Thursday evening roundup

Why do those crazy liberals go on about how pollution is a problem? I wonder if I tell my roommate about this, should he opt to go fishing in a stream, will he say "and??" Mercury is not made of corn.

Some perspective for those of us who fret over bad hair days.

Saints preserve us... or in this case, the Venezuelans.

A quick, global perspective on health care, and another wry, humorous one from Paul Krugman. Here's a long but interesting article about the French system. I'll excerpt the fabulous last paragraph:

Yet even the smallest budget moves are proving controversial. Local residents are up in arms over a cost-cutting measure that makes patients pay €1.10 an hour to park at the hospital. "It's a scandal," says retired local Communist politician Gérard Eude. "It goes against the very idea of universal health care."

The Labor Department is back.

Fascinating, must-read Freakonomics post on the value of protests.

I highly recommend last night's Daily Show in its entirety. And not just because I love Tim Gunn. At least check out the coverage of Barney Frank's town hall. Also check out Dionne's take on guns at town halls.