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Monsoon Dawn, Roden Crater

I've always wanted to make light something that you treasure. Not just light reflected in glass, or in a scrim, or on the surface of some object. But light objectified. We generally use it to illuminate other things. But I wanted to force people to pay attention to the thingness and revelation of light. This is a place that will do that.
James Turrell [more inside]
posted by y2karl at 11:53 PM PST - 14 comments

The Kids Are Alright, A Documentary (Warning ~60 MB Quicktime download. Worth it.) A bit of strange luck led me to this documentary, in which several teenagers discuss frankly and openly what it's like to be a queer kid in North Carolina. Contrast and compare their experiences with that of 14 year old Thomas McLaughlin in Arkansas. I wonder what Aaron Fricke would think about the last 20-odd years.
posted by WolfDaddy at 11:43 PM PST - 2 comments

Songkran or in other words, Thai New Year. It is celebrated in style with a nationwide, week-long waterfight, amongst other things. The main event is on the 13th, but it seems to have started in earnest about 3 days ago.
posted by johnny novak at 11:17 PM PST - 3 comments

Michael Moore update. Judging from this column he is still alive. and is thriving after his Oscar rant. Bowling for Columbine and his book Stupid White Men continue to break new records.
posted by thedailygrowl at 11:02 PM PST - 55 comments

The culture of a society, is largely invisable to it's inhabitants. While the bigger things in our own cultures are easily identifiable, such as food, customs and religion. More unique things like hitting a statue or a picture of Saddam with a shoe, are not. Symbolism is usually subtle and can easily be missed or misinterpreted by people from other cultures. This is a great article from BBC WORLD NEWS which explains some of the symbolism we're seeing in the Iraqi gatherings.
posted by Civa at 9:10 PM PST - 2 comments

Call the Clone Doctor! In the June issue of Reproductive BioMedicine Online Panayiotis Zavos announced a group has produced "the first human cloned embryo for reproductive purposes". He is leaving his position as professor of animal sciences in the agriculture department of the University of Kentucky (USA) to join the organization responsible for the embryo. He's no johnny-come-lately -- he stated his plans last year.
posted by ?! at 8:36 PM PST - 6 comments

Straw Bale Housing. An an energy efficient, alternative architecture.
posted by The Jesse Helms at 8:18 PM PST - 24 comments

Bootleg Betty: even though there's a weblog about pretty much anything these days, it was still a surprise to see a weblog entirely about Bette Midler. [via Syndic8.com]
posted by sillygwailo at 6:35 PM PST - 1 comments

photos from mid-america | a reminder of what i like about the ol' usa [via newstoday]
posted by specialk420 at 6:24 PM PST - 11 comments

Wait A Minute! Where's That Great Movie I Saw In The Trailer? I'm not in this world to live up to your expectations and you're not in this world to live up to mine, said Bruce Lee. Still, expectations and anticipation are an integral part of cinephilia and the fun of watching movies in general. For a lot of us, Tarantino's Kill Bill is by far the most expected movie of 2003. [The trailer and the screenplay reviews, whether enthusiastic or not, lead one to expect a sword-swallowing, fire-breathing mix of "Enter The Dragon", "Slouching Tiger, Creeping Dragon" and "Charlie's Dragon Angels". So - will it be up to Tarantino's best? I venture to say oh yes.]
And if you're not a rabid Tarrantino fan, which upcoming film(s) are you most eager to see, from now until 2006?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:21 PM PST - 57 comments

Saddam sightings. SARS sightings. It's just like Elvis, right? But why use the tired "Elvis sighting" cliche (and trivialize his memory) when you could use Lord Lucan instead? Like this example from the BBC: [scroll to the Baghdad :: Andrew Gilligan :: 1016GMT entry]. Saddam Hussein has already been spotted in more places than Lord Lucan. He's been in the Russian embassy, he's been in the mosque this morning, he's alleged to be on a convoy to Syria - no doubt he'll soon be found on a sofa in Huddersfield.
posted by TheManWhoKnowsMostThings at 5:54 PM PST - 4 comments

iraqwar.ru
posted by crunchland at 4:03 PM PST - 23 comments

Iraqui currency hot on the 'bay Start your bids, folks.Wired is reporting a boost in auctions for Iraqui currency that contains images of its current leader.
posted by psycht at 3:01 PM PST - 6 comments

