"I think you're a guitar god, would you agree?" Um, no. "Well, I think you are." All right.

Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, one of music's worst interview subjects, recently sat down with 10-year-old Elliott from Little Punk People for a Q&A at Philadelphia's World Cafe Live. Though he largely remained J Masic throughout, there are a few moments when Elliott's cuteness seemed to break him. ("Did your mom get you those glasses so you look like Milo?") ("Yep. Milo from the Descendants.")

"Sometimes I feel like your songs are hugging me. Thanks for making great songs."

All right, thanks.

[h/t Stereogum]

An American BASE jumper died on Friday afternoon after attempting a BASE jump in the Swiss Alps, misjudging his launch, hitting a cliff, and falling hundreds of feet into a gorge.

The 44-year-old man had been preparing for a jump from the Sex Rouge peak in the Alps near Lake Geneva when he misjudged the launch, falling to his death from the 9,514-feet peak.

The man has not been identified for security reasons but authorities say he was from Dallas. He had been wearing a wing suit when he jumped; according to the AP, a wing suit allows base jumpers to "glide down rather than fall before engaging their parachute." The man's body has not been recovered yet due to poor weather conditions, the AP reports.

[Image via AP]

Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, former dictator of Haiti, has died of a heart attack, his lawyer reports. He was 63 years old.

The AP reports a woman accused of digging up and rummaging through her father's grave in search of his "real will" said in a written statement that she dug it up "with respect" and that he "would be OK with it." Sounds like a pretty chill dad!

52-year-old Melanie Nash did not act alone when she allegedly visited her father's New Hampshire grave and searched through his remains—four people have reportedly been indicted in the case. Her intent, because she was not the beneficiary of anything in her father's will, was to find his "real will," which she believed her sister, Susie Nash, hid in the casket.

(She did not find it.)

According to the AP, Nash's lawyer is attempting to suppress her written statement, arguing that it was made before she was advised of her Miranda rights. Coos County Attorney John McCormick, however, believes Nash acted on her "free will" when she came to police and made the statement, waiving her Miranda rights.

In the June 11 statement, she allegedly confessed to meeting with several others in order to dig up her father's grave. She wrote, "All this was done for the right reasons and I know my father would be OK with it." And ended her statement by saying, "What we all did was to dig up my father's coffin, Eddie Nash, looking for documents. We did it with respect."

[image credit: Paul Maguire, Shutterstock]

A postal worker in Bellevue, Wash. allegedly went on a hysterical rampage on Friday morning that resulted in hitting a town resident with her truck not once, not twice, but three times, all while laughing hysterically.

The USPS worker was reportedly yelling obscenities at someone outside of a local elementary school when a town resident looked on, horrified. When the unidentified person attempted to photograph the scene, the postal worker then took matters one step further and drove her truck into the person's legs. When the resident nearly fell, the postal worker did it again, and then one more time for good measure.

Via The Seattle Times:

The resident staggered back and the driver struck the resident's leg two more times.

According to the resident, the postal worker was "laughing hysterically" as she drove forward.

The postal worker was then taken into custody and questioned by officials. No reports on the unidentified person's injuries have been released.

[Image via Wikipedia]

Ben Affleck appeared on Real Time With Bill Maher last night, along with Nicholas Kristof, Michael Steele, and author Sam Harris, where he clashed with both Harris and Maher about what Harris calls the "meme of Islamophobia."

Maher and Harris argue that liberals should criticize the aspects of Islam—which Harris deems "mother lode of bad ideas"—that clash with their beliefs without fear of seeming Islamophobic. Affleck, however, argues that Harris and Maher are painting a broad and racist picture of Islam that doesn't apply to all of its practitioners. "It's like saying," Affleck says, "'Oh, you shifty Jew.' "

Later, between bouts of yelling interrupted every so often with statistics, Affleck adds, "Your argument is 'black people, you know, they shoot each other.'"

