the Most Interesting Facts, Ever

If you’re anything like us, you enjoy knowing an abundance of useful(less) information. You never know when it will come in handy!

As our grandparents always told us, “Every kind of information and/or education can be helpful at some point or another.”

These days, you pick up a lot of information. You can’t turn anywhere without constantly being bombarded by facts, figures and news from the television, Internet and magazines.

No, these aren’t things you need to know, but it doesn’t hurt to be well-versed in trivia.

Usually, unless you’re going to compete in the ultimate nerd-off, where knowledge of useless facts is celebrated, these things will just sit in your memory bank waiting for their time to shine.

But who knows? Maybe the next time you’re out with your friends playing bar trivia these things will come in handy. If someone were handing out medals for knowing random junk, you’d win the gold.

Hannibal Lecter

In the movie Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal Lecter never blinks. Apparently, Anthony Hopkins watched a video of Charles Manson being interviewed and he didn’t blink. Acting at its finest.

Want to grow a beard faster?

Think about sex. Since facial hair is largely governed by the production of testosterone, even the anticipation of sex will help you grow a beard faster.

Overdosing on Chocolate

A lethal dose of chocolate is 22 pounds… or 40 Hershey bars.

Cleopatra

Apparently, she lived closer in time to the moon landing than to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Giraffes

A male giraffe will headbutt a female in the bladder until she urinates, then taste her urine to determine whether she is ovulating.

Goosebumps

Dead people can still get them. Creepy.

Honey

It does not spoil. You could probably still eat 3000 year old honey if you wanted to.

McDonalds

McDonalds calls frequent buyers of their food “heavy users.”

Mosquitos

It would take 1,200,000 mosquitoes, each sucking once, to completely drain the average human of blood.

Plastic Surgery

Worldwide, the United States undergoes the most plastic surgery procedures. Next in line is Mexico.

Porn

Surprise, surprise. For every “normal'”webpage, there are five porn pages.

Sleeping

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

Southern Sea Otters

These cute creatures have flaps of skin under their forelegs that act as pockets. When diving, they use these pouches to store rocks and food.

Turtles

Turtles can breathe through their butts.

Most Frightening Female Serial Killers

It is a known fact that the most dangerous serial killers are the ones who seem like normal, ordinary people. That way they are able to get away with the horrendous crimes. Throughout history, there were a number of women who secretly poisoned and tortured innocent people. We compiled a list of some of worst and most terrifying killers. Wives, maids, young girls, and even nobles, these criminals came from all walks of life and from all over the world. Read below for our list of the most frightening female serial killers in history.

1. Elizabeth Báthory

Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a 16th century Hungarian noble. She is perhaps the most well-known female serial killer, as well as the most terrifying. Witnesses claimed Bathory would torture and kill her victims in the dungeons of her castle, and even eat their flesh and drink their blood. The Countess started with young peasant girls, luring them with promises of well-paid work as maids. She moved on to women of the lower nobility, who were convinced they are moving to the castle to receive etiquette lessons. After further investigation, Báthory was accused of killing as many as 650. The “Blood Countess” was found guilty in trial in 1611 and died in her prison four years later. The story of the countess inspired many legends, books, and films.

2. Amelia Dyer

Amelia Dyer owned a “baby farm” in England during the late 19th century, where she took in newborns from mothers who became pregnant illegitimately. Dyer would either help find adoptions for the babies or let them die from malnutrition, but eventually she started to murder them. It is confirmed that she killed six babies, but she was believed to have murdered 200 to 400 more. Dyer was caught in 1879 and sentenced to six months of hard labor, and once she was freed she went back to killing babies. She was caught again 15 years later, and this time she pleaded guilty and was hanged.

3. Delphine LaLaurie

Madame Marie Delphine LaLaurie was a New Orleans socialite during the early 19th century. She had a number of slaves, who everyone believed were treated well. Many praised LaLaurie for her beauty and charm. However, after a fire in her home it was revealed Madame had a torture chamber where several black slaves were found hanged. LaLaurie fled to Paris after an angry mob attacked her house. The investigations reveal that the socialite was involved in the torture and murders of hundreds of slaves.

