BREVITAS

NY Post - Has the countdown begun for the end of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann?" With his ratings in free-fall, and his hateful histrionics reaching new highs, even Olbermann's former supporters on the left are tuning out. Bloggers at the Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio noted the uberdork's 44 percent drop in listeners ages 25-54 from January 2009 to last month. . . . "There are creeping indications that the world may not have quite as much need of -- or patience for -- Olbermann and his shtick as it once did," Jeff Bercovici wrote on Daily Finance.

EPIC has filed a lawsuit against the National Security Agency and the National Security Council, seeking a key document governing national cybersecurity policy. The document, National Security Presidential Directive 54 grants the NSA broad authority over the security of American computer networks. The agencies violated the Freedom of Information Act by failing to make public the directive and related records in response to EPIC's request. EPIC's suit asks a federal judge to require the release of the documents.

According to the Washington Post, "President Obama lamented the 'erosion of civility' which is nice except that he did at a prayer breakfast sponsored by the Christian extremists of the Family. As the Post adds, "The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington had written a letter asking Obama to boycott the event, saying its sponsor, the Fellowship Foundation, is a "shadowy religious association" that preaches "an unconventional brand of Christianity." Also present was Hillary Clinton, whose long connection with the dysfunctional Family has been carefully not reported by much of the liberal media.

EIN - According to a study by Harvard University scientists, invasive species appear to thrive during times of climate change, meaning the species could become more prevalent and more destructive. The study suggests that the invasive species are more apt to thrive because they're better able to adjust to the changing timing of annual activities such as flowering and fruiting. "These results demonstrate for the first time that climate change likely plays a diirect role in promoting non-native species success," says study author Charles C. Davis, assistant professor in organismic and evolutionary biology at Harvard.

Radar - American Idol producers "will do what it takes to sign" radio legend Howard Stern as a must-have replacement for Simon Cowell when the British mogul leaves the show after this season. "Idol bosses think he'd be even nastier than Simon," a source told the NY Post

FIVE MYTHS ABOUT ATHEISM


ROAD SIGNS

Gallup - More than one-third of Americans (36%) have a positive image of "socialism," while 58% have a negative image. Views differ by party and ideology, with a majority of Democrats and liberals saying they have a positive view of socialism, compared to a minority of Republicans and conservatives.

Reuters - Fewer American adults report having had the flu or a cold this January than did so in January of 2009, the third consecutive month in which self-reports of flu and cold cases have been below the prior year's levels.