It's still hard to believe they did it.

@billbarnwell tries to explain:

Zero-point-two percent. Two in a thousand. The New England Patriots stunned the St. Louis Rams to win the first Super Bowl of the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era during the 2001 playoffs, but even that upset can't compare to the comeback New England pulled to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 on Sunday night in Super Bowl LI. The Pats pieced together incredible play with fortuitous bounces and impeccable timing to overcome a Falcons team that had a 99.8 percent shot of claiming its first Super Bowl with 21 minutes to go.

What happened from then on was nothing short of a miracle. The Patriots needed just about everything to go right and had the vast majority of those moments swing their way. It all blurs together in the aftermath, but let's run through those big plays to piece together how the Patriots got one for the thumb.

Fourth-and-3, Patriots' 46: Brady completes pass to Danny Amendola for 17 yards. Win expectancy shift: 0.2 percent to 0.5 percent (+0.3 percent)

The first tiny shift in New England's favor came after the Patriots unsuccessfully pulled out a desperation trick pass from Julian Edelman to Dion Lewis on third down. Turning the ball over on downs probably would have ended the game, given that the Falcons would have taken over on the New England 46-yard line having scored touchdowns on three of their previous four possessions. Instead, Brady hit Amendola on an out route against Falcons cornerback Brian Poole to extend the Patriots' drive. Their win expectancy would come close to 0.3 percent later on, but never quite dip below what it was prior to that completion.

The Patriots' drive continued with Brady scrambling for 15 yards when the Falcons lost containment on a third-and-8, finishing with Brady finding James White out of the backfield on a snag concept for a 5-yard touchdown to make the score 28-9.

Two things then went against the Patriots in successive fashion. Stephen Gostkowski promptly booted the ensuing extra point attempt against the upright, leaving the score at 28-9. Given that the Patriots had incorrectly been called for an illegal formation penalty earlier in the game that gave the Falcons a second chance at an extra point, New England had lost two points on conversions. It seemed mostly irrelevant at the time, but it would loom as incredibly important later on.

Gostkowski followed that by taking an illegal touching penalty on an attempted onside kick, one which the Falcons recovered anyway. Atlanta then had a second-and-1 on the New England 32-yard line.

Second-and-1, Patriots' 32: Jake Matthews commits holding penalty (10 yards). Win expectancy shift: 0.3 percent to 0.5 percent (+0.2 percent)

In a sequence that would repeat itself in slightly different order later in the game, a Matthews holding penalty pushed the Falcons out of field goal range. Atlanta could have gone up 22 points with a successful field goal (and would have had a third-and-2 if Matthews hadn't held on this stuffed Tevin Coleman run), but Matt Ryan was sacked on the ensuing third down to force an Atlanta punt from midfield. They got nothing from the excellent field position afforded them by recovering the onside kick try.

Brady went to work as the game went into the fourth quarter, with the Patriots eventually moving the ball into the red zone. He was sacked twice on three plays by Grady Jarrett, though, leading to a play that sets the scene for the rest of the game.

Fourth-and-goal, Falcons' 15: Gostkowski kicks 33-yard field goal. Win expectancy shift: 0.3 percent to 0.4 percent (+0.1 percent)

Settling for three points to make the game 28-12 basically did nothing for New England's win expectancy. The field goal to bring the Patriots within 16 points worked out perfectly in the end, but it set a nearly-impossible target for the Patriots to hit. As tempting as it is to say that the Patriots are making it a two-touchdown game by kicking the field goal, it's really not accurate to lump a 16-point deficit in with, say, a 14-point margin. So much more has to go right for you to win the game. To successfully chase a 16-point target, all of the following has to happen:

If we assume for simplicity's sake that the chance of converting each of the two-pointers is 50 percent, and the chance of the Patriots winning in overtime is 50 percent, the chances of the Patriots making the two-pointers and then winning in overtime alone reduce their shot to 12.5 percent. That's without even considering how hard it's going to be to score both of those touchdowns while stopping the Falcons from scoring once.

By definition, that 50 percent two-point rate suggests a 16-point game isn't a two-score contest. We know that each attempt is independent, and given the 50 percent conversion rate, we would expect them to convert one out of two tries and produce a total of two points. The Patriots pulled it out here, but the 2015 Patriots and 2016 Chiefs can remind you of how leaving the game to a late two-point try is far from guaranteed.

An older version of the win expectancy model developed by ESPN's Brian Burke suggests the Patriots' chances of winning with a touchdown on fourth-and-15 would have leaped to 3.6 percent, producing that 9 percent break-even rate. It's not a perfect parallel, since teams would likely be willing to settle for field goals, but since 2006, teams have converted third-and-goal from the 15-yard line five times in 45 tries. That's a 10.6 percent rate, and it's reasonable to think the Patriots are better than your standard offense. I suspect the numbers leaned narrowly toward going for it, although it would have been a much stronger case had the Patriots managed to pick up a few yards on third down in lieu of taking a sack.

Having fumbled the ball away during the first half before gifting Robert Alford a pick-six, the Patriots needed to catch a break. They finally got one on the next drive.

Third-and-1, Falcons' 36: Dont'a Hightower strip-sacks Ryan; Alan Branch recovers. Win expectancy shift: 0.3 percent to 1.8 percent (+1.5 percent)

Instead of moving the chains on third-and-1 and taking two more minutes off the clock with a fresh set of downs, the Falcons handed the ball back to New England with a short field. Hightower came on a blitz and sped past the middling block attempt of Devonta Freeman, who was inserted into the game after Coleman went down with an injury on the previous play. Freeman looked confused before the snap and seemed to be caught between attempting to block Hightower and releasing into the flat as an outlet receiver, and he ended up doing neither.

Hightower converged on Ryan along with Chris Long, who had gotten underneath Matthews, to force a fumble as Ryan attempted to release a pass. The Patriots fell on the fumble, which was notable because it was the first fumble of the postseason in a Falcons game that Atlanta had failed to recover, having picked up the previous six.

Brady was sacked on the first play of the next series by Dwight Freeney, but the Falcons' pass rush got to him just one more time the rest of the way. From that point forward, Brady went 15-of-19 for 170 yards with two touchdowns, the game-tying two-point conversion to Amendola, and the 13-yard pass interference call that set up the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

Second-and-2, Falcons' 6: Brady hits Amendola for 6-yard touchdown; White converts two-pointer. Win expectancy shift: 2.2 percent to 6.1 percent (+3.9 percent)

There's still a lot of work to be done, but at 28-20, the Patriots are suddenly in business. Brady found a mismatch with Amendola aligned in the slot against the bigger Jalen Collins and took advantage, getting Amendola on a quick out (with Malcolm Mitchell arguably interfering with the outside corner) for the 6-yard score. As Matt Bowen diagrammed, the Patriots then ran a direct snap to White with a pair of double-teams to set up the first of their two-point conversions.

Again, though: The Patriots still need a stop, a scoring drive, a two-point conversion, and a win in overtime. They almost failed on the first of those prerequisites when the Patriots blew the coverage on Freeman on a 39-yard checkdown and were then victimized by an absurd Julio Jones catch for 27 yards.

After Freeman was stuffed on a first-and-10 pitch for a loss of one, the Falcons ran the clock down and had second-and-11 on the New England 23-yard line with 3:56 to go. If the Falcons had simply kneeled twice, they could have kicked what would have been about a 43-yard field goal while presumably costing the Patriots two of their three remaining timeouts. A 43-yard field goal -- which all but ends the game -- is hardly guaranteed, but Matt Bryant is 29-of-31 (93.5 percent) on kicks between 40 and 45 yards over the past five seasons.

Second-and-11, Patriots' 23: Ryan sacked by Trey Flowers for 12-yard loss. Third-and-23, Patriots' 33: Matthews commits holding penalty (10 yards). Third-and-33, Patriots' 43: Ryan throws incomplete pass. Win expectancy shift: 1.4 percent to 4.9 percent (+3.5 percent)

Instead, inexplicably, the Falcons chose to pass the ball on second down, on a slow-developing play that ended with Ryan going down for a coverage sack at the hands of Flowers, who slipped between center Alex Mack and right guard Chris Chester. The sack is partly on Ryan, who needed to get the ball out and held onto it for more than four seconds before hitting the turf.

Ryan is at fault, but so is Atlanta's highly regarded offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan. I'm as aggressive as anybody when it comes to suggesting that coaches try to get their kickers in better field goal range in lieu of settling for 50-plus-yard field goal tries, but if there was ever a situation that called for conservatism given the game situation, it was this one. Shanahan admitted after the game that he couldn't remember the playcalling decisions he made at this point of the game, conflating the ensuing plays with the sack, which is fair. It seems the entire Falcons team blacked out right around this point of the game.

The situation was still salvageable given that the Falcons were in line for a 51-yard field goal and had a play to try to pick up extra yardage while burning more time, but Matthews made a bad situation worse by committing yet another crucial holding penalty, wrapping his arms around Long's neck to push the Falcons out of field goal range. The Pats held up in coverage on third down and forced a punt. New England had two plays to either force a turnover or push the Falcons back 20 yards to get out of field goal range and managed to do the latter.

After Brady beat a Falcons blitz on third-and-10 for a 16-yard completion to Hogan, the drive was off and running. You'll probably be seeing its most notable play for a while ...

First-and-10, Patriots' 36: Brady completes 23-yard pass to Edelman. Win expectancy shift: 6.1 percent to 8.7 percent (+2.6 percent)

Of course, no win expectancy model is going to know what Edelman had to do to bring in the greatest catch he'll ever make. Brady made the curious decision to throw into double coverage, with Alford trailing Edelman and Keanu Neal playing over the top on that side. His throw wasn't perfect, giving Alford a chance to pick the ball off. Instead, Alford tipped the ball into the air and somehow gave Edelman a chance to bring it in on a double-clutch. I've watched the play 20 times and I'm still convinced Edelman's going to drop the ball each time I watch it.