4. Gwen Graham and Cathy Woods

Gwen Graham and Cathy Wood began dating when they met at the Alpine Nursing Home, where they worked as nurse’s aides. As part of a “love bond,” the two conspired and smothered five elderly people. Graham started dating another woman and moved up with her to Texas. In 1988 Wood’s ex-husband, who knew about the murders from Wood, went to the authorities. During the investigation process, Wood and Graham accused each other as the main motivator and the manipulator in the relationship. Graham was sentenced to five life sentences after she was found guilty on five counts of murder. Wood was sentenced to 20 years, and is expected to be released in 2021.

5. Júlia Fazekas and the Angels of Nagyrév

Júlia Fazekas, a midwife, had an interesting solution for women’s problems. During World War I, many women in the Hungarian village of Nagyrév took foreign lovers since their husbands were gone to fight in the war. Naturally, no woman wanted her husband to find her with another man or a child that wasn’t his. Fazekas helped these women, the “Angels of Nagyrev,” to poison their husbands. She participated in the deaths of over 300 people from 1914 to 1929. Fazekas allegedly said, “Why put up with them?”

6. Martha Needle

Martha Needle was raised in a poor and abusive home in South Australia during the 1860s. She reportedly showed signs of instability since childhood. By 1891, she poisoned her husband and three small children, and used the collected insurance money to buy a grave for the family.

A year after the murder, Needle was hired as a housekeeper by brothers Otto and Louis Junken. She and Otto started a love affair, which Louis was completely opposed to. He suddenly became ill for a mysterious reason and passed away a few months later. Otto’s second brother also died from an illness shortly after moving in with the couple. After an autopsy, it was revealed Needle had been feeding the brother arsenic. An investigation started and the bodies of her husband and children were found, and they all tested positive for arsenic. Needle claimed she was innocent, but was sentenced to death. Interestingly, Otto stayed by her side until the very end.

7. Magdalena Solis

Magdalena Solis, or “The High Priestess of Blood,” was a cult leader and serial killer in Mexico. Sometime in 1963, Solis and her brother were contacted by two criminals, the Hernandez brothers. The brothers convinced residents of a local village that they were prophets of Incan gods. The poor villagers paid taxes and provided sacrifices to the “prophets,”  but when the villagers realized nothing was changing, the brothers claimed Solis as a reincarnation of a goddess to restore faith in them.

Solis created horrifying rituals of human sacrifices that involved beating, burning, cutting, and mutilating victims. The priests would drink a mix of human and chicken blood. In the most extreme cases, there were dissections of live victims’ hearts.

That same year, a 14-year-old boy accidently witnessed the rituals. He reported what he saw to a detective, but after both of them disappeared the police started an investigation. The Hernandez prophets were arrested and Solis and her brother were sentenced to 50 years in prison.

8. Hélène Jégado

Hélène Jégado was a French maid who lived in the early 1800s. She started poisoning her victims in 1833 while she was working for a priest. She allegedly killed seven people in the course of three months, including her sister and the priest. Since there was a cholera outbreak in the area, nobody thought the deaths were unusual. In 1850 she poisoned a number of servants at the household she was working at. When a doctor requested to see one of the corpses for an autopsy, Jégado exclaimed that she was innocent — for no apparent reason. The doctor became suspicious and an investigation began. The maid was found guilty of three murders, three attempted murders, and eleven thefts. She was executed by guillotine in 1852.

9. Mary Bell

This killer started early. Eleven-year old Mary Bell from England was found guilty of strangling two small boys, aged 3 and 4. She went back to the murder scene and carved the letter M on her victims’ stomachs with a razor, as well as other mutilations. Bell was released from prison in 1980, when she was 23. Since her release, the killer has been living under court-protected anonymity. In 1998 a book was about her life was written, calledCries Unheard: The Story Of Mary Bell.

