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.

Doped Dogs: Meerkat just told me her dog was put on Prozac, because it has been having anxiety attacks. That is just way too bizarre, so I looked it up and found an introduction to canine mental health, among other things. I can't help but think the pharmaceuticals had a hand in this. And it raises so many questions... Is there insurance for this? Do you need dog psychichs or something to find out how things are progressing? Is there a suicide risk, as there is with humans? (Apparently, this may be an issue.)It just seems bizarre beyond belief.

Interesting Product of the Day: Noisy Neighbor CD, to get back at annoyingly loud neighbors.

And since we're on the topic of weird things, this guy pretended to have murdered a hitchhiker, in the hopes that his wife will leave him.

First Krauthammer, Now Santorum?? Santorum feels less strongly against intelligent design than Krauthammer, but Santorum says, "I think I would probably tailor that a little more than what the president has suggested. I'm not comfortable with intelligent design being taught in the science classroom." Chocolate Thunder, your theory is proving true much sooner than I expected!!

Textbook Time: As I mentioned to a number of people, I get all the books I can from half.com, and that has worked excellently for me. But check out this lame deal I just read about: "It turns out that Princeton University is getting ready to offer students digitized text books complete with heavy-handed copy protection, and it's done in such a way to make it nearly useless. Among the features of the copy protection: the textbook must be read on the computer it was downloaded to, it cannot be burned to a CD or copied anywhere, only small passages can be printed, the textbook expires after five months and the book is not returnable and cannot be resold. The benefit, besides not having to lug around a heavy textbook, is a 33% discount. However, that's not a very compelling offer for a variety of reasons. The biggest, of course, is the inability to resell the textbook. The entire textbook market practically lives off of the resale value of the books. That's why they can be priced so high. Students know they can recoup some of that money at the end. For those who would actually like to keep their books, obviously this deal is completely useless. Then, everything else makes this offering less useful than a traditional textbook. Imagine the student whose computer breaks and their textbooks are gone. Copy protection makes the product much less valuable -- a lot more than the 33% discount the company is providing. And, of course, that 33% discount is a steal for the publisher, who has almost no marginal cost in producing, storing and transporting the book. The entire offering seems premised on the idea that buyers are stupid and won't consider these limitations. Certainly, some won't think it through, but here's hoping that Princeton's students are bit sharper than that. Update: Thanks to Ed Felten for pointing out that this isn't Princeton University, but an independent bookstore serving Princeton University students."

Do You Relate to Bridget Jones? A Guardian article examines whether she has lost her relevance today.

If you don't relate to Bridget, maybe your having a bad day and relate to Bob. The Wall Street Journal seems to, calling for the "liberal press pack" to apologize to poor Bob for what was done to him on CNN. Hmm, I guess this wouldn't be a good time for those DNC questions for Novak...

I was recently talking to Scott about how much better it feels after you have a chance to rant (still looking for studies on that, Scott), and I think it is even more true for me about laughing, though it is also a very delicate situation. Because you don't want to make light of a serious situation by laughing, but if I can't laugh at it, I will get so upset it could lead to feelings of despair. So in case I ever appear callous or unsympathetic, I hope you give me the benefit of the doubt. (What inspired this little commentary? This Salon piece on withdrawing from Iraq: "As the New York Times reported over the weekend, the top U.S. commander in Iraq has briefed senior Pentagon officials on a plan to reduce the number of U.S. troops there by 20,000 or 30,000 as early as spring. But as John Aravosis notes at AMERICAblog, the plan comes with a mighty big "if": Gen. John P. Abizaid told the Pentagon that he could cut U.S. troop strength in Iraq from 138,000 down to something like 110,000 "if conditions on the ground permitted."
That's good to know. In other news, War Room could afford to drive a $443,000 Porsche Carerra GT if conditions in our bank account permitted. But conditions don't permit -- not in our bank account and, it seems, not in Iraq, either. It seems to us that, when what comes after the "if" so completely swallows what comes before it, there's not a whole lot of point in having the conversation in the first place." It made me laugh, and then I felt guilty.)

