Long before they became fashionable accessories for sunny days, some of the earliest sunglasses served a far different purpose: In Chinese courtrooms, judges used dark-lensed glasses to hide their facial expressions. Eyeglasses became popular in Chinese society during the late 13th century and early 14th century, and around the same period, rudimentary sunglasses featuring dark lenses made from smoky quartz were invented. While they protected against glare, they were also intended to provide judges with an air of impartiality during trials by obscuring their eyes — and thus their emotional responses.
It wasn’t until the 18th century that an early precursor to modern sunglasses, explicitly designed for dealing with sun and glare, became popular in Europe. “Goldoni’s eyeglasses” were developed circa 1700 in Venice, Italy, and were nicknamed for playwright Carlo Goldoni, who fashionably wore a pair. These green-tinted spectacles were primarily worn by Venetian gondoliers as well as high-society women and children in an effort to shield their eyes from the glare that bounced off the canal water. In 1752, British optician James Ayscough unveiled a new invention to serve a similar purpose: blue-tinted glasses that he believed protected eyes against harmful light better than white glass.
Sloths are masters of living life in the slow lane. These tree-hugging mammals, split into two-toed and three-toed varieties, travel only about 125 feet a day — so slowly that moss and algae grow on their fur. This lethargic lifestyle is actually a survival strategy suitable for their slow metabolisms and low-calorie diets, which are mostly based on tree leaves. In fact, three-toed sloths have the slowest metabolism of any mammal (followed closely by pandas and two-toed sloths).
Their sluggish metabolism, as well as their ability to slow their heart to one-third its normal rate, give sloths an unexpected superpower — they can hold their breath for an impressively long time. With estimates suggesting that some two-toed sloths can hold their breath for upwards of 40 minutes, this makes sloths better at conserving oxygen than even some marine mammals such as dolphins, who can only hold their breath for 15 minutes, max. The sloth breathing technique, aided by the design of their lungs, helps make sloths excellent swimmers. So while their leisurely lifestyle may seem a bit lazy to the untrained eye, don’t blame the sloths — they’re just built that way.
More on the usual nonsense coming from this administration. At every turn he has tried to ignore the Constitution and since he had sworn to uphold it I would have to say that makes him a traitor and should be subject to prosecution. This is becoming a case of one mans attitude is the only thing that counts. He does not accept science, or approve of public education, transgender people, same sex marriage, global warming, or kindness. His world is filled with vengence and rightiousness not that he has any. His actions so far signal mental illness and incompentecy and he needs to be removed from office. The actions of the people he has chosen to be part of his cabinet prove that his mental capacity is limited to self interest and little else. He put three justices on the Supreme Court that lied under oath and nothing has been done about it, now he has people in various positions throughout govenorment and all have been under oath in their hearings and all have lied, still nothing is done. The biggest liar is Trump as he lied about everything to get reelected and has broken every promise he made unless it concerned the rich bastards that bank rolled his campaign. In order to stop this completely it is going to need for the entire Congress to stand up and stop all this nonsense. They need to remove Trump and make sure that Musk is also terminated. Trump is hoping that he will be allowed a third term, although he has said that in 4 years election will not bee needed as he is going to change all that. He pobably needs to view the possible consequences that might just lead to lack of ability to even finish this tour. We have more than enough to deal with and now we have a person in the Oval Office that is mandating not only economic policy but requiring that all should follow his preferences about gender issues, racial issues, next will be a requirement to eat at least one meal a day at a McDonald's. There are people that are concerned about what to do IF he orders this or that. The simple answer to this question is that he has already violated the Constitution and seems pleased to continue to do so. His blatant disregard for the Constitution, that he took and oath to, is not just a bump in the road, it is treason. He needs to be arrested and removed from where he can do any more harm. All that back him also need to be confined so that they are not temped to follow his requests and jepordize the nation. Another issue at hand is the interest of those in California to create a separate nation. That would mean leaving the US and forming their own alliances and all the rest of it. Part of the driving force behind this desire is the fact that Trump does not want to help the state after the fires they have had. That effort is fostered by the weakest of reasons and that is because they hurt Donnies feelings. Another method to get back at the central government would be to not pay into the tax requests or requirements. If the central governorment is reluctant to help with fire damage just don't pay the central