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New Justices, New Rules: How the Supreme Court's Validation of the Federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act Affects Women's Constitutional Liberty and Equality. A two-part FindLaw analysis of Gonzales v. Carhart.
comment posted at 9:59 AM on May-9-07

On this day in 1915 the ocean liner Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat, which helped turn public sentiment in the US against Germany in The Great War. FirstWorldWar.com is your go to site for all things War to End All Wars related, from how it began to propaganda posters to maps to memoirs and diaries to the weapons and battles to audio and video and to the justly famous poetry of World War One. Also check out the feature articles and encyclopedia.
comment posted at 3:39 PM on May-7-07

"To celebrate the 50th running of the Daytona 500, some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment have created original artwork inspired by the Great American Race." The results look OK for a seven year old, but terrible for everyone else.
comment posted at 9:34 AM on May-7-07
comment posted at 10:01 AM on May-7-07

newsfilter!! more inside Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy wins France's presidential election.
comment posted at 1:50 PM on May-6-07
comment posted at 9:56 PM on May-6-07
comment posted at 7:28 AM on May-7-07

iGoogle is the new name for Google Home Page (previously). It's now out of testing. If you use any Google services, such as Gmail, it's worth checking out because it really is useful. You can even make your own widgets. For the first time since 1997, I have a home page that's not about:blank.
comment posted at 12:50 PM on May-1-07

The Sea Organ (YouTube) is located on the shores of Zadar, Croatia, and is the world’s first pipe organ that is played by the sea. Simple and elegant steps, carved in white stone, were built on the quayside. Underneath, there are 35 pipes with whistle openings on the sidewalk. The movement of the sea pushes air through, and – depending on the size and velocity of the wave – musical chords are played (YouTube). The waves create random harmonic sounds.
comment posted at 2:03 PM on Apr-30-07

Let's take a moment to consider that humblest of American musical instruments, the cigar box guitar. Many of the most important names in American guitar artistry got their start on the unprepossessing little instrument. And let's not forget its cousin, the cookie tin banjo. By the time you've heard some of those boxy tones you might just want to join the growing legions of players and make one of your own. Not the DIY type? There are lots of folks out there who'll make one for you. And friends, don't forget to pay a visit to the National Cigar Box Guitar Museum, and tell 'em flapjax sent'cha! In closing, if you've got a big stack of cigar boxes but none of this guitar stuff piques your interest, you can always try this.
comment posted at 10:56 AM on Apr-30-07

(WARNING: Offensive Material) AOL hate profiles. For those of you who think racism and hatred is just an urban myth, here's concrete proof that it is very much real.
comment posted at 3:50 PM on Apr-26-07

Torture innocents or suffer the consequences. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) expounded yesterday on the process of 'extraordinary rendition' where suspects are flown to foreign countries outside of US law, so they can be tortured for information. He's got no problem with it, even if innocents are involved. [more inside]
comment posted at 11:34 AM on Apr-25-07

Blogging for the technically challenged.
comment posted at 11:34 AM on Apr-21-07

The Independent's headline actually uses the word 'obliterated'. I like this quote from the stuffed shirts at Travel for London - "We recognise that there are those who view Banksy's work as legitimate art, but sadly our graffiti removal teams are staffed by professional cleaners, not professional art critics." This Reuters article reckons the mural was worth £250,000. This isn't an excellent photo of the mural before it was whitewashed, but it's the only one I could find (Flickr). Do Banksy's pieces create an atmosphere of "neglect and social decay" or are they valuable pieces of art that should be preserved? These folks were so upset that the prospective buyers of their house in Bristol were going to paint over one of his pieces that they've changed the terms of sale. "The owners consider it a work of art and want it kept as it is. They came to us to help sell it as a mural with a house attached."
comment posted at 8:45 AM on Apr-20-07

3D Glass Paintings by Xia Xiaowan. [Via Table of Malcontents.]
comment posted at 6:59 PM on Apr-17-07

In the wake of the deadliest single-gunman shooting in American history, Boing Boing blogger Mark Frauenfelder has this to say: "I love these blood puddle pillows."
comment posted at 5:23 PM on Apr-17-07

German army training to kill American blacks in the Bronx.
comment posted at 2:25 PM on Apr-15-07

On his deathbed, the former CIA spymaster E. Howard Hunt made a startling confession. Or so says his son, Saint...Maybe the Zapruder film can tell us if there was a second gunman on the grassy knoll. Or was that a hoax too?
comment posted at 10:03 AM on Apr-15-07

Fruit Crate Label Art from the 1910s Thru 1950s (via)
comment posted at 3:21 PM on Apr-14-07

Kurt Vonnegut, Writer of Classics of the American Counterculture, Dies at 84 "His death was reported by Morgan Entrekin, a longtime family friend, who said Mr. Vonnegut suffered brain injuries as a result of a fall several weeks ago. Mr. Vonnegut wrote plays, essays and short fiction. But it was his novels that became classics of the American counterculture, making him a literary idol, particularly to students in the 1960s and ’70s. Dog-eared paperback copies of his books could be found in the back pockets of blue jeans and in dorm rooms on campuses throughout the United States." .
comment posted at 8:15 PM on Apr-11-07
comment posted at 8:17 PM on Apr-11-07

Shiftspace creates a collaborative layer over any website. (Tools like this have been tried before, but this is the first one with an overt Wikipedia-style public service philosophy.)
comment posted at 8:49 AM on Apr-11-07

