Headlines from May 19, 2011
- CDC inspects "Bizarre Bits" collection over the exhibit of a possible smallpox scab from 1876.
- Now the most expensive art photo ever: Cindy Sherman's Untitled #96 auctions for $3.89 million.
- Contrary to belief, private prisons cost more per inmate--and rarely take the infirm--aka the unprofitable.
- "I saw dollar signs, because no one has more pets per capita and more rapture-believing Christians than the good old U.S.A."
- A legacy for who? There's nobody left. There is no legacy. Q&A with the engineer-turned-theologian who predicts Judgment Day on Saturday.
- TMN's Eric Feezell: When the rapture comes, will you have adequate protective gear to bust through your ceiling while ascending?
- Controversial Chinese fertilizer creates watermelons so large they burst open, creating fields of fruity "land mines."
- Over-the-counter genetic testing can match offspring to the right sport.
- Health benefits, lack of regulation have spawned an unlikely--and booming--market for human breast milk.
- Cannes bans Von Trier over Hitler remarks; the director says he just wanted to talk about this shit.
- Times invites readers to play doctor, guess the diagnosis, feed their hypochondria.
- Scotland Yard refuses to release unredacted Ripper files: revealing 19th-century informants could dissuade snitches today.
- I regret to inform you that my wedding to Captain Von Trapp has been canceled.
- 2012 Olympic torch to pass within a one-hour journey of 95% of UK residents.
- Muslims in France should fear their Socialist leaders being accused of rape because it benefits Le Pen.
- Worst of the worst from the French press (note: in French).
- Five short takes (in English): Are French women more tolerant of sexual misconduct?
- "The paradox of power" shows power making people hypocrites--round-up of clever lab experiments.
- Cohorts have long been awed by what teammate Janko Tipsarevic calls "the switch," Djokovic's ability to transition overnight from lighthearted to hyperfocused.
- Long read: Iraq now is stable enough for hot-money cowboys to become very rich.
- New Niemann: The EPA's logo shows a conspiracy to traumatize Tom Selleck.
- Simic: Libraries' slow disappearance is a tragedy; the internet is not their replacement.
- Mark Twain recalls writing a biography of Satan in Sunday school.
- We need your guidance on world peace. Also I need a new girlfriend. Messages sent to Gliese 581d, nearest Earth-like planet.
- Chart: Most common words in horoscopes.
- Photos of tourists posing in the manner of other tourists taking photos.
- Action Bronson is rap for adults and Ghostface fans--adults who eat capers, get stoned, stay fun.
- Videos: Action Bronson's cooking show.
- And for 2011's worst PowerPoint slide winner... (see also, odd trees).