10 October 2007: Morning

  • Guards from private Australian-run security firm kill two Iraqi women driving home in Baghdad.
  • New theory being tested in Iraq's government: Forget about getting along or looking good, let's just do better on services.
  • Britannica Blog runs week-long forum on the question of "Bomb-equipped Iran" vs. "Bomb equipped Iran."
  • Belgium factions agree they're terrified of foreigners, but that may not be enough to keep the country from dissolving.
  • Rushdie: Ayaan Hirsi Ali--possibly Western Europe's first refugee since the Holocaust--deserves Dutch protection.
  • Holes found in "social marketing" while distributing anti-malaria nets for free around Africa.
  • Understanding how the "Blub paradox," a computer programmer's social conundrum, relates to you and your peeps.
  • I think she thought a jury from Duluth would be naive. We're not that stupid up here. Jurors settled on $200k fine for Kazaa-user to "send a message," because "her defense sucked."
  • Graphic shows total acreage for world's biggest retailers.
  • The future of our world, an animation of plate tectonics to come.
  • Pinker on cursing: No one has ever spelled out how the mere hearing of a word could corrupt one's morals.
  • Was Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak a true phenomenon, or was foul play or a media prank involved?
  • The answer to whether or not there's a God spot in the brain may please believers more than atheists.
  • Perhaps out of penance, woman hand-draws six monthly credit card statements since 2004.
  • With no penance in mind, statue of a dead Prince Harry, killed in Iraq, draws ire.
  • I am prepared to tell you that Americans are getting fatter and dumber. I have no problem saying that. Test your candidate knowledge.