* ScarySpace: “The Republican National Committee set up MyGOP as a next-generation social networking and team leading site. This was going to be the Republican entryway into the small-dollar donation phenomenon. Grassroots supporters could set up house parties to raise money for the RNC [and the] top 5 fundraisers would win, no lie, a ‘special Republican edition’ iPod. I think that means that no songs with the words ‘gay’ or ‘Constitution’ will load on it.” [Direct Democracy]

* HIV airline tax begins in France: “France’s new tax on airline tickets to raise money for global AIDS programs began on Saturday. The funds raised from the tax will be donated to UNITAID, an initiative aimed at providing treatment for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria patients in poor nations. The French tax is expected to raise as much as $256 million each year for UNITAID. [Thirteen other nations] plan to launch similar airline taxes in the coming months. The Bush administration and U.S.-based airlines are opposed to the tax.” [The Advocate]

* The Onion, America’s favorite parody newspaper, is doing a retrospective of its funniest stories from 1999. Check out our favorite story from 1999. It’ll make you laugh out loud. (Not necessarily safe for work.)

* Remember how your mom always turned up the lights when you read because she said it’d ruin your eyesight to read in the dark? Well, yo mama was wrong. “According to most ophthalmologists, while reading in the dark might strain your eyes and give you a headache, the notion that it can cause lasting damage is wrong. Most people can expect to experience some decline in their vision as they age, and genetic research shows that it is family history above all else that determines to what extent your vision will weaken.” [The New York Times]