Everyday Items Dirtier Than a Toilet Seat

Your cutting board

University of Arizona researchers found that the average cutting board has 200 times more fecal bacteria than a toilet seat. A big culprit: raw meat, since many fecal bacteria originate in animals’ internal organs. So, the last chicken cutlet you diced? The tiny grooves your knife left in the cutting board are prime real estate for germs to get cozy.Clean it:Wash plastic cutting boards with liquid dish detergent and water, then soak thoroughly in a solution of 2 teaspoons bleach and 1 gallon of water. For wooden boards, do the same but use 2 tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water. Don’t soak overnight.

Your pet's food bowl

One of the home's dirtiest surfaces could be your pet's trusty kibble dish. If your dog licks a toilet seat, he’s picking up about 295 bacteria per square inch. But if he licks the inside rim of his unclean dish, he just gobbled up 2,110 bacteria per square inch—and what dog licks just one inch?Clean it:To keep pets healthy, wash all food bowls after every meal with hot water and soap, or combine baking soda, warm water, and salt in equal parts and scrub the surface in circles before rinsing. If you don't, bacteria will multiply on the leftover residue of your pet’s slobber and food bits, a little like if you used the same fork every day without washing it.

Your clean laundry

A load of underwear will transfer at least 100 million E. coli bacteria—the culprit behind diarrhea—to the washing machine, which becomes a breeding ground that can contaminate other clothing. With a front-loading machine, it's worse; water settles at the bottom and creates the moist environment bacteria loves. Your toilet seat, on the other hand, is too dry to support a very large bacterial population.Clean it:Disinfect your machine by washing a load of whites with bleach first, or cleaning your washer with bleach at least once a month (pour 2 cups of bleach into the detergent compartment, and run empty on the hottest cycle before wiping dry; leave the door open after). To avoid spreading bacteria, wash underwear separately with hot water and a color-safe bleach replacement.

Your smartphone or tablet

In a 2013 study, British researchers swabbed 30 tablets, 30 phones, and an office toilet seat. The tablets had up to 600 units per swab of staphylococcus (also known as staph, which can cause severe stomach sickness) and the phones had up to 140 units. The typical toilet seat had less than 20 units. Another uncomfortable detail: In a 2011 survey, 75 percent of Americans said they use their smartphones while on the toilet to text, email, and talk. It’s not just teenagers—91 percent of Gen Y responders said they used their phone on the toilet, as did 80 percent of Gen X and 65 percent of Boomers.Clean it:Reduce your exposure to germs by cleaning your electronic screens with screen wipes or a damp, soft cloth—or leaving them out of the bathroom in the first place.

Your carpet

Fun fact: Bacteria love munching on dead skin cells. Considering that the average person sheds about 1.5 million every hour, that turns your rugs into a fine dining experience when you add food particles, pet dander, pollen, and other bits. About 200,000 bacteria live in each square inch of carpet (nearly 700 times more than on your toilet seat), including E. coli, staphylococcus, and salmonella.Clean it:Since your vacuum cleaner can’t reach to the bottom of the carpet, hire a company to deep clean at least once a year.

Your faucet handles

Your bathroom faucet handle can have 21 times the bacteria of your toilet seat. Even worse—your kitchen faucet handles can harbor 44 times the bacteria of your toilet seat.Clean it:Disinfect and clean regularly along with the rest of your sink to make sure washing your hands isn’t making you dirtier.

Your computer keyboard

Clicking away at your computer in between bites of lunch may have led to the last “office bug” you picked up. When British researchers swabbed 33 keyboards in a London office, they found that they harbored up to five times the germs of a toilet seat. In 2007, a stomach flu outbreak at a Washington, D.C. elementary school struck more than 100 people, and may have spread through unclean computer equipment like keyboards, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Clean it:Wash hands, and surfaces, often.

Your handbag

It goes with everything, including germs. When British researchers studied 25 handbags, they found that the average handbag is three times dirtier than an office toilet seat. Handbags used regularly were 10 times dirtier. Handles carried the most bacteria, but even items inside the bag were grimy—hand and face creams were the dirtiest, along with lipstick and gloss. Stomach flu viruses have been traced back to reusable grocery bags, too.Clean it:Keep your bags off the ground, and regularly wash cloth bags when possible. For plastic or leather bags, use disinfectant wipes.

