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	June 13th, 2012 11 wars that lasted way longer than they should have Posted 1 day ago by mental_floss to Holy Kaw! Thanks to lost paperwork, diplomatic technicalities, or just plain forgetting they had declared war in the first place, many countries remained in a state of war long after the actual fighting had stopped. 1. Roman Republic vs. Carthaginian Republic – 2,134 years Cato the Elder before the Roman Senate. © Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis After two Punic wars Rome decided they needed one more pass at Carthage. So in 149 BC, after rousing speeches in the Senate with Cato the Censor declaring unequivocally, “Carthage must be destroyed,” the Roman army set out once again to try to demolish the North African city state. While Rome was eventually victorious, the Carthaginians never actually surrendered, and the citizens fought the invaders long after they had breached the city walls. In 1985, the mayors of modern Rome and Carthage decided to sign a ceremonial peace treaty as a sign of friendship, signing it among the ruins of the city the Romans had razed to the ground. 2. Taiwan vs. the Netherlands – 359 years The Dutch arrived on the island we now call Taiwan in 1623. Originally it was a simple trading fort, but within a year the Dutch government had decided to try to Christianize the native tribes. Some converted and submitted to European rule peacefully, but others needed a little encouragement, which the Dutch generously provided by setting fire to their villages. By 1651, the Taromak tribe had had enough and took up arms against their oppressors; in response the Dutch declared war. The Dutch were eventually defeated by a Chinese army under the command of a man named Koxinga but no official peace was ever declared. In 2010, Menno Goedhart, a representative for a Dutch trading company who had done much original research into the war after first learning about it in 2004, sought out the tribe’s current leader for an official end to the conflict. Goedhart, who was already an honorary member of the tribe, went to the village’s spirit hut and asked forgiveness and understanding from the ancestors. Goedhart, who is known locally as “Mr. Taiwan,” retired in Xinhua Township shortly thereafter. 3. Scilly Islands vs. the Netherlands – 335 years The Isles of Scilly are a small archipelago off the southwest corner of Britain. During the English Civil War they were a royalist stronghold after much of England had fallen to the republicans. In 1651, the Dutch, who were apparently really up for wars against small islands that year, allied themselves with Cromwell’s troops and declared war on Scilly. The royalists surrendered to the republicans shortly thereafter and the Dutch apparently forgot they had declared war at all. In 1985, a Scilly historian wrote to the Dutch Embassy in London for definitive proof that the war was just a legend, and the Isles of Scilly were not still at war with the country. After some research, it was determined that the war was real, and still ongoing. The next year the Dutch ambassador to the United Kingdom came to the islands to sign an official peace treaty. Read the rest at Mental_floss. Photo: CC by UK Ministry of Defense All the top stories from Mental_floss. Say "Irish wristwatch": 11 classic tongue twisters Posted about 22 hours ago by mental_floss to Holy Kaw! You guys are still into tongue twisters, right? Of course you are. 1. A Tudor who tooted a flute tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said the two to their tutor, “Is it harder to toot or to tutor two tooters to toot?” 2. Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie. 3. You’ve no need to light a night-light On a light night like tonight, For a night-light’s light’s a slight light, And tonight’s a night that’s light. When a night’s light, like tonight’s light, It is really not quite right To light night-lights with their slight lights On a light night like tonight. See the rest at mental_floss. All the top stories from mental_floss. 丘の上の Posted 1 day ago by Koichi Mitsui to s a s u r a u 2 廃墟。 