The extinct Seismosaurus is not the hands-down King of Monsters we thought he was, say scientists who reappraised fossils of the dino.  No, we don't have a complete skeleton to lay out skull-to-tailbone and measure with a tape.  Paleontologists only have isolated bones of many extinct creatures, Seismosaurus being one of those, and so "facts" about the animals are often based on educated guesses.  And even experts disagree.  An educated guess is just that--a guess made by an expert who has his own opinion.  The Seismosaurus, formally 170 feet long, has been reduced to a still-impressive 110.  But percentage-wise, that's like reducing a 6' man to 3' 10".

Why are U.S. male farmers twice as likely as the general population to commit suicide? this article wonders.  Could it be tobacco?    The loneliness of farmlife? Michael R. Rosmann offers a perspective in this pdf file, complete with statistics.  The report shows that, among men, suicide rate increases the more rural a county is.  Although farming is, in Rosmann's words, "a profoundly spiritual way of life," that way of life is less common than it used to be, and perhaps harder to pull off.  Rosmann believes that stress to make ends meet and personal shame from unprofitability both play a role.  My thoughts: Maybe part of it has to do with our tendency to treat the checkout ladies at Meijer and Jewel-Osco with greater respect (not that checkout ladies don't deserve respect . . .--work with me here . . .).  The ultimate Provider is really God, but we shouldn't expect to receive for nothing food raised out of the ground he cursed.  Farmers deserve credit.  Plenty of it.