1. Nick Denton's latest advice to Gawker staff on pulling in a big audience.
2. Terrible story about an Air Force general forced to retire and stripped of his rank for supposedly ordering unauthorized airstrikes against North Vietnamese military targets. He actually acted by order of President Nixon. Via.
3. How conservatives bury liberal stories on Digg. Via.
Showing posts with label US History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US History. Show all posts
Top Secret America
"The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work."
The Washington Post has created stories, interactive maps, searchable databases, and more.
Batman with a gun (link roundup)
Batman with a gun by Fernando Lucas. Via.
And a few more links:
1. Jon Stewart points out Obama's broken civil liberties promises, and that the last eight presidents have promised to move America towards an energy-independent future.
2. Gawker's guide to Kombucha, "a miracle hippie drink that cures all ailments."
3. "The key to wealth is that it doesn't matter. Once you've had it, you don't think anything of it; you can wear cheap watches." Via.
*Previously: Umbrella Academy pocket watch.
*Buy Swatches at eBay.
Wedding photos (link roundup)
Great photos from a wedding.
And a few more links:
1. Now this is an interview:
Your mother committed suicide, in a pact with a lover, in 1973. Did she suffer from lifelong depression?Via.
No. I think she was having a bad menopause, and she was losing her looks, which were pretty impressive.
2. "Between 1860 and 1900, seven men were elected President. And three of them were then shot to death."
3. Comment and win a t-shirt.
*Previously: Wedding invitation with a balloon.
*Buy US President bobbleheads at eBay.
Grand Theft Election
Grand Theft Election, Dance Dance Constitution, and Super Paranoid Bros. - - the least offensive entries in this Video games for Conservative players theme at Fark.
*Previously: Grand Theft Auto: Emerald City.
*Buy medals at eBay.
Newspaper Club logo (link roundup)
Logo for Newspaper Club, a service that lets you create your own newspaper. Via.
And a few more links:
1. Anti-Barack Obama propaganda collection.
2. You can save a lot of money on sunscreen simply by buying lotion with sunscreen included (unless you need it to be waterproof). Via.
3. Horrifying: "An off-duty Westminster police detective and a California corrections officer were arrested late Saturday in connection with the alleged kidnapping and rape of a 25-year-old woman in Ontario."
*Previously: The first rule of Felt Club is...
*Buy Obama toys at eBay.
Imperial Snuggie (link roundup)
Imperial Guard Snuggie. Via these sites.
And a few more links:
1. Reminder: Big scoops on politicians commonly come to reporters from rival candidates. For example, Obama's team spread the word about Edwards' $400 haircuts. Via.
2. Moses was the founding fathers' hero, and Franklin and Jefferson wanted him to star on the seal of the United States.
3. Black and white and red photo of Japan. Via.
*Previously: Wookiee Fur Snuggie.
*Buy Moses toys at eBay.
Happy 4th of July
Happy 4th of July everyone. Above are my two favorite images of American independence: Ben Franklin's "Join or Die" cartoon and the Gadsden "Don't Tread On Me" flag. You can download desktop wallpaper-sized versions of them at the link.
And speaking of American independence, my favorite book on the topic is Lane Smith's John, Paul, George & Ben
$12 at Amazon.
*Buy US President bobbleheads at eBay.
A Che Guevara shirt I might actually wear (link roundup)
Earnest or mocking? You'll probably like this Che Guevera/Obama Hope t-shirt no matter your politics. It's Alex Bogusky's effort to redefine America's image. You can see 14 more ideas here.
And a few more links:
1. Creepy face by Dave McKean.
2. If I understand this right, it's very cool - - an ARG for the Pleasant Valley High School Drama Department.
3. Papercraft whales - - I like the straw water spouts.
4. The presentation Pen Ward made to executives to convince them to take a chance on an Adventure Time series.
*Previously: Che exuding a rainbow glow.
*Buy Che Guevara toys at eBay.
Hauser or is it Quaid? (link roundup)
An homage to Total Recall, one of my favorite movies, by Jeff Ramirez. The prints are on sale for $60 each at Gallery 1998.
And a few more links:
1. Washington Post editor Doug Feaver says anonymous comments should be allowed . . . because it's important for everyone to remember that there are lunatics out there. Via.
2. So what hurts the Los Angeles Times' credibility more, that they ran an ad on the front page that looked like a genuine news article, or that over 100 staffers signed a petition criticizing the move? Via.
3. President Obama is the first president to hold a Passover Seder. Here's the guest list. I'd like to see a version of Exodus drawn by Mike Mignola. Via.
4. Star Wars Easter Bunny.
*Previously: Moses vs. Egyptian zombies flash game.
*Buy Moses toys at eBay.
Stylish US Government logos
"Steve Juras led designers Aaron Draplin and Chris Glass in the assignment to create two logos, one for projects completed under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and the second for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery)." So why aren't t-shirts on sale? Video of Obama announcing the logos here. Via.
*Previously: Animated logo for Katy Wu.
*Buy propaganda posters at eBay.
Afro Samurai desktop wallpapers (link roundup)
Go here for two Afro Samurai desktop wallpapers. (Above is just a small part of one of the wallpapers)
And a few more links:
1. A suggestion that James Buchanan was the USA's first gay president.
2. Evidence that the broken windows theory of crime-fighting works. Via.
3. A gentlemanly Godzilla, holding a parasol.
4. Squids...in...spaaaace!
*Previously: Afro Samurai desktop wallpapers featuring Kuma.
*Buy Afro Samurai toys at eBay.
George Washington with a grenade launcher
Today's $9 Tee Fury t-shirt (plus shipping) features "Furious George" - - George Washington with a grenade launcher. It's by DCAY.
