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The Quick 10: 10 McRib Facts

The McRib is back! Here are ten fun facts about America’s favorite limited-time fast food sandwich. 1. There’s more to a McRib than barbecue sauce-slathered pork on a bun with onions and pickles. The sandwich contains a staggering 70 different ingredients, the least innocuous of which are “pig bits like tripe, heart, and scalded stomach.” Add in some azodicarbonamide, ammonium sulfate, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides and… well, you get the idea. 2. But the one ingredient it... READ ON

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The Quick 10: Your Exclusive Pass to Club 33

Club 33: it’s one of the most exclusive clubs in the world. Nope, it’s not a password-protected bar in New York. And it’s not an invite-only nightclub in L.A. (though it’s in the vicinity). Nope - you can find the uber-private Club 33 located right next to the Blue Bayou restaurant and Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. Until you get in, here are 10 facts about Walt's VIP room to tide you... READ ON

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The Quick 10: The Strangest Record to Make the Top 10

In 1966, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys, the Supremes, and the artists at Motown were all competing for top spots on the charts. But despite all this formidable competition, an odd little record called "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" climbed to the number 3 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 charts. Performed by Napoleon XIV (aka Jerry Samuels), the song was also a hit in the U.K., reaching #4 on the U.K. singles charts. Here's a look back at this weird chapter in music... READ ON

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The Quick 10: Itsy-Bitsy, Teeny-Weeny Trivia About Bikinis

1. The oldest documented bikinis—haute, bandeau-style little numbers—show up in a 1,700 year old Roman mosaic entitled Chamber of the Ten Maidens. A bevy of ancient, bikini-clad babes are depicted playing sports. 2. Earlier this year, Brooklyn-based designer Andrew Schneider invented the first solar powered bikini—the “iKini”—which produces enough electricity to power an iPod during a sunny day at the beach. Just remember to unplug it, the inventor says, before taking a dip. 3. The... READ ON

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The Quick 10: 10 Literary Smack-Downs, Quips, and Squabbles

There's an adage they give you when you receive your name badge at the door of Writer Land: "You only compete with yourself." While most authors hold true to this (at least in public), there are those who make time to spend bashing their fellow wordslingers. Here are ten cringe-worthy examples. 1. Mark Twain vs. Ambrose Bierce When they asked Samuel Clemens to read and review long-time friend Ambrose Bierce's not-so-bestseller, Nuggets and Dust Panned Out in California by Dod Grile, publishers Chatto &... READ ON

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The Quick 10: 10 Places You Don't Want to Swim

With the high temperatures lately, my neighbor has made a habit of taking midday dips in the kiddie pool in her backyard. (I know this because she sings with the radio and splashes water in rhythm.) Speaking of places I never want to swim, here are ten lakes, pools, and beaches you should approach with caution. 1. Nyriragongo Crater's lava lake [Photo Credit: Olivier Grunewald] 282 million cubic feet of molten rock won't make for a pleasant game of Marco Polo, but you can probably roast a... READ ON

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The Quick 10: The Unbelievable Early Jobs of 10 Successful People

As the saying goes, "Everybody's gotta start somewhere," but during these trying times, many people are simply looking to start. It's comforting, then, to hear about the unusual first jobs of people who went on to bigger and better and more lucrative things. 1. Michael Dell The founder and CEO of Dell Computers began working at the age of 12 as a dishwasher at a Chinese restaurant in Houston, Texas, earning $2.30 an hour. He used this money to fund another hobby – trading on the stock market. Because... READ ON

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The Quick 10: The Last 10 Words of the 2011 Scripps Spelling Bee

Last week, eighth grader Sukanya Roy of South Abington Township, Pa., clinched one of the longest-running Scripps National Spelling Bees ever by rattling off the correct letters of "Cymotrichous" with the same ease as if the judges had asked her to spell "cat." In case your vocabulary isn't quite as amazing as hers, here are the definitions of the final 10 words of the Scripps Spelling Bee (and their correct spellings, of course). 1. Cymotrichous - having wavy hair. 2. Periscii -those who live... READ ON

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The Quick 10: 10 Iconic Movie Costumes Owned By Debbie Reynolds

Long before it was popular to do so, Debbie Reynolds collected Hollywood memorabilia. When costume departments were cleaning out their closets or repurposing garments for a new movie, Reynolds would swoop in and purchase items for her personal collection. Along the way, she has amassed more than 3,500 costumes and thousands of props and costume sketches. Sadly, her museum had to file for bankruptcy in 2009, and as a result, her amazing collection is being auctioned off next week. Here are a few of the... READ ON

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The Quick 10: The Price of 10 Pieces of Marilyn Monroe Memorabilia

You might have heard it in the news today: Marilyn Monroe, had she not died of “acute barbiturate poisoning” in 1962, would have been 85. Despite the fact that she died nearly half a century ago, Norma Jeane Baker continues to captivate her fans to this day. The evidence is in the price people have paid for the smallest pieces of Marilyn memorabilia. 1. Her bra - $5,200. In 2009, an unidentified bidder from Hong Kong ponied up to own one of Marilyn’s beauty secrets - a sling-strapped bra that... READ ON