Should we wipe mosquitoes off the face of the Earth?

When an Aedes aegypti mosquito bites you, she – because only the females, which need blood as nutrients for their offspring, bite – will probe your skin with her proboscis as many as 20 times. Two pairs of sharp cutting edges, the fascicle, break the skin and then search for a blood vessel, withdrawing and re-entering until a suitable target is found. When the blood starts to flow, a salivary tube delivers a protein that stops it clotting. The mosquito holds still and then begins to suck; in 90 seconds’ time, she feels full, and stops. And then, if you are in parts of South and Central America and bang out of luck, you will have Zika.

It’s a horrible idea, and one that will draw shudders from anyone who has ever been bitten by a mosquito – which is to say, just about everyone. In the entire animal kingdom, the mosquito occupies a special place as receptacle for our hatred and disgust. Even the great and generous EO Wilson, author of the touchstone argument for preserving biodiversity, The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, makes an exception for anopheles gambiae, which spreads malaria in Africa. "Keep their DNA for future research," he writes, "and let them go."

When Wilson thus hardens his heart, he speaks for us all. Where we revere and anthropomorphise such brutal predators as sharks, tigers and bears, we view these tiny ectoparasites as worthless, an evolutionary accident with no redeeming or adorable characteristics. No one ever had a cuddly mosquito. Thanks to malaria, they have probably helped to kill more than half of all humans ever to have lived. Today, according to the Gates foundation, the diseases they carry kill about 725,000 people a year, 600,000 of them victims of malaria. They are, as such, the only creature responsible for the deaths of more humans than humans themselves; we only manage to kill about 475,000 a year. This deadly work is carried out all over the planet: mosquitoes are found on every continent except Antarctica. And now there is Zika, which can lead to microcephaly and its associated physical deformities in unborn children, and for which there is no vaccine. This new horror has prompted fresh attention to the vexed question of how to defeat them. And that consideration leads to an unsentimental thought that we would entertain about no other creature: can’t we wipe them off the face of the Earth?

Click here for a video explaining the Zika outbreak.

"I don’t think most people would have any qualms about totally eliminating them," says Professor Hilary Ranson, head of vector biology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. "I spend most of my time trying to keep them alive and study them, but that’s in order to try to kill them. Ultimately I wouldn’t be too sentimental." Professor Steve Lindsay, a public-health entomologist at the University of Durham agrees: "I have no problem with taking out the mosquito."

In reality, as Lindsay and Ranson are quick to point out, the total extinction of all mosquito species would be as senseless as it would be impossible. Of the 3,000 varieties on the planet, only 200 or so bite us; only Aedes aegypti, and perhaps the more common Culex quinquefasciatus, are thought to carry Zika. Besides, as Jules Pretty, professor of environment and society at the University of Essex, points out: "In lots of environments, especially the Arctic north, where their abundance is utterly dispiriting, they are a vital source of food for animals higher up the food chain." A total mosquito apocalypse would be a catastrophe.

There are extinction options. It wouldn’t be easy, but we shouldn’t forget about it Jo Lines

But what about a narrower specicide, wiping out Aedes aegypti, and dealing a devastating blow to Zika, dengue fever and chikungunya alike? Well, that might be much more desirable – and much more achievable. "We’ve got really good new weapons," says Dr Jo Lines, reader of malaria control and vector biology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "There are extinction options. It wouldn’t be easy, but we shouldn’t forget about it."

For Lines, there is a more pressing case for the eradication of aegypti, as a carrier of dengue fever, than any other species of mosquito. "There is no visible end to this except a war against aegypti," he says. "Otherwise this is going to go on for a thousand years." He points out that because aegypti are thoroughly adapted to a man-made environment, unlike the anopheles variety that carry malaria, they will only become more prevalent as the human population and its accompanying urban sprawl grow. "The other things we’ll build out. West Nile, malaria ... but this is not going to fade away. These things are like rats and pigeons. We give them their home and food."

So how, exactly, would we go about it? For the specicide advocates, the most promising means of attack lies in a cutting-edge technology known as a gene drive, the subject of much excited reporting in recent weeks. And no wonder, so seductively dystopian is its premise: that a species can be eradicated by altering the genetic code of males in captivity so that they will only be able to produce sterile offspring, then releasing them into the wild to mate with unsuspecting females, rendering the next generation barren. Oxitec, a British company that has pioneered this kind of genetic modification, has been conducting trials since 2009, and has a production facility in Campinas, Brazil. And it is not alone.

"It really has been a gamechanger," says Andrea Crisanti, professor of molecular parasitology at Imperial College London. "We are able to modify the gene with unprecedented precision and flexibility." Crisanti, a leading expert in the field, has focused his own work on a similar mechanism that fights the malaria-carrying Anopheles gambiae, but he says that it could be exported to other species as well. "There are lots of advantages. If it doesn’t work, nobody has to worry: if they can’t breed, the GM is selected out. If it works, in theory you have total extinction. And if people are concerned about that, you can keep some in the laboratory and reintroduce them. So it is totally reversible." He gives a small laugh, and sounds freshly amazed at the power of the technology at his fingertips. "We can edit nature," he says. "This is an incredible new development."

There are practical impediments to this plan at the moment, though. "The number of sterile males you’d have to release is just phenomenal," says Ranson. All the same, the approach could make huge inroads in controlling the population, and extinction may be a realistic goal. Crisanti acknowledges the risks that his work brings with it. "But on the battlefield of risk-management, you have to accept that any measure has a risk to be balanced against the benefit. There is a risk we all rush, and that shouldn’t be done. We shouldn’t implement this on an emotional basis just because we don’t have anything else. And we shouldn’t take shortcuts in the regulatory process. We don’t want it to backfire when it could be a gamechanger for public health."

If people are concerned, you can keep some in the lab and reintroduce them. It is totally reversible. We can edit nature Andrea Crisanti

Still, talk of "editing nature" will unnerve those who are naturally suspicious of such radical moves, and for whom the term "genetic modification" is an automatic red flag. Some fear that the precise effects on the mosquitoes’ ecosystems are still hazy (while they might be our nemeses, there are fish that think they’re delicious). But most biologists are confident that such fears are misplaced. "Ecosystems would adapt," says Ranson. "There are so many similar mosquito species that don’t transmit disease that something else would fulfil that niche without doing any major harm."

Lines agrees: "Everywhere they exist, apart from parts of east Africa, they are an invasive species. So getting rid of them would be a boon to the ecosystem. What are the local things that eat aegypti that might say, ‘Now we’re hungry’? Well, there are fish and insects that eat the larvae and bats that eat the adults, and birds and geckos, but all of those predators have got other things to eat."

For others, the attention-grabbing qualities of a genetically modified mosquito spreading its poisoned seed are a source of more frustration than wonder; a distraction from on-the-ground efforts that could make a substantial difference in the fight against Zika and dengue fever right away. "What it mainly is is irritating," says Lindsay. "Everyone talks about vaccines and GM, but actually we can control this vector by much simpler means." Lindsay points out that aegypti were eliminated from much of South America in the 1960s by the simple mechanism of spraying containers with oil, kerosene and, later, the controversial pesticide DDT. Today, with a much larger human population and some pesticide resistance, that process is much more difficult; above all, the growth in the population of aegypti is down to our rapid increase in plastic consumption; it provides the mosquitos with an ideal breeding ground.

"There is so much misinformation out there," Lindsay says. "You see pictures of large open areas of stagnant water. But that’s not where the danger is. This thing breeds in small containers: flowerpots, gutters, tyres, water bottles. It’s about screening buildings, putting up nets, spraying insecticide in laundry areas. That’s not something for health professionals: that’s about educating and empowering communities so that they can reduce the risk themselves." So vexed is Lindsay by the way this crucial message is, in his view, being drowned out, that he and a group of colleagues have written a letter to the Lancet, shortly to be published, urging a renewed focus on these less exotic measures. "We have tools available," it reads, "that we can use to defeat this mosquito vector today."

Professor Trudie Lang, a senior research fellow at Oxford and head of the Global Health Network, tells a similar story. Her research is focused on improving public health, and connecting researchers and health workers in developing countries. It is, again, an unglamorous specialism – but a critical one, for the fight against Zika as much as anything else.

"There’s this incredible study on foetal scans and baby measurements," Lang explains, "which will mean that at least people can interpret the scans properly; if the problem is with foetal development then we have to know how that occurs. But these kinds of big studies are really underfunded, and because this kind of research doesn’t get any attention, that’s why we are where we are with Zika. The really hi-tech, GM stuff – bring it on. Marvellous. It gets people excited, it gets the [research] papers in Nature. But the normal, everyday stuff – the pragmatic, frontline research – can make some of the biggest differences. And it’s very, very difficult to get funding to support research-capacity development." Read the deadly last three words of that quote and you will see exactly where the problem lies. "The trouble," Lang says with a sigh, "is that it just isn’t sexy."

An Aedes aegypti mosquit, photographed in a lab at the University of El Salvador.

It is hard to prove a direct causal link between the exoticised enthusiasm for wiping out a species on the one hand and the underfunding of such crucial work on the other. All the same, there is a certain bitter irony that in an attempt to beat a disease whose impact will be felt most keenly by women and their unborn children, and which has been exacerbated by a shortage of funding for studies that would focus on the wellbeing of women in developing countries, we are contemplating a macho solution that entails sending male mosquitoes to impregnate as many females as possible, with the ultimate ambition of wiping the enemy off the face of the Earth.

Whatever the priorities, no scientist disputes that if the technology were to be perfected, the gene-drive plan would be a remarkable boon to public health. Yet there may be other, more abstract, objections contained in the eerie idea of that word: extinction, the permanent eradication of a species that has evolved and survived for thousands of years. Melanie Challenger, author of On Extinction: How We Became Estranged from Nature, travelled from England to South America to the Antarctic to think about how we contend with the elimination of the species. "Is there a more intrinsic philosophical reason why we shouldn’t drive an animal to extinction?" she asks. "My instinct is: yes. If a part of our brain lights up with caution, that’s a really good instinct, and we should heed it. I don’t think ‘love of nature’ is a good reason not to do it. But I do think there’s something more robust: the sanctity of life. If you start getting cavalier about the existence of a living being, if we start to think it’s OK to eradicate something because it’s a threat to us, we put other ideas about the sanctity of life in question. And because that’s ultimately an artificial, human concept, it needs to be cherished."

