The Census Bureau just released reams of data from the 1940 U.S. Census online (the website's been up and down all day; if it doesn't work, try later), and you are going to spend the next hour or so tooling around on the website. I know because I just did it myself.

Happy Independence Day, America! And what better way to celebrate President Whitmore's famous speech than with fireworks? But please, be safe! We've collected some important fireworks safety tips here. Print out several copies and bring them to your barbecue! It's a great way to make friends.

Gay New Yorkers can now get married. That's great news, of course, but let's not forget that there is no bigger logistical or etiquette nightmare on this planet than planning a wedding. Since the traditional roles for a male-female wedding go out the window for gay nuptials, here are some ground rules an suggestions to get you started.

In-the-know Americans have been getting ready for May 21, when Jesus is going to return to Earth and kick off the Rapture—aka "Judgment Day." Hopefully you're prepared for all the excitement to come, yes?

A Pennsylvania woman found a five-pound package of marijuana on her doorstep this week. The same thing happened to a nearby elderly couple. What should you do if you receive a large package of weed? Let us help you.

Planning on attending the spring art auctions this week? You might want to bring a spare suitcase-full-of-cash or two: At least a dozen pieces are priced in the $20 million range, including works by Picasso, Monet (pronounced Mo-neyyy), and Maurice de Vlaminck (he was a Fauve). But how can a poor struggling artist like yourself get that kind of dough?

The key question with dinosaurs, as with so many things, is "How can I have sex with them?" With the help of Slate's Explainer column, we've constructed a step-by-step guide.

According to a new article in the British Journal of Psychiatry, the rate of depressive disorders among men in Western countries is likely to increase greatly—possibly catching up with that of women, who are are currently twice as likely to be diagnosed with a depressive disorder. Are you a man? Don't worry! We have solutions for you.

Is your child going to be a drug-addicted criminal? Thanks to the powers of science, you can now find out, years in advance!

According to The Wall Street Journal, no one uses "dear" as a salutation when writing emails, because it is "girlie." This makes writing email so confusing! Luckily, we're here to help, with a guide to letter-writing in the 21st century.

Black Friday is upon us! It's the biggest shopping day of the year, and to help you out we've put together some holiday-shopping tips and tricks to so you get the best out of your orgiastic celebration of waste:

Have you heard? Wall Street is getting its swagger back! But while this is obviously great news, it's been a long time since finance guys turned their swag on. So we've assembled a guide to help them!

Did you know that al-Qaeda in Iraq once surgically implanted bombs inside two stray dogs and tried to put them on a plane to the U.S.? Here's how to tell if your dog is a bomb-carrying al-Qaeda agent.

New York City opened its public pools today to help residents cope with the record heat wave. Too bad they'll be full of squealing children. Here are some other more peaceful but equally cool ways to beat the heat.

Those sitting out in the sun today for a new iPhone might have waited hours or overnight. They are wimps. Twilight fans have been camped out since Monday for tonight's premiere. They will show you how it's done!

Often times men in the public eye, particularly those who dress snappy or act "strangely" or marry, um, different women, are accused of being wicked sodomites. Nine times out of 10 they vehemently deny it, often ending up looking more gay than they did before. The latest example is Al Reynolds, that fey fellow who was married to regrettable former The View yakker Star Jones. I guess people thought he was gay because he wore nice-ish clothes and, um, married Star Jones. Now, because no one has talked about him for at least a year, he recently felt compelled to record an interview with a fake journalist in which—at poorly edited and protest-too-much length—he tries to refute the scuttlebutt(sex). He slapped the thing up on YouTube, and, blargh, it's a mess. The video of that sad act stands above, as the number one example of what not to do when denying gay rumors. A few other tips lie after the jump.