“When you’re where the story is, that’s the dateline.”
– Statement of Journalistic Ethics

“Oh, what the hell; let’s just say Jenny’s reporting from The Sun…”

— Beaver County Times, Feb. 22

* Scientists spot major activity on the sun (timesonline.com)

After an awful lot of teasing, Team Meat has revealed what Mew-Genics is all about. In brief, it's a crazy cat lady simulator that'll task you with breeding cats and dealing with the unique consequences of owning a home with a few too many felines. Team Meat's Edmund McMillen talks about the game's inspirations on the official Team Meat blog:

"I think most would describe Mew-Genics as a cross between The Sims and Pokemon with a sprinkling of Animal Crossing and a dash of Tamagotchi, but at its core the game really isn't like anything we've seen before.

Mew-Genics revolves around Cats, obviously. We knew tending to these cats in a simulated "cat lady" environment would be the foundation of our design, but the core of what we are trying to do is make a game that feels alive, a game that creates stories as you play where consequences actually mean something ..."

Also, on the blog, Team Meat reveals a few little details about how the game's systems will work together. He talks about a time when one of his cats starts associating pain with food due to an unfortunate attack. Cats also have traits like, say, narcolepsy, and they can also catch and transmit diseases. In the story McMillen tells, it ends as Animal Control arrests him for letting a cat run away.

Mew-Genics certainly sounds awesome. As for when it's coming to iPhone and iPad ... it'll be this year. No firm date has been set yet.

This was the most anticipated of the three "Do Us A Flavor" varieties from Lays (the other two were Sriracha and Cheesy Garlic Bread) and unfortunately they disappointed by not tasting much like chicken or waffles, let alone chicken and waffles. ...

Brewery Ommegang is releasing its new Game of Thrones-inspired ale with a wild game dinner March 15 at the brewery in Cooperstown. Blurbage:

Chef Dimitrios Menagias of City Beer Hall in Albany will be hosting a decadent night of beer and food pairing, Friday, March 15th. This will be the first time the Ommegang Iron Throne ale will be released. To celebrate the release, guests will be transported to a culinary King's Landing through a serious of masterfully paired dishes fit for any Lannister, Stark or Tully.

Tickets for the dinner include a decadent 5-course dinner with matching beers to pair and the first bottles of the limited edition Game of Thrones Iron Throne ale to be released from the brewery. To compliment the Iron Throne ale, guests will also receive a commemorative Game of Thrones glass.

Tickets are $100, and are available ahead by calling (607) 286-4090 (Ommegang says it's expecting the event to sell out). The dinner starts with a beer tasting at 7 pm, and seating at 7:30 pm. "This is a strictly 21+ event."

Earlier on AOA: Ommegang making a Game of Thrones beer

image: Brewery Ommegang

felixsalmon:

On the left, Balthazar’s specials in 2001. On the right, Balthazar’s specials in 2013. If you ordered the special every day but Thursday, the total cost (before tax, tip, etc) would have gone up from $135 in 2001 to $234 in 2013: that’s an increase of 73% in 12 years. By contrast, to keep up with inflation, $135 in 2001 should be $175 today.

BRILLIANT!

Natural Bust Enlargement With Total Mind Power
Wilson
1979

Where does one even begin?

I had no idea that my mind was so powerful that it could change my bra size.  I also love the idea of this much brain power and the first thing this guy wants us to do is get bigger boobs.

My copy of this title has margin notes made by some poor woman. I honestly hope she borrowed it from the library instead of paying retail.

Mary

Holly: “We must! We must! We must increase our bust!” – Margaret and friends in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret  (Judy Blume, 1970) They were on to something!

 

 

 

WOOH! We are so close to releasing a limited run of hardcover editions!

"Brunch brings out the worst in your favorite restaurants.":

Jordana Rothman, who used to edit Time Out New York’s food section, goes ballistic on brunch. Observe: “You might eat fiery jerk chicken and curried goat for dinner at haute Caribbean spot Miss Lily’s in New York. But at brunch, it’s the same soulless, castrated buttermilk pancakes and brioche French toast you’ll see everywhere else.”

She makes a good point, though we’re not crazy about Miss Lily’s at dinner either. Click through for the entire read, courtesy of First We Feast.  

It didn't take long for Friday's Chelyabinsk meteor explosion to turn into a meme. Russians pounced on the opportunity, and jokes about the event began appearing on the Internet nearly as soon as the news broke this morning. Of course, there's nothing funny about an exploding meteor injuring more than 1,000 people. Still, one has to admire the Russian sense of humor.

Never fear, Putin is here.

The caption below reads, "The inhabitants of the meteorite wached the approach of the Chelyabinsk in horror."

The caption, roughly translated, reads, "Chelyabinsk before and after the meteor strike."

