Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Christmas Tree

Pot is kosher for Passover announces leading ultra-orthodox Rabbi

cannabis is kosher
© Screenshot from YoutubeRabbi Kanievski smelling the leaves of a cannabis plant.
Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky announced medicinal marijuana use A-OK during the holiday celebration.

Good news, stoners who celebrate Pesach! Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, whom the Times of Israel identifies as "the leading living ultra-Orthodox halachic authority," has ruled that marijuana is kosher for Passover. Kanievsky has said pot can be eaten or smoked during the holiday, though there's one tiny catch: it should be used as part of a medical treatment program. More from the Israeli paper:

Arrow Down

IDF intent on keeping Palestinian terrorist at bay

Child Terrorist
© Waterford Whispers News
One of the most volatile Palestinian terrorists on the Israeli most-wanted list has opened up about his long-term goals in the war-torn region, most of which involve sitting down to watch an episode of his favourite show, Paw Patrol.

Nizar Tayseer Salim abu-Jazar, 7, finds it difficult to keep up with the Adventure Bay escapades of a team of heroic emergency service-providing dogs and their loyal human counterparts due to the fact that the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) are intent on maintaining peace in the region, saving it from children like Nizar.

Having being spotted engaged in terrorist activities such as walking to school and being alive, Nizar has to dodge checkpoints and rifle butts to the face if he wants to get home in time to catch an episode of Paw Patrol before he has to begin his nightly routine of screaming in the dark as the IDF raid his house.

"This child poses a significant threat to this otherwise peaceful region," said a spokesperson for the IDF anti-breathing-kid division.

"But we may use his love of this Paw Patrol show to our advantage. Anytime it's on TV, he sits glued to the set for a full half an hour. If we can co-ordinate our forces, this is our opportunity to make Israel safe".

The IDF have initiated this new plan to neutralise the threat posed by Nizar by launching an airstrike on his neighbourhood, adding him to the 2,089 child terrorists they have taken care of in the past 15 years.

Cookies

An ode to fallen cookies: Town builds shrine around dumped biscuits

fallen cookies
© Twitter/Hugh Osborn
While walking along a street in the English town of Leamington Spa last week, a university student named Hugh Osborn stumbled upon a heartbreaking scene. There, on the sidewalk, was an open package of chocolate-covered Digestives — the cookies strewn across the ground in a sad heap.

"I first saw them at around 10 p.m. and felt the twinge of sympathy natural for such a horrible scene," Osborn, who attends the University of Warwick, told The Independent.

Blue Planet

The world's best bathrooms offer breathtaking views

Barafu camp toilet
© Jørn Eriksson When they say ‘long drop’, they mean it in Barafu Camp
As any experienced traveller knows, you can tell a whole lot about a place by its bathrooms. Whatever you prefer to call them - lavatory, loo, bog, khazi, thunderbox, dunny, washroom or water closet - toilets are a (sometimes opaque, often wide-open) window into the secret soul of a destination.

From pews with mountain views to eco-thrones of sticks and stones, the most extraordinary examples often transcend their primary function to become works of art or cultural statements in their own right.

Smiley

John Oliver on credit report mistakes

Credit reports play a surprisingly large role in our lives, but even more surprising is how often they contain critical mistakes. John Oliver helps credit agencies see why this is a problem.


Info

New generation of roller coasters take thrills to new heights

Tempesto
© Busch GardensTempesto at Virginia’s Busch Gardens Williamsburg sits on a compact footprint.
A new class of extremely compact and vertically oriented roller coasters popping up at theme parks around the world are packing lots of thrills into tight spaces.

The vertical rides do away with the traditional lift hill and stack the track perpendicularly rather than letting the course meander horizontally as roller coasters have done for more than a century.

The compact footprints allow amusement parks to squeeze a thrilling coaster into a space usually occupied by a smaller ride like a sedate carousel or leisurely Ferris Wheel.