Gone Girl, in theaters now!

[h/t TheHollywoodReporter]

I'm a blackgirl, a blackgirl connoisseur of ratchetness, a blackgirl fascinated by media representations of other blackgirls, a blackgirl who cares deeply about the connection between ratchetness, representation, and lived experience. I probably care about how television curates ratchetness because I grew up witnessing different kinds of unconventional (and regularly dysfunctional) romantic relationships and have on occasion found myself unwillingly and unwittingly participating in such relationships. The 21st century Jezebel, the side chick is the quintessential scapegoat in popular culture at the moment. She is presented and understood as someone who is unethical, immoral and disrespectful of other women and their relationships. Blackgirls, all blackgirls, are worthy of more care and nuance. Let's start by complicating portraits and representations of the "other" woman, because the experience is always more complicated than the trope suggests.

So, the question has been asked, is 2014 the year of the side chick? Further, is this question a dilemma, a declaration, a compliment, or a fear? According to media, side chicks—women (usually women of color) who are knowingly in a relationship with a man who is already in a relationship—are on the rise, a seemingly new phenomenon resulting from black women's portrayals on TV. However, side chicks existed long before reality television, BET, and tabloids.

When I was growing up it was not uncommon for a man to have a woman at home (usually the mother of his children) and then a PYT (pretty young thing) on the side. Everybody, including the wife, would know about the "other woman," or "special friend," but everybody played their position and kept their mouths shut and their opinions to themselves. I suspect wives didn't show up on the doorsteps of willing women because they knew their men were not blameless. Clearly something has gotten lost in translation over the years. The larger question, for me, is do we glorify side chicks for misappropriating defenseless dudes, or are we unfairly blaming them for getting caught up?

I believe there is a race and class analysis missing from the slut-shaming narrative attached to women of color who find themselves (knowingly and/or unknowingly) sharing a man. The cultural dynamic is damning—and so is the language. We use language and naming to punish, disgrace and denigrate black women who find themselves in their feelings over a man who is not in his feelings over her. We have no sympathy for heterosexual black women who in a dwindling dating economy are more likely to be perpetually single than ever married. We judge her for her choices, shake our heads at her nerve, and dare her to have desires and needs. This is similar to how working-class women of color have been treated, particularly in relation to (unconventional) love relationships, for years. Things are framed differently if/when the "other woman" is middle to upper class or white.

Soap operas and primetime dramas have long glamorized the side chicks of powerful white men, making the side chick seem more exciting, loving and desirable than the wives at home, who were equally beautiful but played out. It seemed that as long as a man could "afford" two women (and upper-class men were generally white men), it was his prerogative, and not worthy of attention or appraisal. Working-class black men and the women they juggle (baby mamas, friends with bennies, main chicks), however, are seen as cultural taboos and degenerates with no self-esteem or shame. Further, upper-class black men (like Sean Combs, for example) are excused from harsh judgment because of their ability to financially support multiple women and children. On the flip side, independent black women who are financially secure have been (until the recent rise and reception of television shows to the contrary) largely left alone.

While the so-called side chick phenomenon is nothing new, the language/slang repackages infidelity as something black folk invented, therefore making it more tawdry and scandalous. White women who have affairs with married men are called mistresses. Women of color who have sex with men in relationships are called side chicks. Mistresses are taken care of, taken out, splurged on, and at times prioritized above the wife. Side chicks are secrets, limited to booty calls and late night texts, and are expected to play their position (never interfering with a man's "real" relationship). There is usually one mistress, but a side chick is generally one of several. These race-based distinctions contribute to ongoing slights towards black women. Mistresses are white and upper-class and therefore redeemable. Side chicks are poor and of color and are therefore viewed as thirsty, grimy, low down, gold-digging whores who actively pursue somebody else's man.

There's something wrong with that picture.