Today's weather report for Chelyabinsk:

MORE DIRTY POLITICS

Buy a bunch of Febreze and start the clock: Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos will be making their Taco Bell debut on March 7th. More »

While clubbing in London last night, Rihanna was injured when a man "enraged" by her reunion with King Scumbag Chris Brown threw a bottle of Lucozade (think British Gatorade) at her. She fell to the ground and cut her leg, but was otherwise unhurt. More »

Following complaints by West Bank settlers that Palestinians posed a "security risk" to fellow bus riders, the Afikim bus company will begin running separate buses for settlers and Palestinians traveling into the State of Israel, beginning this Monday morning. The bus plan has been in the works since last fall. Israeli officials insist that this segregation of bus passengers is not actually segregation: More »

* New cunning linguist computer has got ancient tongues licked (theregister.co.uk)

Last Saturday, I had the always enjoyable task of going to Time Warner Brooklyn, where I waited for an hour in line to exchange a broken cable box, only to get one that turned out to be worse than the first. I figured the afternoon was a bust, until I realized I’d parked across the street from a place I’ve been meaning to check out for the longest time…

The little greenhouse across from the cemetery:

Seriously, what a gorgeous building. Described as a “miniature crystal palace” by the American Institute of Architects, the Weir Greenhouse was built in 1895 and, though left to decay for decades, has miraculously managed to remain standing for 118 years. Below, a vintage postcard shows the establishment in its heyday:

This is actually the second Weir greenhouse to be built at this location. James Weir, who had been in the floral business since 1850, built the first greenhouse on the site in 1880, pictured below.

This building was torn down in 1895 to make way for the new structure, which was to be a flagship of sorts for Weir’s business, in part due to its proximity (literally right across the street) from Green-Wood Cemetery.

The McGovern family of florists took over the Weir operation in 1971, hence the second name above the main dome. And, under their ownership, the building appears to have been let to rot, to the point where it seems like it’s about one gust of wind away from finally toppling over.

I love the Weir Greenhouse, in part for how evocative of a certain era its design is. For years it, was believed that Weir had purchased the building from the 1904 World’s Fair and had it transported to Brooklyn; while this is not true, you could be forgiven for assuming something of this grandeur to have had such an illustrious past.

The crowning feature on the Weir Greenhouse is its magnificent eight-sided dome, about 50 feet in diameter:

The dome is lined on all sides by windows in several different shapes and sizes…

…and capped off by the iconic McGovern-Weir sign:

A great tour of the interior can be found on the Green-Wood Cemetery blog – below, the interior of the dome, a mix of iron supports and wood slats, described by the NY Times “like [the roof] of an old-time merry-go-round.”

Picture from Green-Wood Cemetery’s blog – click for many more pictures!

Not to be upstaged is the beautiful entrance…

…featuring this eight-sided cupola (the decay is especially evident here):

Together, the two domes perfectly complement each other like older/younger siblings:

A rounded extension of the building at the southern end adds to the pirouetting feel of the structure:

A few other buildings sit on the property, including the former office. You can see it in the vintage postcard above; today, it seems to have lost its upper story.

The rear of the office:

A peek at the many overlapping glass frames inside:

A second building can be found on the southern edge:

Thought boarded-up and covered in bland aluminum-siding, the intricate cornice gives a hint of grander times.

Unfortunately, as you can see in the pictures, the Weir Greenhouse is in really bad shape.

I mean, really bad shape. The McGoverns appear to have done absolutely nothing in terms of maintenance during the latter years of their ownership of the property, and for a 100+ year old greenhouse, the results are not pretty:

The very, very good news is that the property was purchased Green-Wood Cemetery last February with the express purpose of restoring it, to one day be used as a visitor’s center/exhibition space. And while it might be in sorry shape now, it doesn’t take much to imagine how wonderful this dilapidated entrance will be when restored to health.

The even better news is that last month, Green-Wood Cemetery was awarded a $500,000 grant from the New York State Regional Economic Development Council for the restoration. According to the Green-Wood Cemetery blog, “an architectural study of the greenhouse and plans for its adaptive re-use are underway; that study is expected to be completed shortly. Then work will begin on the restoration of this landmark to its 19th-century glory.”

Here’s hoping the next time I go to return my cable box, the Weir Greenhouse will be looking like the day it was built.

-SCOUT

What's this?! ROMEO AND JULIET ON A BOOKMARK!?

