Continental is the first US airline to try “self-boarding,” reports USA Today. It’s really not that big a change, but passengers at the airline’s hub in Houston are now scanning their own boarding passes at a turnstiles before walking down the ramp to their flight. The newspaper says it’s similar to what riders do when swiping their Metrocard on the New York City subway.

The dawn of Google Music could be right around the corner says the New York Post. Although the company’s remained silent on the topic, several insiders say there have recently been “accelerated talks” with the Harry Fox Agency, which has a catalog of more than 27,000 songs. It’s long been rumored that Google is planning to challenge Apple’s online music domination.

I guess ‘porch wine’ sounds better than ‘stoop wine’. Does anything sounds worse than clasping a big glass of heavy-bodied red wine in your sweaty palm during this summer we’ve had? Hot weather calls for lighter wines says the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. But that doesn’t mean solely whites—the paper recommends wines from California and South America for those who love their reds. 

It may be called Forever 21, but the online retailer is setting its sights on a younger demographic says the Tampa Tribune. Just in time for back-to-school shopping, Forever 21 has unveiled a line of clothing aimed at teen mothers. Commentators note that while this is a “brilliant” marketing strategy, it’s a strange move from the overtly Christian company, which is known for printing references to a Bible verse on its shopping bags.

Anyone who’s ever been on a roller coaster knows the feeling—the stomach-in-your-throat sensation that hits just as you plunge over a steep curve. Well, according to the Sacramento Bee, it’s not just a feeling. Scientists say your stomach, internal organs and the liquids coursing through your body actually move towards your head.

A tragic mix up has left the families of two young women reeling says the Arizona Republic. After a deadly car accident last week, Phoenix police told the family of Abby Guerra that the 19-year-old had died in the crash. But now authorities say Guerra isn’t dead at all and that in fact, it was her friend, 21-year-old Marlena Cantu, who died in the crash.

If you’ve been waiting with bated breath to get your hands on a life-sized Elvis statue once owned by Rod Blagojevich, book a ticket to Chicago. The owner of a storage facility says the ex-governor owes more than a year in back rent and he’s ready to kick his stuff to the curb. The Chicago Tribune says the public will be able to peruse the collection starting in mid-August.

Even after a vigorous workout most people don’t need the added stuff they put in sports drinks says the LA Times. Only after a 100-mile bike ride or 10-mile run does a person need the added sugar or sodium that are found in most brands. If you’re just doing some standard cardio, water is the best thing to keep you hydrated. Makes you wonder what Tiger Woods is doing drinking all that Gatorade.

Archeologists say they’ve discovered what might be the founder of a Maya dynasty in a well-preserved tomb in Guatemala. Researchers say the burial site was so well preserved that it still smelled of decay after 1600 years. According to the LA Times, the body of the king was accompanied by six infants, who are thought to be human sacrifices.

He’s a man of his word. Even if his word means shedding his clothes and treading in shark-infested waters. The New York Daily News says Enrique Iglesias is planning to make good on a promise he made during the World Cup. Without giving up a specific date, he told People magazine he plans to water ski naked in honor of Spain’s victory—he’s just got to get waxed first.

A catch-22 is frustrating unemployed job seekers says the New York Post. More and more want ads are specifying that only those who are currently employed will be considered. Recruiters say the trend is based on the notion that if you’ve currently got a job, you’re probably worth a second look.

The New York Post profiles a man in this morning’s paper with a dream job “for anyone who’s ever been a teenage boy or continues to think like one.” Gen Nishino has been shooting Playboy centerfolds since 1997. He tells the paper his strategies for defusing uncomfortable situations and talks about why he doesn’t like to shoot women who’ve had breast surgery.

From flagstick etiquette to what kind of advice to offer, the New York Times’ Bill Pennington offers 10 tips to make you a better golf partner. Many of the maxims—“be on time”; “be generous”—hold true for other life situations. But even the tips that are specific to golf—“watch the flight of everyone’s shots”; “maintain a good attitude regardless of how you’re playing”—strike me as solid advice both on and off the golf course.

If Americans are ever going to get serious about ending our addiction to oil there’s only one thing to do says an editorial in this morning’s USA Today: raise prices by way of a federal gas tax.  Pointing to the 2008 spike in gas prices, the paper says “it did more to change habits and reduce oil usage than anything Congress and a parade of presidents had done in decades.”

Women whose routine involved sitting for more than 6 hours a day are 37 percent more likely to die. And, even worse, reports the New York Post, no amount of exercise can offset the harm done by the sitting.

