Democratic lawmaker Marcy Kaptur said she's appalled at the way women on Capitol Hill dress, stunning other lawmakers who were in a meeting with her yesterday. "I saw a member yesterday with her cleavage so deep it was down to the floor,” she said. “And what I’ve seen...it's really an invitation.”Kaptur, the 71-year-old U.S. Representative for Ohio's 9th congressional district, was in a private meeting with fellow lawmakers "to discuss sexual harassment issues," according to Politico. People in the room were so shocked they were left speechless. “'Nearly everyone in the room’s mouths were wide open aghast,' one of those sources said."“Maybe I’ll get booed for saying this," Kaptur continued, "but many companies and the military [have] a dress code...I have been appalled at some of the dress of ... members and staff. Men have to wear ties and suits.”Via Politico:

A concerned UK citizen called an ambulance from their car after spotting a person covered in snow, sitting stone still on a bench in the middle of a park. The ambulance rushed to the scene, only to find that the "person" was sitting stone still for a reason – she was actually a statue.Paramedic Katie Tudor explained the mixup in a tweet:

Following a backlash against planned fee increases, Patreon is backing down. For now, everything will stay the way it is.

The American Legislative Exchange Council is a big-business-backed think tank whose funders run the gamut from oil companies to Tesla motors; they specialize in drafting insane, racist, voter-suppressing laws and getting them enacted at the state level, primarily by Republican state governments. (more…)

Infamous child predator Roy Moore says only God is going to declare the real winner of last night's election, so Moore's not about to listen to a bunch of sinful people with their newfangled vote tallying gizmos tell him otherwise.Even wannabe demagogues like Mike Huckabee are telling Moore to stop being so cringeworthy:

Puzzle designer Fleb explains the rules for solving masyu logic puzzles, then solves one, explaining his logic.

In Terrorism before and after 9/11 – a more dangerous world?, researchers from the US Department of Defense and the RAND Corporation used data from the University of Maryland's Global Terrorism Database and the Uppsala Conflict Data Program to produce a quantitative look at the long-term trends in terrorism: the short upshot is, terrorism is up globally because of massive increases in places where US troops have been sent as occupiers, presenting a target-rich environment for terrorists -- but when you take those places out of the data, terrorism is way, way down worldwide. (more…)

According to news reports, Trump aide/hanger-on Omarosa Manigault was fired by the President last night as the drama in Alabama unfolded -- and escorted from the White House to boot. Other reports claim, however, that she resigned.https://twitter.com/AprilDRyan/status/940956590907195393https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/940956010600194048Omarosa held a position with the White House's communications outfit, but no-one seemed to know what she did there. She is most famous for being an early contestant on The Apprentice, where she was first fired by Mr. Trump.Photo: Gage Skidmore

Yesterday, before Democrat Doug Jones beat Republican child predator Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate election, we were entertained by an idiot spokesperson for Moore on CNN. Ted Crockett, said spokesperson, was talking to Jake Tapper, trying to defend Moore's view that Muslims shouldn't be allowed to serve in congress.When Tapper asked why Muslims should't be able to serve, Crockett said, “Because you have to swear on the Bible. You have to swear on a Bible to be an elected official in the United States of America. He alleges that a Muslim cannot do that, ethically, swearing on the Bible.”“You don’t actually have to swear on a Christian Bible," Tapper said. "You can swear on anything, really. I don’t know if you knew that.”“Oh no, I swore on the Bible. I’ve done it three times," Crockett said, as if because he chose to swear on the Bible, swearing on the Bible is the law.Tapper patiently explained to Crockett, “I’m sure you have. I’m sure you’ve picked up a Bible, but the law is not that you have to swear on a Christian Bible. That is not the law.”At this point Crockett was so befuddled he just stared blankly, mouth agape, for much too long of a time on live TV. The dead air was almost as dead as the look on his face.Finally Tapper broke the silence. "You didn't know that?"Crockett still stared blankly, before sputtering, “I don’t know. I know that Donald Trump did it when we made him president.”“Because he’s a Christian and he picked it,” Tapper said, and then quickly ended the interview.According to The Washington Post:

Someone is shopping a password-protected PDF of a forged lawsuit against Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to the DC press; the forgery attempts to trick journalists into thinking that Schumer is being sued by a female former staffer for sexual harassment. (more…)

Eighties icon Pee-wee Herman is now featured on this fun t-shirt by Creepy Co. To see the full effect, pop on a pair of paper anaglyph glasses (included).Oui, they made a 3D Pee-wee tee! It's available now for $26.99.

