Nick Vujicic

Mr. Vujicic’s Non-Profit agency is Life Without Limbs
 
This presentation in full is incredibly, awesomely inspiring: No Arms, No Legs No Worries 

Hal Douglas

Sad to hear a critical component of cinema history has left us. Hal Douglas passed away earlier this month at the age of 89.

If you remember when movies were preceded in theaters with only advertisements for other movies, or if you watched television back when most of the shows were still scripted, you will recognize this voice.

Know Your Rights

For some reason my computer gets a bit fritzy when I play this clip. It's almost as if someone doesn't want you to view it.

From the good people at hitRECord.

The Ring Lady

The Ring Lady’s remains were discovered in 1982 in the Herculaneum ruins. She was given the name because of the ruby and emerald rings still on her left hand. Bracelets and earrings were also found nearby.

Herculaneum was one of five cities (Pompeii being one of the most famous) destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 (AD).

There's a definite difference in this image and most of the other skeletal remain photos out there.

Is this woman grabbing her valuables before she has to flee for her life, stopping a minute too long to marvel at her precious jewels? Or did she have no idea what was coming? Simply picking out accessories for a night out?

It's fascinating to wonder.

 

The movie, Pompeii had a less than stellar opening in theaters this weekend, but the real history is something everyone should have some knowledge of.

 

Eyewitness to History Presents the Destruction of Pompeii

Artst Tlk: Leonard Nimoy

Great interview with the great actor.

It’s nice to see Pharrell respect his guest (not to mention the viewer) enough to ditch the pointless nude waitress walk on.

More about the ShekinaProject

And best wishes to Mr. Nimoy with his recent diagnosis.

Snowflake Bentley

Born February 9, 1865, Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley  perfected a process of catching snowflakes on black velvet in a manner allowing for their images to be captured before they melted or sublimated.

His first snowflake was photographed in January of 1885 using a bellows camera attached to a compound microscope and he would go on to capture more than 5000 images in his lifetime.

His ongoing study of the “tiny miracles of beauty” and “ice flowers” would later help him present  the “no two alike” theory and get him exposure in such publications as National Geographic and  Scientific American among others. He additionally photographed other forms of ice and natural water formations including clouds and fog and is known as one of the first cloud physicists.

Remaining dedicated to his lifelong interests to the end, on December 23, 1931, Snowflake Bentley died of pneumonia after a six mile hike through a blizzard.

 

Chilling beauties

Lemon Anderson at TEDTalks

Lemon Anderson's started his presentation with the Reg E. Gains' poem, "Please Don't Take My Air Jordans"

Check out the documentary Lemon as well. (Trailer)

The Talking Skull

a Nigerian folk tale, translated by Leo Frobenius and Douglas G. Fox

A hunter goes into the bush. He finds an old human skull. The hunter says: “What brought you here?” The skull answers: “Talking brought me here.” The hunter runs off. He runs to the king. He tells the king: “I found a dry human skull in the bush. It asks you how its father and mother are.” 

The king says: “Never since my mother bore me have I heard that a dead skull can speak.” The king summons the Alkali, the Saba, and the Degi and asks them if they have ever heard the like. None of the wise men has heard the like, and they decide to send guards out with the hunter into the bush to find out if his story is true and, if so, to learn the reason for it. The guards accompany the hunter into the bush with the order to kill him on the spot should he have lied. 

The guards and the hunter come to the skull. The hunter addresses the skull: “Skull, speak.” The skull is silent. The hunter asks as before: “What brought you here?” The skull does not answer. The whole day long the hunter begs the skull to speak, but it does not answer. In the evening the guards tell the hunter to make the skull speak, and when he cannot, the guards kill the hunter in accordance with the king’s command. 

When the guards are gone, the skull opens its jaws and asks the dead hunter’s head: “What brought you here?” The dead hunter’s head replies: “Talking brought me here!”

Hot On Your Trail

Nothing you do is private. You were well aware of this, but watch and feel weird anyway.

The Fallen 9000

Artists Andy Moss and Jamie Wardley organized volunteers to create their art project 'The Fallen 9000' on September 21, 2013.

The Fallen [Trailer] from Finn Varney on Vimeo.


