Editorial: Casual Fridays 12/3

Weapons that float

Hugging trees doesn’t necessarily have to be peaceful…. Weapons that float

Hugging trees doesn’t necessarily have to be peaceful. According to MSNBC, police in Irvine, Ca., have arrested one of two men suspected of robbing a gas station by threatening the clerk with a three-foot-long tree branch. Police report that one man burst into the business wielding the branch while the other demanded the clerk open the register drawer. As the Marcellus Shale controversy rattles Pennsylvania, we knew environmentalists were going after gas companies — but we didn’t know they also had it out for the stations.

May the jumpsuit be with you

Jedis might not only live among the realm of George Lucas films, or so at least one Pennsylvania man thought. MSNBC reports that, after pleading guilty for aggravated assault, 36-year-old Warminster resident Milan Marinkovic was sentenced Tuesday to eight to 20 years in prison for beating up his roommate while believing he was a Star Wars character. After taking prescription pills and downing alcoholic drinks, Marinkovic purportedly thought he was Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi on a mission to “kill all evil.” We’re sorry the Dark Side of the Force took hold of young Padawan Milan.

From genes to into her jeans

We all know that DNA explains everything, but who would have guessed infidelity too? According to the Daily Mail, researchers at the State University of New York have discovered that people can be more inclined to cheat on their partners if they have the gene that is linked to gambling and alcohol abuse. The gene, called the DRD4 gene, might be responsible for a “rush” of brain chemicals that could make people incapable of remaining faithful. But we’re only part of the way to explaining what makes relationships so difficult ­­— how about science finding us the gene responsible for forgetting to put the toilet seat down?

Editor’s note: One entry has been removed.