J Henry Fair's Abstract Photographs Depict Destruction

Photo: J Henry Fair

A good documentary photographer takes us to places that we never could imagine and teaches us something at the same time. Some do it by shooting stark realism, like Canadian Ed Burtynsky, or South African Pieter Hugo, but J. Henry Fair's work is more abstract.
His aerial photos look like a beautifully painted canvas that could hang over your sofa. Until you begin to unravel the subject matter: devastated landscapes and environmental pollution.

Article continues: J Henry Fair's Abstract Photographs Depict Destruction

Ancient Body Clock Discovered That Helps Keep All Living Things On Time

The mechanism that controls the internal 24-hour clock of all forms of life from human cells to algae has been identified by scientists.

Not only does the research provide important insight into health-related problems linked to individuals with disrupted clocks - such as pilots and shift workers - it also indicates that the 24-hour circadian clock found in human cells is the same as that found in algae and dates back millions of years to early life on Earth.

The mystery of sleep

The mystery behind the need to sleep

Doctors recommend 7 to 9 hours a night, but some people have gone weeks without it.

Most sleep-deprived state 

Also: 

• How to improve sleep
• Alcohol's impact  
• Couple's snoring cure

Awesome Pictures

Cameras catch rare species

Hidden cameras snap species 'on the brink'

New jungle footage offers a "fantastic" glimpse of the "last real hope" for rare creatures.

What they're hunted for 

Also: 

• 'Walking cactus' fills gap
• Humans carry unique odor
• Major discovery in Arctic

Turtles Use Earth's Magnetic Fields as a Navigational System

Scientists Nathan Putman and Ken Lohmann have determined that turtles can navigate across entire oceans by using the earth’s magnetic fields to determine their longitude and latitude. To test this hypothesis, they used a special water tank that permitted them to alter the magnetic fields inside. They then placed the turtles in the tank to see how they would respond to simulations of different locations:

Using his coil-surrounded tank, Lohmann could mimic the magnetic field at different parts of the Earth’s surface. If he simulated the field at the northern edge of the gyre, the hatchlings swam southwards. If he simulated the field at the gyre’s southern edge, the turtles swam west-northwest. These experiments showed that the turtles can use their magnetic sense to work out their latitude – their position on a north-south axis. Now, Putman has shown that they can also determine their longitude – their position on an east-west axis.
He tweaked his magnetic tanks to simulate the fields in two positions with the same latitude at opposite ends of the Atlantic. If the field simulated the west Atlantic near Puerto Rico, the turtles swam northeast. If the field matched that on the east Atlantic near the Cape Verde Islands, the turtles swam southwest. In the wild, both headings would keep them within the safe, warm embrace of the North Atlantic gyre.

Full Story

Animal Pictures

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
Today, just putting your new ideas to work is almost more important than the quality of the ideas themselves.
It's all about newness and innovation right now; do not be afraid to take a few chances.
No one is watching you, and there will be no evaluations given, so you have nothing to lose.
You have free reign to feel your way around today and explore new places.
Step out of your comfort zone -- it is much too small and shrinking.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Moscow, Moskva, Russia
London, England, United Kingdom
Lille, Nord-Pas-De-Calais, France
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Santander, Cantabria, Spain
Quebec, Quebec, Canada
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
Sheffield, England, United Kingdom

as well as Slovakia, Malta, Bulgaria, Israel, Finland, Austria, Norway, Georgia, Mexico, Peru, Kuwait, Serbia, Bangladesh, Latvia, Greece, Scotland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Wales, Iran, Singapore, Poland, Taiwan, Sweden, Afghanistan, Belgium, Tibet, Croatia, Pakistan, Romania, Paraguay, Sudan, Vietnam, Argentina, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Maldives, Qatar, Brazil, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, China, Iraq, Ecuador, Nigeria, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, Paupa New Guinea, Moldova, Venezuela, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Czech Republic, Vietnam, Norway, Finland and in cities across the United States such as Woodstock, Benton, Stockton, Hilo and more.

Today is:

Today is Sunday, February 27, the 58th day of 2011.

There are 307 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is: 

There isn't one.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Norwegian Wood

The Beatles

Obama says Gadhafi's time is up as Libya's leader

President Barack Obama dropped the careful condemnation, threats of consequences and the reminders to Moammar Gadhafi's regime about its responsibility to avoid violence.

Full Story

More:

Obama: It's time for Gadhafi to go

For the first time, the president drops his careful condemnation of the Libyan leader.

