Man caught filling hotel bathtub up with potatoes while wearing a bra and high on MDMA

A drugged-up man was caught filling up a hotel bath with potatoes whilst wearing a bra during an epic five day MDMA binge. When Judge Peter Henry asked James Johnson why he was filling up a bath with potatoes he replied: ‘It felt the right thing to do at the time.’

Johnson, 30, was caught by officers wearing a woman’s bra over his shirt and carrying a bag of spuds as he entered the Travelodge in Eastleigh.

Officers searched his room and found an ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of drugs, including ecstasy, another designer drug similar to MDMA called 5-MAPB and a psychedelic substance called 2CB. Southampton Crown Court heard Johnson and two friends had decided to go on a one-night binge which ended up lasting five days.

Trump’s businesses have never been under more fire, and they’re facing their ‘greatest challenge’ yet

• President Donald Trump’s business is under intense scrutiny unlike any time prior in his presidency.
• The special counsel Robert Mueller subpoenaed the Trump Organization for documents.
• Adult film star Stormy Daniels is seeking documentation from the company related to the $130,000 payment she received from Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
• Lastly, there is a potentially huge emoluments clause lawsuit that a federal judge said can go forward.

Never before has President Donald Trump’s business come under the kind of fire it has in recent weeks.

Simultaneously, the Trump Organization is faced with three pieces of high-stakes litigation:

• The special counsel Robert Mueller has subpoenaed the company for documents as a part of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
• Stormy Daniels, the adult film star whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, is seeking all internal company documents that have any relation to the $130,000 payment top Trump attorney Michael Cohen sent prior to the 2016 election — so she would stay quiet about an affair she says she had with Trump.
• The attorneys general for Washington, DC, and Maryland filed a lawsuit that claims Trump took “emoluments,” or gifts from state and foreign-government officials, in violation of the Constitution. That lawsuit cleared an initial hurdle that no similar prior lawsuit had passed, with a federal judge ruling that the case can move forward.

Mexico: Seven police officers die in Veracruz prison riot

Seven police officers have been killed in riots at a prison in Mexico, according to Mexican officials.

The deaths occurred during an operation to quell an uprising, they said.

It happened in the La Toma prison in Amatlán de los Reyes in the eastern state of Veracruz between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

The authorities have not yet released any details about any injured prisoners.

Inmates were reported to have broken free from their cells.

South Korea’s K-pop superstars perform in North

South Korea’s K-pop stars have reportedly performed in North Korea for the first time in more than a decade as the two countries on the divided peninsula prepare for a rare summit.

More than 150 artists are in the capital Pyongyang for two shows.

It is a reciprocal visit after the North sent performers to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics earlier this year in South Korea.

It comes amid thawing relations between the Koreas after months of tension.

One concert took place on Sunday evening local time at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre, said South Korean media, with another set to follow on Tuesday. The delegation mixes K-pop, rock and other genres.

Fitter, faster and clad in lycra: the middle-aged men racing against stereotypes

MAMIL, a documentary exploring the lives and motivations of men who cycle, is surprisingly emotional

You see them everywhere. Kitted out in form-hugging Lycra, cycling in groups down leafy lanes, racing past buses on crowded roads, chatting on corners. Now they’re on cinema screens, too. A documentary film out next week aims to capture the Mamil (middle-aged man in Lycra) experience, almost a decade after the phenomenon began.

“I wanted to examine what life is like today for middle-aged men,” says the film’s Australian director Nickolas Bird. “What makes them tick and what pressures they’re under – I also wanted to explore topics like masculinity, men’s health, how men support each other and how minority groups and women fit into the Mamil world.”

Man stabbed, goes to pub with knife sticking out of his back

A 27-YEAR-OLD man allegedly stabbed in the back at Beerwah last night stopped in at the pub for one last schooner before calling the police.

A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said police would allege a fight between two men that started at the Beerwah Hotel and moved out on the road on Turner St saw a 20-year-old Beerwah man allegedly stab a Caboolture man.

The QPS spokeswoman said the two men were initially kicked out of the pub for fighting.

Roadhogs… watch out for hedgehogs crossing! Signs warning drivers to be aware of wildlife will appear across UK in a bid to boost declining numbers

• In the 1950s, there were an estimated 30 million hedgehogs in Britain
• Today there are about one million hedgehogs in Britain with motorists to blame
• The Government are set to erect warning signs where small wildlife is present

Signs warning motorists to watch out for hedgehogs are set to appear on British roads.