Yet even Challenger acknowledges that such arguments might seem a bit abstract to the mother of a child who will be deformed because of Zika, or killed by malaria. "I’m a mum," she says, "and no one can understand more than a mother the heartache and importance and power of keeping your children alive." Crisanti has a ready riposte to such abstract concerns: if we had already wiped out aegypti, would we ever contemplate reintroducing them? "When you reverse the argument," he says, "I think it’s clear."

In the end, if the technical and ecological objections can be overcome, it seems unlikely that philosophical arguments for the sanctity of aedes aegypti will hold sway. The mosquito has so ravaged us, for so long, that for most people it has exhausted all rights of appeal. Pretty, whose work straddles the arts and sciences, has also written about extinction. In his book, The Edge of Extinction, he considers how different cultures deal with the loss of species and habitats that surround them. It is fair to say that he is an advocate of conservation. But even he has his limit. "If one has a hierarchy of thoughts," he says, "the first would be that it would be desirable if we humans had a lighter impact and that any loss is one that should be deeply worrying. And in most cases you can stop at that point. But here you can ask the second question: if there was a loss of a whole species, would there be a human benefit? And in this case, the human benefit is so great that I think you have to say: ‘OK, I can hold these two thoughts at once.’"

Even before the Zika virus, mosquitoes were the deadliest creatures on the planet. But gene modification means these blood suckers’ days might be numbered. Is it dangerous to talk about ‘editing nature’, or should we consider eradicating them for good?

Zika virus,World news,Health,Malaria,Society,Science,Science policy,Biology,Biosciences,Biodiversity,Wildlife,Environment,Pesticides,Global development

Article doesn't really answer the question. It says that they've gone past the point of appeal, so not many people would worry if they were completely killed off, considering Zika and shit.


There’s Finally A Movie That Gets ’90s Nostalgia Right

Hot Summer Nights, one of the most exciting new films at the South by Southwest Film Festival this year, is all that and a bag of potato chips.

Timothée Chalamet and Maia Mitchell. Imperative Entertainment

Hot Summer Nights is literally the first film project 29-year-old Elijah Bynum has ever directed. "Not a short film, or a commercial, or music video. I really had nothing to show," he stressed to BuzzFeed News from the South by Southwest Film Festival, where the movie made its premiere this past weekend.

Timothée Chalamet and Elijah Bynum. William Callan for BuzzFeed News

But for a debut effort — and, particularly one that covers the well-trodden ground of teen summer romance and amateur drug dealing — Hot Summer Nights will feel pitch-perfect to current twentysomethings. Set in 1991, the film follows Daniel (Homeland’s Timothée Chalamet), an insecure teen whose recently widowed mom ships him off to the Cape for a summer. He falls for the ridiculously gorgeous local heartbreaker, McKayla Strawberry (Maika Monroe of It Follows), and into a small-time weed business with her quick-tempered and equally hot townie brother, Hunter Strawberry (Rings’ Alex Roe). Things get out of hand quickly, but it’s the perfectly invoked sense of the era that keeps Hot Summer Nights from falling into clichéd territory.

For audiences who grew up during the early 1990s, the appeal of this summertime coming-of-ager is spelled out in its well-executed swaths of pop-cultural nostalgia. Terminator 2 footage is spliced into the movie twice (both times at a drive-in movie theater); Daniel and McKayla spend an evening at an arcade playing Streetfighter 2; there’s an epic mid-carnival kiss followed by fireworks; baggy pants and awkward horizontal striped shirts abound; landline phones take the place of iPhones; Daniel dons a "Jesse Jackson ‘88" cap; and the soundtrack is an eclectic mix of songs that were already considered retro in the ’90s (David Bowie, Linda Ronstadt, the Zombies).

Maika Monroe as McKayla Strawberry. Imperative Entertainment

But Bynum was careful not to overdo the throwback vibe. "We didn’t want it to feel like people were playing dress-up, or that it was just kind of a pastiche or a ‘wink wink.’" He also wanted to avoid direct parallels between his movie — for which the director is seeking distribution — and other highly successful projects that have benefited from nostalgia. "I wrote this script and we started shooting it before Stranger Things was even a thing. Now it’s very dangerous, because they’ve done such a good job capturing that, and you have to be careful not to get too close to that because you’ll be compared to them."

Bynum’s brand of authenticity could come from the fact that he based the narrative on a true story, of two guys he went to college with. Like Daniel and Hunter, they started a small weed business, dealing out of their dorm, which then grew into into "an empire" that turned dangerous and tore the friendship apart. "These small towns have legends and folklore, and they’re passed down through generations," the Amherst, Massachusetts, native said. "There’s something very comforting about looking back at a time that is beyond you; looking back at a time with wiser perspective, being able to re-evaluate it differently."

Alex Roe as Hunter Strawberry. Imperative Entertainment

Bynum doesn’t think he’s reinventing the wheel with his love letter to the small summertime towns of the East Coast. "If you look at something like Grease, which was made in the late ‘70s about the ‘50s, or American Graffiti, I think people are always looking back at the past and feeling nostalgic about it in one way another." Yet, even Bynum can’t help but feel a little wistful for the ’90s, too. "I like when people still used payphones, and no one walked around with cell phones," he sighs. "I think there’s something romantic about having to memorize a girl’s phone number and then call her up. But that doesn’t exist anymore, sadly." He’s not wrong — who memorizes phone numbers anymore? — but for the two hours of Hot Summer Nights, it almost feels like the present.

Timothée Chalamet, Elijah Bynum, Maia Mitchell, Maika Monroe, and Alex Roe. William Callan for BuzzFeed News


Listen to what this guy says in his sleep and just try not to laugh

Adam Rosenberg has been told a few times in his life that he talks in his sleep. But he didn’t have great proof until he downloaded and started using a sleep-tracking app on his phone. (Whenever the sound in the room reached a certain level, the app started to record.)

Rosenberg could make out that he was saying something during his slumber, but not what.

"It was distorted. I needed to find out more," the 28-year-old independent filmmaker told The Huffington Post.

So he hooked up a better quality microphone. And what he played back sounded... confusing:

"Shhh. Shut up. Shut your fat butt. You fuck buck," was one line he recorded, which he included in the video he made out of the recordings earlier this year (watch it in full at the top of the article).

The images of Rosenberg sleeping in his bed and the microphone in the video are a reenactment, but the audio ― besides the voiceovers ― are all real recordings of Rosenberg’s sleep.

"Just add look dust! Da Look as. Cause, cause you act like a booger cause, you fuzzy. Cause it fancy," is another line.

Other mutterings might be considered more... poetic?

And other mumblings were just gibberish (as far as he knows), Rosenberg said.

"It almost sounded like different languages sometimes," Rosenberg said ― though he doesn’t speak any languages other than English (and three years of high school Spanish).

"And it wasn’t just my normal speaking voice," he said. "It was really strange and funny and weird."

Sleep experts say it’s actually totally normal for people who talk in their sleep to say things that make no sense at all ― though some people who do it can relate their mumblings to past events or experiences.

Rosenberg said he doesn’t remember connecting any of the recordings he listened to to specific dreams or experiences.

Somniloquy (the formal word for chronic "sleep talking") is technically considered a sleep disorder when it happens in adults, though it tends to not be physically harmful ― other than potentially being embarrassing, annoying a bed fellow or disruptive to others sleeping nearby.

Though it depends on what you find annoying...

"Pip pup pup pup pup pup pup pup pup pup pup pup pup pup pup pup pup pup psssssssss," Rosenberg says about a minute and a half into the video.

Because most people aren’t aware whether they do it or not, it’s difficult to put a number to exactly how common sleep talking is.

Some experts suspect the behavior may run in families. Others suspect stress, depression, sleep deprivation, daytime drowsiness, alcohol, fever or other sleep sleep disorders could all be potential causes of sleep talking. And if the episodes do become severe or problematic, the National Sleep Foundation recommends individuals talk to their physician or health care provider to determine if one of these underlying problems is the cause and needs to be dealt with.

"So what does it all mean? Is there a significance to all the things I say in my sleep?" Rosenberg asks at the end of the video. "Or is it just meaningless rambling ― the insignificant reflex of an unconscious mind?"

You’ll have to watch the video to find out the answer.

Listen To What This Guy Says In His Sleep And Just Try Not To Laugh

sleep + wellness,Sleep,life lab,the scope


American Flag Burned at School - and You Won't Believe How Students React

A reader alerted me to this incredible story of patriotism at a high school in Heber City, Utah:

Student Ben Schofield is known around Wasatch High School for his American spirit. He flies an American flag from the back of his red pickup truck.

"I think it's really important," Ben told Fox 13 in Salt Lake City . "It's not just the material part of the flag, it's the meaning behind it."

The other day someone set fire to Ben's flag in the school parking lot. Part of his truck was scorched by the blaze.

Some of his classmates saw what happened and rushed over to extinguish the fire.

"They pulled into the parking lot and they saw it on fire so they stopped and got it out and then they went and told the office," Ben told Fox 13 in Salt Lake City.

Police and the school district are investigating - they believe another student may be responsible. The motive is unclear.

The following day - students at Wasatch High School - decided to take a stand. Several dozen young people rallied at a nearby Wal-Mart. They wore red, white and blue and most proudly flew Old Glory.

Samantha Emmanuel, one of the participating students, said she and the others were appalled at the vandalism.

"There are thousands and thousands of soldiers (in) a couple different countries right now fighting for you to come to school and then you just burned (the flag) up like that?" student Samantha Emmanuel told television station KSL.

The young patriots boldly sent a message to those who might deface or desecrate the U.S. flag -- we will not be silenced nor will we be bullied.

And sure enough -- the day after his flag was desecrated, Ben showed up to school with the Star-Spangled Banner proudly waving on a post in the truck bed.

