Clipmarks | lonely_planet's clips

Surge a Great Success: Mission Accomplished

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 23:34:04 GMT

clipped by: lonely_planet
clipper's remarks: The Surge is working exactly as planned....that bring this press conference to an end...

Clip Source: today.reuters.com

Suicide bomber kills 40 at Baghdad college

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives killed 40 people in a Baghdad college on Sunday, a day after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki expressed optimism about a security crackdown in the capital.

Police put the death toll at 40, with 35 people wounded. Most of the victims were students, witnesses said.

A string of car bombings and rocket salvos also hit Baghdad on Sunday as insurgents defied efforts by U.S. and Iraqi security forces to stabilize the capital.

A professor said the college attack happened as students were leaving morning classes and arriving for afternoon lessons. Others doing exams were wounded by flying glass that tore through their classroom, the professor said.

Sun Feb 25, 2007 9:23am ET

Tags: surge, failiure, iraq, war

Witty sayings

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:16:48 GMT

clipped by: Wilhelmina

Clip Source: www.witty-quotes.com

Witty Quotes Haven: All Witty Sayings

Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.

Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.

Advice for the day: If you have a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: Take two, and KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN.

The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources

I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.

Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, where the heck is the ceiling.

I intend to live forever, or die trying.

As Long As There Are Tests, There Will Be Prayer In Public Schools.

To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target

Tags: witty, sayings, joke, jokes, one-liner, humour, humor

50 Amazing Ads You Haven't Seen

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 02:30:30 GMT

clipped by: luci_m

Clip Source: moronland.net

50 Amazing Ads You Haven't Seen

A set of 50 advertisements that stand out from the rest. Each of these is unique and creative. Collected over a 5 month period.

50, 49 Braun Shavers

48, 47 The Washington Zoo

46, 45 Honda Auto Parts

44 Animal Rights

43, 42 Eukanuba Pet Food

41, 40, 39 Chambre 69 Dildos

38 Durex Lubricant

37, 36 Club Med Vacations

35, 34 Music Inside

33, 32 Ariel Bleach

31, 30, 29 An Art Studio

28, 27 Blood Donations (in India, I believe)

26 Anti Smoking

25, 24 Animal Rights

23, 22, 21 HUMO Magazine

20 Post-It Notes

19 Generic Condoms

18 Sony PSP

17 Cooking Utensils

16 Milk

15 BMW Mini

14 Relpipe Pipes

13 Car Wax

12, 11 Telefonica Long Distance Calling

10 Perrier

9 Tampax Tampons

8 City Sport (anti-steroids

7 Some Type of Orange Juice

6 Mercedez

5 Wonderbra

4, 3, 2, 1 A set of ads for Puma Store:

Tags: advertising, media

Amazing Aerial Photos

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 20:27:16 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead
clipper's remarks: Go to the site for the full effect.

Clip Source: files.kavefish.com

Tags: photography

How Your Brain Knows Where You Are

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 02:03:53 GMT

clipped by: kwonsu

Clip Source: www.brainconnection.com

A tiny, pixilated soldier dodges past burning embers and ruined walls. His guide, a young boy watching through a computer monitor, knows that just ahead, beyond a darkened doorway and a hairpin left turn, the soldier will find a floating white medical kit to nourish and soothe his battered body. He will recharge, then navigate his way through an extensive labyrinth of corridors to the next level of the maze.

The boy playing the video game nudges his joystick, guiding the soldier efficiently through countless rooms. He knows this virtual world well, and has an intimate understanding of its topography. In his mind's eye the bitmapped patterns and flashing lights become three-dimensional hallways, staircases, and doors.

In the early years of the 20^th century, behaviorists predicted that spatial memory, our knowledge of physical places, depended on associating landmarks with rich perceptual input. Most of us are able to navigate the corridors of a familiar house in the dark, recognizing features by touch and texture, by smell and sound. But when that boy wiggles his joystick, sending the soldier into a secret doorway for extra ammunition, he is navigating a virtual world, without the type of spatial memory formed by intimate sensory experiences. Scientists have learned that spatial memory is robust, and that the brain structures responsible for this sense of the world do more than simply build maps from sensory information. New evidence suggests that our sense of space is an integral part of who we are, and how we relate to the world.

