Julia Child has been an inspiration to many—myself included—and has influenced the way we cook, eat, and enjoy life. Today, culinary greats and admirers of Julia Child alike are reminiscing and honoring her on what would have been her 100th birthday. Here, the tributes worth reading or watching: List: “12 Julia Child Facts on Her 100th Birthday”PBS, the station on which her famous cooking… Read More >>

When I walked into my first magazine internship at Cosmopolitan as a senior in college, I remember thinking two things: 1) Am I ever going to get "2 Piece (So Cosmo)" out of my head? and 2) Where do they stash all the vintage Cosmos from the 1960s and 1970s? Its editor then, Helen Gurley Brown, seemed like such a larger-than-life figure, and I was dying to read advice that… Read More >>

At The Cheesecake Factory, the typical entrée is under $15. Three hundred and eight dinner items are perfectly prepared, from wasabi-crusted ahi tuna to buffalo wings. Waiters are speedy and friendly, and make you feel like you’re having a special night out. Now, in his latest think-piece for the New Yorker, surgeon Atul Gawande compares the virtues of how that restaurant and other chains are run… Read More >>

Stealing is wrong. This I know. But sometimes we take things that do not belong to us. These items are then cooked in mischief and wrapped in a secret. Sometimes, they become our most prized possessions. The blog I Stole This From Youis a catalog of these bits of wrong-doing. Accompanied with beautiful hand-drawn images and submitted anonymously, these tales knit together… Read More >>

As some of you may know, there’s a presidential election coming up. But what if neither Barack Obama or Mitt Romney float your boat? Not to worry, Mother Jonesshows that there are plenty of other presidential fish in the candidate pool. Do you miss the Free Soil party, you know, the one that nominated Martin Van Buren in 1848? Then Douglas Van Raam is your man…

It's how a book starts that sets its tone. Like: "Call me Ishmael." or "You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that ain't no matter." Suitably perfect. Unforgettable, even. Then there's this one:

"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."

You might say that Edward Bulwer-Lytton's opening of Paul Cifford is no match for the openings of Moby-Dick or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. However, Bulwer-Lytton's prose has inspired the annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, an exercise in writing not the best opening line but the worst. This year's winners have just been announced, and the overall champion is Cathy Bryant of Manchester, England:

"As he told her that he loved her she gazed into his eyes, wondering, as she noted the infestation of eyelash mites, the tiny deodicids burrowing into his follicles to eat the greasy sebum therein, each female laying up to 25 eggs in a single follicle, causing inflammation, whether the eyes are truly the windows of the soul; and, if so, his soul needed…

I'm rather fond of this next one, an entry from Jeff Coleburn of West Chester, PA:

"The drugged parrots pelted the village like a hellish rain of feathered fanny packs stuffed with claws and porridge, rendering Claudia’s makeshift rabbit-skin umbrella more symbolic than anything else."

Need more? Well, of course not. But you'll find them here.

Is it dinner? Is it dessert? It is genius? Or gross? When you combine two all-time favorite comfort foods into one, what do you get? Stefanie Pollack, the blogger at The Cupcake Project, decided to try (and no, she was not under the influence of anything stronger than cheese or chocolate cravings). Her result? Surprisingly delicious. The salty cheese balanced against the… Read More >>

They are the most talented athletes in the world, have perfect bodies, and break world records when they are 15 years old (hello, Katie Ledecky). But sometimes it's hard to remember that Olympians are just people, too. And that when the tracks, fields, and stadiums close for the night, what you're left with is a bunch of beautiful and ambitious individuals all living in…

When ESPN asked athletes for the low-down on the Olympic village politics, they fessed up. Julie Foudy, a two-time gold medalist for soccer and current ESPN analyst, likens the after-hours shenanigans to "a frat party with a very nice gene pool." You've got all your types covered. Like short, strong guys? Go for the male gymnasts. Stylish girls in great shape? It's got to be the soccer players…

I love a good beer, but after a summer of Rolling Rock-fueled barbecues I craved something new. Enter Rogue's remarkable Chipotle Ale, a smoky brew that's probably unlike anything you've ever had in a bottle. Sure, it's got a chile flavor similar to what you might taste on a taco, and its base is a standard amber ale. But the odd combination of ingredients makes… Read More >>

It’s common knowledge that today, we live longer than generations before us because of advanced medicine and better living conditions. Scientists have even speculated that the first person to live to 1,000 is already alive. But while many of us watch our diets and regularly exercise to work on our longevity, the key to living longer may be much simpler: Just have a… Read More >>