How David Choe’s 2005 bet is going to pay out, big time. From The New York Times:

In 2005, Mr. Choe was invited to paint murals on the walls of Facebook’s first offices in Palo Alto, Calif., by Sean Parker, then Facebook’s president. As pay, Mr. Parker offered Mr. Choe a choice between cash in the “thousands of dollars,” according to several people who know Mr. Choe, or stock then worth about the same.

Mr. Choe, who has said that at the time that he thought the idea of Facebook was “ridiculous and pointless,” nevertheless chose the stock.

When Facebook stock trades publicly later this year, those shares  are expected to be worth upward of $200 million.

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After learning he polled higher than Jon Huntsman in South Carolina, Stephen Colbert’s Super PAC made the following statement:

BASIC CABLE, USA – Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, an FEC registered Super PAC, today announced the addition of Jon Stewart to its executive board (along with the subtraction of Stephen Colbert).
With this change the group, which had been known colloquially as Colbert Super PAC, can now be referred to as The Definitely Not Coordinating With Stephen Colbert Super PAC. They have already begun updating all of their letterhead with sharpie.

“I am excited to take the reins of this completely independent organization, and begin to air ads in South Carolina,” said New President and Noncommunication Director Jon Stewart. “But I want to be clear: Stephen and I have in no way have worked out a series of morse-code blinks to convey information with each other on our respective shows.”

Colbert is currently exploring a run for President of the United States of South Carolina. Because of this, he cannot be associated with any Super PACs, although he has asked Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow to forward any periodicals of an “adult nature.” *
Americans A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow is an independent, expenditure-only committee founded by Stephen Colbert in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, then handed down to Jon Stewart like a pair of old dungarees.

Update: Now with video.

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Oil painter and graphic designer Ron Piccirillo thinks that Leonardo da Vinci meant for the Mona Lisa to depict envy, based off of some images of animals he’s discovered in the painting after turning it on its side that relate to some of da Vinci’s thoughts on the subject. From The Daily What:

First, a lion’s head came into focus above the subject’s head. “Then I noticed the buffalo and I thought: ‘Oh my god’,” he says. “Then I realised I was really onto something.”

Piccirillo believes the veiled menagerie — he later discovered an ape and a crocodile-snake creature as well — suggests da Vinci meant the Mona Lisa to depict envy. Piccirillo points to a passage in da Vinci’s journals which he says confirms his theory.

In the passage, da Vinci writes that the artist who wishes to paint envy must “give her a leopard’s skin, because this creature kills the lion out of envy and by deceit.” Piccirillo claims other passages on envy in da Vinci’s notes also indicate that he is referring to the Mona Lisa.

Read more at the Telegraph.

I’m going to be a little more forthright than usual with this post because it is absolutely necessary due to the severity of the events at hand.

This blog isn’t my primary means of income. I have a day job that I work 50-60 hours a week at, and I just do this on the side for your amusement and a little extra cash. That being said, there are a ton of great sites, blogs, and start-ups whose very livelihoods are at risk due to the “PROTECT IP Act” in the Senate and the “Stop Online Piracy Act” in the House.

I saw the video embedded above on several sites over the past week and didn’t really pay attention to exactly what these acts intend to do until The Daily What succinctly put the fear of God in me like only Johnny Internets can.

I highly suggest you go read the atrocious power this legislation will provide corporations on the web, sign this petition here as well as this petition here, and spread the word as far as you can to stop this bullshit in its tracks.

Or do nothing, and watch some of the best sites the web has to offer (and this one) get sued and/or shut down.

Further reading: Uproxx | BoingBoing | The Mary Sue | Gizmodo

After the announcement that Joe Paterno would be relieved of his coaching duties at Penn State effective immediately, students rioted on the campus, toppling news vans and tearing up street signs…and planking. Seriously. In the second most embarrassing gaff of the night, Ashton Kutcher took to his Twitter account to piss off everyone, then apologized for doing so and turned his account over to management, but not before a new hashtag was created.

Video courtesy of NMA.

