A 15-year-old math prodigy is set to become the youngest undergraduate at the University of Cambridge since 1773. Arran Fernandez, who was home-schooled in Surrey, England, says his goal is to solve the Riemann hypothesis -- a theory about the patterns of prime numbers which has baffled the greatest mathematicians for 150 years.
A place to discuss the stories that aren't making news, ask questions, complain bitterly about this site and its members, or just screw around. The only rule: Be nice or be funny.
Palm Beach billionaire Jeff Greene accused the Miami Herald and St. Petersburg Times in a libel lawsuit filed Wednesday of orchestrating a "plan to assassinate [his] character" that cost him the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in Florida.
Abigail Disney, the granddaughter of Walt Disney, defends the estate tax in a USA Today opinion piece. "In a far stricter tax environment, my grandfather still managed to accumulate and pass on ample funds to make three subsequent generations very comfortable indeed," she writes. "And as an inheritor I am here to tell you, the estate tax is not as much of a bogeyman as you've been led to believe." read more
Texas chef Mark Zable has invented deep-fried beer and will unveil it at the state fair. The beer is placed in a pocket of salty, pretzel-like dough and then dunked in oil at 375 degrees for about 20 seconds, a short enough time for the confection to remain alcoholic. "It tastes like you took a bite of hot pretzel dough and then took a drink of beer," he said.
Justice Department civil rights lawyers filed suit against Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona on Thursday after talks collapsed on a deal to provide federal investigators with documents they requested. The suit, filed in federal court in Phoenix, claims the Maricopa County sheriff has failed to cooperate with the investigation into alleged discrimination against Hispanics by Arpaio's law enforcement officials. read more
Froma Harrop: Clarence the angel has a tough job in It's a Wonderful Life. He must show the suicidal George Bailey what terrible things would have happened had he not been born. Two prominent economists are playing Clarence to the multitudes who believe that forceful government intervention during the financial meltdown should never have been. ... How fortunate for us all that the tea party wasn't running Washington.
The Democrats are likely to lose 47 seats and control of the House of Representatives in November's elections, political analyst Larry Sabato says in a new forecast Thursday. "The numbers are eye-catching. Republicans are dramatically gaining in all categories," Sabato said. "It's generated by a rotten economy and a strong conservative reaction against President Obama."
A principal in Australia has asked students to stop using the word "gay" in the song "Kookaburra," changing one line to "fun your life must be." "All I was doing, relatively innocently, was substituting one word because I knew if we sing 'Gay your life must be' the kids will roll around the floor in fits of laughter," said Garry Martin, principal of Le Page Primary School.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expected to address Palestinian President Abbas in a speech before dinner with heads of state and tell him "every peace begins with leaders." read more
Newsweek: How about this for a tax plan: cut most people's taxes by half, eliminate the need to file returns, and provide the Treasury with a better way to reduce the deficit. Sound impossible? It's not. read more
Washington Post columnist Matt Miller, unlike many pundits who backed the Iraq war in 2003, is admitting that he made a mistake. "I blew it," Miller writes. "If I'd known beforehand that Hussein did not possess weapons of mass destruction, I would not have supported the war."
Salon.Com: Almost 50 years ago, the GOP embraced the backlash generated by civil rights among white Southerners ... It's an inconvenient story for today's GOP, which uses cultural, racial and ethnic wedge issues to keep its base in line -- but also needs less conservative suburbanites across the country to compete in national elections. It's particularly inconvenient for Mississippi governor Haley Barbour, who aspires to run as the GOP nominee against the nation's first black president. So Barbour's invented his own sanitized, suburb-friendly version of history -- andit's utter nonsense. read more
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) gave an opening statement in a debate Wednesday night against challenger Terry Goddard (D) that was so awkward it's making news. "I have ... done so much and I just cannot believe that we have changed everything since I've become your governor in the last 600 days," Brewer said. "We have cut the budget, we have balanced the budget and we are moving forward. We have done everything that we could possibly do," the governor paused for a 10 seconds -- an eternity in a live televised debate -- before looking down at her notes. read more
Asked this week if he wanted to run for president, former UN ambassador John Bolton wouldn't rule out the possibility. "You know, as somebody who writes op-eds and appears on the television, I appreciate as well as anybody that ... there is a limit to what that accomplishes," he said. "I'm not saying 'no'."
In a new memoir Dirty Sexy Politics, Sen. John McCain's daughter Meghan admits stealing Mitt Romney yard signs during the 2008 presidential campaign. "[J]ust as we had pulled over and I had shoved a ton of Romney signs into our trunk, another car pulled up and blocked us. A super-dorky guy in a suit leaped out of his car. He was pissed as hell. 'What campaign are you with?' he yelled. 'Giuliani,' we said." read more
