Another Birthday

Saturday, Robb took me to Thai Spice where we had a fantastic dinner to commemorate my birthday. My birthday was really Thursday, but for reasons I no longer remember, we decided to go on Saturday. I don't really care that much about my birthday. To me, it's just another day and nothing special. The only one I thought would be special, the 21st, was so disappointing. I'm not sure what I expected to happen, but I had this thought in the back of my mind that it would be super magical. It wasn't.

And yet, the richest country in the world can't do it. A Dirt-Poor Nation, With a Health Plan.

More hope for genetic fix for HIV. Genetically modifying the stem cells of HIV patients may one day prove to be an effective, one-time therapy against the hard-to-kill virus, according to the results of a proof-of-principle trial published this week in Science Translational Medicine.

This is hilarious. If you've ever been to France, you'll be nodding your head in agreement. Should I Move to France? (28 Questions to Ask Yourself)

The Hidden Wealth of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church in Germany, already struggling to cope with the sex abuse scandal, has been hit by revelations of theft, opaque accounting and extravagance. While the grassroots faithful are being forced to make cutbacks, some bishops enjoy the trappings of the church's considerable hidden wealth.

Barcelona bans burkas in public buildings. Barcelona has become the first big city in Spain to forbid full face veils in public buildings such as markets and libraries.

What's wrong with the sun? Sunspots come and go, but recently they have mostly gone. For centuries, astronomers have recorded when these dark blemishes on the solar surface emerge, only for them to fade away again after a few days, weeks or months. Thanks to their efforts, we know that sunspot numbers ebb and flow in cycles lasting about 11 years.

Six new planets discovered. An international team, including Oxford University scientists, has discovered six diverse new planets, from 'shrunken-Saturns' to 'bloated hot Jupiters', as well a rare brown dwarf with 60 times the mass of Jupiter.

Don't miss the Mondrian-inspired cake *interior* at Cake Wrecks; it'll blow your mind! Scroll down, it's about the fifth or sixth cake.

A lawyer, a salesman and a banker had gathered by a coffin containing the body of an old friend.

In grief, one of the three said, "In our family, we have a custom of giving the dead some money, so they'll have something to spend in heaven."

They all agreed that the custom was quite appropriate.

The salesman dropped a hundred dollar bill into the casket, and the banker did the same.

The lawyer took out the two bills and wrote a check for $300.

À la prochaine, mes amis