Headlines from September 14, 2011

Putin in action: looking at leopards, arm-wrestling, etc. #photos
Psychologist Daniel Kahneman on how posters influence generosity and the impact of “vomit.”
Carrots’ orange color began as a Dutch political tactic. via
Doctors observe characters in famous paintings, diagnose them with STDs, rare diseases.
Mysterious “menotoxin” is shorthand for medicine hating on women.
Q&A with Pulitzer-winning biographer Schiff on Coke binges, insane cats, deadlines.
Transmitter goes dark on “Happy Feet,” rogue penguin who accidentally swam to New Zealand.
On the other hand, shorebird “Chinquapin” safely flew through the worst of Hurricane Irene.
“The Wonderful Elephant Who Could Really Fly” and other almost-names for Disney movies.
Spongebob is proven to ruin kids’ brains—yet we still love our underwater friend.
Neuroscience upends traditional concepts of free will, forcing philosophers and scientists to take note.
Court upholds plaintiff’s right to sue Toyota over creepy 2009 cyber-stalking ad campaign.
This online color acuity test is worth 15 minutes of your lunch break.
Despite Ahmadinejad’s promises of release, fate of U.S. hikers still rests with Iran’s judiciary.
After five years of incarceration, Chinese dissident describes treatment “beyond people’s imagination.”
Mother of victim in London’s 7/7 bombings suing News Corp over phone hacking.
U.S. eager to avoid UN Palestinian statehood vote, prefers negotiations instead of wielding veto power.
Claiming sickness over electromagnetic radiation, WiFi refugees take to a mountain radio-free zone.
With few other career options, 5,400 congressional staffers turned to lobbying in the last decade.
Learn your smartphone’s dark side with a game that funds lobbying for conflict-free minerals.
The quest for the Golden Nintendo cartridge and the birth of the video-game athlete.
Takedown of the billion-dollar business of college sports, where ongoing scandals shake the myth of amateurism. #longreads
National student loan debt is greater than credit card debt—defaults jumped sharply last year.
Jiang Pengyi builds miniature cities in the rubble of Beijing’s decaying, redeveloping landscape. #photography