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28 Jul 04:52

Cinematic Journeys Illustrated in Hand Painted Maps by Andrew DeGraff

by Andrew LaSane

The Wizard of Oz

Maine-based artist, illustrator, and pop culture cartographer Andrew DeGraff creates detailed maps that outline the movements of major characters in iconic movies. Made by hand using gouache and ink on paper, each of DeGraff’s maps are meticulously planned and can take up to 1,000 hours to complete.

DeGraff has been working as an illustrator for 15 years. He began his “Cinemaps” series in 2011 and has since published a book that includes art inspired by Back to the FutureKing KongThe Shining, Pulp Fiction, and other classic movies. Speaking to Colossal about his process, DeGraff said that it doesn’t matter if the film is a favorite that he has seen several times, or if it is one that he is less familiar with—the approach is the same. While carefully watching the movie a few more times, he deconstructs each scene and character journey (which are color-coded in the maps) to create a flowchart. “Then I start building my reference file from film stills, behind the scenes shots of the sets, location shots, Google Earth—even LEGO recreations if [they’re] helpful,” he explains. He then creates a blocking sketch before going in with pencils and paint.

“The smallest ones are 50–80 hours, and the largest go up to 600–1,000 hrs,” DeGraff said. “It’s often tedious but meditative work and I’ve come to love it. And I get to listen to a lot of audiobooks and music while I work since I don’t have to fully concentrate while I spend a day painting 800 trees or something.” To see more of DeGraff’s attention to detail in painted trees and movie landmarks, follow him on Instagram.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (with key)

The Shining

The Lord of the Rings

Fargo

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

The Silence of the Lambs

Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road (detail)

Labyrinth

01 Dec 03:53

A guy started trolling his 'friend' for saying stupid stuff on Facebook, but who is really the jerk here?

by Aimee Lutkin

Imgur user BeefGir posted a series of Facebook posts in which a man named Robert mercilessly trolls his “friend” Brendan for saying stupid stuff. The gallery on Imgur is titled, “When you become a smart trolls personal enemy,” which makes it seem like Robert and the Imgur user are probably the same person. 

Brendan seems like the Facebook friend from hell who anyone with more than two brain cells has probably muted. He’s a racist with terrible views on pop culture and questionable math skills.

So here are some of Brendan’s most asinine posts and his friend’s trollish responses.

1. Shots fired.

via Imgur

2. Things get scientific.

via Imgur

3. Then political.

via Imgur

4. Brendan’s numbering system is introduced.

via Imgur

5. And Robert will not let it go.

via Imgur

6. Will. Not.

via Imgur

7. Brendan hates Monty Python!

via Imgur

8. And he loves Donald Trump.

via Imgur

9. Now Robert’s bringing his agenda to other people’s timelines.

via Imgur

10. Still struggling with numbers. And movie titles.

via Imgur

11. And objects.

via Imgur

12. They can’t get straight who is straight.

via Imgur

13. Oh my god, shut up, Rob!

via Imgur

14. This is basically wishing someone would die.

via Imgur

15. Robert...you're the terrorist in this situation.

via Imgur

Who do you think is worse? The mega-racist idiot, or the pathetically determined asshole? 

 

05 Jan 03:59

After Dan Harmon's #MeToo Twitter Apology Got Awkward, She Showed Her Famous Ex-Boss A Better Way Forward

by Eric Pfeiffer

Dan Harmon. Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/9362828253/in/photolist-fgmWDk-oQQdnT-pBxxrY-7HFGKv-qJoWpC-poMMXq-poKNpi-rFinyk-dbdzdz-dbdyVF-fgBcph-fgBcPY-fgmS8H-owZVbT-fgBbB7-ox15CP-fgBaM3-fgBavC-ovfe1B-Jybc5k-Kuyu6D-ouXSHk-rhCZVD-fgnzH8-fgmQsn-r3PX3H-fgnkfD-A3s6oR-rjo2fG-otdeMd-ovf87x-odKEng-ov31r1-fgBySC-rhD168-rARMr1-Jybbci-dqTmVu-rjp4mA-rjp3vs-qEb9aa-odLzoV-otd7Ny-fgnwo8-bp5mxN-fgnyHR-fgnjpa-ryEPaE-odKsyX-rARLDj">Gage Skidmore/Flickr</a>.

Another day, another powerful man in media is exposed for harassing a woman. But in this case, the apology has created an opening that shows a way forward for both men and women who work alongside each other.

On New Year’s Eve, “Rick and Morty” co-creator Dan Harmon posted a tweet that acknowledged he was part of what he called the “Year of the Asshole.”

That tweet drew a response from comedy writer Megan Ganz, who previously worked with Harmon on “Community.”

Their back and forth quickly went viral as Harmon lumbered through attempts to explain his past bad behavior and make an amends to Ganz:

That’s normally where the latest #MeToo chapter would end, short of Harmon resigning from his job and public life. And media outlets and other people on social media were understandably quick to pile on with stories about Harmon’s public shaming.

But Ganz not only dropped the proverbial mic on Harmon’s unacceptable behavior, she also called him out for his bungled attempts at an apology.

You see, Harmon was off to a strong start, deferring to Ganz on the best way to make any potential amends. But his unsolicited solution quickly regressed by “Dansplaining” that he’d already made steps forward by building figurative walls between himself and his colleagues:

Instead, Ganz showed Harmon, and everyone else for that matter, a more realistic and constructive way moving forward. Don’t build walls between bosses and their employees, tear them down. Don’t isolate from a position of fear, build honest and respectful relationships grounded in empathy and compassion. After all, it’s much harder to demean someone that you know and respect as your equal:

11 Nov 19:14

Here's Why Chance The Rapper Showed Up At A Chicago City Council Meeting

by Britni Danielle

Chance the Rapper is quickly vying for the title of “People’s Champ.” The 24-year-old emcee has already shaken up the music world, taking home a Grammy earlier this year for Best New Artist despite giving away his music for free and releasing a streaming-only album. Chance, born Chancelor Bennett, is an astute businessman, inking deals with Apple and Kit Kat, while eschewing a major record label and remaining independent. While many have come to respect his hustle, Chance’s passion for public education is what makes him really stand out.

After pledging to donate $1 million to Chicago Public Schools back in March, Chance’s nonprofit, SocialWorks, raised $2.2 million for his hometown’s schools. His contributions didn’t stop there, however. The rapper has been outspoken about how Illinois’ budget woes have affected Chicago’s public schools, and he even met with Gov. Bruce Rauner to discuss funding. Recently, Chance showed up at a city council meeting to register his opposition to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to spend $95 million on a new police training facility.

During the hearing, Chance questioned the judgment of allocating nearly $100 million on the facility when the city doesn’t have enough funds for other social services.

“What is y’all doing?” the rapper asked the council.

“Financially, this proposed plan doesn’t make sense. We don’t have $95 million,” Chance said. “There’s a lot of different services that need to be funded.”

According to Reuters, Chicago is projected to have a budget deficit of $114.2 million in 2018. While Emanuel’s proposed spending plan aims to pay down the city’s debt, it also includes a proposal to spend heavily on hiring 500 new police officers and building the new training facility. Chicago’s homicide rate (which is not the highest in the nation) has become a political football over the years, but community activists, including Chance, think it could be lowered by investing in the city’s young people, not its law enforcement efforts.

“Obviously schooling is my big thing, but there are a lot of ways to transform the city that don’t have anything to do with police training,” Chance said during the meeting. “I’ve been asking for money for over a year now to fund these classrooms and, on 4th of July weekend, they announced in like a cool financing way that ... they’re proposing to build a $95-million cop academy.”

Despite Chance’s plea to the council to consider investing in Chicago in other ways, the city’s aldermen approved moving forward on the project by a margin of 48 to 1. Still, Chance has vowed to keep fighting. 

28 Feb 07:17

Joss Whedon Knows How To Unleash Your Post-Election Superpowers

by Jesse Hirsch

It’s tempting to confuse writer and director Joss Whedon with the fearless adventurers who populate his films and television shows—Buffy Summers, vampire slayer; Mal Reynolds, space cowboy; pretty much any of the (nearly) invincible Avengers. But no matter how much praise his “worshipfulfan base heaps upon the “geek icon,” Whedon is as human as any of us. And after the election, he was in tough shape.

