Hot links from the World Wide Intertubes:
- Next week on “CSI:” In what is apparently a worldwide first, police in Australia have solved a cold case robbery by matching blood taken from an engorged leech. A fat, slimy leech was found at the scene of the crime, and matched seven years later to the blood of the alleged robber. For the full, fascinating, creepy story, click here.
- The California Department of Transportation notes that it’s now state law that motorists slow down and move over to another lane, if it can be done safely, whenever they pass a CalTrans vehicle with flashing yellow lights. I thought this was just common sense, but now it’s law. More here.
- Worse and Worse: The New York Times is the latest newspaper to announce newsroom layoffs because of economic hard times. The Times had mostly avoided layoffs among its 1,250-person editorial staff, tightening the belt in other areas, but the newspaper nows says it’s letting 100 people go. More here.
- Raley’s has recalled Del Monte cantaloupes sold in Northern California because they’re tainted with salmonella. No one has been reported sick, so maybe they caught ’em in time. For more info, click here.
- Revelers on a “Philip Roth Tour” of Newark, NJ, recently were surprised to find the author himself taking the bus tour, which visits sites mentioned in Roth’s splendid novels. Nice writeup here.
- Speaking of books, if you like to give best-sellers as gifts, it’s time to do your Christmas shopping. Target has joined an online price war already being pitched by Amazon and Wal-Mart, which are selling big-name authors’ latest hardcovers for around $9. More here.
- A new theory suggests that the giant space rock that killed off the dinosaurs might’ve landed in India, not in the Yucatan area of Mexico, as most scientists believe. Skeptics abound. Full story here.
Tips appreciated: Send news tidbits to steveb.anewscafe@gmail.com.
