Click and Clack exit; 'Car Talk' ending NPR show after 25 years

Tom and Ray Magliozzi of NPR's "Car Talk" are ending their quarter-century run of new NPR shows. (Joe Seamans /PBS / April 22, 2008)

"Car Talk," the venerable NPR program featuring brothers Ray and Tom Magliozzi, a.k.a. Click and Clack, is calling it quits -- at least as far as live shows go.

The Boston-based brothers, who turned their experience as mechanics into one of public radio's most beloved programs,  informed listeners Friday morning with their signature winking style in a blog post titled: "Time to Get Even Lazier."

"The good news is that, despite our general incompetence, we actually remembered to hit the 'record' button every week for the last 25 years," Tom Magliozzi said, adding that the show will continue in reruns pulled from more than 1,200 programs, beginning in October.

Officials probe E. Coli outbreak linked to 14 illnesses and 1 death in at least 6 states

ATLANTA — Health officials are investigating a mysterious and scattered outbreak of the E. coli bacteria linked to 14 illnesses and one death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said no form of contaminated food or other cause has been identified in the illnesses, which occurred in April and May. They are spread among six states.

Three people were hospitalized. One — a child in the New Orleans area — died last week.

U.S. Military Suicides in 2012: 155 Days, 154 Dead

New Pentagon data show U.S. troops are killing themselves at the rate of nearly one a day so far in 2012, 18% above 2011′s corresponding toll. ”The continual rise in the suicide rate has frustrated all in the military,” says Elspeth “Cam” Ritchie, a retired Army colonel and chief psychiatric adviser to the Army surgeon general. “The rise in the suicide rate continues despite numerous recommendations from the Army and [Department of Defense] task forces.”

There were 154 U.S. military suicides in the first 155 days of 2012, the Associated Press reports, compared with 130 over the same period last year. That’s 50% more troops than were killed in action in Afghanistan, and the highest suicide toll in the U.S. military since 9/11.

Suicide — and the reasons for it — has been a vexing problem for the U.S. military ever since its rate began eclipsing that of the U.S. population. In 2010, the Army noted that “historically, the suicide rate has been significantly lower in the military than among the U.S. civilian population.”

But that began to change as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq — initially thought of as short-term affairs — dragged on for years. More critical than their duration was the fact that a relatively small number of U.S. troops kept being sent back for multiple combat tours.

SC solicitor charged with open container

Eleventh Circuit Solicitor Donnie Myers finds himself facing new alcohol charges after a South Carolina Highway Patrolman stopped the elected official last month on suspicions of driving under the influence.

The World's Most Reputable Companies

 


We live in a world where word of mouth is the No. 1 driver of sales and competitive advantage—and because there’s a strong correlation between a company’s reputation and consumers’ willingness to recommend it, businesses need to focus on building those strong bonds with stakeholders. Companies should of course strive to earn the trust and esteem of consumers in its native land, but given that a multinational gets a majority of its revenue from international markets, it really needs to be liked everywhere else, too.