We must note that today is the 73rd National Doughnut Day — a celebration of tasty goodness that honors the work done by the Salvation Army and the "lassies" who made doughnuts for soldiers in World War I and World War II.

If you hit a Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme and some local stores, there could be a free doughnut for you (Dunkin Donuts requires a beverage purchase; Krispy Kreme does not). And Salvation Army workers may be on hand to take donations.

Prior to joining The Nation, George Zornick was Senior Reporter/Blogger for ThinkProgress.org.

Campaign fundraisers are already at work on the upcoming presidential election — Obama 2012 is soliciting donations, and Republican candidates like Tim Pawlenty are spending more time meeting donors than voters.

Good morning.

As we've already reported, there's word from The Hague that former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic made his first appearance before a U.N. war crimes court today. A defiant Mladic rejected what he said are the "obnoxious charges" against him. He's accused of ordering the deaths of thousands during the wars that ripped apart the former Yugoslavia in the '90s.

At least 17 people were killed and 50 others injured Friday in an explosion at a Sunni mosque in Iraq.

According to police sources, a jerry can filled with a highly explosive material was detonated near the mosque in a highly fortified area in the city of Tikrit as worshippers were leaving after Friday prayers. Two provincial council members and a police colonel were among the wounded.

Ever wondered why mosquitoes seem to be attracted to some people, while others never get bitten? Scientists say mosquitoes flock to people wearing dark clothes, those who move around a lot and pregnant women. Plus, new research shows mosquitoes are attracted to people drinking beer.

The Scripts National Spelling Bee came down to a word meaning "having wavy hair." It fell to Sukanya Roy, 14, who wore her straight hair in a pony-tail. In a spelling contest broadcast on prime-time ESPN Thursday, she outlasted competitors with the winning word cymotrichous.

Last week on 13.7, I cited a Washington Post op-ed from Bill McKibben that lifted up the possible link between extreme weather and global climate change.

(As it happens, a Yale forum was posted yesterday wherein eight climate experts comment on this possibility. It's an excellent resource.)

I then went on to ask the question "What motivates climate-change deniers?

The death of 13-year-old Hamza Ali al-Khateeb, allegedly after he was tortured by authorities, continues to rock Syria.

Ratko Mladic, the former Serbian commander accused of genocide, has appeared for the first time before the U.N. war crimes tribunal in the Hague. It was a preliminary hearing, and Mladic declined to enter a plea.