Here's an article so weird, I had to post it. A guy won the Ig Noble Prize for inventing fake testicles for dogs who have been neutered. Here are some of the other winners:
PHYSICS: Since 1927, researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia have been tracking a glob of congealed black tar as it drips through a funnel — at a rate of one drop every nine years.

PEACE: Two researchers at Newcastle University in England monitored the brain activity of locusts as they watched clips from the movie "Star Wars."

CHEMISTRY: An experiment at the University of Minnesota was designed to prove whether people can swim faster or slower in syrup than in water.

Martha Stewart is not welcome in Canada, because of Canada's immigration laws, which bar ex-convicts from entering the country. I don't know why I think this is blogworthy, but I really think it is.

Also, a Catholic Bishop turned author was told to leave by teachers after "outing" Harry Potter to a bunch of 12 year-olds.

As you know, I think the fake blogs are funny: here's Harriet Miers' blog.

An article on the imminent decision expected from the FDA to allow cloned food, with an analysis of the "yuck factor" (their term, not mine).

Not everything the bible says is true... according to the Catholic Church! Check out a list of what is true, and what is untrue at the end of the article.

Here's a really interesting article by Malcolm Gladwell on ivy league college admissions. Apparently, we owe the joys of the rigorous admission process to the fact that Harvard wanted to keep out Jewish students. It discusses how the ivies went from a merit based system to a more subjective system that lets in the right kind of student, not just the smartest. Very, very interesting.

Law school and wedding planning have kept me all too busy, but here are a couple of things I came across recently that I enjoyed:
Ann Coulter and Brad Friedman went head to head on a radio show about Republican ethics... perhaps Ann was partaking of some Absolut prior to the show?

A bishop in England has said panty parties are a good way to attract people to the church.

And the hottest fashion designs from Italy are coming from prisoners.

Here's Daily Kos's take on the issue of paying for editorials, and while sometimes I'm not a big fan, I think he's right on the money here.
"Every columnist's goal is to influence public opinion. That's why they put up with the abuse that every single column generates. Because they hope their voice has an effect in the public debate.

And there are a million voices out there, all clamoring for a piece of the "influence" factor, especially now with the advent of the weblog. Opinion is a commodity, with more to be found than could ever be processed by anyone.

In addition, publications (and broadcasters) seek to aggregate those influential voices into a greater whole -- an institution that can shape and move public opinion. With mass influence comes prestige, power, and all manners of perks.

The Wall Street Journal is not stupid. They're smart. They've put their news content behind a pay wall and have done quite well revenue-wise for their troubles. BUT, they also want to influence public opinion. And being a key component of the Right Wing Noise Machine, the WSJ editorial board has made sure their opinion material is accessible to everyone. Heck, they have a guy emailing their content to bloggers. They even have a separate site for it: OpinionJournal.com. You want your dose of Peggy Noonan (must ... supress ... gag reflex), or John Fund, or James Taranto? You've got them. No pesky paywall between their opinion content and the people they hope to influence.

The New York Times, on the other hand, is the textbook definition of stupid. They take the one part of the paper that is a commodity -- the opinion -- and try to charge for that. No Krugman? Who cares. Give me Brad DeLong. No Bob Herbert? Whatever. Give me James Wolcott or anyone at the American Prospect or Washington Monthly. Or any of the thousands of columnists at other newspapers, and the tens of thousands of political bloggers.

In this world, no one is special, no one is irreplaceable. In the old world of syndicated columnists, that might bruise some egos. Especially in the rarified air of the NY Times (they think their shit don't stink). But the world has changed. And for the better.

Suddenly, overnight, Brooks and Friendman and Krugman and Herbert have been ripped out of the national debate. Whatever void that might have created has already been filled by the multitudes of voices in the sphere.

So the Wall Street Journal works hard to be a top influencer in the national debate. And the New York Times works hard to become a provincial paper.

Wish granted."

Stockpiling Anthrax: This is unbelievable, but apparently the US army is planning to buy anthrax in bulk.

...and Dumping the Homeless: Apparently, some suburbs are dumping homeless people in Downtown Los Angeles.

Bush Asks Americans for Money to Rebuild Iraq... and gets $600. Literally, not $600 million, just $600.

Tobacco advertisers are shooting for subliminal ads.

I'm Cheap: Several things I want to comment on but I'm in class so this will have to be quick. First, much to my dismay, I found that NYT columnist 's pieces are no longer available for free! I was wondering why I couldn't get my Krugman dose (but I forgot since I have 1800 pages of reading per night already...) but at least I'm spared some of the other columnists bombastic pontifications. While I can access them through other resources, I find it highly unlikely that I would pay.

Further on my cheapness factor, I just saw an article on ipods replacing DJs at weddings... it sounds tempting... I just can't believe how much people pay for everything wedding related. This does not apply to my dress, of course...

Staying with the cheap theme-- I wouldn't pay for it, but this is absolutely amazing: a giant knit bunny in Italy.

I also meant to post this earlier: apparently the March of the Penguins is being embraced as support for anti-abortion policies.

Daily Dose of Durst (Not Darst): While these posts are, in the words of one person, quite snarky, they are diverting. I'm not saying I agree, just that some are funny. Here are some of the more recent ones:

September 20, 2005

If Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee John Roberts were any whiter, he’d be translucent. This guy makes Ward Cleaver look like a gangsta.

September 19, 2005

I think the President is being unfairly accused of racism in his lack of response to Hurricane Katrina. This administration doesn’t differentiate between black and white. The only color that motivates them to act is green.

