Headlines from August 12, 2010

Putin co-pilots plane and dumps 24 tons of water on forest fires outside Moscow.
Assessment of the current global orangutan population in light of mankind's tendency to hunt.
Nature report says hominins used tools to butcher meat 3.4 million years ago.
See also: Blooper reel from The Passion of the Christ.
Scientists discover how to skip stones up to 50 times.
Medical-supply bureaucracy is keeping tool advancements from being used.
Vonnegut draws grids to document storytelling.
Long-read: "I am ridiculously lucky and deliriously happy to be so seriously fucked." Debut jitters by TMN's Rosecrans Baldwin.
Pete Hamill's next book will be e-book only.
Story of two heiresses who became entranced by capitalist mystics, at the cost of $100 million.
From the Galleries: Laptops designed by children.
There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary numbers and those who don't.
Tumblr of Paula Deenisms.
Early findings in a U.S. investigation show driver error, not auto defects, was behind most of Toyota's accident woes.
"The battle has shifted to the states." The health care war rages on, and insurers are leading the charge.
In 2006, attacks by patients or their relatives at Chinese hospitals injured more than 5,500 medical workers.
Beijing reinstates mandatory radio-guided exercise.
A study of online conversations shows former flight attendant Steven Slater is more beloved than the post-Super Bowl Saints.
I see young black men risking their bodies, minds, and futures for the joy and wealth of old white men. Football as black servitude.
Sports experts search out precedents for Tiger: What top athlete has ever imploded to this degree?
The Beeb wants to know who's got Churchill skills, asks for oratory samples.
When meeting Mexicans it is best not to discuss poverty, illegal aliens, earthquakes, or their 1845-6 war with America. British tourism's cultural sensitivity tips.
Study shows one in 12 babies born in the U.S. in 2008 were from illegal immigrants.
Juliet Jacques explains how she chose her new name--it was age-appropriate, for one--when she transitioned to a woman.
From the attic: Charlie White's "Teen and Transgender Comparative Study."
Primer on the discussion of whether the president should be able to turn off the internet.
The mortuary chapel smelled of brownies. Cemeteries hold fun events to attract new customers.