocolypse.”

Family & Relationships

Buying Your Way to the Top… Of Your Friend’s Facebook Page

How bad do you want everybody to see your posts on Facebook?  Enough to pay for it?  Facebook yesterday rolled out an expansion of their “Promoted Posts” program, which will let you pay to make sure your posts get bumped up higher in news feed, making it more likely your friends will see it.  From Facebook’s point of view, the big money would be made from companies wanting people to see their Facebook pages.

Work

Job Loss Frustration Grows With Time

“Pink Slip Stigma” is growing in America.  That’s what staffing experts call it when you have no job and are having a hard time convincing employers to have confidence enough to give you one.  The longer you’re out, the harder it gets.  One of the main things the career helpers say you should do:  Call, or make some kind of personal contact, because when you just e-mail a resume, there’s a 93-percent chance it’ll get deleted.

Finances & Economy

Student Loan Debt Tops Credit Card Debt

College debt has now topped credit cards and car loans in terms of how much money is owed, and analysts say it’s crippling the nation.  But at least one person is saying debt isn’t the problem, it’s the symptom – rising tuition is the problem.  Dr. Andrew Gillen with the American Council of Trustees and Alumni says tuition has skyrocketed in the last 30 years.  To give you some basis for comparison, if the price of a pound of ground chuck had gone up at the same rate as college tuition, it would now cost 13-dollars.  Dr. Gillen says part of the problem is there are no real measures in place to tell us the quality of the education we’re getting.

Food Prices Climb

Food prices continue to rise, up almost 1.5-percent in September, thanks mostly to higher meat, dairy and cereal prices.  Drought has caused a big dip in cereal production, so you it looks like you can expect those prices to remain high.

Health

Vitamin D No Help for Colds

Vitamin D may help your knees and your heart, but don’t expect it to do much for that cold you’re trying to fight off.  Researchers in New Zealand gave big doses of vitamin D to folks in a recent study, and reported zero change in the amount or severity of colds.

A Properly Wiped Computer Mouse A Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Just keeping your work area cleaner can help you keep the germs at bay.  Kimberly-Clark, the paper product people, went into some classrooms in Georgia and tested the surface contamination on the most frequently touched objects - and they came away convinced that just teaching proper hygiene would significantly reduce the transmission of germs – meaning your kids won’t be bringing home germs from the other kids.  What were the objects that were most contaminated?  The top 5, in reverse order: Computer mice; Cafeteria tables; Door handles; Desks; and the locks on the bathroom stall door.

Meningitis Outbreak Claims Another Life

Another fatality from that outbreak of a rare form of meningitis, as it’s expanded to a sixth state now.  That makes a total of five people who’ve died, and new cases have popped up in Indiana now.  In all, 35 people are known to have been sickened from a steroid for back pain which went out to 23 states.

Apples For Your Heart

An apple a day keeps the heart doctor away.  New research out of Ohio State shows that eating an apple every day for 4 weeks led to a 40-percent reduction of a substance linked to hardening of the arteries.  They say the antioxidants in apples are what does it.