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Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody

  • Nov. 24th, 2009 at 3:44 PM
Gravity
This is available in 1080p high definition video.

The Muppets do Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.



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:)

  • Nov. 19th, 2009 at 4:17 PM
Gravity


From [info]dargie. Thanks. :)

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Nothing new, really.

  • Nov. 18th, 2009 at 5:34 PM
Free a Fish from Water
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is meeting this week in Baltimore.

Yesterday, they issued a pastoral letter which contains "detailed guidelines on marriage, reproductive technologies and health care for severely brain-damaged patients.": Marriage - Love and Life in the Divine Plan

What they're for:

Heterosexual Marriage

What they're against:

Gay Marriage / Same Sex Unions
Divorce
Unmarried Couples living together
Euthanasia

"Thank goodness this is out there, clearly stated, with ample documentation and very reasonably put forward," said Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien of Baltimore, which is hosting the fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops this week. "I think it's going to be a very positive document."


They also approved a document on reproductive technology, "Life-Giving Love in an Age of Technology"

What they're for:

Universal Healthcare (but it shouldn't include treatment for the stuff they're against, listed below)

What they're against:

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Egg, Sperm and Embryo Donation
Surrogacy
Cloning
Abortion

There's nothing new here, but I suppose it's worth noting. Haven't seen the text of "Life-Giving Love in an Age of Technology" online yet, but I'm curious to see if they take anything other than the expected position against stem-cell research.

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Irony

  • Nov. 17th, 2009 at 10:48 AM
Free a Fish from Water
President Obama spoke at a town hall meeting in Shanghai yesterday about the importance of free speech and his support for uncensored internet access. China's state-owned media censored his remarks for public consumption. The White House live feed was also unavailable in China on Facebook and YouTube.

Here is a video of the entire, uncensored town hall meeting:





The video is also available at the White House's website. So is a full transcript in English. Translation to Chinese (Simplified) here, and to Chinese (Traditional) here.

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Links

  • Nov. 16th, 2009 at 1:55 PM
Free a Fish from Water
Syrian carrying $880,000, Hezbollah ring, 9/11 videos, stopped at Canadian border. He's also a qualified flight instructor.

From [info]kishnevi: Sotheby's is auctioning off a 13th century Spanish Torah.

Nearly 900 9West items are on sale for $14.95 at 6pm.com. (link via FashionHippo and [info]tzikeh) This sale runs 11/15 through 11/22. Shipping is free on orders over $100. You will have to pay shipping for returns.

Also from [info]tzikeh: Frugal - Bon Vivant

Condé Nast Traveler: Etiquette 101: Smart Talk, "First Do No Harm...Every country has its subtle taboos and unspoken codes, but when you get down to it, it's what you say, not how you say it, that really gets you in the door (or kicked out). Our guide to the most dangerous topics around the world rates them according to our own alert system, from highest to lowest risk, followed by a few safe subjects that might put you back on solid ground." Other "Etiquette 101" guides can be found in a sidebar at the link.

Nature: Swine flu: One killer virus, three key questions

From [info]liz_marcs: DeepDiscount DVD is selling the entire series of Farscape for $74.38.

The Watcher checks out Caprica.

The Atlantic: Did Christianity Cause the Crash?

The Block: The complete history of Eldridge Street between Stanton and Rivington, in Manhattan. Clicking on any building will give you more details about its history. From the site designer: "The tenement that sparked this interest, #218, is a good place to start. My great-great-grandfather lived there in 1860. Keep an eye on it in 1922. Enjoy!"

A Survivor's Compass: Rules to keep in mind when dealing with cancer

Alton Brown makes better bacon in a waffle iron (YT video)

The Economist: Lagrangian coherent structures / The skeleton of water

Wired reviews The Prisoner reboot.

Acrophobics beware: On top of the Burj Dubai's spire. (YT Video) The Burj Dubai is the world's tallest skyscraper. Also see: the tower's window cleaners. (YT Video)

Photo Gallery: Victoria's Secret Casting Call

"If you're the type of person who has trouble throwing anything out, then the job of collections reviewer at the University College London's museums might not be for you. The college is embarking upon a purge of its assorted collections, some 250,000 items in total, only 2% of which are currently on display. A gargantuan task, surely, but the college is not doing it on its own — officials have taken the unusual step of opening the process up to the public. They're asking visitors what they should keep, what they should give away to other museums — one institution's trash is another's treasure — or, as a last resort, what they should just throw away."

"One of the best kept literary secrets of the decade was revealed last night when 34-year-old scientist Dr Brooke Magnanti announced she was the writer masquerading as call girl Belle de Jour."

From [info]chiutoy, The Guild's "Do You Want To Date My Avatar" (YT music video)

*snort*

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Links

  • Nov. 13th, 2009 at 2:21 PM
Free a Fish from Water
The Onion interviews Bronson Pinchot

Horrible Turn is an unauthorized Dr. Horrible prequel. YouTube / Vimeo

Rapists Who Don’t Think They’re Rapists (via [info]rm, here who describes: "A survey on rape shows that if you don't use the R-word, a small percentage (actually 4% is pretty horrifying) of men will admit to rape; a lot of rape. The good news here, of course, is what we hopefully already knew -- that most men aren't rapists. The rest of the news? Rape isn't accidental; it's not a one time thing; it's not about "good guys" going too far -- it's a crime perpetrated by repeat offenders who don't think of themselves as rapists.)

