Why be a guitar hero when you can be Genghis Khan?

If only social studies class had been like this: In the video game Civilization Revolution, you get to choose a nation and try to turn it into an empire — assuming your neighbors don’t sack it first. To succeed at the game, you’ll have to use a delicate balance of force and diplomacy. When we play, we plan to negotiate by threatening our enemies with meals of Brussels sprouts and songs by the Backstreet Boys.

Handlers at the Oregon Zoo have devised an elaborate exercise and nutrition regime to keep one of the zoo’s elephants fit during her 22-month-pregnancy. While this means she’ll be in great shape when it’s time to deliver, it could spell trouble if the zookeepers won’t give in when she gets a hankering for pickles and ice cream.

Madder than a hormonal elephant: A Virginia coffee shop’s policy against serving iced espresso set off a furious online exchange between the shop’s owner and a dissatisfied customer that involved threats and expletives. The shop’s policies also prohibit modifying its Classic Cappuccino, getting your espresso in a to-go cup or stirring your coffee with anything other than a spoon blessed with holy water.