quirk
We've all been there. It's the morning before your 20-page paper is due—the one that counts for 30 percent of your grade—and you get the blue screen of death before saving. Or $2 Tuesdays got a little bit out of hand the night before. Or you just plain forgot.
While the list of excuses rattles through your mind in the hour or so before class, here's one you probably didn't think of: fake abduction.
Look out. There's a new sheriff in town. Image via Katrina Brown / Shutterstock
We’ve reached the halfway point of the year, which means states across the nation are adopting a variety of new laws at state and local levels. While most of the new provisions and amendments were about taxes, health, education, bullying, sexual harassment, etc., a few may cause you to raise an eyebrow. Here for your amusement, we present ten of the quirkiest new laws that we’ve stumbled upon…
That about does it for us for the week. We send you off to the weekend with prayers for safety and blessings — and a bit of bacon-inspired poetry for the journey. (Our thanks to the fine, funny folks at Bacon Salt for the image.)
'Affordable Care Cat is Upheld' via the new blog affordablecarecat.com
The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Now, take a little time to celebrate by smiling along with the latest Internet meme craze, "affordable care cats." Currently it's a small collection, but after today's news, this site should be up and running soon.
Perhaps you’ve tried to circle the rim of a wine glass with your finger to create some high pitched tones (often times I’d be scolded for doing it in restaurants). Well, in this video, you can take a look at a rendering of “Hedwig’s Theme,” one of the most recognizable scores from the Harry Potter series, performed on a plethora of wine glasses. There’s no telling how this person stumbled upon this idea, or what potion lies in the water glasses, but if you’re a fan of Harry Potter and quirky music, do yourself a favor and press play below.
Pizza in a vending machine? That’s right! The franchise Let’s Pizza is opening up an office in Atlanta later this year, which means that their infamous pizza vending machines shouldn’t be too far behind.
In their advertisements, they boast a speedy and delicious product, one that comes ready to eat in 150 seconds and will only cost $6. And in case you’re a germaphobe, they assure you that these pizzas are completely untouched by human hands.
Homer Simpson knows the health benefits of beer. Image via entertainment.desktopnexus.com
Scientists recently discovered a “miracle molecule” that is found in beer could prevent obesity.
Researchers in Switzerland show in a new study that this molecule, nicotinamide riboside (NR), influences metabolic activity, which can lessen weight gain, prevent diabetes, and generally improve well-being.
The report, which was published in the journal Cell Metabolism, showed that mice who were given the NR supplement over a 10-week period, showed more endurance and energy, were in better shape, and gained significantly less weight.
Read the full report on Medical Daily HERE.
Michelle Obama. K2 images / Shutterstock.com
Michelle Obama's new pinterest page gives a fun look at what life is like for the Obama's. Though some content comes from the Obama campaign, she signs many of the posts herself -- giving a personal commentary on what's there. Discover shots of Michelle in her White House garden, commentary on old family photos, and much more. It's a page you'll be coming back to for all things pinteresting.
The Madonna as Catwoman by Igor Scalisi Palminteri via Facebook.
Italian artist Igor Scalisi Palminteri is fascinated by religion — and superheroes, apparently. In a series of statuary called "Agiographie," Palminteri reimangines traditional images of Jesus, the Holy Family, and the saints as, variously, Superman, Captain America, Batman and Robin, and The Incredibles.
See more of Palminteri's superhero-saints inside the blog ...
Those cheeky Canadian Christians are at it again!
In its summer issue, Geez Magazine sends a reporter under cover on a Caribbean cruise for "Christian singles." Hilarity (and outrage) ensues.
Earlier this year, Geez — with its tagline "holy mischief in an age of fast faith" — dipsatched their reporter to take a five-day luxury cruise in the Caribbean, the "Christian Singles Valentine's Day Cruise," promoted by AllChristianCruises.com.
With tape recorder in hand and cameraman in tow, Lyndon Froese, a 26-year-old single guy from Manitoba with "Mennonite roots" (who considers himself only quasi-Christian these days), drove from Canada to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and hopped aboard the Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas in search of a story about "the underbelly of the Christian leisure industry."