[info]zombie_dog: The Weight Watcher's Guide to Starbucks

[info]txtriffidranch makes me laugh about H1N1.

The Big Picture: World Animal Day 2009

A Japanese firm is designing fun, customized barcodes that can still be scanned at checkout.

After 60 years in a watery Hawaiian grave, two World War II-era Japanese attack submarines have been discovered near Pearl Harbor. Specifically designed for a stealth attack on the U.S. East Coast--perhaps targeting Washington, D.C., and New York City -- the "samurai subs" were fast, far-ranging, and in some cases carried folding-wing aircraft.

Pioneering technique for growing new breasts could be available next year.

Pfizer is leaving New London, CT, eight years after their arrival triggered a landmark land use/eminent domain case.

Rent the Runway Offers Designer Dresses in the Netflix Model

The real reality of raising eight kids

Photo-realistic Art

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Raise your hands if you saw this coming....

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 2:29 PM
Calvin Lighter Fluid
Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum
Same-sex marriage bill, as written, called a threat to social service contracts


The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn't change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care.

Under the bill, headed for a D.C. Council vote next month, religious organizations would not be required to perform or make space available for same-sex weddings. But they would have to obey city laws prohibiting discrimination against gay men and lesbians.

Fearful that they could be forced, among other things, to extend employee benefits to same-sex married couples, church officials said they would have no choice but to abandon their contracts with the city.

"If the city requires this, we can't do it," Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said Wednesday. "The city is saying in order to provide social services, you need to be secular. For us, that's really a problem."


My take on this: Since the Church has taken the stance that helping the needy is less important than discrimination, let them refuse to provide social services. The public funding they receive can then be given to a more charitable group.

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Tattooed Jews

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Incredibles
Some older links and some which are more recent:

"In less time than it has taken Madonna to move from pop-star exhibitionist to tattooed Kabbalist, the 3,000-year-old Jewish taboo against body art has crumbled among some Jewish young adults. Thumb through the portfolio of almost any tattoo artist -- there are now a half-dozen in the city -- and you'll find traditional Jewish symbols of life and luck alongside menorahs and Hebrew blessings."

The Forward: Jews With Tattoos: Pride, Aesthetics and Rebellion Play a Role As Their Popularity Increases. "The idea that tattoos dishonor Holocaust victims tattooed by the Nazis no longer resonates with many."

CNN: The New Jews

My Jewish Learning: Tattooing in Jewish Law

Skin Deep: To Some Jews, It Only Sounds Like 'Taboo'

Jews & Tattoos: What's a Rabbi to Do?

Tattoo Jew: "Tattoo Jew is documentary about Jewish people getting Jewish-themed tattoos as expressions of individuality and pride; people who feel more connected to their roots by displaying a modern Jewish identity permanently etched in ink upon their skin. This project explores the intersection between traditional Jewish culture and the current popularity of tattoos."

In Your Faith: Many Jewish Gen Xers are Embracing Their Religion and Cultural Icons with Defiance and Bold Irony. But are the piercings and tattoos a fad or spiritual expression?

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ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 3:36 PM
Weeping Angel
An opponent of same-sex marriage, Rhode Island Governor Carcieri has vetoed a bill giving domestic partners the right to claim the bodies of — and make funeral arrangements for — their loved ones.

More.

What a disgusting, heartless, dehumanizing thing to do. :(

You know... Roger Williams founded Rhode Island in 1644 on the principles of freedom of religion, equal treatment of Native Americans, the separation of church and state and the abolition of slavery, after he was kicked out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony for advocating equality.

365 years later and William's legacy is run by a bigot.

Edit:

* The Bill (pdf) (Thank you, [info]gbam)
* The Veto (pdf)

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Star Trek Gag Reel

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 12:05 PM
Calvin Happy
The DVD will be released on 11/17, but the gag reel has already been leaked on the 'net.



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Veterans Day Links

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 10:11 AM
Palm Trees
For Veterans Day here in the United States, and in honor of those who served:

Charitable Organizations

Give2TheTroops / How to Donate

Give an Hour: Provides complimentary and confidential mental health counseling to returning troops and their loved ones.

"The Mission Continues was built on the belief that our returning wounded should be recognized not only for the sacrifices they have made, but for everything they have left to give. We award fellowships to empower wounded and disabled veterans to serve in their communities. In doing so, we send the message: "We still need you." America owes these men and women a great deal, but as a nation, we have much left to learn from them. While injury may have changed the nature of their service, their mission continues, and it is as important as ever."

Disabled American Veterans

Paralyzed Veterans of America (your donation will double if you donate today thanks to a challenge from a WWII vet) They also offer a service which allows people to send an ecard to an anonymous veteran.

The Home Sweet Home campaign from oursoldiers.org

The USO

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

Swords to Plowshares: "a community-based, not-for-profit organization that provides counseling and case management, employment and training, housing and legal assistance to veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area."

The Eleven-Eleven Campaign


Videos

Surprise Homecoming. Related article.

