Not much going on in the fast-paced, fun filled world of jtj3 today (side note--is it me, or is it irritating when people refer to themselves in third person? Sorry 'bout that...), so I thought I'd share some news stories/links that caught my interest recently:
- Katie Couric leaving CBS? CNBC.com ran a story today referring to a piece in the Wall Street Journal. The piece quotes unnamed sources saying that Katie Couric may be leaving CBS News well ahead of the expiration of her contract in 2011...possibly as soon as late January next year. Apart from a short-lived bump in the ratings at the start of her tenure, CBS Evening News has been consistently at the bottom of the ratings heap.
- 8 glasses a day? PFFFFT! A recent editorial in the Journal of the American Society for Nephrology calls into question the idea that we need to drink eight full 8 oz. glasses of water each day for optimum health. Turns out this idea has been popular for over 200 years, but no research exists to show that this amount of water is needed or is beneficial.
- Look, ma, no lungs! CNN.com has a report on a species of frog found in Indonesia that has no lungs and breathes through its skin. Scientists say that this species is a good example of "extreme evolution"--rapid change based on extreme environmental conditions. Study of the species could offer more clues into the evolutionary process in general.
- Slavery is alive and well. Maggie over at Okay, Fine, Dammit had an enlightening and disturbing post today about the human slave trade. Some estimates say there are as many as 27 million slaves in the world today. Quelle eye-opener.
- I'm not leaving, on a jet plane... American Airlines cut 1,100 flights on Wednesday and another 900 on Thursday to re-inspect the majority of their MD-80 fleet, according to the San Jose Mercury News. It stinks to be stranded--but then again, if it's a flight-safety issue, I'd rather be stranded than up in the air wondering "what if?" for the whole flight...
There's more--LOTS more--but that's enough for now. Man, the Internet is amazing isn't it?
More later...