Several months before Hillary’s defeat, Whedon founded a super PAC called Save the Day and sunk $1 million into it to help her get elected. He also directed “about 20” star-studded campaign ads on her behalf. Though he tried to prepare himself for Trump’s rise to power, he couldn’t predict how awful he’d feel living in a post-election America. Like a lot of us, eating, sleeping, and working have been a struggle for Whedon since November 9, when his psyche (along with his Twitter account) got “stuck in alternating loops of anger and despair.”

Make no mistake—Whedon is not giving up, on himself or his country. GOOD sat down with the iconic filmmaker to find out what’s keeping him afloat in these dark times, other than directing (as-of-yet unreleased) ads for Planned Parenthood. If you’re a Whedon devotee, we might as well tell you now that he remains tight-lipped about his involvement in a rumored Firefly reboot. But he’s harboring another secret that just might come in handy: He believes in you.

Let’s go back a few months. Did you expect Trump to get elected?

For most of last year, I would have said yes. I was the guy screaming at everybody, “No! Pay attention! He’s gonna win!” Then the last couple of days before election, the polls were looking good and I finally was like, ‘Ok I'll relax my belly.’ That’s when the punch came.

Did Trump win because you let your guard down, Joss?

Well, no. But I do think it's a bad idea to get complacent. The only way I survived the first couple of days after election was by changing the narrative in my head to: ‘This was always going to happen. This is the story of America. And it's a horror movie. And it's a tragedy.’

Did you just say that in movie trailer voice?

I think I just talk like that sometimes? In a world, where an orange pile of ... It does get a little post-apocalyptic.

I have a weak spot for stories of that little girl who faces big odds. We're all her now.

How did things improve for you after those early days?

Thing is, the first couple of weeks are very similar to how I am right now. Everyone else was like ‘#Resist.’ I was like ‘#EatAllTheCake.’ Morbidly eat cake. I don't have a plan. I don't have a recovery mode. There were people the day after election who were like, ‘Here's what we gotta do next,’ and I was like, ‘You're not a person. You're a weird robot.’

It's been awhile now, though. I went to the march in D.C., I’m shooting something for Planned Parenthood. It's not like I laid down and died. But emotionally, I just can't do this. I can't read the news and have a heart attack every 15 minutes. I keep hitting these walls. It's like a cartoon, where I keep going through this series of brick walls and leaving a Joss shape in all of them.

What if you eased off the news intake a little?

I'm gonna. I really gotta get away from the Twitter. I used to be charming and witty and now I'm just like bile, more bile, super bile. My rage has overwhelmed my wit.

How has the creative process been?

I’ll say to myself, ‘I need to do research. I should read this book.’ But then I’ll notice that the cover looks pretty heavy. I should probably just have this cake instead. And all of this alcohol. Can I just lay down here and somebody give me a bath every couple of weeks?

That’s not many baths.

Well, there has been a drought.

Tell me about your experience at the Women’s March in D.C.

In some ways it was really great. There were so many people expressing themselves, it was a really powerful statement. Maybe I had unrealistic expectations for how it would affect me, though. I pictured this massive estrogen bomb radiating into me, giving every cell a sense of purpose. My friend said, ‘Not everything is a comic book, Joss.’ Why not?

If you have a forum, you speak out. It’s as simple as that.

Kidding aside, it must be heartening to see such a mass mobilization of resistance, at the march and afterwards.

I absolutely believe that is crucial. I joined the protests in LA, I went by myself with my little sign. Marching and protesting and town halls and calling senators are absolutely the most important thing. That is the only thing. That and journalism have the greatest chance of saving us. If you're not a journalist and you can't knit, resistance involves making a sign, making a call, getting out there. It couldn't be more vital. They are going to try to wear us down. The only thing we can be sure of having is that continued anger and momentum. Continued outrage. Continued solidarity.


I’m hearing whispers of hope here.

I'm really drunk. (Kidding.) Maybe hope is my dark secret. I’ve been watching the GOP chip away at the idea of America for as long as I've understood what politics were. To believe we could build that back up again, well—it takes a lot of belief. But we have a mass movement going on. It just needs to prove it's stronger than 60 million very misinformed voters who are not afraid to be uncaring and obnoxious. I do have a weak spot for stories of that little girl who faces big odds. I guess we're all her now.

What do you think of those who criticize Hollywood for speaking out against Trump?

If you have a forum, you speak out. It’s as simple as that. Does it always help? No, but sometimes what's important is the simple act of someone speaking. Will there be a backlash? Always. But not speaking out is the Good German. You cannot ignore what is happening right now. I mean, I don't want to talk about politics. It affects way people view my work, in a very terrible way. I wouldn't do it if the situation weren't dire.

Last question. You’re a father of two kids. How much are you telling them about your fears?

I don’t have much of a ‘the world is not going to end’ game face. I remember going off in the car about death and disaster and environmental collapse and my daughter was like, ‘Dad, I’m 8!’ Sorry honey.

They are going to try to wear us down. The only thing we can be sure of having is continued momentum.

Truth is, we are financially stable, live in a very progressive neighborhood, there is virtually no bullying at their school, no overt racial intolerance. You might even call it a … bubble. The situation at this point remains rather academic for them. For me, I’ve had this problem, that I'm a rich, white, more-or-less straight guy. What the eff do I have to complain about? I know I should get in the back of the line for screaming. Yet all I want to do is scream! My kids have seen me working to deal with this. They’re always going to see that. But they sleep at night.

13 Feb 19:57

Melinda Gates Promises To Give Birth Control To 120 Million Women By 2020

by Leo Shvedsky

When all is said and done, Melinda Gates may leave behind a greater legacy than her computer pioneer, billionaire husband.

First, there is the historic work they are doing together with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She’s even hoping to open President Trump’s eyes to the value of international aid. But in 2012, Melinda started her own vital organization, Family Planning 2020, which has an ambitious goal of expanding birth control access to an additional 120 million women by 2020.

“The decision about whether and when to get pregnant was a decision that Bill and I made based on what was right for me and what was right for our family — and that’s something I feel lucky about,” Gates writes in a new op-ed, updating progress on the group’s objective. “There are still over 225 million women around the world who don’t have access to the modern contraceptives they need to make these decisions for themselves.”

Gates cites the example of several women who did not have access to birth control and became pregnant while living in economically challenging conditions. It would be one thing, if this was a voluntary choice. But many of these women had hopes and dreams of pursuing education and career goals that could have changed not only their own economic standing but that of their entire families, including the children they might someday choose to have.

In the four years since Gates launched Family Planning 2020, the group has expanded birth control access to 24 million women. That’s an incredible feat but one she acknowledges in her op-ed that puts the group far off pace for its 2020 goal:

“Unless we begin making up for lost time, we will miss this chance to make this a turning point for women around the world,” she writes.”

“When women are able to plan their pregnancies around their goals for themselves and their families, they are also better able to finish their education, earn an income, and fully participate in their communities.”

15 Dec 22:31

10 Photos To Prove 2016 Wasn't All Bad

by Tod Perry

2016 was pretty bad year. The world lost David Bowie, Prince, and Muhammad Ali, while a xenophobic con man was elected President of the United States. There was also the worst mass shooting in U.S. history at an LGBT nightclub in Florida and Britain left the European Union. Amidst all of the tragedy, imgur user buggiest saw the light at the end of the tunnel and posted 10 photos that prove 2016 wasn’t all bad.

21 Nov 01:11

The Japanese Museum of Rocks That Look Like Faces

by Johnny Strategy

rockface-1

In Chichibu, Japan, two hours northwest of Tokyo, there’s an odd museum; perhaps the only one of its kind. It’s called the Chinsekikan (which means hall of curious rocks) and it houses over 1700 rocks that resemble human faces.

The museum houses all kinds of jinmenseki, or rock with a human face, including celebrity lookalikes like Elvis Presley. And according to a 2013 post on Kotaku, there are also movie and video game character rocks like E.T., Donkey Kong and Nemo.

rockface-2

rockface-3

“Elvis Presley”

According to the Sankei, the museum is currently run by Yoshiko Hayama, the wife of the original owner who passed away in 2010. But it was his rock collection that started it all. An avid collector, the late Shozo Hayama spent 50 years collecting rocks that looked like faces. His only requirement was that nature be the only artist.