Homecomings

Dogs Welcoming Home Soldiers


Awareness

About one-third of all adult homeless men are veterans, and an average night finds an estimated 131,000 of them from five decades bedding down on streets and in charity sanctuaries. About 3 in 100 of them are back from Iraq and Afghanistan. The problem of homelessness for Vietnam veterans is, shamefully, well known. But the men and women in this growing cohort took just 18 months to find rock bottom, compared with the five years-plus of the previous generation’s veterans. Want to help? Support the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

Five Facts about Veterans and How You Can Help

New Jersey servicemembers from four wars talk about Veterans Day

White House New Initiatives for Veterans

The Big Picture: Afghanistan, October 2009

Veterans for Peace

History of Veterans Day

The VFW, VA and The American Legion

Rudepundit: Veterans Day for the Living of a Previous Failed War


Goodies

35 Veterans Day Discounts and Freebies

The GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon program


Thank you.

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Palm Trees
Maclaren Recalls 1 Million Strollers Due To Amputation Risk

The recall applies to every umbrella stroller Maclaren has distributed in the US since 1999. The specific models are: Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.

The CPSC says the strollers' hinge mechanism, "poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller."


More.
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Democratic Victor vs. Pagan Lord

  • Nov. 9th, 2009 at 12:08 PM
Calvin Lighter Fluid
New York political campaigns are rarely boring, but the race for City Council in my district was unusually contentious this year. Our rep decided not to run, and both parties were vying for his open seat, which had been held by Democrats for the last eight years.

The Challengers:
Democrat Kevin Kim raised $430K.
Republican Dan Halloran raised $46K.

Halloran won.

I live in an area of Queens that has a large Asian population. Kim signs were everywhere -- businesses, stores etc. Volunteers went door to door and urged us to vote for Kim. Through August and part of September, polls seemed to indicate that he'd win by a large margin. Large groups of Asian residents were driven to the polls by volunteers on election day, and it's estimated that 84% of Asian voters went for Kim.

How did he lose?

He went negative. Far more negative than his opponent. Someone forgot the Lazio lesson.

Towards the end of September one of our local weekly papers, the Queens Tribune, ran an article on the race. The cover of the paper read: City Council Race: Democratic Victor vs. Pagan Lord and revealed Dan Halloran as a Théodish pagan to the voting public. The article inside, Pagan 'King' Has Council GOP Nod, seemed somewhat even-handed, although the paper did "enthusiastically" endorse Kevin Kim for the seat in the same issue.

Kevin Kim used to work for our Congressional Representative, Gary Ackerman. Ackerman founded the Queens Tribune in 1970. (Ackerman's denied any wrongdoing, which is most likely true.) The Tribune's investors have close ties to a political consulting company that Kim gave $80,000 to over the course of his campaign. (See the section titled "Walls of Separation" here.) Concerns were raised that the Tribune was biased, and had inappropriately tried to inject a candidate's religious practices into a political debate. The NY Times weighed in. Tribune readers did too. The Village Voice weighed in, and continued to do so into November. Halloran responded to the Tribune with an editorial in a rival paper, the Queens Chronicle.

Bloggers posted editorials about Halloran's religion.

By elevating his religion into a campaign issue, the Trib virtually guaranteed it would overshadow everything else. Most of their defenders said that was bound to happen. After all he's a pagan! (Oh dear. Lock up your daughters....)

The poll gap closed. By late October, the candidates were neck and neck and the mudslinging intensified with cries of racism, campaign sign tampering and fearmongering. Some Whitestone residents even declared Halloran an antisemite. Halloran accused Kim of being a pawn of Asian real estate developers. Way to rise above the fray there, Dan.

Election Day:

Halloran won 52.5% to 47.5% (about 1300 votes). The Queens Chronicle cited voter pushback from Kim's negative campaign as a likely reason. The Village Voice was pretty perturbed.

And our City Council became more diverse, which I'd venture to say is a good thing.

Worth noting: For the first time, Chinatown (different race and district,) will be represented by an Asian American. Nice! :)

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Incredibles
This morning, Google launched a new feature called "Google Dashboard" that lets users view (and in some cases control,) what data is being stored and analyzed on a range of more than 20 Google services, including Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Web History, Orkut, YouTube, Picasa, Talk, Reader, Alerts, Latitude and others.

Services not currently included -- Analytics, AdWords, AdSense, and Book Search among others -- will be added in later versions.

More:

* Google's Unofficial Blog
* TechCrunch
* New York Times
* CNET

In other Google-related news, the company is celebrating Sesame Street's 40th anniversary with special home page banners this week. See also: their Banner Art Archive

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Nov. 3rd, 2009

  • 1:17 PM
Palm Trees
French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss has died at the age of 100.




101 New Uses for Everyday Things

Newsweek / The Upside of Feeling Down: Depression might be evolution's way of fixing what ails us

Drunk Ewoks Make for Good TV Gets funnier at 3:30 or so.

Democrats' Quiet Changes Pile Up

Fists Fly After Washington Post Editor Tells Writer, “It’s the Second Worst Story I Have Seen in Style in 43 Years.” The Washingtonian is polling its readers to find out what the worst was. Gene Weingarten weighs in, and offers his own suggestion of which was worst.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the Anti-Obama.

