Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them. From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of info you’ll love to munch. By the way, much (but not all) of our delicious Popcorn comes from articles we’ve posted on our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, please stop by and “Like” us and we’ll keep a fairly-constant-but-not-frequent-enough-to-be-annoying stream of these coming to your virtual door!
Attack of the Oregon SLIME EELS!
When insurance agents swap stories over a beer, this is one that will live on for decades. Ever heard of a hagfish? They’re also called Slime Eels, and for a very good reason. Just as an octopus squirts ink when threatened, slime eels secrete a thick, webby slime when they’re stressed. Well, for some reason a truck was carrying 7500 pounds of live slime eels down Highway 101 when was in a chain reaction accident. The eel tank broke and the eels, which can only live in water, were scattered across the road and over cars and were decidedly stressed. Hilarity, and much slime, ensued. Click here for the pictures, and click here to get to know our friend the Slime Eel.
7 things to keep out of your recycling bin
We’re recycling artists in Portland, but even art has limits. You can recycle everything together, but you can’t recycle everything. This article from Metro gives you all the basics to actually make your recycling effective and non-damaging to our City recycling systems. Don’t just memorize the list though… there’s a video explaining why these 7 items are on the no-no list in the first place.
Snake Island- Incredibly deadly. Horribly real.
Warning! If you plan to sleep soundly tonight, then stop reading now! Legend has it that off the coast of Brazil lies a tiny but terrifying island. No humans live there, and signs warn sailors not to land for good reason… the island is the only home to the Golden Lancehead, one of the deadliest snakes in the world. Their venom, which kills in hours, melts flesh from the inside. And it’s not like there’s just a couple snakes to ruin a picnic, either… estimates say there are between 1 and 5 snakes per square meter! Click here to visit Ilha da Queimada Grande, “Snake Island”, and get a case of the willies you’ll never recover from.
Net Neutrality- Yes, it’s still a thing
Net Neutrality was a big issue under Obama, when the FCC got power to regulate Internet Providers to ensure they couldn’t create a two-lane Internet. It’s back again as new FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, most recently a Verizon lawyer, is pushing Verizon’s agenda to kill Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality can be a complex issue but one thing is simple… the Net we know would die if Net Neutrality lives. Yes, unfortunately, Net Neutrality is still a thing, and it’s a thing you need to know about. John Oliver has the best and most entertaining explanation, but you may also be interested in info from CNN, CNN, the FCC, PBS, or more, more, more, and more. Get up to speed, and get in the fight!
