U.S. arms may boost Taiwan leader; threaten trade (AsiaOne) TAIPEI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. arms sale to Taiwan is likely to give a short-term boost to the flagging popularity of the island's president by making him look strong in standing up to China, but may delay the critical trade deals he has pushed. [News Source]

Theater review: ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ at Mad Cow Theatre (Orlando Sentinel) It’s the hats that give it away. One look at Michael Marinaccio’s flat cap and Timothy Williams’s derby in Mad Cow Theatre’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead , and vaudeville comes to mind. [News Source]

Dr. John Salerno: What Ever Happened to the Venerable Hamburger? (The Huffington Post) So why would we say you shouldn't eat hamburger, chopped meat, ground beef, or the other iterations this product is sold under. Without sounding too much like an old fogey, hamburger is just not what it used to be. [News Source]

Winery scam; Martini Madness sold out and other food and wine events; Disappeared restaurants updates; nibs and sips (Sonoma Index-Tribune) Martini Madness sold out ... As some of you may have, I received an e-mail purportedly from one "Anna Maldonado" who identifies herself as "an American" and whose e-mail address appears to be an Italian hosting site called Katamail.com . She says she lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand, and that "when I was around last time I got a bottle of one of your wines from a friend as a gift and I love ... [News Source]

It’s official, we’re Slow-noma (Sonoma Index-Tribune) PIER GIORGIO OLIVETI, director of Cittaslow International, talks with reporters and Virginia Hubbell (right), director of Cittaslow Sonoma Valley, during a press reception Wednesday. [News Source]

ANALYSIS: Arms sale could provide slim boost to Ma’s image (Taipei Times) The recently announced arms sale is likely to give a short-term boost to the flagging popularity of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) by making him look strong in standing up to China, but may delay the critical trade deals he has pushed. [News Source]

MMR and the lessons doctors must learn. Yesterday, the General Medical Council declared that Dr Wakefield had acted 'dishonestly and irresponsibly' in the way he went about his research. It would be a tragedy if the result of that was to deter future scientists from the kind of bold thinking that might one day find a cure for autism. [News Source]

U.S. presses Japan on postal reform, beef trade ban (Reuters via Yahoo! News) The United States on Monday urged Japan to make sure it won't discriminate against U.S. competitors in areas of insurance, banking and express delivery services as Tokyo re-examines the future of its giant postal system. [News Source]

U.S. presses Japan on postal reform, beef trade ban (Reuters via Yahoo! Malaysia News) By Yoko Nishikawa [News Source]

Cellphone driving ban enforced in Ontario, B.C. (CBC.ca) Motorists in Ontario and British Columbia may now start paying a price for talking on the phone or texting while driving. [News Source]