Petoskey Stones are stones of fossilized coral (Hexagonaria percarinata ) that can be found along the shore of Lake Michigan near the town of Petoskey (Population 6,000). Once polished, they can be beautiful, and are often made into jewelry. It is the state stone of Michigan and is celebrated in an annual festival. The origin of the name of the stone, however, is under contention. [more inside]
posted by Deathalicious on Nov 29, 2009 - 33 comments

A glistening chunk of pork! [more inside]
posted by mrducts on Nov 17, 2009 - 30 comments

Matt Taibbi takes a look at the health care reform circus in Congress. It doesn't come off looking much better than Goldman Sachs. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by sensate on Sep 16, 2009 - 70 comments

Let's slide over to KCRW for an interview with Sly Stone, who, happily, is continuing his gradual reemergence into the public eye. Then howsabout we rewind to 1974, just a few months after the incredible Fresh was released, for another (albeit odd and somewhat awkward) interview on the Mike Douglas Show. And yeah, Sly Stone, we definitely want you to stay. [more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite on May 25, 2009 - 19 comments

AronRa has done some really nice YouTube vids on science (previously). In this latest vlog An Archaeological Moment in Time, he take(s) a look at how different societies are advancing at different rates on the same date in the distant past.
posted by nola on May 11, 2009 - 10 comments

Mingei is a transcultural word which combines the Japanese words for all people (Min) and art (Gei). The site has a flash interface and features over 5,000 high resolution, zoomable objects. More information on the Mingei Movement.
posted by tellurian on Jan 27, 2009 - 13 comments

Please enjoy the stone sculptures of Hirotoshi Itoh
posted by boo_radley on Jan 17, 2009 - 14 comments

Here's Razorhawk a superhero who also wrestles and makes suits for other superheroes. This is Master Legend who recently had an article published in Rolling Stone about him. Meet Superhero who patrols the streets of Clearwater, Florida in his custom Corvette. They call themselves real-life superheroes. A documentary film featuring them has the first 10 minutes free online at google video. [more inside]
posted by flipyourwig on Dec 31, 2008 - 17 comments

The Stone of Folly is a wonderful stop motion animation released in 2002. Luckily, for those of us who don't own a copy, it was shown on the Canadian short film show Bravo!Fact Presents. Their website contains a treasure trove of Canadian short film (check the linked video).
posted by Alex404 on Nov 11, 2008 - 4 comments

Here's an article and slideshow to help escape the worries of the world. A great article and slideshow about the Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu (Southeastern India). (NYTimes)
posted by SeizeTheDay on Sep 25, 2008 - 8 comments

Gabriel’s Revelation: “This should shake our basic view of Christianity... His mission is that he has to be put to death by the Romans to suffer so his blood will be the sign for redemption to come... This is the conscious view of Jesus himself. This gives the Last Supper an absolutely different meaning.”
posted by orthogonality on Jul 5, 2008 - 115 comments

China's All-Seeing Eye. Naomi Klein's piece in the May 29th edition of Rolling Stone details how China is building the prototype for a high-tech police state with the help of U.S. defense contractors. And it's a growth market!
posted by The Card Cheat on May 16, 2008 - 50 comments

"November the 23rd, 1989, and possibly the most influential British guitar band of the last twenty years were making their debut on Top of the Pops. The group were Manchester's the Stone Roses. Having just released one of the most acclaimed debut albums of all time, they had the world at their feet. But then it all went horribly wrong. Within a few short years, the Stone Roses had split."

Sensational Stone Roses BBC documentary Blood on the Turntables in one two three four five six parts.
posted by Item on Aug 26, 2007 - 106 comments

Known as scholar's rocks or gongshi, viewing stones are rocks of complex shapes that suggest worlds within worlds, microcosms in stone. In Japan they are called Suiseki, from the Japanese characters for water "sui" and stone "seki", placed on a daiza, a carved wood base. They are at once a miniature landscape and a point of imaginative departure…
posted by nickyskye on Jul 10, 2007 - 11 comments

The boundary stones of Washington DC.
posted by Wolfdog on May 9, 2007 - 52 comments

Your Studio and You. (google video, 14 mins). A short parody of Universal Studios by Matt Parker and Trey Stone in deadpan (and spot-on) 1950s-educational-film style. Very funny cameos by Steven Spielberg, Demi Moore, Tracy Lords, James Cameron, Michael J. Fox, and Sylvester Stallone, among others.
posted by zardoz on Apr 3, 2007 - 24 comments

A fake stone packed with sophisticated British spy devices sparks a UK / Russian controversy. More articles via Google News
posted by jfrancis on Jan 26, 2006 - 57 comments

Shame: the Final Frontier. Following his successful kidney stone removal, William Shatner now wants to sell it on eBay for charity. Technically, selling human body parts is against site policies, but Shatner hopes an exception will be made for charity's sake, as well as the millions of Trekkies he believes will want to bid on "the ultimate piece of Star Trek memorabilia."
posted by XQUZYPHYR on Nov 19, 2005 - 52 comments

Animals trapped in stone have been reported many times, but do you believe it? Why has there been so little investigation of these claims? It could be the key to re-animation...
posted by agregoli on Dec 17, 2002 - 36 comments