Headlines from August 14, 2013

They’re really putting women back centuries. It’s terrifying. Meet Kathy Hawken, pro-choice Republican.
North Carolina residents and national watches see doom for state’s “middle way” of politics.
Poking holes in a TV show’s explanation of sharks’ sensitivity to electric fields.
Norwegian prime minister’s “daring” political maneuver—posing as a cab driver to hear real opinions—turns out to have been staged.
The friendly microbes in your bowels communicate with each other—and sometimes, harmful bacteria eavesdrop.
From strict diets to instructional tattoos, how NASA prepped its first space-bound astronauts.
Sean Sasser, who on The Real World was half of one of the first gay couples seen on reality TV, dies at 44. #obit
I walked outside and met the dogs, one of whom was named Murray. A visit to tennis’s Field of Dreams.
The year’s raciest book will shock only those who haven’t read their noir. #books
Angel Yam says she doesn’t care if she gets back the Chanel purse she used for a roughly US$1,550 loan.
See also: Alex Jung breaks through fashion anxiety to find himself—in a pair of Comme des Garçons drop-crotch pants. #tmn
The history of pink as a masculine color—as a shade of red, it falls in the range of “warlike.”
A good reminder in our current era of TV watching and binging: How spoilers ruin everything. (Spoilers ahead.) #tmn
That…is the direction in which we are actually moving, though, of course, the process is reversible. Orwell on 1984.
An instructional guide: “How to tell good people from bad people.”
Ashton Kutcher gives good life advice at the Teen Choice Awards. #video
Drones that can crawl inside sewer pipes could be used to provide emergency aid to disaster victims.
Columbine principal retires after honoring pledge to work until kindergardeners at the time of the 1999 tragedy graduated high school.
Police, armed burglars endure five-hour standoff after the latter failed to steal quiche from a Northumberland cafe.
In Venezuela, where human hair sells for $500 on the black market, thieves called “piranhas” attack women, chop off ponytails.
In a maximum security prison in Brazil, male inmates knit and crochet designer apparel.
See also: Eerie, surrealistic portraits of people knitting copiously. #tmn
When a mosquito bites, its mouthparts probe the victim’s flesh in search of blood vessels. #video
The overall goal is to…collect this beneficial gene product in its protein form in the milk the female rabbits produce. #video
Scientists successfully extract enough electricity from human urine to partially charge a cell phone. #video
Simulated 120-day mission to Mars inside a volcano suggests astronauts can cook jambalaya and vegetarian sushi in space.
In 1869, the owner of Scientific American almost succeeded in building a New York subway operated by pressurized fans.
You are literally on the wrong side of history if you try to fight this.
See also: Non-Expert Eric Feezell explains the use and misuse of “begs the question.” #tmn
Charlatans drummer Jon Brookes dies, age 44. #obit
The woods in Trento, Italy, are scattered with storybook-like figures made from natural objects found in the Sella Valley.
Foreign Policy‘s annual list of the 100 best Twitter accounts to follow for conversations about global events.