There are currently so many rocks on display that some don’t even have names. So the owner occasionally invites visitors to name the rocks. The Chichibu Chinsekikan (Gmap) is a 10-min walk from Kagemori Station. However, it’s recommended that you call ahead if you plan to visit because the museum is known to unexpectedly close for personal reasons. You can explore more photos on Another Tokyo and Yukawa.net. (Syndicated from Spoon & Tamago)

rockface-4

Photo courtesy Sankei Photo

Photo courtesy Sankei Photo

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Head curator, Yoshiko Hayama.

24 Oct 15:16

Technology Can Now Name That Mysterious Plant You’re Staring At

by Leo Shvedsky

Not everyone can be a green thumb. But for the rest of, so long as we have a smartphone, there’s hope. Developers in France have created a new app called PlantNet (hey, they’re tech people, not Tolstoy) that taps into the nearly infinite resources of Google to help identify species of plants in the wild.

Here’s how it works: You take a photo of a plant, leaf or flower and upload it with the app (it works on both iOs and Android). An algorithm then uses Google’s reverse image search to locate similar images. After compiling enough comparable data, it then tells the user the name of the plant they’re blankly staring at. Modern Farmer calls it the “Shazam for plants,” and it has already catalogued more than 6,000 different species in Western Europe alone.

Image via PlantNet

Answers, people. We’re just looking for answers.

Unfortunately, for those us foraging through the foliage in North America, we might have to wait a little longer. That’s because the app relies on people submitting and tagging plant species to help the program’s AI improve it’s algorithm search results. The good news is that after starting as an app just for people in Western Europe, its results have expanded to include more than 2,500 different plants in North Africa, 1,000 plants around the Indian Ocean and more than 900 in South America.

22 Oct 02:37

Obama Imitating His Daughters On Their Phones Proves He's Everyone's Dad

by Alexander Besant

Although Barack Obama arrived late to speak to students at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, D.C., he quickly won over the crowd with his impression of his daughters Sasha, 15, and Malia, 18.

After apologizing for being late, the President said at least the students had their mobile phones with them, pointing out that kids these days are always tapping at their phones.

“I know you may have been waiting here awhile,” he joked. “Good thing you had your phones with you.”

Obama then went on to show how much he understood teenagers, pretending to talk and text like his daughters and then finishing it off with a selfie.

Later he remarked that during his youth he had to send paper notes to his crushes rather than text messages. 

This isn’t the first time Obama has embarrassed his daughters. As TIME pointed out, Obama has been the long-established Dad-in-Chief due to his corny jokes and ‘mom’ jeans. In July, President Obama unexpectedly stood up to sing happy birthday to his daughter Malia during her birthday party with friends—with Kendrick Lamar and Janelle Monáe watching the spectacle.

Now Sasha and Malia will probably have a few more choice words for their father after this one.

 

13 Oct 23:16

Blue Jays Announcer Has Refused To Call Cleveland’s Team ‘Indians’ for Over 20 Years

by Penn Collins

The Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians are set to square off on Friday in the ALCS to battle for a World Series bid, and the matchup may prove an interesting one for Blue Jays announcer Jerry Howarth, who steadfastly refuses to refer to the opposing team as “Indians.”

The match-up has only been decided since Cleveland’s win on Monday, but Howarth’s policy has been in place much longer. The announcer, who’s called Blue Jays games since 1981, hasn’t used Native American teams names, slogans, or lingo in his play-calling since 1992.

His decision to stop using the phrases and names was made in response to a letter he received from a First Nation (indigenous Canadian) member following the ’92 World Series which pitted the Toronto Blue Jays against the Atlanta Braves.

As Howarth recounted on the Jeff Blair Show which was subsequently reported by the Toronto Star:

“He said, ‘Jerry, I appreciate your work, but in the World Series, it was so offensive to have the tomahawk chop and to have people talk about the ‘powwows on the mound’ and then the Cleveland Indians logo and the Washington Redskins. He just wrote it in such a loving, kind way. He said, ‘I would really appreciate it if you would think about what you say with those teams.’”

He concluded, “For the rest of my career I will not say ‘Indian’ or ‘Brave’ and if I was in the NFL I would not say ‘Redskins.’”

Because Howarth didn’t issue a formal declaration on the decision in 1992 or anytime since, his policy hasn’t been well-known, despite the increasing public pressure mounting against teams with names such as the Redskins, Braves, Indians, and Blackhawks.

The Cleveland team officially continues to move away from the objectionable aspects of its identity, such as Chief Wahoo, a gross caricature of a Native American, but has shown little motivation in abandoning the team name, the Indians. In spite of the official moves fans continue to rally around the “vintage” respresentation

As attention turns toward the remaining two American League teams, Howarth’s quiet refusal to say the Indians name could do more to further discussion of the issue than we’ve seen in quite some time.

07 Oct 20:59

A Mesmerizing Glow-in-the-Dark Bike Path Unveiled in Poland

by Christopher Jobson

path-1

Seeking to make bike paths safer and more accessible in the evening and night hours, urban planners in Lidzbark Warminski, Poland just unveiled a new glow-in-the-dark bike lane. The path is made from small crystal-like particles of phosphor called ‘luminophores’ that charge during sunlight hours and can glow for up to 10 hours. The lane was built by TPA Instytut Badań Technicznych Sp. z o.o who were partially inspired by Studio Roosegaarde’s stunning solar-powered bike path in the Netherlands mentioned here in 2014. Unlike the Netherland’s concept which uses solar-powered LEDs, this new path in Poland requires no external power source. The design is currently being tested to see how it withstands regular wear and tear. You can read more over on Inhabitat.

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07 Oct 19:54

These Stunning Designs Have An Earth-Friendly Secret

by Yumi Abe

California has a serious water problem. In 2016, the state marked the fifth consecutive year of severe drought. Though the headlines have faded, the issue has not, and one group is putting it on full artistic display.  

Land Art Generator Initiative, an organization dedicated to spark conversation, inspire, and educate the public through design, held its biennial ideas competition in Santa Monica, California, on October 6. The designs, submitted by artists from all over the word, must consist of a three-dimensional sculptural form that stimulates the viewer, generates clean energy and/or drinking water, and demonstrates a pragmatic approach. Designs— not to exceed 80 meters in height—must adhere to the constraints of the location plan and site boundary, must be safe for audiences to view, and must not create greenhouse emissions or pollution.

Gone are the days of clunky, black solar panels. We are in a new age where innovative technology, socially responsible design, and functionality can coexist beautifully, and the LAGI competitions submissions embody this sentiment. Here are the 2016 winners and five of our favorite finalists from the 2016 competition:

A submission to the 2016 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Santa Monica.

First Place

Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, first place winners Christopher Sjoberg and Ryo Saito created Regatta H2O—a structure that annually produces 70 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy through wind extraction and collects 112 million liters of drinking water through its fog-harvesting mesh construction.

A submission to the 2016 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Santa Monica.

Second Place

Cetacea, created by Keegan Oneal, Sean Link, Caitlin Vanhauer, and Colin Poranski from the University of Oregon, was awarded second place. Cetacea can provide 11.9 MWh of energy daily through wind, wave, and solar energy. This energy is proposed to power the existing Santa Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility, which will in turn provide 2.6 MWh of clean energy and 1.8 million liters of daily potable water for residents.

A submission to the 2016 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Santa Monica.

Third Place

Third place was awarded to Christopher Makrinos, Stephen Makrinos, and Alexander Bishop of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for their Paper Boats structure. The sails function as concentrated photovoltaic collectors: the outer shell funnels incoming light through special Fresnel lenses and beneath lays a set of holographic photovoltaic cells that trap sunlight through intricate laser etched patterns. These patterns double to capture light more efficiently and reflect sunlight to give the sails a radiant glow. These technologies are capable of reducing 12,000 pounds of carbon emissions per day and producing 2,400 MWh annually—enough energy to power 28 ferris wheels for one year.

A submission to the 2016 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Santa Monica.

Finalist

The Clear Orb—submitted by Jaesik Lim, Ahyoung Lee, Jaeyeol Kim, and Taegu Lim of Seoul, South Korea—is at capacity to produce 3,820 MWh of energy and 2.2 million liters of drinking water annually. The exterior of this 40-meter glass sphere is constructed with transparent luminescent solar concentrators that harness the power needed to attract water into the orb. The entrails of the orb consist of a solar still that provides fresh water through evaporation and condensation. The walls of a 300-meter pathway are lined with information about extinct animals and allow people to learn about the effects of the environment on wildlife and has been aptly named the “contemplation walk.” The exterior walls function as a wave column and generates additional energy to the solar distillation pumps and electrical grid of Santa Monica.