September 16, 2005

Between 2001 and 2004, 4.1 million more Americans slipped into poverty while the upper 2% of the the country’s richest became 55% wealthier. So, say what you will about Bush’s policies. They’re working.

September 15, 2005

Bush is to leadership what prairie brambles are to mobile surgery rooms.

September 14, 2005

John Roberts, Bush’s nominee for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, refused to answer questions about his opinions on Roe vs. Wade. To the President, they’re equally effective ways to get out of New Orleans.

September 13, 2005

Bush says he doesn’t want to play the “Blame Game.” Makes sense. Never heard of a chicken who wanted to play the “Extra Crispy” game.

Bridge to Nowhere: Alaska's senator is outraged that anyone suggest he give up their bridges to nowhere for New Orleans... if you want to get a little bit outraged, check this out.

I am sad to announce that we missed talk like a pirate day. Luckily, the site has a counter that is counting down to next year's big day.

Fido Helps Fight Fat: The newest hope in the war on obesity is a robotic dog.

A scientific paper says scientific papers have less than a 50% chance of being right... like the paradox of the guy that says 50% of guys lie... is he right or lying?

And erotic images can make you blind.

Fashion Fire: This story is just weird-- a guy wearing wool and nylon apparently caused so much static electricity he was starting fires behind himself.
This story is pretty incredible-- a plane's landing gear failed, so the airport crew got in a jeep and driving underneath the flying plane fixed the problem by jamming a huge stick in it.

Interesting headlines:
Sexism kills men!
Bush Needs a Bathroom Break.
Shaq Fights Crime!
China Bans Weird "Foreign Sounding" Names
O'Reilly complains about not getting coffee in Iraq, Condoleezza responds: Okay that requires more than just the headline: O'Reilly remarked, "The truth of the matter is our correspondents at Fox News can't go out for a cup of coffee in Baghdad." Rice replied, "Bill, that’s tough. It's tough. But what — would they wanted to have gone out for a cup of coffee when Saddam Hussein was in power?"

Health warning: For fish lovers like me: don't eat swordfish-- unsafe levels of mercury found.

E-Voting NEWS: Diebold was warned of backdoor problems before 2004 BY DHS!

Schumer's Roberts Questions: you can see and hear it here, go to the video/audio section in the middle of the page, scroll down a bit and just click on the Day 3, afternoon session. The thing is more than 5 hours long, but just go to 4:57:00 and the Schumer part starts right after Feinstein ends. its less than 15 minutes, but I wish it was longer...
NB: I just double checked, and the aforementioned is not the correct part-- go actually to 2:03:07 (you may have to start a minute earlier). It gets really good at about 2:07...

Noteworthy: there are so many incredible stories from New Orleans, some of which were just too wretched for words. But this is actually a pretty happy story... it involves dolphins.

Yesterday, as I was driving four hours for a dentist appointment, I heard some of the of the Roberts' testimony. The Schumer testimony was great. Seriously. I know we're talking about Senate hearings, but even the commentators said it woke everyone up. I'm trying to get it to work, but once I do I'll post it.

To avoid being a hypocrite after my diatribes about the annoying people that distract me while I'm trying to study-- I wanted to confess that today I am the annoying person. I must be driving everyone at my table crazy... I got sick this weekend, and now my nose is running incessantly, and after getting up every 2 minutes to blow my nose (and my nose subsequently being rubbed raw by the sandpaper disguised as tp in the girls bathrooms here) I went and bought a box of tissues with lotion. Of course the only box CVS had was a huge box, so I am sitting here with a mammoth box of tissues, miserably expelling mounds of nasal mucus . If it were someone else, I would probably be annoyed. I apologize to everyone I've driven crazy and grossed out today.

SPAMMED!: I keep getting spammed! I changed the settings so non-registered users couldn't post, but now I just got another freaking spam comment! How do I make it stop?? Any ideas from the tech savvy? I will be eternally grateful!

That's Hot: There's a face-off going on between Mexican and Chinese "chillies" (the article is from the Guardian, and apparently that's how the word is spelled in the UK; I just think it's funny-- I picture a little British kid saying "good golly, I'm getting the chillies- hand me my jumper, mum." Or something like that. I'm sick today, forgive my temporary insanity.)

Marijuana to Fight Fat: apparently it does more than give you the munchies.

The Guardian has a commentary on British binge drinking: "The British have always been big drinkers. Indeed ours is a drink-based culture. Our ancestors understood this, even if we have forgotten it. It is something we need to re-learn and understand if the so-called "binge drinking" debate is ever to progress beyond the futile parroting of non-sequiturs. In fact we are rather poor drinkers compared with our ancestors. Queen Elizabeth I was renowned for drinking ale stronger than any of her courtiers could take. During her reign, British beers were so popular abroad that exports were only permitted if sufficient quantities of wood to replace the casks used was imported."

Sharing time!: Here's a story Michael sent me a bit ago: a former prosecutor on Fox News decided to broadcast the address of a suspected terrorist, except that the suspect had moved 3 years ago, and now an unrelated family is bearing the backlash.

Also, Scott sent me this great picture with the following caption: "Prime Minister Yulia V. Tymoshenko watched Thursday as President Viktor A. Yushchenko announced that he was dismissing her and her cabinet."

Plagiarizing Issue: This may actually be really important to a number of us. A grad student found that work she had posted online were being sold by those sites that sell term papers. Not only is this a copyright issue, but she could actually be found in violation of her school's honor code, if they think she sold the papers to the site. I know I have a few things posted, as does Chocolate Thunder, and I'm sure we're not the only ones...

