June 14, 2018
5 Things I Learned Attending A Furry Convention
I recently checked into a hotel while two people in dog costumes nuzzled and pawed at each other behind me, because I had been invited to attend Fur-Eh, an Edmonton-based furry convention. In part because I am a hardworking writer, but mostly because I've heard these conventions are a great place to score drugs, I spent three days hanging with furries. Here's what I learned. [more inside]
you can chloroform a mule, but you still have to move it
The first recorded goat kidnapping was in 1953. The animal was the property of the United States Naval Academy, the perpetrators were from West Point, and a football tradition was born. This wasn't about ransom; it was psychological warfare in the name of Army football.
In a wheelchair and want your benefits? You’ll need to take the stairs
Sending disabled people to inaccessible centres causes pain and distress. Worse, it leads to them being denied benefits. (SLGuardian)
This is Britain’s benefit system in a nutshell: a wheelchair user is told to negotiate 44 steps to get her benefits. Linda’s letter informs her that if she thinks she’ll “have difficulty” using the stairs, she should “ring the helpdesk”, so they can “make alternative arrangements for you”. Calling a helpline is little use when you’re deaf; panicked, Linda had to ask a friend over to contact the DWP for her. I ask Linda what alternative the DWP officials told her she could have. “None at all,” she says, “despite my friend, a MP and my doctor all saying I can’t get up or down any steps.”
To do this, they created an immense mobile brick-making industry
For nearly 1,000 years, the Gorgan Wall was the longest and mightiest border wall ever built. It was twice as long as Hadrian's Wall, and its construction is an unsolved mystery to this day. [SLTwitter]
DJ Fontana, 1931 - 2018
RIP and TCB, DJ Fontana. Best known as Elvis' drummer, Fontana backed Elvis from 1954 to 1968. He could deliver a machine gun on Blue Suede Shoes, or he could simply 'get out of the way', but his work with Presley “helped define the rhythmic foundations of the last several decades of pop music”. He recorded 'approximately' 460 cuts with the King for RCA. The band is back together. DJ Fontana was 87.
Can't Tell a Book by its Cover
Enchanting Illustrations Carved From Old Books
What happens to old hardcover books that no one wants any more? There’s donation and recycling, but it seems that as often as not they end up forgotten, in boxes and piles in garages, attics, or basements, where they can grow musty and moldy. But sometimes they can be repurposed, and if they find themselves in the hands of illustrator Isobelle Ouzman, they can be art.[more inside]
In Defense of Flamboyance
Everybody hate wallpaper . . . right? For Bradbury and Bauer, the hand screen-printed wallpaper produced at B&B is an important tool of historic preservation, as vital to the restoration of a vintage Victorian home as choosing the right colors for the finials and spandrels. The fact that their wallpaper also happens to be gorgeous is icing on the gingerbread.
"A tragic 15-second movie..."
In A World...
The Movie Poster Collection at the Harry Ransom Center (University of Texas at Austin) spans the entire history of film: from the silent era to the present day. They're in the process of photographing, scanning and digitizing their entire 10,000 poster collection. Over 1,000 can now be viewed online, searched through and downloaded in high resolution for free. (Via)
Macedonia moves north, kind of
Say hello to the newest country (name) in the world: the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has reached an agreement with Greece (which has a province named Macedonia and wasn't cool with FYROM claiming the name) to become the Republic of North Macedonia (Република Северна Македонија).
A Disgruntled Federal Employee’s 1980s Desk Calendar
Lighthouse Friends
Maps and pictures of every lighthouse in the US and most lighthouses in Canada with lighthouse-related news and resources for the lighthouse fan.
Number Three Will Surprise You!
Drake - Upset
Anyone want some foot tacos?
Warning: Consensual Cannibalism
"Three weeks after his accident, our anonymous redditor invited his friends for a meal: On Sunday, July 10, 2016, three weeks after the accident, Shiny, who prefers to remain anonymous, invited 10 of his most open-minded friends to a special brunch..." [more inside]
NYC Borough Civil War
What would happen if the five boroughs fought each other? A discussion of the martial strengths of NYC’s five boroughs if they were locked in a war with each other with no outside help.
Add hot sauce to beet pulp to get picky elephants to eat fiber
Behind the scenes in the National Zoo kitchen. "Pumpkin spice is a favorite of the lions, sending them into a flurry of activity—rolling, rubbing and scent marking... Turns out, lions love this seasonal scent just as much as we do."
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