A submission to the 2016 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Santa Monica.

Finalist

Cnidaria Halitus was submitted by John Eric Chung, Pablo La Roche, Danxi Zou, Jingyan Zhang, and Tianyi Deng of the Los Angeles-based design consultancy firm CallisonRTKL. Jellyfish-like structures collect and filter water through a centralized pipe system. The water is transported to the center of a Fresnel lens where it evaporates using heat from the sun. The transparent fabric expands and contracts with water vapor and gives the design a life-like quality. Turbines located in the slits are activated by breakwater to generate energy that is used to power the boilers which allows the evaporation process to continue overnight. The combination of these processes can create 600,000 liters of daily potable water, which amounts to 219 million liters of drinking water annually.

A submission to the 2016 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Santa Monica.

Finalist

Abdolaziz Khalili, Puya Kalili, Laleh Javaheri, Iman Khalili, and Kathy Kiany of Khalili Engineers submitted The Pipe. This structure generates its own electricity in order to generate 4.5 billion liters of drinking water annually. Solar panels atop of The Pipe provide power to move seawater through an electromagnetic filtration process which creates drinking water that is piped to shore. The Pipe is a great alternative to conventional processes such as reverse osmosis, which generates waste, pollutes water, and uses expensive machinery and excessive electricity.

A submission to the 2016 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Santa Monica.

Finalist

Louis Joanne, Anaelle Toquet Etesse, Elba Adriana Bravo, Maria Rojas Alcazar, and Ronan Audebert of Guadalajara, Mexico, created 2000 Lighthouses Over the Sea. Using point absorber buoy wave energy converter technology, this design could generate 4,000 MWh per year. Each of the 2,000 lit columns represent a buoy wave energy converter and will adjust colors to wave intensity to illuminate the Pacific Ocean. As an added bonus, you can see the sun will set through the center of the wheel on Earth Day.

A submission to the 2016 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition for Santa Monica.

Finalist

Daniel Martin de los Rios and Fran Vilar Navarro of Pistach Office in Rotterdam, Netherlands, designed Aurora—an ethereal, cloud-like structure that operates on a closed loop system. It provides 30,000 MWh of clean electricity through a tidal turbine and 100 million liters of drinking water through solar distillation. Instead of a completely separate entity off the coast, Aurora is an integrative addition to the Santa Monica pier—the wooden walkway extends off of the existing pier and symbolizes stability.

07 Oct 19:51

Phoenix To Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day On Columbus Day 

by Tod Perry

via Flickr user (cc) D. Montis

This Monday, the U.S. will celebrate Columbus Day, a federal holiday which officially commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas. For decades, children were taught that Columbus discovered America in 1492, neglecting the fact that somewhere between 4 to 50 million indigenous people were here already. After the settlers arrival, disease and genocide would drive the Native American population to under 300,000 by 1900

Native American activists have fought for decades to change the false narrative that Columbus discovered America and their work has slowly began to alter Americans’ perceptions of the holiday. On Wednesday, activists scored another victory when Phoenix, Arizona became the largest city in the U.S. to make Indigenous Peoples’ Day as an annual city event. It takes place the same day as the Columbus Day—a holiday that the city of Phoenix doesn’t recognize.

Last May, Phoenix residents Jeff Malkoon and Carlos Bravo submitted an application to the city for the historical commemoration. “The city of Phoenix is built on what was the Hohokam civilization,” Malkoon told council members. “We just think this is a significant statement for a city like Phoenix, being such a center point in the Southwest.” Phoenix joins 26 U.S. cities celebrating the holiday including, Minneapolis, Seattle, Denver, Portland, and San Antonio. 


 

 

 

 

04 Oct 21:58

Elaborate Bronze Memorial Dedicated to Staten Island Ferry Octopus Attack Tricks Tourists

by Kate Sierzputowski

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Monuments and vaguely descriptive plaques are commonplace around cities and heavily trafficked tourist areas, giving just enough insight into an historic event or landmark. The Staten Island Ferry Disaster Memorial blends in with these weathered monuments, except for the fact that all details on the work are completely false. The monument, which is located in Battery Park, Manhattan, was created by artist Joe Reginella and honors the 400 victims who perished during a giant octopus attack of a Staten Island ferry named the Cornelius G. Kolff on November 22, 1963, the same day as the assassination of JFK.

The elaborate hoax was six months in the making, and is also seen by Reginella as a multimedia art project and social experiment. The website, and fliers distributed around Manhattan by his team, give a false location for a museum, ironically a place you must get to by ferry. You can see more tourist reactions and find real information about the fake event on the Staten Island Ferry Octopus Disaster Memorial Museum’s Facebook. (via Hi-Fructose)

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25 Sep 08:54

This Long-Exposure Photo Captures Marin County in a River of Fog Lit by a Full Moon

by Christopher Jobson

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Two weeks ago in the middle of the night, Italian photographer Lorenzo Montezemolo climbed Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, California and waited for what he knew would be the perfect conditions for a spectacular long-exposure photograph. As the fog slowly rolled by he opened his shutter for three minutes, long enough for the full moon above to illuminate the surreal landscape you see here. The resulting image is nothing short of phenomenal.

“I chose to use a long exposure in order to give the incoming fog a smooth, striated appearance as it slithered over the ridge below,” Montezemolo shares with Colossal. “For the past year I’ve been crossing the Golden Gate Bridge several times a week to photograph the beautiful landscapes, seascapes and fog of Marin County, just north of San Francisco.”

You can see much more of Montezemolo’s photography on Flickr, and Instagram.

17 Sep 01:01

Police Are Training Eagles To Snatch Drones From The Sky 

by Kate Ryan

Image via YouTube

Just when you think technology has taken over irrevocably, nature has a way of striking back and asserting her dominance. Such is the case with Guard From Above, a raptor-training program currently operating out of the Netherlands. The Netherlands’ national police have teamed up with the program to snatch unauthorized drones out of the sky with the expert precision of bald eagles, Design Boom reports.

As drones increase in popularity, managing them will pose a major headache for several organizations including air traffic control agencies, firefighters, and local police. Using birds of prey to keep rogue drones in check isn’t as wild of an idea as you might think, says chief operating officer and co-founder Ben de Keijzer, who has more than 25 years of experience training birds. According to Guard From Above’s website, it’s a “low-tech solution for a high-tech problem.”

The National Audubon Society’s Geoff LeBaron says that tension between drones and birds of prey already exists thanks to the invasive, aggressive nature of the unmanned aircrafts. LeBaron, who also runs the organization’s Christmas Bird Count which tracks U.S. bird populations, said in an interview with The Guardian,

“The drones are pretty much the size of a bird of prey, so smaller birds on the ground aren’t likely to mob a bird of prey when it’s flying—but larger birds are, especially when it’s around their nests. The birds of prey are having an aggressive interaction to defend their territory from another bird of prey.”

LeBaron also commented on the expert precision of these large birds, explaining that the “birds can hit the drone in such a way that they don’t get injured by the rotors.” He adds, “They seem to be whacking the drone right in the center so they don’t get hit; they have incredible visual acuity and they can probably actually see the rotors.”

Watch the video above to see the birds in action, and think twice next time you decide to fly your drone into unchartered territory. 

10 Sep 22:21

What You Need To Know About The North Dakota Access Pipeline Dispute 

by Stacey Leasca

Over the summer, a controversy of David and Goliath proportions has been bubbling up in North Dakota. Here’s what you need to know. 

What’s happening: A major battle over an oil pipeline 

The Dakota Access Pipeline, a 1,172 mile-long oil conduit, is at the epicenter of a battle between Big Oil and small Native American tribes. At a cost of $3.7 billion, the pipeline’s economic impact is estimated to be well into the billions and could create 8,000 to 12,000 construction jobs. 

Where: It’s set to intersect sacred land

The proposed pipeline would snake through North and South Dakota, Iowa, and end in Illinois with the goal of tapping into the estimated 7.4 billion barrels of newly discovered oil found in the region. 

While the economic boost would likely pay off for the American consumer, the pipeline’s true cost may come with too high a price as the underground construction is set to travel directly through sacred grounds, including grave sites, of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. Moreover, the tribe explains, the pipeline also might endanger their lands and water supply. 

