For the uninitiated, acupuncture can seem like a bunch of hocus pocus. But the Wall Street Journal says researchers are using modern technology to document how the ancient healing method works. And in some cases, they’ve found striking similarities to Western medicine.

The Obama administration gave the state of Florida $1.25 billion to develop a high-speed rail system to connect Orlando and Tampa. But the New York Times says with its five planned stops, the train will only shave about 30 minutes off people’s morning commutes. And then there’s the problem of what to do when they get there. Because of a lackluster public transportation system in both cities, the paper says “travelers may discover that they have taken a fast train to a slow bus.”

The Atkins Diet has been reworked. The New York Daily News notes that vegetables are now allowed. The doctors responsible for reworking the controversial weight-loss regimen say by subtracting fiber intake from a dieter’s daily carb intake, the new plan “promotes good, healthy food like vegetables.”

Did Tiger Woods have a nanny? A new book claims that promiscuous men are often that way because they had a nanny growing up. The ever clever New York Post puts it more succinctly: “Chasing Fanny? Blame Nanny.” According to the Times of London, the psychiatrist who penned the book claims hiring a nanny for your son may inadvertently send the message that it’s OK to cheat in your grown up relationships.

One of my favorite movies is 20 years old. The New York Post looks back at how “Pretty Woman” became such an enduring part of pop culture. Daryl Hannah, Molly Ringwald and Jennifer Jason Leigh all turned down the lead role, which turned Julia Roberts into a big box office star.

There’s an election next week in Massachusetts. Only problem is that no one’s running. The Boston Globe says for residents of Hawley, a small town in the Berkshires, it will be a “no-horse race.” But it’s not because people are protesting the passage of health care reform or anything else - it’s just that they have no interest in politics. That means the winner of Hawley’s election will likely be a write-in who “must be named on at least two of the paper ballots.”

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article this morning about breaking up with friends. The Journal says friendships often become “victims of routine life events such as moves, job changes, divorce or a divergence of interests.” Problems can arise because there are no rules governing a friend breakup - no counseling, no joint custody, no divorce lawyer.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has quite a few gavels. We all saw her pictured with an oversized model on front pages yesterday after the historic passage of the health care reform bill. And today, the Washington Post has an interesting look at the history of the gavel in American politics. While gavels that work in the Senate only have to be replaced every 100 years or so, in the House, there’s a large box of them: “The House does a lot more pounding than the Senate.”

I’m often asked how I can drag myself out of bed at three in the morning each day. The simple answer is that I make sure to get enough sleep and insist on a daily nap. People sometimes seem disappointed when I don’t offer a strategy for surviving on two hours of sleep. Why? Well, according to an opinion piece in USA Today, Americans aren’t as sleepless as they claim. While research shows that we get about eight hours a night, when asked about their sleep patterns most people only cop to six.

The US Representative from Texas who yelled “baby killer” during the final, tense moments of the health care debate has apologized reports the Dallas Morning News. Sort of. Rep. Randy Neugebauer told a local TV station he tried to represent the “intensity of the American people” with his comment and that he “still believe[s] that that Senate bill is a baby-killing bill.”

The TSA is looking into new technology that will (anonymously) monitor your cell phone to track how long the wait in airport security lines takes. According to USA Today, the agency would then use the information to “prevent checkpoint snarls.” But civil liberty experts say the system could allow the government undue access to track citizens without their knowledge.

Super-sizing didn’t start with McDonalds. According to a new study, it started with Jesus. The LA Times has the details on some odd new research, which looked at paintings of the “Last Supper” to determine when portions began increasing in the Western diet. After studying depictions of “history’s most famous dinner party” painted between 1000 and 2000, they found that the apostles’ entrees increased by about 70 percent.

It’s literally a (fat) blast from past. The Denver Post takes a look at the recent popularity of the “Paleo diet,” which urges people to eat like cavemen. That doesn’t mean you’ve got to go out and club your dinner. But it does mean sticking to meat, vegetables and nuts while avoiding grains, sugars and dairy. CrossFit enthusiasts have brought the diet back into spotlight after it was invented in 2002 by a Colorado professor.

Obesity is often linked to a slew of health problems, from diabetes to heart disease. But new research has tied being overweight to six different types of cancer says the LA Times. Because of the restrictions of medical trials, researchers weren’t able to show that obesity actually causes various types of cancer, but they say “the evidence is ‘convincing’ for a cause-and-effect relationship between obesity and postmenopausal breast, colon, endometrial, esophageal, kidney and pancreas cancer.”

