Tuesday, September 30, 2008
IOC tries to copyright language
Two phrases borrowed from Canada's national anthem have been chosen as the mottoes for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and organizers have already moved to protect the commercial rights to the lines.
The lines "With glowing hearts" from the English version and "Des plus brillants exploits" from the French version will soon be emblazoned on Olympic merchandise and promotional material as a national campaign to promote the mottoes is rolled out across Canada this fall.
The phrases were recently trademarked by the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee in anticipation of the announcement, it was revealed Wednesday.
"With glowing hearts"
"With glowing hearts"
"With glowing hearts"
"With glowing hearts"
"With glowing hearts"
"With glowing hearts"
So sue me.
Read more here.
The lines "With glowing hearts" from the English version and "Des plus brillants exploits" from the French version will soon be emblazoned on Olympic merchandise and promotional material as a national campaign to promote the mottoes is rolled out across Canada this fall.
The phrases were recently trademarked by the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee in anticipation of the announcement, it was revealed Wednesday.
"With glowing hearts"
"With glowing hearts"
"With glowing hearts"
"With glowing hearts"
"With glowing hearts"
"With glowing hearts"
So sue me.
Read more here.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Hidden histories
Nearly 3,000 years after the death of the Greek poet Homer, his epic tales of the war for Troy and its aftermath remain deeply woven into the fabric of our culture. These stories of pride and rage, massacre and homecoming have been translated and republished over millennia. Even people who have never read a word of "The Iliad" or "The Odyssey" know the phrases they have bequeathed to us - the Trojan horse, the Achilles heel, the face that launched a thousand ships.
Read more here.
Read more here.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Please America, don't elect these people again
Just listen to these pearls of wisdom from this towering intellect.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
King Richard II's recipe book to go online
A 14th-century recipe book compiled by King Richard II's master cooks is to put online for the first time to give modern-day chefs an insight into the delicacies of the Middle Ages.
Read more here.
Read more here.
Fuck not with a Conservative's money
Seems conservatives in the U.S. are *just* waking up to the fact that the current incarnation of the Republican party many have gone a teensy bit too far in their power grab.
Touch a conservative's money, and hell hath no fury.
Single funniest blog post I ever read
I wrote earlier today about the sudden right-wing resistance to vast executive authority that has emerged in opposition to the Paulson plan, but still, this post from Ed Morrissey at Michelle Malkin's Hot Air -- full-fledged advocates of every last expansion of unfettered executive power over the last eight years -- is just so exquisite, so perfectly constructed, so unbearably hilarious, that it really expands the definition of "self-satire" and demanded its own featured space:
The crux of the [Right's] skepticism over the plan comes from an absurd protocol at the heart of it. It makes Henry Paulson a de facto financial czar, in charge of potentially a trillion dollars in taxpayer money with no accountability whatsoever for his actions...
Read more here.
Touch a conservative's money, and hell hath no fury.
Single funniest blog post I ever read
I wrote earlier today about the sudden right-wing resistance to vast executive authority that has emerged in opposition to the Paulson plan, but still, this post from Ed Morrissey at Michelle Malkin's Hot Air -- full-fledged advocates of every last expansion of unfettered executive power over the last eight years -- is just so exquisite, so perfectly constructed, so unbearably hilarious, that it really expands the definition of "self-satire" and demanded its own featured space:
The crux of the [Right's] skepticism over the plan comes from an absurd protocol at the heart of it. It makes Henry Paulson a de facto financial czar, in charge of potentially a trillion dollars in taxpayer money with no accountability whatsoever for his actions...
Read more here.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Spielbergs Donate $100,000 to Gay Marriage Fight
Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw have donated $100,000 to the campaign to defeat a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in California.
Their donation is the latest high-profile contribution to the campaign, as gay marriage advocates seek to narrow a gap in fund-raising. Brad Pitt donated $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign last week, in what was seen as a wakeup call to entertainment industry figures to pony up more money for the fight.
The proposition would restrict marriage to unions between a man and a woman.
Read more here.