The Government wants to help the animals get across highways safely – and so help boost their declining numbers.

Jigsaw addict completes mammoth 34,000-piece puzzle after working on it for TWO YEARS

A JIGSAW addict has just completed a mammoth 34,000-piece puzzle – and “nearly got divorced” in the process.

It took the retired HGV driver Ken Robinson a whopping two years working at least three or four hours a day to finish the giant jungle scene.

Now he wants to find somewhere big enough for the six-metre long jigsaw to be displayed – if only to save his marriage to long-suffering wife, Christine.

The 74-year-old has devoted an entire room of his Marske house to his hobby, but warns anyone who comes in they could be searched in case he loses a piece.

Sacramento Home For Sale, But Not To Trump Supporters

A Sacramento area home is up for sale, but it comes with a catch.

The homeowner has a political preference in mind for the next owner of her house, which has been in her family for decades.

“She entertained people from all walks of life,” said the homeowner who asked we not use her name for fear of retaliation.

“I told her [the realtor] that I didn’t want her to sell it to a Trump supporter,” said the woman.

She wants a sale contingent upon how someone votes, but is that legal?

Attorney Allen Sawyer doesn’t believe so.

Florida alligator: Police posts show Nokomis pool gator

Florida police have posted photos and video of an 11ft alligator in a family’s swimming pool, along with the words “Just no”.

Residents in Nokomis called for help after discovering the animal.

The Sarasota County sheriff’s office posted film of a trapper dragging the animal from the water on Saturday.

Responding to their own tweet, the officers said the gator managed to “bust right through” a screen door to get to the pool.

Officers posted with the hashtags “Tweet from the Beat” and “Only in Florida”.

Chislehurst resident fined after spilling oil

A Chislehurst resident has been prosecuted and told to pay a total of almost £1,100 after engine oil leading to her car found her guilty of depositing oil on the highway.

Lisa Holmes, of Victoria Road, was fined £440 plus £44 surcharge and ordered to pay £615.25 costs in her absence at Bexley Magistrates Court on Monday.

The prosecution followed an investigation last July, which concluded that oil found on the road in Victoria Road was coming from a parked car owned by Ms Holmes.

Anti-Trump artists turn room in President’s Manhattan hotel into rat-filled exhibit

A band of renegade artists released live rats inside a Trump hotel room in the city as part of a highly unauthorized exhibit complete with a Donald impersonator in golden handcuffs.

The guerilla art group Indecline, known for several high-profile anti-Trump projects, pulled off the artistic caper inside a one-bedroom suite at the Trump International Hotel on Central Park West.

“We feel like he really is the embodiment of a rat in every way, shape or form,” said a spokesman, who requested anonymity.

“He’s the lowest of the low and we felt to imprison him with his own breed is only right.”

A team of seven showed up at the hotel Thursday afternoon carrying suitcases and duffel bags filled with bars for a makeshift jail cell and other supplies.

Trump’s Lawyer: It’s Time to End the Mueller Probe

The president’s personal attorney hopes Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein follows ‘the brilliant and courageous example’ of Sessions, who just fired Andrew McCabe.

President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, John Dowd, told The Daily Beast on Saturday morning that he hopes Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will shut down Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russia’s election interference.

Reached for comment by email about the firing of former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Dowd sent The Daily Beast the text of Trump’s most recent tweet on the subject, which applauded the dismissal.

“I pray that Acting Attorney General Rosenstein will follow the brilliant and courageous example of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility and Attorney General Jeff Sessions and bring an end to alleged Russia Collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe’s boss James Comey based upon a fraudulent and corrupt Dossier,” Dowd then wrote.

John Kelly: Rex Tillerson Was on the Toilet When I Told Him He’d Be Getting Fired

The White House chief of staff shared the story with a room of reporters and Trump administration officials Friday.

Reporters gathered at the White House on Friday were stunned when Chief of Staff John Kelly shared a very embarrassing story about outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The reporters were there with senior White House officials for an off-the-record meeting with Kelly, who was attempting to tamp down speculation about an impending administration staff purge. The Daily Beast was not invited, but was briefed on its contents by three sources with knowledge of the meeting.

According to those sources, Kelly recounted a very awkward conversation with Tillerson during which he informed the secretary that President Donald Trump would very likely soon fire him. The awkwardness was less a result of the contents of the conversation than its setting.

