Job Growth

Well, look at that - the repugican wingnut patron saint Ronny Raygun had a job growth rate a full point below their arch nemesis and favorite whipping boy James Carter ... reality sucks doesn't it wingnuts.

Even Tricky Dicky had a better job growth rate.

In fact if you add all the rates of the repugicans together you get a total of .9 which if averaged over the seven repugican juntas is just over 1/10th of a percent at .123.

Meanwhile, Democratic administrations total 19.0 with an average of 3.167 annual job growth rate.

Now, who is it again that is so good with the economy?

Sizing up GM's stock offering

Sizing up General Motors' stock offering

The largest U.S. IPO ever was a win for stakeholders, including taxpayers.  

How much did bankers make? 

Also: 

• GM's unsung hero
• Why IPOs are vanishing  
• Choosing a broker

Millionaires' plea to Obama

'Patriotic Millionaires' issue plea to Obama

A group of top earners has a message for the president on taxes — and it's not what you might expect.  

Bucking tide 

Also: 

• Trump eyes 2012 run
• Buffett thanks Uncle Sam
• Latest news on tax cuts

Save more for retirement easily

Easy ways to increase your nest egg

Most Americans aren't socking away nearly enough to prepare for retirement.

Six strategies to save more 

Also: 

• How much you'll need
• Retiring in paradise
• Reasons to open a Roth

Homeless man returns $3,300

Homeless man returns $3,300 in cash

Dave Talley says he knew he couldn't keep the money he found in a lost backpack.  

Owner's stunned reaction 

Also: 

• Homeless statistics
• Tips on holiday charities
• Golfer's big donation

On The Job

The double life of American workers

Deanna Miller works as a marketing specialist — and an obituary writer.  

'We have done everything to pay bills' 

Also: 

• Best part-time jobs
• Pitfalls of new careers
• Hidden costs of city living

The three biggest job interview myths

Many interviewers are unprepared, so be ready to show how you'd solve the firm's problems.  

Sound bites to rehearse 

Also: 

• Job market improving
• Hot fields through 2018 
• Job interview goofs

Stay-at-home dad to the NFL

From stay-at-home dad to NFL starter

Last week, Brian St. Pierre was tending to his 18-month-old son — now he'll be facing the Baltimore Ravens. His story 

Also: 

• QB Brian St. Pierre
• 'Worst ever' list flap  
• Top 2011 free agents

Philosoraptor says ...

Australian twin sisters drew guns on each other at shooting range and fired

They were sharing the experience  of a lifetime, a cultural exchange to one of the most picturesque Rocky  Mountain towns. But when one Australian twin was due to return home from  the Colorado town of Arapaho, the sisters did not take a taxi to the  airport. Instead, the 29-year-old Victorian twins drove to a shooting  range, hired two pistols - and shot each other in the head. Just what  motivated their desperate pact is unknown. And so horrific were their  injuries, US police were yet to determine which sister died and which is  critically injured. The sisters, whose names are withheld, had been in  the US for less than three months.

According  to their cultural exchange visas, which often indicate participation in  an educational travel program, the first sister arrived on August 17  and the other on September 19. On Monday, one was to return to her  Victoria home. Police said yesterday they took a taxi from La Quinta Inn  and Suites, where they stayed, to the Family Shooting Centre in Cherry  Creek State Park just 8km away. Gun range owner Doug Hamilton said the  women had been to the shooting range before and knew how to use the  pistols they had rented. After checking in and being issued pistols, the  sisters spent 80 minutes at the range.

What happened next has baffled US investigators and torn a family apart. A  surveillance video showed both women falling backwards to the ground  almost simultaneously outside the shooting stall at about 2.50pm on  Monday, but it did not show what happened inside the stall. No one  entered or left the stall other than the two women. Police still don't  know whether the shooting was an accident, a suicide or foul play. No  suicide note was found. "Every time I get new information there's a new  twist," sheriff's Captain Louie Perea said. "We're keeping an open  mind." He said they weren't sure who fired the gun or guns, or whether  the same bullet hit both sisters, who were in the same shooting lane.


