From Wikipedia.com:

A ferrofluid (from the Latin ferrum, meaning iron) is a liquid that becomes strongly polarised in the presence of a magnetic field. Ferrofluids are composed of nanoscale ferromagnetic particles suspended in a carrier fluid, usually an organic solvent or water. The ferromagnetic nano-particles are coated with a surfactant to prevent their agglomeration (due to van der Waals and magnetic forces). Although the name may suggest otherwise, ferrofluids do not display ferromagnetism, since they do not retain magnetisation in the absence of an externally applied field. In fact, ferrofluids display paramagnetism, and are often referred as being "superparamagnetic" due to their large magnetic susceptibility. Truly ferromagnetic fluids are difficult to create at present, requiring high temperatures and electromagnetic levitation.



Ferrofluid on glass, with a rare-earth magnet underneath. A ferrofluid is a liquid that becomes strongly polarised in the presence of a magnetic field. Ferrofluids are composed of nanoscale ferromagnetic particles suspended in a carrier fluid, usually an organic solvent or water. Ferrofluids do not actually display ferromagnetism, since they do not retain magnetisation in the absence of an externally applied field.

From Wikipedia.com

The Four Stages of Cruelty is a series of four printed engravings published by William Hogarth in 1751. The prints depict the progression of the fictional Tom Nero from a cruel child to his ultimate fate: the ignominy of dissection after his execution as a murderer. Beginning with the torture of a dog as a child in the First stage of cruelty, he progresses to beating his horse as a man in the Second stage of cruelty, and then to robbery, seduction, and murder in Cruelty in perfection. Finally, he receives what Hogarth warns is the inevitable fate of those who start down the path Nero has followed: his body is taken from the gallows and mutilated by surgeons in the anatomical theatre in The reward of cruelty.

The prints were intended as a form of moral instruction: Hogarth was dismayed by the routine acts of cruelty he witnessed on the streets of London. Issued on cheap paper, the prints were destined for the lower classes. The series shows a roughness of execution and a brutality that is untempered by the humorous touches common in Hogarth's other works, but which he felt was necessary to impress his message on the intended audience. Nevertheless, the pictures still carry the wealth of detail and subtle references that Hogarth had made his trademark.

Background

In common with other prints by Hogarth, such as Beer Street and Gin Lane, The Four Stages of Cruelty was issued as a warning against immoral behaviour, showing the easy path from childish thug to convicted criminal. His aim was to correct "that barbarous treatment of animals, the very sight of which renders the streets of our metropolis so distressing to every feeling mind".^[1] Hogarth loved animals, picturing himself with his pug in a self-portrait, and marking the graves of his dogs and birds at his home in Chiswick.^[2] Furthermore, his own impoverished upbringing left him concerned for the care of parentless children, and he was one of the Governors of Thomas Coram's Foundling Hospital from its foundation in 1739.

Hogarth deliberately portrayed the subjects of the engravings with little subtlety since he meant the prints to be seen and understood by "men of the lowest rank". The images themselves, as with Beer Street and Gin Lane, were roughly drawn, lacking the finer lines of some of his other works. Fine engraving and delicate artwork would have rendered the prints too expensive for the intended audience, and Hogarth also considered that a bold stroke could portray the passions of the subjects just as well as fine lines, noting that "neither great correctness of drawing or fine engraving were at all necessary".^[3]

To ensure that the prints were priced within reach of the intended audience, Hogarth originally commissioned the block-cutter J. Bell to produce the four designs as woodcuts, intending to have them mass-produced and distributed around public places. This proved more expensive than expected, so only the last two of the four images were cut and were not issued commercially at the time.^[4] Instead, Hogarth proceeded to create the engravings himself. The resulting prints were published on 21 February 1751;^[5] Hogarth announced their publication, along with that of Beer Street and Gin Lane, in the London Evening Post over three days from 14-16 February.^[6] Variations on plates III and IV exist from Bell's original woodcuts, bearing the earlier date of 1 January 1750,^[1]and were reprinted in 1790 by John Boydell, but examples from either of the woodcut printings are uncommon.^[4][a]

As with earlier engravings, such as Industry and Idleness, individual prints were sold on "ordinary" paper for 1s. (one shilling), cheap enough to be purchased by the lower classes as a means of moral instruction. "Fine" versions were also available on "superior" paper for 1s. 6d. (one shilling and sixpence), for collectors. Each print was accompanied by a moralising commentary, written by the Rev. James Townley, a friend of Hogarth's.^[5]

[edit] Prints

[edit] First stage of cruelty

First stage of cruelty (Plate I)

