Boston, MA, USA. New findings suggest that elements of social network structures may have been present early in human history, allowing our ancestors to form ties with both kin and non-kin based on shared attributes, including the tendency to cooperate.

According to a paper in the journal Nature, social networks likely contributed to the evolution of cooperation.

Contra Costa, CA, USA. Governor Jerry Brown ordered that California prisons deal with overcapacity by sentencing new inmates to county facilities.

The counties are trying to comply, but they are under a great deal of stress.

Palenville, NY, USA. The town of Catskill, New York has waged an illegal five year battle against the Maetreum of Cybele for claiming its legal property tax exemption under the laws of the State of New York and United States.

It is a struggle for nothing less than the right of all religions in America to be treated equally under the law. You do not have to be a politically aware Pagan to understand the danger to us all when government becomes the arbiter of personal belief.

Topeka, KS, USA. Republican Sam Brownback is pushing what may be the boldest agenda of any governor this year. In the process, he is setting up a showdown with moderates in his own party.

For 14 years, Sam Brownback represented Kansas in the United States Senate, a chamber known for its slow and plodding pace. Now governor, Brownback is in no mood to wait.

East Lansing, MI, USA. Prejudice against people from groups different than their own is linked to aggression for men and fear for women, suggests new research findings.

Men throughout history have been the primary aggressors against different groups as well as the primary victims of group-based aggression and discrimination, while women live under the threat of sexual coercion by foreign aggressors and are apt to maintain a fear of strangers to protect themselves and their offspring.