The Chicago Tribune and other Tribune Co. newspapers plan to utilize as little content from the Associated Press as practical during the week of Nov. 8. The goal, as the papers review costs and needs, is to see whether severing ties with the news cooperative next fall is a viable option. The trial is scheduled to be conducted almost 13 months after Tribune Co. gave the AP a required two-year warning that it might drop the news service, effective Oct. 15, 2010.

The St. Petersburg Times extensive multipart exposé on Scientology

Aspergers Syndrome only became an official part of the medical lexicon in 1994, but the experts who are revising psychiatry’s diagnostic manual have proposed to eliminate it as a separate category from the new edition, due out in 2012. It would now fall under the "Autism Spectrum Disorders" umbrella.

The Clock I Can't See (from [info]moosl)

The Mythbusters test golf ball-like dimpling effect on fuel economy

Want 50Mbps internet in your town? Threaten to roll out your own.

Christopher Walken performs Lady Gaga's Poker Face. Here's the original.

United Airlines Exploring Viability Of Stacking Them Like Cordwood


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Sex sells. Film at 11.

  • Nov. 3rd, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Incredibles
Stargate SGU producer Joseph P. Mallozi has posted a friendly rant on his blog:

"Finally, some words of advice – words of advice not so much for those of you here but those leaving comments on other forums and websites (if you would be kind enough to pass the message along): STOP MAKING IDIOT COMMENTS. Note I didn’t say idiotic comments because that would imply that the lion’s share of the idiocy lies with the comment itself rather than the commentator. No, I mean: STOP MAKING IDIOT COMMENTS.

For example, say you have a problem with the James scene in Darkness in which she threatens Riley and Eli after they try spying on her with the kino. You can go ahead and make an argument for the scene being sexist (although I’d argue that there’s a difference between the scene being sexist and the characters in the scene acting inappropriately, especially given that a clearly disappointed Young admonishes both men), but if, in the body of your comment or any subsequent comment, you refer to the James character as Lieutenant Rack or McBoobs, then you’re a hypocrite who has successfully undermined their argument by demonstrating you can’t be taken seriously. Also, you’re an idiot."
More.

Also, this made me snicker:
Unlike the more kid-friendly SG-1 and Atlantis with its wholesale slaughters of enemy combatants, tortures, stabbings, and occasional live burnings, Universe will touch on the heinous topic of physically intimacy. These “sex scenes”, which amounted to approximately 1 whole minute of the 270 minutes aired to date, engendered a fair amount of controversy. And that’s fine. I don’t mind continuing to read and approve your comments on the subject so long as you don’t mind knowing that nothing will change in this respect and that if you were offended by that broom closet scene in Air I, I guarantee you’ll be clawing your eyes out of your skull given what we have in store later this season. Also, while I can understand why some may have had a problem with that broom-closet scene in the premiere given that it did come as a surprise to many, I can’t muster up much empathy or understanding for those complaining about the Scott-Chloe scene in Light. Again, if it’s a matter of not enjoying shows that focus on the occasional romance between characters, then that’s unfortunate – because that’s the type of show you’re watching. If, on the other hand, it’s an innate response to the very notion of intimacy no matter how modest the scene, then I’d suggest a deep-rooted personal issue that would be best dealt with somewhere other than this blog.


Worth noting that the complaints about the broom closet scene were more along the lines of outrage that the show was (gasp!) pandering to the same fan demographic that watched Star Trek Voyager to see Seven of Nine in a skintight catsuit.

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Yes!

  • Oct. 29th, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Calvin Epic Life
"We must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones, but to break spirits -- not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear. Because no one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love. No one in America should be forced to look over their shoulder because of who they are or because they live with a disability."
~ President Obama


"President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed the first major piece of federal gay rights legislation, a milestone that activists compared to the passage of 1960s civil-rights legislation empowering blacks.

The new law adds acts of violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to the list of federal hate crimes. Gay-rights activists voiced hope that the Obama administration would advance more issues, including legislation to bar workplace discrimination, allow military service and recognize same-sex marriages.

Congress passed the hate crimes protections as an unlikely amendment to this year's Defense Authorization Act. Obama, speaking at an emotional evening reception with supporters of the legislation, said that more than 12,000 hate crimes had been reported the past decade based on sexual orientation."

I'm proud to note that the bill also contains protections for those who are transgendered -- a cause the HRC has snubbed for years.

More:
* U.S. House passes "hate crime" bill that Bush opposed
* House Passes Expanded Hate Crimes Bill (This link explains Republican objections to the bill)
* Obama signs hate crimes bill into law / Two years after son's death, mother finds solace in hate crimes bill
* Obama signs hate crimes bill
* Obama signs 'hate crimes' bill - Christian broadcasters concerned (As well they should be.)
* Hate Crimes Bill Signed Into Law 11 Years After Matthew Shepherd's Death

Note: I've publicly criticized President Obama and the Democratic congress for their lack of progress on a variety of issues. To be honest, I've found their lack of decisive action toward fulfilling campaign promises quite disheartening. But this news? This is simply wonderful. This issue and others like it are precisely why I voted for Democrats in the last election. I'm deeply, deeply proud of them today.