But  they ruled out a third person shooting them. The taxi driver who drove  the sisters to the range told investigators he had not noticed anything  unusual in their behavior. Neither did other people using the range at  the time. "They were interacting with each other and nothing seemed  unusual," Captain Perea said. "They were just a couple of gals having  fun at the range." Their sisters' family had been notified but the  coroner was still trying to identify which sister had died through  fingerprint and dental records. "They look very similar," Captain Perea.  Investigators had been unable to talk to the surviving twin, who is in a  critical but stable condition in hospital.

Afghans don't know about 9/11

Few Afghans know the reason for war

Men in two crucial provinces know nothing of the events of 9/11, a study finds.  

Most say al-Qaida could return 

Also: 

• More on the Taliban
• NATO to begin drawback
• U.S. deploys heavy tanks

Hints of North Korea nuclear action

Satellite pics hint at North Korea nuke activity

New images and tips from two U.S. officials suggest the nation is making good on a recent vow.  

Construction 

Also: 

• Light-water reactor
• 'Sunshine Policy' failed
• U.S.-Russian 'reset' stalls

Quick thinking saved Qantas jet

How quick thinking saved plane in crisis

Facing an engine explosion that set off a cascade of breakdowns, the pilots relied on creative teamwork.  

'Unprecedented' 

Also: 

• Airline safety
• TSA defends pat-downs  
• Lockheed to close plant

Automatically Hardening Body Armor

Deflexion, developed by Dow Corning, is a material that is normally soft. When something hits it, the material instantly hardens, and then returns to its previous flexibility. So far, it’s being used to make body armor for athletes, such as motorcycle riders and rodeo competitors. Dow Corning says:

It can be stylishly incorporated into a garment such as a base layer shirt, it can be designed to create protective equipment, like a soccer shin guard, or it can be incorporated into protective cases for delicate equipment. Because this high performance fabric is flexible, it can be cut and sewn directly into clothing, eliminating the need to insert uncomfortable padding. It can be layered, so garments can be customized with increased levels of protection for specific areas.

Full Story

Virginia Rastafarians Get Their Own Prison

The story is a little confusing, but the AP is reporting that several Rastafarians in the Virginia prison system are being moved to their own prison. The Rastas have been held in solitary, sometimes for years, for refusing to cut their hair. Presumably, they are in prison for more than their growing their hair out, they’re just in solitary because of their hair. There are as many as 50 Rasta in Virginia currently in solitary for this reason. The Rastas will now live two to a cell, but “they will not have all the privileges of inmates in general population.”

New prison for Virginia Rastafarian inmates

Concrete house irks neighbors

Concrete house irritates neighbors

Shawn and Sherrie Parry's dream home looks like an architectural nightmare to some critics.  

'It's not for everyone' 

Also: 

• Inside the 'Glass Pavilion'
• Check your house's value  
• DIY home repair

Ten Buildings Shaped Like What They Sell

Foolproof advertising is when your entire building brags about your product -and it’s visible from far away. Still, it may tend to limit your customers when you sell the location. Mental_floss takes a look at ten such attention-grabbing buildings from this milk bottle ice cream stand to an 85-foot chest of drawers!

Full Story

Top 10 Bizarre Cases Of Mass Hysteria

Mass hysteria is the sociopsychological phenomenon of the manifestation of the same or similar hysterical symptoms by more than one person.

A common manifestation of mass hysteria occurs when a group of people believe they are suffering from a similar disease or ailment.

Mass hysteria typically begins when an individual becomes ill or hysterical during a period of stress. After this initial individual shows symptoms, others begin to manifest similar symptoms.

Here are 10 bizarre cases of mass hysteria.

Panic strikes Trinidad and Tobago school after 'Devil attack'

A group of female school children who fell mysteriously ill and began rolling on the ground and talking in tongues were ‘possessed by the devil’. Chaos broke out at Moruga Composite School in Trinidad and Tobago when 17 students began complaining of nausea and headaches before collapsing. Two of the students tried to throw themselves over a railing and had to be restrained, the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian reported.

Fellow student Kerm Mollineau said: ‘One girl was blabbering as if in a strange language. I would not understand what she was saying. ‘It was sounding like “shebbaberbebeb shhhhee”, they were unusually strong.’ According to Mollineau the devil had possessed the girl.

He said: ‘I asked the devil what he wanted with the girls and the voice said he wanted a life. He kept saying to send the girls in the toilet and to leave them alone.’ Roman Catholic priests and pastors from nearby churches were called to the school and showered the children with holy water while reciting prayers. The students were hospitalized and pupils are set to receive counseling following the incident.

