![]() |
|
Monday, October 30, 2006Transcript of "The Diamond Empire"A Frontline show from ten years ago about one of the biggest scams of all time.EDWARD EPSTEIN, Author, "The Rise and Fall of Diamonds": Well, what I learned was that the diamond business wasn't a business of extracting, as I originally expected, something of enormous value and then simply seeing how much of this object you could get out of the ground and selling it. That was what the business appeared to be when I started my venture. But their real business was restricting what came out of the ground, restricting what was discovered, restricting what got cut, restricting what actually found its way into the retail market and, at the same time, through movies, through advertising, through Hollywood, through the manipulation of perceptions, creating the idea that there was this enormous demand for these shiny little objects that they seemed to have in abundant supply. So I wound up on this voyage of discovery starting off with the idea that there was this object of great value, and it was just a question of how many could you get out, and I wound up discovering it was just the opposite.(via Monkeyfilter) Related: The Atlantic had a great article about DeBeers and diamonds several years back. The Hubble Deep Field: The Most Important Image Ever TakenIn 2003, the Hubble Space Telescope took the image of a millenium, an image that shows our place in the universe. Anyone who understands what this image represents, is forever changed by it.(via Geeks are Sexy) Hacking Video Poker MachinesAn excerpt from Kevin Mitnick's "The Art of Intrusion" about some hackers who reversed engineered video poker machines and figured out a flaw in the random number generators which enabled them to beat the house:We open it up, we take out the ROM, we figure out what processor it is. I had made a decision to get this Japanese machine that looked like a knockoff of one of the big brands. I just figured the engineers might have been working under more pressure, they might have been a little lazy or a little sloppy. List of Confidence TricksFrom Wikipedia:The Fiddle Game is a variation on the pigeon drop. A pair of con men work together, one going into an expensive restaurant in shabby clothes, eating, and claiming to have left his wallet at home, which is nearby. As collateral, the con man leaves his only worldly possession, the violin that provides his livelihood. After he leaves, the second con man swoops in, offers an outrageously large amount (for example, $50,000) for such a rare instrument, then looks at his watch and runs off to an appointment, leaving his card for the mark to call him when the fiddle-owner returns. The mark's greed comes into play when the "poor man" comes back, having gotten the money to pay for his meal and redeem his violin. The mark, thinking he has an offer on the table, then buys the violin from the fiddle player (who "reluctantly" sells it eventually for, say, $5,000). The result is the two con men are $5,000 richer (less the cost of the violin), and the mark is left with a cheap instrument. (This trick is also detailed in the Neil Gaiman novel American Gods and is the basis for The Streets' song Can't Con an Honest John.)(Thanks PVC) On This Day![]() On this day in 1938, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater Company broadcasted an updated version of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" causing panic amongst listeners who confused the show with real news bulletins: Many people missed or ignored the opening credits of the programme, and in the atmosphere of growing tension and anxiety in the days leading up to the Second World War, took it to be a news broadcast. Contemporary newspapers reported that panic ensued, with people fleeing the area, and others thinking they could smell the poison gas or could see the flashes of the fighting in the distance.You can listen to the broadcast here (direct link to mp3) or read the script here. Sunday, October 29, 2006Star Wars Screen TestsSF Signal found a YouTube user who has been posting Star Wars screen tests:I stumbled upon this Panopticist post of Robby Benson's Star Wars audition (he reads for the part of Luke along with a mostly off-camera Harrison Ford). This led me to the YouTube profile of its source, Ghyslain. (Not the Star-Wars-Kid Ghyslain, although that would somehow be poetic, wouldn't it?) Gyslain has collected a series of Star Wars audition videos.You can find the Youtube user's page here where he will be posting other ones in the future (I can't wait to see Kurt Russell's audition tape). Here are some of the clips he has up at the moment. Mark Hamill with Harrison Ford Actress/Singer Terri Nunn auditioning for the role of Princess Leia Lisa Eilbacher (who can't seem to memorize the lines. Although the writing is so bad that I can't really blame her) auditioning for the Princess Leia role. Robby Benson auditioning for