Clipmarks | Thorne's clips

A Morality Test

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 02:13:55 GMT

clipped by: Malhablada

From an e-mail...

This test only has one question, but it's a very important one. By giving an honest answer, you will discover where you stand morally.

The test features an unlikely, fictional situation in which you will have to make a decision. Remember that your answer needs to be honest, and spontaneous.

Please scroll down slowly and give due consideration to each line.

-------------------------

THE SITUATION

You are in New Orleans, There is chaos all around you caused by a hurricane with severe flooding. You are a photo journalist working for a major newspaper and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster.

You're trying to shoot career-making photos. There are houses and people swirling around you, and disappearing under the water.

===============================================

THE TEST

Suddenly you see a man in the water. He is fighting for his life, trying not to be taken down with the debris. You move closer. Somehow the man looks familiar. You suddenly realize who it is. It's the President, George W. Bush. At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take him under forever. You have two options- you can save the life of the President, or you can shoot a dramatic Pulitzer Prize winning photo, documenting the death of one of the world's most famous men.

===============================================

THE QUESTION

Here's the question, and please give an honest answer.......

Would you select high contrast colour film, or would you go with the classic simplicity of black and white?

Tags: humor, politics

10 Great Math Tricks to Do Calculations in Your Head

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 02:53:25 GMT

clipped by: constantskeptic
clipper's remarks: this is a great detailed list of helpful math tricks, most of them I didn't know before.

Clip Source: listverse.com

10 Easy Arithmetic Tricks

Clip Source: listverse.com

1. The 11 Times Trick

We all know the trick when multiplying by ten - add 0 to the end of the number, but did you know there is an equally easy trick for multiplying a two digit number by 11? This is it:

Take the original number and imagine a space between the two digits (in this example we will use 52:

5_2

Now add the two numbers together and put them in the middle:

5_(5+2)_2

That is it - you have the answer: 572.

If the numbers in the middle add up to a 2 digit number, just insert the second number and add 1 to the first:

9_(9+9)_9

(9+1)_8_9

10_8_9

1089 - It works every time.

2. Quick Square

If you need to square a 2 digit number ending in 5, you can do so very easily with this trick. Mulitply the first digit by itself + 1, and put 25 on the end. That is all!

25² = (2x(2+1)) & 25

2 x 3 = 6

625

3. Multiply by 5

Most people memorize the 5 times tables very easily, but when you get in to larger numbers it gets more complex - or does it? This trick is super easy.

Tags: math, arithmetic, tricks, lists, useful, tips

100 reviewed places to watch free movies online

Tue, 01 May 2007 15:49:25 GMT

clipped by: rko2007
clipper's remarks: A nice collections

Clip Source: www.solomonrothman.com

100 reviewed places to watch free movies online

Here is a list of 100 places to watch movies and other video content online for free. They include file sharing and bittorrent sites, video distribution sites, individual movies of notability, directories, archives and guides to more sites where you can watch for free. If you have some good ones to add, please leave the url and description in the comments.

I’ve organized this list by categories of content, listed by what I consider most valuable to humans than alphabetically. Instead of offering a blank list, I’ve included a brief summary / review of what you can expect to find at each site.

Choose a category or scroll through entire list:

Mainstream Video Sharing Sites

Video Contests with Original Content

TV Networks

Entertainment Networks with editor approved or exclusive video content

Directories, Organizations and Search tools for finding video creators and free content

Niche Video Sharing Sites

Tags: free, movies, videos, online, tv, films

Top 10 Reasons Gay Marriage Should Be Illegal

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 04:47:34 GMT

clipped by: OhBlaDi

Clip Source: stopgeek.com

Top 10 Reasons Gay Marriage Should Be Illegal

12 Nov, 2006 General, -Funneh

Top Ten Reasons to Make Gay Marriage Illegal

01) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

02) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

03) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

04) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn’t changed at all like many of the principles on which this great country was founded; women are still property, blacks still can’t marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

05) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of marriages like Britney Spears’ 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

06) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn’t be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren’t full yet, and the world needs more children.

07) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

08) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That’s why we have only one religion in America.

09) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That’s why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven’t adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans. .

Tags: politics, idiots, gay marriage

Why Can't I Own a Canadian?

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 18:12:36 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken
clipper's remarks: Good questions!

Clip Source: www.humanistsofutah.org

Why Can't I Own a Canadian?

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law.

When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them:

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

Tags: god, religion, christianity, bible, humour

Inhabited Island Vanishes Beneath the Waves

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 06:29:48 GMT

clipped by: beaukivi

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Inhabited Island Vanishes Beneath the Waves; Global Warming Blamed

Sunday, December 24, 2006

An inhabited island has been wiped off the face of the Earth due to global warming, Britain’s The Independent site reported on Sunday.

