Friday, September 30, 2005
Topp Of The Morning
The Tagging of Pacific Pelagic (TOPP) research project explores the Pacific, using a carefully selected group of animals from its ecosystems to gather data about their world.
And Ye Shall Find
The Lycos 50 - Tracking pop culture, one search at a time. Don't miss these fascinating gems; Lycos 50 Blog, Lycos 50 Archives and the big Lycos 50 Elite of the most popular subjects ever.
Crazy Recordings
The Internet Museum of Flexible and Oddity Records - Once bound by cereal boxes, held in the pages of a magazine, wrapped up in envelopes sent through our postal system or given away casually with some product, these bits of paper and plastic yearned to be set free to fulfill their destiny as...
playable records!
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Verse For Verse
Skeptic's Annotated Bible - offers the entire text of the King James version of the Bible
Hang'em High
The Daily Delay - A project of Public Campaign Action Fund, exposes Tom DeLay as the most corrupt politician in Washington.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Unintelligent Design
Dover is believed to be the nation's first school system to mandate students be exposed to the intelligent design concept. Its policy requires school administrators to read a brief statement before classes on evolution that says Charles Darwin's theory is "not a fact" and has inexplicable "gaps." It refers students to an intelligent-design textbook for more information.
Intelligent design holds that Darwin's theory of natural selection cannot fully explain the origin of life or the emergence of highly complex life forms. It implies that life on Earth was the product of an unidentified intelligent force.
Eight families sued, saying that the district policy in effect promotes the Bible's view of creation, violating the constitutional separation of church and state.
Backyard Bronto
Discovery Channel: Dino Lookup - find out what dinosaurs or prehistoric creatures once lived in your neighborhood by entering your ZIP code.
Operation Cut Programs
"Operation Offset" is what the Republicans are calling their budget cut plan to pay for Hurricane Katrina. The great majority of the proposed cuts target the elderly and the poor, heavily targeting Medicare. They eliminate all federal funding for energy conservation, the "Energy Star" program, energy efficient vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, high-speed rail, light rail, PBS, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, AmeriCorps, the "Even Start" program, the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, security/anti-drug funding for innercity schools, and all federal loans to grad students. Also facing cuts are the Global AIDS Initiative, the EPA, the Center for Disease Control, pensions and healthcare plans for retired federal workers, job programs and revitalization funds for poor neighborhoods, the school lunch program, community health centers, and health care for soldiers.
As ThinkProgress notes, the "Operation Offset" plan would reduce the budget by $500B over ten years...and that rolling back the '01 and '03 tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% of Americans, clarifying the definition of offshore tax shelters, allowing mail-order prescription-drug purchases would save $435 billion.
MoveOn.org has stepped into the fray with a petition against Operation Offset, and some pretty good info on the legislation too.
via
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Would You Believe...
Don Adams, the wry-voiced comedian who starred as the fumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in the 1960s TV spoof of James Bond movies, "Get Smart," has died. He was 82.
Our Favorite Place
Your History Here - The place where you can share your knowledge about those unusual places, buildings or things that make places interesting to live.
Witness To The Present
Be A Witness is an organization and alliance of individuals dedicated to changing that. Perhaps if the genocide in Sudan were better covered, folks here and abroad would be more motivated to end it, and save the lives of thousands of people.
You can help: send a letter to the television networks asking them to improve their coverage of Sudan. Be A Witness provides a sample text. Just edit it to your liking and with one click it will be sent to ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and FOX.
Via So What Can I Do?
Please Press 3 To Repeat
How to get a human on the phone for dozens of IVR systems. And a bonus page for Amazon, e-Bay, and PayPal.
Got Your Ear
How to Cook Corn on the Cob - detailed recipe to grill, microwave, steam, and boil corn on the cob.
Monday, September 26, 2005
History Repeated
States that sentence the most criminals to death also tend to be the states that had the most lynchings in the past, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that the number of death sentences for all criminals – Black and white – were higher in states with a history of lynchings. But the link was even stronger when only Black death sentences were analyzed.
Story Of America
StoryCorps is a national project to instruct and inspire people to record each others' stories in sound. They will help you interview your grandmother, your uncle, the lady who's worked at the luncheonette down the block for as long as you can remember—anyone whose story you want to hear and preserve.
