Why Didn’t Anyone Ever Question the Legality of Quebec’s Referenda on Independence?

Crimea, like the Canadian province, should have the right to vote on its future status; the U.S. is prepared for a “military response” in Ukraine; meanwhile, the creator of the World Wide Web explains, “Nothing is perfect.” These discoveries and more after the jump. These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

Crimea vs. Quebec: The Legal Right to a Referendum on Self-Determination There has been a great hue and cry by the USA, Ukraine and other countries about the supposed illegality of the proposed referendum by Crimea on its future political status.

Volcanoes Helped Antarctic Life Weather Ice Ages Like an ice age radiator, heat from volcanoes helped Antarctica’s plants and bugs survive Earth’s glacial periods, scientists think based on the result of a new study.

Genghis Khan’s Secret Weapon Was Rain Tree-ring studies suggest that a long wet spell gave him the resources to invade and conquer.

Tabloids in the Age of Social Media It’s harder to gauge an outlet’s quality in a tweet.

Palestinian ‘Humiliation’ by Israel Reminds Tutu of Apartheid The racially segregated roads and housing in Israel was a reminder of the conditions experienced in South Africa during apartheid, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said on Sunday.

Chairman of Joint Chiefs: US Ready for ‘Military Response’ In Ukraine With diplomacy having failed miserably to resolve the Russian annexation of Crimea, and soon East Ukraine (and with John Kerry in charge of it, was there ever any doubt), the US is moving to the heavy artillery.

‘Nothing Is Perfect’: Tim Berners-Lee on 25 Years of the Web Twenty-five years ago today, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web.

Scientism in the Arts and Humanities As the universities expanded in the twentieth century, and as the hard sciences began to retreat to the margins of an educational system increasingly reluctant to demand too much of its students, the humanities moved to the center of the curriculum.

Ukraine: The Enemy of Your Enemy is Not Always Your Friend To progressives who have been celebrating the revolution in Ukraine: Be careful what you wish for.