Putin is getting slammed for saying Jews might have interfered in the US election

• Russian President Vladimir Putin made controversial statements about Jews and several other groups in Russia, shifting the blame to them for Russia’s interference in the 2016 US election.
• Jewish groups condemned Putin’s remarks.
• Putin also suggested that it was unclear who was financing the interference, and maintained that they had no ties to the Russian state.
• The main financier of the Russian effort is a close Putin ally, US intelligence agencies have said.

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President Vladimir Putin of Russia elicited sharp blowback when he claimed that even though individuals with Russian citizenship may have worked to interfere in the 2016 US elections, they may not actually have been Russian because of their Jewish faith.

‘The Sopranos’ Prequel Film Confirmed: David Chase’s ‘The Many Saints Of Newark’ Takes Shape at New Line

David Chase is officially returning to the world of “The Sopranos.” Deadline confirms Chase and Lawrence Konner’s screenplay for their “Sopranos” prequel film has been purchased by New Line. The working title for the prequel is “The Many Saints of Newark.” Chase created the HBO series, which ran for six seasons, and Konner served as a writer.

“The Many Saints of Newark” is set during the 1960s riots in the New Jersey city between the African-American and Italian communities. The war between the cultural mobs turns especially lethal. According to Deadline, the prequel film will include characters that appeared on the HBO series, most likely younger versions of Tony Soprano’s father and mother, played in the original series in flashback by Joseph Siravo and Nancy Marchand. Tony’s uncle Junior is also expected to appear.

The Mysteries and Tragedy of Russia’s Bottomless Karst Lake (PHOTOS)

The water is serene but deathly cold – and danger lurks beneath its surface. Yet, in the aquatic depths the promise of discovering hidden underwater caves and relics of our past awaits. Here, beauty and allure belie risks – but risks that some are prepared to take.

“A sapphire in a ring of green trees.” That’s how this stunning lake has been described. Even on overcast days, the water has a deep, crystal blue color like the gemstone to which it has been compared.

But there is much more than splendor to this lake. Beneath its smooth surface lie mysteries as yet unsolved. And some of these are secrets that the lake will not easily give up; at least, not if the recent tragic death of one diving explorer and the hospitalization of another are read as telltale signs.

9 Magical Zen Gardens

Zen garden is an interesting and deeply spiritual aspect of Japanese gardening traditions. The typical Zen garden consists of an enclosed and shallow sand box of sorts which features predominantly sand or gravel with rocks of various shapes and sizes.

The rocks and sand (or gravel) are the chief elements of the garden, which generally creates the scene of islands in the sea. The sand or gravel in a Zen garden represents the sea or ocean and is used instead of water. It will be carefully raked by tending monks to create the impression of waves on the surface of a body of water.

The rocks themselves represent islands or rock formations jutting out from the water. The overall goal is to create a small-scale recreation of an aerial or cliff-top view of an intricate coastal scene. One of the primary differences between a Zen garden and most other varieties is the lack of living elements. Although grass may sometimes be included, no other plant or flower species will be found in a classic Zen garden.

This can be both unusual and exotically appealing to people with no past experience with the history and meaning of a Zen garden.

The world’s most extraordinary hotels in pictures

Mihir Garh, Rajasthan 
“The fort sits in splendid isolation amid the Thar Desert near Jodhpur. It looks like an enormous sandcastle, a mirage, and is not just a unique place to stay; it’s a shrine to the artistic and architectural traditions of Rajasthan in general and Jodhpur in particular.”

Planet Baobab, Botswana
“Botswana’s Makgadigadi Pan comprises the world’s largest network of salt pans – a thirsty, mirage-inducing landscape of flat, shimmering expanses under hard blue skies. Halfway along the sole tarred road through this arid moonscape, a statue of an anteater towers at the dusty verge. It is a surreal sight, and an appropriate signpost for the distinctive Planet Baobab.”

Prendiparte B&B, Bologna, Italy
“A medieval high-rise turned romantic hideaway, the Torre Prendiparte is unlike anywhere else you’ll ever stay. The living area is on the first two floors and comprises a snug, classically-furnished living room, mezzanine bedroom, and kitchen. Above this is the former jail where you can still see graffiti left by prisoners on the 2m-thick walls.”

Qasr al Sarab, UAE
“Rising from the shifting sands, Qasr Al Sarab appears like a mirage on the edge of the vast Empty Quarter desert. Outside high crenellated walls echo fortresses of old. Inside rooms continue the dream of Arabian Nights with sumptuous fabrics, carved Islamic designs, woven rugs, wooden doors and metalwork lanterns.”

Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge, Tasmania, Australia
“A stay at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge plunges you into the heart of Tasmania’s wilderness, with luxury that feels as organic as your surrounds. The cabins are nestled privately in the bushland, with wallabies bounding past the windows and wombats shuffling amid the trees.”

Free Spirit Spheres, British Columbia, Canada
“Suspended in the trees on sturdy guide ropes, Vancouver Island’s Free Spirit Spheres look like giant eyeballs peering deep into the British Columbia woodlands. Step inside and the handmade orbs – accessed via spiral rope staircases or slender steel bridges – are lined like comfy boat cabins with built-in beds and cabinets.”

Taskonak Hotel, Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
“Göreme has dozens of beautiful cave-hotels but Taşkonak manages to dish up the cave-suites and stupendous views Cappadocia is famous for without breaking your budget.”

Thonga Beach Lodge, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa
“One of few such lodges within the extraordinary 328,000 hectare iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a Unesco world heritage site.”

Saugerties Lighthouse, New York state, USA
“Saugerties Lighthouse is a historic 1869 landmark that makes a wonderful base for exploring the scenic Hudson valley. It is 100 miles north of New York City, and the red brick building has played a pivotal role in safely guiding steamboats, barges and other vessels safely along the Hudson river over the years. More recently (in the mid 1990s), the lighthouse was transformed into a two-room B&B, providing safe haven of a different sort.”

The Gibbon Experience Treehouse, Bokeo Reserve, Laos
“The tree houses erected by conservation group Animo are a thing of architectural wonder, straddling the giant trunks of strangler fig trees. But more extraordinary still is that to reach these vertiginous eyries you’ll have to trek through the fecund realm of the tiger, then catch a series of exhilarating zip lines strung across the forest canopy, before flying into your night’s accommodation.”

Amazing color pictures from 1960s Budapest

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National Geographic Photo Contest

 

 

 

 

100 years old pictures in colours before World War I

Türkei, Bursa, Ladengeschaeft einer Confiserie, Auguste Leon, 1. Juni 1913

Vietnam. Tonkin, Leon Busy, 1914

Indien, Statue des Heiligen Stiers, Stephane Passet, 29. Januar 1914

Österreich, Wien, Judengasse, Fotograf unbekannt, 23. April 1913

Mongolei, nahe Ulaanbaatar Urga, Stéphane Passet, 23. Juli 1913

Irland, Galway, Marguerite Mespoulet, 26. Mai 1913

Indien, Uttar Pradesh, Agra. Mausoleum Taj Mahal von Shah Jahan für Mumtaz Mahal, Stéphane Passet, 19.-21. Januar 1914

Indien, Amritsar. Marmorne Strasse zum Goldenden Tempel, neben den rituellen Reinigungsbecken, dem Darbar Sahib und dem Hari Mandir, Stéphane Passet, 15. Januar 1914

China, nach Kalgan. Nomadenlager, drei Männer und ein Junge vor einer Jurte, Stéphane Passet, 18.-21. Juli 1912

Water pipe smoking. Samarkand

Mongolei, Ulaanbaatar. Der Finanzminister des unabhängigen Staats Mongolei auf dem Marktplatz, Stéphane Passet, 22. Juli 1913

Major Lazer & DJ Snake – Lean On (feat. MØ)

Listen To A Rare 1965 Recording Of Stanley Kubrick’s Most Profound Interview

When physicist and renowned author Jeremy Bernstein (born December 31, 1929) penned a terrific piece on 37-year-old burgeoning director Stanley Kubrick for The New Yorker, the story gained so much attention that Bernstein was commissioned to write an even more elaborate profile of the legendary filmmaker. Normally Kubrick would have flat-out refused, however, he agreed due to the fact that he shared a common passion with Bernstein — chess. When Bernstein travelled to Oxford, England for the conversation on November 27, 1965 it was also captured on tape. The interview remains to this day one of the most profound conversations with Kubrick ever recorded, and you can listen to it in full below.

Helios – Hope Valley Hill (Arms and Sleepers Remix)

Keith Kenniff – Helios

Mac DeMarco // “Brother” (OFFICIAL SINGLE)

 

Alan Watts: Sense of Nonsense

November 27, 1965: A Rare Recording of Stanley Kubrick’s Most Revealing Interview

“People react primarily to direct experience and not to abstractions; it is very rare to find anyone who can become emotionally involved with an abstraction.”

