by Joshua L. Durkin
from HatCityHoppers

The writer and his Tripel.

The brew line River Horse, out of Lambertville, New Jersey, impressed me with every selection I tried when I first became aware of them—except for their winter selection a couple years ago—and gave me the idea that they know what they’re doing.

The Tripel Horse, their Belgian-style ale with spices, is no exception.

At 10% alcohol by volume (abv), the Tripel Horse lives up to the style it mimics. Tripels, otherwise known as strong pale ales, were made popular by Trappist monks.

by Amanda Bloom

Photo courtesy of lakejamesphotography.com.

Expressions of Humankind, a Swedish non-profit foundation supporting photography and writing-focused research and education, is asking the world to take a photograph on Tuesday, May 15 as a part of it's "A Day" project.

A Day is to be a global effort aiming to capture an ordinary day of life on Earth. Some photographs will be selected for books and digital exhibitions. All of the images will be displayed online and "saved for future research and inspiration."

by Ron Winter

A 1990 issue of TIME magazine exploring one's right to die.

In April, Connecticut officially abolished the death penalty for people convicted of murder, making it the 17th U.S. state to do so, even though a majority of state residents wanted to keep it intact. But as one class of residents gets a reprieve, another class may be vulnerable to continuing efforts across the country to deprive them of life, quite possibly without their knowledge or consent.

by George Gombossy

If you got sucked into buying a pair of Skechers Toning Shoes believing that they would help you lose weight, strengthen and tone your buttocks, legs and abdominal muscles, you can get a refund, courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC announced today that Skechers USA, Inc. has agreed to pay $40 million to settle charges that the company deceived consumers by making unfounded claims that Shape-ups would help people lose weight, and strengthen and tone their buttocks, legs and abdominal muscles.

Calculated by Kyle Jeremy Neidig

Photograph by Kyle Jeremy Neidig.

Your weekly astrological outlook.

"Believe in who you are, because what we have inside comprises our primary thought process."

by Sarah Cummings
from The Echo

Danbury's Western Connecticut State University (WestConn) holds several blood drives a year in conjunction with the American Red Cross. Each blood drive has a relatively good turnout of students, faculty, staff and local residents eager to donate to the cause.

Every time WestConn hosts a blood drive, a group of students are refused, and for what legitimate reason?

The American Red Cross website has a long list of eligibility requirements for blood donations. These criteria are given to them from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Under the HIV/AIDS column of this list, it is stated that “males who have had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977” are ineligible. It also states that a woman who has had sexual contact with a man who has had sexual contact with another man is also ineligible.