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Day May 25, 2005

The Bitch of Buchenwald

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The trial of Ilse Koch.

Even though Ilse Koch had been acquitted in Morgen’s court, the former inmates at Buchenwald were convinced that she had ordered prisoners to be killed, so that their tattooed skin could be made into lamp shades. When the American liberators arrived, they were told about the gory accessories in Frau Koch’s home. A display table was set up and a film, directed by Billy Wilder, was made to document the atrocities in the camp.

The photograph below is a still shot from the film. It shows preserved pieces of tattooed skin laid out on a table, and a table lamp with a shade allegedly made from human skin.

Sellotape Sculpture

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The interesting feature of this model is in the material used – it is an entirely solid piece, made using nothing but Sellotape. As it stands at the moment I estimate about 100 rolls have been used in the production, with it weighing well over 5kg. Displayed below are photos of the model both in it’s current state, and previous stages of development.

(Thanks Jabberwocky)

Eddie Gaedel, 3’7″ MLB Pinch Hitter

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One of baseball’s weirder moments.

The most publicized stunt in baseball history took place August 19, 1951, at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis, when, to the surprise of 18,369 fans, 3’7″ 65-lb midget Eddie Gaedel emerged from a seven-foot birthday cake between games of a Browns-Tigers doubleheader. Browns owner Bill Veeck concocted the idea to boost attendance, and to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of both the American League and the Falstaff Brewing Co., radio sponsor of the Browns.

Gaedel, a stage performer, was wearing a Browns uniform with the number 1/8, and little slippers turned up at the end like elf’s shoes. In the bottom of the first, St. Louis manager Zach Taylor sent Gaedel to the plate to pinch hit for Frank Saucier. Veeck had instructed the diminutive Brownie to crouch low, and not swing his toy-like bat. Detroit skipper Red Rolfe protested Gaedel’s presence, but Taylor produced a legitimate contract, filed with the AL and cleared by umpire Ed Hurley.

Kings and Queens of England

From William I to Elizabeth II.

Geographic Distribution of Major Hazards in the US

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This set of six maps have been constructed to emphasize areas in the contiguous 48 states where there is a relatively high risk or relatively frequent actual occurrences of four hazards (floods, earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions), for which the USGS has major monitoring or reporting responsibility, plus hurricanes and tornadoes.

(via Information Junk)

Evolution Stickers Taken Off Texbooks

From MSNBC:

MARIETTA, Ga. – Workers in Cobb County have begun removing controversial evolution disclaimer stickers from science textbooks to comply with a judge’s order.

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By the end of the day Monday, several thousand stickers, which said evolution was a theory and not a fact, had been scraped off. The school district had put 34,452 stickers on textbooks across the county.

The evolution disclaimers read: “This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered.”

Six parents sued to remove the stickers saying the disclaimers violated the principle of the separation of church and state. A federal judge in January agreed and ordered the stickers removed.


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