Sex in video games—it was inevitable, and it signals an even greater variety of digital sex in America to come. At least, that’s according to writer Damon Brown, whose book “Porn & Pong: How ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ ‘Tomb Raider’ and other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture” was released last month. Salon’s interview with Brown offers a taste of his historical tour of cybersex.
Europe’s four largest economic powers would not agree to a joint response to the financial crisis as it spread overseas. The lack of concert among the full 27-nation membership shows the European Union may still be a marriage only on paper. Leaders from France, Germany, Britain, and Italy announced that each nation would need to respond to the crisis individually, but “in a coordinated way,” according to the Washington Post. Leaders from other countries were miffed at not being invited to the talks.
Dems are set to gain new voters as registration deadlines loom in key swing states. The influx could tip the balance in favor of presidential candidate Barack Obama, but Republicans point out he still needs to get the new voters to the polls. Meanwhile, Karl Rove said Obama would win if the vote were held today.
Is Sarah Palin losing McCain the Jewish vote? A “small, unscientific sampling” of locals at a Florida shopping mall found that some Democratic-leaning Jewish voters who were drifting toward McCain changed their minds when he picked his running mate. One said he found Palin “offensive.” But maybe Salon shouldn’t lead stories with a “small, unscientific sampling.”
O.J.’s been found guilty, and (surprise!) the verdict has sparked debate over whether the jury was actually convicting him of murder. The defense has argued that the jury, mostly white, sought payback for the outcome of the hugely publicized 1995 trial in which a mostly black jury acquitted O.J. Simpson of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. Jurors deny they were influenced in any way by the previous trial. As it stands, Simpson faces 15 years to life. Sentencing is set for Dec. 15.
Bulletproof leather jackets, here! Get your armored polo shirts! An increasingly popular store in Mexico City caters to politicians and celebrities by selling bullet-proof clothing. Apparently the clerks are required to take the bullet so they can personally vouch for the products. They probably shouldn’t market this line to tourists, though.
Coca-cola is a contraceptive, it turns out, but Diet Coke works best. The study that led to this conclusion (and another one that contradicted it) just earned the researchers an Ig Nobel, a prize for unusual or improbable research. Other prizewinning research found that armadillos can move archaeological artifacts and thereby alter the historical record and that female strippers make more money when they’re most fertile. I just hope none of these studies were government-funded.