George Orwell on how to make the perfect cup of tea

Excerpt from Orwell’s fantastic 1946 essay outlining his 11 “golden” rules of tea /

Harald Grosskopf’s 1979 Masterpiece “Synthesist” Is 7 Minutes Of Pure Amazingness

Yesterday TEEN DAZE released a new mixtape which you can stream and download by visiting ThePlayground.co.uk.  The 8-track collection provides a perfect ambient backdrop for pretty much any situation, but the crown jewel of the mixtape is unquestionably Harald Grosskopf’s brilliant track “Synthesist”.

Shanghai Tower (650 meters)

Raskalov and Russian photographer Vadim Mahora broke into and climbed the Gensler-designed Shanghai Tower, soon to be China’s tallest and the world’s second tallest skyscraper at 632 meters (2,074 feet) high. Although the tower will eventually boast the world’s fastest elevators (reaching 40mph), the pair had to climb the 120 flights of stairs by foot (taking them about two hours); they then spent another 18 hours sleeping and waiting for the weather to clear. The staggering resulting images show not just the dizzying heights, but also fantastic views of the adjacent Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center (together, the trio of buildings that are re-defining the Shanghai skyline).

Adam Magyar – Stainless, 42 Street (excerpt)

High speed video recording in NYC at Grand Central station.

Tolkien & Sendak On The Psychology Of Fantasy & The Powerful Effect Of Fairy Tales On The Adult Mind

In March 1939, renowned fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien penned an essay enitled “On Fairy-Stories” which explores the nature of fantasy and the cultural role of fairy tales. His argument is the same — that there is no such thing as “writing for children.” Tolkien writes: “A ‘fairy-story’ is one which touches on or uses Faerie, whatever its own main purpose may be: satire, adventure, morality, fantasy. Faerie itself may perhaps most nearly be translated by Magic — but it is magic of a peculiar mood and power, at the furthest pole from the vulgar devices of the laborious, scientific, magician. There is one proviso : if there is any satire present in the tale, one thing must not be made fun of, the magic itself. That must in that story be taken seriously, neither laughed at nor explained away.”

Tolkien adds: “Creative fantasy, because it is mainly trying to do something else … may open your hoard and let all the locked things fly away like cage-birds.” You can read more excerpts from Tolkien’s essay by visiting BrainPickings.org.

The Aqualibrium Garden – The Future of Food

The Aqualibrium Garden – The Future of Food by “Aqualibrium”

The fish in the self-cleaning aquarium in the bottom chamber of the Aqualibrium Garden provide the nutrients that feed the plants in the self-watering grow space in the upper chamber. This cycle… like nature herself… is automatic, providing the potential to grow an abundance of fresh vegetables, herbs and flowering plants all year.

The Real Walter White (VIDEO)

When AMC’s Breaking Bad premiered in 2008, one of Alabama’s most successful meth cooks was already knee deep in building a massive meth empire. His name? Walter White. In this documentary, Walter tells us the secret behind his product, how he stacked up thousands of dollars per day, and why his partner is now serving two life sentences.

A new industry born from the disaster — LED indoor farm

A new industry born from the disaster — LED indoor farm

Awesome pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope

 

 

 

 

Great Gardens: “Prospect Cottage” by Howard Sooley – NOWNESS

http://vimeo.com/103807651

Great Gardens: “Prospect Cottage” by Howard Sooley – NOWNESS

Speeding Around The World in Under 5 minutes Time Lapse

17 Countries. 343 Days. 6237 Photographs. One incredible journey.

GoPro: Wild Downhill Ride with Claudio Caluori

Claudio Calouri and Will Longden takes us on a wild run through the UCI Downhill Course at Leogang in Austria.

World’s smallest cat – Big Cats

森の木琴

TOUCHWOOD SH-08C http://answer.nttdocomo.co.jp/touchwood/

“TRUMP ANTHEM” — A Bad Lip Reading of Donald Trump

Snow falls in the Sahara desert

The town of Ain Sefra, on the edge of the Sahara desert, was hit by icy weather last week – and even snow.

Snowfall is very rare in the Sahara, despite the fact that it can be cold at night – because there’s rarely enough water around for any kind of precipitation.

Unbelievable Unlikely Animal Friendships Compilation 2017

Winds on this mountain in the US will make it feel like -67C

Temperatures on a mountain peak in the US state of New Hampshire could fall so low you risk getting frostbite in just a couple of minutes.

Micro Wind Turbine

Oxmo Puccino – 365 Jours

The Future Of Transportation

The World in 2050