I'm of two minds regarding Dan Quinn's challenge after the catch. Ideally, Quinn would have let the clock run to the two-minute warning and spent the break watching replays before deciding to use his final timeout on a challenge. The television feed of the game doesn't make it clear whether the Patriots would have been able to run a play before the two-minute warning, although it was very clear that the Patriots were sprinting to the line in the hopes of running a play before Quinn could get a good look. (The coaches tape of the game will not be available until midweek.)

The play was obviously close, and it was literally Quinn's last chance to use a challenge. Twenty-three yards isn't an enormous swing of field position, but the Pats would have been in second-and-10. Quinn's challenge stopped the clock before the two-minute warning, and the Pats used the extra play to complete a deep crossing route to Amendola for 20 more yards versus Poole. That would push the Patriots up into double digits at 13.2 percent. Three plays later, on the Atlanta 1-yard line, the Pats punched the ball in.

Second-and-goal, Falcons' 1: White rushes for 1-yard touchdown; Amendola converts two-pointer. Win expectancy shift: 21.2 percent to 53.0 percent (+31.8 percent)

There's the big leap. The Patriots, who were 55.7 percent favorites to win as of the opening kickoff, are favored again to prevail for the first time since LeGarrette Blount's fumble on the second play of the second quarter. If it felt like the Patriots were destined to win in overtime, I won't blame you, but I'll also remind you of last year's Packers-Cardinals playoff game, when Aaron Rodgers converted two Hail Mary passes to tie the game up just before overtime and never touched the ball again. You may also remember Super Bowl XXXVI, when the Rams tied the score with 1:13 left and the Patriots drove 53 yards with no timeouts (against the advice of John Madden) to set up Adam Vinatieri's game-winning field goal.

Atlanta still might have been able to muster a drive to at least attempt a game-winning field goal. The Patriots helped out by making a strategic mistake and snapping the ball with 21 seconds to go on the game clock during the White touchdown. It's not necessarily a good idea to run the play clock down to one second left before snapping the ball, but Brady should have shaved another 10-12 seconds off the clock before the snap. The argument that the Patriots needed to conserve time in case of a failed two-point conversion doesn't really hold water; if the Patriots failed, they were going to be stuck attempting an expected onside kick to try to get one final possession. The chances of recovering that onside kick are likely lower than the chances of giving up a meaningful drive to the Falcons with a minute left on the clock.

Instead, fortunately for the Patriots, Atlanta's drive started on the 11-yard line and sputtered out after 16 yards. New England then hoped to set up for a game-winning fair catch free kick, but Matt Bosher's punt was too far to feasibly attempt one. The Pats then sent Lewis out to run a meaningless draw with three seconds left, with Lewis suffering a game-ending hamstring injury on the play.

Second-and-13, Falcons' 40: Brady hits Edelman for 15 yards. Win expectancy shift: 58.5 percent to 75.5 percent (+17.0 percent)

The biggest play of New England's lone drive in overtime turned a difficult second-and-13 into a first down, putting the Patriots in field goal range and on the edge of the red zone. The Patriots went five-wide, and the Falcons responded by showing pre-snap pressure before dropping into a Cover 1 Robber look, with one deep safety and the impressive Deion Jones lurking in the middle of the field to take away drag routes. The Patriots went back to an impeccably timed combination of crossing routes, which the Falcons had been able to knock away during the fourth quarter. This time, though, the timing was excellent to create a subtle rub downfield, and Brady's throw was right on the money. Four plays later, the Patriots were champions.

Those are the plays that led the Patriots to their stunning Super Bowl victory, but what was changing in the broader matchup of the game that allowed the Patriots to come back? How could the Falcons allow Brady & Co. to score the final 31 points of the game after going up 28-3 halfway through the third quarter? Let's run through the ways the Patriots improved and the Falcons declined as the game went along, starting with one critical component ...

The Atlanta pass rush disappeared. I wrote in my Super Bowl preview that the game would turn on whether the Falcons would be able to get pass pressure on Brady. I was right about that, but I was wrong about whether the Falcons would be able to pester the future Hall of Famer. Quinn's defense spent most of the day in Brady's face, and it did so without blitzing. Atlanta sent an extra man on just 7.4 percent of Brady's dropbacks but was able to get plenty of pressure with its front four. Through the first three quarters, Atlanta pressured Brady on 44.7 percent of his dropbacks.

As was the case in both of New England's Super Bowl losses to the Giants, much of that pressure came up the middle. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, who had all of three sacks during the regular season, came up with three sacks of Brady in the Super Bowl alone, tying the championship game record. Jarrett and his teammates abused Patriots right guard Shaq Mason, who had a dismal night in pass protection. NFL sack leader Vic Beasley had a mostly quiet night, finishing with a lone knockdown of Brady and a pass breakup on a fade to Martellus Bennett on the penultimate play of the game, which was apparently Josh McDaniels' ode to Darrell Bevell.

As the game went along, though, the plays simply began to add up. Atlanta's defense faced nearly twice as many snaps as New England's; the 93-47 disparity between the two was the largest gap in NFL playoff history, per the Elias Sports Bureau. Those 93 offensive plays represent the second most a team has faced in playoff history (behind only the Jets, who faced 96 against the Browns in a game that went into double-overtime in January 1987).

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Atlanta's pass rush was gassed. During the fourth quarter and overtime, its pressure rate on Brady fell from 44.7 percent down to 20.0 percent, including an O-fer on Brady's six pass attempts during the extra period. Unsurprisingly, once the pass pressure went away, Brady picked the Falcons apart. He finished the day with a 64.1 passer rating under duress and a 107.0 mark when avoiding pressure.

The Patriots successfully attacked the weaker links in the Atlanta secondary. Again, this shouldn't have been news given the expectations coming into the game, but the Falcons were able to hold up with relatively anonymous defensive backs making plays during the first half. Deji Olatoye and C.J. Goodwin played a combined 18 defensive snaps during the first two rounds of the playoffs, but with the Falcons playing more two-deep coverage at first glance and the Patriots using more three- and four-wideout sets, the Falcons rotated their backup defensive backs into the game for a combined 47 snaps. Goodwin, in particular, made his mark in the first half by knocking away a fade route to Mitchell out of the slot and tackling White in the open field on third down to end a drive.

As the game wore on, though, the Patriots began to take advantage of mismatches in the secondary. They matched up Mitchell against Goodwin for critical conversions during the comeback, including a third-and-11 pickup in the fourth quarter to extend the drive. Combinations of curl routes are a great way to beat Cover 3, and Mitchell went after both Goodwin and the larger Collins, who had trouble in space against New England's speedier wideouts. Poole also had trouble with Amendola, who had eight catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in what might have been his final game as a member of the organization.

They also found mismatches for White, who caught a Super Bowl-record 14 passes in much the same way that Shane Vereen took over at times against Quinn's Seattle defense during Super Bowl XLIX. White became a coverage problem for Deion Jones and De'Vondre Campbell, much as he was frustrating against Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright versus the Seahawks.

They took Blount out of the game for White. Blount seemed like a logical fit to play a big role in this contest, given how the Falcons had the league's fourth-worst run defense during the regular season and are built around speed as opposed to strength, but it didn't work out. Blount dragged down the Patriots' offense in the first half, carrying the ball eight times for just 16 yards, including a third-and-1 stuff and a lost fumble.

The Pats trotted him out for three consecutive runs late in the third quarter, but otherwise, he was basically left on the bench as New England launched its comeback. He finished the game taking just 17 offensive snaps, while White finished with 71 snaps. To put that in context, no Patriots running back had suited up for more than 48 offensive plays in a game this year. ESPN has player participation data going back through 2007, and the only Belichick running back to top White's 71 snaps over that time frame was Danny Woodhead, who took 73 snaps during a 41-35 thriller against the 49ers in 2012.

Brady's receivers stopped dropping passes. I don't think Brady would characterize this as his sharpest game, as he missed a number of receivers downfield, notably a streaking Edelman on a wheel route. He also didn't get a ton of help early on. Brady's receivers dropped three of his 35 passes through the first three quarters (an 8.6 percent clip), and there were a number of 50-50 passes his wideouts failed to bring in. (Ryan's receivers, in comparison, didn't drop any of his 23 pass attempts.) The Patriots' wideouts repeatedly struggled on a route they clearly wanted to target in man coverage, the wheel/fade out of the slot.

Bennett caught a 25-yard pass over Neal on that very route in the fourth quarter, though, and the Pats went back to it with Bennett in overtime for the pass interference penalty that set up the game-winning score. Brady's receivers stepped up their concentration and made every catch count; they didn't drop a single one of Brady's 27 pass attempts during the fourth quarter and overtime.

The Patriots sent extra men at Ryan. The 2016 MVP dropped back 10 times during the first half, and while he was sacked twice, the other eight plays produced seven receptions for 115 yards, a touchdown and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. The Patriots blitzed just once on those 10 dropbacks for a 10 percent blitz rate. During the second half, the Pats brought in Elandon Roberts for Shea McClellin in their nickel package and blitzed far more frequently. This was also just a 17-dropback sample, but the Patriots blitzed Ryan 41.2 percent of the time and sacked him on three of those opportunities. Ryan still posted a 126.8 passer rating, but because QBR accounts for sacks, his QBR fell from 91.5 in the first half to 62.0 afterward.

Ryan's tackles were not a source of strength, particularly Matthews, who was a liability in pass protection far too frequently Sunday and committed those two critical holding penalties. Right tackle Ryan Schraeder was fine before leaving with an injury, but then the Falcons bought in Tom Compton, whom the Patriots immediately targeted with a defensive line game on that ridiculous 27-yard catch by Julio Jones. Behind the league's healthiest offensive line, Compton had been needed for only 69 offensive snaps during the regular season. The pressure prevented the Falcons from throwing more passes to Jones, who finished with four catches on a mere four targets for 87 yards.

