High Fructose Corn Syrup
Not like other sweeteners (my emph):

A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.

In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States.

"Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn't true...When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese -- every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight."

Patriotism
Harry Potter-style

I am indebted to the British welfare state; the very one that Mr Cameron would like to replace with charity handouts. When my life hit rock bottom, that safety net, threadbare though it had become under John Major’s Government, was there to break the fall. I cannot help feeling, therefore, that it would have been contemptible to scarper for the West Indies at the first sniff of a seven-figure royalty cheque. This, if you like, is my notion of patriotism.

That's author JK Rowling on why she stays in Britain even though she could move elsewhere and pay a much lower tax rate.

Could this be a key difference between liberals and conservatives? Liberals can imagine themselves in trouble and needing help; conservatives can imagine themselves on easy street and not wanting to be bothered.

Who Knew?
That Victoria Jackson wasn't just playing dumb on Saturday Night Live?

Thank You Justice Stevens
I'm sure he would prefer to be known for better things, but I will always remember him for being a sane voice in the middle of the most insane, damaging action the Court ever took in his tenure. From his dissent in Bush v. Gore:

Time will one day heal the wound to that confidence that will be inflicted by today’s decision. One thing, however, is certain. Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year’s Presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the Nation’s confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law.

I respectfully dissent.

Thank you for being my voice, Justice Stevens!

Horrifying
New Orleans police officer tells what happened when cops got word one of their colleagues had taken fire in the wake of Hurrican Katrina. The Times-Picayune, which may have become the best local paper in America after its courageous post-Katrina coverage, has more.

iPad FAQs
from reviewer David Pogue:

It always surprises me how many people are made indignant by the very thought of the iPad, as though Congress passed a law that requires you to buy one!

You’re not, as it turns out. Buying one is totally optional.

That said, the question is a little odd, because the iPad really is very different from a laptop or an iPhone. I guess people have a lot of trouble with the idea that it’s a new category, something unlike anything they’ve used before. All people can do is compare it in their heads with stuff they HAVE used before.

But I’m telling you, the multitouch screen/software makes it very, very different from a laptop, and the screen size makes it very, very different from an iPhone. It’s something entirely new. So yes, if it appeals to you, you’d have to buy it in addition to your laptop or iPhone.

(Just one note of caution: If you have children in the house, don’t let them know there’s an iPad in the premises. I have three kids, 5, 10 and 12, and the competition for time with the iPad is like a daily World War III.)