The Sun Also Rises
Jay Bakker talks about growing up as Jim and Tammy's kid, his disillusionment with mainstream Christianity, and his hopes to connect with the tattooed and pierced youth the Christian Right has forsaken. From Killing the Buddha

Pure Cult
This desperate and often ugly life of skid row poet Charles Bukowski.

An accident in the Mojave desert has inspired a new kind of Mars rover -- a two-story high beach ball that can descend to the Martian surface, land safely, and explore vast expanses of the Red Planet. From NASA Science News

This is Your Country on Drugs
From destitution to euphoria, fatality to fantasy, people's experiences with drugs vary wildly. The L.A. Weekly chronicles the experiences of 15 different writers. From LA Weekly

Welcome to FEMA for Kids, brought to you by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. I'm Herman, the spokescrab for the site. This site teaches you how to be prepared for disasters. You can also become a Disaster Action Kid.

HistoryWorld
This interactive resource offers a vast array of tools designed to "make history make sense." The database of over 400 articles is searchable by period and theme so you can get an overview of the history of painting from cave art to 18th-century British watercolours, or zero in on the Napoleonic wars. Take one of the over 200 tours to explore themes and movements throughout time, or choose among some 300 timelines to gain a broader perspective of historical events.

King Charles VIII of France, who ascended to the throne in 1483, was obsessed with the idea of being poisoned. As his phobia grew, the monarch ate so little that he died of malnutrition circa 1498.

A Grid upon the Earth
Photographs. While man creates in primitive blocks of symmetry, nature rarely is so basic. From Amicus Journal

"We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality."
--- Albert Einstein

Is Marriage Outdated?
Is the institution of marriage on its way out? Many people question the relevance of marriage in today's society. The future of matrimony. From Creative Loafing Charlotte

The average airspeed of the common housefly is 4 1/2 mph. A housefly beats its wings about 20,000 times per minute.

Spin of the Day
That talking head on the tube would never lie to you. Or would they? Is the truth in there somewhere, but completely unrecognizable. Convoluted truth. From PR Watch

The Money Defense Shield
Is America's proposed national missile defense shield a panacea against acts of nuclear aggression, or just more pork on the plates of the defense industry?

Puking in dull bags can no longer be accepted, imagine your delight when you discover the receptacle you are about to puke into is of the highest pedigree...how much happier you would be handing over the steaming bag to the hostess...

"When I leave this world, I will dream myself back to the world I was in before I came here."
--- Chief Crazy Horse  ]

Dracula is the most filmed story of all time. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is second. Oliver Twist is third.

Why Men Lie (About War)
From President Bush to your neighbor down the street, men lie about their wartime experiences. Examine the case of Mount Holyoke professor and author Joe Ellis as a way to get at this curious phenomenon. From New Mass Media

Golf was banned in England in 1457 because it was considered a distraction from the serious pursuit of archery.

Research Matters at Harvard University
In the laboratories at Harvard, researchers and scientists are "turning artifacts of the imagination into facts of life." This site offers a peek into these labs, and allows you to read about the research as it happens. It's divided into six categories -- Mind, Body, Society, Earth, Space, and Technology.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
--- Thomas Jefferson.

Ground Zero
With the Bush administration clamoring to start drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, it's important to examine the impact on wildlife as well as the effect on the region's native people. From Amicus Journal

Carrying Cash? You Must be a Crook
Civil libertarians are outraged over revelations that the DEA and other federal police agencies reward rail and air carriers who tip them off about cash-heavy customers. From Creative Loafing Atlanta

Margaret Higgins Sanger, the birth-control pioneer, was one of eleven children.

America's Atomic War Against its Citizens
Mutant babies, astronomical cancer rates, government cover-ups, and other equally scary facts have come to light--just as a new push is underway to build more nuclear power plants and scrap weapons treaties. From Boise Weekly

"I can levitate birds. No one cares."
--- Steven Wright

CounterPunch's Favorite 100 Nonfiction Books since 1900
In the summer heat, the thought of lounging with a book becomes even more appealing. Luckily, Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair from the sassy political newsletter Counter Punch have done it again, compiling a list that covers topics as diverse as expeditions to the South Pole, the history of sexuality, and linguistics. From CounterPunch

Australia's 'paper' currency is made from plastic. The special polymer is virtually uncounterfeitable and is recyclable.

Jorge Castaneda, Minister of Democracy
How does a man go from being a super-radicalized, left-leaning iconoclast to working for Vincente Fox, a Mexican cross between Ronald Reagan and Lee Iacocca? James E. Garcia explains why Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda is worth watching. From PoliticoMagazine

"Although difficult, in the end the chase was successful - we're having wild goose for supper."
--- Anon