Further, why are side chicks vilified while dudes who have side chicks are celebrated? The fact that men are not held accountable for their culpability in the destruction of their own relationships, and the onus is almost always and exclusively put on "the other woman," implies that men can't help it, that they are biologically wired to be promiscuous (bullshit). This makes it the responsibility of wives or main chicks to hold their man's attention, and the responsibility of potential side chicks to resist their advances. Men, in this dynamic, have no liability for their actions. If they get caught they blame the side chick for seducing them from home or the main chick for not providing a "happy" home (bullshit).

The responsibility for fidelity should rest on the shoulders of men who are in committed relationships. They should a) be faithful, b) if they don't plan on being faithful, they should end their relationship, c) at the very least, if they don't plan on being faithful they should be up-front about their relationship status, at which point both the man and the person he is involved with on the side are equally informed and responsible, d) wear a sign, not unlike the scarlet letter, to let unsuspecting women know what he's about on sight. It's infuriating that while men are out here doing the damn thing all willy nilly, it is women who are at each other's throats.

The commentary is telling. We call women who are involved with men in multiple relationships stupid, a jump off, a side chick, a side piece, or a THOT. We call the main woman the ride or die (because she is willing to tolerate bullshit), the main chick (because she was there first), wifey (because she is either married to him, has a child with him, or is holding out for either of the two), or bae. But what do we call a man who has a side chick?

I'll wait.

Right.

No accountability, no consequences.

Part of the cultural fascination with and glorification of side chicks is attached to our complicated viewing relationship with shows like Being Mary Jane, Scandal, and Love & Hip Hop. Olivia Pope and Mary Jane Paul are fictional characters playing out real lived experiences. I know women who have unknowingly been a side chick, myself included. Women who were sharing a man they thought was exclusively theirs, or who they believed to not be in an exclusive relationship with someone else.

In popular culture there is and has been a tendency to credit and/or blame black women for the existence and/or popularity of the side chick. From video vixens, groupies, and regretful exes to a political powerhouse, news reporter and wannabe, we have, in the past few years, watched black women on TV go for the jugular, fighting over unfaithful men like they are going out of style.

Three such shows (Being Mary Jane, Scandal, and Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta) were created and/or produced by powerful black women, Mara Brock Akil, Shonda Rhimes, and Mona Scot-Young. It is telling, I believe, to think about the stories and storylines these shows pursue about the naiveté and poor choices professional women of color sometimes make in their love lives. It is not, in my opinion at least, a glorification of the side chick, but rather a commentary on black love relationships and the plight black women often find themselves in when trying to establish, maintain, or end relationships with black men.

One commentary, for Mary Jane at least, may be that the dating pool for professional black women in positions of power are not particularly deep (in fact, they can be as shallow as a kiddie pool). However, instead of considering the fact that many black women share the same concerns (about having a biological family) and fears (of being alone), folk seem to be more interested and invested in seeing her as a Jezebel than empathizing with her circumstances, despite the fact that she did not knowingly pursue a relationship with a married man, a married man knowingly pursued a relationship with her. (I am aware that Mary Jane, in her desperation for love, eventually becomes "that woman" when she pursues her ex, knowing he has moved on with a new love–she is, however, tipsy at the time, stopping to give her married man's wife oral sex tips the same night. Le sigh.).

Granted, the fictional Olivia Pope is another story. Her affair with the leader of the free world was both intentional and shady (being that she befriended the wife), but for whatever reason (perhaps because her lover is white, and his wife is white, so her affair is not jeopardizing a black woman's relationship or "black" family), black women ain't mad like that over Olivia. Perhaps it is as my friend Kristen Warner says, the idea of a black woman (regardless of hue) getting busy with a white POTUS is so much of a fantasy, folk (black women in particular) get caught up in the dream, blame the wife, and look for ways to justify Olitz's torrid affair.

Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta reveals the hot-ass mess that is a relationship with a perpetually unfaithful man. The triangle between Stevie J, Joseline, and Mimi began with Joseline being the side to Mimi's main, and ended with Joseline being a wife and Mimi becoming a porn star. But Stevie J is no prize. He is and has been unfaithful, and if he cheated with Joseline, he will cheat on her, no matter how good her sex is. Cheating is rarely about pleasure, it's about power. People cheat because they can, not because they are not necessarily getting what they need at home. Some dudes are greedy, they want their cake and everybody else's too. And that is about power and manipulation, not love (or hip hop).

And of course, there are exceptions. Some women are just thirsty. (Did you see that Sorry Ms. Carter video? Chile, bye).

While I am not condoning the behavior of women who are homewreckers for sport, I am confused about why the conversation is always focused on the so-called sins of women and not the unfaithfulness of men. Even in a fictional context, Fitz openly and unapologetically disses his wife for his lover. And while Scandal fans (myself included) generally applaud the shade he throws his wife while indulging between the legs of another woman, it's not quite right, and he's not quite right. Our conversations about accountability need to be better.

So, do I think 2014 is the year of the side chick? Nah, no more than any other year is or will be. I do think, however, that it's time for us to re-frame the narrative and think about why it is so easy for society to excuse the misbehavior of men and blame women, especially black women, for the demise of traditional love relationships. Perhaps instead of trying to police black women's bodies and behaviors we should start pointing the finger at the men who get lost in the discussion and the equation.

Robin M. Boylorn is Assistant Professor of Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication at the University of Alabama. She is the author of Sweetwater: Black Women and Narratives of Resilience and co-editor of Critical Autoethnography: Intersecting Cultural Identities in Everyday Life. She is also a member and contributing writer of the Crunk Feminist Collective.

[Image by Tara Jacoby]

NYC's premier bike sharing operation, Citi Bike, has apparently been on the receiving end of an unwarranted smear campaign. While New York City's casual bike-riders rested sweetly in their beds on Friday, an unnamed perpetrator walked around a Midtown Citi Bike stand and wiped feces all over everything.

According to a report in the New York Daily News, the shit-smearer was caught on surveillance cameras across the street at 1:25 a.m. on Friday morning. The station, on 45th Street near 8th Avenue, was targeted by the poop-smearer, who was carrying a "full bag of feces."

The poop was only discovered at 8 a.m. that morning, the report says, and wasn't cleaned off the bikes until 5 p.m. that evening, meaning some unsuspecting bike-sharer could have (and probably did) sit in poop. So who is this fucker? Is it your cousin? Tips welcome in the comments.

[Image via AP]

Thanksgiving weekend is the busiest and most-dreaded travel period of the year, due to the compact date range and the fact that there's inevitably almost always some sort of weather disaster at one of the nation's major airline hubs. But if you're still brave enough to do it, here's how to get through it unscathed.

It's already October. Many cities already have a cool crispness in the air, changing leaves, and lines of young girls in yoga pants at every Starbucks, eager for a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and you've got tickets to Grandma's house. Wait, you haven't bought your plane ticket? Well what are you waiting for?

When to buy

First off, if you haven't booked your flights already, do it now! CheapAir tracks 11,000 different holiday airfare markets on a daily basis, and they say prices are trending upward. Christmas is already trending higher than Thanksgiving. Holiday airfares are usually at their lowest around Labor Day, so you have probably already missed the best deals. Hoping to fly on points or miles? Good luck with that as well. Most airlines cap the number of freebie seats per flight, or have blackout dates on the busiest days of the year. If your airline does allow reward seats, they're probably long gone.

When to fly

Try to avoid leaving on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, known within the airline industry as "Black Wednesday." Also try not to go home on the following Sunday, traditionally the busiest air travel day of the year. Those two days are the most crowded and expensive days to fly. You'll find less crowds and perhaps cheaper flights if you burn an extra vacation day (which many people don't use to their full availability) and leave the Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving. And consider coming home a day early on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. No matter what day you fly, I highly recommend leaving early in the morning.

