a visual collective outlet of inspiration
a few clear, obvious winners and then some. the US, china, and russia due to their sheer size and probability are easy ones, but then you have great britain at number 3 and korea at number 5 which are impressive to some extent. not to mention, odd balls like kazakhstan-12, hungary-9 and iran-17? mind you, this is based on most golds not grand total of medals, as that would shift the oddities even further. where are brazil, spain, belgium, portugal, sweden, etc? by dd
earth related
THE HIGGS BOSON
so, there is a teaser out right now from the scientific community planting anticipation for opening night of the higgs boson. they say this could change the way we understand the world as we know it? maybe us civilians should start by trying to understand the other elements first… THEN we can get logical about the 96% of matter that is invisible.
• the standard model is the simplest set of ingredients – elementary particles – needed to make up the world we see in the heavens and in the laboratory
• quarks combine together to make, for example, the proton and neutron – which make up the nuclei of atoms today – though more exotic combinations were around in the universe’s early days
• leptons come in charged and uncharged versions; electrons – the most familiar charged lepton – together with quarks make up all the matter we can see; the uncharged leptons are neutrinos, which rarely interact with matter
• the “force carriers” are particles whose movements are observed as familiar forces such as those behind electricity and light (electromagnetism) and radioactive decay (the weak nuclear force)
• the higgs boson came about because although the standard model holds together neatly, nothing requires the particles to have mass; for a fuller theory, the higgs – or something else – must fill in that gap
by kl
so done with arizona
the only good thing left from arizona, is the arizona ice tea… and even that is not from arizona but from long island! here’s why they suck in case you didn’t know, like our little ak! by xy
of all places, not australia but ecuador?
let’s not confuse the facts here, ecuador is not exactly a place we’d consider ideal and surely they have their issues and internal agendas for considering taking on julian assange under asylum. but non-the-less i have come to appreciate ecuador’s stance not to mention their balls. the world, or better put the citizens of this world, should be ashamed of themselves when the peace prize is given to war mongers and terrorist and the one person who reveals the truth is being hunted down by our various governments. the very governments we consider to be the best of the best in terms of fairness, in terms of freedom of the press. you think the US is great? how about UK? what about sweden? well think again, an independent international body, “reporters without borders” press freedom index rates sweden today to be ranked as the 12th, the united states justice system to be the 47th in the world, and the UK to be the 28th. that means there are 47 other countries that rate higher in press freedom than the US and 28 country’s above the UK. its mind boggling? imagine that… were would water gate be with out assange and his like? shame indeed. watch the pathetic cnn anchor “do his job”… i wonder what amount of money warrants selling your soul? by xy
Spain is not greece: just incase you didn’t know… but wait there is more
amusing indeed. by ars
The sweet story of the Falkland Islands otherwise known as Islas Malvinas
how sweet of UK to put so much time and effort just to address the “wishes of a few islanders” on the other side of the world. they even send their prince there on a nuclear submarine just for good measures. those darn kind and loving brits.
a little background: as you may know, argentina claims the island as theirs, britain considers it as part of the british territory (a more acceptable word for empire) since 1833. note: it appears that the world didn’t exist pre 1833.
argentina’s president, cristina fernandez de kirchner asks the UN today, “how can it be claimed that this territory is part of britain? how can it be claimed that an island, 14,000 kilometers away, can be part of the british territory?”
david cameron passionately replied: “UK has no aggressive intentions, but do not under-estimate our resolve, threats will not work, attempts to intimidate the islanders will not succeed, because britain stands ready and willing to stand up for the falkland islanders at ANY TIME. as long as they wish to remain a british territory, that is the way it will stay.”
if i didn’t know better i would have thought david cameron’s mother was argentinian and from the falklands the way he talks about “the falklanders wishes.” can someone please ask the kind-hearted british government when was the last time they spent their money, their lives and their energy in addressing anyone else’s wishes but their own? makes you think why britain is so set on the wishes of a few islanders 14,000 kilometers away? mind you the total population on the falklands is only 3,000 people and 30% of them are british expats to begin with. now, just because a few islanders prefer to be under british rule rather than argentina’s economic depression doesn’t make it so. i assure you that many islanders around the world would prefer to be under US territory rather than their own bankrupt government but since when did that become ok? good luck at the UN and fix that bankrupt country, we’d love to visit… by xy
end of the world is quite homo-centric: how about the end of our galaxy as we know it
our galaxy, the milky way, and andromeda (a small fuzzy object that was first seen by ancient astronomers more than one thousand years ago) have been on a collision course since their birth. it has long been known that the two galaxies have been heading in the general direction of each other, but not until weeks ago did we know that they are converging at something like 250,000 mph. the new hubble telescope data provides detail of when and how a union is likely to unfold.
viewed from earth, the night sky should look fairly spectacular when they collide. that is assuming, of course, that a human species is still around billions of years into the future to look upwards at the fireworks. nasa however has speculated based on the hubble data-feed that jesus will most probably resurface prior to such collision to insure prime seats for the believers.
the two galaxies are being pulled together by their mutual gravity and the scientists expect them to begin to merge in about four billion years’ time (so don’t go selling your shit yet). our sun’s position will be disturbed, but the star and its planets are in little danger of being destroyed, just shuffled around. this will surely effect the real estate market in new york.