It's LEGO not Legos: Lego apparently has a lecture for those saying/writing the name wrong.

The UK realizes e-voting from home- maybe not such a fabulous idea afterall.

Evidence of online dating stereotypes.

Personal surfing at work is good for the worker, in that it relieves stress and enhances creativity! I had worked it into my work schedule, but I'm having more trouble working personal surfing into my law school schedule...

Noodle Index: an economic indicator from Thailand. There its Mama noodles, here we could have the Ramen noodle index.
In Palm Beach county, government employees are being shifted to 4 day work weeks to conserve gas.

Ann Coulter Gets the Boot!: More isn't really necessary, but here you go anyway: "Finally, we've decided that syndicated columnist Ann Coulter has worn out her welcome. Many readers find her shrill, bombastic and mean-spirited. And those are the words used by readers who identified themselves as conservatives."

It's 32 a's vs. 40DDs!: The Guardian has an article about the bra wars that I found amusing based on the title alone.

Student debt linked to tax evasion.

Scott just sent me this, and I totally agree: "I just stumbled across this on craigslist. Unbelieveable. Over 1600 people have posted TODAY looking for lost people/offering to help others find people. This blows my mind, from the sheer number as well as the willingness to help."

Hopefully I'll get my law reading done soon so I can read some interesting stuff and post!

Scott just sent me this, and I totally agree: "I just stumbled across this on craigslist. Unbelieveable. Over 1600 people have posted TODAY looking for lost people/offering to help

others find people. This blows my mind, from the sheer number as well
as the willingness to help. http://neworleans.craigslist.org/about/help/katrina_cl.html"

Hopefully I'll get my law reading done soon so I can read some interesting stuff and post!

Boys' Fantasies:
Lego Expo: This is from a couple of weeks ago, but I am fascinated by the pictures of the sculptures. My brother used to be a lego fanatic, and we made a bet: if he gets married (which he said he never would because girls are gross-- he was five), he owes me and my sister 10 pounds of legos.

And in Swaziland, 50,000 topless virgins danced for the king.

In Austria, playing the lottery could win you a seat in parliament.

But the weirdest thing I've read today is this story: "COLEMAN, Texas -- A Texas farmer may have found what some would call a "chupacabra," a legendary animal known for sucking the blood out of goats. Reggie Lagow set a trap last week after a number of his chickens and turkeys were killed.What he found in his trap was a mix between a hairless dog, a rat and a kangaroo.The mystery animal has been sent to Texas Parks and Wildlife in hopes of determining what it is."

How We See the World: Asians and North Americans see the world differently, literally. And as a White Scot drinks in the green tea and higher brow fare in Japan, he ponders whether our economies are actually consumer-moved or producer-determined.

Jon Stewart Redeems Himself: by hammering Christopher Hitchens (see video). Salon has more. I'm not a big Christopher Hitchens fan, but what's funny is that when I do feel the need to raise my blood pressure by reading his stuff, he sounds American in my head. So hearing him with his British accent is always weird- for some reason, usually when I hear British accents, I think "reasoned and rational person." I get past it quickly, but it just is a weird bias I have off the bat.

Things I wasn't planning on posting: I had no intention of posting this, but then I came across this sentence which just put me over the edge: "Shapiro wrote that liberals employ "chickenhawk" because they are "incapable of discussing foreign policy in a rational manner" and must engage in "purely emotional, base personal attacks," since they are "unwilling or unable to counter the arguments" of Bush, Cheney and Wolfowitz." I don't think any commentary from me is even necessary here.
Secondly, this gave me a chuckle: "Thirty-four percent of Americans believe in UFOs. Twenty-four percent believe in witches. And in the new AP-Ipsos Poll out today, 20 percent of Americans say they "approve strongly" of the way the Bush administration is handling the war in Iraq."

I feel bad about railing on that girl last week. Yesterday she wasn't sitting at my table, but seemed to be acting normally. So she's probably not crazy, she was probably just having a bad day, and I was probably a little high strung myself (though I know that's hard to imagine.)

Anyway, the exciting news that you probably already know, but if not: The Economist now has the same system as Salon, where you can get a free day pass by watching an ad! Much more convenient than accessing it through university databases!

One interesting story in The Economist is on the economics of happiness, which looks at the Eastern European countries and goes beyond the wealth-happiness correlation. Interestingly: "Individually, the biggest winners are the well-educated, the self-employed and women. These three categories, especially when combined, show soaring happiness scores." I'm scoring two out of three so far!

And the goat industry is booming! Especially interesting: "Texas has the most goat farms in America, thanks to its dry climate. But Ray Bowman of the Kentucky Goat Producers Association reckons that goat numbers in his state have risen by four- or fivefold in the past three years. In places such as Kentucky and Tennessee, small farmers are using government money to replace unhealthy tobacco with healthy goats."

The Best Show On Television...Ever: Wired has an interview with Jon Stewart and executive producer Ben Karlin on how the Daily Show is reinventing television. Here's a little ego-boost for those who watch the show: "It boasts a legion of young, smart fans who are among the most demographically desirable audiences in the industry."

Cell Phones Cut Smoking: In Japan, teens are smoking less... because their cell phone bills are so expensive that they can't afford cigarettes. I don't know why, but I think that's funny.

Big Fish: An enormous catfish was caught in Thailand. Check out the picture, it is truly amazing. (Can you imagine stumbling across this thing while snorkeling or something?!)

