OH My God What The Fuck is That Thing

Galeodes 2, originally uploaded by Drew Gardner.

The title is the actual words i said upon seeing this pic - this is, apparently, a "camel spider." What the...This is perhaps too much for me. Good LORD that's a frightening beast.

Unfortunately Flickr user Drew doesn't seem to have high res files up, but still - visit his site by clicking through the pic to see one other camel shot, and leave him some thank you notes for Sharing The Alien with us.

Hot Family Media Guide Action

"A man punches another man in the face; blood is visible on his face and clothing. A man accidentally snaps off the shaft of an arrow protruding from his side; he winces and groans in pain. A man kills another man by placing a sword and an axe handle on either side of a=the man’s neck; he presses them together to snaps the his spine. A man cuts another man with a sword; blood is visible on his face and clothing. A man swings his sword at a man and a horse; we can’t see the injury, but blood sprays into the air. A man slices another man’s abdomen with a sword; blood spurts from the wound and he cries out in pain. A man cuts another man with a sword; he groans in pain. A man chops off the top of another man’s head with a sword. A man reaches into a fire; the palm of his hand is bloody and blistered. A man’s clothes are on fire; he screams in pain and dies. Soldiers hang a man. A man shoves a sharp length of metal through a man’s stomach; the man falls and the blade protrudes from his back. Men shoot arrows at a group of men; blood is visible on their skin and clothing, and arrows protrude from their bodies. A man stabs another man in the neck; blood spurts from the wound. Men stab other men with swords; they cry out and groan in pain. A man stabs another man in the face and kills him. A man has a scab on his face. An injured man has blood on his face and clothing. A man removes a bandage from another man’s arm and reveals a bloody wound. A man has a cauterized burn on his hand from a previous injury. A woman looks at a mirror and sees the face of a man scarred and disfigured by leprosy. A bloody spear protrudes from a horse’s body. An injured man leans against another man and dies. A corpse has blood on its skin and clothing. Arrows protrude from a corpse. A corpse has a hole in its scarred and partially decomposed face. A corpse has bruises on its throat and its eyes are open. A city’s wooden structures burn during a siege. Stones from a catapult break through a wall. A man tears a veil from a woman’s face. A man tells a group of men, “Whoever dies here today, you will certainly be among them."

This is all from the new Family Media Guide site, in its "Violence" catalog for Kingdom of Heaven.

And these, from the Carlito's Way "Other Content" Incidents section:

Incidents:
Themes of death, destitution, illegal drug dealing, kidnapping, terror, and torture. Scenes take place in a gentlemen's club, a hospital, and a prison. Scenes contain bloody objects. Inebriation by a main character. Contact with illegal drugs. Swallowing and snorting illegal drugs. Cigarette and cigar smoking by a main character. Cigarette smoking by an adult. Fraud. Lying. Breaking and entering. Bribery. Kidnapping. Sale of illegal substances. Prostitution. Theft. Dereliction of duties. Products include: Converse, Coca Cola, Cadillac, and Buick.

Parabuthus Scorpion

Parabuthus Scorpion, originally uploaded by pongboy.

This is a beauty!

11 die in Dutch airport jail fire

This is heartbreaking.

"They were illegal aliens waiting to be extradited to their countries of origin," Immigration Service spokesman Martin Bruinsma told AP. "We are still busy trying to confirm their identities."

A prisoner told the Dutch television station NOS that guards initially did not take prisoners' warnings of a fire seriously and told them nothing was wrong.

"They didn't open the door. They kept us locked up. Our throats started hurting. We were kicking and screaming," said the detainee who was not identified.

Jeb Bush on Perspective

Dr. Jebrey Bush, Viscount of Florida, remarks on the chaos in getting supplies to those affected by Hurricane Wilma:

"People had ample time to prepare. It isn't that hard to get 72 hours worth of food and water."

Thanks, buuuuuddy!

Jumping Spider (flickr)

, originally uploaded by Amery Carlson.

Check ot the rest of Amery's shots of this guy on flickr.

The Open Library

From the site...

"The Open Library website was created by the Internet Archive to demonstrate a way that books can be represented online.

The vision is to create free web access to important book collections from around the world.

Books are scanned and then offered in an easy-to-use interface for free reading online. If they're in the public domain, the books can be downloaded, shared and printed for free."

This is just way too beautiful. Have a look

Remote Sensing & GIS

The processes of satellite imagery are a whole lot more involved and fascinating than they may seem at first.

It's not just aiming a camera at the earth - a camera several hundred kilometers up - and snapping a picture. To go a step further, it's not just a record of the visual intensity within each "pixel" of the eye of the "camera," mapped onto a pixel of the image we ultimately see.

