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5 Questions: The Name of the Rose

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Coupon Crazy

So I just went down to get the mail and was once again completely overwhelmed with the amount of coupons in my mailbox. There were so many colorful circulars, both glossy and newsprint, for the most inane products and services (honestly, do I really need a box of "Softeeze" finger and toe bandages?) that there's a good chance I accidentally threw away an important piece of mail, which could have been buried within. If so, it wouldn't be the first time. Which got me thinking: Who invented... READ ON

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That's why you've got a fork and knife

Yahoo News is reporting that a 12-foot Burmese Python named Houdini screwed up a magic trick when he tried to make his electric blanket disappear. The python, who decided to gulp down the blanket as a main course, needed emergency surgery to have it removed (apparently, the Heimlich doesn't have much of an effect on snakes). What was amazing to me in reading the article was: a) it took Houdini 6 hours to get the queen-sized blanket into his belly b) the surgery to remove the blanket needed an 18-inch... READ ON

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No, we will not be making the obvious joke

Several blogs have been passing around the story of Oxana Malaya, who, as the saying goes, was literally raised by dogs: Oxana is a feral child, one of only about 100 known in the world. The story goes that, when she was three, her indifferent, alcoholic parents left her outside one night and she crawled into a hovel where they kept dogs. ... A shameful five years later, a neighbour reported a child living with animals. When she was found, at the age of eight in 1991, Oxana could hardly speak and ran... READ ON

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Sound like a genius (albeit a slightly geeky one)

The not-at-all-daft Carolyn Bickford of "Daft Musings" alerted us to her Comic Book Convention Party Cheat Sheet, inspired by our own Cocktail Party Cheat Sheets. Carolyn's cheat sheet should prove highly useful at Comic-Con, which is starting at this very minute (really, 10 a.m. PST) in San Diego. We liked it so much we had to share a bit here: Marvel versus DC. They're both comic book companies, but it's rare to find the mainstream comic book fan who reads titles from both companies: no matter how many... READ ON

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I thought carrots were supposed to help your vision

As you know, mental_floss is on a mission to help people feel smart. Well, it's a shame we couldn't get to Roderick Vecsey of Connecticut before he was charged with second degree assault after throwing a carrot at his wife. The carrot hit her in the eye and as of this story's printing (hours later), she was still blind in that eye. Not a very smart thing to do. I guess on the bright side, maybe he should apply for a Guinness World Record for most blindings by carrot -... READ ON

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Queen of the Oddballs

Memoirs are a funny business. So many get published each year by authors who can't write, but rather dictate their lives to a ghostwriter who makes sense of the rat-a-tat and types it up in a logical and (hopefully) entertaining fashion. Sometimes the scribe gets a "With" credit on the cover but more often than not, just a polite "thank you" on the acknowledgments page. I go through phases of reading tons of them back-to-back, and then boycotting the whole genre for... READ ON

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Insect Love

I saw this gorgeous pic of an African Praying Mantid on ettf.net, and couldn't resist posting it. In fact, I was so fascinated that I broke out the Britannica, and researched a bit online. So, here are a couple of things I found out about our friend the Mantid: The Praying Mantid is called a "God Horse" in West Indian cultures, and is also occasionally referred to as the devil's horse. The Mantid is one of a few types of insect that can rotate its head. It's the... READ ON

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Newsflash! Too much Foster's makes you clumsy, hungover

This just in: Scientists in Australia have discovered that, according to the headline, "DRINKING CAN BE DANGEROUS:" People who drink alcohol are up to four times more likely than non-drinkers to be hurt from physical injuries such as a fall or punch, new research shows. More obviousness: "Binge drinkers were more at risk of being injured than regular drinkers. And people who sustained serious injuries were more likely to have consumed beer and have been drinking in a licensed premises." Slightly less... READ ON

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Oodles of Googles

CNN is outing one of the Internet's best-known artists today. While the name Dennis Hwang probably doesn't mean anything to you (no offense if you happen to be Dennis Hwang's mother), you've almost certainly seen the 28-year old's artwork: Hwang's the guy that draws all those fancy Google logos celebrating everything from Michelangelo's birthday to National Library Day. And what a guy! According to the CNN piece, Hwang was actually an art major in college,... READ ON