A POWERFUL POINT

Nobody here but us chickens

The New York Times has hit a nerve with its story on the U.S. military's reliance on slide presentations, headlined “;We Have Met the Enemy and He Is PowerPoint.”;

The story quotes senior officers on the downside of condensing so much complex information into factoids — creating an illusion of understanding and control, and stifling discussion, critical thinking and thoughtful decision-making. But the computer program comes in handy when the goal is not to impart information from the war zone. PowerPoint presentations for the news media, for example, generally last 25 minutes, with 5 minutes at the end for questions from anyone still awake. Such slideshows are known as “;hypnotizing chickens.”;

HEALTHY CHOICE

Easy on the salt

As dubious habits go, here's one that isn't too hard to shake. Really. Before reaching for the salt shaker, consider that most health experts say that too much salt can lead to problems such as high blood pressure, stroke and cardiovascular disease. More food vendors are cutting the salt in products. Help yourself — by not helping yourself to extra sprinklings.

DOWNFALL

Everyone who didn't get to see any of the 'Downfall' parodies, leave the room

We're going to miss all those hilarious “;Hitler in the bunker”; parodies posted on YouTube, spoofing everything from the election campaign of Hillary Clinton to the demise of Hawaii's Superferry.

Taken from the 2004 German-language movie “;Downfall,”; starring the fabulous Bruno Ganz as the Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler, the parodies are being taken down, on dubious legal grounds, at the request of Constantin Films, which owns the rights to the movie.

Ironically, the parodies probably have brought more attention to the movie than any professional marketing campaign ever could have — and if you haven't yet seen the film, you might want to check it out.

Not everyone loved the parodies: The Anti-Defamation League, which campaigns against anti-Semitism, considered it inappropriate to use Hitler as a vehicle for comedy.