Rick Perry’s campaign took a serious, maybe even fatal, blow last night after forgetting the name of the third government agency he wants to get rid of and actually saying “oops” in a Republican debate. Despite the fact that he “stepped in it“, Perry will continue his campaign, starting with a damage control media tour this morning and an appearance on Letterman tonight.

Video courtesy of BuzzFeed.

The gruesome result of a hunt in Ohio, resulting in the death of 48 exotic animals that were released from an eastern Ohio farm by their owner shortly before he killed himself.

Law officers shot 48 animals and buried them on the property, including 18 tigers, nine lions, eight lionesses, three mountain lions, six black bears, two grizzly bears and a baboon, (Muskingum County Sheriff Matt ) Lutz said during a news conference at a makeshift operations center near the Thompson property. A gray wolf and monkey were still loose, and the monkey may be carrying a virus, Lutz said.

Photo: @Alex_Ogle | Via

The last words of Troy Davis, who was executed last night by the state of Georgia:

The incident that took place that night was not my fault. I did not have a gun. [Addressing the victim's family] I did not personally kill your son, father, brother; I am innocent. Look deeper in this case, so you can find the truth. To the people who are about to take my life: May God have mercy on your soul. May God bless your soul.

According to Boing Boing he “refused a final meal; he refused a final prayer; he did not take an anti-convulsive, anti-anxiety, hypnotic drug called Ativan that was offered to him to ease the procedure.”

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From The Telegraph:

Residents in the town of Nejapa, located some 18 miles north of San Salvador, gather every August 31 to hurl fireballs at one another in honour of a huge volcanic eruption in 1922 that forced all of the residents to abandon the town.

Local churches and their worshippers have embraced the tradition with urban legend saying that the hot lava that flowed from the volcano was actually the local Christian Saint Jeronimo fighting the devil with balls of fire.

The fireball hurling is meant to remember the old town which was destroyed in the battle.

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From The Guardian:

Both the Amazon and Hamza flow from west to east and are around the same length, at 6,000km. But whereas the Amazon ranges from 1km to 100km in width, the Hamza ranges from 200km to 400km.

The underground river starts in the Acre region under the Andes and flows through the Solimões, Amazonas and Marajó basins before opening out directly into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Amazon flows much faster than the Hamza, however, draining a greater volume of water. Around 133,000m³ of water flow through the Amazon per second at speeds of up to 5 metres per second. The underground river’s flow rate has been estimated at around 3,900m³ per second and it barely inches along at less than a millimetre per hour

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Steve Jobs has announced that he will resign from the position as CEO of Apple Inc. in a letter to the Board of Directors:

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

The Board has announced that Tim Cook, previously Apple’s Chief Operating Officer, will indeed become the company’s new CEO, while Jobs will serve as the new Chairman of the Board.

Via | Pic: Matt Yohe

USGS | Photo: DC Earthquake Devastation

Related: The Best Twitter Responses To The Earthquake

What you need to know neatly wrapped up in a couple of paragraphs.

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S.& P. Downgrades U.S. Debt Rating For The First Time – [NY Times]

Standard & Poor’s removed the United States government from its list of risk-free borrowers for the first time on Friday night, a downgrade that is freighted with symbolic significance but carries few clear financial implications.

The company, one of three major agencies that offer advice to investors in debt securities, said it was cutting its rating of long-term federal debt to AA+, one notch below the top grade of AAA. It described the decision as a judgment about the nation’s leaders, writing that “the gulf between the political parties” had reduced its confidence in the government’s ability to manage its finances.

31 U.S. Soldiers Die, Including 22 SEALs from Team Six, In Helicopter Hit With RPG – [The Atlantic Wire]

Yesterday’s news that 30 U.S. troops had died when the Taliban shot down a helicopter, marking the deadliest day for Americans in the war in Afghanistan, was met with mourning across the nation. Furthermore, details emerged that 22 of the troops killed were members of Navy SEAL Team 6, the elite unit that carried out the operation that killed Osama bin Laden (although none of those who died were participants in his death themselves). Considering how few members of the armed forces are Navy SEALs, the loss was called “unbearable.”

