I'm the last person on earth to blog about politics, but this humorous video of the right wing/nutcase/celebrity president wannabees is just too ridiculous to pass up. Sung to the popular song originally made famous by Sam Cooke, this slide show allows us to see who really has a chance of running this country deeper into the dirt.

 

Dog Training for Dummies. What's wrong with this picture?

When Harry Met Sally 2 with Billy Crystal & Helen Mirren from Billy Crystal

I was watching Billy Crystal on the Jon Stewart the other day, and besides the political talk which always makes me want to scream,  Crystal mentioned his short film he did with Helen Mirren. A satire if you will based of off the first movie "When Harry Met Sally". If you haven't seen the first movie, you'll never get this parody, so watch it first. Enjoy the laughs!

The history of courtesans in Venice was long-standing; even officials recognized their place within the city's society. This was recognized in an official document from the Italian republic that setting guidelines for women to be considered courtesans: "Any single woman who has intimate connection with one or more men and also any married woman who does not live with her husband but separately and who has intimate connection with one or more men is considered a prostitute."

For much of its existence, the city on the water was known for its independence; to an extent, this was true even from the Roman Catholic Church. It was said during the middle of the 15th century to the 16th century, the high period of Venetian courtesans' profession and the beginning of the church's inquisitions throughout Europe, that inquisitors were more likely to pacify church dignitaries, rather than follow their rules to the letter.

Read more: Venetian Courtesans @ Ancient Digger

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Flatworld Knowledge for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Did you know that students spent an average $1137 in 2010-2011 on textbooks and supplies, according to The College Board? I can believe it because I'm a college student myself and know full well how expensive books can cost. Not to mention the prices get even higher once you're in graduate level classes. Today, most of the nation's students are taking classes at community colleges and 80% are at public institutions. Let's not forget the displaced workers who are finding there way back to college after a several year hiatus. It's a challenge finding the means to pay for these rising textbooks costs especially considering the average students uses about 42% of their tuition towards books. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, textbooks prices are rising at 4x rate of inflation. Spread the word because that's a huge increase and an alarming statistic!

According to Gates Foundation study, one obstacle holding students back from graduating or even performing at the same level as those who can afford these books, is the rising price of textbooks and their access to them.

Flat World is disrupting the entire billion dollar textbook industry system by providing books free online, while offline books cost around $35 for print, and $25 for other formats. Students choose what they can afford and the format in which they will receive their books. Flat World also works on an open license so teachers are able to change the textbooks into an entirely different platform and therefore allow students to learn in their own unique way.

In 2009, Flat World’s books were adopted by 1600+ professors in 900+ schools totaling 115,000 students utilizing Flat World's amazing system. People are calling this change from textbooks to open source as the Textbook Rebellion and Flat World is the leader.

In fact, studies now indicate that colleges using Flat World open textbooks are demonstrating significant  increases in course completion rates (upwards of 10-15%) where open textbooks were used vs. traditional books.

To find out more Visit their site and request more info!

Imagine an airline being rude after you've paid hundreds of dollars to sit in an over-cramped plane, uncomfortable seats, and next to a person that wants to tell you their life story. I for one have had several horrible experiences, but one thing holds true, I, as well as America, think Delta is the meanest airline of all American airline companies.

Delta had the highest consumer complaint rate (2.00 complaints per 100,000 passengers) of all the carriers surveyed for the 2011 Airline Quality Rating (AQR) report. Delta placed #5 among major airlines on our 2011 Meanest Airlines list with an AQR score of -1.22.

Yahoo just did an entire piece on their findings. Check out who the meanest airlines in America are

It's either incredibly unique or horribly alarming! This  dog snap leash is designed by Art Lebedev Studio. It's called 'Povodokus' and sports a gun-shaped handle, which retracts the leash when you need to control your target dog. All it's missing is a gun holster!

(via J-Walk Blog)
Reblog (Presurfer)

The world’s oceans, seas, rivers, and lakes hold some of war’s most hidden and well kept secrets. From the time the Vikings sailed their small but powerful craft from the fjords of Scandinavia to the mighty aircraft carriers and battleships used during World War I by the United States, boats have helped champion the freedom of nations across the globe. The Spanish Armada and the Queen’s Fleet would bring about change in the depths of the Atlantic by arming their hulls with mortar shattering cannons and crews with muskets. However, one of the largest changes in maritime warfare came with the invention of the large aircraft carriers and WWI battleships equipped with the capability of long distance shelling during the early 1900s.



