Extras
The Straight Dope by Cecil Adams, crossword by Matt Jones, News of The Weird
Why haven’t tabloids been sued out of business?
In order to win a libel suit against a news organization, public figures have to demonstrate that the offending party acted with “actual malice,” which is not a Tom Clancy novel but rather a standard set by the Supreme Court’s 1964 decision in New York Times v. Sullivan: they must show that the defendant knew for sure that the offending information was false, and published it anyway.
Why not nuclear-powered cruise ships?
Crew members on military nuclear ships, safe though they may be, wear dosimeters at all times, just in case—hardly a reassuring sight for your typical Caribbean vacationers, I’d imagine.
If the sun goes out, how long till the earth freezes?
What might conceivably produce such an effect here on earth?
Cannibalism–yea or nay?
We can eat other human beings, provided we’re not murdering them, provided they’ve granted some kind of premortem consent, etc. Should we?
Does the umbrella represent political weakness?
By contrast, the Cuban Umbrella Incident didn’t raise many eyebrows—besides yours, I mean—at home