Ice Picks Okay: The ban on ice picks, razors, and knives on board planes is set to be loosened. Great, like the rash of recent crashes wasn't enough to make me wary of flying, now I have to worry about this?!

Observations and Experiences from my first week in Law School: (Since I haven't had that much time to get you the news, I thought I'd give you a little insight into my experience so far).

1) The classrooms are really cold. I think its so that we think professors are giving us goosebumps with their inspiring lectures.
2) People are not actually soulless bloodsuckers as I had feared... they're actually really nice!
3) Exception to point 2: there is this one girl out to get me... everytime I sit down, she sits at the same table, and proceeds to do things like play her music so loud that my chair starts to vibrate even though she's wearing headphones; or she sets up her complicated bookstand up and takes it down, then sets it up again, and takes it down again, banging the desk each time; or she whisper-reads... much worse than lipmoving, she actually reads outloud; or she chomps on candy bar after candy bar, leaving the wrappers all over the table as if to stake territory (except I was here first, you nutcase!). Right now, she is frantically cleaning her computer, a task she has been busy doing for a solid 15 minutes straight. Oh, I thought she had stopped, but she just got out another cloth. If I throttle her, I'm sure everyone will understand there were mitigating circumstances (that's some legalese thrown in there... see, I'm catching on.) It has now been 20 minutes, and she's still at it. She just put the computer into her bag three times and took it out again 5 seconds later. Now she's back to cleaning. Clearly she's obsessive compulsive, but maybe she's not a law student but an escaped mental patient one of our professors is representing???
4) Speaking of crazy people, my professors are a little cooky themselves. I've got Todd the Bod, aka the Silver Fox, Lewyn ("as in ruin" according to him--he also told us to fear him like a man fears a bear), and my small section teacher, who I don't think held anything back, but told us her life story during our first class yesterday, including a 15 minute exposition on Chuck Norris (a client). Then, she went around the room and asked us about ourselves, and when she got to me, she asked if my dad was single and whether he was seeing anyone. (Since 3 people from my 12 person section commented on this as the weirdest part of class yesterday, I feel like its not just me, that is definitely noteworthy.) But I love it, the profs definitely keep it interesting, to say the least!
5) There is lots of free alcohol. I think its a plan to keep us drunk long enough to get over the shock of paying $35,000 in tuition (tuition is due by Monday).
(Update on crazy OCD girl: she's back to putting the computer in the bag and taking it out. Now she's back to cleaning. It's been 40 minutes. I'm going to get alcohol, but I'll be back in an hour to check if she's still here.)

Monsieur Le President Buisson: Maureen Dowd had a column yesterday I thought raised a good point: " "I'm kind of hangin' loose, as they say," he told reporters. As The Financial Times noted, Mr. Bush is acting positively French in his love of le loafing, with 339 days at his ranch since he took office - nearly a year out of his five. Most Americans, on the other hand, take fewer vacations than anyone else in the developed world (even the Japanese), averaging only 13 to 16 days off a year." Maybe he's just taking Krugman's suggestion from a couple of weeks ago? The piece also commented on his exercising: "I mean, I like to exercise, but W. is psychopathic about it. He interviewed one potential Supreme Court nominee, Harvie Wilkinson III, by asking him how much he exercised. Last winter, Mr. Bush was obsessed with his love handles, telling people he was determined to get rid of seven pounds. Shouldn't the president worry more about body armor than body fat?"

More on Bush's vacation courtesy of Daily Kos:

"President Bush talked tough today. He said he's not backing out, he's staying the course for as long as it takes. He's in it for the long haul. Not Iraq---his 5-week vacation."
--Jay Leno

"President Bush is at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, and here's the good news: he says he will only stay until Crawford is capable of self rule."
--David Letterman

"President Bush is now in the second week of his five-week vacation down there in Crawford, Texas. He's been taking a lot of criticism for this long vacation and his aides say he has his laptop with him so he can still play Solitaire and Minesweep---so it's business as usual."
--Jay Leno

"In a radio speech this weekend Bush said, 'I will not be satisfied until every American who wants to work can find a job.' Then Bush went back to his five-week vacation."
--Conan O'Brien

"President Bush is on a five-week vacation. From what?"
--David Letterman

And a couple more just for fun:

History:
"A country without a memory is a country of madmen."
--George Santayana

Politics:
"The American political system is like fast food: mushy, insipid, made out of disgusting parts of things---and everybody wants some."
--P.J. O'Rourke

America:
"The administration says the American people want tax cuts. Well, duh. The American people also want drive-through nickel beer night. The American people want to lose weight by eating ice cream. The American people love the Home Shopping Network because it's commercial-free."
--Will Durst

Revenge:
"Don't get mad. Don't get even. Just get elected, then get even."
--James Carville

Sweet Neocon: here are the lyrics. And yet, they still have Republican donors... Maybe if these teens were big rock stars they would have been allowed to express dissent (which they hadn't even gotten to) without being threatened with arrest: they went to a Santorum book signing at B&N and talked about getting him to sign a book about a gay couple adopting a child, and were subsequently told to leave and threatened with rest. Way to inspire the young people, Santorum!

We're all getting fatter... except Oregon (is it maybe because half of Oregon has moved to DC? Everyone I meet here seems to be from Oregon! Then again, none of them are obese...)

