Carl Pettit

Christmastime means garlands, garlands all over the place. When you see them hanging about shopping malls and your neighbors’ houses, you know the holiday season has arrived. As widespread as these decorative wreaths of flowers, leaves and twigs are, most people don’t really know why they’re associated with Christmas.

Santa Claus, that jolly fellow who races across the sky in his reindeer-pulled sleigh on Christmas Eve after judging who has been naughty or nice, needs no introduction. But his wife is another matter.

Just when you thought things were getting back to normal, you find out that the United States Military, plus several different law enforcement agencies, not to mention emergency workers and medical technicians, are about to get some very unorthodox disaster training.

If you’re the type of person who loves high places, falling from high places, and then having your body whipped up and down by the recoil of a powerful bungee cord, look no further.

“I’m the guy who carries Mr. Dead in his pocket.” – Mad Max (Mel Gibson) in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome Tom Hardy, the English actor who played Bane in ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ is set to star as Mad Max in the upcoming franchise reboot ‘Mad Max: Fury Road‘. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Mad Max films, they’re the movies that made a pre-controversy-courting Mel Gibson

We tend to associate the end of summer and the arrival of fall with going back to school or getting back to work, as the vacation season is over. But that doesn’t have to be the case. The northern hemisphere contains some pretty remarkable fall destinations, perfect for weekend adventures or even weeklong getaways ...

The open road offers up a lot of possibilities. You’ve got adventure, new and strange destinations, gorgeous scenery, and the opportunity to escape the humdrums of your normal life, plus all of the interesting characters you’ll meet along the way. All you have to do is decide on a route, get into the car and drive.

When you’re faced with the real McCoy, you’re dealing with the real thing. It isn’t a copy or near likeness. It’s the honest-to-goodness genuine article. It doesn’t mater if you’re talking about a valuable coin, a leather sofa, a bottle of whiskey or a living person.

Maybe you thought your thumbs were fast, and you could pop out text messages at remarkable speeds. Well, perhaps you should think again. A 16-year-old New Yorker was just awarded the top prize for the second year in a row at the LG US National Texting Competition.

It’s going to happen, probably more than once or twice in your life. You’ll be out with your buddies, on the town, cruising the bars, knocking back beers and shots of tequila and whiskey. Or perhaps someone will challenge your drinking prowess, and you defend your honor with a booze-guzzling contest. Whatever the reasons may be, you’ve overdone it, and you wake up in the morning with a raging hang

Some people (naming no names here) spend an awful lot of time worrying about shark attacks. While statistically, the chance of a carnivorous fish ripping a huge chunk of meat off your body is pretty slim, it does happen on occasion. Most sharks aren’t really interested in human beings, but a few of them do like to take a nibble, or a whopping big bite now and again. The top culprits are, in order

Ah, leave it to the Finns and their bizarre contests to make you scratch your head in wonder. This Northern European country, which is home to the Air Guitar World Championship, the Mosquito Swatting Championships and the Swamp Soccer Championships (just to name a few), is also the proud creator of the Wife Carrying World Championships.