Most Detailed Picture of the Internet Ever Why would you need a map of the Internet? The Internet is not like the Grand Canyon. It is not a destination in a voyage that requires so many right turns and so many left turns. The Internet, as the name suggests and many of you already know, is nothing but the sum of decentralized connections between various interconnected computers that are speaking roughly the same language. An anonymous researcher with a lot of time on his hands apparently shares the sentiment. The resultant map isn't perfect, but it is beautiful. But on a general, half-a-million-computer level, this is what the Internet looks like in all of its gorgeous motion: This map shows the average Internet usage of the observed nodes over a 24-hour period. Hacking into 420,000 computers is highly illegal. However, these were not sophisticated attacks. Dramatization of a 420,000-node-large map-making adventure. He's a very curious one, too. The research also serves as another much-needed warning about Internet security.
Labeling Issues, Revolving Doors, rBGH, Bribery and Monsanto Monsanto, For Labeling Before They Were Against It An issue of growing concern is the Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods [1]. Many have questioned why it is that while consumers in all of Europe and fifty other countries around the world including including Japan, India and even China have the right to know through strict labeling which foods contain GM ingredients and thus to make an informed choice [2] yet consumers in the United States, purportedly the bastion of freedom, democracy and the "free market" in the world are denied this same right. Polls indicate that the great majority of Americans who are aware of the issue want labels [3][4]. Interestingly, Former Monsanto CEO Robert Shapiro, in a 1998 interview with the State of the World Forum, asserted unequivocally (in answer to a question about the labeling of GM foods) that: "One can make a reasonable argument that consumers and citizens have a right to know anything they wish to know. For more on the Act see [20][21]
Worms help compost almost anything - Laramie Boomerang Online By ALEXANDRA COCKAR / Lbedit11@laramieboomerang.com • Sunday, March 25, 2012 Erika Babbitt-Rogers used to go to the city landfill a couple of times a year to get rid of her household waste. Then, a few years ago, she read an article in a farmer’s magazine that inspired her to start a project that allowed her to recycle more waste. The article described a family farm that used worms to compost almost everything, with the exception of some recyclables — a process known as vermicomposting. “I thought that was pretty interesting. Since my family lives on a ranch, we thought at least it would keep a lot more out of the dump and help with the garden,” she said. She researched vermicomposting and bought a pound of worms to start up her worm farm. “And I thought I had it all figured out. Worm composting (also known as vermicomposting) involves the breakdown of organic wastes by worms and microorganisms, according to information from Red Worm Compositing’s Web site, www.redwormcomposting.
Behind the Picture: ‘Three Dead Americans,’ Buna Beach, 1943 Guadalcanal. Iwo Jima. Saipan. These names, and others from the Pacific Theater during World War II, serve as a kind of brutal shorthand for scenes of unspeakable carnage and, at times, unfathomable courage. But for reasons lost to the decades, countless other pivotal battles in the Pacific have been largely forgotten by most of the world — even as they’re remembered and commemorated by the dwindling number of those still alive who fought in them, and by those who lost husbands, brothers, fathers and friends to the war. Here, LIFE.com recalls one of those pivotal battles, the Battle of Buna-Gona, through pictures made by the master photojournalist George Strock — including one of the most famous and influential photographs ever taken in any war, anywhere: the disquieting image of three dead Americans half-buried in the sand at a place called Buna Beach. The short version of the story goes like this: Here lie three Americans [the editorial began]. What shall we say of them?
Press Statement For Immediate Release: September 19, 2012Contact: Stacy Malkan, 510-542-9224, stacy@carighttoknow.org Oakland: Genetically engineered corn was linked to mammary tumors, kidney and liver damage and other serious illnesses in the first ever peer-reviewed, long-term animal study of these foods. The findings were published today in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology. Read the study here: While numerous 90-day studies have already linked GMO foods to allergies and other health problems, today’s publication marks the first-ever long term animal study on the health effects of the most common type of genetically engineered corn, and comes as California voters consider the Proposition 37 Right to Know initiative to label genetically engineered foods In response to this study, Yes on Proposition 37 California Right to Know Campaign Manager Gary Ruskin released the following statement:
Eating ethically: a tree-hugging former vegetarian learns to hunt Cross-posted from The Last Word on Nothing. I don’t like guns. I’m almost universally opposed to killing things. So why then, did I spend a recent weekend learning how to handle a shotgun and rifle? It began with a dead elk. My first reaction upon seeing the dead elk was horror, then anger that this man had killed such a beautiful animal. I paused for a moment to digest this information. I’ve given a great deal of thought to meat eating. At the same time, I’ve come to believe that meat can have a place in a sustainable diet. I’ve butchered enough poultry with my own two hands to know that killing is stressful, sad and difficult work. Which brings me back to the elk. Hunting a deer or elk from my local community seems like the logical next step. So I’ve decided to try my hand at hunting. It’s possible I won’t be able to go through with it. Essays in the blog are not written by High Country News. Christie Aschwanden writes from western Colorado. Image courtesy the author.
