1 NOW HE TELLS US A porn star who contracted several non-HIV STDs while working bareback has contracted the HIV virus, effectively shutting down the California porn industry. Now he says porn actors should always wear protection … (MSNBC)
2 PERSONALLY I THINK HE’S AN OPTIMIST The Decline of the American Empire, as recorded by a University of Wisconsin history prof. (TomDispatch)
3 ATLAS’S REPO MEN SHRUGGED A Virginia college dedicated to the teachings of Ayn Rand goes toes up … mostly because its business plan required funds from the federal government’s student loan program. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
4 WHO KNEW? The United States government celebrated World Press Freedom Day yesterday. God, how will The Onion spoof this? (Wonkette)
5 MAKING UP OUR OWN RULES China doesn’t like who got the Nobel Peace Prize this year, so it’s making its own peace prize. The first winner’s comment? Well, he wasn’t available for comment. (NPR)
6 CANADA WOULD LOOK LIKE AN A**HOLE, WHICH IS PAR FOR THE COURSE What could happen if China did a 180 in its climate change policy? They seem to be doing that in Cancun. Boy, would Canada and the US look stupid … (The Guardian via the Disaffected Lib)
And in a desperate attempt to cheer yourself up, here’s something by the latest project by Mick Jones (Clash, B.A.D.) and Tony James (Generation X, Sigue Sigue Sputnik), Carbon/Silicon.