More reports are being released on the fatal operation. The U.S. Navy Seals and other troops in the helicopter were on a rescue mission, the Associated Press reports, according to two U.S. officials. They were rushed to the mountainous area in eastern Afghanistan to help a U.S. army ranger unit that was under fire from insurgents. The rescue team had completed the mission, subdued the attackers, and were departing when their helicopter was hit.

Riots Erupt In Tottenham Over Shooting Of 29-Year-Old By Metropolitan Police – [The Daily What]

Riots erupted in the North London area of Tottenham last night, ostensibly over the recent shooting of 29-year-old Mark Duggan by the Metropolitan Police near Tottenham Hale station.

Duggan was reportedly a target of an ongoing police investigation into gun crime in London’s black communities, and was shot after allegedly firing on a Specialist Firearms Command officer with an illegal handgun.

A protest march organized by family and friends of Duggan turned violent after a rumor that police officers assaulted a teenage girl caused longstanding tensions to boil over. Many shops were looted and vehicles were set on fire, including two police cars and a double-decker bus. Several buildings sustained heavy damage after being petrol bombed by the rioters.

Captain Morgan’s Pirate Ship Found Near Panama – [Discovery]

The lost wreckage of a ship belonging to 17th century pirate Captain Henry Morgan has been discovered in Panama, said a team of U.S. archaeologists — and the maker of Captain Morgan rum.

Near the Lajas Reef, where Morgan lost five ships in 1671 including his flagship “Satisfaction,” the team uncovered a portion of the starboard side of a wooden ship’s hull and a series of unopened cargo boxes and chests encrusted in coral.

The cargo has yet to be opened, but Captain Morgan USA — which sells the spiced rum named for the eponymous pirate — is clearly hoping there’s liquor in there.

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Samuel K. Sia, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, has developed a credit card-sized chip that can perform an HIV test on a blood sample in 15 minutes with a reported 100% detection rate, all for about a dollar.

“We have engineered a disposable credit card-sized device that can produce blood-based diagnostic results in minutes,” said Sia. “The idea is to make a large class of diagnostic tests accessible to patients in any setting in the world, rather than forcing them to go to a clinic to draw blood and then wait days for their results.”

Sia and his team performed testing in Rwanda over the last four years in partnership with Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health and three local non-government organizations in Rwanda, targeting hundreds of patients. His device, known as mChip (mobile microfluidic chip), requires only a tiny finger prick of blood, effective even for a newborn, and gives—in less than 15 minutes—quantitative objective results that are not subject to user interpretation. This new technology significantly reduces the time between testing patients and treating them, providing medical workers in the field results that are much easier to read at a much lower cost. New low-cost diagnostics like the mChip could revolutionize medical care around the world.

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A hobbyist codebreaker named Corey Starliper claims to have broken the code to the Zodiac Killer’s infamous 41-year-old “340″ cipher, which confirms that long-time suspect Arthur Leigh Allen was indeed the Zodiac Killer:

According to Robert Graysmith, in “Zodiac”, tips received by police after Darlene Ferrin’s murder indicated that the killing was connected to the U.S Virgin Islands. Starliper believed that the “340” of the 340 cipher was significant, and had some tie-in with the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was then that he found out that 340 is the area code for a portion of the U.S Virgin Islands — not an insignificant connection.

“So that’s what I started with,” said Starliper. “I thought, there’s no way … that Zodiac is going to be prosaic enough not to mention the U.S. Virgin Islands in this code. This is where it gets even creepier. 3+4+0=7. Right. So you get 7+0=7. 707…707 are the area codes for Vallejo, Napa, and Solano. So I figured, why not start this with Caesar code using 3,4.”

This doesn’t mean the 340 is such an easy task to decode, considering the fact that the original 340 cipher is full of symbols: >, +, and ▲ being just a few of the signs found in the code. To combat this problem, Starliper extracted symbols and changed them to letters they could correspond with. For example, a ^ or < symbol could be interpreted as inverted or sideways “V”s.