They are building soundproof recording booths across the country, called StoryBooths. You can use these StoryBooths to record broadcast-quality interviews with the help of a trained facilitator. The first StoryBooths opened in New York City's Grand Central Terminal on October 23, 2003.They also have two traveling recording studios, called MobileBooths, which embarked on cross-country tours on May 19, 2005. They have launched two blogs for the MobileBooths, which are on cross-country tours. Read the MobileBooth West blog and the MobileBooth East blog.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
What's My Line? #3
Scriptcrawler - Batman Begins. Tron. Casablanca. Scriptcrawler has hundreds of movie, television, and radio scripts available for free download.
What's My Line? #2
SimplyScripts - links to hundreds of free, downloadable scripts, movie scripts, screenplays, and transcripts of current, classic and maybe a few soon-to-be-released movies, television, anime, unproduced and radio shows.
What's My Line? #1
Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) - They have the biggest collection of movie scripts available anywhere on the web. You can read or download movie scripts for free.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Friday, September 23, 2005
Way Cool
Playing Flickr is a public space installation by Mediamatic on the 11th floor of the PostCS building in Amsterdam. Diners in Restaurant 11 can use their mobile phones to submit a keyword of their choice, which will later appear on the surrounding screens with corresponding Flickr photographs tagged with that word or words.
Bush's Constituency
Forbes 400 (2005) - "The 400 Richest Americans." Sort list by rank, name, net worth, age, and residence. Numerous special features are included in the online package.
Hit The Road Jack
American Highway Project - A body of historical and contemporary images of vanishing roadside culture for exhibition and study. Photographs of architecture, attractions, backroads, and billboards.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Birthday Wishes
Today is my friend Lisa's Birthday, and she is spending it a long way from home and separated from those she loves. Even as another category 5 hurricane heads towards the gulf coast most people have not recovered from the last one. Lisa is a wonderful mother of two beautiful children and has been wiped out financially and emotionally from hurricane Katrina. Please visit her blog and find it in your heart and in your pocketbook to send her your wishes and support.
Bank Of Wal-Mart
On September 23rd, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will close the public comment period on Wal-Mart's attempt to open an "ILC" bank in Utah.
This is Wal-Mart's fourth attempt to break down the federal and state laws that prevent them from expanding into consumer banking services such as credit cards, mortgages and loans. They've tried in Oklahoma, California and even in Toronto, Canada.
Inside Story
President's Intern - "As George W. Bush enters his second term as one of the greatest American presidents of the 21st century, I enjoy the privilege of having been selected as a White House intern. I am keeping this diary to ensure history gets an accurate story of this great man...from the inside."
(just to let long time readers know I haven't gone crazy and crossed to the darkside, this is a parody)
Historic Tale
In 1066 at the Battle of Hastings a famous tapestry was created. Now you can tell the story of your life by creatively rearranging elements of the tapestry at this site.
Vanishing America
Lost Labor - Images of Vanished American Workers from the years 1900-1980. A browsable "selection of 155 photographs excerpted from a collection of more than 1100 company histories, pamphlets, and technical brochures....Many of the images document factories and jobs that no longer exist."
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Would You like To Make A Call?
World Telephone Numbering Guide - find international dialing codes, country codes, and information about telephone service worldwide.
No Way Home
Global warming 'past the point of no return' A record loss of sea ice in the Arctic this summer has convinced scientists that the northern hemisphere may have crossed a critical threshold beyond which the climate may never recover.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
FBI Porn Squad
The FBI is joining the Bush administration's War on Porn. And it's looking for a few good agents.
This is a follow-up to an earlier post regarding Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's interest in porn.
What's Happening
Iraq Occupation Watch - exposing the impact of the military and economic occupation of Iraq, including analysis following the handover of power.
Doesn't Take A Genius
That totally unexpected telephone call from the mysterious benefactors behind the "Genius Awards" has opened some doors to the 54-year-old teacher of competitive forensics. With a colleague, he's finished a book, "It Doesn't Take a Genius," that will be published before the year's end, and he's used the money -- $500,000 paid out over five years -- to buy a car for his son and support his daughter's college education. But fame, and financial security, can be fleeting.
This years winners of the MacArthur Fellowships.
Tool Time
Professional Power Tool Guide - a guide to professional power tools, their usage, and different brands like milwaukee, dewalt, bosch, and makita. Includes forum and links to free woodworking project plans.
Stamp Act
A decision to pull a piece of art from a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay exhibit has spurred activism on the part of students and discussion about First Amendment issues across the campus and in the community.
The art in question is a sheet of mock postage stamps by artist Al Brandtner showing President Bush with a gun pointed at his head, captioned “Patriot Act.”
