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Cancelled check in the amount of $7.2 million, for the purchase of Alaska, issued August 1, 1868; Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury; Record Group 217; National Archives.

With this check, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. For less than 2 cents an acre, the United States acquired nearly 600,000 square miles.

The check was made payable to the Russian Minister to the United States Edouard de Stoeckl, who negotiated the deal for the Russians.

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Talking on the cellphone while driving isn’t just a safety risk. It also slows down traffic.

Motorists talking on the phone drive about two miles per hour more slowly than people who aren’t on the phone, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Utah. And while hands-free devices often are touted as safer alternatives, the scientists found that people using them also putter along, which suggests that it’s the talking, not the cellphone, that distracts the brain.

While a few miles per hour may not sound like much, as many as one in 10 drivers on the road is talking on the phone, says University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer, who coauthored the research. Slower cellphone drivers may be increasing overall commuting times by 5 percent to 10 percent, he calculates, and talking on the phone may increase each daily commuter’s travel time by 20 hours a year.

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His Blogger profile is here, and his blog is here.

A bid by the Four Points hotel chain, a division of Sheraton, to recruit a CBO (chief beer officer) for its new worldwide beer program drew thousands of applicants.The job involves visiting breweries, beer festivals and bars, and selecting beers for hotel menus. The part-time position attracted more than 7,000 applications from more than 30 countries — the most the hotel chain has ever received for a job opening.

The winning candidate: a 27-year-old brewery manager from Arizona who reportedly decorates his home with beer barrels.

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