After two sessions of 6 hours and 3 hours, Starliper was left with this message:

“KILL SLF DR HELP ME KILL MYSELF GAS CHAMBER AEIOUR DAYS QUESTIONSABLE EVERYY WAKING MOMENT IM ALIVE MY PR IDE LOST I CAST GO ON LIVING IN THIS WAY KILLING PEOPLE I HAV KILLD SO MANY PEOPLE CANT HELP MYSELF IM SO AN GRY I COULD DO MY THINK IM ALONE IN THIS WORLD MY W HOLE LIFE FUL O LIES IM UNABLE TO STOP BY THE TIME YOU SOLVE THISI WILL HAV KILLD ELEVEN PEOPLE PLEASE HELP ME STOP KILLING PEOPLE PLEASE MY NAME IS LEIGH ALLEN”.

Many have claimed to have solved this cipher with different results, so if you’re a skeptic, this is your cue.

Via Kottke & Boing Boing

From the Guardian:

Sean Hoare, the former News of the World showbusiness reporter who was the first named journalist to allege that Andy Coulson was aware of phone hacking by his staff, has been found dead .

Hoare, who worked on the Sun and the News of the World with Coulson before being dismissed for drink and drugs problems, was said to have been found at his Watford home.

Hertfordshire police would not confirm his identity, but the force said in a statement: “At 10.40am today [Monday 18 July] police were called to Langley Road, Watford, following the concerns for the welfare of a man who lives at an address on the street. Upon police and ambulance arrival at a property, the body of a man was found. The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.

Man, what a crazy coincidence.

Via the Guardian’s live coverage

Today, President Obama awarded Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Afghanistan, joining Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta as the only living recipients of the award since the Vietnam War. The Army explains his actions that earned him the highest military decoration offered by our country:

During his last mission, Petry was to locate himself with the platoon headquarters in the target building once it was secured. There, he was to serve as the senior noncommissioned officer at the site for the remainder of the operation.

But things quickly got dangerous for Petry and his team. Insurgents opened fire on Petry and his men.

Petry had fellow Ranger Pvt. 1st Class Lucas Robinson at his side. The two were to clear the outer courtyard of the target building. It was there the two first saw the enemy.

“I remember seeing the guy out of my peripheral vision,” Petry said. “Two guys with AKs at their hip, just spraying. And one happened to strike me right in the thighs. I didn’t know I was hit in both thighs, but it hit my left thigh.”

Robinson was also hit, Petry said. “He was struck right in his ribcage on his left side and he continued along and followed behind me.”

While wounded and under enemy fire, Petry led Robinson to the cover of a chicken coop in the courtyard. The enemy continued to deliver fire at the two Soldiers.

Petry reported contact was made with the enemy, and as a result, team member Sgt. Daniel Higgins moved to the outer courtyard. As Higgins moved toward the chicken coop to meet with the two wounded Soldiers, Petry threw a thermobaric grenade toward the enemy. That explosion caused a lull in enemy fire.

As Higgins evaluated the wounds of both Petry and Robinsion, an insurgent threw a grenade over the chicken coop. The grenade landed about 10 meters from the three Rangers, knocked them to the ground, and wounded Higgins and Robinson.

With three Soldiers taking cover in the coop, an insurgent threw yet another grenade. This time, the grenade landed just a few feet from the three Soldiers — much closer than the earlier grenade.

“It was almost instinct — off training,” Petry said of his response to the situation. “It was probably going to kill all three of us. I had time to visually see the hand grenade. And I figure it’s got about a four-and-half second fuse, depending on how long it has been in the elements and the weather and everything and how long the pin has been pulled. I figure if you have time to see it you have time to kick it, throw it, just get it out there.”

That’s when Petry picked up the grenade and threw it away from him and his buddies. As it turns out, he did have the time to save all three of their lives — but not time to save his hand.

The grenade exploded as he threw it — destroying his throwing arm.