"We're just showing that we can fly our flags and we always will," Ben declared.

President Ronald Reagan once said that "freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."

We owe a debt of gratitude to the moms and dads and educators in Heber City, Utah for raising up a new generation of patriots willing to defend freedom.


What is the most dangerous drug in the world? This sounds like a relatively simple question: Surely it’s the one most likely to kill you, right? As it turns out, it depends on a multitude of things, from the individual owner's risk to the wider risk to society – and perception plays a large part.

David Nutt is the Edmond J. Safra professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London. He’s one of the world’s foremost experts on drugs, in terms of their use, their effects on the human brain, and international drug policy. Drug Science – formally the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs – is a science-led drugs charity and research organization headed by Professor Nutt.

In 2010, a now-infamous paper was published by the group detailing their scientific analysis on the harms of drugs available in the U.K., both legal and illegal. Sixteen parameters of harm were chosen , and were divided in terms of the specific drug’s direct and individual effects on the user. A direct effect of a drug on a person could be death through an overdose, for example; an indirect effect could be damage caused by becoming infected with HIV while using contaminated syringes. Each drug’s effect on others and the wider society were also taken into account.

The list included mortality likelihood, dependence, impairment of mental functioning, loss of tangible socioeconomic things (such as a house or a job), physical injury, and criminal activities. The economic cost to the country, as well as the international damage (in terms of political and societal destabilization, for example) were also considered.

"Ranking twenty different drugs on sixteen different harms – that’s the best method we’ve had," Professor Nutt told IFLScience. In a more general sense, the detrimental effects of drugs could be divided into two broad categories: harm to others and harm to users.

This group also had to weight the different criteria – some harms were considered, albeit subjectively, more important than others. "There are two elements to it," Nutt continued. "Deciding on the various harms – the 16 parameters – most experts agree on that. The more interesting question is how much you care about each of these different rankings; this is where the weightings come in. This could vary greatly depending on the group’s opinions."

With all this taken into consideration, which drugs were considered the most harmful? Mostly due to its harm to others – including the wider economy – alcohol was considered to be by far the most dangerous. Heroin and crack cocaine were next on the list, mostly due to the harm to individual users, although they still had a significant "harm to others" component. Cannabis was ranked 8th for overall harm, whereas ecstasy and LSD were considered among the least harmful. Tobacco was ranked 6th, just behind cocaine.

Despite the European study using different harm weightings, the results were pretty much identical, with an extremely high level of agreement, or correlation, between the two studies. Only a few drugs – methamphetamine and ecstasy – changed positions slightly.

"We repeated the study at a European level, expanding it from a smaller British scale – and our experts really agree with each other," lead author Dr. Jan van Amsterdam, of the Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam, told IFLScience.

Regardless, the conclusion seems to be that alcohol is the most dangerous drug around. It directly causes a plethora of diseases, from cardiovascular and neurological disorders to liver degeneration; it indirectly causes transportation accidents, increases promiscuous activities and thus the likelihood of becoming infected by a range of pathogens, and makes an enormous dent in a nation’s economy as it pays for treatment for those suffering from alcohol-related problems.

Asking the question "what is the world’s most dangerous drug" is fraught with complex political and social history – and many people believe all illegal drugs to be far more dangerous than legal ones. The legal status of various drugs is somewhat arbitrary, defined long ago in many Western nations by quirks of history.

Heroin, for example, was regularly used in the U.K., prescribed by the National Health Service (NHS) to treat heroin addicts – small doses were used to wean people off it. "There were 1,000 addicts in 1971," Nutt pointed out. "Then the government decided to get "hard on drugs"; by 1990, there were 200,000 addicts.

"Drugs policy is deliberately used as a political tool. The illegalizing of cannabis, for example, was driven by pressure from Egypt which insisted the UN add cannabis to the anti-drug conventions in order for its members to get access to military bases there."

If the danger of drugs is seen as a personal danger most of all – as the European study decided – then drug addiction problems should be treated more as a health issue, not as a policing issue . Alcoholism is treated as a health issue, and heroin addiction often isn’t – illegal substance abuse tends to be a criminal issue first and foremost.

All drugs are dangerous to some degree. Clearly, the idea that a drug is more dangerous just because it’s illegal is completely unfounded.

What's The Most Dangerous Drug In The World?


Farmer Never Expected to Find This on His Farm

On Christmas Day, as one rural farmer from Argentina strolled about his property, something incredible caught his eye...

When Jose first arrived on the scene, he began to excavate the object. He then ran and told his wife, who was waiting in the car. Afterwards, he returned to the scene with other family members to further investigate...

The strange object was found in a small city called Carlos Spegazzini, just a short drive from the capital city of Buenos Aires. The suburb is home to both farmers and several affluent communities.

A cop who arrived at the farm inspects the new discovery.

Indeed the object was a few thousand years old, and isn’t the first fossil of its type to be discovered in the area.

So the pressing was, what was the fossil? Where did it come from, and why was it only discovered now?

As it turns out, the fossil was in fact the shell of an ancient glyptodon. As paleontologist Alejandro Kramarz of the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum said, "There is no doubt it looks like a glyptodon."

The glyptodon was an armored mammal that lived during the Pleistocene epoch.A close cousin of the armadillo, just far larger, they could weigh up to 2 tons!

In this video, you can see the fossil, which turns out to be at least 10,000 years old.

Man Unearths Ancient Two-Ton Mystery Buried in Backyard

Fossil of an Ancient Glyptodon, Basically a Big Dumb Looking Armadillo


FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, file photo, a Labrador retriever named Shayna attends a news conference at the American Kennel Club in New York. According to the American Kennel Club Tuesday, March 21, 2017, Labrador retrievers have extended their record run as America's most popular dog breed for 2016. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Labrador retrievers have extended their record run as America's most popular dog breed, leading the American Kennel Club's new rankings for a 26th straight year. But Rottweilers are enjoying renewed favor, and some other dogs have been striding up the popularity ladder. A closer look at some of the rungs revealed Tuesday:

In 2013, Labs grabbed the record for the longest stretch at No. 1, and they haven't let go. Affable, relatively easy to train and eager to please, they're popular partly because "you don't have to be an expert dog owner to own a Lab," says AKC Vice President Gina DiNardo. But for those seeking more than a family pet, the breed has proved itself at everything from bomb sniffing to guiding the blind.

The rest of the top 10, in order: German shepherds, golden retrievers, bulldogs, beagles, French bulldogs, poodles, Rottweilers, Yorkshire terriers and boxers.

The stats reflect puppies and other newly registered dogs in the AKC's 189 recognized breeds. They don't encompass the nation's millions of mixed-breed dogs or such deliberate hybrids as Labradoodles and maltipoos.

At No. 8, the Rottweiler posted its highest ranking in almost 20 years. Renowned for their loyalty, confidence and protective instincts, Rotties were America's second-most-popular dog in 1997 but faded to 17th within a decade, as some small breeds surged for a time. But Rottweilers muscled their way back into the top 10 in 2015.

Alexandra Niles is among the new Rottweiler enthusiasts. Seeking a big, sturdy dog, she got Talos four years ago, promising his breeder she'd learn to show him. He's now a show champion, is working toward a therapy-dog certificate and competes in obedience and other dog sports. He has even herded sheep.

As strong dogs with guardian tendencies, Rottweilers need good, early training, socialization, activities and their people's companionship. "They aren't a breed for everyone," says Niles, of Scotch Plains, New Jersey. "But whatever you put into them, they give back to you a millionfold."

Several breeds in the top 10 have been there for a decade or more, but French bulldogs were ranked just 36th a decade ago. The quizzical, push-faced dogs had been out of the top 10 for nearly a century before making it back the past two years, while their larger bulldog cousins have hit their highest-ever ranking.

Some other breeds making sizeable moves in the past decade: Siberian huskies, up from 25th to 12th; great Danes, from 24th to 14th; and Australian shepherds, from 34th to 16th.

And keep an eye on the Belgian Malinois, which sprang from 90th to 47th as it became increasingly visible in the U.S. as a police dog.

Some rare breeds simply haven't had much time to build a following. Those such as the Cesky terrier and the sloughi earned AKC recognition only within the past 10 years. But last year's scarcest breed was the venerable American foxhound, part of the AKC's roster since 1886.

DiNardo encourages people to give rarer dogs a look. "Breeders are there, trying to preserve and protect those breeds," she notes.

A breed's popularity can reflect anything from ease of grooming to exposure from celebrity owners. Some familiar breeds that once held the top spot, such as collies and cocker spaniels, aren't in the top 10 today.

The only breed to rank in the top 10 every decade since the AKC's 1880s founding? The beagle.

The AKC doesn't release raw numbers, only rankings. But DiNardo says the total number of registered dogs grew 8 percent last year.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and some other animal-rights activists deplore the pursuit of purebreds, saying it fuels puppy mills and diverts people from adopting mixed-breed dogs. The AKC says conscientious breeding helps owners predict what dog will be right for them to make a lasting match.

Whether purebred or mixed-breed, "there's a right dog for everyone," DiNardo says.

Labs extend purebred dog popularity record; Rottweilers rise


This Teen's Brother Trolled Her So Hard During Her High School Graduation

Yup, Anthony decided to dress in a cap and a gown for his sister’s big day. Anelle said she was shocked.

"I had no idea at all that he was going to do it, and I have to sit onstage during the ceremony the entire time and I tried so hard to hold in my laughter but it was too funny," she said.

She added that because she is the secretary of her class, her family had special box seats for the graduation, which made it even funnier because he was in a prominent spot for the ceremony.

It also helped that her brother just graduated last year, she said.

"He was a really popular guy in high school, so everyone recognized him and they couldn’t help but laugh," she said. "The people who didn’t know him thought he was a graduate that administration wouldn’t let walk the stage."

This 17-Year-Old’s Brother Pulled The Best Prank On Her At Her Graduation

He wore a cap and gown even though he wasn't graduating. #StopClickBait


A theory about Phoebe from 'Friends' is ruining the show for the internet

For anyone who was a "Friends" devotee, it seemed apparent there was something lovably wrong with Lisa Kudrow's character, Phoebe Buffay.

