The winner effect
"Voting for the winning candidate makes guys want to watch pornography, a study suggests," Livescience.com reports. "Building on past studies of testosterone levels, a husband-and-wife team of psychologists examined Internet usage and found a pattern between the number of search requests for porn and the states that backed the winners in the last two presidential elections, as well as in the congressional election between them. … Past research showed that after they win or lose in competitions, people often experience a surge or drop in testosterone, respectively. Such changes are seen even if the people are only spectators of contests. For instance, while men typically show a slight nighttime drop in testosterone levels, male voters for Sen. John McCain showed a larger testosterone drop than normal during the 2008 U.S. presidential election, while those of male voters for Sen. Barack Obama kept steady."
Professorship? Cool
"In a time of inconspicuous consumption, an adjunct-professorship at a prestigious university is a coveted token of success among finance, law and media professionals," The Wall Street Journal reports. "Adjuncts lead college and graduate-level classes but aren't tenured or tenure-track faculty. … At New York University school of law, 'several hundred' attorneys typically apply for the handful of adjunct slots available each year, says Dean Richard L. Revesz. Most offers end up going to judges, attorneys and public officials the law school has reached out to. … A university has much to gain from well-chosen professional adjuncts, including cachet and credibility. And adjuncts also form a potential donor pool."
Security guards with tails
"Delhi authorities have deployed a contingent of large black-faced langur monkeys at the Commonwealth Games venues to scare away smaller simians," BBC News reports. City authorities have 28 langurs and have brought in 10 more from Rajasthan state. Thousands of monkeys roam Delhi and are considered a public nuisance. The langurs, an aggressive kind of monkey, are kept on leashes by handlers until the little trespassers are sighted.
Use a child's eyes
"Being around kids or even imagining oneself as a child can help reawaken … creativity," Psychologytoday.com reports. "A study published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts [this year]is a case in point. In the study, 76 undergrads were randomly assigned to one of two writing tasks. In the control task, they wrote about what they would do if school were cancelled for the day. In the experimental task, they wrote about the same subject, but from the imagined perspective of a seven-year-old. Those who viewed the situation through the eyes of a child produced more original responses."
Self defence: 1
After a year of harassment by a pair of neighbourhood boys, a 68-year-old Chicago woman pulled out a gun and winged one in the shoulder. She explained that the 12-year-old had hit her in the chest with a brick.
Chicago Tribune
More self-defence: 2
A bicycle that carries a flame thrower on its handles is on display this week in London. The menacing two-wheeler was created by an insurer, ilovemybike.co.uk, based on cyclists' complaints.
The Daily Telegraph
Thought du jour
"While the press can't tell people what to think, it certainly can tell them what to think about."
Anonymous