the role of Luke Carrie Fisher Bush Moves Toward Martial Law"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier - just so long I'm the dictator." December 18, 2000, George W. BushIn a stealth maneuver, President Bush has signed into law a provision which, according to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), will actually encourage the President to declare federal martial law (1). It does so by revising the Insurrection Act, a set of laws that limits the President's ability to deploy troops within the United States. The Insurrection Act (10 U.S.C.331 -335) has historically, along with the Posse Comitatus Act (18 U.S.C.1385), helped to enforce strict prohibitions on military involvement in domestic law enforcement. With one cloaked swipe of his pen, Bush is seeking to undo those prohibitions. For the current President, "enforcement of the laws to restore public order" means to commandeer guardsmen from any state, over the objections of local governmental, military and local police entities; ship them off to another state; conscript them in a law enforcement mode; and set them loose against "disorderly" citizenry - protesters, possibly, or those who object to forced vaccinations and quarantines in the event of a bio-terror event. How Do Lightsticks Work?![]() From About.com: There are three components of a lightstick. There need to be two chemicals that interact to release energy and also a fluorescent dye to accept this energy and convert it into light. Although there is more than one recipe for a lightstick, a common commercial lightstick uses a solution of hydrogen peroxide that is kept separate from a solution of a phenyl oxalate ester together with a fluorescent dye. The color of the fluorescent dye is what determines the resulting color of the lightstick when the chemical solutions are mixed. The basic premise of the reaction is that the reaction between the two chemicals releases enough energy to excite the electrons in the fluorescent dye. This causes the electrons to jump to a higher energy level and then fall back down and release light. Friday, October 27, 2006The Dixie Chicks Ad NBC Doesn’t Want You To SeeFrom Think Progress:NBC is refusing to air an ad for the new Dixie Chicks documentary, "Shut Up & Sing." Variety reports, "NBC's commercial clearance department said in writing that it 'cannot accept these spots as they are disparaging to President Bush.'"The full 2 minute trailer is on YouTube: Doctor Slang and Medical AcronymsI'll select some random ones:45C - patient is one chromosome short of a full set (thick)(via Bifurcated Rivets) John Frum and Cargo Cults![]() I came across John Frum and Cargo Cults from Dawkins' "The God Delusion". In the morning heat on a tropical island halfway across the world from the United States, several dark-skinned men—clad in what look to be U.S. Army uniforms—appear on a mound overlooking a bamboo-hut village. One reverently carries Old Glory, precisely folded to reveal only the stars. On the command of a bearded "drill sergeant," the flag is raised on a pole hacked from a tall tree trunk. As the huge banner billows in the wind, hundreds of watching villagers clap and cheer. Chief Isaac Wan, a slight, bearded man in a blue suit and ceremonial sash, leads the uniformed men down to open ground in the middle of the village. Some 40 barefoot "G.I.'s" suddenly emerge from behind the huts to more cheering, marching in perfect step and ranks of two past Chief Isaac. They tote bamboo "rifles" on their shoulders, the scarlet tips sharpened to represent bloody bayonets, and sport the letters "USA," painted in red on their bare chests and backs. This is February 15, John Frum Day, on the remote island of Tanna in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. On this holiest of days, devotees have descended on the village of Lamakara from all over the island to honor a ghostly American messiah, John Frum. "John promised he'll bring planeloads and shiploads of cargo to us from America if we pray to him," a village elder tells me as he salutes the Stars and Stripes. "Radios, TVs, trucks, boats, watches, iceboxes, medicine, Coca-Cola and many other wonderful things." The island's John Frum movement is a classic example of what anthropologists have called a "cargo cult"—many of which sprang up in villages in the South Pacific during World War II, when hundreds of thousands of American troops poured into the islands from the skies and seas. As anthropologist Kirk Huffman, who spent 17 years in Vanuatu, explains: "You get cargo cults when the outside world, with all its material wealth, suddenly descends on remote, indigenous tribes." The locals don’t know where the foreigners’ endless supplies come from and so suspect they were summoned by magic, sent from the spirit world. To entice the Americans back after the war, islanders throughout the region constructed piers and carved airstrips from their fields. They prayed for