Free Republic

San Mateo County -- A 27-year-old pregnant San Mateo County woman is in jail accused of stabbing her boyfriend with a kitchen knife after the couple argued about her nutritional choices, authorities said. The 18-year-old boyfriend, whom police have not identified, is being treated at a local hospital for stab wounds to his right lung and liver, said San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney Christine Ford. He is expected to recover and be released from the hospital sometime in the next couple of days, she said. Maria Islas pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in Redwood City to one charge each...

Gay-rights opponent Santorum stands by outed aide BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN Knight Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The senior spokesman for Sen. Rick Santorum, R- Pa., Friday confirmed to a web log that he is gay. According to PageOneQ, an online gay and lesbian publication, director of communications Robert L. Traynham, said that he was an "out gay man who completely supports the senator." Santorum, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate leadership has been an outspoken opponent of homosexual rights and a leading proponent of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Santorum, who was traveling in Pittsburgh, released the following...

Hormonal changes may actually alter the chemical balance in the brain and trigger some of the mood swings associated with a woman's monthly menstrual cycle, according to a new study. The study suggests that cells in a brain region called the hippocampus generate different types of receptors for the brain chemical GABA during various phases of the menstrual cycle. These changes may affect a woman's susceptibility to anxiety, depression, and seizures. Both estrogen and progesterone have effects on nerve cell activation, but the mechanism behind changes in seizure activity and increased anxiety are unknown, write the researchers. They say their...