“I actually didn’t think it was going to go off,” Petry said. “I didn’t really feel much pain. I didn’t know it had gone off and taken my hand until I sat back up and saw it was completely amputated at the wrist.”

Thanks to a prosthetic hand and the unbridled desire to continue being a badass, Sgt. 1st Class Petry was able to re-enlist with the Rangers last year.

The fan that caught the ball, 23-year-old Christian Lopez, returned it to Jeter (despite its estimated $250k value) and has been awarded by the organization for his generosity:

Lopez will receive four tickets to a suite for every remaining game at Yankee Stadium this season (including any possible playoff games) plus first row Legends Suite tickets to Sunday’s game. He will also receive an assortment of bats and jerseys, plus the opportunity to meet Jeter.

Video

Other additions include group chat and a new buddy list for Facebook chat.

Story here.

Story here.

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The king of stings was secretly filmed on a date with 30-year-old Kristyn Caddell, a TV reporter more than 20 years his junior, in an “undercover sting operation arranged by the National Enquirer.” From The Daily Mail:

Hansen, 51, has allegedly been having an affair with Kristyn Caddell, a 30-year-old Florida journalist, for the last four months.

Last weekend he was recorded taking Miss Caddell on a romantic dinner at the exclusive Ritz-Carlton hotel in Manalapan, before spending the night at her Palm Beach apartment.

Secret cameras filmed the couple as they arrived at the hotel for dinner and then drove back to her apartment – where the pair left, carrying luggage, at 8am the following day.

Hansen lives in Connecticut with his wife Mary, 53, but he has been spending more and more time in South Florida investigating the disappearance of James ‘Jimmy T’ Trindade – and allegedly sleeping with Miss Caddell.

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A Reuters investigation has discovered that over 2,000 business are registered at a single-family home in Wyoming.

The house at 2710 Thomes Avenue serves as a little Cayman Island on the Great Plains. It is the headquarters for Wyoming Corporate Services, a business-incorporation specialist that establishes firms which can be used as “shell” companies, paper entities able to hide assets.

Wyoming Corporate Services will help clients create a company, and more: set up a bank account for it; add a lawyer as a corporate director to invoke attorney-client privilege; even appoint stand-in directors and officers as high as CEO. Among its offerings is a variety of shell known as a “shelf” company, which comes with years of regulatory filings behind it, lending a greater feeling of solidity.

Read the full article here.

From The Daily What:

The New York Senate tonight passed the controversial Marriage Equality Act after the crucial 32nd, and 33rd, votes were secured. New York thus becomes the 6th state to legalize same-sex marriage, with the other five being Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and Iowa. (Same-sex marriage is also legal in the District of Columbia.)

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From The Orlando Sentinel:

Guy Swindell Fowlkes, 33, of Orlando, was working at the tent at Colonial Drive and Maguire Road but had made arrangements to work at another tent location, according to an arrest affidavit filed in the case. When his girlfriend asked about keys to a storage unit, Fowlkes said he did not have the keys and began an argument with her.

Fowlkes struck his girlfriend, who is pregnant, in the left side of her face, according to the report. He then went into the tent and began to light up fireworks, directing some of them at other employees. He also lit the fuse of two firecrackers and placed them inside the gas tank of an employee’s car.

When police arrived at the scene about 9:23 p.m., shortly after the first reports about the incident, the exploding fireworks were visible from a distance.

And here they are:

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A a drunken brawl broke out during Ladies’ Day of Royal Ascot, and Rebecca Evans from The Daily Mail is not happy about it.

For 300 years, it has been the highlight of the summer calendar for the well-off and well-connected.

But these days, it seems, the enclosures and stands of Royal Ascot are becoming increasingly popular with a much less distinguished breed of racegoer.

As the Queen’s favourite racing event celebrates its tricentenary, fights have been breaking out amongst the male racegoers at the historic Berkshire course, watched by worse for wear women who can barely stay upright in their high heels.

A quick glance across the terraces reveals a sea of flesh and unsightly tattoos – of women in cheap, tawdry dresses and men who have shunned the expected top hat.

