September 2011
August 2011
Mike Huckabee To Keynote For ‘Personhood’ Group... →
Former Arkansas Gov. and Fox News host Mike Huckabee (R) will be the keynote speaker at an anti-abortion event in Jackson, Mississippi next week. Huckabee will help raise money for Personhood Mississippi, a radical group that is trying to amend the state constitution to give every fertilized eggs full rights:
The Personhood Mississippi group is kicking off its campaign Sept. 8 in support of the...
Artist Builds Awesome "Magical" Timber... →
Image credit: Shwood Eyewear
Whether it’s a tiny, off-grid home for $2500 or DIY Appalachian Gothic architecture from recycled pallet wood, unconventional, natural homes are often as much about personal expression as they are sustainable building. And that certainly holds true of the incredible, fantasy-like structures build by one Washington artist/home builder. …Read the full story...
Compressed: Ferrofluid and Bubbles John Baichtal →
Kim Pimmel of San Francisco, CA, created this “experimental art video of ferrofluid and bubbles.”
I combined everyday soap bubbles with exotic ferrofluid liquid to create an eerie tale, using macro lenses and time lapse techniques. Black ferrofluid and dye race through bubble structures, drawn through by the invisible forces of capillary action and magnetism.
Weird, Birdlike Mystery Drone Crashes in Pakistan →
It looks a bit like silver bird. It probably was used to spy on insurgents. And now it’s in the hands of the Pakistanis.
WIRED editor-in-chief Chris Anderson flags pictures of an…
Federal Court: recording cops an unambiguous first... →
When Simon Glik recorded Boston Suffolk County police doing something they shouldn’t, he was threatened and ultimately arrested by a crackpot cop who boasted, “I’ve been doing this for thirty years and there’s nothing you can hold over my head.” The result of his legal troubles? A federal court ruling that videotaping police is an unambiguous and constitutionally...
Weird, Birdlike Mystery Drone Crashes in Pakistan... →
It looks a bit like silver bird. It probably was used to spy on insurgents. And now it’s in the hands of the Pakistanis.
WIRED editor-in-chief Chris Anderson flags pictures of an unusual, unfamiliar drone that reportedly crashed crashed over southwestern Pakistan late last week. It’s a surveillance drone, with a camera attached — recovered from the crash but not apparently visible in this photo...
Not Helping Ta-Nehisi Coates →
This is, by far, the most important critique of The Help I’ve yet to see:
Forty-eight years after Martin Luther King Jr. was accompanied by tens of thousands of black domestic workers to the National Mall in Washington to demand economic justice, it is not all that difficult to render black fictional characters with appealing attributes and praiseworthy talents. What is more difficult to...
Another Way Of Talking →
by Maisie Allison
n+1 reflects on conversation in the world of Gchat:
[D]istraction is endemic to daytime Gchatting, especially at work. The medium creates the illusion of intimacy—of…
Chalk memorial for Jack Layton in front of... →
Responding to the death of Jack Layton, head of Canada’s New Democratic Party and a former Toronto City Councillor, Torontonians thronged Nathan Phillips Square, a large public space in front of New City Hall, and chalked memorial messages over every surface.
Remembering Jack Layton at Nathan Phillips Square
(Thanks, Emily!)
Another Way Of Talking Andrew Sullivan →
by Maisie Allison
n+1 reflects on conversation in the world of Gchat:
[D]istraction is endemic to daytime Gchatting, especially at work. The medium creates the illusion of intimacy—of giving and receiving undivided attention—when in fact our attention is quite literally divided, apportioned among up to six small boxes at a time. The boxes contain staccato, telegraphic exchanges, with which...
How Can a Boycott Actually Work? The Failure of... →
Admittedly, some boycotts have worked: Glenn Beck seems to have been seriously harmed by the boycotts against his advertisers. But what happens when the corporations you want to boycott have massive market share? The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a corporate-backed lobbying group that has essentially written many laws at the state level, including Wisconsin, Florida, and...
Building a Backwoods Getaway, Open to Anyone Who... →
Image via screengrab. Whether built ten stories tall or to fit in a Brooklyn loft, tree houses are great getaways, where you can hide among branches and leaves, above the rest of the world….
Building a Backwoods Getaway, Open to Anyone Who... →
Image via screengrab.