Fire Officer Ramdeo Boodoo, who conducted safety tests in the school, said there was no evidence of anything that would have triggered the nausea or fainting spells. One teacher who did not want to be named, claimed the school had been visited a fortnight earlier by an Orisha woman who had had a dispute with a member of staff. Orisha is an ancient religion with roots in voodoo. Another member of staff claimed the school had been built on burial site – but this was denied by residents living nearby

National Geographic's Photography Contest 2010

There are 46 more ...

National Geographic's Photography Contest 2010

Amazing find near ski resort

'Incredible' 43,000-year-old find in Colorado

A trove of unusual fossils holds clues to an "ancient global warming event," experts say.  

'Lake full of mastodons' 

Also: 

• Nearby ski resort town
• 'Asian unicorn' in trouble
• Makeover for Stonehenge

Boy unearths £2.5m treasure trove on first metal detecting expedition

A three-year-old boy using a metal detector for the first time has unearthed a gold pendant estimated to be worth over £2.5m. James Hyatt made the discovery while out with his father and grandfather in Hockley, Essex. He had only been scanning the soil for a matter of minutes when it started beeping.

The trio, from Billericay, started digging and just eight inches deep, they saw a glint and found what they now know to be a 500-year-old gold pendant. Dad Jason, 34, said: "James got a buzz after just five minutes. We saw a glint eight inches down and gently pulled the object out. Dad was blown away. He'd never found anything like it in 15 years doing his hobby.

"James was so excited to find treasure, though he's too young to realize its significance." Experts believe the rare locket, or reliquary, dates back to the 1500s and was used to hold alleged parts of Christ's crown of thorns or crucifix. James, who is now four, said: "I was holding the detector and it went beep, beep, beep.

"Then we dug into the mud. There was gold there. We didn't have a map - only pirates have treasure maps." An inquest has declared the reliquary treasure trove and it could be bought for millions by an interested institution, including the British Museum. Proceeds will be split with the family and the owner of the field where the pendant was found.

Chinese Noodle Dinner Buried for 2,500 Years

Noodles, moon cakes and other foods dating to 2,500 years ago were recently unearthed in a Chinese cemetery.  

Read more

Conch Shell Trumpet Played for First Time in 3,000 Years

Archaeologists found twenty intact conch shell trumpets at a site in the Andes Mountains. They tested them to determine how they could be played and what sounds they could make:

As an expert shell musician blew into the horn, researchers recorded the sound’s path via four tiny microphones placed inside the player’s mouth, the shell’s mouthpiece, the shell’s main body and at the shell’s large opening, or bell. Similar to a bugle, the instruments only sound one or two tones, but like a French horn, the pitch changes when the player plunges his hand into the bell.
The team used signal-processing software to characterize the acoustic properties of each trumpet. Following the sound’s path made it possible to reconstruct the ancient shell’s interior, a feat that normally involves sawing the shell apart or zapping it with X-rays.

Full Story

Burning bush

Most everyone is familiar with the story where Moses comes across a burning bush which, while clearly alit, doesn’t seem to be consumed by the flame.  

It’s supernatural. 

Except, it’s real — well, part of it.  

There’s a bush called  Dictamnus albus, a flowering plant native to parts of Europe and Asia  (but not North Africa or the Middle East, and it doesn’t come with the  voice of a higher being).   
For most of the year it acts as a normal  plant, but over the summer months, it develops a sticky, flammable oily  substance which sometimes spontaneously sparks in the heat.  
The  excretion, when lit, burns rapidly — so rapidly, in fact, that the plant  itself is typically unscathed.
 
The oil’s smell is citrus-like, but the plant’s leaves are bitter  and inedible.  (Why one would want to eat a flammable plant is anyone’s  guess — well, anyone other than Homer Simpson.)  
It has some archaic medical uses but today is mostly cultivated for its novelty factor — in case you wanted to grow one yourself.

All Life on Earth Could Have Come From Alien Zombies

Scientists have speculated that life could have come to Earth from space — a notion called panspermia — since the 1870s, when Lord Kelvin suggested microbes could have ridden here on a comet or meteor. Others have suggested tiny organisms could cross the galaxy embedded in dust grains, which could be nudged from one planetary system to another by the slight pressure of stars’ radiation.
However, most astrobiologists think that same radiation spells a death sentence for delicate microbes.
“That essentially kills panspermia in the classical sense,” said astrobiologist Rocco Mancinelli of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California.
But maybe not, says astronomer Paul Wesson, a visiting researcher at the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Canada. In an upcoming paper in Space Science Reviews, Wesson argues that even if the actual microbes are dead on arrival, the information they carry could allow life to rise from the charred remains, an idea he calls necropanspermia.