The beautiful blonde never quite seemed all there in the hit NBC sitcom. She referenced having a strange past multiple times on the show, too.

Phoebe told other cast members at various points during the 10 seasons that her mother was a drug dealer, that she hung out with a group of friends behind a dumpster, and that she had been homeless.

One "Friends" fan took Phoebe's checkered past and turned it into a dark theory about how the series should have ended, and it has gone viral.

The fan, @strnks on Twitter, posted the theory a few days ago and it has gotten attention on publications like Time and Daily Mail. In @strnks' eyes, the show shouldn't have ended with Ross, Rachel, Monica, and the gang walking out of their apartment, leaving the keys on the counter.

It should have ended just with Phoebe sitting in the friends' favorite haunt, Central Perk, staring out the window. In this alternate ending, Phoebe would have been a meth head, creepily staring out the window at five people who are actually friends — Ross, Rachel, Joey, Chandler, and Monica — and daydreaming up the whole 10 seasons, mentally inserting herself into what she assumes their lives are like.

"All 10 seasons were merely her fevered imagination," @strnks writes, "projecting herself into the lives of the others. All she ever wanted was... Friends."

One "Friends" fan took Phoebe's checkered past and turned it into something incredibly dark.

Phoebe is a homeless woman who sleeps by the Friends fountain, who dreams of being a part of the group of friends always having coffee at Central Perk. #StopClickBait


Britney Spears returned to the MTV VMA stage on August 28, but did her appearance on the red carpet and performance go without a hitch?

There was obviously a lot of hype surrounding her big return to the stage that made a laughing stock out of her in 2007.

Britney was not herself when she performed in 2007. It's sad, but there's no getting away from the fact that her confidence was pretty much non-existent during the performance of "Gimme More."

However, her performance of "Make Me..." with G-Eazy was met with mostly positive response.

As always, Britney was criticized for miming her song, but she more than made up for it with her energetic dance routine.

There was even an almost kiss between Britney and her performing partner that sent the internet into overdrive.

Britney made it clear in the days after the performance that Britney made it clear in the days after the performance that G-Eazy did not try to kiss her and claimed he had a girlfriend.

It was pretty clear that Britney Spears was back and better than she's been for many years.

Somehow, people still want to bring the star down. This is not sitting well with Spears who is ready to Somehow, people still want to bring the star down. This is not sitting well with Spears who is ready to start filing some lawsuits

There's only so much one person can take before it all becomes a bit too much, but Spears is not messing around.

Making false reports about her is one thing, but trying to bring her down when it's clear she's back to her former self is just ridiculous.

Britney's current target is In Touch, who are allegedly about to release a completely fabricated article about the singing sensation.

The potential story claims that Spears was acting very erratic at the VMAs.

Britney had every right to be a little nervous about her performance. Her previous performance at the VMAs did not go down well, so she knew there was a lot riding on that one.

The article even claims that Britney was laughing speaking in a British accent. It all sounds pretty ludicrous and is if it's been pulled from thin air.

This has got to stop, so it's pretty great Britney is not holding back with the tabloids this time round.

Britney's lawyer says the story is "utterly false, highly defamatory and completely offensive to Ms. Spears."

With In Touch adamant they're running the story, it remains to be seen just how all of this will play out.

The chances of Britney's lawyers stepping down are pretty much slim to none, so we could be in for a thrilling legal battle.

It's great that Britney has decided that she's done being trashed by her haters.

Is Britney right to pursue legal action against In Touch?

Britney Spears Threatens to Sue Tabloid: Find Out Why! - The Hollywoo...

Britney Spears is totally over tabloids lying about her life and has taken aim at a particular one. We have all the details you need...

InTouch is running a story that claims she was acting erratically at VMAs. Nowhere in the article did it say she was going to sue


Finally! Google Maps fixes its most annoying feature

Google Maps is one of the most powerful tools available on your smartphone. It can help you get to your destination, find places to get gas or eat, see remote locations at ground level, view satellite and terrain features and so much more.

But with the latest round of updates, Google Maps just got even more powerful with updates that gives the app a much cleaner look, feel and functionality.

Redesign: You'll notice the text is bigger, bolder, and easier to read without having to zoom in.

Decluttered: Unnecessary features have been removed for a cleaner look. Road outlines have disappeared. Combine that with the bigger text, you can find what you're looking for with less distractions.

Areas of Interest: These areas will be shaded in orange and you can zoom in and tap to get details about that specific location. Areas of interest are chosen by an algorithm and highlight restaurants, popular bars and shops.

Color Scheme: Subtle changes have been made to the color codes, which you can see in the diagram below.

What do you think about these changes? Will they be useful to you? Let us know what you think by posting in the comments below.

You're going to love this subtle change being made to Google Maps.The latest update makes it much easier to use and more efficient. Find out how the app is changing and why you'll ...

There is no annoying feature mentioned anywhere in the article.


If you’re behind on retirement savings, here’s how to catch up

There are a number of ways, often overlooked, to help you boost income or minimize your costs during your golden years. Here are three:

Stretching the Dollar, Maximizing Breaks

Anyone age 50 or older can put an extra $6,000 a year—to a maximum of $24,000—into an employer-sponsored 401(k)-type plan. With an individual retirement account, the annual contribution limit rises to $6,500 from $5,500, giving latecomers an extra $1,000 in tax-advantaged savings.

Another often overlooked option is a health-savings account. To open an HSA, you must be covered by an HSA-qualified health plan, which typically has a high deductible. But when used to cover medical expenses, these accounts come with more tax advantages than 401(k)s and IRAs.

As with a traditional 401(k) or IRA, an HSA allows you to set aside pretax money without paying federal or state income tax on it. If used for medical expenses, the money can also be withdrawn tax-free, unlike the savings in a traditional 401(k) or IRA.

This year, individuals and families can save up to $3,400 or $6,750 a year, respectively, in an HSA. (Those 55 or older can save $1,000 more.)

By postponing retirement and not claiming Social Security until age 70, a person stands to boost his or her retirement income substantially. Social Security increases its payouts by up to 8% for every year a beneficiary between ages 62 and 70 refrains from collecting a check. (Payments are also adjusted for inflation.)

A bonus: Those able to postpone retirement can count on a few extra years in which to earn an income and save. Moreover, the number of years in which they must support themselves on their retirement savings will decline.

"Even a part-time job can make a difference," says Wade Pfau, a professor of retirement income at the American College of Financial Services in Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Many retirees seek to free up home equity by downsizing or relocating to a cheaper area. But if the savings don’t amount to much or you want to stay put, consider a reverse mortgage.

While in the past reverse mortgages had garnered a bad reputation for getting some homeowners into trouble, a growing body of research says that if used properly they can be good for filling in retirement income gaps.

Reverse mortgages allow people ages 62 and older to convert their home equity into cash. But instead of the homeowner writing a check to the bank each month, the bank pays the homeowner, who can elect to receive a lump sum, line of credit or monthly payments. The loan is due, with interest, when the borrower dies, moves or sells the house.

Fees on these loans have declined in recent years, transforming them from a product with a bad reputation to "a viable source" of money for people who want to remain in their homes, says Paul Auslander, director of financial planning at ProVise Management Group LLC in Clearwater, Fla.

The proceeds can be used to pay down a mortgage. Those who need income to supplement their retirement savings may want to elect a monthly payment for life, says Mr. Pfau.

If You’re Behind on Retirement Savings, Here’s How to Catch Up

No matter how big your retirement-savings shortfall, all is not lost.  Tax-advantaged savings accounts offer some of the most attractive ways to play catch-up, experts say, and yet many savings laggards don’t fully employ them.  With an individual retirement account, the annual contribution limit rises

Delaying Social Security By postponing retirement and not claiming Social Security


May means it's time to sell these stocks.

One of the oldest adages on Wall Street is "sell in May and go away." Stocks have historically underperformed during the six-month stretch from May to November, hence the expression. Unfortunately, the "sell in May" approach has gotten mixed results in recent years and may no longer be a viable strategy. But regardless of the performance of the overall market over the next six months, there are still plenty of stocks that investors should consider selling this May. Here are seven stocks to sell in May or any other month of the year, according to Bank of America analysts.

Accenture is a global information technology services company that derives less than half its revenue from North America. When Accenture cut its fiscal 2020 guidance in late March, analyst Jason Kupferberg said he did not think the updated guidance was conservative. The updated guidance calls for revenue growth to bottom in the fiscal third quarter at between negative 2% and positive 2%, less than half the peak-to-trough deceleration the company experienced during the financial crisis. Kupferberg says project-based business visibility is currently extremely limited. Bank of America has an "underperform" rating and $154 price target for ACN stock.

It makes sense for investors to consider buying the dip in Caterpillar, the world's largest construction equipment maker. The company has a strong balance sheet and pays an appealing 3.8% dividend. However, analyst Ross Gilardi says it is extremely unlikely for Caterpillar shares to outperform while dealer sales are dropping, and he anticipates further dealer deterioration in the second quarter. Caterpillar earnings per share were down 45% in the first quarter, and Gilardi says the worst is yet to come in the second quarter. Bank of America has an "underperform" rating and $115 price target for CAT stock.

U.S. Bancorp is the fifth-largest U.S. bank, and in its recent earnings report, management was adamant that the company has a strong enough balance sheet to maintain its 4.9% dividend and absorb future credit losses even in a severe economic downturn. Analyst Erika Najarian says U.S. Bancorp is a quality company, but its premium valuation relative to its banking peers doesn't fully reflect the risk to the company's pre-provision net revenue. Bank of America has an "underperform" rating and $35 price target for USB stock.

Illinois Tool Works produces fasteners, consumables and other specialty industrial products. Gilardi says the stock is relatively defensive and the company is highly diversified. Unfortunately, the company's restaurant business has been pummeled by social distancing shutdowns. Gilardi says the food equipment market could decline by 30% in 2020. While grocery, hospital, school and military demand should remain relatively stable, Gilardi says Illinois Tool's overall demand will likely drop sharply in 2020. He says the stock's performance could lag given the challenging environment. Bank of America has an "underperform" rating and $130 price target for ITW stock.