Dream Deceivers: The Story behind James Vance vs Judas Priest (1992) [google video 56 mins] ‘Just before Christmas 1985, James Vance and Ray Belknap shot themselves with a 12 – gauge shotgun. Their families blamed heavy metal group Judas Priest, claiming a recorded subliminal command “Do It” had mesmerized their son. Almost 5 years after the suicide pact James Vance et al. vs. Judas priest came to trial in Reno’s District Court’ (Warning: James Vance’s face may disturb some viewers). Also ‘Lessons from the Judas Priest Trial’ and ‘The Judas Priest Trial: 15 years later’.
comment posted at 11:45 AM on Apr-10-07

Google Desktop for Mac OS X finally saw beta release last week; so far, the beta includes search but not Gadgets. Initial reactions have been tepid amid concern about how extensively the installer modifies your system. Nonetheless, some people seem to like it.
comment posted at 12:25 PM on Apr-9-07

Climate change fruitful for fungi: more than one third of the species recorded have started to fruit twice per year.
comment posted at 9:06 AM on Apr-9-07

Would you have stopped to listen to one of the greatest violinists in the world playing Bach's "Chaconne" on his Stradivarius as you got off the subway on your way to work? A fascinating Washington Post article (Bugmenot) on an experiment wherein Joshua Bell played for sleepy commuters on a Friday morning.
comment posted at 9:23 PM on Apr-8-07

Controversial Christian cartoonist Johnny Hart dies.
comment posted at 4:45 PM on Apr-8-07
comment posted at 9:46 AM on Apr-9-07

What happens when a world-class concert violinist with a $3.5 million Stradivarius plays anonymously in a Washington Metro station? Find out here.
comment posted at 4:21 PM on Apr-8-07

The ten things most likely to be on The Daily Express front page. This UK newspaper has gained something of a reputation of late because of their apparently monosyllabic attitude to the news and what'll appear as their front page story -- today with everything that's going in the middle east they ran with yet another story about Princess Diana. Here, Martin Belam analyzes the leaders for the past three months and examines the patterns.
comment posted at 2:22 PM on Apr-4-07

Goggle has corrected the N.O. La. maps. My first post
comment posted at 7:14 AM on Apr-3-07

The Velvet Republican. (ebay link)
comment posted at 12:22 PM on Apr-2-07

One down and one to go.
comment posted at 12:15 PM on Mar-31-07

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. [25 min Google Video.]
comment posted at 3:43 PM on Mar-27-07

BloggingheadsTV has been discussed here before and it’s a bit wonkish on policy issues. Last night’s Althouse outburst was a bit different. About four minutes in...
comment posted at 12:21 PM on Mar-27-07
comment posted at 12:22 PM on Mar-27-07
comment posted at 12:31 PM on Mar-27-07

The Evolution of Homer Simpson Best. (and Longest.) Couch gag. Evar.
comment posted at 9:34 AM on Mar-27-07
comment posted at 9:52 AM on Mar-27-07

Cockeyed Absurdist - jonmc's 300 most favorite songs and why, including Iron Maiden, The Exciters, Neil Young (as a greaser), Captain Beefheart, Hanson, and of course, The Dictators.
comment posted at 10:24 AM on Mar-23-07

New study reveals prejudices amongst disabled. A research paper by Mark Deal, a PhD student and researcher at UK disability charity Enham reveals the news that disabled people have the same prejudices about disability as non-disabled people: the research points to a hierarchy of impairment, ranking Deaf as the most ‘desirable’ impairment followed by Arthritis, Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, HIV/ Aids, Down’s syndrome and Schizophrenia amongst disabled people. These prejudices are almost identical to those held by the non-disabled sample, with the only difference being that Cerebral Palsy and HIV/Aids were placed in reverse order.
comment posted at 8:29 AM on Mar-22-07

Some say alcohol prohibition was a failure. Some say it worked. Alcohol abuse costs society billions. Groups seek to add a new flavor to regulation. Citizens are even taking up the cause.
comment posted at 3:12 PM on Mar-20-07
comment posted at 3:17 PM on Mar-20-07
comment posted at 3:18 PM on Mar-20-07

Chris Ware animates a segment of an episode of the new This American Life television show. [previously: Chris Ware, This American Life on TV, Chris Ware on This American Life’s radio program]
comment posted at 12:39 PM on Mar-20-07

Ampd customer support responds to Michael Pusateri's complaint over their advertising on Ann Coulter's site. They are a-political [sic] and try to reach "as many segments of the market as possible" - Homo, bisexual, and Republican.
comment posted at 9:57 PM on Mar-19-07

Can't sleep, Turkish Star Wars will eat me [IMDb, previously]
comment posted at 9:32 AM on Mar-19-07

Beware of the panty ninja! He certainly was dedicated.
comment posted at 9:26 AM on Mar-19-07

Hey, on your way to work tomorrow, instead of sitting around with your finger up your a$$, look around. There's a union out there called AFSCME and they're busting their balls for you doing all the sh*t work you take for granted.
comment posted at 9:53 PM on Mar-18-07

Vote different. Unauthorized Internet ad for Obama converts Apple Computer's '84 Super Bowl spot into a generational howl against Clinton's presidential bid. more
comment posted at 8:57 PM on Mar-18-07