Twycross Zoo had a very special announcement on 23 July. The zoo, in Atherstone, Warwickshire, UK, is now home to two more of the rarest big cats on earth. The pair of Amur Leopard cubs were born to their two year old mother, Kristen, on 2 June — via ZooBorns
Photo: Gillian Day
Mahj built a LEGO castle. It looks pretty simple, but then you see what it does — via Youtube
Most people don’t notice I’m polite, which is sort of the point. I don’t look polite. I am big and droopy and need a haircut. No soul would associate me with watercress sandwiches. Still, every year or so someone takes me aside and says, you actually are weirdly polite, aren’t you? And I always thrill. They noticed.
The complimenters don’t always formulate it so gently. For example, after two years ago at the end of an arduous corporate project, slowly turning a thousand red squares in a spreadsheet to yellow, then green, my officemate turned to me and said: I thought you were a terrible ass-kisser when we started working together.
She paused and frowned. But it actually helped get things done. It was a strategy.
(That is how an impolite person gives a compliment. Which I gladly accepted) — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Distracted, originally uploaded by Red Wolf
These two wild foxes were lured to the window of Igor Shpilenok’s remote log cabin by the smell of his cooking — via Telegraph
The Hat Maker from Dean Bradshaw on Vimeo
We arrived at the shop early in the morning as the first light entered the room. Dust particles danced through sunbeams as we began to move items around the space, debating wardrobe and the shot sequence. Nick entered and listened to what we had planned. He nodded his head, pulled a piece of beaver felt down from a shelf, set it on the table and began to work.
Worries of the wardrobe, makeup, and set dressing fell away. It didn’t matter who he was, what he was wearing, or whose hat he was making — in front of the camera camera was a man and his craft, the beauty of his work uncluttered. Watching Nick work froze our day in time and if it weren’t for the light blinking on the camera we would have had no reference to the year.
In a society that often forgets the importance of making something by hand, Nick Fouquet’s artistry is a reminder of what is at the core of this country. We left inspired and grateful to be able to capture a timeless discipline passed down through generations
This cat tent is super easy to make — you really just need a t-shirt, some wire hangers and a piece of cardboard. As a bonus, it really only takes five minutes, so if your cat ignores it you didn’t put too much effort in — via DIY cat tent
Hilla Shamia, a product designer in Israel, developed an amazing technique for combining the natural and the synthetic. She places blocks of wood inside moulds, then pours in molten aluminium. The liquefied metal flows smoothly into every crack, filling it and providing support when it cools — via Neatorama
Here is a sentence that will be immediately familiar to anyone who has ever followed even a little news out of the Middle East:
Journalists from the Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera were attacked by state security forces today and blanketed in tear gas, as they attempted to film an ongoing protest; this is the latest in a string of attacks on journalists by security forces.
Now see if you can guess the country. It’s not Egypt. Not Tunisia.
Nope: this happened, exactly as described, in the United States of America on Wednesday night, in the Missouri town of Ferguson. Here is the video of Al Jazeera America journalists in Ferguson being clearly targeted with tear gas by Ferguson police (apologies for the poor quality) — via redwolf.newsvine.com
A relative newcomer to the French knife game is Paris-based Deejo, founded in 2010 by two friends looking to revisit the concept of the pocket knife. Originally designed for hiking, Deejo’s lightweight design has garnered a widespread following for its simple aesthetic and dependable 420-grade stainless steel blade. The hardwood options start at 37 grams, while the mechanical grade plastic comes in at 27 grams. However, for the simplest treatment and lightest weight, check out the naked stainless steel, that starts at just 15 grams—about the weight of two No. 2 pencils.
Deejo knives start at just €19 and are available via Deejo’s webstore. For those looking for a more custom experience, design your own knife online, with choice of blade artwork, finish, handle and size — via Cool Hunting
Widely regarded as an eccentric bureaucrat, Kent ‘Battle’ Martin approves essentially every beer label in the United States, giving him awesome power over a huge industry.