Next Page...

Summary: The Apparent Race

Map Making and the Brain

Finding the Neural Cartographers

New Views On Space

Conclusion

References

Tags: science, brain, people, memory, behavior

Tolerance for INtolerance?

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 20:06:25 GMT

clipped by: lonely_planet

Clip Source: www.spiegel.de

This essay is an excerpt of Henryk M. Broder's book "Hurra, Wir Kapitulieren," ("Hurray! We're Capitulating") published by Wolf Jobst Siedler Verlag in 2006. The book spent a number of weeks atop the DER SPIEGEL bestseller list.

One had to look very closely to recognize the first signs of a brewing crisis. In Berlin, the Rote Grütze theater group was performing an enlightening piece called "Who Said Anything About Love?" To advertise the play, posters depicting a young man and a young woman, naked and full of innocence, were handed out in schools.

The schools had no qualms about displaying the posters, until a school official from Berlin's Tiergarten district requested a permit from the city's education authority. The agency turned down the request, arguing that the poster could hurt "the feelings of non-Christian pupils." The education authority was acting preventively and with what amounted to exaggerated concern for a cultural minority that had yet to be integrated into permissive German society. No Muslim pupils had complained about hurt feelings, nor had their parents expressed concerns about immoral harassment.

That was 10 years ago. Today everything has changed, except the resolve not to hurt the feelings of Muslims. The issue today no longer revolves around a group of Berlin pupils with an "immigration background," but around 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide -- many of whom are thin-skinned and unpredictable. At issue is freedom of opinion, one of the central tenets of the Enlightenment and democracy. And whether respect, consideration and tolerance are the right approach to dealing with cultures that, for their part, behave without respect, consideration or tolerance when it comes to anything they view as decadent, provocative and unworthy -- from women in short skirts to cartoons they deem provocative without even having seen them.

Tags: islam, west, muslim, freedom, democracy

Study Of Countries

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 00:19:08 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: I do not claim that sites such as this are the be all and end all of research regarding any given country. But still they are fairly comprehensive.

If any given country or nation intrigues you then I recommend further research. If this site creates a even greater thirst for knowledge then I will have done something useful.

Clip Source: countrystudies.us

Country Studies

This website contains the on-line versions of books previously published in hard copy by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress as part of the Country Studies/Area Handbook Series sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Army between 1986 and 1998. Each study offers a comprehensive description and analysis of the country or region's historical setting, geography, society, economy, political system, and foreign policy.

Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Bhutan
Bolivia
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Caribbean Islands
Cayman Islands
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Estonia
Ethiopia
Finland
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Grenada
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakstan

Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Libya
Lithuania
Madagascar
Maldives
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova
Mongolia
Nepal
Nicaragua
Nigeria
North Korea
Oman
Pakistan
Panama
Paraguay
Persian Gulf States
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Seychelles
Singapore
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
Sudan
Syria
Tajikistan
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam

Tags: countries, nations, peoples, cultures, geography

How to be creative

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 16:22:37 GMT

clipped by: lightblack

Clip Source: www.gapingvoid.com

how to be creative

So you want to be more creative, in art, in business, whatever. Here are some tips that have worked for me over the years:

1. Ignore everybody.
2. The idea doesn't have to be big. It just has to change the world.

3. Put the hours in.

4. If your biz plan depends on you suddenly being "discovered" by some big shot, your plan will probably fail.

5. You are responsible for your own experience.

6. Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.

7. Keep your day job.

8. Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity.

9. Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.

10. The more talented somebody is, the less they need the props.

11. Don't try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.

12. If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.

13. Never compare your inside with somebody else's outside.

14. Dying young is overrated.

15. The most important thing a creative person can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do, and what you are not.

