November 6, 2002

How the world sees Americans.

How the world sees Americans. "They readily distinguish between the official face of the American government (who they tend to disagree with and fear) and American people, pop culture and values (which they tend to adore and emulate)." "It's the world's superpower ... that has a childlike understanding of everyone else."

Journalist Mark Hertsgaard travelled the globe gathering opinions about the U.S. He talks about the surprising results.
posted by gazingus at 10:13 PM PST - 108 comments

Alien Equipment

Alien Equipment
Turning immigrants into cyborgs. A small video monitor and loudspeakers are installed at the center of the instrument and in front of the user's mouth. The monitor and the loudspeakers replace the real act of speech with an audio-visual broadcast of pre-recorded statements.
posted by riley370 at 8:59 PM PST - 13 comments

If you live in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky or Pennsylvania (“the Euchre belt”) Euchre might be a familiar pastime or at least well, familiar. The game is not exclusive to those areas but is most concentrated in the Midwest. It used to be one of the most popular card games the U.S. but lost out to bridge. Today the game has somewhat of a cult following in Midwest towns and especially on college campuses. It is a fast paced thinking game that combines strategy and skill with luck that can eat away hours of a person’s life. If you have never played the game I encourage you to read an introduction and try yahoo games. (I hope this is not too common to bring up, but I rarely see anyone playing online not from the states listed above.) Warning popups.
posted by Recockulous at 7:50 PM PST - 43 comments

I don't know about any of you, but after weeks of politics, I am in dire need of a little light-heartedness. Party down with me to one-t, a cool music video with great artwork! Or if that's a little too edgy for you, maybe a good old-fashioned super orgy porno party is more your style. Not really in a party mood? Well, don't let politics get you down, stay loose, stay cool, and just be sure you don't ride the fence.. quicktime files, crank up the volume, and not really risque but probly not work safe.
posted by madamjujujive at 7:28 PM PST - 17 comments

Polo Cited For Forcing Employees To Buy Polo

Polo Cited For Forcing Employees To Buy Polo "Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., in a court filing, has denied allegations that it requires store employees to buy and wear the company's clothing at work..." Probably many Mefi readers have had retail jobs, and count me as one of them. At the department store where my mother and I worked, we probably spent about 30% of our wages on the store's merchandise in order to keep up with the dress code. After reading this I see that it might be a widespread practice. Has this happened to you? Is this a trend in how retailers treat their employees? Do you have any other examples?
posted by Tystnaden at 6:50 PM PST - 31 comments

Jacob Langvad.

Jacob Langvad. Crucial work from such a young talent.
posted by plexi at 4:56 PM PST - 34 comments

Third parties spoil elections for some guys trying to run for office. It seems that from reading CNN election results, some people were able to get votes while not running with a D or R. Some of the notables (not including Bernie Sanders (I-VT)) include Gary Richardson (I-OK) who might have cost Steve Largent the election, Tim Penny (I-MN) couldn't replace Jesse, Tom Golisano (I-NY) will need to try again in 2006, Jim Mahoney (I-AZ) fared well, Ed Thompson (Libertarian-WI) got over 10%, not bad for being Tommy Thompson's brother, the MT Senate results were (in order) Baucus/Teddy Roosevelt Look-a-like/Blue Guy/Green Guy and in the most dubious of all good news for Third Parties, Jim Traficant loses from behind bars but he got 15%, showing some people like their politicans imprisoned

Three cheers to the third parties!
posted by RobbieFal at 2:27 PM PST - 36 comments

When in doubt, blame the software.

When in doubt, blame the software. Who is the governor of Alabama? Both incumbent candidate Don Siegelmand and Republican opponent Bob Riley have claimed victories. The answer lies in the hands of Baldwin County officials, who claim a software glitch "miscounted" almost 7,000 votes. [more inside]
posted by somethingotherthan at 1:47 PM PST - 18 comments

Athens Beerometer

Election results got you down? Feel like drowning your sorrows, but don't have much to spend? If you're in Athens, GA, you can use the beerometer, thoughtfully provided by the local mainstream newspaper, to get the most beer for your buck.
posted by ewagoner at 1:41 PM PST - 20 comments

Ossuary was genuine, inscription was faked

Ossuary was genuine, inscription was faked Lots of excitement when this ossuary with inscription found and thought to be a direct link back to Jesus...alas, not what it seemed.
posted by Postroad at 1:24 PM PST - 30 comments

"To me, making a tape is like writing a letter..."

