45 years ago today, the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia. If you don’t know much about them (I certainly didn’t learn anything in school), imagine North Korea’s insane authoritarian fascism-masquerading-as-communism, minus the overblown god-emperor routine, and somehow an even more appalling disinterest in human rights. Between their fanatical and overly-idealistic poorly-implemented policies that led to …
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Skin Deep
The night was quiet, still as stone And in an estate most grand Lord Pennyworth of Lanshire Prepared to hatch his final plan. He stood atop society’s elite. A vast fortune, the finest house. His intellect was unparalleled, And yet he could not find a spouse. For although the debutantes Found Pennyworth satisfying, Anyone short …
The pinnacle of invention
Well. It’s about damn time. The final frontier of civilization has been crossed. Someone finally invented vegan Gogurt. For all you folks out there who have been trying to adopt a plant-based diet. Who have managed to swear off milk, and butter, and cheese, and ice cream, and eggs, and honey… but just can’t stand …
A Smash Hit
I was suddenly curious about how much a market there were for Donald Trump piñatas, so I looked it up. It turns out even Walmart is selling them. And they look… impressively unlike him. Mexican politicians also smashed a Trump piñata during a party last Christmas, and former president Vicente Fox wrecked one before …
The Deal with Airline Food
Food doesn’t taste as good at extremely high altitudes because the lack of pressure and humidity dampen your senses of taste and smell. Your hearing also affects your sense of taste, so the loud hum of the jet engines aren’t doing you any favors either. Source: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150112-why-in-flight-food-tastes-weird
Yawn Talk
A yawn is not so much an expression of tiredness as it is a stretch. If you want to stop yawning, don’t hide your yawns; lean into them and do a hardcore yawn. This is best accomplished by opening your mouth widely and sticking your tongue out. Yawns are contagious because they’re an instinctual reaction …
Basic Theme Songs
I evaluate all music based on how well it would underscore my daily life, mixing everything into playlists corresponding to situations I may encounter. Here are some of my favorites. Waking up Traveling at night (peaceful) Traveling at night (creepy) Traveling on a highway Sitting in traffic Walking during the day Walking in winter (pleasant) …
England’s Unluckiest Queen
If you speak of Lady Jane Grey anywhere in London, people will sigh and say “Poor Lady Jane.” When King Edward VI, 15-year-old son of Henry VIII, was on his deathbed, he named Lady Jane as his successor instead of his sisters, because she was Protestant and his siblings were both Catholic. Jane accepted reluctantly. …
Obsolete Science
Phrenology was a science that portioned off different parts of the brain and associated each with a personality trait. By observing the shape of your head, practitioners believed themselves able to determine your personality based on which areas of your brain were bigger. Physiognomy, on the other hand, was the study of assessing someone’s …
Origin of the Gin and Tonic
The gin and tonic was invented in the 1700s by British forces stationed in India. They used tonic water to treat malaria, but it tasted so bitter that they had to mix it with gin and lime to make it drinkable. Note that the tonic water we drink for “refreshment” today has a medically insignificant …
Adam Rinsky 