Would you believe that people who yearn for human contact by mindlessly trolling through dating websites judge potential mates by superficial factors? Well, put down that coffee before you spew it everywhere in stupefaction, it's science! According to a "study" of 12,000 adults on the European dating website eDarling, people whose names had "intrinsic attractiveness," like "Alexander" or "Charlotte" had 102% more profile visits than total weirdos named "Kevin" or "Mandy." You were right all along: everything is your parents' fault. more ›

Last month Brooklyn got two new baby baboons, but they've been nameless until now. We're told the duo was just dubbed Azizi and Jabari, names that pay homage to their ancestry. The Egyptian names mean "brave" and "precious," and were chosen from at least a thousand suggestions that were submitted to the Prospect Park Zoo, where they live. You can visit them daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the zoo's director even says they recognize their names now! more ›

The Social Security Administration released the top baby names of 2009 by state, and though Isabella still topped the list in New York, Cullen was thankfully nowhere to be found. All-American Michael was the most popular boy's name, kicking last year's favorite Jayden into second place, and last year's Top 5 placer Sarah dropped to 10th place. So what else are people naming their kids these days? more ›

Because every parent wants their child to be named after an obsessive teenage girl, a buff werewolf of an overbearing, sparkly vampire, baby names inspired by the "Twilight" book series are continuing to rise in popularity, according to the Social Security Administration. Though "Isabella" and "Jacob" have been on the most popular since 2004, they became the 1st choices last year, beating out "Emma" and "Ethan." So apparently Edith Wharton and Jane Austen aren't best sellers amongst moms-to-be? more ›

State Senator Kevin Parker, who shocked pretty much everyone when he called his Republican colleagues "racists" and "white supremacists" last week (and stood by those remarks), decided to apologize yesterday. Sort of. The Brooklyn Democrat started, "To the extent that my words last week brought commotion and emotion to this house in ways that may distract or divert us from the important work of the people of New York State, work that’s so important for all of us. I offer my sincerest apologies for my zealous advocacy." more ›

Bronx Zoo baby lion cubs, watch your backs, Prospect Park Zoo is now unveiling their baby baby doll sheep! The 11-month-old duo will make their debut at the Annual Wildlife Conservation Society’s Fleece Festival, coming up on May 8th and 9th, where we're told the sheep and their alpaca friends will lose their thick wool coats to help them stay cool this summer. While the fur is flying, you can ponder what these two should be called. Yep, even though they're nearly a year old, they need names, too! The WCS tells us visitors will be able to vote on the following: more ›

The triplet African lions born at WCS’s Bronx Zoo earlier this year, and romping around in the spotlight for the first time just last week, still need names. Their mom Sukari and father M’wasi (or rather, their handlers) have turned to the Daily News for help, and the paper has asked readers to submit names. Now they report back saying it's turned into a battle between boroughs. Some want the names to be Bronx-based, one man suggesting, "Belmont for the male, Morrisania and Melrose for da goils!" Others are simply suggesting their favorite boroughs, with names like: Brook-Lyn, Bronxie and Queenie. more ›

For a moment there, it seemed like the economic downturn was going to bring a much-needed reality check to the world of real estate. But no. The Daily News reports today on the efforts of real estate brokers to re-brand supposedly undesirable neighborhoods by giving them more marketable monikers — like "GoCaGa" for the area between Gowanus and Carroll Gardens, "BoHo" for the Bowery south of Houston, "SunSlope" for the streets between Sunset Park and Park Slope, and "iTri" for the Iron Triangle in Willets Point. "These names are great selling points for agents trying to bring clients into a neighborhood that wasn't so hip before but sounds a lot hipper now," said Jean Charles, a senior agent at Bond New York, a major sales and rental firm. more ›