A Canadian CF-18 fighter jet crashed on a training flight for the airshow in Lethbridge, Alberta. I first spotted the story in the New York Daily News, but turned to my hometown Calgary Herald to find the full story and video. The pilot was able to eject before the crash.

Commercials for sugary cereal and other food choices seen as unhealthy remain a “cartoon staple,” reports the New York Times. A push to restrict advertising of certain food choices to kids has stalled, in part due to “deep dvisions among regulators.”

We may live in a world populated by mp3s but that doesn’t mean everyone has forgotten about the cassette tape. The Boston Globe says tapes are making a comeback, especially in the underground music scene. Many musicians say “the ultra-convenience of mp3s makes music very, very disposable,” which has inspired some labels to complement widely-released albums with a small batch of tapes. 

The first three seasons of “Mad Men” were characterized by its depiction of life before “the therapy revolution and the media explosion [that] put a premium on talk” says Boston Globe reviewer Matthew Gilbert. But the premiere of season four moves away from the show’s “dark silences” as Don Draper is forced into the public eye to promote his new advertising venture.

The Boston Globe says a slew of Pentagon workers with top-level security clearance have been accused of downloading child pornography onto government computers. The revelation comes after the Globe got its hands on a report from the Pentagon’s Inspector General’s Office, which has been investigating the problem since 2002. Authorities say downloading porn puts top officials “at risk of blackmail, bribery, and threats.”

Text messages tend to sound cavalier by nature. But if their subject is plotting the murder of one’s husband, that cavalier attitude becomes chilling. The Philadelphia Inquirer prints the back and forth between a woman accused of plotting to poison her husband and her 21-year-old lover who is accused of committing the crime.

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg isn’t the only billionaire in America with a political career. The New York Times says more of the country’s super-rich are running for office and paying for their own campaigns. A consequence of their deep pockets: the ability to present themselves as “populist outsiders.”

Sites like Match.com and eHarmony.com are no longer tools for the socially awkward says the Chicago Tribune. As more and more people meet their partners on the Internet, the idea of pre-screening a potential mate has gone mainstream. As one devotee puts it: “Once you have a friend who’s in a relationship that started online, you’re at a crossroads. Either your friend is weird and you’re friends with weirdos, or it’s not weird.”

Bill Murray took one for the team yesterday on the Letterman show. He started his segment by performing a series of dives into one of Mayor Bloomberg’s new dumpster pools. But the New York Post says Murray hit his head during the stunt. A small patch of blood is visible on his head until the show’s producers swooped in and patched him up. VIDEO

There’s some great information in the Wall Street Journal‘s overview of the Tour de France’s etiquette book. A little too much information, actually. In addition to understanding why riders cycle in a v formation and why it was such a big deal last week when one cyclist failed to stop for another who’d broken his chain, I now know exactly how riders get rid of all that water they’re chugging along the route.

Every question she was asked at a Comic-Con panel about her new film, “Salt” started the same way says the San Diego Union-Tribune: “Angelina, I love you.” Jolie was all smiles as she took questions about her return to high-octane action roles from the adoring crowd. I especially liked her answer about the proximity of her film’s release to the real-life Russian spy case that transpired earlier this summer.

Some habits die hard. USA Today says that even on vacation, there are certain things Americans just can’t seem to erase from their daily routine. Praying comes in first at 28 percent, followed by shaving at 22 percent. I’m surprised checking email was so far down the list—only 17 percent said they couldn’t resist glancing at their inbox.

Every since Facebook hit 500 million users—before, actually—people can’t stop writing about it. In general, I’m a little sick of these stories but the Washington Post managed to hold my interest this morning with a piece styled in the manner of the ubiquitous updates for which the site is known. The conclusion? Despite its rock-star status, Facebook will soon be as ignorable as a ringing telephone. 

We may have sent her home, but now you can buy a little bit of Anna Chapman for yourself. Yes, that’s right. The sexy Russian spy who captured American hearts and minds has been turned into a doll reports the New York Daily News. Two versions of Chapman are available but according to the manufacturer, the one wearing “a tartan skirt and nothing else but a gun” is clearly the best seller.

The St. Petersburg Times has all the bizarre details from an alleged kidnapping scheme involving a baseball player and his wife. Apparently the wife of a player for the Pittsburgh Pirates convinced a woman to give up her baby by impersonating an immigration official. The 44-year-old woman proceeded to tell her husband that the baby was his. She is now facing life in prison.