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A Company By Any Other Name Would Smell Just As Foul: A pool-cleaning company called Poolife; an Internet terminal firm called NetPecker. With all the stupid rebranding now going on, it's a pity more attention isn't paid to companies in the politically incorrect but delightful funny names game. [Poolife and NetPecker courtesy of Bifurcated Rivets.]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:18 PM PST - 28 comments

Mobs move into 'Sims Online' power vacuum: "An underground group known as the Sims Shadow Government has taken over the fantasy world that is 'The Sims Online,' meting out mob justice." I don't play the Sims Online, but I'm curious: Has anyone on Mefi run into this phenomenon while playing the game?
posted by eclectica at 10:05 PM PST - 29 comments

Video of Nasa's Delta II rocket launch (RealVideo) The camera was mounted on the rocket facing down towards earth and the resulting footage is amazing. There's a Windows Media version at MSNBC.
posted by stevengarrity at 7:41 PM PST - 21 comments

The official String Theory website. Fo' all your supa string needs.
posted by slipperywhenwet at 7:16 PM PST - 11 comments

Oh my. Is this performance art? A political statement? An in your face variation on cosplay? Meet the very not-safe-for-work Rati. Is this a contemporary nod to tradition? Does it rise to the same level as another popular theme in art? Weigh in on Rati!
posted by madamjujujive at 6:22 PM PST - 12 comments

America today - a nation overrun by Ethiopian immigrants. Can nothing stop them?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 4:58 PM PST - 11 comments

polylog: Forum for Intercultural Philosophy. "polylog seeks... an intercultural dialogue among philosophers as well as other interested scholars and members of society – in a philosophical polylogue. The project pursues this aim by providing a virtual platform for the world-wide discussion of topics in intercultural philosophy. Intercultural philosophy is not thereby intended as a new theory, discipline, or school to be established. Rather, the diversity of intentions and approaches should be met with the greatest possible openness as well as academic seriousness – as much as possible in the appropriate form and manner." There are a lot of great articles on this site. [Via wood s lot, which linked to Toward a Buddhist Vision of Social Justice, a comparison of Buddhism and the philosophy of John Rawls.]
posted by homunculus at 4:10 PM PST - 3 comments

In the aisle by the chill cabinets, no-one can hear you scream.
posted by dg at 3:59 PM PST - 9 comments

At first, it appeared that the effort to begin a public probe into the manipulation of intelligence that formed the foundation of the case for the Iraq war was shaking out as bipartisan, with John Warner, and eventually John McCain on board. Each day we would hear of another Senator or Representative pushing harder for an open review of exactly who pulled which string. It only took a few minutes this morning for all of that momentum to cease to exist. ...
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 3:11 PM PST - 28 comments

The Coral Calcium scam. Coral Calcium products are on fire right now, with infomercials and brochures claiming that the miracle supplements can cure everything from fatigue to cancer. Of course there is no scientific evidence supporting any of these claims and one of the two men featured in the infomercials is a convicted felon named Kevin Trudeau. New FTC actions are ongoing and The Mayo Clinic has just sent out a letter to patients warning that the broad range of benefits claimed by those marketing some Coral Calcium products are simply too good to be true and that if the calcium indeed comes form the Okinawa area as claimed, it could be contaminated with lead.
posted by bargle at 2:02 PM PST - 15 comments

The life of an Israeli paramedic. "The worst thing in the terror attacks, in my point of view, is to see young babies, who have done no harm," he said. "If they are alive, shouting, burns all over their body. They are experiencing pain, very big pain. There is no stronger pain than having burns."
posted by darren at 1:22 PM PST - 79 comments

Hilary Clinton is a liar. "'Living History' is a 562-page book. A work of that length would take an average writer perhaps four years to produce; a highly proficient writer might finish in two years, if working on nothing else. Clinton signed the contract to 'write' the book about two years ago. About the same time, she also was sworn in as a member of the United States Senate. ... So in the last two years Clinton has either been neglecting her duties as a United States Senator -- that is, violating her oath -- or she is claiming authorship of someone else's work." Such is the wisdom of Gregg Easterbrook, ESPN Page 2's Tuesday Morning Quarterback. The columns, during football season, combine incisive pigskin analysis with haiku, political commentary and -- ahem -- cheesecake photos.
posted by krewson at 12:00 PM PST - 68 comments

For the lazy troll in your life: Curses, Flames, Shakespearian Insults and more. Ready to copy/paste into your flamefest of choice.
posted by fjom at 10:53 AM PST - 9 comments

Jerry Springer is running for Senate. It looks like all our campaigns will now be powered by blogging.
posted by owillis at 10:31 AM PST - 22 comments

"Our nation can no more survive as half democracy and half oligarchy than it could survive 'half slave and half free'" (alternative non-PDF link). "Understanding the real interests and deep opinions of the American people is the first thing. And what are those? That a Social Security card is not a private portfolio statement but a membership ticket in a society where we all contribute to a common treasury so that none need face the indignities of poverty in old age without that help. That tax evasion is not a form of conserving investment capital but a brazen abandonment of responsibility to the country. That income inequality is not a sign of freedom-of-opportunity at work, because if it persists and grows, then unless you believe that some people are naturally born to ride and some to wear saddles, it's a sign that opportunity is less than equal. That self-interest is a great motivator for production and progress, but is amoral unless contained within the framework of community. That the rich have the right to buy more cars than anyone else, more homes, vacations, gadgets and gizmos, but they do not have the right to buy more democracy than anyone else."
Bill Moyers "tends the flame of democracy."
posted by fold_and_mutilate at 10:21 AM PST - 75 comments

BlairHornstineFilter: everyone's favorite teen litigant strikes again. After winning solo valedictorian status in court, Blair will be skipping the graduation ceremony to avoid the "backlash" against her. Dang. (via ObscureStore)
posted by serafinapekkala at 10:04 AM PST - 44 comments

Unbrand America
In the coming months a black spot will pop up everywhere...on store windows and newspaper boxes, on gas pumps and supermarket shelves. Open a magazine or newspaper - it's there. It's on TV. It stains the logos and smears the nerve centers of the world's biggest corporations.
posted by mapalm at 9:37 AM PST - 115 comments

Hilary Rodham Clinton Lets It All In: I couldn’t speak. I could hardly breathe. I was gulping for air. I couldn’t take it any more. There was only one thing left to do. I took it out of my mouth and bundled it back in his pants. A parody by Craig Brown, the man who dared follow in Auberon Waugh's steps, from Private Eye.
posted by Carlos Quevedo at 8:10 AM PST - 17 comments

Michael Savage claims that his listeners can't tell the difference between michaelsavage.com (the link didn't work? oops!) and savagestupidity.com, apparently not aware that in these days of cybersquatting, it pays to NOT pick you AKA from the dictionary.

And while on the subject, let it be known that he who now calls homosexual "perverts" was once on "dear" terms with Allen Ginsberg
posted by magullo at 7:58 AM PST - 21 comments

Everything you ever wanted to know about telephones. Really. I went to the list of History of the Telephone links first.
posted by carter at 6:08 AM PST - 4 comments

Take one flag. Add black marker pen. Instant Harmony! Does multicultural Britain need a flag makeover? Does this set a multi-colour precedent? Rainbow's taken isn't it? Is it maybe a plot by smaller flag makers to undermine market leaders? And what about Wales?
posted by klaatu at 5:24 AM PST - 30 comments

Turner Worldwide. The Tate's new online Turner project brings together works from over 100 collections, including about 500 previously 'lost' pieces.
posted by monkey closet at 4:46 AM PST - 5 comments