The pack of Tums marketers that KFC has locked in a basement somewhere churning out new menu items has struck again: this time with the Chizza, a fried chicken "crust" coated in tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and all manner of pizza toppings. Get your passport dusted off: the Chizza is only available in the Philippines for now. -Via Uproxx
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These sweet baby panda photos were captured at the Chengdu Research Base in China, a place where there's no shortage of cute around every corner. The facility also plays a huge role in the well-being of this highly endangered species.
Shown here are photos of their breeding center and nursery. With a species whose total head count is thought to be as low as 1,864, each birth that occurs and is subsequently nurtured there is precious. Female adult pandas only breed for two to three days a year, and they give birth to one cub every two years.
To learn more about the organization, see videos and more, visit panda.org.cn. See a gallery of adorable baby panda photos from them here.
Lazarin Delgado Oviedo's ten-year-old nephew Guillermo Gael Delgado Garcia performed his rendition of "Cuban Pete" public poolside in Monterrey, Mexico. I'm not sure where that kid is going, but he's going somewhere. Someone give him a juicy theater role or variety show! Via Tastefully Offensive
Bill Murray and son Homer cheering for the Illinois Fighting Illini basketball team at the 2005 Men's NCAA Final Four in St. Louis | Image: dkaz
One is hard pressed these days to find those willing to argue that Bill Murray is a national treasure. Mental Floss put together this collection of Murrayisms guaranteed to make the majority of folks out there smile. A few examples follow. See all 22 quotes here.
3. ON HOW HE LIVES HIS LIFE“I live a little bit on the seat of my pants, I try to be alert and available ... for life to happen to me. We’re in this life, and if you’re not available, the sort of ordinary time goes past and you didn’t live it. But if you’re available, life gets huge. You’re really living it.”
— From an interview with Charlie Rose, via Flavorwire
18. ON SENTIMENTALITY
“Sentimentality to me is a symbol that we've left the planet. OK, bye-bye. Let me know when you come back because you're no longer here. You just left. It reminds of being at a funeral, like my dad dies and the grief is just overpowering. And all anyone can say to you is, ‘Well, he's probably up there in heaven, bowling with Uncle George.’ It's like, ‘Yeah, that's probably it. He's up there bowling with Uncle George.’ He's dead. He's gone. What am I going to do? Talk to ME. Don't make up your own dreamscape. Stay here with me, will you? Don't go away.”
— From a 2014 interview with The New York Times
Image: MC3 Margaret Keith
William, a member of the British Armed Forces then posted in Germany, went to the dentist on March 14, 2005 to have a root canal under local anesthetic. In a medical mystery that no one can fully explain, after the appointment, William's memory was permanently impaired. Ever since that day at the dentist, William can't remember anything for longer than ninety minutes. He still has some long-term memories from before the dental appointment, but isn't able to tell the reporter of this BBC article about him where he iives. Every day William wakes thinking he's in Germany and set to have a root canal that day. Read more about William's mysterious case — one which reads like something out of the movies — at the link above.
Pinocchio was found abandoned at an airport as a kitten. Both his eyes were badly infected and they had to be surgically removed. Blind and transferred to a shelter, Pinocchio may have been losing hope, until he met fellow shelter kitten Jiminy Cricket. The two male cats became inseparable and were eventually adopted out together into the beautiful and obviously loving home seen in this video. Now the two cats not only have each other, but they have toys, cardboard boxes and backyard to explore to their hearts' content. Don't miss the adorable shots of Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket together in this uplifting footage.
The cake that was ordered (l) and the unfortunate model the bakery produced (r) | Image: Imgur
According to one Redditor's recent post, a Frozen-themed birthday party ended up unsightly at best when a bakery made Elsa look like an especially wide, fisheyed fishwife. The (unnamed) bakery was commissioned based on the design in the photo above, at left.
The customer, Redditor OfficialBigHead, posted about the cake carnage after receiving the order. The post garnered more than 2,200 comments in 24 hours, with users dubbing the cake “Elsa the Hutt.” See the amusing reponses and discussion to this cake calamity — the likes of which only Reddit can serve up — at the post linked above.
