In the 1970s former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan shared a bizarre idea about how to gauge the state of the economy: the Men’s Underwear Index. Due to underwear’s position as a clothing staple, his theory went, men purchase freshies pretty regularly when money is flowing....
One of life’s cruel ironies is that the occasions when we most desperately want to wash our hands—e.g., after shaking hands with a runny-nosed colleague after a meeting—water and soap are nowhere to be found. Hand-sanitizing gel is sometimes offered as a substitute, but can you really...
It doesn’t help the turtles of Jekyll island that the highest point—and thus prime nesting ground—is atop a high-traffic causeway. Just ask Ray Emerson, a volunteer at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and guardian angel to the hundreds of nesting terrapins on the island. Since 2012, Ray’s...
This week in PuzzleLand we harken back to every kid’s favorite 15 to 45 minutes of the school day—recess. A simpler time. A time when you were free, free to pull the hair of the girl or boy you liked, free to play in the mud, and free to...
Like an extra helping of pecan pie at Thanksgiving, the last hour at the pool or the latest installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise, we’ve all experienced too much of a good thing. After a gluttonous turn at the dessert table, you can sleep it...
Put down the margarita for one second, and listen. You need to eat something. No really—you’ve got work tomorrow, and we don’t want another “situation.” And don’t just put another taco, burrito or quesadilla in your mouth because, let’s face it, you probably had some combination of those...
This week’s puzzle is a frame game, so the key to solving it is to think literally. About evil. No, not about evil clowns, though you couldn’t be blamed for doing so. Clowns certainly are evil. Think about it: You’re walking alone on a deserted street at night. You see...
Is the best part of waking up a hot cup of coffee, or a steamy shower? Is your favorite bedtime ritual a soothing rinse, or a calming cocktail to take the edge off? In the end, it doesn’t much matter. Like the order in which you floss...
Why take the elevator when you can take the stairs? That’s Steve Jankelson’s mantra—well, at least it is when he’s participating in the Big Climb, a charity race to the top of the Columbia Center in Seattle, the second tallest building west of the Mississippi. Which adds...
You know what movie studios need to make more of? Westerns. The Western is a truly underappreciated genre in contemporary film. Not a fan? Well, do yourself a solid and check out some of the classic Sergio Leone-directed Spaghetti Westerns. A personal favorite is Once Upon a Time in the West. That...
A mix of clichéd metaphors and hyperbolic buzzwords such as “mission critical” and “scalability,” the ubiquitousness of office clichés will make you feel like you’re taking crazy pills. Because if you work in an office long enough you know this seemingly innocuous jargon is actually loaded in hilarious subtext. This week in Office...
We’ve all got baggage, some more damaging than others. Sometimes your baggage remains hidden to the outside world, known only to your therapist or failed romantic conquests. Other times, you wear it right on your face. Dark bags or circles under your eyes can make you look...