Whether built ten stories tall or to fit in a Brooklyn loft, tree houses are great getaways, where you can hide among branches and leaves, above the rest of the world. They’re usually private places, but in the woods of Oregon, a new sort of tree house is being built. It’s the work of the crew at Schwood Eyewear, and everyone is invit…Read the full story on...
Price of a hospital circumcision in the US:... →
Chris of Cynical-C linked to this story:
My son was born 14 mo ago and because he was born in a birth center, he could not get circumcised at birth. Our hospital (Cambridge Hospital in MA) does not have a pediatric surgeon for this procedure so we were given a referral for a doctor at Mass General (Boston, MA). When I called Mass General to get a quote on the price, I got the following:
$23,000...
As Seen on TV: Infomercial Fails Adrienne Crezo →
No one’s worse at living a normal life than the people in infomercials, as evidenced by this supercut of “you’re doing it wrong” moments from product ads. Seriously,how hard is cling wrap, really? And unless you’re trying, it’s hard to imagine a situation in which a cracked egg might land right in the burner plate.
via pleated-jeans
Intermission: Watch the Recording Industry's... →
There’s been no shortage of hand-wringing about threats to the music industry, whether from technology or piracy. But hearing reports of dismal album sales is one thing; seeing the tidal shift in a 30-second gif is quite another. Digital Music News created this simple animated pie chart to illustrate how the sources of music revenue have changed. It begins with the year 1980, when LP and EP...
Top NASA Scientist: If Obama Approves Keystone XL,... →
Photo: Jungbim via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
James Hansen is one of the world’s foremost climate scientists. He’s arguably done more pioneering work in the field than any other American scientist — and he’s repeatedly testified before Congress and appealed to the White House, stating the dangers climate change poses to the nation. He’s also been really good at...
The Republican Presidential Candidates' Assault on... →
There have been all sorts of extremely strange claims about science coming from this crop of GOP presidential candidates — claims like climate science is an elaborate sham perpetrated by data-manipulating scientists (that’s Rick Perry, Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann), that evolution is a theory “with some gaps in it” that should be taught alongside creationism in school (the...
Now Can We All Agree That The “High Quality Web... →
It’s hard to imagine anything more perfect that Slate’s decision to lay off its respected media critic Jack Shafer. Not perfect in a good way — I count myself amongst Shafer’s legions of fans — but perfect in the way that Alanis Morissette not understanding the meaning of ‘Ironic’ is perfect, or the way that a safety inspector falling out of a tenth story window would be perfect.
“I tolllldddd...
"This Is A Lost Place" (author unknown) →
by Zoë Pollock
Alex Thomson files a harrowing dispatch from a hospital in the Abu Salim district in Tripoli:
Piles of surgical dressings, bloody sheets and half-empty blood bags were all around us, oozing fluids onto the ground. … Inside, it is not a hospital but a mortuary – or something for which there is no word. Stretchers and beds are stained with fluids and blood, some still...
$2 of every $3 in income growth from 2002–2007... →
That’s an amazing stat — again, $2 of every $3 gained between the last two crashes went to the upper 1% of the country.
Not the upper 10%; the upper 1%. (2002 is the bottom of the tech crash; 2007 is just pre–the bank crash.)
Another bad stat — In 1967, 97% of prime age men with only HS diplomas were working. Today, the number is 76%. Stunning; the middle class (the real one, not the...
Movie Trailer of the Day Cheezburger Network →
Movie Trailer of the Day: First official trailer for Withnail and I director Bruce Robinson’s highly anticipated big-screen adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s The Rum Diary.
The film, which stars Johnny Depp (natch), Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart, Giovanni Ribisi, and Richard Jenkins, is set to open in theaters October 28.
[movieline.]
Tagged: Bruce Robinson, hunter s. thompson, Johnny Depp,...
Alternate Histories, Historical Art Prints... →
“Alternate Histories” by Matthew Buchholz are historical art prints that depict a past filled with monsters. Prints can be purchased at the Alternate Histories Etsy store.
via Apartment Therapy
images by Matthew Buchholz
Taxpayers Should Stop Subsidizing Walmart Tina... →
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Credit: The Lone Primate (Flickr)
Walmart is the biggest retailer in the world. It boasts of having 1.2 million Americans on their payroll. Its reported annual profits are around $13 billion. So it’s safe to say since it is so big – and so ubiquitous – and so obviously successful – the government can now stop subsidizing it.
