Categories
Asides

Economist Robert Johnson

“There are people other than industry groups that should be heard. And in particular, taxpayers and working people in this country should have a voice, because they’ve been paying the bills.” by Robert Johnson

Categories
Asides

Desmond Tutu quote

When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said “Let us pray.” We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land. by Desmond Tutu

Categories
Design Politics

zanews: South African satire not welcome to political leadership

South African puppet show satire doesn’t make it to tv but does make it online

zanewswebsite

Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu as cranky puppets? South African politicians don’t like being satirized in a tv news puppet show.

While originally intended to broadcast on the South African public tv station this show had the plug pulled on it. Widely speculated is the theory that certain of the satirized politicians did not like the unglamorous representation of themselves. A few calls, a little arm twisting and it’s gone. But is it? These puppets can be seen in all their glory online.

Categories
Design Science

Butterfly Emerges from Stellar Demise in Planetary Nebula NGC 6302

A collection of hubble photography – the hubblesite.org – is the source for this beautiful image. The provided information is worth a read, here’s an excerpt:

What resemble dainty butterfly wings are actually roiling cauldrons of gas heated to more than 36,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The gas is tearing across space at more than 600,000 miles an hour—fast enough to travel from Earth to the Moon in 24 minutes!

butterflyemerges

Originally ran across this image at the nasaimages.org, where, for example, one can see this image of, and get information on, the Eagle Nebula.

This image is 9.6 arcminutes (87,000 light-years or 27,000 parsecs) wide.

Eagle Nebula

Categories
Interesting People Politics

USA President’s official White House family photo

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters, Sasha and Malia, sit for a family portrait in the Green Room of the White House, Sept. 1, 2009. (Official White House Photo)

Obamafamily

Actually, The Official White House Photostream has quite a few interesting photos.

bigjet