Why Dogs Hate Halloween

Halloween | Favorite Children's Costumes 2012

Wilson

Big Bird

Wayne and Garth

Frida Kahlo

Jigsaw

Jack Skellington

Link

Baby Mop

Finally!! Now I just need to find a baby. Buy the Baby Mop at Better Than Pants.

Via Jezebel

Halloween | Master Pumpkin Carving

Click on the images to enlarge them. Check out many more wonderful examples of pumpkin carving and sand sculpting  at the Villafane Studios' website.

Maybe it's just me, but don't a lot of the faces look like George Bush?

Thanks, Phyl

Halloween | Squirrel

Source

Cisgender

And You Have To Give Them Hope

Best Of Craigslist

Cat Holder-Downer
Asheville

I'm new to town and need someone to help me for about half an hour while I give my rockin' awesome cat a haircut. I don't want to pay a groomer $75 and don't want to stress my fantastic feline out by taking him somewhere he's not comfortable. He is very docile and does not mind this procedure; it's just a two man job that I'm short a reliable person to operate.

All I need you to do is 1) Be cool 2) Dig cats 3) Hold my cat for half an hour. He 1) Rawks 2) Will not bite, scratch, urinate, defecate and/or molest, harry and/or pillage your forearm region. He will 1) lick 2) head butt and/or 3) give aforementioned area loving attention.

This needs to be done at my apartment and I will pay compensate you with beer, good music, stimulating conversation & $10 (It's not much, but you're doing this because it will make a great story). You may bring a companion, alert the authorities of your whereabouts and do anything else you need to make sure you feel safe. I will not monetarily compensate any colleagues you bring; however, said cohorts may help themselves to one of the following options 1) one alcoholic beverage & one snack 2) two non-alcoholic beverages & one snack 3) unlimited ice cold water & two snacks. Also, your may choose to watch television and/or listen to my massive collection of vintage and contemporary vinyl collection while grooming is being performed.

Let me know you're not a weirdo, creep show and/or otherwise sketch ball in your reply. This is life low hanging bucket list/life adventure fruit y'all.


Artist needed. Must love owls.
Hawaii

Imagine yourself driving through taro fields with King Kamehameha watching after you. He turns to you and requests this in Hawaiian. We need an artist to depict the following: an owl skeleton with a parrot on its shoulder. The parrot is not a skeleton and is very colorful. The parrot has a peg leg, with a pirate hat on. The owl has an eye patch and a gold chain necklace with a skull on the pendant of said necklace. The skull in the pendant has an eye patch on the opposite eye of the owl (long story there don't ask). The owl skeleton also has on a wizard's hat with that typical wizard hat wrinkle. The owl is standing on a cowboy hat from a whale's spout. This all is within a snow globe. That santa is holding with his only good hand because his other hand is a hook. Mrs. Clause is pulling on Mr. Clause's coat with one of those dinosaur mouth grabbers that all 80's children know.

If you can draw this we will pay you and give you a prize.


You may of been my true-love-prince! - w4m
San Francisco

I, was wearing purple polka-dotted crotchless panties, yellow fuzzy tap dancing shoes and rainbow knee-high socks with swirly peace signs. On my tits, I had disco pasties. I have sicc multi-colored dreads.

You, had a green goatee, and no pants. A cow patterned blazer, No shirt. Sicc tatts.

I saw you hula'n on the multi-colored flying dragon art-car as I was riding my TIGHT cruzer thru da sicc playa dust. We made eye-contact and never saw each again! Hope the universe brings us together. Namaste.

P.s. my name is Raven.
p.p.s we saw each other at burning man.

TGIF | Pinatas

Source

Stephen Lynch | Halloween

YouTube

Twttr | Voldemort Is Next

Via

Heavy Metal Band Name Generator

Via Pleated Jeans

NASA | Coronal Loops

Using a gradient filter on imagery captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) helped create this stunning display of sharply defined coronal loops on the sun next to fuzzier, cooler areas that are sometimes referred to as "moss" due to their moss-like appearance.

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center via The Raw Story

NG | Divers At Easter Island

Click image to enlarge

National Geographic Picture of the Day

Jeremy Williams | Tiny San Francisco

YouTube

Over a period of ten months, Jeremy Williams took 30,000 photos of everything he loves about San Francisco and used them to generate 62 tilt shift time-lapse sequences.