Monday, September 19, 2005
Alternatives
Altered Dimensions - collection of articles about unusual and unexplained issues like aliens, ghosts, mystical happenings, and more including conspiracies and crimes.
Keeping Up With The Jones?
Google Maps and Census Data - Navigate to a place via Google Maps. Click and you get Census demographic data such as population, median income and housing.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Census Consensus
Facts for Features - Collections of statistics from the Census Bureau's demographic and economic subject areas intended to commemorate anniversaries or observances or to provide background information for topics in the news.
Socially Responsible Reference
Radical Reference is a collective of volunteer library workers who believe in social justice and equality. They support activist communities, progressive organizations, and independent journalists by providing professional research support, education and access to information. They work in a collaborative virtual setting and are dedicated to information activism to foster a more egalitarian society.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Follow The Money
Instead of embracing good jobs for the recently displaced, President Bush’s first major act in the Gulf Coast recovery effort was to suspend a law that requires federal contractors to pay workers a decent wage.
Please take a moment to demand that this recovery effort put people first – and reject efforts to exploit this tragedy to line the pockets of corporate elites. Please, write your member of Congress and insist that decent family wages and employing the victims of Katrina be the bedrock of the Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts.
If We Let It
...it will happen again.
Pointing to a little-noticed "Cyber Security Alert" issued by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the source inside Diebold -- who "for the time being" is requesting anonymity due to a continuing sensitive relationship with the company -- is charging that Diebold's technicians, including at least one of its lead programmers, knew about the security flaw and that the company instructed them to keep quiet about it.
Via The BRAD BLOG
King Of The Road
Armored Cars - features new and used armored cars, trucks, vans, and other specialty vehicles including sedans, police and SWAT units, and military hummers.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Lesson In Diversity
Waco Texas' Baylor University Dining Services oversees two coffee shops. One of them has a scriptural reference in its title. The other was recently asked to remove a series of cups that some argued "promote homosexuality."
Late last week, the Baylor Starbucks pulled about 500 cups with a quote by gay author Armistead Maupin after a faculty member complained.
For Your Reading Pleasure
Read Print - A free online library. The website offers thousands of free books for students, teachers, and the classic enthusiast.
Uncanny Tales
Tales from the Vault - online exhibit of of Canadian pulp fiction, pulp cover art, and the history of pulp literature in Canada throughout the 1940s and 1950s. From the Library and Archives of Canada, in English and French.
Who's In Charge? Karl Rove!
All you really need to know about the White House's post-Katrina strategy -- and Bush's carefully choreographed address on national television tonight -- is this little tidbit from the ninth paragraph of Elisabeth Bumiller and Richard W. Stevenson's story in the New York Times this morning:
"Republicans said Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff and Mr. Bush's chief political adviser, was in charge of the reconstruction effort."
We're Mad As Hell
Protest Net - A worldwide calendar offers locations, dates and information for activism, protests, pickets, strikes, demonstrations, meetings, and direct political action.
Sweet Tooth
Hershey's Recipes - The kind people of Hershey's have put together a list yummy recipes for the chocoholic in all of us.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Road To Nowhere
Maps. This guy goes to a lot of trouble to create maps of places that doesn't exist. Interestingly, I know of quiet a few people who use to do this.
Dead Letter Drop
Unsent Letters - "You have the chance to say anything and everything, without worrying how your words would be received. In some ways, it can allow you to free yourself from the grief and regret of loss, and help you find peace with your past."
A Meaningless Pledge
Some are hailing the inclusion of language regarding a "responsibility to protect" in the draft declaration on UN reform to be discussed during the three-day summit being held in New York.
After much debate, compromise and rewriting, the final text included in the draft declaration came out looking like this.
The international community, through the United Nations, also has the responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means, in accordance with Chapter VI and VIII of the Charter, to help protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. In this context, we are prepared to take collective action, in a timely and decisive manner, through the Security Council, in accordance with the UN Charter, including Chapter VII, on a case by case basis and in cooperation with relevant regional organizations as appropriate, should peaceful means be inadequate and national authorities manifestly failing to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. We stress the need for the General Assembly to continue consideration of the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity and its implications, bearing in mind the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
Nowhere has the Security Council or the UN member states actually pledged to do anything. This section carries no legal obligations; rather, it merely reiterates that the UN has a responsibility "to help protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity," which is something they already an obligation to prevent under the Genocide Convention.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Bush Priorities
Oil companies came under new fire yesterday when it emerged that ExxonMobil's profits are likely to soar above $10 billion this quarter on the back of the fuel crisis.