Their donation is the latest high-profile contribution to the campaign, as gay marriage advocates seek to narrow a gap in fund-raising. Brad Pitt donated $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign last week, in what was seen as a wakeup call to entertainment industry figures to pony up more money for the fight.
The proposition would restrict marriage to unions between a man and a woman.
Read more here.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Can they do that?
Tucked away in the U.S. bail out of Wall Street is this little gem...
Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.
Read more here.
Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.
Read more here.
Dig pinpoints Stonehenge origins
Archaeologists have pinpointed the construction of Stonehenge to 2300BC - a key step to discovering how and why the mysterious edifice was built.
The radiocarbon date is said to be the most accurate yet and means the ring's original bluestones were put up 300 years later than previously thought.
Read more here.
The radiocarbon date is said to be the most accurate yet and means the ring's original bluestones were put up 300 years later than previously thought.
Read more here.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Archaeologists find Viking era shield
Danish archaeologists say they have discovered a well-preserved Viking era shield, reports said Wednesday. The wooden shield had a circumference of 0.80 metres and was believed to be from the end of the 900s.
The find was described as for the first of its kind in Denmark, archaeologists told the online site Sjaellandske medier.
The shield was found Tuesday near Trelleborg, site of a so-called Viking ring castle near the town of Slagelse about 100 kilometres south-west of Copenhagen.
The ring castle at Trelleborg dates from around 980.
"The shield was in a moist ditch which explains why it was so well- preserved," archaeologist Kirsten Christensen said.
The find was described as for the first of its kind in Denmark, archaeologists told the online site Sjaellandske medier.
The shield was found Tuesday near Trelleborg, site of a so-called Viking ring castle near the town of Slagelse about 100 kilometres south-west of Copenhagen.
The ring castle at Trelleborg dates from around 980.
"The shield was in a moist ditch which explains why it was so well- preserved," archaeologist Kirsten Christensen said.
I'm a PC
PC?
Pathetic Cretin?
Poor Chooser?
So there are millions of deluded Windows users, who look like normal people.
We knew that already.
Sort of like a zombie film.
Doesn't change the fact they chose unwisely in computers.
The ad still dances around the fact Vista sucks (that and the fact they have missed the point of the Mac ads. PC was not a person, but a personification of the PC platform..
...a mental leap into metaphor that seems to have escaped the average PC "user")
Everyone knows they should be referred to as "PCers"...
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Microsoft dumps Seinfeld
As predicted in this very blog, the great train wreck of modern advertising has occurred...
Remember those awful Microsoft ads with Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates? Well, now you can forget them. Microsoft flacks are desperately dialing reporters to spin them about "phase two" of the ad campaign...
...Microsoft's version of the story: Redmond had always planned to drop Seinfeld. The awkward reality: The ads only reminded us how out of touch with consumers Microsoft is.
Read more here.
Remember those awful Microsoft ads with Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates? Well, now you can forget them. Microsoft flacks are desperately dialing reporters to spin them about "phase two" of the ad campaign...
...Microsoft's version of the story: Redmond had always planned to drop Seinfeld. The awkward reality: The ads only reminded us how out of touch with consumers Microsoft is.
Read more here.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
'Creationism' biologist quits job
Seems we have to keep beating back The Middle Ages with a stick...
Professor Michael Reiss has quit as director of education at the Royal Society following the controversy over his recent comments on creationism.
Last week Prof Reiss - a Church of England minister - said creationism should be discussed in science lessons if pupils raised the issue.
He was criticised by other scientists - though misquoted as saying creationism should be "taught" in science classes.
The society said some of his comments had been "open to misinterpretation".
This had damaged its reputation.
Read more here.
Professor Michael Reiss has quit as director of education at the Royal Society following the controversy over his recent comments on creationism.
Last week Prof Reiss - a Church of England minister - said creationism should be discussed in science lessons if pupils raised the issue.
He was criticised by other scientists - though misquoted as saying creationism should be "taught" in science classes.
The society said some of his comments had been "open to misinterpretation".
This had damaged its reputation.
Read more here.
