“With the backdrop of an oversized U.S. flag on stage at Cornerstone Church Sunday, Newt Gingrich called for a return to historic, Christian roots he said were critical to protecting the nation’s freedoms.” [San Antonio Express-News]

Our guest columnist is Northwestern University spokesman Al Cubbage.

Northwestern University faculty members engage in teaching and research on a wide variety of topics, some of them controversial and at the leading edge of their respective disciplines. The university supports the efforts of its faculty to further the advancement of knowledge.

Mr. Cubbage is referring to “The optional presentation last Monday, attended by about 120 students, [which] featured a naked non-student woman being repeatedly sexually stimulated to the point of orgasm by the sex toy, referred to as a ‘fucksaw.’ The device is essentially a motorized phallus.”

Class sex toy demonstration causes controversy [Daily Northwestern]

“Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York asked federal agencies Sunday to investigate and ban reusable shopping bags with dangerous levels of lead following a Tampa Tribune investigation that found high levels in bags sold in the Bay area.” [Tampa Tribune]

How to manufacture an NYT bestseller: “Asking that hosts buy books is also a standard feature of book tours. But Romney’s total [speech] price — $50,000 — was on the high end, and his publisher, according to the document from the book tour… asked institutions to pay at least $25,000, and up to the full $50,000 price, in bulk purchases of the book.” [Politico, via Political Wire]

This is real. We swear. We just saw it nailed to a utility pole across from the Stinque World Domination Pub. But we prefer to think that Andy’s sending some bitchin’ street art from the Other Side.

And when they say “Limited Edition Collector’s Box,” they ain’t kidding:

Charity-minded callers are getting intercepted by a sex phone line because of a misprint on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco’s namesake cereal boxes.

The phone number is supposed to connect callers to Feed the Children, which benefits from sales of “Ochocinco’s.” But because the box has the wrong toll-free prefix, they get a seductive-sounding woman who makes risque suggestions and then asks for a credit card number.

That’s odd — when we called and asked for “Honey Nut Toasted,” that’s exactly what we expected.

Sex line on Chad Ochocinco’s cereal [ESPN, via Dodgerblue]

“Addressing a perennial source of jokes, Mr. Boehner says his dark complexion is natural, similar to that of his mother and four (of 12) siblings. ‘I have never been in a never been in a tanning bed or used a tanning product,’ Mr. Boehner said. His staff showed a high school group photo where he has the darkest face in Moeller High’s all-male class.” [WSJ, via Political Wire]