We expect most dangers at the beach to be found under the water, and aside from sharp sea shells, cranky crabs or beached jellyfish people don't feel the need to watch out while they walk down the shore.

But Australian teen Sam Kanizay discovered another beach danger he was unaware of until they'd chewed his legs bloody raw- sea fleas:

"I walked out of the water, saw what I thought was sand covering my ankles below my calf, shook it off quite violently, and it came off," he told CNN affiliate Seven Network Australia. But what he shook from his legs wasn't sand.

"We thought we better clean off this bit of blood and then realized it wasn't washing away," Jane Kanizay, Sam's mother, told Seven News.

"There was no stopping the bleeding," his father told the Washington Post. "We just had to get him to hospital."

At the local hospital, doctors attempted to stem the flow of blood, but it continued to run from the many pinhole-size bites on Sam's feet and legs.

Sam said his pain was "up to an eight out of 10," his father told the Post, adding that hospital staff were baffled by his injury.

Sea fleas are amphipods, a type of naturally-occurring scavenger that normally only dine on dead things, so the reason why they chewed up Sam's legs so badly is still a mystery.

But Sam's dad Jarrod wanted to conduct his own investigation, so he took some raw meat down to the site where Sam was chewed up by the swarm and shot this disturbing footage:

(YouTube Link)

-Via BuzzFeed and CNN

Fascist rulers crack down on artists because art gives people hope and often contains symbols and messages that are critical of people in power, which makes it a dangerous tool against absolute rule.

But sculptor Alfie Radley didn't turn 100,000 knives into the world's most dangerous sculpture to protest political policies in the UK, or give people hope for that matter, and the British authorities actually aided in its construction.

Alfie built the 26-foot-tall Knife Angel to raise awareness about the rising knife violence problem in the UK and honor the victims:

The angel’s founder, Alfie Radley, has spent two years designing and building the sculpture that features authorities donated knives that were actually utilized in violent crimes all over England and Wales, some of which even have the names of the victims engraved onto the blades. The rest arrived thanks to the aid of British Ironwork Centre in Shropshire, which initiated an amnesty program “Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife,” through which individuals can anonymously contribute their knives to the project.

-Via design you trust

You know those really stupid news stories you read online then have to verify because it seems too dumb to be true? Men are sealing their penises shut to prevent pregnancy- tell me that's not one of the most verification-worthy headlines ever read online!

According to this New York Post article guys are using a product called Jiftip (NSFW) to seal their urethra shut with an adhesive decal so no sperm escapes during intercourse, which is neither safe nor effective.

The Jiftip website claims their product is meant to help men "feel your partner, feel freedom, feel smart", and yet their site also warns:

"Jiftip is NOT a condom. Because it's not approved for anything anywhere, let's make this clear: Use for novelty, pleasure, convenience, fun, or entertainment. THOU SHALT NOT USE FOR PREGNANCY OR STI PREVENTION PURPOSES."

This crotch catastrophy in the making is still in the beta testing phase, but health experts warn against anyone using the product for good reason:

Natika Halil, chief executive of sexual health charity the Family Planning Association, told The Sun Online: “There’s no evidence to suggest that this product is safe or effective, and it could potentially be very painful.

“As the company themselves say, it isn’t approved to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections — so if you want to avoid either of those, we’d recommend avoiding this product as well.

“It’s quite concerning that the company implies that sex without condoms isn’t ‘real sex,’ as condoms are the only form of contraception that can help prevent sexually transmitted infections.”

-Via NY Post

There are many wonders to be seen in the ocean, but when you're famous cartoons like Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Goofy your expectations are much higher than that of the average human- with good reason.

Living in a cartoon means anything can happen, and any kind of creature imaginable can appear in the illustrated ocean, from a realistic render to something totally bizarro that could only exist as a 'toon.

So when the trio jump in Doctor Von Drake's submarine ride to see what lies under the sea they're sorely disappointed by the lack of aquatic characters...until they go deeper, deeper, DEEPER!

(YouTube Link)

Andy Warhol is often portrayed as a cold, emotionless character who also constantly seems a bit addle minded, but this stereotypical portrayal doesn't really do the man justice. In real life Andy had many sides to his life and his personality, and he was quite the fun loving fellow when he felt like kicking up his Beatle boots.

He was a fan of pro wrestling, appeared in music videos for The Cars and even made an uncredited appearance in Tootsie, but his 1985 appearance on The Love Boat is really out there- even for Warhol.