The remote Lohachara Island was part of the Sundarbans Island Chain near the Bay of Bengal in India. Rising sea levels have swallowed the island whole, according to the report. It was once home to 10,000 people.

Lohachara’s disappearance wasn’t easy to discover. Satellites monitored it until it finally disappeared.

Two-thirds of a neighboring island, Ghoramara, has also been claimed by water.

The disappearance of Lohachara Island comes eight years after uninhabited islands in the Pacific were overtaken. As a result of their going under, the people of low-lying islands in Vanuatu, also in the Pacific, have been evacuated.

Researchers at Calcutta’s Jadavpur University studying the phenomenon for six years say there are now about a dozen “vanishing islands” in the region.

Tags: global warming, climate

Hatred towards Women Bloggers...

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 09:49:40 GMT

clipped by: NonStatQuo
clipper's remarks: When I read this in the BBC, I thought it was just sensational journalism. I followed the link trails and went to web sites in question. Horrifying. Appalling. I remember visiting Ms Sierra's blog years ago when I started out in web design. This woman is a long time blogger advocating creativity and technology in a well written blog. I would read her stuff, zeldmans stuff among others.

Why she should be threatened in an extremely frightening manner is beyond me.

http://headrush.typepad.com/

While anonymity gives some freedom of expression and freedom of the constraints of identity for surfers and bloggers alike, it by no means should allow people to be able to make this extreme level of threat to another human being regardless of gender.
Issues with free speech and terrorism do not necessarily mean Iraq and the war.

Irrational hatred takes on so many insidious forms...

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Blog death threats spark debate

Ms Sierra described on her blog how she had been subject to a campaign of threats, including a post that featured a picture of her next to a noose.

One of the issues raised is the question of how women bloggers are treated online.

Ms Sierra, author of popular blog Creating Passionate Users, began receiving death threats four weeks ago.

While blogging feuds are common, she believes the campaign against her is more likely to be because she is a woman in the male-dominated technology world.

Change the culture

Tags: internet, women, blogger, blogs, blogging, fear, death, terror

California Prop H8 Dishonor Roll

Sat, 09 May 2009 05:59:09 GMT

clipped by: Thorne
clipper's remarks: Wow. Check it out at the source. I wonder why these folks from other states spent so much money to stop we Cali Queers from marrying, with Iowa and Vermont seeing no H8 $$? Crazy! Lot's of interesting info at the site.

Clip Source: www.californiansagainsthate.com

We present the Californians Against Hate Dishonor Roll. We want the country to know who gave the $36 million to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign that ended same-sex marriage in California. We have posted all major donors on our web site who gave $5000.00 and more, many much more! We've taken public information from the California Secretary of State’s Office and added telephone numbers and web sites when available. We also included commentary on some of the more interesting and controversial donors. Individuals and businesses gave a vast amount of money to take away our equality, and we want you to know who they are.

Knights of Columbus

$1,425,000

Howard Ahmanson, Jr.

$1,395,000

John Templeton/Josephine Templeton

$1,100,000

National Organization for Marriage

$1,041,134.80*

Alan Ashton

$1,000,000

Terry Caster & Family

$693,000

Robert Hurtt

$550,000

Focus On the Family

$539,643.66*

American Family Association

$500,000

Claire Reiss

$500,000

Elsa Prince

$450,000

Concerned Women for America

$409,000

Moran Introduces National Plastic Bag Bill on Earth Day

Wed, 06 May 2009 01:51:58 GMT

clipped by: Thorne
clipper's remarks: Yeehaw! Hit those plastic consumers where they live!

Clip Source: www.americanchronicle.com

Charges 5 Cents Per Bag to Protect Environment by Encouraging Reusable Bag Use

Washington, D.C., – Congressman Jim Moran, Northern Virginia Democrat, introduced Earth-friendly legislation that would place a 5 cent fee on "single use" bags from grocery stores and other retail outlets in order to encourage reusable bag use. The "Plastic Bag Reduction Act of 2009," would allocate the funding generated to land and water conservation programs, to pay down the national debt, and to cover the costs for local businesses to implement the program.

"Our environment is literally choking on plastic bags," said Moran. Whole swaths of our oceans, in some places up to 580 square miles – 13 times the size of the Commonwealth of Virginia -- have become floating landfills. Ingested marine debris, particularly plastic bags, are killing thousands of birds, turtles, marine mammals, fish, and squid each day.

The Incense in your Kitchen

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:58:41 GMT

clipped by: Thorne
clipper's remarks: Great ideas and recipes!

