German artist Bettina Kaminski’s 'Mini the Pooh,' at just 5 mm tall, is the world’s smallest Teddy Bear!
Saturday, September 30, 2006
World’s Smallest Teddy Bear.
German artist Bettina Kaminski’s 'Mini the Pooh,' at just 5 mm tall, is the world’s smallest Teddy Bear!
Your Dog, the Gourmet
If he has such a sensitive nose, why is he eating your old socks?
Flavor is 80 percent smell and 20 percent taste. So does that mean dogs—which can pick up levels of TNT as small as a few parts per trillion, detect evidence of cancer in human urine, and sniff out the presence of health-threatening molds—have a better sense of taste than we do? And if they do, then why are they feasting on dirty socks? The answer to the question of what, exactly, dogs taste is not a simple one.
Via Look At This
Flavor is 80 percent smell and 20 percent taste. So does that mean dogs—which can pick up levels of TNT as small as a few parts per trillion, detect evidence of cancer in human urine, and sniff out the presence of health-threatening molds—have a better sense of taste than we do? And if they do, then why are they feasting on dirty socks? The answer to the question of what, exactly, dogs taste is not a simple one.
Via Look At This
Wine Dogs - The Dogs of Australian Wineries
Behind every successful winemaker sits a faithful bow-wow' notes wine writer Huon Hooke in his foreword to Wine Dogs. Winemakers love dogs. Wherever wine is made, you're likely to find a good dog stalking the cellar or the vineyard. Wine Dogs has found some beauties from all over Australia and New Zealand. Wine Dogs features over 150 wineries and over 210 stunning photos of their loyal woofers. Via Information Junk
What Art Movement Are You?
You Are Expressionism |
 Moody, emotional, and even a bit angsty... you certainly know how to express your emotions. At times, you tend to lack perspective on your life, probably as a result of looking inward too much. This introspection does give you a flair for the dramatic. And it's even maybe made you cultivate some artistic talents! You have a true artist's temperament... which is a blessing and a curse. |
Your New Monkey
Looking for the perfect gift for the colleague who made you feel like a fool in a meeting, the best friend who is now dating your husband, a snooty relative, Belinda Stronach (hear that, Leanne Domi?), Bill Gates? Perhaps they'd like to have a monkey....
No doubt in your childhood you saw a funny monkey on TV and thought you would like to have one. Perhaps you were side-tracked by a career or family and never made that happen – but someone who cares about you has!
A monkey is a wonderful and unique pet, but before he/she arrives in approximately 2-3 weeks there are many things you must be aware of and do. This advance arrival document will help you be fully prepared – thus getting you and your new monkey off to a great start together! You will be best friends.
Via Banterist
Selling art once stolen by the Nazis sparks controversy.
Christie's recently announced that, in November, it will sell four paintings by the early-20th-century Austrian modernist Gustav Klimt, works whose combined estimated value is between $93 million and $140 million. The news has caused a sensation, and not only because of the greatness of the art and the size of the price tag.
These Klimts, three landscapes and a portrait, are part of a group of five turned over to Maria Altmann by the Austrian government earlier this year. After a seven-year campaign by Ms. Altmann, 90, Austrian officials finally acknowledged her legal right to ownership. It was, of course, the confiscatory practices of the Third Reich that had disrupted a continuous line of family ownership and had made Ms. Altmann's claim an emblem of postwar property-rights justice.
These Klimts, three landscapes and a portrait, are part of a group of five turned over to Maria Altmann by the Austrian government earlier this year. After a seven-year campaign by Ms. Altmann, 90, Austrian officials finally acknowledged her legal right to ownership. It was, of course, the confiscatory practices of the Third Reich that had disrupted a continuous line of family ownership and had made Ms. Altmann's claim an emblem of postwar property-rights justice.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Anyone else have this problem?
You Tube will not post to my blog. This started at the same time that Google inflicted their upgrade on me (I had trouble with Blogger,too, but that seems to have worked itself out). I've tried deleting my blogs from my You Tube account and now I can't add them again. Their help page really, really sucks.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Listen to "Flowers"
Emilie Simon Music:
In the house where Emilie grew up, there was a passage that she liked to believe was secret. This passage took Emilie from one land to another, leaving behind the world of an eight-year-old to enter the magical basement where her father, a sound engineer, had set up his studio. There, at an age when most little girls are engrossed in their Barbie dolls, Emilie would listen to visiting musicians usually jazzmen and gaze in wonder at the glowing ballet of LEDs and VU meters. Sometimes, her music-loving parents would take her to jazz clubs where she stayed up long past her bedtime, lulled by lazy solos from sandmen with a difference to finally fall asleep on her mother's knee. Careers have been founded on less.
Via Coudal
Sorry to Disappoint
My poor little blog has been inundated with hundreds of searches for "nude leanne domi pix". Sorry folks, you won't find them here. I somehow doubt you guys will linger or return.
ALLA PRIMA PAINTING
Check out this guy's paintings. I've posted this link before but I think you should take another look at his art.ALLA PRIMA PAINTING
'I didn't think I was doing anything serious'
Iva Toguri, who was convicted (and later pardoned) of being the World War II propagandist 'Tokyo Rose,' has died at the age of 90.
In 1949, she became the seventh person to be convicted of treason in American history and served six years in prison.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
War on Terror, the board game
It's got suicide bombers, political kidnaps and intercontinental war. It's got filthy propaganda, rampant paranoia and secret treaties ...
... and the Axis of Evil is a spinner in the middle of the board. You can fight terrorism, you can fund terrorism, you can even be the terrorists. The only thing that matters is global domination - err, liberation.
Via Grow a Brain
Red Bull Headquarters
Somehow I don't think this would be a hit in my workplace.
Whooohoooo!!! That’s the sound of someone blazing down this new slick carbon slide in the Red Bull office in London right before a meeting! Jump-Studios has created a dynamic interactive space pumped full of adrenaline in this 3 floor escapade for employees of Red Bull filled with stimulating features and activities for everyone to experience! Any tie wearing client is bound to transform into a cool craving stunt junkie after a quick plunge here.
Via Folderol
Whooohoooo!!! That’s the sound of someone blazing down this new slick carbon slide in the Red Bull office in London right before a meeting! Jump-Studios has created a dynamic interactive space pumped full of adrenaline in this 3 floor escapade for employees of Red Bull filled with stimulating features and activities for everyone to experience! Any tie wearing client is bound to transform into a cool craving stunt junkie after a quick plunge here.
Via Folderol
There Goes My Retirement Plan
Guatemalan security forces stormed a luxury jail which had been run for more than 10 years by inmates who built their own town on prison grounds complete with restaurants, churches and drug laboratories.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
An Interview with Richard Ford
It's 20 years since The Sportswriter introduced us to the ruminative Frank Bascombe and the peculiar joys of American suburbia. Its Pulitzer-winning sequel, Independence Day, placed him alongside Roth and Updike. As Frank returns, older and grumpier, his creator talks to Phil Hogan at his home in Maine about writing, ageing - and why his wife shot a novel with a .38
No one cares but I love Richard Ford (yes, in that way,too).
No one cares but I love Richard Ford (yes, in that way,too).
It's Almost Over For Another Year
Besides these I have hosta, sedum, anemone, cleome and herbs. Chrysanthemums to come and that's it for another year. I'm always happy to start work on the garden and just as happy to put it to bed.
In Tiny Courts of N.Y., Abuses of Law and Power
It's worth reading the whole series, entitled Broken Bench, about rough justice in rural New York State.
A yearlong investigation by The New York Times of the life and history of New York State’s town and village courts found a long trail of judicial abuses and errors — and of governmental failure to curb them.
These are New York’s town and village courts, or justice courts, as the 1,250 of them are widely known. In the public imagination, they are quaint holdovers from a bygone era, handling nothing weightier than traffic tickets and small claims. They get a roll of the eyes from lawyers who amuse one another with tales of incompetent small-town justices.