The Atlanta running game sputtered. The biggest surprise of the game for me early on was that the Falcons had tons of success moving the ball on the ground against the league's fourth-ranked rushing defense per DVOA. Shanahan dialed up the crack toss play against New England in man coverage early on in the contest and had plenty of success, including a 37-yard run by Freeman. He and Coleman combined for 86 yards on nine carries during the first 30 minutes.

Afterward, though, the Patriots adjusted. They again faced nine rushing attempts during the second half, but this time, those runs generated a total of only 18 yards. Five of them went for no gain or a loss.

The Falcons didn't manage the clock well. While the Falcons couldn't have known that New England would make its miraculous comeback, they helped the Patriots by leaving time on the clock in the fourth quarter and snapping early in the play clock. After the 39-yard checkdown to a wide-open Freeman gave Atlanta first-and-10 at their own 49-yard line with 5:39 to go, Ryan snapped the ball with 20 seconds left on the play clock and handed the ball off for a loss of 1. The next play, the 27-yard deep out to Jones, was snapped with 13 seconds left on the clock. The Falcons did wind the play clock down inside five seconds on their next opportunity after a Freeman stuff, but that was their last chance to run clock on offense all game.

Quinn also didn't get much value for his timeouts. Atlanta had to use one timeout early in the third quarter when they were struggling to line up on defense before a third-and-long. A second timeout came after the first Matthews holding penalty toward the end of the third quarter on second-and-11, while the final timeout flew off the shelves when Quinn challenged the ridiculous Edelman catch. If Ryan hits that final drive with a minute and two timeouts, the playcalling would have been fundamentally different.

Gostkowski was a monster on kickoffs. While Gostkowski missed yet another extra point in what has been an uneven season for New England's star kicker on scoring plays, he has retained much of his effectiveness on kickoffs and created valuable field position for the Patriots' defense in Sunday's second half. Gostkowski didn't kick off until the final play of the first half, and that was a squib kick. He subsequently attempted both an onside kick and a deliberately short pop-up kick on two of his five kickoff attempts during the second half.

His other three kickoffs, though, each pinned the Falcons inside of their own 20-yard line. One was returned to the Falcons' 19-yard line, but the two truly great kicks came on Gostkowski's final two kickoffs of the game. The first, with the Patriots down 28-20, was booted to the 3-yard line with enough hang time for the coverage units to pin down Justin Hardy and limit him to a 7-yard return, starting Atlanta on the 10-yard line. Given that the Falcons finished the drive a few desperate yards away from what would have been game-sealing field goal range, Gostkowski's kickoff might have helped save the season. After the Patriots tied the score, Gostkowski delivered a similarly effective kickoff to the goal line, which Eric Weems returned to his own 11-yard line to start a disappointingly short possession.

The Atlanta offense couldn't stay on the field. More than anything, though, the Falcons blew their lead because they couldn't come through with conversions on third down. They had picked up 64.0 percent of their third downs in the playoffs heading into the Super Bowl, but went just 1-for-8 on Sunday, with a second conversion coming on a ninth third down via penalty.

Every third-down failure is bad for an offense, but these breakdowns were both wildly frustrating and eventually very meaningful. Ryan was sacked four times on third down, including on third-and-3 and third-and-5 to end Atlanta's first two possessions. The Hightower strip-sack came on a third-and-1. He also took a sack on third-and-11 from the Patriots' 42-yard line on a play where a completion, even if it were short of the sticks, might have created an opportunity for a long field goal. Nobody expected Ryan to convert third-and-33 from the Patriots' 45-yard line in the fourth quarter, but he failed to complete a pass that might have set up Bryant for a field goal or even forced the Patriots into using one of their two remaining timeouts.

Atlanta's two third-down conversions resulted in touchdowns. One was a touchdown itself, when the Falcons isolated tight end Austin Hooper against Patrick Chung on consecutive plays. The other was a pass interference call in the red zone on Malcolm Butler that set up a touchdown for Coleman on a pick play the following snap.

It's still hard to believe the Falcons actually lost this game. They're the first team in Super Bowl history to lose with a pick-six in its pocket, one that felt like an unlikely gift given that it came from Brady. Some will throw around the "choker" label, which is inelegant at best and condescendingly incurious at worst. If choking means running after a quarterback on 68 dropbacks until there's hardly any air left in your lungs, the Falcons choked.

Instead, it's fairer to say the Falcons never shut the door. They had several chances to finish this game off and never really took advantage of any of them, leaving a tiny opening that most teams wouldn't have been able to exploit. Even the Patriots, as good as they are, needed fortuitous timing with penalties and turnovers plus one of the all-time legendary catches in football history from Edelman to stay within range.

Atlanta should be proud of what it has accomplished this season and what it did in the Super Bowl. It's what the Falcons didn't do that will be keeping everyone in the organization up late at night for weeks to come. They gave Tom Brady and Bill Belichick a chance to kick their door down, and yet again, the two future Hall of Famers produced a late drive to come away with a Super Bowl victory.

Anatomy of a miracle: How the Patriots came back from the dead

The Falcons had at least a 99 percent chance to win Super Bowl LI on 20 different occasions. And yet, the Patriots left Houston world champs. Here's how the comeback, and the collapse, went down.

super bowl li, new england patriots, atlanta falcons, bill barnwell, NFL, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons


People With RH Negative Blood Types Have THIS In Common

Most humans have RH positive blood, meaning they carry a gene originating from the rhesus monkey. Humans are believed to have evolved from a similar ancestor.

But 10-15% of people do not carry this gene, which means there is a small amount of people on the planet who are RH negative. Such people lack not only that rhesus monkey gene but the proteins that come with it as well.

Individuals with the RH-negative blood type often have the following characteristics:

So if individuals with RH negative blood didn’t evolve from the same ancestor as the rest of us, where do they come from?

Many people believe those with RH negative blood are the result of ancient humans having mated with visitors from outer space.

People With RH Negative Blood Have THIS In Common!

Higher IQ, Blue, green or hazel eyes, reddish hair, piercing eyes, empathetic qualities, sensitivity to heat, unexplained phobias and highly tuned senses. Article also spews some unsubstantiated BS.

Higher IQ
Blue, green or hazel eyes
Reddish hair
Piercing eyes
Empathic qualities


Washington (CNN) With the end of the U.S. arms embargo , Vietnam will join a long list of international recipients of American armaments.

The U.S. is responsible for nearly 33% of worldwide exports -- by far the top arms exporter on the planet -- but which countries does the U.S. sell the most weapons to?

Saudi Arabia was the top recipient of American-made arms from 2011-2015, followed closely by the United Arab Emirates, according to research compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which has been analyzing international arms transfers since 1968.

The rest of the top 10 included Turkey, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, India, Singapore, Iraq, and Egypt.

Experts believe the Middle East will remain a top destination for weapons for some time -- it currently accounts for about 40% of U.S. arms exports -- especially given the rise of ISIS

"The dynamic of the [falling] oil prices has been overwhelmed by the deep insecurity these countries are currently feeling and the insecure future they feel they face," Andrew Hunter of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told CNN.

Hunter, the director of the defense-industrial initiatives group, said that the countries in the region were "prioritizing defense" over other spending.

The American exports include everything from small arms to fighter jet aircraft and tanks, to Patriot Missile batteries.

Several Asian countries are also represented high up on the arms sales list, reflecting ongoing tensions with North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs and China's stepped up military activity in the South China Sea.

The tightening of U.S.-Vietnam relations comes as Vietnam has protested China's actions in its nearby waters, including an incident where China stationed an oil rig in disputed waters off of Vietnam's coast in 2014 , an event that sparked anti-China riots in Vietnam.

The day after the US. announced it would lift its arms embargo against Vietnam, Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that Vietnam needs the military equipment it will get in order to defend itself.

While most of the top importers use their own money to buy arms from the U.S., the U.S. also provides some countries with grants and loans -- separate from the arms sales -- to purchase defense equipment from American manufacturers, as part of a program called Foreign Military Financing.

The State Department's 2017 budget request includes approximately $5.7 billion for Foreign Military Financing.

In the proposed budget, the top five recipients of American foreign military financing will be Israel ($3.1 billion), Egypt ($1.3 billion) , Jordan ($350 million), Pakistan ($265 million), and Iraq ($150 million).

While Israel is supposed to spend this money on U.S. arms, some of that country's most expensive purchases, like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, have yet to be delivered and are therefore not reflected in SIPRI's statistics.

While the Middle East tops the list, funding for African armies in 2017 will more than double from last year, likely a consequence of increased terrorist activity in places like Mali, Somalia, and Nigeria.

Hunter said that U.S. defense companies were explicit in their desire to boost international exports in the wake of recent defense budget cuts.

At a media day event in March, the CEO of U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin, Marillyn Hewson, said, "One area where we expect the majority of our growth potential to come from in the years ahead is our international customers."

Other major arms exporters after the U.S. include Russia, China, France, and Germany.

While Hunter said Russia will always have a market for its "cheaper" arms exports to countries that are accustomed to Soviet-era weaponry, he sees China as being increasingly active in the international market.

China has upped its share of global arms exports by over 60% compared to the 2006-2010 period, according to SIPRI.

One area where China has been particularly active is drone technology, with reports of China exporting drones to Nigeria, Iraq, and Pakistan.

He added that China was facing challenges to growing its market share due to increased tensions over competing claims in the South China Sea, as many of the countries in the region, like Vietnam, are also amongst the fastest-growing markets for arms exports.

With the end of the U.S. arms embargo, Vietnam will join a long list of international recipients of American armaments.

politics, Here's who buys the most weapons from the U.S. - CNNPolitics.com

Saudia Arabia, UAE, Turkey, South Korea, and Australia.


"Game of Thrones" star up for Sarah Connor role

As first reported by Schmoes Know and confirmed late Friday by The Hollywood Reporter, director Alan Taylor is apparently set to test three young actresses for the role of Sarah Connor in the upcoming "Terminator 5." They are ...

