NO, ASSHOLES, NORTH KOREA DID NOT CLAIM TO FIND A UNICORN LAIR, KIRIN ARE NOT UNICORNS, AND ALSO FUCK YOU
Have you heard about the dramatically misrepresented story of North Korea discovering a “unicorn” lair? It’s been trending for WEEKS now, thanks to the work of sloppy, irresponsible self-proclaimed journalists, and the public’s racist penchant for anything that paints North Korea as a farce (totalitarianism is so funny!). Anyway, here’s the basic timeline:
- The original story alleging the discovery of the mythical Kiringul was written for the official DPRK news, then “broken” in the US by Gizmodo’s Jesus Diaz, who used the translation “unicorn lair”
- This Gizmodo bit was picked up by basically every major news outlet, and this Guardian piece was at the top of the “most viewed” list on the Guardian World site for at least a week
- Sixiang Wang, Columbia Ph.D student specializing in Korea-China relations between the 13th and 16th centuries, wrote to io9 to correct the misunderstanding
- The io9 piece, perhaps by merit of well, having merit, was not picked up by any major news organizations, which instead kept rehashing the original misconceived “unicorn” story. Finally a professor at Seoul National University made basically the same point, and thanks to this AP story, the world listened (or so it seemed…)
- LOL NOPE. Some crap website calling itself the “International Business Times” (spoiler alert: they have TWO autoplay videos at the link) ran the following inane piece, resurrecting the “unicorn” lie once again. Outrageously, the author seems to have read the io9 correction piece, but in a breath-taking display of shitty reading comprehension loosely cites Sixiang Wang (now a “Korean Expert” because that’s a thing that exists)as confirming the thesis of the original Gizmodo article
- Back to Jesus Diaz at Gizmodo, who wrote this onanistic monstrosity (now, with even more culturally insensitive Photoshopping!)
- Huffpo, despite publishing this previous correction piece
- Once again picks up the new Gizmodo piece, because journalism
HAPPY FUCKING SUNDAY, ASSHOLES.
Tech Thursdays: Anti-suicide app aims to help soldiers
(Via IBT) U.S. soldiers facing emotional problems and contemplating suicide may soon be able to use a smart phone application to connect them to help.
The Tennessee National Guard, the state’s reserve military force, launched a pilot program of the “Guard Your Buddy” app that was spearheaded by Clark Flatt, president and CEO of the Jason Foundation.
Major General Terry “Max” Haston, the commander of the Tennessee National Guard, approached Flatt, who launched the app in October 1997 after his teenage son Jason committed suicide, about using the app for his soldiers.
Flatt said suicides in the National Guard have risen 450 percent since 2004. He and Haston hope to spread the app nationwide in National Guard units.
“We hope soldiers will download this smart phone application and pass it on to their fellow troops to ensure they have someone to talk to in times of trouble,” Haston said. “It’s difficult to predict if or when a member of our guard family will face suicidal thoughts, but we want them to be able to get help if they need it.”
To read more, click here
Diwali 2011: Across India, A Hindu Festival of Lights
img.ibtimes.comDiwali, the Hindu festival of lights, stretches beyond India, a five-day holiday encompassing multiple stories from around the world, involving Hindus, some Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains. For India, however, where roughly 80 percent of the population practices Hinduism, Diwali 2011 is and will be a massive and deeply Hindu affair, one involving dancing, shows, religious worship and lots of fireworks.
Diwali, or Divali, means “row of lights,” and is a celebration of the Hindu New Year according to the lunisolar calendar. Typically, Diwali also falls near the end of harvest season, from mid-October to mid-November, meaning the goddess Lakshmi, who brings wealth and prosperity, is honored by the holiday with candle offerings and bright, festive decorations.
It is also, however, a more general celebration of good over evil, especially that of Rama’s victory over the 10-headed demon Ravana in the Hindu epic “The Ramayana.” Rama, an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, returns home during Diwali (Oct. 26, in 2011) after fourteen years of banishment, and Hindus lay out lamps, set off fireworks, and hang paper lanterns to help light his way home.