Many believe that the social fixture, once a prestigious highlight of the summer season, is becoming as bawdy as the meetings at Aintree and Cheltenham.

As bawdy as meetings at Aintree and Cheltenham? Upper class burn! Here’s hoping some footage makes its way online.

The Daily Mail

Ohio Governor Kasich made the Mavericks organization all honorary Ohioans after their 105-95 victory last night with a resolution just jam packed with LeBron jabs, including this pretty blatant one:

NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Dirk Nowitzki chose to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 2010, forgoing free agency and keeping his talents in Dallas, thus remaining loyal to the team, city and fans for whom he played his entire career

This is the closest to an ex-girlfriend’s angry Facebook status an official resolution is ever going to get.

Office Of The Governor of Ohio | Via

If you try to watch Rebecca Black’s viral travesty, you will only get the first 1:54 of it, with the full video available for rent through YouTube rentals, where $2.99 will get you 72 hours of audio/visual torture.

While putting this up behind a paywall is probably a great step towards repairing society, the fact that the view count continues to rise despite this deterrent only makes it more depressing.

Thanks Eric.

From The New York Times:

Time agreed to allow Activision to use its signature red-bordered cover and nameplate in a mock poster for the latest version of the game. It is the first time an authorized Time cover has been created to promote a commercial product.

Some might see it as a questionable use of one of the most coveted and symbolic pieces of real estate in journalism. But Time said that the question had been carefully considered and given approval after editors and executives realized they would be reaching a demographic that has eluded news magazines: young men.

Roger Ebert, who has made his opinion on video games very clear, responds.

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From The Washington Post:

For nearly a week, the world followed the saga of Amina Arraf, the blogger who was celebrated for her passionate, often intimate writings about the Syrian government’s crackdown on Arab Spring protesters. Those writings stopped abruptly last Monday, and in a posting on her blog, “A Gay Girl in Damascus,” a cousin said Amina had been hauled away by government security agents.

And Sunday, the truth spilled out: The gay girl in Damascus confessed to being a 40-year-old American man from Georgia.

The persona Tom MacMaster built and cultivated for years — a lesbian who was half Syrian and half American — was a tantalizing Internet-era fiction, one that he used to bring attention to the human rights record of a country where media restrictions make traditional reporting almost impossible.

On Sunday, MacMaster apologized on the blog. “While the narrative voice may have been fictional, the facts on thıs blog are true and not mısleading as to the situation on the ground,” he wrote. “I do not believe that I have harmed anyone — I feel that I have created an important voice for issues that I feel strongly about.”

Via

Via The Daily What (who is better at descriptions than I am):

When Bank of America tried to foreclose on Collier County (FL) homeowners Warren and Maureen Nyerges, the couple went to court to prove they never had a mortgage to begin with, having paid in cash.

It took a year, but the pair won their case, and the judge ordered Bank of America to cough up the legal fees. When, after five month, the bank still hadn’t given the Nyergerses a dime, the couple went to their local branch to collect — bringing a foreclosure defense lawyer, Sheriff’s Deputies, and moving trucks along with them.

WINK

From The Buffalo News:

From the moment of their birth in Buffalo 92 years ago, twin brothers Julian and Adrian Riester rarely left each other’s side.

They played together, went to school together, as young men traveled cross-country together—and, in their 20s, joined the Franciscan order together.

And on Wednesday, after 65 years as identical twins wearing the identical brown robes of the Franciscans—mostly at St. Bonaventure University—Brother Julian Riester and Brother Adrian Riester died together at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. Julian died Wednesday morning, followed by Adrian in the evening.

Via

Guerena was shot while holding an AR-15, which still had the safety on, despite police reports that they saw muzzle flashes coming from the bedroom. The reason he was probably armed:  ”Last year, two of Vanessa Guerena’s relatives were murdered by armed intruders. The intruders also shot the couple’s children.”

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The ABC News coverage of the deadly tornado that wreaked havoc in Joplin, Missouri yesterday.