 The event, which was part of International Peace Day, was organized to commemorate those Canadian, American, British and German citizens who lost their lives on D-Day. The gathered on Arromanches beach in Normandy, Frances to stencil images of fallen soldiers in the sand, only to have the tide wash them away at the end of the day.

 

 

More about The Fallen 9000 Project

More about Sand In Your Eye

The Psychedelic Art of Science

Remember all that psychedelic art first popularized in the 60s and 70s?

"Swiss artist and photographer Fabian Oefner is on a mission to make eye-catching art from everyday science. In this charming talk, he shows off some recent psychedelic images, including photographs of crystals as they interact with soundwaves. And, in a live demo, he shows what really happens when you mix paint with magnetic liquid--or when you set fire to whiskey."

Fireman Saves Kitten

GoPro’s ad is sweetly effective

Nothing Compares 2 U

Let me start by saying that I hate when people say things like America is the land of the free in order to justify their stupidity. I’ve worked with the children of men and women who serve in our military and I feel pretty confident that those families are not desperately missing each other so you can shake the flab where you ass is supposed to be and embarrass yourself.

I had no plans to include anything related to that whole situation. It’s been given enough unwarranted attention.  Still, this letter from Sinead O’Connor for Miley “no-one-loves-me-and-I-know-it-so-I’m-acting-out” Cyrus eloquently if not efficiently makes an incredible point.

It’s a wonderful letter that highlights what anyone with an ounce of sense saw a long time ago. It’s what we were all thinking even if we didn’t say it either from lack of platform or just not giving a crap. Too many people hanging around willing to let you debase yourself so they can partake in the spoils is exactly what Ms. O’Connor says it is.

How sad that there is no one in her life, not a parent, a friend, a so-called mentor, or even a clean mirror to reflect the truth back to her. Not a good look.

On the other hand, maybe it’s exactly what it looks like.  Child stars are often only stars because they are children. That’s it: your talent is that you’re a cute kid.

Then they grow up;  the kiddie cuteness wears off, the lack of talent becomes evident, and all the dire need to have someone look at you so you can feel special is all that remains. Unfortunately some of these young people are too talentless to get your attention and too stupid to come up with a better alternative than flashing you.


 "Dear Miley,

I wasn’t going to write this letter, but today i’ve been dodging phone calls from various newspapers who wished me to remark upon your having said in Rolling Stone your Wrecking Ball video was designed to be similar to the one for Nothing Compares… So this is what I need to say… And it is said in the spirit of motherliness and with love.

I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way ‘cool’ to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos. It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether its the music business or yourself doing the pimping.

Nothing but harm will come in the long run, from allowing yourself to be exploited, and it is absolutely NOT in ANY way an empowerment of yourself or any other young women, for you to send across the message that you are to be valued (even by you) more for your sexual appeal than your obvious talent.

I am happy to hear I am somewhat of a role model for you and I hope that because of that you will pay close attention to what I am telling you.

The music business doesn’t give a sh*t about you, or any of us. They will prostitute you for all you are worth, and cleverly make you think its what YOU wanted.. and when you end up in rehab as a result of being prostituted, ‘they’ will be sunning themselves on their yachts in Antigua, which they bought by selling your body and you will find yourself very alone.

None of the men oggling you give a sh*t about you either, do not be fooled. Many’s the woman mistook lust for love. If they want you sexually that doesn’t mean they give a f*ck about you. All the more true when you unwittingly give the impression you don’t give much of a f*ck about yourself. And when you employ people who give the impression they don’t give much of a f*ck about you either. No one who cares about you could support your being pimped.. and that includes you yourself.

Yes, I’m suggesting you don’t care for yourself. That has to change. You ought be protected as a precious young lady by anyone in your employ and anyone around you, including you. This is a dangerous world. We don’t encourage our daughters to walk around naked in it because it makes them pray for animals and less than animals (a distressing majority of whom work in the music industry and the associated media).

You are worth more than your body or your sexual appeal. The world of showbiz doesn’t see things that way, they like things to be seen the other way, whether they are magazines who want you on their cover, or whatever.. Don’t be under any illusions.. ALL of them want you because they’re making money off your youth and your beauty.. which they could not do except for the fact your youth makes you blind to the evils of show business. If you have an innocent heart you can’t recognise those who do not.