Riker's Island | Image: Tim Rodenberg
The following article on Riker's Island jail in New York City is a lengthy yet absolutely fascinating read if you want to know the gritty truth about what goes on inside. It consists of many no-holds- barred, first-hand accounts of Riker's given by correction officers, teachers, personnel, inmates and even visitors to the jail, so that one may get the full grim view of the inherent problems within the system. These are problems so complex that even the best case scenario of a devoted, concerned reformer with financial resources likely would be unable to solve them. Here are some examples from different perspectives:
The Mental Health Worker for the Urban Justice Center:
"People may go ten, 11 months without access to laundry, outside of the sink and a bar of soap. You’ll see people covered in their own filth. Last week, an inmate told me that he is supposed to receive twice-a-day medication sometime between 6:30 and eight in the morning and once in the evening. But the officer steps inside the entrance at the other side of the room and calls his name and says it’s time for meds, but not loudly at all, and doesn’t make an attempt to actually contact this person. The dorm is so loud. And he doesn’t hear his name or that it’s time [for his meds]. And the officers don’t follow up. If they don’t get a response, they walk away.
In that dorm, this happens half the time, based on what I’ve heard. So people on Lithium or Prozacclass="footnoteNumber">6 aren’t getting half that day’s medication, and it can be absolutely disastrous.
That’s not to mention there are often facilitywide lockdowns, when no movement is allowed in the entire facility. If that happens when medications or appointments are scheduled, they often don’t get their [treatment].
Therapy at Rikers often involves only a one-minute talk in which the doctor or social worker may say, “You’re at risk of injuring yourself. Are you okay?” And then they say, “Yeah? Good?” And then they move on."
The Female Corrections Officer:
"We deal with a lot of mental and physical abuse, from your inmates to your superiors... They try to threaten your life, and you have to take the threats very seriously.It’s a lot of stuff we handle as correction officers and we never get the props. Nobody never says, 'Oh, y’all do a wonderful job.' Nobody. We always are downplayed. Because you have some officers, don’t get me wrong, that don’t do what they supposed to do. They are dirty. They bring in stuff. It’s not an easy job.You do sometimes over 100 hours in overtime a month on top of 40 hours a week. As soon as you hear 'Inmate, oh, he get beat up,' nobody don’t understand what happened. What about officers leaving with broken nose, broken arms, spit on, feces thrown on them, urine thrown on them? You’re not dealing with a regular person on the street. Excuse my mouth, you’re dealing with animals. Some of them, some of them not. The majority are not there for being a good person."
The Inmate:
"In the box, the bed is on the wall, so it’s lower to the floor. You’ve gotta be careful because there’s a lot of roaches and mice running around. You’ll be lying down with your eyes closed, and you’ll hear all of them making noises, going through your bags on the floor, ripping up pages from the books.
They don’t got no air conditioner [in the box]. Sometimes you be in your cell like nude, because it be hot and the windows don’t open up, and you’ll be complaining like, 'I need my window fixed.' And the officers will say, 'We’ll put in a work order.' But it never gets done.What I’d do, I’d grab paper and I’d make a fan out of it. Sometimes the paper gets worn out, because I’d use it a lot, and sometimes there won’t be no more paper, so I’d fan myself with my shirt.
The box — it’s like you’re locked up twice as much as you’re locked up now. It’s a small room, so you really don’t move around a lot. You wake up, and there’s a toilet right next to your head. You look out the window and you see birds flying, and that only leads your mind into wanting freedom more. And since it’s a small room, it makes you think crazy."
Read many more firsthand accounts and see maps, statistics and more at this NY Magazine article. Contains NSFW Language and graphic descriptions.
Image: The Richest
One lesson humankind surely has learned by now is never to underestimate the power that a cult with even a seemingly insane belief system can have over lonely people who feel they have no purpose, self worth or sense of belonging.