A woman in Malone, N.Y., was not amused. A mother of four, she went to court in that North Country village seeking an order of protection against her husband, who the police said had choked her, kicked her in the stomach and threatened to kill her. The justice, Donald R. Roberts, a former state trooper with a high school diploma, not only refused, according to state officials, but later told the court clerk, “Every woman needs a good pounding every now and then.”
A black soldier charged in a bar fight near Fort Drum became alarmed when his accuser described him in court as “that colored man.” But the village justice, Charles A. Pennington, a boat hauler and a high school graduate, denied his objections and later convicted him. “You know,” the justice said, “I could understand if he would have called you a Negro, or he had called you a nigger.”
And several people in the small town of Dannemora were intimidated by their longtime justice, Thomas R. Buckley, a phone-company repairman who cursed at defendants and jailed them without bail or a trial, state disciplinary officials found. Feuding with a neighbor over her dog’s running loose, he threatened to jail her and ordered the dog killed.
A yearlong investigation by The New York Times of the life and history of New York State’s town and village courts found a long trail of judicial abuses and errors — and of governmental failure to curb them.
These are New York’s town and village courts, or justice courts, as the 1,250 of them are widely known. In the public imagination, they are quaint holdovers from a bygone era, handling nothing weightier than traffic tickets and small claims. They get a roll of the eyes from lawyers who amuse one another with tales of incompetent small-town justices.
A woman in Malone, N.Y., was not amused. A mother of four, she went to court in that North Country village seeking an order of protection against her husband, who the police said had choked her, kicked her in the stomach and threatened to kill her. The justice, Donald R. Roberts, a former state trooper with a high school diploma, not only refused, according to state officials, but later told the court clerk, “Every woman needs a good pounding every now and then.”
A black soldier charged in a bar fight near Fort Drum became alarmed when his accuser described him in court as “that colored man.” But the village justice, Charles A. Pennington, a boat hauler and a high school graduate, denied his objections and later convicted him. “You know,” the justice said, “I could understand if he would have called you a Negro, or he had called you a nigger.”
And several people in the small town of Dannemora were intimidated by their longtime justice, Thomas R. Buckley, a phone-company repairman who cursed at defendants and jailed them without bail or a trial, state disciplinary officials found. Feuding with a neighbor over her dog’s running loose, he threatened to jail her and ordered the dog killed.
Black wants to be Canadian again
Did anyone else watch Lord Tubby on TVO last night? He wants to be a Canadian again! My goodness, isn't this the same guy who described his Canadian citizenship as "an impediment to my progress in another more amenable jurisdiction."? Better wait until the trial's over, Connie, because this is a law-abiding sort of place and we don't allow felons to become citizens. Black also referred to himself as a "freedom fighter" (or Lord Che if you prefer) . I guess that fighting to protect himself from becoming Bubba's prison bitch qualifies him for the title. If I were in his position I'd be fighting for my freedom too.
Australian men 'turning into metrosexual tossbags'
Australia's male culture is in crisis, with 'mates and good blokes' being replaced by 'nervous wrecks, metrosexuals and nerds', a former prime ministerial candidate writes in a book published today.
He says it like it's a bad thing...
He says it like it's a bad thing...
Lost and found
Finally some good news:
Some animals once thought to be extinct that have been rediscovered:
Northern bald ibis rediscovered in Syria in 2002.
Giant Palouse earthworm , last seen in 1987, rediscovered 2006. Found along the Washington-Idaho border.
Laotian rock rat, believed extinct for 11 million years, first seen by a western scientist in 2005.
Chinese crested tern, thought extinct from 1937 to 2000.
Slater's skink, a type of lizard, rediscovered in 2004 in Australia.
Coelacanth, thought extinct for 80 million years, first seen in 1938 off South Africa.
Black-footed ferret, believed extinct by 1978, rediscovered 1981 in Wyoming.
New Zealand storm petrel, last seen in 19th century, rediscovered in 2003.
Long-legged warbler, last seen in 1894, rediscovered in Fiji in 2003.
Rusty-throated wren-babbler, not seen for 60 years, rediscovered in the Himalayas in 2004.
Takahe, a bird believed extinct for 50 years, rediscovered in 1948 in New Zealand.
North Pacific right whale, thought extinct until the mid- '90s. Lives in the waters around Alaska.
High Range dwarf cattle, rediscovered in India in 2004.
Asian grey whale, believed extinct since the turn of the century, rediscovered in 1973 near Russia's far east coast.
White-winged guan, believed extinct for 100 years, rediscovered in 1977 in Peru.
Southern white rhino, thought extinct throughout 19th century, rediscovered in South Africa in 1895.
Some animals once thought to be extinct that have been rediscovered:
Northern bald ibis rediscovered in Syria in 2002.
Giant Palouse earthworm , last seen in 1987, rediscovered 2006. Found along the Washington-Idaho border.
Laotian rock rat, believed extinct for 11 million years, first seen by a western scientist in 2005.
Chinese crested tern, thought extinct from 1937 to 2000.
Slater's skink, a type of lizard, rediscovered in 2004 in Australia.
Coelacanth, thought extinct for 80 million years, first seen in 1938 off South Africa.
Black-footed ferret, believed extinct by 1978, rediscovered 1981 in Wyoming.
New Zealand storm petrel, last seen in 19th century, rediscovered in 2003.
Long-legged warbler, last seen in 1894, rediscovered in Fiji in 2003.
Rusty-throated wren-babbler, not seen for 60 years, rediscovered in the Himalayas in 2004.
Takahe, a bird believed extinct for 50 years, rediscovered in 1948 in New Zealand.
North Pacific right whale, thought extinct until the mid- '90s. Lives in the waters around Alaska.
High Range dwarf cattle, rediscovered in India in 2004.
Asian grey whale, believed extinct since the turn of the century, rediscovered in 1973 near Russia's far east coast.
White-winged guan, believed extinct for 100 years, rediscovered in 1977 in Peru.
Southern white rhino, thought extinct throughout 19th century, rediscovered in South Africa in 1895.
Monday, September 25, 2006
TOBuilt
TOBuilt is a database of images and information about buildings and certain other structures in Toronto such as bridges, gates, lamp-posts, and statues. The general term 'buildings' is used on this website where 'structures' might be more accurate, but buildings is more user friendly and is accurate about 95% of the time.
I checked out my old neighbourhood, High Park, and got a kick out of viewing buildings I used to see every day, like the Runnymede Library which was right next door to where I worked.
Via Torontoist
I checked out my old neighbourhood, High Park, and got a kick out of viewing buildings I used to see every day, like the Runnymede Library which was right next door to where I worked.Via Torontoist
Guitarist Etta Baker dead at 93
Blues legend Etta Baker, died Saturday in Fairfax, Va., while visiting one of her daughters, at age 93.
Baker -- a mother of nine -- was a master of the Piedmont blues, and used an unusual two-fingered picking style on the guitar.
Commit Random Acts of Literacy
Mr. Nag found a book on a bench when he was out for a walk with Max. It had a sticker on it that read :
Travelling Book
I'm not lost - I'm on a journey
Pick me up, read and release me!
Intrigued, he went to the website and has decided to buy some stickers and release some of our books into the wild to fend for themselves. What a relief - I thought he'd never let some of those suckers go.
This Scares Me
Air traffic controllers monitoring a British Airways jumbo jet were stunned at the pilot's decision to try to 'get as far as we can' after an engine caught fire on takeoff, a transcript of discussions between the plane and the control tower revealed.
The controllers in Los Angeles expected the four-engine Boeing 747 to turn around but, after taking advice from BA's operations base, the pilot carried on towards London. He told air traffic control: 'We just decided we want to set off on our flight-plan route and get as far as we can.'
The controllers in Los Angeles expected the four-engine Boeing 747 to turn around but, after taking advice from BA's operations base, the pilot carried on towards London. He told air traffic control: 'We just decided we want to set off on our flight-plan route and get as far as we can.'