government for anything. I have another way to pay for the recovery, don't send any tax funds to Washington and when asked just say you are rebuilding and let it go at that. The longer this madness goes on the more reason we see for making use of our passports and leaving, although running away is not the answer. Another part of that is you really don't want to fly these days because that is not all that safe either. Going back to the issue of not paying attention to court orders, when are the judges going to call on the US Marshalls to go and arrest Trump for violating the orders? Is that what it is going to take? Will the releasted Jan 6 people jump in and defend Trump? The point is that everyone of the people that got sworn into office of any type, legislative or law enforcement, or even the President, took an oath to the Constitution to serve and protect against all eneemies foreign and DOMESTIC, and right now our greatest danger is the enemy within. Those people are sitting in the seats of positions that should be prosecuting crimes against the nation not being filled by idiots trying to destroy our nation. All agents of law enforcement, all sitting members of Congress, think about the oath you took and act accordingly. Members of the military remember that you do not have to obey orders that are illigal or that go against the Constitution, and you can be tried under UCMJ laws if you do follow those orders. All of you need to stand up and remove the threat, if that means bodily remove someone, anyone from their office and put them under arrest, do so. Secret service agents are suppose to protect the President, and the President is suppose to represent us, the people of the United States. When the President no longer represents us, your job should become the task of defend us from the President. For the sake of the nation, do your jobs.
We are all being distracted by the never ending shit show… RFK Jr has been confirmed as HHS Secretary, so we can look forward to COVID-19 looking like a vacation, Tulsi Gabbard is now in a position to trade State Secrets with China , Russia and any one else Donny wants to let loot the US. He is talking about occupying Gaza, and with Hegseth in charge of the DOD we should look forward to another 9/11 attack except this time it attacks will it more than NYC & the Pentagon. Now we just need for the Republicans to cave and confirm Patel to lead the FBI so they can start incarnating citizens that say mean things about King Donald… plus you need to take out a second mortgage to buy eggs…
Mount Rushmore is one of the United States’ most recognizable landmarks, but it contains a hidden secret: a 70-foot-long tunnel located behind Abraham Lincoln’s head. The tunnel was created as the entrance to a Hall of Records conceived by sculptor Gutzon Borglum. The idea was to build a chamber inside the monument that housed important documents such as the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, which would be accessible by an 800-foot granite stairway that stretched up the mountain from Borglum’s studio to the chamber. Work began on the Hall of Records in July 1938 as crews constructed the 70-foot tunnel. However, in 1939, Congress halted work on the chamber and instructed Borglum to focus on carving the presidents’ heads instead. Borglum died two years later in 1941, effectively putting an end to the side project and leaving the Hall of Records unfinished.
Almost 60 years later, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Society brought part of Borglum’s vision to life, installing a box at the chamber’s entrance containing 16 porcelain enamel panels. The panels explain the story of the United States and include biographies of the presidents featured on Mount Rushmore. They were sealed beneath 1,200 pounds of granite capstone as an homage to Borglum’s initial vision.
It’s often speculated that Valentine’s Day has its roots in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, and it’s not hard to see why. Lupercalia was observed on February 15, and involved fertility rituals — albeit along with animal sacrifice and ritual whipping. Yet the link between this pagan festival and the Christian feast day that morphed into our modern ode to love and romance is murky, and indeed may be little more than coincidence.
At its peak, Lupercalia — which dates back to at least the sixth century BCE, predating Christianity by centuries — was a really wild time. A group of nude Roman priests kicked off the events in Lupercal Cave at the bottom of Palatine Hill with the sacrifice of a dog and at least one goat. They painted themselves in the blood and wiped it off their skin with milk-soaked wool, then cut strips of goat hide and whipped women on the hands with them to promote fertility.
As time went on, Lupercalia mellowed out, and the nudity dramatically subsided. Yet it was still too much for Pope Gelasius I, who forbade participation in the festival at the end of the fifth century CE. One common theory is that he supplanted the pagan festival with St. Valentine’s Day, also known as the Feast of St. Valentine, though recent historians have shed doubt on that claim. For one thing, St. Valentine, a third-century Christian martyr, had no connection to love or romance. In fact, the holiday didn’t get its modern association until Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem linking St. Valentine’s Day and mating season in the 14th century, some 900 years after the holiday was established.
