No, this photo is not wrong. When we say, “cat burglars,” we mean feline thieves–not building-climbing, black-clad men who steal things.
Examples from this list include Frankie–a cat who almost exclusively steals miniature plush leopards–and Oscar–a panty thief.
The full rundown is over at mental_floss.
When you hear the lyrics and bass-driven beats of most Ke$ha songs, you probably don’t suddenly feel the urge to go out an help someone. The singer, who grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, is imploring her home-town fans to do exactly that.
In exchange for signing up to volunteer with the Hands on Nashville charity, some lucky fans will get to see the glitter-laden singer performer without having to pay the nearly 50 dollar ticket price.
Read more at The Tennessean.
Iodine, codeine pain killers, industrial cleaning oil, and lighter fluid are distilled together to form desomorphine. This drug goes by the street name Krokodil and hails from Russia as a cheaper, more potent alternative to heroin.
This “alternative” manages to be even scarier than the original: Once a user begins regular administration of the drug, their life expectancy plummets down to a mere year.
Some of the horrific effects of this drug are outlined in an article published by The Independent:
It was given its reptilian name because its poisonous ingredients quickly turn the skin scaly. Worse follows. Oleg and Sasha have not been using for long, but Oleg has rotting sores on the back of his neck.
“If you miss the vein, that’s an abscess straight away,” says Sasha. Essentially, they are injecting poison directly into their flesh. One of their friends, in a neighbouring apartment block, is further down the line.
“…Her flesh is falling off and she can hardly move anymore,” says Sasha. … Flesh goes grey and peels away to leave bones exposed. People literally rot to death.
More information on this drug can be found in the expose from The Independent.
There is a growing number of people wishing to eat locally grown and raised food. This culture is not, however, all about the food, according to celebrity chef Michael Smith.
At a recent fundraiser, Smith shared his views about how local food can deeply connect people. He told The Gulleph Mercury, “It’s all about the essence of looking someone in the eye that has made, foraged and grown that food. It’s a very powerful thing.”
Read more at The Gulleph Mercury.
Also, if you think that local food is only for larger areas, think again. Head over to Locally Grown to find a directory of hundreds of local food groups around the United States (and a few in Canada).
New data reveals that 46.6 percent of Americans don’t pay federal income tax. Notably, 46.6 percent of Americans are not being indicted for tax evasion. Why? Well, according to Bruce Bartlet, it is largely due to the conservative tax policy of the earned income credit. And it gets even more interesting: Republican leadership has recently called this statistic appalling.
Read more over at the New York Times.
Francis Thackeray, an anthropologist out of South Africa, has an interesting theory about England’s beloved bard, and he wants to exhume his bones to find out. The theory is that the muse that Shakespeare invoked most often was marijuana.
Where does this theory come from? Why, it is from deep analysis of Sonnet 76–of course.
Why is my verse so barren of new pride,So far from variation or quick change?Why with the time do I not glance asideTo new-found methods, and to compounds strange?Why write I still all one, ever the same,And keep invention in a noted weed,That every word doth almost tell my name,Showing their birth, and where they did proceed?O! know sweet love I always write of you,And you and love are still my argument;So all my best is dressing old words new,Spending again what is already spent:For as the sun is daily new and old,So is my love still telling what is told.
There is, of course, a slight issue with wanting to crack open Shakespeare’s tomb. The bard’s tombstone is inscribed with the stern warning, “Blessed be the man that spares these stones/ And cursed be he that moves my bones.”
For more, head over to The Village Voice.
A new microbicide gel promises to prevent the transmission of HIV to females during sexual intercourse. These gels, with the active ingredient being the antiretroviral drug tenofovir, are meant to the used both pre- and post-coitus. This is all rather similar to past gels meant for the same purpose. The twist this time? This particular anti-STD gel has the interesting side-effect of increasing sexual pleasure on the part of the women who tested it. That’s one sure-fire way to convince people to take care of their sexual health.
Head on over to GOOD for more.
It’s quite common that would-be personal farmers are put-off of the idea by the daunting space requirement. That’s where this innovative design from Kate Djupe for a free-standing vertical garden comes in. All you need is some minor carpentry skills, enough room for a shelf on your patio, and a bit of a green thumb to be able to start growing your own food.
According to the planter’s creator, “Lettuces, basil, chives and citronella geraniums have all worked well.” She is in her second year of using this beautiful contraption and seems quite satisfied.
via Re-Nest