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Saigon Poster Art - A Growing Collection of Pictures
Saigon Poster Art is a growing collection of pictures of hand painted posters found displayed all over Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Via Plep
Saturday, September 23, 2006
I'd Say They Deserve Each Other
I'd heard they were "dating" ( is that what they're calling it nowadays?) but this knocks the juicy gossip up a notch.
Liberal MP Belinda Stronach has been named as the other woman in a divorce application filed by Leanne Domi, the wife of former Maple Leafs tough guy Tie Domi.
Ms. Domi, who has been married to the hockey player for 13 years, says in the 20-page document filed in court this week that she believes her husband and Ms. Stronach have been involved in an 'intimate sexual relationship' since he 'began working with her on her political campaign in January, 2006.'
Liberal MP Belinda Stronach has been named as the other woman in a divorce application filed by Leanne Domi, the wife of former Maple Leafs tough guy Tie Domi.
Ms. Domi, who has been married to the hockey player for 13 years, says in the 20-page document filed in court this week that she believes her husband and Ms. Stronach have been involved in an 'intimate sexual relationship' since he 'began working with her on her political campaign in January, 2006.'
This Day in History
On this day in 1964 the Paris Opera unveiled it's Chagall ceiling. See the video.
Avery, You Crack Me Up
Avery Ant's "Things To Be Done" list:
Continue to not get a tattoo
Hunt down Santa Claus
Write world's worst book
Join snooty circus- My act: Golf Club Swallower
Rid the world of children
Laugh till I vomit
Reinvent the salt grinder
Start an "All Sheep Hockey League"
Try to incorporate words, "organ meat" into everyday conversations
Convince a businessman to wear go-go boots
Watch myself grow
Capture a feral pixie and mercilessly tease it
Get a life - or at the very least someone else's via identity theft
Something involving peaches, baking soda and organ meat
Ask a weight lifter if it's true they all have small penises
Learn to read minds
Learn to read lips
Learn to read
Fantasize about what life would be like if I had a third nipple
Wonder if there was ever a "Lawrence of Albania"
Dance for nasty, gun toting, old fashioned, movie cowboys
Wait for the toga to make a comeback
Evacuate bowels in public toilet
Form a Think Tank that only thinks about tanks
Continue to stick non-toxic things in my pants
Tell poignant story about organ meat
With God On Our Side...
I drink tap water. I do this for both environmental and practical reasons. I just can't understand why people spend a whole lot of money for bottled water that originally comes from the tap and wreaks havoc on the environment. One argument against bottled water that I had not considered was that bottled water does not contain fluoride and so kids who drink only bottled water may look forward to having their teeth rot in their tiny heads. Now Canadian churches have declared a religious war on bottled water.
Bottled water has never gone down smoothly with many environmentalists, who view it as an extravagantly wasteful way of quenching a thirst, but the product is facing criticism from an unexpected source - religious groups.
Some churches in Canada have started to urge congregants to boycott bottled water, citing ethical, theological and social justice reasons. Bottled water, they argue, is morally tainted and should be avoided.
And last month, the United Church passed a motion urging its nearly one million Canadian adherents to leave bottled water on the store shelves, unless alternative sources of safe water aren't available.
Bottled water has never gone down smoothly with many environmentalists, who view it as an extravagantly wasteful way of quenching a thirst, but the product is facing criticism from an unexpected source - religious groups.
Some churches in Canada have started to urge congregants to boycott bottled water, citing ethical, theological and social justice reasons. Bottled water, they argue, is morally tainted and should be avoided.
And last month, the United Church passed a motion urging its nearly one million Canadian adherents to leave bottled water on the store shelves, unless alternative sources of safe water aren't available.
U.S. Death Penalty Withering On The Vine
The Guardian has published another article on the U.S. death penalty. Decca Aitkenhead describes the experience of witnessing a prisoner's death by lethal injection. The article also delves into the reasons behind the reduction in state sanctioned executions in recent years. (For some reason I find it particularly poignant that the budget for a prisoner's last meal has been cut from $50.00 to $15.00.)
What changed everything was the emergence of the innocence movement. In 1998, Northwestern University's law school in Chicago hosted a national conference on wrongful capital convictions. It brought together 31 former death row inmates who had been found innocent and released. One by one, each man stepped forward on stage to introduce himself with the words, 'If the state of such-and-such had had its way, I would not be here today.'
'It was just an extraordinary event,' Dayan recalls. 'People all over America saw this on the evening news. And once exonerations started reaching their consciousness, all of a sudden all the things we'd been talking about for years started to gain traction. When they find out some of the people on death row aren't, in fact, murderers, but innocent people, then they ask how does a wrongful conviction happen? And the answers to that question are: racism, classism, etc - all the things we'd been trying to talk about. Only now, everyone started listening.'
Soon, students at Northwestern had uncovered 13 wrongful capital convictions in Illinois alone. One man had spent 15 years on death row and come within two days of being executed before the students found evidence that proved his innocence. By 2000, the state of Illinois had exonerated more death row inmates than it had executed, at which point its governor - a Republican and long-time death penalty supporter - declared a moratorium.
What changed everything was the emergence of the innocence movement. In 1998, Northwestern University's law school in Chicago hosted a national conference on wrongful capital convictions. It brought together 31 former death row inmates who had been found innocent and released. One by one, each man stepped forward on stage to introduce himself with the words, 'If the state of such-and-such had had its way, I would not be here today.'
'It was just an extraordinary event,' Dayan recalls. 'People all over America saw this on the evening news. And once exonerations started reaching their consciousness, all of a sudden all the things we'd been talking about for years started to gain traction. When they find out some of the people on death row aren't, in fact, murderers, but innocent people, then they ask how does a wrongful conviction happen? And the answers to that question are: racism, classism, etc - all the things we'd been trying to talk about. Only now, everyone started listening.'
Soon, students at Northwestern had uncovered 13 wrongful capital convictions in Illinois alone. One man had spent 15 years on death row and come within two days of being executed before the students found evidence that proved his innocence. By 2000, the state of Illinois had exonerated more death row inmates than it had executed, at which point its governor - a Republican and long-time death penalty supporter - declared a moratorium.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Free Comic Book Ideas
-Someone kidnaps the Kingpin and imprisons him for six months in a hidden cell. They only feed him 500 calories a day, however, and when he finally escapes he's so skinny no one recognizes him.
- It is revealed that Superman has been secretly kidnapping and murdering young women from around the globe for many years. Apparently he has developed a taste for human flesh and, furthermore, gains sexual satisfaction from the act of murder. When he is confronted, he insists that this is nothing more than his due.
- Captain America gets hit on the head and forgets everything that happened to him since the end of WWII. He mistakenly believes it's still 1944 and drives down to the south to enforce resegregation.
- The Thing 'accidentally' crushes the Invisible Woman's head, as retaliation for walking around in a skin-tight uniform for forty-five years when she knew good and well he had always had a, um, thing for her.
- Maggie gets born-again and tries to convert Hopey.
- Years of drinking and binge-eating finally catch up to Hopey's metabolism and she gains 100 pounds. Maggie leaves her because she 'doesn't like fatties'.
- Garfield accidentally opens a portal to hell. In order to save his soul, he sells Jon and Odie to the devil.
Via Bookslut
- It is revealed that Superman has been secretly kidnapping and murdering young women from around the globe for many years. Apparently he has developed a taste for human flesh and, furthermore, gains sexual satisfaction from the act of murder. When he is confronted, he insists that this is nothing more than his due.
- Captain America gets hit on the head and forgets everything that happened to him since the end of WWII. He mistakenly believes it's still 1944 and drives down to the south to enforce resegregation.
- The Thing 'accidentally' crushes the Invisible Woman's head, as retaliation for walking around in a skin-tight uniform for forty-five years when she knew good and well he had always had a, um, thing for her.
- Maggie gets born-again and tries to convert Hopey.
