Watercooler Sensation

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Antarctica’s Giant New Sea Beasts

• When we say “Antarctica,” what’s the first thing you think of? Penguins? Us too. How about giant undiscovered sea beasts? Yeah...we didn’t either. Until now. [AP]
• The AP reports: “Scientists who conducted the most comprehensive survey to date of New Zealand’s Antarctic waters were surprised by the size of some specimens found.”
• What did the pioneering scientists find? We’re glad you asked! For starters, try a jellyfish with 12-foot tentacles and 2-foot-wide starfish.
• The 2,000-mile journey through the Ross Sea that ended Thursday has also potentially turned up several new species, including as many as eight new mollusks.
• Researchers also singled out the discovery of “fields” of sea lilies that stretched for hundreds of yards across the ocean floor.
• Cold temperatures, a small number of predators, high levels of oxygen in the sea water and even longevity could explain the size of some specimens, the scientists said
• The survey was part of the International Polar Year program involving 23 countries in 11 voyages to survey marine life and habitats around Antarctica. The program hopes to set benchmarks for determining the effects of global warming on Antarctica.

We smell a sci-fi thriller: “March of the GIANT DEADLY STARFISH.”

Bush Keeps Suffering Species Off The Endangered Species List

• Think it’s hard getting Hannah Montana tickets? Try getting on the endangered species list. [Washington Post]
• The Washington Post reports that over the past seven years, “Bush administration officials have made it substantially more difficult to designate domestic animals and plants for protection under the Endangered Species Act.”
• 59: The total number of species Bush’s Interior Department has added to the list over the past 7 years.
• 58 and 62: The number of species added to the list each year during the presidencies of George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton respectively.
• And it’s not like species aren’t in danger: “The Lake Sammamish kokanee, a landlocked sockeye salmon, went extinct in 2001 after being denied an emergency listing, and genetically pure Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits disappeared last year after Interior declined to protect critical habitat for the species.”
• The baddies: Bush appointees at the Department of the Interior who regularly “overruled rank-and-file agency scientists’ recommendations to list new species,” changed the way species are evaluated” and created “pervasive bureaucratic obstacles” to add species to the list.
• Douglas Krofta, a Bush appointee who heads the Endangered Species List program, told EPA scientists they “can use info from files that refutes petitions but not anything that supports"—meaning, the EPA could only use their research to keep species from the list, not help them get on.
• Since Dirk Kempthorne, Bush’s current pick to head the Interior Department, started two years ago, not one species has been added to the list.
• Why does the Bush administration block the additions? Why, opposition from their corporate cronies, of course: “Developers, farmers and other business interests frequently resist decisions on listing because they require a complex regulatory process that can make it difficult to develop land that is home to protected species.”

Someone’s got to stick up for biodiversity, though. Isn’t that the Interior Department’s job? Corporations don’t need tax-payer funded lawyers.

You’re Right. Momma Did Love Your Older Brother Best.

• You know the old stereotypes. The Oldest Child is the driven, over-achieving one, the middle child tries to catch up and the baby of the family turns out wild. Now it seems there may be some truth to the old myth. [ABC News]
• And you guessed it, it’s mom’s fault.
• According to a new study conducted by BrighamYoungUniversity, first-born children between the ages of 4 and 13 get up to 30% more quality time with mom and dad than the other kids.
• Here’s the math. That means that, during childhood, the eldest sibling racks up an extra 3,000 hours of conversation, ball-catching, playtime, meals and reading with the parents. Sorry, little sis.
• This can make a real difference, too. A Norwegian study last year showed first-born siblings have three IQ points over the next-born in the family, which can add 15 points to your SAT scores. Younger sibs are also more likely to be shorter and weigh less. [Time Magazine]
• Child psychologist Kevin Leman, author of “Birth Order”: “We devote all this time to the firstborn. Then, when other pups come along, it splits up the pie and everyone has to share.”
• There’s a downside to all this extra time with Mom & Dad – more time means more expectations and pressure to succeed. (But at least we get the most real estate in the old family photo albums.)

