Last year the Reason Foundation published a study arguing that drinkers earn more than non-drinkers (stressing that drinkers "who tipped a glass at home" earned less--and probably cried and Googled exes more?--than drinkers who jousted for social capital at functions). I wonder if that's doubly so in America's Drunkest Cities. Other studies have shown that smokers earn less than non-smokers--MSN says 4-11% less. But regardless of your vices, it seems that twenty-something women living in major U.S. cities... READ ON

While every Tom, Dick and Oscar is busy Academy-chatting around the water cooler today, I thought I'd arm you with some ammo from past years that'll have all your cohorts thinking you really know your trivia. 1) Composer/conductor John Williams has been nominated for 45 Academy Awards, the record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person. 2) Walt Disney, who picked up 26 Oscars out of 64 nominations (some say 59), holds the record for the most wins. 3) The youngest winner of... READ ON

I stumbled across "The Twisted Films of PES" yesterday, and I was completely mesmerized. PES, or Adam Pesapane as no one calls him, is a stop-motion animator and director who seems to be taking the world by storm. His lovely pieces, which now appear as commercials, are the very definition of viral—things you instantly want to tell your friends about (hence this post!). I first read about his work in this great Print Magazine article, and it's definitely worth reading. In any case,... READ ON

What is that thing? The monster from Maine (would that make it a "monstah?") that was found by the side of the road this week is probably just a wild dog, says the AP: Loren Coleman, a Portland author and cryptozoologist, said he didn't know for sure what the animal was based on his examination of its remains Wednesday. "I think this dead animal is a chow or chow-mix, a relatively small dog, that was feral, which is unusual for that area," he told the Sun Journal newspaper. ... Some say it's simply a... READ ON

As you've doubtless heard if you have any interest in politics, sex, art, or other things that shouldn't be discussed at dinner parties, the Museum of Sex just revealed its new "presidential bust" of Hillary Clinton, and it's... busty. Rather than take the Wonkette approach (which titled its post on the subject "Bleaaaauuurrrrrrgh"), we thought we'd point you to some other disembodied heads of state: the Senate's gallery of vice presidents, which is decidedly (and thankfully) less sexualized. There you'll... READ ON

Perhaps inspired by its hapless British counterpart, a manatee from Florida appears to have swum upstream -- way upstream, past Manhattan and several miles north into the Hudson River. Unlike the whale in the Thames, the manatee isn't in any danger as long as the water stays warm. It's normal for these creatures to take a summer vacation, though usually not this far afield. Manatee trivia abounds on the Internet; here's the best of it, from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: A... READ ON

Now that you've had your 1,354th conversation about the weather, you're probably running a little low on things to say about it -- so let us drop some trivia like it's, er, hot: * The highest temperature ever recorded on Earth most likely occurred in Death Valley, California in high summer, 1913. During that time, the national weather service recorded 56.7°C (134°F). Other sources report an even toastier day of 136°F or 58°C in Al Aziziyah, Libya, in September 1922. * The surface of the... READ ON