This site, from scientist Ned Horning at the American Museum of Natural History (hmm...), is a fantastic introduction to this field - I'm working my way through the Basic Concepts sections right now. I HIGHLY recommend it, if you have half an ounce of interest in where those astonishing images you've seen come from.

More great satellite imagery places:
- European Space Agency
- NASA's Earth Observatory
- Space Imaging (commercial)

Armour

Scorpion (1), originally uploaded by adamhenning.

This is some staggering armour. I'm still awaiting a good War of the World style movie with big scorpions.

UPDATE (10/25): High-larious fact. So, a few months ago, one of my co-workers forwarded me the link to a blog of a friend-of-a-friend who was in the army and was being deployed to Iraq. For the last couple of months I have been reading his occasional posts about preparing, going through training, wondering what life would be like. A very thoughtful blog actually. Last I heard a couple of weeks ago was that he was going to be deployed to Kuwait shortly, and would write soon. So, he finally updated today, and what do I find on his blog? The scorpion picture above is his. Whaddya know?

Here's his blog. And you can see the scorpion picture in the top post (as of today).

President Bush Urges Nation | The Onion

I'm not above the occasional Onion post...

Have a look

Please, Please, Please

....Please, Lord, let me not have a child that, when he is eight, becomes enamored with a T-shirt that says:

I'm Right.
You're Wrong.
Any Questions?

...For that matter, please, Lord, let me not have a spouse that buys it for him.

(From the "seen at the American Museum of Natural History" files)

Let the Children Drink Brisk Iced Tea (updated)

(UPDATED 10/24 - See Below)

Floating just outside of my active brain a few days (week?) ago was a story about how some "industry group" had decided that it was the moral thing or something to reduce the amount of soda US children drank in school, obesity epidemic, etc. Part of of my mind partially went "heh, weird, Coca-Cola and Pepsico voluntarily deciding 'Hey, let's reduce our sales'?"...but I kind of forgot about it.

Well, that organization changed its name last year from The National Soft Drink Association to American Beverage Association, har-dee-har-har, and there's a times article about whether the "announcement" of intent actually means anything.

Oh, oh, oh - and they have that great stat in there that i recently remembered after 25 years - a 20oz bottle of soda (did they HAVE those in 1980??) contains SEVENTEEN teaspoons of sugar. Damn.

ps. Deep in the heart of McSweeney's i found a great list of "Censored Press Releases" - a rich read. Here's one: "The vegetarian trend among teens is on the rise..."

pps. I think i'm getting a bit obscure on this. The pic in this post is from Lipton's Brisk Tea site, part of some absurd push about Tea being good for you....

UPDATE 10/24: The American Beverage Association has funded a new investigation into soda and its effect on childhood obesity. The upshot? No connection. Thank GOODnes....

In actuality, the researchers are claiming complete independence. Have a peek.

Cold Lonely Bird

Detail:

This morning was cool and gray and rainy. I found this bird perched and frightened on my roof outside the kitchen. He looks like he was just cursed by a witch, and the curse made his beak grow 10-fold, and now he has trouble flying.

Rest assured, however - he flew away quite nimbly when i tried to get even closer.

Anyone know what kind of bird this is?

DeLay'd Gratification - A Chronicle

I'm going to keep a record of the flailing of DeLay as he defends his record in the face of this indictment.

10/21/05
Built by The Editors at The Poor Man Institute ("for Freedom and Democracy and All The Ponies You Can Eat"), this is a much better version the Delay-Earle banner ad. DEFINITELY Click to see the full version.


10/21/05
This is clearly from the "campaign" that built the Tom Delay "Facts" page below. It's rich. Click to see the full version.


10/17/05
GRRRRRRRRAAAHHHHYYEEEEEE!!!!
The sound of Delay freakin' out. A priceless blast of Earle attacks, complete with blood red header with a blurry sad Earle face hiding within.

...
Ronnie Earle has gone from dangerous to desperate with his latest actions of partisan injustice.
...

The Tom Delay "Facts" page.


10/14/05
I humbly submit to you a new political ad from the Free Enterprise Fund, running locally in Austin (where the case is and where Earle is from), and nationally on Fox News. Depicts Earle as an attack dog. You can watch is on their site, or link to the video right here (wmv).


9/30/05
DeLay suggests the existence of a Conspiracy Against Him between Ronnie Earle and Democrats in Washington, but Wolf Blitzer navigates his bullshit.
Streaming Quicktime

(The header for this post, incidentally, is the header from the Children's Page on DeLay's Official Website about his "deep interest" in the rights of neglected children. The page itself begins "Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) has made a personal and professional commitment to reclaim the thousands of abused and neglected children who have been surrendered to the government’s custody.'