Let me explain: I was covering the first stop for the...
Only 2 Percent of Florida Welfare Applicants Fail... →
Billionaire-asshole-governor Rick Scott of Florida recently imposed mandatory drug testing on welfare applicants, arguing that people on welfare are much more likely to use drugs. Except it turns out, they’re not:
Since the state began testing welfare applicants for drugs in July, about 2 percent have tested positive, preliminary data shows. … A 2008 study by the Office of National...
Dead Bodies On Mount Everest: Pics, Videos, Links,... →
This body has been named “Green Boots.” Many of the nearly 200 dead bodies have been named and are used as landmarks.
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Recovering a dead body on Mount Everest is a near impossibility.
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Deaths often are a result of climbers “taking a nap” and never waking up.
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It costs around $25k to $60k to...
Another Hanksy Spotted on Rivington Street (author... →
Our friends over at Bowery Boogie have spotted another Hanksy in the Lower East Side.
This one (which is hard to see in the photo) references the film “Cast Away” and has a bearded and crazed Tom Hanks throwing “Wilson”, the soccer ball ala….
Perry on Abstinence Education →
Rule 1: Abstinence education works.
Rule 2: In situations where it doesn’t appear to work, see rule 1.
That’s the read that people like Steve Benen are getting from this clip of Rick Perry:
Fox’s The Five Averages One Distortion Per Minute... →
This is a Media Matters cross-post.
In just over six minutes, four hosts of Fox’s The Five peddled six distortions while launching an unrelenting attack on clean energy investments.
The Five: Wrong About The Relative Size Of Clean Energy Jobs
Fox Fact: “The Brookings Institution Found Clean Technology Jobs Accounted For Just 2 Percent Of Employment Nationwide.” From Fox News’ The Five:
...
Perry on Abstinence Education vorjack →
Rule 1: Abstinence education works.
Rule 2: In situations where it doesn’t appear to work, see rule 1.
That’s the read that people like Steve Benen are getting from this clip of Rick Perry:
From Benen:
The problem here isn’t just that Perry has the wrong answer. The more meaningful problem is that Perry doesn’t seem to know how to even formulate an answer. He starts with a proposition in his...
Hack a Digital Camera Into a Kids' Toy with Sugru... →
Image via video screengrab
I’m in love with Sugru. This putty-like substance can help you fix or hack practically anything, and I’ve been in love with it since spotting it at Maker Faire in 2009. It’s like the DIYer’s or maker’s magic wand, upcycling, repairing or repurposing everything from shoes to gadgets. It not only can fix something broken, but also prevent...
Jack Layton, Canadian Leader of the Opposition,... →
On May 2, 2011, Jack Layton led the New Democratic Party to an unprecedented 103 seats in Parliament and became the first NDP Leader of the Opposition. Readers of the posts I link to below may note that many of them are critical of Jack; that’s because the NDP was the natural home of the environmentalist treehugger type, but it was never quite green enough as Jack balanced the...
New York Times Editorial Comes Out Against... →
Some added encouragement for all those people protesting outside the White House against the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline over the next couple weeks: The latest New York Times editorial comes out strongly against the pipeline, urging the State Department to block it. …Read the full story on TreeHugger
Harvest Time Dan Savage →
The chicken “harvesting” E-Z Catch machine (via Gizmodo & Slog tipper Rob Man, the one that Bethany already linked to)…
…kinda reminded me of those human harvesting/pulping machines/alien spacecrafts in Spielberg’s War of the Worlds remake. When the aliens arrive, and when they start harvesting us, they won’t have to hunt for us on the moral high ground...
Wood & Iron →
Holy. Shit. I know I say, “do yourself a favor and watch this video” every time I post a new video, but really… do yourself a favor and watch this video. It’s French, it’s in black and white and…
Was your little league soccer team this awesome?... →
Why are 7 year-olds so compelling? Maybe it’s their humble honesty even at a game heavy with egos.