In the first print Hogarth introduces Tom Nero, whose name may have been inspired by the Roman Emperor of the same name or a contraction of "No hero".^[7][8] Conspicuous in the centre of the plate, he is shown being assisted by other boys to insert an arrow into a dog's rectum, a torture apparently inspired by a devil punishing a sinner in Jacques Callot's Temptation of St. Anthony.^[6] An initialled badge on the shoulder of his light-hued and ragged coat shows him to be a pupil of the charity school of the parish of St Giles. Hogarth used this notorious slum area as the background for many of his works including Gin Lane and Noon, part of the Four Times of the Day series. A more tender-hearted boy, perhaps the dog's owner,^[9] pleads with Nero to stop tormenting the frightened animal, even offering food in an attempt to appease him. This boy supposedly represents a young George III.^[10] His appearance is deliberately more pleasing than the scowling ugly ruffians that populate the rest of the picture, made clear in the text at the bottom of the scene:

..>..>..>..>..>..>..>

While various Scenes of sportive Woe,
The Infant Race employ,
And tortur'd Victims bleeding shew,
The Tyrant in the Boy.

Behold! a Youth of gentler Heart,
To spare the Creature's pain,
O take, he cries

Today is Darwin Day -- a kind of Christmas for the science-minded. Instead of observing a religious holiday, today is a celebration of Charles Darwin's birthday and mankind's crowning achievement -- science.

From Wired.com

By Wired News Staff 12:00 PM Feb, 12, 2007

Today is Darwin Day -- a kind of Christmas for the science-minded.

Instead of observing a religious holiday, today is a celebration of Charles Darwin's birthday and mankind's crowning achievement -- science.

Now in its fourth year, Darwin Day is the brainchild of a group of British and American scientists.

"Our long-term goal is to establish a new international tradition ... an annual secular celebration of Darwin, science and humanity," said Robert Stephens, one of the event's organizers, to MSNBC.

Across the country, universities, schools and libraries are celebrating with talks and lectures about science, evolution and education. Many will premiere Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus, a pro-science documentary by evolutionary-ecologist-turned-filmmaker Randy Olson.

On Sunday, hundreds of churches around the world took part in Evolution Sunday, which highlighted the connections between Darwin's theory of evolution and religion.

"Evolution Sunday is a day to celebrate the compatibility of science and religion, to recognize that evolution has no incompatibility with the Christian faith," said the Rev. Jim Burklo of California's Sausalito Presbyterian Church in an interview with KCBS.

A new reason to vacation on the islands.

From StarBulletin.com

Prostitution bill gains support

By Mark Niesse
Associated Press

A bill to legalize some prostitution in the islands has the backing of at least 14 state lawmakers and many women's rights advocates.

Supporters say they mainly want to start debate of the sensitive topic and explore alternatives to decades of selling sex on Honolulu streets. They include 13 co-sponsors in the House, one sponsor in the Senate and the Hawaii Women's Coalition, whose members represent more than 200 organizations.

But House Bill 982 (and companion Senate Bill 706) might not pass this year. It appears unlikely the bill will get a hearing this session.

The decriminalization bill would permit sexual favors done in private, and it would designate areas where prostitution is allowed.

"In general, talking about sex is scary for people," said the Rev. Pam Vessels, of the United Church of Christ in Kalaupapa on Molokai. "Do we really care if consenting adults are engaging in sexual acts for money?"

The bill's advocates hope more lawmakers will support it as time passes. A resolution could be introduced asking the Legislative Reference Bureau to study the proposal.

Soliciting prostitution carries a $500 fine and up to 30 days' jail time.

"It's one of those bills you do it for public dialogue instead of trying to get it passed," said Rep. Bob Herkes (D, Volcano-Kainaliu), one of the bill's co-sponsors.

Prostitutes have a hard time getting help if they are hounded by the police in addition to facing the dangers of their profession, said Tracy Ryan, head of the Hawaii Libertarian Party.

Extensive arrest records make it difficult for them to find legitimate jobs when they want to get out of prostitution, she said.

"By criminalizing them, you're only adding to their problems," Ryan said.

Honolulu police made 339 prostitution arrests in 2005 and 255 in 2004, accounting for less than 1 percent of total arrests, according to annual crime reports.

Maj. Kevin Lima, commander of the Narcotics and Vice Division, said he opposes the bill because it would be more difficult for police to investigate child prostitution if paying for sex between adults were legal.

"There are some unintended consequences of that bill," Lima said.