He 'needs to do what is right' 

Also: 

• U.N. imposes sanctions
• Tunisian PM resigns
• Rebels prepare for fight

U.N. imposes Libya sanctions

U.N. imposes sanctions on Libya

The Security Council orders an arms embargo and asset freeze on Gadhafi and his regime.  

Investigation ahead 

Also: 

• Caretaker government?
• Pro-Gadhafi gangs
• Italy sold arms to Libya

It's All Over for Maummar

Qaddafi’s Ukrainian Nurse Planning to Leave Libya

One of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s personal nurses is planning to leave Tripoli and return to her hometown in Ukraine, Kiev-based newspaper Segodyna reported, citing the woman’s daughter.

Galina Kolotnitskaya left home nine years ago to work in Libya, first at a hospital and then as part of Qaddafi’s personal staff, the newspaper reported.

“Mom got in touch with me yesterday,” Tatyana Kolotnitskaya, her daughter, was cited as saying. “She said she’s in Tripoli now. There’s shooting, fighting, basically everything they’re showing on the news. She was speaking in a calm voice and asked me not to worry, and said that soon she’ll be home.”

Tatyana Kolotnitskaya said she didn’t know whether her mother was still with Qaddafi, whose rule over the North African country is in doubt as units of his army defect to join protests.

Qaddafi “has other Ukrainian nurses. My mom is one of them. For some reason, he doesn’t trust Libyan women,” Kolotnitskaya was cited as saying.

Tunisian prime minister announces resignation

Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi announces a national unity government in Tunis.

Full Story

One killed in Oman protests as police fire tear gas, rubber bullets in clashes with protesters

Omani security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters demanding political reforms on Sunday, killing at least one person in the strategic Gulf country, police officials said.

Full Story

China's internet censors don't like the smell of "Jasmine"

China's state Internet censors have ratcheted up web filters, and security officers are harassing and detaining bloggers and activists as an online appeal for a "Jasmine Revolution" spreads in China.

The apparent crackdown came in advance of two top legislative meetings, the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, scheduled for March. Censors blocked the word "jasmine" after overseas dissident-run news website Boxun and Chinese Twitter users broadcast calls on February 19 to mobilize street protests modeled on recent unrest in the Middle East, according to international news reports. (Twitter is generally blocked in China but accessible to users of proxy networks based overseas.) Only a handful of protesters appeared, although calls continued for government protests characterized as "strolls" to continue every Sunday around China, according to The Associated Press.

China detains, censors bloggers on 'Jasmine Revolution'

North Korea threatens to fire at South Korea

North Korea's military threatened Sunday to fire at South Korea, as Seoul prepared to start annual joint drills with U.S. troops, maneuvers Pyongyang says are a rehearsal for an invasion.

Full Story

Due to budget cutbacks

Odds and Sods

Talk about a sucker punch ...

They soon found out that their would-be victim, age 62, used to be a professional boxer.

Officers stop DUI car by hand

A Little Village motorist was so drunk from celebrating his divorce that police were able to stop the car he was slowly driving by hand early Wednesday on the Southwest Side, police said

Man Arrested After Hacking Website Of Company Where Ex-Girlfriend Works

Sarasota police say they have arrested a man for hacking a community theater's website

We Need a New John Steinbeck

We need a new John Steinbeck in America.

Read more here.

Wisconsin Police join Protesters occupying statehouse

More here

Scott might want to consider getting out while he's behind.

Also:

Protesters Across US Decry Wisconsin Anti-Union Efforts

Rallies were held across the country Saturday to support thousands of protesters holding steady at the Wisconsin Capitol in their fight against Republican-backed legislation aimed at weakening unions.

And more ...

Protesters out in force nationwide to oppose Wisconsin's anti-union bill

Nearly two weeks into a political standoff, tens of thousands rallied in Madison and in dozens of cities around the nation to oppose a bill that would severely limit collective bargaining rights for most Wisconsin public employees.

Full Story

Distribution of Wealth

 

We posted this graph a few days ago with the accompanying story. But the graph bears reposting to remind everyone just how fucked up it is for nearly every American except the 1%ers.

Where does the federal government get its money ?

 

Found at Mother Jones

Just so you know how the government gets your money.

Shared Sacrifices

Nearly 49% of new jobs are low wage positions

Good luck rebounding if there's no middle class. This isn't a new problem but Washington keeps pretending as though it isn't even a problem. The decades long decline is ignored by both parties in favor of making life easier and more comfortable for the financial elite.

NY Times:

America’s private payrolls shrank from January 2008 through February 2010, losing 8.84 million jobs on net. They have been growing every month since that nadir, adding 1.26 million jobs on net. (Public payrolls are another story — they’ve been falling over the last year.)

