Granted, there are only 27 pictures here (it’s a teaser for a book), but these are certainly 27 pictures that changed the world — from the atomic bomb to Anne Frank to Tiananmen Square to the Wright Brothers, and more. Photojournalism at its finest. Link via Kottke.
Month: September 2004
Oprah Gives Away New Cars to Audience
When I first heard about this on the morning radio this morning, I thought “This is just a case where someone has WAY too much money to blow.” While that’s still partially the case, the show’s audience that day was, for the most part, selected because they or someone in their family needed a new car.
In addition, she also gave away a four-year college scholarship, $10,000 wardrobe and make-over to a young woman who spent her teen years in foster care and homeless shelters. And a family with eight foster children was presented with a new houseful of furniture and electronics plus a $130,000 check to cover their mortgage and home repairs.
So, really, Oprah has my respect for at least putting money to people who could use it. Just the same, I would’ve liked to have been one of those folks, as both of our cars here on the home front are approaching 200,000 miles. Anyway, here’s the Full Story.
Bend Burrito Joint Serves Cockroaches With Food
Simone was hungry. Based on the premise that, quite frequently, the little hole-in-the-wall places have the best food, she decides to try out a little Mexican place in downtown Bend called “Super Burrito.” She was enjoying the food until it happened: She saw a cockroach.
There, on the woodboard-covered wall right above our little table, sat possibly the most hated animal in the universe: a cockroach. It was brown, about an inch long, and quite obviously a youngster (I’ve come across adult cockroaches in my travels, and they are significantly larger).
My first reaction was one of astonishment. Then, as I fully realized what I was looking at, there was horror and deep disgust. I instantly dropped my burrito. Jeff dropped his fork.
We were out of that joint faster than you can say “cockroach”. Worst is – you just *know* that that little roach wasn’t a loner. I bet there is a Mama Roach, a Papa Roach, and several, if not hundreds, of Sister and Brother roaches. Maybe even an Uncle Roach, and a Grandpa Roach.
It’s a damn scary thought, but to be quite honest with you, I’m pretty damn sure that Super Burrito has been shut down in the past for health violations, as I distinctly remember seeing the familiar “Closed for Health Violation” sign on their door at one point in the past.I can’t confirm that with any thing on Deschutes County’s hard-to-navigate site, as they don’t have a database for violators listed there (which they really should, as a service to the local community — we do have 290 or so restaurants here, after all).
Simone’s going to file a complaint with the health inspector tomorrow. Stay tuned…
Update on 9/13: Simone has posted a follow up. According the the county health inspector, all three restaurants in that building (corner of Wall & Minnesota) have had problems with cockroaches, partially because the building is very old. The restaurant owners claimed the “little pets” (as the inspector called them) had imported themselves with some produce. “Usually”, he said, “this area has little to no problems with roaches.”
What that also means, however, is that some of the yuppie fancy restaurants in that block might also have roaches.
When Simone asked him if the Super Burrito place had had past health code violations, he said yes, but only very minor.
Again, I stand by what I said above: Health code violations should be publicly available, period. I’m sure a FOIA request would get the information, but damned if I’ve got the time to do a formal request.
The New GOP Mascot
A condom stands up to inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks and gives one a sense of security while screwing others.
(An old joke, but still a good one. E-mail from Barney.)
This Was Legal Before?
Having sex with corpses is now officially illegal in California after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill barring necrophilia. Full Story.
Why Did We Go To School?
Chris has an interesting rant about how we spend a pile of time (and money, in some cases) learning things in college that we’ll never use in real life. So is Chris using his noggin?:
Biology- have I ever had to dissect a frog in day-to-day activities at work? Nope. I guess there’s that pesky thing called mold causing damage these days, but I’m still not sure if biology class really helped me understand it more.
Chemistry- I’m sure if you’re a budding terrorist then, you probably want to slap me silly for dissing the mysteries of chemical X. Okay, there’s that galvanized nail thing on copper flashing that I can mention. I guess the chems are a good thing to know.
For The Poor College Student
Textbooks via BitTorrent. Link via a pile of places, but first spotted here.
The Cab Driver
A man returning home a day early from a business trip got into a taxi at the airport just after midnight. The man suspected his wife was having an affair and he intended to catch her in the act.
While enroute to his home, he asked the cabbie if he was willing to be a witness. For $100, the cabbie agreed.
Quietly arriving at the house, the husband and cabbie tiptoed into the bedroom. The husband switched on the lights, yanked the blanket back and there was his wife in the arms of another man!
The husband pulled out a gun and held it to the naked man’s head.
“Don’t do it!” His wife shouted. “This man has been very generous! I lied when I told you I inherited all that money. This man paid for the Corvette I bought for you. He paid for our new cabin cruiser and the yacht club membership. He paid for our cottage at the lake. He paid for our golf club membership, and he even pays the monthly dues!”
Shaking his head from side-to-side, the husband slowly lowered the gun.
Looking over at the cab driver, he asks, “What would you do?”
The cabbie thinks for a brief moment and says, “I’d cover him up with that blanket before he catches a cold.”
(joke via Jumbo Joke)
News Photography of the Year
I’ve always wished I could be a photojournalist. I’ve always really appreciated how much well-done photography can really tell a story so much better than words. The National Press Photographers Association always has an annual contest for still and video photography, and this years still photography results are in, and the winners are stunning.
A Monster Killing Machine
While the site’s not in English, many of the comments are in English. The commentors say the machine in the picture (below, in case the site disappears) appears to be a gigantic saw used in coal mining:
It’s one scary thing, that’s for sure. In the comments there were links to other sites that show pics of this and other huge mining machines here, here, and here.