MTV desperately trying to distance themselves from the one thing that made their video awards show watchable in years.

China planning to relax their “one child” rule, citing the need for more children to care for an aging populace. Yes, somehow the Boomers have messed up China’s population demographics as well.

Judge rules “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” anti-gay military policy to be unconstitutional, also cites “direct and deleterious effect” on military preparedness. Anti-gay groups respond with their usual mix of nonsense.

Makers of those annoying games that clutter up your Facebook have allegedly found other people’s ideas on their farm.

Scientists determine which dance moves make men most attractive to women. Strangely, the “Employed Man Who Owns His Own House And Is Looking For A Commitment Shuffle” not included in their list.

Music videos enjoying a resurgence on the internet, where people can see just the videos they want, as many times as they want, with few to no ads and absolutely no Carson Dalys or Kennedys.

Mark David Chapman denied parole once again. McCartney’s murderer/doppelganger still at large.

Changes in how a search engine works apparently news.

Further Reading
The British Tabloid Phone-Hacking Scandal
What the officer and the minister said about hacking…and what they didn’t.

Millionaires spending billions of dollars of their own money to get elected to public offices that pay them less than they’re spending to get elected. Apparently in this economy doing it yourself instead of hiring someone to do it for you even applies to buying politicians.

Low doses of hallucinogens help cancer patients. Patients treated with psilocybin reported much lower anxiety levels, but higher levels of really looking at their hands.

(from this auction)

Your kitchen is filthy and disgusting.

Experts concerned that delaying kindergarten keeps children out of the work force for too long. Which is the only possible reason anyone should care about school.

If it’s “Cheers,” you’re cool. You did OK. If it’s “Regards,” you pissed somebody off, and you better figure out how to fix things, quick.

We apply those same tenets here, every week.

CHEERS to the AP and New York Times for their new policies on attribution and anonymous sources, respectively. As the largest news organization in the world, it’s good that the AP is making a concerted effort to give credit to other news sources — be they in print or online — who originate a story. Likewise, the Times is right to ditch phrases like “he/she was not authorized to speak” for more specific reasons as to why sources are total pussies.

REGARDS to the Deseret News in Salt Lake City for publishing a PR guy’s column without identifying him as a PR guy. The byline simply said “Michael Purdy: Special to the Deseret News” even though Purdy is spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

CHEERS to New York University Professor Jay Rosen for saying, in no uncertain terms, that the current print-driven newspaper business model is unsustainable. He sees no evidence that young people “picking up the print habit” because there is none.

REGARDS to The Economist‘s Democracy in America blog for moving on with its prepared line of questioning rather than pressing Rosen to suggest some ways newspapers could conceivably sustain themselves without relying on print advertising.

CHEERS to Knoxville News Sentinel editor Jack McElroy for questioning why one of his reporters got preferential treatment. University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley “rewarded” six reporters, including one from the News Sentinel, by inviting them to (thereby barring others from) a mock game. Here’s hoping McElroy will take it to the next level next time Dooley looks to reward certain reporters by pulling his reporter out unless everyone gets access.

REGARDS to Washington Post columnist Mike Wise for posting a made-up story on Twitter about Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the sake of proving an apparent point. That point? That “anybody will print anything.” The sound you’re now hearing is my brain tying itself into a knot. (A mini-cheers to the Post for suspending Wise over essentially fabricating a story.)