Month: September 2010

Traditionally Modern Designs: DIY Cinder Block Planter!: “I love coming across DIY projects that are pretty simple but look so nice! This modern cinder block planter idea is perfect, with supplies that are easy to come by and putting it together is just as simple. They are filled with easy to grow beautiful succulents – the inspiration comes from Annette at {Pot-ted}, a nursery and patioscaping company. Here’s how she did it:

– The wall was built with 12′ cinder blocks – Liquid nails were used to hold them together so there wouldn’t be grout lines and would also allow for flexibility. – The planting is new and as it fills in and starts trailing, it is going to look even better. – The use of cinder blocks allows for many different iterations you could make depending on how much space you have. – They are also really cheap and can be painted if you want to match them to your decor.

The coolest part is that they have a chair in their patio like the one I {found} at {The Gardener} in Berkeley! “

 

Voters leaning toward legalizing marijuana – Marijuana – sacbee.com: “California voters are leaning toward making the Golden State the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

In a new Field Poll of likely voters for the Nov. 2 election, the Proposition 19 marijuana initiative leads by a 49 percent to 42 percent margin.

The measure holds heavy majorities among voters who are younger than 40 and those who live in the populous San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.

The measure, largely favored by Democrats, trails decidedly among Republicans and is losing by a nearly 2-1 margin in the Central Valley.”

 

(CNN) — It’s as predictable as the sun rising and setting. Even though police made more than 850,000 marijuana arrests last year, a recent government report shows youth marijuana use increased by about 9 percent.
Supporters of the failed war on drugs will no doubt argue this increase means policymakers should spend more taxpayer money next year arresting and incarcerating a greater number of Americans. In other words, their solution to failure is to do more of the same. Fortunately, the “reform nothing” club is getting mighty lonely these days — 76 percent of Americans recognize the drug war has failed; millions are demanding change.

[From Sooner or later, marijuana will be legal – CNN.com]

Crazy Airplane Hotel Room Conversion in Costa Rica: ” Located on a coastal rainforest bluff overlooking the Pacific, Hotel Costa Verde near Quepos, Costa Rica, features one of the most unique hotel rooms I’ve ever encountered. A two bedroom, fully retrofitted, vintage 1965 Boeing 727 fuselage, available on your next vacation! Check out the incredible pics and information below on this one-of-a-kind lodging. “

Daily Kos: State of the Nation: “So, ladies, you say you want a raise? How should you go about getting it?

First, you have to figure out how to compete with the guy in the next cubicle. After all, he went to a school almost as good as yours. His grades were nearly as good as yours, too. He works hard. In fact, most mornings, he’s the second person in the office. You know this, because you’re always first. He is young, ruggedly good looking, and he washes his balls with a manly but fresh sandalwood soap.

What to do?

Fortunately, the good folks at Women’s Day and Summer’s Eve have a few words of advice for you.”

 

New drug could help stop the spread of disease from coughs, researchers believe: “ScienceDaily (Sep. 22, 2010) — What if there was a drug that could completely eliminate airborne disease transmission that occurs when someone coughs? Researchers at the University of Alberta believe they have found a way to achieve this.”

[From Lady Gaga Enters The Fray On ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Debate With Video Message]

Christine O’Donnell Knocked By Hosts For Backing Out Of Sunday Shows (VIDEO): “WALLACE: This is not the program we were planning to bring you. Christine O’Donnell, the surprise winner of the Republican Senate primary in Delaware, agreed to come here live in Washington today to take our questions. However, late Friday night ,her campaign canceled, saying O’Donnell was ‘exhausted’ and had to return to Delaware. Saturday morning, O’Donnell called me and said this: ‘I got-triple booked. I had been invited to go to church and then a picnic. I have to keep my priorities to Delaware “

Above the Law – Russia Uses Microsoft to Suppress Dissent – NYTimes.com: “IRKUTSK, Russia — It was late one afternoon in January when a squad of plainclothes police officers arrived at the headquarters of a prominent environmental group here. They brushed past the staff with barely a word and instead set upon the computers before carting them away. Taken were files that chronicled a generation’s worth of efforts to protect the Siberian wilderness.”

 

GoVeg.com: Vegetarian and Vegan Information: “”

Will Smart Contact Lenses Be the Bluetooth Headsets of the Future? | Fast Company: “Imagine instant access to the latest market segment information at a meeting, or seeing the fourth quarter earnings for a company in (literally) the blink of an eye.

Although it might sound like something from a science fiction novel, scientists at the University of Washington are working on solar powered contact lenses with transparent LEDs embedded onto the lens. This technology could be applied in countless ways, from health monitoring to text translation right in front of the wearer’s eyes.”

 

san francisco’s house of falling furniture: “since 1997, the building sitting at the corner of 6th st. and howard st. in san fransiscio, california has been a sculptural mural. the piece consists of tables, chairs, lamps and even a grandfather clock, all hanging precariously out of the building’s windows. known as ‘defenestration’ (a word meaning to throw out of a window) the sculpture’s various pieces are all fastened to the abandoned building to create the illusion of falling. The pieces was conceived of by local artist brian goggin. “

Heroin and Cornflakes: “Water pollution can, generally, be classed into two categories: direct and indirect contaminant sources. (1)

Direct sources include discharged outfalls from factories, refineries, and waste treatment plants that release fluids of varying quality directly into urban water supplies.”