Who’s involved: The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, private companies, and the U.S. government

"We have laws that require federal agencies to consider environmental risks and protection of Indian historic and sacred sites," Dave Archambault II, the elected chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said in a statement to CNN

Protests have involved tribes from around the country. However, those once peaceful standoffs have turned ugly, with protesters claiming to have been subjected to excessive force, including police use of pepper spray and attack dogs. However, police claim the group “physically assaulted private security officers hired by Dakota Access Pipeline. The security officers were hit and jabbed with fence posts and flagpoles.” 

Beyond the tribes and police, the pipeline dispute includes the project developer, Dakota Access, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers, which was ultimately responsible for consulting with the tribes over the pipeline’s proposed path. Tribal leaders claim they were not properly consulted prior to the project’s approval. 

What’s next?

On Friday, it appeared the Army changed its tune over the construction project to side with the tribe. After a federal judge denied the request by the tribe for a temporary injunction on the pipeline’s construction, the Justice Department, the Department of the Army, and the Interior Department said in a statement, "The Army will not authorize constructing the Dakota Access pipeline on Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe until it can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions regarding the Lake Oahe site under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other federal laws." The separate agencies additionally asked the pipeline company to “voluntarily pause all construction.” 

In the statement, the agencies additionally invited “tribes to formal, government-to-government consultations" this fall. 

The tribe responded on Facebook to the voluntary stoppage, saying in part, “This federal statement is a game changer for the Tribe and we are acting immediately on our legal options, including filing an appeal and a temporary injunction to force DAPL to stop construction.”

10 Sep 22:13

Every September 11, I Remember This Surprising Story About Steve Buscemi

by Jed Oelbaum

Image via the Brotherhood of Fire Facebook page

Steve Buscemi, the veteran actor with the one-in-a-million face, known for his depictions of weirdos and gangsters, inspires a lot of creative description: The Guardian referred to him as a “strangely attractive shoelace” and one critic recalled Buscemi as “pale, almost pallid—as if he’d been reared in a mushroom cellar.” The Independent once suggested an “unvarnished ordinariness” was the heart of Buscemi’s appeal. He has been said to look like Don Knotts, John Waters, and Angelina Jolie.

Less frequently noted, though, than the Boardwalk Empire star’s fascinatingly famous features are the details of his life before acting, when he worked as an FDNY firefighter in downtown Manhattan. That’s right, Mr. Pink used to pull people out of burning buildings for a living.

And in September 2013, a post on the Brotherhood of Fire Facebook page informed the world that the actor regrouped with his old engine company in the days after 9/11, lending a hand when it was needed the most. Beneath a picture of Buscemi, it read:

Do you recognize this man? Do you know his name?

Lots of people know he's an actor, and that his name is Steve Buscemi.

What very few people realize is that he was once one of New York's Bravest.

In 1976 Steve Buscemi took the FDNY civil service test when he was just 18 years old. In 1980 Steve Buscemi became a New York City Firefighter.

For four years, Buscemi served on one of FDNY's busiest, Engine Co. 55 in Manhattan's Little Italy. He later left the fire service to become a successful actor, writer and director.

After 9/11/2001... Brother Buscemi returned to FDNY Engine 55.

On September 12, 2001 and for several days following Brother Steve worked 12-hour shifts alongside other firefighters digging and sifting through the rubble from the World Trade Center looking for survivors.

Very few photographs and no interviews exist because he declined them. He wasn't there for the publicity.

In 2003 he also gave a speech at a union rally supporting higher wages for firefighters and to stop fire houses from closing. He got arrested along with other firefighters.

Also not very well known is that in 2012 Brother Buscemi showed up in Breezy Point, NY and quietly assisted in the clean-up efforts of the damage and mass destruction left by Super Storm Sandy.

Once a brother, always a brother!

Just so we're clear… this guy is a Badass!!!

Tip of the helmet Brother Steve!

In a world of Kardashians and Charlie Sheens, it’s always great to hear inspiring stories like this about successful people in film and television. And those of us who were in New York the morning the planes hit remember the chaos and fear; every set of capable hands was needed. But even “notable” stories like Buscemi’s contribution after the attack are just the tip of the heroic iceberg, an introduction to the amazing narratives of selflessness and courage that define the experience of our active firefighters and emergency service workers.

That’s why in 2014 Buscemi hosted the HBO documentary A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY, presenting “behind-the-scenes footage and firsthand accounts” of what it’s like to work as a firefighter in New York. According to the film’s official description, it captures, “camaraderie and the bonds formed around firehouse kitchen tables, the cumulative effect of trauma, both physical and mental, and the stories—the good, the bad and the exciting.”

In the September 11 attacks and their aftermath, 343 firefighters from 75 firehouses gave their lives to protect and rescue others and many FDNY personnel are still suffering from illness, injury, and trauma.

“Firefighters are great at helping others,” Buscemi told CBS News last year. “They're great at helping each other. But they're not always—they don't always know that they, themselves, are in need …  Their first reaction would be, ‘Oh, the next guy has it worse, you know?”

Image via Twitter user ClassicNavalAir

Buscemi, who grew up on Long Island and now resides in Brooklyn, also serves on the Board of Advisors for Friends of Firefighters, an organization that looks out for the welfare of New York City’s firefighters and their families. Beyond fundraising and publicity, though, it seems the personal bonds and sense of responsibility he formed at the Department were strong enough that 20 years after he served he was still willing to throw himself physically into the fray.

“It was a privilege to be able to do it,” Buscemi said at the time of his efforts at ground zero. “It was great to connect with the firehouse I used to work with and with some of the guys I worked alongside. And it was enormously helpful for me because while I was working, I didn't really think about it as much, feel it as much.”

He continued, “It wasn't until I stopped that I really felt the full impact of what had happened. It would have been much harder for me to get through it if I hadn't been able to do that.”
 

[h/t Snopes]

06 Sep 16:56

Icelandic Post Office Delivers A Letter With A Map Instead Of An Address

by Tod Perry

via Reddit

It’s 2016 and there are still a few places on Earth that you can’t find on Google Maps. After visiting the The Hólar farm in Búðardalur, Iceland last March, a group of tourists wanted to send a letter to its owner, Rebecca Cathrine Kaadu Ostenfeld. But when they searched for the address listed on the farm’s Facebook page, it pointed to a place smack dab in the middle of a lake. 

via Facebook

Undeterred by not having the farm’s address, one of the tourists drew a map of the area on the envelope, placed a stamp on it, and hoped it would find its way to Ostenfeld. 

The envelope read:

“Country: Iceland. City: Búðardalur. Name: A horse farm with an Icelandic/Danish couple and three kids and a lot of sheep! The Danish woman works in a supermarket in Búðardalur.” 

Soon after the envelope was placed in a mailbox in Reykjavík, it was received by Ostenfeld, proving that the Icelandic postal service really does deliver. 

 

 

06 Sep 16:55

To Get Better Ideas, David Lynch Says You Need To “Catch” Creativity 

by Kate Ryan

Perennial weirdo, transcendental meditatorTwin Peaks and Mulholland Drive director, amateur meteorologist, and creative powerhouse David Lynch explained what he understands to be the secrets of creativity in an animated video from The Atlantic.

“Ideas are like fish,” he says, “and you don’t make a fish, you catch the fish.” Lynch goes on to suggest that ideas take patience and self-forgiveness, dissolving the common stereotype that artists need to suffer in order to reach their full creative potential.

This is all solid advice, but because we’re dealing with David Lynch and not a high school creative writing teacher, there are bound to be some conceptual surprises. Let’s just say he talks about Van Gogh getting diarrhea and it totally makes sense somehow.

Image via video screenshot

Watch the video above to get the full scoop on David Lynch’s creative process and how it can help you unlock your own imagination.  

06 Sep 16:51

These Cartoons Explain 9 Hilarious ‘Non-Threatening’ Leadership Strategies For Women

by Leo Shvedsky

Not everyone is making a smooth adjustment into the modern working world; a place where women share an equal place at the decision making table and increasingly earn leadership positions of power across various industries.

So, writer and comedian Sarah Cooper designed some hilarious strategies on her site The Cooper Review for ambitious and successful women when it comes to dealing with their reluctant male counterparts.

As Cooper writes: “In this fast-paced business world, female leaders need to make sure they’re not perceived as pushy, aggressive or competent. One way to do that is to alter your leadership style to account for the (sometimes) fragile male ego.”

