Events

The Chicago Tribune today endorsed the Democratic candidate for President, for the first time in its 160-year history: The Tribune in its earliest days took up the abolition of slavery and linked itself to a powerful force for that cause--the Republican Party. The Tribune's first great leader, Joseph Medill, was a founder of the GOP. The editorial page has been a proponent of conservative principles. It believes that government has to serve people honestly and efficiently. With that in mind, in 1872 we...

Another gap in the fossil record has gotten filled: In a new study of a fossil fish that lived 375 million years ago, scientists are finding striking evidence of the intermediate steps by which some marine vertebrates evolved into animals that walked on land. The scientists said in a report being published Thursday in the journal Nature that the research exposed delicate details of the creature's head and neck, confirming and elaborating on its evolutionary position as "an important stage in the origin...

OK, I'm a little behind here, being overcome by Hofstra Pride, being from the class of...uh...a while ago. (I've actually been poking other HU alumni on Facebook.) 20:10 CT: McCain sounds a little like Rain Man tonight. Seriously, is he repeating himself? Repeating? Himself? A lot? 20:17: McCain remembers the Depression-era program first-hand, no doubt. 20:19: Enough about the damn planetarium! 20:23: "If I've mistaken your polices for George Bush's policies...is because you're proposing eight more...

Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers sued God, had the case dismissed (God wasn't properly served, you see), and may appeal on the grounds that an omiscient God by definition has adequate notice of the suit. I think he may not be entirely serious, though: Chambers filed the lawsuit last year seeking a permanent injunction against God. He said God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents in Omaha, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of...

Parker decided a while ago that a patch of a century-old rug makes a comfortable bed. The rug hasn't turned black yet, but every time I vacuum it seems the thing yields an entire dog's worth of hair. I delayed getting a dog bed because Parker ate the last one. Granted, he was 11 weeks old at the time. So, hoping he'd gotten past that phase, I took him to the pet store at lunch to audition beds. This is what he picked: I think he's comfortable: As for the urge to eat anything that gets too close to his...

"We" in this context means "we American taxpayers:" The Treasury Department, in its boldest move yet, is expected to announce a plan Tuesday to invest up to $250 billion in large and small banks, according to officials. The United States is also expected to guarantee new debt issued by banks for a period of three years, officials said. ... Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase were told they would each get $25 billion; Bank of America and Wells Fargo, $20 billion each (plus an additional $5 billion for their...

The Chicago Marathon passed my house in two directions this morning, going north from mile 5 to 6, and then south right around the 15 km mark. Here, running north through Lincoln Park, is the Kenyan team, with race winner Evans Cheruiyot third from left: I didn't catch women's winner Lidiya Grigoryeva (she was well protected in the pack), but I did get Olympic gold medalist Constantina Dita (right) heading south on Clark Street. The course temperature has hit 26°C again, making this year's race almost...

As of 7 minutes ago, fewer than 100 days remain in the worst presidency in American history.

The African email scams have haunted our inboxes for so long now I hardly notice them any more. But this one I received today had such fluidity and verve, such poetry, that I feel impelled to share it: From the Desk of Dr.Anddy Vaina,And Counselors at Law,06 Bp 1704 Akpakpa CotonouBenin Republic. Dear Friend, How are you together with your Family today? My Dear our latest news to you today is that our Federal Government has approved all the funds owned by foreigners to be converted into ATM SWITCH...

Take out the trash day? Or just an ordinary Friday during these interesting times? Since lunch yesterday: Despite all the McCain Campaign's efforts to keep it under wraps for just three more weeks, an Alaskan legislative investigation released a report alleging Gov. Palin abused her power by trying to get her brother-in-law fired from a state job. Chrysler and GM are in merger talks. The administration (101 days, 4 hours left) took North Korea off the list of state sponsors of terrorism, leaving only...