Snakeman Steve. Get the jump on Friday!
posted by srboisvert at 2:39 PM PST - 4 comments

This personal ad validates what I've always suspected about life, dating, and everything.
posted by goethean at 2:37 PM PST - 25 comments

Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, Iraq's ceaselessly optomistic information minister, has gone missing. Until he turns up, relive some of his choicest quotes.
posted by zedzebedia at 2:32 PM PST - 26 comments

Axing Foreign Acts — Now that immigration control falls under the rubric of Homeland Security [+ | +], ticket sales should pick up for Broadway shows: foreign culture exchange is on the wane down the drain, says the Voice's Don Mattingly this week. Students, too. Bureacratic transition pains or police-state policy? More info? Paranoid surmises?
posted by hairyeyeball at 12:39 PM PST - 6 comments

Asianart.com is a great site which I've been enjoying lately. The online exhibitions are lovely and the articles are fascinating. They also link to several private galleries. If you like Asian art, spend some time here. [Via plep, who linked to Wood and Transience recently.]
posted by homunculus at 11:59 AM PST - 6 comments

Hymen and the back seat of your father's car not included It’s requirement for ladies who looses their virginity (virgin size) usually after delivery and some cases before also and slowly both partner looses interest in each other without knowing the cause, this Virgin cream gives you complete youthfulness and bring back virginity (virgin size) to its original shape. Your partner starts taking interest in you, which you might have not experienced before.
posted by orange swan at 10:24 AM PST - 55 comments

Singaporeans under government home quarantine orders due to close contact with SARS patients will have electronic cameras installed into their homes. "These people will then be called at random intervals and asked to stand in front of the camera to show they are home. Anyone found breaking quarantine will be served a warning letter and given an electronic wrist tag."
posted by plenty at 9:49 AM PST - 24 comments

Multi Genre Star Ship Comparison? "This site is intended to allow science fiction fans to get an impression of the true scale of their favorite science fiction spacecraft by being able to campare ships accross genres, as well as being able to compare them with contemporary objects with which they are probably familiar." Someone has spare time...
posted by Spoon at 9:21 AM PST - 25 comments

Bush and Blair broadcast direct to the Iraqis. Freedom TV will bring the truth (?) to the Iraqis for the first time. I'd like to see a transcript.
posted by Summer at 8:58 AM PST - 24 comments

Whether she is called a geisha, a courtesan, a prostitute, or a dominatrix, women who make their living by offering intimate, one-on-one companionship to men (sexually or otherwise- as is more often the case) have been around since day one. Often reviled, marginalized, and belittled, are they truly the hapless victims and social parasites they are often portrayed as? Or is this sort of profession really one of the few areas where an intelligent woman can achieve financial security and prosperity, even in a patriarchal society? (note: I am well aware that sex is not normally part of the deal with geishas and dommes. However, they are frequently lumped in this category.)
posted by evilcupcakes at 8:55 AM PST - 50 comments

Spoils of War This op-ed piece in The New York Times (free reg req'd) follows the path of money into who is getting what now that the reconstruction phase is about to begin. Might have called this piece: More than Oil.
posted by Postroad at 7:56 AM PST - 20 comments

Sony is attempting to trademark the term "Shock and Awe" for a computer game. having scored a hit with its original PlayStation game, Conflict: Desert Storm. It is among a swarm of companies scrambling to commercially exploit the war in Iraq (which has killed thousands of civilians and soldiers on both sides).
posted by MintSauce at 5:53 AM PST - 51 comments

The Queen of the Skies retires Undoubtedly the most elegant plane out there, Concorde is being put into retirement, some say too early. She flies over my office every morning and it's a beautiful sight. I feel very sad - is it normal to miss a machine?
posted by jontyjago at 1:45 AM PST - 38 comments