dr. van der marel (no data is provided on him but lets trust him since hes a dr.) told reporters “due to the natural evolution of the sun, it will get slightly hotter over time and a few billion years from now it will have got sufficiently hot to make life on earth as we know it impossible… but since we are talking billions of years into the future, i personally do not think that means our civilization will not be there. for example, if we find a smart way to use solar energy and turn it into air conditioning, we may still be able to live on this planet.” now that’s a start! by dd
how man devours his children: a word about jamie oliver, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, goya, and pink slime
ugolino and his sons, by jean-baptiste carpeauxa. a society that devours its children is no society at all…
clip from chef jamie oliver and his now-defunct TV show. a must see. “schools across the US are to ‘be allowed’ to stop serving the so-called ‘pink slime’ beef to their pupils at mealtimes.” notice the word ‘allowed,’ which in this case, refers to the fact that until now US schools had no other choice but to serve ‘dog food’ (also referred to as pink slime) to children.
so what is “pink slime”? it is a term reportedly coined by a microbiologist working for the US government — it is a form of “lean beef” formed by reclaiming the small parts of meat, which are otherwise trashed, or at best turned into dog food. it contains leftover bits that include inner parts of the cavity where the guts are and generally contain salmonella and E. coli. pink slime is only tuned into somewhat edible food by dousing it with the chemical ammonium (like bleach) to kill the bacteria. and then mixed into 70% of US consumed ground beef (that would include almost all fast foods, most restaurants, and even supermarket and clearly school meats) as a thinner to increase profits!
last year, british celebrity chef jamie oliver publicly criticized the product on his US TV show (the show has since been cancelled – most definitely due to the strong beef lobby in the US). the revelation prompted a popular outcry, and even mcdonald’s recently said it would phase out the use of “pink slime” in its burgers which it called 100% beef (well that is kinda correct) with the blessing of USDA.
the USDA, a body charged with the protection of US citizens and paid for by our taxes, “continues to affirm the safety of lean finely textured beef product for all consumers and urges customers to consult science based information on the safety and quality of this product,”
how pink slime is made: “the beef is spun in a centrifuge to separate the meat from the fat, before the final product is treated with a puff of ammonium hydroxide gas to kill any bacteria. it is produced in bulk by a firm in north dakota”. source bbc. by dd
I CAN AFFORD TO BE SICK
this is an article from Esquire, april 1970. juuuuuust about 42 years ago! it’s all relative, but how is the big picture still the same? i at least think we’re a pretty smart bunch of kids, there must be a better way instead of draining people because they got the short end of the stick, or worse, shutting out citizens from options to take care. the weird comfort americans have with the insurance system is my least favorite thing about the united states, that comfort, or fear of losing false control, is what keeps this system alive. by kl
good girl!
we like sandra fluke. for a second, consider the absurdity. religious organizations are trying to ban offering birth control to those on their insurance plan, because their religion is against it. their religion is against birth control because no one but god can take a life; yet, they are for capital punishment, and hell–why not war! (hmmm? tight argument) in other words, they will force upon you their religious beliefs should you work there or in this case go to school there. rush limbaugh (some conservative political commentator and radio host) made an ignorant comment, inline with his apparent character, stating sandra fluke, who opposed this absurd law “is a slut… a prostitute” for simply wanting birth control to be covered under her insurance she is surely paying for. he stated that if we are paying for a portion her birth control through our taxes “so she can have sex”(another thing banned by god and religion apparently), we should then get something in return. rush wanted her to at least post videos of her having sex online so taxpayers can watch it (now that is surely in line with his religion and american moral/conservative values). as if the rest of our tax dollars are really accounted for… like the billions spent on fake wars or funding wall street. now it even more absurd when all of this is from a man, rush limbaugh, who was detained in a florida airport last year after returning from a trip to the dominican republican with viagra that he did not have a prescription for. it all makes me want to puke… and puke on his very small penis and his even smaller ideology. off the air please! by ts
precession of the equinoxes
every once in a while it must cross your mind, this rumor about december 21st 2012 being a turning point for ‘life as we know it’. this is sparked by the sudden end to the mayan calendar, which even contemporary astronomers and science in general revere as impressive. so… what’s going to happen? well, it has been mapped out that earth’s movement in our universe, multiverse, whatever, is called the precession of the equinoxes, which means its gravitational ecliptic around the sun fluxes, as it has a small angle on its orbital plane, through a cycle of 26000yrs (as my very basic understanding of it goes). this year, on december 21st the earth will align with the dark rift, the center of the milky way, basically the galactic equator. this is meant to effect our poles which are now moving at 40miles/yr (where only in 2005 we thought the rate of 25mi/yr was too much) and therefore climate migratory instincts. ecosystems will have to reset. but, ‘they’ also say this is a moment for human consciousness, and like your alarm clock, after the power stops even for a second, will have to be reset purposefully. let me put it this way…
“it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism” – frederic jameson
maybe the paradigm shift will be as simple as work to live or living to create rather than living to work. i’m no different,a little bit guilty of pride and ambition as well, or should i say victim to it? it’s difficult in our world, raised with praise and approvals, gauging respect via associations. i don’t think we’re weak to be in this habit, but it’s a first step to be able to step back. that hopefully soon the garbage that clutters stores and individually sanitizes our nutrition will disappear and we will actually see one another and connect rather than feel safer with our differences. can you tell i had a long week? ooh, i know what will help! …
by kl
under the sea
honestly, i came across this image on tumblr and know nothing about it, who it’s by, or what it was for (the type is to small to make out). would love to know more, but really, i think we get the most important part. by kl
