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As I write this, a four-story building in New York City is reported to have collapsed during an explosion and subsequent fire. Although details are sketchy at present, it made me think about what you should do in a circumstance like this to protect your family. Every year, thousands of people are killed or injured in fires in the U.S. Many of these deaths and injuries can be prevented with knowledge of the nature of fire. You must understand the following: 1) Most people who die in fires don’t die because of burns as much as from asphyxiation (suffocation). Fire … Continue reading →

This article originally appeared at Mat Rodina American politicians in particular and European politicians in general are some of the most ignorant fools when the issue comes to anything outside their own borders. When it comes to Russia, it is an engima wrapped in a mystery… but only because, dear readers, no one has every bothered to try to understand Russians and the Russian world view. One important historical fact about Russia is that Russia is a unique civilizational empire built upon defense not offense. What this means is that historically, Russia does not start the wars, or series of … Continue reading →

For a year before embarking on a career as a pilot, Andreas Lubitz worked in his local branch of Burger King, serving up french fries. The restaurant – on a busy A3 junction – is a few kilometres outside the small German city of Montabaur where Lubitz grew up. The branch manager, Detlef Aldolf, described Lubitz on Friday as dependable and inconspicuous. He earned €400 (£290) a month, he said, and quit his part-time job to join Lufthansa. In 2009, however, Aldolf said Lubitz abruptly reappeared. Lufthansa had sent him on a training course, initially in Bremen and then in … Continue reading →

The beguiling nature of beauty – shifting and subjective, yet undeniably potent – has inspired perhaps the majority of art in human history. As the new exhibition, Defining Beauty: the Body in Ancient Greek Art, opens at the British Museum, we look at 10 key artworks around the world that deal with bodily beauty. EGYPT – The bust of Nefertiti by Thutmose (1345 BC) “We held the most lively piece of Egyptian art in our hands,” wrote the enraptured German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt in his diary, after discovering the bust of Nefertiti along the banks of the Nile in 1912. It … Continue reading →

There was no doubt that Private Blake W. Mariano of the 191st Tank Battalion was a brave man. As part of the American Army’s 45th Infantry Division, he had killed many Germans as he fought through Africa, Italy and southern France, before finally, in March 1945, he and his Sherman tank had crossed the Rhine into Germany. By April 15, 1945, Mariano had been away from his home in New Mexico for nearly three years. A father of three, the 29-year-old was divorced, although he did have a girlfriend in England. His loved ones, however, were far from his mind … Continue reading →

Paper money has been around since China issued it in the seventh century. But not all banknotes are made of paper; they’ve been made of everything from wood and foil to leather and polymers. Here are the oddballs in the money world. 10 Germany’s 50-Pfennig Emergency Money Germany was already suffering shortages in coins and metals when World War I kicked off in 1914. With the advent of hostilities, silver prices skyrocketed, and copper and nickel were diverted to the war effort. Without coinage, commerce became nearly impossible, and municipalities and private businesses began printing paper money called notgeld or … Continue reading →

1 Alaska’s default speed limit is 55 mph. 65 on select Interstate routes is by engineering investigation and case by case, not automatic or default.2 Rhode Island speed limits not set by law, but by state traffic commission.3West Virginia speed limits, in general, are not set by law, but by the Commissioner of the Division of Highways. Source: Governors Highway Safety Association Reprinted from National Motorists Association.

From Page 3 to Jeremy Clarkson, Victoria’s Secret to sausages, it seems everything offends somebody these days. These easily-upset liberals now even have a name: offendotrons. You can bet that, right now, on a university campus somewhere, there’s a change.org petition being hatched about practically anything you can think of. Here are eight of the most ludicrous yet trivial things that people have been getting upset about recently. 1. Clapping your hands This week, Britain’s booming university mollycoddle culture soared to new and absurd heights when the NUS Women’s Conference asked delegates to stop clapping as it “triggered anxiety”. Bizarrely, top … Continue reading →

A typical allergy-prone individual has to take a pill every twelve hours endlessly if he trusts orthodox medicine to treat him, and this merely suppresses the symptoms temporarily. What we call “allergies” are actually just symptoms of a body trying to defend itself from perceived threats, so allergies are incurable until the aggravating factors are removed, or the irate immune system is calmed. It is impossible to completely stop the histamine reactions for perceived threats, because these reactions stem from the immune system reacting appropriately. Completely stopping these reactions using standard symptom suppression techniques would mean totally halting the immune … Continue reading →

Violent police are increasingly criticized for everything from killing dogs to shooting the homeless and beating the mentally ill. These abuses of power are disturbing and desperately need attention. One under-discussed problem with police accountability (or lack thereof), however, is police irresponsibility while driving. Stories about drunk officers driving the wrong direction on freeways and hitting civilians or soberly ramming into pedestrians are not uncommon. This week alone, three cops caused mayhem and fatalities on the road. In New Jersey, a car of off-duty officers (who had posted a picture of whiskey shots to Instagram earlier that evening) drove the wrong … Continue reading →

For years, health authorities believed coffee was bad for your heart. But listen up, java lovers, there’s a new reason to have that extra cup of coffee every day! Drinking as many as four cups daily may actually help in the prevention of a heart attack. That’s according to new research published by BMJ Heart. Compared to people who don’t drink coffee at all, those who have three to four cups of the black stuff every day have 40 percent less coronary artery calcium – or CAC –according to the BMJ Heart study. A well-established marker of heart disease, CAC … Continue reading →

Dining in a social setting can be one of life’s finest pleasures, where the wine flows as freely as the conversation. However, certain foods can leave you on a collision course with culinary faux pas where, at best, you’re left feeling awkward and, at worst, said dish ends up covering you or your companions. Just ask Ed Miliband, who probably never wants to see a bacon sandwich again after photos of the Labour leader doing battle with a particularly gristly rasher were widely ridiculed. With an election on the way and plenty of opportunities for the nation’s politicians to make … Continue reading →

Many people always have duct tape on hand, and for good reason it can be used for so many different things. It comes in handy when you are in a bind, no pun intended, but if you find yourself in a dangerous situation you can easily get out of it! I know we have all seen those spy or kidnapping movies where the victim’s hands are bound with duct tape. But, what happens if you find yourself in one of these situations in real life. Never say never  because everything is a possibility, and you never know what could happen … Continue reading →

EU and Greece Running Out of Time – As Bank Runs Intensify, Bail-Ins Likely – EU and Greece running out of time as talks end “in disarray” – again – Greece warns Merkel of ‘impossible’ debt – Concerns Greece out of money by end of April – Friday’s “agreement” in Brussels falls apart hours later as protagonists fail to agree on specifics – Greece now insolvent – will run out of liquidity by end of April- Greek banks on verge of collapse as runs continue – €1.5 billion emptied out of banks last week alone – ‘Grexit’ could propel gold … Continue reading →

Oranges are not the only fruit – but they are certainly one of the most annoying to open. We all know the routine. You begin by picking at their skin and get pithy peel stuck under your fingernails; then the flesh comes off in a series of tiny flakes rather than one satisfying strip. Finally, you break into the fruit’s soft core – squirting juice all over that nice, freshly-pressed shirt that you’re wearing. Thankfully, never again will you have to suffer the ignominy of turning up to work looking like you’ve just been dragged backwards through an orange grove. … Continue reading →