All these traditions combine to make Diwali a true “festival of lights,” from those dedicated to Lakshmi and celebrating Rama to Hindus honoring Ganesh, the God of good beginnings, on this gorgeous holiday. While the story behind Diwali and how people celebrate may vary from region to region, the holiday’s essence remains the same: rejoicing at the victory of goodness, light, and atman (the soul) over falseness, darkness, and reality.
India from Space!! Article has other great shots, too.
Китай откажется от использования долларов
amplify.comКитай ранее объявил, двухсторонняя торговля с Россией и Малайзией будет вестись в юанях, рублях и ринггитах, соответственно.
Check out this interview I did for the International Business Times Life & Style Section....
Here are two of the questions. READ THE REST HERE!
What are some of your must-have pieces for fall?
AM: The black hoodie from Uniqlo that’s furry on the inside. I get really cold. And Uggs! People really lash out on Uggs for being unattractive, but listen, those people don’t know how cold I get. I will defend Uggs until the earth freezes over, at which point my toes will be toasty warm.
Tell us your most beloved and most despised trends right now.
AM: I’m not really a trend person, I just have a specific style I tend to like. I like over-the-knee boots, those seem to be popular right now, but I think of tall boots as a classic. I don’t like to name things that I hate because I think that’s a matter of personal taste. I wouldn’t wear a pastel cardigan sweater, but that doesn’t mean I hate them, it just means they’re not for me. The only thing I’ve really disliked were Harem pants, but thankfully those went out as quickly as they came in.
“But in a city like New York, hurricane-force winds could break windows en masse, "especially in the taller buildings that would bear the brunt of powerful gusts that occur at higher elevations," the Wall Street Journal reported in 2010. In a worst-case scenario, this could become a scene out of an apocalyptic movie, in which "the canyons of Manhattan could magnify the winds and would be a deadly place for anyone caught beneath the raining glass.”
—According to the International Business Times, I’m going to die. If not in my tall glass walled office building, then drowning in the subway, and if not drowning in the subway, I’m sure the looters will take me in Queens.Goldman Sachs' Top 9 Tech Picks for 2012
The investment bank consistently updates its “conviction buy” list. Though technology stocks have lost 4.4 percent of their value over the course of 2011, in this current quarter they are up 2.3 percent.
On Tuesday, the tech sector continued to drag. They have certainly not been invulnerable to the turbulent market volatility. Though, as the economy improves, tech stocks will likely follow suit and Goldman’s list is tech-stock center.
Tech stocks have, of course proven quite lucrative in the past (especially when focusing on the glory days of the 1990s). To see the full list click here.
Conficker Worm Test
Came across an article on Gizmodo today that linked to the International Business Times. Apparently, many Windows computers are still housing the Conficker Worm two years after it became well-known.
Here’s the article: “Years-old Conficker Worm Still A Threat”
IB links to a helpful site where you can test your PC for the virus. Apparently, it’s been found on gov’t computers, etc. Check it out:
adidas NEO Label Signs Selena Gomez As New Style Icon And Designer
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Los Angeles woke up to some colorful hijinks today with bright green paint, posters, and streamers spread across the city as actress, recording artist, and designer, Selena Gomez and a band of teens celebrated her new partnership with adidas NEO Label.
The mischievous and fun antics playfully announced that teen lifestyle brand, adidas NEO Label has appointed Selena Gomez as its new global style icon and guest designer through a three-year partnership until the end of 2015.
Selena will work with NEO to design and develop seasonal ranges that consumers and her fans will love, beginning Fall/Winter 2013. She will also be the face of four seasonal collections throughout the year and will appear in print, digital, retail, and outdoor campaigns to debut in February 2013. She will identify her favorite pieces, the first of many opportunities for Selena to communicate her personal style with fans.
Former Vogue Editor Reveals Models Are Eating Tissues To Stay Thin In Tell-All Book
ibtimes.com“What happens when you get ousted as editor from one of the world’s most prestigious fashion magazines? Well, you write about it, of course, revealing — among other distasteful details — that models are eating tissues to curb hunger pangs.
Longtime Vogue Australia Editor Kirstie Clements was fired in May after 25 years of service at the magazine. Now, she has released a tell-all book called “The Vogue Factor,” an insider’s view that exposes, unashamedly, the cutthroat and chaotic facade behind the glossy covers of a leading magazine.