 All Life on Earth Could Have Come From Alien Zombies

Mysterious alien planet found

New alien planet stumps scientists

For the first time ever, astronomers discover a planet born outside the Milky Way.  

Mystified as to how it formed 

Also: 

• How planets form
• Discovery's final flight
• Ice cloud surrounds comet

Valley Devastated by Coal Ash Waste

Photo: Richard Webb, Geograph, CC

Most Americans are hardly aware of what coal ash (also commonly called fly ash) is -- though plenty became more familiar with the stuff around two years ago when a massive slurry of the stuff was unleashed upon Tennessee. The often toxic byproduct of burning coal for electricity, fly ash is usually captured from the chimneys of power plants. Then, it's stored in containment sites -- or dumped. The following video documents the impact that coal ash waste has on a small town community and the surrounding environment. It's not pretty.

Article continues: Valley Devastated by Coal Ash Waste (Video)

Months of geologic unrest signaled reawakening of Icelandic volcano

Months of volcanic restlessness preceded the eruptions this spring of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull, providing insight into what roused it from its centuries of slumber.

Full story

B.C.

Dog saved owner from life-threatening asthma attack

A hero dog saved the life of his owner after she had collapsed at her home, by pressing her medical alert alarm button. Ben, a three-year-old fox terrier-chihuahua cross, repeatedly stepped on the button with his paw, after Gina Barratt, 62, was struck down with a severe asthma attack at home and became very ill. Mrs Barratt, of Bideford, Devon, was alone in her home and unable to reach the phone.

Because of her poor health she had an emergency alarm button installed which is monitored at a control center in Sidmouth. But following the attack she was too weak to untangle it from her clothing. Mrs Barratt said: 'That particular day my alarm button got stuck inside my fleece, but Ben is so wonderful. He knows when I am having an attack and he jumped up and pressed it.'

'Thank goodness I am here to talk about it. When I'm that ill I cannot even get to the phone. I keep wondering what would have happened if I hadn't had the button and Ben there.' The alarm button call was picked up by Tracey Morgan at the Home Safeguard call center in Sidmouth, which is linked in to the Red Button Tarka Emergency Helpline.

Karen Witney, manager of the Red Button Tarka Emergency Helpline, said: 'It is a very satisfying job and each time I hear a story of how the button has helped someone I am delighted. This really is a fantastic story and I am so pleased that Mrs Barratt is with us to thank Ben and Tracey today.' Mrs Barratt took Ben along to the Home Safeguard call center in Sidmouth to thank those who had helped her. She added: 'Tracey was a gem and so once I was well enough I wanted to come here in person with Ben and give her my thanks.'

Crocodile farm entertains chance of first conjoined croc twins as double egg found

An Australian crocodile farm could have a conjoined crocodile on its hands after the discovery of a rare type of egg inside a croc nest. Wildlife keepers from Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures in Cairns have been busy collecting eggs since their saltwater crocodiles started nesting three weeks ago.

In one of the nests was an extremely rare conjoined egg, which has been placed in an incubator, where it will stay until it hatches in February. When it hatches, wildlife keeper Clay Mitchell said there was a possibility it could hold conjoined twins. "I suppose you could call them twins, but not identical, which would be the case if they came from one egg," Mr Mitchell said.

"However, looking at the egg, it could technically be classed as one egg but with two separate yolks." The croc farm, about 40km north of Cairns, has only had a couple of double eggs in the 76 years it has been in operation, but this is the first time a fertile double egg has been found.

Once crocodile eggs are laid, the yolk settles to the bottom of the egg with the embryo sitting on top drawing its nutrients throughout the incubation process. To enhance the chance of the hatchlings in the egg surviving, the egg was collected in the exact position it was laid. "We’ll hopefully get two healthy crocodiles coming out," Mr Mitchell said.

