The current investigations into Russian meddling into US elections could potentially be one of the biggest scandals in American history. With the intelligence community in agreement as to Russia’s role in undermining the election by producing fake news, attempting to hack election systems, as well as its theft and proliferation of DNC emails, it’s hard not to conclude that Russia’s meddling was an overwhelming success. Many American citizens have expressed outrage over the breach of their hallowed institutions, with some even calling it an act of war.

The creation of a child is a strange and miraculous process, and while few women experience a truly “average” pregnancy, some of them have some really unique experiences. Here are some of the most incredible birth stories ever recorded.

Following the end of World War II, the fear of nuclear war with the Soviet Union caused many organizations to buckle down on what they considered to be American values. In Hollywood, it was no different. In 1944, the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals (or “MPA” for short) was created. Any screenwriter, director, or actor who was even suspected of being involved with the Communist party was blacklisted from the industry.

Have you ever thought about what the world would be like if it was a cube? What would happen if you chose to live in the water? Or what if every nuclear bomb in the world went off? These are just a few of the crazy scenarios in our latest installment of 10 Crazy ‘What If’ Scenarios…

In 2007, the Small Arms Survey estimated that there were 650 million civilian-held guns in the world. Unless we all fell asleep and somehow missed a coordinated global melting down of guns, that number has certainly risen. Yep, our planet is awash in guns for all uses: from sport, to hunting, to recreation, to personal safety.

“So bad it’s good” is a concept that applies to all forms of media. Basically, it’s when something sucks so hard it’s Metacritic rating bottoms out and somehow finds itself below zero, at which point it becomes amazing. Here’s a list of 10 companies who seem to specialize in making exactly this kind of content, and do it so well that you kind of have to respect them.

This year, the French began to enforce a law that bans unhealthily thin models, with said models needing a doctor’s certificate in order to be hired for work. In addition the law stipulates that digitally altered images, that make models appear even skinnier than they are, will need to be labeled as such. It’s a dramatic step to tackle the growing epidemic of eating disorders that continues to perpetuate in the Western world.

Climate change is a serious problem – probably the most dangerous predicament humanity has ever been in. And every second that goes by and we’re not doing anything about it, the more dangerous things are going to become, and the harder it will be to fix them. But let’s not kick off this list on such a gloomy note, and instead look at what can be done to change that. The answer is as simple as what caused all of this in the first place – namely, the little things. Slight tweaks in our habits can go a long way, without us having to revert to a pre-Industrial, 18th century-lifestyle to get there. And yes, we are on topic here, in case you were wondering.

Slavery is one of the most evil institutions in the world, and a horrifying habit that humans over the ages have continued to regress to. We have evidence of slavery as far back as recorded history goes, and it is quite likely it existed even before then. Some people like to think that in our modern age, slavery is being stamped out. While it is technically illegal in all countries today, it actually exists in some form or another in most countries in the world, just under a different name.

The Dark Side of Japan is a collection of folk tales, black magic, protection spells, monsters and other dark interpretations of life and death from Japanese folklore. Much of the information comes from ancient documents, translated into English here for the first time. Antony Cummins has also searched the now forgotten Victorian volumes on Japanese mythology and explains recent academic research on Japan for the non-expert. Antony has transformed the complex information into a modern rendering, with stories and details that let a modern reader enter into the world of the forgotten legends of old Japan and the superstitions that colour them, some of which still exist today.