North Korea dropped a bomb underground yesterday, conducting its third successful nuclear test since 2006 and creating a small seismic event. The explosion was about twice as large as the last test, in 2009, though the bomb is thought to have been made with plutonium, and not the much scarier uranium. U.S. officials had been expecting such a test, and the president has already issued a statement condemning it—as has China, North Korea's only regional ally—though it likely won't stop North Korea from conducting a fourth test in the coming days. North Korean officials remain unbowed, literally: "The DPRK will never bow to any resolutions," a top diplomat told the Conference on Disarmament. More »

When the New York Times launched its online paywall almost exactly two years ago, the free content crowd didn't whine too loudly because of the plentiful workarounds. Links from social media were not counted toward the monthly article limit, and switching browsers or clearing cookies put the meter back to zero, leaving some analysts to refer to it as more of a pay fence ("climbable and purposely porous"). The easiest little hack of all, for the Internet savvy, was right there on the page: Deleting the "?gwh=numbers" section of the URL removed the obtrusive "Pay for this!" banner blocking the words. Not anymore.

Today we noticed the address-altering no longer cleared the in-house ad for non-subscribers. Times spokesperson Eileen Murphy confirmed as much in a statement:

"When we launched our digital subscription plan we knew there were loopholes to access our content beyond the allotted number of articles each month. We have made some adjustments and will continue to make adjustments to optimize the gateway by implementing technical security solutions to prohibit abuse and protect the value of our content."

The timing makes sense. Much of the industry has followed, or is planning to follow, the Paper of Record's lead when it comes to walling off online content (see also: the new New Republic). And the Times is relying more on subscribers to pay the bills: Advertising was down in 2012, and for the first time, the paper made more money from circulation revenue than ads. Digital subscribers grew 13.1 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, now totaling a promising 640,000, and new CEO Mark Thompson has promised a "new strategy" this year. Expecting more and more people to pay for "high quality journalism" is probably part of it.

Read more posts by Joe Coscarelli

Filed Under: ink-stained wretches ,new york times ,paywalls ,closed loopholes ,media

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I've been telling you guys this for months, but did you listen? Noooo, you had to be all “Cats are great!” but YOU WERE WRONG.

Source: imgur.com  /  via: 221b-stark-tower

Bandai, the creator of the beloved '90s original, will soon release Tamagachi L.i.f.e. as an app for iPhone and Android.

Some of the new features include: a more customizable experience, mini-games, and "retro mode"

The new "collection archive" feature also reassures you that you'll never lose your Tamagotchi again. "Now you can save and collect every Tamagotchi you raise. Each Tamagotchi will be saved in his or her original color, shape and size so you will never forget any of your Tamagotchi memories!"

Source: tamagotchilife.com

The company has released some screenshots of the app but no release date has been announced.

Source: tamagotchilife.com

Now will it be as epic as the original? We shall wait and see.

Source: 217ruralfox

Source: resultofbadparennting

View Entire List ›

Get off the Internet and get riding!

Source: youtube.com

The possible fashion mishap happened last Sunday at the SAG awards.

This is how Sigourney Weaver looked at the SAG Awards on Sunday.

Image by Jason Kempin / Getty Images

I guess it's supposed to be worn like this:

Source: brownsfashion.com

Oooops.

View Entire List ›

From QQ:

13-Year-Old Boy and Python in Dongguan Have Lived Together for 12 Years, Boy and Python Sleep in One Bed

Most people would be afraid when seeing a snake, but not the boy A Zhe in Dongguan who is only 13 years old. Ever since he was a few months old, he’s been sleeping in the same bed with a python. The relationship he has with the python not only leave people amazed, but also inspired: Any animal in nature can be friends with humans.

The snake egg was bought by A Zhe’s father, so the python came to A Zhe’s home before it was born, and by the time A Zhe was born, the python was already 6 years old, weighing more than 20kg. When A Zhe was 9 months old, his parents were busy making a living, going out during the day to work, so A Zhe would play with the python. In the hot summer, the python became A Zhe’s natural air conditioner. In the winter, A Zhe would worry the python might be cold, so he would warm the body of his “old pal”.

A Zhe’s father says his son and the python are with each other all day and all night, and it has never harmed A Zhe. It becomes very active especially when it is with A Zhe. Having this lively, adorable “good friend”, A Zhe has had no interest in other toys ever since he was small, and to this day has very rarely asked his parents to buy him any toys, with this python being the one thing that plays with him the most.

When the weather is good, A Zhe takes his “old pal” for walks and to enjoy the sun. In 2012, after A Zhe started attending middle school, he could only sleep at home on Saturdays, and thus could no longer be with his “old pal” day and night, making A Zhe sad for a long time. A Zhe’s father says that A Zhe’s biggest dream is to become a zoologist when he grows up, to deal with animals every day, to make more animal friends. In A Zhe’s world, all animals have the right to live on this planet together with humans, and all animals are friends of humans. 2013 is the year of the snake according to the Chinese zodiac, hope people who enjoy eating snake meat will have mercy, will respect every life-form in nature, and not indiscriminately catch and eat wild animals.

It is very common for us to see someone walking a dog or a cat, but a father and his son likes walking snakes, and they’re pythons.