Your kitchen cloth or sponge

When Arizona researchers collected 1,000 dishcloths and sponges in kitchens, they found that 10 percent contained salmonella. Each square inch of their surfaces contains about 134,630 bacteria, 456 times the number on a toilet seat. Dishcloths and sponges harbor the largest amount of E. coli and other fecal bacteria in the average home, mostly because they aren’t replaced as often as they should.Clean it:Each week, toss dishcloths in the washing machine and sponges in the dishwasher, or heat in the microwave (while damp) for 30 seconds.

“Diet” Foods that Sabotage Weight Loss

Just like us, you're probably used to reaching automatically for items with a "health halo," such as spaghetti sauce (love that lycopene!), or labels like reduced fat!, low sodium!, and whole grain! But unless you're a super savvy shopper, be warned: Your diet may conceal some nasty surprises. That low-fat cottage cheese you love? It could be higher in sodium than potato chips. And the low-fat dressing you drizzle on your salad? It could contain nearly as much sugar as two chocolate chip cookies... read more

Mini hints at its future look with disco-floor

Seven years can be an eternity in automotive design, even for a car like Mini whose very appeal lies in decades-old styling cues. Eager to continue Mini's growing global sales, its BMW overlords have been prepping a re-engineering of the Mini line, with the first models scheduled for a reveal this fall..read more

ways to get a free cup of tea (or coffee)

The best things in life are free – but sadly that generally doesn't apply to a decent cuppa. So we've found 10 ways you can have a cup of tea for 0p

A cup of tea (or coffee) doesn't have to cost you a bean

Tea is a human right and coffee – for many – essential to getting through the day. So why should you have to pay for it?

We don't think you should, so contacted freebie expert Deepak Tailor for his top tips for a cuppa that costs nothing.

1. John Lewis

Sign up for a free John Lewis loyalty card and you’ll be sent free tea and coffee vouchers to use in store roughly once a month (though not guaranteed). You’ll save yourself £1.90 on a pot of tea.

2. MyWaitrose

Rex

Free tea available at Waitrose...

 

Get a free MyWaitrose card and claim your free hot beverage in store once each day. Choose from Americano, Cappuccino, Latte, Tea, Mocha and Espresso. If you’d like to upgrade you need only pay the difference.

3. IKEA

Sign up for your free Family card . It entitles you to a free cup of coffee at IKEA’s restaurant between Monday and Friday.

4. Ask at Local Shops for Loyalty Cards

We’ve covered the main, UK-wide loyalty cards, but don’t forget to ask at your local shops to see if they offer schemes of their own. Booths is a chain of shops in Northern England which offers a loyalty card. Register for yours and claim your daily regular hot drink from any Booths hot counter or cafe.

5. O2 Priority

Orange Wednesdays is no more, but O2 offers free tea/coffee on Tuesdays

 

With the O2 Priority app you’ll be alerted to exclusive freebies every week . You can claim a free drink from Caffe Nero giveaway every Tuesday, while various other freebies are added all the time.

6. Redbush Tea

Free samples of Redbush tea have been offered on their website for seven years . Sign up with an email address. Choose from lots of flavours. Other limited-time tea freebies can be claimed online but catch them before the offer ends/they run out. Currently you can grab them at Teamonger for example.

7. Hair Salons

Getty

I just come here for the tea - unless you have wine?

 

Most hair salons will give you a complimentary cup of tea while you wait for your hair cut or for your colour to set. If you’re really lucky you’ll get free biscuits with it and if you’re really, really lucky you can substitute the lot for a glass of sparkly wine.

8. Lifestyle Expos and food shows

Find a free lifestyle expo and look out for free teabags or hot tea samples. This is a great chance to try funky strains you’ve never tried before. Take to Google to discover the next free expo coming to your town.

9. Forage for wild treats

Barcroft

Into the woods!

 

If a bog standard capuccino or English Breakfast tea isn’t going to cut it, take to the big outdoors and forage for wild plants with which to make your own tea.

The young leaves of nettles, well-washed dandelions, mint, lavender and rose petals are just a few examples. Use fresh or dry (slightly more is needed if fresh), steep in boiling water and sweeten with honey if desired.

