What do weddings cost today?
An astounding amount. Last year the average American wedding, including the requisite reception, cost $28,427. In affluent areas, the cost is even higher: In Boston, the average price of a wedding is $39,239; in Santa Barbara, Calif., it's $42,319; and in Manhattan, $76,687. In other words, many couples are spending on a single event lasting a few hours the equivalent of a year's tuition at college, or what the average American makes in an entire year. This nuptial extravagance is being driven by what some have called the "wedding industrial complex" — a $70 billion...

MoreBy The Week StaffSat, 15 Jun 2013 10:30:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245686/the-3-biggest-obstacles-to-a-solar-energy-boomhttp://theweek.com/article/index/245686/the-3-biggest-obstacles-to-a-solar-energy-boom

Optimism surrounding a solar energy boom seems to be hitting new highs: Game-changing technologies seem to hit the market nearly every week, and new government policies, like a series of solar mandates in Japan, has people and businesses all over the world installing solar panels at record rates.

Nonetheless, several challenges stand between us and a true solar revolution. Here are three:

Cost

The cost of solar is down to just 10 percent of what it was five years ago. But for solar to be viable without government subsidies (like the ones driving Japan's solar boom), the price per megawatt-hour...

MoreBy Carmel LobelloSat, 15 Jun 2013 08:40:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245682/10-things-you-need-to-know-today-june-15-2013http://theweek.com/article/index/245682/10-things-you-need-to-know-today-june-15-2013
1. SYRIAN REBELS CALL FOR WEAPONS AS FIGHTING INTENSIFIES IN ALEPPO
Syrian opposition groups clamored for the Obama administration to make good on its promise to arm them as government forces cracked down on rebels in Aleppo. The White House reversed its position on arming the rebels after revealing Thursday that it had concluded that the Assad regime was guilty of using chemical weapons. [New York Times]
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MoreBy Keith WagstaffSat, 15 Jun 2013 08:25:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245684/the-daily-gossip-emma-watson-will-star-in-a-female-game-of-thrones-and-morehttp://theweek.com/article/index/245684/the-daily-gossip-emma-watson-will-star-in-a-female-game-of-thrones-and-more

1. Emma Watson to star in "female Game of Thrones"It's been less than two years since the eighth and final Harry Potter film was released, but star Emma Watson is already ready to return to the world of fantasy. Variety reported that Watson will star in an upcoming film adaptation ofThe Queen of the Tearling, an as-yet unpublished book series described as "a female Game of Thrones," because that's a thing that's popular right now — and the movie couldn't come at a better time, because there are absolutely no strong female characters in Game of Thrones. [Variety]

2. Kate Middleton bought...

MoreBy Scott MeslowFri, 14 Jun 2013 17:18:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245683/the-weeks-best-of-the-internethttp://theweek.com/article/index/245683/the-weeks-best-of-the-internet
1. Animals Doing People Things
This is a perfect Tumblr.


See?
2. Yeezus leakedInadvertent Chicken Soup for the Soul contributor Kanye West's new album leaked on the innanetz Friday afternoon, a few days before its official June 18 release. What does it sound like? Try guttural rap sprinkled with "Dope Show"-era Marilyn Manson and late '80s Chicago acid house — an oddly perfect mish-mash for an artist as wrought with complexity as 'Ye. Go find it and listen to it.
3. "Get Lucky" in different eras
Instead of remixing Daft Punk's "Get Lucky", a YouTube artist named PV Nova imagined what...
MoreBy Chris GayomaliFri, 14 Jun 2013 16:51:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245680/should-injured-baseball-players-be-allowed-to-take-hghhttp://theweek.com/article/index/245680/should-injured-baseball-players-be-allowed-to-take-hgh

After a promising start to his career, Los Angeles Angels reliever Ryan Madson missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Madson went under the knife last April, yet 14 months later, he's still not healthy enough to pitch. Frustrated by numerous setbacks, he suggested this week that human growth hormone could aid his recovery — and that Major League Baseball, which currently bans its use, should allow rehabbing players to take it in limited cases.

"If HGH were legal, just in the process of healing, under a doctor's recommendation, in the right dosage, while you...

MoreBy Jon TerbushFri, 14 Jun 2013 16:37:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245679/6-superman-movies-that-didnt-get-madehttp://theweek.com/article/index/245679/6-superman-movies-that-didnt-get-made

In case you've somehow missed the relentless onslaught of commercial spots and promotional tie-ins, Man of Steel — Zack Snyder's massive reboot of the Superman franchise, which stars Henry Cavill — hits theaters this weekend. Though reviews have been mixed, Man of Steel is expected to do big business, reintroducing Superman to a new generation and spawning yet another hit superhero franchise for years to come.

Apart from all the buzz surrounding the film, there's this fact: Snyder is one of the lucky ones. For every Superman movie that has hit theaters since the heyday of the Christopher...

