Dudley Butler is quitting his job tomorrow. Never heard of him? He's President Obama's appointee to run the division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that governs antitrust issues in the meat industry. He was part of a cadre of high-level bureaucrats charged to expose and fight agribusiness monopolies. In fact, he was the last of that group.

Grace Woodroofe is only 21, but her warm and wise music marks her as an old soul. Born in Australia, the blues-folk singer was discovered by actor Heath Ledger when she was 16. The self-taught guitarist and singer subsequently relocated to California to record and develop her sound.

"After more than 30 years of handing prayer cards to customers aboard its planes, Alaska Airlines has decided the practice is outdated and will stop doing it on Feb. 1," The Seattle Times reports.

A few things struck us about this news.

Samantha Garvey, the homeless teen who came into the national spotlight after she became a semifinalist in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search competition, has had a bittersweet 24 hours.

First the bitter part: When the science prize competition finalists were announced today, she was not on the list.

Of course, to many readers of 13.7 my question is self-evident. They are reading the blog because they not only do care about science but also want to share their views on whatever topics we bring up. But this is not the case for most people.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Gabrielle Giffords has resigned from the House with a standing ovation from her colleagues, more than a year after she was gravely wounded by a would-be assassin.
     The Arizona Democrat formally resigned Wednesday after a series of tributes from her colleagues. She's stepping down to focus on her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head.

Two Republican presidential candidates — former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney — appeared Wednesday at a forum sponsored by Univision and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Also Wednesday, prominent Latino politicians, including Florida's Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, called on Gingrich to take down a new radio ad that calls Romney "anti-immigrant." The Gingrich campaign complied and pulled the ad. Melissa Block talks with NPR's Greg Allen in Miami.