- Years of drinking and binge-eating finally catch up to Hopey's metabolism and she gains 100 pounds. Maggie leaves her because she 'doesn't like fatties'.
- Garfield accidentally opens a portal to hell. In order to save his soul, he sells Jon and Odie to the devil.
Via Bookslut
Today's Urban Def
Mirrorface
The unintentional look of coolness, focus, and determination that appears on one's grill when put in front of a mirror.
A self-preservation technique in which one fantasizes about looking way better than they really do, usually occurring prior to a significant social outing.
Rick got suited up for a night out with his homies. Prior to his departure into the evening, he gave himself one final mirrorface, putting all of his insecurities to rest. He knew he was ready to slay some hoes.
The unintentional look of coolness, focus, and determination that appears on one's grill when put in front of a mirror.
A self-preservation technique in which one fantasizes about looking way better than they really do, usually occurring prior to a significant social outing.
Rick got suited up for a night out with his homies. Prior to his departure into the evening, he gave himself one final mirrorface, putting all of his insecurities to rest. He knew he was ready to slay some hoes.
Fiberglass igloos for homeless penguins
South African officials are building a housing development of fiberglass igloos for a colony of endangered penguins, hoping to replicate natural nesting grounds damaged by environmental degradation.
The penguin housing colony on Dyer Island near Cape Town is seen as last ditch effort to save the colony, which has dwindled to just 5,000 animals from 25,000 in the 1970s.
via Arbroath
Thursday, September 21, 2006
49 Up - Trailer
I've seen every one of these and I remain absolutely fascinated. Apted says a lot about fate and destiny.
The seventh film in a series of landmark documentaries that began 42 years ago when UK-based Granada's WORLD IN ACTION team, inspired by the Jesuit maxim "Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man,"interviewed a diverse group of seven-year-old children from all over England, asking them about their lives and their dreams for the future.
Tom Green's Leg
A few years back I went to Arkansas to visit my mum who had Alzheimer's. It was immediately apparent that her elderly husband, much as he wanted to, could no longer care for her. I had to make arrangements for her to be admitted to a nursing home. It was awful. On the trip home we stopped off at a motel and Tom Green's testicular cancer doc was on tv. It made me laugh, the only bright spot in that whole dark experience. Go figure.
Tom Green, who allowed cameras to document his surgery for testicular cancer, plans to film an operation on his broken leg for his online talk show, 'Tom Green Live.'
'It worked with my cancer special so why not try it with my broken leg,' Green told The Associated Press.
The 35-year-old comic actor said he was doing skateboarding tricks last week in a parking lot when he suffered what he thought was a sprain. X-rays turned up a break after Green walked on the injured left leg for a week.
Surgery was scheduled for Thursday.
'I'm doing this thing for my television show on the Internet where I was going to learn a new skateboarding trick every day. I was just doing some massive ollies,' Green said Tuesday, referring to a simple skateboarding trick.
Footage of his operation will be shown on Denver-based ManiaTV.com and Green's Web site, which both broadcast 'Tom Green Live' and have the footage of Green breaking his leg.
Green figures the injury, which came a few months after he broke two ribs during a fishing accident in Costa Rica, will keep him at home more. Since his show broadcasts from a studio in his living room in the Hollywood Hills, it could mean more spontaneous broadcasts at all hours, he said.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Bitter Aftertaste
It was the night after the day when oranges and bananas had been given out that the real trouble began. After the fruit had been delivered, many people started to scrape the inside of the skins off their fruit. This they then dried in the thin rays of the sun that actually streamed down from the ceiling onto the floor, throughout the day. They would have to get up and move their skins as the sun's ray moved across the floor, but by the end of the day they were ready to 'roll', which is precisely what they did.
They rolled these skins up as a kind of herb, using the white paper from the food bags as a skin. From a 'thunder box' which the two Surinam guys smuggled in, they were able to produce a light. Then, great heavy clouds of this obnoxious smoking mixture were filling the air. Even being around while it got smoked by others made you feel 'trippy', i.e. gave a slightly 'weird' feel and look to everything.
They rolled these skins up as a kind of herb, using the white paper from the food bags as a skin. From a 'thunder box' which the two Surinam guys smuggled in, they were able to produce a light. Then, great heavy clouds of this obnoxious smoking mixture were filling the air. Even being around while it got smoked by others made you feel 'trippy', i.e. gave a slightly 'weird' feel and look to everything.
Uh Oh!
I took a lot of LSD in college. I also smoked pot, although I gave it up fairly quickly; I didn't care for it. (It made me feel thick-headed.)
On one of the few occasions between when I'd gotten my body to overcome its resistance to inhaling smoke into its lungs and when I decided to just say 'No, I'd rather take these other drugs instead,' I and some friends of mine were high. And our R.A. came around selling acid, as was his wont. I bought a tab and assumed my friends would do likewise, since that's how things tended to go when acid was being sold. Somehow I didn't notice that I was the only one buying LSD until I had already taken it.
On one of the few occasions between when I'd gotten my body to overcome its resistance to inhaling smoke into its lungs and when I decided to just say 'No, I'd rather take these other drugs instead,' I and some friends of mine were high. And our R.A. came around selling acid, as was his wont. I bought a tab and assumed my friends would do likewise, since that's how things tended to go when acid was being sold. Somehow I didn't notice that I was the only one buying LSD until I had already taken it.
'I'm ready'
The Texas death chambers are the busiest in the US, and correspondingly efficient: 376 prisoners have been executed since 1982. There isn't much time to dwell on rights and wrongs and regrets. Perhaps in order to cauterise doubt in a blaze of clarity, everything is catalogued: the minute the prisoner is injected with lethal medicine, the minute it starts to take effect, the minute they die. Now that there is nothing they can do to change their fate, the prisoners are allowed small freedoms: to choose their last meals, to say a few words. These last words, too, are catalogued, and are publicly available on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's website. The pages are cleanly designed, passionless, almost an artwork - but the minimalism cannot hide the fact that every name and number indicates whole blighted, messy lives, of victims and prisoners alike.
The statements are hard to read. They are at once public and very private. They are domestic. They ask partners to care for soon-to-be fatherless children. There is a lot of love - for friends, supporters, partners, already grieving parents. There is guilt. They are overwhelmingly religious, mostly asking for mercy from a Christian God, though there is the occasional invocation of Allah. The appearance of a foreign language is unusual. In more recent years the recorders have contented themselves with '...(Spanish)...', as if being foreign stripped the prisoner of their last words. Profanity gets the same treatment. State-sanctioned murder is fine. Swearing, it seems, is not.
I went to the website yesterday and, while I admit I felt a little morbid, I read every entry. It's interesting how many of these men found Jesus or Allah on death row - I guess they need something to grasp on to, to believe that their execution is not the end. What I felt after reading these final statements was sadness at so many ruined lives, those of the victims, the perpetrators and their families. I know that these men committed heinous crimes but I have always held strong ethical objections to state sanctioned killings. There are many compelling arguments against the death penalty. It is irreversible and can be inflicted on the innocent. It has never been shown to deter crime more effectively than other punishments. That's all I'll say on that for now because it's all been said before.
The statements are hard to read. They are at once public and very private. They are domestic. They ask partners to care for soon-to-be fatherless children. There is a lot of love - for friends, supporters, partners, already grieving parents. There is guilt. They are overwhelmingly religious, mostly asking for mercy from a Christian God, though there is the occasional invocation of Allah. The appearance of a foreign language is unusual. In more recent years the recorders have contented themselves with '...(Spanish)...', as if being foreign stripped the prisoner of their last words. Profanity gets the same treatment. State-sanctioned murder is fine. Swearing, it seems, is not.
