…I’d like to choose my brand of gas with more conscience. Would you help? A goodie-filled column by Umbra Fisk over at Grist Magazine. The answer to the actual question (i.e., what’s the least bad gas company?) is relatively inconsequential compared to the various links offered up in the process: Better World Handbook Responsible Shopper […]
The Maul of America
There is no doubt that the Mall of America is a ready display of American culture’s addiction to consumerism and the myth that personal possessions will boost self-esteem. It’s also an outpost of a half-century of urban design predicated on the notion that America has enough room, energy, wealth, and moxie to continue building drive-up […]
Posted by Ben on October 4, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/the-maul-of-america/
Fun, fun, fun. The industrious reporter, the origins of Little Red Riding Hood, & swimming through syrup
D.C., where art thou? Rick Lyman cobbles together an article that’s surprisingly readable—and interesting—despite the fact that it revolves around his (Mr. Lyman’s) inability to actually connect with his subject, the inscrutable Dick Cheney. “Desperately Seeking Dick Cheney” is, almost astonishingly, hilarious, and you ought to read it. (NYT: “Desperately Seeking Dick Cheney,” [local version] […]
Posted by Ben on September 30, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/fun-fun-fun/
Project [ XXXXXXXX ] 2005
Project Censored covers “the News That Didn’t Make the News” (their words) and publishes an annual list of stories that should have been widely publicized, but weren’t. This year’s list is no different than any other year’s—it’s as disturbing as always. Some of the stories are alarmist, too, as always. The goal of the project […]
Posted by Ben on September 30, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/project-xxxxxxxx-2005/
Mae, you’ve gotten so… Abstract?
Tom Kuntz of the NYT starts off his Sept 5th article by saying, “If the presidential election were Mae West,” but I wouldn’t hold that against him. Actually, it’s an interesting article, despite the fact that it’s not really an article. What it is is a sampling of comments ranging from 1864 to the present […]
Posted by Ben on September 28, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/mae-youve-gotten-so-abstract/
Freak Accident #3
…though there are obviously many more… BEIJING (Reuters) – A boiler that exploded at a Chinese sauna sailed over a six-story building and landed on an old man crossing the road, Xinhua news agency said. The 63-year-old pedestrian was killed instantly and three people injured in Sunday’s bizarre accident in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, Xinhua quoted […]
Posted by Ben on September 26, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/freak-accident-3/
Mystery Man
Hidekazu Kakoi was looking for a fishing spot about six miles off shore when he noticed something bobbing on the horizon. He pulled his boat closer and discovered a man, grasping a duffel bag. That was just the start of the mystery. Now recovering on the tiny island of Tanegashima, off Japan’s southern coast, the […]
Posted by Ben on September 26, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/mystery-man/
Killer Robots from Bristol
It might not look like much, but the new EcoBot II from Bristol is the closest thing yet to a completely self-sustaining robot. It eats flies. Flies which as of yet must (essentially) be spoon-fed to it—but the future promises brighter things, if not more pleasant smelling things; hopes for the EcoBot II being able […]
Posted by Ben on September 24, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/killer-robots-from-bristol/
A match made in.. um… Wal-Mart?
Somewhere between the junk food aisle and the automotive department, Pat Byrd and Bill Hughes fell in love. (CNN/AP: “Longtime customers wed at Wal-Mart” [August 24, 2004])
Posted by Ben on September 24, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/a-match-made-in-um-wal-mart/
From Arnold Schwarzenegger’s California to Ningxia Province in China
An excerpt from Tony Blair’s September 14th speech on the problem of global warming: But tonight I want to concentrate on what I believe to be the world’s greatest environmental challenge: climate change. Our effect on the environment, and in particular on climate change, is large and growing. … The problem and let me state […]
Posted by Ben on September 20, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/from-arnold-schwarzeneggers-california-to-ningxia-province-in-china/