Kids Know: According to a new report, kids know what they want to be by the time they are 11 years old, and stick to it. I definitely can't say the same... I think when I was 11, I still had aspirations to become an Olympic gymnast (I was not a great gymnast, but that was an minor, largely irrelevant detail.) Really, it's more about whether kids intend to stay in school, but still interesting.
The Guardian also has an op-ed about the importance of candy for kids. Oh, how I envy the author: "In the course of my research for a book on the global history of confectionery (someone had to do it), I have sourced large quantities of sweets from all over the world, which I have arrayed on every available surface around my study at home so that I can break off from writing at any moment to sample some rare sugared delight. I have beautifully decorated tins of bonbons from France and Italy on my bookshelves, packs of cheap and weird sweets from the Far East all over the desk, boxes of Canadian maple candies and fine Swiss chocolates on the mantelpiece, and two suitcases on the floor filled with packets of extraordinary confections from every corner of the globe." Yet even though I am a candy afficianado, I feel like the author goes a little bit overboard in defending sweets. I definitely agree that sweets give joy, but I also think they have their place, and it should be for special occasions. I think that I love candy so much in part because they were for special occasions, and not an everyday thing.

This weekend I caved and did a sudoku, but only because I saw you can win $500 for completing one next week. As you can see on all the WP stands in DC, sudoku is catching on, and firms are making big bucks.

News Mix: A high school coach has been reprimanded for licking athletes.

This is the world's most expensive mansion currently on the market.

Krugman's column today is on the housing market.

Hastert reps rebutt the Vanity Fair article I posted on last week.

Europe vs. the US: I think I should make this a regular feature. Since I am the product of both cultures, I think this NYT article on different views of privacy is particularly interesting: "More fundamentally, these two systems for dealing with data arise from a cultural divide over privacy itself. In broad terms, the United States looks at privacy largely as a consumer and an economic issue; in the rest of the developed world, it is regarded as a fundamental right." I thought there there is definitely a certain truth in this, especially given how much power we have given government to collect data since 9/11. But then the article goes on: "Not surprising, the United States has "many more laws restricting the government collection and use of information than laws restricting corporate use of collection and information," said Bruce Schneier, an expert on computer security issues. "Europe is the reverse," he added." Though I was surprised by this at first, I then remembered my transnational threats class last year, where I felt like I was the only one who was equally if not more concerned with companies having my personal information than the government collecting information. I think that it ties back to the European expectation that government provides certain good, and therefore is accepted but still scrutinized. In the US, there is that really difficult balance between expecting the government to do things (such as protect us), but not wanting to have our individual rights limited. So government is viewed in a more negative light, but at the same time we don't scrutinize it very closely. Those are my initial thoughts, and I was wondering what you think, and how much you think this is Europeans just being overly bureaucratic or punctilious.

Overly Skeptical? A Slate article rants about people saying they distrust the media, but not their particular newspaper. "The larger point that the boneheads who so despise the media need to appreciate is that the mainstream American press is better than it's ever been. If you don't believe me, visit your local library and roll through a couple of miles of microfilm of the papers you're currently familiar with. By any comparison, today's press is more accurate, ethical, reliable, independent, transparent, and trustworthy than ever." I am one of those people who is very skeptical, and I would say I trust the sources I read more than others... because that is why I have chosen the sources I do read. Why would I waste my time reading a whole bunch of stuff from sources I don't trust? The nice thing is that I have lots of options, local, national international thanks to the internet. I am also really skeptical of the claim I cited above, that this is the most ethical, transparent, etc press... but I'd love to hear what you guys think.

Last year I had to read Charles Krauthammer for a class, and the more I read, the more I disagreed. But I was very surprised to read this: "Some of the president’s greatest supporters in the war on terror are shaking their heads in disbelief at his remarks. Charles Krauthammer, a neoconservative commentator, said the idea of teaching intelligent design — creationism’s “modern step-child” — was “insane”. “To teach it as science is to encourage the supercilious caricature of America as a nation in the thrall of a religious authority,” he wrote. “To impose it on the teaching of evolution is ridiculous.” Krauthammer's full article is in the current issue of Time. I can't believe it, but I highly recommend reading it.

