“Astroboffins are warning that a mighty ‘eruption’ of superhot plasma has been blasted out of the Sun directly at the Earth. The plasma cloud is expected to reach Earth beginning [Wednesday], possibly causing strange phenomena…”

To: Utah Freak Senatorial Candidate dba Nojo
From: Stinque Office of Quality Control
Re: Proposed Wednesday-morning post

Dear Sir, Madam, or Hamster,

We have received your draft, “Ten Unusual Things Caused by Sunspots,” and are returning it because it does not meet our editorial standards.

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A friend turned me on to this website – tells you whether the food you have sitting around is good or bad. Very comprehensive. [stilltasty.com]

He’s back:

The Good News: Warner Bros. is pumping out three new Road Runner cartoons!

We still don’t know whether the new Looney Tunes Show for Cartoon Network will meet our lofty expectations, but I was invited to a screening this past week to preview the three new CGI Road Runner-Coyote shorts for theatrical release — and my verdict is in: They’re terrific!

The Uncertain News: Ummm, CGI? We learned our deadpan timing on Road Runner, and a big part of the charm of the classic Chuck Jones shorts is their distinctive drawing style. We’ll withhold kneejerk judgment, however, while you taste a clip of the new stuff at the link below.

Looney Tunes exclusive clip: Coyote Falls [Cartoon Brew, via Daring Fireball]

The Official Papal Visit Store is now online for your last-minute sacramental shopping:

Pope baseball caps, pope key-rings, pope tote bags, beatification T-shirts and more went on sale Tuesday, as the official online store for Benedict XVI’s visit to England and Scotland opened.

Papalvisitstore.com stocks about three dozen items, including customizable T-shirts (20 British pounds, or about $32) and the official souvenir program (10 pounds, or about $16).

Shown here is the “Icon two fold Bespoke with Pope Benedict XVI’s prayer and image. Gilded event logo on the front,” classified under “Religious Artifacts”. Yours for only seven quid! (Version without Benedict frightening the bejesus out of you: eight quid.)

Pope shop opens ahead of Benedict’s British visit [CNN, via PourMeCoffee]

Manchester, Connecticut: “A warehouse driver who was asked to resign his job at a beer distributor went on a shooting rampage Tuesday morning that left nine people dead, including himself, and others wounded, company and government officials said.” [Salon/AP]

No, that’s not the rates paid by Eliot Spitzer and David Vitter for female companionship and diapering, that’s how much Meg Whitman spent on her campaign for California Governor from May 23 to June 30, according to campaign disclosure reports filed with the state on Monday.  That works out to $531,378 spent per day. She’s cranked it up from May when she was only spending $138,828.63 per day.  Whitman has now spent $99.7 million on the race since January 1, 2010.  $91 million of it is her own money.

Attorney General Moonbeam has only spent $377,000 since January 1, 2010.  That’s one fourth of what Whitman has spent on chartered jets and travel for herself, her family, and her staff, and one-twenty-fifth of what she has spent on campaign consultants.

Your Stinque.com breakdown of the data (since there are no “real” reporters left who would do this): Read more »