Overnight Open Thread

And welcome to the weakest ONT in the last 9 days.

If You Could Only Have One Child, Would You Prefer a Boy or a Girl?

Well here are the results of a recent Gallup poll. And it's not really surprising that men have a strong preference for sons while women are open to either sex.

Most of Human History Is Recent
It turns out that we are living in historical times at least in terms of economic output and man-years lived.

The chart below shows a population-weighted history of the past two millennia. By this reckoning, over 28% of all the history made since the birth of Christ was made in the 20th century. Measured in years lived, the present century, which is only ten years old, is already "longer" than the whole of the 17th century. This century has made an even bigger contribution to economic history. Over 23% of all the goods and services made since 1AD were produced from 2001 to 2010...

Remembering Entebbe 25 years Later
One of the few highlights of the 1970's.

The symbolism of Entebbe has carried much weight over the years — namely that wherever Jews are in need, the IDF will be there to save them. The world was an awe of the daring, well-calculated rescue mission that succeeded in bringing all the prisoners home safely, with the exception of one casualty. Israeli Hollywood producer Menahem Golan and others in Hollywood took inspiration from the heroic tale to create a plethora of Delta Force–based movies starring such action stars as Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, and Chuck Norris.

However, as we mark the 35th anniversary of the raid on Entebbe — which later became known as “Operation Yonatan,” in honor of Yoni Netanyahu — the world seems to have forgotten its narrative of Israeli heroism.

Why Are Competitive Eaters Thin?
Some believe in the Big Man but it turns out that the key to big eating is a stretchy stomach with little abdominal fat to constrain it.

Kobayashi’s regimen includes shrinking his gut by jogging for hours, then distending it by chugging gallons of water. He regularly feasts on giant meals of low-fat, high-fiber foods like cabbage, which stay in the stomach longer before breaking down. (By the way, the world record for cabbage consumption is 6 pounds, 9 ounces, in 9 minutes, held by American Thomas Hardy.) And he keeps trim: A skinny man’s stomach has little fat to push against it and fight the food for space.

Secrets of Disneyland
Including their secret kitteh army:

Each night at Disneyland, after the sunburned families and exhausted cast members have made their way home, the park fills up again -- this time, with hundreds of feral cats. Park officials love the felines because they help control the mouse population. (After all, a park full of cartoon mice is more enticing than a park full of real ones.)

But these cats aren't a new addition to the Disney family. They first showed up at Disneyland shortly after it opened in 1955, and rather than spend time chasing them away, park officials decided to put the cats to work.

Sex Doll + High School Prank = Up to 8 Years in Prison
Decent idea but poor execution:

When 18-year-old Tyell Morton put a blow-up sex doll in a bathroom stall on the last day of school, he didn't expect school officials to call a bomb squad or that he'd be facing up to eight years in prison and a possible felony record.

Dave Allen on Death
Along with the classic competing funerals skit. And here Dave explains why he gave up smoking (but not whiskey!).

Tonight's post brought to you by Frankie's pad:

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posted by Maetenloch at 10:12 PM

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