“This Satan’s drink is so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it.” — Pope Clement VIII

In the 1600s, coffee was called “Satan’s drink” and heavily frowned upon by Catholic Europe. That all changed when Pope Clement VIII had his first cup of joe.

There’s no doubt that coffee has an interesting history stemming from Turkey all the way to Italy before it was embraced as a morning staple.

A Dangerous Drink

Although popular among the citizens of 17th century Turkey, coffee is a drink that has a history of being outlawed.

Sultan Murad…

SHORT READ

In December of 2020, a Utah man, Mike Lopez, shot and killed his mother at the dinner table. After the horrific act, he danced with his younger teen sister.

This is the bizarre and devastating story of Victoria Ramirez’s murder.

Dinner Gone Wrong

On December 23rd, 2020, Victoria Ramirez was sitting down to eat dinner with her three children: Mike Lopez and her two daughters. Mike, her 23-year-old son, entered the dining room with a shotgun that he had purchased the day prior. He didn’t say a word but simply pointed the gun at his mother.

According to the police report, Mike looked…

In December of 2019, 29-year-old Keith Morris Smith Jr. was arrested for multiple charges, including sexual crimes against a minor. Before his trial, Keith cut off his ankle bracelet and started a GoFundMe page to raise money so he could flee the country.

This is the recent story of how Keith evaded the law, attempted to crowdfund his escape, and is currently on the run.

Keith’s Original Arrest

In late November of 2019, Keith had allegedly engaged in a sexual situation with a 15-year-old girl in Keystone Heights, Florida. When the unnamed teen didn’t return home, her parents filed a missing person report.

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In March of 2000, paid criminals threw Molotov cocktails into a Japanese dating club to disrupt its business. Unfortunately, four customers were killed and many others were injured.

The attack happened in Japan’s seventh-largest city, Kobe, where two dating club chains had an intense rivalry. This is the story of how that rivalry cost innocent lives.

The Rivalry

In early 2000, Kayoko Nakai, the 65-year-old manager of a small chain of “telekura,” starting to see a decline in business.

Telekura are Japanese telephone dating clubs, which were popular in the 1900s and early 2000s. Customers visited the clubs for a simulated dating…

COVID-19 sucks in a lot of ways, there’s no denying that, but you know what COVID-19 has been good for?

It strips away the B.S.

Don’t believe me? Let’s chat.

Valentine’s Day is a consumer-heavy holiday. There’s no doubt there. It’s essentially a business at this point.

It’s projected that Americans alone will spend about $27.9 billion in 2021 on Valentine’s Day gifts. $187 is the average amount for each gift. This is still, somehow, significantly less than Americans spent last year though (thanks to COVID-19).

Personally, that still feels a bit overkill to me. But to many people (maybe…

In December of 2020, a pregnant woman was forced to stand outside in subzero temperatures for a live stream. Sadly, she died within fifteen minutes.

In Russia, live streams that glorify violence are commonly called “thrash” streams. This is the horrifying story of how the abuse and violence of one such stream ended in death for Valya Grigoryeva.

“The Boyfriend from Hell”

Stanislav Reshetnikov, who went by Stas Reeflay, was a 30-year-old Russian YouTuber who lives in Ivanovka near Moscow. He was dubbed “the boyfriend from hell” by his international following due to the abusive and violent “thrash” stream he hosted.

Thrash streams are…

When you imagine the life of monarchs and royalty, you might think of riches and wealth, fancy balls, and golden crowns. But really, kings and queens are ordinary people like you and me. They experience love, life’s odd events, and loss just like us.

Queen Victoria’s diary entries peel back some of the mystery of royalty and give us a relatable glimpse into her life.

Who was Queen Victoria?

Queen Victoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom from 1837 until she died in 1901. Her reign lasted 63 years (which was longer than her predecessors) and it became known as the Victorian Era.

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In June of 2016, teenager Jordan Burling starved to death in his home with three fridges and freezers stuffed with food. His mother told paramedics that he hadn’t eaten for a few weeks as they tried to revive him.

The tragedy happened in Leeds, a small city in northern England. Unfortunately, the signs of neglect were there for years.

This is Jordan’s story of being failed by both his country, school, and family.

“House of Horrors”

On June 30th, 2016, paramedics responded to an emergency call regarding an unresponsive teenager.

The call was made by Dawn Cranston, 18-year-old Jordan’s mother. On the phone…