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Brooklyn's Banksy

I was in Williamsburg a couple of weeks ago, and my friend, who's in the picture, told me about this great piece of graffiti a la Banksy that just cried out to be photographed. (My husband says it's Brooklyn's Flat Stanley.) It's actually a piece of waterproofed paper or some similar material, rather than spray-paint on the wall. I'm glad I got the pic when I did -- we walked by 24 hours later and it had been vandalized. Close-up after the... READ ON

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Is this a joke?!

What in the name of Kabballah is going on here? While I've been stunned/fascinated by the sustained growth of the "energy drink market" (and particularly the drinks from these guys), I was completely blindsided by the introduction of the Kabballah Energy Drink. What's particularly confusing to me is that unlike other sacrilicious beverages like HeBrew (The Chosen Beer), this Kabballah liquid seems to come packaged 100% free of irony. According to the ingredient list however, it... READ ON

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McVictory!

According to a recent post over at Greenpeace.org, thousands of emails and letters from environmental activists have won a McVictory: In an historic deal that has impacts far beyond the golden arches and into the global agricultural market, McDonald's is now the leading company in the campaign to halt deforestation for the expansion of soya farming in the Amazon"¦ [They have] agreed to stop selling chicken fed on soya grown in newly deforested areas of the Amazon rainforest. Whether you care about... READ ON

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Frankly Speaking

If you're looking for a ball park treat, you might want to toss the traditional frank in favor of some nachos and popcorn. According to LiveScience, researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have grown increasingly wary of their hotdogs, suggesting that the meaty treat "may contain DNA-mutating compounds that might boost one's risk for cancer." And while there are definitely a lot of "mays" and "mights" in that last statement, the damage... READ ON

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Beware the Ides of August!

Julius Caesar may have had his terrible horrible no-good very-bad day on the 15th of March (at least according to Shakespeare), but today, the 15th of August, was doomsday for two other rulers who inspired the Bard. The Scottish king Duncan died today in 1040, and the guy who took over for him died today in 1057. You may have heard of him; his name's Macbeth. Eerie, right? Although things didn't happen in "out, damn spot" fashion, it's entirely possible that the historical Macbeth (or as he was then... READ ON

5 Questions: The Price is... Right?

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Contest: Your favorite song, but better

Since you guys were so enthusiastic about mondegreens (or, for our new readers, misheard lyrics, like "'scuse me while I kiss this guy"), we thought we'd build on that for this week's contest. In my household, we always get annoyed when "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" comes on the radio -- not because we don't like the song, but because Bob Dylan obviously missed a major lyrical opportunity. Consider the line: "They got some hungry women there and they really make a mess outta you." Clearly, the line... READ ON

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Another display of art (is that the right word?) in NYC

Sometimes I'm tempted to give myself a bad haircut, develop a strange accent and run around NYC at night covering statues in lasagna. I'm convinced that I would then be viewed as a brilliant artist. NYC always seems to be the location of such amusing displays as "The Gates" and now the work of Jasmine Zimmerman, whose elastic webs can now be seen in various locations around the city. Â Â And even if they're not really brilliant, I still find these events fun. And it's always funny to see how... READ ON

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Someone finally reinvents the wheel!

I just saw these pics of the Falkirk Wheel on The Cellar's Image of the Day, and I figured I had to post them immediately. Apparently, two canals were coming at each other, one 24 meters higher than the other, so instead of simply building a bridge, the Scots did one better: they built a gorgeous engineering marvel. The Wheel works by lifting 300 tons of water and ship up on one end while simultaneously carrying 300 tons of water and ship down on the other. And while it does look like traffic jams could... READ ON

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The Champs of Sand Sculpture

Canadian Wal-Marts must have an amazing beach toys section because the participants in the 2006 Canadian OpenÂ Sand Sculpture Championships seem to have slightly more exciting sand molds than I found inÂ my $9.99 kit. The impressive event took place over the weekend. Some great pictures on flickr.... READ ON