Clip Source: eclecticwitch.today.com

When I walk into my kitchen, I see several things. There are the obvious things: a microwave, fridge, sink & a window. My juice machine, toaster & half-empty box of Cheerios. But, it’s not only that.

I see things waiting to be created. I see my spice rack… jars & bottles of herbs & oils with untapped potential. I see incense.

Sure, you could just go buy some of those industrial incense sticks at the store… but there’s likely something more interesting in your own kitchen.

A romantic dinner… how about a Love Incense? Put a little ground ginger, marjoram & cinnamon into your mortar & pestle. Grind it up, drop it on your charcoal & let it burn in the room.

Learn How to Think

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 04:26:17 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.positiveatheism.org

How Thinking Goes Wrong

Twenty-five Fallacies That Lead Us
to Believe Weird Things

1. Theory Influences Observations

2. The Observer Changes the Observed

3. Equipment Constructs Results

4. Anecdotes Do Not Make a Science

5. Scientific Language Does Not Make a Science

6. Bold Statements Do Not Make Claims True

7. Heresy Does Not Equal Correctness

8. Burden of Proof

9. Rumors Do Not Equal Reality

10. Unexplained Is Not Inexplicable

11. Failures Are Rationalized

12. After-the-Fact Reasoning

13. Coincidence

14. Representativeness

15. Emotive Words and False Analogies

16. Ad Ignorantiam

17. Ad Hominem and Tu Quoque

18. Hasty Generalization

19. Overreliance on Authorities

20. Either-Or

21. Circular Reasoning

22. Reductio ad Absurdum and the Slippery Slope

23. Effort Inadequacies and the Need for Certainty, Control, and Simplicity

24. Problem-Solving Inadequacies

25. Ideological Immunity, or the Planck Problem

Tags: science, reason, logic, evolution, knowledge

Upcycle Butts!

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:12:51 GMT

clipped by: Thorne
clipper's remarks: Okay. I'm all for upcycling. And these things are pretty cool. But the thought of doing the art makes me wanna upchuck... (and I smoke!)

Clip Source: greenupgrader.com

Tom Deininger has found a way to green up waste that is lying everywhere on the streets. He uses cigarette butts in some of his upcycled art projects. The above sculpture entitled “Filter Rabbit” uses the unraveled filters of smoked cigarettes to create a furry appearance to the bunny. It obviously smells strongly of tobacco but looks completely adorable. The filters really do give the rabbit a much needed realistic touch of fur.

This piece, aptly titled “Shell” is comprised of cigarette butts that the artist found in parking lots near the beach in Rhode Island. The butts are unrecognizable from a distance as anything besides alternating colors. Close up, the ugly truth becomes more apparent. It’s amazing how a true artist can see raw materials in a different way than the average person. One person sees garbage and the next sees hope for that garbage’s regeneration.

Have a Green Valentine's Day!

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:07:03 GMT

clipped by: Thorne
clipper's remarks: I gotta have those panties!

Clip Source: greenupgrader.com

1. “Eat Organic” Cotton Panties: $15 at Eat Organic Panties

4. Eco-friendly Sex Toy: $60+ at Babeland

10. Sustainable Aphrodisiac Oil: $22 at Good Clean Love

Tags: green

Supreme Court to Hear Prop 8 Case in March

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 04:11:00 GMT

clipped by: Thorne
clipper's remarks: Equal but separate? Let's hope not.

Clip Source: thepagansphinx.blogspot.com

California Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments
in Prop 8 Legal Challenge on March 5

The California Supreme Court must issue its decisions within 90 days of oral argument.

On January 15, 2009, 43 friend-of-the-court briefs urging the Court to invalidate Prop 8 were filed, arguing that Proposition 8 drastically alters the equal protection guarantee in California’s Constitution and that the rights of a minority cannot be eliminated by a simple majority vote. The supporters represent the full gamut of California’s and the nation’s civil rights organizations and legal scholars, as well as California legislators, local governments, bar associations, business interests, labor unions, and religious groups.

Tags: glbt, human rights, prop 8

Upcycle that junkmail

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:19:46 GMT

clipped by: Thorne
clipper's remarks: So cool! I have to try this!!!

Clip Source: greenupgrader.com

S A Schimmel Gold is an eco-conscientious artist that strives to create something from nothing. “Look closely for menu items, junk mail postcards, business cards, old greeting cards, cruise itineraries, gallery openings… stand back to view the sum of the parts - a textural representation of beauty.” Living by the old eco adage “creating not wasting” Schimmel has perfected the fine art of portraiture using upcycled “bits” to create colorful mosaics.

Schimmel saw the explosion of color in mundane articles such as junk mail and advertisements and saw an easy and free source of color to work with.