TOP 100 Lists

10. Has Glen Bishop gotten over Betty?

Remember Betty’s bizarre friendship with Glen, the maladjusted son of sexy divorcee Helen Bishop? Yep, it was weird. Glen (who, incidentally, was played by Matthew Weiner’s son, Martin) watches Betty while she goes to the bathroom, and she later gives him a lock of her hair. Helen isn’t amused by the flirtation, and confronts Betty about it at the grocery store; Betty impulsively slaps her in retaliation. Glen went "underground" for a season, until the end of Season 2, when he briefly turned up in Sally's playhouse; there's been no sign of him since. The relationship, I think, was meant to show how emotionally stunted, lonely and starved for male attention Betty is, and it worked in that regard—the whole “affair” was thoroughly disturbing. Is Glen still pining after Betty, or is he crushing on other alienated housewives?

9. What about Arthur, the equestrian with the wandering eye?

Glen wasn’t the only male to harbor a doomed crush on Betty Draper. In Season 2, Betty meets Arthur, a flirtatious young equestrian. Rather than having an affair herself, Betty orchestrates one between Arthur and her friend, Sara Beth. It’s a nakedly vindictive move by Betty, who’s miserable about Don’s philandering and wants to see someone else suffer. In "The Mountain King," Sara Beth calls Betty to say she’s made a “terrible mistake” with Arthur, and she's devastated that he'll be getting married that weekend. That's the last we hear from Sara Beth, so we can only speculate as to how destructive the affair turned out to be.

8. Why didn't Greg become chief resident?

Joan’s lifelong ambition of marrying a handsome surgeon was derailed last season when her husband, Greg, lost out on a residency at St. Luke’s Hospital. The reasons, though, are murky. At a dinner party at Joan’s house, the guests discuss an undisclosed mishap involving a pneumonectomy (that's a lung removal, in case you were wondering). “It’s a complicated operation. Everyone gets bad results once in a while,” says one of Greg’s fellow doctors, by way of encouragement. Joan is shocked to hear about it, and her surprise only adds to the excruciating humiliation of their relationship. We never find out just what happened in the ill-fated operation, or even if this incident is what ultimately doomed Greg's career as a surgeon, though presumably he doesn't have the deft hands the job requires. On the plus side, we did get to see Joan play the accordion.

7. What was up with those people in California?

One of the weirder moments on “Mad Men” came at the end of Season 2 when Don, in self-imposed exile in California, temporarily took up with a group of mysterious aristocrats in Palm Springs. Don is seduced by 21-year-old Joy, who enjoys an especially close relationship with her father, Willy, a vicomte with a French-sounding accent. The encounter helps Don realize he’s not cut out for their free-loving lifestyle, but that’s just about all any of us learn about these fabulous nomads. Seriously: What was their deal?

6. Was baby Gene switched at birth?

A friend recently alerted me to the (admittedly far-fetched) possibility that little Gene might not be the Drapers’ baby--as if he didn’t already have enough problems on his hands. OK, so this is technically a conspiracy theory and not an unsolved mystery, but consider the evidence: In the supremely trippy episode “The Fog,” a drugged-up Betty has hallucinatory dreams about her parents. “Be happy with what you have,” her father tells her. Betty eventually comes to with a baby in her arms, but is confused to discover that Gene is a boy, not a girl. Later, when Don returns to the hospital to pick Betty up, he walks past Dennis, the prison guard with whom he’d bonded in the waiting room. He’s wheeling his wife—but no baby—out of the hospital, and when Don greets him with a friendly smile, Dennis looks away, abashed. Maybe he’s embarrassed about getting mushy in front of Don or maybe he’s feeling guilty for switching babies? Yes, it’s a stretch, and no, I'm not quite convinced, but if true, it wouldn’t be the first time the show has employed plot lines worthy of “Days of Our Lives." Plus wouldn't it be appropriate for Don--who changed his own identity--to end up with the wrong child?

5. Did Sal go cruising after getting fired from Sterling Cooper?

Poor Sal. When last seen, the newly unemployed art director was calling his wife, Kitty, from a phone booth in a cruising spot somewhere in New York City. Surrounded by cartoonishly gay, leather-clad men, Sal told Kitty a predicable story about working late, hung up the phone, and nervously walked out of the booth. But did he walk out of the closet, too? We can probably assume that Sal went on to pick up one of these leather-bound dudes, and that the frustration of losing his job is what finally forced him to act on his sexuality. But what’s more intriguing is the possibility of what happened after that—did Sal break it off with Kitty, or go on to lead a double life, as so many gay men did in his day? His journey would have been so fascinating to watch, which is why his absence from the show is so heartbreaking. Call me a hopeless optimist, but I’m still rooting for his return.

