Zumba Prostitution Bust Shakes Quaint Maine Town to Its Core

Taylor Berman · 10/09/12 09:35PM

Quiet, peaceful Kennebunk, Maine was shaken to its core by a massive scandal when it turned out that a local Zumba dance studio was doubling as a local brothel. The studio's owner, Alexis Wright, was charged with 106 counts of prostitution and other charges on Tuesday for allegedly using the studio and a nearby one-room office as the headquarters for her prostitution business. Her business partner, Mark Strong, was charged with 59 counts of promoting prostitution.

Hamilton Nolan · 10/09/12 04:03PM

Here are ten law schools whose degrees might be able to get you a job. Is your school on this list? No? Oh... shoot.

Today's Song: Plane Jane featuring Iamsu! "Like Me"

Rich Juzwiak · 10/09/12 03:45PM

What starts out as typically snotty swiping really ignites by the 4:20 mark (how perfect) when Bay Area rappers Plane Jane and Iamsu! speed up the pace in their lyrical battle of the sexes and instead of verses, start trading bars rapidly back-and-forth. "Like Me" hearkens back to female-male duets like Yo-Yo and Ice Cube's "The Bonnie and Clyde Theme" and MC Lyte and Positive K's "I'm Not Havin' It" (and Positive K's "I Got a Man," in which he rapped with his pitched-up female alter ego). Why don't people do this anymore? At a time when the amount of musical collaborations is at an all-time high, on-record interaction is a rarity. It's strange to hear a woman and man who sound actually engaged with each other rapping together.

Wesleyan Sued Over 'Rape Factory' Frat House

Max Read · 10/09/12 03:37PM

According to its web site, the Wesleyan branch of Beta Theta Pi fraternity has five "core principles": "mutual assistance," "intellectual growth," "trust," "responsible conduct" and "integrity." According to a new lawsuit, it also has a cool nickname: "Rape Factory."

The Inevitable Collapse of Organized Religion in America

Hamilton Nolan · 10/09/12 02:19PM

Organized religion in America is on the decline. The Church—any church, all churches, the omniscient "Church" representing all organized religious institutions—holds less allure for a new generation of American adults. This is a fact, not a supposition. The Church, though far from gone, is an institution of the past.

Stevie Nicks Calmly Discusses Murdering Nicki Minaj

Rich Juzwiak · 10/09/12 01:50PM

If you think that Stevie Nicks is a bizarre person to weigh in on the Mariah Carey/Nicki Minaj American Idol feud, she'll see your bizarreness and raise you a murderous impulse. Pop music's most cherished witch figure seems to be the last person in the world who doesn't think Mariah and Nicki's public squabbling is a publicity stunt to court interest for the dying brand that is Idol, and that's a great thing because Nicks is saying ridiculous stuff as a result. Stuff like:

Arkansas GOP Candidate Endorses Death Penalty to Discipline Rebellious Children

Cord Jefferson · 10/09/12 12:49PM

Charlie Fuqua is a lawyer and former Arkansas state legislator running for reelection on the Republican ticket. He is also, it turns out, a big believer in the Biblical practice of dangling the threat of death over children's heads in order to get them to respect their parents. What a guy!

Watch Daredevil Skydiver Felix Baumgartner Attempt a 23-Mile-High Jump from the ‘Edge of Space’ [Update: Never mind.]

Kate Bennert · 10/09/12 12:33PM

Austrian skydiver, BASE jumper, and stuntman Felix Baumgartner has spent more than five years preparing for today's jump in which he will travel by helium balloon to the inner edge of the earth's stratosphere and then fall back down to earth, reaching the speed of sound (690 miles/hour) after only 40 seconds of freefall. Previously, Baumgartner became one of three skydivers to jump successfully from a height of 18 miles above the earth's surface.