Prince William recently threw his support behind a campaign against elephant poaching, and in a conversation with world renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, he commented that he’d like to see the entire royal ivory collection — all 1,200 pieces — removed from Buckingham Palace and destroyed. These are strong words from a royal concerning a collection that dates back hundreds of years. But the statement is music to the ears of those who’ve fought to protect animals illegally poached for their horns and tusks.
To promote today’s release of Game of Thrones: The Complete Third Season in the UK, HBO has commissioned this street art of The Wall in London’s Bishops Square. Painted by street artists 3D Joe and Max, this 10m x 7.5m artwork is the first of its kind to be 3D from more than one angle.
Photo by Joe Pepler/REX
Artist Joe Hill, founder of 3D Joe and Max, comments: “We were delighted to be approached by HBO to commission this artwork – we knew we had to do something really special to match the sheer scale of this phenomenal TV show that has swept the globe. That’s why The Wall in 3D works from more than one angle – making it a first in the 3D art world.”
Photo by Joe Pepler/REX
Fans and passersby are encouraged to interact with the artwork; with the giant canvas appearing to look 3D it makes for fantastic picture opportunities. But hurry, as the art will be there for one day only.
Photo by Joe Pepler/REX
Photo by Joe Pepler/REX
Game of Thrones: The Complete Third Season is out now in the UK on Blu-ray & DVD, courtesy of HBO Home Entertainment. Order it now at Amazon or the HBO Store. It hits US stores tomorrow.
So at my freshman orientation for college, we had a presentation on sexual assault. The lady who spoke was fantastic, and this was her opening PowerPoint slide. I wish I had gotten the rest of it.
I like to think of this as a Change-Your-Partner’s-Snoozing-Ways Clock. Before we had kids to wake us up, my husband would snooze for 45 minutes. Not cool. Now if Mr. Sleepyhead had to pay for every push of the evil button that’s made for the lazy, he might rethink his wake up “process.” On the contrary, [...] Visit IncredibleThings.com for the full post.
This is a video of a crow (a member of the Corvus genus, which includes ravens) solving a complex 8-step puzzle in order to grab himself a treat. Apparently members of the Corvus genus are particularly smart, which I already knew because of that Edgar Allen Poe poem where the guy is constantly asking that raven questions and it always answers. This crow is already familiar with the way all the individual puzzles work though, so it's not as crazy as I first thought. Because if he had just figured out on the fly that he needs to put three rocks into the plexiglass box to weigh the plate down enough for the stick to drop without having any experience with the puzzle before, well, that would make him smarter than me. And, honestly, he might still be. I spent ten minutes panicking in my own bathroom last night before realizing the door opens the other way.
Keep going for the video, it's worth a watch if you haven't seen it already.
This is a Google Maps view of Geldrop (links to actual Google Map), a Netherlands town with streets named after characters from J.R.R. Tolkien's books. WHY does it have streets named after J.R.R. Tolkien characters? No clue. Plus it's Friday afternoon on Valentine's Day so I'm not going to spend a lot of time thinking about it. But I am going to spend a lot of time reading all the Valentines you sweetheart sent to me! *anxiously opens mailbox, slams* Screw you all, I'm serious.
Happy Valentine's Day! Give someone a hug and kiss for me. Then write me and tell me all about it so I can live vicariously through your words. If you managed to touch a boob though skip straight to that part.
Thanks to PYY, who wants to move to a town with streets named after parts of the body. Heck yeah, Boobie Circle.
Sure to be all the rage in the goth community (which I am a huge proponent of), a group of cat breeders have developed Lykio Cats, a breed that stems from a genetic mutation in a domestic shorthair cat that prevents it from growing a full coat of fur (including on its face), giving it the appearance of a werewolf. Pretty cool, but I want a cat that looks like a FALCON. "That's big enough to ride?" That's big enough for BOTH OF US to ride. Technical stuff:
"Upon starting the program, we decided that testing would need to be done to ensure that we are not dealing with disease or disorders causing the hair coat appearance. Infectious disease tests were performed first in my clinic. DNA testing was done by UC Davis to confirm that these cats do not carry the Sphynx/Devon gene. We also performed a DNA panel for genetic disease, color, and blood type. At the University of Tennessee, dermatologists examined them for any skin abnormalities (and they too fell in love with these cats and we have quite a fan club there!). Along with biopsy samples of the skin, the dermatologists could find no reason for the coat pattern. What they did find is that some hair follicles lacked all the necessary components required to create hair (which is why they lack an undercoat). They also found that the follicles that were able to produce hair, lacked the proper balance of these components to maintain the hair (which is why the Lykoi do molt and become almost completely bald from time to time). Our cardiologist performed some cardiac scans to look for any structural problems with the heart.