Heaven's Gate. The People's Temple. The "Koreshian" division of the Branch Davidians and even the Manson Gang are all examples of this phenomenon. Because of the flawed yet enduringly human traits described above, as some cult movements end, others always crop up in their place.
The article linked below cites nine examples of bizarre cults all over the globe. One is The Body of Christ. A quote from the article about this group follows:
"This is a group of people who turn to personal revelations, rather than the Bible. Followers of this cult have made news due to child deaths; one from lack of nutrition and another for lack of medical attention. You see, the people belonging to this cult believe that God will give them direct signs and instructions. They await these signs before taking any kind of action. The Body of Christ rejects the long-held systems in society: education, government, banking, religion, medicine, science, and entertainment. They refuse to work with civil and government entities, and turn a blind eye to assistance. They await doomsday, when the rest of the world will explode, but they will remain safe."
Read about other bizarre cults in existence today here.
Image: Twentieth Century Fox/CBS
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon's late 1990s WB series that developed a cult following, has been off the air since May of 2003. The beloved ensemble cast moved on to other projects, with varying degrees of success. The linked article takes a look at what the cast of Buffy has been up to since the series. It begins with the protagonist herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar:
"Between Buffy, Cruel Intentions, and I Know What You Did Last Summer, Gellar was truly a ’90s teen queen. However, her post-Buffy career hasn’t quite measured up to its early promise. She was in The Grudge, which was successful, but also several little-seen indie dramas and thrillers, including Southland Tales, The Air I Breathe, Possession, and Veronika Decides to Die. She also starred in two television series, Ringer and The Crazy Ones, but both were unfortunately canceled after one season. While she may be waiting for her next great role, she’s still pretty busy being adorable with her husband, Freddie Prinze, Jr. and reenacting the iconic kiss from Cruel Intentions."
Read updates on the rest of the cast here.
Cabel Sasser (previously) is back with his yearly highlights of bizarre and funny fireworks packaging, which he has documented since 2007. From the blast that supposedly emulates a bite in the butt to another that could have come from the rear end of an elk king, check out Sasser's collection of cream-of-the-crop, American sold, made in China firework packaging. Via Laughing Squid
Was Uncle Sam a fictitious person? It turns out he wasn't, and the story this video is not only the truth about the man, it's a story that Congress legally declared the truth! (Insert your own Congress-related dishonesty joke here.) What are the sunniest states? (Hint, Florida isn't one of them.) Get the info on these topics and more in this Mental Floss video.
Image: mcovington45
Puppies are perhaps some of the sleepiest creatures on the planet, and who can complain. Because if there's one thing cuter than a puppy, it's a puppy who has fallen asleep. It also doesn't hurt that when puppies are awake, they're almost guaranteed to be up to some kind of mischief. But when they're sleeping, the angelic side comes to the forefront.
Bored Panda has a user-submitted post wherein people supply pictures of puppies who have managed to fall asleep in the most unlikely of places and positions. Check out the collection here. It's worth its weight in cute.
Image: thomasgeorge911
Image: imgur.com
Image: danyaguacate
Particularly in modern times, the American public has had a keen interest in the lives and lifestyles of their presidents. That includes just about every aspect, including what and how much the presidents eat and drink. The linked article below cites a number of instances in which food and drink somehow factored into presidential news items. While not all were seriously controversial per se, they did make headlines at the time. President Clinton's former love of McDonald's is one example. From the text,
"Bill Clinton’s Love Affair With McDonald's
Until he starting dabbling with veganism in 2011, Bill Clinton was notoriously fond of the fast-food chain. This was especially true in the early '90s, when he was frequently found visiting McDonald's, including on jogs. His love of the Big Mac and other fatty food provided a lot of fodder for commentators and comedians, particularly this classic SNL sketch."
Check out other presidential food and drink headlines at New York Magazine, and don't miss the SNL clip above that features the great Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton stopping by McDonald's in the early part of a jog (also featuring Chris Farley and other SNL favorites).
Professional dancer and choreographer Keith Silva and his four-year-old son Jayden are seen cutting their living room rug together to the Little Einstein's theme song in this entertaining footage. Via Viral Nova
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