One year after the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the New York Times did an analysis of state gun laws passed over the last 12 months. 109 gun bills have become law. 70 of them loosened gun restrictions. Only 39 of them tighten gun restrictions. Notable that most of the looser gun laws come in Republican controlled states and most of the tighter laws come in Democrat controlled state houses.

Not mentioned much during the billion dollar broadcasts of the Olympics is the fact that many athletes struggle financially to make their Olympic dreams come true. But athletes headed to Sochi have come up with a new source of funds - the Internet. The Washington Post says a new crowdfunding site aimed directly at athletes called RallyMe.com has quickly become a boon for Sochi atheletes and future potential Olympians.

The internet is abuzz with reaction to President Obama’s “selfie” with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and British Prime Minister David Cameron at Nelson Mandela’s funeral. Michelle Obama appears to be among those who thought the move was in bad taste. In the interest of fairness, the New York Daily News also published a photo of President George W. Bush posing at the funeral with U2 frontman Bono.

Have you ever had a co-worker who seems to go a mile a minute - talking fast, walking fast, just generally doing everything like it’s a race? Trying to keep up can leave you exhausted. The Wall Street Journal says super busy colleagues actually cause secondhand stress around the office. Experts say chronic rushers make others feel anxious, inferior and resentful.

The New York Times’ Helene Cooper and Jennifer Steinhauer take a break from covering politics to share their recipes for easy holiday cocktails. Both wonder why we’ve come so far in our cocktail fare - except when it comes to the holidays, when we drag out the old eggnog and punch. Steinhauer says we can make festive cocktails by using seasonal citrus flavors and holiday colors.

Mary Barra has made history, becoming the first female CEO of a major American automaker. But the Detroit Free-Press says it’s also significant that for the first time since the 1990s, GM will be led by an auto engineer. Barra, the daughter of tool-and-die maker, worked her way up from the factory floor. Traditionally, GM has looked to its finance department for its CEOs.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune says with field goal accuracy rates at an all-time high, people around the NFL are wondering if it’s time to narrow the goalposts. Goalposts in the NFL have been 18 feet, 6 inches wide since the league was formed in 1920. Back in 1943, Ward Cuff led the league with a 33.3% accuracy rate. This year’s top two kickers have made over 90% of their field goal attempts.

If diet and exercise aren’t helping you shed pounds, the microbes in your gut may be to blame. The Washington Post says scientists are trying to understand how naturally occurring bacteria and microbes in your stomach influence your weight. Scientists are hoping the research will lead them to weight loss treatments for those predisposed to obesity.

The Washington Post reports on the joint effort by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to refill the shrinking Dead Sea. Investors will fund a massive desalination plant in Jordan that will purify water from the Red Sea. The converted drinking water will be shared by Israel and Jordan, with Israel agreeing to sell some of it to the Palestinian Authority. The excess salt water created will be dumped back into the Dead Sea.

A pacemaker the size of a vitamin has been successfully implanted directly into a human heart. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the device by Medtronic is just 1/10th the size of a traditional pacemaker. The device is delivered to the heart using a catheter and does not require wires known as leads to connect to the heart.

Super Bowl XLVIII is set for February 2nd at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. But to NFL executives, the Super Bowl is all about neighboring New York. While the two states are officially co-hosts, USA Today says the game is on for a share of the hundreds of millions of dollars that will be spent surrounding the game.So far, big money sponsors have only been focused on holding events in New York.

A new smartphone app promises to help reduce or even eliminate your need for reading glasses. The Wall Street Journal says a 30-person study found that after 12 weeks, GlassesOff participants could, on average, read letters that were 1.6 times smaller than they could previously. Users spend 12 to 15 minutes, three times a week training their eyes with the app. Studies show it’s most effective on people between 40 and 60 years old.

After drawing 18 million viewers for its live production of the Sound of Music, NBC executives say they’re already working on selecting another musical to produce live next year. The New York Times says NBC is once again looking for something family-friendly with a lot of familiar songs. NBC says there are a few titles that it could produce, meaning we could see the live musical become a holiday tradition for the network.

The $17 billion US Airways-American Airlines merger is now complete. The Arizona Republic says it will be the first time since the 1980s that there is no major airline in the Phoenix area. Passengers won’t notice much of a difference at first. More visible changes like switching to a single reservation system and repainting planes will take some time.

The only three Democrat senators from the South are facing tough re-election battles next year. The New York Times says the GOP is going hard after the seats held by Senators Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Kay Hagan of North Carolina. The Times says the outcome of their re-election bids could determine whether the Southern Democrat is headed for extinction.

When a federal judge gave Detroit the OK to seek bankruptcy protection, one of the things he cited was the fact that half of Detroit’s streetlights aren’t working. The Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Dolan does some good reporting here, taking a look at why it’s so difficult to keep street lights functioning in Detroit. Many poles have been stripped of copper wiring, replacement parts are no longer manufactured and thousands are strung together like Christmas lights; when one goes out, they all go out.