Love Boat Season 9 Episode 3 by lexie-guerrero-14

Here's more about Season 9, Episode 3, entitled “Hidden Treasure / Picture from the Past / Ace’s Salary”:

An all-star cast, including Andy Warhol, Andy Griffith, and Milton Berle, helps the crew celebrate the ship’s two-hundredth voyage. In “Picture from the Past,” Warhol, as himself, offers to select a passenger as the subject of his next portrait. Marion Ross plays a former Warhol superstar who fears the artist will recognize her and reveal her secret past to her disapproving, conservative husband, played by Tom Bosley.

After The Love Boat episode was aired, he complained to a friend that people in Hollywood were “idiots.” They didn’t buy art, he said. They stank.

-Via Dangerous Minds

Most of us can't live without a good conversation here and there, one with plenty of back and forth and honest sharing from all involved, a chat that makes you feel like you're talking to the right people.

After having great conversations you become accutely aware of how awkward and difficult other conversations can be, especially when the discussion turns to touchier subjects- like a relative's fight with cancer.

So Lifehacker's Emily Price came up with planned conversations to help her and her dad deal with all those people who would ask her about her mom's cancer but didn't really care to hear the truth:

Planned conversations certainly aren’t full-proof, but as someone who hates small talk, they can be a lifesaver in situations, like family reunions, where there are a handful of topics you don’t want to talk about.

My advice to my dad was just to respond to questions he didn’t want to answer with a very short nondescript answer, and then immediately change the subject to something slightly related he did want to talk about.

The original question asker likely won’t notice the transition, and if they do, going back to the original question will be awkward after the topic shift, so they’re not likely to do it.

The key to success with this is to have a prepared answer that to some extent answers the question, as well as a planned conversation pivot.

Read How To Gracefull Avoid Touchy Conversation Topics here

The underground vice club scene in China is darker and seedier than one would imagine despite the official ban on sex workers and strip clubs, as Ukranian artist Sergey Melnitchenko discovered when he moved to Hong Kong in 2015.

Working as a model and dancer Sergey soon took up a camera to capture all the strange and interesting moments seen while working in the sleazy nightclub scene:

“Transvestites, girls bathing in tubs of beer, drunk actors and even more drunk visitors. All of this [is the] club, the club where I’m working,” that’s the introduction Sergey gives to his photo series ‘Behind The Scenes,’ which he made during a four-month employment in an unnamed Chinese underground club.

“[It] is more like a huge bar with a stage, because no one of the visitors is dancing here,” explains Sergey, who’s photo series is all about “the invisible side of the club, the atmosphere,” and the look into the backstage, where “there is more burlesque than on the stage.”

See more from Photographer Documents The Secret Side Of China's Underground Clubs here (NSFW-ish)

In the wake of World War II America became embroiled in a new conflict- the Cold War, aka the War against Communism which gave us McCarthyism and the Red Scare.

The rise of the Commies scared the crap out of the American government, so various propaganda films were created to bolster American pride and remind Americans how good they have it here.

(YouTube Link)

Meet King Joe is a prime example of the sort of propaganda being created to appeal to the American people so they wouldn't "turn red":

This 1949 Technicolor cartoon is a Cold War-era propaganda film aimed at American workers with the objective of convincing them of their good fortune. It shows us the life of a common working man in America, and how he is able to achieve financial success for himself thanks to investment, competition, research, and technology.

Joe, an average American working man who, wears overalls and talks with a pseudo-Brooklyn accent, is "king of the workers of the world" not because he is worthy, but because the machinery in his factory "multiplies strength and efficiency." We also learn that Joe is "king" not because he can exert power over anything, but because "he can buy more with his wages than any other worker on the globe."

We gets a nicely illustrated introduction to then-standard basic economic theories of production and investment that "make the United States the industrial master of the world”. As proof that the American capitalist system is the most wonderful on earth, the narrator informs us that Americans own 72% of the cars in the world, 92% of the bathtubs, and "practically all the refrigerators in existence." The narrator sums up the attitude industrial America was pushing: "Labor and management must continue to increase the production of better goods at lower prices so that more people will be able to buy the things that make life easier and happier for all of us."

The cartoon is a John Sutherland production. It is one of the "fun and facts about America" series, made "to create a deeper understanding of what has made America the finest place in the world to live."

Old school 2D platformers are fun to play but not all that fun to watch being played, because the flat graphics don't do the action-packed scenes justice.

But if you could see a 3D view of the action, which would make you feel like you're watching the game play out in person, then platform games would feel a lot like Gummy Gas Crisis directed by Rodrigo Diaz of Blirp Studio.

The characters are cartoony and colorful, the action is frenetic and platform-y, and the animation is top notch, so if you're ready strap in and enjoy the ride!