A Zhe picking up eggs laid by his “old pal”. (reproduced photo) Photos: Zeng Linghua.

Comments from QQ:

腾讯连云港市网友 87742401:

Other people walk dogs, but he walks a python. “Like a boss.”

腾讯网友 大叔:

Well, so rich… [they] even have a “golden python” [Patteraless, Burmese python].

腾讯福建省网友 简单一些: (responding to above)

How much is it?

腾讯网友 鲜衣怒马: (responding to above)

This one should be worth about a million.

腾讯网友 嗼佲萁妙: (responding to above)

Idiot, a 1.1 meter long Patteraless only costs 3,000 kuai, and the one in the picture is mutated, there’s no golden color [on its skin]. Last time when a man walked a 3-meter one, it got on the news, so he had to give it to the zoo. China doesn’t allow keep them as pets.

腾讯沧州市网友 燕子:

They’ve lived together for so many years, there must be a deep bond, but snakes are ultimately cold-blooded animals, so is it really that safe to leave a child at home alone, especially when he’s left at home alone with a python?

腾讯福州市网友 奋斗:

Fuck, the one animal sister [referring to herself] fears the most is snakes—damn.

腾讯天津市网友 淘我喜欢:

Once again not learning the lesson. Last time someone took his patteraless out for a walk and bath, it was confiscated. Pythons are not allowed to be kept by individuals.

腾讯网友 (り﹊颖ル…:

I have goose bumps. Just looking at it makes my entire body uncomfortable.

腾讯深圳市网友 淡 然:

It’s indeed not easy to raise two snakes as big as these. Both men and animals have feelings. Care for all the living creatures.

腾讯广州市网友 细水长流:

Pythons are very tame, they can be treated as pets.

Comments from Sohu:

幸福泉水51358307 [搜狐河北省石家庄市网友]:

Parents and schools should all seriously be against this! It’s not healthy, not hygienic, not civilized, not appropriate.

披荆斩棘54117051 [搜狐北京市网友]:

Many people in foreign countries have been eaten by the pythons they kept as pets. One time, a father came into the room after hearing a noise only to find his daughter already half swallowed.

似水柔情57438815 [搜狐广东省惠州市网友]:

When this 13-year-old boy becomes an adult, he won’t have any desire to ride a wife.

悬梁刺股54168120 [搜狐手机网友]:

They’ve raised it for over 10 years, They long ago became friends… so what if it is a snake? At least they’re not as treacherous as men… What they should do is their business… It’s none of your fucking business… If it is released, it’ll be eaten by people as usual… Making a big deal about nothing… Go mind yourselves first.

飞天黑龙8764 [搜狐北京市网友]:

This photo of them picking up the snake eggs really has my admiration. Snakes are very aggressive animals. I once saw a zookeeper having to cover the snake first with a cloth before picking up its eggs. To so naturally pick up the python’s eggs without having to take precautions and not get attacked truly makes me admire the relationship/bond between human and snake.

搜狐新闻客户端网友 [搜狐四川省成都市网友]:

If you like keeping [pythons] as pets, then keep them as pets, but walking them in public is so not cool. Not everyone likes these things. Plus, snakes inherently are aggressive. Don’t fucking talk about how docile/meek your snakes are, try not feeding them for a week and see. Even walking a dog requires it to be on a leash! Before caring for animals, learn about public morality first!

金石为开5667082 [搜狐内蒙古自治区呼和浩特市网友]:

Humans caring for animals is good, but “living together” with them is frightening. When it comes to aggressive animals, other than possibly harming yourself, it’s also difficult to avoid possibly hurting others. What’s even more frightening is that there may be viruses unknown to mankind within the animal’s bodies, with SARS being the most classic example.

伤心太平洋2008 [搜狐北京市网友]:

Is it real or fake? Reminds me of the fable “the Farmer and the Viper”. Can this kind of animal really become friends with humans? I think it’s because this snake has things to eat every day, but if one day it doesn’t have anything to eat… I dare not imagine, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. I think it’s still better to keep one’s distance from this kind of animal. After all, safety first.

搜狐新闻客户端网友 [搜狐甘肃省兰州市网友]:

The people’s government’s parent-like officials compete with the nouveau riche on what rare animal’s meat to eat, while a 13-year-old little child uses himself as an example to call on people to protect nature, firmly slapping the faces of those “people” [embarrassing them]. How can those “people” still live in this world [show their faces in public with such shame]?

心平气和46379879 [搜狐手机网友]:

Men and animals living in peace doesn’t mean they have to be treated as pets locked in cages! All we have to do to live peacefully with each other is for us to not go destroy their living environment! Please protect the environment, protect animals.

What do you think? Safe? Dangerous?

"Little Chinese Boy and Python Lived Together For 12 Years"

Originally posted on chinaSMACK - Hot internet stories, pictures, & videos in China

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