FOLLOW @RubenBolling on the Twitters and a Face Book.JOIN Tom the Dancing Bug's subscription club, the Proud & Mighty INNER HIVE, for exclusive early access to comics, extra comics, and Other Stuff. You can also now join through Patreon!HOLIDAY GIFT-GIVING ALERT: Every kid wants Ruben Bolling’s new hit book series, The EMU Club Adventures. (”Filled with wild twists and funny dialogue” -Publishers Weekly) Book One here. Book Two here.More Tom the Dancing Bug comics on Boing Boing! (more…)

It seems whatever you're into, there's an ugly holiday sweater for it. Now, with the rise in interest in cryptocurrency, there's a collection of machine-knit "ugly crypto sweaters" available. For $59.99 apiece, you can show your (ironic?) pride for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Monero, or Neo this winter. See them all over at Hodlmoon.(Ufunk.net)Previously: These ugly Christmas sweaters have special booze-bottle-holding pockets

During World War II, the Allies feared that Germany was on the brink of creating an atomic bomb. To prevent this, they launched a dramatic midnight commando raid to destroy a key piece of equipment in the mountains of southern Norway. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll remember Operation Gunnerside, "one of the most daring and important undercover operations of World War II."We'll also learn what to say when you're invading Britain and puzzle over the life cycle of cicadas.Show notesPlease support us on Patreon!

For those looking to "'light up' the room" with this "Weed Marijuana Leaf Christmas Tree," be prepared to shell out $249.99 to an unlikely source: Walmart.com.While available at the retail behemoth's website, the nearly seven-foot-tall faux pot leaf tree is actually sold and shipped by an outside vendor called Brands On Sale, Inc. They write, "You'll be able to relax and giggle at the marijuana leaves and decorate it as you please."Since the bow and ornaments are not included, you'll have to get creative with the decorations. Perhaps make some tiny snowflakes out of rolling papers? Or add some candy-cane-striped pipe ornaments?Just don't forget to leave out some cannabis cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.Here's a closer look at those "weed marijuana" leaves:(The Cannabist)

When I, a Briton, became an American citizen, I punted on a key decision: what would my new accent be? I couldn't decide between Californian surf dude or subtly-queer Alabama backwoods troublemaker.God has decided for me.

God bless Alabama.https://twitter.com/AP/status/940784509238333441Trump deleting tweets in 1... 2...

Watch how this couple made their Christmas tree using a cut-up PVC pipe, a tire, white paint, a plastic bucket, ornaments, and lights – all cheap hardware store items you can probably find in your garage.

Video taken during a Southwest Airlines flight Saturday shows a woman screaming and making threats toward passengers' lives.The airline said the woman was found smoking in the plane’s lavatory after tampering with the smoke detector, according to the Washington Post. Accused of subsequently pulling out an oxygen mask, the woman can be seen and heard demanding the plane be stopped or else she would kill all passengers and crew.“I swear, if you don’t f---ing land, I will f---ing kill everybody on this f---ing plane,” the woman says to a flight attendant. More chaos ensued.The crew eventually complied and landed in Sacramento, where deputies were waiting on the ground to make their arrest.

Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore has been accused of many things -- sexually assaulting girls, racism, sexism, and antisemitism. On that last point, earlier this month Moore said George Soros, who is Jewish, is headed for hell because he doesn't worship the right deity:

Saudi Arabia is planning to open up movie theaters by March, ending a 35-year ban on cinemas. The goal will be to have 2,000 movie screens over the next 12 years, according to the Guardian.Saudi Arabia isn’t undergoing a full westernization, even as women are preparing to drive in 2018. Walls dividing men and women are expected to be built in the theaters.Eager Saudis have been able to stream movies by bypassing government censors, along with viewing flicks on satellite TV. But an increase in Saudi movie makers can lead to an incredible exchange of differing ideas...I hope.Image: jakman1/Pixabay

This is probably the lowest price for the Classic Stanley Flask -- 11.90 on Amazon. I've admired my friend's for a while, and now I'm getting one for myself. Don't forget to pick up a flask funnel, too!