In the end, we found that the cats are healthy, and the hair pattern is not from any known disease or disorder. It was determined that it was indeed a true natural mutation, and our breeding program began. September 14, 2011 we welcomed the first kitten from a Lykoi Cat to Lykoi Cat breeding.... She has been named "Daciana" and to date she is the only known second generation Lykoi."
Admittedly, I kind of want one. My only problem is there are so many shelter kitties that need good homes. And once you go and look at them in their little cages your heart melts and you just want to take them all home but you can't because that makes you a hoarder so you just pick one or two that really sing to your soul and then the next week they're climbing your f***ing curtains and walking all over the kitchen counter. And you love them. They'll shit right next to their litterbox but you love them.
Keep going for several more pictures, and a couple videos. But be sure to check out the breeder's website and Facebook page for a ton more.
This is Freddy. On the right. On the left is Claire Stoneman, Freddy's caretaker. Freddy is currently the world's tallest living dog, and is just three inches shy of the world's tallest ever, George. Right now Freddy is a year and a half old and stands 7-feet 4-inches on his back legs. For reference, that's just six inches shorter than I am when I'm wearing my wizard hat. I assume he eats like six-hundred pounds of food a day and takes shits the size of French baguettes. There's a woman in my apartment building that has a pet pig. He's really cute. Granted not cute enough to not think about what he'd taste like every time she asks me to pig-sit, but still pretty cute. Apparently ol' Freddy here has already destroyed fourteen sofas. I dunno, Claire, maybe it's time to look into some obedience training.
Keep going for a couple more pictures and a video.
This is the note that 9-year old Lauren Dyson (no relation to the vacuum magnate) wrote to her science historian father George about attending a conference with Bill Nye many moons ago. She offered some solid advice. If my daughter gave me advice about meeting Bill Nye it would probably be something like, "Try not to poop your pants like when you saw Alex Trebek at the airport."
Thanks to my friend becca, who is always giving me good advice that I never take.
This clever LED bottle light lets you turn any old empty bottle into a glass lamp! The rechargeable light is shaped just like a cork, so it can slip into the empty bottle of your choice. The light charges up using a USB plug, and it lends a cozy atmosphere to indoor and outdoor spaces.
The world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, has run into some financial troubles that may result in management shutting down air conditioning and elevator service to its 163 floors. A dispute over thousands of dollars in unpaid service fees threatens to leave residents stranded in a sweltering building after paying $55,000 in cash to live in the tower for the year.
Back in 2012, Hershey reported that it would be investing $10 million over 5 years to reduce the use of child labor and improve the cocoa supply in West Africa. It’s now 2014, and though the company has made strides over the last couple years, numerous West African children are still involved in the unfair trade of cocoa. To date, more than 80% of Hershey’s cocoa comes from non-certified sources, meaning that there are still thousands of children involved in the manufacture of Hershey’s chocolates. Read on to learn how you can help these kids find a way out of fields and factories. And please sign this petition to urging Hershey CEO John Bilbrey to stop supporting child slavery.
41-year old John R. Morales used to play McGruff the Crime Dog. That was many moons ago. Apparently since then he started a massive pot growing operation and was just sentenced to 16 years in the slammer for the results of a raid on his home in 2011. And that, my friends, is why you never want to get your home raided. Even if you have nothing to hide, the cops aren't going to wipe their feet before kicking your door down and tracking mud all over the carpet.
When police raided his house, they seized 1,000 marijuana plants and 9,000 rounds of ammunition for an assortment of 27 weapons -- including a grenade launcher
After three years, Morales, 41, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 16 years in jail Monday.
Even though Morales said he was nonviolent, U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore said, "Everything I read about you makes you seem like a scary person."
Who would have ever guessed?! The man in the crime fighting dog costume was actually some sort of drug growing kingpin! It was the perfect disguise. Turns out McGruff wasn't taking a bite out of crime after all, just high and eating junkfood. You ever smashed up a bunch of Oreos in a glass of milk then put it in the freezer for awhile? The trick is not getting so high you forget about it.
Thanks again to ChaosLex, who, for two tips in a row, gets to take the D.A.R.E. bear home for the weekend.
This is 'The Balloon Highline' a video of a group of French tightrope walkers trying to navigate from one hot air balloon to another. Nobody makes it. Thankfully, they were all wearing parachutes. Me? I would have just been wearing a backpack and TOLD everyone it was a parachute. If it's my time to go, it's my time to go. I'm coming, Lord! "Not up here you're not." Damn.
