Egyptian General Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, who's sort of running things there at the moment, is flummoxed the US isn't doing more for his cause, which to date has involved the deaths of at least 140 supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi. It's worth mentioning that US law prohibits humanitarian aid to countries where a democratically elected leader's been overthrown in a military coup. That doesn't seem likely to stop the Obama administration, right or wrong, from offering help.

Worldwide travelers should be on alert, the US says, darkly warning new threats it's picked up from al-Qaeda are "more specific" than other communiques. Intelligence officials, of course, aren't offering many specifics themselves. Their message, basically: If you're traveling, or even really just taking the train in your city, something could go down. Helpful. The last worldwide travel alert was in October 2011.

You know those rage zombies in 28 Days Later? That's us, as the planet continues its miserable trundling toward ever-more-bizarre climate conditions. (Though, hey, this winter wasn't so bad, eh?) So says the journal Science.

Congress is on its August break. That's not as different from the rest of the year as you might suspect.

Here's as good a signal as any—in a week that already included mass layoffs—just how badly the newspaper industry is on the skids (and, yes, we don't really need further signals. I know). The New York Times Company bought the venerable Boston Globe 20 years ago for $1.1 billion. It's agreed to sell the paper for $70 million. DAY-um, as they say.

A New York City woman is robbed of her bird at gunpoint, and the NYT writes a really dumb headline.

Did Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe rig his latest landslide election to the post? Totally possible.

You probably don't remember Greg Oden, right? He's the tall-ish guy the Trail Blazers picked number one in the 2007 NBA draft (ahead of now-NBA superstar Kevin Durant) to lead the team to greatness. The reason you don't know that is because it turned out he didn't own a pair of functioning legs. Now he's going to play for the Miami Heat?

Ugh. I'm going to write this and then I'm going to hate myself. Just know that I know.... Gay marriage? That's so Raven!

Everyone buy a Powerball ticket. It's your week.

Glum mornings lately, right? Well buck up! It gets better.

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Steve linked to this video yesterday on Blogtown and I'd never seen it and now it's one of my favorite things.