I went to the website yesterday and, while I admit I felt a little morbid, I read every entry. It's interesting how many of these men found Jesus or Allah on death row - I guess they need something to grasp on to, to believe that their execution is not the end. What I felt after reading these final statements was sadness at so many ruined lives, those of the victims, the perpetrators and their families. I know that these men committed heinous crimes but I have always held strong ethical objections to state sanctioned killings. There are many compelling arguments against the death penalty. It is irreversible and can be inflicted on the innocent. It has never been shown to deter crime more effectively than other punishments. That's all I'll say on that for now because it's all been said before.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Best Bivalves
Moules-frites are one of the traditional pleasures of a summer vacation in France. But there's only one mussel that's been awarded the coveted AOC distinction. Simon Coss explains what makes this bivalve special and what else is on France's AOC menu.
Can't resist mussels although I've been poisoned by them on more than one occasion.
Can't resist mussels although I've been poisoned by them on more than one occasion.
First spinach, now turtles. What's a girl to eat?
Our taste for sea turtle is the main force driving the animals to extinction, and it's not too good for those eating it, either.
Researchers in the US and Mexico have documented numerous reports worldwide of health hazards associated with eating turtle, including food poisoning with Salmonella. Sea turtles also pick up marine toxins, possibly from algae, which are not removed by washing or cooking and can kill up to a fifth of people affected. And because turtles live so long, they accumulate metals and pesticides: levels of cadmium are three times as high, and mercury 10 times as high, as in tuna.
Via Mental Floss
Researchers in the US and Mexico have documented numerous reports worldwide of health hazards associated with eating turtle, including food poisoning with Salmonella. Sea turtles also pick up marine toxins, possibly from algae, which are not removed by washing or cooking and can kill up to a fifth of people affected. And because turtles live so long, they accumulate metals and pesticides: levels of cadmium are three times as high, and mercury 10 times as high, as in tuna.
Via Mental Floss
One Million Ways to Die
Sept. 11, 2001 was undoubtedly one of the darkest and deadliest days in United States history. Al-Qaida's attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center killed 2,976 people, and the country recoiled in horror as we witnessed the death of thousands of Americans when the towers fell.
In the five years since that shattering day, the government has spent billions on anti-terrorism projects, instituted a color-coded alert system that has never been green, banned fingernail clippers and water bottles from airplanes, launched a pre-emptive war on false pretenses, and advised citizens to stock up on duct tape and plastic sheeting.
But despite the never-ending litany of warnings and endless stories of half-baked plots foiled, how likely are you, statistically speaking, to die from a terrorist attack?
In the five years since that shattering day, the government has spent billions on anti-terrorism projects, instituted a color-coded alert system that has never been green, banned fingernail clippers and water bottles from airplanes, launched a pre-emptive war on false pretenses, and advised citizens to stock up on duct tape and plastic sheeting.
But despite the never-ending litany of warnings and endless stories of half-baked plots foiled, how likely are you, statistically speaking, to die from a terrorist attack?
No more driving, working, walking or swimming for me!
Via Verbatim
Itty Bitty Fast Food. How Cute Is That?
My husband and I decided to do this challenge together since we are total foodies and enjoy spending time together in the kitchen.
If Mr. Nag really loved me I think he'd make tiny food with me.
Via The Presurfer
Metro Neighborhoods Poster Series 2006
In the tradition of celebrating transportation through colorful travel destination posters, Metro Art has commissioned a diverse range of Los Angeles artists to create works for the 2006 "Metro Neighborhoods" poster series. The intent of the series is to convey the distinctive character and vitality of neighborhoods and destinations served by the Metro network. The selected works will be displayed throughout the Metro Bus fleet and Metro Rail system and various other locations. The commissioned artists for 2006 include Patricia Fernandez, Phung Huynh, Lois Keller, and Sonia Romero.
Via Information Junk
It's Talk Like A Pirate Day
I don't want to talk that way because I'd feel stupid but I'll offer this up:
Five things I'll bet can be hard for pirates
1. Getting decent disability insurance
2. Rum allergies
3. Sexual harassment from that fancy new bosun
4. Irritable bowel syndrome
5. Finding one-legged pants that won' make your hips look too broad
Five things I'll bet can be hard for pirates
1. Getting decent disability insurance
2. Rum allergies
3. Sexual harassment from that fancy new bosun
4. Irritable bowel syndrome
5. Finding one-legged pants that won' make your hips look too broad
Monday, September 18, 2006
If Mozart Had Had Better Health Care
POOR Mozart, who died at 35, must have inherited at least the potential for longevity from his parental gene pool.
His father, Leopold Mozart, died at 67, a ripe old age in an era when rampant illnesses claimed the majority of European children in infancy. Sadly, Mozart�s indomitable mother, Anna Maria, died at 58 while in Paris, having contracted viral infections and a severe fever during an arduous trip with her rambunctious, opportunity-seeking 22-year-old son. Mozart's sister, Nannerl, who had also been a musical prodigy, died in 1829 in Salzburg at the impressive age of 78, having well outlived her husband, an officious Austrian prefect and two-time widower with five children, who resented their stepmother.
Mozart�s death in 1791 was probably caused by streptococcal infection, renal failure, terminal bronchial pneumonia and a matrix of other illnesses, some dating from his childhood, when the Mozart family spent years touring Europe to show off the boy genius and, to a lesser extent, his sister.
Imagine how different music history would have been had Mozart lived to Nannerl's age. He would have died in 1834, having outlived Beethoven by seven years and Schubert by six. Would Beethoven's symphonic adventures have turned out as they did had Mozart remained his contemporary?
Via White Man Stew
Seems Like A Lot Of Weed To Me
Willie Nelson, his sister and several members of the artist's band were issued misdemeanor citations for drug possession early today (Sept. 18) during a traffic stop in Saint Martin Parish, La. The traffic stop was conducted on Interstate 10 near Breaux Bridge.
Trooper Willie Williams says troopers smelled a strong odor of marijuana when the driver opened the bus door. During a search of the bus, Williams says approximately 1 1/2 pounds of marijuana and approximately 2/10 of a pound of mushrooms were located."
Trooper Willie Williams says troopers smelled a strong odor of marijuana when the driver opened the bus door. During a search of the bus, Williams says approximately 1 1/2 pounds of marijuana and approximately 2/10 of a pound of mushrooms were located."
Scott Feschuk's Weekday Update
Prime Minister Harper seems determined to reopen the debate on same-sex marriage this fall. Harper emphasizes that it's not about taking away the rights of some Canadians. It's about taking away the rights of gay Canadians. Which is different, and also fine.
Justin Trudeau was encouraging Canadians to wear a blue hat yesterday to support an end to civil war in Darfur. Meanwhile, Ben Mulroney is encouraging Canadians to wear a lavender ascot today because it looks fab-u-lous!
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay says Canadian troops will stay in Afghanistan until the job is done. The good news, he went on to say, is that the 'job' should be done the next time he and Condi get together, if you catch my drift. MacKay then laughed in a manly fashion and high-fived his buddies, who noted: 'Duuude.'
Justin Trudeau was encouraging Canadians to wear a blue hat yesterday to support an end to civil war in Darfur. Meanwhile, Ben Mulroney is encouraging Canadians to wear a lavender ascot today because it looks fab-u-lous!
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay says Canadian troops will stay in Afghanistan until the job is done. The good news, he went on to say, is that the 'job' should be done the next time he and Condi get together, if you catch my drift. MacKay then laughed in a manly fashion and high-fived his buddies, who noted: 'Duuude.'
Calcium supplements useless for strengthening bones
Why then have I been taking them for the past 5 years? To make some drug company rich?
Calcium supplements fail to provide long-term strengthening of bones, according to a study that touches on osteoporosis, a disease commonly facing woman after the menopause.
Calcium supplements fail to provide long-term strengthening of bones, according to a study that touches on osteoporosis, a disease commonly facing woman after the menopause.
Black asks for charges to be dropped
So the jurors are jealous of you, Connie, and will convict you because you own big houses and hold blowout parties? The fact that you're a thief and a scoundrel is only incidental? Take it from me, it's not that you're rich, Tubby, it's that you used other people's money to maintain a ridiculously lavish lifestyle and then rubbed their noses in it.
