Brilliant ad for The Economist magazine, featuring a tightrope walker that begins his ascent from the sidewalk, and, by walking across interconnecting red ropes, reaches a place high above the city. The tagline is “Let your mind wander.” All I can say is it’s wonderfully done. Does anyone know who the rope walker is?
Tag Archives: videos
Read the Bill, Congress!
The US Congress recently passed the Cap and Trade Bill without reading through the over 1200-page document, which more than likely contained more pork than a Louisiana farmer’s pantry. It was a bill drafted by lobbyists and edited in closed door committees, paving the way for tons of very lucrative government contracts and taxes that will surely pad many insiders’ pockets for decades to come.
Now they’re getting ready to fast-track the House Health Care Bill, another over 1000-page document, introduced as H.R. 3200, which no one will likely read, except the lobbyists drafting it and the few congressmen whose larder needs refilling as the way for the bill is greased through the inner workings of our illustrious Congress.
What’s to be done about this? At the very least, Congress should bother to read the bills before they vote and sign them. Pretty simple, right?
That’s why the Sunlight Foundation came up with ReadtheBill.org, a website which proposes a simple rule: post all bills online for 72 hours before they are debated. This was introduced as H. Res. 554 — a change to the House resolutions — and is slowly making its way through the approval process thanks to people like you and me, who are bugging our representatives to vote for it. The 72 hour delay would give constituents a decent amount of time during which to read through the proposed bills and see if they need to act.
Let’s not forget President Obama promised his own 5-day delay on signing any new bills during his campaign, but has almost never respected that promise. So we’ve got a Congress and a President that don’t really bother to read all the bills they’re signing, and don’t even want to pretend like they’re doing it — at least not yet. It’s a grand example they’re setting for the rest of the world, isn’t it? They’re passing bills they haven’t read, and they’re telling us everything is on the up and up, and we have nothing to worry about, because they’re hard at work on fixing America. Whoopee!
Please tell your friends about ReadtheBill.org. Go there, sign the online petition, and bug your Representatives to pass the 72-hour rule.
Read The Bill from Sunlight Foundation on Vimeo.
Luna by Malajube
Cool music video that involves synchronized swimming and hallucinations induced by a near-drowning experience. I’m making it sound weird, but it’s very nicely done. The band is Malajube, and the song is called “Luna”. With Nicolina Tokic and the Synchronized Swimming Club of Montréal-Nord, Aquana.
Malajube || Luna from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.
You can download the full HD video if you click through. And there’s also a “making of” video.
Malajube || Dans les coulisses du vidéoclip de Luna from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.
Inventor portraits by David Friedman
David Friedman, a photographer from NYC, is putting together short video documentaries of inventors. The first three are already up on Vimeo. A very cool idea. Wish I’d thought of it first. Kudos to Dave.
Inventor Portrait: Clint Fruitman from David Friedman on Vimeo.
Inventor Portrait: Jerry Ford from David Friedman on Vimeo.
Inventor Portrait: Tom Roering from David Friedman on Vimeo.
There are more details about each inventor on Dave’s blog, along with more non-video profiles of interesting inventors. Check it out.
Ce Soir by Monogrenade
Stop-motion music video from a Montreal band called Monogrenade, for a song called “Ce Soir”, from the EP entitled “Le saveur de fruits”.
Monogrenade – Ce Soir (HD) from Monogrenade on Vimeo.