Sarah Cooper is a writer, comedian and creator of TheCooperReview.com. Her first book, 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings comes out October 4th. Sign up for her free newsletter to get updates.

06 Sep 16:43

‘Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master’ 

by Tod Perry

Image via Facebook.

In 1825, at the approximate age of 8, Jordan Anderson (sometimes spelled “Jordon”) was sold into slavery and would live as a servant of the Anderson family for 39 years. In 1864, the Union Army camped out on the Anderson plantation and he and his wife, Amanda, were liberated. The couple eventually made it safely to Dayton, Ohio, where, in July 1865, Jordan received a letter from his former owner, Colonel P.H. Anderson. The letter kindly asked Jordan to return to work on the plantation because it had fallen into disarray during the war.

On Aug.  7, 1865, Jordan dictated his response through his new boss, Valentine Winters, and it was published in the ​Cincinnati Commercial. The letter, entitled “Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master,” was not only hilarious, but it showed compassion, defiance, and dignity. That year, the letter would be republished in the New York Daily Tribune and Lydia Marie Child’s “The Freedman’s Book.” 

The letter mentions a “Miss Mary” (Col. Anderson’s Wife), “Martha” (Col. Anderson’s daughter), Henry (most likely Col. Anderson’s son), and George Carter (a local carpenter). 

Dayton, Ohio,
August 7, 1865
To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee

Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jordon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin's to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable. Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living. It would do me good to go back to the dear old home again, and see Miss Mary and Miss Martha and Allen, Esther, Green, and Lee. Give my love to them all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, if not in this. I would have gone back to see you all when I was working in the Nashville Hospital, but one of the neighbors told me that Henry intended to shoot me if he ever got a chance.

I want to know particularly what the good chance is you propose to give me. I am doing tolerably well here. I get twenty-five dollars a month, with victuals and clothing; have a comfortable home for Mandy, — the folks call her Mrs. Anderson, — and the children — Milly, Jane, and Grundy — go to school and are learning well. The teacher says Grundy has a head for a preacher. They go to Sunday school, and Mandy and me attend church regularly. We are kindly treated. Sometimes we overhear others saying, "Them colored people were slaves" down in Tennessee. The children feel hurt when they hear such remarks; but I tell them it was no disgrace in Tennessee to belong to Colonel Anderson. Many darkeys would have been proud, as I used to be, to call you master. Now if you will write and say what wages you will give me, I will be better able to decide whether it would be to my advantage to move back again.

As to my freedom, which you say I can have, there is nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers in 1864 from the Provost-Marshal-General of the Department of Nashville. Mandy says she would be afraid to go back without some proof that you were disposed to treat us justly and kindly; and we have concluded to test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages for the time we served you. This will make us forget and forgive old scores, and rely on your justice and friendship in the future. I served you faithfully for thirty-two years, and Mandy twenty years. At twenty-five dollars a month for me, and two dollars a week for Mandy, our earnings would amount to eleven thousand six hundred and eighty dollars. Add to this the interest for the time our wages have been kept back, and deduct what you paid for our clothing, and three doctor's visits to me, and pulling a tooth for Mandy, and the balance will show what we are in justice entitled to. Please send the money by Adams's Express, in care of V. Winters, Esq., Dayton, Ohio. If you fail to pay us for faithful labors in the past, we can have little faith in your promises in the future. We trust the good Maker has opened your eyes to the wrongs which you and your fathers have done to me and my fathers, in making us toil for you for generations without recompense. Here I draw my wages every Saturday night; but in Tennessee there was never any pay-day for the negroes any more than for the horses and cows. Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the laborer of his hire.

In answering this letter, please state if there would be any safety for my Milly and Jane, who are now grown up, and both good-looking girls. You know how it was with poor Matilda and Catherine. I would rather stay here and starve — and die, if it come to that — than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters. You will also please state if there has been any schools opened for the colored children in your neighborhood. The great desire of my life now is to give my children an education, and have them form virtuous habits.

Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me.

From your old servant,

Jordon Anderson

Learn more about Jordan Anderson here.

 

31 Aug 05:21

What The Buck? Deer Wreaks Havoc At Triathlon

by Tosten Burks

Image via Erik Scraggs

As if biking, swimming and running weren’t enough, Shane O’Reilly’s triathlon included an additional challenge. 

During the cycling portion of Sunday’s Dublin City Triathlon in Phoenix Park, home for centuries to hundreds of wild deer, O’Reilly crashed into a buck.

As a group of riders rounded a corner, two deer streaked across the path. The second deer attempted to leap over the cyclists, colliding with O’Reilly, who cracked his helmet but was otherwise unharmed.

“The helmet definitely saved me,” O’Reilly told Irish broadcaster RTÉ after the race. “Apart from that, my shoulder was a bit sore and I had a headache.”

The deer also escaped injury, but the incident is a good reminder of the dangers the animal faces on roads in the United Kingdom. The government estimates between 40,000 and 74,000 deer are killed each year in traffic collisions.

Erik Scraggs, a spectator who documented this epidemic’s dangers on Sunday, told the BBC, “I never envisaged that they would actually try and leap over the cyclists. It all happened so fast.”

O’Reilly still managed to finish the race.

28 Aug 15:35

Outfits Sourced From German Public Transportation Fabric by Menja Stevenson

by Kate Sierzputowski
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“Bustour S (Stuttgart public bus)” (2006), all images © Menja Stevenson

Like most that read this article, German artist Menja Stevenson has had her fair share of rides in city buses and trains, each of which has forced her (and you) to sit on top of garishly designed uniform seating. The fabric, as investigated by this article on the BBC, is not only made to outlast spills and stains, but also trends, as many of the painfully drab designs can last a decade or more.

Interested in this accident-resistant material, Stevenson began sourcing and creating outfits out of the fabric in 2006 for her project Bustour. The project forced her to persuade German transportation companies to personally ship her the fabric, as they are not commercially available. After finally obtaining the material she designed clothes that aesthetically camouflaged herself within each bus or train interior matching the fabric, capturing the reaction of fellow passengers.

“Wearing them, you sweat like crazy, they feel like a knight’s armor and it’s hard to act naturally,” said Stevenson. “I couldn’t believe that many people didn’t realize the connection seeing me and the seats together. Did they think that it was sheer coincidence? Some curious people at least talked to me, and a very few laughed, but most passengers would look shyly at me and quickly look the other way again.”

You can see archived documentation of these reactions (or lack there of) on Stevenson’s website. If you’re searching for a slightly more practical use for old transportation fabric take a look at the bags and accessories made from airplane seat fabric by Fallen Furniture (previously). (via This Isn’t Happiness)

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“Bustour M (Münster public bus)” (2015)

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“Public Pattern / Bustouren” (2006)

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“Bustour S (Stuttgart Metro)” (2008)

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“Bustour B (Bielefeld public bus)” (2015)

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“Bustour RW (Rottweil public bus)” (2010)

28 Aug 05:29

Blue Rivers of Bioluminescent Shrimp Trickle Down Oceanside Rocks in Okayama, Japan

by Kate Sierzputowski

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Photographed off the coast of Okayama, Japan, The Weeping Stones is a photo series by the creative duo Trevor Williams and Jonathan Galione of Tdub Photo that captures the eerie blue light emitted by a native species of bioluminescent shrimp. More commonly referred to as sea fireflies, these rare creatures live in the sand in shallow sea water, floating somewhere between the extremes of high and low tide. At just 3 mm in length the shrimp are extremely small light sources, but when grouped together they take on abstract patterns that light up the water around them.

In order to group such a large number of sea fireflies, or Vargula Hilgendorfiitogether Williams and Galione had to collect the creatures by luring them with raw bacon into jars and repositioning their tiny bodies on the rocks. Photographing and placing the bioluminescent shrimp next to the shore ensured that the photographers did not harm them, and allowed them to quickly return the animals back to the water below.

This fall, Tdub Photo hopes to shoot more bioluminescent images by focusing on glowing mushrooms. You can see an earlier project the duo created with bioluminescent shrimp on their website, and see more of their travels over on their Instagram and Facebook. (via PetaPixel)

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25 Aug 07:28

A Congressman Campaigns to “Stop the Madness” of U.S. Support for Saudi Bombing in Yemen

by Dan Froomkin

For months, a California congressman has been trying to get Obama administration officials to reconsider U.S. backing for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. And for months, he has been given the runaround.