Biotech giant Biogen develops and markets treatments for multiple sclerosis, tumors and inflammatory diseases. Analyst Geoff Meacham says Biogen's first-quarter earnings report was impressive, including its decision to maintain 2020 guidance. However, he says the company's announcement that the biologics license application filing date for Alzheimer's disease treatment aducanumab has been delayed from early this year to the third quarter is troubling. Meacham says aducanumab is the biggest future value driver for the stock, and Biogen provided no reason for the delay. The Food and Drug Administration is likely prioritizing the current health crisis for now. Bank of America has an "underperform" rating and $245 price target for BIIB stock.

Sherwin-Williams is the second-largest coatings company in the world, generating more than 75% of its business from North America. Analyst Steve Byrne says he is more bullish on "do it yourself" stocks than "do it for me" stocks. A recent survey of paint contractors suggests a large number of commercial and residential project cancellations through the end of 2020, which is bad news for Sherwin-Williams. Byrne says Valspar and HGTV products could see a demand bump, but the company's Americas segment derives only about 15% of revenues from its DIY sales. Bank of America has an "underperform" rating and $496 price target for SHW stock.

Illumina is a life sciences company that provides instruments, consumables and services used in genetic analysis. Analyst Derik de Bruin says first-quarter sales were better than feared, and Illumina's strong balance sheet provides capital deployment opportunities. But lab shutdowns and a potential shift in funding due to the health crisis create uncertainty. Illumina recently abandoned its $1.2 billion buyout of Pacific Biosciences (PACB). In addition, de Bruin says emerging competitors could continue to pressure pricing, and Illumina has risks tied to execution and visibility. Bank of America has an "underperform" rating and $220 price target for ILMN stock.

If you're going to "sell in may and go away," this group of 10 stocks deserves close consideration thanks to lousy fundamentals and weak stock charts.

Apple, Starbucks, Intel, American Airlines, United Continental, Wal-Mart, Netflix, Proctor & Gamble, Merck, Skyworks Solutions

Accenture (ticker: ACN)
Caterpillar (CAT)
U.S. Bancorp (USB)
Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Biogen (BIIB)


This is what happens when you get butt naked in front of the White House

"Michel Bechard approached uniformed division officers at the White House and he proceeded to get fully undressed," a spokesman for the Secret Service told CNN. "As uniformed division officers attempted to subdue him, he assaulted a uniform division officer and he was taken into custody."

Check out some photos of the incident below:

Naked guy at White House. pic.twitter.com/IfdnG1Wehl — Suzanne Gamboa (@SuzGamboa) May 23, 2014

This Is What Happens When You Get Butt Naked In Front Of The White House

A man was placed into police custody on Friday after he stripped nude in front of a White House security gate.

"Michel Bechard approached uniformed di...

white-house-arrests,White House,naked,white house arrest


She Was Alone In The Elevator With Her Dog. I’m Shocked By What The Camera Caught.

Vado’s leash got caught in the elevator doors as they closed, and Tamara knew she had to act fast. You can tell she’s petrified and panicked, but she manages to free Vado in time. This could have turned into a real tragedy, but thank God Tamara did what she needed to do.

Tamara has been criticized by many, who claim she was being careless about Vado’s leash. However, it’s clear she loves her dogs. Parents make mistakes, and she stepped up to this nightmarish situation.

This video is a great reminder to always remember to be aware of the leash, and not to never let it drag.

She Was Alone In The Elevator With Her Dog. I’m SHOCKED By What The Camera Caught.

Warning: This video contains content that may be disturbing to some viewers — but the dog is okay!! 25-year-old Tamara of Toronto was with her two dogs in the elevator, when something truly shocking happened. While it may be disturbing to watch, rest assured her pups were fine. Vado’s leash got caught in the elevator...

Leash gets caught in elevator door and pulls the dog up as the elevator descends, almost strangling it, but the woman eventually frees the dog.


Is Ford's Brand New SUV Better Than It's Rivals?

US-developed Ford Edge SUV has been a long time coming, so is it worth the wait?

The Edge is a perfectly adequate SUV – it neither disappoints nor excels in any particular area. But at this price it’s vulnerable to a wealth of talent, in particular the BMW X3 and Mercedes GLC, both of which are on a different level in terms of ability, desirability and quality. The Edge looks the part and is packed with kit, but you need much more than that to challenge in this competitive class.

You could be forgiven for thinking the Ford Edge had been around for some time. First shown as a concept back in 2013, it then went on sale in the US two years ago, before finally making the trip across the Atlantic and on to European soil. So it faces a tough fight when it reaches UK showrooms in the middle of the year, thanks to the frantic and competitive nature of the SUV market the Edge is wading into.

To give you some context, the Edge sits above the EcoSport and Kuga in Ford's SUV hierarchy, and is aimed at established German rivals such as the BMW X3 and Audi Q5. But don’t think it’ll leave you better off financially just because it’s a Ford

the Edge costs largely the same as the competition it’s squaring up to. Prices start from £29,995 and rise to £36,750 – the sort of cash buyers have been spending on X3s for years.

The car we have here sits at the very top of the line-up: a 208bhp 2.0-litre biturbo diesel, fitted with a six-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive. In Sport spec, it’s the most expensive Edge on sale – without options – at £36,750.

active noise-cancelling technology, 20-inch alloy wheels, a leather interior, an eight-inch infotainment system with sat-nav and a front view camera all come as standard. If you want your X3 or Q5 to match the Edge for kit, you’ll have to head to the options list.

The Edge looks the part, too. It’s nicely proportioned with broad shoulders and chiselled flanks. Sport models also get darkened front and rear bumpers and chrome tailpipes as extra decoration.

Inside is less exciting, though. The Edge is based on the same platform as the humble Mondeo, so comes with a selection of the same engines, and an identical interior. It’s not unpleasant, but the design is just a little bland and unimaginative – especially compared to the equivalent opulence the Mercedes GLC will cocoon you in for almost the same amount of cash.

And something else the Edge has adopted from its smaller sibling is a rather unremarkable driving experience.

The new Mondeo ushered in a more comfort-oriented and relaxed character for big, modern-day Fords. For an SUV – whose primary function is to transport lots of people and things around comfortably – a more relaxed manner sounds like an ideal foundation to work from, but it has its drawbacks.

On the move, the Edge absorbs bumps and ruts, but the large 20-inch alloys do sniff out bigger road imperfections. There’s softness in the suspension, despite Sport models coming with firmer springs, which means there’s a noticeable degree of body roll though corners – more so than any of its rivals. This is exaggerated by the disconnected and elastic feel of the steering.

Few of the Edge’s rivals are what you’d call engaging to drive, but all go about their business in a more polished way. The engine-gearbox combination is slick, but it does feel a little hesitant working its way through the ratios, which, combined with the hefty kerbweight, can make performance feel blunted.

The Edge is over two tonnes with a couple of passengers on board, and you can really feel it

acceleration is lethargic even with 208bhp and 450Nm of torque. But what’s likely to matter more to buyers is space and practicality, and here the Edge begins to claw back some honour.

With the rear seats in place, the boot measures in at 602 litres, which swells to 1,788 litres if you drop the rear seats. That’s more than any rival from Audi, Mercedes or BMW, but that cavernous load area does appear to have come at the expense of rear passenger space. The back isn’t what you’d called cramped, but given the Edge’s significant size advantage over the Q5 and GLC, there appears to be little benefit for those sitting in the back. Legroom is generous enough, but you’d be just as comfortable in the back of an Audi.

A bigger issue was the optional panoramic roof fitted to our test car, which noticeably impinged on headroom. As bright and airy as it makes the cabin, it’s probably not worth the sacrifice you have to make in terms of practicality. '


You won't BELIEVE the tip these Scientologists left on their $2,000 pizza order!

If you're a pizza delivery guy who fights L.A. traffic to get your pies to customers while they're still hot, you may want to give the Scientology order to another driver, because apparently they don't tip.

Our pizza sources tell us last Friday the folks at the Hollywood Scientology building ordered 180 pizzas -- 100 pepperoni, 60 cheese and 20 veggies -- from Papa John's. The bill totaled $2,094.89.

Two delivery guys made 4 separate trips to's palace, and when all was said and done, they got nothing. The credit card was for precisely $2,094.89 ... not a penny in tip.

Scientology strongly encourages members to give a percentage of their income to the org, yet the pizza guys got 0%.In the end, the Papa John's manager gave his guys $10 each for their troubles.

Scientology Center Stiffs Delivery Guys In Massive Pizza Order

If you're a pizza delivery guy who fights L.A. traffic to get your pies to customers while they're still hot, you may want to give the Scientology order...


X Factor 2016 judges have been confirmed and you'll never guess who it is! Simon Cowell has chosen his panel for the new series

THE X Factor 2016 judges have been confirmed.

Following Cheryl, Nick Grimshaw and Rita Ora's departure from the ITV talent show, speculation was rife about who would be joining Simon Cowell on the panel.

Nicole Scherzinger, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh have been confirmed to return to The X Factor [ITV]

And fans will be pleased to hear that a few familiar faces are returning to the show.

Confirming the rumours that Nicole Scherzinger and Sharon Osbourne had signed up for the show again, ITV went on to confirm that Louis Walsh is returning from his hiatus to become the fourth judge on the panel.

Simon Cowell has warned fans to be careful for what they wish for ahead of the new series of the show [ITV]

Happy to be back on the 12th series of the ITV talent show, Sharon said in a statement: "I’m overjoyed about going back to The X Factor, sitting with Lou, Lou, gorgeous Nicole and naughty Simon.

"But most of all, I can’t wait to meet baby Eric."

