the eye of Nova's mind

How Gary Hart's Downfall Forever Changed American Politics (NYT) -- This is a very interesting article.

Seattle city attorney requests public pot smoking tickets to be dismissed | more

Fraternity date-rape drugs females based on their "hotness" -- "Police said the drugs were administered on the basis of color-coded hand stamps. The three women who were drugged had red X's on the backs of their hands, which were given to them by the party's doorman. The bartender then allegedly poured the special drinks in accordance with the color-coded stamps."

Blood Hounds: They're Obsessed With Period Sex -- Some of this article is decent but much of it is still cloaked in the Puritan-Victorian squeamishness about sex. That's unfortunate.

Theodore Wafer guilty of 2nd-degree murder, manslaughter in porch shooting

Daughter hopes arrested Tulsa police officers will 'rot in prison' for fatal shooting of boyfriend | Police report: Tulsa officer fatally shoots daughter's boyfriend -- Yep. I was not surprised to find that the new boyfriend was not entirely without color. Call me cynical (though I'm still striving against that).

McDaniel Staffer Implicated in Paying Man to Concoct Vote-Selling Story

Remains of Jonestown Massacre victims found at Delaware funeral home -- The story of Jonestown still fascinates me, as I would have been a toddler at the time & so my parents would have shielded me from such news. (Although I was born in 1975, my parents didn't mention Watergate until I was in college. They've never said anything about the hostage crisis of 1979, when I would have been four years old.) How is it that this story is still making news? So sad.

Oklahoma teacher shows up to school drunk, not wearing pants: sheriff

NYC police express anger at reaction to chokehold death -- Ugly sentiments.

Another 'Chokehold' Arrest Sparks NYPD Probe -- Both Eric Garner's & this man's encounters with police could have been resolved with a ticket & a fine. Why are the officers choosing to escalate these situations?

Sen. John Walsh plagiarized War College thesis -- It doesn't matter that you were "seeing two doctors and taking medication to deal with nightmares, anxiety and sleeplessness." That doesn't lead one to commit plagiarism. That was a conscious choice.

Long Island inmate dies from swelling attack after dad refuses to bail him out

Among Justices, Considering a Divide Not of Gender or Politics, but of Beliefs (NYT)

Frank Rich on the National Circus: Could Hobby Lobby Reverse Progress on Gay Civil Rights?

The Letters That Warren G. Harding's Family Didn't Want You to See -- Pretty salacious for the time.

Dubai to Build the First Air-Conditioned Mini-City

Why Are There No Black Men on Argentina's Roster? -- I haven't been posting many Huffington Post stories, but this one leads into next smoothly.

The blackness of tango: Dance's dark roots in a country "without blacks"

Scholarly journal retracts 60 articles, smashes 'peer review ring' -- "'On at least one occasion, the author Peter Chen reviewed his own paper under one of the aliases he created,' according to the SAGE announcement."

If Exercise Feels Like Work, Mindless Snacking May Follow

Chimps use gestures to communicate and scientists have a dictionary for it

That Woman in Red May Spur Female Jealousy

Door malfunction causes corpse to fall into traffic in Pennsylvania -- Seriously.

Ted Cruz: Investigate 'appalling' Mississippi Senate runoff -- "What makes Cruz's comments notable is that he is vice chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is charged with helping re-elect incumbents such as Cochran."

Australian study finds kids of same-sex parents live in harmonious households | abstract

Scientists discover the on-off switch for human consciousness deep within the brain -- Possibly.

Discovery of Neandertal trait in ancient skull raises new questions about human evolution

Rampaging cow killed by police in Washington town after it tossed an officer in the air

Pet store owner in Washington state goes on pet food diet for 30 days

California Highway Patrol Officer Caught Punching Woman In The Face (Video) -- This is the only site I was able to find that had any footage of the incident. YouTube has already removed the video from its site.

Myths and spin abound on Supreme Court contraceptive decision

After Uproar, Ethics Committee Folds Fast on Travel Disclosure

Magic Mushroom Dreams: A psychedelic compound in hallucinogenic mushrooms triggers brain activity characteristic of dream states. | more

Berkeley to provide free medical marijuana for low-income patients | more

Only 25 Minutes Of Mindfulness Meditation Will Reduce Stress

However: Study: Just thinking by yourself isn't much fun -- "Some even started giving themselves electric shocks as the minutes ticked by."

Ebola 'Totally Out of Control,' Doctors Without Borders Says

Rodney K. Smith: The Washington Redskins must deal with the reality of a racist brand

Young people are sexting - but girls are judged more harshly than boys, study finds -- Not terribly surprising. The double standard continues to thrive.

Swedish health authorities discover every girl in one class had undergone genital mutilation: report

Mother sues hospital claiming forced C-section

Game show host Chuck Woolery stumps for Tea Party's McDaniel -- That's sad. I liked "Love Connection". What's up with ultra-conservative TV hosts?

Male faces 'buttressed against punches' by evolution

Elitist, Superfluous, Or Popular? We Polled Americans on the Oxford Comma

Hate crime charges possible after four arrested for brutal Detroit mob beating of man who hit boy: police

Majority of New Jersey folks see Christie report as 'whitewash'

Police bust 'amazing' $15,000-a-day shoplifting ring -- in Hazel Park

No Forgery Evidence Seen in "Gospel of Jesus's Wife"

FDA Publishes Guidance Document for Honey Labeling -- I've been awaiting this.

NASA orders its staff to stop talking to Russia, because Crimea

Appeals court upholds NYC ban on worship services in schools

Man hits boy with truck, is severely beaten, robbed when stopping to help

Lawsuit: Woman frozen alive in L.A. hospital died trying to escape

Too much running tied to shorter lifespan, studies find

A Brain Region for Resisting Alcohol's Allure -- the lateral habenula

Republican lawmaker very sorry he said men should be able to rape women if abortion is legal

The right defends a new Jim Crow: 50 years since the Civil Rights Act, wingnuts still don't get it

Study: Racial Bias in Pain Perception Appears Among Children as Young as 7

Study shows why breastfed babies are so smart -- "[A] new study by sociologists at Brigham Young University pinpoints two parenting skills as the real source of this cognitive boost: Responding to children's emotional cues and reading to children starting at 9 months of age. Breastfeeding mothers tend to do both of those things, said lead study author Ben Gibbs."

USDA adds foods to moms and kids food program (WIC)

High-calorie diet may slow ALS progression

Researchers Identify Brain Differences Linked to Insomnia -- "The researchers found that the motor cortex in patients with chronic insomnia was more adaptable to change — more plastic — than in a group of people who slept well."

Older dads' kids more vulnerable to mental disorders -- "A child born to a father 45 or older is three and a half times more likely to be diagnosed with autism, more than 13 times more likely to have attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and almost 25 times more likely to suffer from bipolar disorder than a child born to a man in his early twenties, says a study out this week."

Baby's brain tumor contained fully grown teeth