JUNE 30th, 2010
Sculptor Nic Fiddian-Green has created a giant horse head that is not going to end up in your bed no matter how many you wiseguys you manage to offend. The Greekhead-Artemis sculpture is a 30ft bronze sculpture that is set to be unveiled at the Glorious Goodwood meeting next week. The sculpture is inspired by the horses of the Parthenon Frieze and has been created in a Liverpool foundry by Fiddian-Green and his well groomed team.
Source: Guardian
JUNE 21st, 2010
Skipping is a great way to exercise; a unique combination of co-ordination and cardio-vascular as Mike Tyson, or indeed any other professional boxer will tell you. Now thanks to the e-rope, we can add energy efficiency to skipping’s list of virtues. The e-rope houses a pair of rechargeable batteries that charge as you skip, twenty minutes and you should be fully charged. Brilliant.
Source: Ubergizmo
JUNE 21st, 2010
Medicin sans Frontiers have launched a new campaign aimed to draw attention to the 195 million children who suffer from malnutrition each year. “Starved for attention” is a campaign using multimedia documentaries incorporating MSF’s renowned photography. The documentaries are short, to the point and explore and explode a lot of myths and misconceptions about malnutrition and hunger. Click here to check the campaign out and to sign their petition lobbying governments and donors.
Source: Osocio
JUNE 21st, 2010
The first African world cup should have been a cause or unbridled celebration; a chance to bring some money into some desperately impoverished areas and a chance to focus the eyes of the world on the continuing problems (as well as the many good things) in South Africa. Unfortunately, FIFA isn’t really interested in any of that, just in protecting theirs and their sponsors interest’s as to the full extent allowed to them by the law.
It turns out the the extent of the law has been worringly extended: in 2006 the government approved the 2010 FIFA World Cup Special Measures Act which makes it a criminal offence to partake in “unauthorised commercial activities inside an exclusion zone” and “enter[ing] into a designated area while in unauthorised possession of a commercial object.” In effect this means that the thousands of England fans bearing the Sun branded vuvuzuelas to World Cup matches could be tried as criminals.
Last week there was a lot of brouhaha about “ambush marketing” when 36 ladies brandishing unfortunate ITV ex-pundit Robbie Earle’s World Cup tickets attended a match wearing orange mini dresses in the colour (but not the branding) of the Bavaria beer company. Having apparently decided that they own the colour orange, Fifa have already hauled the women before a “FIFA World Cup Court” and the two women charged with organising the stunt apparently face up to 6 months of prison.
There are 56 “FIFA World Cup Courts” set up in South Africa for the World Cup,staffing 1,500 workers. They have apparently seen 25 cases between them at an estimated cost of £160,000 per conviction for the host nation. An absolutely shameful waste of money in a country where the majority of people couldn’t hope to afford the cheapest Wold Cup Match ticket. It seems that the poor in South Africa waiting for that old conservative standby the “trickle down” effect, will be waiting for a while.
Source: Guardian
JUNE 15th, 2010
With the Deepwater Horizon oil spill estimated at leaking up to 40,000 barrels per day, it’s fair to say that when most people think of BP at the moment their nice green and yellow logo seems a little off kilter. The nice chaps at Greenpeace have realised this and have set up a competition inviting people to rebrand BP. It is unknown whether BP will be adopting the winning logo, although Greenpeace definitely will. For more information head to the Greenpeace website.
JUNE 14th, 2010
Splashed out £25 on a bottle of Obsession by Calvin Klein and still struggling to get a date? Could be you’ve been going to the wrong places. Guatemalan conservationists have discovered that Jaguars go crazy for the musky scent and have been using the cologne to lure out the normally elusive big cats so they can film them.
When quizzed on the matter Ann Gottlieb, who helped create the scent, stated: “It’s a combination of this lickable vanilla heart married to this fresh green top note – it creates tension.” Quite.
Source: Guardian
JUNE 9th, 2010
In news that is unlikely to deter Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, it has emerged that climate damage can be added to the list of drawbacks of a nuclear conflict. Even the smallest of nuclear skirmishes would result in 690m tonnes of CO2 being added to the atmosphere. Whilst some may argue that seeing as up to 17 million people would be killed in the result of a small nuclear conflict, the team behind this research has got their priorities out of wack. The point of this research though was to weigh up the human and environmental costs of different sources of energy. The team make the pertinent point that with the increase of nuclear energy around the world comes the increase of nuclear technology and ipso facto the increase of nuclear war.
source: Guardian
JUNE 9th, 2010
Conventional wisdom dictates that algae and home appliances are traditionally best kept apart. That’s set to change with the Latro Lamp; a lamp that is powered from electric currents generated during photosynthesis. Combining algae carbon dioxide and water, the lamp charges by a combination of sunlight and lamp owners breathing into the side of the lamp. Designer Mike Thompson encourages Latro Lamp owners to think of their lamp as a pet, although man’s best friend probably doesn’t have to start looking too closely over his shoulder.
Source: PSFK