Quit complaining. As first-borns, we also had earlier curfews and had to wait until college to get our ears pierced.

By the Numbers

When confronted with the fact that most Americans are against the war in Iraq, Vice President Dick Cheney famously said… “So?” White House Spokesperson Dana Perino followed that comment up by saying, sure, Americans can make their opinions known to the President…every four years when they vote. According to a new study by WorldPublicOpinion.org, part of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland (just say “PIPA” if you want to stay in the know), Americans also want our elected officials to take us seriously when we talk to them through polls. [World Public Opinion]

81%

Americans who say elected officials “should pay attention to public opinion polls because this will help them get a sense of the public’s views.”

94%

Americans who *disagree* with the statement that “elections are the only time when the views of the people should have influence, or that also between elections leaders should consider the views of the people as they make decisions.”

83%

The number of Americans who say that the will of the people should have more influence on our leaders than it does.

Celebrities: Unfiltered

“I think it’s fabulous that I’ll be on the red carpet checking to see if anyone is a hot tranny mess. Watch out — you know I’ll be fierce with my comments.”

— Project Runway Season 4 winner Christian Siriano, on being offered a gig covering the (wait for it...wait for it...) Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards for TV tab Access Hollywood. [Jossip]

Speed Round

RADIO

The Washington Post looks into their crystal ball and sees radio in the new millennium. Here’s a hint: You’re the program director. Yeah, man, you. [Washington Post]

HARRY ALMOST WASN’T

In a new interview with a student mag in the UK, author JK Rowling admits that, before she wrote the Harry Potter books, she suffered from a crippling depression and even contemplated suicide. In fact, the book’s scariest characters, the Dementors, are based on her depression. [USA Today]

BURNED TOAST

“I’m half a bulimic – I eat a lot but I don’t throw up.” – British Trade Minister Lord Jones, in a speech to a group of (baffled) Arab business leaders. He followed that gem with, “We don’t care what colour you are, we don’t care if we can’t pronounce your names and we don’t care where your money comes from. We just want you to invest in our country.” [Daily Mail]

SADDEST. STORY. EVER.

A toddler died after a morbidly obese relative accidentally fell on him. Pretty good incentive to throw the rest of your Easter candy out and hit the gym tomorrow. [ABC News]

HIP, HIP, HIPPIE HOORAY!

Get out your tie-dye and take a spin in your old VW bus – the peace symbol turns 50 years old this week. Trivia: The symbol is based on naval code for the letter N – for “Nuclear” – and the letter D – for Disarmament. [CBS News]

NEWSFLASH

All that Easter candy you ate probably wasn’t good for swimsuit season. [Newsweek]

SPEAKING OF FATTENING...

KFC has announced that it will begin grilling chicken. The fast food chain will also be adding a new side dish to their menu: irony. [AP]

END OF AN ERA

“Those sturdy red telephone booths, a staple on Britain’s streets since the 1920s, may one day be like the Empire — just part of history. The iconic domed boxes are slowly disappearing.” [USA Today]

HUMAN-ANIMAL HYBRIDS

Centaurs may find refuge in the UK—Britain is set to OK human-animal hybrids. [BBC]

FAT TOO

Mexico, with a rising love of fast food, is now the world’s second fattest country, and it’s set to pass the good ol’ USA in 10 years if trends continue. [McClatchy]

THE FUTURE IS SAD

“Australian Man Uses Robot to Commit Suicide” [Live Science]

SUE NOW, WHILE YOU STILL HAVE THE CHANCE

Bad news: “with the FDA woefully underfunded in its key role of assuring the safety and effectiveness of foods and drugs, and with political ideologues in the agency pushing industry prerogatives, the White House and the courts may be on the verge of stripping Americans of the right to sue.” [Washington Independent]

BORING BUT IMPORTANT

A reading list to understand what the heck is going on with the economy. [Slate]