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Palm Trees
Wired profiles pediatrician Paul Offit, co-creator of the RotaTeq rotavirus vaccine and a primary target of the anti-vaccination movement. Dr. Offit published a book,“Autism’s False Prophets” in 2008 but didn't tour, because he had received too many death threats.

The profile by Amy Wallace*, is part of a collection of articles on vaccinations, including "The Misinformants: Prominent Voices in the Anti-Vaccine Crusade", "How To Win An Argument About Vaccines", and "A Short History of Vaccine Panic".

*Wallace is receiving hate mail for it. She's been twitting about that here.

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Goodbye "Leih Hou Ma," hello "Ni Hao Ma"

  • Oct. 22nd, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Incredibles
"Chinatown" communities across the United States (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco) are undergoing a shift in linguistic identity, as recent immigrants are more likely to natively speak Mandarin (the official spoken language of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) instead of Cantonese.

Also see Vancouver and Oakland, CA.

Signs like this may soon become commonplace.

The Language Atlas of China

The PopUp Chinese Podcast and Arch Chinese site provide basic Mandarin lessons. Also see: Mango, ZhongWen and LiveMocha

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Heroine

  • Oct. 21st, 2009 at 6:16 PM
Weeping Angel
"The Kindest Cut": A Colorado surgeon is helping to restore sensation, biological structure and self-esteem to victims of female genital mutilation. She's "Trinidad's Transgender Rock Star"


Bowers performs the surgery free of charge, and the hospital caps its fees at $1,700. "...you cannot charge money to reverse a crime against humanity," she says. "Sexuality is a right."


Trinidad, CO is also known as the "Sex Change Capital of the World"


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Holy cow

  • Oct. 15th, 2009 at 3:13 PM
Palm Trees
I've been watching this on CNN. The aircraft climbed to 7000 feet, is traveling at 30mph and is currently being tracked by helicopters.

"Officials are trying to rescue a 6-year-old boy who climbed into a balloon-like experimental aircraft built by his parents and floated into the sky over eastern Colorado. The aluminum-covered, dome-shaped balloon is 20 feet long and 5 feet high, Larimer County Sheriff's Office says.

Margie Martinez of the Weld County Sheriff's Office said a sibling saw the boy climb into the basket before the balloon took off. Since the door on the balloon was unlocked, Martinez said it's possible the boy had fallen out. The balloon appeared to be a saucer-shaped, Mylar-coated helium balloon, not unlike a party balloon. The craft was drifting eastward, authorities said.

The helium balloon was tethered to the boy's family home in Fort Collins, the Larimer County Sheriff's Department said. The boy got into the craft Thursday morning and undid the rope anchoring it. The aluminum-covered, dome-shaped balloon is 20 feet long and 5 feet high, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office said. "The structure at the bottom of the balloon that the boy is in is made of extremely thin plywood and won't withstand any kind of a crash at all," said Erik Nilsson, Larimer County Emergency Manager, according to CNN affiliate KMGH."


MSNBC has video. The Aviation Weather Center is reporting that temperatures over Denver at 9000 feet are 43º F / 6ºC.

Oh man. I hope that kid is okay.


Edit: CNN is reporting that the balloon has landed. No word on the kid just yet. He was not inside. :(

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Creative Video

  • Oct. 14th, 2009 at 3:07 PM
Incredibles
This music video was shot for Japanese band Sour's song 'Hibi no Neiro' ("Tone of Everyday") from their first mini album, 'Water Flavor EP'. Cast is made up of the band's fans and all clips were filmed with webcams.



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Bill Frist vs. Bill Maher on Vaccines

  • Oct. 13th, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Palm Trees
After Terry Schiavo, I never, ever thought I'd be impressed with anything Former Republican Senator Bill Frist had to say.



More.

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Links

  • Oct. 12th, 2009 at 10:19 AM
Incredibles
Google Fast Flip

The Gift of Life and its Price (NY Times article on fertility, multiples and selective reduction.)

The Gay March: Will a New Generation's Protests Be Heard? Also: Debate Over March Exposes Split in the Gay Rights Movement.

CNN: All I want for Christmas: A Job. But despite a larger pool of potential seasonal employees, retailers may have fewer positions available.

Voyager's Golden Record: These are the Images attached to the twin Voyager spacecraft, as a greeting to alien civilizations. Also see: 50 years of Space Exploration.

Transform Columbus Day

'Self-learners' creating university of online. (Contains tips of auto-didacts.)

The 2009 Nobel Prize for Economics has been awarded to its first female recipient.

"The 401(k) was never even intended to be a retirement plan." And now, many workers are discovering, it isn't.

Facebook launches the Gross National Happiness Index, gleaned from (anonymous) status updates.

The end of the email era

Libraries Sans Dewey

FT: A second Great Depression is still possible.

Consumerist: How to: Move to New York City, Stay Sane, Without Being Broke

Seats of Gold: "If you were born before 1984, when you were a first-grader, the best seat in Yankee Stadium cost less than $12. You and your dad could sit by the field for $25. People pay fortunes chasing that feeling. What about the kids in first grade now?" (They'll probably pay $14 per seat in the bleachers, but it won't be the same.

Teaching Students to Sift Mountains of Data

Profile of Helen Gurley Brown

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Predictable. Sad. Republican Responses.

