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.

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.

Memphis Black Restaurant Week is Here and We’re Excited

Love soul food and need a new place to go? We’ve got a city and a time for you. The destination? Memphis, Tennessee. When? March 5-11, 2018 for Memphis Black Restaurant Week.

Memphis Black Restaurant Week (MBRW), if you couldn’t tell by the name, is an opportunity for Black-owned restaurants to offer dining deals, bring in new customers, and raise awareness.

The first run, started by Cynthia Daniels (pictured above) in 2016, featured eight restaurants (DeJavu, HM Dessert Lounge, Onix, Evergreen Grill, Mot & Ed’s, The Bistro, Scoops Parlor, and The Office @ Uptown) and was developed while Daniels was employed as the social media manager for HM Dessert Lounge.

In her capacity there, Daniels says she was able to see behind the curtain and understand the difficulties that restaurants face when they don’t have the budgets to advertise.

The Best Ginger Beer for Moscow Mules

When it comes to classic cocktails, there aren’t many that are more canonical (or more widespread these days) than the Moscow Mule. Made with just a few ingredients — simply vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer— the combination of sweet, citrusy, and strong is hard to beat. It’s refreshing and you can easily put down a couple in a sitting, depending on how strong they are. (You also can’t forget the damn pretty copper mugs that mules come in, either.)

Yet even though it only contains three ingredients, not all ingredients are created equal. If you look at the ingredients to many mass-produced ginger beers out there, you’ll notice that they are basically just sugar and ginger flavoring, giving you nothing but a headache after. You wouldn’t drink it on its own, so why would you put it in a cocktail?

Below, you’ll find our picks for the best ginger beer for Moscow mules (you can find our picks for vodka here). They run the gamut on spiciness, so even if that zing isn’t your thing, you’ll find one to enjoy. (If you need to know how to make a Moscow mule, check out our video on the subject here.)

Bundaberg

Australian ginger beer Bundaberg not only rolls off the tongue (as you’re delightfully ripping the cap off), but the brew is damn goo, too. Using locally-grown ginger and taking three days per batch, Bundaberg is great in mules and more.

Uzbekistan Filmgoers Get to See Death of Stalin. For Free

Tashkent normally follows Russia’s lead in banning movies, making this planned screening all the more unusual.

In a sublime feat of Russia-trolling, a theater in Uzbekistan is marking the 65th anniversary of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s death with a showing of hit comedy “The Death of Stalin” — and allowing viewers in for free to boot.

The movie has been banned in Russia, where officials have grumbled over what they argue is an insufficiently reverential account of the days that followed the passing of one of history’s most notorious mass murderers.

Richard Branson is hiring an assistant to work on his idyllic Caribbean island

• Richard Branson is hiring.
• Virgin is advertising an admin assistant role located on the founder’s Necker Island in the Caribbean.
• Applicants are asked to submit their CV alongside a video explaining why they should be given the job.

A job advertisement for what could be the most glamorous admin role in the world on Virgin boss Richard Branson’s Necker Island has gone viral.

The listing for a “personal assistant and admin assistant”, posted on social networking site LinkedIn, has received widespread attention after it offered one lucky applicant the chance to relocate to the billionaire’s private Caribbean island.

“Fancy working on Necker Island?” It begins, “Thought so!”

‘Mega-colonies’ of 1.5 million penguins discovered in Antarctica

The discovery shows the remote area is a vital refuge for wildlife from climate change and overfishing and should be protected by a new reserve, say scientists.

Huge “mega-colonies” of penguins have been discovered near the Antarctic peninsula, hosting more than 1.5 million birds. Researchers say it shows the area is a vital refuge from climate change and human activities and should be protected by a vast new marine wildlife reserve currently under consideration.

The huge numbers of Adélie penguins were found on the Danger Islands in the Weddell Sea, on the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is a difficult place to reach and has seldom been visited. But scientists, prompted by satellite images, mounted an expedition and used on-the-ground counts and aerial photography from drones to reveal 751,527 pairs of penguins.

 Aerial footage revealed an enormous breeding colony of Adélie penguins in the Danger Islands

The researchers then examined satellite images going back to 1959 and believe the colony has been stable over that time. In contrast, Adélie colonies to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula, where the impact of climate change and human activity are much greater, are in decline.

20+ Brutally Honest Reactions To The Current Gun Situation In America

The horrific mass shooting at a school in Parkland, Florida, has reignited protests for meaningful political action in the United States. According to Quinnipiac Poll, an independent, non-partisan public opinion poll, currently 66% of American voters support stricter gun laws, and it’s the highest level ever measured. People are expressing their thoughts about these issues all over the internet, and some are resonating with the public so much, Bored Panda has decided to compile them into a list.

From brutally honest jokes to interesting insights, the entries below will certainly stir your thoughts about the uncomfortable debate American society needs to have. Scroll down to check them out, and upvote your favorites!

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Rare Kitten Born With ‘Two Faces’ Grows Up Into The Most Beautiful Cat Ever

We usually stay away from two-faced people, but there’s nothing more adorable than a kitty with two-toned fur.