In her new book, Clements claims models still regularly starve themselves to stay super skinny and some resort to eating tissues to help them feel full. Clements quotes an unnamed Russian model who told her over lunch that her roommate was a fit model, “so she is in hospital on a drip a lot of the time.” A fit model, Clements says, is the body used by top designers and ateliers around which the clothes are designed.”
Versace Debut at H&M.
Hello my buxom beauties and my thinner sisters! You have heard and seen all the hype so you know the topic for today. Versace!
Clad in resenblence to a high fashion blonde Cher, Donatella Versace appeared on a commercial early November and killed me softly! The exact forceful elegance of Donatella is expemlified by the video of her masterminded house of fashion slave drones. Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTpLqFil9a8
The debut came rather sudden. Commercials and ads started coming out in early november and the line debuted in store at midnight Nov. 18 2011. Boy did it take! A quote from the Internation business Times: “In New York City, eager individuals had been standing in line outside the Fifth Avenue flagship store. Racked reported that the first woman on the line had been there for 22 hours.”
Why all the commotion? Take a look at some of the pieces:
Black corsetted mini- dress 149:
Floral Kimono style dress $149:
Suede lace up heeled boot: $149
These pieces are no joke! Also, I wrote a post about this earlier but unless your a Lucky Londoner H&M does not carry plus size pieces:( Just be patient though my large ladies the movement is sweeping the globe it’ll come. Versace ranges from size 2-12, but they are worth every penny, however if your a Frugal Fatshionista like me you will be waiting and saving until BLACK FRIDAY!!!
Also, I wrote a post about this earlier but unless your a Lucky Londoner H&M does not carry plus size pieces:( Just be patient though my large ladies the movement is sweeping the globe it’ll come. Versace ranges from size 2-12
On that note my thick or thin fashionistas what will you be doing on black friday? I decided that on Thanksgiving I am going to just enjoy my family and perhaps see a movie with my boyfriend but come 4a.m.? I hitting Kohl’s for some on sale Vera Wang!!! Send me some feedback as to what your plans are:)
IBTIMES: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/252631/20111119/versace-h-m-debut-leads-hospitalizations-chaos.htm
Wisconsin Man, Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop, Arrested on Drug Charges
m.ibtimes.com“A man named Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop was arrested on drug charges at Reynolds Park in Madison, Wis. Thursday afternoon after neighbors called in about excessive noise and drug use in a local park, according to reports.”
Article by Jason Van Hoven, International Business Times
Bear Saves Man From Mountain Lion: Robert Biggs Says Bear ‘Knew Who I Was’
Robert Biggs, 69 of Paradise, Calif., had a pretty wild encounter when he went out for a hike on Monday. Hiking near Whiskey Flats, Biggs stopped to watch a mother bear and her cub by a stream, but was jumped from behind by another animal when he turned to leave.
The California man wasn’t attacked by a bear, but a mountain lion. Biggs said that the mountain lion jumped on his back, forcing him to fall to his knees. “He grabbed me from behind and knocked me to the ground,” Biggs told the Huffington Post. “I was on my knees. I had my rock pick out because I was on a steep incline, and I smashed the cat in the head with it. He screamed , but didn’t let go.”
Fortunately for Biggs, the mother bear was only 40 feet away to help him. “That’s when a blur on my left side grabbed the lion by its throat,” said Biggs of the mother bear. “I heard tremendous screeching, some growling noises.”
During the bear and mountain lion’s struggle, Biggs was able to get out of the cats grip. The Bear, which “outweighed the cat 400 pounds to 100 pounds,” won the fight, explained Briggs. As the mountain lion ran away, the hiker claimed that the bear “humbly made eye contact” before going back to its cub.
“I’m 100-percent sure it did want to save my life,” he says of the bear. “I’d seen the bears before and I know she knew who I was.”
“I think the lion was stalking the bear’s cub and I got in the way,” Biggs said. “The bear walked calmly back to her cub after, and I wrapped my arm up with a T-shirt and went gold panning before I went home.”
Robert Biggs arm is black and blue and has puncture wounds, but he does not fear returning back to his hiking grounds.
