Working in fast food isn’t exactly considered a dream job, so we could imagine working at one of those two-in-one fast food chains to be doubly worse. At least one employee of the Depew, New York combination Taco Bell/KFC would agree (or so we’d think) after seeing the epic way in which he quit. As you can see in the photo above, Adam was not very happy with his gig and decided to go out with a bang, printing the message “I quit – Adam / **** you :)” on the readerboard outside. In the news segment below from Channel 4 we learn why he left his night shift manager duties. Apparently he was mad about having to work on July 4 — after 22 days without a day off. Adam, you may not have an income right now, but welcome to the “awesome way to quit your job” club. WATCH: Employee announces he quit on sign: wivb.com Via The Daily What
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In 2007, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, Netherlands came into possession of the prototype of a quite spectacular piece of architecture: Finnish architect Matti Suuronen’s Futuro, the “House of the Future”. With its distinctive flying saucer like shape Suuronen’s Futuro is an icon of 1960s design. It reflects the optimistic vision of the future and the utopian spirit of that time. In 1965, Matti Suuronen was commissioned to design a mobile holiday home that could be erected in poorly accessible skiing areas. The house had to be lightweight, easy to transport and deploy, and suitable for serial production. Suuronen came up with a design that consisted of two parts: the main body made of polyester, and a steel structure as a base. Originally, the idea was to transport the “portable playhouse” as a whole beneath a helicopter. The Futuro came in different colors such as white, yellow or light blue, and also varied regarding the design of the steel legs, and the number of windows. But the basic elliptic shape was always the same. According to Matti Suuronen, the form of the main body of the Futuro is based purely on mathematics, while the idea for the steel leg foundation came to him when looking at the eggcup on his breakfast table. When the Futuro was first presented at a fair in London in October 1968, there was great interest among the public. As a result the manufacturer, Polykem, decided to start mass production of the Futuro. The company even launched a whole series of prefabricated houses designed by Matti Suuronen. Unfortunately the oil crisis of 1973 thwarted the company’s plans and the production was halted prematurely. There are still a dozens of Futuros spread across the world. The Futuro hasn’t been always used according to its original purpose as ski cabin or normal leisure house. It has also been used as a bank, a restaurant, and as an exhibition space. Finally it became an art object itself. In 1990 the Finnish artist Jusi Kivi rented the prototype, Futuro no. 000, for one of his exhibitions. In 1996 it was the highlight of Belgian artist Carsten Höller’s exhibition at the Secession in Vienna. And the German advertising-designer, artist and photographer Charles Wilp put a Futuro on the roof of his house. Wilp invited many celebrities such as Andy Warhol, Joseph Beuys, Yves Klein and Mel Ramos to his Futuro, and wrapping artist Christo enclosed it with a plastic foil. The light blue-colored prototype of the Futuro is now on display for the first time after its restoration. The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen currently showcases it as centerpiece of the exhibition “Futuro: Constructing Utopia,” which also presents twenty prints and approximately a hundred design objects from the museum’s collection. On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition VernissageTV met with Jonieke van Es, the Head of Collections & Research at Museum Bijmans Van Beuningen. In the video above, she talks about the history and concept of the Futuro, how the prototype came into possession of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and how it was restored, the Futuro’s relevance as a design icon, and its future use at the museum.
Continue reading …Stupidity At Moody’s: Get Rid of Debt Ceiling and We Won’t Downgrade Your Debt
July 18, 2011 No Comment
In the midst of staggering illogic surrounding our debt ceiling, ratings agency Moody's just raised the bar. On Monday, it announced that the United States could increase its creditworthiness by – wait for it – eliminating the debt ceiling altogether: The United States is one of the few countries where Congress sets a ceiling on government debt, which creates “periodic uncertainty” over the government's ability to meet its obligations, Moody's [MCO 36.45 0.13 (+0.36%) ] said in a report. “We would reduce our assessment of event risk if the government changed its framework for managing government debt to lessen or eliminate that uncertainty,” Moody's analyst Steven Hess wrote in the report. Consider the illogic on display. An entity's credit rating – whether we're talking about an individual, a household, or a business – is measured by amongst other things the total amount of debt outstanding, the value of the assets owned, and the cash flow generated each year.