Keep going for one more shot and the video.
The Women’s and Gender Studies department at Rutgers University is offering a course on Beyoncé. It’s called Politicizing Beyoncé which leads me to believe this is NOT a performance class. Whatever it is, it’s about damn time! Just kidding, I never thought this would actually happen. In my dreams, sure, but in real life? Well, [...] Visit IncredibleThings.com for the full post.
Here at Smith HQ we all have strong opinions on the best bars in London, so when one of our New York Travel Team consultants had a GoldSmith client heading our way and seeking tucked-away drinking dens, she sent up the Bat-Signal (Smith-Signal?). Five minutes later, she had ‘crowdsauced’ a list of recommendations sure to satisfy even the most dedicated drinker. Here’s what we came up with…
Bourne & Hollingsworth –’a chintzy single room bar hidden down a flight of steps on Rathbone Place’ – topped the list from editorial assistant Madévi Dailly; it’s also a mere seven-minute stroll from Hazlitt’s. Madévi also recommended Callooh Callay(above), where you leave the first bar via a wardrobe to find the secret second bar, and the Queen of Hoxton’s rooftop, which is ‘not quite a cocktail bar but a pop-up teepee on the that does brilliant hot, boozy drinks’.
The Whistling Shop on Worship Street, less than 10 minutes by taxi from Town Hall Hotel: it’s a Victorian-gin-palace-inspired hideaway where convoluted but delicious drinks are served by bartenders who all seem to be handsome and moustachioed, and it’s one of senior travel consultant Baiba Grase’s favourites. Baiba also rates the Experimental Cocktail Club in Chinatown, Looking Glass Cocktail Club, Opium (go for the dim sum, stay for the cocktails: if you’re with a crowd, the Hailand Island Monster can be sipped by up to 20) and the Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town(right), home to the world’s second-smallest disco.
For the view, Paramount at the top of Centre Point – six minutes on foot from the Dean Street Townhouse – is the choice of Laetitia Berthoux, senior Travel Team consultant. Nightjar is where you’ll find global Travel Team manager Jonny Tindal, and Stevie Gulliford, head of sales, votes for The King of Ladies Man in Battersea.
As for me, I’m quite partial to Reverend J W Simpson, near The Soho Hotel (although its creaky stairs and peeling wallpaper unnerve PR manager Elizabeth Rhodes). My favourite from the menu is the Port Berry Stinger which is sweet, velvety and decadently delicious (but admittedly does look slightly like fizzy blood). My absolute best London bar, though – the one where I always take visiting out-of-towners I want to delight – is the Zetter Townhouse in Clerkenwell (above), which has all the top-notch cocktails and bizarre taxidermy you need for a successful night out. Plus, it’s a hotel, too, so technically you don’t ever need to go home.
Check back soon for our next installment of top local tips, crowdsourced at Smith, or explore our carefully curated collection of London boutique hotels.
This is a video of a little girl named Kayden experiencing rain for the first time. It is adorable. I know what you’re wondering, but no, there is no one cutting onions in here. It’s just me and I am crying. HARD. Little Kayden is all “F*** YEAH RAIN!” and I’m over here blubbering like [...] Visit IncredibleThings.com for the full post.
This is a wake-up prank from the Japanese special Dokkiri Award (Japanese TV is the best) of comedian Toshiaki Kasuga being launched through the roof of a cabin at the base of Mt. Fuji one morning. Apparently the show managed to get Toshiaki drunk the night before, then strapped him to the bed in the cabin for the prank the next morning. Man, I've gotten drunk and strapped to a bed before -- it was awesome. I'm joking, you see this scar? She took my spleen.
Keep going for the video.
Note: Alaska not drawn to scale for some reason. Alaska is almost 2.5x the size of Texas (although California's population is only 1.5x the size of Texas leading me to believe this entire map is a CROCK OF LIES.
This is a map of the United States showing the approximate size of each state if its size was relative to its population. Really puts things into perspective, doesn't it? I'm joking, I'm having a hard time even understanding what I'm looking at. This sort of thing is way over my head. Also over my head? My shirt -- I'm waving it around like a helicopter! "Those are underwear." So... "Somehow you managed to put on a t-shirt like a pair of boxers." Heck yeah! Is my penis poking out one of the sleeves?! "Not even close." Damn.
Thanks to LDA, who informed me California has a larger population than all of Canada. Wowzers!