I repeat, you have enough talent that you don’t need to let the music business make a prostitute of you. You shouldn’t let them make a fool of you either. Don’t think for a moment that any of them give a flying f*ck about you. They’re there for the money.. we’re there for the music. It has always been that way and it will always be that way. The sooner a young lady gets to know that, the sooner she can be REALLY in control.

You also said in Rolling Stone that your look is based on mine. The look I chose, I chose on purpose at a time when my record company were encouraging me to do what you have done. I felt I would rather be judged on my talent and not my looks. I am happy that I made that choice, not least because I do not find myself on the proverbial rag heap now that I am almost 47 yrs of age.. which unfortunately many female artists who have based their image around their sexuality, end up on when they reach middle age.
Real empowerment of yourself as a woman would be to in future refuse to exploit your body or your sexuality in order for men to make money from you. I needn’t even ask the question.. I’ve been in the business long enough to know that men are making more money than you are from you getting naked. Its really not at all cool. And its sending dangerous signals to other young women. Please in future say no when you are asked to prostitute yourself. Your body is for you and your boyfriend. It isn’t for every spunk-spewing dirtbag on the net, or every greedy record company executive to buy his mistresses diamonds with.

As for the shedding of the Hannah Montana image.. whoever is telling you getting naked is the way to do that does absolutely NOT respect your talent, or you as a young lady. Your records are good enough for you not to need any shedding of Hannah Montana. She’s waaaaaaay gone by now.. Not because you got naked but because you make great records.

Whether we like it or not, us females in the industry are role models and as such we have to be extremely careful what messages we send to other women. The message you keep sending is that its somehow cool to be prostituted.. its so not cool Miley.. its dangerous. Women are to be valued for so much more than their sexuality. we aren’t merely objects of desire. I would be encouraging you to send healthier messages to your peers.. that they and you are worth more than what is currently going on in your career. Kindly fire any motherf*cker who hasn’t expressed alarm, because they don’t care about you."

Original source was overloaded so Thanks for the full text.

BritishPathe presents 10 Tragedies Caught on Film

Shows you how warped my mind has become; I originally thought this was going to be a joke film. But I'm sure I wasn't the only one.

"Black Lifestyle" in Japan

I was in the store the other day when  a group of girls passed one of those signs that read something like, "In a world where you can be anything great , be yourself".

One of the girls commented, "If I could be anything in the world, why would I be myself?"

I thought, well if that's how you feel about it, it might be best if you weren't yourself.

But for everyone else who has enough sense to know their worth, and even those who aren't sure but still believe in trying, always remember, there is nothing more beautiful than the real you.

On a side note: I love the baby shoop logo.

 (“Black Lifestyle” in Japan)

The Strange Story and Remarkable Life of Billy Tipton

 

The Strange Story and Remarkable Life of Billy... by kterrl

Megalopygidae

Or, a Flannel Moth Caterpillar

 

It Melts in Your Mouth

 

Did you ever notice anything about the impressive array of actors who voiced the colorful M&M spokecandies?

 

... the cynical and sardonic Red (originally voiced by Jon Lovitz, thereafter Billy West^[22]) who is the mascot for milk chocolate M&M's, and the happy and gullible Yellow (originally John Goodman, thereafter J.K. Simmons), who is the mascot for peanut M&M's. Other mascots include the "cool one", Blue (Phil Hartman, thereafter Robb Pruitt) who is the mascot for almond M&M's; the seductive Green (Cree Summer), who is the mascot for dark chocolate M&M's; and the slightly neurotic Orange / "Crispy" (Eric Kirchberger) for crispy M&M's. Green was the only female M&M's mascot until the businesslike Ms. Brown (Vanessa Williams), the "Chief Chocolate Officer," was introduced during the 2012 Super Bowl. [source]

The First "I Have a Dream Speech"

Dr. King's speech was first presented at Cobo Hall during a march in Detroit, 50 years ago today.



Detroiters celebrated the anniversary over the weekend during the Detroit Freedom Walk

Hear and read the full text of the Detroit speech here

Galloping Gertie

Tacoma Narrows Bridge