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Eli has developed an odd new habit of yelling when he crawls. He’s either angry that we’re making him crawl to us or he’s just making sure that the cats know where he is at all times. Anyway, here’s a quick video of him being loud and cute, take a look:

Another installment in what will hopefully become a series on my blog, I humbly present you with a list of the most interesting articles I’ve read lately, spanning the gammit from soccer to sci-fi, from penguin health to health-care, from climatology to failed climate talks (see previous post here).

How Beckham Blew It from SportsIllustrated: this one is a little old (it’s from June) but it’s a fascinating read on how David Beckham failed as captain of the LA Galaxy and instead alienated his teammates and allowed his cronies to mount a takeover of the team.  This article is an expert from a new book by Grant Wahl, senior writer for SI, called The Beckham Experiment: How the World’s Most Famous Athlete Tried to Conquer America. It’s a fascinating read for any fan of Major League Soccer.

Science, Civilization And The Noble Savage In Space from NPR: there have been a million articles recently about James Cameron’s new movie ‘Avatar’, but this article is interesting because it examines one of the movie’s central themes, the ‘noble savage’ and what it says about our own culture.  Also, if you haven’t already done so, subscribe to NPR’s new science blog, 13.7 Cosmos and Culture.

Whaddaya Mean Obama Hasn’t Done Anything? from Esquire: an interesting examination of what Obama has accomplished in 2009 and why both the left and the right only want to focus on the things he hasn’t done instead of his actual achievements, which include items from both the liberal and conservative side. Turns out Obama has achieved a fair amount – give the guy some credit!

Falkland Islands Government guilt in Supreme Court for Human Rights Abuse by Falklands.net: this article delves into the shocking behavior of the Falklands Island government to silence, threaten and harass an environmental conservationalist investigating the deaths of hundreds of thousands of penguins due to the government’s self-serving policies. After reading this, you’ll be shocked to learn that, as the article states,

“… such a corrupt regime operates under the protection of the British government… British servicemen gave their lives in 1982, under the false belief that they were upholding democracy. These servicemen made that sacrifice to ensure that the people of the Falklands would have the right to lead their lives free from political tyranny; free to hold beliefs and opinions without oppression. It is ironic that 22 years after British troops died for democracy in the Falklands, that a British citizen would be forced to flee the Falklands to escape political corruption and death threats, to seek democracy and freedom of speech in Argentina.”

How do I know China wrecked the Copenhagen deal? I was in the room by the Guardian: this behind-the-scenes account of the final hours of the Copenhagen Climate Talks describes how China was able to destroy any chance of a meaningful agreement in such a way that the western nations would take all the blame.  According to the writer who was present during the final negotiations between heads of state, China employed a variety of Machiavellian strategies to ensure that it achieved its goals without appearing as the bad guy.  It’s a sad and cautionary tale – hopefully western nations will learn to be bit more strategic when they engage in multilateral talks with China in the future.  At the very least they should read a Tom Clancy book or two.

And last, if you were snowed in this past week like me due to the biggest December snowstorm to hit the mid-atlantic since 1932, you’ll enjoy reading How Did This Happen? by the Capital Weather Gang.  Learn how a “convergence of factors stretching from the North Pole to the equator” created such a powerful storm and how they may continue to affect our weather all winter.

In case you need a pick-me-up, whether because you’ve spent the past 2 days shoveling snow or because you had to go into work knowing that, were you a kid, you’d have 3 extra days off, here’s a video of Eli laughing that should put a smile on your face.

In case you didn’t know, you’re entitled to a free credit report from each credit reporting bureau each year. And since there are three different reporting bureaus, that means you can alternate amongst them and check your credit report every 4 months. Why is it important to get regular, timely credit reports? Because it’s really the only way to know if you’re the victim of identity theft before significant damage is done.

The latest 2009 identity theft study from the Javelin Strategy and Research group shows that:

• Identity theft is on the rise, affecting almost 10 million victims in 2008 (a 22% increase from 2007)
• 71% of fraud happens within a week of stealing a victim’s personal data.
• Low-tech methods for stealing personal information are still the most popular for identity thieves. Stolen wallets and physical documents accounted for 43% of all identity theft, while online methods accounted for only 11%.

But the good news is that it’s easy and free to keep tabs on your financial identity. Just log onto AnnualCreditReport.com and request your report. You can then see all the open accounts in your name. Make sure that you were the one who opened every account. Set a reminder for yourself to do this every 4 months with a different credit bureau.

Make sure you only go to AnnualCreditReport.com. There are other sites that claim to offer free credit reports but often they will trick you into signing up for expensive and useless credit monitoring programs. The Federal Trace Commission website says that AnnualCreditReport is the only authorized source to get your free annual credit report under federal law.

Watch this video to learn more about protecting your identity.