I was shocked yesterday to learn that Robin Cook, former British Foreign Secretary, died over the weekend. He was one of those few people that I truly admired, and I think it is really, really sad that he died. Here are some of the early tributes officials in Scotland and the UK made to him.

News Snips: For the Boys. Big Nose is on the loose! And I mentioned a while ago a problem about hikers relieving themselves on the mountain. Now, the world's highest toilet has been built to alleviate the problem on one mountain at least. And native Alaskans' oral history is now being used as evidence of global warming.
Fringe Fest opened in Edinburgh, and I know Lyndsay is there... apparently it is a must do if you happen to be in Scotland at the right time!

I am sad to report that I am not happy with Sen Barbara Boxer:
Well-lobbied senators know what's right: "Peer-to-peer file sharing is affecting children's morality and well-being by giving them access to pornography and encouraging the everyday theft of music," suggests Senator Barbara Boxer, who last year hauled in $720,410 in campaign contributions from the TV and film industry. Boxer's comments were part of a "rare bipartisan moment" in Washington, says P2PNet and Kansas City Infozine, where all of Hollywood's best paid Senators demanded p2p companies filter search results.
I thought she was above selling out, but I guess not. In terms of the P2P and filesharing debate and so forth, it is interesting to bear in mind that when we get messages saying "this is illegal," it is almost always illegal according to the RIAA. But the law is actually not specific on these things yet, though the RIAA and other lobbyists for the entertainment are certainly pushing hard to get everything put under their control. This is really dangerous for innovation (read Lawrence Lessig!)

Since we're on the topic of major entertainment labels, Sony has to pay a fine, because it made up a movie critic to praise its movies.

FYI: We're back to GWOT, not G-SAVE.

Talented: I just learned that Kristen won a photo contest, with this amazing picture she shot in Rome. It is so great, I think everyone should look at it and enjoy a moment of Zen... especially those of us who don't have cable, and therefore don't get Jon Stewart's moment of Zen. (She also took this one. And this one.) What other talents do my friends have that I don't know about??

For Your Entertainment:

A book on Russia:
The Alcoholic Empire: Vodka and Politics in Late Imperial Russia, Patricia Herlihy

The Alcoholic Empire examines the prevalance of alcohol in Russian social, economic, religious, and political life. Herlihy looks at how the state, the church, the military, doctors, lay societies, and the czar all tried to battle the problem of overconsumption of alcohol in the late imperial period. Since vodka produced essential government revenue and was a backbone of the state economy, many who fought for a sober Russia believed that the only way to save the country was through Revolutionary change. This book traces temperance activity and politics side by side with the end of the tsarist regime, while showing how the problem of alcoholism continued to pervade Soviet and post-Soviet society. Illustrated by timeless and incisive sayings about the Russian love of vodka and by poster art and paintings, this book will appeal to Russian and European historians and those interested in temperance history.Readership: Students and scholars of Russian and Soviet History.

A story about a secret Israeli artist.

And a couple of things to do in DC:
At Union Station there is an exhibit of photography of Indonesia.
The Inter-American Development Bank has an exhibit on "PARADOX AND COEXISTENCE II Art of Latin America 1981-2000" until August 26, 2005. The IDB itself is actually worth seeing, just for the building.
There is a Brewmaster's Castle in Dupont I had never heard of, which looks really cool (though the times its open is a little hard for normal working people.)
Also, there's a Moveable Feast Tour that does a historical eating tour around DC.
And, as Kristen reminded me, starting this weekend until next weekend is school supplies, clothes, shoes, and accessories are tax-free in DC.