ships and planes to once again come out of nowhere, bearing all kinds of treasures: jeeps and washing machines, radios and motorcycles, canned meat and candy.Related: Wikipedia's entry on John Frum Today's Religious NewsAustralian Muslim Cleric says uncovered women like "abandoned meat"SYDNEY - Women who do not cover up are similar to abandoned "meat" making them responsible for sexual attacks, a senior Islamic cleric has said. Jewish Symbolic Wall Raises Environmental Concerns: A group of Orthodox Jews in Los Angeles is trying to erect an eruv near a synagogue on Venice Beach’s boardwalk. An eruv is essentially a magic enclosure that allows Orthodox Jews to circumvent certain oppressive traditions within its confines. For instance, Jews are not allowed to perform some basic activities like pushing a stroller outside on the Shabbat, but slap together an eruv and you’re good to go. You can read more about eruvs here. Tax Loophole for Hummer H2sHmmmm"How is this possible?" Thorpe asks. "Thanks to the Bush administration's recent economic stimulus package, small businesses and the self-employed are eligible to deduct the entire purchase cost of new equipment up to $100,000 the year of the purchase." But these provisions are supposed to help farmers and small-business owners buy equipment to transport merchandise and haul stuff. No matter. "The Hummer H2 qualifies for this IRS Sec. 179 deduction by its gross vehicle weight of over 6,000 lbs. Cars and medium sized SUV's don't qualify for this deduction," Thorpe writes. "If you are seriously considering acquisition of a new vehicle, step up to the vehicle that can take you where you want to be, financially and otherwise..." Thursday, October 26, 2006HotlinkingHotlinking is when a website embeds an image from your site into theirs. Everytime somebody loads their page, the image is actually being loaded from your host making it bandwidth theft. The only positive thing about having your images hotlinked by other sites is that once you find out about it, you can change the name of the image and put up whatever you desire to be shown on their site.For example, when a christian site decides to steal bandwidth from me by hotlinking, I can do something like this: ![]() Any questions? R.I.P. Philip Kevin PaulsonFrom SignOnSanDiego.com:Philip Kevin Paulson, who fought a 17-year legal battle to remove the Mount Soledad cross from public property, died Wednesday of liver cancer. He was 59. Flower Urinals![]() A collection of images of urinals made to look like flowers. Definitely some cool sculptures. Make a Viagra Pill Costume![]() It's more like a Viagra helmet but whatever. Think you’re human Viagra? Or maybe you just want to express your devotion to the magic blue pill. Dress up as your favorite pharmaceutical this Halloween. We’ll show you how to make a costume that will really raise the dead and, needless to say, keep you up all night long.(via Bifurcated Rivets) Olberman on Limbaugh's Attack of Michael J. Fox![]() With video of Rush doing his Parkinson's impression. Or is he just high again? Wednesday, October 25, 2006Beware of Flying JewsNazi-era film warning citizens about tiny flying Jews squeezing into their books, plus some gigantic plaster heads. Rules for Handling the Qur'anFrom Dwindling in Unbelief:This is indeed a noble Qur'an ... Which none toucheth save the purified. -- Quran 56:77-79Luckily for me, I'm not a muslim so I can keep my arabic copy in it's resting place on the bathroom floor underneath the cat litter at the ready for bathroom reading. I don't mean it as a symbol of disrespect, I just keep all of my religious books there. Best Film Speeches and Monologues (Part 2)Filmsite.org has some of the best film speeches and monologues listed chronologically.(Thanks Sam Io) Gameboy Around the World![]() A Flickr set of a boy playing gameboy in various locations. (Thanks Marianna) Inside a MegachurchFrom BuffaloBeast.com:Before the festivities began, I took a seat next to an old woman who already had her checkbook splayed and pen in hand ; a bribe for Saint Peter no doubt. After a few torturous Christian power ballads, complete with Jefferson Airplane-era psychedelic imagery projected onto screens stretched above the stage, it was time for the sermon. Pastor Jerry Gillis, dressed in khakis and a green plaid shirt, took to the stage for an informal rap session. From the view of him on the big screens, I would have to say his head is nearly 15 feet wide: a truly great man. Armed with both a clip-on shirt microphone and redundant headset mic, Gillis delivered his hip-thirty-something-you-can-relate-to-me-because-I’m-sitting-cross-legged-on-a-stool anecdotes to the mixed crowd of gray-hairs and younger couples. He invoked the names of Jesus and Corey Hart with a relaxed vigor.(Thanks Americano) Twilight Zone Episode Finder![]() Helpful if you are looking for an episode of The Twilight Zone but only can remember a few details. 