1/8 Morning Communiqué

THESE DAYS

Men who father daughters, not sons, may be at a greater risk of developing prostate cancer, Israeli researchers have said.

U.S.-owned hotel chains in Sweden are turning away official delegations from Cuba because of the American Helms-Burton Act.

Pakistani eunuchs have demanded that they be allowed to play a role in national politics through reserved seats at all legislative forums.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Meghan blogs about toilet seat hoverers, ugly patriotic t-shirt contests, and fear of terra cotta at My Dog Harriet.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The Five Smallest Countries in the World

The losers have been announced for the 2006 Darwin Awards

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"I never heard of a place limiting dog licenses. It sounds a little European."

— Stephan Otto, a lawyer and legislative director for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, on the Alta, Utah, ordinance restricting the number of dogs to 12 percent of the human population