Darwin Killed Off The Werewolf (Links)
The Amazon: The Future of the Forest Brazil’s government hopes that land reform in the Amazon will slow deforestation. Sierra Club’s Carl Pope Debates Chevron CEO Dave O’Reilly When O’Reilly said, “If you can get the government to move faster, then good luck,” Pope replied, “It would help if you’d get out of the way.” Coal Ash Coming to a Town Near You? Tennessee’s toxic coal sludge is headed out of state. 24 Charged in Crackdown on Native American Artifact Looting Many charged with theft of ancient artifacts in the Four Corners region. Anna’s Hummingbird Declared Fastest Animal on Earth When the bird swoops, it experiences forces 10 times the pull of gravity—more than experienced jet pilots can endure without passing out. What Limits The Size Of Birds? Maximum body size in birds is constrained by the amount of time it takes to replace flight feathers during molt. Charles Darwin Killed Off The Werewolf After the publication of Darwin’s Origin of Species, werewolves were relegated to a fictional footnote. Gay Marriage Bans Linked to Rise In HIV Rate Bans on same-sex marriage can be tied to a rise in the rate of HIV infection. Homosexual Behavior Widespread in Animal Kingdom The phenomenon may be part of a necessary biological adaptation for the survival of species. Stress Makes Your Hair Go Gray Those pesky graying hairs that tend to crop up with age really are signs of stress. Teenager Hit by 30,000 MPH Meteorite The only other known example of a human being surviving a meteor strike happened in Alabama, in November 1954 when a grapefruit-sized fragment crashed through the roof of a house, bounced off furniture and landed on a sleeping woman. Marijuana Damages DNA And May Cause Cancer Scientists report “convincing evidence” that marijuana smoke damages the DNA in ways that could increase the risk of cancer. Alcohol Really Does Go Right To Your Head It only takes six minutes.
California Voters Exercise Their Power–and That’s the Problem (Links)
California Voters Exercise Their Power–and That’s the Problem Residents relish their role in the lawmaking process, but they share the blame for the state’s severe dysfunction. ‘Hyperlocal’ Web Sites Deliver News Without Newspapers If your local newspaper shuts down, what will take the place of its coverage? Law Students Teach Scalia About Privacy and the Web Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was not amused when he became the subject of a law professor’s classroom assignment on how much private information on individuals is available online. Nothing To (S)Coff At Why the two biggest U.S. tobacco companies are fighting each other. Boy Scouts Train in Post-9/11 Law Enforcement Methods Ten minutes into arrant mayhem in this town near the Mexican border, and the gunman, a disgruntled Iraq war veteran, has already taken out two people, one slumped in his desk, the other covered in blood on the floor. Cheney’s Outspokenness Correlated to Potential Book Deal The former vice president’s blitz of appearances have made him a leading conservative voice as he shops his memoirs. Fact-Checking Cheney McClatchy has turned in another commendable example of skeptical political reporting. Dick Just Wants To Be Loved Cheney’s attempts at public redemption have a logical root in his Cold War experience. Accused Palin Hacker Says Stolen E-Mails Were Public Record A surprise legal maneuver by the defense in the Sarah Palin hacking case could undermine key charges carrying the stiffest potential penalties. Why Republicans Make the Rest of Us Miserable When They Lose Out of power, they’re bigger babies than Democrats. Here’s why. If Gay Marriage Isn’t a Big Deal Anymore, Maybe The Religious Right Isn’t Either If a state legalizes gay marriage and nobody notices, can gay people still get married? What if four states do it in six weeks? Right Wing Talk Show Host Gets Waterboarded, Says It’s Absolutely Torture ‘It is way worse than I thought it would be, and that’s no joke…It is such an odd feeling to have water poured down your nose with your head back…It was instantaneous…and I don’t want to say this: absolutely torture…They cut off our heads, we put water on their face…I really thought ‘I’m going to laugh this off.’
‘If All 50 States Approve Gay Marriage, Straight Marriage Becomes Illegal’
The almighty Stephen Colbert offers up his brilliant response to the homophobic, fear-mongering ad that has been making the television rounds as of late. Predictably, hilarity ensues.
Okay, I’m Officially Off Shellfish and Homosexuality
Sure, you’ve already watched this five times, but here it is anyway.
Pentagon to Cut Benefits for PTSD Afflicted Vets (Links)
Can someone please remind me why ‘Average Joes’ are supposed to support the GOP? The Bush Administration is rushing to de-regulate hazardous chemicals in the workplace and the Bush Pentagon is cutting benefits for veterans with PTSD. An American special ops intelligence officer says that the number of soldiers killed as a result of America’s torture policy ‘is close to the number of lives lost on September 11, 2001.’ Condoleeza Rice says ‘you won’t…hear from me again‘, and I’m beginning to like her more and more. Everyone is talking about Bush’s admitted ‘unpreparedness for war.’ Meanwhile, Jeb Bush suggests that the GOP create a separate ‘shadow government’. The San Diego Union Trib profiles Howard Kaloogian, a ‘local conservative’ who appeared in that ‘daffy palin ad‘. The following people don’t know history from a hole in the ground: Tom Friedman and Joe Klein. Peggy Noonan is also trying to join the ‘saying stupid things’ club. Upon leaving office, George Bush will miss ‘flying in the presidential airplane and the food at the White House,’ as well as trains, dumptrucks, and making mudpies. California officials will investigate accusations that the Mormon Church violated its tax-exemption requirements by participating in the effort to ban same-sex marriage in California. At Mother Jones, Kiera Butler interviews historian Frank Rich. Finally, am I actually supposed to care about the LA Times‘ front page series profiling the unlikely romance between a racist California murderer and ‘a thoughtful, successful Omaha woman’? Maybe critics are right that LAT owner Sam Zell is in the process of ‘eviscerating some of [America's] best newspapers.’