5 Great Movie Monologues![]() Very nice list. My favorite is ranked at #3 3. "I'll never put on a lifejacket again."(via Kottke) How Many of Me?HowManyofMe.com tells you how many other people in the U.S. share your name. There are 1,245 of me in the US but only 2 of my wife.(Thanks PVC) Africam![]() Nkorho Pan is brought to you by Africam.com, ranked as one of the top African wildlife sites on the web. We pioneered the live web cam industry in Africa back in 1998 when we broadcast live images from some of the wildest places on the continent. This was a world first and fast gained popularity world wide. Technology has moved on and we are proud to bring you the first of our live streaming cameras on the Africam Wildlife Channel. Tuesday, October 24, 2006Worst Halloween Costumes of All Time![]() From Retrocrush: When I was growing up, most of the kids in my neighborhood were fairly uncreative. Instead of thinking long and hard about what you wanted to be for Halloween, you'd run with your parent to the store at the last minute, and grab a prepackaged costume made by Ben Cooper or Collegeville of some famous character. Superheroes, Monsters, and Star Wars characters were usually the favorites, but every now and then you came across a few gems that really made you scratch your head. A Painful Doom for DisbelieversFrom Dwindling in Unbelief(My favorite new blog by the editor of the Skeptics Annotated Bible/Quran/Book of Mormon:For those of you who've never read the Quran, let me summarize it for you: Allah has prepared a painful doom for those who disbelieve what he revealed in the Quran to his prophet Muhammad (peanut butter and jelly be upon him).The variants include this gem of a verse: Those who believe not in the Hereafter, for them We have prepared a painful doom. 17:10 Enron ExplorerNow this is interesting:In October 2003 the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission placed 200,000 of Enron's internal emails from 1999-2002 into the public domain as part of its ongoing investigations. The archive offers an extraordinary window into the lives and preoccupations of Enron's top executives during a turbulent period. Read more about Enron's demise on Wikipedia.People in the 'comment' section have picked out the more interesting emails such as this one from CEO Jeff Skilling: From:Or this one from Enron Japan: Dear top management, We know how serious is the situation but please don't fire us now. Our families are waiting for a happy chrismas and new year!!(via Boing Boing) Update: The email above was from a fake Skilling. Boing Boing has more on that. Carl Sagan: 4 Billion Years of EvolutionThe late Dr Carl Sagan speaks about 4 billion years of evolution. Footage taken from the COSMOS series. Why Does Orange Juice Taste So Bad After Brushing Your Teeth?It's a question you may never have asked, but if you've ever brushed your teeth before you've had a glass of juice, you'll know why we had to seek professional advice. Olberman's Special Comment on Republican Fear Mongering![]() Crooks and Liars has the video and transcript: The dictionary definition of the word 'terrorize' is simple and not open to misinterpretation: "To fill or overpower with terror; terrify; coerce by intimidation or fear." Note please that the words 'violence' and 'death' are missing from that definition. For the key to terrorism is not the act-but the fear of the act. That is why bin Laden and his deputies and his imitators are forever putting together videotape statements and releasing virtual infomercials with dire threats and heart-stopping warnings. But why is the Republican Party imitating them? Bin Laden puts out what amounts to a commercial of fear; the Republicans put out what is unmistakable as a commercial of fear. The Republicans are paying to have the messages of bin Laden and the others broadcast into your home! Only the Republicans have a bigger bankroll.Update: YouTube has the clip also. Shuttle Launch Seen From ISS![]() From WarrenEllis.com: These images came to me via a string of friends-of-friends-of-friends: shots of a Space Shuttle launch as seen from the International Space Station. Dawkins: Why There Almost Certainly Is No GodFrom Yahoo News! Opinion:My scientific colleagues have additional reasons to declare emergency. Ignorant and absolutist attacks on stem cell research are just the tip of an iceberg. What we have here is nothing less than a global assault on rationality, and the Enlightenment values that inspired the founding of this first and greatest of secular republics. Science education - and hence the whole future of science in this country - is under threat. Temporarily beaten back in a Pennsylvania court, the 'breathtaking inanity' (Judge John Jones's immortal phrase) of 'intelligent design' continually flares up in local bush-fires. Dowsing them is a time-consuming but important responsibility, and scientists are finally being jolted out of their complacency. For years