How to spike a watermelon Posted about 22 hours ago by Kate Rinsema to Holy Kaw! Now, before we get started, a word of warning: Clearly mark the spiked watermelon, because nothing ruins a family reunion faster than getting everyone’s kids loaded. No matter what the current trendy fruit is, watermelon has long held the title for the official fruit of summer, but if you prefer your fruity goodness to come with a kick (or are having a gathering where a recycling can full of beer bottles is going to earn you a stern talking to from the park ranger if not an escort to the gate), then liquor-infusing that melon is the way to go. Sweet Paul at The Kitchn has generously provided instructions as to how to funnel flavored vodka into a watermelon for a summertime treat that can’t be beat. It does take a few days to absorb, so best not leave this one until the last minute. Full story at The Kitchn via Laughing Squid. Fun fruit. Photo credit: Fotolia Charting sleep agony and bliss Posted about 21 hours ago by Annie Colbert to Holy Kaw! If you have spent the morning pounding a concoction of coffee and 5 Hour Energy, then you can probably relate to Christoph Niemann's Sleep Agony Chart. Or, if your peepers look perky, the Sleep Bliss Chart might better suit your sleep outlook. Via BrainPickings. Sleep more, improve your health. Trained dog hunts down whale poop Posted about 19 hours ago by Futurity to Holy Kaw! Even a mile away, Tucker, a black Lab, can pick up on the scent he’s been trained to recognize as the fishy smell distinctive to southern resident killer whales, a group of orcas listed as endangered by both Canada and U.S. The new study from the University of Washington is the first to use dogs to sniff out whale scat and then analyze it for hormonal responses to stress. Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Photo credit: Fred Felleman MRI shows Chinese meditation changes brain Posted about 19 hours ago by Futurity to Holy Kaw! After practicing a form of Chinese meditation known as IBMT for 11 hours, people showed positive changes in brain connections. In the participants, MRI showed increases in brain-signaling connections and expansion of myelin, the protective fatty tissue that surrounds the axons, in the brain's anterior cingulate region. Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Photo credit: Fotolia The day Barack met Betty Posted about 19 hours ago by Annie Colbert to Holy Kaw! 1 Betty White stopped by the Oval Office on Monday for a chat with Barack Obama. While White House photographer Pete Souza offered no caption that would reveal the topic of conversation, we can imagine the exchange covered Betty's animal rights passion projects, Bam Bam's favorite "Golden Girls" episode, and how "Hot in Cleveland" could help swing Ohio come November. Via Flickr. Celebrities less awesome than Betty White. Photo credit: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza ¿Las mujeres gastan más? Hombres, hagamos cuentas Posted about 20 hours ago by Carlos Valerio to Conozca Más Las películas, los comerciales y la cultura en general nos han hecho creer que las féminas son las reinas de las tarjetas de crédito. Sin embargo, este mito comienza desvanecerse gracias a la participación activa de los varones en el mundo de las compras. Un estudio hecho por la agencia de investigación Kantar World panel México, reveló que éstos son más indulgentes al momento de realizar una compra y son más propensos a adquirir productos tres veces más caros que los normales; además, 87% tiene algún tipo de preocupación en su aspecto físico. De igual forma, una de las principales preocupaciones de los hombres a cualquier edad, es el mal aliento con 52%; le siguen aspectos estéticos como los dientes (50%) y el exceso de transpiración con 34%. Entre otras estadísticas, podemos señalar que: En México 1 de cada 3 hombres realiza deporte al menos 1 vez por semana –lo que representa 34% de la población masculina. El hombre ha empezado a tener un rol domestico mucho más activo –más de la mitad acompaña a su pareja a hacer las compras en supermercados y 70% de las mujeres recibe ayuda de su esposo para la limpieza del hogar. 