Chatter: Breivik takes the stand in Norway

Need to know:

Anders Behring Breivik took the stand today at his trial in Oslo. Breivik, accused of killing 77 people in bomb and gun attacks in Norway, defended his actions, telling the court that he would do it all again.

Breivik's lawyers have warned that many Norwegians will find the avowed white supremacist's comments upsetting, amid concerns by victims' families that he will use his trial as a soapbox.

The Norway massacre raises the question of how best to deal with this kind of hate. A GlobalPost series on far-right extremism in Europe found that driving it underground has allowed such ideas to fester unchecked. 

Want to know:

Farmers' markets usually conjure up images of tables piled high with heirloom tomatoes and organic beets. 

But US authorities say they have busted a secret internet network that connected suppliers of LSD, marijuana, ecstasy, magic mushrooms and other illegal drugs with buyers in every US state, plus 34 countries around the world.

"The Farmer's Market," as the network was called, provided order forms, customer service and even accepted payments through PayPal, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said.

There was no mention of whether the "produce" was organic.

Dull but important:

Meet Jim Yong Kim. 

The new World Bank president was selected over Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, dashing hopes among emerging economies that a non-American would be chosen to head this key international economic institution.

South Korean-born Kim, who is president of Dartmouth College, was Obama's nominee for the post – and an unconventional choice, given his background as an educator, doctor and anthropologist, not the usual politician, lawyer or economist.

Kim said he will focus on the Herculean task of preparing for rapid economic growth around the world. Good luck, sir.

Just because: 

Passengers on a flight from Toronto to Zurich experienced 40 seconds of terror last year when their plane suddenly dove hundreds of feet.

A new report explains what happened: the groggy Air Canada pilot panicked after mistaking Venus for an oncoming aircraft. Having just woken up from a nap, the pilot took the plane for a nosedive after mistakenly believing that his aircraft was about to collide with another airplane over the Atlantic.

Passengers who were not wearing seatbelts were thrown from their seats. Seven were hospitalized, and 16 injured. 

The incident report is likely to open further debate about pilot scheduling and hours spent in the air.

Strange but true: 

When penguins attack…. Newt Gingrich at the St. Louis Zoo?

Yes, reports have emerged that GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich was indeed "attacked" by a penguin in St. Louis.

Gingrich, in town to address the National Rifle Association, took a private tour of the St. Louis Zoo during which he visited with penguins in captivity.

That was when a penguin struck, biting his finger.

It turns out that Gingrich, who has since been seen sporting a band-aid to cover the wound, is a lifelong zoo enthusiast. He even penned a forward to the 2008 book America’s Best Zoos. Who knew?