Black argues that certain references in the indictment against him should be removed because they are 'irrelevant,' 'inflammatory and prejudicial.'
Those items include the fact that he is a British Lord, that he owned multiple houses, that he planned to decorate his New York apartment in 'lavish fashion,' that he had 'servants' and a chauffeur and that the tab for a birthday party for his wife was $195 (U.S.) per person for 80 people, plus $13,935 for wine and champagne.
'A typical juror does not reside in more than one residence, employ servants or a chauffeur, enjoy lavish furniture, or host expensive parties,' Black's court documents state.
Black argues that certain references in the indictment against him should be removed because they are 'irrelevant,' 'inflammatory and prejudicial.'
Those items include the fact that he is a British Lord, that he owned multiple houses, that he planned to decorate his New York apartment in 'lavish fashion,' that he had 'servants' and a chauffeur and that the tab for a birthday party for his wife was $195 (U.S.) per person for 80 people, plus $13,935 for wine and champagne.
'A typical juror does not reside in more than one residence, employ servants or a chauffeur, enjoy lavish furniture, or host expensive parties,' Black's court documents state.
McDonald's delays food labels
McDonald's of Canada Ltd. says it has postponed plans to begin voluntarily disclosing on its packaging the amount of fat, protein, carbohydrates and salt in its food.
Is it possible that they have something to hide?
I don't want to come down too hard on McDonald's as I am one of the few who are in their debt. Almost 20 years ago, when my kids were still small and cuddly and cute, I won a weeklong ski trip to Jay Peak, Vermont for 4 from McDonald's. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we continued to take ski vacations until the boys were grown up. I must admit that I sternly rationed family trips to Mcdonald's and haven't set foot inside one of their franchises for years.
I very much doubt that I'd return as a customer even if they did post nutritional info but I do think it's a good idea. People should have some idea of what they're ingesting.
Is it possible that they have something to hide?
I don't want to come down too hard on McDonald's as I am one of the few who are in their debt. Almost 20 years ago, when my kids were still small and cuddly and cute, I won a weeklong ski trip to Jay Peak, Vermont for 4 from McDonald's. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we continued to take ski vacations until the boys were grown up. I must admit that I sternly rationed family trips to Mcdonald's and haven't set foot inside one of their franchises for years.
I very much doubt that I'd return as a customer even if they did post nutritional info but I do think it's a good idea. People should have some idea of what they're ingesting.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
In Spain, thin is so yesterday
Organizers of Spain's top annual fashion show yesterday rejected five models as being too thin to appear in this year's event.
The show, the Pasarela Cibeles, decided this month not to allow women below a predetermined body mass index to parade down the catwalk.
The show, the Pasarela Cibeles, decided this month not to allow women below a predetermined body mass index to parade down the catwalk.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
The Folk Yous
Two girls with big love for power ballads...and lo-fi home recordings.
Listen to Take It On The Run.
Listen to Take It On The Run.
Are They F***ing?
Jon's guest, Norm MacDonald, is a very funny man.
Topics: The question 'why is that penis smoking.' The 'surprise' that the crocodile hunter Steve Irwin is dead, plus bonus coverage of and Condolezza Rice and her latest romantic interest.
Topics: The question 'why is that penis smoking.' The 'surprise' that the crocodile hunter Steve Irwin is dead, plus bonus coverage of and Condolezza Rice and her latest romantic interest.
Don't Tell Mr. Nag!
A site dedicated to French garage sales (vide-greniers) . Apparently this is the season for them.
Paris - vide-greniers et brocantes pour ces 2 prochains mois
Via Nardac
Retro Baby Carriage.
Giordani Bambino Carriage
Italian baby carriage, the Brevetatto by Giordani, 1950's, original cond., supercool thing$2,200.00
I want one of these. I could use it as a bundle buggy since I don't have any babies.
HOW TO SPOT A JAP (1942)
1942 US Army & Navy's HOW TO SPOT A JAP Educational Comic Strip (from US govt's POCKET GUIDE TO CHINA, 1st edition)
Via Kottke
Spinach pulled from shelves
Following a deadly E. coli outbreak in the U.S., members of the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors will be pulling fresh bagged American spinach off their shelves.
And kids from Newfoundland to British Columbia have taken to the streets crying "We want spinach! Give us back our nutritious spinach!"
And kids from Newfoundland to British Columbia have taken to the streets crying "We want spinach! Give us back our nutritious spinach!"
Support needed for working poor
Maheswary Puvaneswaran's story as told by feature writer Rita Daly in today's Star is typical of the plight of the 650,000 people who make up the working poor in this country. They are Canada's forgotten tragedy, toiling at jobs the rest of us will not do for wages we would not accept.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Any old iron? Disused tube carriages being turned into studio space
This is what recycling should be:
A new charity is helping Tube Lines, the company responsible for rebuilding the Tube's busiest lines, to recycle obsolete Tube carriages which have been lying disused for years. Over the weekend six old Jubilee line carriages were removed from sidings in Uxbridge and taken for cleaning up before being turned into workspace for start-up creative businesses by Village Underground, a new charity which supports new small companies.
Typically carriages which no longer serve the travelling public are taken to pieces, the metals separated and the various parts disposed of, some into landfill. In the past there has been little demand for reusing them by converting them into unusual work or play spaces but Tom Foxcroft, who has set up Village Underground and approached Tube Lines about recycling carriages, has identified a use which benefits the environment and community.
Via Look At This
Wall of White Trash Dolls
Sure they're cute when they're little but what do you do with them when they grow up to be burping, farting, cursing, hard drinking, drug dealing, gun toting scum?
Check out all of the White Trash Dolls .
Via Grow a Brain
Check out all of the White Trash Dolls .
Via Grow a Brain
Muslim anger builds over Pope's speech
This guy needs a muzzle:
A statement from the Vatican failed to dampen growing worldwide Muslim anger over quotes in a papal speech that touched on the concept of holy war.
The Vatican last night said Pope Benedict XVI had not intended to offend when he quoted a 14th-century Christian emperor as saying the Prophet Muhammad had introduced only 'evil and inhuman' ideas into the world.
A statement from the Vatican failed to dampen growing worldwide Muslim anger over quotes in a papal speech that touched on the concept of holy war.
The Vatican last night said Pope Benedict XVI had not intended to offend when he quoted a 14th-century Christian emperor as saying the Prophet Muhammad had introduced only 'evil and inhuman' ideas into the world.
Pope should stay out of Canadian politics
Watch it, he's out of control!
Catholic politicians are elected to represent all their constituents, not to enforce the teachings of the Church. Their frame of reference is the Canadian Charter which, frankly, often reflects the tolerance and compassion practised by Christ better than much of contemporary Catholic teaching.
The Canadian ethos of respect for pluralism and the protection of minorities in the interests of mutual respect and peace is something to treasure in the contemporary world, where aggressive religious fundamentalism threatens to engulf us in a clash of civilizations.
If this is what the Pope labels a 'dictatorship' of relativism, give me this dictatorship any day over a dictatorship of religion.
Catholic politicians are elected to represent all their constituents, not to enforce the teachings of the Church. Their frame of reference is the Canadian Charter which, frankly, often reflects the tolerance and compassion practised by Christ better than much of contemporary Catholic teaching.
The Canadian ethos of respect for pluralism and the protection of minorities in the interests of mutual respect and peace is something to treasure in the contemporary world, where aggressive religious fundamentalism threatens to engulf us in a clash of civilizations.
If this is what the Pope labels a 'dictatorship' of relativism, give me this dictatorship any day over a dictatorship of religion.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Conservative t-shirts
Young Doc Savage, the communist, sent me this link. You don't think he's switched sides, do you?
Conservative, Republican, and patriotic tshirts
Babble Helps Keep Gossip Private
If you're stuck in a "cubicle-land" as we used to call it at my old office you know that carrying on a private conversation on the phone is next to impossible with walls that are only 5 feet high.
