domingo, abril 26, 2009
Bart's Blackboard
I will not yell "she's dead" during roll call.
in Selma's Choice, Episode 72, Season 4
sábado, abril 11, 2009
Fotos Famosas - Capítulo 12
"Triunfo dos Aliados"
Esta fotografia do triunfo dos Aliados na Segunda Guerra, onde um soldado russo agita a bandeira soviética no alto de um prédio, demorou a ser publicada, porque as autoridades russas quiseram modificá-la.
A bandeira era, na verdade, uma toalha de mesa vermelha e o soldado aparecia com dois relógios no pulso, possivelmente produto de saque.
Sendo assim, foi modificada para que não denegrisse a imagem dos Soviéticos.
domingo, abril 05, 2009
Darwin Awards - Chemistry Went To Her Head
Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it.
Here's one of the most recent stories:
Chemistry Went To Her Head
2008 Darwin Award Nominee - Confirmed True by Darwin
(2 February 2008, Bulgaria)
It was a cold but sunny February afternoon.
Lidia, a biology teacher from Sofia, was driving two friends home from a memorial service.
Suddenly the vehicle stopped.
Bystanders saw all three occupants dash from the car to a nearby manhole and start pouring down liquids and powders from various bottles and jars.
Apparently the biology teacher had been performing chemistry experiments in her free time, and had some leftover noxious chemicals.
It is still not entirely clear what the chemicals were, but two of the bottles were labeled diethyl ether and methanol, both highly flammable liquids.
The former is also used as a sedative, so one explanation for their actions is that they felt dizzy from the ether vapors and thought it was a good idea to pour them in the sewer.
As it turns out, a good idea it definitely was not.
The cocktail of flammable substances in the enclosed space of the sewer caused an explosion so powerful that it launched the manhole cover into the air, decapitating the (briefly) surprised Lidia.
Left without a head on her shoulders, she decided it was time to kick the bucket.
The other two people were not unharmed, but were alive.
They were taken to the hospital with burns on their faces.
They may not regain their eyesight, but hopefully will be able to speak clearly enough to tell their children that tossing random chemicals down the drain is not as wise as it might at first appear.
More stories in www.darwinawards.com. Don't miss it!
domingo, março 29, 2009
Pôr-do-Sol no Pólo Norte
A imagem que se segue é um pôr-do-sol no Polo Norte, na altura em que a Lua está no seu ponto mais próximo do Sol.
Como podes ver, o Sol está abaixo da Lua.
É uma fotografia fantástica!
domingo, março 22, 2009
Strange Buildings - Part II: Hundertwasser Building "Waldspirale" - Darmstadt, Germany
The Hundertwasser house "Waldspirale" ("Forest Spiral") was built in Darmstadt between 1998 and 2000.
Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the famous Austrian architect and painter, is widely renowned for his revolutionary, colourful architectural designs which incorporate irregular, organic forms, e.g. onion-shaped domes.
Natural features of the landscape are expressed in this building: the layers of sedimental rock found underneath the site are reflected on the facade in bands of ceramic tiles and coloured stucco.
The roof of the altogether 12 floors is formed by a garden of beech, maple, and lime trees.
The structure with 105 apartments wraps around a landscaped courtyard with a running stream.
Up in the turret at the southeast corner, there is a restaurant, including a cocktail bar.
Hundertwasser died in February 2000, a few months before the building was completed.
domingo, março 15, 2009
domingo, março 08, 2009
Fotos Famosas - Capítulo 11
"The Falling Man"
“The Falling Man” é o título de uma fotografia tirada por Richard Drew durante os atentados do 11 de Setembro de 2001 contra as torres gémeas do WTC.
Na imagem pode ver-se um homem que se atira de uma das torres.
A publicação do documento pouco depois dos atentados irritou certos sectores da opinião pública norte-americana.
Depois disto, a maioria dos meios de comunicação passou a censurar-se a si própria, preferindo publicar unicamente fotografias de actos de heroísmo e sacrifício.
domingo, março 01, 2009
Darwin Awards - Boner!
Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it.
Here's one of the most recent stories:
Boner!
2008 Darwin Award Nominee - Confirmed True by Darwin
2 February 2008, New York
A 50-year-old man was bird hunting in Upstate New York with his buddies and his faithful canine companion.
They stopped for a smoke, and his dog found a deer leg bone! The man tried to take the bone away, but like any right thinking dog, the animal would not relinquish its treasure. He stayed just out of reach.
Frustrated with this blatant show of disobedience, the man grabbed his loaded shotgun by the muzzle and began wielding it like a club. Each time he swung it, the dog dodged.
Suddenly the "club" struck the ground and fired, shooting the man in the abdomen.
He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries.
He did remain conscious long enough to confirm this account to police; otherwise, his poor friends might now be under suspicion!
At least he didn't hit the dog.
More stories in www.darwinawards.com. Don't miss it!
domingo, fevereiro 22, 2009
Strange Buildings - Part I: The Crooked House - Sopot, Poland
Though it looks like something out of a surrealist painting or a Disney cartoon - this is a real building.
This building is situated in Sopot, Poland.
It is an extension of the already existing shopping and service center which main entrance is at Haffnera 6 Street.
Most of all, this popular walking promenade is a meeting place of the Tri-City Bohemia, people looking for fun and joy.
There is a variety of romantic cafes, restaurants, shops and entertainment centers in this area.
Opened in 2004, the award winning, by Polish architects Szotynscy Zaleski it was inspired by the fairytale illustrations of Jan Marcin Szancer and the drawings of Jan Marcin Szancer and Per Dahlberg.
Arguably the most photographed object in Sopot, Centrum Rezydent’s 4,000m2 of luscious curves are topped with a roof of blue-green enameled shingles designed to give the impression of a dragon.
Colorful stained glass entrances, stone elevation decors and windows framed with sandstone make a great impression.
There is also an unusual roof covered with sheet metal with enamel roof tiles colored with green shades of blue and Parishian blue, which in the whole creates an illusion of dragon scales.
The building promises more from the outside than it actually delivers once you’ve entered.
Do as the tourists do and take a souvenir picture before moving onto one of the other choices on the strip.
domingo, fevereiro 15, 2009
Icebergs Estriados
Os Icebergs da Antártida por vezes apresentam estrias, faixas formadas por camadas de gelo que reagem a diferentes condições.
As faixas azuis são criadas quando uma falha na folha de gelo é preenchida com água derretida que congela tão rapidamente que nem chega a formar bolhas.
Quando o iceberg cai no mar, a água salgada pode congelar na parcela inferior. Esta água, rica em algas, pode formar uma faixa esverdeada.
As faixas castanhas, pretas e amareladas, podem ser causadas por sedimentos, colectados enquanto o pedaço de gelo desliza na direcção do mar.
domingo, fevereiro 08, 2009
Fotos Famosas - Capítulo 10
"Espreitando a morte"
Em 1994, o fotógrafo Sudanês Kevin Carter ganhou o prémio Pulitzer de fotojornalismo com uma fotografia tirada na região de Ayod (uma pequena aldeia em Suam), que percorreu o Mundo inteiro.
A figura esquelética de uma pequena menina, totalmente desnutrida, vergando-se sobre a terra, esgotada pela fome, e prestes a morrer, enquanto num segundo plano, a figura negra e expectante de um abutre espera a morte da garota.
Quatro meses depois, castigado pela culpa e por uma forte dependência das drogas, Kevin Carter suicidou-se.
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