Italian Comedienne Faces Possible Prosecution for Insulting Pope
The possible prosecution of an Italian comedienne shines a light on the Lateran Treaty, a 1929 agreement between Italy and the Vatican that says an insult to the Pope shall carry the same penalty as an insult to the Italian president. For Sabina Guzzanti (pictured), that could mean five years in jail.
Here’s what happened...
Read more here and here.
Here’s what happened...
Read more here and here.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Mickey Mouse must die, says Saudi Arabian cleric
Sheikh Muhammad Munajid claimed the mouse is "one of Satan's soldiers" and makes everything it touches impure.
But he warned that depictions of the creature in cartoons such as Tom and Jerry, and Disney's Mickey Mouse, had taught children that it was in fact loveable.
The cleric, a former diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Washington DC, said that under Sharia, both household mice and their cartoon counterparts must be killed.
Read more here.
But he warned that depictions of the creature in cartoons such as Tom and Jerry, and Disney's Mickey Mouse, had taught children that it was in fact loveable.
The cleric, a former diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Washington DC, said that under Sharia, both household mice and their cartoon counterparts must be killed.
Read more here.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Sitemeter to rollback
Victory!
“We have received and heard your feedback concerning the latest changes to the website. We will implementing a rollback to the website immediately. We will also be responding to each of your support requests as soon as possible. If you have any questions please let us know.”
Note the above, they don't check grammar before posting either...
Best comment: They surrendered faster than even the French could have imagined.
“We have received and heard your feedback concerning the latest changes to the website. We will implementing a rollback to the website immediately. We will also be responding to each of your support requests as soon as possible. If you have any questions please let us know.”
Note the above, they don't check grammar before posting either...
Best comment: They surrendered faster than even the French could have imagined.
Hi-tech future for ancient Roman town
Technology is often employed to bring exhibitions to life, but as David Reid found out, one museum has gone one step further by using it to replace all its displays.
The Virtual Museum of Archaeology (or MAV), which opened this summer, is based on the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum and is sited 100 metres from the ruins of the former settlement.
The creators of MAV aim to digitally reconstruct the destroyed town and recreate what life there was like.
Read more here.
The Virtual Museum of Archaeology (or MAV), which opened this summer, is based on the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum and is sited 100 metres from the ruins of the former settlement.
The creators of MAV aim to digitally reconstruct the destroyed town and recreate what life there was like.
Read more here.
Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes
Gov. Sarah Palin lives by the maxim that all politics is local, not to mention personal.
So when there was a vacancy at the top of the State Division of Agriculture, she appointed a high school classmate, Franci Havemeister, to the $95,000-a-year directorship. A former real estate agent, Ms. Havemeister cited her childhood love of cows as a qualification for running the roughly $2 million agency...
...Ms. Palin declined to grant an interview for this article. The McCain-Palin campaign responded to some questions on her behalf and that of her husband, while referring others to the governor’s spokespeople, who did not respond....
Read more here.
So when there was a vacancy at the top of the State Division of Agriculture, she appointed a high school classmate, Franci Havemeister, to the $95,000-a-year directorship. A former real estate agent, Ms. Havemeister cited her childhood love of cows as a qualification for running the roughly $2 million agency...
...Ms. Palin declined to grant an interview for this article. The McCain-Palin campaign responded to some questions on her behalf and that of her husband, while referring others to the governor’s spokespeople, who did not respond....
Read more here.
The New Sitemeter is much much worse
Sitemeter has "improved".
Improved for them maybe, but I find this new version much less useful.
Try logging back in with your email address...you can't if you use your Sitemeter password...
Looks like I'm shopping around for a new service.
Well Done Sitemeter!
Improved for them maybe, but I find this new version much less useful.
Try logging back in with your email address...you can't if you use your Sitemeter password...
Looks like I'm shopping around for a new service.
Well Done Sitemeter!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Call for creationism in science
The Great Dumbing Down Continues...
Creationism should be discussed in school science lessons, rather than excluded, says the director of education at the Royal Society.
Professor Michael Reiss says that if pupils have strongly-held beliefs about creationism these should be explored.