Larson, 24, is a breakout star this year for her performance in the indie film "Short Term 12." She's also appeared in recent films like "The Spectacular Now" and "Don Jon" and was the female lead in "21 Jump Street." (Larson is not set to return for that film's sequel.)

Clarke, 26, plays Daenerys Targaryen on the HBO series "Game of Thrones." She'll next be seen as Jude Law's estranged daughter in the R-rated comedy "Dom Hemingway."

Robbie, 23, just appeared in "About Time" and will star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Wolf of Wall Street." The Australian actress is also playing the female lead in "Focus," a new Will Smith film. (Robbie was recently part of a tabloid firestorm over some photos that surfaced showing her and Smith together, but the actress shot those allegations down on Twitter as having "no truth.")

In addition to the actresses, THR notes that Garrett Hedlund is in contention for the part of Kyle Reese, the soldier who comes back in time to save Sarah and winds up having a child with her (their offspring is John Connor, the future savior of humanity). Variety reporter Justin Kroll also named Taylor Kitsch and Nicholas Hoult as possibilities for Reese. Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to return to the franchise as well.

For more on the "Terminator 5" testing, including which "Dark Knight Rises" star Taylor wants to cast as John Connor, head to THR.

3 Actresses Reportedly Testing For Sarah Connor In New 'Terminator'

As first reported by Schmoes Know and confirmed late Friday by The Ho...

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9-Year-Old Asks 'Am I Not Pretty Enough?' Then The Judges Fire Back With The Perfect Response

The lyrics beg the questions: Am I not pretty enough? Is my heart too broken? Do I cry too much? Am I too outspoken? Don’t I make you laugh? Should I try it harder?

Kasey Chambers, the musician who penned the song, is a grown woman with life experience. But there’s something about hearing these lyrics sung by a little girl that really pulls at the heartstrings. It’s heartbreaking to imagine a child having questions and insecurities like the ones mentioned in the song — and Molly does a great job of emoting these questions as she sings.

But the most heartwarming part of this performance is the reaction coming from backstage. Every time the camera pans to Molly’s mom, dad and brother, it’s clear all three of them are so incredibly proud of her. As each judge turns around in their chair, their eyes fill with more tears.

After Molly’s audition, Mel. B says she’s the best coach for her, and for very good reason — Girl Power! "You had control. When I turned around, you had confidence. I’m a girl, you’re a girl. I have four kids that are girls. So if I was you, from girl-to-girl, I would go with me."

9-Year-Old Asks ‘Am I Not Pretty Enough?’ Then The Judges Fire Back With The Perfect Response

At just nine years old, Molly Sings already knows how to belt out the notes during her blind audition on The Voice Kids Australia. But the sentiment of the song is not lost on the judges, especially the female judges, Mel B. and Delta Goodrem. The lyrics beg the questions: Am I not pretty enough? Is my...


Research shows a "sweet spot" for marriage — but should we believe it?

Go to college. Get your career established. Date around. Find out what you’re looking for in a life partner. Wait to get married.

too long. He found that likelihood of divorce is lowest when you get hitched between the ages of 28 and 32. That’s been the prevailing logic when it comes to minimizing your odds of divorce for some time now. But in a study released last month, University of Utah researcher Nicholas Wolfinger, PhD, asserts there is actually an optimal age range for lasting marriage — and you shouldn’t waitlong. He found that likelihood of divorce is lowest when you get hitched between the ages of 28 and 32.

Wolfinger, an adjunct professor of sociology at the university, had previously found a U-shaped relationship between age at marriage and likelihood of divorce by looking at data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) back in 2006 to 2010. The NSFG polled more 22,000 men and women aged 15 to 44 on topics ranging from factors determining marriage and divorce, to attitudes about sex and pregnancy.

Ever the good researcher, Wolfinger wanted to see if he could replicate those initial findings by pulling additional NSFG stats from 2011 to 2013. He got nearly identical information: Age 28 through 32 is the sweet spot for marriage — get married before or after that, and risk of splitting from a spouse increases.

"The odds of divorce decline as you age from your teenage years through your late twenties and early thirties," Wolfinger writes. "Thereafter, the chances of divorce go up again as you move into your late thirties and early forties." After age 32, divorce risk climbs about 5 percent each year.

But not so fast. Wolfinger’s findings are something to consider, sure — but they’re not a reason to freak out.

There have been some naysayers of the findings, notably Phillip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland. He has found a slightly older "perfect marriage" age range, using different data than Wolfinger. He found there’s, ultimately, no reason to worry if you get married later on. Cohen’s stats were from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, sent out to 295,000 American households per month to collect ongoing data on social, economic, and housing characteristics of individual communities.

the first five years after marriage, says psychologist And here’s another very important thing to point out about Wolfinger’s study: It only looks at divorce during, says psychologist Karla Ivankovich, an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Ideally, a marriage is going to last longer than half a decade. "So there is still possibility of divorce, just not in the time frame identified within the study," she tells Yahoo Health.

In a way, that 28-to-32 demographic does make sense. By that age, you know a lot more about who you are, what you want out of life, and what you want in a life partner, than you did in your early 20s.

ideal to get married in between 25 to 34 years of age," she tells Yahoo Health. Interestingly, Marisa T. Cohen, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at St. Francis College and co-founder of the Self-Awareness and Bonding Lab , has polled the masses on this very subject: What’s the best age to get married? She found daters are pretty in sync with Wolfinger’s findings: After examining opinions from 773 people, "an overwhelming majority — 83.7 percent — felt that it isto get married in between 25 to 34 years of age," she tells Yahoo Health.

But even though getting married in this age range is something we say we want, that doesn’t mean this is the time all of us are universally ready for marriage, she caveats. "You need to be committed in order to make a marriage work. Some of the causes of divorce, besides infidelity, are lack of communication, being incompatible partners, and growing apart," Cohen notes. "Basically, if you don’t know who you are as a person, you won’t be a good partner."

Instead of focusing on age as the decider of when to get married, we should instead focus on social environments and life experiences — and growing out of that "emerging adulthood" phase, which generally rolls through our post-grad, mid-20s years — to determine when marriage is appropriate.

Wolfinger, an adjunct professor of sociology at the university, had previously found a U-shaped relationship between age at marriage and likelihood of divorce by looking at data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) back in 2006 to 2010.  Ever the


Starbucks across America are running out of a key ingredient — and customers are freaking out

Starbucks Instagram Starbucks' pink drink became an Instagram sensation, driving customer demand for coconut milk.

On July 12, Starbucks launched the iced coconut milk mocha macchiato, its first-ever beverage with a coconut milk base.

The chain debuted the limited-time offering to highlight its coconut milk, which the company launched in 2015. Customers had already been utilizing the non-dairy option this summer to create "secret menu" beverages, such as the hugely-popular pink drink.

Now, it seems that coconut milk may have become a little too popular at the coffee chain.

"Are you out of coconut milk, too?" Reddit user barista 1738 asked in the Starbucks subreddit on Tuesday. "We have been out of coconut milk for the past few days and people are pissssed."

Looking at social media reveals that the barista is far from alone.

Starbucks' Twitter has been flooded with complaints of locations lacking in coconut milk.

The problem seems to be impacting locations across the US.

Some customers are reporting that their local Starbucks locations have been coconut milk-free for days.

Other Facebook customers are taking toto complain.

"Starbucks why is there no coconut milk in upper Manhattan?" reads one such comment. "I went to 3 stores they all said none until at least the weekend."

According to Starbucks, while individual stores may be running low on coconut milk, there is not an issue with the supply chain.

"We're happy to confirm that Starbucks has a healthy coconut milk supply," a Starbucks spokesperson told Business Insider. "As you can imagine, our stores may run low on product from time to time, but this is not something we're seeing at our stores across the board."

On one hand, it's good news for Starbucks that customers are responding positively to new beverages made with coconut milk, both in the form of iced coconut milk mocha macchiato and the pink drink, which is made with strawberry açaí refresher and coconut milk.

Starbucks Starbucks' iced coconut milk mocha macchiato is a coconut milk-based is a take on Starbucks' iced caramel macchiato.

"Coconut milk is one of those things that our customers were asking for," Starbucks' coffee education specialist Mackenzie Karr told Business Insider prior to the launch of the iced coconut milk mocha macchiato. "When we launched last year it was hugely successful. So, the next step seemed — let's build a beverage around it."

However, when customer demand exceeds supply, it can create some serious problems for the company.

In May, Starbucks told Business Insider that locations were expected to increase their coconut milk orders prior to the launch of the iced coconut milk mocha macchiato. Clearly, some locations underestimated exactly how many customers would be jumping on the coconut milk bandwagon this summer, and are now coming up short — and, in the process, enraging customers attempting to try a new, limited-time offering or flaunt a pink drink on Instagram.

Starbucks across the country are running out of coconut milk, thanks to the runaway success of two new beverages.

Starbucks are running out of coconut milk - Business Insider Deutschl...


How Elizabeth Warren's own book makes the case she should run for president

"I am not running for president," the Massachusetts Democrat told The Huffington Post, as she has told many others. "You can ask that question any way you want, but you're going to get the same answer."

That's not exactly the question HuffPost was asking, though. The question was why readers of her new memoir and political treatise, A Fighting Chance, shouldn't take from it a very powerful argument for why Warren should run.

All through the book, despite her Shermanesque declarations of non-intent, can be found passages that suggest the logical next step for the middle-class girl from Oklahoma who grew into a champion for social justice is to seek the office where she could have the greatest impact.

Indeed, the argument for why she should attempt to go beyond even her unlikely ascension to the U.S. Senate two years ago begins on Page 2 of her book.

"I am determined -- fiercely determined -- to do everything I can to help us once again be the America that creates opportunities for anyone who works hard and plays by the rules. An America of accountability and fair play. An America that builds a future for not just some of our children but for all of our children. An America where everyone gets what I got: a fighting chance," Warren writes.