Blogomania: The NYT has an article about the rate of blog creation: "Nearly 80,000 new blogs are created every day, and there are some 14.2 million in existence already, 55 percent of which remain active." Well, with all those options, I'd like to thank the five people that read mine! (The BBC actually had an article a couple days ago already on the topic of blog creation: 1 per second)
I still remember the day I started this undertaking: it was early June in DC; my boss was out of town. I had been grappling with small pangs of guilt hitting me everytime I sent out an email encouraging my friends and family to read an interesting article. As the quantity of emails I sent began rising to 20, 25, 30 per day, I became awash in guilt. Fortunately, I had an epiphany: "Start a blog!" Yes, I remember it as if it were just a few of weeks ago... (oh, yeah. It was just a few weeks ago. But apparently I have inspired another blog, which is quite flattering... just the ego boost I need to keep me going.)

Blogworthy: There is some speculation swirling as to why Bob Novak weirdly left the CNN set (it was a very weird exit, wasn't it? He sort of sat a couple of second being ignored before getting up and tepidly walking off.) Paul Krugman talks about fake research.

Scary: A river in Italy is full of cocaine. An ice shelf has collapsed for the first time in 11,000 years.

And courtesy of the Daily Kos, here's a Daily excerpt:

Jon Stewart goes after the energy bill...

"Oh, Oil!! Giver of power, corrupter of governments, non-sticker of surfaces... Must you taunt us with your slick, non-renewable goodness?

Yes, energy is clearly an important topic with Americans. That's why, before going on recess, Congress broke a 4-year impasse by approving a massive energy bill. And while it did nothing to address our dependence on foreign oil, or fuel efficiency, or in any way simplify the strategic nature of our relationship with the Middle East, it does give oil and gas industries 500 million dollars for research and 2.7 billion dollars in tax breaks, even though a company like Exxon-Mobil made 7.6 billion dollars in pure profit just this last quarter...

Now, you might find the idea of the government using billions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize the oil companies as the antithesis of private, free-market capitalism. You are wrong...

Clip of Republican Representative Joe Barton of Texas: "This bill is based on the premise that we believe in private, free-market capitalism to develop the resources of this land in a cost-efficient manner."

Oh my God we have a winner! Congratulations, Rep. Joe Barton, you have achieved a lie-to-word ratio of one-to-one!"

The Daily Show, August 3

P.S. Before cutting to commercials, they played this 1-to-1 lie-to-word ratio'd goodie from George W. Bush's 2005 State of the Union address:

"America's prosperity requires restraining the spending appetite of the federal government. I welcome the bipartisan enthusiasm for spending discipline."

I Won't Be Your Monkey! (Well, maybe just a little): For all of those who loved watching Jon Stewart slam Tucker on Crossfire, you may enjoy seeing Bob Novak storm off the set today: watch the clip.

Update: Bob Novak has been suspended from CNN!

Helpful = Happy: So this isn't actually news, but I think this blogger has a good idea: "Here's the step I've been taking lately to prevent from falling down a hole. It's going to sound smarmy and oversimple, so I'm almost embarrassed to mention it. But in conversations, with almost everybody, I've been asking the question, "How can I help you?" And I've meant it, with genuine curiosity, and eye contact. Not asking as a promise or an obligation, not undertaking, necessarily, to do what it is they'll say they need, but a simple inquiry -- what could someone like me do to help you with your current goals? And I'll tell you, that small habit is pretty cool. It magically shifts my frame of reference out of my own position as the center of the universe, and a shabby one at that, to a supporting actress who can shine in that role. I stumbled on it, not because I was trying to be saintly but because I was feeling so lousy about myself that I was desperate to shift the conversation back onto the other person. And it turns out to be handy -- people are surprised and pleased to be asked, it takes my own critical eye off of myself, and the requests are usually interesting and small and they make me feel like maybe it's not that hard to be a useful and good person after all."

Article from my favorite German publication, Der Spiegel, on: "the debate in Europe over whether to adopt the American free-market capitalist system or to preserve the lavish social net that exists in countries like Germany and France is the wrong one. Instead, Europe should be looking for a third way -- and Scandinavia provides a good model." I haven't had a chance to read the whole thing, but it looks promising to me.