Recently, professional animal photographer Jean-Michel Labat shot Narnia, an adorable British Shorthair cat in its home in France, and the pictures are making headlines all over the internet.

Labat has purrfectly captured the unique looks of the feline which probably occurred early in its mother’s womb. Narnia was born on the 28th of March, 2017, and his breeder Stephanie Jimenez instantly fell in love with her blue-eyed sweetie.

While the exact cause of this particular pet’s striking appearance is unknown, other cats with this mysterious look are known as chimeras.

Backpacking Checklist: 10 Essentials to Bring on Every Adventure

The only way to completely prevent accidents in the backcountry is to never go outside. But that’s no way to live. The next best option is to pack emergency gear that will help you tackle nearly every situation you can think of.

Way back in the 1930s, The Mountaineers, a climbing and outdoor club in Seattle, put together an emergency gear checklist called The 10 Essentials. It’s been slightly modified since then to include 10 types of gear rather than individual items, but the idea is still the same: this stuff will keep you alive.

We’ve expanded on The 10 Essentials to outline backpacking checklist complete with product suggestions.

NAVIGATION: Map and Compass

GPS devices and phone apps are very accurate, but they have one major downside: they’re electronic. These gadgets can run out of juice or break if you drop them. A map and compass are the most reliable way to find your way to your destination — and home.

Good topographic maps can be found online, at the bookstore, and at your nearest outdoor shop. (Don’t know how to read a topo map? We’ve got you covered.)

The Suunto MC-2 is one of the best compasses you can get. A magnifying glass in the base plate will help you read small map markings and glow-in-the-dark featrues will be useful in low light. The lid flips up to reveal a mirror that will assist in using landmarks for bearings and signalling rescuers. If you need to save a bit of weight, go with the Silva Polaris, which has no mirror.

‘100,000 orangutans’ killed in 16 years

More than 100,000 Critically Endangered orangutans have been killed in Borneo since 1999, research has revealed.

Scientists who carried out a 16-year survey on the island described the figure as “mind-boggling”.

Deforestation, driven by logging, oil palm, mining and paper mills, continues to be the main culprit.

But the research, published in the journal Current Biology, also revealed that animals were “disappearing” from areas that remained forested.

This implied large numbers of orangutans were simply being slaughtered, said lead researcher Maria Voigt of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany.

US Judge dismisses Taylor Swift ‘haters’ case as too ‘banal’

The phrase “haters gonna hate” is too “banal” to be copyrighted, a US judge has declared.

Judge Michael W Fitzgerald made the comments while dismissing a copyright case against Taylor Swift.

Songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler sued the star last year, arguing her single Shake It Off stole from their composition, Playas Gon’ Play.

They said the chorus of her song relied on their lyric, “playas, they gonna play, and haters, they gonna hate”.

Although short phrases are generally immune from copyright claims, the writers argued that combining the two thoughts was original enough to warrant protection.

Fitzgerald disagreed – in quite some style.

The world’s first major city at risk of running out of water has pushed back its ‘Day Zero’

• Cape Town, a major coastal city in South Africa, is going through one of the worst droughts in its history.
• Officials say that there will be a day when the city would be forced to turn off its taps, and people will have to queue up for water.
• “Day Zero” was previously scheduled to be in April, then May, but has now been moved to June 4, 2018.

If your partner is sexually satisfied they’re still likely to cheat on you, according to a new study

• Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate how committed you are to your partner.
• Unfortunately, if your partner is young, easily distracted, or even adequately sexually satisfied, they could be more likely to cheat on you.
• New research from Florida State University has highlighted some of the main predictors that your partner will stray.
• Keeping your partner happy in bed is one of them, because if someone enjoys sex, they might be more likely to go looking for more of it.

17-year-old Chloe Kim wanted some ice cream in the middle of her first Olympic event

• 17-year-old Chloe Kim is expected to become one of the next great American Olympic stars.
• She is a heavy favorite to win gold in the ladies’ halfpipe.
• Despite all the pressure of Kim’s first Olympics, she simply wanted some ice cream in the middle of her first event.

There is a lot of pressure on American snowboarder Chloe Kim, who at 17 years old, is a heavy favorite to win gold in the ladies’ halfpipe, and is expected to be one of the next American Olympic stars.

But if you thought Kim might be a little nervous during her first Olympic event, guess again.

Best in Class: World’s Best Business Class Cabins

Most mortal men think of airline “upgrades” in terms of how many free bags of peanuts they can score or whether they can finagle a free Heineken from the flight attendant. However, if you’re the sort of hotshot who demands more, there’s a good chance you only fly business class or better. For those keeping score, these are the world’s best business class cabins.

Singapore Airways Business Class

Singapore Air

Singapore Airways newest Business Class offerings are among the best in the world. Each seat is a cocoon-like carbon composite shell that features Poltrona Frau upholstery and plenty of privacy. Inside is a generous 25-inch-wide seat with 50 inches of pitch that folds down into a 78-inch-long bed. Business Class passengers in the center row of seats can connect their pods together to form a single bed, which is ideal for couples and families traveling together. There’s also an 18-inch touchscreen entertainment screen, and every gourmet meal service is plated on Narumi chinaware.

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