In case you missed Venus making a clear appearance in last night's sky, you have an opportunity to see it today, and while the sun is still out. But please do not look directly at the sun! Discovery News notes that the planet has been "dominating the nighttime sky" recently, but what many don't know is that you can also spot it during the day, and in fact, President Abraham Lincoln spotted the planet one afternoon in 1865. His bodyguard said at the time: more ›

Last month The Internet was smitten with Mr. Joey Thompson, who kinda sorta looks like Ryan Gosling and decided to make a PSA about how anyone can look like the actor. We talked to Thompson that day, as the video was going viral, and he promised more. Now he's back with his sequel, and because we feel it wouldn't be the worst if every man is this world channeled Gosling a little bit more, we're passing it along. more ›

Men of New York City, it is important you all watch this "how to" video below (and ladies, you may want to show it to your boyfriend/husband/crush/body pillow). Click play, and let Joey Thompson school you on the art of looking like actor Ryan Gosling (it helps if you look like the real thing, as Thompson sort of does). You guys look great, you really do, it just couldn't hurt... more ›

Babeland of Brooklyn is celebrating Earth Day the only way they know how: the kinky way. Tonight they're hosting a lesson filled with "eco-sexy tips" and invite their "crafty customers to make DIY floggers from recycled bicycle tubes donated by Ride Brooklyn." If you can't join them at 6 p.m., but are in need of a fast flogging fix, fear not... the shop's Pamela Doan tells us all you need is dowels, electrical tape (comes in lots of colors so you can make it pretty!), and recycled bike inner tubes. more ›

Fall Fashion Week starts today, are you going? No? Quelle horreur! Don't worry, you can always sneak in. Today Racked has a nifty list of tips for getting a seat at a show you are in no way qualified to attend. The whole thing is worth a read, but the major points are pretty easy: Wear black. Know where you are going before hand. Never remove your sunglasses. Tell guards who ask that you are "on the list." Act like you should be there. Wait in the standing area and when the show starts, grab an empty seat if possible. And—voila!—you're in! more ›

This just in (therefore it didn't make it into our newsletter): tonight the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is going to school New Yorkers on how to manage the city's ratdemic! They say, "for centuries, humans and rats have contentiously shared our city, competing for prime real estate in subways, apartment buildings and green spaces. From traps to toxins, New Yorkers are known to use extreme measures to banish these unwanted rodents." more ›

The war against the Heroin How-To guide rages on, with Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. lobbying for the 17-page brochure to be destroyed... though it's been in circulation for nearly two years. more ›

Hey taxpayers, we just spent $32,000 on a Department of Health designed Heroin guidebook, complete with helpful illustrations! Just think of all the smack we could have gotten with that money. 70,000 copies of the 16-page pamphlet were printed out, and it's unsurprisingly garnering criticisms from just about everyone. more ›

There's a fun story on the challenges of urban composting in the Times's Home & Garden section today. For those of you who usually skip those pages due to a lack of home or garden, here's the breakdown: The Lower East Side Ecology Center gives workshops for people looking to recycle their food waste without totally stinking up their apartments. One attendee explains, "I’m a little nervous because I’ve heard the stories." She's referring to the harrowing tales of fruit fly infestation and runaway worms; the popular "worm condo" vermicomposting method uses about 1,000 worms to eat through scraps and, over the course of four months, excrete the "castings" that make up compost. (It can then be given to community gardens or distributed as gifts!) But despite one couple's choice to keep their worm condo underneath the bed, these people aren't so radical, just concerned about the environment. And rightfully so; the E.P.A. says keeping discarded food out of landfills does more than twice the good of keeping mixed paper out, because decomposing food that's buried and cut off from air releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas, at higher rates than paper. more ›

These sweet and savory meatballs make good use of the fresh eucalyptus you can sometimes find at the local greenmarkets. The eucalyptus in this recipe must not be eaten—the toxic leaves can cause adverse health effects if consumed in large quantities—but as the skewer is right up against your nose when nibbling the kofte, the eucalyptus scent radically changes the way you experience the flavor of the kofte itself. more ›

Our fourth Thanksgiving recipe is for the main course—turkey wing confit— and it doesn’t require a lot of labor or time. But the real beauty of this recipe is twofold in that you don’t need a whole turkey, and that the ‘leftovers’ will last a lot longer than the typical post-holiday binge week. All you really need is a big pot of duck fat, salt, garlic, a few turkey wings, and a 200 degree oven. more ›

The polls open at 6 a.m. statewide tomorrow, and given the recent concern about whether the NYC Board of Elections is prepared for an anticipated massive voter turnout, you might want to consider voting early. Polls close at 9 p.m., and you can check your voting location here or by calling 1-866-VOTE-NYC. In New Jersey, polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m; you can look up your polling place here. Polls in Connecticut are also open during the same hours as Jersey. more ›

Woah, can you believe the election is only four days away? And even though that Obama has been busy making sure the drapes match the carpet in the Oval Office, a Fox News poll shows the two candidates almost tied! So if you want to volunteer to support the candidate of your choice—whether it be the bitter old warmonger on death's door and his demagogic running mate, or the most inspiring, perspicacious American politician in generations—here are some ways you can get involved. more ›