• On Thursday the judges who convicted Amanda Knox of murder released documents explaining the December 5th verdict. They said that although they could find no motive for the murder, there were "no holes or inconsistencies" in the evidence. •
• A Japanese woman, who has been accused along with her husband of starving her 5-year-old son to death, claims that she was unable to feel affection toward her child because of his physical resemblance to her husband. The couple also has a young daughter, who showed no signs of abuse. • Last week Dawn Brancheau was killed when an orca whale she had been working with became violent and dragged her to her death. The American Family Association somehow thinks this is could have been avoided by reading the Bible. "If the counsel of the Judeo-Christian tradition had been followed" (read: stoning the whale to death), they blogged, she never would have died. • A Republican National Committee fundraising document has come under fire after democrats found out they had caricatured Obama as the Joker, Nancy Pelosi as Cruella de Vil and Harry M. Reid as Scooby-doo. All three were under the heading "The Evil Empire." • On Thursday, Hamas announced that from here on out, men are banned from entering women's hair salons. This will put an end to the male hairdressers working in Gaza City, and Interior Ministry says those violating the ban will face legal consequences. • Have a lot of sexual partners? Good for you, says science. Researchers have found a link between "sexual success" and high levels of genetic diversity among women. Ladies with diverse genes, and thus a better shot at survival, are more likely to report fornicating with a number of men over their lifetime. • The University of Pennsylvania has decided to include a sexual orientation option on their applications in attempts to increase campus diversity. Gabriel Arana at The American Prospect makes a compelling argument for why this is a bad idea. • Most of the news we read about women in the armed forces has to do with discrimination, but Captain Holly Graf has decided to shake things up by being a truly horrible leader. According to a recently released report, Graf "repeatedly verbally abused her crew and committed assault." She also has a very foul mouth; one former crew member said she "creates an environment of fear and hostility [and] frequently humiliates and belittles watch standers by screaming at them with profanities in front of the Combat Information Center and bridge-watch teams." • A study of 4,500 Australian preschoolers found that mothers who worked part time had healthier kids than those that stayed at home or those that worked full time. Dr. Martina Klett-Davies of the Family and Parenting Institute points out one problem with the study - and those like it: "It is also a shame these studies always forget the father - if there isn't a healthy meal on the table why is that always the fault of the working mum?" • Vermont police have arrested a fire department volunteer after he repeatedly tried to set fire to his own home. He was reportedly trying to get insurance money to help pay for fertility treatments for his wife. • Tomorrow ABC will air a home video of kidnap victim Jaycee Duggard. The video will also feature her mother and sister, and it will be the first time Duggard will appear on camera since her 1991 abduction. • The only suspect in the disappearance of Chelsea King, John Albert Gardner III, is also under investigation for the kidnapping of a 14-year-old girl last year and attempted kidnapping of another teen, police say. Yesterday Gardner plead not guilty to murder and assault with intent to commit rape. •