Perhaps Warren does not think that climbing onto the high-profile platform of a presidential bid lands in the category of doing "everything I can." But her book also shows how often in her public career she looked at the lay of the land and said no, or at least hesitated. She often had to be convinced.

When former Rep. Mike Synar (D-Okla.) asked Warren to join the National Bankruptcy Review Commission in 1995, she balked at first, but was then convinced by the opportunity to improve the laws in concrete ways. Not long after, Synar died, and the goal all but died with him.

President Bill Clinton appointed a lawyer named Brady Williamson to continue the work.

"When Brady called, I was blunt: Mike and I had a deal, but that was then. Mike is gone, and I'm out of here," Warren recounts in her book.

Williamson responded that ordinary bankrupt Americans had no political clout, that banks would make a bad situation worse if they dictated the commission's work, and that even though Warren couldn't make the reforms she had initially hoped, every day that they at least preserved the best aspects of the old laws was a day that some 5,000 people could use them to get a fresh start.

"Lord this was discouraging," Warren writes of their conversation. "But I signed on, and we started stacking sandbags as quick as we could. Maybe we'd lose in the end, but every day we held on was a better day for struggling families."

Helping people trumped her distaste for the project. It was a similar situation when President Barack Obama asked her to establish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He wanted her to set it up, but -- for political reasons -- not to lead it.

She told him no at first, fearing she wouldn't have the authority to build the agency that she thought was needed. Obama pleaded for her to trust him before she finally decided she would do it.

And when Democrats wanted her to run for the Senate seat in Massachusetts, she writes, "I really didn't want to run. I'd had enough of Washington." Her family was telling her, "We love you and we don't want to see you hurt. Please stay out."

But she thought about what a senator could accomplish:

[T]here was so much at stake in this election. I'd spent nearly twenty years fighting to level the playing field for the middle class, and I'd seen millions of working families go over the economic cliff -- and it was getting worse. What kind of country would my grandchildren grow up in? What if the conservatives and the big banks and the big-time CEOs got their way, and Washington kept helping the rich and powerful to get richer and more powerful? Could I really stand on the sidelines and stay out of this fight?

So she dipped her toe in the water, visiting small gatherings around the Bay State, until she met a woman who had walked miles to meet her. Warren writes that she decided to run after she was moved by this woman's tale. The woman declared, "I don't care how hard it gets, I want to know that you are going to fight."

In her book, Warren, who used to teach Sunday school, suggests that she has an almost religious calling to fight the good fight. She explains how she's inspired by the words of the King James Bible and how she offered their wisdom in a visit to a church.

"I stood up, and I talked about my favorite Bible verse, Matthew 25:40," she writes. "I told people what it meant to me. It's message was very simple: The Lord calls us to action. It's what we do that matters most."

Her takeaway from defeating Republican Sen. Scott Brown in 2012 has a similar tone.

"What is the lesson of that day? When we fight, we can win. And when we get really fired up and fight shoulder to shoulder, we can do some pretty amazing things," she writes. "Some say the rich and powerful now control Washington and always will. I say this battle isn't over yet. True, the playing field isn't level and the system is rigged. But we're putting up a heck of a fight, and we intend to keep on fighting."

If such comments -- found throughout the book -- don't make an argument for Warren to try for the White House, here are the final two paragraphs:

No one is asking for a handout. All we want is a country where everyone pays a fair share, a country where we build opportunities for all of us, a country where everyone plays by the same rules and everyone is held accountable. And we have begun to fight for it. I believe in us. I believe in what we can do together, in what we will do together. All we need is a fighting chance.

Warren can probably count on hearing those words come back to her many times over the coming months.

Michael McAuliff covers Congress and politics for The Huffington Post. Talk to him on Facebook.

How Elizabeth Warren's Own Book Makes The Case She Should Run For President

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren is adamant that she is not seeking to move up to the White House.

"I am not running for president," the Massachuse...

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Buddies @Rihanna & @KatyPerry now share a pretty big record

With the rise of her latest single "Roar," Katy Perry has tied Rihanna for the record for the most No. 1 songs in the history of Billboard's Pop Songs radio airplay chart. Both singers have 10 toppers to their name.

Rihanna's "Stay" gave her the title earlier this year, only to be tied by "Roar," Perry's lead single off the upcoming album "Prism."

The track follows past No. 1s from Perry including 2010's "California Gurls," "Firework," and "Teenage Dream." Behind Perry and Rihanna are P!nk with nine hits, and Lady Gaga and Britney Spears tied with seven each.

Perry's "Prism" is scheduled to hit stores on Oct. 22 and may provide the singer with even more No. 1 hits. The 13-track album features production by Dr. Luke, Klas Ahlund, and Sia, among others.

Katy Perry's Pop Songs Chart Reign Continues With The Rise Of 'Roar'

With the rise of her latest single "Roar," Katy Perry has tied Rihanna for the record for the most No. 1 songs in the history of Billboard's Pop Songs ra...

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This single mom waitress just got the tip of a lifetime

One waitress in Herndon, Va. got something extra and then some when a table of 10 left her a $1,200 tip on a $128 tab Thursday afternoon.

Though the donors wished to remain anonymous, they did send a tip about their good deed to local news station Fox 5. The Fox affiliate was there to capture server Megan Asadi's stunned reaction as she counted the cash at The Virginia Kitchen.

After thumbing through the wad of bills, the single mom of two said she planned to spend the money on her kids.

"I'm going to surprise them," she said. "Take them to the mall and tell them, 'Buy everything you want.'"

The unexpected twist to this feel-good story? Asadi said she was initially going to take the day off.

This isn't the first time this particular group of diners has "tip bombed" an unsuspecting server. Last year, the generous group left another waiter a little more than $1,400, according to Fox 5.

This Single Mom Waitress Just Got The Tip Of A Lifetime

If there's ever a time you might need a little extra cash, it's during the holidays.

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This One Ingredient Could Make Peanut Butter Deadly For Your Dog

Most dogs love peanut butter — and their owners love seeing the funny faces they make when they eat it. But not all peanut butter is safe for pets, and all dog owners should know about this potentially deadly ingredient.

Xylitol, a sweetener used in many foods, including peanut butter, yogurt, toothpaste and chewing gum, is safe for humans but potentially deadly for dogs. If ingested, it can cause seizures, liver failure and death, warned one animal hospital, which called xylitol "extremely toxic" to dogs.

Most peanut butters are free of the sweetener, but its use as a low-calorie alternative to sugar is increasing, which means dog owners need to be vigilant when it comes to what their pets are eating. Peanut butter brands that contain xylitol include Go Nuts, Co., Krush Nutrition, Nuts 'N More and P28 Foods.

Symptoms of xylitol poisoning in dogs include vomiting, muscle weakness, difficulty walking and tremors — and they usually begin within 15-30 minutes of consumption. Anyone who suspects their dog may have accidentally eaten something containing xylitol should contact a veterinarian or call the Pet Poison Helpline.

Click here for a more extensive list of products containing xylitol.

Most peanut butter does not contain xylitol and is safe for dogs — which makes it a great treat for pups. Check out these adorable dogs enjoying peanut butter responsibly:

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Xylitol (An Artificial Sweetener). #StopClickBait


A Camera Captured Three Women Doing Something Very ‘Controversial’ In A Car

These three models are in a group called SketchSHE, and they’ve become internationally famous for their sexy lipsyncing performances from inside a car.

The group is made up of 28-year-old Shae-Lee Shackleford, 25-year-old Lana Kington, and 27-year-old Madison Lloyd, who are all models in Sydney, Australia. They came together to form a comedy group, and they’ve now hit it big with these musical videos.

"We had no idea it would have such an incredible response. The fact that we’ve had people writing to us from around the world... I don’t think there’s been a country or continent that hasn’t reached out and written to us to say they loved it," Shackleford told reporters.

Though they are beautiful on the inside, these girls are hoping to break the stereotypes of who a typical model is.

"Unlike what might be synonymous with an attractive girl, we want to be crazy, let our hair down, and break the rules a bit. But we still like to wear make-up and dress up – we just want be able to make fun of what we do while empowering women to be comfortable in their own skin," Shackleford added.

What do you think about this video? Let us know in the comments section.

TellMeNow brings you the latest news in politics, entertainment, local and world events, life, inspiring, viral content and videos.

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A torture survivor's drawings show the hell this country has become

That was the conclusion of a yearlong investigation by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea, which released its report this week. The report lays out in horrifying detail the mass surveillance, torture, enslavement and disappearances under Eritrea’s totalitarian regime since that country gained independence from Ethiopia in the early 1990s. The U.N. investigators said systemic human rights abuses in Eritrea are on a scale rarely seen anywhere else in the world and may constitute crimes against humanity.

The U.N. panel, which was established in June 2014, was not able to enter Eritrea, so investigators based their 484-page report on 550 interviews and 160 written statements from people who had fled the country. Many witnesses were still terrified to provide information to the commission, fearing the reach of Eritrean surveillance and consequences for their families back home, the report said.

Among those willing to tell their stories was an Eritrean who sketched out some of the gruesome torture methods being used and provided the drawings to the commission. A human rights investigator for the commission who helped draft the report said the artist’s identity was being kept strictly confidential for his or her protection.

"The drawings were very useful to help us portray more vividly the suffering and humiliation described to us by many witnesses," she told The WorldPost. "The 'tying methods' are common forms of torture inflicted on both detainees and conscripts in Eritrea," she said.

Torch: Victims have their hands, and sometimes legs, tied or handcuffed together, with a stick under their knees. They are hung upside down and beaten, especially on the soles of their feet. © 2015 Eritrean torture survivor

Among the harrowing testimonies in the report, one survivor recalled, "They arrested me, handcuffed me and attached a rope in order to hang me like Jesus Christ but without my arms outspread." His hands were paralyzed for months, and the pain still lingers, he told U.N. investigators. "There are no rules when torturing. They can beat you five minutes or an hour, as they wish," he said.