Ted Lieu, a Democrat representing Los Angeles County, served in the Air Force and is a colonel in the Air Force Reserves. The brutal bombing of civilian areas with U.S.-supplied planes and weapons has led him to act when most of his colleagues have stayed silent.

“I taught the law of war when I was on active duty,” he told The Intercept. “You can’t kill children, newlyweds, doctors and patients — those are exempt targets under the law of war, and the coalition has been repeatedly striking civilians,” he said. “So it is very disturbing to me. It is even worse that the U.S. is aiding this coalition.”

But he and a very few other lawmakers who have tried to take bipartisan action to stop U.S. support for the campaign are a lonely bunch. “Many in Congress have been hesitant to criticize the Saudis’ operational conduct in Yemen,” Lieu said. He didn’t say more about that.

The matter has gotten ever more urgent since August 7, when the Saudi-led coalition relaunched an aggressive campaign of attacks after Houthi rebels in Yemen rejected a one-sided peace deal.

More than 60 Yemeni civilians have been killed in at least five attacks on civilian areas since the new bombing campaign began. On August 13, the coalition bombed a school in Haydan, Yemen, killing at least 10 children and injuring 28 more.

Lieu released a statement two days later, harshly condemning the attack. “The indiscriminate civilian killings by Saudi Arabia look like war crimes to me. In this case, children as young as 8 were killed by Saudi Arabian air strikes,” he wrote.

“By assisting Saudi Arabia, the United States is aiding and abetting what appears to be war crimes in Yemen,” Lieu added. “The administration must stop enabling this madness now.”

Then, mere minutes after his office sent out the statement about the August 13 attack, another tragedy started making headlines: The coalition had just bombed a hospital operated by the international medical humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF), killing 19.

That was the fourth MSF medical facility that the Saudi-led coalition — which has received weapons, intelligence and support from the U.S. and U.K. — has bombed in the past year in Yemen.

By a conservative estimate, more than 6,500 Yemenis have been killed since the war began in March 2015. The violence has pushed Yemen – which was already the poorest country in the Middle East, suffering from widespread hunger and destitution — into what the U.N. has called for well over a year now a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

Lieu has been repeatedly raising concerns about Yemen since last fall.

In September, Lieu sent a letter to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, requesting that the U.S. “cease aiding coalition airstrikes in Yemen until the coalition demonstrates that they will institute proper safeguards to prevent civilian deaths.”

In October, Lieu and a dozen other members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama, raising concerns about war crimes committed by the coalition. The Saudi-led coalition had just bombed two weddings, killing more than 150 Yemenis.

In March, Lieu sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, calling for the government to “provide an assessment as to whether the indiscriminate nature of the coalition’s operations and the targeting of civilians have significantly changed since October 2015.”

“No progress has been made, tragically,” Lieu said. “A year after we first began seeing reports of widespread Saudi-led coalition bombings on civilians, the coalition is still bombing schools and hospitals.”

Lieu initially scheduled a phone conversation with officers from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Then I opted to focus on the real decision-makers for U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition’s operations in Yemen: the State Department and Defense Department,” he explained.

The State Department never responded to his requests. Lieu’s office did however receive a response from the Pentagon on July 20. In a two-page letter, acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Brian McKeon assured Lieu that “The United States Government shares your deep concern over civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure in Yemen.”

But in the very next line, McKeon underscored the fact that “The United States supports the Saudi-led coalition’s efforts to restore the legitimate government of Yemen.” That is a reference to the Saudi-backed government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, which was overthrown by the Houthi rebels. President Hadi fled to the Saudi capital of Riyadh when the bombing campaign was launched.

McKeon also noted that “United States military officers meet regularly with senior coalition military leaders and provide recommendations to support their efforts to comply with the Law of Armed Conflict and to reduce the risk of civilian casualties.”

“We believe Saudi Arabia has sought to comply with the Law of Armed Conflict,” McKeon wrote.

For months, rights groups have said otherwise. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented a slew of war crimes committed by the coalition. Both released reports on incidents in which the coalition bombed civilian areas with cluster bombs that were manufactured in the U.S., U.K., and Brazil. Those munitions are banned by an international treaty signed by 119 countries. (The U.S. and Saudi Arabia are not signatories.)

A report released by a U.N. panel of experts in February offered a more detailed glimpse into the sheer horror. It documented “that the coalition had conducted air strikes targeting civilians and civilian objects, in violation of international humanitarian law, including camps for internally displaced persons and refugees; civilian gatherings, including weddings; civilian vehicles, including buses; civilian residential areas; medical facilities; schools; mosques; markets, factories and food storage warehouses; and other essential civilian infrastructure, such as the airport in Sana’a, the port in Hudaydah and domestic transit routes.”

In June, Lieu, who serves on the House’s oversight and budget committee, joined Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., in introducing H.J. Res. 90, a bill that would bar the transfer of air-to-ground munitions from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia. Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., have also been critical of U.S. support for the bombing, and introduced the Senate companion to the legislation, S.J. Res. 32.

Both of the bills were referred to their respective chambers’ foreign affairs committees, where they still sit.

On Aug. 8, the U.S. State Department announced to Congress that it had approved a $1.15 billion sale of up to 153 tanks, hundreds of machine guns and more to the kingdom – on top of the approximately $110 billion in arms deals the Obama administration has done in the past. Lieu applauded Paul for pressuring fellow lawmakers to vote against the deal.

Lieu plans “to continue working with a bipartisan group of members to raise the alarm in light of continued Saudi airstrikes on civilians and the newly announced U.S. arms sales,” he said. “We should not be selling Saudi Arabia even more weapons as a result of the carnage that is happening in Yemen.”

“The fact that the administration is even proposing another arms sale suggests to me that the administration is, at best, callously indifferent to the mass amount of civilians dying as a result of the Saudi-led coalition’s bombing.”

With the resurgent violence, a war that has been largely ignored in the U.S. for nearly a year and a half is becoming much harder to overlook. The State Department delivered a rare rebuke to the Saudis after the latest hospital bombing. The editorial board of the New York Times on Tuesday argued that “The United States is complicit in this carnage. It has enabled the coalition in many ways.” It added, crucially: “Experts say the coalition would be grounded if Washington withheld its support.”

Lieu told The Intercept the “editorial was spot on”: “The U.S. is complicit in these bombings,” he said. “It’s not as if there was just one or two instances of civilians being targeted. We now have more than 30 instances of civilians being killed by the Saudi-led air coalition. The U.S. can no longer avert its eyes to what is happening in Yemen.”

And Lieu warned the U.S. support could backfire. “By aiding a coalition that is killing civilians, the U.S. is going to create another generation of people who hate the U.S. and who are going to want to do very bad things to us,” he said.

Indeed, if anyone has benefitted from Yemen being pounded to rubble, it has been extremist groups. Secretary of Defense Carter and other U.S. government officials warned as early as April 2015 that, in Yemen, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had “seized the opportunity of the disorder there and the collapse of the central government.”

A year later, Reuters released a detailed report showing “How Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen has made al-Qaeda stronger — and richer.” The Pentagon even sent a small number of U.S. ground troops into Yemen in April and May, it says to help fight AQAP.

ISIS has also exploited the chaos in Yemen (as it has in Libya, in the wake of the 2011 NATO regime change). Extreme violence, grinding poverty and increasing desperation has pushed Yemenis into the arms of extremists.

Lieu said he worries that the adverse effects of this conflict could be felt for years to come. “It’s actually creating more terrorists by killing all these civilians,” he said.

Top photo: Rep. Ted Lieu addresses delegates at the Democratic National Convention in July 2016.

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The post A Congressman Campaigns to “Stop the Madness” of U.S. Support for Saudi Bombing in Yemen appeared first on The Intercept.

25 Aug 07:12

Updated: French Police Create Propaganda for ISIS by Ticketing Muslim Women on Beaches

by Robert Mackey

Last Updated | Aug. 26, 10:13 a.m.

Photographs and video of French police officers issuing tickets to Muslim women — for violating new local ordinances that ban modest beachwear as an offense against “good morals and secularism” in more than a dozen towns along the Riviera — spread widely on social networks on Wednesday, prompting outrage and mockery from opponents of the laws.

