Sikh temple shooter Wade Michael Page used to be the singer for a white power rock group called “End Apathy.”

Two men are charged after robbing a pizzeria and saying it was part of a reality TV show.

Measuring pupil dilation may indicate sexual orientation.

Drug cartels are using drones to spot unpatrolled areas of the border.

A New Mexican Selena Gomez gets banned from Facebook for sharing the same name as the celeb.

A man sets his house on fire after microwaving his socks and underwear.

The NFL is set to use its first female referee in light of the current referee lockout.

A gay marriage opponent accidentally sets a fire outside the General Mills headquarters in Minnesota.

Daniel Day Lewis makes a creepily convincing Abe Lincoln.

Santa Fe unveils two electric vehicle charging stations.

Olive oil helps save a squirrel’s life after being stuck in a manhole cover.

The Curiosity has sent its first full-color photograph from Mars.

James Holmes’ psychiatrist may have warned police weeks before the Aurora shooting.

Government forces in Syria step up efforts to drive the rebels out of Aleppo, the country’s biggest city.

Albuquerque plans to expand its free spay and neuter program to include moderate income households. Make Bob Barker proud.

Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen denies doping allegations after smoking the competition.

Brazilian judoka Felipe Kitadai breaks his bronze medal in the shower.

More than half of India—or 600 million people—is still without power.

Snoop Dogg is now Snoop Lion in light of his transformation to Rastafarianism.

Peter Jackson announces a third Hobbit film and plans to incorporate Tolkien’s appendices.

Mitt Romney didn’t mean what he said regarding his disparaging remarks about Palestine.

Romney’s aide tells reporters to “kiss his ass” in Poland.

Beware, beware, the haunted pizzeria of Louisiana.

A man is bitten by a shark in Cape Cod, and lives to talk about it.

The top 25 brands from the ‘90s ... and who wore them.

Mitt Romney flashes his foreign policy brilliance and pisses off all of London with comments about Olympic Games security.

Blind South Korean archer Im Dong-hyun sets a world record.

CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton suddenly resigns.

The Pentagon could lay off thousands of employees just days before the 2012 election.

Big Brother is watching you ... by scanning your face and recording your personal information via an advertising billboard.

Harvey Weinstein calls for a filmmaker summit to address violence in movies.

Meanwhile, Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes claims amnesia and doesn’t like the food at Arapahoe County Detention Center.

A boy gets hit in the face by a bird on a Six Flags roller coaster.

Madonna is booed and gets called “slut” after a 45-minute concert in France.

Would The Dark Knight Rises have been better if it featured Tom Hardy rapping with a baby?

Police say the Colorado theater shooter’s home contained more than 30 handmade grenades and gasoline.

In honor of Amelia Earhart’s 115th birthday, the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery searches Hawaii for her missing plane.

Skydiver Felix Baumgartner plans to jump from the edge of space tomorrow—and land in Roswell.

Sally Ride—America’s first woman in space—has died at 61.

Albuquerque officials may be planning to slap you with a fine if your garbage is too full.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chad Ochocinco officially changes his name back to Chad Johnson.

A man is spotted in northern Utah wearing a goat suit ... chasing a herd of goats.

248 fetuses preserved in formaldehyde are discovered in a Russian forest.

Drink recipes and factoids to fully take advantage of National Tequila Day.

You’ll never miss with this trash-seeking garbage can.

Happy Birthday, Karl Malone! The mailman always delivers.

Hillary Clinton warns about a potential terrorist haven in Sinai.

Mark Hamill says Mitt Romney is “not actually human.” You’d have to think Luke Skywalker has an eye for that sort of thing.

Meanwhile, the Obama campaign likens Mitt Romney to Batman supervillain Bane. Bain. Bane. Get it?

The FDA approves the first drug to reduce the risk of HIV infection.

Michael Johnson thinks runners with prosthetic limbs have an unfair advantage.

Hundreds of London cabbies protest the 30 miles of “Olympic Games Lanes.”

Yet another sign 2012 may very well be end times; church groups plan pilgrimages to the Jets’ training camp to see Tim Tebow.

Prostitutes are wreaking havoc on dozens of street signs in New Zealand.