"To me, making a tape is like writing a letter..." Subject of books, movies and songs, mix tapes are a part of our culture. Some people lament the end of the tape and the rise of the CD. Some offer tips on making the perfect mix. Still not inspired? Pick a theme and have someone else do it for you. Really inspired? Join the Art of the Mix, a community dedicated to the mix tape (previously discussed here). A little fun for folks in the MefiSwap, or anyone who loves music.
posted by jewishbuddha at 1:04 PM PST - 12 comments

"We are conducting a two-front war on only one front,"

"We are conducting a two-front war on only one front," according to former senators Gary Hart and Warren Rudman. Even before their U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century report in January 2001, Hart and Rudman had predicted that "Americans will likely die on American soil, possibly in large numbers" at the hands of terrorists, but they were ignored. And today, according to them, "more than a year has passed since the 9/11 attacks, and basic security priorities have not been met." On another note, Hart is considering a bid for the White House in 2004. With his record on national security issues, and after yesterday's Democratic performance, I think he might have a chance.
posted by homunculus at 12:35 PM PST - 20 comments

Data Archives from the American Presidency Project

Data Archives from the American Presidency Project Fascinating statistical data about a variety of subjects, and not just trivia either. Includes data, for example, about Congressional concurrence with the President, number of Presidential vetos, number of first-year requests, etc. Good information for acquiring an overall understanding of our current political situation.
posted by oissubke at 12:22 PM PST - 6 comments

Where can I get a shoe like this?
posted by quibx at 12:14 PM PST - 51 comments

Hooray for Putty!

Hooray for Putty! Springboarding on Japanese ingenuity, Crazy Aaron has added "faking out fingerprint scanners" to the long list of wacky uses for Thinking Putty. This new plug for putty was adapted from a much longer article from Dan's Data.

And to think I just used the stuff to lift images from comic strips...
posted by Watsonne at 11:52 AM PST - 2 comments

Poetry International Web

Poetry International Web opens today. "Hundreds of poems by acclaimed modern poets from all around the world, both in the original language and in English translation."
posted by igor.boog at 10:45 AM PST - 7 comments

Violence and Repression in Western Afghanistan.

Violence and Repression in Western Afghanistan. "A man who was severely beaten by Ismail Khan's forces described to Human Rights Watch the effect of the repression: 'At any time I feel that I am in danger. When I leave my house, I do not know if I will return. I do not know whether something will happen to me, if there will be some car crash, or that I will be hit in the back of the head.' Another witness talked about how his community's hopes after the hated Taliban regime was ended have been deflated: 'What has changed in Afghanistan? All our hopes are crushed. We are completely disappointed. Look-all the same warlords are in power as before. Fundamentalism has come into power, and every day they strengthen their power.'

The light of liberation and liberty descends upon Afghanistan.
posted by fold_and_mutilate at 10:19 AM PST - 32 comments

What's on your iPod? DNA? Never heard of them!

What's on your iPod? DNA? Never heard of them! I tend to keep my iPod in my jeans, this man is keeping his genes in his iPod. We already know that you can store (some of) the Internet Movie Database on it, but is there anything these things can't do? via Wired.
posted by armoured-ant at 8:56 AM PST - 32 comments

The Apple Switch Ads

The Apple Switch Ads have been beamed to a galaxy far, far away. The fad has caught on. We now no longer need "Star Wars: Episode 3." I know why Anakin has... switched.
posted by mychai at 8:52 AM PST - 18 comments

Daschle, Gephardt: 'political strategy is working'

Daschle, Gephardt: 'political strategy is working' "WASHINGTON (CNN) - As cable networks projected continued Republican dominance of the House and a Republican takeover of the Senate, two leading Democrats met with reporters to announce that 'everything is going according to plan' and the future of the Democratic Party looks bright. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle expressed optimism about Democratic prospects for the next elections, saying that "our strategy of leaving no daylight between ourselves and the president is clearly working. Although in today's election the voters were still able to distinguish Republicans from Democrats, resulting in some lost seats for us, I'm confident that by 2004 we will regain our lead by becoming utterly indistinguishable from Republicans."

Great humor!!
posted by nofundy at 8:50 AM PST - 10 comments

Pr0n Star Action Figures!

Pr0n Star Action Figures! Those Autobots and Decepticons were getting a little dull, anyway. Or maybe, some human/robot action?
posted by kablam at 8:45 AM PST - 10 comments

A Gallery of Bookplates.

A Gallery of Bookplates. I always think it's a wonderful surprise when I'm antique bookshopping and I happen across some beautiful ex-libris. Many more links found via Joy Olivia on the Graphic Design blog Speak Up.
posted by Stan Chin at 7:32 AM PST - 18 comments

Welcome to the public library. Please check your rights at the door.

Welcome to the public library. Please check your rights at the door. The Patriot Act contains provisions that gag librarians when subpoenaed (from a secret court!) for circulation records. Seems like in at least one place, it's already being used. How about your own library?
posted by Cerebus at 6:34 AM PST - 29 comments

Tired of the same old Acapella?

Tired of the same old Acapella? Wish that it dealt with the issues that you face as a wimpy high school student without a girlfriend? It's Emocapella!
posted by hughbot at 4:45 AM PST - 37 comments

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