That's $110 million a day, and more net income than any company has ever made in a quarter. It's also a stunning 69 percent increase over the same period a year ago and a 34 percent jump from the $7.6 billion Exxon made just last quarter.
"Do you realize President Bush has just given a tax break to ExxonMobil?'' thundered Rep. Ed Markey (D-Malden). "Of all the companies in the history of the world that needed a tax break, this month, ExxonMobil should be at the bottom of the list.''
Debunking White House's Katrina Lies
The non-partisan research arm of Congress was asked to prepare a report on whether Gov. Blanco "took the necessary steps...to give the Federal Government in general, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in particular, the legal authority needed to act to save lives and mitigate the damage stemming from Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana."
The report's conclusion is crystal clear. Yes, Blanco did declare a state of emergency before the hurricane hit. Yes, Blanco did "take the steps necessary to request emergency and major disaster declarations for the State of Louisiana IN ANTICIPATION OF Hurricane Katrina."
Read for yourself.
Mummy Dearest
Eternity Travel - Book your afterlife now with your own Egyptian tomb and accessories.
MOBA
The Museum Of Bad Art (MOBA) - dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms. Art too bad to be ignored.
Divided We Fall
Live feed of the United Nations World Summit. One of the largest gatherings of world leaders in history. The 60th session is now in order.
Hack The Vote
Did our votes count? More importantly, will they count next time?
People in Information Security have been protesting the use of the poorly designed voting machines from Diebold and others, and as a result of their poor implementation and widespread use, our election remains in question and our country remains bitterly divided. Many people feel that their votes didn’t count, and for good reason. THESE SYSTEMS ARE NOT WORTHY OF OUR TRUST! In an effort to bring this to your attention, Chuck Herrin, CISSP, CISA, MCSE, CEH has put together this shortened document that will show you exactly how easy it would be to break into Diebold’s GEMS software, which is the software used to tabulate regional voting results.
Aloha Fashion
Vintage Hawaiian Shirts - collection of more than 100 vintage rayon, silk, and cotton Hawaiian shirts dating from the 1930s to the early 1950s.
The Pulse
The Web is humming with discussions on politics and current affairs. memeorandum is page A1 for these conversations. Auto-updated every 5 minutes, it uncovers the most relevant items from thousands of news sites and weblogs.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Kitchen Test
There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
Should He Stay Or Should He Go?
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary - information on senators, rules, and hearings.
The Real Battle
As Battlefield Shrinks, Democrats Mute Their Attacks
The real battle will be to see if the American people can force the Democrats to find a backbone and say NOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Skull And Crossed Bones
History of the JollyRoger - features a brief history of the JollyRoger flag.
Monday, September 12, 2005
The Original Lost #5
Here on the Island - scholarly critique of the style, symbolism and sociopolitical relevance of Gilligan's Island by Lewis Napper.
Blackwater On American Streets
No, I am not talking about the sludge sloshing around after the flood, but heavily armed paramilitary mercenaries from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of New Orleans. Some of the mercenaries say they have been "deputized" by the Louisiana governor; indeed some are wearing gold Louisiana state law enforcement badges on their chests and Blackwater photo identification cards on their arms. They say they are on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and have been given the authority to use lethal force.
The Original Lost #4
Gilligan's Island Trivia Challenge - test your knowledge of the show, characters, and actors.
The Original Lost #3
Gilligan's Island - features a map showing the island's location, character and episode guides, and more.
The Original Lost #2
Gilligan's Id - examines the psychological character and motives of the seven castaways.
The Original Lost #1
Gilligan's Hut - offers episode guides, trivia, mysteries, links, and information about characters and actors.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Who Do You Call
National Next Of Kin Registry (NOKR) - developed to provide an international emergency contact system. Includes registry for people affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Health Care For All
Families USA - A national nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health and long-term care for all Americans.
War Criminals
St. Patrick's Four - campaign to show solidarity for the four parents who are being tried on charges of federal conspiracy due to their civil resistance to the Iraq War.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Unemployment Assistance
Disaster Unemployment Assistance Available to Hurricane Victims - Learn about the U.S. Department of Labor's Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) program that provides financial assistance to individuals whose employment has been lost as a direct result of a major disaster declared by the President of the United States.
EmployeeIssues.com: Katrina Unemployment Benefits and Disaster Unemployment Assistance - Tells Hurricane Katrina victims where to go in their state for unemployment benefits and assistance.
Out Reach
NOLA.com: Reaching Out Forum - Forum for people affected by Hurricane Katrina to exchange information about missing persons or hurricane-affected areas, and list shelter, aid, and employment for hurricane victims.
