A new study came out concluding that people who drink socially earn 10 to 14 percent more than teetotalers. According to Edward Stringham, co-author of the study, “Social drinking builds social capital.” Social capital — as in new contacts, networking, and closer relationships. With the end result being higher salaries.
Interestingly, men who drink earn 10 […]

Joel Johnson, of gizmodo fame, unveiled new men’s blog dethroner this week.
Dethroner.com is an every day digest of news, advice, DIY projects, pictures of lions, grooming products, and fist-clenching admonishment. It’s the perfect guide for the imperfect man.
At first I assumed Joel was inspired by what we’ve done here, given our antonymic names, but it […]

Week in and week out, we ramble on endlessly about all sorts of topics we think are worth sharing.  Now we’re handing the mic over.
I’m proud to introduce another new feature here on UM.  “Open Forum Fridays” is all about you.  Whatever YOU feel like discussing. 

Rants?  Raves?  Thoughts on Jessica Alba’s tattoo?  Bring em. 
We want everyone […]

As if your Netflix queue wasn’t long enough, Pajiba has 10 more movies to add. I’ve only see Shallow Grave, which was great. And being a Gary Oldman fan, I definitely look forward to checking out Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.

Tom Waits has a new album, Orphans, out November 21st, 2006. The release’s 56 tracks are carefully spread out over 3 discs labeled Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards. The limited edition also comes with a 94 page booklet of lyrics and rare photos.  Tom had this to say about the breadth of the album.
On […]

I’ve heard plenty of horror stories about apartments from hell. 
From vindictive landlords to bug problems, to intolerable neighbors and beyond, there is a lot of potential danger when you’re getting ready to sign on the dotted line.
After all, the leasing agent’s sole job is to sell you on the place.  Honesty is not always on their agenda.
It’s […]

Really. And not die from exhaustation or need a coffee maker strapped to your back. Actually you feel quite good — not at all “sleep-deprived.”
The method to the madness is sleeping in 90 minute increments. 3 hours. 4.5 hours. 6 hours. 7.5 hours. Definitely not 8 hours.
Glen Rhodes has a blog post titled “The Power […]

Get into good foods with Zingerman’s Guide to Good Eating.  Slashfood summarizes the book as follows:
Its subtitle promises that it will tell you “How to Choose the Best Bread, Cheeses, Olive Oil, Pasta, Chocolate, and Much More” and it is one of the best, easiest to read guides you can find, and will be useful, […]

In a social situation, there are two types of people; the ones being watched, and the ones watching. 
Women are always drawn to someone who’s the center of attention. 
In a bar or club setting, one way to be ‘that guy’ is by learning a few simple bar bets (aka ones you can’t lose).

Outdrink anyone
When you’re out with the boys, bet […]

Italy in January. London in April. Eastern Europe in October. Not all in the same year of course. But I am a big fan of off-peak travel. Celebrating New Year’s in St Mark’s Square was unforgettable. Walking down Unter den Linden with a cool Autumn breeze and the changing leaves was sublime. And London […]

A wine spends most of it’s life developing in the bottle. After the wine is opened and the air mixes, the wine starts to die. At this point you have only a limited number of days to drink it. The older a wine is, the more delicate and fragile it becomes. […]

If there’s one thing in life I love more than a cocktail, it’s a free cocktail.
Modern Drunkard has an excellent article eschewing the proper ploys to get you soused on the cheap. 
The techniques run the gamut from beginner (almost anyone can do it, with little or no guilt) to the truly diabolical (and even more […]

Record Online has the results of a recent Wall Street Journal blind wine tasting. Critics Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher tried a variety of Australian cabernet sauvignons under $20, and gave us their favorites.
I’ve added the 2004 Yalumba to my ever-growing cork’d shopping list — I’m hoping it goes well with leftover thai peanut chicken!

In Nanjing China the Rising Sun Anger Release Bar let’s customers hit the wait staff.
Little Children is a movie about a woman cheating on her internet-porn addicted husband.
Horizontal striped shirts are cool.
There are a few man spas.
Web guys make up 6 of Details 50 most influential men under 42.
#4 Chad Hurly & Steven Chen - […]

We recently celebrated a milestone here at Urban Monarch; our 100th post.  (Actually, our 106th post, but who’s counting).
Now that we’ve compiled a sizable volume of information, I thought it would be good to point out some ways to find some of the older articles you may have missed.
Some of you are old hands at this […]

Men’s Health has a handy article with 18 tricks to common problems, just by having a bit of knowledge about your body. A few of them include:

Hold your breath underwater longer
Better hearing at a loud bar
Clear a stuffed nose
Reduce the pain of needle injections
Cure a toothache

The one I’m most curious to try is fixing the […]

Women experience orgasms different than men, something men are well aware of.  With the help of new research, the understanding of that difference is becoming more clear.  A new study monitored brain activity as partners stimulated each other.  The results give interesting insight.
The key to female arousal seems rather to be deep relaxation and a […]

Let’s face it, many men shy away from proper skin care because they think it’s either too complicated or too expensive. 
Men might also think using ‘let’s face it’ in a post about skin care is a horrible pun, but these men are wrong.  Bow before my brilliance. 
The truth is, there are really only three simple steps […]

As you probably suspect, the in-flight announcements given by flight attendants are more truthiness than actual fact. We all know cell phones can’t be a huge risk on the flight, since it’s a given that one of the passengers will forget to turn theirs off.
The Economist has a funny (and eye-opening) article of what truthful […]

In the often intimidating and confusing wine arena, Chef JoAnna invites the novice with a simple do it yourself wine tasting seminar.
Wine is such a wide and vast subject that I don’t ever feel like I could come close to being good with it. I’m still anxious about the different brands, I don’t pay much […]

 
In the past, I used to be a die hard Expedia devotee when it came time to make travel arrangments.  Then a friend told me about Travelocity and I began comparing the two services when making plans to insure I got the best deal. 
Believe it or not, there are often big differences in price from one […]