Spit Furthermore

Hotheads Light Up
Can't seem to keep your cool -- or kick that smoking habit? There may be a connection. A team of University of California researchers found that people who tend to be angry, aggressive or anxious are likely candidates for nicotine addiction. "We call this brain response a 'born to smoke' pattern," said Dr. Steven Potkin, a brain-imaging specialist who led the research. The study, which used psychiatric personality tests and PET scans, indicated that the same genetic variations that create hostile personality traits also often create a predisposition to cigarette addiction. Perhaps it's time to take some deep, calming (smoke-free) breaths.

From Pariah to Protector
An Israeli rabbi wants to hang bags of pig fat on buses to discourage Muslim suicide bombers from boarding the vehicles. Islam, like Judaism, considers pigs unclean, so it would be an extreme tactic in any case. But Eliezer Fisher, an ultra-Orthodox rabbinical judge, said special dispensation can be granted for placing bags of lard on buses and in other public places in an effort to prevent attacks. Although police have not responded to Fisher's suggestion, Israel's deputy public security minister says he thinks it's a good idea.

Dial 'R' for Romance
He loves me, he loves me not. Now there's a foolproof way to determine whether your love interest shares your tender feelings. The Love Detector, made by V Entertainment and based on Israeli counterterrorism technology, supposedly rates a phone conversation's emotional temperature on a scale from five (hot and heavy romance) to one (abandon all hope now). Users connect a phone to a Windows PC running the $50 Love Detector, and the software rates the amount of affection in the voice of the beloved. The love level is represented by a daisy on the computer screen -- the more petals, the better. If ardor is absent, sadly, the flower starts to wilt. Users will need a $15 phone connector and a sense of irony.

S.F. Marries Gay Couple
Two days after San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said he wants to see homosexual marriage legalized, the city issued a marriage license to a lesbian couple and a city official wed them. By doing so, San Francisco directly challenges California state law, which recognizes marriage as the official union between a man and a woman. Longtime lesbian activists Phyllis Lyon, 79, and Del Martin, 83, who have been together for 51 years, were married in a civil ceremony at City Hall. City officials said the city plans to issue marriage licenses to anyone who wants one.

Beefing Up
McDonald's makes cheap hamburgers and sells them in a sterile, plastic environment. But now the fast-food chain says -- and with a straight face -- that it hopes to make its outlet on the fashionable Strand in London a hot spot for ladies who lunch. By ditching Ronald McDonald and the ghastly red and yellow decor for chrome, leather armchairs, retro seating, glass and sophisticated lighting, a spokeswoman said, "We think we can give Harvey Nichols or The Ivy a run for their money." Really? You can put earrings on a hog, but it's still a hog.

Apple of Their Eye
Jonathan Ive, designer of the original iMac and the iPod, and now head of Apple's industrial design facility, has been named the most influential person in British culture. Ive beat out better-known names like Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and Ricky Gervais, star of The Office and a Golden Globe winner. Ive joined Apple in 1992 after working with them through his own design firm. His two-color, solid-case iMac has been widely imitated and the iPod is the top-selling portable MP3 player.