Read more: World War I Battleships of the United States

 Guest Writer Sarah Moses

Torture weapons during the medieval period operated in a variety of different ways for essentially the same purpose: to cause as much pain as possible with death often the end result. Though some of them may have existed prior to the Spanish Inquisition, which began at the end of the medieval period, it was during this time that some of the medieval torture weapons were most used. Some of the medieval torture weapons were based upon simple tools while others were more complex and still others gender-specific. Unlike widespread incarceration, these torture weapons could be used to specifically fit the crime.

The Saw

Not all torture weapons during the medieval period were elaborate devices. Some were common tools like the saw, which was used as a method to draw out confessions from heretics. To add to the pain and humiliation, many of those who faced this sort of torture were suspended upside down with a saw placed at the crotch, where the sawing would begin downward toward the abdomen, occasionally all the way to the head.

The Heretic's Fork

The heretics fork was a form of non-fatal torture weapons. The use of the fork reached its peak during the Spanish Inquisition and would be used to prolong pain in its victims and prevent them from speaking. The fork actually consisted of two, one at either end of the central bar. One would be positioned under the chin and the other at the upper chest of the victim; each penetrated the flesh. To keep the fork in place, a collar would wrap around the victim's neck and attach to the fork and the victim's hands would be bound. Because it wasn't fatal, the victim could be incarcerated while wearing the fork.

The Thumbscrew

Though it bears the name for the one digit, the thumbscrew could be used on any of the victim's fingers or toes. Used throughout the middle ages, the thumbscrew would tighten on the digits like a vice until they confessed of their crimes, which was a common purpose to medieval torture weapons.

The Knee Splitter

 

Resembling a set of monstrous jaws full of spiked teeth, the knee splitter was used largely during the Spanish Inquisition. The two spiked bars could be crushed together by twisting large screws on either side, destroying the knees -- or other body parts. The width of the individual spikes could vary, depending upon the type of pain the torturer wanted, but they were typically metal, allowing them to be heated before being used on the victim.

The Head Crusher

 

The head crusher was one of the common medieval torture weapons. Though designs varied, it typically had a metal cap attached to a screw, held within a square frame. The bottom bar of the frame would go beneath the victim's head and the cap at the top. As the screw would be turned, it would compact the head, shattering teeth and jaw, popping out the eyes, crushing the skull and damaging the brain before death. This was used throughout the medieval period, particularly during the Spanish Inquisition.

The Spanish Tickler

Also known as the Cat's Paw for their shape, the Spanish Tickler acted as an extension of the torturer's hand with metal claws that could easily tear away a victim's flesh, muscle and even bone. The victim would be bound and stripped naked before torturers began to mutilate the victim. Like a number of torture weapons during the medieval period, when a person faced the Spanish Tickler, it was done in public to serve as an example to others. It was common in Spain, particularly during the Inquisition, though some use was recorded in France and England.

The Lead Sprinkler

This device was designed like a ladle with holes in it. The sprinkler would be filled with molten metals, then shaken over the victim. The intense heat would easily burn the victim's flesh and the randomness of the droplets would make it difficult for the victim to anticipate.

The Breast Ripper and the Spanish Spider

Some torture weapons were designed to target women in particular. The breast ripper was designed to torture women, especially those those who conducted a miscarriage or was accused of adultery. This device had claws that could be used hot or cold on the victim's exposed breasts. This may not kill the woman, but it would rip her breasts apart. A similar variant on the breast ripper was the Spanish spider. The claws of the spider would be attached to the wall as well as the woman's breasts, and she would be pulled away from the wall, tearing her breasts from her body.

The Pear of Anguish

Said to be used on women, homosexuals, blasphemers and liars, the pear of anguish, also known as the choke pear, resembles the fruit until a screw on top is turned, opening it into four leaves that slowly spread apart. Considered by some as one of the cruelest medieval torture weapons, a pear of an appropriate size would be inserted into an orifice, which would depend upon the person's crime and gender. Women had the pear inserted into the vagina, homosexuals into the anus and liars and blasphemers into their mouths. The screw would be turned and the pear would open once inside the orifice, stretching and tearing it.