Flying earlier in the day will reduce your risk of getting stranded. (Getty Images)

Consider flying into secondary airports, too. They are typically less crowded, and may have cheaper prices as well. For example, if you're flying to the Miami area, consider Fort Lauderdale. For the Los Angeles region, check out Burbank, Ontario, or Orange County.

Be Built For Speed

You can avoid a long wait in the check-in line if you'll pack a carry-on sized suitcase. Plus, many airlines make you pay for that, unless you're in their Super Deluxe Executive Platinum Medallion club or whatever. Since you're on a morning flight as I advised, save that cash for a Bloody Mary at the airport bar. The industry standard for checked luggage size is (mostly) 9 by 14 by 22 inches, or 45 total inches. If you're on one of those tiny jets, you get to drop off your bag plane-side and they bring it right up to you when you land. You're going to have to go through the TSA checkpoint anyway, so you may as well lug your bag along. Yes, some will say that dragging your bag along isn't speedy at all, but I'd counter that with the time you're saving when you land and you don't have to wait for that bag to drop on the carousel. Plus, if your bag is with you, there's no chance of it getting loaded on the wrong flight.

TSA screener at New York's JFK Airport (Getty Images)

Something else that can save you some time is the mobile boarding pass. Most of us have smartphones, and most airlines now have apps on which you can download your boarding pass and even change your seat assignment. The mobile boarding pass saves you time by not having to stand in another line to get it printed at the airport. Yes you can print it at home, but save that pricey printer ink for something else. Airline apps also have push updates, which notify you of delays or gate changes. If you've ever been sitting in the gate area when everyone's phone gets the update simultaneously, it's pretty comical.

Two more things on time saving — get to the airport early. Follow your airline's recommendations for when you should arrive. If you miss your flight, it's not the traffic's fault, the TSA's fault or the airline's fault. It's YOUR fault, because you didn't give yourself enough time. Nobody at the airport will feel sorry for you. Wear clothes that help make your TSA screening process go smoothly and quickly. Wear slip-on shoes, or tie your laces loose enough where you can easily slip them on and off. Avoid a belt if you can. If you need it as accessory, save it until after your TSA screening. I'm sure the fashion police will overlook your faux pas. If your pants need a belt to hold them up, buy new pants. Seriously.

Now you get the idea. The key to saving yourself some time, money and frustration is to be flexible in your planing. Heed these tips and hopefully you'll get to your destination saying to yourself, "It wasn't that bad!" And if for some reason your trip turns out less than awesome, remember there are hugs from loved ones and pumpkin pie waiting on the other end. Do you have and tips or advice for fellow travelers? Let us know in the comments below.

Illustration by Jim Cooke

Another good reason to throw your computer out the window: A man has been jailed in England for killing his friend after he poked the man's girlfriend on Facebook.

The Mirror reports 27-year-old Scott Humphrey repeatedly punched his friend Richard Rovetto after finding out he'd Facebook poked his girlfriend, while asking, "If you're such a good friend why did you poke my missus?"

Rovetto, father of one, hit his head on the pavement during the beating and reportedly died hours later. According to the Mirror, Humphrey fled the scene but later turned himself in to police.

Humphrey admitted to charges of manslaughter and is said to be "genuinely remorseful." During his sentencing, Judge Gregory Dickinson QC said:

"You didn't intend to kill him. Part of the tragedy is that it's left to chance what happens. There will be a fight like this somewhere tonight and the person will get up and go home and the police will never hear about it."

He was sentenced to four years and four months in prison.

[image via Nottinghamshire Police, h/t NYDaily]

A woman in Hurley, Mississippi was discovered by cops this week stealing items from cars in a high school parking lot, after which she told them she wasn't stealing exactly, she was looking for members of ISIS.