Via Laughing Squid

Giant Eyeball Washes Ashore In Florida

Taking his usual morning stroll along the surf in Pompano Beach, Gino Covacci noticed a strange ball-like object at the high tide line. He kicked it over and found himself staring at the biggest eyeball he had ever seen. The blue, softball-sized orb he found Wednesday was a departure from the shells, cigarette butts and seaweed he usually sees. He put it in a plastic bag and put that in the refrigerator. "It was very, very fresh," he said Thursday. "It was still bleeding when I put it in the plastic bag." He notified a police officer, who gave him the phone number for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

No one could say immediately what species the giant eye came from. Wildlife officers placed the eyeball on ice. It will be preserved in formalin, a mixture of formaldehyde and water, before being sent for analysis to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg ... No one is certain [which creature it came from], although the waters off South Florida abound with species large enough to be possibilities, including swordfish, tuna, sharks and whales. Giant squids are known for developing huge eyes to gather in what little light reaches their deep ocean habitat.Charles Messing, a professor at Nova Southeastern University's Oceanographic Center, said he couldn't rule out a giant squid but his examination of photographs of various marine creatures led him to think the most likely candidate was a swordfish.

Orlando Sentinel

Global Map Of Publishing Markets

Click image to enlarge

The Global Map of Publishing Markets is the first visual representation of publishing around the world by the numbers. The map demonstrates the way that books and the industry behind them reflect access to knowledge and to the opportunity to dive into the imaginary worlds brought to life by written words—where books are freely available and where books are hidden behind scores of cultural, social, or economic obstacles. The map and the data behind it provide a better understanding of the opportunities, as well as the challenges, in making reading and access to books universal.

The 2012 Global Map of Publishing Markets displays a world of striking inequalities. A few countries form powerful centres of gravity, with several more–those which economists call “emerging markets”–shown at least relatively equal to their size in terms of territory and population. But the majority of markets are difficult to identify, lost in the periphery.

Source

Death Penalty For Rebellious Children

Charlie Fuqua, the Republican candidate for the Arkansas House of Representatives who called for expelling Muslims from the United States in his book, also wrote in support for instituting the death penalty for "rebellious children."

In "God's Law," Fuqua's 2012 book, the candidate wrote that while parents love their children, a process could be set up to allow for the institution of the death penalty for "rebellious children," according to the Arkansas Times. Fuqua, who is anti-abortion, points out that the course of action involved in sentencing a child to death is described in the Bible and would involve judicial approval. While it is unlikely that many parents would seek to have their children killed by the government, Fuqua wrote, such power would serve as a way to stop rebellious children.

In the same book, Fuqua advocated for expelling Muslims from the U.S., saying it would solve what he described as the "Muslim problem." Fuqua, who has been backed by the state GOP and is seeking a comeback, has found himself under attack by Republicans since his comments surfaced at the same time it was reported that state Rep. Jon Hubbard (R-Jonesboro) endorsed slavery in his book. Fuqua told the Associated Press that he was surprised by the reaction to his writings on Muslims. "I think my views are fairly well-accepted by most people," Fuqua said to AP.

More at the Huffington Post

Shaming Maymo

YouTube | Gawker

You might also like Cabbage Thief and Maymo's YouTube channel

Have A Cuppa Cynicism

Stressed out by your terrifying children? Struggling to get along with your incompetent colleagues? Maybe you just have some truly terrible secrets in your past that you’d rather forget? Sometimes, all you need is a nice cuppa strong tea. Well we’re taking it a step further with these Cynical Tea Bags. Specially selected and blended to provide optimum benefits - no matter what’s bothering you - they include flavours like Instant Really Good Karma (Rooibos Coconut Chai Tea) and Be a Better Parent (Chamomile with Citrus and Mint).

Firebox via Laughing Squid

The Danger Of Denying Scientific Advancement

Vaccine-autism claims, "Frankenfood" bans, the herbal cure craze: All point to the public's growing fear (and, often, outright denial) of science and reason, says Michael Specter. He warns the trend spells disaster for human progress. Michael Specter is a staff writer for the New Yorker. His new book, Denialism, asks why we have increasingly begun to fear scientific advances instead of embracing them.

TED Talks via Roger Ebert's Journal

Where Cats Sleep

Laughing Squid

Dear Mitt Romney | 'Find Something Else To Cut Off'

Click image to enlarge

Eight-year-old Alabama resident Cecelia Crawford wasn't happy during the debate on Wednesday night when Mitt Romney said he would stop government funding for PBS. On Thursday morning, she was still angry, so she wrote Romney a letter, sent along to The Huffington Post by her mother.

Crawford wrote that she is a fan of "Sesame Street" and that it was her "favorite show on earth" when she was younger. "When I grow up I'm going to get married and I want my kids to watch it so do not cut it off," Crawford wrote. "You find something else to cut off!"