Good reads: Older NYT op-ed about a girl who grew up atheist and her experience at Bible school.

We Probably Can't Be Friends Anymore: This is quite unbelievable. The National Labor Board has ruled that your employer can forbid you from socializing with co-workers (in or out of the office.) Since moving to DC that is basically all the friends I have made... and seriously, considering how much time is Americans spend at work, this could seriously limit people's social lives. While we're on the topic of work, I also want to mention a study that found that people would rather work with someone who is incompetent than a jerk.

Are You Getting Played?: This supposed voting rights group appears to be a sham. Bottled water is also bad on various levels. But I do have to say that I really like the flavor of Aquafina better than any other water, and was more entertained by SmartWater has the most entertaining bottle. And Mark Crispin Miller has an article in the new Harper's about voting fraud in Ohio. (Here's a summary, and here is his blog.)

More discussion of Bush's fitness all over the place.

Superweirdos: There is a new Conservative "graphic novel" which "posits a dark future in which Gore became president and the cyberized team of Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy and Oliver North use their bioengineered superpowers to... um... well, that's unclear. But it involves, apparently, talking on the radio. With superpowers!" (as described by the Daily Kos).

Here's an excerpt (check out the link for the full comic book effect): "It is 2021, tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of 9/11. America is under oppression by ultra-liberal extremists which have yielded governing authority to the United Nations. It is up to an underground conservative group (known as F.O.I.L.) led by Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy and Oliver North to thwart Ambassador Usama Bin Laden’s plans to nuke New York City."

As another blogger rightly asks "what on earth continues to give conservatives these bizarre persecution fantasies?"
(btw, I feel like this alone makes up for the lackluster news I posted yesterday. I hope you agree that I have redeemed myself.)

In the News: Interesting preview of a Vanity Fair story on allegations that Turkish criminals were bribing the GOP. I'm not sure if this is the same woman, but I saw a 60 minutes report a while ago about a translator who was trying to report similar allegations, who was subsequently fired.

A soldier bought Saddam's Mercedes for $5,000 and had it shipped back to his home in the US. What else are they selling off for next to nothing, I wonder? And who is doing the selling, anyway?

The Guardian has a profile of a new musician being touted as Feminem. Also from the UK, new report of what's in the average Brits shopping cart... not such a pretty picture. Maybe their lackluster nutrition is affecting their humor. Brits pride themselves on their humor (that must be nice... as a German, I have no idea what that is like), and I just got a mega-dose via Eddie Izzard, lent to me a very insistent Brit (thanks Meerkat! I must say it was very funny). Another Guardian article looks at the trend of politics in British humor, and whether it is making British comedy unfunny.

Finally Some Blogworthy News Today!: O'Reilly says kill 'em all... referring to the people being held at Guantanamo Bay (video clip included.) But Bill, they're so happy to be there. Seriously, that's what a Nevada Congressman said.

Naked ads run by PETA are getting too much attention; it is making KFC angry.

And Britain should stop their silly multiculturism policies, and get back to honoring the British way of life, according to the Tory frontrunner.

Temptation Blocker: I am happy to announce that I have been Sudoku clean for three weeks, but if I wasn't I would use this to keep myself from playing. I wish it would have blocked Thomas Barnett from writing a follow up book. If you don't know who Barnett is, he would be surprised, the man has an ego like few others (that's my impression from his book and blog, I have no idea what he's like in person. I imagine him to be like Friedman, though, a little bit awed by his own innovative and brilliant ideas.) Anyway, he is coming out with a new book this October, to follow up his first 400+ page tome, which was incredibly repetitive and could have been 100 pages or less. Here's what Barnett says about book 2: “The challenge of the second book … was to kind of stretch the arguments further,” he says. “It’s not enough to just offer a diagnostic of what led up to Afghanistan and Iraq. “Why I wanted to write the second book is to make sure I was pushing the envelope, to continue to stay just on the edge of plausibility, where people say, ‘God, that’s never going to happen.’”