Lisa Carol Roche, 41, had been caught by authorities stealing sunglasses and "other personal items" from students' cars at her children's high school, Gulf Live reports. Perhaps she thought teenage sunglasses from Pacific Sunwear would lead to crucial clues on members of a foreign terror group? We've all been there before.

Roche was taken into custody by the Jackson County Sheriff's Department and is currently awaiting trial. Whether she will be questioned about her important findings re: ISIS is yet to be determined.

[Image via Gulf Live]

Last night's SNL was hosted by comedian Sarah Silverman (and with musical guest Maroon 5, why god why) and the highlight of the episode was a digital short called "Whites." Are you white and loving it? Are you a little goofy and naughty? Better celebrate—only 50 more years, tops, until the jig is up.

Elsewhere on last night's episode, you could see Silverman doing an impression of Joan Rivers in heaven, Kenan Thompson recapping a forgotten soap opera called Supportive Women, and a mostly unfunny remake of The Fault in Our Stars that trades cancer for Ebola.

Human-fish hybrid and Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps announced in a series of tweets on Sunday morning that after getting his second DUI in ten years, he's decided to take some time away to attend a program where he will learn to "better understand" himself.

The athlete was pulled over by police doing 84 mph in a 45 mph zone early Tuesday morning. His blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit, TMZ reports. The gossip outlet also noted that Phelps had been on an "8-hour gambling binge" in Baltimore the night of the incident.

I recognize that this is not my first lapse in judgment, and I am extremely disappointed with myself.

— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) October 5, 2014

The past few days have been extremely difficult.

— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) October 5, 2014

I’m going to take some time away to attend a program that will provide the help I need to better understand myself.

— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) October 5, 2014

Swimming is a major part of my life, but right now I need to focus my attention on me as an individual,

— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) October 5, 2014

and do the necessary work to learn from this experience and make better decisions in the future.

— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) October 5, 2014

[Image via AP]

An endurance runner trying to make it from Miami, Florida to Bermuda in an inflatable "Hydro Pod" was rescued by the US Coast Guard on Saturday after he signaled for help.

Reza Baluchi, the man in the bubble, is a peace activist whose website states he is attempting to run through 194 recognized countries "to inspire us and unite us as a people." The goal of his trip from Miami to Bermuda writes, he writes, "to raise money for children in need and to give inspire those that have lost hope for a better future." The website notes the difficulties one faces when traveling in the Hydro Pod:

We also have to remember that Miami, Fl. Is very hot, humid and tropical. Being inside the Hydro Pod is not going to be a walk in the park, it will be very hot and humid. One can easily dehydrate quickly and lose breath. Reza has devised this Hydro Pod to prevent physical difficulties. But not anyone can use without being mentally and physically fit. Being mentally fit is the main component to be able to survive a long journey in the Hydro Pod.

CNN reports the Coast Guard first became aware of Baluchi on Wednesday when they received—no doubt a typical occurrence for the Coast Guard—reports of a disoriented man in a bubble asking for directions to Bermuda. A Coast Guard press release says Baluchi had protein bars, bottled water, a GPS, and a satellite phone with him in the bubble, and was urged to quit his journey because he didn't have enough supplies.

Baluchi refused to quit, but on Saturday morning, suffering from exhaustion, he activated his personal locating beacon. Aww.

The Coast Guard reports Baluchi was rescued 70 nautical miles east of St. Augustine and a HC-130 airplane, a MH-60 helicopter, and the vessel Maersk Montana were sent to his aid. His medical condition was evaluated and no injuries were reported.

Coast Guard public affairs specialist Mark Barney spoke about the rescue:

"Part of his effort was to make world peace but he got caught up in the Gulf Stream. The chances of muscling out of the Gulf Stream were pretty low."

The optimist in us, of course, looks forward to the day when the Gulf Stream no longer stands in the way of world peace.

