A "super El Nio" could emerge by the end of the 2026 hurricane season, with forecasters predicting that the ongoing La Nia is about to finish.

'I Might Be Addicted to Tattooing' - Marching Band Director Reacts to Viral Metallica Tattoo BetMetallica recently called out a Virginia college's marching band director for paying up on a bet he made with his squad.Now, he is revealing what the whole experience meant to him and the marching band and why on earth he decided to get a Metallica tattoo.READ MORE: College Marching Band Director...

Ex-KISS Guitarist's New Album Can Be Yours for $2 Million (Here's Why It Costs So Much)After failing to sell 1,000 copies of his new single at $200 a pop, ex-KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent is back with a new offer: Buy the entire album for $2 million.It's a bit more complicated than that, so let's get up to speed as quickly as possible.Late last year, Vincentunveiled an unconventional...

The 3 NYC Outdoor Food Markets That Make Me Excited For The Warmer Months...

If you want to hide from predators, hot pink seems an odd choice, but there's method to this insect's madness.

Not Sure Which Holiday Cactus You Have? Here’s How to Quickly Spot the Difference Key Takeaways Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving cacti are different species that look alike.Holiday cacti have unique leaf shapes, flower geometry, and different bloom seasons.Christmas cacti have scalloped leaves and pink, tiered flowers, while Easter cacti have oval leaves and star-shaped blooms. The holiday...

