“We had planned to do half a dozen headshops in the area, to see how many out of six would sell to the young people. But after three visits, the kids had made purchases in each store. So we decided to save a little money on bongs.” From the CBS archives: a 1970 “60…

From today’s New Yorker on why “we” are so fat (not you! You look greaaaat), comes word of Goliath Caskets, who make “triple-wide coffins with reinforced hinges that can hold up to eleven hundred pounds.” The New Yorker describes the…

While the current buzz about HBO centers around the ratings success of vampire drama “True Blood,” last night saw the premiere of the sixth season of “Entourage.” Many have criticized the show for dull, stale stories that all seem to resolve themselves…

Here is one thing I did not know about New York Observer owner and Ivanka Trump-dater Jared Kushner, from today’s New York mag feature: “Every Sunday, Jared flew to Alabama and visited his father in prison.” Man. Most of us, when our parents are in…

Things Don’t Have To Be “Real” To Be Good

Even though it’s a fake, the Jenny Holzer Twitter is still really good. There’s…

Goldman Sachs, up $7 per share in morning trading! On pure speculation about its earnings report, which will be issued tomorrow! One way the Times describes the GS share price is that it is up 68% this year. Well. I prefer to think of it as…

Is Sarahpalooza over yet? What with the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings beginning today, the slow-drip revelations about that highly classified CIA program Dick Cheney ordered to be kept secret, and whatever the hell is happening with health care, it’s time for…

This weekend H. Beatty Chadwick was released after spending 14 years in a Pennsylvania prison for contempt of court-the U.S. record. Chadwick was jailed for refusing to deposit $2.5 million in alimony to his ex-wife; the judge who released him decided that the…

Le boom: “French workers were barricaded inside their bankrupt car parts factory today after threatening to blow the plant up with gas canisters unless they receive a bigger pay-off.”

Still more Science: Having 8–14 alcoholic drinks a week (i.e., one or two a day) reduces your risk of dementia. Having fewer drinks shows no reduction of risk, and having more will shrink your brain. Now you know! (This week.)

Unemployed, glued to your computer and have a faint sense of civic interest? Here is your C-Span stream to watch Sonia Sotomayor get grilled about how she hates white people. They actually let you choose which camera view you want to watch, which is rather wonderful.

Is it possible that humans developed swearing as a pain-management technique? British scientists think so. “It taps into emotional brain centers and appears to arise in the right brain, whereas most language production occurs in the left cerebral hemisphere of the…