Play slideshow X Factor judges: where are they now? Tuesday, May 10, 2016 1 / 10

Play slideshow As it stands, Simon Cowell is the only remaining judge on the X Factor panel after Cheryl, Nick Grimshaw and Rita Ora announced their resignations [Demi Lovato/Twitter/Getty]

Since Rita Ora, Cheryl and Nick Grimshaw's resignations from the X Factor, Simon Cowell has been left as the only judge on the panel. We take a look back at previous X Factor judges then and now

Nicole, who left the X Factor in 2013 and mentored James Arthur to victory, added: "I can’t wait to be back in the UK and on the show with the best judges sitting alongside me on the panel.

"I'm excited about discovering, mentoring and winning with an exciting new act this year. And having had winning contestants in the past, Simon knows I will do it."

Louis will be back on the show after quitting the panel in 2015 and being replaced by Nick Grimshaw [Wenn]

Having chosen to step down from his position in 2015, Louis Walsh explained why he returned.

"He’d say otherwise but I knew Simon missed me last year!

"I’m delighted to be back on the panel especially beside my two favourite female judges Sharon and Nicole, and I’m looking forward to taking them all back to Dublin this year when we head there for auditions."

Alongside the return of a few familiar faces, the room auditions will be back with filming for the new series kicks off in June.

Nicole Scherzinger, Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell. #StopClickBait

Nicole Scherzinger
Sharon Osbourne
Louis Walsh


This NBA team just became the first to support gay marriage

The Portland Trailblazers certainly lived up to their name last week -- in a historic move, the athletes became the first NBA team to publicly take a stance on the battle for same-sex marriage rights.

Specifically, the team aligned themselves with the Oregon United For Marriage initiative, a coalition attempting to get the Freedom to Marry and Religious Protection initiative on the state's ballot in the upcoming election, The Oregonian is reporting.

Additionally, the move reportedly makes the Portland Trailblazers the first team of the "Big Four" branches of the sports world -- basketball, baseball, football and hockey -- to endorse marriage rights for same-sex couples.

"The Portland Trail Blazers are in support of the Freedom to Marry and Religious Protection ballot initiative," the team said in a statement. "We do so as believers in individual choice as a fundamental right of all people."

The Portland Timbers and the Portland Thorns FC, the city's men's and women's professional soccer teams respectively, also endorsed the ballot initiative for marriage equality in Oregon, according to the Portland Mercury.

"Professional sports are a barometer of where the country is going," Marriage Equality USA spokesman Stuart Gaffney told reporters. "For a long time professional sports teams have been silent on LGBT rights and that time is coming to a close as we see right now in Oregon."

Oregon became the 20th state this week to have a marriage equality lawsuit filed in an effort to challenge the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, instigated by attorneys Lake Perriguey and Lea Ann Easton. Naming Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum (among others) as defendants, the suit joins Oregon United for Marriage's similar legal challenge to the same-sex marriage ban.

Portland Trailblazers Back Gay Marriage, Becoming First NBA Team To Do So

The Portland Trailblazers certainly lived up to their name last week -- in a historic move, the athletes became the first NBA team to publicly take a sta...

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The top 10 💸 grossing 💸 actors of the year

Do you want to know why Oscar-winning actors like Brie Larson and critically-acclaimed directors like Ryan Coogler are heading over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? While part of it is surely about being able to tell these long-awaited Marvel Comics stories in an era where technology has caught up with the visions of these creators, the other factor has to be the mountains of cash that these films are making. If you're skeptical, just take a look at Forbes' 2016 "Top-Grossing Actors" list, which is not only topped by Scarlett Johansson at #1, but is practically a who's-who of 2016's biggest stars in 2016's biggest superhero films.

ScarJo, who has portrayed Black Widow in a number of MCU films since 2010's Iron Man 2, grabbed that #1 spot with a reported global box office of $1.2 billion, which takes into account the monstrous Captain America: Civil War and the very non-superhero smash Hail, Caesar! That nudged her past Chris Evans, aka Captain America himself, who starred in the $1.15 billion-earning Civil War; Evans shares the #2 spot with Robert Downey, Jr., who plays Iron Man and helped fill out the other half of those Civil War posters.

Not to be outdone is the DC Comics side of the superhero movie spectrum; Margot Robbie, who played the fan-favorite Harley Quinn in the box office-dominating (but ultimately underwhelming) Suicide Squad clocked in at #4 based on Suicide Squad's $1.1 billion global box office (which also factored in Will Smith clinching the #10 position). Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's $873 million global box office threw Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Amy Adams on the list, with The Accountant and Arrival allowing Affleck and Adams (respectively) to jump ahead of Cavill.

While it would've been a surprise in December of 2015, Deadpool's box office destruction ($783 million made worldwide) allowed him to jump ahead of Felicity Jones on this list, who rides that half-a-billy Rogue One wave into the #9 spot.

The only problem with this list? ScarJo is sitting pretty at #1, and has been one of the longest-running MCU figures, but there's absolutely zero talk of Black Widow getting any kind of solo film. While we wait for Marvel to fix up, check out the top 10 list down below, with more information over on Forbes' site.

Scarlett Johansson Leads Superhero-Filled List of 2016's "Top Grossing Actors"

The Black Widow beat out the rest of your favorite superheroes in Forbes' 2016 list of top-grossing actors.

1. Scarlett Johansson
2. Chris Evans
2. Robert Downey, Jr.
4. Margot Robbie
5. Amy Adams


Scientists have explained the most annoying thing about food

A burger and chips before a big meeting probably isn't your best bet

A new study has discovered that when we eat a meal particularly high in protein and salt - say, a burger and chips - we’re more likely to feel fatigued afterwards.

Researchers from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and Florida’s Scripps Research Institute used fruit-flies to investigate the neurobiological links between eating and sleep.

They discovered that protein and salt are the causes of the infamous food coma, the reason being that they are "expensive commodities," so our bodies have to work harder to digest them and extract the nutrients.

Interestingly, the researchers found that carbohydrates didn’t have the same effect, despite various dieticians having previously claimed carbohydrate-rich foods make us sleepy.

And despite how you might feel after accidentally eating a whole tub of ice cream, a packet of biscuits or a family-sized bar of chocolate, the study found that sugar actually doesn’t actually contribute to a food coma.

The researchers are yet to discover, however, why sleep helps us digest protein and salt, but it’s clear that’s what our bodies want to do.

"During the food coma, the flies remain still for a certain amount of time and they are much less responsive to any kind of other cues than they would normally be," study author Dr. Robert Huber revealed to Science Daily.

"There's clearly something very potent about sleep itself," he added.

So if you want to be on top form this afternoon, it’s perhaps wise to opt for a healthy veggie option for lunch.

Eating protein and salty foods at lunch causes food comas, says new study

The 3pm post-lunch slump has been hampering afternoon meetings for as long as mankind has worked in offices. If you’ve had a particularly huge meal, you may even fall into a food coma, where all you want to do is lie down and have a snooze. We’ve all been there. But this sluggishness we feel from overindulging isn’t just in our heads - there’s a scientific term for it: postprandial somnolence. And it’s not just down to the quantity of food we eat.

Protein, Salt, Digestion, Food and Drink, Lifestyle


According to Guys, This Is the Most Overrated Sex Position

Sex can be boring if you never shake things up — the same positions, in the same order, at the same time every night. You probably already know which positions aren't your fave, but do guys agree?

YouTube personality and Cosmopolitan.com correspondent Carly Ann Filbin took to the streets of New York City to find out which sex position guys think deserves the title of "most overrated of all time." And, well, they make some good points that you can definitely get behind (or under, or on top of).

So what's the ultimate sex position to avoid when you're trying to be anything but boring?

Turns out, men are pretty divided and have ~thoughts~ on every position. Super helpful, right?!

But they were also full of "advice." One guy suggests an alternative you can turn to if you're ever feeling bored.

Watch the full video above to hear the rest of their many, many opinions. But hey, you do you, lady.

They couldn't decide on just one position, so there is no answer. #StopClickBait


Bill Hader reunites with old "SNL" cast member

Watch the clip above to see a cute, little orphan named Fourvel ("SNL" cast member Bobby Moynihan) crash "SNL" alum Bill Hader's interview with Scott Aukerman. It's all pretty adorable until Fourvel gets "stabby."

This full episode airs Friday, Sept. 6 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on IFC.

Bill Hader, Bobby Moynihan Reunite On 'Comedy Bang! Bang!' (VIDEO)

Looks like there'll be a mini-"Saturday Night Live" reunion on this week's episode of "Comedy Bang! Bang!"

Watch the clip above to see a cute, little ...

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.@BobbyMoynihan on @ComedyBangBang this Friday


If you're fighting with your spouse it's probably about this »

Fighting over money with your better half? Join the club.

Finances are the leading cause of stress in a relationship, according to a survey of people in a relationship or partnership released Wednesday by SunTrust Bank. Some 35 percent of all respondents experiencing relationship stress said money was the primary cause of friction. (Annoying habits came in second, at 25 percent.) Among respondents with relationship stress aged 44 to 54, 44 percent said money was the primary cause.

"Money really touches everything. It impacts people's lives," said Emmet Burns, brand marketing director for SunTrust.

Money and stress do seem to go hand in hand for many Americans, whether they're in relationships or not. A study released earlier this week by the American Psychological Association found almost three-quarters of Americans are experiencing financial stress at least some of the time, and nearly a quarter of us are feeling extreme financial stress.

But divergent views and values can make money a particular source of tension within couples.

Money is the leading cause of stress in relationships

If you argue with your partner about money and finances, join the club. It's the most common stressor in a relationship, a new survey finds.

Personal Finance, Personal Finance, Savings, Love and Money, TD Ameritrade Conference, business news


The Personality Traits You Need to Be a Great Friend, According to Science

If you want to make more friends, and hold on to the ones you’ve got, it all boils down to three key personality traits.

The study, The study, published in the European Journal of Personality , examined five major personality traits—extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience—and how they related to friendship satisfaction. When it was all said and done, researchers found that being open to experience had very little to do with being a good friend. And, unsurprisingly, they found that those with more of a neurotic side rated lower than those who seemed more emotionally stable and less dramatic.