Dana Lewis kickstarted the Open Artificial Pancreas System (previously) by trying to solve her own problems with monitoring her glucose levels, calculating insulin doses, and administering them around the clock -- an onerous task that her life depended on, which disrupted her sleep and challenged her to make reliable calculations regarding dangerous substances while her blood-sugar levels were troughing or spiking. (more…)

The US Department of Education's Inspector General has released a report saying that the DoE has stopped cancelling the debts of students who were defrauded by fake universities. (more…)

A woman carrying shopping bags in each hand slips on an icy sidewalk and slams onto her back. Then a good samaritan in a black car skids to a stop, and who pops out to help? Santa! This comically heartwarming video was caught by a dashcam of another car passing by.

The FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on killing Net Neutrality was flooded by anti-neutrality bots who submitted millions of comments under the names of fake people, dead people, and living people who supported Net Neutrality. The New York Attorney General has opened an investigation into this sabotage of the lawmaking process, but the FCC is obstructing justice, refusing to comply with requests that would help the AG get to the bottom of things. (more…)

If you want to give your family and friends a truly personalized gift for the holidays, we’re offering $100 of credit on Collage.com for $24.99 in the Boing Boing Store. And if you order before the 15th, you can make sure your custom-printed objects arrive in time for Christmas.With Collage.com, you can bring your photographic memories into the real world in the form of blankets, mugs, printed canvas, and even iPhone cases. In addition to applying your own images to any of their 50 items, you can add text to anything you order to give your gifts an extra-unique touch. Although you have to take advantage of this deal within 180 days to use the full $100 credit, your original $25 purchase doesn’t have an expiration date — you can still use it next year if you get behind on your holiday plans.Get $100 worth of credit from Collage.com for $24.99 when you order from the Boing Boing Store.

My daughter and niece will whine incessantly if their phones do not have a Pop Socket attached.These cute pop-up buttons act as a stand or handle for your small screen device. It sticks to your case, or the phone direct, and simply works. The kids use these to position their phones for viewing in all sorts of weird angles.Pop Socket via Amazon

Public Knowledge's Harold Feld is one of the leading and most longstanding pro-Net Neutrality telcoms lawyers in America, and in a post, he analyzes Trump FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's plan to punt Net Neutrality enforcement to the Federal Trade Commission, by looking back on the four most significant decisions the FCC ever made on Net Neutrality, and shows that the FTC would have had no authority to act on any of those cases. (more…)

You are no doubt aware that models of our solar system are not to scale. These guys went to Black Rock Desert to create a scale model of our solar system, starting with an Earth the size of a marble. This required seven miles of empty desert to add the other planets (not including Pluto). There's an awful lot of space between these little spheres.

Neuroscientist Nicho Hatsopoulous and his team taught monkeys that lost limbs through accidents how to control a robotic arm. The work has profound implications on what they call the brain-machine interface.Via University of Chicago

We've seen a lot of dark come to light this past year. In response, ad agency Grey London paired with Goldstein Music to spice up some Christmas musical favorites with these seven feminist hyrrs.Fast Company reports:

At this press conference a panel of women shared "firsthand accounts of sexual misconduct by Donald Trump and demand an investigation by Congress." Watch the video here.In the meantime, "More than 50 female Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives called on Monday for a congressional investigation into allegations by various women of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump, who has denied the accusations."

It took "Geography Joe" just 2 minutes and 59 seconds to type every country in the world (depending on your definition of how many countries there are – here it's 197) on the trivia website Sporcle. Who here can beat that record? (Not me!)

Storify is an online service that lets you present strings of social media posts as a single readable article, instead of as a half-broken javascript shitbox garnished with abusive commentary from nazis. Sadly, it is The End for Storify, which is going to shut down next year.

Critics hate The Orville, Seth McFarlane's uncanny love letter to Star Trek and The Next Generation, but they love the gloomy, ultra-2017 Star Trek: Discovery. Viewers love The Orville, though, while remaining divided on and indifferent to the new official series.The critics are mistaken; the viewers are right. I was surprised at how intimately Seth McFarlane -- Seth McFarlane! -- is tuned into Gene Roddenberry's sense of humanity's future potential and why it's OK to have a shipful of lovers. It's TNG with dick jokes! And, let's face it, the time is right for some happy technocommie utopian SF.