7 de cada 10 de los hombres jóvenes (entre 21 y 30 años) se preocupan por la caída del cabello. El 44% de los hombres eligen y compran lo que ellos quieren, y sólo un 25% usan lo que están en casa. Mujeres, tomen nota para el día del padre, recuerden que los hombres modernos son más conscientes de lo que compran, usan y gastan. Beach 'bugs' took major hit in Gulf oil spill Posted about 17 hours ago by Futurity to Holy Kaw! The Deepwater Horizon spill wreaked havoc on microscopic creatures in coastal sands, months after beaches were clean to human eyes, a new study shows. "What struck me was that you wouldn't have known there was an oil spill—most of our sample sites looked like normal beaches. But when we analyzed the genomic data, there seemed to be all these biological repercussions going on," says Holly Bik, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis Genome Center. Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. ¿Orinas en la regadera? Hazlo con gusto, aquí te explicamos la razón Posted about 16 hours ago by Carlos Valerio to Conozca Más Adquiridos por unos y evitados por otros, los malos hábitos son un conjunto de actividades que nos afectan directa o indirectamente. Sin embargo, ¿qué tanto influyen en nuestra salud? Billy Goldberg y Mark Leyner, autores del libro Let´s Play Doctor, analizaron algunas de las costumbres más sucias que poseemos los seres humanos y estos fueron los resultados. Relájate, hacer pipí mientras te bañas no es tan malo. Caminar descalzo Andar sin calcetines en un lugar público (digamos, en tu clase de yoga o en el gimnasio) no es recomendable. Además de correr el riesgo de resbalarte ridículamente, estos sitios están repletos de bacterias que causan enfermedades como el pie de atleta o las verrugas plantares. El sudor en tu cuerpo fomenta el crecimiento de la infección, así que no seas descuidado y mejor adquiere unas buenas chanclas de plástico. Orinar en la regadera Los escusados representan 27% del consumo de agua en los hogares (esta cantidad varía dependiendo del modelo). ¿A dónde nos va a llevar esto? ¿Se quieren quedar sin agua? ¡Orinen en la regadera y salven el planeta! Esta acción no tiene nada de asqueroso, ya que –al menos que tengas una infección–, la orina es estéril e inofensiva. Incluso existen terapias que utilizan el líquido para tratar el pie de atleta, vaya, hasta Goldberg orina mientras se baña. Lavarse las manos después de ir al baño ¿Ignoras los letreros de los sanitarios? ¿Piensas que puedes esquivar el lavabo y salir victorioso? Al cubrir tus necesidades, estás expuesto a un gran número de gérmenes (incluyendo la E. coli) que pueden causarte problemas intestinales –y a las personas que saludas de mano. Lavarte las manos es la manera más efectiva de prevenir la transmisión de –casi– todas las enfermedades. Recuerda hacerlo correctamente, ya que muchas personas ni siquiera utilizan jabón, y otras, simplemente se enjuagan las manos. Los expertos recomiendan enjabonarlas y frotarlas de 15 a 20 segundos. Bañarse esporádicamente ¿La higiene es salud? Sí, pero bañarte todos los días no te hace más sano. Las bacterias apestosas generadas por las glándulas sudoríparas se incrementan con el paso de los días –si no utilizas tu regadera– pero realmente éstas no te perjudican directamente, solo a tu vida social. No lavarse los dientes antes de acostarte Deja de cepillarte los dientes y sufrirás las consecuencias. Al olvidar este paso, estás fomentando las orgías bacterianas en tu boca, y por ende, que se generen caries y complicaciones en tus encías. Muchos estudios revelan que los gérmenes que provocan estos males, están relacionados con padecimientos del corazón. Si aún así te vale y decides no enjuagarte la boca por las noches, recuerda que la producción de saliva disminuye durante el sueño, y las bacterias aprovechan este lapso para producir compuestos que huelen peor que un caño. Utilizar prendas malolientes ¿La ropa sucia se lava en casa? Pues en algunas... Si no acostumbras enjuagar tus prendas checa este dato: según el microbiólogo Charles Gerba, existen 10 gramos de materia fecal en cualquier calzón usado, lo que significa que hay aproximadamente 100 millones de bacterias E. coli, que pueden llegar fácilmente a tus manos. Aguas. Levantar comida del piso ¿Todo el día has estado hambriento y cuando por fin compras unas galletas se te caen al suelo? ¿Sigues la regla de los 'cinco segundos' y las recoges inmediatamente? Olvida eso. De acuerdo con varias investigaciones, cualquier alimento que tenga contacto con el piso se infesta de todo tipo de bacterias. Mejor resígnate y tíralo al bote de basura. Sentarte en escusados públicos A pesar de su