16. The world is changing.

17. Merit can be bought. Passion can't.

18. Avoid the Watercooler Gang.

19. Sing in your own voice.

20. The choice of media is irrelevant.

21. Selling out is harder than it looks.

22. Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.

23. Worrying about "Commercial vs. Artistic" is a complete waste of time.

24. Don�t worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually.

25. You have to find your own schtick.

26. Write from the heart.

27. The best way to get approval is not to need it.

28. Power is never given. Power is taken.

29. Whatever choice you make, The Devil gets his due eventually.

30. The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it.

31. Remain frugal.

Tags: howto, how to, creativity, creative

Struggling By on the Minimum Wage

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 20:17:41 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Via Amal A at Improvisations.

Clip Source: newsvote.bbc.co.uk

Struggling by on minimum wage

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Clip Source: newsvote.bbc.co.uk

Mrs Walter works as a cashier in a thrift store in Columbus, Ohio. She has been earning $6.25 (£3.23) an hour, more than the US minimum wage of $5.15, but not as much as the $7.25 the Democrats are hoping to make mandatory.

In fact Ohio is one of a handful of states that voted to raise its minimum wage above the national level in October, so from her next pay cheque, Mrs Walter's salary should go up to $6.85 an hour.

That will make a difference in her life, she says. At the moment, she is barely making ends meet.

"I get my pay cheque and go deposit it directly. I don't ever see any cash," she says.

No spare change

Since being arrested two years ago over an altercation with her teenage son, she has worked her way from a homeless shelter to "an apartment complex that was filled with prostitutes and drug dealers" to a better apartment nearby, though still in what she calls a ghetto.

The rent consumes nearly half her monthly income, and after paying her bills for gas, electricity, water and telephone, she has about $174 (£90) a month to live on.

"I don't even have a penny jar" for spare change, she says.

She has no health insurance, cuts her own hair and keeps her apartment at 15.5 C to lower her gas bill.

She is also trying to pay off a credit card bill with 22.4% interest.

"I got the credit card after my divorce in 1999 and it has helped me in certain situations, but I am done with that," she says, adding she has not made a purchase on the card in over two years.

"If I get even $20 a month [more] it will make a difference. I would save it to get a car so I could drive to a better job.

"Where I live now, I can walk to work. I love my job, but I want a better job."

Wage debate

Mrs Walters is typical of minimum-wage workers in many respects, according to figures from the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute in Washington.

Six in 10 are female, and just over half work full time. Eight in 10 are adults, rather than teenagers.

Tags: minimum-wage, poverty, ohio, social-policy, economics, politics, news, minimum wage

'Inconvenient Truth' called too controversial

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 18:43:35 GMT

clipped by: rmowery
clipper's remarks: Now we will have 7 more brainwashed people she created believing the same falsifications:

"said Frosty Hardison, a parent of seven who also said that he believes the Earth is 14,000 years old. "The information that's being presented is a very cockeyed view of what the truth is. ... The Bible says that in the end times everything will burn up, but that perspective isn't in the DVD.""

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

Federal Way schools restrict Gore film
'Inconvenient Truth' called too controversial

This week in Federal Way schools, it got a lot more inconvenient to show one of the top-grossing documentaries in U.S. history, the global-warming alert "An Inconvenient Truth."

After a parent who supports the teaching of creationism and opposes sex education complained about the film, the Federal Way School Board on Tuesday placed what it labeled a moratorium on showing the film. The movie consists largely of a PowerPoint presentation by former Vice President Al Gore recounting scientists' findings.

"Condoms don't belong in school, and neither does Al Gore. He's not a schoolteacher," said Frosty Hardison, a parent of seven who also said that he believes the Earth is 14,000 years old. "The information that's being presented is a very cockeyed view of what the truth is. ... The Bible says that in the end times everything will burn up, but that perspective isn't in the DVD."