And if you’re really desperate...

10. Give Blood / Car Showrooms

Both of the above provide free tea. Blood Donation halls must ensure your strength is up after you lose blood and Car Showrooms like to butter you up while you’re looking at the vehicles. You can find out where your nearest blood donation even is here .

Arab conflict in the name of the bride, the wedding was incomplete

SANAA (HIT) to know a groom or a bride named associate Bashir surely will look her heart and she can also decide. The situation in Yemen actually occurred with the groom. It's a job in Saudi Arabia for many years were earned. At the same time their parents to set their relationship. It's hard to take a vacation before the wedding arrived.

Brazilian women have the right to embarrassing Porn protest

Wedding Ceremonies grandly held at the groom's family to the bride's name was terribly shocked if it was a male name. Groom to the bride has many requests to change the name of the bride, but she was not pleased. During the discussion, the bride's father was angry and called the name change its defamation. So that eventually grew bitterly refused to marry the groom and walked out of the party. The final report has been canceled wedding.

Internet will disappear, Google's head striking the forecast

Zürich (HIT) so it seems apparent that the Internet is rapidly becoming the technology spread throughout the world famous IT guru Eric Schmidt of Google in the future have predicted the collapse of the Internet.
Eric World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the city was addressing a session. When they were asked how they see the future of the Internet in the coming period so that the Internet, as we know it, the world will end. They argued that the time is not far when your car, glasses, clothing, household materials and street lights and parks on the edge of a swing, everything the Internet has become part of our life, it would be will become part of its separate existence that we will soon be forgotten. It happened to us, it will be necessary as water and oxygen.

 He explains everything that comes out of our home, our contact will be through digital devices and the temperature sensors of different types, weather, traffic, etc. will inform about the situation. On the way back home when refrigerators, fans and TV-like devices will also be controlled digitally.

This spider after sex Why would deprive itself is fragile? Scientists have solved the mystery, startling
The CEO of Vodafone New Zealand coli Eric also agreed that in future I will be flying around us like little bees drone drones wander. It will also be a result of people's privacy will be eliminated, governments and other organizations are monitoring every word of each will be.

What are the differences between federal and private student loans?

Federal student loans include many benefits (such as fixed interest rates and income-based repayment plans) not typically offered with private loans. In contrast, private loans are generally more expensive than federal student loans.

The chart below provides a summary of the differences.

Federal Student Loans	Private Student Loans
You will not have to start repaying your federal student loans until you graduate, leave school, or change your enrollment status to less than half-time.	Many private student loans require payments while you are still in school.
The interest rate is fixed and is often lower than private loans—and much lower than some credit card interest rates. View thecurrent interest rates on federal student loans.	Private student loans can have variable interest rates, some greater than 18%. A variable rate may substantially increase the total amount you repay.
Undergraduate students with financial needwill likely qualify for a subsidized loan where the government pays the interest while you are in school on at least a half-time basis.	Private student loans are not subsidized. No one pays the interest on your loan but you.
You don’t need to get a credit check for most federal student loans (except for PLUS loans). Federal student loans can help you establish a good credit record.	Private student loans may require an established credit record. The cost of a private student loan will depend on your credit score and other factors.
You won’t need a cosigner to get a federal student loan in most cases.	You may need a cosigner.
Interest may be tax deductible.	Interest may not be tax deductible.
Loans can be consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan.  Learn about yourconsolidation options.	Private student loans cannot be consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan.
If you are having trouble repaying your loan, you may be able to temporarily postpone or lower your payments.	Private student loans may not offerforbearance or deferment options.
There are several repayment plans, including an option to tie your monthly payment to your income.	You should check with your lender to find out about your repayment options.
There is no prepayment penalty fee.	You need to make sure there are no prepayment penalty fees.
You may be eligible to have some portion of your loans forgiven if you work in public service. Learn about our loan forgiveness programs.	It is unlikely that your lender will offer a loan forgiveness program.
Free help is available at 1-800-4-FED-AID and on our websites.	The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau'sprivate student loan ombudsman may be able to assist you if you have concerns about your private student loan.