France’s highest administrative court, the Conseil d’Etat, ruled on Friday that such bans were illegal, but by then the damage to the nation’s reputation had already been done.

But the same images were greeted with undisguised glee by extremists eager to make the case that observant Muslims have no place in European countries. A series of photographs published by the Daily Mail — showing armed officers confronting a woman wearing a headscarf, leggings, and a long-sleeved shirt on a beach in Nice on Tuesday — was hailed by the anti-Muslim Dutch politician Geert Wilders.

David Thomson, a French journalist who tracks jihadi activity online, told Radio France that Islamic State sympathizers on social networks seemed surprised to find police officers in Nice “creating propaganda on their behalf” by providing the perfect illustration of their case that France humiliates Muslims.

“For them, this is a godsend,” Thomson said. “The jihadist narrative has insisted for years that it is impossible for a Muslim to practice their religion with dignity in France.” Within minutes of publication, he said, these photographs became one of the most discussed topics in the online “jihadosphere.”

“These shots of Nice,” he added, “will fuel years of jihadist propaganda.”

The irony, Thomson noted last week, is that the specific swimming costume the bans have targeted, the full-body swimsuit known as the “burkini,” is rejected as immodest by Islamist ideologues. Such costumes, he explained, are the sort of adaptation to Western culture Muslim women in France’s North African colonies were once encouraged to make.

On Thursday, activists from a French anticapitalist party, the NPA, held a demonstration against the ban on a beach in Leucate, chanting: “C’est aux femmes de décider: trop couvertes ou pas assez!” (or, “It’s up to women to decide: too covered or not enough!”)

Protesters in London brought sand to the French embassy for a “Wear What You Want” rally against the bans.

The State Council explained its ruling on Friday to suspend an order issued by the mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet, outside Nice, by saying local officials had exceeded the limits of their authority. Restrictions on the use of the beach by certain persons, the council said, threatened fundamental freedoms guaranteed by French law, such as the freedom of movement and freedom of conscience, that could only be justified by a grave threat to public order. “In the absence of such risks,” the court said, “concerns and worries arising from terrorist attacks, including those committed in Nice on July 14, are not sufficient to justify legally the mayor’s order.”

Although the authorities in Nice confirmed that the incident reported by the Mail did take place — and that at least 23 other women have been ticketed there this week and forced to pay 38-euro fines, or about $40 — defenders of the so-called burkini ban accused the unnamed woman of taking part in a staged “provocation.”

Jérémie Boulet, a member of the xenophobic National Front party, argued that the woman must have been trying to bait the authorities into approaching her by wearing such an outfit on a warm day. He also suggested, incorrectly, that she was not sitting on a towel when approached by the officers.

Christian Estrosi, a former mayor of Nice who is now the regional president of the Côte d’Azur, issued a statement on Wednesday in which he called the behavior of the two dozen women fined for their dress this week “unacceptable provocations” intended to “undermine the city’s police officers.” Estrosi also warned people who share images of the police ticketing women on social networks that they could be prosecuted for endangering the officers.

Nice’s deputy mayor, Rudy Salles, claimed in a contentious radio interview with Razi Iqbal of the BBC that women dressing in such attire to go to the beach must have been coerced into doing so by Islamist radicals.

A French photo agency that acquired the rights to the images told Libération that the photographs were “certainly not staged, as some people have alleged,” and were the work of an unnamed freelancer “who happened to be on the beach at the time” looking for images of the ban being enforced. He was about 100 meters away from the woman when he saw the officers approach and shot the encounter using a telephoto lens.

“The freelancer witnessed the scene, which took place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday and lasted roughly 10 minutes,” the agency, Best Image, said in a statement. “The woman was issued with a fine and left the beach a few minutes later. That is all the photographer was able to see.”

Speculation that the officers could have been set up was fueled by the fact that the photographer’s name was not released, but the incident took place the same day that a French journalist, Mathilde Cusin, witnessed something worse: a woman in Cannes being fined by the police and harassed by onlookers. That woman, a 34-year-old mother who gave her first name as Siam, told Agence France-Presse that she was given a ticket for sitting on the beach with her family, wearing a headscarf and leggings. “I had no intention of swimming,” she said.

In an interview with Le Nouvel Observateur, a weekly magazine, the woman said that she was baffled at first by the police officers who told her that beachgoers were obliged to “dress correctly” according to a new ordinance. When she asked the officers what that meant, she was told that she could only stay on the beach if she agreed to wrap her hijab into a headband.

“My children were crying, witnessing my humiliation,” Siam told the magazine. “Even I could not help crying. They humiliated us.”

During her standoff with the police, a crowd of onlookers gathered. Some of them defended the woman, arguing that she was causing no harm and was not even wearing a burkini. Others, however, taunted her with racist remarks. “I was stunned,” she said. “I heard things no one had ever said to my face, like ‘Go home!’” Siam, who was born to French parents in Toulouse, said that someone else added, “We are Catholics here!”

“People demanded that she leave or remove her veil, it was pretty violent,” Cusin told the magazine. “I had the impression of watching a pack go after a woman sitting on the ground in tears with her little girl.”

“What shocked me is that it was mostly people in their 30s, not the elderly as one might imagine,” Cusin added.

“In the country of human rights, I see no trace of the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity,” Siam said. “I am outraged that this could happen in France.”

Speaking to the BBC in English on Thursday, Siam said, “I feel like a stranger in my country.”

“Today we are banned from the beach,” she told Al Jazeera’s AJ+ in a video interview. “Tomorrow it will be the street.”

“We are women. We are adults,” she added. “And if the headscarf is a personal choice, and if women want to wear it, why stop them?”

Top photo: At a beach in Nice, France, the text of a bylaw was posted last week that bars women from wearing full-body swimsuits.

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24 Aug 01:04

20-Year-Old Diver Is The Victim Of More Sexist Media Coverage Of The Olympics

by Eric Pfeiffer

In case there was any doubt, the media just locked down its grip on this year’s Olympic gold medal for sexism.

The peak example may just be how fans and the media decided to handle reports of a “split” between Brazilian Olympic diving duo Ingrid de Oliveira and Giovanna Pedroso the night before their competition.

As Mic reports, the pair were roommates in Rio and reportedly had a falling out after Oliveira engaged in what news sites referred to as a “marathon sex session” with canoeist named Pedro Goncalves. With breathless updates, sites like the New York Post described Oliveira as getting “wet and wild” with Goncalves, a fellow Brazilian.

We’re not saying the story wasn’t worth covering. After all, Pedroso herself blamed the night of “fun” for the duo’s last place finish in the 10-meter synchronized event the following morning. She was reportedly locked out of their shared room and the lack of sleep left her tired before the next morning’s event. “I have been waiting for four years to be present at the Olympics,” she told Brazilian newspaper O Globo. “And for her it was better to have fun and therefore threw me out of the room.”

Was it a poor example of sportsmanship and professionalism? Those questions are entirely fair to ask.

Instead, much of the media coverage centered on slut shaming the 20-year-old Olympic athlete for having sex the night before her competition, which was followed up by a wave of personal attacks from people leaving insulting comments on her Instagram account. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail tried to create a virtual slut shaming paper trail, referring to Oliveira as having posed in “provocative” outfits before a 2015 competition. The outfit in question? The swimsuit she wears as part of her sport. And the questionable location? The diving board from which she directly competes.

As for Goncalves – he was celebrated in a number of publications – with photos of her flexing his muscles over the alleged incident. However, when one publication tried to interview him, Goncalves refused, saying his personal life was not up for discussion. The media and fans alike seemed to largely respect his request, turning their judgmental attention back to the female athletes. ATTN has a list of other examples across the international media of how Oliveira was covered, including a headline from BET that made up derogatory words “sex crazed” and actions “sleep deprived” that weren’t actually said by anyone involved in the story.

Giovanna Pedroso herself said the pair had disagreements preceding Rio and that she plans to focus on solo competitions moving forward, with the 17-year-old showing a level of maturity apparently lacking in a number of fans and media publications alike.

16 Aug 04:50

Unreleased 52-Minute Wu-Tang Clan Freestyle From 1997

by Jeff

westwood-wu-tang-clan-freestyle-1997

Tim Westwood just blessed the Internet with an absolute gem from his collection! A little piece of history in the form of a freestyle session featuring ODB, Method Man, U-God, Masta Killa, and RZA going off for just under an hour. Listen to the entire thing below!