Daymare

IMAG0042, originally uploaded by Aimee20MI.

...um, huh? blblblp- wha? Oh, crap, I just had a hell of nightmare...zzzzz....

Arctic Map Vanishes, and Oil Area Expands - New York Times

Oh, come ON! You lost the fuckin map?? And the environment suffers?!

Arctic Map Vanishes, and Oil Area Expands - New York Times

Hot Trilobite Action

Trilobites available for purchase. I've never seen one loose and separate from the rock like that. What amazing beings.

Trilobites, by the way, are close relatives to Chelicerata, also in the Phylum Arthropoda. Both evolved during the Cambrian Period (540-500 million years ago), with trilobites showing up at the front end of that period, Chelicerates near the end. Heh. A mere 35 million years difference (!!).

Whip Scorpions

Scorpion, originally uploaded by magnusvk.

The march of chelicerata knowledge continues. Whip scorpions are apparently not "true scorpion," but are rather related closely to spiders. As you can see, they don't have that spiked tail, but actually spray vinegar-like acid out of their own tail.

More info here, from the pages of the The British Tarantula Society Journal. This page is actually from a fun site called Arachnophilia. As site head Martin Overton puts it, "if it has eight legs (Tarantula or Other Spider, Scorpion or Other Arachnid) or no legs (Snakes or Snails), then you will find something about it here."

They Eat Horshoe Crabs, Don't They?

Horshoe Crab, originally uploaded by The Pocket.

Chertoff, Just Admitted It

It took a month and a half for Chertoff to admit what we all knew. That it wasn't state officials and it wasn't local officials that were to blame in the Katrina catastrophe. Chertoff spoke to members of Congress on Wednesday, Oct 19.

Fall Interview

There's a pretty sizeable interview with the fall on pitchfork, plus a lot of what they call a primer. I don't know if this is the best place to learn about this Top 3 band for me (Cure and Cocteau fill it out), but it's a start. I don't actually know much about this current lineup, so that's pretty interesting to read about. That's his (new, new-ish) wife, i'm pretty sure.

Check it here.

Fall Heads Roll

The new Fall record is out, and it's fucking fantastic. It's mean, fierce, unrelenting and feels like a bookend to the last 5 years of music - just says "That may as well be, but !!!!".

I can't recommend it highly enough. If you've ever liked The Fall, Buy It Now. Chris, go now. Terrifying energy.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any location with samples fo the recordings for you...However, here's a place with a couple of recent live versions of some of the songs.

http://www.visi.com/fall/multimedia/audio.html

The songs "Youwanner" and "What About Us?" are both awesome tracks from Fall Heads Roll.

(amazon link)

Nestle SHAPES

Okay, you've got to be fuckin kidding me. Nestle has a new product called SHAPES that is sugar cookie dough, with PRE-CUT SHAPES. Saves you and your kid the time you would have been wasting choosing what cookie cutter to use and where to place it on the empty canvas. And actually pressing it down through the dough. Only from Nestle, i suppose.

Yeesh. Spend half a second on this site, and the madness starts piling up! Under Decorating Tips:

I like the part where it tells me to Write Boo on my ghost. Uh...okay. Eat cookie. Smile. Kiss mother.

I'll leave you with this, from the email signup form page:


To access your NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Halloween Cookie SHAPES coupon, simply register here to become a Very Best Baker. Registration is simple and absolutely FREE!

As a Very Best Baker you'll have the opportunity to earn Brownie Points that earn sweepstakes eligibility. It's a unique way of being rewarded for interacting with our baking community. Activities that reward points include:

- Submit Recipe Reviews for NESTLÉ Recipes and Swapped Recipes
- Swap Recipes, Tips and Baking Memories
- Participate in Surveys, Sweepstakes and Contests
- VeryBestBaking.com e-Newsletter
- Special Baking Offers


Mmmmm....Special Baking Offers. Later.

BCAT Sunday

The program list from Brooklyn Community Access Television, Sundays, covering 1:30pm to Midnight.