Enter the Babble from Sonare Technologies which claims to camouflage your voice in any open workplace ensuring conversations remain private. Basically the Babble works by first recording a sampling of your typical voice patterns, then when you start to talk on the phone you activate the Babble which begins broadcasting small, seperated portions of your speech based on the tone and volume of your current conversation. This creates a sort of white noise effect that sounds like a small crowd of people all talking in your exact voice which makes it impossible to distinguish your actual phone conversation.
Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This
So many irritations:
Someone (likely a misunderstood youth from a broken home) broke into Mr. Nag's and Baby Nag's vehicles and stole the ownership and insurance documents and destroyed the transmission on Mr. Nag's Camry. Therefore Mr. Nag had to take my car to work today, leaving me dependent on Baby Nag to get me to work and back (luckily it rained and he didn't have to go to work this morning, otherwise it could have been unpleasant). Don't suggest taking a bus, we do not have such a thing as public transit here in bucolic Niagara on the Lake. As well, Mr. Nag will have to apply for new ownership documents for both vehicles from the Ministry of Transportation. As if that were not annoying enough, I awoke to another leak in the ceiling of the upstairs bathroom and bits of ceiling coming down. I won't plug in my hairdryer up there because I fear electrocution. I have broken burn blisters on my hand from last night's broiled salmon and Birks is taking their time returning my watch and I don't know what time it is - this, take it from me, is agony for an anal retentive personality. Bitch, bitch, bitch... I really am able to keep these minor problems in perspective, just needed to vent a little.
Someone (likely a misunderstood youth from a broken home) broke into Mr. Nag's and Baby Nag's vehicles and stole the ownership and insurance documents and destroyed the transmission on Mr. Nag's Camry. Therefore Mr. Nag had to take my car to work today, leaving me dependent on Baby Nag to get me to work and back (luckily it rained and he didn't have to go to work this morning, otherwise it could have been unpleasant). Don't suggest taking a bus, we do not have such a thing as public transit here in bucolic Niagara on the Lake. As well, Mr. Nag will have to apply for new ownership documents for both vehicles from the Ministry of Transportation. As if that were not annoying enough, I awoke to another leak in the ceiling of the upstairs bathroom and bits of ceiling coming down. I won't plug in my hairdryer up there because I fear electrocution. I have broken burn blisters on my hand from last night's broiled salmon and Birks is taking their time returning my watch and I don't know what time it is - this, take it from me, is agony for an anal retentive personality. Bitch, bitch, bitch... I really am able to keep these minor problems in perspective, just needed to vent a little.
Interactive Map of Early Modern London
This site maps the streets, sites, and significant boundaries of late sixteenth-century and early seventeenth-century London. You will see many of the theatres and landmarks of Shakespeare's time, and learn about the history and culture of the city in which he lived and worked.
Via Coudal Partners
Avery's Art Attacks
Avery's been posting these for the past few days. I'm amused.
Once again, Tony was terribly underdressed for
the office photo.
Fortunately he was not killed by a human being
The natural injustice of the death of Steve Irwin, the daredevil conservationist who wrestled with crocodiles and dangled cobras but was killed by a relatively docile fish, has apparently motivated some of his most ardent supporters to wreak revenge.
Eight days after the documentary maker was killed in a freak encounter with a stingray while snorkelling off the north Queensland coast, and while his native Australians continue to mourn him, the authorities are investigating the possibility that the species that took Irwin's life is being targeted in acts of retribution.
Eight days after the documentary maker was killed in a freak encounter with a stingray while snorkelling off the north Queensland coast, and while his native Australians continue to mourn him, the authorities are investigating the possibility that the species that took Irwin's life is being targeted in acts of retribution.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
This was more difficult than I thought it would be
Rethinking Schools - Map Game
These countries are in the news every day. Turns out I had only a vague idea about where a lot of them were.
Via Arbroath
These countries are in the news every day. Turns out I had only a vague idea about where a lot of them were.
Via Arbroath
DIY Novelty Vegetables
VegiForms are a unique product designed to make gardening more enjoyable for each one of them. A clear two-piece plastic mold, VegiForms are secured over a vigorously growing fruit or vegetable while it is still on the vine. In about a week, the vegetable grows to fill the mold, permanently taking the shape of the mold.
Monday, September 11, 2006
McSweeney's Bit On Air Travel
Re: Increasing
Airline Revenue
Through Fear.
By Michael Patrick Sullivan
- - - -
From: Larry [CENSORED], Marketing
To: J.M. [CENSORED], CEO, [CENSORED] Airlines
Per our conversation in the elevator this morning, here's that short note to let you know how things are progressing on our end.
Now that we've gotten liquids banned from aircraft, it's time that we ramped up our revenue generation by charging for not just alcohol but all beverages onboard the aircraft.
We can also now begin to sell those liquid products that travelers need but can no longer bring through carryon luggage. An airline-brand-specific line of hair-care products and toiletries is called for.
This presents two unique problems: the availability of space for warehousing product onboard the aircraft, and those passengers who seek to subvert our revenue generation (and anti-terrorism measures) by placing their liquid-based necessities in their checked baggage.
The former dovetails nicely with the next phase of our plan, the elimination of all carryon luggage. Overhead bins will now serve as our onboard stock storage. The latter, of course, leads us to our plan for eliminating baggage entirely. Instead, we will provide consumers with the means to ship their baggage to their destination in a timely fashion. (It has been suggested that we do this by placing each passenger's baggage onboard the same flight as the passenger in question. I think this bears looking into.)
Surely, we can do more to maximize profits beyond these simple measures. I believe we can convince Homeland Security that all foreign material onboard an aircraft is suspect; therefore, all worn clothing is also a potential hazard.
Each terminal gate shall befitted with a clothing boutique that will sell a complete line of airline-branded apparel (or "clothing solutions"), which passengers may purchase rather than board the aircraft nude (which, if not already, will be prohibited) after the confiscation of clothing. By "complete line," I mean nothing more than one-size-fits-all socks, slippers, sweatpants, and shirts. Fashion is hardly a concern in matters of security. This approach will serve to keep our R&D and production costs to a minimum.
Upon further consideration, I suggest we also add a $20 handcuff fee to the price of each ticket, so we may recoup the cost of restraining passengers. (See my report on the program rollout scheduled for Thanksgiving.) First-class restraints, such as padded handcuffs, and the option to forgo three-point restraint are, of course, upsells.
Also, the department has still not resolved the issue of how to ban the passengers from the planes while still providing an incentive to purchase tickets. We might want to backburner this one for a while.
Lastly, I will be out of the office beginning this Friday, as I'm traveling to Oregon to see family. I've taken an extra few days to allow for travel by Amtrak.
Airline Revenue
Through Fear.
By Michael Patrick Sullivan
- - - -
From: Larry [CENSORED], Marketing
To: J.M. [CENSORED], CEO, [CENSORED] Airlines
Per our conversation in the elevator this morning, here's that short note to let you know how things are progressing on our end.
Now that we've gotten liquids banned from aircraft, it's time that we ramped up our revenue generation by charging for not just alcohol but all beverages onboard the aircraft.
We can also now begin to sell those liquid products that travelers need but can no longer bring through carryon luggage. An airline-brand-specific line of hair-care products and toiletries is called for.
This presents two unique problems: the availability of space for warehousing product onboard the aircraft, and those passengers who seek to subvert our revenue generation (and anti-terrorism measures) by placing their liquid-based necessities in their checked baggage.
The former dovetails nicely with the next phase of our plan, the elimination of all carryon luggage. Overhead bins will now serve as our onboard stock storage. The latter, of course, leads us to our plan for eliminating baggage entirely. Instead, we will provide consumers with the means to ship their baggage to their destination in a timely fashion. (It has been suggested that we do this by placing each passenger's baggage onboard the same flight as the passenger in question. I think this bears looking into.)
Surely, we can do more to maximize profits beyond these simple measures. I believe we can convince Homeland Security that all foreign material onboard an aircraft is suspect; therefore, all worn clothing is also a potential hazard.
