Clipmarks | giraffe42's clips

a little violent disney cartoon

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:43:38 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42

Clip Source: bugi.oulu.fi

Tags: disney, cartoon, violence, donald duck, goofy

Bill to come withdraw from NAFTA is awaiting president's signature

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 02:15:58 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42

Clip Source: thomas.loc.gov

110th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. CON. RES. 22

Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should provide notice of withdrawal of the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 10, 2007

Mr. GOODE (for himself and Mr. JONES of North Carolina) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should provide notice of withdrawal of the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Whereas, according to the Department of Commerce, United States trade deficits with Canada and Mexico have significantly widened since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA);

Whereas, according to the Department of Labor, 1,800,000 workers have applied for trade adjustment assistance as a result of jobs lost because of NAFTA;

Whereas future unrestricted foreign trucking into the United States can pose a safety hazard due to inadequate maintenance and inspection, and can act collaterally as a conduit for the entry into the United States of illegal drugs and terrorist activities; and

Whereas the economic and physical security of the United States is impaired by the potential loss of control of its borders attendant to the full operation of NAFTA: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),

Tags: nafta, politics, trade, international, north america, economics

Biggest parties in the world

Sat, 06 Jan 2007 08:42:41 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

The world's biggest party

From Mardi Gras to Carnival, where the pre-Lenten action is the hottest

Organized religion comes with its inconveniences: obligatory fasting; tithing; an overpopulation of cows. But there are major upsides, too--the promise of an afterlife, for one thing. And in the Christian tradition, a few fun weeks here on earth during Carnival.

In the American South, it's called Mardi Gras. In Switzerland, it's Fastnacht. And in Brazil, it's Carnaval. But these are all essentially the same holiday, which has its roots in a pagan tradition and has morphed from a religious event into a sometimes-tawdry commercial one (think Mardi Gras beads and Girls Gone Wild).

The idea is mass indulgence--orgiastic parades, feathered costumes, musical performances and food and drink--before the rigors of Lent set in. A period of deprivation and reflection, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter. Carnival's exact dates change with the calendar year, and every city celebrates differently.

Tags: party, culture, tradition

original advertising for a funeral service

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 18:55:15 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42

Clip Source: stopgeek.com

Tags: advertising, funny

A guide to dealing with store security

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 13:44:32 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42

Clip Source: www.bwcitypaper.com

Here’s a scenario that is familiar to anyone who has ever set foot in Wal-Mart, CVS, Rite-Aid, or any of a dozen other major retailers. After you have made a purchase, collected your bags, or packed everything into a shopping cart, you head for the exit. Just as you approach freedom an alarm sounds (usually a sequence of ugly, electronic grunts) and a robotic voice (always female) announces: “Please return to the checkout.” Other customers immediately look in your direction, and an employee begins to approach you. What’s your next move?

Customer Confidential

A new Black & White consumer column helps you fight bad service, bad products, and bad ideas.

If you possess an ounce of personal pride or perhaps two ounces of fortitude, then the 100 percent correct move is to proceed immediately out the door. Why? There are many reasons, chief among them being that rational adults should not instantly obey mechanical voices (unless that voice instructs us to exit a burning aircraft). Also, if you haven’t stolen anything and therefore do not require interrogation, there is absolutely nothing that should compel you to linger post-transaction. It’s depressing enough simply being there in the first place. Another good reason to make a quick exit is that you aren’t being paid to assist some giant retailer with its security measures. You aren’t part of the team, and you didn’t clock in. The clearest reason for leaving the store, however, is that there exists absolutely no legal obligation to remain there, and the store has no right to detain you.

Tags: privacy, right, freedom

Jim Webb wasnt to beat Bush

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:44:01 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42

Clip Source: www.wonkette.com

The White House invited newly elected Senate and House members to a “private reception” after the election, and George W. Bush really charmed Jim Webb. According to The Hill, Bush asked Webb how his son was doing in Iraq; Jimmy Webb Jr. is serving in the Marine Corps. Senator-elect Webb said he’d like to see his son get home safely. “I didn’t ask you that,” Bush shot back. “I asked how he’s doing.”

Sources tell The Hill that Webb was so furious he could barely keep himself from slugging Dubya in the face, but he bravely made it through the dinner without violence. Webb’s office will only say that he had a “private conversation” with Bush. There’s an even better version from the Washington Post, after the jump.

The Post says Webb refused to have his picture taken with Bush and even refused to stand in the receiving line. Here’s the paper’s version of the exchange:

“How’s your boy?” Bush asked, referring to Webb’s son, a Marine serving in Iraq.

“I’d like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President,” Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.

“That’s not what I asked you,” Bush said. “How’s your boy?”

“That’s between me and my boy, Mr. President,” Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House.

2007 is going to be awesome.

Really, just imagine Reagan’s secretary of the Navy and the new senator from Virginia killing the junior Bush with his own hands. Shakespeare would’ve gone crazy with this kind of material.

Son also rises in testy Webb-Bush exchange [The Hill]
In Following His Own Script, Webb May Test Senate’s Limits [Washington Post]

Tags: politics, funny

Shark swallows seal whole

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 21:05:57 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

But this unfortunate cape fur seal got to experience those infamous teeth only once - and they were the last things it saw. In astonishing footage for the BBC's Planet Earth series, the 12ft shark is seen swallowing its victim in virtually a single gulp.

Such is the impact as it blasts through the surface from the deep that both hunter and prey fly six feet clear of the water.

Tags: sea, shark, seal, animals, marine life

Candle wax = rocket fuel

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 20:02:11 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42

Clip Source: science.nasa.gov

Safer to handle and better for the environment than today's solid rocket fuels, this modern twist on an ancient fuel could someday propel sounding rockets and commercial-payload rockets into space. It could even form the heart of a new generation of shuttle solid rocket boosters (SRBs) that would have a key safety feature today's SRBs lack: an "off" switch.