This is Amazing Map's United States of Autocomplete, a guide to the 54 states-- "There's only 50." Really? This is the United States of Autocomplete, a guide to the 50 states per the first Google autocomplete result for typing, "Why is [a state] so...". As you can see, most of them are negative and were clearly typed by morons. "Just like Geekologie." Sticks and stones, homie. Is Pennsylvania really super haunted? Is that true? And Alabama is good? You mean the college football team? Alabama is only good because I used to live there, and I wouldn't even call it good, I would just call it DECENT. My mom's broccoli-cheese casserole? OUT OF THIS F***ING WORLD.
Thanks to Liza, who used to sit in front of me in Calculus II. No? Different Liza? How many of you are there?!
Queso Fundido is everywhere. It’s taking over the world. It’s sweeping the nation! My friend Gaby made it a couple of days ago, my friend Adrianna made it last year, and everyone has their own little spin on the luscious Mexican munchie. The common denominator, of course, is queso, otherwise known as cheese, otherwise known as the thing that makes me want to get out of bed in the morning, and as long as you melt a bunch of cheese with another ingredient or two and serve it with tortillas or chips (or both!) you’re on the right track.
When I first learned about Queso Fundido, I realized I’d been unknowingly making it all my life. When I was growing up, I’d sometimes put a little (okay, a big honking) slice of cheese on a plate and microwave it until it was gooey. And then I’d just stand there and eat it. With a fork. Completely devoid of shame or regret. And even though I was missing the meat component of Queso Fundido, I certainly had the cheese part down pat.
“Queso Fundido” translates to “molten cheese” (or “melted cheese”) and this skillet of wonderfulness definitely has plenty to spare! This is a classic Mexican appetizer (actually, the original Mexican version is flambéed…using booze!) that you can customize however your heart desires. And it’s absolutely perfect for the Super Bowl! Keep it pared down, with only cheese and sausage…or dress it up a little bit as I do in this post.
This is absolutely, positively a cheese lover’s paradise.
Chop up an onion…
Then dice up a yellow bell pepper…
And a green bell pepper.
And actually, you can use any color of bell pepper you want: red, yellow, orange, green. Just let your conscience be your guide.
But here was my thinking: I’m putting diced tomato on the whole delicious mess when it’s done. So that’ll take care of the red!
I spend entirely too much time thinking about color.
Next, cook some sausage! I used good ol’ breakfast sausage (otherwise known as the J.C. Potter stuff) but you can use chorizo if you really want to go nuts. (Chorizo is nice and spicy!)
When the sausage is totally cooked, remove it to a paper towel to drain. Because it will be in with all the melting cheese later, you want to remove as much of the grease as possible.
If there’s any excess grease in the skillet, pour it out and blot it with paper towels, if necessary. Then add the onions and peppers to the skillet and cook them over medium-high heat.
You’ll want to cook them for a good 5 minutes or so, until they’ve softened up a bit and turned golden brown in color! Then just remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside.
(Note: I won’t use all of these veggies since I’m using a smaller skillet.)
Dice up some tomatoes. You’ll need them later!
Next: The Cheese. This is obviously a hugely important component to Queso Fundido. You can really use any cheese you want, but you want it to be the kind of cheese that becomes “stringy” when it melts. So Monterey Jack or mozzarella are perfect!
Grate up a whole bunch of it seeing that it’s, well, the most important part of the whole dish.
I also grate up some Mexican “Queso Quesadilla” cheese, which I discovered is pretty much the same as Monterey Jack!
Now, the skillet size is another variable. I like to use smaller skillets for Queso Fundido—this is about 6-7 inches, I think—because the queso disappears faster…which you want, because otherwise, in a big skillet, it might not get eaten fast enough and the cheese might start to firm up, which is always a tragedy of epic proportions.
You can also use a regular glass or ceramic baking dish—it doesn’t have to be a skillet!
You can also split it all up among a few smaller vessels.
Or, of course, you can do it in a big ol’ skillet. Just make sure you have plenty of guests to gobble it up!
Start with a layer of cheese, please.
Then add a layer of sausage, por favor.
Then another layer of cheese…
And a layer of the veggies.
Note: If you have veggies left over, just save them in the fridge and make an omelet!
Another note: You can just use 1 onion and 1 bell pepper if you don’t care about representing all the colors of the rainbow. This recipe is very flexible.
End with a layer of cheese…
A little more sausage…
And a little more cheese, just so the sausage is covered.
Finally, to give it all a nice kick, give it a light sprinkling of chili powder! You can also do a really light sprinkling of cumin if you’d like. A little extra flavor never hurt anyone.
