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Everything you ever wanted to know about sunken ships. Passenger liners from the Titanic to the Andrea Doria. Military vessels from aircraft carriers like the USS Forrestall to submarines like the Kursk. I found this site by accident and got lost in it, some of the sections are just gorgeous, even though all the stories are tragic.
posted by biscotti at 11:13 PM PST - 11 comments

North Korea is working on a nuclear weapon?? Maybe that whole Axis Of Evil thing wasn't too far fetched.
posted by Degaz at 7:09 PM PST - 99 comments

Not content on resting on its laurels, BMW brings in a new season of The Hire on bmwfilms.com. w00t.
posted by hobbes at 6:25 PM PST - 9 comments

Hundreds of people with criminal records in Maryland may have been allowed to purchase guns illegally this year because the state temporarily stopped conducting background checks for the FBI.[More Inside]
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 6:23 PM PST - 18 comments

Infant's nose and lips bitten off by a wild raccoon that was illegally kept as a family pet. Luckily, surgeons were able to re-attach them. "Doctors at the Iowa Clinic say wild animal bites are 100% preventable if parents don't allow the animals to rome freely in a home." Duh. Who's fault is this, if anybody's?
posted by Kevin Sanders at 6:17 PM PST - 26 comments

"The only thing that Berretta has is the sales people." The Standard issue M-9 has left Afghanistan vets feeling shafted. Some Marines have opted to carry .45s. But it's not just the pistol that's under-powered. The M-16 and its 5.56mm round lack stopping power too. It doesn't have the greatest track record from its first adoption during the Vietnam War. Despite the glowing report of Project Agile. How many times do we have to witness penny-pinching Pentagon Wars putting our armed forces at greater risk?
posted by john at 5:29 PM PST - 38 comments

Here is a list of the ten most dangerous jobs. Of course, I suppose that depends on who you ask. But don't stop there! The Bureau of Labor Statistics site has lots more interesting (albeit overwhelming) information.
posted by FilmMaker at 5:00 PM PST - 32 comments

A mummified hound dog in Georgia, "carefully preserved by the resin of a hollow chestnut oak," finally gets a name.
posted by anathema at 4:01 PM PST - 15 comments

Japanese abducted by North Korea in Japan for brief visit. After many years of denying accusations, North Korea finally came clean last month and admitted to having kidnapped a number of Japanese civilians. Of the thirteen they admit to abducting, they say only five are still alive, and these five have been allowed a visit to Japan this week. On a less encouraging note, however, the five survivors were not allowed to bring their children or spouses and arrived donning pins bearing an image of the Great Leader. Is Kim Jong Il genuinely turning over a new leaf, is this just another part of a heartless cash grab scheme, or did the "axis of evil" speech intimidate them into softening up for a moment?
posted by shoos at 3:42 PM PST - 22 comments

Platforms A summary of Democratic, Republican, and other party platforms over the last 150 years. Prettied up, current versions can be found for Republican,Democrat,Green, and Libertarian parties (and probably others!). Do you read such things? Do you find that when you read them, your perception of the party matches with the text of the platform? Do you find yourself persuaded by the text of any platform? Provoked to thoughts on policy?
posted by namespan at 2:51 PM PST - 8 comments

My Gun was as Tall as Me is a new report by Human Rights Watch about children forced to become soldiers in Burma (Myanmar). They estimate as many as 70,000 soldiers are under 18, some as young as 11. (Previous posts about Burma and modern slavery.)
posted by homunculus at 2:38 PM PST - 4 comments

It's New, It's Wonderful, it's....No Cry Onions! from the nature.com website, scientists have identified the enzyme that causes a "tickling" of your tear ducts, ergo the ensuing crying. More genetically altered food - how are we feeling about this?
posted by djspicerack at 2:17 PM PST - 36 comments

What Mark Twain Didn't Say
posted by archimago at 1:31 PM PST - 30 comments

Legato and Avant La Nuit are two exquisite interactive pieces by Nicolas Clauss, a "painter who stopped 'traditional painting' to use multimedia and the internet as a canvas", working from his Flying Puppet studio in Paris. [ Requires Shockwave. Use your mouse.]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 12:46 PM PST - 10 comments