January 29, 2003: Waiting inside his Mercury capsule for the command that would start the countdown and make him the first American in space, Alan Shepard yelled impatiently, "Let's light this candle!"

Those words may turn out to be more prophetic than Shepard intended.

Since 2001, NASA's Ames Research Center has been testing a new rocket fuel made from--believe it or not--candle wax.

"We actually ordered the wax for our test firings through a commercial Web site that sells candle wax in bulk," says Arif Karabeyoglu, who developed the theory behind paraffin-based rocket fuels and is currently a research associate at Stanford University.

Tags: technology, space, nasa, flight, solid fuel, science

Neat tricks to teach your body

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 04:46:13 GMT

clipped by: abramsv
clipper's remarks: Some little-known practical tips about your body, such as:
If your throat tickles, scratch your ear. If your hand falls asleep, rock your head from side to side - etc.

Clip Source: thrillingwonder.blogspot.com

Neat tricks to teach your body

Some little-known practical tips about your body

1. If your throat tickles, scratch your ear.

2. Your right ear is better than your left at following the rapid rhythms of speech (good tip for spies!) The left ear is better at picking up music tones.

5. Clear your stuffed nose!

Forget Sudafed. An easier way is by alternately thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then pressing between your eyebrows with one finger.

7. Cure your toothache

Just rub ice on the back of your hand, on the V-shaped webbed area between your thumb and index finger... reduces toothache pain by as much as 50 percent

15. If your hand falls asleep

rock your head from side to side. It'll painlessly banish your pins and needles in less than a minute.

Tags: health

We are better off without traffic lights

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 21:39:00 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42
clipper's remarks: maybe not in the USA though

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Only three of the 15 sets in the town of 50,000 remain and they will be gone within a couple of years.

There have been a few small collisions, but these are almost to be encouraged, Mr Monderman explained. "We want small accidents, in order to prevent serious ones in which people get hurt," he said yesterday.

Hans Monderman, a traffic planner involved in a Brussels-backed project known as Shared Space, said that taking lights away helped motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to co-exist more happily and safely.

"It works well because it is dangerous, which is exactly what we want. But it shifts the emphasis away from the Government taking the risk, to the driver being responsible for his or her own risk.

Tags: traffic, driving, control

FULL open-source linux cellphone

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 15:41:51 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42
clipper's remarks: looks nice and very simple and with GPS already here and Wi-Fi on the way it can only get better.

Clip Source: www.theinquirer.net

This is the first phone in a long time to get us really interested in what it is, what it isn't, and the philosophy behind it. The philosophy is the thing that makes Linux great, and not in the sense of window-dressing or half-hearted openness, it is really open. It runs the latest kernel, 2.6.18 as of a few weeks ago, and you can get software from a repository with apt-get.

The OpenMoko is meant to be a fully mobile Linux machine that happens to look like a phone. The point is simple, where others have a Linux kernel with a locked proprietary stack on top of it, this one is open, top to bottom. You can use your own tools on it, compile your own kernel. and bang on the bare metal if you are into that sort of thing. Everything barring a few small drivers is GPL'ed.

There is no vendor lock-in, the only proprietary parts are the radio and the GPS unit, but they are fully exposed. The radio must remain closed for legal reasons, but it is available as 16 virtual serial ports that you can do whatever you want with. You hit the GSM module with a similar set of commands. If you like the software they include, great, use it, tweak it and have fun. If not, write your own.

Let's step back and look at what the phone itself is before we get into the software that runs on it. The hardware itself is a Samsung 2410 266MHz ARM9 with a 2.8-inch VGA touch screen. There are only two buttons on the phone, the rest is handled by the touch screen, a microSD slot, Bluetooth 2.0, and USB for connectivity and charging. It also has two 1W stereo speakers so you can repurpose it to an MP3 player or anything else you would like.

What does it look like? Sleek and simple, something I am a fan of, and really oval, something I am not nearly as sure about. Either way it is nothing objectionable, and clean is usually better than fussy.

Tags: linux, open source, opensource, cellphone, cell phone

Have you ever had REAL wasabi? Think again.

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 21:16:55 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42

Clip Source: sushifaq.com

When dining and served wasabi with your sushi, the wasabi you are served is not always what it seems. Due to a high demand and limited supply, what is often served with your sushi is a mix of American horseradish, mustard and coloring, which the Japanese call seiyo (“western wasabi”). This is because real wasabi can be hard to find or very expensive outside Japan (up to $100/lb). If you would like to be sure what you have, you can ask your wait staff if what you are served is 'real wasabi' and if not, if it is available. If you are served putty, more than likely it is not real. Real wasabi is grated (traditionally on a sharkskin grater called an oroshi) and looks as such. Fake wasabi is not and does not. Just ask your wait staff for 'fresh wasabi' and if they have the real thing, they will usually return with a dish with a grated pile of the real thing, which is a very different experience from fake wasabi.

Tags: sushi, food, japanese, fish

Online File Conversion

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 19:31:21 GMT

clipped by: see_per

Clip Source: www.zamzar.com

Have you ever wanted to
convert files without the need
to download software ?

Step 1

Select the files to convert
(up to 100MB in size):

Step 2

Choose the format to convert to:

Step 3

Enter your email address to receive converted files:

Step 4

Convert (by clicking you agree to our Terms of Service)

Tags: file conversion, computers

crazy 3-dimensional drawing on the side of a street

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 02:32:26 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42

Clip Source: www.thepuzzlefactory.com

Tags: art, crazy shit

We cannot eat money

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 02:20:20 GMT

clipped by: giraffe42

Clip Source: www.peaceproject.com

Tags: humor, apocalypse, extinction