Thanks to the miracle of television, we can sit back and watch the tape-delayed Winter Olympics, in which all the events happened hours before and the NBC choreography is about as honest as (depending on your world view) professional wrestling or professional politics. But that’s not the real scandal, of course. The real scandal is that if the climate change people are right, we may not have a Winter Olympics. The wonderfully rugged snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains are snow-capped, in part, because of 16 million cubic feet of snow that were stored under insulated blankets. And according to a study by climatologist Daniel Scott, of the 19 Winter Olympic sites to date, only 10 would be cold enough by 2050 to have a Winter Olympics. And by 2100, only six. It’s something you might want to think about on your next ski trip.
The end of snow? Via the New York Times.
Missouri All-American defensive lineman Michael Sam reveals that he is gay, just before NFL draft, via ESPN.
The eagle has landed. How the story of Michael Sam coming out as a gay man came out, via Outsports.
More gun-law repeal hearings at the statehouse today. This time on limits on magazines of more than 15 rounds. The expectation is that the bill will die in committee. The question is whether the hearings will be as loud as they were last year or as surprisingly quiet as the Senate hearing last week. Via Fox 31 News.
The Coke ad and why Latinos know – as if they didn’t already – that they’re not welcome to the GOP party. Via Michael Gerson.
A poll of Catholics around the world shows that Catholics around the world don’t necessarily agree with the church teachings. Via the Washington Post.
From the right-wing media file: Plan B emergency contraception is confusing to Weld County commissioners, who banned it at county clinics because they wrongly believe it’s an abortifacient. That’s sad but not surprising. More disturbing: Why are pharmacists across the country confused about the legal rules outlining the sale of Plan B? It’s a misinformation epidemic.
George Packer notes that thanks to Amazon, words are cheap. But, he asks, is it good for books? Bet you know the answer. Via the New Yorker.
[ Image by Galina> ]