Thou Shalt Not Lip Sync: The President of Turkmenistan has outlawed lip syncing... "He has outlawed opera and ballet and railed against long hair and gold teeth, but now Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov is determined to wipe out another perceived scourge: lip synching. Niyazov has ordered a ban on lip synching performances across the tightly controlled Central Asian nation, citing "a negative effect on the development of singing and musical art," the president's office said Tuesday."

This Week's Krugman talking partly about something many liberals don't like to talk about: possible election fraud.

Budapest is trying to deal with its own crap... literally, it's spending $1 million to clean up dog poop.

I know I'm late on the Robertson calling for Chavez' assassination, but I thought it was funny that Chavez responded: "I don't even know who this person is."

I think the headline says it all: "Work Until You Drop: How the Long-Hours Culture Is Killing US" (and the article is talking about the UK, which is probably still better than the US!) "As well as being bad for individuals, our long-hours culture is also bad for business because lower working hours relate directly to higher productivity. It is no coincidence that the UK has the least-regulated economy in Europe and is the least productive in the industrialised world."

Something else that can kill you: obesity. Well this story is actually about ambulances for obese people, but it also backs up my point about having to adjust (which in many cases includes incurring significant costs) as a result of obesity.

On a cheerier note: this is awesome!! Authors are auctioning off the right to name a character in their books! I think I have a perfect name for that!

It's a D-I-Y World: I went to an amazing cabin this weekend in W. Va that the owner had built from the ground up... honestly, it was beautiful and incredible. Here's a D-I-Y I hope not to experience: a medic in Vietnam has made a D-I-Y endoscope... if my hypochondriacness gets so bad that I resort to this for my stomach cancer, please someone stop me.
Oh, and the pope warns against DIY religion.

Organic food scams in the UK... who knows what's going on here.

Doctors are getting courses on the importance of getting sleep, chronobiology (actually that's the science of sleep, but they learn it so they appreciate the importance of sleep, so that's practically the same thing).

And in order to get insurance in the UK, you'll soon have to tell them how your sex life is.

First Borns Are the Best: I've had a hunch this is the case for a while (I'm a first born), but now there is a study to support this theory.

Disabused on Disability Insurance: Sad story in the LAT of disability insurance not paying up when people actually become disabled.

What Hindus think about biotech...

Sorry for the lull in posts; I had law school orientation last week (which was awesome, I'm more excited than I thought I would be!) This week is the first week of class, so we'll see how much time I'll have to read non-law material. But here's some stuff I missed in the last couple days.

France Declares War on American invaders: Okay, they're really just American bullfrogs, but France is not happy. And Australia is in an uproar over a ban on the word "mate" in parliament: "The opposition Labor Party branded the move "un-Australian" and party leader Kim Beazely said pressure on the guards to address people as "sir" or "madam" was a reflection of the elitist culture fostered under Howard's nine-year-old conservative government."

Environmental Hazard: Cows are failing emissions tests in CA.

Nanotech Breakthrough: Science fiction may become reality with this latest development.

Organized Crime: is any crime committed by more than one person (or maybe even a hyperorganized German, like me...) Well, according to the motion picture/recording industry, that's organized crime.

Phone Home: A cell phone for the elderly is being developed which slows down speech, and it comes with the added safety device of an alarm that will go off in case the old person falls over. I'm sure this has been patented, since everything seems to be- including a noisy operating interface, patented by Microsoft.

Once again, Slate's explainer clues me in: this time, it explains what the black boxes on the Israeli settlers heads are. It also links to an article on an Arab party trying to sue the Israeli settlers for usurping their color (orange.)

Fox Doesn't Matter?: There is a NYT article on a study alleging that Fox's bias had no effect on the Presidential elections recently. "Why was Fox inconsequential to voter behavior? One possibility is that people search for television shows with a political orientation that matches their own. In this scenario, Fox would have been preaching to the converted. This, however, was not the case: Fox's viewers were about equally likely to identify themselves as Democrats as Republicans, according to a poll by the Pew in 2000. Professors DellaVigna and Kaplan offer two more promising explanations. First, watching Fox could have confirmed both Democratic and Republican viewers' inclinations, an effect known as confirmatory bias in psychology. (Borrowing from Simon and Garfunkel, confirmatory bias is a tendency to hear what we want to hear and disregard the rest.) When Yankee and Red Sox fans watch replays of the same disputed umpire's ruling, for example, they both come away more convinced that their team was in the right. One might expect Fox viewers to have increased their likelihood of voting, however, if Fox energized both sides' bases. The professors' preferred explanation is that the public manages to "filter" biased media reports. Fox's format, for example, might alert the audience to take the views expressed with more than the usual grain of salt. Audiences may also filter biases from other networks' shows." While it may be true that it hasn't changed people's opinions, I think it has polarized people, and reduced honest and open dialogue between people of different political persuasion. That, in my opinion, is perhaps even worse.

Wild America: We might have lions and elephants in North America soon! (Slate also has an article on it) Perhaps on our military bases? Nature has an article that bloggers are talking about that says that military bases are often better for conservation than national parks? I haven't read it yet, because access is restricted, but I will definitely have to read it before I can believe it.

Working Too Much: can be bad for your health! So next time your boss asks you to stay late, you can say you can't for medical reasons. That may just further convince your boss or colleagues that you are lazy-- apparently most people think other workers underperform. (But as the WP article I linked to earlier this week discussed, that is actually more stressful for workers than being overworked.)

Another thing that's bad for your health: exams. Apparently the stress of exams is making students drink more. (Or is that just an excuse for students to drink... along with about anything else they can think of...?)

Get your folic acid! It's important for all women anyway, but now it seems to help cut the risk of dementia. (If only Zell Miller had taken his supplements...)