Asian Nations Aim to Double Tiger Population by 2022

Photo: Babirusa, Wikimedia, CC

It's rare that an entire international summit is put together for the sake of a single species -- but that's what's taking place this weekend, when representatives from 13 Asian nations will head to St. Petersburg to try to map out the future of the tiger. The event is being hosted by Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin, and delegates from India, China, Indonesia, and elsewhere will be in attendance. They'll attempt to forge a plan to double the remaining population of tigers -- there's only 3,200 of them left -- over the next 12 years. But given the track record of such international summits, I wouldn't hold your breath.

Article continues: Asian Nations Aim to Double Tiger Population by 2022

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
You're good at making rules, and even better at following them.
That goes double for rules that have already been tried and found true --like 'honesty is the best policy,' for example.
Still, every now and then, it might be better to keep things under wraps, and you know it.
This just might be one of those times.
A secretive energy permeates your house of undercover encounters, suggesting just that tactic.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France

Caen, Basse-Normandie, France

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Sittard, Limburg, Netherlands

London, England, United Kingdom

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Lyon, Rhone-Alpes, France

Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Edithvale, Victoria, Australia

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Aylmar, Ontario, Canada

Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Schlieren, Zurich, Switzerland

as well as Korea, Spain, Hong Kong, Italy, Denmark, Israel, India, Saudi Arabia, Czech Republic, Philippines, Malaysia, Romania, Indonesia and in cities across the United States such as Ithaca, Athens, Sparta, Thebes and more.

Today is:

Today is Thursday, November 18, the 322nd day of 2010.

There are 43 days left in the year.

Today In History November 18

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

There isn't one.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Touch the junk and you WILL be prosecuted

The San Mateo district attorney's office has a warning for all TSA personnel at SFO -- anyone inappropriately touching a passenger during a security pat down will be prosecuted.

The charge -- sexual battery.

Full Story

Nobel panel may not give prize

Nobel panel may not hand out Peace Prize

The prestigious $1.4 million award is expected to go unclaimed for the first time since 1936.  

Committee's rules 

Also: 

• More on 2010 winner
• Nations staying away
• Origins of Nobel Prize

Non Sequitur

Five charming small towns

Five charming small-town getaways

Stockbridge, Massachusetts, was an inspiration to painter Norman Rockwell.  

California's all-wood Victorian hotel 

Also: 

• Nine little beach towns
• More about Stockbridge  
• Top warm-weather trips

Most remote place on Earth

The most remote place on the planet

More than 1,500 miles from its nearest neighbor, one destination is the ideal way to get away from it all. 

No airport 

Also: 

• More about the islands
• Island's high-tech lifeline
• Fate of cruise ship

Odds and Sods

Get ready for 47% increase in food prices thanks to climate change.

Scientists at Idaho State University have mapped a previously unknown and active seismic fault in the northern Rockies capable of unleashing an earthquake with a magnitude as high as 7.5.

New fault found in Rockies

Dumb Crooks

Robbery suspect tries to flee on lawnmower

Police in South Carolina say a man attempted a slow getaway by lawnmower after robbing a convenience store.

Teen burglary suspect found sleeping on floor

Police didn't have a hard time finding a burglary suspect they say broke into a central Florida home.

Bad Cops

 

Un-named Illinois police officers are investigated for theft from state agency

California cop guilty of sending sexually explicit text messages to a 16-year-old

Connecticut cop is suspended for actions against married state trooper

South Carolina cop is charged with assault

New Mexico family awarded $1M after suspect dies in custody

Oklahoma ass't police chief is arrested for assault, public intoxication

Video shows alleged excessive use of Tasers in Ohio jail
Virginia police officers charged in drug, cigarettes, alcohol scheme

Kentucky sheriff pleads not guilty to charges of theft and abuse of public trust

New Jersey patrolman charged with shoplifting from Home Depot

Fired Florida cop gets 2+-4 years for boinking inmate

New York City correction officer has been charged with trying to sell tobacco and prescription pills to inmates

Cop investigated for having sex in patrol car with 2-way radio on

A Washington police officer was placed on paid administrative leave after he allegedly had sex in his patrol car with his two-way radio on.

New cyberthreat warning

Computer attack a severe cyberthreat

The malicious Stuxnet worm is capable of disruptions worldwide and our defense is weak, say experts.  

How it works 

Also: 

• More on Stuxnet virus
• Web traffic 'hijacked'
• Fake Nobel invite trick

Fewer than half (46%) of Americans know the repugicans have a majority in the House next session

So much for that mandate.

