Prix Pictet 2008

The Prix Pictet award’s worthy mission is to promote photographic excellence and environmental sustainability. In its inaugural year the theme was water and the winner, announced by Kofi Annan in Paris, was Canadian photographer Benoit Aquin. Monocle's Culture Editor Robert Bound reports.

Dan Meth's trilogy Meter

speaks for itself.

china celebrates by burning down the Mandarin

Ain't no party like a CCTV party, cause a CCTV party don't stop.....until it's burned down the Beijing Mandarin Hotel due to illegal fireworks. So many humorous observations can be made from this disastrous exhibit of a Chinese Party faux pas but I'll just look at the images and laugh.

Here's the quaint and party approved statement Mandarin issued:

“Beijing Fire Control Bureau says CCTV staff responsible for the construction of the new TV complex, hired staff to ignite large festive firecrackers outside the building, and caused the fire. The move did not receive approval from related authorities. The fire has caused severe damage. CCTV sincerely apologizes for the damage that the fire caused, and the inconvenience it has brought to the public.”

now look at pictures

cctv = BURN!

Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre II

Peanut Corporation of America: Hates Kids and Old People

FDA: Peanut plant knew product was tainted with salmonella

Story Highlights

1. Government confirms PCA shipped salmonella-tainted product without further testing
2. PCA had said it shipped products only after subsequent tests returned negative
3. FDA: Data provided by company "not consistent with the subsequent analysis"

(CNN) -- The Georgia company whose peanut products have been blamed for a nationwide salmonella outbreak shipped some products even though they had tested positive for the bacteria and no other tests indicated they were safe, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

Previously, Peanut Corporation of America had said it shipped products only after subsequent tests on them came back negative. Items made with its peanut products have been linked to more than 500 cases of illness, including eight deaths.

The agency said the company's management told FDA inspectors last month during an inspection of the plant that they shipped products that first had tested positive for salmonella, but only if they later had tested negative.

But, it said, "FDA determined that certain information provided by PCA management during the inspection was not consistent with the subsequent analysis of the company's records."

As a result, the agency amended its report Thursday.

"In some situations the firm received a positive salmonella test result, followed by a later negative result, and then shipped the products," said the FDA report, which was included in an e-mail to CNN. "In some other situations, the firm shipped the products [which had already tested positive] before it had received the [second] positive test results."

In some cases, it said, "no additional testing appears to have been done."

No one from the company returned a call seeking comment.

Federal authorities have initiated a criminal investigation into the company.

To the Peanut Corp of America, allow me to say; Fuck you. Peanut butter is bad enough but to have an entire company just say 'fuck it!' lets push this tainted peanut stank out the door is sad. These stupid bastards were complicit in poisioning their own product for almost a year and a half. That's not right.

I understand that all of these hacks live in Georgia, so they already have 1 strike, but to display such callous disregard for safety is quite stunning. Never mind the complete lack of product pride and satisfaction of a job well done.

It boils down to this: their primary product is consumed by kids and old folk. Little kids and old people eat peanut butter. You could safely say that the Peanut Corporation of America hates kids and old people. It's a fact. It's been typed.

The Keene Act & YOU (1977)

Another good video laying out some back story to Watchmen for the uninformed. Plus some screenshots I thought were worth copying and pasting into this post.