Women! It's your job to prepare for your rape! : Pharyngula Kansas representative Pete DeGraaf is fighting for a bill that would exclude abortion coverage in cases of rape. He thinks the state should stay out of that problem, and it should just be something that women “plan ahead for”: Bollier asked him, “And so women need to plan ahead for issues that they have no control over with pregnancy?” DeGraaf drew groans of protest from some House members when he responded, “I have a spare tire on my car.”“I also have life insurance,” he added. You heard the man, ladies. By the way, the compassionate Pete DeGraaf is also an associate pastor. Ancient People Are Still Awesome: Centuries-Old Japanese Tsunami Warning Markers Saved Lives "High dwellings are the peace and harmony of our descendants," reads the centuries-old stone tablet above. "Remember the calamity of the great tsunamis. Do not build any homes below this point." This marker, and several more like it, some more than 600 years old, "dot the coastline" of Japan, according to a report in The Canadian Press. One, in the coastal town of Kesennuma, gave instructions: "Always be prepared for unexpected tsunamis. But in the tight-knit community of Aneyoshi, where marker pictured above still stands, the wisdom of their ancestors saved the homes and the lives of the tiny village's inhabitants. Everybody here knows about the markers. Image via the Star-Telegram; story via @stevesilberman.
10 Historical Myths We Need to Stop Believing | GeeKiez We’ve talked before about a few scientific misconceptions we still have, now let’s look at a few historical ones 1. Napoleon wasn’t short. Ok, he wasn’t a tall man, but he was around 5 ft 7 which was about average height for that time. A lot of the confusion was created due to the fact that the French and British used slightly different measurements and the French inch was bigger. 2. 3. 4. 5. 300 Spartans fought the Persians. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Those are 10 historical misconceptions, but there are plenty more out there. About The Author Radu Hey, there!
A.S.B. • Who doesn't like a blonde joke? A blonde walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. She says she’s going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000. The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for the loan, so the blonde hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce. The Incredible Subterranean City of Kish The island of Kish is a resort island located off the coast of Iran. Although it is well known as a tourist destination, it is also steeped in history. One of the most magnificent features of this island is its massive subterranean city covering an area of 10,000 square metres, constructed from its ancient underground aqueduct (or ‘kariz’). The kariz of Kish is said to have been built about 2500 years ago by the inhabitants of Harireh city. Water would have been first collected from interconnected wells in an area of 14 km². The underground city of Kish. The kariz of Kish was abandoned a long time ago, and was forgotten by the inhabitants of the island. Ancient artifacts have been preserved and put on display in the now modernised city. For me, the most striking aspect of this story is the fact that the ancient and the modern can co-exist together harmoniously. Featured image: Inside the tunnels of the kariz of Kish. By Ḏḥwty References Atlas Obscura, 2014. Duckeck, J., 2013.
15 Unintentionally Perverted Toys for Children Toys are carefully planned investments that companies spend countless hours developing in the hopes that children will use them to foster memories that they'll cherish for a lifetime. But sometimes, they just end up looking like dongs. Punisher Shape Shifters Crotch Rocket Wait, seriously? The video is also disturbing. Man, this is not a good start. To be fair, this was part of a "Shape Shifter" line of toys--basically a Punisher transformer--and we're catching him in mid-transformation (we're assuming Frank Castle's transforming capabilities aren't canon). OK, that's just...that's just horrible. So, for the second time we have to ask if the people designing products for children are just amazingly naive, or if they're a bunch of giggling stoners seeing what they can get past the marketing team. The Fr-ooze Pop was marketed to kids in Singapore using a voice that repeatedly says, "lick it, suck it." If so, then what's our excuse for... Ah, that doesn't look too bad. "I'm Mr. I'm Mr.
That’s Not OCD, You’re Just a Slacker Of all the random pictures floating about the internet that I’ve run into in the past few weeks, this is the one that really got me: Here’s the text: A 23-year old medical student makes lists of all the tasks that he must accomplish each day. He spends hours studying and refuses to go out with his colleagues even when there are no tests on the immediate horizon, preferring to spend his time looking at specimens in the laboratory. He keeps meticulous notes during all his classes and prefers to attend every lecture, not trusting his colleagues to take notes for him. He is doing well in school and has a girlfriend who is also a medical student. Even I, Mr. The medical student in this essay question doesn’t have obsessive-compulsive disorder, it’s just that in the age of slackerdom and ADD, diligence and focus looks like OCD. If you’d like to read more about how effort trumps talent, take a look at Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, K. So bravo, unknown psych student with a blue pen.
Immortality blows (fiction) Man, I wish I'd never found that goddamn lamp. Stupid fucking genie. I just had to blurt it out, didn't I? "I wish I were immortal!" Half the time they can't even make you immortal, but Sim Allah Bim of the Seven Winds just snapped his fingers and said "It is done." Damn, was I stoked. Oh, it was awesome for a while. Mankind did some really amazing shit over the next couple hundred million years. But then they started evolving. But it seemed to keep getting hotter. Then there was this galaxy that was fucking huge in the sky. Now, the sun exploding itself was an even cooler sight than all those extra stars. So I waited. But then the damnedest thing happened. Now let me tell you, I thought it was cold on solid ground with no sun, but that was nothing. I landed on planets or even in stars from time to time. But eventually I drifted out of the galaxy altogether. About the time the last galaxies were going out, I started to feel like I was going faster. But that's where it ended.
Short but tricky management ability test The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and tells whether you are qualified to be a “manager.” The questions are not that difficult. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator? The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and close the door.This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator? According to Andersen Consulting World wide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong. Man trapped in coma for 23 years was conscious for entire time // Current To Our Faithful Current.com Users: Current's run has ended after eight exciting years on air and online. The Current TV staff has appreciated your interest, support, participation and unflagging loyalty over the years. Your contributions helped make Current.com a vibrant place for discussing thousands of interesting stories, and your continued viewership motivated us to keep innovating and find new ways to reflect the voice of the people. We now welcome the on-air and digital presence of Al Jazeera America, a new news network committed to reporting on and investigating real stories affecting the lives of everyday Americans in every corner of the country. Thank you for inspiring and challenging us. – The Current TV Staff
Pope Joke The Pope had just finished a tour of the East Coast and was taking a limousine to the airport. Having never driven a limo, he asked the chauffeur if he could drive for awhile. Well, the chauffeur didn't have much of a choice, so he climbs in the back of the limo and the Pope takes the wheel. The Pope proceeds onto HWY 95, and starts accelerating to see what the limo could do. He pulls over and the trooper comes to his window. The trooper calls in and asks for the chief. "It's not Ted Kennedy again is it?" "No Sir!" "Is it the Governor?" "No! "Is it the PRESIDENT??? "Well WHO IN THE HECK is it?" "I don't know Sir." replies the trooper, "but he's got the Pope as his chauffeur."