Smiley

Newly opened anti-western President's Cafe in Eastern Siberia

Toilet Paper
© Reuters Step inside the Vladimir Putin cafe (as long as you're not Barack Obama).
Vladimir Putin fans now have the perfect place to toast to the Russian leader thanks to a newly opened cafe dedicated solely to the action man president.

Welcome to the incredibly patriotic President Cafe in eastern Siberia, located around 4,000 km (2,500 miles) from Moscow, where Putin's face covers the walls and Barack Obama's smiling face is on the toilet paper.
Leaders on the Wall
© ReutersDavid Cameron and Barack Obama on the walls.
Graffiti-daubed pictures of Obama, as well as David Cameron and his German counterpart Angela Merkel, also greet visitors to the toilet - with floor mats featuring US flag adding to the anti-Western vibe.

Visitors can also pose for photos with a life-size picture of the Russian leader at the bar which opened last month in the working-class city of Krasnoyarsk, Reuters reports.
Life-size picture of Putin
© ReutersA woman poses with life-size picture of Putin.
Dozens of Putin photos hang proudly from the walls of the eatery, documenting his journey from childhood to the Kremlin.
Love for Putin
© ReutersLove for Putin.
Dmitry Zhdanov, a 26-year-old entrepreneur and co-owner of the business, insists he does not hate the West, explaining: "I am neutral towards Western politicians. This is just business, nothing personal."

Smiley

Clinton campaign accuses Sanders of trying to win nomination instead of just being a symbolic candidate

Bernie Sanders
© Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty
New York—The war of words between the two Democratic camps heated up over the weekend, as the Clinton campaign accused Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders of "blatantly attempting to win the Democratic nomination for President."

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," the Clinton campaign spokesman Harland Dorrinson said that Sanders's actions in the past few weeks "left little doubt as to what his true intentions are—namely, to be the Party's nominee."

"He's been raising money, he's been running in primaries, and, yes, he's been winning caucuses," the Clinton aide said. "It's time for Bernie Sanders to come clean with the American people and admit what he's really up to."

"It's deeply troubling that what appeared at first to be a purely symbolic candidacy has turned into something else entirely," he said.

In an interview on CNN, Secretary Clinton said that she would not "take the bait" when she was asked whether she thought Sanders was trying to win the nomination, but she stopped short of disavowing the accusation.

"I think that's a question that only Senator Sanders can answer," she said. "But I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that if, at the end of the day, it turns out that Bernie Sanders has been doing everything he's been doing because he wants to be President, that would be very disappointing."

Smiley

Rage Yoga: Specially designed for people who need to swear and drink while posing

rage yoga
There's a common saying cited by non-yogis as a reason not to practice and pose: "It's boring."

That's an understandable sentiment — some people just don't find the same kind of stress release in yoga as they do in, say, kickboxing — but with a new take on the practice, called "Rage Yoga," there may be more folks flocking to the fitness activity than ever before.

Created by a Calgary, Canada resident named Lindsay-Marie Istace after "the really painful breakup of a long term relationship," Rage Yoga is meant for those who are hoping to improve their posture and flexibility, but have never felt at ease in a modern yoga studio.

Airplane

Flying the friendly skies: Rescue dogs earn their wings

dog flying plane
Nothing to see here, folks, just a dog. Flying a PLANE!
IT MIGHT sound barking mad, but it turns out dogs can fly.

A New Zealand dog trainer who taught RSPCA dogs to drive has done the unthinkable and managed to train dogs how to pilot a plane in a bid to prove just how capable rescue dogs can be.

Last year, animal trainer and zoologist Mark Vette spent four months in the United Kingdom working with rescue dogs for the series, Dogs Might Fly, which is only just airing in Britain.

In a world first, Mr Vette was able to successfully train three rescue dogs, Reggie, Shadow and Alfie, to fly a plane, and even perform tricks, including a figure of eight manoeuvre.