4. What happened to Duck Phillips’ dog, Chauncey?

Recovering alcoholic and divorcee Duck Phillips is one of the more pathetic characters on “Mad Men.” Of course, there was the time he turned off the TV so he could get it on with Peggy before she found out about JFK’s death. But his lowest moment? In Season 2, Duck’s ex-wife shows up and asks him to take back their Irish Setter, Chauncey; she’s remarrying and her new husband is allergic. Rather than keeping the dog, Duck sets him loose outside the Sterling Cooper offices at 405 Madison Ave; Chauncey was never seen again. It was possibly the single cruelest act ever perpetrated on “Mad Men,” and that’s saying something.

3. Did Paul Kinsey dump Joan?

I know, it’s hard to believe anyone could dump Joan, but the evidence strongly suggests that everyone’s favorite office manager was once scorned by schlumpy copywriter, Paul Kinsey. From the very first episode of “Mad Men,” when Joan jokes that Kinsey was a “mistake” she’d made in the past, it’s clear that the two once had something; unfortunately, the precise nature of that “something” is much more difficult to discern. They certainly strike me as an unlikely pair. Kinsey’s too much of a dilettante for the sexy and savvy Joan, but then again, she dated him before the beard and the mohair sweaters. So what drove these two apart? Let’s piece together the scraps of evidence. In “Nixon vs. Kennedy,” Kinsey asks Joan, seemingly out of the blue, "What did I do wrong?" Presumably, he's referring to their break-up. “You’ve got a big mouth,” she answers. Early in Season 2, Joan tells Kinsey’s new girlfriend, who is black, "The last thing I would have taken him for is open-minded.” Kinsey accuses her of being jealous. Odd couple or not, these two are still mad at each other about something. What could it be?

2. What happened to Peggy’s baby?

Peggy is the one character who can almost match Don in terms of inscrutability. Take, for instance, the numerous mysteries surrounding her baby. All we really know is that she went into labor the same day she was promoted to copywriter, had a baby, and spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital. Beyond that, we’re in the dark. Indeed, it seems like the writers intentionally want to throw us off the scent. Peggy’s sister, Anita, also had a baby shortly after Peggy (astute viewers will remember that she was pregnant in the flashback scene at St. Mary’s). In an episode from Season 2, Peggy pays a visit to her family and on her way out, peeks in at an infant; presumably, this is Anita’s baby, though we’re led to believe it might be hers. In the Season 2 finale, Peggy tells Pete she gave the baby up. Does this mean she gave it up for adoption, or just that her sister is now caring for it? It’s also unclear whether Peggy gave up the baby voluntarily—because, as she tells Pete, she “wanted other things”—or if the state intervened after she had a breakdown, as Anita has implied. Season 3 brought precious little news in this category: Pete still hates Peggy, but that's all we got. Whatever happened, Peggy seems to have taken Don’s advice and tried to forget the whole episode completely. The same can’t be said for us fans.

1. What was Don Draper doing all those years?

Don Draper and Jesus have at least one thing in common: no one’s quite sure what they were doing before the age of 30. Over the last three seasons, the truth about Don’s past life has slowly emerged, but there are still long chapters missing from his biography. How, for instance, did Don go from selling cars to working in advertising? At one point, Roger says he “discovered” Don in his old job, but that’s all we know. Let's do the math: Dick Whitman “became” Don during the Korean War, which started in 1950. Don married Betty in 1953, after meeting her when he was writing copy for a fur advertisement. That means that Don went from car salesman to ace ad exec in less than three years. That’s a pretty meteoric rise, wouldn't you say? We also know almost nothing about what Dick/Don did as a young adult--before he went to Korea (according to my math, he would have been at least 24 at the time). I’m hoping Season 4 will tell us more about Don's mysterious past. Another lingering Don-related mystery: Who told Bobbie Barrett about his prowess in bed?

Your birth date and place. Sure, you can say what day you were born, but if you provide the year and where you were born too, you’ve just given identity thieves a key to stealing your financial life, said Givens. A study done by Carnegie Mellon showed that a date and place of birth could be used to predict most — and sometimes all — of the numbers in your Social Security number, she said.

Vacation plans. There may be a better way to say “Rob me, please” than posting something along the lines of: “Count-down to Maui! Two days and Ritz Carlton, here we come!” on Twitter. But it’s hard to think of one. Post the photos on Facebook when you return, if you like. But don’t invite criminals in by telling them specifically when you’ll be gone.

