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Rubbers. Raincoats. Inconvenient. Whatever you call 'em, condoms remain a must-have in the safe sex tool box. Long before the days of Durex and Trojans, men used animal intestines to protect their willies (that sounds lovely, eh ladies?) and still to this day use lambskin condoms for latex allergies and supposed extra sensitivity.

Want to learn even more fun facts about condoms that will surely impress your friends and potential lovers? Check out Asylum's seven things you probably didn't know about condoms that includes tantalizing tidbits like:

• Vaseline + condoms = Disintegrated rubber and pregnancy scare.
• Stealing condoms in Thailand could earn you a beat down.
• Condoms and network TV don't mix.

Full story at Asylum.

Let's talk about sex, baby.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Horror movies love to rely on cliches to scare the bejeezus out of us, but does it really surprise anyone that the axe murderer is going to pop in the reflection of a mirror? Ok, yes, it still totally sparks a few pee-in-pants moments. Check out this mash-up of mirror scare moments (fair warning: don’t watch alone in a big, dark, scary house):

Full story at Four Four.

Boo! Tons of scary and not so scary movie news.

Ah, Valentine’s day. February fourteenth marks that special moment in the year when Hallmark cashes in on our emotions and cupid gets busy shooting arrows. Whether you’re indifferent, excited, upset, or madly in love—there are seven things you just shouldn’t do on this lovey-dovey holiday.

See a few do-not-do’s below:

• Go on a first date. First dates are hard enough, why add the extra pressure?
• Call your ex. Abort mission! On a day like this, it’s normal for your thoughts to drift to the one you used to be with, but you broke up for a reason. So, spare yourself the emotional next-day hangover and skip the reunion.
• Overlook the good things in your life. It’s hard not to get caught up in the tornado of sweet hearts and teddy bears and chocolates—but there are far more important things in life. Make a list to remind yourself of the good things in your life and be thankful for them.

Full story at Divine Caroline.

More on dating.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Thinking of going solo as a consultant? Richard Greenwald, Caspersen School of Graduate Studies at Drew University in Madison, provides a list of ingredients for you to succeed in this endeavor:

• Think Long Term
• Join a Network
• Have Your Own Space
• Think Like an Entrepreneur

Full story at Wall Street Journal.

More small business tips and tricks.

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McDonald’s new sandwich, endorsed by the Italian government, is leaving a bad taste in food critics’ mouths. Proud Italians rejected the McItaly as being unrepresentative of Italian culture. The government responded by calling the critics “ignorant Stalinists” and claimed that these same critics rejected the Italian-ness of pizza. Do you think the McItaly will take root?

Read the full article at the BBC.

More on Italy.

Photo credit: Fotolia

An Australian man broke his own record for sword swallowing today, cramming 18 of the things down his throat. How did he do it? “I stretch my throat with hoses and use a few different techniques to basically enable me to do what, until now, has been impossible.”

Read the full article at the BBC.

Keep up with more of the headlines from the BBC.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Don’t ask me to translate this LiveJournal into English, but some of the most vivid images (beyond your imagination) of exotic creatures ever captured by camera are just a click away through the read link. I’ll let the images speak for themselves.

There’s more where these came from at Imposters’ LiveJournal.

More images and stories of our fascinating world.

Amidst a surge in popularity for male “pick-up schools” rises a female flirt school. Led by Sue Ostler, a flirt coach and relationship manual author in London's West End, the school is an on-the-job training program where women are taught the basics to exuding approachability and liveliness, in a real bar with real people. Although compared to “pick-up schools” based on the recent fad of Neil Strauss's memoir, The Game, Ostler's school has a much different focus. While the male versions aim to get a phone number or get a girl into bed, the female version focuses on learning to be liked and learning to flirt effectively.

Full story and real-world experience at guardian.co.uk.

More tips and tricks for the ongoing quest for love.

Photo credit: Fotolia

If anyone would have social ettiquette tips, it would be queen of universal truths, Jane Austen. Hubspot puts itself in the British author’s shoes and thinks about what sense and sensibilities she would have for Twitterers. Two of the tips are, for instance:

• Etiquette matters.
• Love conquers all.

For all the tips, read the full article at Hubspot.

More Twitter tips.

French artist Hubert de Lartigue has embraced the idea of reduce, reuse, recycle in a beautifully geeked out way. De Lartigue uses old Parisian subway tickets and his mad origami skills to fashion incredibly cool Star Wars ships.

Full gallery and how-to at Buzz Feed.

Grab your lightsaber and check out tons of Star Wars tidbits.