34
Expressions of Faith
Burning Bush Ministries
Agape Speaks
Community Events
Word of Faith
You Shall Know The Truth
The Prophetic Word
Universe of Yahweh
Voice of Bethel
Faith Will Light The Way
Jah Gospel Videos
Life In Christ
Hurting Hearts
Bethany Hour
Moment of Praise
The Soul Winners TV
First Baptist Church
Voice Of Truth
King
Body and Soul Spiritual Revival
Midnight Gospel Hour
Fountain Christian Center, Inc.
Worship Service


35
Mind Body Soul Connection
Kingdom Life Christian Center
Eckankar Presents
Prayer and Praise
The Word of Salvation
Alabando Y Adorando
Maitreya
Ekklesia
Manna Church
Word of Hope
Higher Praises
Pentecost Fire
Have U Heard?
Le Chemin Du Salut
Tradition Lakaille
America Come Back To God
Inspirational Vybes
Full Effect Gospel Ministries
Triumphant Church of Jesus
Gospel Showcase
This Is Your Bible
Life In Its Poetic Form
Triumphantly Your (sic)


Now, I'm not expressing surprise that - gosh! - there are religious shows in Brooklyn on Sundays (!!?), just letting the interchangeable, mix 'n match language of these show names waaaaash over me....

Help!

Holy crap.

This full-color illustrated book is a fun way for parents to teach young children the valuable lessons of conservatism. Written in simple text, readers can follow along with Tommy and Lou as they open a lemonade stand to earn money for a swing set. But when liberals start demanding that Tommy and Lou pay half their money in taxes, take down their picture of Jesus, and serve broccoli with every glass of lemonade, the young brothers experience the downside to living in Liberaland.

(amazon description)

Broccoli?

The publisher's description:

Would you let your child read blatantly liberal stories with titles such as "King & King;" "No, George, No;" or "It's Just a Plant?"

Unless you live in Haight-Ashbury or write for the New York Times, probably not. But with the nation's libraries and classrooms filled with overtly liberal children's books advocating everything from gay marriage to marijuana use, kids everywhere are being deluged with left-wing propaganda.

Mmm mm mmm. If you visit the amazon page, don't miss out on some of the user reviews:

the point of this book is not abstraction but love and hardness--it teaches kids how to have a heart of stone, to be broken with one hard blow, as it were, to be the hero of their fathers--to be able to see fathers as heroes nowadays. because we all know what the liberals have done to fatherhood. they have made it spare, weak and immoral.

but i am a father, i have control, i have mercy, love and the belt! and with this book and the grace of Jesus so too will my chldren conform to the blessings of the Almighty in america. i wouldn't have it any other way and neither should you.

well that's it for me. god bless--and I mean that-- god bless the heck out of 'ya. and let your soul shine and burn until the black night of nothingness comes to take us all into into its soft pink fold.

hope this review helped, fellow travelers.

This book is from a group called Worlds Ahead Publishing, and this is the first book in their "Kids Ahead" series. If you visit their Books Page, don't miss the instant classic "Thank You, President Bush - Reflections on the War on Terror, Defense of the Family, and Revival of the Economy."

Already Dead

Normally I'm not gonna get on people for their different tastes, and if they want to carry a nail file and rub it on their eyeballs on the way to work, that's fine with me. But that doesn't mean i don't get startled sometimes. For example...what kind of Hopeless Desperation makes you read Who Wants to Be Me? by Regis Philbin in the subway on the way to work? Why?

Have you completely finished the rest of your queue of books? This is it? Or is it one that's been sitting on your shelf for a few months, and even though you have a bunch more ahead of it, you just can't wait anymore and have to Get To It?!

My Morning Jacket - New Album

This is the beautiful cover of the new album from My Morning Jacket, a band I'm quite fond of. I haven't bought it yet, although it's getting some good early reviews. Once I do, I'll share my own opinions. Anyone reading this heard it/bought it yet?

Update: Excellent. So much going on - i really love how many songs start with one thing and then suddenly change into a very different sound right before the verse gets going. It Beats 4 You is without doubt going to be on the Best of 2005 mix.

[iTuneslink]

Great New Horseshoe Crab Site

There's a great new Horseshoe Crab website that just went up today! What exciting times we live in. It's loaded with info, including quicktime movie of a HC larva, info about Japanese varieties of HCs (mate for life!), and really quite a bit of good information.

It's apparently a joint project between the University of Delaware Mid-Atlantic Sea Grant Programs and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Walking the Tortoise

This is so adorable. I can't take it.


The whole story.
(via Boing Boing)

iTunes and National Guard

Uh...whuh?

House Approves Attack on Endangered Species List

Rep. Henry Brown Jr., R-S.C., says:

We should protect endangered species, but not at the expense of our property owners.

Oh, no, you've got to be kidding me. Can you even hear yourself? Do you know what those words mean?

From the Seattle Times.
More info at NYTimes.

(pictured: Spotted Owl - hey, at least i didn't pick a baby shot)

20 Million Year Old Spider Found

Ahh, pleasure. The spider was trapped in amber, and a couple drops of blood were also recovered. Apparently it is the first time spider blood has been found in amber, and scientists hope to be able to extract DNA. Hmm, nothing foreboding in that plan...

(via Slashdot)