Hot off the Press: Start 'em young edition

"Politics Seen to Limit E.P.A. as It Sets Rules for Natural Gas": http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/us/04gas.html.

"Louisiana’s biggest corporate players, many with long agendas before the state government, are restricted in making campaign contributions to Gov. Bobby Jindal. But they can give whatever they like to the foundation set up by his wife months after he took office": http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/us/politics/03jindal.html.

Fish and Wildlife Service have declared the eastern cougar extinct, but are unsure if it ever was technically a separate species from the western cougar: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/science/earth/03cougar.html.

Despite being approved by 63 percent of voters last November, 53 percent of Iowans oppose the sales tax that would fund Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110303/NEWS/103030347/Iowa-Poll-53-oppose-sales-tax-hike-for-conservation-trust-fund. So is the "we want this, but don't want to pay for it" California mentality infecting the rest of the country, including my beloved Iowa? I am leaning toward a "yes" on that.

Iowa's House Republicans are at it again (yuck yuck yuck). Or maybe the state media is. Anyway, a handful of them are still mulling the impeachment of the four remaining Supreme Court Justices: http://thegazette.com/2011/03/04/lawmakers-draft-impeachment-papers-for-iowa-supreme-court-justices/. What's next? Are they going to organize squads of brownshirts to harass the justices to resign and keep same-sex couples from getting marriage licenses?

For men born between 1979 and 1987 — which would include yours truly and his crew — sperm counts are lower and rates of testicular cancer are higher, which the Finnish researchers attribute to man-made chemicals affecting fetal testicular development: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12634109.

Turkey has blocked service to Blogspot because a satellite TV company discovered bloggers were streaming Turkish Super League soccer games on their blogs: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12639279.

The LAT is applauding the Los Angeles City Council's approval of a bicycle master plan that would quadruple the mileage of bikeways in the city: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-bikeplan-20110304,0,2967592.story. Just as LA once had the world's best mass transit system, I think the City of Angels should become a model for a transition away from the auto-centric transportation system is has come to embody.

A secretive space plane launched last Friday by the US Air Force has domestic and foreign military analysts curious about its purpose: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-space-plane-20110304,0,2891507.story.