According to the researchers, the key traits for being a good friend were conscientiousness, or how careful and vigilant you are, extraversion, or how much you like to interact with others, and agreeableness, or how kind and understanding you are. It’s pretty simple really. You can like what you like as long as you don’t make such a big deal about everything. If you want to be a great friend, just show up to things (and show up on time), don’t always try to be right, and actually make an effort to spend time with others instead of hiding away.

social, relationships, friends, freindship, science, studies, social gps, psychology, Lifehacker

Conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness


Place A Few Of These Leaves Around Your House And You’ll NEVER See Cockroaches Again!

Ugh, cockroaches... does anybody like them? Maybe other cockroaches. But these insects are absolutely repulsive. They bite, they carry germs, they communicate via bacteria in their feces (yeah, seriously), they run disturbingly quickly, and well... they’re ugly. We also associate cockroaches with filth, so if you happen to have an infestation, people might make some assumptions about your hygiene and cleanliness. But that’s not necessarily the case, especially when you consider how hard it is to actually eradicate them for good. For instance, I had a friend who leased an apartment and he kept the place absolutely spotless but he kept finding these nasty little buggers. It turned out that the building had an infestation decades ago, and no matter how many times they brought in exterminators, they kept coming back. Gross.

So what the heck are you supposed to do about cockroaches? They can actually survive a nuclear blast, for crying out loud. But fortunately, there is indeed a way to thwart these filthy bugs and all you need are... bay leaves!

Bay leaves are a surprisingly powerful and natural cockroach repellent!

Yep, bay leaves... the herb that you put in your stews and soups. To understand why this works, recall what I mentioned earlier about how cockroaches communicate via their poop. Their droppings give off an odour that tells other cockroaches where to find food and water, leading to infestations. And that’s where bay leaves come in. Cockroaches hate the smell of bay leaves, making them an excellent all-natural repellant! Just place bay leaves around all the corners of your house, particularly in areas with food, such as your kitchen. It’s also a good idea to put them in your garden! You can use dried or fresh bay leaves, although it’s recommended that you use dried, crushed bay leaves since they’ll give off the strongest scent.

Bay leaves, preferably dried and crushed.


ughhhhh April Fool's Day is the WORST on the internet but okay, fine, one company did a great job this year

April Fools' Day is the only "fake news" day that's almost welcome. Almost. And one of the longstanding masters of the tech prank, Google, is at it again with a fresh batch of trickery.

This year, the jokes are more obviously fake this time around in what appears to be an effort to avoid anyone actually thinking these products actually exist.

Nevertheless, some of these products would be kind of cool, despite how wildly impractical they are.

Here's the running list of what Google's "rolled out" today so far:

Although the name rhymes with the very real Google Home, this imagined Google digital assistant is instead designed to sit outdoors and help you out with all matters related to weekend backyard lounging and the occasional bit of garden work.

Delivering information bits about weather, edible plant life and a surprisingly dark array of opinions, Google Gnome is what Google Home would be like if it showed up in an episode of Black Mirror — helpful, but just a tad too ominous with its robot apocalypse leanings.

The quickest way to get a tech-centric laugh nowadays is to show some idiot fumbling around while blinded by yet another new VR headset. But Google smartly goes in another direction and actually addresses an issue that has yet to be solved in virtual reality: haptics.

Haptic Helpers actually brings human Google workers into your home to assist you with your VR experience by providing you with all of the other sensory input that you can't otherwise get on current VR Systems. From smell, to taste, and even touch, Haptic Helpers show us the next best solution for full VR immersion until we actually have holodeck-level sensory input.

Stepping up the April Fools' Day game to a new level, Google's team in the Netherlands came up with an imaginary system called Google Wind that links the country's 1,170 windmills together using "machine learning [that] enables all the mills to collaborate." Once those windmills are linked, they are able to literally blow clouds out of the sky to allow the country to have more sun-filled days.

Somehow, as ridiculous as this one looks, it's reminiscent of the very real weather modification initiatives that have been documented in years past. Nevertheless, the special effects showing people being blown away by the power of the windmill mechanisms adds just the right amount of whimsy to let you know that Google is in fact just playing around with yet another wild "what if" idea.

Also getting in on the international prank fun is Google Japan, whose team came up with perhaps the most ingenious fake gadget in a keyboard made of bubble wrap. The Puchi Puchi keyboard (in Japanese, "puchi puchi" translates as bubble wrap), allows the user to simultaneously enjoy the feeling of popping those tiny plastic bubbles included in packing materials while typing out a message.

Once the message has been popped out, a Puchi Puchi reader rolls over the popped material to decipher the message. Yes, this is stupid. But for some reason, I actually want this. They even added a special version of the Puchi Puchi Keyboard that releases pleasant fragrances when you pop the bubbles, including air from places like Hawaii.

Definitely one of the biggest pranks on the list is Google's claim that it is launching a data center on Mars in 2018. The data center, named "Ziggy Stardust," is designed as an off-world backup in case Earth experiences some sort of catastrophe.

"By opening a dedicated extraterrestrial cloud region, we're bringing the power of Google’s compute, network, and storage to the rest of the solar system, unlocking a plethora of possibilities for astronomy research, exploration of Martian natural resources and interplanetary life sciences," reads the very long and detailed blog post accompanying the April Fools' gag.

They even went as far as creating a data center location on Google Maps that you can explore.

And while this may be a joke now, it's not unrealistic to imagine a very real Google data center on Mars in the decades ahead as companies like SpaceX work to colonize the red planet.

Finally, Google updated an old Google maps twist from 2015 by re-introducing its Pac-Man Google Maps game. In the current updated version on Android and iOS, you play Ms. Pac-Man using a map from anywhere in the world.

It's obvious why Google decided to rehash this one, it's incredibly addictive and deserves another look. Find your own neighborhood and try playing "just one" game and putting it down.

So far, this looks like all the April Fools' Day weirdness Google has up its collective sleeve, but we’ll keep our eyes open out for any new ones and add them as we find them.

Okay, fine fine, Google's April Fool's Day pranks are pretty great this year, here are all of them

You will know the face of fake technology, and its name is Google on April Fools' Day.


You'll Never Guess What These Babies Do During Nap Time

Have you ever wondered what kids do behind closed doors? Well, now you know. It’s supposed to be nap time, but these friends can’t stop playing with each other and get very little sleeping done. We foresee some exhaustion-induced temper tantrums in their future...

They aren’t the only cute nap time buddies! We want in on this dog and his owners cuddle-sesh!

Know any other sleepy friends? Upload a video, HERE.

Have you ever wondered what kids do behind closed doors? It's supposed to be nap time, but these friends can’t stop playing with each other!

Talk to each other. At one point the boy throws something that accidentally hits the girl, then he pets her head until she stops crying. #StopClickBait
Video in comments!


This will prove to you that age is just a number. :D #fitnessmotivation

In a photo finish for the ages, 99-year-old World War II veteran and pilot Orville Rogers upset his younger competitor Dixon Hemphill, a retired businessman at the aged 92 at the USATF Masters Indoor Track & Field Championship early this month.

It was a close finish. With Hemphill leading half the way, Rogers had to execute a late to surge to nip his competitor at the line by a mere .05 of second ahead of him! Hemphill finished at 18.00, while Roger at 18.05.

Hemphill went on to state that the finish was so close that he may have even won had he leant forward as he approached the finish line! Maybe he didn’t because of his lack of experience compared to his competitor or maybe because of his hip replacement.

In fact, Hemphill and Rogers have developed a friendly rivalry since the time they met 4 years ago at a masters track meet. They run in the same heat since they are usually the oldest runners at the meet but compete in different age groups.

Rogers accredits his success to visualising success in whichever race he partakes. According to him, the objective is to train hard and visualise crossing that finish line with consistency.

Although Hemphill is the faster of the two in the in longer distance events, Rogers claims that he has no competition. He just needs to show up, suit up, and finish the race to bag a medal.

At 99-years-old, Orville Rogers pushes through to finish his #USATFmasters 60m in 18.00! #USATF pic.twitter.com/PGMDZfSNwg

That’s probably because Rogers has been a stalwart over the last decade at the national masters meet and has set an astounding 13 world records across 13 events—ranging from 60 meters to the 3,000. He even went on to publish his book ‘The Running Man’ earlier this year, in the hope of inspiring people through his own journey.

Why age is never a factor for running or any other activity for that matter

It’s true that your aerobic capacity, muscle mass, and testosterone dip after the age of 30, which is why you may find it physically harder to bounce back or begin your fitness journey once you pass a certain age. The fact that your body is not getting any younger is all the more reason why you need to incorporate an activity such as running or any other resistance training activity into your daily routine.

It can offset the risk of losing muscle density, balance and coordination, falling and fracturing your bones, other age-related chronic diseases, and physical dysfunctions in the future states a 2014 review on ageing and exercise, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

This Thrilling Sprint Between A 99-Year Old Who Beat His 92-Year Old Rival, Proves That Age Is Indeed Just A Number

This Thrilling Sprint Between A 99-Year Old Who Beats His 92-Year Old Competitor, Proves That Age Is Indeed Just A Number

Orville Rogers, Dixon Hemphill, 99-year old, 92-year old, race, Masters Indoor Track and Field Championship


What If Hurricane Erin Had Hit the East Coast on 9/11?

Story Highlights On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, a hurricane was well off the East Coast. One can only speculate how history may have been different if that hurricane raced up the East Coast.

On Sept. 11, 2001, as terrorist attacks were unfolding in New York City, the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, a hurricane was hovering off the Northeast seaboard.

In one of the most chilling weather images ever taken, both Hurricane Erin, about 500 miles east-southeast of New York, and the smoke plume from the World Trade Center Twin Towers about two hours after the first tower was hit was captured in a NASA satellite image.

The previous morning, a cold front swept through the East Coast with rain and thunderstorms. Crystal clear, cool weather followed on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 11, accompanied by light northwest winds.

Hurricane Erin was never an East Coast landfall threat, as the cold front and increased westerly winds aloft gave a final east, then northeast shove to Erin. Erin did generate large swells which eventually reached the East Coast.

Those specializing in alternative history can speculate how world events would have turned out differently if Hurricane Erin would've threatened the Northeast in September 2001.

We'll just mention here that the idea isn't far-fetched.