Breaking News: South Korea has cloned a dog.

Tech World: New way to beat forgeries: paper will have unique fingerprints. It's actually pretty impressive: "According to Cowburn's research, as published July 28 in the journal Nature, the unique speckle pattern of a sheet of paper remains recognizable even after crunching the paper into a ball, soaking it in water, baking it at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes, scrubbing it with an abrasive cleaning pad or scribbling over it with a big black marker."

This is a really interesting article about insurance companies offering discounts for cars that track how drivers are driving. I'm conflicted, because I really don't like companies having so much info on me, but on the other hand, I'm a really safe driver who could use the discount. And I can't really complain about it making other people safer drivers, either.

And for those looking for love online, there are lots of new features available that empower clients.

Fianlly, for those who love google, Wired has an article about its beginnings.

Drowning: Today is not such a hot day so far; my life has become deluged with bureaucratic nonsense. I am probably the only person in America who can't get a credit card. Why? Because I don't have a credit card, of course.

Here are a couple of things, I've come across in the midst of this bureaucratic madness:
The newest diet craze may be brainwashing.
More church news from NC.
The Vagina Monologues get some competition from the Holy Phallus.

And the one thing that cheered me a little on this dark day was Garrison Keillor, who writes about cell phones: "People like to be talked to. It has nothing to do with literary merit; it's about vowels. This is what our women wanted when they said, "Why don't you ever talk to me?" We imagined that they wanted us to talk about the future of higher education, so we sat and thought long thoughts, but really they only wanted some clucking and chittering, a few caws. This is what cellphones are for, to honk into and declare our position and reaffirm loyalty." I think that is true to a certain extent, and coincidentally is how I feel about people commenting on my blog... I don't need literary masterpieces, just reaffirmation that someone actually read something. Let's face it, people are needy.

ICE: I have received a number of these emails suggesting adding an entry under ICE in my cell phone - thought it might be a good idea to pass this along. "Paramedics will turn to a victim's cell phone for clues to that person's identity. You can make their job much easier with a simple idea that theyare trying to get everyone to adopt: ICE. ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. If you add an entry in the contacts list in your cell phone under ICE, with the name and phone no. of the person that the emergency services should call on your behalf, you can save them a lot of time and have your loved onescontacted quickly. It only takes a few moments of your time to do. Paramedics know what ICE means and they look for it immediately. ICE your cell phone NOW! Please pass this one along."

American brands are no longer the coolest. "Although the US received high marks for its popular culture, it ranked last in cultural heritage, a measure of a country's "wisdom, intelligence, and integrity", according to Mr Anholt. That the world takes a dim view of the US people will surprise most Americans themselves: the study's American respondents consistently placed the US at the top of all six categories polled."

Once again, my dad's advice is now in the news. When I was in college, he recommended that to improve my attention and memory I increase my dopamine uptake by eating things such as turkey. This article talks about a study emphasizing the role of dopamine in depression.

I have been practicing typing with ten fingers, so here is my progress update: Sunday- 7 wpm, Monday- 12 wpm, Tuesday- 15 wpm. So I'm making progress, albeit slowly. I'll keep you posted.

Health Watch: More Reasons Not to Smoke: A new study has found a correlation between smoking and belly fat. I hope this convinces my neighbors to finally quit smoking, so that I will not have to come home to find my apartment stinking from the smoke that has seeped through the ventilation.

Salon also has an article on why not to by the best selling book "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About" or anything else sold by the author. The fact that he sells them via infomercials would be a clue anyway, but the article also talks about why he can get away with what he does.

I also wanted to note that when I talked to my dad (a physician and nutrition researcher) about the Fish Oil Supplements, he said to be careful which ones you take, as some are contaminated with heavy metals, etc. To find out which ones are safe, he directed me to ConsumerLab.com. I'm still trying to figure out how to access the information and if it is available for free. (If you figure it out, please let me know)