  • Oct. 9th, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Incredibles
The Bad:
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele released the following statement today:
“The real question Americans are asking is, ‘What has President Obama actually accomplished?' It is unfortunate that the president's star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain – President Obama won't be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action.”


The Ugly:
From the site owner of the RedState blog:
I did not realize the Nobel Peace Prize had an affirmative action quota for, but that is the only thing I can think of for this news.

Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize.


The Good:
Pawlenty (R):
"I would say regardless of the circumstances, congratulations to President Obama for winning the Nobel Prize. I know there will be some people who are saying “Was it based on good intentions and thoughts or is it going to be based on good results?” But I think the appropriate response is when anybody wins a Nobel Prize that is a very noteworthy development and designation and I think the appropriate response is to say “Congratulations.”


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Calvin Epic Life
President Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, just 8 months into his presidency.

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it honored Obama for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

Reactions. More. Stats.

I hate to be a killjoy, but other than banning torture has he accomplished something to deserve this and I missed it? Peace in the Middle East? End the Iraq and Afghan wars? Kept Iran from developing nuclear weapons? I keep watching the Politifact meter and waiting.

Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased they've recognized him. But...

The prize seems to be more for Obama's promise than for his performance. The Nobel committee cited as his key accomplishment "a new climate in international politics." The president has become "the world's leading spokesman" for its agenda, the committee said.

He has no standout moment of victory. Not surprising. Like most presidents in their first year, Obama's scorecard so far is largely an "incomplete," if he's being graded.

As with many of the promises he made during the campaign, I sincerely hope he can live up to their, and our, expectations. The bar keeps getting higher....

OK, I must admit, I find it amusing that they awarded him this just hours before NASA bombed the moon. :)


Edit: Ah, I see:

"It's quite likely this committee will reward somebody who is engaged in current processes," said Kristian Berg Harpviken, head of the International Peace Institute in Oslo (PRIO).

"They want the prize to have an impact on things that are about to happen and want to affect events," he told Reuters."


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Battlestargate?

  • Oct. 2nd, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Incredibles
Stargate Universe ("SGU") premieres this evening in the US and Canada, on 10/6 in the UK and Ireland and in Australia on 10/9. Billed as "military scifi," the series is reportedly less campy than its predecessors and uses thematic elements which will seem familiar to Battlestar Galactica fans.



For US viewers, Hulu will be streaming the show the day after it airs. Reviews are mixed. Wikipedia.

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Incredibles
Google began inviting volunteers to a public preview test of their new Wave web-based collaborative email and document communications platform yesterday, which enables users to "communicate and work together in real time." Initial reviews this past May seemed positive.

Features include real-time collaboration, (including concurrent editing and control of each "wave" thread,) natural language tools and a variety of APIs which users can use to embed content in other sites.

Google Wave Developer Preview at Google I/O 2009 (80min video -- an abridged 10 minute version is here. They mention that the term "Wave" comes from Firefly.

Wave login page is here.

Google Wave Federation Protocol is an open source project for developers.

The WSJ reports that invites are now for sale on EBay. Something similar happened when Google launched GMail in 2004. And of course, malware peddlers have turned out in force, so be careful what you search for.

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"Spocckoli"

  • Sep. 18th, 2009 at 10:50 AM
Incredibles
From [info]ontd_startrek: Star Trek characters and the foods they resemble.

Worth reading to the end for the... uh... dessert.



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Calvin Lighter Fluid
Conservative Republican California State Assemblyman Michael Duvall (Orange County) didn't realize his mic was live, moments before the start of a legislative hearing this past July. So when the 54-year-old married father of two began describing his ongoing affairs with two different women in very graphic detail for the benefit of a colleague seated next to him, he had no idea that he was being recorded. The story was picked up by KCAL, who cited unnamed sources that said Duvall was describing affairs with two married lobbyists.

The problem: The KCAL report also tentatively identified one as a utility company representative. (The OC Weekly story says she works for Sempra Energy.) Duvall is the vice chairman of the California State Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce.

Duvall "announced his immediate resignation from the Assembly this afternoon."

His campaign website has a message up about his resignation. Sadly, they left out the part where he spanks lobbyists who wear eye-patch undies. :( More.

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Cancer Dude :(

  • Sep. 3rd, 2009 at 9:42 PM
Weeping Angel
Jeffrey Walker passed away on Monday. An incredible optimist, he was a talented musician, a self-proclaimed hacker and the President of Atlassian. But Jeffrey was also a cancer survivor, known in tech circles as "Cancer Dude." Over the last 5 and half years he'd fought and weathered several recurrences, until this last one took his life.

I linked to a couple of blog entries of his a while back:
* Living with Cancer in Silicon Valley
* Cancer 2.0 -- The Killer App and
* What I Learned from Cancer 2.0.

"The day I got my (wrong) prognosis of a few years left to live, I faced the biggest challenge of my life: not cancer, but what to tell my children? I got a copy of Lance Armstrong’s book and I remember setting it down on the table in front of Brittany and Mac and telling them the one difference between Lance and me is that I didn’t have to win the Tour de France. I only had to beat cancer."


Also see Living with Cancer in Silicon Valley II: Survival Tips from a Hardened Cancer Dude.

All are inspiring and humbling. I urge you to read them. His zest for life, unshakeable optimism and love for his family truly shines through.