For years, one man has approved virtually every beer label design in the United States. Among brewers, he’s a tyrant. A legend.
A pedantic pain in the ass.
Brewers and legal experts speak of him in hushed tones, with equal parts irritation and reverence.
He’s the king of beer. His will is law,
said one lawyer who works with him regularly. The lawyer asked to remain anonymous, for fear of crossing the beer specialist. There’s one dude in the government who gets to control a multibillion-dollar industry with almost no supervision.
And he goes by the name Battle
.
Any brewery that wants to market its wares in this country needs to get it through Kent Battle
Martin, giving the federal official extraordinary power. With only vague regulations outlining what is and isn’t permissible, he approves beer bottles and labels for the Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB, a section of the Treasury Department.
Those who have interacted with him describe him as brusque, eccentric, clenched. He is tensely and formally dressed on all occasions, with an encyclopedic memory of beer labels. He is bespectacled and somewhat awkward.
This year, Battle has singlehandedly approved over 29,500 beer labels, the only fact his press handler would provide. The TTB would not even provide basic biographical details about the famed regulator, much less make him available for an interview — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Lauren Bacall, the sultry actress with the husky voice who captured Humphrey Bogart’s heart both on and off the movie screen, has died at the age of 89.
Bacall suffered a massive stroke at her New York home on Tuesday morning (local time), a family member said.
With deep sorrow, yet with great gratitude for her amazing life, we confirm the passing of Lauren Bacall. pic.twitter.com/B8ZJnZtKhN
— BogartEstate (@HumphreyBogart) 12 August 2014
Bacall was married to Bogart from 1945 until his death in 1957.
They appeared together in several films, including The Big Sleep (1946) and Key Largo (1948).
She was born Betty Joan Perske on 16 September 1924, in New York City, the only child of immigrant parents.
After her parents’ divorce, she adopted a variation of her mother’s maiden name, Bacal.
The public knew her as Lauren, the screen name hung on her by director Howard Hawks, while friends called her Betty.
Bogart simply called her Baby
, in a love story that ended prematurely with his death from throat cancer at the age of 57 — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Jeff is back with a massive update to his space themed play area for his kids. These little astronauts seem positively enthralled by the experiences Jeff has put together — via Youtube
NSW Police – transport2, originally uploaded by NSW Police
Zoo Berlin recently welcomed five baby Capybaras to their South American exhibit. Born just several weeks ago, the five pups, along with mother, Lucia, explored their enclosure for the first time. Careful to stay close to mother and each other, they enjoyed their time investigating various aspects of their home at the zoo — via ZooBorns
Brazil is Terry Gilliam’s epic sci-fi film. A bureaucrat in a retro-future world tries to correct an administrative error and himself becomes an enemy of the state.
Released in 1985.
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Jonathan Pryce, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Kim Greist, Robert De Niro, Derrick O’Connor — via Youtube
A killer combination of rapidly advancing technology and a desire for greater privacy among the public should condemn current surveillance state to an historical anachronism, according to PGP creator Phil Zimmermann.
In an extended talk at Defcon 22 in Las Vegas, Zimmermann said it might seem as though the intelligence agencies have the whip hand at the moment but mankind had faced this situation before. He also said the abolition of slavery and absolute monarchy, and the achievement for civil rights, also once looked unlikely but were achieved.
Zimmermann praised the release of information by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, saying his efforts have alerted the populace to the real state of affairs and made people much more concerned about privacy. The revelations had also forced the technology industry to up its game
and provide products to meet that demand, he opined — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Sterling silver wolf band. Four wolf heads with 1.7 mm colored diamond eyes. Also available in gold — or with white diamonds — via Etsy
A very smart bird — via Youtube
An Important Government Functionary. One of many.
Originally aired on ABC TV: 07/08/2014 — via Youtube
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