Quote
December 16, 2011
59 notes
"This was primarily a U.S. event and we wanted to make sure the Western media was here."

— U.S. military spokesman Col. Barry Johnson, explaining why Iraqi media weren’t invited to the U.S.’s Iraq withdrawal ceremony.  (via officialssay)

Video
October 19, 2011
288 notes

theatlanticvideo:

What Does It Feel Like to Fly Over Planet Earth at Night?

James Drake created this epic time-lapse by downloading and compiling hundreds of still images taken by NASA’s International Space Station as it orbited the planet at night. The photos are publicly available on the NASA site, the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth, courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center. To fully appreciate the stunning detail, watch full screen in 1080 HD.

(via theatlantic)

Photo
October 09, 2011
wearethe99percent: Healthy self-employed 54 year-old works 80 hours/week.  Due to 5 years of 20-plus % annual increases now pays one third of income in medical insurance premiums.  Why is it okay to pay 33% of my income to the insurance companies, but they can’t pay their fair share in taxes? I am the 99%

wearethe99percent:

Healthy self-employed 54 year-old works 80 hours/week.  Due to 5 years of 20-plus % annual increases now pays one third of income in medical insurance premiums.  Why is it okay to pay 33% of my income to the insurance companies, but they can’t pay their fair share in taxes?

I am the 99%

Photo
September 17, 2011
44 notes
nationalpost: In a bid for a UN seat, Palestinians brandish a blue chair As Palestinians vie for a seat at the United Nations, a cloth chair has emerged as one of the would-be state’s most prominent world ambassadors.Crafted by 35 Palestinian artisans, the Air Force blue, olive-wood chair is made to resemble the chairs used in the UN General Assembly in New York City. Since Sept. 4, the chair has been touring through the permanent and non-permanent member states of the UN Security Council.

nationalpost:

In a bid for a UN seat, Palestinians brandish a blue chair
As Palestinians vie for a seat at the United Nations, a cloth chair has emerged as one of the would-be state’s most prominent world ambassadors.

Crafted by 35 Palestinian artisans, the Air Force blue, olive-wood chair is made to resemble the chairs used in the UN General Assembly in New York City. Since Sept. 4, the chair has been touring through the permanent and non-permanent member states of the UN Security Council.

Tags: news Palestine UN General Assembly UN United Nations politics Israel Palestinian statehood chair furniture

Link
August 03, 2011
97 notes
The Atlantic: What People Don't Understand About My Job: General Labor for a Dirt and Construction Company

theatlantic:

theworldkeepsgoinground writes:

It’s 95 degrees and the humidity is 80%. People don’t understand that. People see a man with a shovel in his hand working on a job site and think he’s lazy because he’s just standing there. What they don’t see is the struggle going on inside your brain. The…