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Saturation Saturday Redux: Green Again








The First Law of Thermodynamics

Food & Fashion

Take a good look at this fashion model. No really - take a long look and form an opinion of her physique.

Got it?

OK, I googled "skinny model" and this was the first image I found that I felt I could post where the line between fashion and slimness was well made on both sides of the equation. The photos I rejected screamed concentration camp, cancer or starvation. Don't look if your dreams are easily influenced into nightmares.

Sure we all know these celery consuming anorexics are poisoning the psyches of children and young adults. But what can we do about it. Well the Israel parliament is trying something, which troubles my feelings about life, liberty and free will but I wonder...

A new law passed by Israel lawmakers on Monday requires that male and female models in Israel must have a body mass index (or BMI, a measure of weight proportionate to height) of no less than 18.5—a standard used by the World Health Organization before they can be hired for a modeling job. A six-foot-tall model, for example, must weigh no less than 136.5 pounds.
Lawmakers are hoping the measure encourages a healthier body image among teens and fights the spread of eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia. 
"Beautiful is not underweight," Rachel Adato, one of the lawmakers who voted for the bill. "Beautiful should not be anorexic."
Adi Barkan, a top modeling agent in Israel who helped Adato craft the law, described underweight models favored by the fashion industry a bit more bluntly.
"They look like dead girls," Barkan told the AP.

So how do we feel about the government regulating body mass when tied to employment? Remember weight restrictions for flight attendants. 

Political Signage

With the ability to post a picture on Facebook available to anyone with an internet connection there is a lot of political commentary that crawls through the photoshop process before leaking out into the collective unconscious of the cyber cesspool. Most of the messages are silly or mean; partisan and generally wrong. I tend to rate them on a scale from flat-out stupid to deliciously devious. 

But every once in a great while one comes along that I just can't dismiss. I mean when politicians get so outrageous that they make both sides of their own inane argument, you just gotta marvel at what we produce in the way of political candidates. He is a brilliant example thus just defies rebuttal.

Saturation Saturday Redux: Green

Seems an appropriate day for some green exploration, above - the Chicago River dyed for St. Patrick's Day.

another timely photo




Lip Dub

"A lip dub is a type of video that combines lip synching and audio dubbing to make a music video. Usually made by filming a group of people lip synching while listening to a song or any recorded audio then dubbing over it in post editing with the original audio of the song. Lip dubs can be done in a single unedited shot that often travels through different rooms and situations within a building, campus or even a city."

I first saw a lip dub in 2009 or perhaps early 2010, it was sort of a takeoff on flash mobs. Recently I was sent the link to a truly amazing lip dub done in Grand Rapids, Michigan and set to Don McLeans American Pie.

I highly recommend taking a break from what you are doing to marvel at and enjoy the Grand Rapids LipDub.

If after watching you want to know more, here is the Making of GR LibDub.

Of course there are now hundreds of variations on the web, my personal favorite is LipDub Sorbonne Paris - Coldplay Viva La Vida.

Mississippi For Instance

Yes, in Mississippi Rick Santorum got a couple more votes than the other guys.

Yes, between them the ultra-conservative Santorum and the slimy not as conservative Newt Gingrich got over 64% of the vote yesterday.

No, all of you liberals and other sane voters there is no need to worry. The wacko fringe of the republican party is not about to take over the country. Here are the numbers.

2012 Republican Primary Mississippi
Santorum         93,200
Gingrich           88,700
Romney            86,000
Paul                  12,500

Total Vote       283,000

2008 National Election Mississippi
McCain           687,266
Obama            520,864

Total Vote     1,224,000


Only the heavily motivated conservative vote turned out yesterday. The great middle of the voting public is really not "anyone but Romney" they are "anyone but Romney except not these guys." Given an actual general election between Obama and Santorum or Gingrich there are some red states that will go for the republican party but the margins will be much smaller than those McCain numbers from '08 and the overwhelming majority  of the country will be blue.

This Obama reelection scenario does not make me particularly happy but I have to admit the potential for a strong third party showing in '12 is being slowly eroded by the republican road show. The more these guys talk, the more independent and liberal voters who have been turned off my Obama are thinking - "anyone but these guys."