Five Feet of Tapeworm

It's almost unbelievable

It almost sounds like an urban legend meant to give you nightmares, not a terrible, real story that a man had to endure, but it's true. A California man who eats sushi every day ended up in the hospital with a tapeworm over five feet long in his body. It's almost too gross to report: as the man had bloody diarrhea, he thought his intestines were coming out of his anus. It turned out to be a very long and wriggling worm. Eugh...

The man had to take a de-worming pill similar to the kind given to your cat or dog to de-worm them. The man, who ate sashimi on almost a daily basis, said he'd been feeling ill for months and thought it was gas! Oh boy. I'm not a sushi eater anyway but now I really don't want to eat any. According to the CDC, Pacific Ocean salmon are currently at high risk of containing tapeworm, too.

Have you heard of any similar stories lately? Share them in the chat.

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Food & Beverage

New Early Cave Art Discovered

Could this change things?

Puerto Rico's Mona Island is the location of newly discovered rock art that may change what we know about Pre-Columbian civilizations.The first humans on the island likely arrived there between 3000 and 2000 BC, but this art could mean some major discoveries about people from the 13th century, according to archeologists. Thousands of different pieces of art were discovered in the site.

Many of the pieces are thought to be religious in nature, providing a glimpse into the spirituality of the people who inhabited the island. The cave was a spiritual domain for these people, so it makes sense that the artwork found there might be of souls, gods, spirits or something of that nature.

What do you think of these findings and what do you think they mean for the historical community?

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Klat Categories: 
History

An Iceberg Flips

And It's Pretty Amazing

Icebergs are already pretty fascinating. They're enormous, they are gorgeous and they seem so mysterious, especially when we find things inside or beneath them. But what about when they flip over? It turns out that they're even more beautiful when they rotate and we get a glimpse of the bottom. You can imagine how pristine the bottom of an iceberg might be compared to its snowy-looking top but you might not dream of how clear and precise its edges look. Check out these photos and prepare to say, "Ooooh!"

It's like finding a giant, cut and polished gemstone, isn't it? The glassy surface is so blue and beautiful that it looks like it's from another planet--like it should be part of an Infinity Stone or an alien paperweight, at least! It doesn't look like something of this earth but it sure is amazing to look at. 

Have you seen any beautiful photos of nature this week? Share them in the chat.

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Klat Categories: 
Photography

North Brother Island, NY

A freaky place if there ever was one

Freaky places to visit (or that you can't visit!) are always interesting, and here's one I have never heard of until now: North Brother Island in New York is an abandoned plot of land consisting of 22 acres. Nobody is allowed to go there, which is probably a good thing because they might get scared enough to have a heart attack and die out on the island.

The abandoned island is filled with crumbling buildings, kelp-covered structures and overgrown sidewalks. The buildings are damaged, many with grafiti, but the freakiest place has to be the abandoned hospital. Mammals don't even want to live on the island; it's mostly inhabited by birds.

What freaky places have you run across lately?

 

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Klat Categories: 
Hobbies
Culture

Star Wars Blaster Lakes

Yes, they can make this sound!

"Pew! Pew! Pew!" You may have made this sound at home with wrapping paper tubes, NERF guns or even at the store... Okay, maybe I'm revealing too much. But if you love Star Wars, you know how much fun it is to imitate those blasters. (Don't even get me started on lightsabers.)

Did you know that a frozen lake can make the sounds of a blaster if the conditions are right? Check out this video of frozen lake, iceberg and other ice structure sounds. Known as "acoustic dispersion," it's a combination of vibrations that spread out through the ice, creating really cool noises. 

Have you ever heard this noise in ice? What about other fun noises? Share your experiences in the chat.

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Klat Categories: 
Science

Krampus

Learn about this demonic Christmas figure

It's a pre-Christian tradition, but Krampus is completely new to many people in the Western world, and the tradition is catching on like wildfire. Krampus parades, theme nights and celebrations are popping up across the U.S. Some areas are even enjoying Krampus-themed haunted houses at Christmastime!

Krampus isn't an alternative to Saint Nick. Instead, he's one of the jolly old elf's companions, and he punishes those who have been naughty instead of nice througout the year. Sure, it's only one night of punishment, but is it truly worth it? I'd rather much have a lump of coal from Santa, myself, although the costumes can be very cool.

Have you ever attended a Krampusnacht or similar activity? Share your experiences and photos in the chat!

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Klat Categories: 
Holidays

Mari Lwyd

Have you heard of this Welsh custom?

If you love dead horses, you're going to love this Welsh tradition. It's a wassailing folk custom where people use a horse skull dressed up in a sheet (complete with Christmas ornaments for eyes) to go door to door, singing for food and spirits. Yeah, it sounds pretty freaky to us, too, but what culture doesn't have freaky traditions? (The correct answer is Hobbit culture.)

The name Mari Lwyd (prounounced Mary Lewd) is thought to come from Holy Mary in reference to the mother of Jesus Christ, but how that deals with a dead horse, you'll have to research to find out. Honestly who even knows the roots of their own cultural practices? From Christmas trees to Easter eggs, very few people know the true origins of traditions.

What do you think of Mari Lwyd? Would you engage in this tradition?

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Klat Categories: 
Holidays

The Man in the Iron Mask

Identity Revealed!

Why would a prisoner be forced to wear a mask of iron, be forbidden to speak to other prisoners and otherwise be treated so carefully and cruelly? You'd think that the prisoner would have to be someone like Hannibal Lecter, a danger to anyone in close proximity, but the truth may be quite different but just as terrible. Several historians are pointing at Eustache Dauger as the prisoner who wore the face of iron. A valet, Dauger's arrest is not very clear, but it sounds like the idea was to silence him rather than protect people from him.

Daugter worked as valet for a wealthy French minister who may have been stealing. Historians speculate that Dauger planned on speaking out against the minister and was punished with the Iron Mask as a result. Naturally rumors spread from there as guards and prisoners saw the mask. It's also likely that the mask was not made of iron but velvet!

What other historical mysteries have you read about lately? Share your finds in the chat.

 

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Klat Categories: 
History

Freaky Facts About Flying

Will you still fly?

We all know there's some shady stuff going down on airplanes, but there are a few secrets that you may not know about. For example, did you know that the tanks they use to carry water on flights are really hard to clean and often harbor bacteria? You might not be sick from the germs of your fellow passengers but because you ate prepared food or drank water or tea on board! Stick to pre-packaged snacks and canned drinks when available. 

Speaking of germs, lots of passengers use those trays on the backs of seats as makeshift diaper changing stations, so a lot of them have fecal matter on them. Yeah. You may not want to use that tray. Most planes also have something wrong with them, so you're never as safe as you think.

What disturbing things have you heard about flying? Share your findings and stories in the chat.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Klat Categories: 
Travel

Childhood Trauma Can Last Forever

Trauma can affect health your whole life

Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris has an amazing TED Talk available right now that parents, caregivers, teachers and anyone who has children in their lives should watch. If you've experienced trauma in your life, you may want to watch it, too. The discussion is about how childhood trauma affects us our whole lives. Did you know that the risk of heart disease and lung cancer triple in cases of heavy trauma? 

Trauma like abuse, neglect or being raised with parents with mental illness or substance abuse can affect people their entire lives. It can even lower our life expectancy by up to 20 years! Many kids who are being referred to doctors for ADHD have also been found to suffer from extreme trauma, which would of course cause similar symptoms and cause problems in listening and paying attention.

If you watch the talk, post your thoughts in the chat. 

 

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Klat Categories: 
Family
Parenting
Health

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