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Wednesday, January 29 2003

Uterus-branding University of Kentucky graduate says it's standard procedure

The doctor who branded a patient's uterus with the letters "UK" (for his alma mater, University of Kentucky) says it's standard procedure; that surgeons do it to give a "point of reference."

Salon on Bollywood

Salon.com has a good article on Bollywood - Hollywood + Bombay, a prolific movie genre typified by Indian stars doing elaborate song and dance numbers. Dil Se, one of my favorite movies, is listed in their top 10 Bollywood must-see list.

Monday, January 27 2003

Television virgin meets Television professor

A 50-something man who has seen maybe a few hours of television over the course of his life seeks the tutelage of a professor specializing in media studies/TV, in an attempt to understand TV.

Sunday, January 26 2003

A Witness to Evil

"'On my very first day there, I saw a body in a McDonald’s parking lot,' she recalls. 'You saw bodies in the fanciest shopping centers, on the airport road, hanging from bridges, and outside of schools and churches. The terror was meant to be as visible as possible.'"

Stanford Professor Terry Karl (political science) on her visits to El Salvador in the 1980s and 90s; which she testified about in a $54.6 million civil suit against Salvadorean generals now living in Florida - Generals Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova and Jose Guillermo Garcia, both "liable for torture, rape and other atrocities committed during El Salvador's civil war."

Racial profiling via phone

"The National Fair Housing Alliance has found that landlords use answering machines and screen calls racially," Baugh says. "Their ‘testers’ have found that in many different parts of the country, white callers get returned phone calls, and black callers do not."

Saturday, January 25 2003

Big list of computer recycling centers

TechSoup has a list of places that will recycle (or refurbish and donate to a non-profit) your computer equipment; searchable by zip code.

Friday, January 24 2003

Bugs breathe

Scientists have confirmed, using rather powerful X-Rays, that bugs breathe. Up till now, many entomologists theorized that air flowed in and out of insect bodies through tiny holes:

"Among biologists, however, the evidence that insects actively inhale and exhale is nothing less than historic, closing the books on a debate that dates back to Aristotle, who grudgingly conceded that insects are alive but scoffed at the idea that they can breathe."

Online, historical diaries

The Chronicle of Higher Education points to a project in which university students are putting "A London Provisioner's Day Book, 1550-1563", a daybook kept by Henry Machyn, online.

"Machyn earned his living providing trappings for the funeral processions that often stretched throughout London streets. He maintained the journal from 1550 to 1563, recording detailed accounts of key events in the city's history, including murders, executions, and the coronation of Elizabeth I."

Similar: The Diary of Sam Pepys is being put online day-by-day, blog-style.

Both reminiscent of Steve Champeon's now-defunct project of putting some uncle's (or grandfather's or ???) diary from the early 20th century online. Day-by-day.

Monday, January 20 2003

Photos from the San Francisco anti-war protest

I biked over to the January 18 anti-war protest in San Francisco on Saturday. I actually got there at about 1pm; and so I missed the front of the parade, but there were still people showing up two hours after the start, and the street was packed from the Civic Center all the way back to Steuart Street.

I took 97 shots of the protest with my digital camera before my battery died.

People seemed pretty mellow in general, as did the police.

Saturday, January 18 2003

Interesting videos

Director Mark Romanek has a number of his videos online; including Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' Hurt.

Wednesday, January 15 2003

San Francisco Dine-About-Town

Through the end of January, a number of classy San Francisco restaurants are offering $30 3-course dinners as part of Dine-About-Town. Generally just Sunday-Thursday, though...

Black Names on resumes get fewer responses

Professors at the University of Chicago and MIT sent out about 5000 resumes to about 1300 job ads recently; 2 resumes (one high-quality, one low) with "black-sounding" names, 2 (one high-quality, one low) with "white-sounding" names. "Whites received a callback for every 10 resumes mailed, but blacks had to send 15 to spark interest."

The Black World Today also has an article.

Tuesday, January 14 2003

Smart Display

I'd like one of these, but for my Mac, to cycle through iPhoto photos, instead of having to print and frame shots...

Wednesday, January 8 2003

Banned PETA ads

ifilm.com has some ads which PETA tried to get on TV, but which the networks wouldn't run. Singing cows hoping not to be slaughtered for leather, and cats screwing in front of the fireplace... what could be better?

PETA's also got rejected ads here and here.

The Detroit Project

The Detroit Project is the project put together by Arianna Huffington and one of the guys behind the "Got Milk?" campaign to create parody commercials linking Americans' love of low-mileage SUVs with the funding of the (unelected) governments and elites of Middle Eastern countries which we label allies one year, enemies the next.

They've put together 2 commercials so far, which are reminiscent of the anti-drug ads the White House has been putting out; and are looking for money to put the commercials on television.

The site's heavily loaded, though; might be hard to get through to the videos.

Thursday, January 2 2003

Rebuilding the Food Pyramid

Two Harvard scientists evaluate the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Pyramid, which the government agency developed in 1992 to give Americans guidance on the proper foods to eat - in the proper proportions - for good health.

Their findings: following the Food Pyramid doesn't significantly impact health; an alternate pyramid is offered that should give better results.

European Copyrights Expiring on Recordings From 1950's

Soon, some music that's still fairly popular will be free and legal in Europe:

"Copyright protection lasts only 50 years in European Union countries, compared with 95 years in the United States, even if the recordings were originally made and released in America. So recordings made in the early- to mid-1950's - by figures like Maria Callas, Elvis Presley and Ella Fitzgerald - are entering the public domain in Europe..."

Is it moral to download music from file-sharing networks/machines based in Europe if the music's in the public domain in Europe, and not in the U.S.? What if it's a European artist? What if it's a European artist, and copyright to his/her music is held by a U.S. corporation for the purposes of U.S. distribution?

DNA Lounge subversive ATM

AdBusters links to a page at the DNA Lounge's website, detailing the "subversive" text that DNA Lounge owner Jamie Zawinski has show up on the club's ATM. Messages include:

"SURPRISE, SURPRISE: THE GOVERNMENT LIES."
"SHOPPING IS NOT CREATING YOU ARE NOT WHAT YOU OWN"

and more.

About this site

This is the personal web site for Edward (Ed) Piou. Consisting mainly of a blog (operational since 1999) and various photos.

Some online projects I'm working on

Politics

Charity, Non-profits...

A while ago, I decided to put my money where my mind is on a (roughly) monthly basis and give to:

Photos

Public events documented through pictures...