The Sympathetic String

2012-02-21

Cloud tsunami

Fog rolls up along the shore of Panama City Beach, Florida on Feb. 5th, 2012. Be sure to see the other pictures in the series HERE ...

Pro-choice Oklahoma state Senator Constance Johnson (D) introduced an amendment to the Sooner State’s pro-life “personhood” bill (SB 1433) making masturbation illegal.

Oklahoma lawmakers are currently debating legislation that would make it mandatory for women to listen to their fetus’s heartbeat before being allowed to have an abortion.

To protest the bill, Sen. Johnson sought to have an amendment added that would make “any action in which a man ejaculates or otherwise deposits semen anywhere but in a woman’s vagina…an action against an unborn child.”

2012-02-19

Rhino escapes from Tokyo zoo !

If a rhino escaped from a zoo in Tokyo, zoo keepers would know just what to do.

The Ueno Zoo in Tokyo has been practicing what they would do in the event of an animal escape with a huge paper mache rhino. Zoo keepers and police have been taking part in the drills as coworkers are draped in the rhino costume and attempt to break free.

FULL STORY ...

Ottawa's first steps to be "Suicide Safer"

Hundreds of people representing more than 40 organizations gathered at Ben Franklin Place for the launch of the Community Suicide Prevention Network's three-year plan to build a "Suicide Safer Ottawa".

Billed as the city's first summit on youth suicide prevention, the event featured politicians, health care leaders, educators and young people. The goal of the event was to bring Ottawans together to talk about what was already in place and what will be needed to be in the future to help prevent youth suicide, an issue that has captured local and provincial attention in recent months.

World Class Photos

View the entire collection of winning images from the 55th World Press Photo Contest. The winners were selected from over 100,000 images submitted to the contest

LINK THRU ...

2012-02-17

Reimagine CBC

Reimagine CBC is a solutions-focused community igniting a national conversation to reimagine the role of public media in the age of participation.

The CBC is in the process of conducting a major strategic review both internally and through outside regulators. The question is, who will shape the CBC of the future? We think Canadians should.

Add your ideas to the forum or make a post on social media via Facebook or Twitter. And don't forget to vote for your favourite ideas.

NOTE: Reimagine CBC is a project of OpenMedia.ca and LeadNow.ca and is not officially affiliated with the CBC in any way.

Infinite Forest

NYC's West Village AIDS Memorial Park competition

Brooklyn architecture firm Studio a+i has nabbed the top prize in a design competition for a public park and memorial on a wedge of land in New York City's West Village.

Called Infinite Forest, it is devoid of statues, sculptures or plaques. Instead, the architects have proposed three separate, 3.6-metre-tall facing mirror walls that frame – and reflect – 20 white birch trees and delineate the triangular block from the surrounding neighbourhood. For the wall's street-facing sides, the design proposes a chalkboard finish that welcomes impromtu chalk-written messages from visitors and passersby.

The site was initially occupied by St. Vincent's Hospital, a facility that once housed the globe's most advanced HIV treatment programs. Below the park, the firm has proposed a wedge-shaped, learning centre, equipped to host exhibitions and performances and accessed by stairs and ramps and lit via skylights.

"The image is just so captivating. It succeeds as an urban space that is both a neighbourhood park and a memorial. I didn’t see it as an either/or," says Michael Arad, jury chair and designer of the National September 11 Memorial.

2012-02-15

Electronic Eyes

Contact lenses that help enhance normal vision with megapixel 3D panoramic images are being designed by scientists using military funding and may be available as early as 2014. For those who do not want to rely on contact lenses, future versions could involve lenses directly implanted within the eye, researchers added.

Over the decades, the video displays that everyone from fighter pilots to the general public use have grown increasingly complex. One possibility for advanced displays is a virtual reality (VR) system that replaces our view of the real world with computer-generated vistas. Another idea consists of augmented reality (AR) displays that overlay computer-generated images over real-world environments. However, these often require bulky apparatus such as oversized helmets.

SOURCE ...

Alien Brain Hemorrhage - YUMMY!

Next Hallowe'en I think I will be starting the evening off with this:

Photo: Martin Williams

To make an Alien Brain Hemorrhage cocktail, fill a shot glass halfway with peach schnapps. Gently pour Bailey's Irish Cream on top. After the shot is almost full, carefully add a small amount of blue curacao. After it settles, add a small splash (or a few drops) of grenadine syrup.

SEE SOURCE ...

Djokovic tops Nadal

OK, I was going to try to write some sports analysis and background profile about Novak Djokovic [WIKI] like ...

World No 1 Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in a five-hour 53 minutes match (the longest match in any Grand Slam final) at the Australian Open Men's Singles Final in Melbourne.

The 24-year-old Serb celebrated his win in style (see pics). There are reasons for special celebrations as Djokovic has now defeated his Spanish rival in three straight Grand Slam finals.

For the World No 1, this herioc battle was the greatest win of his life. ~~Djokovic's girlfriend was there to cheer the champion~~.

...but I really just wanted to post these pics!

[PICS: ibitimes.co.uk]

~ M Y S T R I N G ~