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!
How NOT to relive your childhood
One of our most popular recent posts was people making bad photographic decisions. We all have those embarrassing pictures from childhood… eating the dog’s food, running naked on the beach, playing in the Jello, that sort of thing. Here’s a gallery of people who decided to relive the special moments of their childhoods by recreating some of their very worst childhood pictures. We can probably learn a lot of things from these pictures, but the most obvious is that it’s not a good idea for a pudgy middle-aged man to be photographed in a diaper for any reason.
The state of American education
One of the most critical factors for a free society is an educated populace. Every three years since the year 2000, PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) tests fifteen-year-old students from 65 countries in reading, mathematics and science. This link to their 2012 report gives all the stats, lets you compare any geographical area, and lets you try some of the test questions. So how are we doing as a country on our educational obligation? You’ll have to click this link to find out.
ALEC tries to tax the sun
Have you been keeping up with ALEC, the conservative corporatist group streamlining people out of the legislative process? 800 politicians, lobbyists, and CEOs attended a three-day policy summit in Washington in early December to get briefed on ALEC’s plans for the 2014. One highlight was ALEC’s plan to aggressively push “model bills” to stop development of renewable energy that would threaten their fossil-fuel-company base. Taxing people who put solar panels on their homes is just part of their plan. Read all about it!
The cheapest cars ever made
Still looking for the perfect last-minute Christmas gift? Wouldn’t just about everyone on your list be happy with a brand new car? The cheapest car on the US market today is the Nissan Versa at about $12,780, but there’s better deals to be had if you look. You might start looking at this list of the ten cheapest cars ever sold, courtesy of our friends at Jalopnik. All prices are in inflation-adjusted 2013 dollars, so take a look at these gems priced from $12,500 to ABSOLUTELY FREE! Beware, though, because in many cases you get what you pay for!