One Day At A Time
Everyday Giving - dedicated to the philosophy that everyone can be a philanthropist by simply doing little things everyday.
Paperback Writer
Paperback Swap - A group of real people who have formed a Club to swap paperback books with each other. When another member requests one of your books, you mail it to them. Yes, you pay for the postage. But then another member returns the favor when you request a book from them and they mail it to you.
Thank you to Pi's wife for the find.
Friday, September 09, 2005
For Shame
These eleven congressmen, all conservative Republicans, voted against the $51 billion package ( H. R. 3673) for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Rep. Joe Barton - TX
Jeff Flake - AZ
Virginia Foxx - NC
Scott Garrett - NJ
John Hostettler - IN
Steve King - IA
Butch Otter - ID
Ron Paul - TX
James Sensenbrenner - WI
Tom Tancredo - CO
Lynn Westmoreland - GA
All San Francisco Under Water
The New Orleans Flood In Your City - Most individuals across the country have no idea the magnitude of the disaster and the enormous need and help that is needed. Using the maps on this site, individuals can accurately imagine the size of the disaster by comparing their city. With the "hitting home theme" more individuals may be inclined to help or support relief efforts.
Tombstone
Farber Gravestone Collection - searchable image gallery documenting the sculpture and art of thousands of Early American gravestones from the Northeastern U.S.
Fall Preview #2
Zap2it's Fall Preview 05 - offers reviews of the best and worst new shows, as well as a comparison between three new sci-fi series.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
To Whom It May Concern
Take a look at the Times-Picayune editorial called "An Open Letter to the President," which starts by calling FEMA Director Michael Brown a liar and by calling for every FEMA executive to be fired.
Help A Friend
I know everybody is effected by the events and devastation of hurricane Katrina, some of us are overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. The news everywhere is horrifying to look at, the destruction to peoples lives and livelyhoods is unimaginable. I have given what I can to the red cross which is doing a lot of great work in the area, but it is still hard for me to imagine what it is like for the people who now have nothing, including their city.
But I can imagine one person, her name is Lisa, she lived in New Orleans on Cohn Street. She is a single mother, with a teenaged son named Alex and an eight year old daughter named Rachel. They are currently staying with people in Virginia. She use to be an adjunct professor at University of New Orleans, for at least the next semester and possibly the next she will not have a job. She is one of the nicest most caring people that I have never met. She writes a blog, The Garden of Irks and Delights, and we have become friends.
I am asking you to please help her and her family. Maybe don't go to that movie or (in my case) don't buy that book you've been thinking about, take that little bit of money and establish a free Paypal Id and make a donation to help support three people through this disaster (her identification on Paypal is Lisa (at) audiblevision.com). You of course can give more than the cost of a movie, or maybe a bit this month and a bit next month till perhaps the end of the year, when hopefully Lisa will be back on her feet.
Do what you can, make a difference.
All Time Low
Bush Job Approval Hits 41%—All Time Low; Would Lose to Every Modern President; Public Rates All Levels of Government Poorly in Katrina Handling; Red Cross Rated Higher Than Federal Government, 69%-17% —New Zogby America Poll
President Bush’s job approval rating took a hit in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, dropping to a historic low of 41%, a new Zogby America poll reveals. The same survey found the nation’s forty-third president would lose election contests against all of his predecessors since Jimmy Carter.
Back On Their Feet
FEMA announced yesterday that it will give storm evacuees debit cards loaded with $2,000 to allow people to purchase supplies to get on their feet again.
Another Hole In Your Head
Dig to the other side - Are you concerned about where you go to arrive if you dig a very deep straight infinitous hole on Earth? Your problems are solved!
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
i aCn Typ o
FatFingers - Other people's typos save you money. Thousands of items on eBay are listed with descriptions containing spelling mistakes. These items often expire with no bids on them as no-one can find them.
Bad To The Bone
Study suggests racial discrimination harms health. In the first national study of its kind, a UC Irvine sociologist finds that black immigrants who arrive in America from black-majority regions of the world are healthier than those from white-majority regions; still, regardless of how healthy black immigrants are when they come to the U.S., the longer they stay, the more their health erodes. The findings suggest racial discrimination is a major cause of poor health for American blacks -- native and foreign born alike.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Will Work For Food
Panhandling Worldwide - A blog about a guy who made it his mission to earn a living by panhandling.
I Wish I'd Have Thought Of That!
