LOTD for December 7

The Federal Government has spent billions of dollars over the years to buy 112,000 alternative-fuel vehicles…but due to a shortage of suppliers of alternative fuels, those “green” cars are powered by standard gasoline 92% of the time!
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/11/24/gas_powers_most_of_governments_flex_fuel_vehicles/

This is a great idea–woman got the first new organ that was built out of her own stem cells. Because the organ is from her own stem cells, it matched her DNA and was not rejected by her body. She doesn’t need immunosuppressant drugs, which avoids that long-term therapy that currently has to be used to prevent the immune system from attacking a new organ:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5183686.ece

Study found that happy people spend less time watching TV than sad people. Happy people also spend more time socializing, reading, and participating in religious activities:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/22/AR2008112201985.html

This statistic really surprised me–the policies of pro-choice Pres. Clinton resulted in about a 50% faster fall in the abortion rate than it did under the pro-life Pres. George W. Bush:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.catholics16nov16,0,1894003.story

Study found that all the time teenagers spend on the Internet is actually training them for their future–Facebook, IMing, texting are skills that will be considered essential:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/us/20internet.html?hp

Study found that about a third of patients diagnosed with asthma actually didn’t have the illness! Their doctors apparently assumed they had asthma and didn’t conduct key tests that would confirm or reject the asthma diagnosis:
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/11/17/nearly-1-in-3–asthma-cases-may-be-misdiagnosed.html

The Albuquerque Police Department is advertising in the classified ads for people who hang out for criminals and want to inform on them to the police. They pay $50 for information on a drug dealer and $700 for information on a murderer:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/newmexico/ci_11053463

In a short period of time this man in Kansas won a “Bon Jovi Special Edition” Saturn Outlook, a Mitsubishi Lancer (he took the money instead of the car since he wants to keep the Saturn instead…nice to win two cars and have the choice!), and Kansas City Chiefs tickets!
http://www.kare11.com/news/whatsup/whatsup_article.aspx?storyid=530253&catid=333

Canada’s Supreme Court ruled that obese people are disabled, so they get two airplane seats when they pay for one!
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE4AJ8G020081120

Chinese college student thought that the panda was so cute he climbed the zoo’s fence to give him a hug…the panda was not amused and bit the student multiple times before he was rescued:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/22/panda.bites.man.china.ap/