Rather than dismissing creationism as a "misconception", he says it should be seen as a cultural "world view".
Teachers should take the time to explain why creationism had no scientific basis, Prof Reiss said.
He stressed that the topic should not be taught as science.
This was more valuable than simply "banging on" about evolution, he said.
Read more here.
Creationism should be discussed in school science lessons, rather than excluded, says the director of education at the Royal Society.
Professor Michael Reiss says that if pupils have strongly-held beliefs about creationism these should be explored.
Rather than dismissing creationism as a "misconception", he says it should be seen as a cultural "world view".
Teachers should take the time to explain why creationism had no scientific basis, Prof Reiss said.
He stressed that the topic should not be taught as science.
This was more valuable than simply "banging on" about evolution, he said.
Read more here.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Greek dig unearths secrets of Alexander the Great's golden era
It would be more than 100 years at least until Alexander the Great led the forces of Macedonia to conquer the Hellenistic world. But, even in its early days, the Greek kingdom's warriors were already an imposing sight on the battlefield.
A dig in an ancient burial ground in Alexander's birthplace of Pella, northern Greece, has unearthed the graves of 20 warriors in battle dress, a find which archaeologists say sheds fresh light on the development of Macedonian culture.
Read more here.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Microsoft's New Family
Not only does this spend 4:30 saying nothing about Microsoft, it also manages to insult "real people" with a nasty caricature painted by 2 way overpriced rich white men.
Yuk.
We are watching of the great train wrecks in adverting history.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Devimco, Griffintown and ugliness
The hack architects at Devimco has spewed out yet another concept design for the Griffintown area of Montreal.
They really have no clue, do they?
Kuhne illustrates the way retail can become the new dimension of how experience takes precedent over architecture, and the way that we can use retail to bring back the pageantry of civic life to cities and towns...
Very sad.
Read more here.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Torture at the Tower
The Tower of London. Hated by the inhabitants of London when William the Conqueror built it.
They had a point.
Of all of London's main historical landmarks, it is the most devoid of any historical feel, replaced with an almost Disney-ish theme park atmosphere (although St. John's Chapel was relatively untouched and therefore more impressive).
I was much more impressed with the piece of Roman city wall that survives just to the north of the Tower.Granted, the Tower is a military structure, but enough is enough. Room after room of guns, lances, armor etc ad nauseum.
Yawn.
Oh yes, the Crown Jewels. Viewed while you stand on a conveyer belt. Quick, don't blink!I like propaganda as much as the next person, but oh boy do some take themselves seriously. To get to the Jewels, one is paraded through rooms of movies and slide shows of Royal bling..oo ah...
Or a room with seats representing all the Kings and Queens of England, as if they were all to arrive to have their Royal Boots shined.
It was not without moments of humour, like the Royal Oversized Wine Bucket, and the Royal Ladel.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Microsoft just doesn't get it
Middle aged men buying shoes...oh the hilarity!
Next segment, the truss.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Westminster Abbey
England's most magnificent graveyard.
Photography within the Abbey is prohibited, but I snuck the above one anyway.
This was my first visit to a gothic church, and what they say of them is true. It is vast inside and the vaults soar above you, floating. Luckily it was a sunny day, and it was filled with a soft glowing light.
Almost anyone who was anyone is buried or commemorated there, from Edward the Confessor to Charles Darwin (along with many others of lesser fame who's families could afford to pay for a place).
For me the tomb of Elizabeth I was a high point, and strangely she shares the chapel with her loving sister, Bloody Mary.
Also strange is the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots, quiet elaborate for someone who was executed by the State. Judicial murder is a bitch.
During my visit, we were bid via the P.A. system to have a minute prayer for God to guide "our leaders" in the ways of wisdom...how nice for them.
On the grounds are "The Gardens" which they claim has been cultivated for 1,000 years...the present version is lovely.
Everywhere is a feeling of great age. They even claim to have the "oldest doorway in Britain", dating to 1050.
This room, the Pxy Chamber (from 1070-80) did feel like stepping back in time.
Time travel at its best. And we have you back the same day...
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
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