* Al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists doing their best to hijack the Syrian revolution. * Mexico has only one legal gun store; American gun-control policies look insane in comparison. * When its people sparked the Arab Spring, Tunisia had the lowest firearm ownership rate in the world. * "Nominalizations"—zombie
* Anonymous Democratic legislative staffer explains the NRA's congressional grading system. * A zoomable online map of the AIDS quilt--now too large to fit on the National Mall. * Applying Romney's statement that a new president's first year doesn't count, Obama has created more
* Fighter jets bomb areas of Syria's second city of Aleppo; Russia expects Syria not to use chemical weapons. * Man in goat suit seen living among goats in Utah mountains. * Serbia becomes global hub for sex-change surgery. * Writer looks for Fitzgerald's first love in Lake Forest,
* In light of Penn State's punishment, it's time to reread "The Shame of College Sports." * Physicists say you should run, not walk, to avoid the rain. * Sally Ride, first American woman to fly in space, dies at 61 from pancreatic cancer. * Brief report on
* Drug-resistant HIV in sub-Saharan Africa blamed on poor monitoring, lack of consistent treatment. * The end of the AIDS epidemic is in sight—worldwide infection rate has declined 20% since 2001. * With highly suggestible people becoming key to studies, hypnosis is making a comeback in scientific circles. * Bloomberg to
* Study suggests tax havens hide $21 trillion. * Iraqi insurgents declare new offensive—13 coordinated attacks kill 93 people. * U.S. expands drug war to Africa to prevent traffickers destabilizing small and weak states. * Secular and Islamic, Western and Eastern, a regional superpower, growing fast: Whatever Turkey's doing is
* Possible GOP veep candidate Rob Portman fights reputation as a dull, well-regarded wonk; does a mean imitation of a chicken, for example. * Why the fossil fuel industry is Public Enemy No. 1. * Spain is still investigating the baby-stealing phenomenon that resulted in 300,000 kids gone. * On average,
* At least 14 dead, 50 wounded at Colorado movie theater shooting, suspect in custody. * Yesterday was bloodiest day in Syrian conflict—government retook check-points, Damascus suburbs. * Number of phones will soon exceed world population, but a quarter of people still don't have one. * As an activist shareholder
* How North Korea set the world on edge for an hour this week. * The Aegean island of Ikaria wants to quit Greece and join Austria—1,242 miles away. * New research supports theory of plants that suck carbon dioxide to the ocean floor and ease climate change. * Anthony Doerr on
* Clashes overnight with many killed across Syria after the death of three ministers. * Slideshow of photographs from Hamas's summer camp. * No new malls have been built in the United States since 2006. * U.S. does surprisingly well on list of countries measured for sedentary lifestyle—unlike Malta. * Man
