The Daily What

The Daily What

Breaking News of the Day

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 01:38 PM PDT

- Breaking News of the Day


The military has confirmed that a NATO Black Hawk helicopter has crashed due to poor weather in Afghanistan, and it is not clear whether anyone survived. A crew of four was believed was believed to have been on board. A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the helicopter went down in the Regional Command-Southwest area, which includes the traditional Taliban stronghold of Helmand province.

[huffpo]


Tagged: black hawk, Breaking News

Secret Menu of the Day

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 12:59 PM PDT

- Secret Menu of the Day


What, no Animal Style?

[thd]


Tagged: secret menu, Starbucks

Holocaust Commemoration of the Day

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 12:41 PM PDT


This — filmed last year on Yom HaShoah — is how it’s done in Israel. This is how Holocaust Remembrance Day is honored around the world.

[reddit]


Tagged: holocaust day

Follow-Up of the Day: New Details on Trayvon Martin Shooting Aftermath

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 12:01 PM PDT

George Zimmerman’s conversations with law enforcement following the Feb. 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin have come to light in new interviews conducted by The Daily Beast with a source familiar with Zimmerman's account, but not directly involved in the case.

According to the source, Zimmerman told police that when he was on the ground, Martin straddled him, striking him, and then tried to smother him. Zimmerman claimed that he yelled for help, and that various neighbors who peered out to see the fight from their backyards didn't get involved.

Zimmerman, the source said, told officers he was so paralyzed by fear that he initially forgot he had a gun, but he said that after Martin noticed his 9mm pistol, Zimmerman pulled it out of his belt holder and fired one round, a hollow-point—the round that killed Martin.

According to the source, Zimmerman told police that Martin's last words after the shooting were, "Okay, you got it." He said the phrase twice, then turned and fell face-down on the ground.

According to the source, Zimmerman told police he didn't realize that Martin was seriously injured, and that he lunged to get on top of him after the teenager fell to the ground. Moments later, a police officer from Sanford arrived, placed him in handcuffs and took his gun.

[dailybeast]

Lunchtime Links

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 11:24 AM PDT

- Lunchtime Links


Today on The Daily What Geek: A real-life version of the Sonic Screwdriver from Doctor Who

Elsewhere on the Internets:

  • Revealed: How authors feel about people who write fan fiction
  • Unearthed: The time Dick Clark revealed his dark side
  • Stupid: The dangerous Subway Chicken game Brooklyn teens are playing
  • Winning: Gotye, the biggest Australian sensation since Savage Garden
  • Expanding: DOGTV, across the U.S.
  • Confirmed: Romney will deliver commencement address at America’s nuttiest college
  • Succeeded: India, at launching a missile that could blow up China
  • Backpedaled: Starbucks, on its use of bug extract in products
  • Proposed: Terms for an agreement on Gulf oil spill, by BP

Lunchtime Leisure: Moo Cab
Lunchtime List: 9 iPhone Apps For Surviving The Breakdown Of Society

[image: stephenwildish]


Tagged: Lunchtime Links

Treehouse of the Day

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 10:45 AM PDT


Joel Allen built the HemLoft — “a secret treehouse hiding in the woods of Whistler” — in 2009, and it served as a private retreat for him and his girlfriend for several summers. But ever since Allen went public with his creation in Dwell Magazine, the HemLoft’s future is uncertain — turns out, it was built on Crown land. “If the wrong people find it, they may make me take it down,” Allen said. Until then, he’s welcoming visitors.

[gizmag]


Tagged: hemloft, treehouse

Marketing Campaign of the Day

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 09:35 AM PDT


In a clever spin on Earth Day, o.b. tampons and LBi teamed up to convince a creepy crustacean to spill his plans for seaside domination.

[thanks, elisabeth!]


Tagged: crab, Marketing Campaign, tampons

Elderly Animals of the Day

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 09:06 AM PDT

- Elderly Animals of the Day


Shortly after Isa Leshko spent a year caring for her mother as she suffered from Alzheimer’s, she encountered a blind elderly horse living on a relative’s property. Leshko spent the afternoon photographing him, and realized that she had found a project that would help her deal with her mother’s illness. She began to visit sanctuaries across the U.S. to photograph animals that were elderly or at the end stages of their lives.

“I am creating these photographs to gain a deeper understanding about what it means to be mortal and to exorcise my fears of aging. … I also want my images to inspire greater empathy toward animals, particularly farm animals. It is rare to see a farm animal that has actually lived its natural life span given that most of these animals experience brutality and death early in their lives. … I want to challenge people’s assumptions about these animals and inspire reforms to the treatment of farm animals.”

The photos can be seen here — and don’t miss the video.

[imwithkanye]


Tagged: elderly animals

In Case You Missed It of the Day

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 08:30 AM PDT

- In Case You Missed It of the Day


Here we go again: The Army has launched a criminal investigation into actions of the 82nd Airborne Division after the Los Angeles Times showed officials copies of a series of 18 photos of soldiers posing with the mangled corpses of Afghans believed to be suicide bombers. The photos were taken in 2010 and came to light this week; the Times opted to publish two after tangling with the Pentagon, which tried — no surprise here — to prevent their publication.

“The reason for that is those kinds of photos are used by the enemy to incite violence, and lives have been lost as the result of the publication of similar photos,” U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday.

That may be true, Panetta, but it seems the photos also have been revealed at the worst possible time. In January, a video appeared online showing four Marines urinating on Afghan corpses. In February, the burning of copies of the Koran at a U.S. base resulted in riots that killed 30 and led to the deaths of six Americans. And in March, a Staff Sgt. Robert Bales went on a shooting rampage in two Afghan villages, killing 17.

[boingboing]


Tagged: Afghan War, lat, photos

Pen Pals of the Day

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 08:08 AM PDT


Not only has Kevin Forts, a 23-year-old from Massachusetts, publicly defended Anders Breivik’s mass killing of 77 in Norway, but the two ARE PEN PALS. Breivik has written Forts: “I have received letters from supporters in 20 countries, but you appear to be someone who can write well. Yes, I am absolutely interested in discussing ideological issues with you and am thinking about how we can work together.”

Forts says the killer supported “multiculturalist values”:

“I believe it demonstrates a sense of nationalism and a moral conscience. … I believe that he used (the mass murders) as an unprecedented attack. I don’t believe that it should occur again, but I do believe that it was atrocious but necessary in that it has raised awareness for it and Breivik did that with the executions. … I dream of one day meeting Breivik or talking to him on the phone.”

Sweet jesus.

[hypervocal]


Tagged: anders, Norway Attack, pen pal