January 25, 2011
Post-SOTU Palate Cleanser
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Mefites:
John Finley, 19th century tornado researcher
John Park Finley, American meteorologist, wrote the first known book on tornadoes (Tornadoes, 1887). Though some of his "safety" guidelines for surviving a tornado have since been refuted as dangerous (seek shelter on the side of a house facing an oncoming tornado!), the book remains a seminal work in tornado research. [more inside]
"I felt that some punishment or deterrent was needed for other individuals who might think to defraud the various school systems."
Kelly Williams-Bolar has been sentenced to ten days in prison in a school residency case. The African-American mother of two lives in public housing in Akron, Ohio, and forged court records so that her children could attend a better school in nearby Copley Township. Judge Patricia Cosgrove sentenced her to 10 days in prison, 80 hours of community service, and two years of probation. Ms. Williams-Bolar works as a special education classroom aide, and was working towards a teaching degree. Because of the felony conviction she may no longer be eligible to teach in the state of Ohio.
Harajuku fashion snapshots
Daily snapshots of people on the street in Japan. I think it's Harajuku, but I don't speak or read Japanese. Those pictured as slightly less staid than those on The Sartorialist. [more inside]
Christian Clemmensen's Filmtracks
Prickly, idiosyncractic and unashamedly pro-Goldsmith, Christian Clemmensen has reviewed modern movie scores at Filmtracks since 1996.
Rolls in, rolls in, my god, how the money rolls in, rolls in.
The CRTC has just authorized usage-based internet billing in Canada. The decision has been met with some criticism but is being reported differently by some outlets. [more inside]
Rock My Religion
Rock My Religion "...is a thesis on the relation between religion and rock music in contemporary culture. Graham formulates a history that begins with the Shakers, an early religious community who practiced self-denial and ecstatic trance dances. With the "reeling and rocking" of religious revivals as his point of departure, Graham analyzes the emergence of rock music as religion with the teenage consumer in the isolated suburban milieu of the 1950s, locating rock's sexual and ideological context in post-World War II America. The music and philosophies of Patti Smith, who made explicit the trope that rock is religion, are his focus. This complex collage of text, film footage and performance forms a compelling theoretical essay on the ideological codes and historical contexts that inform the cultural phenomenon of rock 'n' roll music. (Original Music: Glenn Branca, Sonic Youth)
A Day of Revolution
Rioting spreads to Egypt. Plans had been percolating online for the past several weeks about a "Day of Revolution" in protest of the corruption of the Mubarak government, and widespread unemployment, similar to those seen in Tunisia. In response to the online coverage through social networks, the government has responded by blocking access to Twitter. It has also been reported that police have fired into the crowds, resulting in several deaths, and that the presidential family has fled the country.
Pharmaceutical company messed with the wrong YouTuber
Well, that's one way to use your Youtube audience. Hank Green, one half of the VlogBrothers, is angry at Warner Chilcott, the pharmaceutical company responsible for Asacol--a drug that's gone up in price by 1200%. He's so angry, in fact, that he encourages his nearly half-million-strong YouTube audience to spam Warner Chilcott's CEO, Roger Boissonneault.
Insert red card pun here.
After he and his co-commentator Richard Keys were stood down Monday for off-air, on-mic pre-match comments about a female assistant referee and the inability of women to understand the laws of football, Andy Gray was sacked by Sky Sports when further evidence of sexism and sexual harassment surfaced. A third Sky employee has also been suspended for complicity in the original complaint. Many are drawing parallels to Ron Atkinson's resignation in 2004 for racist comments about Marcel Desailly. [more inside]
studying primitive cultures
I did it for the Lulz! but I stayed for the outrage (direct mp3 link) An anthropologist talks about Anonymous. [more inside]
Stay vigilant, Metafilter!
Panic!
The BBC plans to jettison the Douglas Adams-founded H2G2, but the H2G2 Community Consortium is trying to raise money to buy it back.
“I started when I was thirteen, I’ve still got my indenture papers”
“I wake up every day and I stretch out my arms and if I don’t feel any wood on either side, then I know I can get up.”
The remarkable story of Maurice Franklin, Wood Turner.
Stargazing. For ever.
Haunting images of the night sky above UNESCO world heritage sites: the ruins of the Mayan city of Tikal and Easter Island by astronomer Stéphane Guisard; above Uluru by Kwon O Chul. Much more. [more inside]
Guerilla architecture in Bucharest
"studioBASAR is an architectural studio established in 2006 by Cristi Borcan and Alex Axinte. studioBASAR is a ’search and rescue’ team, acting as an agent of architectural observation and intervention." [more inside]
How many tweens lifers are there?
The Beagle Freedom Project
After lifetimes confined in a medical testing facility, beagles Freedom and Bigsby see sunlight and feel grass for the first time. [via America's second most famous beagle owner.]
Favorite foods, ad infinitum...
Sausage pork beef cheese whole milk butter margarine nuts and sausage pork beef cheese whole milk butter margarine nuts and sausage.... [SLYT, 1:00, looping]
Un Tour De Manege
A dreamy animation about life, love, and loss. Un Tour de Manege (A Turn of the Gear) shows the journey of a girl from youth through adulthood.
Slap Happy
Glove Actually: An Ode to Cinema's Greatest Slaps [7m10s]. (SLYT)
"Please don't sue us. We don't have any money. Really, like none. On a side note, Fallout: New Vegas is out. Check it out!"
more of the same
Life after Capitalism - Beyond capitalism, it seems, stretches a vista of... capitalism: [more inside]
Kim Jong Phil
For my palette, I’ve copied pre-existing dictatorial art. Paintings from North Korea, statues of assorted dictators (Kim Il Sung, Laurent Kabilla, and Saddam Hussein). I had these works re-created in China, and each instance, I’ve replaced the great leaders with myself.
A new series by Phil Toledano (previously, previously, previously).
March of the philistines
The greedy ghost of market fundamentalism. Oxfordshire county council is planning to close just under half of all of its libraries, and has invited locals to set up new ones on a voluntary basis. Philip Pullman, ironically criticised for having a profit motive, objects.
Danielsson on Likelihood
A timeless monologue on the mechanics of likelihood. Tage Danielsson's talk about "sannolikhet", which he wrote in 1979 after the Three Mile Island accident remains a Swedish classic. [more inside]
Not the bees! NOT THE BEES AUUUGH
The Nic Cage Song Video. Based on the Nic Cage Song from the 6th Homestuck soundtrack album. (previously)
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