*Previously: George Washington as Dr. Manhattan.
*Buy presidential bobbleheads at eBay.
Thumbs up for The Uncrowned King
First, a caveat. Kenneth Whyte's The Uncrowned King: The Sensational Rise of William Randolph Hearst suffers from the same troubles as most other biographies. It's slow, overly dense, and too worried with using footnotes and quotes and persuading Hearst scholars that it's depiction of the man is accurate. Hey, I just want to be entertained and learn a little along the way. So reading the book was a little too much work for my taste.
That being said, the book is packed with fascinating information and vivid depictions of life in America at the end of the 19th Century.
For example I learned that the newly attainable bicycle was considered a "freedom machine" by women finally able to move about with relative ease, and was considered a doorway to sin by those concerned about the new freedom. Their popularity also killed the sale of pianos.
But the most interesting individual to make an appearance is Stephen Crane, who I only knew as the guy who wrote the classic Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage. (It's one of those books they inflict on students in school in the effort to make students never want to read again.)
Turns out, Crane was far more interesting than his books. Aside from writing novels, he also worked as a reporter. He was an adventurer/reporter/novelist before Hemmingway, and was assigned the task of writing about slum life in New York for Hearst's newspaper. The task would put him in contact with a future president, a seemingly corrupt police officer, and a lady of ill repute, and end with his reputation ruined.
To conduct research, Crane spent a night carousing in company of a couple of "chorus girls" in what was then know as the Tenderloin District of Manhattan. As the night ended, and only moments after separating from the women, he noticed one of them (Dora Clark) being arrested by a police officer named Charles Becker. The officer suspected Clark of prostitution.
On the following day, Crane went to the courthouse and watched as Officer Becker explained to a judge that he had arrested Clark for solicitation. The evidence against Clark was essentially the officer's opinion and the fact that Clark was a woman out late at night in a suspicious area. Although fearful he would damage his own reputation, Crane spoke out, denied the charges, and convinced the judge to release Clark. Hearst's newspaper ran a story about Crane's actions called "The Red Badge of Courage in a New York Police Court." The article went as far as suggesting that Officer Becker should be charged with perjury.
Unfortunately for Crane, Clark indeed sued Becker for "harassment." That in turn caused the New York police department to become very interested in Crane's activities. Crane contacted Teddy Roosevelt, who was then a police commissioner in New York, and asked him for help. Roosevelt, was a fan of The Red Badge of Courage, but was also extremely passionate about eliminating prostitution. He advised Crane to drop the matter and keep it out of the news.
The ensuing trial against Becker degenerated into a focus on Crane's apparent fondness for spending time in opium dens with chorus girls. The charges against Becker went nowhere, Clark was arrested within a week for solicitation, and Hearst's rivals delighted in publishing stories attacking Crane's character. Crane left New York, disgraced.
Officer Becker rose through the police department, specialized in extorting money from casinos and brothels, and was eventually convicted of arranging the murder of a bookie. He was given the electric chair in 1915.
The Uncrowned King is absolutely full of fascinating stories like that one. It's not easy reading, but I give it a thumb's up. It's on sale at Amazon.
*Previously: Big thumbs up for Graham Rawle's Woman's World.
Macintosh papercraft (link roundup)
Macintosh paper toy by Mads Hindhede, based on Marshall Alexander's Foldskool Heroes template.
And a few more links:
1. South Korean woman defeated Japan's passport checks by purchasing a fingerprint and applying it to her own finger with clear tape. Via.
2. Download and print a simple, pretty 2009 calendar. Via.
3. Gallery of Time magazine's FIFTEEN Barack Obama covers. Shouldn't they just cut to the chase and call it Obama?
4. Absolutely horrifying story about what a death row inmate did to himself. Hard to believe it was physically possible. Via.
*Previously: Monstrous Apple computer.
*Buy the "CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit" at Amazon.
Shepard Fairey’s "Hope" Obama action figure
Shepard Fairey’s "Hope" Obama action figure, available soon from Jailbreak Toys.
*At my custom toy site: Obama action figures.
*Buy Obama toys at Amazon.
Man "wrestling" a robot (link roundup)
I'm pretty sure this cover of Fantastic Adventures depicts a man wrestling a robot and protecting a woman. And I'm pretty sure that's not a robotic ball gag in the robot's mouth. More pulp covers here.
1. Astronaut releases a balloon on the moon.
2. Best names of NCAA basketball players (including Lex Mongo, Chief Kickingstallionsims, and Pawel Kielbasa.)
3. Phrases drunk people can't say.
4. 23% of the US thinks Dick Cheney is the worst VP ever. Since most people probably couldn't name more than one or two other VPs, that's a great result for Cheney.
*Previously: Best-named lacrosse players.
*Buy breathalyzers at Amazon.
Jazz up your writing with the Obama font
Jeff Domke has created and made available for free download ObamaBats - - a collection of 24 dingbats featuring Barack Obama and various Obama-related design elements. Via.
*Previously: Download fonts from The Price Is Right.
*Buy "The Encyclopedia of Fonts" at Amazon.
Covers that would have been run if Obama had lost
Here's the cover the Chicago Reader created in case McCain won.
Here's the equally irreverent cover that the Reader did run. (You can download pdfs of both here.)
And here's the cover the Seattle Weekly didn't run. (Here's the one it did.) Via.
When I passed the Los Angeles Times building yesterday, there was a line of people waiting to buy commemorative prints of the cover announcing Obama's win.
*Previously: Magazine cover commemorates Spitzer's downfall.
*Buy "MAD - Cover to Cover: 48 Years, 6 Months, & 3 Days of MAD Magazine Covers" at Amazon.
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