All this means, of course, that the private sector job market still has a long way to go before it returns to its previous peak. Worse, those jobs that have been created in the last year typically pay less than the jobs they’re replaced.

According to NELP:

* Lower-wage industries (those paying $9.03 -$12.91 per hour) accounted for just 23 percent of job losses, but fully 49 percent of recent growth.
* Midwage industries ($12.92 -$19.04 per hour) accounted for 36 percent of job losses, and 37 percent of recent growth.
* Higher-wage industries ($19.05 -$31.40 per hour) accounted for 40 percent of job loss, but only 14 percent of recent growth.

Just in case you didn't know ...

Corporate profits soar thanks to record unemployment.

You Have More Money in Your Wallet Than Bank of America Pays in Federal Taxes

Today, hundreds of thousands of people comprising a Main Street Movement - a coalition of students, the retired, union workers, public employees, and other middle class Americans - are in the streets, demonstrating against brutal cuts to public services and crackdowns on organized labor being pushed by wingnut teabagging politicians.

Full Story

What your tax preparer needs

Paperwork that your tax preparer needs

You're liable for the info on your form, so track down all the right documents and receipts.  

What you can and can't claim 

Also: 

• Handy tax checklist
• Disappearing tax breaks  
• Avoiding common mistakes

Your three key money numbers

The three money figures that matter most

These numbers will show you if you’re on track to reach your major financial goals.  

The 10 and 10 rule 

Also: 

• Five ways to save more
• Ignore the price tags  
• Debt-free game plan

Pay off your home faster?

Should you pay off your mortgage faster?

Answer these questions to see if whittling your loan balance would be a smart step.  

Why your age matters 

Also: 

• Find low mortgage rates
• Prepping a house for sale  
• Home appraisal tips

Bargain retirement spots

10 spots for retirement bargains

These areas boast a high standard of living and housing prices that have fallen up to 91 percent.  

Free recreation 

Also: 

• Homes for $600 a month
• Avoid retirement blunders
• Retirees find paradise

Non Sequitur

Best affordable beach resorts

Best affordable beach resorts

Vietnam's Sheraton Nha Trang features upscale touches — for $180 per night.

Scenic French hotel for less than $200 

Also: 

• Top beach destinations
• 10 trips you can afford 
• Look for current deals

Hotels with incredible views

10 hotels & inns with incredible views

Priceless Caribbean views come with a stay at an eco-resort in St. John's. 

See L.A. from an A-list vantage point 

Also: 

• Best U.S. coastal hotels
• Priciest rooms worldwide  
• Hotels big on romance

Random Celebrity Photo

Care to guess who this might be?

Singer Shakira accepts Harvard honor

Grammy Award-winning singer and philanthropist Shakira has been honored by Harvard University.

Full Story

 

Singer Shakira: Latinos In US Will Have 'Justice'

Colombian singer Shakira was honored Saturday by Harvard University for her artistic and humanitarian work.

Earliest Surviving Monopoly Game Sells For £90,000

This round board made from oilcloth is one of 5000 made by Charles Darrow in 1933. This is the only circular Darrow Monopoly game known to still exist. It is hand coloured in pen and ink and the pieces are made of wood moulding. Darrow based his game on  political activist Lizzie Magie’s Landlord’s Game which she created to point out social injustice at the turn of the last century. Darrow produced his game, set in Atlantic City, during the Great Depression when he was out of work and had a family to support. He sold the rights to Monopoly to Parker Brothers Games in 1934, putting an end to his financial worries.

Full Story

Mysterious fluid rendered 1930s intestines immune to broken glass

A secret fluid reported on in the pages of the June, 1931 ish of Modern Mechanix had the property of rendering your intestines "immune" to cuts from glass, allowing you to ingest any amount of broken crystalware with impunity.

EATING light bulbs, bottles and tumblers with relish is the amazing feat performed by "Professor" Paul Owen, of New York City. The secret of his performance lies in a fluid which he swallows to render his intestines immune to cuts by the glass.

Glass Eaten With Secret Fluid (Jun, 1931)

A Virtual Reality Concept from the 15th Century

In 1420 Venetian engineer Giovanni Fontana created a proposal for the Castle of Shadows.

From BLDG Blog:

Philippe Codognet describes the 15th-century machine as “a room with walls made of folded translucent parchments lighted from behind, creating therefore an environment of moving images. Fontana also designed some kind of magic lantern to project on walls life-size images of devils or beasts.” Codognet goes on to suggest that the device is an early ancestor of today’s CAVE systems, or virtual reality rooms—an immersive, candlelit cinema of moving screens and flickering images.