Strange New Products - USB powered coffee mugs, Interactive cell phone text messaging games, Marijuana trivia card games. It's not necessarily about cool new gadgets (there's plenty of them blogs around). This is about stuff that is totally revolutionary, really weird, corny, ingenious, or completely useless.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Old Helps New
The French city of Orleans is rallying to help its hurricane-hit American namesake. The city south of Paris plans to donate money raised from ticket sales at local sports matches to help hurricane victims in New Orleans, a statement from City Hall said Friday.
Orleans and its university have also offered to take in 50 students from the University of New Orleans for the school year, the statement said. The mayor's office is working with U.S. authorities to find out what other aid it can provide.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
In Order To Form A More Perfect Union
We the People: Black Population in the United States "A demographic, social and economic portrait of the more than 36 million people who identified themselves as black or African American in Census 2000. The special report also discusses differences between men and women within the black population at the national level."
Saturday, September 03, 2005
The Pencil Is On The Table
They Thought You'd Say This - lists phrases from travel phrasebooks that most travelers hopefully won't need.
Hot Air
Hurricanes Growing Fiercer With Global Warming. This July 2005 press release describes a study that concludes that "hurricanes have grown significantly more powerful and destructive over the last three decades due in part to global warming." Includes a link to the website of the MIT meteorology professor "who warns that this trend could continue." The professor's site includes a link to the article about the study and to related material.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Damage Map
Katrina Info Map - Might help you sort out what is damaged.
Thank you Jeff at Library Chronicles who works at a New Orleans Library and is safe, but unable to go to a likely water logged home.
Home Sweet Home
If you live in the South or Southwest and have an available room in your home, please sign up at Open Your Home.
A Gulp Of The Gulf
Deep-sea exploration beneath Katrina's wake. Despite having to evade hurricane Katrina, a team of scientists from Harbor Branch and other institutions is returning to port this Sunday with new tales from the deep after completing their second annual Deep Scope expedition. The group has discovered a mysterious visual capability in a deep-sea crab; captured new video of a large, recently discovered squid species; and took clear video of the world's first known fluorescent shark.
Snap, Crackle, Pop
The Rice Krispies Album - Who knew that the boys had a music album?
Thank you Psychomike
Two Sizes Too Small
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert weighs in on rebuilding New Orleans during an interview (bugmenot) by the Chigago Daily Herald. "It doesn’t make sense to me, and it’s a question that certainly we should ask. . . First of all your heart goes out to the people, the loss of their homes . . . but there are some real tough questions to ask about how you go about rebuilding this city. We help replace, we help relieve disaster . . . (Rebuilding) is certainly the decision the people of New Orleans are going to make. . . But I think federal insurance and everything goes along with it and we ought to take a second look at it. . . How do you go about rebuilding this city? What precautions do you take? . . . It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed. . . But you know we build Los Angeles and San Francisco on top of earthquake fissures and they rebuild, too. Stubbornness." Dennis Hastert was a sponsor of the legislation that cut the funding needed to upgrade New Orleans levee system to withstand category 5 hurricanes. He also failed to vote on legislation this year which would've provided additional funds for the Army Corps of Engineers.
Source
Thunderball
Before Tom Jones did the James Bond theme for THUNDERBALL, Johnny Cash was asked to come up with it! I like JC's music, but I just need to say, WHAT WAS HE THINKING? (not that TJ's is that much better)
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Emergancy Update
Donate To The Red Cross via Amazon
The official Red Cross site is overwhelmed and having diffecult processing donations. Please try to spread this Amazon link around the web so people have an alternative for donating.
Instant Messaging
Quotes from IRC conversations. Here is my favorite:
quit: (DeadMansHand)
join: (PeteRepeat) (bob@3F8C4655.11D1C8C.18637D35.IP)
quit: (PeteRepeat)
Breath Of The Dragon
ERS-2 and Envisat reveal impact of economic growth on China's air quality. China's spectacular economic growth during the last decade has brought many benefits – and some challenges. Global atmospheric mapping of nitrogen dioxide pollution performed by ERS-2's GOME and Envisat's SCIAMACHY reveals the world's largest amount of NO2 hanging above Beijing and northeast China, as reported in Nature this week.
Marlboro Man
Classic TV ads available in a variety of formats for your nostalgic (mostly black and white) viewing pleasure.
For A Good Time Call
Latrinalia - A study of restroom graffitti, "the restroom wall is the last great medium for self-expression."
Got A Light?
Las Vegas Casino Matchbooks - This collection boasts over one hundred vintage and modern books.
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