Lifestyle from Newser

It's Official: Americans Are Dog People

Ruth Brown — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:20:06 CDT

Take that, cat lovers: A new study of Americans and animals has found the majority of Americans prefer dogs. A Public Policy Polling survey found 52% of American voters prefer dogs, while just 21% prefer cats. And if they had to choose between a dog and a cat for President...

Do Men Need More Rights on 'Forced Fatherhood'?

John Johnson — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:10:27 CDT

With Father's Day near comes a debate about "forced fatherhood." The phrase refers to guys who get turned into fathers against their will through unplanned pregnancies, explains Laurie Shrage in the New York Times . Men in this situation "have few choices," she writes. It's ultimately the woman's call on whether...

Let's Legalize Polyamory

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:32:07 CDT

Meet Richard Gilmore. He's involved in a relationship with a woman named Vicki, her husband Jim, and Jim's girlfriend Maria. They're polyamorists, and they consider themselves a true "family," Gilmore says. Polyamorists practice "consensual, ethical, and responsible non-monogamy," but unlike polygamists, they're not motivated by religion, writes Jillian Keenan on...

First the Taco Bell Licker, Now This at Wendy's

Arden Dier — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:02:55 CDT

If you thought gross fast-food-worker images started and ended with the Taco Bell licker , brace yourself for the latest photo, which seems to show a Wendy's employee dispensing ice cream directly into his mouth. The image was posted to Reddit yesterday, along with this quip: "I was going to buy...

College Grads: Both Record High and 'Distressingly Low'

Kevin Spak — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:20:01 CDT

The number of American college graduates has been surging in recent years to a record high—which is probably a fair bit lower than you'd expect. As of last year, 33.5% of Americans aged 25 to 29 had at least a bachelor's degree, according to federal data. That's up...

Today's Legos Are Angrier

Matt Cantor — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:25:54 CDT

Lego characters, it seems, are no longer living in a state of bliss. Once, the figures wore uniform smiles, whether they were gas station workers or hospital patients. Today, however, life has gotten more complicated: Since the 1990s, the number of angry Lego faces has climbed while the number of...

'Anarchist Chocolatier' Mott Green Dead at 47

John Johnson — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:04:11 CDT

He was kind of like Willy Wonka, if Wonka had combined his passion for chocolate with social justice. Or as the headline in Haaretz puts it: "Mott Green, Jewish anarchist chocolatier, dies aged 47." Green was born David Friedman and grew up in Staten Island, but he gave up the...

Down With Wedding Gifts

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:16:03 CDT

The custom of giving wedding presents began when people were getting married quite young, likely broke, and in possession of few household goods—so why are we still giving them today? If anything, many of today's married couples are merging two households and have too much stuff. The tradition is...

Male Train Drivers Protest Shorts Ban—With Skirts

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 11:15:58 CDT

There's a skin-baring revolt under way in Sweden, where the Roslagsbanan train line has banned drivers and conductors from wearing shorts—and a dozen of the aforementioned employees responded by donning skirts this week. As the AP reports, about a dozen men showed up for work in skirts to protest...