Could there really be a Kennedy curse picking off members of Americas most prominent political dynasty one by one?Throughout the golden years of the Pax Americana, the Kennedy family became synonymous with beauty, glamour, and political success. Cavorting with Hollywood A-listers, charming foreign dignitaries, and facing down the Soviet Union seemed to be all in a days work for the family from Camelot.Stan Wayman/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty ImagesAt President John F. Kennedys funeral in November 1963, hundreds of thousands of mourners joined his family in grieving.But behind the glitz of this American lineage, youll find some of the most devastating events ever to befall a family. From assassinations and mental illnesses to bizarre accidents, these are the tragic stories of the Kennedy curse.The Kennedy Curse Begins With Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.The Kennedy curse supposedly began with Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr., the handsome eldest son of Joseph P. Kennedy and the grandson of John Francis Honey Fitz Fitzgerald. Born in 1915 just after his grandfathers second term as Mayor of Boston ended, Joseph Jr. was groomed for high office from the beginning. His grandfather even announced to the local papers, This child is the future president of the nation.Wikimedia CommonsThe last known photograph of Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., taken just before his fatal flight.Stinging from the scorn poured down on ambitious Irish Catholics by New Englands old moneyed class, his family did everything they could to ensure they would someday see young Joseph in the Oval Office. To that end, Joseph Kennedy, Sr. was so dedicated to the image of his familys respectability that hed even had Joseph Jr.s younger sister, Rosemary, secretly lobotomized rather than allow her violent mood swings to ruin his sons chances of success.Wikimedia CommonsEnsign Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. in 1942. His father had groomed Joseph for political office from a young age.Joseph was given a first-rate education, starting at Connecticuts Choate boarding school and ending at Harvard, where he was involved in over a dozen extracurricular activities including five sports and student government. But before he could finish his studies, Joseph took a commission in 1941 as a pilot in the U.S. Naval Reserve. For two years, he flew patrols over the Caribbean Sea before transferring in 1943 to Bombing Squadron 110, a U.S. unit hunting U-boats under British command. In England, he was the only Kennedy able (and willing, given their mother Roses objection to marrying into the Church of England) to attend the May 1944 wedding of his sister Kathleen Kick Kennedy to aristocrat William Cavendish. It seemed that the Kennedys had finally arrived at the social respectability so longed for by their father.Wikimedia CommonsKathleen Kick Kennedy on her wedding day, with brother Joseph behind her.A seasoned combat pilot after 25 missions, Joseph Jr. was eligible to go home in 1944. But in August of that year, he volunteered to fly a bomb-packed, radio-controlled B-24 bomber over U-boat pens in the North Sea. He and his co-pilot were to guide their plane to the correct altitude before parachuting out. Instead, the explosives detonated prematurely over the east coast of England, killing the Kennedy heir at age 29.Joseph Jr. wasnt the only one of his siblings to be struck by the Kennedy family curse in 1940s Britain. Kathleens husband William Cavendish was killed by a German sniper in Belgium just weeks after his brother-in-law, and Kathleen herself was killed in a plane crash in 1948 as she flew to Paris to beg Cavendishs father for his blessing for a second marriage.The post How The Kennedy Curse Has Tormented Americas First Family For 80 Years appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Click here to view slideshowIn December 1972, the infamous Rothschild Surrealist Ball turned reality on its head. Baroness Marie-Hlne de Rothschild organized a masked dinner party for an intriguing mix of politicians, bankers, artists, and celebrities at the Chteau de Ferrires, an opulent residence located just outside of Paris.Were it not for the wealthy Rothschild family's fascinating history, this ball which featured servants dressed as cats and a dessert shaped like a nude woman may have remained just another ephemeral social gathering.But because the Rothschilds pioneered international finance, funded historical war efforts, and still dominate several international industries to this day, conspiracy theories continue to abound about the true nature of the event.So, what really happened on the night of the Rothschild Surrealist Ball? Were these merely "high society" people mingling and having a bit of fun? Or was the party a nefarious get-together filled with esoteric symbolism, quasi-satanic rituals, and the figurative ushering in of a New World Order?A Brief History Of The Rothschild FamilyThe Rothschilds' dynastic wealth and power began with Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who was born in Frankfurt in 1744. His father, who died of smallpox before Mayer Amschel was a teenager, was a money changer and cloth trader whose clientele included German royals.Mayer Amschel studied finance under Jacob Wolf Oppenheimer in Hanover, and by the time he returned to Frankfurt, he was an expert money trader and seller of rare coins. He started doing business with Crown Prince Wilhelm of Hesse and eventually managed the monarch's money.As a banker for one of the richest men in Europe, Rothschild suddenly became financially secure and started a family. And with increasing connections to European nobles, Rothschild saw the French Revolution as an investment opportunity.He facilitated monetary transactions for Hessian mercenaries, loaned finances to numerous governments to fund their war operations, accumulated bonds, and expanded his German banking empire.Public DomainA 19th-century painting of the Elector of Hesse entrusting Mayer Amschel Rothschild with his money.Rothschild sent four of his sons to some of the largest capitals in Europe Naples, Vienna, Paris, and London while his eldest son took over the branch in Frankfurt. The other Rothschild brothers each started banks in their respective cities. These institutions funded wars, charities, and infrastructure projects for the next several generations. Indeed, N. M. Rothschild & Sons in London nearly single-handedly financed the British Napoleonic war effort.Before Mayer Amschel died in 1812, he banned his female descendants from receiving an inheritance, which essentially forced them to intermarry with their Rothschild cousins in order to remain in the same social strata.The family's success