Overnight Open Thread

Happy Thursday all.

The Most Dangerous Countries in the World

Here's an interesting infographic showing the most dangerous countries and regions in the world.

Bottom line conclusion: Steer clear of the usual hellholes and probably Colombia and South Africa as well.

Federal Unemployment Benefits Extended - Is That a Good Thing?
Today the House passed the extension and now federal benefits will again continue for 73 weeks beyond the state's 26 weeks. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand it does help people who are jobless and in need including some of the regular morons. So at the individual level it's a good thing. But at the macro level it pushes us faster into insolvency and may be actually extending the recession by keeping the labor market from adjusting to new circumstances. So I'm conflicted.

And this chart showing the median period of unemployment over the last 50 years shows why the extension is so critical this time around:

NYT Finally Admits Trickle-down Works
Inadvertently and 30 years too late:

“The economic recovery has been helped in large part by the spending of the most affluent. Now, even the rich appear to be tightening their belts. Late last year, the highest-income households started spending more confidently, while other consumers held back. But their confidence has since ebbed, according to retail sales reports and some economic analysis.”>

Nicholas Cage: An Acquired Taste That Very Few People Have Acquired
Well that's Neo-neocon's take on Cage. I'm not quite as down on him as she is - he was good in Raising Arizona and deserved to win an Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas. But he's also been in a lot of bad and/or forgettable movies. I do think he can act but he only works well in certain kinds of roles - mostly the ones he's decided not to take in the last decade or so. And he needs to take a break from trying to be an action hero. And then you have the hair thing. Plus here's the Nicolas Cage Career Aging Timeline.

What Celebrity Are You As Tall As?
I'm pretty sure we can all beat Danny DeVito and Tom Cruise. But what about Ben Stiller and Julia Roberts? And who knew that Charlotte Bronte was a little person?

Inside the Nitrous Mafia, an East Coast Hippie-Crack Ring
Nitrous oxide AKA Hippie Crack has long been popular at hippie music concerts. And with each balloon of N2O going for $5 to $10 and a tank supplying 350+ balloons, it's possible to make over $300,000 at a single festival. With that much money involved it's no surprise that thuggery and the Nitrous Mafia have appeared.

India Approves A Symbol for the Rupee
Which makes you wonder where the symbol for the US dollar, $, came from.

Dick Cheney's Black Heart Has No Pulse
Well not since he received a ventricular assist device which because it pumps continuously usually leaves recipients without a pulse. According to some of the commenters this is what they give people who are waiting on a heart transplant. So Cheney may be going full android soon.

The Glamorous Divorce Ranches of the Mad Men Era
Until the mid 60's the most feasible way to get a divorce in America was to go to Nevada. Unlike other states they required no evidence of cruelty or adultery and would issue a divorce decree with no waiting period. However the catch was that you had to have been a resident of NV for at least six weeks. So an entire industry of ranches and hotels soon sprang up that catered to women waiting out the residency period. For many of the women it was the first time they had ever been out west or lived alone.

Orca Porn
Reason #47 why you don't want to work at SeaWorld:

“Early in the morning, the animal-care crew would take hot-water-filled cow vaginas and masturbate the males in the back tanks,” says John Hall, a former scientist at SeaWorld. “It was pretty interesting to walk by.”

Yahoo group. That is all.

Tonight's post brought to you by Catwoman:

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posted by Maetenloch at 09:28 PM

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