**First Step:** Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have commissioned an 11-month study to determine the effects of lifting the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. *Thumbs Up*
**Opposites Attract:** Jon Stewart appeared this week on Bill O’Reilly’s “The O’Reilly Factor.” The Fox News Channel and O’Reilly are often the targets of Stewart’s satire. *Thumbs Up*
**Perfect Attendance:** A priest in Warsaw has installed an electronic fingerprint reader to monitor his Confirmation pupils’ church-going. Students who attend 200 masses over three years will be exempt from an exam before the sacrament. *Thumbs Down*
**Jaws Foiled:** A 14-year-old girl in New Zealand beat off a shark that had bitten her in shallow water by repeatedly hitting it on the head with her boogie board. *Thumbs Up*
**Health Hazard:** An Indonesian man lost his teeth when a cigarette he was smoking exploded in his mouth. He has been compensated by the cigarette company and has since decided to quit smoking. *Thumbs Down*
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