MetaFilter

Uptick in Cold War-like rhetoric making you a little nostalgic for the era of parachute pants and Members Only jackets?
A cabal of Russki comrades at some pinko university have been going around collecting and resurrecting disused Soviet-era arcade games, which became instantly obsolete with the collapse of communism. Sea Wolf, Duck Hunt, Pole Position, Dogfight!
We begin bombing in five minutes.
comment posted at 10:20 AM on Jun-7-07

Cow piss heals (a guide)
comment posted at 10:33 PM on Jun-5-07
comment posted at 10:37 PM on Jun-5-07
comment posted at 10:39 PM on Jun-5-07

Useless body parts. Nearly a century and a quarter after Darwin’s death, science still can’t offer a full explanation for why one outdated anatomic trait lingers in the gene pool and another goes. Modern genomics research has revealed that our DNA carries broken genes for things that seem as though they might be useful, like odor receptors for a bloodhound’s sense of smell or enzymes that once enabled us to make our own vitamin C. In a few million years, humans may very well have shed a few more odd features. So look now before they’re gone.
comment posted at 3:44 PM on Jun-5-07

Forty years on. After a quick buildup, the Six Day War started 40 years ago today and reshaped the Middle East. At the time, Israel's quick win looked like a triumph, but after 40 years the war is still being fought and it looks like it may have been a pyrrhic victory.
comment posted at 3:56 PM on Jun-5-07

"Oh, someday, when I am Miss America, I'll tell the world to make things start when you're young. And what fun, it's gonna be, when Regis sings his song to me." In 2001, the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary Living Dolls captured child beauty pageants of the South in a post-Jon Benet world. Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 [Update inside.]
comment posted at 10:46 PM on Jun-4-07

The natural rivalry between dolphins and unicorns has been well documented in scientific journals, and many know of the aggressive and vengeful nature of the so-called unicorn of the sea, the narwhal. But what happens when the twain meet?
comment posted at 12:23 AM on Jun-5-07

CycloneFilter : Super Cyclone Gonu prepares to slam into Oman. Cyclones this far north in the gulf are rare; doubly so for one so powerful. Latest readings have Gonu at Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Some are worried about what this will do to oil prices.
comment posted at 1:29 PM on Jun-4-07

The cryptic new 2012 London Olympics logo was unveiled and whether you think it looks like Lisa Simpson performing oral sex, or just disapprove of its overall lameness, you can petition to have it changed.
comment posted at 12:27 PM on Jun-4-07
comment posted at 12:28 PM on Jun-4-07

Cold War back on.
comment posted at 12:21 AM on Jun-4-07

Meet 郑筱萸 (Zhèng Xiăoyú) ^_[WIKI] Former head of the State Food and Drug Administration of China. Recently the quality of Chinese food and drugs has come under fire. You may have heard of tainted pet food from china killing cats and dogs. You might also have read about antifreeze in cough syrup made with impure Chinese glycerin killing people in other countries. Apparently someone in China cares about government accountability, because on May 29th Zheng Xiaoyu sentenced to death.
comment posted at 10:04 AM on Jun-2-07

"Rudy is smarter than Bush. But his political strength -- and he knows it -- comes from America's unrelenting passion for never bothering to take that extra step to figure shit out."
comment posted at 10:10 AM on Jun-1-07
comment posted at 10:42 AM on Jun-1-07
comment posted at 10:43 AM on Jun-1-07

livejournal permanently suspends hundreds of accounts under pressure from "watchdog" group Warriors for Innocence (sketchy, possibly spyware laden site created by pretty shady people). Though the aim of the crackdown is seemingly to protect children from online predators, many suspended journals and communities apparently had nothing to do with promoting pedophilia, and the broad-based approach taken by livejournal has many users irate (over 3700 comments as of posting), especially in light of the fact that that neither livejournal nor the owner Six Apart have publically addressed users, though Six Apart did speak to CNET as linked above.
comment posted at 4:20 PM on May-31-07

al Qaeda's "Legitimate Demands". Azzam al Amreki (aka Adam Gadahn) appears in a newly released al Qaeda video to recite his group's demands and promise more bombings and destruction if we don't comply. (previously)
comment posted at 12:18 PM on May-30-07

Back home in Iraq, Umm Hiba’s daughter was a devout schoolgirl, modest in her dress and serious about her studies. Hiba, who is now 16, wore the hijab, or Islamic head scarf, and rose early each day to say the dawn prayer before classes.

On 9/11, 15 Saudi Arabian "tourists" came to America to get 72 virgins, by way of the Pentagon, the Twin Towers, and religious "martyrdom". In response, America attacked Iraq. One consequence: now Saudi sex-tourists need only make a day trip to neighboring Syria, where teenaged Iraqi prostitutes are pimped out by their mothers and aunts. An Iraqi prostitute explains why: "If they go back to Iraq they’ll be slaughtered, and this is the only work available."
comment posted at 11:27 PM on May-29-07

Russia on Tuesday test-launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile The points to note are:- It could penetrate any defense system, the statement did not specify how many warheads the missile can carry, it's either a decoy or something that has been developed in complete secrecy.
comment posted at 10:37 AM on May-29-07
comment posted at 10:51 AM on May-29-07
comment posted at 12:10 PM on May-29-07
comment posted at 1:03 PM on May-29-07

"Good Riddance Attention Whore" Cindy Sheehan is done protesting. CNN Story [via]
comment posted at 10:23 AM on May-29-07
comment posted at 11:15 AM on May-29-07