His wife and kids posted Goodbye Jeffrey on September 2nd.

Zoli Erdos' tribute blog entry includes a video of him playing guitar recently, at the Stanford University Relay for Life.

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Shop Smart. Shop S-Mart.

  • Aug. 18th, 2009 at 9:49 AM
Calvin Lighter Fluid
"Only instant, merciless violence can save humanity."

University of Ottawa Professor Robert Smith? has created a mathematical model for surviving a hypothetical zombie attack, and published it in a book on infectious diseases.

PDF of the study. Titled: "When Zombies Attack! Mathematical Modelling of an Outbreak of Zombie Infection".

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Camp Sundown Visits the Yankees

  • Aug. 14th, 2009 at 3:23 PM
Calvin Happy
"The Yankees best game this season came after the lights were dimmed."

On July 24th, the New York Yankees hosted Camp Sundown in the Bronx -- a group of kids with xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). XP is a life-threatening sun-sensitivity disorder, in which DNA cannot repair damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light. Kids with the disease develop malignant melanomas and carcinomas if they are exposed to sunlight or bright fluorescent lights.

"Camp Sundown gets its name because the youngsters that attend cannot go outdoors during the daytime or even stand under fluorescent lights because ultraviolet radiation, any UV radiation, is their mortal enemy. It will give them severe burns, it will give them squamous cell skin cancer, it will cause malignant tumors to grow in their eyes and mouths, and make many of them blind as their condition reaches its late stages. The sun and blue skies we wish for in spring and summer will cruelly ravage their bodies.

The kids, these fragile, beautiful kids, who want nothing more than to be whatever we like to call ordinary in this world, are afflicted with a genetic condition called Xeroderma Pigmentosum that takes the lives of most people with the disorder before they reach the age of 20. It is rare, so rare there are only between 150 and 250 sufferers in this country, maybe two or three thousand around the world."

For more information, see the XP Society, and their Camp Sundown page. The NJ Star-Ledger site has a video of the event.

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Whole Foods

  • Aug. 13th, 2009 at 3:47 PM
Incredibles
Whole Foods CEO John Mackey penned an op-ed in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, in which he ranted about the new, proposed health care plan, equating it to socialism. He laid out his objections and possible solutions pretty neatly, but as nearly as I can tell they're completely unrealistic for anyone who's living on the financial edge.

The outraged response from his customers has been swift. The piece has also drawn some attention to WF's regressive business practices.

It turns out that at least some of WF's customers are progressives. Go figure. Way to shoot yourself in the foot, there Mack.

There's also a new "Boycott Whole Foods" Facegroup.

Ezra Klein weighed in.

Here are a couple of blog entries from folks who agree with Mackey: Reason and Cato.

Edit: 8/14: Mackey has a clarification post up, over at Whole Foods website.

Also, see [info]ulitave's entry.

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:(

  • Aug. 13th, 2009 at 3:46 PM
Palm Trees
This was sweet, sad and a sincerely beautiful gesture. (If you've recently lost a pet, you may want to skip it...): 10 years ago, at the Humane Society.


Here's the Society's Pet Adoption Information Page.

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Just nae call i' English!

  • Aug. 4th, 2009 at 3:16 PM
Calvin Lighter Fluid
"Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware that jaups in luggies: But, if Ye wish her gratefu prayer, Gie her a Haggis!" --Robert Burns*: Address to a Haggis

Food historian Catherine Brown has announced that Haggis, the traditional Scottish dish, was invented in England rather than Scotland. More.

Scottish butchers have dismissed the claim as daft. But, there's always... curry?

Charles MacSween and Son, self-proclaimed "Guardians of Scotland's National Dish," make a wonderful haggis and black pudding. The former can be ordered online. (Just don't eat it too often.) Unfortunately, the FDA restricts importing haggis into the U.S.

But, you can make your own!


* (Burns' most famous work is probably Auld Lang Syne.) January 25th, 2009 is the traditional date for Burns' Night, celebrated in Scotland with (you guessed it,) a traditional haggis meal.

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Microhoo

  • Jul. 29th, 2009 at 10:27 AM
Pillage THEN Burn
Yahoo! has cut a deal with Microsoft, and the two companies will now join forces to compete with Google. Yahoo! search will now be provided by Microsoft's Bing search engine, and Yahoo! will become the "exclusive worldwide relationship sales force" for both companies’ premium search advertisers. Details here. Dual company mouthpiece site. Official press release.

Microsoft had originally looked to acquire Yahoo! outright, but failed. This new deal is a compromise of sorts, and may not benefit the software giant long-term, at least as much as they might hope. It also may not mean much of a difference at Yahoo!, since they already have a history of farming out their search to third parties.

Navigating the elements of the deal will also be a test for new Justice Department chief Christine Varney. With increased scrutiny on the DOJ regarding regulatory failures in the finance industry, Ms. Varney vowed in May to aggressively enforce US antitrust laws.

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Links

  • Jul. 28th, 2009 at 2:40 PM
WW Wild Thing!
Jamba Juice Coupon: Buy one get one free, good through 8/9. Thanks, [info]quixotickitten!




