July 4, 2006
Stroke gives woman foreign accent
UK stroke victim wakes up with a Jamaican accent Linda Walker has apparently developed foreign accents after waking up following a stroke.
A reappraisal of that guy in Grant's Tomb
President Ulysses S. Grant: Civil Rights Hero. A reappraisal of a president considered ineffective and mired in scandal.
Slow news day.
Canadian PM Stephen Harper expressed his "disgust" over the Canada Day incident. Royal Canadian Legion spokesperson Bill Butt described it as “abhorrent” and “vile,” and demanded increased security. Ottawa police described the case as a priority. If only we had some sort of fence, or corral, to prevent this sort of disaster. The virtual manhunt has begun, but we need your help: have you seen this man?
Freedom means a lot of things
Santa Cruz's 2nd Annual Old Time American Flag Burn at Seabright Beach. Every holiday has its dissenters, or people who want to make a point. Some call it a celebration. Others, I'm sure, would call it something else.
scifilter
Man comes out of coma (or minimally conscious state) after 20 years. Apparently his brain grew entirely new structures not found in normal brains.
Pyro Boy
Don't try this at home.
Pyro Boy wraps himself in pyrotechnics and ignites them so you don't have to. Happy 4th.
Pyro Boy wraps himself in pyrotechnics and ignites them so you don't have to. Happy 4th.
ph'nglui mglw"nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn"
"When the stars are right, R'lyeh will rise from the sea, never to sink again, and Cthulhu will awaken and revel across the world... ravening for delight." This must undoubtedly be Russian President Vladimir Putin's answer when (or indeed, if) he is asked, among other things, what he thinks about the re-awakening of Cthulhu. On July 6, Mr Putin will respond via the Internet in his first-ever webcast to some of the questions posted through the BBC Online and Yandex sites, where queries can also be voted on, as part of a Kremlin media charm offensive ahead of the G8 Summit in Saint Petersburg on July 15-17. Some of the most popular questions being put by Russian web surfers to their President so far include; when he lost his virginity, when he will legalise marijuana and, as previously mentioned, when a giant fictional octopus sleeping at the bottom of the ocean will awaken. Oh, and why he kissed a young boy on the stomach. Not that any of that matters in comparison to the awesome power of Cthulu!
Aren't we supposed to be celebrating "freedom" today?
" 'How is it,' asked Samuel Johnson, 'that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of negroes?' The British author was only one of many Europeans who thought it strange that a nation run by slave owners should be so noisily demanding its own freedom."
Abs of blubber
Walrus situps. Some July 4th entertainment (with bonus rocky music!).
Discovery flies!
Rocket's red glare! STS-121 lifts of successfully on the Forth of July, on a mission to deliver equipment, supplies and an additional crewmember to the International Space Station. Said Wayne Hail, Shuttle Program Manager, "Great nations dare great things and take risks along the way, and I can think of no better way to explore the space frontier than the way we set out today." Photos - Videos
The Astrological Origins of the Old and New Testaments
"The Naked Truth" This Google Video is a documentary (pack a lunch, it's nearly two hours long) that systematically eviscerates the purported origins of the Old and New Testaments. Turns out, it's really all about astrology. Who knew?
The evidence is tremendously compelling, well documented, and sure to raise the ire of people whose minds are made up on the subject.
On this day, how do the Brits feel about America?
Anti-Americanism So, on this July 4th, how do the British feel about America? A yougov poll from 2 July found that most Brits have great doubts about the USA. The Daily Telegraph, a conservative newspaper reported the poll and in its leader told them off saying "Hate America, Hate Mankind." Forbes thinks it is all envy while this German thinks it's lonely at the top...
The astronomical clock of Besancon
The astronomical clock in the French city of Besancon is quite a mechanical marvel. Built in 1860, its inner workings are comprised of more than 30,000 interoperating pieces, driving 37 separate clockface gauges. It is one of the finest intersections between art & mechanics that I've ever come across.
