In faraway countries with loose human rights laws, female circumcision is a scary reality. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. Nor are we discussing strange sexual techniques. We’re talking about what some women in good old America do to their own southern sanctuary. And for good reason, too… sort of. So zip up, …

Can we get a U-S-A! U-S-A! chant for no more berets on Team USA? Thank you, Ralph Lauren for putting to rest the beret trend that we’ve seen for the past couple Olympic games. David Lauren, senior vice president of Polo Ralph Lauren, debuted the Opening Ceremony look on Tuesday’s Today Show and, thankfully, there …

There are five common (and crucial) concepts that intelligent people often forget, which results in some fairly poor decision-making. Don’t let it happen to you. Read all about the five mistakes smart people make—and how to avoid them. Success and happiness are not the same thing. What will make you successful and what will make …

In Nagano, Japan, snow sticks around for up to four months at a stretch. Their average winter temperature is minus five degrees celsius, sometimes dropping to a bone-chilling minus fifteen. Living at such extreme temperatures, Japanese macaques (also known as snow monkeys) fight off the cold by hanging out in natural hot water springs, which are …

Stereotype by Daizi Zheng is a series of creative food packaging designed to encourage people to change their bad eating habits. The project includes carrot sticks packaged like cigarettes, blueberries in a blister pack, and celery sticks in a familiar french fry carton. While this clever packagic tactic may encourage people to rethink their relationship …

This is just wrong: Palo Alto officials are telling Scott McNealy that he has to get his backyard ice rink approved by the city’s planning process. This happened because neighbors complained that the inflatable roof was an eyesore. Eyesore? I would move next to him to be able to play on his rink. The Prius-driving, …

Kazuki Takamatsu is putting an entirely new face on gouache, a type of watercolor paint (only slightly thicker). The paintings, I should stress, are simply unbelievable—most don’t even realize that they aren’t just another CGI. There has been a fair debate over whether Takamatsu uses 3d renderings on which to base his paintings, but the …

Latin: It was a good idea at the time. Only to augment this concept is this entertaining collection of Latin tattoo fails, aggregated and analyzed by a classics graduate student. For instance, the above image says, “He is better as I appear hated on behalf of what I am than as I appear I like …

Speculation about the identity of the subtly smirking woman in Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has swirled for years. Art historians, doctors and random folks have all chimed in on the controversy with theories claiming the woman was a merchant’s wife, da Vinci’s mother or just some lady with high cholesterol. Now, Italy’s National Committee …

Ninja turtles + Snuggie + Obi Wan robe + hipster model = pretty much this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo Funky Cozy sold at Hot Topic for $28 (and yes, that’s the real product name). If you’re going to get a Snuggie or Slanket type warming apparatus, you might as well go big or go …

Dubbed “the most feared punctuation on earth,” the semicolon can make even the highly skilled grammar goddesses shake with fear. Luckily, the Oatmeal has broken down the do and don’ts of semicolon usage in a way that’s far more fun than high school English class. Check out the full graphic, grammar nerds. (Via The Oatmeal) …

According to new research by Unicef Germany, Dutch children have the best lives of all children living in industrialized countries. German researchers studied children in twenty one industrialized nations on the basis of six criteria: material wealth, health, education, relationships, safety, and their own feelings of luck—and the Netherlands soared to the top of the …