Honolulu has a long history of prostitution, from the red-light districts of Chinatown during World War II to streetwalkers in Waikiki.

Prostitution remains a problem today in part because Hawaii is such a popular tourist destination, Lima said.

These women should be helped out of their situation, but legitimizing them is not the answer, said Kelly Rosati, a spokeswoman for the Hawaii Catholic Church and executive director for the Hawaii Family Forum.

"Oftentimes, the point at which a woman is arrested is where help begins," Rosati said. "This is exploitation, and the woman deserves to be helped out of this industry."

But others argue that the real issue is that home and business owners do not want prostitutes in their communities, and they do not get much help in jail, said Meda Chesney-Lind, a University of Hawaii criminologist and author of "The Female Offender."

"We don't criminalize other forms of victimization, so I don't think we should do that for prostitution," she said.

From HardestBoss.com

Insane new Unreal Tournament 3 screens

Posted by: admin, in Xbox 360, PC, Sony PS3..

God Hates Shrimp

..>..>..>..>

Why stop at the Gay and Lesbian Community? God Hates Seafood too!

Shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, mussels, all these are an abomination before the Lord, just as gays are an abomination. Why stop at protesting gay marriage? Bring all of God's law unto the heathens and the sodomites. We call upon all Christians to join the crusade against Long John Silver's and Red Lobster. Yea, even Popeye's shall be cleansed. The name of Bubba shall be anathema. We must stop the unbelievers from destroying the sanctity of our restaurants.

Leviticus 11:9-12 says:
⁹ These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
¹⁰ And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:
¹¹ They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.
¹² Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.

Deuteronomy 14:9-10 says:
⁹ These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:
¹⁰ And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.

Click for larger version
Sign made with the Church Sign Generator.From GodHatesShrimp.com

For $30 you can spend the night in a coffin sized capsule. Hey, if all you need is a place to sleep, it's the best deal in town!














....From http://knuttz.net/hosted_pages/Capsule-Hotel-20070207
.. ..

his stunning group of galaxies is far, far away - about 450 million light-years from planet Earth - cataloged as galaxy cluster Abell S0740.

Note: This light is from 450 million years ago!

High Def Image, save it and expand it to see better detail.

"Top Ramen is the king of noodles. With a reputation built on eight-for-a-dollar, ten-for-a-dollar, and even 12-for-a-dollar packaged soup, These affordable three-minute meals have supplied life-giving nutrients to innumerable college students. However, having graduated from the University and forged a respected status in my community..."

From Cockeyed.com

How much is inside Ramen noodles?



Top Ramen is the king of noodles. With a reputation built on eight-for-a-dollar, ten-for-a-dollar, and even 12-for-a-dollar packaged soup, These affordable three-minute meals have supplied life-giving nutrients to innumerable college students.

However, having graduated from the University and forged a respected status in my community, I usually opt for a somewhat classier brand of instant noodle: Sapporo Ichiban.

I refer to it as "the gentleman's noodle".


Like all instant ramen, the Sapporo Ichiban package is actually a food kit, containing both a tough block of tangled wheat noodles and a foil envelope containing 8 grams of salt and leek chips.


These futuristic blocks of nutrition were developed by JAXA (the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) in 1974.

Ramen production started slowly, at only a few dozen blocks per month.

Despite their premium price, the portability and convenience was inescapable. They caught on immediately with Japanese executives, jet-set businessmen, politicians and anyone else who needed to eat "at the speed of space".

Increased production and overseas competition allowed the price to fall, eventually allowing middle class families and urban professionals to embrace noodlemania.


In 1981, the familiar ramen block was joined by a flavor envelope, bolstered by the "Spice it UP!" and "Em Es Gee!" Marketing campaigns. No one seemed to mind that ramen simplicity had become a little less simple.

Everyone associated the little foil envelopes with good times.


The dimensions of the Ramen block are easy to measure: 4" long, 4" wide and 1" thick. But how long are the noodles within, or is the block really one long noodle, carefully folded in the best traditions of foodigami?


On Saturday afternoon, we decided to find out. Mark and I boiled some water and dropped in a block of ramen. In two minutes, the ramen had softened. We knew then we were very close to unlocking their secrets.


A close examination revealed that there were many separate noodles, dozens of them! Mark tried eating directly from the aluminum platter, just like those first JAXAnaughts. The next step was to stretch out the noodles and measure them.


Read the rest of the article at Cockeyed.com

Whoever did these is very good at photoshop, you just have to see for yourself.
I have provided a selection, as always, so the original site can recieve it's dues.


From i-am-bored.com









See entire article @ i-am-bored.com