has long driven envious onlookers to concoct conspiracy theories about dark secrets hiding behind their wealth. The Rothschilds are most often accused of using their riches to steer the course of the global economy.Much of this bad-faith speculating on their dealings has roots in antisemitism. However, some criticisms of the Rothschilds are valid. Though the family makes money from various investments in finance, real estate, mining, and energy industries around the world today, they were (and, according to some conspiracy theories, still are) war profiteers.Due to their own coat of arms, vast wealth, and global influence, it's easy to see why a masquerade ball held by the Rothschilds in the isolated French countryside would raise some questions.With decorative baby dolls, masks resembling all-seeing eyes, and only a few photos surviving from the infamous Rothschild Surrealist Ball, that night in December 1972 still raises eyebrows today. And the aristocrats behind the infamous party were no strangers to controversy.The Rothschild Surrealist Ball Of 1972Baron Guy douard Alphonse Paul de Rothschild's 1957 marriage to Baroness Marie-Hlne de Rothschild made headlines. Guy and Marie-Hlne were third cousins once removed, and the marriage marked the first time that a high-ranking Rothschild married a non-Jewish spouse (Marie-Hlne was Catholic).The couple was as liberal in their social life as in their politics. This was evidenced by their 1972 ball, held at the lavish Chteau de Ferrires, which was built for Baron James de Rothschild in the 1850s. With 80 guest suites, sprawling grounds, and an 8,000-volume library, the chteau was nothing if not impressive.Zairon/Wikimedia CommonsThe Chteau de Ferrires was the site of many lavish parties over the years, with one ball in the 1860s attended by Emperor Napoleon III, the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte.In 1959, shortly after marrying Guy, Marie-Hlne refurbished the chteau. Thereafter, it became a hedonistic hub for high society. From artists, designers, and Hollywood royalty to actual European royalty, figures like Yves Saint Laurent, Brigitte Bardot, and Grace Kelly frequently hobnobbed with the world's elite there.But on Dec. 12, 1972, the Rothschild Surrealist Ball blew all of Marie-Hlne's previous events out of the water.The invitations which informed guests to come donned in "black tie, long dresses, and surrealist heads" were written backward so they had to be read in a mirror. As everyone arrived, floodlights made the chteau appear as if it were on fire. Meanwhile, the servants who greeted each new arrival were dressed as cats lounging along the main staircase.Guests were ushered into a maze of cobwebs, with the helpful "cats" leading lost partygoers to their tables. The dinner plates were covered in fur, and the centerpieces featured plastic baby dolls and taxidermied tortoises. Menu items included "lady and sir-loin," green dinner rolls, and goat cheese roasted in "post-coital sadness."Dessert was a nude woman made entirely of sugar reclining on a bed of roses. Of course, the costumes worn by attendees were just as bizarre. While surrealist painter Salvador Dal had designed some of the outfits, he didn't wear one himself. As The New York Times reported at the time, Dal stated, "I don't need a mask. My face is my mask." Marie-Hlne, for her part, wore the head of a giant stag that was crying tears made of real diamonds.Library of CongressSalvador Dal, pictured here with his pet ocelot, designed many of the decorative elements for the Rothschild Surrealist Ball.Actress Audrey Hepburn wore a birdcage on her head. Perfumer Hlne Rochas wore a gramophone. Another guest had her face covered by an apple, in allusion to Ren Magritte's painting The Son of Man, while someone else had a mask covered in multiple Mona Lisas.Ultimately, whatever happened within the chteau's walls that night remains a mystery. The Rothschild Surrealist Ball may well have merely been an eccentric evening for members of high society to let loose. There are, however, several conspiracy theories that suggest the event was more than it appears.Conspiracy Theories Surrounding The Rothschild Surrealist BallWhile there is little evidence to support any of the more bizarre claims surrounding the Rothschild Surrealist Ball, conspiracy theorists claim it was riddled with satanic messages. They point to several alleged occult symbols scattered throughout the event starting with the invitations.According to ancient beliefs about Devil worship, "inversion" the transposition of letters or sacred Christian symbols indicates the presence of demonic rituals. The Rothschilds' "inverted" invitation is often pointed to as definitive proof of the evil nature of the ball, but there's no evidence to suggest that any sort of ritual took place.Warner Bros. EntertainmentSome believe that the Rothschild Surrealist Ball inspired the imagery for Stanley Kubrick's 1999 film Eyes Wide Shut. Several scenes were even shot at Mentmore Towers, a former Rothschild estate.Other theorists claim that the party was full of Freemason and Illuminati imagery, such as the chteau's black-and-white checkered floors. And the maze that greeted guests upon their arrival purportedly symbolized life's quest for wholeness and a return to our divine source.Some people have even pointed to the disturbing dolls that decorated the tables as a nod to human sacrifice, but again, there is no evidence to back these claims.There's no shortage of conspiracies that suggest the ball was the Rothschilds' way of sending a "secret message" indicating that they intended to "rule the world." And while it's more likely that the motive of this Rothschild Surrealist Ball was simply to be as eccentric as possible, some theorists view the theme itself as a clever alibi.In the end, it seems as though you had to be there to know the whole truth.After learning about the Rothschild Surrealist Ball of 1972, read about the glamorous and gruesome history of the masquerade ball. Then, look through these vintage photos of celebrity New Year's Eve parties.The post 25 Outrageous Photos Of The Surrealist Ball Hosted By The Rothschilds In 1972 appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Slay the Spire 2 has only just launched into the very start of its Early Access state. Perhaps unsurprisingly, though, given the performance of its predecessor, its already the hottest thing since toasted bread. Theres some kind of secret sauce to this series, and this game especially, that draws you in and never lets go. I angrily swore off of trading card games in middle school, and even I cant stop playing it.

Just when you think you have NYC's dining scene figured out, springtime rolls in, and outdoor food markets fill the streets. These are three of the best.