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Norwegian Cruise Line files for an IPO – again Great Stirrup Cay – Tour on private island of NCL 4th of July 2011 on Pride of America Norwegian Cruise Line Anabeljltwm says: Norwegian Cruise Line files for an IP!http://moourl.com/zmw0o #1waytopissmeoff Car Bike Chilenos
Continue reading …Ideum’s MT-55 ‘Platform’ multitouch table goes ultrathin, demands but $18,000
July 18, 2011 No Comment
It’s been a hot minute since we’ve heard from the fine folks at Ideum, but when the image above floated into our inbox… well, it’s safe to say our interest was piqued. We last heard from these guys back in the fall of 2009, and while The Platform is certainly a bit smaller than the 100-inch MT-50 that came before it, it’s also a heck of a lot more practical for average consumers. Well, save for the price. Looking beyond that for a moment, you’ll find a devilishly thin (3-inches) table, complete with 55-inches of 1080p gorgeousness, a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 178-degree viewing angle and support for a 64-bit copy of Windows 7 Professional. The internal computer includes a dual-core Core i5 CPU (2.66GHz), 8GB of memory and a 128GB SSD; you’ll also find WiFi, Bluetooth and a slew of “hidden ports.” The entire thing is constructed from aircraft-grade aluminum, and it supports a total of 32 touch points. We’ll leave it to you to discover what it’ll be used for in your future abode, but if you’ve got the $17,950 to take one home, you’ve probably got the brains to figure it out. Ideum’s MT-55 ‘Platform’ multitouch table goes ultrathin, demands but $18,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Japan’s World Cup soccer victory over the US women’s team yesterday devastated the Yanks, but also gave a major kick in the pants to the bad fortunes haunting a nation struggling in the wake of a devastating tsunami. It was the first-ever World Cup win for the gutsy women, who…
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The phone hacking scandal surrounding News Corp is a huge, huge story—except to “Fox and Friends” co-host Steve Doocy. Doocy and his guest, the colorfully-named Bob Dilenschneider dismissed the hubbub on Friday’s show. Doocy said that the media was “piling on” and was ignoring more important issues. “We’ve got some serious problems in this country … and what do they do?” he said. “They talk about this.” Dilenschneider agreed, saying that there has been “too much” coverage of the scandal, and that people should “move on.” Doocy said, “I think you’re right.” Dilenschneider also said that News Corp has done “all the right things” in its response to the scandal. He then likened News Corp. to companies that have been the victims of hacking, such as Citigroup, American Express and Bank of America. It was an odd analogy, given that News Corp is not a hacking victim, but has actually hacked others. WATCH (via Think Progress):
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Fire safety experts say modifications by right-to-buy owners have exacerbated problem Three-quarters of all social housing blocks are potentially unsafe in a fire, according to a survey questioning managers responsible for ensuring buildings are properly maintained. A similar proportion of housing managers are not confident that their blocks have had a proper fire risk assessment, according to the study, carried out jointly by the Chief Fire Officers Association and Chartered Institute of Housing. The findings will further raise concerns that fire safety in social housing, particularly in high-rise blocks, remains a significant problem even two years after the Lakanal House tragedy in Camberwell. Six people, including three children, died on 3 July 2009 when a blaze swept though the 14-storey south London block. While an official report into the cause has been delayed pending a still-running police investigation, fire experts who examined Lakanal’s sister block concluded that decades of botched modifications to the 1959-built structure massively compromised its ability to contain fires, allowing the flames to spread at speed vertically and laterally, trapping residents. Following the fire the Chief Fire Officers Association and Chartered Institute of Housing organised a series of safety seminars for professionals in the social housing sector, during which they polled participants about the blocks they managed. A total of 400 people were surveyed at the first three events, all in England, using an anonymous, push-button vote system. Asked before the seminar whether they believed their buildings were “fit for purpose” regarding fire safety, 45% agreed. After the expert briefing this fell to 27%. Similarly, while 40% were initially confident they had carried out proper fire risk assessments on their housing stock, this dropped to 25% afterwards. Both organisations stress the findings do not mean three-quarters of buildings are fire traps or that the occupants should be worried. But Tony Prosser, director of operations for the West Midlands fire service, who led the study for the Chief Fire Officers’ Association, said it showed that many supposed experts in the housing sector did not know as much as they thought. “We were quite surprised by the results, bearing in mind that the people who come to these events tend to be already reasonably aware of the issues,” he said. “It’s a worrying figure. When we go through the various scenarios it made people aware of some things they’d maybe not considered.” A main concern is modifications to buildings, some by residents, for example right-to-buy flat owners who replace the original fireproof doors to their flats with combustible replacements. Similarly, work on communal areas could sometimes cause hazards, he said. “Some of these buildings are 50 years old now. Since then there’s been a lot of work – satellite dishes, additional plumbing, heating systems. You can get heating engineers who bang holes between floors and don’t do anything about filling in the gaps. In some buildings it can be a process of steady degradation.” Debbie Larner, head of practice at the Chartered Institute of Housing, the professional body for social housing groups, said the figures were “quite shocking” but stressed the need for perspective. “There’s much more awareness about what the issues are. We’re getting a sense that people really want to ensure that their assessments are much more robust. It’s less of a tick-box approach,” she said. Some fire safety experts take a more gloomy view, saying that decades of chronic under-investment in social housing stock has left many hundreds of blocks unsafe . Correcting all this would cost hundreds of millions of pounds, a sum which councils and other housing providers simply cannot afford, they say. Housing Communities Firefighters Peter Walker guardian.co.uk
