Can You Design The Perfect Wedding?

Welcome to The Riddler. Every week, I offer up problems related to the things we hold dear around here: math, logic and probability. Two puzzles are presented each week: the Riddler Express for those of you who want something bite-size and the Riddler Classic for those of you in the slow-puzzle movement. Submit a correct answer for either, win , I need...

42m

Hey, NFL Coaches: Stop Wasting Your Timeouts

Early in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Rams’ wild-card playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals, Rams head coach Sean McVay faced a third-and-2 at the Arizona 33-yard line with a 7-0 lead. Running back Cam Akers had just gained 3 yards rushing up the middle on the previous play, and he substituted out of the game as time ticked off the play...

2h

Americans Feel Burnt Out — Personally And Politically

Welcome to Pollapalooza, our weekly polling roundup. Like a decent chunk of American workers currently, I’ve been feeling the effects of burnout.  Of course, I can chalk up how I’m feeling to a number of self-imposed expectations and personal habits (or lack thereof), like taking on too many “side hustles” outside of my nine-to-five,...

2h

The NBA’s Best Supporting Cast, Best Level-Up, And More Of Our Midseason Awards

There have been 672 NBA games played so far this season, which means we’re just south of 55 percent of the way through the year. That makes this as good a time as any to check in on the annual awards races — but with a twist.  Rather than Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year, we’re making up our own awards and handing them out to the...

20h

The Packers Need A Receiver Who Can Do It All. Good Thing They Have Davante Adams.

Facing a third-and-goal in the second quarter of a Christmas Day game against the Cleveland Browns, the Green Bay Packers sent wideout Davante Adams into the slot. Cleveland brought a blitz, leaving him one-on-one with safety Richard LeCounte, and Adams did a samba on top of the hashmarks while Aaron Rodgers backpedaled and lofted a ball to the middle...

1d

How Abortion Has Changed Since 1973

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY SCHERER / GETTY IMAGESIt’s been almost 49 years since the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Roe v. Wade on January 22, 1973. And in the half-century since abortion became a constitutional right, a lot has changed. Clinics have closed, restrictions have mounted and abortion has become one of the most polarizing issues in...

1d

Why A Failed Voting Rights Push Is A Setback For Democracy — And Democrats

The carefully calibrated unity formed among the Democratic Party and its base on voting rights was short-lived. After the White House announced earlier this month that President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris would travel to Georgia to give an impassioned plea on preserving the right to vote — despite not having enough voting power to take any...

1d

What To Watch For In The NFL’s Divisional Round

The NFL’s elite eight will convene this weekend with the divisional playoffs, and after a relatively upset-free wild-card round (sorry, Cowboys — I said relatively), we have some titanic matchups to look forward to here. Both conferences’ No. 1 seeds will be in action Saturday; the defending champions will look to keep rolling Sunday afternoon; and...

1d

How Omicron Upended What We Thought We Knew About Natural Immunity

After dizzily swelling for weeks, COVID-19 cases seem to be leveling off in New York and Chicago. In the greater Boston area, the amount of SARS-CoV-2 found in wastewater is going down as quickly as it had gone up. The hard part isn’t over yet, but the omicron wave is starting to break and roll back out to sea. Soon we’ll see if any treasures are left...

1d

The Countless, Confusing, Sometimes Contradictory Takeaways Of The 2021-22 Redistricting Cycle

Many analyses of congressional redistricting so far have tried to sum the situation up into a single sentence. While we understand the urge, it’s increasingly the case that there is no one takeaway from the 2021-22 redistricting cycle. In reality, the picture is complicated: Democrats have gained seats based on partisanship alone … but Republicans have...

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