Via | Related: The Big Picture – Deadly Tornadoes Strike Again

Multiply that by 14.3, and your debts probably don’t look as bad in comparison. If you’re having trouble visualizing it, here is $11 trillion as a jumping-off point.

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The Mad Lib killer.

Full Story | Via

Osama bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan, during a joint operation by the CIA and Special Forces personnel.

Congrats to the operative that got to punch his ticket.

Here is President Obama’s statement:

Orange County Republican Party central committee member and Tea Party activist Marilyn Davenport sent the above photo along with the caption “Now you know why no birth certificate.” in a “joke e-mail”.

The “I have black friends”(no she doesn’t) defense was immediately used.

Story here.

A driver under the influence of cocaine led police in a high speed chase all over a Dutch farmer’s corn field, presumably pissing him off greatly in the process.  From Reuters:

Police, backed up by a helicopter, eventually managed to corner the 35-year-old driver after he careered into a neighboring orchard and crashed into a ditch.

“Shoot out two tires… then the problem is solved,” irate farmer Ad van Schendel told police, according to the Brabants Dagblad newspaper.

Van Schendel said he estimated the damage to his field near the southern town of Dussen last Friday at 7,000-8,000 euros.

I’m skipping the obvious Charlie Sheen-on-tour joke here because I’m sick of hearing about him, as well as the internet shitting itself every time he does something.  So…you’re welcome.

Via

@CNNLive

From NASA:

Early this morning, at 5:20 am EDT, MESSENGER captured this historic image of Mercury. This image is the first ever obtained from a spacecraft in orbit about the Solar System’s innermost planet. Over the subsequent six hours, MESSENGER acquired an additional 363 images before downlinking some of the data to Earth. The MESSENGER team is currently looking over the newly returned data, which are still continuing to come down. Tomorrow, March 30, at 2 pm EDT, attend the NASA media telecon to view more images from MESSENGER’s first look at Mercury from orbit.

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Above: A destroyed landscape in Otsuchi village, Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan. (Yahoo)

Below: Nagasaki following the August 9, 1945 dropping of the atomic bomb “Fat Man”.

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On Friday, March 11, 2011 at 6:25 UTC, an earthquake rocked the northern coast of Japan with a magnitude of 8.9 on the Richter Scale, making it 1000 times stronger than the 2010 Haiti Earthquake (in terms of energy released) and one of the highest earthquakes ever recorded on earth (5th).  The quake’s epicenter was only 231 miles away from Tokyo, and aftershocks are still occurring.  As a result, massive waves (some reports saying as high as 33 ft.) are sweeping the country, with additional tsunami warnings in effect for at least 20 countries, Hawaii (where evacuations have already begun), Alaska, and the entire west coast.

Links to keep up:

• Al Jazeera English live feed here. (Also streaming on their iPhone App)
• The Daily What’s coverage here.
• CNN’s coverage here.
• Reddit thread here.
• Wikipedia page here.
• YouTube is collecting videos at CitizenTube.
• Google’s People Finder here.
• Wall Street Journal’s live blog here.
• Japan Declares Emergency at the Tokyo Electric Power’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
• The biggest photos you’ll see of the disaster at The Atlantic’s In Focus.
• The headline you won’t be seeing today that is completely accurate. (Update: Well played, NY Times)
• A roundup of ways you can help.

Hundreds of gallons of ink spilled onto a highway in Peabody, Massachusetts after a tractor-trailer hauling industrial printer cartridges rolled over on a ramp yesterday, resulting in this oddly beautiful picture and a highway covered in one of the most ridiculously expensive liquids known to man.

Boston Globe | Via

From The Baltimore Sun:

Raids were carried out in the pre-dawn hours by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore police and a slew of other federal and state law enforcement agencies.

Felicia “Snoop” Pearson, known for her drug-assassin character on “The Wire,” was taken into custody at a downtown apartment on a state warrant, officials said.

“Ain’t no good thing about surprises in this line of work.” – Snoop

Via

See more here. | Via