Some of the questions are a bit esoteric for the average citizen.

But come on...

Fewer than half (46%) know that the repugicans will have a majority only in the House of Representatives when the new Congress convenes in January.

They stole our government by demonizing government subsidized healthcare

So, Democrats are calling those repugicans out and asking them to give up their congressional (government) subsidized healthcare

"If your conference wants to deny millions of Americans affordable health care, your members should walk that walk," four Democrats write in the letter, which is addressed to Mitch McConnell and John Boehner. "You cannot enroll in the very kind of coverage that you want for yourselves, and then turn around and deny it to Americans who don't happen to be members of congress." 

More

Yeah, like that is going to happen.

Hypocrisy all the way - The repugican way!

How economy could tank

How repugicans in Washington will wreck the economy

Political gridlock and government actions could destabilize the economy.  

Two ways personal incomes could fall 

Also: 

• More bank stress tests
• repugican governors' plans  
• Find economic indicators

On The Job

Buzzwords that can doom your resumé

Many hiring managers view terms like "team player" and "detail-oriented" as empty clichés.  

50 overused phrases 

Also: 

• Sample cover letters
• Jobless benefits debate
• What not to say at work

Seven career facts and fictions exposed

Most people think they need a law degree or at least a bachelor’s to work in the courtroom.  

They’d be wrong 

Also:

• Degrees leading to jobs
• Highest paid professions
• Best encore careers

Make more money at work

How to make more money in 2011

Most companies plan average raises of 3% and double that for top employees. 

Best ways to get ahead at your job 

Also: 

• The safest careers
• UPS hiring 50,000  
• Finding jobs online

Lesson from GM turnaround

The key lesson from GM's turnaround

The automaker's huge stock offering is a testimony to what American firms do best.  

How Big 3 came back 

Also: 

• GM stock price: $33
• Find auto bailouts 
• 6 cars that will save GM

Maximize your Social Security

How to get a bigger Social Security check

Here are a few clever and perfectly legal ways to grow your income by thousands of dollars a year.

Max out your benefits 

Also: 

• States that tax the most
• Boost retirement savings  
• Are annuities smart?

Social Security warning

Dire warning about Social Security change

Raising the retirement age would harshly affect the poor and, ironically, the program itself.  

Government report 

Also: 

• Judges face threats
• Planning for retirement
• Financial checklist

Shoe

Mandalas: Stunningly Colored Images Made From Sand

 

image credit

Known to be at least 2,500 years old, a mandala is a ritualistic geometric design symbolic of the universe, used in Hinduism and Buddhism as an aid to meditation. By mentally 'entering; the mandala and moving toward its center, one is guided through the cosmic processes of disintegration and reintegration.

Mandalas Made From Sand.

Tiny House Built in Single Parking Space

(Video Link)

Fuyuhito Moriya, 39, lives with his mother in a custom-built home set on a lot that’s only 30 square meters. It used to be a parking space. Moriya spent $500,000 constructing a compact three-story house on the site:

South-facing, large windows create the illusion of space. Minimal furniture and clutter keep the small home tidy. Hideaway cabinets for kitchen appliances and half size sinks shrink expected space.
Even the spiral staircase shaves inches, drawn as a triangle instead of a circle, slashing the space’s diameter. The corners of the staircase become small closets, to stash shoes.
“Every single corner is used,” says Moriya.

Full Story

Russia Wants to Be a Toilet Superpower Again

According to Vladimir Moksunov, the leader of Russia’s toilet manufacturing association, his nation had the best public restrooms in the world until the Communist Revolution of 1917. Now it’s time for Russia to return to the top:

He recalled that on April 9, 1699, Peter the Great published a trailblazing decree which made it a punishable offence to throw sewage into the street.
“But now we do not even have official regulations for the quality of public lavatories except a document from 1972 that talks about cesspits,” he said, adding that Moscow had a “crying need for modern lavatories”.
The state of public lavatories is generally seen as a disgrace in Moscow, with citizens having to endure stinking and ageing facilities even though they usually have to pay for the privilege of using them.

Full Story

The History of TV in Catchphrases

One video contains 60 years of television catch phrases.
You probably know most of them, but if you don’t, scroll down for a list of all 71 clips at Gawker.

You Only Try This Once

You Only Try This Once.