[image via AP]

For the first time in history, a woman has given birth to a baby after receiving a womb transplant. The mother and child, both of whom are said to be doing well, offer hope to women the world over with missing or non-functional uteruses who desire to carry their own children to term.

Above: The newborn baby just after birth, via Brännström et al.

The unidentified 36-year-old woman was born without a womb (a congenital disorder known as Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser – or MRKH – syndrome), and is one of nine Swedish women who received a uterine transplant from live donors between 2012 and 2013. Some of those women received wombs from family members (including their own mothers), but this particular uterus was reportedly donated by a 61-year-old "family friend" who had undergone menopause 7-years prior to the 2013 surgery.

The woman gave birth to a son just last weekend. The team responsible for her care – which was led by Mats Brännström, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Gothenburg – describe the woman's surgery, pregnancy, and delivery in a paper published today in The Lancet:

The recipient and the donor had essentially uneventful postoperative recoveries. The recipient's first menstruation occurred 43 days after transplantation and she continued to menstruate at regular intervals of between 26 and 36 days (median 32 days). 1 year after transplantation, the recipient underwent her first single embryo transfer, which resulted in pregnancy. She was then given triple immunosuppression (tacrolimus, azathioprine, and corticosteroids), which was continued throughout pregnancy. She had three episodes of mild rejection, one of which occurred during pregnancy. These episodes were all reversed by corticosteroid treatment. Fetal growth parameters and blood flows of the uterine arteries and umbilical cord were normal throughout pregnancy. The patient was admitted with pre-eclampsia at 31 full weeks and 5 days, and 16 h later a caesarean section was done because of abnormal cardiotocography. A male baby with a normal birthweight for gestational age (1775 g) and with APGAR scores 9, 9, 10 was born. [Ed. note: APGAR is a quick assessment of newborn health performed at 1, 5, and occasionally 10 minutes after birth. These are great APGAR scores. According to the NIH, "A score of 10 is very unusual, since almost all newborns lose 1 point for blue hands and feet, which is normal for after birth."]

According to the researchers, mom and baby (who was named "Vincent" by his parents for its meaning "to conquer") have both been discharged and are in good health:

The mother was in a good condition the day after delivery and her blood pressure was normalized spontaneously, with no further treatment. She was discharged from the hospital 3 days after caesarean section and is followed up in regular outpatient visits... The baby was discharged in good health from the neonatal unit 16 days after birth and the weight 21 days after delivery was 2040 g.

This case study offers hope to women around the world who suffer from absolute uterine factor infertility, "the only major type of female infertility that is still viewed as untreatable." There are many causes of absolute uterine factor infertility, including MRKH and previous hysterectomy, but in all cases, the researchers note, the available motherhood options for women with this disorder are limited to:

...adoption (to acquire legal motherhood), or pregnancy in a gestational surrogate carrier to acquire genetic motherhood, followed by adoption to also acquire legal motherhood. However, surrogacy is not allowed in many countries because of ethical, legal, or religious reasons.

With that in mind, it has significant implications for transgender pregnancy, as well.

For now, the woman and her healthy child provide a a proof-of-concept for uterus transplantation as a treatment for uterine factor infertility, though the treatment is not perfect. Following transplantation, there is constant risk of the uterus being rejected. (This is why many of the women to receive uteruses thus far have been related to their donors.) Additionally, the drugs used to prevent rejection are potentially harmful in the long term; if this new mom doesn't plan on trying to have another child soon, it would make sense for her to have her new womb removed.

According to the researchers, eleven human uterus transplantation attempts have been performed worldwide, but this is the first livebirth to be reported. And there's reason to believe it won't be the last; one of the new mom's doctors reportedly said there are two other women with transplanted wombs who are at least 25-weeks along in their pregnancies. No word yet whether either of these women received her womb from her own mother – which would really be something – but we'll keep you posted.

Read the full report of the woman's transplant, pregnancy, and delivery at The Lancet.

