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George Washington Peed Here: As a Founding Father, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and first president of the United States, George Washington has achieved near mythic status. But the man still had to answer the call of nature like the rest of us mere mortals. Smithsonian.com has the scoop on Washington's bedpan — preserved for centuries and displayed by his descendants. While on the topic, writer Cassandra Good uses the opportunity to explain the difference between a bedpan and chamberpot (TMI, Cassandra, TMI), a description that largely confirms indoor plumbing as the greatest invention ever.
The strange saga of George Washington's bedpan http://t.co/mnYVGlSK8F pic.twitter.com/zIP3YmQJwD
— Smithsonian Magazine (@SmithsonianMag) August 22, 2015Martellus Bennett Dreams of a Dinosaur Theme Park: The Chicago Bears' best tight end, maybe ever, is also arguably the NFL's most eccentrically interesting player. Bennett is working on a feature-length animated film that he plans to show in theaters around the world, already produced a 27-minute animated movie about a penguin and developed a children's book series. His grand plan is to one day open Dinosaur Land, a theme park. Chicago magazine published a lengthy feature on the tight end Monday ahead of what could be his biggest season yet.
Metra Gets Rid of "Historical" Gender Practice: Metra will stop marking gender on its monthly passes, a practice it has used (largely unnoticed) for decades to prevent passes from being shared, according to Reuters. Monthly passes all bear an "M" and an "F," with ticker sellers stamping the letter they think is appropriate when the ticket is bought. But, that can be problematic for passengers (particularly trans people, an activist noted), and Metra, who said it has "found a number of historical practices from another era," wants to do away with the process.
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