Home address. Do I have to elaborate? A study recently released by the Ponemon Institute found that users of Social Media sites were at greater risk of physical and identity theft because of the information they were sharing. Some 40% listed their home address on the sites; 65% didn’t even attempt to block out strangers with privacy settings. And 60% said they weren’t confident that their “friends” were really just people they know.

Confessionals. You may hate your job; lie on your taxes; or be a recreational user of illicit drugs, but this is no place to confess. Employers commonly peruse social networking sites to determine who to hire — and, sometimes, who to fire. Need proof? In just the past few weeks, an emergency dispatcher was fired in Wisconsin for revealing drug use; a waitress got canned for complaining about customers and the Pittsburgh Pirate’s mascot was dumped for bashing the team on Facebook. One study done last year estimated that 8% of companies fired someone for “misuse” of social media.

Password clues. If you’ve got online accounts, you’ve probably answered a dozen different security questions, telling your bank or brokerage firm your Mom’s maiden name; the church you were married in; or the name of your favorite song. Got that same stuff on the information page of your Facebook profile? You’re giving crooks an easy way to guess your passwords.

Risky behaviors. You take your classic Camaro out for street racing, soar above the hills in a hang glider, or smoke like a chimney? Insurers are increasingly turning to the web to figure out whether their applicants and customers are putting their lives or property at risk, according to Insure.com. So far, there’s no efficient way to collect the data, so cancellations and rate hikes are rare. But the technology is fast evolving, according to a paper written by Celent, a financial services research and consulting firm.

1. Apply for a job for which you are not remotely qualified
Many candidates believe the job hunt is a numbers game — drop enough resumes, and you’re bound to land something. But shotguns are for hunting pheasant, not finding jobs. The reality is that recruiters hate wasting time on resumes from unqualified candidates. Morgan Miller, an executive recruiter at StaffMark, recalls the security guard who applied to be a financial risk manager (maybe Lehman should have hired him), while Scott Ragusa at Winter, Wyman talks of the aerial photographer who sought out a position as a tax specialist.

“Sorting through unqualified resumes is frustrating, unproductive and puts an extra burden on staff,” says Katherine Swift, Senior Account Director at KCSA Strategic Communications in Natick, Mass. “It also makes it much more challenging to find the right candidate.” So the next time you’re thinking of blasting out resumes to all 60 of the job listings on Monster.com that have the word “finance” in them , save your time (and that of the recruiters) and only apply for ones for which you’re qualified.

2. Include a lofty mission statement
More than ever, today’s savage job market is about the company, not the candidate. As such, mission or objective statements — particularly ones with an applicant’s hopes, dreams, and health insurance aspirations — will dispatch otherwise fine resumes to the circular file. Employers don’t care about how they can solve your problems — certainly not before they’ve met you and possibly not even after they’ve hired you. Instead, write an “objectives” statement that explains specifically how your skills and experience will help the company you’re applying to, not the other way around. And be very clear about what kind of job you’re seeking.

3. Use one generic resume for every job listing
To stand out amongst the sea of resumes that recruiters receive, yours must speak to each and every specific position, even recycling some of the language from the job description itself. Make it obvious that you will start solving problems even before you’ve recorded your outgoing voicemail message. Your CV or query letter should include a just touch of industry lingo — sufficient to prove you know your stuff but not so much that you sound like a robot. And it should speak to individual company issues and industry challenges, with specifics on how you have personally improved customer loyalty, efficiency, and profitability at past jobs, says workplace and performance consultant Jay Forte. Plus, each morsel should be on point.

“Think hard about how to best leverage each piece of information to your job search advantage,” says Wendy Enelow, a career consultant and trainer in Virginia. “Nothing in your resume should be arbitrary, from what you include in your job descriptions and achievement statements, to whether your education or experience comes first [recent grads may want to put education first] to how you format your contact information.”

4. Make recruiters or hiring managers guess how exactly you can help their client

Sourcing experts want to know — immediately — what someone can offer, and they won’t spend time noodling someone’s credentials. “Animal, vegetable or mineral? Doctor, lawyer or Indian chief?That’s what I’m wondering every time I open a resume. If it takes me more than a split second to figure this out, I feel frustrated,” says Mary O’Gorman, a veteran recruiter based in Brooklyn.

5. Don’t explain how past experience translates to a new position

Though candidates should avoid jobs where they have no experience, they absolutely should pursue new areas and positions if they can position their experience effectively. A high school English teacher applying for new jobs, for example, can cite expertise in human resource management, people skills, record keeping, writing, and training, says Anthony Pensabene, a professional writer who works with executives.