The Albuquerque Police Department reveals mobile surveillance trailers to assist SWAT situations.

I had no idea I needed this Legend of Zelda key holder so badly.

It might pay to complain to DirecTV about their dropping of Viacom’s channels.

Marissa Mayer has been named Yahoo’s new CEO. She became Google’s first female engineer back in 1999.

Happy Birthday, David Hasselhoff!

This whole "tentative Armageddon" thing isn't very healthy to carry around in our collective psyche on top of economic collapse and nuclear war, but we proudly sign up anyway. Did the Mayans accurately predict the cessation of life as we know it on Dec. 21, or does it carry as much clout as the annual Apocalypse scare? Let the theories run wild on today at UNM's Student Union Building during a special documentary screening of The Alignment Within. See interviews with genuine Mayan calendar "day keepers" and students who study under the calendar and adhere to its stipulations. Tickets are $10, or $5 for students and seniors. Admission includes a Q & A session with director and producer Dr. José Jaramillo. For more on the film, visit thealignmentwithin.com.

An active year in the astronomy world has yielded plenty of eye-popping images and conversation pieces, so the folks at New Mexicans for Science and Reason are having an "Astronomy Show 'n' Tell." At 7 p.m. today at the Museum of Natural History and Science (1801 Mountain NW), hear from speakers Dave Thomas, John Geohegan and Rocky Stone as they share pictures, insight and little-known facts about the 2012 annular eclipse and the Transit of Venus. Even you can have the floor with a story or photograph pertaining to recent cosmic happenings. All NMSR meetings are free and open to the public. For more, visit nmsr.org or call 268-3772.

• astronomy
• transit of venus
• new mexicans for science and reason

It’s official; the last 12 months have been the hottest ever recorded in the United States.

Fans in Kansas City endlessly boo New York Yankee Robinson Cano during the Home Run Derby.

Spain’s banks are next in line for a bailout by the European Union.

Who is the mystery woman routinely appearing with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un?

The ABQ BioPark Zoo is New Mexico’s most visited attraction, beating out White Sands National Monument and Carlsbad Caverns.

A law in Indiana that could have prevented low-income women from using Medicaid for reproductive care is declared illegal.

Apple drops its “green” electronics certification from its products.

The internet could be creating forms of mental illness.

Some Muslim clerics are calling for the demolition of Egypt’s Great Pyramids.

Happy Birthday, Nikola Tesla!

Here in the U.S. of A., we proclaim our independence proudly with beer and bright explosions—safely guarded from causing raging wildfires, of course. The city prepares for another patriotic afternoon with food, music and merriment during Freedom Fourth at Balloon Fiesta Park (9401 Balloon Museum NE). The event runs from 3 to 10 p.m., concluding with country music act Diamond Rio and an eye-popping fireworks display. Parking is $10 if you'd like to drive yourself, or you can hop on ABQ Ride by paying a $1 roundtrip fee from two pick-up locations (St. Pius High School or Coronado Center). For a full schedule or for more information, call 311 or visit cabq.gov/cultural-services/freedom-fourth.

• balloon fiesta park
• fourth of july
• freedom fourth

Whoops. Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is kind of sorry about shooting down one of Turkey’s jets.

Mitt Romney and his increasingly sketchy finances.

Scientists say the effects of global warming will look a lot like this devastatingly hot and rain-soaked June.

Meanwhile, Newt Gingrich likens climate changes to an electromagnetic pulse attack.

1.4 million people are still without power as record heat bakes the East Coast.

Rest in peace, Andy Griffith! He died this morning at the age of 86.

A three-year-old is hospitalized after eating his grandmother’s pot cookies.

An Italian man kicks a baby in the face at Walt Disney World after arguing with his wife.

Mark Siwak wants to construct a live-action zombie theme park in Detroit.

A new California bill could allow a child to have more than two parents.

Highlights from BronyCon, a convention drawing more than 4,000 adult fans of “My Little Pony.”

Studies show a parasite found in kitty litter could increase the risk of suicide.

Would these talking urinal cakes make you think twice about drinking and driving?

A couple of easter eggs that Pixar hid in its new movie Brave.