Coffee and Provocation

• Cleaning Up Guam With Toxic Tylenol:
  About ten years ago, I suggested to the National Auduon Society a cheap way to get rid of invasive Brown Tree Snakes that were wiping out all the birds in Guam: pay folks in the Philippines (where labor is dirt cheap) to lace small cockerel eggs with Tylenol and place them in fake nests (also made in the Philippines) around Guam. Tylenol, I pointed out, was toxic to Brown Tree Snakes, but had no impact on other wildlife (though Tylenol is toxic to domestic cats, which were unlikely to eat eggs placed above ground level). Now, some 10 years later, Guam is being bombarded with Tylenol-laced mice. Right idea (it will work), but domestic cat deaths will be unnecessarily high. On the upside, the Jack Russell terriers used to find snakes at the airports and bases, are not likely to be harmed.



• Mommy, What's a Newspaper?
  That question will be asked soon enough. The New York Times says it's already planning to pull the plug.



• Pedigree Dogs Exposed was Broadcast in France Last Sunday.
  If you have not seen it before, you can watch it here. Still roiling the waters -- and the waters may soon boil a bit more.



• A Happiness Index?
  Over at TED, Nick Marks is pitching a "Happy Planet Index" which seems like a good idea, but of course the King of Bhutan was ahead on this; he began been governing his country with a happiness index more than 30 years ago.



• This is the Best Military Recruitment Video Ever.
  "Join the army and get a skill that pays for life." These guys can work on my truck anytime.



• Beam me down Scottie.
  A fun way to explore some of the world. "Africa," however, turns out to be South Africa, and "Asia" turns out to be mostly Japan, but this will improve in time, and may someday provide another window of understanding for people all over. Yes, it's just Google Earth, I know...



• With Liberty, Hooks, Gunpowder and Broad Arrows For All.
  Ten States have amended their constitutions to create a "constitutional right to hunt and fish," and more are coming. Virginia has has this for years. It's largely symbolism, but symbolism can be important , and in this case it is. The states with a constitutional right to hunt and fish are Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, North , Oklahoma, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. States with amendments on the ballot this Fall include: Arkansas, Tennessee, Arizona and South Carolina.

Sleep is a medical condition created by a shortage of the vitamin known as caffeine.
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