I'm not sure if they have any folic acid, but Turkmenistan just celebrated Melon Day!

Bovine High: Cows in Russia will be fed confiscated marijuana. Its not clear what the effect will be on the cows milk, but I'm sure there is wishful thinking among potheads. Are you an addict? Not a pot addict, but a sun addict? Apparently, tanning is seen by some scientists as an addiction (which I clearly don't suffer from, as anyone who has seen me lately can tell. It's been hard to catch rays sitting in an office all day, not that the oppressive DC heat has been all that beckoning anyway!)

More good news for evoting!

More Davinci Code: a nun protests.

Walken for President?: Apparently there are internet rumors based on a site announcing Christopher Walken's candidancy. I have to admit he swept me off my feet with his Fatboy Slim Video performance, and the cowbell piece was one of the funniest things I've seen on Saturday Night Live... but President???

Careful Where You Buy Your Sperm: As if you needed a reason, but here's an article detailing how unsafe it is to buy sperm on the internet.

Pee Power: Scientists have invented a urine-powered battery. Now if you could use that to boost your hybrid as described in yesterday's super-mileage getter, I would be much less resentful of making bathroom stops on roadtrips.

Security is nondiscriminatory- not even when their targets are babies. Apparently several babies are on no-fly lists because their names resemble terrorist names. Okay, I may have felt terrorized by babies crying the entire length of redeyes when I had to go to work or school the next day, but I don't think we need to classify them as terrorists. Maybe they're safer not being on the plane anyway, since planes are removing lifevests, among other things, from planes, to compensate for obese passengers. "Maybe instead of just using those [boxes] at the gates to limit carry-on bags to certain sizes, the airlines need to have a people-sizer with a sign asking, 'Do you fit into this?'" Dave Grotto, of the American Dietetic Association, told the Chicago Tribune." Jack Abramoff, the notorious lobbyists recently indicted, won't be flying anywhere, because the FBI is afraid he'll try to leave to Israel.

Chewing the Fat on Fat: Fat apparently is the theme of the week. Slate's explainer today is on what fat tastes like.

Need Help?: Like most people (especially those of the female persuasion, or maybe we're just more likely to admit it), I have gone through self-help phases: when I embarassed myself in an interview, I started with Dale Carnegie and went on to about 50 other public speaking help books; when I broke up with a boyfriend in college, my mom sent my numerous "Keeping the Love You Find"-type books, as well as an assortment from the Mars & Venus series; and I was not beneath consulting plenty of books to help me prepare for grad school applications, exams, etcetera. A NYT op-ed has the secret to all those business self-helps in one semi-mocking article.

Rowling's Roaring: Okay, I can't come up with a better title, sorry for that. Anyway, JK Rowling apparently has responded to various rumors.

Power Nap: This is apparently a new form of exercise class offered by fancy gyms in LA.

Got Gas? Since the big story today seems to be rising gas prices, this story seems to apt. An engineer tinkered with his Prius, and now gets 250 mpg. Perhaps this is a good idea, because-- I'm shocked to report-- global warming appears to be real! Those doubting it seem to have largely relied on faulty data.

More From the Crazy World of IPR: The story within the story is probably more interesting for some of you-- a guy built furniture out of FedEx boxes because he couldn't afford furniture yet. The IPR component came when FedEx tried to sue him to take down the website showcasing his furniture (he wasn't trying to sell it, just put it out there to give people like us a laugh.) So, as the Techdirt blogger says, FedEx looks bad, rather than using it as a marketing opportunity.

From Man-Date to Girl-Crush: The NYT has an article on girl crushes, which I had never heard of, but apparently the term is commonly used (I feel so out of the loop.) Basically, "it refers to that fervent infatuation that one heterosexual woman develops for another woman who may seem impossibly sophisticated, gifted, beautiful or accomplished. And while a girl crush is, by its informal definition, not sexual in nature, the feelings that it triggers - excitement, nervousness, a sense of novelty - are very much like those that accompany a new romance." I kind of understand, especially the novelty part of it-- there have been several people I just felt I really connected with. But I do think its a little weird to refer to it as a crush, because it just seems to be a racier term for friend (though I can't say I've felt nervousness around a new friend, especially not the way several women in the article describe it), or maybe a soulmate of the non-romantic variety (a la Anne of Green Gables). I wonder if the term was just fueled by guys' wishful thinking...

All About Fat: One author is excited about the recommendation to get rid of transfats, because it opens the door for lard to be re-embraced. The NYT also has an article on what food scientists are doing about the fat worries: "Just another day in the strange world of food scientists. Mr. Kelleher, the founder of Proteus Industries in Gloucester, Mass., is one of many chemists who work, often in secret, in a little-understood part of the $550 billion processed-food industry. These are the people who ultimately put food together, and their mission is critical: developing foods that let consumers have their cake and eat it, too." More people want chickens not for their fat, but for pets.

Paper Trail: My vote in the next election will be safe, even if I vote on an e-voting maching! Well it still needs to pass the State Senate, but its looking good... "With the 2006 elections, voting in North Carolina only will occur in the form of optical scan ballot machines, electronic recording machines or paper ballots counted by hand. Electronic machines would have to provide a paper copy of a voter's ballot, which could be corrected by the voter before they are recorded." As I mentioned before, I firmly believe in a paper trail for e-voting machines.

