the eye of Nova's mind

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.

Ex-NYPD cop charged with hate crime over anti-Jewish graffiti in Brooklyn

How Oklahoma's Botched Execution Affects the Death-Penalty Debate

Condoleezza Rice latest graduation speaker to back out amid protests

Three students expelled for harassment at California college: report -- Remember the incident with the bike lock around a student's neck? That's this one.

Did Floyd Mayweather Use Abortion Rumor to Punish His Ex?

Wider Hips may Suggest a more Promiscuous Woman: Study -- I suppose this is not the time to give out my measurements.

Diners believe a meal is tastier the more they have paid for it, say researchers -- Like The Dave Matthews Band once intoned, "You pay for what you get." (This may indeed be cognitive dissonance at work, where the consumer, having paid so much for the meal, convinces him- or herself that it must be worth the cost, because otherwise they would experience self-criticism for spending beyond the meal's intrinsic value.)

Two dozen dead cats found hung from tree in grisly Yonkers vacant lot

L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling tells girlfriend to not bring African-Americans to his games -- Make that his half-black, half-Mexican girlfriend.

Pregnant woman: I was booted from gym for baby bump -- Planet Fitness again.

Filmmakers Unearth Legendary Atari 'E.T.' Trove | Diggers find Atari E.T. games in landfill

Riley Cooper May Have Bigger Problems Ahead -- Philadelphia Eagles' player who said some of the most racially offensive stuff I've heard in at least the last three weeks

Blacks, Hispanics More Optimistic than Whites -- Economically speaking. Of course, minorities have less to lose & more to potentially gain than their Caucasian counterparts.

Illinois governor signs law allowing medical marijuana -- Still, don't speed in the state of Illinois. Rabid cops there.

For males, monogamy can have evolutionary benefits -- less infanticide

'There Is No Pressure for a Girl to Be a Girl': My quest to understand why some of my female friends are drawn to the frattiest social club on campus

Babies given away live on air in Pakistani talk show -- How does anything on reality television top this?

Inca Child Sacrifice Victims Were Drugged: Mummy hair reveals that young victims were heavy users of coca and alcohol

Super Bowl XLIV was most watched program in history -- "The Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of M*A*S*H to become the most-watched program in television history."

Were you part of history?

No sign of boy in spaceship-shaped balloon that flew over part of Colorado -- UPDATE: as quiet_flame says in the comments, the boy was found safe and sound.

Rush Limbaugh blames NFL players' union, Barack Obama's presidency for blocking his bid to buy Rams | Limbaugh blasts critics after losing bid for Rams-- He blames everyone, even the media, but himself. Does he not realize he is part of the media?

Meghan McCain 'Hurt' By Reaction To Revealing Twitter Photo

Wings lost. I'm disappointed. Not that I'm a big hockey fan. I thought they had a chance to win it, though, especially after Game 5.

Traditionally, I have enjoyed viewing tennis, bowling, even curling. It may not surprise you that I have recently begun watching hold 'em poker. (Surprised me, though.) I've learned a lot about what hands not to hold.

Anyone else a poker player and/or watcher?

*sharp gasp*: A South Carolina judge who admitted calling crack cocaine addiction "black man's disease" has been banned from the bench, the state's Supreme Court said in an order Monday.

*shakes head*: Charges possible for ex-cop in Taser death: New Orleans officer allegedly jolted handcuffed man nine times before he died -- "A coroner ruled the death was a homicide."

*rolls eyes, raises eyebrows*: Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison Tuesday for setting off a gambling scandal that tarnished the league's reputation and raised questions about the integrity of its officiating.