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Exclusive: Chancellor holding back extra funding needed for modernisation, with MoD calling for PM to intervene David Cameron is locked in a standoff with his chancellor over defence spending after a secret study concluded the government will need to find an extra £25bn to pay for its modernisation of the armed forces. The Guardian has learned that a three-month internal analysis of the Ministry of Defence’s chaotic budget has found the department will not be able to pay for the programmes agreed in last year’s strategic defence and security review without a huge injection of cash – or a savage round of fresh cuts. George Osborne has been refusing to give the defence secretary, Liam Fox, any promises about funding beyond 2014/15, even though many programmes need to be signed off in the coming months to have any chance of coming in on time and on budget. From private discussions with the MoD’s most senior officials, the Guardian understands that the prime minister has also dug his heels in. He has refused to sanction any further cuts to defence capabilities before the next election, even though the department is already far over budget. One senior Whitehall official said the Cameron and his chancellor appeared to be in a power struggle – and they needed to resolve the situation quickly. “We are going round in circles,” said the source. The three-month review began in the spring as the MoD tried to tackle an estimated £1bn overspend for last year, as well as determine costs for the contracts that need to be signed for the changes set out in the SDSR. Downing Street has already conceded that if the armed forces are to become Future Force 2020 the MoD will need real-term budget increases from 2014/15 onwards. But defence officials were not sure how much extra money would be needed. In a series of secret meetings with top officials from the Treasury, Cabinet Office and No 10, the MoD argued it will need rises of inflation-plus-3% every year until 2020/21 to meet its targets. The Guardian understands the sums were not disputed. Without them the MoD will be unable to create Future Force 2020 within the timescale. If the MoD’s budget remains constant between 2014/15 and 2020/21 the department will be £20bn short of what it needs – at current prices. Allowing for inflation that rises to £25bn over six years. The MoD believes it has convinced officials across Whitehall that its problems are as great as it says. It does not want to set a precedent that other departments might seek to follow, and it points to the MoD’s well-earned reputation for mismanaging money as another reason not to make any commitments now. “The essential underlying problem remains the same,” said the source. “The chancellor doesn’t want to give defence any more money because if he makes a special case then what will happen next? “Every other department will be asking to be made a special case. But what the prime minister is not prepared to countenance is further cuts. Defence has been on this painful trajectory since the SDSR came out last year. “The only way the Treasury will move is if David Cameron comes down on the side of defence. The prime minister recognises that the MoD will need real term increases to meet the SDSR commitments.” Until then the permanent secretary at the MoD, Ursula Brennan, is stalling on signing contracts until she is sure she will have the money to pay for them. Professor Malcolm Chalmers, from the Royal United Services Institute thinktank, said there were “no easy choices left” and that the MoD needed to make decisions now about new tanks, submarines and aircraft. “Without an explicit commitment soon to significant real terms growth in defence spending between 2014 and 2020, the SDSR vision for UK forces in 2020 is not affordable. “Getting a commitment after the next election is too late unless the MoD is prepared to sign contracts without knowing whether it can afford to fund them. “If the defence budget does not grow significantly in real terms after 2014/15, there could be a six-year funding gap – between what is needed to fund Future Force 2020 and what is available – of around £25bn. “If decisions are not taken soon, either to approve significant real defence spending growth after 2014 or to make further cuts in capabilities, the MoD will become increasingly reluctant to approve new financial commitments.” Chalmers said the government had been “refreshingly frank” about the problems with the defence budget but if it could not commit to new spending “further difficult capability choices cannot be avoided”. The armed forces will have made redundant up to 17,000 servicemen and women by 2015, but further job losses are expected after the British mission in Afghanistan begins to wind down in the next parliament. Defence policy Military David Cameron George Osborne Nick Hopkins guardian.co.uk
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The main stage at Ottawa Bluesfest collapsed Sunday night during a Cheap Trick concert as a severe thunderstorm sent the musicians and thousands of fans running for cover. (July 18)
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