they quietly got on with their science, lamentably underestimating the creationists who, being neither competent nor interested in science, attended to the serious political business of subverting local school boards. Scientists, and intellectuals generally, are now waking up to the threat from the American Taliban. Monday, October 23, 2006Bush Uses 'the Google'![]() Click here to see the video of Bush describing how he uses "the Google" on the internets. HOST: I'm curious, have you ever googled anybody? Do you use Google? Neighboroo![]() What is a Neighboroo? America May Penalise Iraq If It Fails To Stop the ViolenceFrom the Telegraph:President George W Bush met his top generals to discuss the deteriorating situation in Iraq as it was reported that America is considering punishing Baghdad if it fails to meet deadlines to stop the violence.(via What Really Happened) Winning a Marathon on Your AssRobert Cheruiyot held off fellow Kenyan Daniel Njenga to win the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, taken from the course in a wheelchair after slipping and banging his head near the finish line.(Thanks Marlea) Pi in Color![]() Each of the 10 possible decimals of the number pi is displayed by a distinct colored pixel. 20 Worst Video Games of All Time![]() ![]() E.T. for the 2600 grabs the coveted #1 spot: This game was so bad it actually destroyed the life of the Atari 2600. The Atari 2600 had a game where General Custer raped Indians tied to cactuses, and THAT couldn't kill the system. Here's how E.T. did it: most of the gameplay was E.T. trying to escape from scientists and jumping into pits to find parts of his telephone. Once you were in a pit, that's when the fun began. If there was no chunk of telephone in the pit, which was only the case in 97% of them, you could leave by stretching out ET's neck until he slowly, SLOWLY floated up. This was the most satisfying part of the game since it looked like an invisible monster was trying to tear his head off. Cat's Tongue![]() A close-up shot of a cat's tongue won first place in Digital Camera's Photographer of the Year. Republican to put More Books in Classrooms![]() Unfortunately it's for self-defense purposes only. Be sure to watch the video of him shooting books with various firearms. (Usually republicans try to ban science books but this is the first time I've seen them put a cap in a Calc book with an AK-47) Bill Crozier, a Union City Republican going against incumbent Democrat Sandy Garrett, said he believes old textbooks could be used to stop bullets shot from weapons wielded by school intruders. Sunday, October 22, 2006Make a Cylon Jack-O-Lantern![]() For halloween this year, we made Cylon Jack-o-lanterns in both large and small versions. The design consists of two parts, a pumpkin-carving part and an electronics part. The big idea, of course, is to make the Cylon's red eye scan back and forth. Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year![]() Held annually, the competition aims to find the best wildlife pictures taken by photographers worldwide of all ages. Browse all the winning, runner up and highly commended images from the 2006 competition.(via Monkeyfilter) Lego Flamethrower![]() LEGO builder Mark Puustinen created this nifty flamethrower that "works by winding a little round knob which pulls the string which pulls the lever which pushes the bottle of butane against a holder with a hole from which butane shoots out from."(via Linkfilter) Seven Ways to Light a Fire Without a Match![]() From Field and Stream. I think I've seen them try just about all these methods on Survivor without starting a fire. Friday, October 20, 2006Bill Clinton for Veep?From the Washington Post:A subsequent sampling of opinion from professors of constitutional law, former White House lawyers and even a couple of federal judges reveals a simmering disagreement on whether a president who has already served two terms can be vice president. Some agree with the conclusion that the presidential term limit embedded in the Constitution bars someone such as Clinton from returning to the White House even in the No. 2 slot. Others, though, call that a misreading of the literal language of the law. Top US general says Rumsfeld is inspired by GodFrom Yahoo! News:MIAMI (AFP) - The top US general defended the leadership of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, saying it is inspired by God.(via NoGodBlog) War of the Words![]() A five part mockumentary using the look and feel of Ken Burns' "The Civil War" about the 101 Fighting Keyboarders (bloggers who were on the front line calling for war putting themselves in grave risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. They pass out purple hearts for that right?) This might be the most spectacular piece of mockery ever done. Superb! (via Metafilter) Part one is on YouTube: Monkey Portraits![]() A gallery of monkey portraits. And it's not even Monkey Tuesday. (via WFMU's Beware of the Blog) Thursday, October 19, 2006Olberman's Special Comment: Death of Habeas Corpus: “Your words are lies, Sir.”