Blog Posts by Eric Pfeiffer, Yahoo! News

Traffic cop in Prosper, Texas handing out a gift card (KTSM.com)The next time you're approached by a traffic cop, you shouldn't necessarily assume the worst. Or at least you shouldn't succumb to primal fears of traffic cops if  you're driving in Prosper, Tex, where police have been handing out $10 gift cards to drivers they see wearing seat belts and staying within the speed limit.

"We wanted to give back to the community to reinforce those safe driving habits," Prosper assistant police chief Gary McHone told AOL Autos.

To be clear, the police officers aren't pulling over any motorists to notify them that they are obeying the law. Rather, officers on foot have been approaching driving in parking lots and other areas after noticing their good behavior. The police officers say they are going out of their way to not startle anyone.

"The old adage of 'protecting and serving'--it's a highly used phrase, but this is an opportunity for us to put a different twist to the 'serving' part of it," McHone said.

The department says it has funded 60 of the

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In the video below, Stewie the cat appears to be caught in an act of super-feline compassion: gently caressing a distressed baby Connar with his paw while the infant drifts off to sleep. At the outset, we see Connar crying and upset--until Stewie places his paw on top of Connon's head, which seems to help the newborn calm down and eventually fall asleep:

Now, before everyone says "Aw!" all at once, the spirit of scientific inquiry compels me to ask: Was Stewie was actually trying to soothe Connar to sleep--or was he just  mesmerized by the infant's shaking limbs?

After all, cats' motivations are always in doubt--and let the record show that I say this as a diehard cat-lover. Of course, things can be just as they seem, and Stewie was seeking to calm the baby's savage breast. However, it's just as likely Stewie was just trying to get the baby to be quiet. Or--to raise an unpleasant third explanation--he may have been  thinking about swatting the baby in the face and then just got bored? Either way, the insanely cute results are captivating legions of web viewers.

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Webber County JailTwo accused shoplifters got a taste of their own medicine when they sought to clear out of the crime--and found that a passing malefactor had broken into their own car.

Security personnel were in the process of questioning Korin Vanhouten, 47, and Eldon Alexander, 36, at an Ogden, Utah WinCo supermarket, accused of stealing makeup, energy bars and batteries. At the end of the interrogation, they left with a citation for attempted shoplifting.

However, they soon stumbled on to the scene of a successful carlifting, with the awkward discovery that while they were in the WinCo, someone--or several someones--had broken into their car.

And as it turned out, the ironies were just starting to multiply. For Vanhouten and Alexander proceeded to report the ransacking of their vehicle to the same officer who had issued them their shoplifting citation.

In the process of leaving the WinCo lot, the officer came upon "the two suspects trying to flag him down in the parking lot," as Ogden Police Lt. Eric Young characterized the surreal moment for the Deseret News. "And he goes over to their location and realizes that their vehicle has actually been burglarized. They ended up having their stereo and amplifier, a drum machine and some cigarettes stolen from their vehicle," Young said.

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Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Post-GazetteOutcries over canned reindeer meat have actually led to a surge in its popularity.

Despite its status as perhaps the least seasonal Christmas dining fare imaginable, canned reindeer meat is a hit. In fact, it seems that a protest over the expensive pâté had the unintended effect of increasing its popularity.

A group called Vegetarians International Voice for Animals launched a protest campaign against the upscale U.K. department store Harvey Nichols for selling cans of the reindeer pâté, asking supporters to "politely complain" to the store over the allegedly traumatic harvesting process used to acquire the venison. More from MSNBC:

Admittedly, the packaging of the pâté seems designed to tweak delicate sensibilities, claiming the product is a "farm-raised relative of Rudolph" and "an indulgent Christmas treat." The pâté includes cognac and spices as well as its signature ingredients, ground meat and fat.

And now the reindeer meet is in fact off the shelves of Harvey Nichols and at online outlets such as Amazon and Edible.com--but only because stores can't keep up with customer demand for the product, which costs about $23 for a 6.7 ounce container.

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(Damian Dovarganes/AP)Scientists have isolated a gene in mice  that works to give them "super memories" and reverses the course of several degenerative mental illnesses like Alzheimer's. And because of the similarity of mice and human brains, a powerful brain pill for humans may now not be far off.

