Wednesday, March 10, 2010 19:15
Hang 'Em High?
 Quite a few American states now consider ending the death penalty. The reason? Well, it seems that killing people cost too much. Martin O’Malley, Governor of Maryland, is cited in New York Times (February the 24th, 2009) stating that capital cases cost three times as much as homicide cases where the death penalty is not sought. Capital cases are expensive because the trials tend to take longer, require more lawyers and more costly expert witnesses. They are also far more likely to lead to multiple appeals. Capital punishment is an expensive business. Because business is what this at bottom is all about.
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010 14:35
Robbery Record
 This is an oldie but well worth revisiting. During a weekend in August back in 2005 a new Brazilian robbery record was set. The thieves got their hands on 65 million US dollars. The way they did it was like something taken out of a Oceans Eleven remake. They dug an 80 meters long tunnel to reach the vault; got inside through the floor without trigging any alarms and transported the 3,5 tons heavy plunder back through the tunnel. To camouflage their three months underground activities they opened a gardening store next door to the bank, where they amongst other things, sold the soil they dug out from the tunnel. A thief gotta make a living. Reference: news.bbc.co.uk
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 15:47
Reality Bytes
 T-post Issue 52, Designed by Wilmer Murillo Illustrator and character designer Wilmer Murillo was born in 1987 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and grew up drawing and reading astronomy books. He began studying graphic design in 2005 but quickly realized that he wanted to devote himself to illustration. And we, for one, are glad that he did. Wilmer is a lover of coffee, dogs, traditional toys, children’s books, and sad songs. He prefers movies like Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain to movies like Avatar. "I wasn’t very excited when I went to the cinema to watch (Avatar), but then it gave me a new view and more love and respect for nature. I must admit I was shocked. It produced a positive and deep effect in myself." For Wilmer’s graphic interpretation, he focused on the idea of people living out the biggest part of their lives in a virtual world, making important decisions that could change things forever. While things like social injustice and tragic love stories are more likely to depress Wilmer, you can make him happy by visiting wilmermurillo.com. C.R.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 13:31
T-post Exhibition
 Art. Fashion. News. All around conversation piece. Born in Sweden and raised in Portland, T-post is the world's first wearable magazine. Some of their favorite issues from the last five years will be display at The Red Fox starting this Friday night. Come join us for great food, drinks and conversation. You could be getting your wardrobe automatically mailed to you every five weeks. When: Opening reception: This Friday, March 12, 9pm-12pm. Show continues through April 9. Where: The Red Fox: 5128 N Albina Avenue Portland, OR 97217, Directions Here For more information about the event visit: facebook.com/tpost.se
Monday, March 8, 2010 15:52
Avatar Blues
 For many people, movies are a form of escapism. We go to the cinema to be entertained, to stir up our emotions and to temporarily forget about our real lives as we’re transported into another world. When the theater lights go on, we simply return to our normal lives. While there are movies that have certainly had a profound effect on their audiences, few have had the kind of effect James Cameron’s latest spectacle, and highest grossing film of all time, Avatar, has. Touted as a breakthrough in filmmaking technology for its development of 3D viewing and stereoscopic filmmaking, Cameron’s completely immersive experience may have been too real for some. According to CNN, many fans are experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film “because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora”.
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Monday, March 8, 2010 15:26
Oscar Night
 One of the downsides of being a movie geek stationed in Sweden is that come Oscar night, that is really what it is here - night. The event starts here at 03.00 and ends at 06.00 in the morning. But since we’re involved in one of the Short Films nominated for best Short, I hade to make sure I was the first one to break out the champagne, if it was called for. But however sad it was to watch Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson enter the stage and receive the Oscar for their short film The New Tenants instead of Patrik and Mattias. I found consolation in beating the crap out of my friend Sika in our annual Oscar pick championship. I scored 12 out of 15, he scored 11. The battle of the geeks is won. Boo-yah! The Hurt Locker got 9 nominations and won 6 Oscars, Avatar got 9 nomination and won 3. The secret is to always place your bets on the angry ex-wife.
Friday, March 5, 2010 14:17
15 Minutes of Shame
 On the 21st of June, police were called to a tanning salon in Cincinnati, Ohio. A 41-year-old man was being accused of using his cell phone to secretly snap photos of a woman while she was tanning in the nude. As creepy as this may seem it’s hardly a crime that would cause the man to gain a worldwide reputation for being a slimeball. That is, if the story were to stop there, but it doesn’t. When police confronted the man they asked for his camera-phone, but he denied having one. The officers decided to take a closer look at the man and realized that he’d hidden the evidence in a most unusual way. He didn’t just erase the photos from the camera; he hid the entire phone up his ass. As noted by the officers, the man "did hide evidence in his anus."
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Friday, March 5, 2010 12:31
The Cat People
 I think that the world would be a much more interesting place if the adults would be as easily entertained as the kids? My constant urge to get my fix of fun satisfied is getting worse by the minute. And note that I’m not talking about doing it for my self anymore, I want something or someone to entertain me. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if I also could play non-stop for 5 hours just because I had a cheetah drawn on my face, like my kids did last night? I have to stop being so lazy and start to appreciate the more simple stuff in life. So if you need me, I’ll be out building a fort in the mountain of snow while eating a sandwich and talking on my cell. I’ll be back in 5 hours?
Thursday, March 4, 2010 15:44
Never Trust a Fat Man?
 The necktie is officially an endangered fashion accessory. Italy’s health secretary is recommending that all government offices ban the tie for sake of the environment. The thought being that the absence of a tie will allow for a lower body temperature and therefore, lower energy consumption by reducing air conditioning dependency. Admittedly, the necktie is a pretty strange article of clothing. It’s managed to stick around for well over a century but like all things in fashion, it’s eventually got to make room for new trends. New high tech fabrics are popping up all over the globe, but surprisingly they’re not the reason behind the tie’s demise. No, it’s the seemingly unstoppable t-shirt that’s taking over.
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Thursday, March 4, 2010 10:42
Rules of Distraction
 I just came across two totally different distractions while driving a car back in the 1920's, both handled slightly different. Article Published in 1928 There was a terrible collision on the highway between Örkelljunga and Åsljunga (both villages in the south of Sweden). It was a man from Örkelljunga that ran into a salesman from Skånes Fagerhult. In the trial that followed the man from Örkelljunga, which caused the accident, got a reduced sentence since he had been drinking and therefore had trouble maneuvering the car.
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