![]() Crooks and Liars has the video and transcript. Therefore, tonight, have we truly become, the inheritors of our American legacy. For, on this first full day that the Military Commissions Act is in force, we now face what our ancestors faced, at other times of exaggerated crisis and melodramatic fear-mongering:Update: The video is up on YouTube for those who don't feel like downloading it from CnL. Stingray leaps into boat, stabs man in chestIt's war now!!MIAMI, Florida (Reuters) -- A leaping stingray stabbed an 81-year-old Florida boater in the chest, authorities said Wednesday, leaving its poisonous stinger lodged close to his heart in an incident recalling the one that killed Australian TV naturalist Steve Irwin last month. 52 Year Old Soldier Killed in IraqFrom KATU.com:VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - A Vancouver soldier is one of ten killed this week by a roadside bomb in Iraq.(via Whiskey Bar) Can You Tell a Sunni From a Shiite?From the NY Times:A few weeks ago, I took the F.B.I.’s temperature again. At the end of a long interview, I asked Willie Hulon, chief of the bureau’s new national security branch, whether he thought that it was important for a man in his position to know the difference between Sunnis and Shiites. “Yes, sure, it’s right to know the difference,” he said. “It’s important to know who your targets are.” Senate Voting Record for the Military Commissions Act of 2006In case you are curious as to how the vote went.Summary: Sidesteps the Supreme Court's 2006 Hamdan v. Rumsfeld opinion that found the Administration's plans to hold military tribunals were unconstitutional. Gives Congress's OK to deny U.S. noncitizen detainees the writ of habeas corpus and to use coerced testimony and hearsay evidence against the defendant. Gives the President the power to name U.S. citizens and legal U.S. residents "unlawful enemy combatants." An Essay on Oedipus![]() I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this is fake. Funny, but fake. (via reddit) Wednesday, October 18, 2006The 10 Most Polluted PlacesRanked alphabetically. Here are the top three.Linfen, China, where residents say they literally choke on coal dust in the evenings, exemplifies many Chinese cities; Rick Santorum Compares Iraq to LOTR I no longer can tell the difference between an Onion article and the real thing. LEVITTOWN - Embattled U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum said America has avoided a second terrorist attack for five years because the "Eye of Mordor" has instead been drawn to Iraq. Muslim Phamacist Denies Morning-After PillFrom the Telegraph:A Muslim chemist repeatedly refused a mother the "morning after" pill because of his religious beliefs.(via Religious Freaks) Related: Christian Science Pharmacist Refuses to Fill Any Prescription. ![]() Bush's Approval Rating By StateFour states have his approval rating at or above 50%.(via Oliver Willis) Impersonating a College StudentFrom HoustonPress.comLast October a group of new Rice University students went to Six Flags AstroWorld. Among them was David Jovani Vanegas, a sophomore transfer student from UT. No one knew him too well since he lived off campus, but he was friendly. When the group got lost between the Light Rail and the park entrance, Vanegas hung around. He was a political science major, he told his new friends. He mentioned he was really glad he got into Rice.(via The Museum of Hoaxes) Tuesday, October 17, 2006Odd Watches![]() A gallery of strange watches. I actually like the one pictured above: This highly complex instrument indicates the position of the sun, the moon and the stars in the sky at any given hour as seen from our Earth. It also indicates the sunrise and sunset, dawn and dusk, moonphases, moonrise and moonset, eclipses of the sun and moon, the month , the day and the date. I’m Not a Look-a-like![]() Interesting project by photographer Francois Brunelle. A collection of photographic portraits of North American and European look-alikes. Each photo features two look-alikes, who are not related, side by side. America's Dumbest Congressmen![]() Radar ranks the 10 biggest fools on the Hill. Guess who is #1? 1.Representative Katherine Harris (R-FL) Why We Still FightBy William S. Lind:At least 32 American troops have been killed in Iraq this month. Approximately 300 have been wounded. The “battle for Baghdad” is going nowhere. A Marine friend just back from Ramadi said to me, “It didn’t get any better while I was there, and it’s not going to get better.” Virtually everyone in Washington, except the people in the White House, knows that is true for all of Iraq.