The brains of both mice and humans release a gene known as PKR, which is triggered by the onset of Alzheimer's. But the newly discovered gene can apparently block PKR's release--a development that not only can reverse the course of degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, but induces a state of "super memory" in the mice it has been tested on.

"If we were to find an inhibitor, a molecule, a drug that will specifically block PKR, we should be able to do the same [in humans]," Maura Costa-Mattioli, who led the research study at Baylor University, told the Vancouver Sun. "And we did."

"We recognize that PKR plays a dual role, one in regulating simple everyday processes like the way neurons talk to each other [for] memory, but also has a stress response," added John Bell, a senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute who also contributed to the study.

More from the Sun:

A virus is one form of stress that triggers PKR, but Alzheimer's patients' brains also experience PKR-releasing stress, said Bell, whose cancer research led him to create PKR-deficient mice which he shared with Costa-Mattioli's lab. Researchers found that when PKR is genetically suppressed in mice, another immune molecule, called gamma interferon, increases communication between neurons, improving memory and making brain function more efficient, Costa-Mattioli said.

Reportedly,  when PKR is blocked, the gamma interferon can work more or less spontaneously to improve brain functions--and can be activated via a simple PKR-inhibitor injection into a mouse's stomach rather than through more conventional and drawn-out gene therapy. The possible application for humans would lead to something like taking a "brain pill" to treat diseases like Alzheimer's, or simply to give the memory a significant boost:

When the researchers tested the PKR-deficient mice in a series of memory tests, those mice were able to pick up on patterns and remember them on the first try, while the other mice needed days to figure out how to solve the puzzle. The PKR-deficient mice consistently showed significantly better memory and learning abilities than their counterparts.

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A new ad campaign uses superheroes to raise breast cancer awarenessAn advertising agency in Mozambique has created a new campaign for breast cancer awareness featuring some leading female superheroes performing self breast exams (SBE). The ads feature Wonder Woman, Catwoman, X-Men's Storm and She-Hulk.

The ads feature the caption: "When we talk about breast cancer, there's no women or superwomen. Everybody has to do the self-examination monthly. Fight with us against this enemy and, when in doubt, talk with your doctor."

However, the well-intentioned ads have sparked some controversy. Over at Badass Digest, Devin Faraci writes, "As admirable as these ads are they, as is the case with many breast cancer PSAs, seem to skew towards men."

Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin, who is currently living with breast cancer, writes:

"I think more awareness and more data is generally a good thing. Even for superheroes. As an aside, the ads are fun but I'm gonna guess that the creative team on this one was all-male . . . . Ever notice how public health ads about testicular cancer and prostate cancer don't tend to feature fondle-y sexualized close-ups of those parts?"

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Tim Tebow/Getty ImagesTwo New York high-school students have been suspended for organizing a bended-knee tribute to Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.

Seventeen year old Connor and Tyler Carroll are fans of the NFL star, a devout Christian who has led his team on an improbable 7-1 record since becoming the team's starting quarterback.

The NFL player has unwittingly started a global trend called "Tebowing"--what the site tebowing.com describes as, "to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different."

For some, the act of Tebowing is highly ironic, but for the Carroll brothers it was meant as a sincere gesture. However, in this case, the kids in question have provoked the ire of one bystander "doing something completely different": Superintendant Nancy Carney, who took vigorous issue with organized Tebowing in the school hallway. About 40 students reportedly participated in the latest act on Wednesday, which you can watch in the video below:

Carney said the suspension has nothing to do with the religious nature of the gesture. "It is about being sure kids are able to get to class on time and keeping the kids safe and orderly," Carney said. "These students were warned and did it again. If the kids aren't going to abide by rules, there are consequences."

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BuzzFeed has put together its list of the 30 Most Important Cats of 2011. Topping the list is Shironek, "the most relaxed cat in the world."

Shironek, the "most relaxed cat in the world"

No doubt, cat fans will have seen at least a few of these select felines over the past 12 months, but every single one is worth a repeat visit.

For example, who would want to forget Puss the masseuse (meowseuse?) cat, who gives a generous backrub to Captain the dog?

As good as the actual massage video is, the best part may be the accompanying music, which sounds like it's straight out of an actual day spa.

Of course, as good as this list is, we all know there's something critical missing: Your cat.

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