January 10, 2003

Rhy Helro Miss GoRightwry!

"Rhy Helro Miss GoRightwry!" A gallery of Yellowface and Blackfaces in Hollywood at the Makeup Gallery. (via Sharpeworld) Despite efforts of the MANAA to reduce Asian stereotypes in media, there is a long history of white actors portraying asian roles (warning: really bitter commentary). When will there be enough outcry (or demand) for movies with asian roles that don't know kung-fu or are exotic hookers? Or are we satisfied with Charlie Chan, Fu Manchu, and Mr. Wong?
posted by Stan Chin at 9:24 PM PST - 23 comments

drop condoms, not bombs

An undeclared war on latex is apparently being waged by the Bush administration, which is taking all sorts of steps to avoid condoning their use. This is a patently ridiculous stance to take in the face of a global AIDS epidemic, but this interesting essay also raised my eyebrows:

According to figures in a report on condoms by Population Action International, the average man in Botswana gets less than one condom per year from international donors.

Uhhh...doesn't the idea of condoms as a staple of international relief seem a bit strange? Haven't governments around the world devoted any resources to their own public health? Surely donor-nations can't keep everyon else's penises safely sheathed forever.
posted by subpixel at 9:04 PM PST - 12 comments

Unofficial competition to redesign w3c.org

Unofficial competition to redesign w3c.org. In early December last year the w3c.org homepage released a redesign using XHTML and CSS. While everyone appreciated the cleaner use of markup the response was wholly underwhelming and most felt the design did a disservice to CSS.   ...hence the competition, duh.
posted by holloway at 8:20 PM PST - 9 comments

skeptic's annotated bible

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible includes the entire text of the King James Version of the Bible, but without the pro-Bible propaganda. Instead, passages are highlighted that are an embarrassment to the Bible-believer, and the parts of the Bible that are never read in any Church, Bible study group, or Sunday School class are emphasized. For it is these passages that test the claims of the Bible-believer. The contradictions and false prophesies show that the Bible is not inerrant; the cruelties, injustices, and insults to women, that it is neither good nor just.
posted by oliver_crunk at 8:09 PM PST - 94 comments

Globalization or Just Blarney?

Ireland rated the most globalized country in the world. After calculating a globalization index that measures foreign travel, foreign investment, international political engagement, and Internet usage, Foreign Policy magazine declared Ireland the most global nation in the world, primarily due to the developing software industry in that country. The findings also show that Saudi Arabia had the greatest decrease in the 2002-2003 globalization rankings than any other country on the index. If Saudi Arabia is as closed off from the rest of the world as this index suggests, what does this suggest about the current "war on terrorism"?
posted by jonp72 at 7:47 PM PST - 6 comments

Ebay Jetpack Sale: Only $1M!

The Future of Transportation: No automobiles polluting the environment... No need to seal the Earth in concrete... Just the joy of flight in your own jetpack! Okay, maybe I'm dreaming (a nightmare, actually, for the auto and oil industries...) But your own Personal Exoskeleton Flying Vehicle: Solo Trek XFV can now be had for a paltry $1M. Isn't this what we dreamed of as kids? (Like everything, the price is bound to drop as the technology gets cheaper. Mass production, etc... Wouldn't it be nice? *sigh*)
posted by Shane at 6:34 PM PST - 16 comments

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Cory Doctorow's first novel, "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" has been published. Although a first novel by a science-fiction writer coming out is always cool, this one is not only published in dead-tree format by a major publisher, it's available for free online under the Creative Commons license. Much whuffie to Cory.
posted by GriffX at 5:52 PM PST - 10 comments

even his elbow joint was worn smooth and flat

mcwane incorporated
"It is said that only the desperate seek work at Tyler Pipe..."
the new york times has a 3 part (part 1, 2 and 3 u:dolface1/pwd:dolface1) special report on mcwane inc., a private company that is one of the largest manufacturers of cast iron sewer and water pipes in the world. it's a horror story right out of the early days of the industrial revolution; amputations, burns, death by crushing, disregard for the law and sheer indifference for human life that upset me more than anything i've read in quite a while.
osha seems unable to do much, what other options are available to workers when their companies won't protect them?
(warning: it's a long and sometimes unpleasant read)
posted by dolface at 5:14 PM PST - 9 comments

The story of Soloman Linda and Wimoweh

The story of 'Wimoweh' 'Mbube' or more popularly 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. In which a Zulu migrante creates one of the most recorded songs of the twentieth century, but because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, failed to get any royalties and died a pauper. A contribution to the music copyright debate.
posted by feelinglistless at 3:27 PM PST - 14 comments

Flying Snake Movies

Flying Snake movies [quicktime] Love the top view of a flying snake making a dramatic mid-air turn. Or two. Here's a CNN story about the guy who filmed them. [via New World Disorder]
posted by mediareport at 3:07 PM PST - 7 comments

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