The War against the libr'l media ? The Governmnt of Venezuela (read Hugh Chavez and his supporters) decided not to renew the broadcasting licence of RCTV station. RCTV issued this statement and consequently stopped transmissions. Some welcome the move, others observe the many facets of this event, many sustain it's outright government censorship and protest. [Previous] post and documentary on distortions by and in media.
comment posted at 11:51 AM on May-28-07
comment posted at 10:07 PM on May-28-07

"Dillan Kramer," the alias of a man accused of killing his family doctor, is currently on the run from the FBI with his son, "Michael," and he's liveblogging the entire thing. High potential to be fake, sure, but is it? Go, hive-mind -- use your powers; get to the bottom of this!
comment posted at 11:48 AM on May-25-07
comment posted at 11:49 AM on May-25-07

Endless Zombie Rampage [flash] [coda]
comment posted at 10:49 AM on May-22-07

Bill Clinton has died. I'm sure everyone in the MetaFilter community will miss him - whatever your personal feelings about him, there's no denying his contributions to popular culture. Truly an American icon.
comment posted at 3:24 PM on May-20-07

Putins spy war on the West White House intelligence advisers believe no other country is as aggressive as Russia in trying to obtain US secrets, with the possible exception of China. In particular the SVR, as the former KGB’s foreign intelligence arm is now known, is using a network of undercover agents in America to gather classified information about sensitive technologies, including military projects under development and high-tech research.
comment posted at 9:57 AM on May-20-07

Here are a few simple but challenging games: Ladybug, Boomshine, & Tama
comment posted at 3:17 PM on May-19-07

A Canadian public servant who leaked Conservative green policy documents, was taken away in handcuffs and fired - Jeffrey Monaghan calls the government's actions "a profound threat to the public interest" and "an extension of a government-wide communications strategy pinned on secrecy, intimidation and centralization."

The documents outlined the Conservative's dismissal of the Kyoto Protocol and were to be released to the public a week later. Let the media panic begin: some have focused on Monaghan's political activism, others accuse corporate media of scapegoating Monaghan. Question is - if the documents were to be released to the public anyway, is this even whistleblowing? The environment minister says no. NDP environment critic Nathan Cullen says yes. Liberal leader Stephane Dion calls the Tories' actions "an attempt of intimidation ... although I have no sympathy at all for leaks."
comment posted at 9:16 PM on May-17-07

This opinion piece in Prospect magazine argues that perhaps the importance of the problems in the Middle East are overblown. Interesting read.
comment posted at 9:38 PM on May-17-07

[NewsFilter] Jerry Falwell was found unconscious in his office today and has since died. Exactly what did they mean by "heart challenges" ?
comment posted at 2:22 PM on May-15-07

In Jerusalem, archaeology is political. Haaretz story on a recent discovery. Other ongoing excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem. Conflict resolution which considers the needs of the different parties. [more inside]
comment posted at 12:00 AM on May-9-07

newsfilter!! more inside Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy wins France's presidential election.
comment posted at 10:50 PM on May-6-07

The crackdown on fashion in Iran is not limited to just women. You're under scrutiny as a man if you look "too western." Meanwhile, in the west, retailers are realizing there's a demographic they can market to even if it might be an affront to French fashion. If you're not a Muslim, what are your rights in an Islamic state?
comment posted at 5:31 PM on May-4-07

4/29 Truth Movement. As already noted within three minutes of the post on the Oakland highway collapse going up this weekend, the successful melting of steel by fire has riled up the 9/11 skeptic-baiters. See also: the entire internet.
comment posted at 11:02 PM on May-1-07

Muslim women in France are having surgery to 'regain their virginity'. From the article: "I don't want to disappoint my fiance," she said... "I wouldn't have had the surgery if I hadn't met him."
comment posted at 8:28 AM on Apr-30-07

Jack Valenti is Dead. If you can't say anything nice, please don't say anything at all.
comment posted at 10:53 PM on Apr-26-07

Senate backs Iraq withdrawal date The US Senate has voted to approve a bill which requires US troops to be withdrawn from Iraq within 11 months.
comment posted at 11:53 AM on Apr-26-07

impeachy keen! learn why cleveland is the capital of polka, bowling and kielbasa.
comment posted at 10:40 AM on Apr-26-07

25 y.o. whistle-blower. Last Fall, a 24 y.o. by the name of Justen Deal, blew the whistle on what he perceived to be profligate waste by his employers. As an IT guy at Kaiser-Permanente, he'd seen a $442 million database project scrapped by the new CEO and replaced by a sweetheart deal for one of the CEO's former contractors. Internal estimates placed Kaiser's losses on this new contract at $1.2 billion dollars per quarter [more inside]
comment posted at 11:22 AM on Apr-25-07

Fascist America in 10 Easy Steps: a good read from The Guardian.
comment posted at 1:31 PM on Apr-24-07

Yeltsin said: "I want to beg forgiveness for your dreams that never came true. And also I would like to beg forgiveness not to have justified your hopes." Boris Yeltsin is dead. [AP story]
comment posted at 11:55 AM on Apr-23-07

This Japanese potty training animation is so damn adorable you'll want to potty train the nearest child you find. via
comment posted at 4:41 PM on Apr-19-07

A Polite Letter from the Smithsonian
comment posted at 9:35 AM on Apr-19-07

I didn't in any means want to infer or imply anything about Jews and finances and things. What I was referring to ladies and gentlemen is the accomplishments of the Jewish religion and the Jewish people. You have been outstanding business people.

"...Earning money. You know that's sort of part of the Jewish tradition."
comment posted at 10:13 PM on Apr-16-07