Only Slate Plus members can gift Slate stories. Become a member to share 10 free articles a month. When Barack Obama told a crowd at a campaign event on Tuesday, “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it ...

Spooky season has officially arrived! Whatever you've got up your sleeve to celebrate Halloween this year, it's likely you're busy choosing a costume, stocking up on candy for trick-or-treaters and ...

In the early hours of January 7th, the cardiothoracic surgeon Bartley Griffith, unable to sleep, went to his kitchen to make coffee. It was about 2 a.m. His usual mug is tall, and he had to remove the ...