“There’s no doubt that most of us have fantasized at one point or another about possessing some kind of superhuman ability. Even though it would seem rad to have one or more of these special gifts, most of us haven’t actually considered the real-life consequences of living as a superhero or supervillain stuck with an earthly power.” w/ photos

“Proudly gay pop icon Elton John last month played Rush Limbaugh’s most recent wedding, obviously bringing into question Elton’s valuation of morals over — do we really need to spell this out for you? Bottom line is it was a sellout for the record books. Here’s some other sad cases of how the musically mighty have fallen — a total of nine since we’re on the topic of selling people short.” w/ photos

“Approaching an entire nation’s cinema can be a daunting challenge. Especially when that nation’s movie history is a hodgepodge of genres and styles like Japan’s is. In the last 100 years or so, Japanese cinema has produced works of great beauty, greater weirdness, and in the process has influenced scores of filmmakers around the world. Any list of ten Japanese films will be by definition, incomplete, but these ten films will give anyone curious about Japanese movies a sampling of what makes its films so well-respected and loved around the world.” w/ photos

“For most people, getting out of bed in the morning is a bit of a struggle. Luckily, the 10 clocks below are here to help. Some wake you up with an annoyingly loud noise, while others won’t shut off until you complete a task–but they all promise to get even the sleepiest sleepyhead up and moving.” w/ photos

“Most of us are familiar with the dangers of illegal drugs. Along with the risk of addiction, severe health problems and other unwanted side effects, there is also the danger that a drug user will face punishment if caught. Depending on the drug and area, this punishment can involve anything from a warning to a lengthy jail sentence. But things weren’t always that way. Many drugs that are severely restricted today were once commonplace and completely legal. In fact, not only were these drugs available, they were actually recommended and promoted by healthcare professionals, often with unfortunate results. Here are ten of them…” w/ photos

“Being in control of a country can obviously be a mind-altering experience. Desperate to assert your power and maintain conformity amongst your people, massive amounts of power can sometimes cause a rash decision. For most of us, a rash decision might be the purchase of an extra large bag of peanut M&Ms, when a smaller one would do, but when you’re important it can result in variously random products being banned. Here are some of the most irrational bans ever made.” w/ photos

“Grilled cheese? Yes, please. Peanut butter and jelly? Of course. A sandwich that combines the two — and with apples, no less? Actually…yes! While traditional sandwich fare is as popular as ever, there are new, unusual flavor combinations emerging that are unbelievably tasty. From a patty made out of egg foo young in St. Louis to a New York City sandwich using potato skins instead of bread, here are nine offbeat sandwiches you’ve probably never tried — but should if you get the chance!” w/ photos

“Bonsai Originated from ancient Japan and now miniature tree growing has become a worldwide hobby that provides genuine aesthetic contemplation to the viewers. Bonsai literally means ‘plant in a tray’ in Japanese and it seams that the tree and the pot form an unique harmonious unit where the shape, texture and color of one, compliments the other. To obtain a harmonious bonsai can take dozens of years of pruning, wiring, leaf trimming, clamping and grafting. Some of the specimens featured here are faithful to the Japanese aesthetics and philosophy, while some growers made a real effort to get out of the box… arr, tray.” w/ photos

“Most gamers play games for one reason: because they’re fun. The things that makes us happy in life are always worth indulging in, we only get one life and we should enjoy it as much as we can; but there are those who claim that gaming is bad for us though. Whether they claim games are making us anti-social, violent or just plain fat, the mainstream media loves to demonize games and make us feel guilty about playing. The truth though is that there are many legitimate health benefits to our hobby, and here are a few of them.” w/ videos

“Plenty of animals fly; this is no surprise to anyone who actually comes from Earth. However, there are plenty of ‘flying’ animals that are really gliding versions of other animals. You don’t expect your average rodent to come drifting from the skies, let alone some of the other creatures in this list. No, we typically think of flies (it’s right there in the name), birds and maybe bats when we think of flying animals. Even then, quite a few of them creep us out. Get ready to feel unsettled every time you are in an open field from now on.” w/ photos