Iraq run by the Corleone family? Found a good story on Saddam Hussein’s two sons who seem to be poised to rule. It's reported that Saddam's favorite movie is The Godfather and the similarities between the film and the family is pretty interesting.
posted by rampage at 12:39 PM PST - 23 comments

Attention all Peters, Parkers, or both: Your name may earn you a free copy of Spiderman on VHS or DVD.... Thats if you don't mind faxing over vital documents to Ebay subsidiary Half.com.
posted by dr_dank at 12:37 PM PST - 6 comments

Nyaah nyah nyaaah nyah! The Rules of Childhood. While searching for the origin of "Jinx! Pinch! Poke!" I came across Greasy Kid Stuff. Nostalgics rejoice! Regress into terminology like the "cootie shot" and proven methods of gaining elementary school fame. Also check out the radio program. Anything missing from this list?
posted by Stan Chin at 12:19 PM PST - 75 comments

Map-making for fun and profit! How would you like to be born on Buttlickin Ave? Is this for real? Or Someone messing with yahoo's map software? Inquiring minds want to know!
posted by Maxor at 10:39 AM PST - 36 comments

An Awkward Situation Flirting strangers suddenly find themselves a little closer than they wanted to be. Have you ever been in an awkward situation with a not-quite-stranger?
posted by oissubke at 9:52 AM PST - 39 comments

Woman gives birth to her own grandchildren. This just seems wrong.
posted by skwm at 8:15 AM PST - 52 comments

Timehunt. Time, philosophy, alchemy, tons of interactive puzzles and great flash. I can't tell you more, I'm still figuring it out.
posted by talos at 8:11 AM PST - 9 comments

Bush skeptical of ballistic fingerprinting. This article talks about Bush's (and the NRA's) reluctance to set up a national ballistic fingerprinting system to trace bullets back to the guns which fired them. Some feel this technology could be helpful in finding the DC sniper. Apparently, legislation to set up this system has been in the works for about 2 years, but this is the first I've heard of it. Any MeFi people know more about this?
posted by botono9 at 8:02 AM PST - 92 comments

Maybe they should have let Lance Bass on this one. A Soyuz rocket explodes 29 seconds after takeoff, killing one and injuring eight from the blast. Although it was not carrying any material destined for the International Space Station, launch delays caused by the investigation into the explosion might hurt the IIS project in the long run.
posted by LuxFX at 7:38 AM PST - 18 comments

The Free World is a resource for hosting all kinds of useful information: security information, cryptographic research, programs for the manipulation of patented or reverse engineered data formats (never mind that only processes can be patented and data format patents aren't legal in the first place) and possibly reverse engineering tools. One problem though. If you are a citizen of the USA, or under the jurisdiction of the USA, the license forbids you access. Why? The DCMA.
posted by salmacis at 7:32 AM PST - 3 comments

The DMCA isn't the only Dumb Law. So may Strange Laws, even Sex Laws. There's many fun Obsolete Laws still on the books. The list Goes On and On.
Not sure what laws to follow, try A Law Librarian, or, better yet, WWJD?
posted by Blake at 6:48 AM PST - 6 comments

The Free State Project is a plan in which 20,000 or more liberty-oriented people will move to a single state of the U.S. to secure there a free society. We will accomplish this by first reforming state law, opting out of federal mandates, and finally negotiating directly with the federal government for appropriate political autonomy. We will be a community of freedom-loving individuals and families, and create a shining example of liberty for the rest of the nation and the world.
posted by BirdD0g at 6:31 AM PST - 68 comments

Is it all about oil? Iraq war protesters insist a war wil be about oil. Others say no. Here the writer argues that it is both--it is not all about oil but we will control the oil should we take control.
posted by Postroad at 4:49 AM PST - 51 comments

Saddam Hussein wins 100% of the vote in a hilarious display of so called democracy
posted by JonnyX at 2:38 AM PST - 67 comments

Led Zeppelin Reunion Tour. Collectively 168 years old, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and best-Who-guitarist-ever Jimmy Page (Warning: Geocities link, but so worth it, dude) have buried the hatchet and agreed to tour. Their collective age is 168. They will be joined by Jason, son of John. No news on reunion plans for The Firm.
_{If you haven't heard of Led Zeppelin, you can learn more about them in this FPP from last week.}
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:07 AM PST - 33 comments