Full sized image at BLDG Blog

Bobbysoxer

This is a Bobbysoxer … Just in case you are to young to know what that is

Most snooze-worthy pillows

The most snooze-worthy pillows

A test finds the best fiberfill pillow is also a great deal from $11 to $14.  

Top picks for down, foam & wool, too 

Also: 

• Pillow-arranging style?
• Keeping linens clean  
• Browse for bedding

Helpful Hints

Easy ways to speed-clean your kitchen

Remember to do these simple tasks daily, and your next cleanup should be painless.  

Always start with this spot 

Also: 

• Tips for bathroom cleaning
• Budget kitchen remodels  
• 10 nontoxic deodorizers

U.S. medical experiments

Ugly U.S. history of human medical testing

A commission examines dozens of cases where healthy people were made sick.  

Prisoners, patients infected 

Also: 

• One famous experiment
• Travelers' measles risk
• Soft drink stroke concern

FDA Approves 'More Effective' Hypertension Drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a drug that it says is more effective than others when it comes to treating high blood pressure.

Full Story

Cookie sales barred at Girl Scouts founder's home

And this is a bad thing, how?

Girl Scouts are no longer able to sell their famous cookies outside the historic Savannah home of the woman who founded the organization almost a century ago.

Full Story

'Local' Food In Britain Comes From As Far Away As New Zealand

Borough Market in Southwark, London. 

Photo: Herry Lawford / Creative Commons.

Shoppers in England and Wales who have been carefully seeking out locally produced foods while making their market rounds came in for a shock this week when a government body announced that foods labeled "local" actually came from other European countries, and even from as far away as New Zealand.

Article continues: Buyer Beware: 'Local' Food In Britain Comes From As Far Away As New Zealand, Study Shows

Three Reasons to Skip Organic and Grow Your Own Produce

For beginner gardeners, growing herbs is a good way to start.

Growing your own produce is all the rage nowadays. You may have toyed with the idea of growing your own, but decided that picking up your produce from the grocery was the ideal way. Think again! Southern Living's Associate Garden Editor Rebecca Bull Reed shares her insights…

Read More

Neanderthals cooked and ate vegetables

Researchers in the US have found grains of cooked plant material in the teeth of the remains.
The study is the first to confirm that the Neanderthal diet was not confined to meat and was more sophisticated than previously thought.
The research has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The popular image of Neanderthals as great meat eaters is one that has up until now been backed by some circumstantial evidence. Chemical analysis of their bones suggested they ate little or no vegetables.

Neanderthals cooked and ate vegetables

Ziggy

Low Pay, Big Risks For Fuel Haulers In Afghan War

On the dashboard of his truck, Nowsher Awan keeps a colorful little box and a toy puppy biting on a candy cane.

Full Story

Organism that secretes fuel?

Growing diesel fuel from the ground?

A biotech company says it has genetically engineered an organism that secretes fuel.  

Skeptics sound off 

Also: 

• Panic over oil supplies
• Asia's oil dependence
• Afghan fuel hauler risks

Traveler's palm

What a magnificent plant (Philippine Islands, 1926).  

Details from Wikipedia:

Ravenala madagascariensis, commonly known as Traveler's Tree or Traveler's Palm, is a species of plant from Madagascar. It is not a true palm (family Arecaceae) but a member of the bird-of-paradise family, Strelitziaceae... It has been given the name "traveler's palm" because the sheaths of the stems hold rainwater, which can be used as an emergency drinking supply. The enormous paddle-shaped leaves are borne on long petioles, in a distinctive fan shape aligned in a single plane.

Photo from the NOAA Library, via the New Shelton wet/dry.

B.C.

Upping the cute factor

Wolf dog sings to stop baby from crying

Deepsea Crawler

Last Wild Bison Herd in North America Facing Extinction

Image Source (Dan Anderson)

In the early 1800s more than 65 million bison roamed North America, now their numbers have been reduced to approximately 3900. Bison in the U.S. are mostly confined within the perimeter of  Yellowstone National Park but heavy snows in recent years have led them to roam to lower elevations where it is easier to forage for vegetation. Montana farmers fear roaming bison could spread brucellosis, a disease which causes abortion or premature calving, to their livestock though there have been no documented cases of bison to cattle transmission. In response to this concern the State of Montana has developed a bison management plan. Bison entering Montana along Yellowstone’s north boundary would be shot or shipped to slaughter and all bison entering Montana through the park’s west boundary would be tested for brucellosis. Any bison testing positive for the disease would be shot or shipped to slaughter. Currently 400 animals are being held in government-operated pens near Gardiner, Montana.
The  Defenders of Wildlife organization argues that such a lethal approach is unnecessary and has started an online petition to save the Yellowstone bison.

