News from around the fractious blue planet:
- Russia: ‘Forget’ Georgian territorial integrity
From the “Reassuring News” department. More from the Post. - Xinhua accidentally reveals 14-year-old Chinese gymnast’s age
Not really surprising to anyone who’s ever seen a teenager, but still worth a read. As far as I’m concerned, though, isn’t it more embarrassing to get beaten by a 14-year-old than a 16-year-old? - South Korea third in Olympic Medal haul
Hooray! And still to come: ping-pong! That’s some riveting television–almost as epic as Olympic badminton. - U.S. to grow grayer, more diverse
Again, this isn’t really news, but it provides some good numbers estimates: by 2050 (if trends continue, no WWIII, blah blah blah), Hispanic children will make a larger proportion of the country than whites (39% v. 38&%), and 62% of children will be “minorities.” Asians will naturally remain an actual minority, at 6%. - Open-source wins in court
An appeals court decides that giving work away for free doesn’t preclude legal protection. This is great news for Creative Commons, as well as progress in general. Related: The New Yorker article, “The Permission Problem.” - Slate loves Tropic Thunder
I need to see this movie, both for Robert Downey Jr. and casting that has “so cannily taken advantage of [Tom] Cruise’s … physical resemblance to a penis.” - [Edit: 2 more!] Transgender prime time
The next season of “America’s Next Top Model” is going to feature a Maryland-area transsexual. - Men all over… get more drunk
In addition to all the terrible health consequences from drinking too much, it may lower your risk of heart disease.
Leave a Reply