America's Least Sane Cities

Amazon looks to rom-com, Barry White sales

(NEWSER) - Seeking a romantic getaway this Valentine’s Day? Love is in the air (and perhaps the water supply) in Amazon ’s 20 most romantic cities in America. The firm compiled the list with an eye on key sales data: romance novels, rom-coms, and, of course, Barry White albums. The winners:

1. Alexandria, Va. (for the second year in a row)
2. Knoxville
3. Orlando
4. Miami

Salt Lake City's still tops, but Texas boasts work aplenty, Forbes reports

(NEWSER) - Where to get that new job this year? The Lone Star State is boasting work aplenty, but Salt Lake City—still high on tech jobs—takes the top spot. Forbes lists its top10 job-growth towns:

1. Salt Lake City, Utah
2. Wichita, Kan.
3. Austin, Texas
4. Atlanta, Ga.
5. Fort Worth, Texas

(NEWSER) - With Americans flocking to undergo plastic surgery —11 million went under the knife in 2006—Forbes crunched the numbers to determine the most nipped, tucked, enlarged, and liposucked cities. And while shoo-ins like LA do appear, top billing went to... Salt Lake City?

1. Salt Lake City
2. San Francisco

No. 1 is Alexandria, Virginia

(NEWSER) - If you think America's bookworms live in New York or San Francisco, think again. Amazon has released its list of the country's 20 most well-read cities, and they hail from such states as Michigan and Florida, reports Reuters . Top honors goes to Virginia's Alexandria, and though Berkeley and Cambridge do indeed make the top five, they're joined by Ann Arbor and Boulder. Wait til you see who's sixth: More»

Shaved 12-year-old's head, made her wear diaper outside

(NEWSER) - A Minnesota woman was arrested this week after shaving her daughter's head and forcing her to pick up garbage and do windsprints wearing nothing but a tank top and a diaper. The mother allegedly imposed this punishment—which she dubbed "diaper duty"—because she wasn't happy with the 12-year-old's grades, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Neighbors called police after seeing the girl outside crying and begging to be let back inside. More»