The Crocodile Shears

According to records, though few, the crocodile shears were torture weapons set to punish a specific crime: attempting to assassinate the king. Though they could be designed to look like a crocodile on the outside, they got their name from the inside, which had a tube containing numerous spikes on both sides. While it could be used to mutilate fingers, it was most often used on a man's penis. Torture weapons during the medieval period varied in the way they brought about their desired result, but extreme pain was always a guarantee. They might be targeted to fit the victim or the crime the victim was accused of committing. Some were complex devices that needed to be specially made while others were variations on basic tools.
 
Biography: Sarah has worked as a reporter and later as a copy editor at a newspaper in western Maryland for the last five years. A graduate of West Virginia University in both Journalism and English, she has always had a great interest and fascination for history. 

Photo ©

• Heretic Fork
• Thumbscrew
• Knee Splitter
• Head Crusher
• Spanish Tickler

Contribution by Archie Watts

One show that I didn't think I'd like, but ended up loving is Worst Cooks in America on the Food network channel. It's a competition show where people all across America who can hardly manage to toast bread compete to be able to cook for a panel of food critics for a twenty five thousand dollar prize. There are sixteen contestants that are split up into two separate teams. One team is lead by Chef Anne Burrell while the other team is lead by Chef Robert Irvine. After having the contestants cook a simple dish and tasting it, each chef interchangeably picks a contestant for the other chef's team. Once the two teams are established, a meal is cooked each week with the worst cook being eliminated by the chef each week. When only one person from each team remains, the contestants go to a real restaurant's kitchen in order to prepare some of their chef's signature dishes for three food critics in order to try to fool them into thinking that it was made by the chef's themselves.

I've managed to watch both seasons on satellite TV that I got after I saw some of these direct tv receiver deals and I really enjoy the underdog angle that each contestant has in their effort to become better cooks. One of the nicer moments is when they have the families stop by for a taste test and they can't believe that the dishes were made by the same people they know.

Man you have a dirty mind, or rather this plant does. Leave it to nature to produce a natural mutation which boggles the mind and makes us giggle.

The summer is quickly moving closer as classes come to a bitter end. I had planned on attending field school this summer, but alas, the financials did not meet up with the requirements, and I’m left with exploring the far corners of the world on my own.

I started ordering my first passport, and as I wait patiently for it to arrive, I am focused on planning an adventure to a country I have yet to explore. That’s almost all of them mind you. I went to one my favorite trusty travel sites, holiday-rentals.co.uk. I could spend hours on this site looking at the villas in Algarve Portugal. The open air spaces and the whitewash European feel these luxuriously decorated villas have is incredible, and they’re so reasonable, which always surprises me.

Buying property in Portugal would be a dream of mine, a near future goal I suppose. Western Algarve would be splendid what with the smells of olive trees and the fresh fish and fruit, drifting along the sea breeze from the nearby market, clinging to every wall of your home. Not to mention, in places like Tavira, you’re only two hours away from Seville and an easy transition across the border into Spain.

Alvor is also on every travelers or home buyers list, and one of my favorite areas Casa da Oliveira,  is situated on the outskirts in a residential area. The houses and apartments here are unsurpassed, delicately whitewashed and clay tiled roofs adorn these lavish abodes. On a clear day you can see for miles and your pool, most of the houses have one, is as clean as crystal. You wake up smelling the freshly baked bread in the market, and on some days, will throw on your closest pair of sweats, tank top, and sandals, and walk to the nearest smell. If you have children with you, I can’t think of a better place to stay, as Slide and Splash at Estombar, east of Lagoa and Aqualand  are only thirty minutes away. Not to mention, Aqualand is Europe’s biggest water park.

As I mentioned before, I’ve used just about every travel site, but I tend to look to holiday-rentals.co.uk when I want to rent, as opposed to staying at a hotel with an impersonal staff. They are the number one recognized leader of holiday rentals in the UK and they pride themselves on matching you with the perfect home. If you’re planning on a holiday this summer overseas, look here first.