This is taking multi-purpose to a whole new level. The Augusta Chronicle reports that three Georgia teenagers have come up with a seriously versatile shoe.  Basically it’s a flat that can be made into a pump with a short or tall heel. And, if that’s not enough, there’s a wedge option too. The students say their shoe is great for women who want to save some money but don’t want to cut back on style.

After keeping his lips tightly sealed for months, Tiger Woods decided to give two interviews yesterday, one to ESPN and one to the Golf Channel. But the Orlando Sentinel says Woods didn’t reveal much that wasn’t already known. He declined to comment on how many affairs he had had, saying, “just one is enough and obviously that wasn’t the case.”

The first day of spring came over the weekend. And in celebration, the New York Post has three pages dedicated to spring shoes in today’s paper. While a good portion of the pairs singled out by the paper could break the bank, they also feature 20 styles for under $400.

Now that the secret is out about the father of Padma Lakshmi’s child, the New York Post reports that Adam Dell, brother of Michael, has a lawyer and is trying to negotiate access to the girl. But it might not be that easy. Says a source close to the Top Chef host Lakshmi: “If Dell has changed his mind, that’s his problem. They [Lakshmi and Dell] already have an agreement.”

She dreamed a dream and it definitely came true. Susan Boyle is about to get her first royalty check. The New York Post reports that the British singing sensation will receive a check on April 1 that’s no joke: $6 million. The date also happens to be Boyle’s 49th birthday.

The Chicago Sun-Times has an update from the man who is driving around the world. Formerly an art director for the Associated Press, Nicolas Rapp decided to quit his job in 2009 and see if he could drive around the world in a year. He just finished the first leg, from New York to Argentina. Of the 13,000-mile journey, Rapp says, “it was just like driving to work, except that I kept on going.”

The underwater census is almost finished. After nearly a decade, a $650 million project to study the “abundance, diversity, and distribution of organisms that rove the oceans’ sun-dappled surfaces” is coming to a close says the Boston Globe. Among the findings are a species of worm that eats crude oil and a “sort of singles cafe for sharks where great whites cruise hungrily for sex.”

Now that Oprah is on her way out, Rosie wants back in the game. The day time talk show game, that is. The New York Daily News says O’Donnell is signed up to get a new show in the fall of 2011. That’s just about the same time when Oprah’s seven million viewers will be looking for something else to watch.

USA Today says the hottest thing on the slopes right now are those snowboard pants that look like jeans - the ones that members of the US team wore during the Olympics. And now, if you’re willing to spend $250, they can be yours. Burton just announced it will start selling the specialty pants next October. But you’ll have to track down your own flannel jacket to complete the look - it’s not for sale.

In a bid to close the gap between TV and Internet, Showtime is trying something new says the New York Times. During this season of “Nurse Jackie,” one of the characters has a newfound Twitter addiction. And in the second episode, which airs tonight, his tweets will show up in real (East Coast) time as he enters them on the show.

One story dominated the news this morning. According to the Front Page Tally, every paper in our top 30 led with the historic 219-212 House vote to overhaul the nation’s health care system.  It was a “historic victory in the century-long battle,” reports the Washington Post. The House of Representatives worked late into the night to pass health care reform legislation. The bill extends coverage to 32 million Americans who don’t have insurance now. There was unanimous opposition from the GOP; 34 Democratic Representatives chose to vote against the measure. SEE FRONT PAGE ROUND UP

Ahead of a health care vote, the Washington Post‘s Dan Balz offered some interesting analysis this morning, examining the political price Democrats may pay for their push toward a health care reform bill.

The Kansas City Star sums up efforts to teach kids about their health this way: “America’s youth got the message that Marlboros were hazardous, but Doritos were hip.” But there’s a lesson in that for public health officials, says the Star. Some of the tactics used in the anti-smoking campaign could be applied to obesity. Among the ideas: warning labels, taxes and regulations on food advertising.

The average American throws away 54 pounds of used clothes and shoes every year, reports the Los Angeles Times. The best used clothing may find its way to somebody else through a resale shop, but there’s an alternative for the rest: recycling.

The rules are in place already, but now the Department of Agriculture plans to conduct spot tests to try to ensure that foods billed as “organic” really are. The New York Times says the move comes after an auditor exposed “major gaps” in federal oversight.

It’s become an online sport to guess how many iPad computers have been pre-ordered by Apple customers, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Journal says Daniel Tello, a blogger in Venezuela, has coordinated information from hundreds of enthusiasts to reach an estimate of 190,000