MoreBy Scott MeslowFri, 14 Jun 2013 16:30:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245678/the-weeks-best-editorial-cartoonshttp://theweek.com/article/index/245678/the-weeks-best-editorial-cartoons







***See more editorial cartoons***
MoreBy The Week StaffFri, 14 Jun 2013 16:00:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245677/nicaraguas-logic-defying-bid-to-rival-the-panama-canalhttp://theweek.com/article/index/245677/nicaraguas-logic-defying-bid-to-rival-the-panama-canal
Nicaraguan lawmakers have given their backing to a Hong Kong company's proposal to build a canal across their Central American nation, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Supporters in the National Assembly, which is controlled by President Daniel Ortega's Sandinista Front, hope the jobs and economic growth spurred by the project — along with the government's share of the profits — will lift the nation out of poverty, much the way the Panama Canal has proved a valuable source of revenue for Panama. But not everyone thinks the project is so sensible. Here, a brief guide:
What...
MoreBy Harold MaassFri, 14 Jun 2013 15:25:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245675/is-turkeys-tayyip-erdogan-finally-relenting--or-preparing-a-bigger-crackdownhttp://theweek.com/article/index/245675/is-turkeys-tayyip-erdogan-finally-relenting--or-preparing-a-bigger-crackdown
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised Friday to let a court decide the fate of his development plan for Istanbul's beloved Gezi Park, where a crackdown on a sit-in by environmental protesters set off nationwide anti-government demonstrations. "We wait for the legal procedure to end, and if after that there's need for a public vote, we'll go to the polls," Erdogan said after meeting with protesters and reaching a compromise.
That's the good news. The bad news is that Erdogan — whom the demonstrators criticize as increasingly authoritarian — also issued an ultimatum to...
MoreBy Harold MaassFri, 14 Jun 2013 14:50:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245674/why-whales-can-hold-their-breath-for-a-long-time--and-you-canthttp://theweek.com/article/index/245674/why-whales-can-hold-their-breath-for-a-long-time--and-you-cant
Marine mammals have all kinds of wonderful adaptations to lead a comfortable life underwater, such as flippers and insulating blubber. Whales even have eyes that can see in monochrome, which is especially valuable deep beneath the surface where sunlight is at a premium.
But one of the whales' more fascinating adaptations is their enviable ability to hold their breath underwater for up to an hour at a time. Scientists know it has something to do with their myoglobin, a molecule in the blood that helps the body's muscles retain oxygen. In creatures like cows and humans, myoglobin is known for giving...
MoreBy Chris GayomaliFri, 14 Jun 2013 14:35:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245676/today-in-business-5-things-you-need-to-knowhttp://theweek.com/article/index/245676/today-in-business-5-things-you-need-to-know
1. NEW AIRBUS A350 MAKES ITS MAIDEN VOYAGE
The new Airbus A350, designed to be a more fuel-efficient competitor to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, took off from a runway in Toulouse, France, on Friday, and landed safely back in Toulouse four hours later. The A350, powered by a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine, will use about 25 percent less fuel than similar aircrafts — a huge plus as the industry struggles with high fuel costs. Airbus has already gathered 600 orders for the A350. [BBC]
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MoreBy Carmel LobelloFri, 14 Jun 2013 14:08:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245673/why-are-japanese-teenagers-licking-each-others-eyeballshttp://theweek.com/article/index/245673/why-are-japanese-teenagers-licking-each-others-eyeballs
Back in the day, teenagers on the way to the sock-hop would pull over their cars at a scenic overlook to neck while listening to the smooth sounds of Perry Como. Now, they lick each other's eyeballs.
Like all probably-exaggerated teenage trends, this new practice has a catchy name: Worming. It's also called "oculolinctus" or "a great way to catch pink-eye."
A teacher in Japan noticed multiple students were coming into class wearing eyepatches. No, they weren't inspired by Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie; instead they were getting eye infections from having their eyeballs licked, according to ...
MoreBy Keith WagstaffFri, 14 Jun 2013 14:06:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245659/which-nation-will-be-the-next-king-of-beefhttp://theweek.com/article/index/245659/which-nation-will-be-the-next-king-of-beef
Argentina, land of tender sirloin and cheating in soccer and then bragging about it, has recently given up its title of Biggest Beef Eater in the World.
In 2012, each person in the country consumed 129 pounds of beef, a far cry from Argentina's 1956 peak of 222 pounds per person, but way above the 57.5 pounds of beef eaten per capita in the U.S. Yet, over the past decade, Argentina has fallen from its perch, says The New York Times. Now its No. 2 in beef consumption, behind neighboring Uruguay. To make matters worse for proud beef-loving Argentines, the country has also fallen to 11th place in...
MoreBy Carmel LobelloFri, 14 Jun 2013 14:00:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245668/how-prozac-turns-fish-into-killershttp://theweek.com/article/index/245668/how-prozac-turns-fish-into-killers

Prozac is supposed to improve mood and alleviate negative thoughts. But in fish, it may be doing the exact opposite.

New research has found that fish that swim in waterways tainted by antidepressants can become anxious, aggressive, and even, in some cases, homicidal.

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee gave male fathead minnows small, varying doses of fluoxetine, the "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor" more commonly known as Prozac. When given low doses of the drug, male minnows had less interest in mating, and became easier prey, leading to reduced birth rates. When researchers...

MoreBy Jon TerbushFri, 14 Jun 2013 13:50:00 -0400http://theweek.com/article/index/245638/why-microsofts-xbox-one-has-already-lost-to-sonys-ps4http://theweek.com/article/index/245638/why-microsofts-xbox-one-has-already-lost-to-sonys-ps4

It was with much fanfare and applause that Sony Computer Entertainment's CEO, Andrew House, announced at Tuesday's E3 Expo that Sony's foray into the next generation of video game consoles would hit shelves this holiday season at $399, a hundred dollars cheaper than its Microsoft-made counterpart, the Xbox One.
For many, this was the kicker, the critical point with which Sony had clinched a hard-fought match. For many others, myself included, the fight had already been won.
The key issue for me and many other gamers wasn't price but what the cost of the console and video games will buy. On...
MoreBy Andrew LumbyFri, 14 Jun 2013 12:25:00 -0400