A daily miasma of frivolity by two wanna-be cultural critics. Or: just, like, some good links, dude.

Author Archives: Mark Twain, probably

Jan 04 2013
Mark Twain, probably

Pan-Arab Al-Jazeera pays $500M for Current TV in bid for stronger US foothold

Pan-Arab Al-Jazeera pays $500M for Current TV in bid for stronger US foothold

AP report:

Al-Jazeera is spending $500 million to acquire Current TV, the left-leaning cable news network co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore. The deal gives Al-Jazeera access to about 50 million homes. As part of an expansion, the network is promising to hire more journalists and double the number of U.S. news bureaus it has.

FINALLY, INCONTROVERTIBLE PROOF THAT LIBERALISM IS A MUSLIM CONSPIRACY

Nah, but this is an interesting acquisition. The linked article goes in pretty deep on this thing, as far as typical reporting goes, so check it out.

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Jan 04 2013
Mark Twain, probably

Why You Won’t Be the Person You Expect to Be

Why You Won’t Be the Person You Expect to Be

John Tierney, the New York Times:

When we remember our past selves, they seem quite different. We know how much our personalities and tastes have changed over the years. But when we look ahead, somehow we expect ourselves to stay the same, a team of psychologists said Thursday, describing research they conducted of people’s self-perceptions.

They called this phenomenon the “end of history illusion,” in which people tend to “underestimate how much they will change in the future.” According to their research, which involved more than 19,000 people ranging in age from 18 to 68, the illusion persists from teenage years into retirement.

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Jan 03 2013
Mark Twain, probably

Rift between oldest synagogue, Jewish congregation

Rift between oldest synagogue, Jewish congregation

AP staff report:

A disagreement over the ownership of a set of Torah finial bells from Colonial times that is worth millions has led to dueling lawsuits between leaders of the nation’s first Jewish congregation and the nation’s oldest synagogue.

The dispute started after leaders of the nearly 250-year-old Touro Synagogue in Newport, R.I., agreed to sell the bells, called rimonim, for $7.4 million to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The sale is opposed by leaders of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City, who say it owns Touro and the rimonim.

Weird story about ownership, religion, and — somehow — ownership of religion.

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Jan 02 2013
Mark Twain, probably

At least 61 crushed to death in Ivory Coast stampede

At least 61 crushed to death in Ivory Coast stampede

Terrible news out of the Ivory Coast yesterday, reported by Loucoumane Coulibaly and Alain Amontchi for Reuters:

At least 61 people were crushed to death in a stampede after a New Year’s Eve fireworks display at a stadium in Ivory Coast’s main city Abidjan early on Tuesday, officials said.

Witnesses said police had tried to control crowds around the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium following the celebrations, triggering a panic in which scores were trampled.

“The estimate we can give right now is 49 people hospitalized … and 61 people dead,” said the chief of staff of Abidjan’s fire department Issa Sacko.

I’m scheduling this post on January 1, so hopefully the death toll hasn’t gone up any more by the time this hits Tumblr.

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Jan 01 2013
Mark Twain, probably

Welcome to 2013! The new year was brought in by this guy in a Pikachu costume riding a bike down a ski slope, so give him a big thanks for his effort the next time you see him.

(Photo by Maxime Schmid for the European Pressphoto Agency, via MSNBC’s PhotoBlog.)

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Dec 31 2012
Mark Twain, probably

I think that we here at Nullary Sources could stand to post one more piece of music before the new year. So here’s a guy dressed up as Scorpion from Mortal Kombat playing the film’s theme on accordion.

I have yet to find a version of the theme performed with a slide whistle. I’ll keep you posted.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Dec 30 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Here’s a time lapse video of Katsuya Terada drawing a mural for Songs of Anagura, which is some sort of arty, sciency, exhibity thing at the Miraikan museum in Japan. I’m not really sure what the deal with this thing is and whether it’s actually in the exhibit, but all that really matters is that Katsuya Terada rules a heck of a lot. I recommend checking the video out in the highest resolution so you can see all the details.

You should probably go check out his Tumblr too.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Dec 30 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Approval for gene-modified salmon spawns controversy

Approval for gene-modified salmon spawns controversy

Sara Reardon, New Scientist:

Fast-growing salmon have cleared another hurdle in an upstream battle to be the first genetically modified animal approved for human consumption. After a long and possibly politically motivated delay, federal regulators have released preliminary documents declaring the fish safe to eat and environmentally harmless.

Their safety precautions seem extensive but it’s also the case that living things have an intense, deep-seated need to reproduce. We’ll see what happens.

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Dec 29 2012
Mark Twain, probably

In India, a Fatal Gang Rape Sparks Violent Protests, Demands for More Protection

In India, a Fatal Gang Rape Sparks Violent Protests, Demands for More Protection

Some shit is going down in India about rape and the treatment of women. PBS Newshour covered it yesterday:

The fury across India has been building for nearly two weeks, since the 23-year-old medical student was gang-raped and then thrown from [a] bus in New Delhi.

Sexual assaults are rife in India, especially in New Delhi, where, on average, there’s a rape reported every 18 hours. But, this time, the extreme brutality of the crime ignited outrage that turned violent with street battles between protesters and police. The protests have continued this week, amid growing accusations police and other officials are dismissive of sex crimes.

…

Meanwhile, another tragedy, mourners gathered yesterday in Punjab state for the funeral of a 17-year-old girl who reported being gang-raped in November. She killed herself Wednesday after saying she’d been humiliated by police.

NPR South Asia correspondant Julie McCarthy also talks about how poorly the Indian government has been handling this.

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Dec 28 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Mysterious Itch Cells Found

Mysterious Itch Cells Found

Tia Ghose, LiveScience:

Certain nerve cells are specialized to detect itchy sensations, and those receptors don’t detect painful sensations, according to a new study.

The finding, published Dec. 23 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, helps resolve a long-standing debate over whether itchiness is just a weird form of pain. Additionally, now that they have pinpointed the responsible nerve fibers, researchers could silence those nerves to develop better anti-itch treatments, said Ethan Lerner, a neuroscientist at Harvard University who was not involved in the study.

Bodies are weird.

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