Romney told PBS host Jim Lehrer, who moderated the presidential debate, that he would stop the subsidy to Lehrer's network. "I’m sorry, Jim, I’m gonna stop the subsidy to PBS ... I like PBS, I love Big Bird -- I actually like you, too -- but I am not going to keep spending money on things [we have] to borrow money from China to pay for," Romney said.

Crawford's mother mailed the letter on Thursday to Romney's campaign headquarters.

Huffington Post

Salon

Twttr | Save Big Bird

Cutting PBS support (0.012% of budget) to help balance the Federal budget is like deleting text files to make room on your 500Gig hard drive
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 4, 2012

Vote

Someecards via Slate

Politics | Glen Beck Says That God Put Romney Behind In Polls To Prove It’s A Miracle When He Wins

YouTube

Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck says that GOP hopeful Mitt Romney’s poll numbers have fallen as a part of a plan from God to make it obvious to the American people that divine intervention was responsible when Republicans take the White House in November. “I know Mitt Romney wasn’t your first choice, nor was he mine,” Beck recently told controversial “historian” David Barton in a video clip highlighted by Right Wing Watch on Monday. “I am to the point that God is trying to make this so clear to us that if it happens, it’s his finger. Because nothing looks good ... And yet, everybody I know who I consider a spiritual giant feels good,” he continued. “And it bothers me that I feel good because, I’m like, there’s no reason that I should feel good on this.”

Just too goofy not to post.

Via The Raw Story | Dangerous Minds

Politics | New Independent Christian Party

The New Independent Christian Party (NICP) is the Party of “No Compromise.” We are committed to addressing the multiple issues and concerns that exist among Americans in a way that will benefit and enhance each of their lives overall.

Together we will make a difference in America and throughout the world. NICP’s goal is to position the Christian base for maximum influence in America, impact the world and increase the kingdom. It is an independent political Party which seeks to:

• Influence the selection, nomination, election or appointment of individuals to a federal, state, local and/or government public office, etc. 
• Promote Christian values and address the issues and concerns in the forefront of American lives 
• Nominate and support the election of Christians to all levels of public office 
• Advocate for the Christian agenda and rights, Endorse candidates and raise money for political campaigns and related activities 
• Organize Nationwide to work on campaigns and recruit volunteers 
• Establish phone banks and conduct voter education and registration drives, and support candidates who take uncompromising stands on Christian issues. 

We have so much to do for the cause of Christ!

From today's press release:

There does not exist a reliable political party that purely represents the overall Christian agenda in America. We can neither ignore the overwhelming contrast to our Godly principles of the marriage equality and abortion rights agendas, which the Democrats strongly support, nor can we be oblivious to the arrogant, greedy, unsympathetic Pharisaic practices of the Republicans ... The November election is poised to leave the Christian base with an extremely bitter taste of misrepresentation and miscalculation of our position and priorities concerning many of the issues in the forefront of American lives today ... The misrepresentation of the biblical teachings and principles to which we profess as Christians, prevent us from continuing to support either the Democratic or the Republican Party candidates.

Via Dangerous Minds

Too Much Nature | Hogs Attack, Kill, And Eat Farmer

Not the hog in question

An Oregon farmer was eaten by his hogs on Wednesday. The 70-year-old Vietnam veteran had gone to feed the animals in the morning, and his family found his dentures and scattered remains in the hog pen several hours later. Authorities are trying to determine whether the pigs deliberately killed the man.

Do livestock intentionally kill their owners? Yes. Cattle kill approximately 22 Americans per year nationwide, and the animals deliberately attack their victims in 75 percent of those cases, according to a 2009 study. About one-third of bovine killers have a history of aggressive behavior. Swine likely kill fewer people than cattle do, but there are no reliable data on this question. The CDC’s mortality statistics group together all mammal attacks apart from those perpetrated by rodents, dogs, and humans. The death count in the mammal-attack category averages about 73 per year, including cattle-related mortalities.

There are, however, plenty of anecdotes suggesting that swine are willing and able to kill humans. British pigs seem to have a particularly aggressive streak. In 2006, a 650-pound swine pinned a Welsh farmer to a tractor and bit him until the victim’s wife scared the attacker off with a water hose. The same year, a pig foraging in England’s New Forest—a hunting ground where farmers pasture their swine—caused a horse to throw its rider, then mauled the prone woman.

Livestock display an alarming ability to coordinate their attacks. A herd of cattle circles up to confront a perceived threat, with their backsides in the center of the circle and their heads lowered. They may even paw the ground, like a bull facing a matador. Of the 21 cattle-related fatalities in the Plains states between 2003 and 2008, five involved multiple animals swarming the farmer. Pigs are also known to attack cooperatively. In 2007, a sow in Norfolk, England knocked a farmer off his feet, enabling the other pigs to bite the man. If confronted by an agitated pig or cow, back away and get behind a barrier such as a tree. It also helps to carry a large stick as a weapon and to make yourself appear larger.

