Soviet Army Monument's Many Makeovers

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The Monument to the Soviet Army in Sofia, Bulgaria is quite large as military memorials go. Built in 1954, the monument is centered by a 120-ft-tall stone plinth supporting a statue of a Soviet soldier surrounded by admiring Bulgarian women.

The monument also features large bronze sculptural compositions on all four sides at ground level. The Monument has become a colorful canvas for protesters, much to the chagrin of Russian politicians.

Interesting US President Facts

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As candidate for the Socialist Party of America, Norman Thomas ran for office of President of the United States 6 times - 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944 and 1948 - without success. Forty-three other men had more influence, taking up the 44 presidencies since George Washington was inaugurated as President of the United States in 1789.

There have been 44 presidencies because Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms, 1885–1889 and 1893–1897, thus he served as the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. Here are some more interesting president facts.

Is Your Brain A Democrat Or Republican?

27 strange non-political scenarios will appear. Please respond honestly and ChartsMe will guess your brain's political ideology. It seems my brain is a Democrat. I'm 88% Liberal and 12% Conservative.

Who Was The First First Lady?

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The 'First Lady' is a title which refers to the official hostess of the White House. The First Lady is commonly thought to be the wife of the president. But who was actually the first-ever First Lady?

If you guessed the logical answer, you would have said it was Martha Washington. But actually, the title First Lady was never used regarding Martha during her lifetime. Martha Washington was often addressed as 'Lady Washington.' The wife of John Tyler, the 10th U.S. president, liked to be called 'Queen of the House.'

Presidential Party Tricks

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Sometimes the leader of the western world just needs to let off a little steam.

Top 10 Most Extreme Presidential Nominees

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With the two parties' nomination process well underway, businessman and media personality Donald Trump seems destined to win the Republican Party's nomination.

Donald Trump's views certainly have been extreme in terms of immigration and foreign policy. Trump has also advocated for the banning of Muslims entry into the United States. In light of Trump's success, here are the top ten most polarizing nominees and candidates for President of the United States.

2016 Alll Candidates Debate

Every candidate, in a no-holds-barred hardball politics debate where you decide the vote.



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2 Countries Have Been Fighting Over An Uninhabited Island By Leaving Each Other Bottles Of Alcohol

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Far in the Arctic North lies the barren and desolate Hans Island. The uninhabited, half square mile of land, possessing no apparent natural resources, is a bizarre sliver of territory for two countries to fight over.

However, since the early 1930s, this rock has been at the center of an ongoing disagreement between Canada and Denmark.

The Politics Of Prejudice: How Passports Rubber-Stamp Our Indifference to Refugees

image credit: Craig James

Following the attacks in Paris on Friday, November 13, reports of a Syrian passport found near one suicide bomber stirred the debate on border protocols, renewing calls to keep refugees out. It's strange to admit that in 2015, the right to exist in certain physical spaces on Earth can be prevented by a pocket-sized paper travel document.

Passports have long provided governments a way of controlling the narrative, creating benchmarks for 'illegal immigration,' and enforcing rules about who belongs where. But history has also shown that during periods of conflict, forged passports or visas are as likely to be utilized by government agencies as they are by desperate individuals.

(thanks Hunter)

Third Republican Debate

Not much was said during the 3rd Republican debate.



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Your Personality Makes Your Politics

Social scientists find many questions about values and lifestyle that have no obvious connection to politics can be used to predict a person's ideology. Even a decision as trivial as which browser you're using to read this article is imbued with clues about your personality.

TIME put together 12 questions that have a statistical correlation to a person's political leanings, even if the questions themselves are seemingly apolitical. At the end of this quiz, they'll use your responses to guess your politics. I took the quiz and it seems I'm 25% conservative and 75% liberal.

(via Neatorama)

Constitute

Constitute is a website launched by Google last Monday. On Constitute you can compare 160 constitutions from around the world. The people who write these important documents need to read and analyze texts from other places. Constitute offers access to the world's constitutions that users can systematically compare them across a broad set of topics.

Currently Constitute includes the constitution that was in force in September of 2013 for nearly every independent state in the world. Certain countries whose constitutional order consists of multiple documents, or whose constitutions are in transition, are temporarily omitted.

The U.S. Government Has Finally Confirmed The Existence Of Area 51

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After years of speculations - as well of years of pretty much everyone knowing about it although everyone in power denied it - the U.S. government released a classified document confirming that Area 51 is a real government testing site. As for crashed UFOs and alien autopsies? Not so much.

The report states that the secret U-2 testing is what lead directly to the reports of UFO sightings in the area, especially since the U-2 flew at 60,000 feet, far above the height that other planes of the time regularly flew. That solves that. Unless this is the government trying to misdirect us because they have an actual spaceship and a pile of gray alien corpses stored away under there.

Red Farm Propaganda

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Farm propaganda from a different side of the political spectrum. This art comes from around the world, anywhere Communist ideology found purchase. Some of it is beautiful, some epic, and some a bit baffling.

(via Everlasting Blort)

Mexicans Nominate A Cat To Run For City Mayor

Citizens in Xalapa, Mexico have quite a decision to make on July 7, when they cast their vote for a new mayor. One of their choices is a cat who vows to 'rid the city of rats.' Literally, but also in the sense of corrupt politicians. In response to politics as usual, two students in the eastern Mexican city have nominated a cat named Morris for mayor.

If elected, they say Morris will eat, sleep, yawn and continue other cat activities as usual, which is what makes him a good candidate. If Facebook likes are any indicator of popularity, then Morris is actually the lead in the race - by a lot. As of Saturday evening, Candigato Morris has over 70,000 likes, crushing the human frontrunner Americo Zuñiga's 30,000.

(thanks Miss Rare)

A History Of The Oval Office

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The Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, is the official office of the President of the United States. Over the decades, Americans developed a sentimental attachment to the Oval Office through memorable images.

In 1909, President William Howard Taft had the West Wing expanded and extensively remodeled. He relocated the chief executive's office in the middle of the south side - taking over the secretary's round-ended office - and changed its shape to a full oval.

10 Most Corrupt Finance Ministers In History

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Even - or especially - with the assets of entire countries at stake, some people just can't help dipping into the metaphorical cookie jar. Still, given how much access such politicians have to funds, plus the potential for significant bribes, temptation must be hard to ignore.

For the easily corruptible, at least. From money caches hidden in bathrooms to fraud and bribery, there are various ways these 10 finance ministers found to land themselves in hot water - making them prime examples of what not to do in the world of money.

10 Worst Countries In The World For Women

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes the right that no human being should suffer degrading, cruel or inhumane treatment. Yet this basic right is violated wherever there is gender disparity and women are not treated equally. An unacceptable percentage of the world's female population is still discriminated against.

Here are the 10 worst countries in the world for women. Be warned, however: you may find some of the content upsetting.

8 Government Conspiracy Theories (And How They Could Be Right)

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A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.
Here are 8 government conspiracy theories that could be right.

10 U.S. Vice Presidents: A Celebration Of Almost-Great Men

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In the words of Vice President John Nace Garner, the vice presidency 'isn't worth a pitcher of warm piss.' That may be true, but the characters who've held the job are definitely worth a few good pages of trivia.