Otto: The victims' arms are tied behind their backs and they're often made to lie facedown on the ground. © 2015 Eritrean torture survivor

It is hardly surprising, the commission said, that many Eritreans are trying to flee their country. Leaving itself is dangerous, as the government keeps the border sealed with lethal force and locks up those suspected of planning to escape. If they manage to get out, more peril awaits. Last year Eritreans made up almost one-quarter of the passengers on often deadly Mediterranean voyages from North Africa to Europe. Nearly 11,000 Eritreans have already reached the shores of Europe this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Helicopter: The arms and feet of the victims are tied behind their backs, and they are made to lie facedown on the ground or suspended in the air. © 2015 Eritrean torture survivor

The Eritrean government on Tuesday rejected the U.N. report as "indecent hyperbole" and denied its descriptions of government-sanctioned torture, forced labor and indefinite military conscription.

See more of the artist's drawings with the torture methods labeled, and read the full report of the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea here.

Almaz (Diamond): Victims are generally hung on a tree with their elbows tied behind their backs and forced to stand on tiptoe. © 2015 Eritrean torture survivor

A Torture Survivor Drew These Pictures To Describe The Hell Eritrea Has Become

In one small East African country, the rule of law has been replaced by the rule of fear.

That was the conclusion of a yearlong

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49 bizarre but also very real fears every woman can relate to

Doing a wee outside and getting scared ants will go up your vag.

1. Going to get a bikini wax while on your period and them accidentally catching your tampon string on the wax strip and yanking it out.

2. Watching Netflix while in the bath but being scared that some pervy man has hacked into your webcam and can see you.

3. Someone going to pick something off your chin and fearing that it may just be a hair they’re about to pull out.

4. Washing your hands next to someone in the bathroom but fearing that you’re not washing them well enough so overwashing them just to make a point to the complete stranger that you know how to wash your hands.

5. Wearing a max-absorbent pad during your heavy flow and worrying that people can hear the sound of your pad swishing.

6. Standing up on your period after sitting down for a long time and worrying that your uterus has exploded all over your seat.

7. Having layers of gross dead skin on your feet yet being worried about the stubble on your legs for your pedicurist.

8. Not locking the door properly in a public toilet and being walked in on by your crush, who happened to be in the same restaurant, while you’re taking a shit.

9. Getting your eyebrows waxed by someone who slips a little while she’s working on you and accidentally takes the whole eyebrow off.

10. That you’ve been doing sex wrong your whole life but everyone’s been too polite to tell you.

11. Getting your clothes trapped in closing train doors and somehow having them all ripped off in front of your fellow commuters. 12. Going to the toilet on a train or an airplane and the turbulence knocking you against the door, unlocking it, and making you fall out in front of everyone with your ass hanging out.

13. Turning down the sound on your phone while listening to Vengaboys on the train for fear someone can hear it.

14. Listening to a proper CHOON on your walk to the station and fearing that your "imagination dancing" is making you walk funny.

15. Going into a toilet that smells like shit, going for just a wee, leaving the toilet right as someone else goes to use the same toilet and fearing they think YOU did the stinky shit. 16. Going to the toilet, doing a stinky shit, then feeling like people can smell it on you afterwards.

17. Going to yoga or any kind of exercise that involves people getting close to you and fearing they can smell your vag.

18. Wearing bright lipstick on the crowded train and worrying that you might accidentally lunge forward, hit a guy wearing a white shirt, leave an imprint of your lips on his back, with him not noticing and then his wife accusing him of cheating and ruining their marriage. 19. Going into a bathroom with a shower curtain that’s been pulled across and having to yank it open in case someone is hiding there with an axe. 20. Or showering but then hearing a weird noise and fearing that any second someone is going to come in and murder you just like in all of the movies.

21. Noticing your own period smell and wondering if other people can smell it too. Then walking around all day like doo doo doo, doo doo doo, everyone can smell my menses, doo doo doo.

22. Someday finding out that you actually have terrible breath, so stinky that people talk behind your back about what a shame it is that you’re such a nice person with such stinky breath, but you never realised because your partners have been too polite to mention it.

23. Leaving the house and not realising until you’re under different lighting at the office hours later that your shirt is completely see-through.

24. Falling asleep with your phone in your bed and accidentally calling your ex and them just hearing you snoring and thinking you called them in the dead of night to mouth-breathe down the line to them.

25. Just being caught by a large gust of wind and your bum being bared to the world.

26. Delivering oral pleasure and suddenly being hit by your gag reflexing and just vomiting everywhere.

27. Forgetting to take out an old tampon before putting in a new one, and then forgetting AGAIN and then having THREE tampons, then doing it again and again until you are STUFFED with tampons.

28. Taking a ~sexy photo~ and accidentally emailing it to all of your professional contacts, just for no reason whatsoever other than a temporary mind fart.

29. Taking ~sexy~ photos and not realising you’ve changed some setting on your phone to automatically upload every photo you take directly to Facebook.

30. Swimming in a pond or a lake or a river somewhere and getting some kind of vagina parasite that no one’s ever even heard of just swim right up your vagina and live there.

31. Shaving your legs and somehow missing out a huge chunk of hair in a spot you can’t see, so you just have a random section of long, flowing hairs on the backs of your legs without even realising it.

32. Opening your mouth to speak on a date and just a massive burp coming out instead.

33. Leaving the house and forgetting to unplug the hair dryer, and it burning your whole flat down.

34. Using your phone while on the toilet and fearing that when you go to wipe, you might accidentally press the wrong button and FaceTime your boss your vagina.

35. Trying on an awkward outfit in the changing room and getting stuck in it so bad that no one can hear your muffled screams so you just have to stay like that forever.

36. Falling into the toilet in the middle of the night because someone left the toilet seat up, and getting stuck there as your vagina slowly fills with poo water.

37. Slipping while cutting your toenails and taking a whole toe off.

38. Doing a wee outside and getting scared ants will go up your fanny.

39. Doing a wee in the sea and getting scared a fish will swim up your fanny. 40. Swimming in the sea and suddenly getting your period and attracting a whole pack of ravenous sharks.

41. Doing a poo when there’s an earthquake and you fall off the toilet and hurt yourself and have to call for help with your bum out, covered in poo.

42. A friendly dog coming up to you and sniffing your crotch repeatedly and fearing that everyone thinks you have a smelly vagina.

43. Bitching with a friend about someone you know but then having to check your phone in case somehow you have accidentally phoned them and they can hear everything you say.

44. Auditioning for a singing show and thinking you’re really good and getting through to the live auditions because you’re actually so bad the producers think it’ll be hilarious.

45. Listening to music while you’ll on the train and suddenly not knowing if you’ve been singing along without realising it. 46. Cleaning out your belly button and accidentally poking through to your stomach.

47. Finding out in 20 years’ time that the moisturiser you use every single day is HIGHLY TOXIC AND KILLING YOU SLOWLY.

48. Being so relaxed while someone is going down on you and accidentally letting out a fart.

49. Or orgasming so hard that you shart.

49 Bizarre But Also Very Real Fears Every Woman Can Relate To


Bill Maher has a very important message for people interviewing Trump ➡ by @lee_moran

Bill Maher has issued a stark warning to fellow TV hosts who interview President-elect Donald Trump in the upcoming months.

"If you are going to have him on, he’s a politician," Maher said on Wednesday’s broadcast of "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

"I know he’s actually a game show host from Queens, but now he’s the president of the United States, so if you’re going to have him on ― this is everybody ― hold his feet to the fire," he added. "Don’t let him use you."

"Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon was accused of letting Trump do just that in September, when he messed up the GOP nominee’s hair during an interview.

Maher was a vocal critic of Trump throughout the presidential election campaign. But the comedian said he would still welcome the former reality television personality onto his show, "Real Time with Bill Maher."

Although it took Maher eight years to secure an interview with President Barack Obama, he admitted Trump’s "unpredictable" nature could mean the soon-to-be president turns up for his show’s new season, which returns to HBO this Friday.

"What kind of guy is he? That’s the point." said Maher. "It took me eight years to get Obama; [Trump] could appear on my second show. You don’t know what this guy is doing, which is why I’m sweating like a whore in church."

Bill Maher Has A Very Important Message For People Interviewing Donald Trump

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Golf commentator's comment about player's wife caught on tape

A famous television golf commentator was caught by a hot mic at the Masters Tournament talking about the "short" miniskirt worn by the fiancée of the winner and the couple’s sex life.

As the crowd cheered for golfer Sergio Garcia’s first major win at the Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia Sunday night, the BBC’s Peter Alliss, a former professional golfer turned commentator, was a bit distracted. In a barely audible video, Alliss can reportedly be heard saying that Garcia’s fiancée, Angela Akins, was wearing "the shortest skirt in the country."

What’s more, in another video of the couple hugging, Alliss can be heard saying, "There will be some fun in the hotel tonight!"

The reason we all watch BBC and not Sky. Mr Peter Alliss Ladies and Gents! ???? @theclub @TheSergioGarcia #themasters pic.twitter.com/eeEgmSyoW1

— Nick Daniel (@nickydan1) April 9, 2017

Gail Sullivan, a BBC spokesperson, tells Yahoo Beauty of the skirt comment, "While believing he was off air, Peter made a lighthearted remark which he now knows was inappropriate."

However, golf fans were quick to react on Twitter.

Did anyone else just hear Peter Alliss say Angela Akins is wearing the shortest skirt in the country!? ???? #Masters #SergioGarcia

— Enduro_Stu (@Enduro_Stu) April 9, 2017

When are the BBC going to get rid of Peter Allis? He is an embarrassment

— dominic Leslie (@dle100) April 8, 2017

Dear @BBCSport please, please retire Peter Allis. I know it's a tough conversation with an old man but it really is time

Yahoo Beauty could not reach Alliss for comment; however, the 86-year-old former golf pro who won 31 tournaments in his 28-year career has always been controversial.

