The world’s most famous vineyards—sorry, Napa—in Bordeaux, France, are being weakened by climate change, the Telegraph reports. Grape vines, especially those refined over years for the making of wine, are notoriously sensitive, and rising ambient temperatures cause their fruit to ripen earlier than considered prime for making top-shelf…
Continue reading …The Obamas turned heads in the beer world when word broke that they’d served something called White House Honey Ale at their White House Super Bowl party. It turns out that ale was indeed brewed by White House chefs, using homebrewing equipment the Obamas bought out of their own pockets…
Continue reading …Hundreds of Egyptian activists yesterday stormed the headquarters of the notorious State Security, long associated with human rights abuses against political prisoners, expressing frustration that the military has been slow to shut it down. The dismantling of the intelligence force was one of the protesters’ key demands, but it has…
Continue reading …After years of claiming presidential immunity to avoid legal proceedings, Jacques Chirac is finally facing a court. Tomorrow, the former president becomes France’s first former head of state to go on trial since its Nazi-era leader was exiled—that is, if the whole case isn’t derailed by a last-minute protest…
Continue reading …Farhad Manjoo hates the fax machine. It’s “a joke, … one of the most expensive, least flexible, and most annoying ways to send documents in the digital age.” Even so, thanks to “your bank, your insurance company, your lawyer,” and anyone else who insists on an actual signature, “faxing persists….
Continue reading …An appetite-curbing stomach pacemaker that helps obese people lose weight is on sale in Europe after passing clinical trials and its makers hope to offer in the US within a few years. The surgically implanted device sends out electrical pulses designed to trick the brain into believing the body is…
Continue reading …Yesterday was Texas Independence Day, and one group of Texans celebrated it by rallying on the steps of the state Capitol, urging secession from the US. The Texas Nationalist Movement is unhappy with both Democrats and Republicans, and is especially concerned with the growing national debt and rising taxes, reports…
Continue reading …First, the fungus takes over the ant’s brain. Then, it uses “mind control” to force the ant to move to a new location—an ideal location where the fungus can grow and its spores can spread. Finally, the fungus kills the ant—and then grows out of its head. Sounds…
Continue reading …Bradley Manning has been forced to sleep naked for three consecutive nights, his lawyer wrote yesterday on his website , and the practice is expected to continue “indefinitely.” The official reason? Manning is on “prevention of injury” watch and must strip nightly for his own safety. The real reason, David E….
Continue reading …Thanks in part to a rash of Democrats retiring from the Senate , things are looking pretty good for the Republicans in 2012. In the first edition of its 2012 race ratings, The Hill places five seats currently held by Democrats in the “toss-up” column—and Republicans only need a net…
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