Tags: religon, education, bible

Kill Cravings by Eating These Foods

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:35:07 GMT

clipped by: NoRest

Clip Source: diets.aol.com

Kill Cravings With These Foods

If you just can't curb the urge to wolf down chocolate or cookies, you should head straight to the kitchen. That's right. Because even though mindless noshing packs on the pounds like no other pastime, some foods can make a definite dent in your need to nibble.

Nuts: New research shows the fatty acids in pine nuts initiate the release of an appetite-suppressing hormone called cholecystokinin (CKK). According to Stokes, it’s too soon to tell if these results will stand up. In the meantime, sprinkle pine nuts on your salad or mix them into pesto over whole wheat pasta. Want a more accessible nut? Try almonds. People who consume these nutrient powerhouses lose more weight and fat mass than those who don’t. Why? The cell walls of almonds seem to act as a physical barrier to the total absorption of fat.

Hot Stuff: Spicy foods have a metabolism-boosting benefit and can dull your taste buds so you're apt to eat less. Even foods that are hot in temperature -- like tea and soup -- may diminish your appetite. Just make sure your soup is tomato or broth-based (not cream!) and your tea isn’t of the sugary variety (beware commercial flavored types like Chai). In fact, if you go green, your tea may actually give your metabolism a boost, too.

Apples: Apples pack a lot of fiber -- twice as much in every bite as peaches, grapes and grapefruit. Fiber helps turn on the fullness switch and prevents you from overeating. Get into the habit of eating an apple before dinner. Chances are, you’ll eat less of your meal as the fiber starts to kick in.

If snacking doesn’t do the trick, sniffing might. According to Alan Hirsch, M.D., neurological director of the Smell and Taste Research Foundation in Chicago, just a whiff of green apple, banana and peppermint might help you drop some weight.

By Amy Paturel, M.S., M.P.H.

Tags: food, cravings, weight

Prosperity and Peace shall no longer plague America

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 14:34:33 GMT

clipped by: lonely_planet
clipper's remarks: Saw this while browsing the onion page....a past article, but a goodie.

Clip Source: www.theonion.com

The Onion

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'

WASHINGTON, DC–Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."

"My fellow Americans," Bush said, "at long last, we have reached the end of the dark period in American history that will come to be known as the Clinton Era, eight long years characterized by unprecedented economic expansion, a sharp decrease in crime, and sustained peace overseas. The time has come to put all of that behind us."

Bush swore to do "everything in [his] power" to undo the damage wrought by Clinton's two terms in office, including selling off the national parks to developers, going into massive debt to develop expensive and impractical weapons technologies, and passing sweeping budget cuts that drive the mentally ill out of hospitals and onto the street.

During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years.

January 17, 2001 | Issue 37•01

Tags: comedy, onion, satire, bush, clinton, politics

A Google Treasure Trove

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 23:00:09 GMT

clipped by: jeremy0213

Clip Source: alflamont.blogspot.com

I have recently discovered a treasure trove of Documentaries on Google. No, not Documentary clips, but full length quality Docus. If I may bring your attention to two of my absolute favorites.

The first is The Elegant Universe,

A book i loved that makes astonishingly enough, an even better pair of documentaries, narrated by Brian Greene Himself.

Part 1. Einstein's Universe

Part 2. String's The Thing

Now, for the more intense of the two.

The shocking title does no justice to the incredible arguments that Richard Dawkins makes against religion and its assault on reason and science. Whether or not you agree with the content, this documentary must give you pause. Narrated by Dawkins, who is an incredible thinker and is very passionate about his arguments. The gem of these documentaries is an interview with Ted Haggard, who gets all uppity when he is challenged by Dawkins as someone who is "telling people what to think". Not to be missed.

Part 1. The God Delusion

Part2. The Virus of Faith

Labels: Boing Boing, Colorado Springs, Documentaries, Google, Religion, Richard Dawkins

Tags: the elegant universe, part 2. string's the thing, part 1. the god delusion, part2. the virus of faith