In 2016, when members of the Scotland-based all-male golf club Muirfield were voting on whether women should be allowed to join as members (the club initially voted no, then reversed its decision in March), Alliss remarked to BBC 5 Live, "If somebody wants to join, you better get married to someone who’s a member."

And in 2015, the BBC issued an apology after Alliss made remarks about golfer Zach Johnson’s wife, Kim Barclay. As the camera zoomed in on Johnson readying himself for a swing during the British Open, Alliss said of Barclay, "She’s probably thinking, ‘If this goes in I get a new kitchen.’"

Alliss has also come under fire for what his critics call racist remarks — in 2002, he called Japanese golfer Shigeki Maruyama "the wily Oriental."

In an interview published Wednesday in Newsweek, Alliss was asked what he meant by 2015 comments that women’s rights in golf have "caused mayhem," and he said, "If we want to be equal, are you going to get a woman fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world [in] boxing? Are you? Could you? If you want perfect equality. I don’t like to see women punching each other in the chest. I don’t like it. I think it will cause irreparable damage. They talk about footballers heading balls, but punching each other in the breasts for six minutes doesn’t seem a sensible thing to do. There’s certain things that women do that we can’t do, as far as I’m concerned."

Alliss further defended his rep by telling Newsweek, "Those are my views. I think women are more delicate than men. I like holding chairs for women. I enjoy the company of women. I don’t want to be bullied by them. I don’t care for macho women, I don’t care for them very much. And yet they’re prevalent today, and very prevalent in some cases. And very forward."

Sexism has always plagued the sport of golf. As ESPN points out, it was not until 2012 that Augusta National allowed female members to join, and Burning Tree Golf Club in Maryland only recently allowed women into the clubhouse "to shop for Christmas gifts for their husbands by appointment only."

Criticism doesn’t seem to bother Alliss, who remarked to Newsweek that 2017 could be his last year on the job. When asked how he’d like to be remembered, he said, "Oh, I don’t worry about things like that. I just want people to think, ‘He was fun.’"

Golf Commentator Caught on Mic Saying Player’s Fiancée Wears ‘the Shortest Skirt In the Country’

A famous television golf commentator was caught by a hot mic at the Masters Tournament talking about the "short" miniskirt worn by the fiancée of the winner and the couple’s sex life.


People snapped up 391 homes in just 4 hours in this city

All 391 apartments offered by LendLease Group at a project in Sydney were snapped up in just four hours on Saturday, indicating demand for inner-city homes remains buoyant despite looming oversupply.

More than 400 potential buyers turned up from 8 a.m. in Darling Square, a development on the western edge of Sydney’s central business district, for the apartments that were priced from A$630,000 ($452,000) for a studio to A$3.5 million for a three-bedroom penthouse, LendLease said in an e-mailed statement.

The sellout at the project, the final stage of LendLease’s 1,500-apartment development, comes amid renewed investor confidence after a regulatory clampdown led to stiffer lending standards for landlords. About 47 percent of new home loans were to investors in March, the highest in seven months, according to government data. The nation’s biggest lenders reduced their mortgage rates after the central bank cut its benchmark on May 3 to 1.75 percent.

The demand for the homes comes as 34,300 new apartments are due to be completed in the next year, with the number set to more than double to 81,696 in the next 24 months, as soaring home prices led to a building boom, according to research firm CoreLogic Inc.

The Darling Square precinct is due to be completed in 2019. The A$3.4 billion project will house 4,200 residents, according to LendLease.

To contact the reporter on this story: Narayanan Somasundaram in Sydney at nsomasundara@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Marcus Wright at mwright115@bloomberg.net, Andreea Papuc, Edward Johnson

Gone in Four Hours: LendLease Sells All 391 Sydney Apartments


She Found A Defective Kit Kat. Now Look What She's Demanding From Nestle.

What matters isn’t when we encounter them, but how we react to them. Do we roll with the punches or create a fuss?

How we deal with these things is a big part of who we are as people.

There are people who take the hits, and there are people who hit back. Neither one is better or worse than the other in general, but taking either way to extremes can get tricky.

However, sometimes instances can ellicit these extreme reactions from people who otherwise calm.

We all have our hot buttons that can be pushed to drive us crazy.

When the issue is over something you're passionate about, you can get very vocal and even garner support.

It doesn’t matter if the cause is big or small. There are all sorts of mantras on the matter, but people chip in when it’s something they feel strongly about.

See how one mix-up with a candy bar sent one girl to crazy lengths to right this perceived injustice. You might laugh, but it seems like she takes her efforts very seriously!

Saima Ahmad takes her chocolate seriously.

The 20-year-old London-based law student bit into her Kit Kat recently, she noticed its trademark crunch was missing, according to British website Metro.

So she decided to write the company a note…

No crunch? That would ruin my...minute? Two minutes?

Such a scenario would be disappointing, sure, but probably wouldn’t get most people to draft a letter.

In a sternly-worded letter, Ahmad let Nestle know what was on her mind.

manufacturers owe a duty of care to consumers.

The specific duty you owe in consistency in your manufacturing process. The failure to take due care in the manufacturing process resulted in a product being defective.

As a result I feel as though I have been misled to part with my money and purchase a product that is clearly different from what has been marketed by Nestle."

But there’s more! She offered them a truce under one condition.

She extended the olive branch, but there were conditions associated with it.

Would Big Chocolate bow down to the demands of one measly customer?

"The loss I have suffered is of monetary and emotional significance.

I would like a full refund of the defective pack of Kit Kat I purchased. I have also lost my faith in Nestle.

Clearly, if I wanted to purchase a confectionery item that is purely chocolate, I would have purchased a bar of Galaxy.

I would therefore like to request a life-long supply of Kit Kat so that I can act as a means of quality control – it appears you need me more than I need you."

And Ahmad wasn’t the only one who had to endure this kind of emotional damage. Many Twitter users backed up her story with photos like the one above.

She took control of the situation by appealing to them practically. It’s sort of hard to say no to something like that.

A Nestle spokeswoman told NBC News that occasionally the factory does flub up.

"[A] Kit Kat finger without wafer does leave our factory from time to time but is extremely rare and we have checks in place to try to prevent it happening as far as possible."

Tragically, at time of writing, we don’t know if Nestle has agreed to meet Ahmad’s demands. We have a feeling she’ll survive this ordeal either way, though.

If she wins this debate and gets her way, we might have to make a new friend.

I mean, a lifetime supply of chocolate is a pretty powerful asset in endearing yourself to people.

So let's all scoot to the edge of our seats and see how she does.

We’ll either mooch some food off her or start our own claim against a chocolate company to get our own stash of sweets.

She Found A Defective Kit Kat. Now Look What She’s Demanding From Nestle.

Kit Kat had chocolate without wafer, and she's asking lifetime supply of Kit Kat


You'll Never Guess How These Smoothie Bowls Get Their Blue Hue

If you’ve ever perused Instagram for smoothie bowls, you may have noticed a new trend in this beautiful and healthy mania: blue. Not the usual pink of berry-filled smoothies, or the purple hue of blueberries. No, not even green (thanks to the addition of spirulina), but BLUE smoothie bowls.

Blue is not a color we often eat ― as candy, maybe, but definitely not when it’s supposed to be good for us. What does that mean for smoothie bowls? Are they getting pumped with chemical food coloring just so they look colorful?

We looked into this phenomena and are happy to report that blue smoothies are 100 percent natural ― made with homemade food dye ―and still totally good for us. They are, however, made with red cabbage. The color comes from a homemade dye cooked down from red cabbages.

To make this all-natural dye, a head of chopped cabbage is boiled for roughly 20 minutes. The cabbage is discarded, and the reserved liquid is cooked down for another hour. The resulting thick liquid is mixed with baking soda (in increments of 1/8 teaspoon at a time) until it turns into a brilliant shade of blue. Then the natural dye is used to turn our food into a beautiful shade of blue.

If you’ve ever perused Instagram for smoothie bowls, you may have noticed a new trend in this beautiful and healthy mania: blue. Not the usual pink of be...

Recipes,Healthy Recipes,blue food coloring

A homemade food dye with a red cabbage base.
#ohthankgod
#StopClickBait


Country star tells Westboro Baptist Church how he really feels

Country singer Vince Gill isn't afraid to confront the Westboro Baptist Church head-on, and that's exactly what he did when members from the hate group decided to protest his Missouri concert over the weekend.

On Sunday, Sept. 8, Gill stepped outside at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Mo., to face down some Westboro Baptist Church members gathered on the sidewalk. The hate group purportedly decided to protest Gill's concert because he is a divorced man who remarried, Country Music Television noted.

The 56-year-old musician was once married to Sweethearts of the Rodeo singer Janis Oliver. After their 1998 divorce, he married Christian singer Amy Grant in 2000. Grant, who has offered support to her gay fanbase, was previously married to Christian musician Gary Chapman.

Apparently, that union doesn't sit too well with the WBC, best known for its anti-gay rhetoric, as well as its unwanted appearances at funerals.

Hey, Vince Gill-@VGcom: God hates adultery and violence to marriage covenant. By whorish woman, destruction pic.twitter.com/rRIVKsutci — Westboro Baptist (@WBCSays) September 8, 2013

"Vince Gill, what in the world are you doing out here?" a WBC member can be heard asking, in a video of the confrontation uploaded to YouTube. "But, more importantly, what are you doing with another man's wife?"

"I came out to see what hatred really looked like in the face," Gill responded.

"Don't you know that divorce plus remarriage equals adultery?" she asked.

"Don't you know that you f**kers are lucky that you don't have a sign that says something about my wife?" Gill asked. "You know what else [Jesus Christ] said? He said a lot of stuff about forgiveness, about grace. You guys don't have any of that."

Gill then called another picketer a "big dips**t" and later asked if they are the Phelpses or just "the C Team."