Screenshot from film by El Cangrejo
IN SPAIN, 7 year-olds are gaining a lot of press in the soccer realm, some for their virtuosity and others for their complete lack of skill. The Margatania F.C. team outside of Barcelona consists of 14 kids who have never scored a goal – onside at least – nor won...
Wood & Iron noreply@blogger.com (A TIME TO... →
Holy. Shit. I know I say, “do yourself a favor and watch this video” every time I post a new video, but really… do yourself a favor and watch this video. It’s French, it’s in black and white and it’s amazing.
West Memphis 3 bottom line: Freedom Max Brantley →
John Brummett’s take on the West Memphis 3 plea deal yesterday: Justice wasn’t served, but political considerations were.
And while justice is surely imperfect, and sometimes not pretty, and sometimes not altogether achieved, free is free.
FYI: NY Times coverage today.
[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
Skyliners Paris trailer Aaron Cohen →
These folks attached a cable to France’s highest twin towers and then walked around on it. Really wild shots. These guys are wearing saftey harnesses, which tells me they’re stupid or crazy, but not both, and definitely not at the same time. I love them for that.
I saw the title and the teaser shot this morning and knew immediately this is what I’d be posting on Kottke...
Paper lanterns light the sky in St. Petersburg,... →
Dmitry Lovetsky / AP
The tracks of paper lanterns launching into the sky are seen in St. Petersburg, Russia, Aug. 20, with the Savior of Spilled Blood Cathedral in the background. Hundreds of lanterns were launched into the sky from Mars field as a flashmob action.
West Memphis Three Freed, with new 'Paradise Lost'... →
From left: Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley, the so-called West Memphis Three.
Paradise Lost filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky were in court today to witness the stunning conclusion to a trial they’ve been following for nearly two decades, as Jason...
Men Get Man Caves; Women Get Cleaning Tips Gwen... →
Lisa G. sent in a photo she took of side-by-side stories in Metro, a free newspaper in Toronto, that ran back in May. The headlines alone reinforce common expectations about gender, housework, and leisure time, and I submit them to you without further comment:
(View original at http://bit.ly/emqTOV)
Andrew Lancaster's Freakish Works of Taxidermy... →
Taxidermist Andrew Lancaster says “Some people call me sick and some think it’s pretty good.” The New Zealand resident collects small dead animals, preserves them, and uses their body parts to form imaginary creatures. So just in case you were worried: the above animal doesn’t actually exist. News Story and Facebook Page -via Dave Barry | Photo: Andrew Lancaster
Gasland's Josh Fox on Tar Sands & Keystone... →
Tar Sands Action/ Josh Fox from JFOX on Vimeo.
Please watch this powerful video from Gasland’s Josh Fox on the devastating environmental impact of tar sands oil and the on-going Tar Sands Action taking place at the White House.
Visit TarSands…Read the full story on TreeHugger
A Rolling Beetle Gathers No Moss John Farrier →
Paul McGee spotted this Volkswagen Beetle at the Belladrum Festival, an annual music fair held in Scotland. On the atmosphere of the event, McGee wrote “Brilliant small festival for families though, I’d heartily recommend it.” Link -via Colossal | Photo: Paul McGee
Florida's Welfare Drug Testing Costs More Than It... →
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Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s plan to test welfare recipients for drugs is costing the state money, despite his claims that the program would actually…
Faces Of The Day Andrew Sullivan →
Canadian artist Ingrid Dabringer describes her work with maps:
Humans have an insatiable need to find meaning—even from that which is fleeting or random. The more meaning we assign, the more we triangulate our location within ourselves and our communities.
More here.
Florida's Welfare Drug Testing Costs More Than It... →
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Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s plan to test welfare recipients for drugs is costing the state money, despite his claims that the program would actually save tax dollars.
A WFTV investigation found that out of the 40 recipients tested by Department of Central Florida’s (DCF) region, only two resulted in positive results. And one of those tests is...
The Agony and the Ecstasy: The Quiet Mission to... →
Michael and Annie Mithoefer’s patients come to their clinic in Charleston, South Carolina, as a last resort on a grueling tour of duty. Unable to shake what they’ve experienced, witnessed or carried out, on orders or otherwise, in the suburbs of Baghdad or the valleys of Helmand Province, they’re wracked by the relentless mental sirens of post-traumatic stress. They’ve sought out the husband-wife...