IWDRM | Movie Stills Come To Life

“The population census has got him down as “dormanted”. The Central Collective Storehouse computer has got
him down as “deleted”. […] Information Retrieval has got him down as “inoperative”. And there’s another one -
security has got him down as “excised”. Administration has got him down as “completed”.
… He’s dead.”
Brazil (1985)

“A boy’s best friend is his mother.”
Psycho (1960)

“The dead know only one thing: It’s better to be alive.”
Full Metal Jacket (1987)

“Tell me, what is love?
… Love is first widening my eyes a little bit and quickening my breathing a little and
warming my skin and touching … And so on, exactly so.
Thank you, Sheila.”
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

"Words create lies. Pain can be trusted.”Audition (2000)

“I have to roam the streets and I always sense that someone is following me.
… It is me! And I shadow myself.”M (1931)

“Because I want to fit in.”American Psycho (2000)

“As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in.
Very odd, what happens in a world without children’s voices.”
Children of Men (2006)

Animated GIFs have gone far beyond dancing babies and cats playing the piano. Occupying a twilight zone between still photography and full-motion video, the are getting close enough to artwork to deserve their puffed-up new name, cinematoGIFs. They’re fascinating, because unlike still photography that grabs an instant in time and moving pictures that depict longer durations, these images represent a few seconds that are stuck in time, playing over and over in a circular loop, suggesting infinity.

Photographer Gustaf Mantel combines the world of cinema and stills with his new collection of cinematoGIFs, celebrating the work of Stanley Kubrick and other classic filmmakers. It’s a subtle effect, but the images’ compelling and ghostly beauty makes it hard to look away.

Love this site. Added the RSS feed to the Lanny-yap sidebar.

Mashable via Stephen Fry

Botox May Help Treat Depression

In the first randomized, controlled study on the effect of botulinum toxin—known commercially as Botox—on depression, researchers investigated whether it might aid patients with major depressive disorder who had not responded to antidepressant medications. 

Participants in the treatment group were given a single dose (consisting of five injections) of botulinum toxin in the area of the face between and just above the eyebrows, whereas the control group was given placebo injections. Depressive symptoms in the treatment group decreased 47 percent after six weeks, an improvement that remained through the 16-week study period. The placebo group had a 9 percent reduction in symptoms. 

The findings appeared in May in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. Study author M. Axel Wollmer, a psychiatrist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, believes the treatment “interrupts feedback from the facial musculature to the brain, which may be involved in the development and maintenance of negative emotions.” Past studies have shown that Botox impairs people's ability to identify others' feelings, and the new finding adds more evidence: the muscles of the face are instrumental for identifying and experiencing emotions, not just communicating them.

Scientific American

Mysteries Of Flexagation

YouTube

In this, her latest video, fast-thinking, faster-talking maths wizard Vi Hart presents us with the typologically fascinating hexaflexagon. First discovered in the 1930s by a day-dreaming student named Arthur H. Stone, "flexagons" have attracted the curiosity of great scientists for decades, including Stone's friend and colleague Richard Feynman. Here, the ever-capable Hart introduces the folding, pinching, rotating, multifaceted geometric oddity with her signature brand of rapid-fire wit and exposition. She even shows you how to make your own.

Via io9

TED | Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are

Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” -- standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident -- can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success. Amy Cuddy’s research on body language reveals that we can change other people’s perceptions — and even our own body chemistry — simply by changing body positions.

Link to site

Monkey Monday | Gorilla Joy

Kesho, and his younger brother Alf, were brought back together to live in a new Gorilla Colony at Longleat Safari Park. They have also been joined by a third brother, six-year-old Evindi. The brothers were born at Dublin Zoo but separated when Kesho, a 13-year-old western lowland silverback, was moved to London Zoo to be part of a breeding programme.

Longleat keeper, Mark Tye, said: "The keepers from Dublin weren't entirely sure the brothers would even know each other, but the moment they met you could just see the recognition in their eyes." Mr Tye added: "We had been slightly concerned how they would react to each other and whether the big brother could put up with little Alf's playfulness. However they have formed a really tight bond in just a few weeks and Kesho is actually incredibly tolerant; allowing both Alf and six-year-old Evindi to jump all over him."

"What you're seeing is exactly what you think you're seeing," he said. "Two intelligent social mammals, who were separate, are pleased to see each other again and play together. It is gorilla joy, being reunited with someone you used to have good times with and now you can again, so it's gorilla happiness."

BBC News via Terribly Cute

Thanks, tomB