Frontline (the PBS investigative program) has an excellent set of information on the web about credit cards called The Secret History of the Credit Card. From the Eight things a credit card user should know to the quiz about credit cards, this is a fascinating site and I would encourage …

Many of you in the DC area have already heard about this, but as of January 12 at noon, WHFS, the radio station that has been bringing progressive/alternative rock to the DC area for 20+ years and the annual purveyor of the HFStival, has changed format to a Spanish-language …

Admittedly, I'm not one to jump on the latest food research bandwagon, but when it says eating Indian food might help fight Alzheimer's, I'm definitely in. An article from WebMD published today indicates that researchers at UCLA have just completed a study with the VA that shows the antioxidant benefits …

BBC News is hosting a forum where people can post first-person pictures and stories about the tsunami. There is some amazing stuff there.

According to an article from the New York Times, Chicago's murders numbered 447 in 2004 in comparison to 498 in 2003, an impressive 25% drop. This now seats them appropriately behind New York and Los Angeles (at 566 and 511 respectively). DC's count appears to be coming in around 193 …

Not to be outdone by its largest trading partner, Japan, the strongest democracy in Asia, has upped their donation pledge from US$30M to US$500M. The US made a similar maneuver earlier, increasing from US$35M to US$350M its pledged donation. According to an article from CNN, the …

I know that a lot of people are excited about giving money for the specific Tsunami relief funds around our most recent big natural disaster, but it's important to remember that the General Fund of your favorite charity might suffer due to specified giving. As an example, the Red Cross …

Thanks to Fark for the pointer to this important and timely story on news.com.au. NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence Command) has announced that Santa will receive a fighter escort when transiting controlled airspace this upcoming Christmas Eve.

OK, I'm far from impartial when it comes to Chicago, the city of my birth and the city upon whose outskirts I spent many of my most formative years. But, it's always nice when people outside of Chicago notice its wonder and promise, and here is a nice article from …

I have to admit that when I saw this on slashdot, I thought somebody was just being silly. However, the Cooking For Engineers site actually does have some interesting concepts that it puts into practice. For one thing, check out the innovative visual recipe style and the chemical explanation of …

The Population Reference Bureau has released this years report, 2004 World Population Data Sheet (PDF). There is also summary on the web., which goes over some of the important data, such as the current AIDS/HIV infection rates (up to 38.8% in Swaziland) and projections for the world's population …

Thanks to an article from the Christian Science Monitor, I was pointed to a new feature on the National Geographic web site which is intended to be a companion piece to the new IMAX film Forces of Nature The site is an exceptional use of Macromedia's Flash technology for educational …

An article from BBC News cites a study conducted in the US and published in the journal Neurology, that indicates (although not conclusively) that people who perform more challenging mental tasks later in life ward off the dreaded disease. Looks like even mental exercise is good for you.

With the launch of McDonald's Go Active Meals in the UK, the Sun reports that it would take a walk of nearly 10 miles to walk off a Big Mac Meal (including fries and a shake), as it weighs in at over 1400 calories. Additional nutritional info can be found …

A&E, the once-venerable home of Arts and Entertainment, turned recently more crime and punishment, is going off the deep end with tonight's premier of Growing Up Gotti. That's right, "reality" TV about the daughter of John Gotti... you know the mobster. The Scotsman has an article about the show …

An article from the Washington Post today tells us that Bob Edwards, nearly-25-year host of NPR's Morning Edition, will be back on the air this October. But, not with NPR. NPR itself is carrying an article about his departure and subsequent arrival at XM Radio for a new show slated …

The famous 16th-century bridge at Mostar, destroyed during the war in former Yugoslavia, has been rebuilt and opens today. BBC News reports (with pictures) about the reopening and its meaning to a city with a history of multi-ethnic occupation and turmoil. Even with the sordid history, it's good to see …

An interesting article in VeloNews about failures of technology in the 2004 Tour de France. Of particular interest is the speculation that the large crash in stage 6 may have been caused by a faulty handlebar.

The big financial news yesterday was Microsoft's announcement that they would be spending billions on a stock buy-back and dividend program. An additional piece of information from CNet this morning indicates that Bill Gates will be donating $3B of his booty to The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, his charity …

I just about died laughing when I read this article from WKYT (the local CBS affiliate in Lexington, KY. For those who don't know, the state of Kentucky has an absolutely awful license plate containing a smiling sun. Well, the American License Plate Collector's Association has given the plate its …