Diet soda sales are falling fast, according to the Wall Street Journal. Health concerns over the ingredients in the zero-calorie sodas are pushing more consumers away. Sales of diet sodas fell much faster in the last year than sales of full-calorie soft drinks. While the Food and Drug Administration says artificial sweeteners are safe, studies that show links to obesity, diabetes and heart disease have raised doubts.

USA Today says it’s not just the NSA that’s secretly collecting cell phone data. Local police departments are capturing data about thousands of mobile phone users, whether they’re part of an investigation or not. Law enforcement agencies say the tactics can help solve crimes, track fugitives and locate missing people. But civil liberties group say police spying raises 4th amendment issues.

The New York Daily News says British singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran is poised to move from cult status to household name after years of flying below the radar. Best known in the U.S. for his single “The A Team,” off his 2011 debut album “+,” Sheeran has been boosting his profile by penning songs for One Direction and others. He was the opening act for Taylor Swift on her recent tour and is featured prominently on Swift’s new single “Everything has Changed.” VIDEO

Playboy turns 60 years old this month with an anniversary edition on newsstands featuring Kate Moss in a bunny suit. The New York Daily News asks if Playboy is at all relevant in this age of easily accessible adult material. With declining circulation and falling revenue, the answer seems to be no. The magazine’s editorial director says it’s never been about competing with pornography, since Playboy has always been a “lifestyle magazine.”

The Wall Street Journal says books aimed at younger readers are becoming more and more popular among adults. Take R.J. Palacio’s best-selling novel “Wonder,” for example. She wrote it with middle schoolers in mind, yet it’s been embraced by adults and has sold more than a million copies. The Journal says much of today’s pop culture, from movies to music is aimed at both adults and children.

They had to see this coming. Fisher Price is getting hit with a mountain of criticism over its “Newborn-to-Toddler Apptivity Seat for iPad,” a baby seat with a built-in iPad holder. The New York Post says parents and some pediatricians are slamming the seat as harmful to a baby’s development. For its part, Fisher Price says the seat offers parents another way to visually stimulate their baby - and the company points out the iPad holder is removable.

The 11th edition of LeBron James’ signature basketball shoes are selling like hotcakes - with sales up 18% so far this season over last year’s LeBron X model. But there is one customer who isn’t in love with them: LeBron James. The Wall Street Journal reports the four-time league MVP has only worn LeBron 11s for a full game twice this season. Mostly he wears last year’s model. LeBron’s manager says the shoes don’t quite fit right - but he expects James to be wearing them full time in a matter of weeks.

The century-old method of treating allergies with injections may soon be a thing of the past. The New York Times says two companies are petitioning the FDA for approval of tablets that treat grass pollen allergies. The drugs are already available in Europe. They allow patients to treat their allergies at home, instead of having to make frequent trips to the doctor for injections.

Reaction is pouring in from around the world on the death of Nelson Mandela. His face graces the front page of nearly every major newspapers in the U.S. The Washington Post declares “A Nation’s Healer is Dead.” The Post says Mandela understood he might never see the South Africa he envisioned when he left prison - but he sought out that vision until his final days.

The consensus for last night’s Sound of Music Live production on NBC is that Carrie Underwood can sing just fine - though she’s not much of an actress. Hank Stuever of the Washington Post says the actors may have struggled with the fact that there was no live audience to play off of. “True Blood’s” Stephen Moyer, who played Captain von Trapp, also had a rough go, as did other veteran actors. Stuever does give kudos to NBC for trying something new (which is actually something old).

The New York Times has details of an unusual, government-funded program in Amsterdam that aims to get alcoholics off the street, by paying them in beer. Advocates say it’s counter-productive to demand that addicts quit their habits before receiving help. Participants are also provided access to health workers and counselors.

State officials in Tennessee are asking the State Supreme Court to set execution dates for 10 inmates on death row. The Tennessean says the state is making the unprecedented move now that it believes it’s clear of the latest round of challenges to the state’s death penalty. Tennessee has only executed six inmates since 1960, and none since 2009.

Teenagers are so connected to their cellphones - they’re even sending messages in their sleep. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune says “sleep texting” is a real phenomenon among teens. Similar to sleep walking, sleep texting is a growing concern among doctors dealing with already sleep deprived teenagers. Some doctors say it’s more a sign of teens’ over-reliance on their phones.

You’re going to be seeing a lot of pink in 2014. Radiant Orchid to be exact. The Wall Street Journal says you can expect to see the shade on everything from coffee makers to cardigans next year. The selection comes from Pantone - which employs “color watchers” to determine the next it color.