“Titles are just semantics; candidates need to relate their ‘actual’ skills and experiences to the job they’re applying for in their resume,” Pensabene says. An applicant who cannot be bothered to identify the parallels between the two likely won’t be bothered with interviews, either.

6. Don’t include a cover letter with your resume

A cover letter should always accompany a resume — even if it’s going to your best friend. And that doesn’t mean a lazy “I’m _____ and I’m looking for a job in New York; please see my attached resume.” Says Lindsay Olson, a partner at Manhattan’s Paradigm Staffing: “I’d like to know why you are contacting me (a particular position, referral, etc.), a short background about yourself, and a career highlight or two. It’s important to attempt to set yourself apart from the competition.”

7. Be careless with details

Reckless job hunters rarely make for conscientious workers. As such, even promising resumes must abide by age-old dictums: typo-free, proper organization, and no embellishment. Susan Whitcomb, author of Resume Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer, says that almost 80 percent of HR managers she surveyed said they would dismiss otherwise qualified candidates who break these rules. She tells the story of one would-be employer who, when looking for an assistant, decided not to hire anyone because every resume she received contained typos.

“With a 6-to-1 ratio of jobseekers-to-jobs in the current marketplace, you can’t afford to make mistakes with your resume,” Whitcomb says.

Ambien
Purpose: To aid in sleeping.
Side Effects: Sleepdriving and amnesia:
"Sleepwalking, and eating or driving while not fully awake, with amnesia for the event, have been reported. If you experience any of these behaviors contact your provider immediately."

Enbrel
Purpose: To control arthritis and clear up psoriasis.
Side Effects: Tuberculosis and multiple sclerosis:
"Serious infections have happened in patients taking ENBREL. These infections include tuberculosis (TB) and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that have spread throughout the body...Serious nervous system disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, seizures, or inflammation of the nerves of the eyes have been reported. There have been rare reports of serious blood disorders (some fatal)."

Chantix
Purpose: To help you quit smoking.
Side Effects: Suicide:
"Some patients have reported changes in behavior, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions when attempting to quit smoking while taking CHANTIX or after stopping CHANTIX."

Avandia
Purpose: To control blood sugar in diabetics.
Side Effects: Bone fractures, heart failure and pregnancy:
"AVANDIA can cause or worsen heart failure...Women taking AVANDIA should know that AVANDIA may increase the risk of pregnancy. More fractures have been observed in women taking AVANDIA. Other possible side effects of AVANDIA include anemia and hypoglycemia."

Mirapex
Purpose: To help treat restless leg syndrome.
Side Effects: Narcolepsy and hallucinations:
"MIRAPEX may cause you to fall asleep without any warning, even while doing normal daily activities, such as driving. When taking MIRAPEX, hallucinations may occur and sometimes you may feel dizzy, sweaty or nauseated upon standing up." Also linked to amnesia and gambling addiction.

Accutane
Purpose: To treat severe acne.
Side Effects: Birth defects and suicide:
"There is an extremely high risk that severe birth defects will result if pregnancy occurs while taking ACCUTANE in any amount, even for short periods of time...There is an increased risk of spontaneous abortion, and premature births have been reported...The patient will be counseled to avoid pregnancy by using two forms of contraception simultaneously and continuously one month before, during, and one month after isotretinoin therapy, unless the patient commits to continuous abstinence...ACCUTANE may cause depression, psychosis and, rarely, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, suicide, and aggressive and/or violent behaviors."

Celebrex
Purpose: To treat arthritis.
Side Effects: Death:
"CELEBREX may increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke that can lead to death...Serious skin reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, can occur without warning and my cause death."

Raptiva
Purpose: To treat psoriasis.
Side Effects: Decreased immune system, arthritis and WORSE psoriasis:
"RAPTIVA can decrease the activity of your immune system to fight infections. People using RAPTIVA may have an increased chance of getting serious infections. Some infections in people using RAPTIVA have become serious and in rare cases these have led to hospitalization or death. RAPTIVA likely increases the risk of getting Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare brain disease caused by a virus which usually results in death or severe disability...Other serious side effects experienced by patients treated with RAPTIVA included low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia), low blood counts (anemia), new or worsening psoriasis, new or worsening arthritis, and nervous system disorders."

*Non-Prescription:

alli
Purpose: To aid in weight loss.
Side Effects: Loss of bowel control:
"Treatment effects are bowel changes that are most commonly caused by eating meals with too much fat while using alli capsules. Such effects may include oily spotting, loose stools, and more frequent stools that may be hard to control."