Each terminal gate shall befitted with a clothing boutique that will sell a complete line of airline-branded apparel (or "clothing solutions"), which passengers may purchase rather than board the aircraft nude (which, if not already, will be prohibited) after the confiscation of clothing. By "complete line," I mean nothing more than one-size-fits-all socks, slippers, sweatpants, and shirts. Fashion is hardly a concern in matters of security. This approach will serve to keep our R&D and production costs to a minimum.
Upon further consideration, I suggest we also add a $20 handcuff fee to the price of each ticket, so we may recoup the cost of restraining passengers. (See my report on the program rollout scheduled for Thanksgiving.) First-class restraints, such as padded handcuffs, and the option to forgo three-point restraint are, of course, upsells.
Also, the department has still not resolved the issue of how to ban the passengers from the planes while still providing an incentive to purchase tickets. We might want to backburner this one for a while.
Lastly, I will be out of the office beginning this Friday, as I'm traveling to Oregon to see family. I've taken an extra few days to allow for travel by Amtrak.
62,006 - the number killed in the "war on terror"
The 'war on terror' - and by terrorists - has directly killed a minimum of 62,006 people, created 4.5 million refugees and cost the US more than the sum needed to pay off the debts of every poor nation on earth.
If estimates of other, unquantified, deaths - of insurgents, the Iraq military during the 2003 invasion, those not recorded individually by Western media, and those dying from wounds - are included, then the toll could reach as high as 180,000.
The extraordinary scale of the conflict's impact, claiming lives from New York to Bali and London to Lahore, and the extent of the death tolls in Iraq and Afghanistan, has emerged from an Independent on Sunday survey to mark the fifth anniversary of 11 September. It used new, unpublished data supplied by academics and organisations such as Iraq Body Count and Professor Marc Herold of the University of New Hampshire, plus estimates given by other official studies.
The result is the first attempt to gauge the full cost in blood and money of the worldwide atrocities and military conflicts that began in September 2001. As of yesterday, the numbers of lives confirmed lost are: 4,541 to 5,308 civilians and 385 military in Afghanistan; 50,100 civilians and 2,899 military in Iraq; and 4,081 in acts of terrorism in the rest of the world.
Via Grow a Brain
If estimates of other, unquantified, deaths - of insurgents, the Iraq military during the 2003 invasion, those not recorded individually by Western media, and those dying from wounds - are included, then the toll could reach as high as 180,000.
The extraordinary scale of the conflict's impact, claiming lives from New York to Bali and London to Lahore, and the extent of the death tolls in Iraq and Afghanistan, has emerged from an Independent on Sunday survey to mark the fifth anniversary of 11 September. It used new, unpublished data supplied by academics and organisations such as Iraq Body Count and Professor Marc Herold of the University of New Hampshire, plus estimates given by other official studies.
The result is the first attempt to gauge the full cost in blood and money of the worldwide atrocities and military conflicts that began in September 2001. As of yesterday, the numbers of lives confirmed lost are: 4,541 to 5,308 civilians and 385 military in Afghanistan; 50,100 civilians and 2,899 military in Iraq; and 4,081 in acts of terrorism in the rest of the world.
Via Grow a Brain
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Ontario to return booze bottles for cash in 2007
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced Sunday the province will launch a bottle-deposit system in the new year.
If I'd saved all the bottles I drank in the last year or so I'd make enough bling on the returns to take early retirement...sigh.
If I'd saved all the bottles I drank in the last year or so I'd make enough bling on the returns to take early retirement...sigh.
Thanks, Warren, I Feel So Much Better Now
The pope's nasty comments about Canada's gay-friendly ways cut me to the quick but Warren Kinsella informs us that Pansy Division still loves us. What a relief!
Here's their winsome tribute to us (sort of reminds me of This Land Is Your Land with it's sea to sea theme):
MANADA
Every time I go north of the border
Boy after boy always wins me over
I'm going to Manada
The weather's cold
But the guys are hot
I don't care if it snows a lot
I'll snuggle up with the boy I got in Manada
From Newfoundland to Vancouver Island
From Edmonton to the Breton Highlands
It's different from the USA
I'm not sure that I could stay
But I know I'll find my way to Manada
There's Scott in Halifax
Benjamin in Medicine Hat
There's Laurent in Montreal
In Manada, I want them all
I'm going to Manada
Here's their winsome tribute to us (sort of reminds me of This Land Is Your Land with it's sea to sea theme):
MANADA
Every time I go north of the border
Boy after boy always wins me over
I'm going to Manada
The weather's cold
But the guys are hot
I don't care if it snows a lot
I'll snuggle up with the boy I got in Manada
From Newfoundland to Vancouver Island
From Edmonton to the Breton Highlands
It's different from the USA
I'm not sure that I could stay
But I know I'll find my way to Manada
There's Scott in Halifax
Benjamin in Medicine Hat
There's Laurent in Montreal
In Manada, I want them all
I'm going to Manada
Super(rat)size Me
McDonald's can now refute the theory that their food is good for neither man nor beast.If we ever needed a non-health-related reason to not eat fast food, here it is - rats. The estimated rat population in the UK has exploded to 60 million. That's one for every person in living in the UK. However, it's not just the quantity of rats, it's the quality of the rat. They're bigger, badder, and live a lot longer due to more protein in their diets. According to the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, the rats are turning to SuperRats, feeding off of the fast food litter like burgers, fries and kebabs, that Britons throw into the streets.
Alight, so the blame can't be put entirely on fast food. Apparently, Britons throw apple cores, banana and orange peels, bread crusts and chocolate onto the streets, all adding to the SuperDiet of these SuperRats.
Sort of ironic, isn't it, that the thing that makes us weak makes them strong?
Poodle Chair
Since most folks coming to my site via Google seem to be searching for "doberdoodle", I figure they'll also dig the chairdoodle another doodlicious hybrid.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Tadoussac
The drive to Tadoussac from Quebec City along the slow road was breathtaking. The mountains dropped down to the St. Lawrence and the road wound up and down hills revealing spectacular panoramas at every turn. The little villages with their maisons ancestrales are quaint and beautiful, unspoiled by signage, fast food joints and all the other detritus we're used to seeing in tourist areas.
We stayed at the Hotel Tadoussac (below). Point of interest: the outdoor scenes for the film, Hotel New Hampshire, were shot here. The little church for the early settlers is across the street.
We hiked during the day through the Saguenay National Parks. They are strung out along the St. Lawrence and the Saguenay Fjord. I'm usually more of a city person (hate camping and cottages) but I enjoyed the indescribable views and the clean, clean air here. The dunes above were quite spectacular. Unfortunately I'm not much of a photographer so you'll just have to take my word for it.
The porch below was my happy hour perch where I was content to read and drink red wine before stuffing my face at dinner. The hotel has three restaurants, one of which serves local cuisine. I was curious about it but Mr. Nag, the vegetarian, has a terror of terroir, it being heavy on moose, caribou, etc. - nonetheless we managed to eat well and too much.
We hiked during the day through the Saguenay National Parks. They are strung out along the St. Lawrence and the Saguenay Fjord. I'm usually more of a city person (hate camping and cottages) but I enjoyed the indescribable views and the clean, clean air here. The dunes above were quite spectacular. Unfortunately I'm not much of a photographer so you'll just have to take my word for it.
The porch below was my happy hour perch where I was content to read and drink red wine before stuffing my face at dinner. The hotel has three restaurants, one of which serves local cuisine. I was curious about it but Mr. Nag, the vegetarian, has a terror of terroir, it being heavy on moose, caribou, etc. - nonetheless we managed to eat well and too much.
We spent another night in Quebec City and one in Montreal before returning home. A great holiday with ideal warm, sunny weather every day and we didn't have to surrender our liquids or submit to invasive airport security checks and lineups. I can also feel holier than thou for spending my money here in Canada.
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