Pop it in a 400 degree oven, and start watching it after about 4 to 5 minutes. You want to make sure the cheese is really hot and bubbly but not so much so that the cheese starts to harden. So just start peeking about 4 minutes in…but truth be told, it’ll probably need to be in there for a good 8 minutes or so. Possibly more, depending on how big or small your vessel is.
Now, this is perfectly delicious as it is and you could go ahead and serve it now.
But it’s not nearly colorful enough for me.
Top the whole thing with the diced tomato the second it comes out of the oven!
Oh, dear.
But there’s still one more thing I need to do.
Chopped cilantro!
Just what it needed.
Before I dive into the center of this and totally embarrass myself…let’s just take a final moment to look at this skillet full of perfection. I mean…melted cheese. Sausage. Peppers. Onions. Cool, fresh tomatoes. Fresh, flavorful cilantro.
The world is a beautiful place.
And have I mentioned I love cheese? I’m not sure if I’ve made that clear in the 8 years I’ve been blogging.
Oh, and remember that thing I mentioned a few seconds ago about diving in? Well…that’s exactly what I did.
Have a fork nearby. If it’s hard to dig the chips in without them breaking, the fork can help wrangle the cheese a bit!
If you need something fabulous to serve your Super Bowl guests…
If the wings and brownies and chili and sliders just aren’t enough…
This is definitely the perfect solution!
Real quick, just a couple of tips/reminders:
* The skillet will be very hot, so be sure to wrap the handle in a cloth and tell your guests that it’s a hottie.
* Be sure to watch it in the oven to make sure the cheese doesn’t “overcook.”
* I can’t emphasize enough the importance of serving this piping hot right out of the oven! It changes pretty quickly as it starts to cool, and you want to experience maximum meltiness.
1/2 pound Hot Breakfast Sausage (such As Jimmy Dean Or J.C. Potter) Or Chorizo
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
2 whole SMALL Bell Peppers (any Color Combination), Seeded And Finely Diced
1 pound Monterey Jack, Grated (OR Mozzarella, Or Other Stringy Melting Cheese), Grated
Sprinkle Of Chili Powder
3 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
1/4 cup Cilantro, Chopped
Tortilla Chips For Serving
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large skillet, cook and crumble the sausage until brown. Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Pour off any excess fat. Add onions and bell peppers to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until the veggies are soft and golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
To build the skillet, place 1/3 of the cheese in a medium-sized ovenproof skillet. Add half the sausage. Add another third of the cheese, then as much of the veggie mixture as you'd like (you may have a little left over.) Add almost all of the remaining cheese, the rest of the sausage, then whatever cheese you have left. Sprinkle the top very lightly with chili powder.
NOTE: Depending on the size of your skillet or baking dish, you may have some ingredients left over. Just build so that the ingredients roughly reach the top of the skillet; they'll shrink quite a bit once the cheese melts!
Place into the oven and start watching it about 4 to 5 minutes in. You want to bake it until the cheese is totally melted, hot, and slightly bubbling...but before the cheese starts to firm up/harden. (In other words, you still want the cheese to be extra gooey.)
Remove from the oven, top with the diced tomatoes, sprinkle on the tomatoes, and serve immediately with tortilla chips!
NOTE: Be sure to have everything ready so you can serve the queso fundido pretty much right out of the oven. It's best when piping hot!
IMPORTANT: Wrap a cloth around the skillet handle so guests won't burn themselves.
Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on January 27 2014
The sure thing is that when Olbermann is on his game, he’s hard to beat. The guy can be the biggest blow hard to ever suck wind, but he rarely buckles when he has a good point to make. The Sochi Olympics are turning out to be an epic mess and we should put it in the bin provided.
30fps.
This is a video of a crow (a member of the Corvus genus, which includes ravens) 
This 
Sure to be all the rage in the goth community (which I am a huge proponent of), a group of cat breeders
This is Freddy. On the right. On the left is Claire Stoneman, Freddy's caretaker. Freddy is currently 
This
They're clearly the most impressive spud to ever call itself a side dish.
41-year old John R. Morales used to play McGruff the Crime Dog. That was many moons ago. Apparently since then he started a massive pot growing operation 
This is 'The Balloon Highline' a video of a group of French tightrope walkers
The 
This 
Note: Alaska not drawn to scale for some reason. Alaska is almost 2.5x the size of Texas (although California's population is only 1.5x the size of Texas leading me to believe this entire map is a CROCK OF LIES.
This
This