On Sunday, the group also protested outside a Michael Buble concert. Its GodHatesFags website reveals the group has picketing plans at several places over the next two months, including a Mumford & Sons concert on Sept. 20 and two Florida high schools in October.

Westboro is about to get a protest of its own. Nonprofit group Planting Peace announced that in October it will be staging a drag show at the Equality House in Topeka, Kan., to draw attention to the anti-gay group and raise money for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. The Westboro Baptist Church compound is set to be in the center of the parade.

Country Singer Vince Gill Blasts Westboro Baptist Church Protestors At Kansas City Concert

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Lindsay Lohan is back in the recording studio & you'll never guess who she's collaborating w/:

Lindsay Lohan has shared a picture of herself in the recording studio with Duran Duran.

The actress, who recently starred in Speed-the-Plow in London's West End, is pictured with younger sister and singer Ali Lohan, alongside Simon le Bon and Nick Rhodes from the band.

The Instagram image was captioned: "#DuranDuran @alianalohan recording with some greats!!!"

Lindsay's probation for the theft of a necklace in 2011 came to an end last month.

The actress recently marked the 10th anniversary of Mean Girls by reuniting for a photo shoot with the cast and writer Tina Fey.

Lindsay Lohan Is in the Recording Studio With Duran Duran

Now here's a musical collaboration we didn't see coming...

Lindsay Lohan, Ali Lohan, Duran Duran, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Tina Fey


Everyone knows Costco has a pretty solid wine selection, and Trader Joe’s is famous (or infamous) for Two-Buck Chuck and others. But now we have Wal-Mart joining the party.

If you’re someone who doesn’t taste (or care about) the difference between a $10 drop of red from the Bottle-O’s bargain barrel and an $800 bottle of Grange, then we have some good news for you. A $6 bottle of Wal-Mart wine has been named one of the best in the world.

Yes, that’s right. One of Wal-Mart’s budget-friendly reds, Asda, has just won the prestigious Platinum Best in Show in the ‘single varietal red’ category at the Decanter World Wine Awards. A panel of 240 global wine experts tasted Asda’s La Moneda Reserva Malbec and reported it to be "an absolute crowd-pleaser" with a strong "succulent juicy berry" flavour.

La Moneda Reserva, from Central Valley in Chile, was also praised for its "freshly crushed black fruit, creamy vanilla yoghurt and pepper spice flavour", and apparently comes highly recommended by Asda’s wine buying Manager Ed Betts as an accompanying tipple to barbecued meats.

If you’re keen to get your hands on the low-cost wine, its British retailer sells it direct online...but not so fast. It’s sold out and Wal-Marts in the U.S. don’t currently sell it either. Thrifty drinkers wait in anticipation...

A $10 Bottle Of Wine Has Been Named One Of The Best In The World - Wi...

One of Wal-Mart’s budget-friendly reds has just won the prestigious Platinum Best in Show at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

Asda’s La Moneda Reserva Malbec, actually $6, owned by Wal-Mart, not sold in US


65-year-old model explains secret to aging naturally

One look at Linda Rodin, and it's easy to see why Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen cast her as a model in their recent ad campaign for The Row. The 65-year-old skincare guru is wearing her signature bright pink lipstick and oversized eyeglasses. Her white hair is tied into a simple low ponytail. She radiates "chic" in an all-black ensemble, but nothing about her reads overly classic or stuffy -- she's undeniably contemporary.

As she should be. Rodin started her eponymous skincare line in 2008 after a long career in the fashion industry, enjoying a brief stint as a model in the '60s and a successful tenure as a stylist for the likes of Harper's Bazaar, Gisele Bundchen and Madonna. "It's funny to think that people want to take my photograph -- why didn't they want to take it when I had no wrinkles?" she joked when we met in New York recently.

But Rodin's certainly grateful for the opportunity to model, especially when it involves working with the Olsens. "I knew they respected me and they knew I wasn't going to show up... young," she said. Response to the campaign has been overwhelmingly positive, indicating that perhaps the industry is ready to accept images of models above the age of 20... at least if the Olsens say so. Rodin explained: "I think that was what was so interesting: If those two girls find this amazing, when they're on the cutting edge of everything, there must be something to it."

It would appear there is. More and more magazines and brands, like Marks & Spencer and TK Maxx in the UK, are enlisting mature women to star in photoshoots. Some models, like Sarah Wiley, are even scouted after they turn 50. There is a "whole gang of us roaming around," Wiley, 66, told Stella Magazine last month. That "gang" includes 85-year-old Daphne Selfe, 81-year-old Jenni Rhodes and 82-year-old Carmen Dell'Orefice, who's been working steadily as a model since the age of 15.

As for Rodin, she had a full-page feature in American Vogue in August 2011, and she also posed for upcoming issues of Dutch magazine Rikka and Canadian magazine Fashion. But the last time she had seriously modeled was in the late '60s while living in Italy to study Italian. It was only in 2012, when J.Crew asked Rodin to model in its fall catalogue, that she came back in front of the camera. "I always feel like they're using me as not just a model, but someone with something going on," she said. "I'm not just an old lady who they think looks cute in clothes."

It's easy to make the argument that a brand's choice to cast an older model is shtick, especially when many models are actually under the legal drinking age (and those who aren't are altered to look that way via Photoshop). "I think the whole culture's screwed up," Rodin said, noting the irony. "They retouch 20-year-olds. I work with them, and I see the pictures, and I know that they've retouched this and that and that and this. I just go, 'She doesn't even have any wrinkles!'"

Fortunately, Rodin hasn't succumbed to the pressure to look younger unnaturally (though she experimented with fillers and Botox briefly). She's never dyed her hair, which went gray in her mid-30s, and she has never even considered getting a facelift. ("Aren't we curious to see how we'd grow up?") Instead, she's established a simple beauty regimen using only her own products ("I've got my own little universe"), and she claims she owes her glowing complexion to her namesake brand's enormously popular face oil, Olio Lusso.

"I first made it in my bathroom," she says, by simply mixing essential oils purchased at a health food store together in a teacup until she created the perfect concoction for her skin. Rodin began handing out small vials of the oil to models, photographers and celebrities on the photo shoots she styled. Before she knew it, Gwyneth Paltrow and Liv Tyler were vocal fans, and a cult following ensued.

"It makes your skin radiate naturally," she said. "It's not going to take away wrinkles. There's no miracle cream -- if there was, we'd all have it."

So rather than harp on the fine lines and freckles that come with aging naturally, Rodin's chosen to focus on looking the best she can while being healthy. "I'm never going to look younger; it's a folly," she said. "At the end of the day, I'm not going to fix anything, so I might as well embrace it."

Considering all of the top-tier modeling gigs she's booking, that strategy seems to be working well for Rodin. As of now, she's having fun modeling and focusing on the product launches set for her brand this year, which include a powder face wash and a fragrance inspired by her mother. With this level of energy, it's no wonder the woman is helping to set the bar for longevity in the fashion, beauty and modeling worlds. But the wisdom and perspective she's gained have only come with age.

"I remember when I was 24 saying to somebody, 'You know, I'm really getting up there -- I'm 24!' I was embarrassed by how old I was. Can you believe that? 24 and you're making excuses? What was I thinking?" she said. " And now, I want to be 90. I want to be old and healthy."

Linda Rodin, Model And Skincare Guru, On Aging: 'Aren't We Curious To See How We'd Grow Up?'

One look at Linda Rodin , and it's easy to see ...

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If you are one of the first 1,000 customers at a Krispy Kreme donut shop on Feb. 24, you can lay claim to one glazed donut, free of charge. The promotion is being held to celebrate the opening of a new Krispy Kreme location in Kansas City, which will be the chain’s 1,000th location.

If you're near Kansas City, that location opened at 6AM. The first person in that particular line will get one dozen donuts for free, once a week for a year. The next 99 people in line will receive a dozen free donuts once a month for 12 months. Elsewhere, all participating stores are giving away 1,000 donuts to the first 1,000 customers.

How to Get Free Krispy Kreme Donuts Today

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Go to Krispy Kreme before 1,000 other people do.


@glaad: Will the fall TV season be less gay?

"Will & Grace" star Sean Hayes is leading the way again.

The openly gay Hayes, who played Jack on the NBC series "Will & Grace," is one of the actors credited with helping change perceptions about gay people via that hit show.

This fall he is coming back to his former network as the star of "Sean Saves The World" in which he will play a gay single dad of a teen daughter. But Hayes will not be among as big a crowd of gay leading characters on broadcast television as he would have been had his show premiered last year.

fewer gay leading characters than last year


Why That Tiny Piece Of Plastic On Your Pizza Is A True Lifesaver

Have you ever opened your pizza delivery and seen a tiny plastic tripod perched at the pizza’s center? It turns out it’s not actually a kitchen table for ants.

This device is called a pizza saver, and it’s been protecting your precious pizza for over 30 years.

Delivery pizza has been coming in cheap cardboard boxes since the dawn of time. These boxes are great for many reasons ― they’re inexpensive and easily recyclable ― but the thin cardboard lid does tend to sag. And if the center of the lid is depressed enough to make contact with the pizza within, all hell breaks loose. The cheese is ripped off the pizza and sticks to the top of the box.

According to Gizmodo, a Long Island woman named Carmela Vitale recognized this problem back in the 1980s, and set about inventing a fix. Vitale came up with designs for the pizza saver, or as she called it, a "package saver," in 1983. Vitale submitted a patent request for the design that year, and her patent was approved in 1985.

While not every pizza delivery company uses them and they currently sell for less than one cent apiece, Eater estimates that a single manufacturer of pizza savers could be raking in as much as $8 million per year because of the high volume of pizza sales. Unfortunately, it appears that Vitale never manufactured pizza savers herself, Eater reports: She let her patent lapse in 1993, and she passed away in 2005.

The next time you crack open your pizza box, thank Vitale and her pizza saver for keeping your cheesy slice of heaven intact.

It prevents the lid of the box from sagging into the pizza (and ruining the pizza) #StopClickBait