Jerry Curl

Biologists suspect that unusually cold waters off the coast of Brazil were responsible for the deaths of more than 550 penguins that washed up on shore in the past 10 days. Since July 11, about 556 dead penguins have appeared on beaches, Thiago do Nascimento, a biologist at the Peruibe Aquarium, told CNN . At the beach of Praia Grande alone, on the Sao Paulo coast, more than 170 penguins have washed up on shore since Friday, according to the local government. It is not unusual for penguins to show up on the Brazilian coast during their migration, but most of the time, they are alive, said another biologist, Isabelle Nunes. Necropsies performed on many of the penguins show that they had no food in their stomachs and probably starved to death, Nascimento said, adding that cold weather probably contributed to their deaths. Nunes said it is possible that the cold waters, brought on by a regional cold front, made the fish that the penguins eat seek other waters. More tests are being conduct...

This issue of Rolling Stone hits newsstands today.

Degrassi returns for a 10th season tonight with its first transgender character. A new student named Adam hides the fact he was born a girl. Producer, director and actor Stefan Brogren says it's new territory for the show and that the writers approach the topic carefully. Adam is played by former Life With Derek actress Jordan Todosey. The 15-year-old describes Adam as a down-to-earth kid and says she hopes viewers will connect with the character. Other new students include the eccentric Eli who hides a dark past, Adam's homophobic step-brother Drew and the tough Bianca. Season 10 of Degrassi kicks off Monday on MuchMusic with episodes running Monday through Thursday until it returns to a weekly schedule in September. (Via CTV )

Here’s a first look at the artwork for the Signature Theater Company’s revival of Tony Kushner’s play Angels in America , which will begin its Off Broadway run on Sept. 14. The new work, above left, is by the acclaimed designer Milton Glaser, who also did the art for the 1993 Broadway production of Angels , right. (Via ArtsBeat )

Rolling Stone reports : According to Al Jardine, the Beach Boys are going to reunite for at least one concert next year to celebrate the group's 50th anniversary. Jardine tells Rolling Stone the lineup will include himself, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and possibly even early guitarist David Marks. "We’re definitely doing at least one show — you heard it first," Jardine says. "It’s a big deal. I don’t know where it will be yet, but it’ll probably be free. Golden Gate Park was mentioned, as was the [National] Mall in Washington, D.C., and the north shore of Chicago by the beach." A source close to Mike Love says there have been discussions for a reunion concert, but nothing is set. Brian Wilson's manager, Jean Sievers, says she's unfamiliar with reunion plans. "Brian has a big new album coming out in August ['Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin']," says Sievers, "and that's what he's a hundred percent focused on....

Photo caption: Cuban dissidents wave for press photographers upon their arrival at Madrid's Barajas airport, Spain, 13 July 2010 Statements by two top Cuban and Spanish officials yesterday that Havana will free all its political prisoners -- not just the 52 already promised their freedom -- have raised the question of just how many political prisoners the island has. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told the lower chamber of the Spanish parliament that the Raúl Castro government has taken "the decision to free all, all political prisoners.'' The AFP news agency quoted the president of Cuba's National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcón, as saying in an interview that "the desire of the Cuban government is to free all . . . who do not bear responsibility for the [deaths] of other persons.'' The additional releases have not been confirmed by the Cuban Catholic church, which announced July 7 that Havana had promised to free 52 prisoners as a result o...

A New Zealand Christian school has been ordered to pay undisclosed compensation and apologize to a sports coach it fired because he was gay. Board members of Middleton Grange School in Christchurch — on New Zealand's South Island — will also attend courses on human rights awareness, school principal Richard Vanderpyl said today. "We're thinking of the impact on him," Vanderpyl said. "We care for him and respect him." He said he offered to rehire the 28-year-old coach, but the man had already found a new job at another Christchurch school. The coach, whose identity has been withheld, was employed in February to coach the girls' netball team but was dismissed when the school board discovered he was gay. "At first I was shocked. I've never felt so small in my life," the man told New Zealand media today. "It's hard enough to go through finding yourself and accepting yourself and being 'out' in the first place. Having to go thro...