According to NOAA's Historical Hurricane Tracks, there have been nine tropical storms and two hurricanes that have tracked within 65 nautical miles of New York City in September in records dating to the Civil War.

This included Hurricane Gloria in late September 1985 and an unnamed hurricane in early September 1934.

In the years after the Sept. 11 attacks, several hurricanes have reached the Northeast, some in September:

Isabel (2003) hammered the Washington D.C. metro area, among others.

Irene (2011) triggered storm surge flooding just below the destructive threshold for New York City

Superstorm Sandy (2012) triggered massive storm surge flooding in New York City, New Jersey, elsewhere.

As we saw with Sandy, all you need is a strong enough area of high pressure aloft in the western Atlantic Ocean to steer the hurricane into the East Coast, rather than allowing it to "recurve" safely out to sea.

In a strange coincidence, almost exactly 10 years after the attacks, Hurricane Katia was spinning in almost the same location on Sept. 9, 2011. As with Erin, Hurricane Katia made a hard-right turn before reaching the East Coast.

Two of the four hijacked planes on Sept. 11, 2001, took off from Boston's Logan Airport, and one each took off from Newark Liberty and Dulles Airports.

Whether a Hurricane Erin East Coast track would've thwarted the hijackers' plans to carry out the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil will likely never be known.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been an incurable weather geek since a tornado narrowly missed his childhood home in Wisconsin at age 7.

Amid the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, a hurricane lurked off the East Coast.

9/11, September 11, 2001, Hurricane Erin, New York City, Washington D.C., Boston, East Coast, Atlantic hurricane season

We have no idea because it didn't happen.

It's fair to assume that a significant number of flights to and from the major Northeast hubs would've been cancelled if Hurricane Erin had threatened the East Coast in September 2001. Some of those airports may have even been forced to close for awhile.


This urban phenomenon is the absolute WORST part of winter

We kindly suggest that you listen to the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" theme song or another epic movie soundtrack while you read. We do not take this matter lightly.

Is that what we should call you? Do you prefer another means of address? "Threat Level: Death Puddles" seemed aggressive. But you're not merely puddles.

Like land mines scattered across our city, you lie in wait -- appearing to be simply another small accumulation of water, perhaps a patch of ice. And so, ever so cautiously, we step on you. Foolishly, trustingly, we expect nothing more than perhaps slight slipperiness, only to discover that you are, in fact, a secret LAKE of slush.

Submerged in a shocking depth that can only be compared to a filthy Atlantis, there is nothing to do but extricate oneself. Cheeks burn hot with humiliation, in contrast to the feeling of everything below the knee (cold, wet). We vow to seek vengeance on the very winter that brought you in the first place.

As the streets frost over in this polar vortex, our daily commutes become arctic expeditions, wrought with complex strategy that rivals any of the ideas we've ever brought to team meetings. Indeed, the work day becomes an afterthought, as we zip up our coats and step into rubber rain boots that should not count as shoes, preparing to trek through wasteland known only as a "wintry mix."

Arriving at the office, you further slash at our pride, as we squeak through the halls like hapless fishermen. The floor around our desk is slowly surrounded by a halo of grey residue, a bleak reminder of the salt that tried in vain to defeat you.

It was three days ago now that a large rodent named Phil informed, nay, threatened us, with six weeks more of your frozen resolve to wreak havoc on our socks, leggings and non-rubberized footwear. We have considered investing in galoshes, as the more desperate among us mount cross country skis.

Not that often you see a cross country skier next to a cyclist... on their commute. #SnowDayPlease pic.twitter.com/1OXKaIHSNv — Baishi Wu (@baishi) February 5, 2014

Our resolve is slowly crumbling, as we use you as an excuse to avoid trips to the gym and grocery store. Growing ever pudgier, we contact a brave few scouts from the Seamless army, as they valiantly trek through your "un-leapable lagoons" to our apartment doors, bearing the carbs that we so desperately desire to shove in our faces while watching Netflix.

Confined to our closet-sized living accommodations, our expressions turn hopeless as we look out of the windows, peering at the cross street, terrified of what lies beneath your shiny surface. You seem to flicker in the sunlight, mocking us with reminders of a warmer time. We briefly consider murdering everyone we know and moving to Aruba.

The New York Times tried to write poetry about you, when you "froze into little moonscapes overnight," but we weren't fooled. We weren't romanced by your sparkling surfaces. We knew we would be tricked yet again, helpless to do anything but tweet angrily about #deblasiosnewyork.

You may have cornered us now, slushy corners. We admit we are reduced to fatter, paler versions of ourselves, crippled by your treacherously sneaky existence. But this fight is far from over. May we remind you that you exist in a temperate climate and SPRING IS COMING. As the temperature rises, you will be sucked ever so slowly up into the clouds, helpless but to rain down on us once the evaporation cycle is complete. And by then, we will be armed with umbrellas, upon which you are welcome to splatter, robbed of all power only to flood into the nearest street drain, where you will be met by rats and, we don't know, probably crocodiles.

We are cold. We are wet. And we haven't worn appropriate clothing to work since mid-December, but your reign is coming to an end, you precipitous anomalies. Prepare to be vanquished by routine weather changes.

An Open Letter To Slushy Corners, The Absolute Worst Part Of Winter

We kindly suggest that you listen to the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" theme s...

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Do you really need high-tech underwear to protect your sperm?

"Underwear Blocks Wi-Fi and Cell Phone Radiation," Discovery News reported earlier this week. The Daily Mirror gushed: "These ‘underpants for superheroes’ will block harmful smartphone radiation from attacking your nether regions". And the Daily Express dared to ask: "Will YOU protect your manhood?"

The product they were discussing? Wireless Armour Boxer Shorts—underwear woven with silver to protect sperm from the effects of Wi-Fi and mobile phone radiation.

Right now, my mobile phone is sitting innocently in my pocket, aiming Wi-Fi, radiation and a host of other invisible demons at my groin. Ask serious scientists whether that’s a problem, and you’ll likely get a non-committal shrug. Although some preliminary studies have shown that keeping your cell phone in your pocket can decrease sperm quality, experts are quick to point out that those studies either took place in a Petri dish or failed to account for any number of outside factors, including the well-documented fact that sperm count naturally fluctuates. For an ideal study, scientists would have to take several sperm samples from a group of men, isolate them from any outside exposures except their mobile phones, and then take new samples.

"What we need are some properly designed epidemiological studies," Dr. Allan Pacey of the University of Sheffield once told the BBC. "Until that time, I will be continuing to keep my iPhone in my right-hand trouser pocket!"

But ask Joseph Perkins, the entrepreneur behind Wireless Armour Boxer Shorts, and you’ll likely hear that your very fertility is at stake. Perkins first began warning tech-dependent men about their waning virility with an Indiegogo campaign that was fairly successful. Since then, Perkins has been trying to sell boxer shorts lined with silver Faraday cages that block radiation, because "with my physics background I knew there must be a way to shield from electromagnetic radiation using a simple solution," he told the Daily Mail.

Now, Perkins’ new website is pulling in customers with pitches like: "Why wear anything else? Staying safe from radiation doesn’t mean giving up on great looking, comfortable underwear."

In theory, Faraday cage underwear probably would deflect radiation aimed at your groin. But do you really need that? Dr. Andrew Kramer, a urologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center told Live Science that he was "not convinced" a 2014 semen-radiation study that has since been widely cited by the media "is good science."

"This is more of them playing off a captive audience," Kramer said. "Men are going to pay attention to news about sperm because it’s something they obviously care about."

Do You Really Need High-Tech Underwear To Protect Your Sperm?


Politician accused of being "a pornographer's best friend"

An AIDS activist group is targeting a San Fernando Valley assemblyman, claiming he is blocking efforts to pass a bill that would require the use of condoms in all porn productions statewide.

The lawmaker, Assemblyman Mike Gatto, however, says the bill in question isn't even before the Assembly at the moment.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a group that supports AB 640, called Gatto "a pornographer's best friend," and said the Assemblyman is standing in the way of the bill's passage.

"What this comes down to is one man who is preventing this from coming to the vote," said AHF president Michael Weinstein "He's serving the interests of the pornographers."

As a result, AHF says it plans to make robo-calls to 100,000 residents in the Democrat's San Fernando Valley district this weekend.

"There is still time to move the bill if Assemblyman Gatto will move out of the way," Weinstein said.

An earlier version of the bill, AB 332, died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee that Gatto chairs. But AB 640, which echoes the same goals, is in the Senate right now, leading Gatto to question why he is being targeted.

"I have not made any decisions," Gatto said. "We're really not quite sure what they are talking about. It's clear they are trying to engage in some public brow beating. It's before the Senate. It's not before me."

The earlier bill, also authored by Assemblyman Isadore Hall, D-Compton, sought to build upon the Los Angeles County measure passed by voters last year that requires porn actors to use condoms while filming within the county. When in died in Appropriations, Gatto and several other members cited constitutional concerns and the cost of fighting expected legal challenges.

AHF introduced and supported the L.A. County Measure B -- the "Safer Sex Initiative" -- last year, to prevent sexually transmitted diseases spreading from the industry to the mainstream public. Voters passed the measure in November. Other jurisdictions, such as Ventura County and Simi Valley, later passed similar ordinances, in part out of concerns over porn companies relocating to their areas.

But performers have said self-regulation -- which requires porn actors to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases every 15 to 30 days -- works well and has caught sexually transmitted diseases before actors show up on sets. Once an actor has completed testing, his or her name is entered into a confidential database, viewed only by directors on sets. Performers also fear that the industry will move underground to avoid government regulation, which could place actors and actresses at risk from those who avoid getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

Two performers who are dating each other came forward in the last three weeks, saying they have tested positive for HIV. Kink.com studios in San Francisco, where one performer, Cameron Bay last worked, is under investigation by the state. ___

Assemblymember Mike Gatto Accused Of Blocking Statewide Condom In Porn Bill

An AIDS activist group is targeting a San Fernando Valley assemblyman, claiming he is blocking efforts to pass a bill that would require the use of co...

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