Blog Posts by Eric Pfeiffer, Yahoo! News

A new U.N. report says more people have access to cellphones than toilets (original images, AP)A new United Nations study has found that more people around the world have access to a cellphone than to a working toilet.

The study’s numbers claim that of the world’s estimated 7 billion people, 6 billion have access to mobile phones. However, only 4.5 billion have access to a toilet.

At a press conference announcing the report, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson announced the organization is launching an effort to halve the number of those without access by the end of 2015.

“Let’s face it—this is a problem that people do not like to talk about. But it goes to the heart of ensuring good health, a clean environment and fundamental human dignity for billions of people,” Eliasson said at the press conference.

In August 2012, the Bill Gates Foundation began its own effort to “reinvent the toilet” as a way to help curb the number of people around the world without access to sanitary waste disposal.

Interestingly, the report states that India alone is responsible for 60 percent of

A decorated veteran took quite a risk in getting his new friend from the sandbox to the litter box.

And along the way, Staff Sgt. Jesse Knott found an unlikely ally in his elaborate plan to evacuate his adopted cat from the war zone in Afghanistan.

In an interview with KPTV, Knott explains that he met his pet cat, Koshka, at his base of operations inside the war-torn country. Koshka was a stray cat, serving a practical purpose as the unofficial mouse catcher. At first glance, Koshka was the "purrfect" weapon.

However, not having a real owner, the cat was often subjected to neglect and cruelty.

"He was showing some signs that people weren't taking very good care of him," Knott said. “I found paint in his fur a couple of times. And then, people took clippers and shaved his back.”

And as Koshka adapted to life inside Knott’s small workspace, the two formed a tight bond. In fact, it was in the aftermath of a bloody battle that Koshka provided Knott with some much-needed solace.

"I'd lost

One woman’s extreme reaction to finding a snake in her yard backfired in tragic fashion. After being set on fire, the flaming snake caused the woman’s home to burn down.

KSLA News reports that the house fire started in Bowie County, Texas, when the snake’s burning body came into contact with a nearby pile of brush.

“While cleaning up, she saw a snake, threw gasoline on the snake, lit the snake on fire,” Bowie County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Randall Baggett told the station. “The snake went into the brush pile, and the brush pile caught the home on fire.”

Oddly enough, a local fire department official says the incident isn’t as unique as one might think.

"Yes, it could happen with rabbits and big field mice,” Liberty Eylau Fire Chief David Wesslehoft told the station. “Once they start burning the grass, they get out of their hole. They have been known to catch fire and then take off."

Naturally, we prefer stories in which the nonhuman players are the heroes, not the victims. For

The crowd funding website Kickstarter has been on a roll recently, with supporters helping to launch a Veronica Mars feature film and a countless series of other fun and interestingly projects.

However, the limits of the site might be tested with a recent campaign launched by Cobra Commander, the head of the fictional terrorist organization from the world of G.I. Joe.

“I’d like to set the record straight, we are not a deadly, terrorist regime hell bent on world domination,” Cobra Commander makes clear in the video released by comedy sketch group D.S.MTN.

All he really wants is some startup cash to help rebuild Cobra Island, which was destroyed in a recent assault from the commandos over at team Joe. As Cobra Commander explains on the Kickstarter page:

“We are COBRA, a worldwide organization devoted to making advancements in science and defense technology.”

“Recently our home and secret base of operations was destroyed in an attack by the terrorist militia known as G.I. Joe.”

“So after

If you were a child of the 1990s, there’s a good chance you were a devout viewer of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” the long-running NBC comedy that helped elevate Will Smith from rap artist to one of the most successful actors of his generation.

Well, the Pet Collective has tapped into our mutual love of “Big Willie” and dogs to bring viewers "The Fresh Pup of Bel-Air."

“Petodies based on current, modern songs have been hugely successful, so for Throwback Thursday we thought it would be fun to revisit one of our favorite sitcoms,” Tom Maynard, channel head of the Pet Collective, said.

The video reimagines the famous opening credits sequence of the show, this time showcasing a dog, “Will Sniff,” who is rescued from an animal shelter and taken in by none other than James Avery, the actor who portrayed Uncle Phil on the "Fresh Prince.”

“In a West County shelter born and raised, in a kennel is where I lived with most of the strays,” begins the video’s narration. “Panting, barking and

Every good barber has tall tales to tell. But in the case of Albert Cornejo , the winding and often grandiose stories are actually true. That's because Cornejo not only cuts hair, he's a renowned sculptor and one of the most-awarded martial artists in the world today. To those who know him, Cornejo is a living legend. But unlike some of his former contemporaries—such as Bruce Lee and Ed Parker—few outside the tightly knit community of Kenpo Karate have ever heard his name. “If I do something, I have to be good at it,” Cornejo told Yahoo in a series of interviews as part of our Viewfinder video series. “But I never wanted the spotlight. For me, it is all about the passion and the work.” By day, the 73-year-old athlete cuts hair at his modest barbershop tucked away inside a Santa Monica business park. There, he holds court with a truly unique collection of personalities, and a mixture of clients and social calls blend together as the day winds on. But while most men his age have settled

Juanita Tudor Lowrey received government benefits tied to her father, a Civil War veteran. (Charlie Riedel/AP)Ten years after the launch of the Iraq War, a number of critics and analysts have been pointing to war’s extravagant financial cost—to say nothing of its toll on human lives. But a surprising report shows that nearly 150 years after the Civil War's conclusion, the U.S. government is still paying relatives of veterans.

An analysis from the Associated Press found that more than $40 billion annually is being spent on veterans and survivors of wars dating from the Spanish-American War of 1898 up through the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

There are only two recipients of Civil War benefits, both children of veterans and receiving $876 per year.

Although their names are being kept private, the AP estimates that they were both born between 1920 and 1930, meaning their parents were themselves upward of 80 when their children were born.

Juanita Tudor Lowrey, 86, received Civil War benefits tied to her late father from the age of 2 until her 18^th birthday.

Military veteran and former Republican Sen.

The Jedi marriage ceremony could soon be official in Scotland (Rik Henderson/Pocket Lint)The Force is strong with the Jedi in Scotland. A bill under consideration in Scotland would grant those who have literally made "Star Wars" a religion the power to perform marriage ceremonies.

The BBC reports that the Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill would apply to other nonreligious groups such as the Flat Earth Society and the Jedi Knights Society, aka Temple of the Jedi Order.

And while it may sound like a joke to most, the Jedi religion is quite popular in some parts of Europe. In England, it is the second-most popular “alternative religion,” with more than 175,000 people listing themselves as Jedi in the 2012 nationwide census.

"Our current consultation covers not only the introduction of same-sex marriage but also the detail of important protections in relation to religious bodies and celebrants, freedom of speech and education,” a Scottish government spokeswoman said.

"At the moment, marriage ceremonies by bodies such as humanists have been classed as religious, even though