GUMMY GAS CRISIS from Blirp Studio on Vimeo.

-Via Cartoon Brew

Piescrapers are a dessert creation we've all dreamt about but never dared hope we'd actually get to see, much less eat, in real life, but just like the Piecaken and the Pizza Pot Pie this dessert dreams has come true.

And if your piescraper dream involved Aladdin as well then you're going to find this Palace Piescraper creation made by Pies Are Awesome doubly delicious- even though it's almost too good looking to eat!

(YouTube Link)

-Via Geeks Are Sexy

Rescue a wild animal once and you're an animal lovin' hero, but when you have to rescue the same wild animal over and over again it's time to wonder whether natural selection is trying to take its course.

Because there must be something wrong with a wild critter who keeps landing in a heap of trouble only a human can rescue them from, right?

Well, maybe the raccoon Dmitry Tkachenko keeps rescuing, the one he calls Sneaky Pete, is like one of those hapless characters you see in the cartoons- a well-meaning goofball who can't seem to take ten steps without falling flat on their face.

(YouTube Link)

Dmitry says he has been rescuing Sneaky Pete from the trash bin approximately 5 times a week since July 2016, when Pete was but a wee trash panda:

This silly trash panda needs rescuing approximately 5 times a week. Hopefully he’ll remember my kindness and take care of me when I get old.

-Via Laughing Squid

Even though I'm a big fan of the Muppets and everything Jim Henson ever created that saccharin cute little guy Elmo has always bothered me, and his "Elmo think glass is always full!" version of optimism makes me gag.

So for me it's delightful to see bad things happen to Elmo toys, and ever since those annoying Tickle Me Elmo dolls came out many people have come to feel the same way about Elmo as I do.

And the folks behind Will It Last? were happy to show their dislike by destroying a plush Elmo in a horrific way- by dumping sulfuric acid on him so they can have the last laugh while Elmo's whole body melts into a pile of goo.

(YouTube Link)

It can be hard for women to find an OB-GYN they feel comfortable with and even harder to find a doctor who makes you feel like they're just as concerned about the safety of your baby as you are.

But the truth is there aren't many obstetricians out there like Dr. Amanda Hess- because she's so dedicated to her profession she took a break from delivering her own baby to help deliver someone else's child.

Dr. Hess was in labor at her hospidal in Frankfort, Kentucky when she heard a woman screaim down the hall.

The woman was fully dilated and ready to deliver, but the on-call doctor was on break and wouldn't make it back in time, so

“I just put on a gown to cover my backside and put on some boots over my shoes, to keep from getting any fluid and all that stuff on me, and went down to her room," Hess told WKYT.

As it turned out, Dr. Hess knew the woman about to give birth, Leah Halliday Johnson. Dr. Hess, in fact, had even given Johnson her last checkup a few days earlier.

Dr. Hess, despite being in labor herself, immediately went to work. This was a relief to Johnson, who "was just glad to be able to get to push and have the baby out and not have to wait any longer," Hess told WKYT.

After delivering Leah's baby Dr. Hess went back in and gave birth to her own bundle of joy, and it seems little Ellen Joyce didn't mind waiting one bit.

-Via BuzzFeed

For generations fantasy nerds have dreamed of the moment when they are able to pull Excalibur out of the stone and become a mythic hero like King Arthur, but it ain't every day that you come across a magic sword in a stone.

However, Adam Savage was able to make a pretty sharp looking replica of Excalibur from the movie Excalibur out of aluminum as part of his One Day Builds series for Tested, and he found making a replica is nearly as hard as forging a real sword!

(YouTube Link)

All Adam has to do now is stick that sword into a prop stone in his front yard so he can start each day by pulling the sword from the stone and holding it aloft, exclaiming "I have the power!" Oh wait, that was He-Man...

-Via Sploid

We dwell inside homes surrounded by all of our stuff, and whether it's visible or stashed away all the stuff we own is always around us, just hanging out waiting for us to put it to good use.

This stuff says a lot about us, revealing our interests, habits, economic class and more, so if people we don't know could see us with our stuff they could learn a lot about us in an instant.

Japanese-born, Paris-based photographer Mami Kiyoshi has spent the last 15 years shooting portraits of people with their stuff, the scenes in her "New Reading Portraits" series set up to resemble ancient woodcut prints or religious art:

“I am interested in history”, says Kiyoshi, “and how it is always told by someone. Sometimes it’s a myth, sometimes an anecdote”.

“I try to make my models look like Buddhas, primitive gods or heroes”, says Kiyoshi.

-Via design you trust