The Endless Summer is the most important film in the history of surfing, and a lot of that is due to director Bruce Brown's evangelistic narration and participatory enthusiasm. Brown died this week at age 80. (more…)

Since Gordon Ramsay got 25 million views showing how to scramble eggs, there's been a sharp uptick in inane cooking videos. Enter The Onion with the perfect response. (more…)

Unusualist Raymond Crowe has created something really special with his hand shadow puppet performance of Louis Armstrong's 1967 hit "What a Wonderful World." In this video, the Australian-born entertainer is presenting his now-signature piece in front of Queen Elizabeth at the 2007 Royal Variety Performance.(reddit)

Fans of Star Wars can undoubtedly hear what Chewbacca, the most notable of all the Wookiees, sounds like in their heads. But could they do a decent impression of him on demand?Watch this video to hear 100 people attempt to speak a little Shyriiwook, Chewie's dialect.Spoiler alert: Most of these impressions are simply terrible. You have been warned.And, in case you've been living under a rock, Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens this week in theaters.

Things have been turned upside down (see what I did there?) in the world of Stranger Things as the good folks at Bad Lip Reading have dubbed over original scenes from the show and created a funny sitcom version of it (Wonder Years, anyone?). It's 18 minutes long and worth a watch, especially if you're a fan of the popular Netflix series.(Neatorama)Previously: Watch this Bad Lip Reading of Trump's inauguration day

"Maybe she's a simpleton."

For more than fifty years, scientists have known that the Earth hums. We can't hear the sound as it's at a frequency 10,000 times lower than our hearing threshold but new research suggests that it's coming from the ocean floor. Scientists from the Paris Institute of Global Physics analyzed data from earthquake sensors on the Indian Ocean floor and found the familiar and constant oscillations of between 2.9 and 4.5 millihertz. From National Geographic:

Meet Ryan, age 6. He's the host of Ryan ToysReview on YouTube. He earned $11 million in revenue in twelve months. From the Washington Post:

Aaaron Jackson, 42, is the CEO of Wise Co., a company that sells survival food like freeze-dried Savory Stroganoff, Loaded Baked Potato Casserole, and chicken pot pie in a pouch. His customers are FEMA, the Red Cross, and, of course, everyday people awaiting the apocalypse. Guess what... business is booming. From Amanda Little's profile of Jackson in Bloomberg Businessweek:

I have a few different phone charging batteries, and the 6700mAh Anker Astro candy-bar sized battery is my favorite, because it's the perfect combination of itty-bittyness and high-capacity. It'll charge an iPhone 7 twice. My wife adopted mine so I just bought another. The price is $13.19, an all-time low on Amazon.

Brian Joyce, former Democratic assistant majority leader in the Massachusetts State House, was incited for running a "criminal enterprise" that included "racketeering, extortion, honest services fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the IRS and other charges," according to Newsweek. Part of Joyce's $1 million worth of dirty money and kickbacks included a free jeep given to him by an insurance company along with “hundreds of pounds” of Dunkin’ Donuts from a franchise owner seeking permits.

The bros of Silicon Valley feel awful when they get caught doing something bad. It means they have to issue an apology hinting that they will consider looking into the possibility of conducting an internal audit of their policies. It's not easy to do that. How can they word in it such a way that won't enrage their major investors and shareholders at at the same time assuage the concerns of those they hurt?Gizmodo presents "Silicon Valley’s Worst Apologies of 2017"

The kindly North Korean government is doing its part to contribute to quantitative easing by printing US$100 bills that are nearly indistinguishable from the ones printed by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Let's hope this eases tensions between the two countries!From The Telegraph:

Here we see a gentleperson scale a 3-foot picket fence to enter a front yard. It's night, and the person's face is partially disguised in a hoodie. The person's behavior suggests they are engaged in an activity that they would prefer others not to know about. Our supposition is confirmed when the gentleperson walks to the front porch and grabs some packages that don't belong to them. They are isprobably wondering what treasure lies within the corrugated shells when BANG! -- a firecracker in one of the packages explodes, throwing sparks. The startled gentleperson makes a hasty retreat. As they rescales the fence on their way out, we imagine they are reconsidering their life choices and promising themselves that from now on they will bring a long stick with them when they plies their trade.