In a bizarre act of theft at a Norwegian riding school, thieves made off with the tails of five beautiful horses and $15,000 worth of equestrian gear on Thursday, the New York Daily News reports.

The theft happened in the middle of the night on Thursday, and a spokesperson for the riding school described the incident as "animal abuse." Yeah, because the horses won't be as pretty anymore, sure!!

Via The Local:

"It is an assault and animal abuse. We cannot understand how anyone could do something like this. It almost seems like someone wants to strike at us. We just don't understand how another human being can make themselves do anything like it. It is pure devilry."

The riding school in Indre Østfold is working with police in an investigation to find the culprits. According to this article in The Star, stolen horsehair can be used for arts and crafts, violin bows, or to make fake manes and tails for show horses.

[Image via Shutterstock]

A new survey from Cats Protection, the UK's leading feline welfare charity, shows most cat owners don't understand the way to properly comfort their stressed out cats: by leaving them the fuck alone.

The survey showed more than half of cat owners polled believed that petting the rude, socially inept creature they invited into their homes to feed and look at (from a distance) calmed them down in moments of anxiety. Nope!

"Being held or stroked for too long," said Cats Protection behavior manager Nicky Trevorrow, "can be very stressful for some cats." She continued:

"Space and peace is often what they need. They are not small furry humans, so what would comfort us will not ­necessarily comfort them. Owners love their ­animals and want them to be happy but our research has highlighted a lack of ­understanding."

Hmm.

Why have a cat?

[image via Shutterstock]

While on her way to pick up her husband from the scene of a crash he'd been in on a road in western France, a woman accidentally struck her husband with her car, killing him on the same dangerous bend. He died instantly and this is a horribly sad story.

Imagine that you're a woman, your dad is Yo-Yo Ma, and you're getting married. What do you see? Your dad playing cello while walking you down the aisle. Your dad playing cello during your father-daughter dance. Your dad sitting quietly, playing cello while everyone eats salad. Not so for Yo-Yo Ma's real daughter—he didn't play cello at her wedding at all!

Page Six reports Yo-Yo Ma's daughter, Emily Hornor Ma, recently married investment banker John Mistovich at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lenox, Massachusetts. For the occasion, she reportedly asked her father to stop playing cello for once in his life and "just be a dad that night."

The Alex Donner Orchestra performed in his stead, playing the "Blue Danube Waltz" for the couple's first dance and "My Girl" while Yo-Yo Ma danced (celloless) with the bride.

Fingers crossed he will be allowed to provide musical accompaniment for the newlyweds' honeymoon.

[image via Getty]

As protests at the government center of Hong Kong entered into their tenth day Sunday morning, some demonstrators began to break down barriers and blockades to roads and sidewalks in advance of a government-dictated Monday deadline. Others, as the AP reports, refused to budge.

The pro-democracy sit-ins that have been ongoing near Hong Kong's government center for almost two weeks are intended as a means to "peacefully protest China's restrictions on the first-ever direct election for Hong Kong's leader, promised by Beijing for 2017," the AP reports.

After the government said that they'd do whatever was necessary to ensure "3,000 civil servants would have full access to their offices on Monday," members of several student groups began reluctantly retreating, though some remained resolute.

Via the New York Times:

Alex Chow, secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the groups at the forefront of the pro-democracy demonstrations, said the "occupy" sit-ins would continue while the federation opened talks with the government. He warned that the talks would be suspended if the government made any attempt to forcefully drive away the protesters.

"A dialogue is not a compromise," Mr. Chow said from a stage at the main protest camp. "We will start arranging talks with the government, because we understand that there are people in both the government and here who want to solve society's problems."

"We will not back down," he added.

As the AP notes, police have arrested 30 people since the start of the protest and last night, similar to last week, law enforcement used pepper spray to subdue the crowds after "verbal abuse." Hong Kong's leader, Beijing-approved chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, agreed on Friday to speak with activists.

[Images via AP]