Book of Odds reporter Zachary Turpin recently sat down with Bradley Trevor Greive—author of Why Dogs Are Better than Cats—on a sunny beach on the Tasman Sea and discussed, over smoked salmon and vodka gimlets, what it is that makes canines so special to us. OK, almost none of that happened. The interview was, in fact, … Read more
The main reason is to express our affection, our love for our partner. Another reason is cultural—we’re surrounded by TV shows and movies where kissing is extremely important in a romantic context, so we learn through a kind of osmosis. And the third reason is, as Freud pointed out, we all go through various stages … Read more
Gambling, conventions, glamorous concerts, and extravagant stage shows draw visitors to Sin City from all over the world, but in Las Vegas weddings are big business too. From average couples standing before a sober Justice of the Peace ( Elvis-attired or not) to the glitzy celebrity nuptials of Pamela Anderson, Noel Gallagher, Michael Jordan, Nicky Hilton, and so … Read more
Heidi Klum and Seal, Robert DeNiro and Grace Hightower, Robin Thicke and Paula Patton—just a few of the high-profile couples who have brought interracial relationships into the public eye. Forty-three years ago, these marriages would have been illegal in many US states. But in 1967, the Supreme Court overturned those bans, and by 2007, 77% … Read more
bookofodds.com/ Four-legged friends have long provided their own furry brand of affection—but pets can facilitate relationships of the human variety, too. Dogs in particular, with their long-held reputation as man’s best friend (and probably woman’s, too), have lately acquired a new role: wingman. Pongo, the canine protagonist of Disney’s 1961 animated classic, 101 Dalmatians, might have … Read more
People are liars—lying liars, as Al Franken might say. From white lies to whoppers, people lie and mislead and obfuscate about everything: sex and relationships, work and money, feelings, opinions, intentions. The odds a person will tell a lie in a day are 1 in 2.49. Apparently, we evolved to lie: deception appears to have emerged … Read more
What’s the harm in a little spying? Maybe you know the temptation—your significant other’s cell phone is right there on the nightstand while she’s in the shower; it’s just so easy to scroll through the text messages to see if she’s been chatting with her hunky ex. Or his email inbox is left open on … Read more