Al Pacino Vocals I think we can all agree that Al Pacino has a reputation for being a yeller on film. But when did this reputation become so in tact? At what point were all the comedians imitating his on screen outbursts? When can we conclusively say that if you’re a director and you want to hire a guy who screams a lot that you call Al Pacino? In fact there’s even an article that teaches you how to yell like Pacino! Granted Pacino yelled in his early days, I don’t think he really developed his signature “almost to be made fun of” yelling style until Scent of a Woman. The proof is in Two for the Money and Ocean’s Thirteen and it’s very disturbing. Al Pacino’s Trials for Godfather A young, soft sounding Pacino. Serpico It’s high pitched but it just isn’t quite “hoo hah” now is it? Godfather 2 Slap Scene Here’s the crazy yelling baby! Scarface Pick a scene, any scene. Sea of Love 1989 baby.
GMO Food Is Actually Already Labeled If You Know A Few Rules Back in 1995, I was party to some discussions about whether about-to-be-released GMO crops should be labeled at the consumer level. It was clear that a failure to do so would look to some like a conspiracy, but we also realized that it would be far too expensive to track the great rivers of grain well enough to be able to label everything accurately. Practicality won the day and GMO foods were never labeled. 15 years later this decision is still being needlessly debated. Why You Can’t Really Track All Grain It does not normally make sense for a farmer to have his/her own harvesting equipment. A “May Contain” Label Might Have Been A Better Choice I actually supported the idea of a “may contain GMO” label, recognizing that things like corn and soybeans are turned into ingredients that are in just about any processed food (corn starch, HFCS, soy protein, soybean oil…). Fruits and Vegetables The “Biotech By Choice” Brand Concept Biotech Wine A Biotech Crop to Feed the World Conclusion
Can we afford to eat ethically? Last month, a report from England found sales of some organic food had fallen up to 31 percent. Ethical food advocates have been worrying about a similar trend in this country since the recession began: Just as the need for better food choices became more widely accepted, our economy fell apart, and consumers who once considered free-range, $5-a-dozen eggs a necessity may start eyeing the caged-hens carton for half that price. A recent National Review column argued that organic food was, in fact, “an expensive luxury item, something bought by those who have the resources.” I had wondered about the elitism of ethical eating ever since I started reading about the movement in books like “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” “Fast Food Nation” and “Food Politics.” When Alice Waters told Americans that they could dine better by forgoing “the cellphone or the third pair of Nike shoes,” my monthly cellphone bill totaled zero and I owned just one pair of sneakers. So what did we eat?
Traditional 40's Pinup Photos Pin It London based photographer, Jaroslav Wieczorkiewicz, has created a 12 month calendar inspired by retro calendars from the 1940′s pinup girl. Except the girls aren’t wearing clothes, they are wearing milk. Very fast milk. Pin ItFrozen with high speed strobes, each photograph is layered from hundreds of photographs of splashes on real models using real milk. And each of the images were taken around the world at his various workshops and seminars. Getting inspiration from iconic images from artists like Gil Elvgren, Wieczorkiewicz takes up to 200 frames to complete an image. Pin It Pin It The 2014 calendar will be available for purchase next month. Pin It Pin It Pin It Pin It Pin It (Via @DIY Photography)
Uncovered, the 'toxic' gene hiding in GM crops: Revelation throws new doubt over safety of foods EU watchdog reveals approval for GM foods fails to identify poisonous gene54 of the 86 GM plants approved contain the dangerous geneGene found in food for farm animals producing meat, milk and eggsBiotech supporters argue there is no evidence that GM foods are harmful By Sean Poulter, Consumer Affairs Editor Published: 23:20 GMT, 21 January 2013 | Updated: 11:03 GMT, 24 January 2013 A virus gene that could be poisonous to humans has been missed when GM food crops have been assessed for safety. GM crops such as corn and soya, which are being grown around the world for both human and farm animal consumption, include the gene. A new study by the EU's official food watchdog, the European Food Safety Authority(EFSA), has revealed that the international approval process for GM crops failed to identify the gene. A new study conducted by the EU has shown that standard tests for GM foods may be missing a potentially poisonous gene for humans