(Thanks PVC) Monday, October 16, 2006The Children's CrusadeAlso from Wikipedia:The long-standing view of the Children's Crusade is some version of events with similar themes. A boy began preaching in either France or Germany claiming that he had been visited by Jesus and told to lead the next Crusade. Through a series of supposed portents and miracles he gained a considerable following, including possibly as many as 20,000 children. He led his followers southwards towards the Mediterranean Sea, where it is said he believed that the sea would part when he arrived, so that he and his followers could march to Jerusalem, but this did not happen. Two merchants gave passage on seven boats to as many of the children as would fit. The children were either taken to Tunisia and sold into slavery, or died in a shipwreck on the island of San Pietro (off Sardinia) during a gale. In some accounts they never reached the sea before dying or giving up from starvation and exhaustion. Scholarship has shown this long-standing view to be more legend than fact. The Russell TribunalFrom Wikipedia:The Russell Tribunal was a public international body organized by British philosopher and pacifist Bertrand Russell, along with Ken Coates and several others. It was designed to investigate and publicize war crimes and conduct of the American forces and its allies during the Vietnam War. The tribunal was constituted in November, 1966 and conducted over two sessions in 1967 in Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark. It gained significant international attention, but was largely ignored in the US, where many considered it an ineffectual, biased show trial. Church of All WorldsA religion based on Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land.In 1962 CAW evolved from a group of friends and lovers who were in part inspired by the science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. This book suggested a spiritual and social way of life and was a metaphor expressing the awakening social consciousness of the times. Inspired by this awakening of consciousness and Heinlein's book, this group grew, evolved, became "water-kin" and created a religious organization that was recognized as a church by the federal government of the United States on June 18, 1970. They named this religious organization the Church of All Worlds after the church founded by the protagonist Valintine Smith in the book. Oops![]() Steve Wynn accidentally put his elbow through a painting (Picasso's "Le Rêve") he had just sold for $139 million dollars. The guests came at five-thirty, and Wynn ushered them in. On the wall to his left and right were several paintings, including a Matisse, a Renoir, and “Le Rêve.” The other three walls were glass, looking out onto an enclosed garden. He began to tell the story of the Picasso’s provenance. As he talked, he had his back to the picture. He was wearing jeans and a golf shirt. Wynn suffers from an eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa, which affects his peripheral vision and therefore, occasionally, his interaction with proximate objects, and, without realizing it, he backed up a step or two as he talked. “So then I made a gesture with my right hand,” Wynn said, “and my right elbow hit the picture. It punctured the picture.” There was a distinct ripping sound. Wynn turned around and saw, on Marie-Thérèse Walter’s left forearm, in the lower-right quadrant of the painting, “a slight puncture, a two-inch tear. We all just stopped. I said, ‘I can’t believe I just did that. Oh, shit. Oh, man.’ ”(via Kottke) Earth's 'Second Moon'![]() Earth has a "second moon." Asteroid 2003 YN107 is looping around our planet once a year.You can go here to check out a simulation of the orbit. Worst Halloween Costume Ever![]() Child Toilet costume is a very funny kids Halloween costume. A Child toilet costume is also perfect for every potty mouth kid. Use as a modern day Dunce cap. Young boys love this silly Toilet bowl Halloween costume.(via del.icio.us/wcitymike) Roomba With Animatronic Chimp HeadOtherwise known as the best vacuum cleaner ever. (via del.icio.us/revgeorge) Christian Right Propaganda Posters![]() ![]() A great satirical gallery of christian right beliefs as propaganda posters. For that reason I have created propaganda posters which promote some of the beliefs of the Christian Right. The intention is satirical, not sympathetic, but even so I believe that both the images and the words accurately reflect what some on the Christian Right belief and advocate. The original posters were produced as government propaganda, mostly during the first and second world wars. Deep Fried Computer![]() I had recently read a few articles on submersion cooling, where you take your computer and dump it into a tub of non-electrically-conductive oil. It seemed to work really well, and was cheap. So I saw it as a type of poor man's water-cooling...(via Geekpress) Saturday, October 14, 2006Name Origions of Rock BandsInteresting.BEASTIE BOYS - According to Michael Diamond, BEASTIE stands for Boys Entering Anarchistic Stages Towards Internal Excellence.(Thanks Marianna) |