More turkey leftovers

The green bean casserole isn’t getting off so easy: Adhering to a tradition started by President George H.W. Bush, President Barack Obama pardoned a rather pampered turkey named Courage during a White House ceremony Wednesday.

Obama not only pardoned the bird, he appointed it as his new poultry czar and tasked it with revitalizing the nation’s supply of recipes for turkey leftovers.

  • Turkey in the test tube: Scientists at two U.S. universities have won a federal grant to map the DNA of the domesticated turkey, a process that could one day lead to genetic engineering of the bird.

    Scientists said the first genetic improvement they plan to work on is a turkey hatched with the pop-up thermometer already embedded in it.

  • What about walking and chewing gum? Researchers in Illinois say their recent study shows people who talk on cell phones while walking are more distracted and don’t look around as much as people not using cell phones.

    Perhaps, in the interest of safety, what we should do is set up a series of booths in every city, helpfully marked with a telephone logo, where people can talk on phones in a protected environment.

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