Full Story

Animal Pictures

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
New beginnings are born every day, usually without you noticing them.
That's probably because until they take a recognizable form, they never seem to matter.
A green plant by the side of the road is just a forgettable weed until it begins to flower and create an intoxicating perfume.
Things change and evolve, and new opportunities grow.
Don't write someone off as uninteresting (or not interested) right away.
You never know how change can create something new -- or new feelings.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Santander, Cantabria, Spain
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
London, England, United Kingdom
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Milton, Keynes, England, United Kingdom
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Petaling, Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Krasnodar, Krasnodar, Russia

as well as Slovakia, Malta, Bulgaria, Israel, Finland, Austria, Norway, Georgia, Mexico, Peru, Kuwait, Serbia, Bangladesh, Latvia, Greece, Scotland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Wales, Iran, Singapore, Poland, Taiwan, Sweden, Afghanistan, Belgium, Tibet, Croatia, Pakistan, Romania, Paraguay, Sudan, Vietnam, Argentina, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Maldives, Qatar, Brazil, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, China, Iraq, Ecuador, Nigeria, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, Paupa New Guinea, Moldova, Venezuela, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Czech Republic, Vietnam, Norway, Finland and in cities across the United States such as Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Wilmington and more.

Today is:

Today is Saturday, February 26, the 57th day of 2011.

There are 308 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is: 

For Pete's Sake Day.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

President Obama's Weekly Address

Remarks of President Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
February 26, 2011
Washington, DC

Over the last month, I’ve been traveling the country, talking to Americans about how we can out-educate, out-innovate, and out-build the rest of the world. Doing that will require a government that lives within its means, and cuts whatever spending we can afford to do without.  But it will also require investing in our nation’s future – training and educating our workers; increasing our commitment to research and technology; building new roads and bridges, high-speed rail and high-speed internet.

In cities and towns throughout America, I’ve seen the benefits of these investments.  The schools and colleges of Oregon are providing Intel – the state’s largest private employer – with a steady stream of highly-educated workers and engineers.  At Parkville Middle School outside of Baltimore, engineering is the most popular subject, thanks to outstanding teachers who are inspiring students to focus on their math and science skills.

In Wisconsin, a company called Orion is putting hundreds of people to work manufacturing energy-efficient lights in a once-shuttered plant.  And in the small community of Marquette, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, widely accessible high-speed internet has allowed students and entrepreneurs to connect to the global economy.  One small business, a third-generation, family-owned clothing shop called Getz’s is now selling their products online, which has helped them double their workforce and make them one of America’s 5,000 fastest-growing companies in a recent listing.

Each of these places reminds us that investments in education, innovation, and infrastructure are an essential down payment on our future. But they also remind us that the only way we can afford these investments is by getting our fiscal house in order.  Just like any family, we have to live within our means to make room for things we absolutely need.

That’s why I’ve called for a freeze on annual domestic spending over the next five years – a freeze that would cut the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade, bringing this kind of spending to its lowest share of our economy since Dwight Eisenhower was President. Just to be clear, that’s lower than it was under the past three administrations, and lower than it was under Ronald Reagan.

Now, putting this budget freeze in place will require tough choices. That’s why I’ve frozen salaries for hardworking civil servants for three years, and proposed cutting programs I care about deeply, like community action programs in low-income neighborhoods. I’m not taking these steps lightly – but I’m taking them because our economic future demands it.

Still, a freeze in annual domestic spending is just a start. If we’re serious about tackling our long-run fiscal challenges, we also need to cut excessive spending wherever we find it – in defense spending, spending in Medicare and Medicaid, and spending through tax breaks and loopholes.

I’m willing to consider any serious ideas to help us reduce the deficit – no matter what party is proposing them. But instead of cutting the investments in education and innovation we need to out-compete the rest of the world, we need a balanced approach to deficit reduction. We all need to be willing to sacrifice, but we can’t sacrifice our future.

Next week, Congress will focus on a short-term budget. For the sake of our people and our economy, we cannot allow gridlock to prevail. Both Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate have said they believe it’s important to keep the government running while we work together on a plan to reduce our long-term deficit.

Given that, I urge and expect them to find common ground so we can accelerate, not impede, economic growth. It won’t be easy. There will be plenty of debates and disagreements, and neither party will get everything it wants. Both sides will have to compromise.

That’s what it will take to do what’s right for our country. And I look forward to working with members of both parties to produce a responsible budget that cuts what we can’t afford, sharpens America’s competitive edge in the world, and helps us win the future. Thanks everyone, and have a nice weekend.

Middle Class Revolution