June 28, 2004
Fahrenheit 9/11
Ken already wrote about Fahrenheit 9/11. But I have a few dissenting points. One, while the "funny" clips of bush and co were already on comedy central, some of the stories the movie mentioned were kept out of the american press until this movie had its distribution deal.
The issues that come to mind are the financial conference by Microsoft and Haliburton and a few others. It was only a month ago or more that I saw mention of this in the media when the conference took place long enough ago the Moore was able to get it in his movie. Also the connections between bush and the Saudis has been popping up more recently in the news sources. I feel that this is a direct response to Mr. Moore's movie. The news sources didn't want to be entirely scooped.
I also appreciated some of the points Moore was making with his somewhat farcical interactions. It was very telling to know that only one member of congress had a child serving in Iraq. It was very telling that the Secret Service (a branch of the treasury, primarily given the role of body guard to government officials) showed up out side the Saudi embassy when Moore was filming.
One of the points I most appreciated was his clear separation of being against the war not the people who were being ordered to fight it. One of the things that conservatives love to hammer on is the vietnam era lack of separation between the war and the people fighting it. Personally, I feel that most of us learned that lesson from history and are strictly against the war, not the poor men and women fighting it.
June 24, 2004
Say what?
BBC NEWS | Africa | Congo word 'most untranslatable'
The top three most difficult words to translate according to the article, based on a survey of 1,000 linguists:
1) Ilunga (Tshiluba, Congo): a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time
2) Shlimazl (Yiddish): chronically unlucky person
3) Naa (Japanese, Kansai dialect): used to emphasise statements or agree with someone.
Weird Amazon crap
Listmania! The Top 25 Weirdest Items You Can Purchase Through Amazon!
My three favorites:
- Amazon.com: Books: Owl Puke
- Amazon.com: Kitchen & Housewares: Solid Gold S.E.P. (Stop Eating Poop) (3.5-oz container)
- Amazon.com: Books: The Little Book Of Farting
(via kottke)
June 23, 2004
Wu-frickin-shu
These guys kick ass: video (~3 min)
The video is a combination of wushu, acrobatics, and a smidgen of break dancing. What more could you want?
(thanks glynn)
June 22, 2004
Biggest... dread.. ever
Really, it actually is: Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP
June 21, 2004
Yahoo! image popularity
Hmm, people like pictures of scantily clad women and animals:
- Yahoo! image popularity
I won't say what the top image has consistently been over the past week, though I will note that it has crossed my path several times already (via e-mail and blogs), and I'm sure the person in the right half of the photo appreciates her popularity.
(via kottke)
June 14, 2004
More Clone Wars!
Star Wars: Clone Wars | The Clone Wars Micro-Series Continues!
(via davextreme)
Don't have sex with little girls
Va. Tells Men: No Sex With Young Girls (washingtonpost.com)
In 1999 and 2000 in Virginia, men over 18 were responsible for 219 births involving girls who were 13 and 14, the department said.
Messages such as "Isn't she a little young?" and "Sex with a minor, don't go there" also appear on posters, coasters and napkins in bars, restaurants and stores in five cities.
OK... this is just scary!
June 10, 2004
Frozen sushi
This article was actually published almost two months ago in the NYTimes, but I'm finally getting around to posting it now.
Most would be even more surprised to learn that if the sushi has not been frozen, it is illegal to serve it in the United States.
and
But because of health concerns and growing demand, 50 to 60 percent of sushi in the United States is frozen at some point in its journey from the ocean, according to wholesalers.
Sushi Fresh From the Deep . . . the Deep Freeze