THE UNDERGROUND — ISSUE #62
Everything you need to know about in this weekly series: Why some people don’t feel pain, the amazing happenings from the past week in scientific discovery, a documentary about one of the first exposures to the West about the brutality of ISIS, one of the best pizza recipes,
At Social Underground we go beyond the mainstream stuff and see what’s underneath the surface. What should we get into, listen to, read, eat or watch? If there is something in our culture that needs attention that’s our job: Show you the underground things that you need to know about: Books, music, television, movies, comedians, art, and whatever else we can find to get you into something you never knew about. That’s The Underground.
1. Why some people don’t feel pain.
You’ve probably witnessed those documentaries where kids are born but have no concept of the feeling of pain. You could cut a finger off and they’d see it happening, but they wouldn’t feel it. It’s called congenital analgesia, and it’s not as cool as it seems when you think of it outside of a superhero movie.
You could severely injure yourself and have no idea. Imagine you’re chewing gum and bite the inside of your mouth or your tongue? You’d instantly feel it, but these people can’t. Some parents have to have all of their kids teeth taken out because of the danger. I can picture being 30 and getting that congenital analgesia with the ability to control it, but even then it would be difficult. Think about every day things that you do. You drink coffee in the morning, but you know by touch that it’s too hot. You cook food and know if it’s too hot. Soup? The sense of pain is a great sense that humans have. Although the thought of nothing getting hurt is good in temporary situations… living like that is not.
Let this video explain the details:
2. This past week in science! So much happens every week in scientific discovery that it gets glossed over with more interesting news like a celebrity getting a DUI, or a few political candidates making idiots of themselves on every news channel. Meanwhile, scientists are hunkered down doing things that will blow you mind, but you may not hear about it until it actually affects your normal life. Those phones you carry in your pocket with gigs of memory? 5 megabytes would have to be lifted like a huge fridge onto a plane back in the 50’s.
It it weren’t for these weekly discoveries, you wouldn’t be reading this right now. You would be in the woods wondering how you were going to catch that rabbit to eat with a stick you sharpened as a spear? That spear? SOmeone had to think about how to make it. Progress, people! Check out the latest discoveries from the past week:
3. Jim: The James Foley Story is a must-watch HBO documentary.
You may remember back in August 2014 when an American journalist, James Foley, was beheaded by cowards from ISIS on camera. They forced him to give some bullsh*t speech before doing what people do 1,000 years ago. It reminded me of a video that was put up in 2004 of a man named Nick Berg, who was an American freelance radio-tower repairman who was beheaded on film for propaganda purposes. It was all done to infuriate the West to fight back and cause more war. Both people were innocents, but insanity causes you to think that this is a good idea. It never is.
Premise: In August 2014, the video execution of American journalist James Foley by ISIS exposed the world to the new face of terror. Directed by Foley’s childhood friend Brian Oakes, this powerful, gut-wrenching documentary tells Foley’s tragic story through interviews with his family, friends and colleagues, while his fellow hostages revealed the chilling details of their captivity.
As much as your interest is to look through the internet to find these videos, I beg you not to. I saw the Nick Berg one and idiotically had the sound on. The sicker part of all these videos is the idiots that try to show that these are all fake murders. This documentary sure as hell disproves those idiotic notions.
Check out the trailer below, and look for the documentary on HBO and HBOGO now.
4. World Famous Mama Maria’s Bootlegger Pizza (Courtesy of Food Network and Maria Perry).
Pizza is the one of the best foods on the planet. I’d have to argue that my Dad makes the best roast beef and gravy with potatoes, but when it comes to foods loved worldwide, pizza is the champion. This pizza recipe I tried out the other day blew my mind. Do you know you when bite it to something and you feel you taste buds ignite a sensation the travels down your tongue? This is that recipe. If drinking cold water when you’re thirsty is bliss, this recipe is that for your taste buds.
Ingredients
Pizza Dough:
2 packages cake or dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups lukewarm water
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
Pizza Sauce:
4 cups ground pear tomatoes
1/2 cup ground onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cheese Topping:
1/2 pound mozzarella, grated
1/2 pound Jack cheese, grated
Directions
Dough:
Sprinkle the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water, let sit until yeast bubbles up (approximately 5 minutes). Add 3 1/2 cups of the flour and salt. Mix the dough and knead until smooth. Add more flour, if needed. Make into a ball. Put into a bowl, cover and let dough rise and double in volume, about 45 minutes.
Pizza Sauce:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Put aside until pizza dough is ready.
Cheese Topping:
Toss cheeses together. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Once dough is risen, cut into 2 pieces and roll out to desired sizes. Top with sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings. Bake for 20 minutes, until crust is a golden brown.
Now all you have to do is eat it, lay on the couch in pure happiness, and then stare angrily at the person looking to take the last slice from you. I mean, who do they think they are?! That is until that person is just you looking at your reflection in the television. Feel the shame, but taste that last slice like royalty.
FOLLOW JEFF SORENSEN ON TWITTER
Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post,UPROXX,BGR and by just looking up his name.
Contact: jeff@socialunderground.com