Like to give and/or get some harmless, consensual paddling in the boudoir? Turns out, your naughty little secret might be more than just a turn-on: Spanking could actually bring some couples closer, according to a study conducted at Northern Illinois University. Researchers tracked levels of the stress hormone cortisol in 13 men and women at an S and M party in Arizona before, during, and after spanking and other activities like bondage ... Read More

Calling all word nerds! The Williamsburg Spelling Bee has more contests coming up. In fact, there are five more competitions before the finals on June 22. So grab your dictionary and start brushing up on your 50-cent words. Last year's big winner went home with $150 and a twenty-volume-long 80th anniversary edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (I know it's tradition, but wouldn't the dictionary be better used by the losing ... Read More

In case you missed it (I did), the Brooklyn Indie Market re-opened for the season last weekend. The BIM, now in its third year, showcases Brooklyn-based designers and handmade goodness. You may not have gotten to the 10% off birthday sale, but the market is there every weekend, so you can still go and browse the tables for some cool unique finds. Even if you don't have money to burn on designs, it's free to get in, so just go and ... Read More

New York-based photographer Kate Engelbrecht is on a mission to empower teen girls through pictures. She's heading up The Girl Project , in which she sends 13- to 17-year-old females in the United States cameras and asks them to document their lives with self-portraits and images of anything else that defines who they are. Engelbrecht has posted some of the submissions on The Girl Project Web site, but she's also planning to curate the ... Read More

Everybody needs a sister-- at least if the results of a new study from the University of Ulster in Ireland hold true. Researchers at the school recently asked 571 people ages 17 to 25 about their lives and discovered that the ones who grew up with sisters tend to be happier and more balanced, according to the BBC . People with brothers, on the other hand, had more 'distress.' 'Sisters appear to encourage more open communication and ... Read More