Beautiful people really do have it all, a new study suggests: They’re also more likely to be intelligent. Researchers at the London School of Economics found that intelligence correlated strongly with physical attractiveness. Men judged by others in the study as handsome had IQs 13.6 points higher than the…
Continue reading …The Supreme Court this week will, for the first time in decades, hear a case questioning aspects of the government’s oft-used “state secrets” privilege, USA Today reports. The federal government has used the argument frequently since 9/11, such as in cases of warrantless surveillance and prisoner interrogation; it has allowed…
Continue reading …In their effort to repeal health care reform, the GOP has produced “some numbers and charts to wave at the press”—but they’re not part of any “rational discussion,” writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . Their figures are, in fact, part of the GOP’s “war on logic.” They…
Continue reading …Google has never been a big fan of privacy , and now it’s going so far as to challenge Spain’s privacy laws in court. A government organization claims that Spanish law requires Google to remove links from its search engine if those links go to information that could compromise a person’s…
Continue reading …Former Peace Corps director and vice-presidential nominee R. Sargent Shriver was in critical condition this morning after being admitted yesterday to a Maryland hospital, a family spokeswoman said. No other details about the 95-year-old’s ailment were released, but Shriver announced in 2003 that he had Alzheimer’s disease.
Continue reading …Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are parents again, TMZ reports —despite the noticeable lack of telltale baby bump. The high-profile Aussies went the surrogate-mother route this time around, and daughter Faith Margaret was quietly born in Nashville on Dec. 28. Kidman and Urban are her biological parents, and she’s home…
Continue reading …Brett Favre is making it official, again: The 41-year-old quarterback has filed retirement paperwork with the NFL, Fox Sports reports. He’s unretired more than most people send racy photos to massage therapists, but the third time might just be the charm: Favre has consistently said 2010 would be his last…
Continue reading …Movie rental kiosks’ market share surpassed that of retail stores in 2010, a study finds: Kiosks such as Redbox hosted 31% of third-quarter rentals, while 27% were from actual stores. Subscription services had the biggest market share, with 41%. Kiosks’ market share grew 10 percentage points year-over-year, while stores dropped…
Continue reading …An Indian bank has opened a lockless branch in the small village of Shani Shinganapur, trusting residents’ fear of their deity—Lord Shani—to prevent robberies, the Times of India reports. “We took note of the general belief and faith of the people,” says one bank official. “Ever since the…
Continue reading …As America rails against inflammatory rhetoric in the wake of the Tucson shootings, it’s worth asking: Would Martin Luther King Jr. have been silenced in this political environment? “Even King’s most memorable speech—the ‘I Have a Dream’ address at the March on Washington—was nothing if not a figurative…
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