Y'all see that Bush was caught using the S-word today? (I'm using y'all since I know mental_floss started in Bama). My personal favorite cussing by a public figure is Gen. Patton's obscenity-laced speech. It's crazy. The movie with George C Scott cleaned it up beyond... READ ON
Sometimes we at mental_floss make mistakes, or just don't get all the facts. Over at the magazine we call "˜em "mental flaws." Whelp, here now is, perhaps, our first mental flog (that would be a blogging flaw): Yesterday I pontificated thusly: "Not sure how one can pinpoint the exact 50-year anniversary of our illustrious Interstate system, but today seems to be the day." Insert foot in keyboard, as we skip to today where I luckily discovered this fact via The... READ ON
Not sure how one can pinpoint the exact 50-year anniversary of our illustrious Interstate system, but today seems to be the day. The ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation is hosting a gala, black-tie event down in D.C. tonight that will honor everyone from equipment manufacturers and labor organizations to state transportation departments. Headliners will be Colin Powel and Willard Scott, two people I don't think I've ever seen in the same room together. It may be too late to buy... READ ON
If you were thinking of taking a nice road trip this weekend, perhaps to enjoy the good weather or to forget briefly that your life is little more than a neverending series of disappointments, one word of advice: stay away from Sikeston, Missouri. It is a DEN OF BLOOD. The reason: a monkey named Alex. He has terrorized Sikestonians for too long, eating shirts of the young and attacking even when unprovoked. In short, Alex is an angry little monkey. And Alex is not alone. Monkeys, chimps, and simeans of... READ ON
 With all the official reasons having been pretty well ruled out by now, here's a new one: WE WENT IN TO TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO CELEBRATE GOOD NEWS PROPERLY. Because, really, the Iraqi people gotta stop shooting guns in the air when something goes right. I'm as happy as the next dude that we don't have Abu Musab al-Zarqawi practicing an obscene version of Islam and calling for American heads anymore, but the shooting at the sky bit's gotta stop. Iraqi people, if you're reading, you know those things come... READ ON
I notice that some people seem annoyed that Britney Spears is breeding again. Let me just say a couple of words in her defense. First, as far as we know, she's never eaten her young, which already puts her ahead of rats, hamsters and some subspecies of rabbits. Second, she's a better mom than many other people. Like, um, let's see. Yes, here we go: The Witch of Endor, a sorceress in the Old Testament who, legend has it, made black magic potions from the fat of her own son. (Important pop culture factoid:... READ ON
My tastes are simple. I like $300 jeans and William Gaddis novels and the cuisine of Ferran Adria. But most of all, I like it when ex-athletes get ripped up drunk and embarrass themselves in front of a national audience. The latest victim: Rick Sutcliffe, 1979 Rookie of the Year and 1984 Cy Young Award winner. (Since I don't know how to hyperlink yet, here's the audio: http://images.gaslampball.com/images/admin/sutcliffe.mp3) Anyway, both Rick and his beard... READ ON
5 Questions: Now with "Wings"
How Many Vice Presidents Can You Name in 10 Minutes?
If you combine the electoral college results of the '80 and '84 elections, Reagan won 1014-62.