If you grew up watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, then this video may give your day a little extra cheer. In this new remix, engineered by Symphony of Science’s John Boswell for PBS Digital Studios, the many wonderful sayings and happenings of one Fred Rogers are mashed together in a tune they’re calling, “The Garden of Your Mind.” Take a listen to the remix song below. [via USA Today]
In this clever mashup, the POTUS gives a new take on Carly Rae Jespen's radio hit "Call Me Maybe." While it may not be as endearing as his rendition of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," it still gives us something to smile at until the next musical tribute.
Big Gulp. Photo by section215/Wylio.
If New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gets his way, Big Gulps and any other super-sized sugary soft-drinks will go the way of smoking at the Oyster Bar and Times Square peep shows and trans-fat-deep-fried corndogs.
Earlier this week, Bloomberg proposed a citywide ban on any serving of sugary-sweet soda more than 16 ounces in restaurants, movie theaters and street carts throughout the Big Apple.
In a column posted Friday on CNN.com, Edward Morrissey, a senior editor and correspondent for the conservative commentary website hotair.com said Bloomberg overreached (again) when he "hit the panic button" over super-sized soft drinks.
Jon Stewart did not take Bloomberg's menacing of to his (apparently) beloved Big Gulp lying down. "Mister Mayor, this ban makes your assinine look big," Stewart said on Thursday's The Daily Show. "And what do you do about Slurpees?! A drink that lives in the netherworld betwixt physical states. Is it a solid? A liquid? Ultimately a gas?"
In the Washington Post, Dana Milbank raises the question that has (apparently) been on everyone's lips during this election season:
Is Mitt Romney a unicorn?
An interesting question, we can all agree. By why are people asking?
According to Milbank:
The MittRomneyIsAUnicorn.com campaign came about because Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, citing allegations that the birth certificate President Obama released is a fraud, threatened to take the incumbent off the ballot.
Another Post, writer, Alexandra Petri noted that, as many 18,000 people have signed on to a petition "demanding proof that Mitt Romney was not a unicorn", in light of the fact that "unicorns, as the petition pointed out, are ineligible for the presidency of the United States".
We will let you make up your own minds on this one folks...
P.S. Take a few seconds to check out the fantastic artwork that Petri employed to bring some clarity to the Mitt Romney/Unicorn claims. They are, in her own words "some of my best MS Paint work yet."
It all got a little much for Illinois State Rep. Mike Bost yesterday during a discussion in the State House on pension reform.
The Atlantic reports:
The longtime Republican representative from a southern Illinois district was mad as hell and he wasn't going to take it any more, unleashing an epic rant at Speaker Mike Madigan.
The top moments are undoubtedly early in the clip, when he tosses a bunch of papers in the air, then punches them on the way down; and when he shouts, "Let my people go!" But stay with it until the end for his excellent variation on the old rap-battle mic drop. Also worth noting: the faces on his colleagues around him, trying to maintain a sense of dignity, except the woman in the burgundy behind him who seems willing to indulge her amusement.
Watch the full rant below:
Reggie Watts is a comedian and musician who has an intangible style. He mixes hip-hop vibes with stream of consciousness talking and singing. Part satire, part a capella, with plenty of wit and humor, he’s been delivering unique performances in this shock/awe improvisational manner for many years.
Listen to him shock the audience at a Ted Conference with a ten minute bit titled “Reggie Watts disorients you in the most entertaining way.”
According to reports from the Candle Association, 90 percent of candles are purchased by women.
In an effort to tip the scales, the Yankee Candle Company recently unveiled a few scents to woo men, in a line of products they're calling "Man Candles." This product for "men only" features four classic scents that a man will appreciate, including "2x4," "Riding Mower," "First Down," and "Man Town."
Just in time for Father's Day, you can enjoy the smell of freshly mowed grass or the excitement of game day.
Read more about the National Candle Association here, and Yankee Candle's "Man Candles" here.
Or, if you're seeking a slightly more exotic scent, Jimmy Fallon has some candles of his own to suggest.
It's not uncommon to hear of someone arrested for a DUI, but when that driver has a zebra and a macaw with him in the vehicle, we've firmly entered the realm of the strange and unusual.
Jerald Reiter is a farmer and exotic pet owner, who tells the Detroit Free Press, "I ain’t been away from the farm for almost two months because I’ve been planting corn and everything else,’” he said. “So I opened the door, the zebra jumps in, the macaw loves to go for a ride, so we went for a ride.”
Nearly four years after Smith joked about potentially playing Obama in a not-actually-happening biopic on the president's life, the "Men In Black 3" star is at it again.