The first same-sex couple to be legally married in New York City -Phyllis Siegel (76) and Connie Kopelov (84)
this is beautiful
The Power of Nouns to Increases Voter Turnout
Countries around the world have tried many tactics to encourage people to vote, from easier access to polling stations to mandatory registration. But Christopher Bryan from Stanford University has found a startlingly simple weapon for increasing voter turnout — the noun. Through a simple linguistic tweak, he managed to increase the proportion of voters in two groups of Americans by at least 10 percentage points.
During the 2008 presidential election, Bryan recruited 34 Californians who were eligible to vote but hadn’t registered yet. They all completed a survey which, among other questions, asked them either “How important is it to you to be a voter in the upcoming election?” or “How important is it to you to vote in the upcoming election?”
It was the tiniest of tweaks — the noun “voter” versus the verb “vote” — but it was a significant one. Around 88% of the noun group said they were very or extremely interested in registering to vote, compared to just 56% of the verb group.
Mothers, especially, bind their stomachs to lessen hunger pangs: ‘Only the rich around here don’t tie a rope in times like this,’ says Zippora Mbungo (above) of Makima, Kenya…
“I tie this rope around my waist to hold my stomach in and avoid feeling hungry. Most of the time we have very little food, so I give it to my grandchildren first, leaving little or nothing for me. That is why I tie this rope around me. Only the rich people around here don’t tie a rope in times like this.This is one of the worst droughts I have ever seen in my life.”
-86-year-old grandmother from Makima, Kenya, told the agency’s workers..
“This practice shows just how desperately hungry women are. But it can be lethal – women have died after suddenly untying their stomachs once food is available.”
-Philip Kilonzo, of ActionAid Kenya..
Secret cinema found beneath Paris
In September 2004, French police discovered a hidden chamber in the catacombs under Paris. It contained a full-sized movie screen, projection equipment, a bar, a pressure cooker for making couscous, a professionally installed electricity system, and at least three phone lines. Movies ranged from 1950s noir classics to recent thrillers.
When the police returned three days later, the phone and power lines had been cut and there was a note on the floor: “Do not try to find us.” (via)
Who knew a vegetable garden could put you in jail?
A Michigan woman is looking at the prospect of 93 days in jail because she planted vegetables in planters in her front yard and refused to abide by the town elders’ interpretation of the planning code, WJBX reports.
First they gave her a wanring, then a ticket, and now she faces a misdemeanor for violating the City of Oak Park’s planning code. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for July 26.
The town ordinance says that front yards have to be planted with “suitable, live, plant material.” The woman feels it qualifies. “It’s definitely live. It’s definitely plant. It’s definitely material. We think it’s suitable,” she told FOX.
The city planners say that her garden doesn’t count. “If you look at the definition of what suitable is in Webster’s dictionary, it will say common,” Oak Park City Planner Kevin Rulkowski told FOX. “So, if you look around and you look in any other community, what’s common to a front yard is a nice, grass yard with beautiful trees and bushes and flowers.”
However, in looking up “suitable” on Merriam-Webster.com, neither the word “common” nor any word approximating it appears in the definition.
WTF? Don’t people have bigger worries than this?