Kim Jong-"Licensed to"-il; fireworks in the sky
Newsfilter: North Korea tests at least two smaller missiles, and one long-range which was unsuccessful, failing in flight. Bush says last week: "Should they launch a missile, that will cause various -- we would apply various pressures. ... I believe it is best that I do not discuss what specific pressures we were talking about."
Piranesi, etc.
The Works of Giovanni Battista Piranesi: high-resolution scans of all of Piranesi’s etchings. Also, the plates from Les Ruines De Pompei by François Mazois (1812-38), and, the complete 9-volume Le Antichità di Ercolano Esposte (The Antiquities discovered in Herculaneum) published in Naples from 1755-62. Also, at the same site (UT-PICURE: the Center for Research on Pictorial Cultural Resources, at The University of Tokyo), images from the Stibbert Collection of Japanese costume.
the making of peg
Oooh, Now *THIS* is my flavor of Patriotism
In early 1777 Gen Burgoyne assumes command of the northern Redcoat column marching from Canada. On June 20, 1777 he issues his infamous Proclamation of how & why he's coming down to kick Rebel behind. History records one unknown patriot's snark-filled reply that July. By October, Burgoyne's flying column is bottled up and defeated at Saratoga. Here ends the history lesson. Have a great 4th, peeps.
DeLorean out of gas? Try the Toronto Archives....
From Muddy York to the Toronto of today.... My search to discover the exact age of the house I recently bought led me to the fabulous Toronto Archives. Even if you don't have the good fortune to live in Toronto and so have the ability to visit the Archives to take a free tour and check out their massive holdings, they have a whack of stuff on line. Of their million photographs dating back to 1856, over 21,000 are online. Check out some of their virtual exhibits. I couldn't begin to give you an overview of the site or even the best of its many gems, but check out Chinatown's VE day victory parade, Bay and Wellington as it was after a huge fire in 1904, old advertisements, letters and postcards (including some from the disenchanted), snapshots of a, er, less politically sensitive time (thanks, Capn!), and — inevitably! — hockey artifacts. A friend of mine makes a hobby of Toronto's history, and after this search of mine, I better understand her interest. It’s fascinating to see what lies beneath the layers of time on a surface so familiar and loved.
Before or after you head out to the beach
Look, just take some time and read the Declaration of Independence and The Bill of Rights at the very least. Got sometime? Try the Articles of Confederation. Or the Constitution. Still with us? Then go hog wild.
Imagining the Tenth Dimension
Imagining the Tenth Dimension (Flash). 10th dimensional physics and string theory don't get any easier than this.
Good Grief Charlie Brown
Its a rare 1962 Peanuts album recording from Charles Schulz. The first Peanuts comic strip was originally printed on October 2nd, 1950 and in 1962 Charles Shulz wrote an entire album featuring the gang released by Columbia Records. In 1965, he moved into TV with the brilliant Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Nearly 50 TV specials have been made since, but lately with the help of media sharing portals like Youtube, The Gang has gotten several NSFW remakes (youtube filter)
The bourse is the source, of course, of course
Iran is the next target of the U.S. because of the establishment of the Iranian Oil Bourse, which would trade in Euros, not dollars.
No, it isn't.
Yeah, it probably is.
No, seriously, it's not. (Yeah, really though, it is)
Ok, maybe it is, maybe it isn't either way the odds were running 50/50 we'd bomb Iran by the end of the year. (previously - here)
No, it isn't.
Yeah, it probably is.
No, seriously, it's not. (Yeah, really though, it is)
Ok, maybe it is, maybe it isn't either way the odds were running 50/50 we'd bomb Iran by the end of the year. (previously - here)
Crazy Eddie sells out
Crazy Eddie. His prices were in-sane! After a failed attempt to revive the home electronic brand known for wacky commercials, the name is being auctioned off on eBay.
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