• Last Friday afternoon, a woman taking an adult education class at the Met lost her balance and fell onto a Picasso painting. “The Actor,” a painting from Picasso’s Roe Period, suffered a six-inch tear in its lower right-hand corner.
• Bartenders in Aspen have been warning patrons about the dangers of leaving drinks unattended. Roofies are common in Colorado, and bar owners, residents, and law enforcement officials have responded with an increased vigilance and new emphasis on date rape education. • A recent study from the UK found that ambidextrous children are more likely to struggle in school and be diagnosed with ADHD. They believe this may have something to do with the hardwiring of the brain, particularly the right hemisphere. • An eight-year-old cat named Missy has become the first feline to receive an artificial knee replacement. Click here for some cute kitty pictures, and an image of the teeny-tiny metal joint. • According to a new study, women are much more likely to ask for help at the liquor store than men. While lady lushes tend to talk to friends, family, and other experts before purchasing, men rely on written material. • Alya Brown, daughter of MA senator Scott Brown, recently admitted that she voted for a – wait for it – Democrat! In 2008, she supported John Kerry, who she describes as being “incredibly nice.” • Recently published research indicates that children born to “child brides” (girls under the age of 18) in India are more likely to be malnourished than those born to older mothers, and 67% of the children born in the past five years to underage mothers were found to be malnourished. They also found that the child’s health was not linked to the mother’s BMI. • A Saudi schoolgirl of uncertain age (a human right’s group has said she is 13, while school officials maintain that she is 20) has been sentenced to 90 lashes and two months in prison for assaulting a teacher. She has reportedly accepted the punishment. • A group of female bus drivers showed up at the London city hall on Monday night in order to raise awareness about the abuse they suffer at the hands of passengers and put pressure on the city to install security cameras. “Drivers have been spit on, slapped, sworn at — and it’s got to stop,” said Liz Van Steyn, a 21-year driver. “And these people (who attack us), run off the bus and we can’t identify them.” • A French parliamentary panel has decided not to request a full ban of the face veil, but instead to limit the limitation to public buildings, including schools and hospitals. Muslim religious leaders fear the ban could lead people to stigmatize Muslims and drive some to extremism. • Female athletes are at a much greater risk for specific musculoskeletal injuries and medical conditions, according to a paper from the University of Alberta. The gender disparity is believed to be caused by training programs designed for young men, which don’t take sex differences into account. • Americans have, for the most part, resolved the Mrs. vs. Miss issue with the inclusion of Ms, but French women haven’t yet made the switch – and still find themselves stuck between “Madame” and “Mademoiselle.” Says one 20-something French woman: “Here, referring to myself as madame immediately commands more respect, especially in my place of work and even more so when I introduce myself on the phone. People take me seriously, which isn’t always the case when I use mademoiselle. Madame it is for me, thank you very much!” • How did infiltrating the boy’s locker room become vital to gender equality? When two female sports journalists fought for equal access to interview players back in 1975. • KBR might as well have told former contractor Jamie Leigh Jones she was asking for it – the behemoth defense contractor will continue to fight Jones’ settlement, saying “sensationalize[d] her allegations against the KBR Defendants in the media, before the courts, and before Congress.” • Are elementary school teachers passing on their stereotypes about girls and math skills to their students? • The breeding of dogs has lead to variations in head shape – no word yet on how we can apply this to baby humans. • Attention pregnant women: if you have bad breath, it could end in a stillborn child. Apparently, poor dental hygiene can pass bacteria onto the baby. •