Headlines from September 25, 2013

A complete history of U.S. government shutdowns and why they happened.
Powerful earthquake in Pakistan kills 45 and causes a new island to rise in the Arabian sea.
Beirut activists fight to preserve 2,000-year-old Roman hippodrome after government approves replacing it with luxury homes.
Aerial photographs of Mexico City’s sprawling, seemingly endless suburbs: “a concrete stain.” #photos
Professor uses 3D animation to discover a potentially groundbreaking photo of Abraham Lincoln.
Comments can be bad for science. That’s why, here at PopularScience.com, we’re shutting them off.
How a copycat shuttle helped launch the Soviet space era.
Stunning videos capture Bird of Paradise courtship rituals. #video
Going back to nature produces benefits, but looking at nature can be just as good for you.
The worst thing you could do is limp past the lion or tiger enclosure in a zebra print outfit. London Safari Park enforces dress code.
“Male Dallas Zoo gorilla to get therapy for sexist attitude.”
Burger King’s “Satisfries,” crinkle-cut fries with 40% less fat than regular fries, took 10 years to engineer.
Disorder that enhances fondness for food linked to inability to recognize fear or expressions of disgust.
See also: Readers of romantic fiction are more attuned to picking up on a person’s emotional state based on facial clues.
Russian novels should replace sex ed because it’ll teach the basics. #opinions
If they don’t feel I am worth giving more money to and leaving alone, then they should let me go. Flannery O’Connor was serious about being paid for her writing.
Leslie Harpold: “Roses are red / Violets are blue / Pay my ass.”
Obama dedicates the rest of his term to better relations with Iran and a solution for Palestinians.
“Republicans Warn Iranian President Against Shaking Obama’s Hand.”
Among the victims of the siege at the Westgate mall is the credibility of Kenyan authorities.
So far, metadata has mostly sent sources to jail instead of catching terrorists.
It’s something I enjoy. It’s a passion, I guess. Interviews with people who write enthusiastic letters to the editors of big magazines.
Census data show the reasons poor Americans don’t work won’t be fixed by ending food stamps.
China purchases 5% of Ukraine’s land—a plot roughly the size of Belgium—for agricultural initiative to help feed its ballooning population.
See also: 1980s “urban wildness,” recreated in trainset models. #photography
Despite this being the height of the 11-year solar cycle, “we’re not having much of a solar maximum.”
All flights out of Venezuela are booked for months and many will fly half-empty, while so-called passengers reap huge rewards.
League-wide, 70 percent of the capital cost of NFL stadiums has been provided by taxpayers, not NFL owners.
In general, the public subsidizes pro football to the tune of $1 billion a year.
Recession found in prostitution in England, with market saturation and lower demand.
Gay marriage tourism not as profitable as some expected, partly because gay weddings on average cost $20,000 less.
Rumor that new iOS 7 makes iPhones waterproof results in many damaged phones.
Useful round-up of best hidden features in the latest operating system for iPhones.
Short documentary of the day: Zoo (1961), filmed at Amsterdam’s Artis Royal Zoo by documentary filmmaker Bert Haanstra. #video
Portrait’s from this month’s 4th Annual National Beard and Mustache Championships in New Orleans.