A big one today, with more coming. High-frequency communications, low-frequency navigation systems, and electric power systems may be affected.

An Australian company says test results of its lotion, which delivers testosterone through the skin, are positive.

In the U.S., four to five million men have hypogonadism, which is characterized by depression, lethargy, and low libido.

It got away from the back of a moving pickup truck, and was later found in a residence. Then it was taken to a pet store in Tennessee. As officials were transporting it back to Kentucky, it wandered off again.

Another region plagued by frequent, small earthquakes is northern Algeria, which gets 40 - 50 each month.

End of the day here. Time for a monster sighting, if one is to be had.

Out of Texas comes a story about a creature that has been killing chickens with great ease and little mess. Lots of chickens.

An 89-year old resident was unable to trap it, but managed to shoot it. He took pictures before throwing the animal away. (Wait a minute. Who would throw something mysterious away? Couldn’t he have frozen it?)

He showed a picture to a vet, who said he’d seen something like it before.

Was it a chupacabra? The local paper says it’s a coyote with mange.

Darn.

Veteran fishermen say there will be, based on what they see daily. Others note that there are more people in the water now, which raises the risk of an attack. A former professional diver (he quit after meeting up with a shark) thinks that sharks are becoming used to the presence of boats and humans, and will keep coming closer to shore.

Sales are up 8.6% for the year, as prices for computers and internet service providers come down.

Another alligator or alligator-like repile has been spotted in a flood control channel near Lake Machado, where Reggie still resides.

Bewildered and frustrated city officials are still looking for a crew that can capture Reggie, who has eluded pursuers for weeks.

Kai-Fu Lee, the former Microsoft executive that Bill Gates does not want Google to hire, details the reasons he wanted to leave. He recounts a meeting in which Gates yelled at him, and used the f-word when referring to Microsoft’s relationship with the Chinese government.

Thinner than a pencil, holds up to three days of music. Very tempting.

Stories from fliers skilled and unskilled.

Some of the usual suspects plus a few surprises. Lucky kids.

Markets looking a little more lively.

From Briefing.com via Reuters.

An image from 2001. More information here.

Brumas was snowy white when he went out. Bright pink when he returned. After his anxious owners took him to the vet, who ruled out a toxic reason, the mystery remains.

Yes, there’s a picture.

Maybe he just came to that point in his life where you just have to change something.

Half the country is below sea level. In 1953, the famous dikes crumbled as a furious storm lashed at sea wall defenses. 70,000 were evacuated, and 2,000 died.

Their answer includes the linking of offshore islands with dams and sea walls, which reduces the amount of coastline subject to storm surges. The dikes were raised to 40 feet, and a system of floodgates were built.

American engineers acknowledge that much can be learned from the Netherlands solution.

Dow and Nasdaq rise, if only briefly.

After accusations from the French regarding the possible use of performace-boosting substances, Lance thinks a comeback is the best way to silence his critics once and for all.

One of the engineers is possibly the last person to have spoken with the pilot of the doomed plane, who reported that there was some problem with the air conditioning seven minutes into the flight. The engineer earlier told police that the pilot was ‘difficult to understand’.

Eastern equine encephalitis is a mosquito-borne illness that can result in flu-like symptoms or inflammation of the brain, coma, and death.

Since 1964, there have been only 200 confirmed cases in the U.S.

As part of a global effort to assist the Katrina evacuees, the UK offers half a million ready-to-eat meals. These have enough calories to sustain the typical soldier for one day - about 4000 calories, and could last one evacuee two days, if necessary.

A journalist reviews the contents, which include onion soup, chocolate, curried lamb, and chicken.