We collectively have an issue… we have 2 political parties and for the last 60 years one parties primary mission has been to dismantle the government. The truth is breaking things is easy and can be done quickly and repairing the damage takes time.
This sad truth evades many people because the party that is , historically, trying to fix the problem is demonized because they aren’t fixing it fast enough so the muddled masses put the breakers back in power.
The previous administration was and did fix a lot of the problems that were caused by their predecessors but the result were not felt fast enough by the public. Due to that the destroyers are back in the drivers seat and they are on a rapid fire mission to take everything apart. Here is the problem… the public will feel the pain and soon and they, we, will vote the fixer party back into power but the masses will expect that repair to happen as fast as the destruction and when it doesn’t the cycle will start again.
So our a lustrous leader is making us the butt of the world, his renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, wanting to take the Panama Cannel, saying he is going to take the Gaza Strip… oh and there is the entire Greenland deal, the best part is Greenland is hitting back.
First, President Donald Trump floated the idea of buying Greenland. Now, Denmark is flipping the script with its own offer for one of America’s richest and most populous states.
A satirical petition making the rounds in Denmark suggests that if the United States is in the business of acquiring its Greenland territory, maybe Denmark should get in on the action. The plan? Snag California, throw in some hygge and call it New Denmark.
“Have you ever looked at a map and thought, ‘You know what Denmark needs? More sunshine, palm trees, and roller skates,’” the petition reads. “Well, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make that dream a reality.”
The proposal, which has reportedly gathered nearly 200,000 signatures, makes a strong pitch: Denmark could brighten its gray skies for 300 days of California sunshine, secure Silicon Valley for better or worse and ensure an endless supply of avocados — since California grows about 90% of the nation’s stash. Meanwhile, Disneyland would be rebranded as Hans Christian Andersenland, dressing Mickey Mouse in a Viking helmet. Though the petition doesn’t say if Sacramento would remain the state capitol, Solvang may be a better bet.
The “Tremendous Plan,” as organizers call it, comes with a hefty price tag of around $1 trillion, which they estimate could be covered if every Danish citizen chips in around 200,000 kroner (roughly $28,000). Negotiators would include Denmark’s finest dealmakers — executives from Lego, the cast of “Borgen” and perhaps a few Viking reenactors for good measure.
For those willing to invest in the cause, organizers have thrown in a few incentives: a personalized thank-you from the Danish royal family, a virtual tour of Danishwood studios, a lifetime supply of California-grown avocados (shipping not included) or, for the deep-pocketed donor, a private stretch of Malibu beach.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Denmark and Trump have butted heads over imaginary real estate deals. In 2019, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called Trump’s idea of purchasing Greenland “absurd,” prompting Trump to cancel his planned visit to Copenhagen. Greenland’s leader, Múte Egede, quickly reinforced that the territory was not for sale.
Since returning to office, Trump and his allies have revived the idea, even claiming — without evidence — that most Greenlanders want to become U.S. citizens. Recent polls from Denmark and Greenland suggest otherwise.
The petition also plays into the long-standing friction between California and Trump. The state has overwhelmingly rejected him in three straight elections, while Gov. Gavin Newsom has spent much of his tenure positioning California as a direct counterweight to Trump’s policies. Trump, for his part, has dubbed California a “failed” state, has clashed with its leaders on everything from environmental regulations to immigration and, most recently, has targeted its high-speed rail project.
Selling off California would be a risky deal for the U.S. The state is the world’s fifth-largest economy and a critical hub for agriculture, energy, tech, transportation, and entertainment. It is also one of the few states that pay more in federal taxes than they receive. If California were to hypothetically rebrand as New Denmark, the economic fallout would be massive.
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Died on the Exact Same Day
It’s unlikely enough that two of America’s Founding Fathers would die on the very same day, but this story gets even stranger. First, these two political rivals died within hours of each other. Even weirder? The date of their passing was July 4, 1826 — 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence was adopted. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson weren’t the same age when they died, though — Adams was 90 and Jefferson was 83. There are multiple theories on why this happened, and sheer coincidence is certainly one. To add another eerie layer, founding father James Monroe also died on the Fourth of July, five years later.
Esoteric Meandering Shouting Into the Void 
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