Best press release, ever: “We completely understand the public’s concern about futuristic robots feeding on the human population, but that is not our mission,” stated Harry Schoell, Cyclone’s CEO. (The short version: Cyclone is developing a robot with Darpa that runs on mulch (biomatter). FoxNews and CNET reported that the robot might be able to run on dead bodies, found on battlefields. That interpretation was picked up by other outlets. Inevitable frankenstein-complex public outcry ensues. More here.)

[info]shaenon presents: The Trouble With Tribbles, Ed Gorey-style (From [info]misfitina)

Tablet Magazine: The Denial Twist (It's an analysis of the motivations of two different Holocaust deniers, who are currently fueding. Some excellent observations here.)

Bill Safire: The Cold War's Hot Kitchen

The Neuroscience of McGriddles: Studies suggest that we don't really crave sweets. What we crave is energy in the form of calories.

Where Thin People Roam, and Sometimes Even Eat Some New Yorkers are vapid and status-obsessed. Go figure.

Denny's faces a class-action lawsuit over the undisclosed sodium content of its meals. (via [info]quixotickitten) Check out the numbers. As contrast, a McDonald's Big Mac contains 1010mg of sodium, and their large fries (which are basically coated in salt) contain 330mg.

Puppies Behind Bars (From [info]ww1614)

Mom Bloggers Debate Ethics Of 'Blog-Ola': "Omar Gallaga, the Austin American-Statesman's technology culture correspondent, says many of the mommy bloggers he has spoken to admit to writing only favorable reviews and receiving free products. He says that over the past few years, mom bloggers have become an attractive demographic for marketers."

FoxNews screws up again (From [info]ericmonster) So did the New York Times (Video, via [info]gbam)

Women over 30 have newer birth control options

The MSN Wonderwall

With jobs scarce in Japan, women become professional flirts

Wiliam Shatner reads Sarah Palin's Farewell Speech. (Video, surreal, reminds me of his take on Common People)

The Anti-Racist Parent blog.

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One Small Step

  • Jul. 21st, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Calvin Epic Life
"Here Men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D.
We came in peace for all mankind."


40 years ago yesterday, humans walked on the moon. NASA's tribute site is here. Also see "We Chose The Moon.":

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." - President John F. Kennedy


President Obama marked the anniversary by meeting with the mission's former astronauts : Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Armstrong said recently that the Cold War spurred the technology boom which led to the moon landing.

Forty years after the first moon landing, it’s no sure thing that astronauts will ever return. We can imagine, though, and ask ourselves what the news media coverage might look like if the landing had happened today?

Dr. Stephen Hawking's thoughts on the anniversary.

Oh, and a life-sized astronaut sculpture crafted entirely out of Wisconsin mild cheddar cheese had a mishap at the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta, OH on Sunday night. Someone turned off the air conditioning and the sculpture melted.

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Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

  • Jul. 9th, 2009 at 1:41 PM
iCylon
Trailer for the upcoming made for tv movie.



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Links

  • Jul. 9th, 2009 at 1:19 PM
Calvin Lighter Fluid
The New York Times interviews SCOTUS Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg regarding The Place of Women on the Court.

Dealing with Toddlers: When all you hear is "NO!"

Annals of Parenthood: Sleeping with the Baby. Reprint of an article on co-sleeping which appeared in The New Yorker in 2003.

Research indicates that people who speak different languages do indeed think differently and that even flukes of grammar can profoundly affect how we see the world.

The Faster Times. Explanation

Popular Mechanics: "Jay Leno has a lot of old cars with a lot of obsolete parts. When he needs to replace these parts, he skips the error-prone machinist and goes to his rapid prototyping 3D printer. Simply scan, print and repeat."

Religious Muslim and Jewish groups are protesting the forthcoming Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem. Construction has unearthed the remains of hundreds of Muslims interred at a cemetery at the site.

An Amnesty International report into maternal mortality in Peru found that hundreds of poor, rural and indigenous pregnant women are dying because they are being denied the same health services as other women in the country.

Michael Jackson and Vitiligo

"Massachusetts, the first state in the nation to legalize gay marriage, has become the first to challenge the constitutionality of a federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman, saying Congress intruded into a matter that should be left to individual states."

Twittorati launched today. Similar in concept to Technorati.

Gizmodo: An Illustrated Guide to Every Stupid Cable You Need

Windows Internet Explorer 8: Nickelback Edition

Online Photoediting Websites: Aviary's Phoenix, BeFunky, Dumpr, Photofunia, Piknik.

ASPCA: Animal-Free Circuses

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Yes, Mark. Yes We Do.

  • Jul. 8th, 2009 at 12:54 PM
Firefly Mandarin Cursewords
A Sign That All Those Outraged Emails May Actually Be Having An Effect....

Interview with the SciFi* Creative Director of Original Programming, Mark Stern:

So you're the guy we want to talk to, the future of what's to come on Scifi. Our readers can't wait to hear from you.

"They don't want to come after me with pitchforks?"


Meanwhile, the network is remaking Alien Nation. Someone should tell them that no one was clamoring for a remake of that show. The original movie was a shallow, predictable mess, and the series wasn't exactly "must see tv."

A Firefly reboot, on the other hand, would attract viewers in droves. Hint, Hint.


* I'm not calling it "SyFy" until they come up with a grammatically correct slogan. "Imagine Greater"? Really?

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