reputación, los baños públicos no son tan malos como crees. Es perfectamente sano e inofensivo utilizar retretes ajenos, ya que a pesar de que existen gérmenes, la piel de tu trasero evita que éstos entren a tu cuerpo –finaliza tu visita con una buena lavada de manos. Gerba indica que incluso, comer en el escritorio de tu oficina, es más peligroso que utilizar un baño público –pues en el primero existen hasta 400 tipos de bacterias. FUENTE today.msnbc.msn.com Proper kissing etiquette in 1942 Posted about 16 hours ago by Annie Colbert to Holy Kaw! A guide to smooching decorum from 1942 ensures that your next make-out session will bring out your inner Humphrey Bogart or Ingrid Bergman. Via Retronaut. Find a date to kiss. Anne Frank's diary turns 70 Posted about 15 hours ago by Kate Rinsema to Holy Kaw! "I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support." These are the opening lines of the diary that has brought the horrible reality of the Holocaust home to people around the world for decades, the thoughts of a thirteen-year-old girl named Anne Frank, less than a month before she and her family went into a hiding above her father’s business. Despite successfully evading discovery for two years, Anne died in a concentration camp at the tender age of fifteen, though one of her wishes did come true in part because of her writings: “I don't want to have lived in vain like most people. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I've never met. I want to go on living even after my death!” Full story at Yahoo and AnneFrank.org via The Mary Sue. The horrors of history. Hipmunk (YC S10) raises $15M Series B from IVP and Ignition Posted about 13 hours ago by Garry Tan to Y Combinator Posterous We’ve got fantastic news today and are excited to share it with all of you whether you’re a loyal fan, travel enthusiast, part of the tech and investment community or just part of the greater hipmunk family. Two months shy of our two-year anniversary, we are thrilled to announce we’ve raised another round of venture capital—this time led by Institutional Venture Partners (IVP). This round, our Series B, will total $15M and includes a re-up from our Series A lead, Ignition Partners. The Forbes Midas List regular and general partner at IVP, Todd Chaffee, will join our board as the fourth member. When we launched in August 2010, we were a fledgling Y Combinator startup with just Steve and me as co-founders. We hired a few more engineers, and in February 2011, we announced our first round of institutional funding from Ignition Partners. The amazing Brad Silverberg from Ignition joined our board then, and we also gathered the ex-Expedia “mafia” (Rich Barton, Eric Blachford, and Simon Breakwell) who have acted as advisors and provided a wealth of travel industry knowledge.  Read the full article at the Hipmunk Blog Kytephone (YC S11) launches mobile app to kid-proof Android smartphones Posted about 13 hours ago by Garry Tan to Y Combinator Posterous Kytephone, the mobile app that transforms Android smartphones into kid-safe devices, is officially making its public debut today. The startup had previously been in beta, following its reveal at this spring’s Y Combinator Demo Day, where founders Renat Gataullin and Martin Drashkov first detailed their company’s vision. Read the full article on Techcrunch Reggae straight from the stars Posted about 10 hours ago by Kate Rinsema to Holy Kaw! 1 Bands have found inspiration in any number of places, but Echo Movement may be the first to take their melody directly from the rhythm of a star duo that’s certifiably out of this world, and the Kepler space telescope can prove it. Thanks to Georgia Tech’s Sonification Lab, data from binary star Kepler 4665989 will be converted into sound without modification of pitch, tempo or rhythm and provide the basis of a song to be released this September. The one thing they did throw in was data from another binary star “...known as Kepler 10291683, to add a tremolo, or trembling, effect. This created a more natural and less computerized sound.” With any luck, the result will be truly heavenly, but if you can't wait until September, feel free to listen to the original data by clicking the picture above. Full story at Space.com. Music of the spheres. 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