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GETTING AHEAD AT WORK: It can take more than business accomplishments to get you a prominent appointment in the corporate world.

COMEBACKS: Wish you had just the right quick-witted response for that snarky colleague? When put on the spot or cornered in conversation at work, it's important to choose a relevant comeback, and quickly, says Kathleen Kelley Reardon, a professor of management at the Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California and author of the upcoming book "Comebacks at Work." "Words are so easily used against us, and every conversation has choice points that people need to teach themselves to attend to," Reardon said.

HOT ART: Temperatures getting a little uncomfortable? Your artwork and antiques are probably feeling the humidity as much as you are.

DISPUTING DISMISSAL: What happens if you think you have been fired for a bad reason? If you are a private-sector employee not under contract in the U.S., there are not many legal options to pursue unless you can prove a civil rights violation.

DIY: In the months that Make magazine editor-in-chief Mark Frauenfelder lived on a remote island in the South Pacific with his family, he found that the most memorable and rewarding experiences involved collecting, extracting and cooking coconut with his young daughter.