Flying Aliens: According to a Canadian article, foreign fliers have almost no rights in the US. I heard recently that the US has decided it can take people off planes and interrogate them, and then not reimburse the person for their ticket, even if they are completely innocent. I definitely understand that you would need to take people off planes, or hold them up to ask questions. But if the person turns out not to be a threat, you absolutely should have to reimburse them/arrange another flight/etcetera. I am appalled that anyone thinks this is acceptable.

Holding Bloggers Liable: According to sources that I'm not at all sure about, a new Ohio rep plans to introduce a Bloggers Reform Act of 2006, "that’ll require hosts to be personally criminally liable for all the lies published on their blogsites." Though I have no idea as to the veracity of this claim, I think it would be outrageous. Bloggers are generally like op-ed writers, who I don't see held to particularly high standards. Other times, bloggers have sketchy information that others investigate... that is the beauty of the web and the bloggosphere. It takes the power of what stories can be broken from a few sources and spreads it to much larger number of people. If something is found to be inaccurate, what generally happens is that the blogger loses credibility. Maybe others can point out some valid reasons for such an act, but I think it sounds like an intimidation tactic for personal reasons.

Blogging from Iraq: There are a lot more soldiers blogging their experiences, according to a WP article, which makes it more difficult for the military to censor information. It is worth reading the article. I think it is interesting that some of the bloggers say that blogging is therapeutic... I wonder if it is more therapeutic than keeping a journal? Perhaps having other people read makes you feel more connected to humanity and less alone...

IPR and Pharma: This is an issue that just ties me in knots, because I see important points on both sides. But rather than go into my opinion right now, I wanted to recommend this article on pharmaceuticals exploting CAFTA and similar agreements. I am CAFTA ignorant, but I'd love to hear what you CAFTA supporters have to say!

Fly Like An Eagle (Just Not a Philadelphia Eagle): Salon has an article on the Eagles, with the byline: "If head coach Andy Reid doesn't junk his pass-first philosophy -- especially with his top receivers now grounded -- the Philadelphia Eagles will never be more than Super Bowl bridesmaids." Don't hate me for the headline, Matt, I was just joking!

Guard that Lard: In NY, health officials have urged restaurants not to use transfats, which are thought to increase the risk of heart disease. Lots of people are getting upset, apparently, because of government interference. But the government isn't mandating anything, merely providing recommendations. It is so often libertarian economists who want no government interference, but an important service that government provides is information. If they provide information, along with a recommendation, that actually helps alleviate the economic problem of imperfect information, and should help consumers and the population at large (and the free market). But I'm sure there are at least some of you who disagree, so let's hear it!

Oh, and while we're on the subject of fat, I wanted to recommend Garrison Keillor's column from earlier this week!

Opera Buff: Apparently Tom Delay has been living a lie. "Abramoff is a huge opera buff, and—until now this has been a closely-guarded secret—so is DeLay. The only previous public hint of this mutual enthusiasm was the revelation in June by Associated Press reporter Adam Nossiter that Abramoff persuaded the Coushatta tribe to put up $185,000 in 2000 so DeLay could treat some of his biggest donors to a concert by the fabled Three Tenors (José Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti, and Plácido Domingo). Apparently, DeLay is no mere opera dilettante. He knows his spintos and his verismos and his ariosos, and I guess he must work overtime to keep that knowledge a tightly held secret lest his good-ole-boy constituents in Sugarland, Texas, conclude the Hammer is putting on airs. You probably think I'm kidding, but I'm not. The meanest man in Congress, who used to make his living killing insects, is ... the phantom of the opera."

That's Hot: Western Siberia is melting (considering how hot it is here, I'm suprised the sidewalks in DC aren't turning into tar pits). But its actually really scary, an area the size of France has melted. Almost as scary as the Davinci Code is to some in the Catholic Church... here's more on changes to make the Davinci Code less offensive. Perhaps the FCC's new indencency critic has something to say about it.

Things I Love: Weirdly, the WP is profiling several things I love today.
Harry Potter's Voice: I think this guy is absoultely amazing. He definitely has my vote for best story telling voice. And I can't think of many things I love more than being read to by a great reader.
Sea Glass: I love looking for sea glass, there is just something weirdly gratifying about it to me. I always felt sort of badly, because I liked it better than looking for shells. But I see I'm not alone.

All About the Name: NYT article on the importance of college names. I've never heard this guy's name, but the WP has an article on a guy who was the "star" of one of those internet videos, and now has a comedy show... oh, NumaNuma Guy, it could have been you! The article did make me laugh a couple of times, though I think his show might be a bit much for me.

Kristen pointed this out this customer service rant yesterday, because I had the same problem trying to get a Netflix phone number (while the header on their website taunted me, flashing" #1 in Customer Service...) Anyway, today, there is a part 2.

Oops: A German man ran over his wife accidentally... twice.

Just for Natalia: An article on the Supernannies.

This is really cool- in Oregon, they have the largest WiFi spot in the world- 600 continuous square miles of free wireless access.

Another place that's cool is my homeland-- Germany is the world leader in solar panel consumption. The NYT has an article on why solar is so hot.

Finally, for golf lovers, in Norway you can play at 2 am, since the sun is still out... it actually looks amazing.

Here's A Tip: Stop Tipping. Okay, well don't really, but I do think tipping is a stupid way to go, and heartily agree with this NYT op-ed.

I'm So Bored: Great article Natalia just forwarded me on boredom at work. I currently know exactly how that feels today.

The way Chocolate Thunder feels about Salmon is basically how I feel about ranch dressing. Sadly, I appear to be in the minority in this ranch-loving country.

You guys working for the public sector should stop being so selfish, and do the patriotic thing: go work for the private sector! That's what Andy Card says, according to Slate. Uncle Bill would agree!

Always Wear Sunscreen: Skin cancer is on the rise in young people. Luckily, Slate has rated sunscreens, so you can get the best protection.

I may have to reconsider my google devotion, since Yahoo's database is apparently twice as big now.

Bad Things That Are Good?: The New Scientist has an article about why pornography is important.

Problem with the Davinci Code: Movie executives are being asked to change basically the most central parts of the book to make it less offensive to Christians. If people are so offended, why was the book such a bestseller? And what's next, making Harry Potter not do spells, so it won't offend Christians? I'm a Christian, and I'm not offended... because I have an imagination. Do they???

Keep On Rolling: Salon has a post on a soon-to-be released Rolling Stones song, which I have posted below: "When Bruce Springsteen toured with John Kerry last fall, he offered up a wistful take on American politics that has continued with his ambiguous Iraq song, "Devils & Dust."
The Rolling Stones apparently prefer a less subtle approach. As Newsweek and Drudge are reporting, the World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band is out with a new album next month, and it includes a love song in reverse for the Bush administration. It's called "Sweet Neo Con," and it goes something like this: "You call yourself a Christian, I call you a hypocrite. You call yourself a patriot, well I think you're full of shit. How come you're so wrong, my sweet neo-con?"

Not Just a Cute Face: Babies have more going on up there than we think, according to a Newsweek article. "That kid over there with one sock missing and smashed peas all over his face is actually a formidable presence, in possession of keen powers of observation, acute emotional sensitivity and an impressive arsenal of deductive powers."

We live in Hell?: According to a Weekly Standard article, the National Mall is hell. "Yet aside from the Air and Space museum, with dozens of tons of flying machines suspended from the ceiling, and the art galleries, for people who like that sort of thing, the museums are a bit bewildering. There's a curious lack of stuff. And just getting in and out of the museums is a pain." While I agree that the mall itself would be nicer if we didn't have so much patchy grass, and if they had kept the garden exhibits from the Folklife Festival, the museums are great and have everything imaginable, and are actually very easy to get into, I do it at least twice a month, and the only place that has been a pain is the National Archive. If I didn't have work to do, I'd have more to say, but I just wanted to express my disagreement.

I Know What You're Thinking: Actually, I don't but researchers claim to be able to using brain scans.

Patently Stupid: A post I ripped off from Techdirt because I couldn't put it better myself: "There's no end to the number of patents granted just for the sake of having a patent -- because patents lend the mystique of legitimacy and can be used as marketing gimmicks. But the scientific study of relationships is a legitimate field, so it shouldn't be too surprising that EHarmony.com has received a patent on relationships, called a "method and system for identifying people who are likely to have a successful relationship." Their rival, Match.com, obviously doesn't want to capitulate and calls the claims "ridiculous at best." The more interesting tidbit is that 20% of the people answering eHarmony's questionaire are rejected outright as not the marrying type. Maybe they're on to something, but that statistic doesn't quite seem to fit with the 50% divorce rate in the US. However, if eHarmony rejects too many people, they might not be very profitable."

No Email on Wednesdays!: That's the suggestion of a UK police chief, because it makes people unsocial.

Onward Christian Businessmen?: Salon has a story about Christians putting their faith front and center in their businesses. "There are now Christian real estate agencies, cellular and long-distance services, financial planners, computer repair guys, furniture stores, bed-and-breakfast associations, diets, yoga and karate instructors, and goat breeders. These companies -- in contrast to religious bookstores, for example -- do earthly things in, they say, a Christian way. Unlike Curves, Domino's or Coors, for example, which have been criticized for tithing their earnings to archconservative causes -- and unlike the Chick-fil-A fast-food chain, closed on Sundays because of its founder's religious beliefs -- these Christian companies link their work directly and overtly to their missions. ("Christian," in these cases, is generally taken to mean "born again," in which the business owner has a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ" that guarantees eternal life, and the responsibility to offer others the same opportunity.)" I do believe in freedom of religion, and since it isn't the government, you should be able to do whatever you want with your business. On the other hand, it does make me somewhat apprehensive, and I think the article touches on my unease: "There's an aggressive assertiveness on the part of one aspect of the Christian church, charging that this is a Christian nation, our roots are Christian, and we shouldn't have to pretend that we're not. They see it as 'pretending that they're not' if they're not bringing their whole lives into the mix. I'm sympathetic to that, but it does beg the question of how to live in a pluralistic society with many viewpoints, which is also part of the American tradition." I guess I just have issues with the aggressiveness of it, which infringes to a certain extent on others' freedom of religion. I'm having trouble reconciling my opinion here; any thoughts from the peanut gallery?

As an aside, I'm also curious what Catholics think of born again Christians (I seriously have no idea how the two relate-or not- to each other.)

Poor Taste: I thought Tony Blair was classier than this, but apparently not. He is staying on vacation in the Caribbean rather than coming to Scotland for the funeral.

Tasty: An attorney from Texas has made it his mission to visit every Starbucks in the world. Scott, I think you've found a kindred soul! The guy has been on a perpetual road trip for 8 years! And my friend Yue (whose name never ceases to provide entertainment) would think this is tasty: a billionaire is funding the world's largest aquarium.

In the wake of my prozac pets story from yesterday, I saw an article with the title: "Plan for Pets on Prescription." It is actually about people being prescribed pets, though, not pets who get prescriptions for things like Prozac.