jwz

Satire at the ballot box to 'honor' Bush

They want to rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant come January, when the next president is sworn in. During the inauguration, the group also wants supporters to participate in a "synchronized flush" -- a way to send a gift to the renamed plant, which supporters say, would be a "fitting monument to this president's work."

It sounds like a harmless joke, or maybe a college civics lesson gone awry. But they have already collected 8,500 signatures in support of the plan - 1,300 more than the minimum needed to put the question to city voters in November.

The biggest opposition in this Democratic stronghold, McConnell said, is people who oppose naming anything after the 43rd president.

Officials at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which owns the plant, say they get the humorous intent. But they note that the plant is an award-winning facility that keeps the city's streets and the ocean clean.

"If you are looking for a place to make a negative statement about the Bush administration's impact on the environment, this would be the last place to do it," agency spokesman Tony Winnicker said.

jwz

HELL YES:

San Francisco smokers are already banned from lighting up inside restaurants, bars and public buildings. Now Supervisor Chris Daly is proposing tougher restrictions, including no smoking in taxicabs, at outdoor cafes, in lines at the ATM, at farmer's markets and within 20 feet of the entrance to businesses.

The city's Department of Public Health says there's no safe level of second-hand smoke. "There's been research that shows the exposure in outdoor areas. The levels can be as toxic as indoor levels," said Alyonik Hrushow from the San Francisco Health Department.

Smokers may feel like pariahs in this city, but according to the American Lung Association, San Francisco is behind other cities including Belmont, Berkeley and Ross when it comes to trying to limit second-hand smoke.

This will be a slight hassle for us at the club, since we'll have to make people move farther down the block to smoke, but that's fine with me, because I find it absolutely disgusting to have to walk through that gauntlet of stench on the sidewalk in front of the exit door.

You're welcome to smoke, and to play with your own poop. Just keep your smoke, and your poop, off of me.

http://www.qwantz.com/archive/001265.html

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July 15th, 2008: Hey I'm thinking of coming out with some new shirts! If you've read something in my comic and you've said to yourself, "MAN I wish I could spend money on that!" why not email me? That way if I get a thousand emails saying MAKE A SHIRT THAT SAYS "WHOAH, CHECK OUT THESE GENITALS" then I'll know you're all crazy. Crazy prescient!

http://www.qwantz.com/archive/001264.html

Project Wonderful - Your ad here, right now, for as low as $0.00

July 15th, 2008: Hey I'm thinking of coming out with some new shirts! If you've read something in my comic and you've said to yourself, "MAN I wish I could spend money on that!" why not email me? That way if I get a thousand emails saying MAKE A SHIRT THAT SAYS "WHOAH, CHECK OUT THESE GENITALS" then I'll know you're all crazy. Crazy prescient!

jwz

XScreenSaver 5.06 out now. Only one new hack this time, but it's a fine one, if I do say so myself. Also this includes a bunch of fixes related to adding, removing and resizing monitors (RANDR/Xinerama) on X11 systems, as I mentioned earlier. So please stress-test that junk. Or be devoured.

http://www.qwantz.com/archive/001263.html

Project Wonderful - Your ad here, right now, for as low as $0.00

July 15th, 2008: Hey I'm thinking of coming out with some new shirts! If you've read something in my comic and you've said to yourself, "MAN I wish I could spend money on that!" why not email me? That way if I get a thousand emails saying MAKE A SHIRT THAT SAYS "WHOAH, CHECK OUT THESE GENITALS" then I'll know you're all crazy. Crazy prescient!

jwz

There's something you don't see every day:

A Powell-Mason cable car jumped the tracks while turning onto Powell Street just before midnight Sunday night, July 13, 2008, leaving at least four people injured.

I assumed they were, you know, attached.

Which led to me learning about that sand thing:

The track brake does the lion's share of the work. The friction between wood and steel is what primarily stops the car. Make that dry wood and dry steel. Wet equals slick... this is not good.

This is where sand comes to the rescue. A small pedal on the floor is pressed to drop sand on the rails. The wheels crush the sand into powder, the powder soaks up the moisture and provides -- the magic word -- friction!

jwz

Blind Russian Ravers

Ravers at the Aquamarine Open Air Festival in Kirzhach, 80 kilometres northeast of Moscow, began seeking medical help days after the show, complaining of eye and vision problems.

"They all have retinal burns, scarring is visible on them. Loss of vision in individual cases is as high as 80%, and regaining it is already impossible," Kommersant quoted a treating ophthalmologist as saying.

Partygoers say heavy rains forced organisers to erect massive tents for the all-night dance party. The damage seems to have been caused when laser beams that were intended for outdoor use to illuminate the sky, were somehow turned or reflected onto the crowd.

http://www.qwantz.com/archive/001262.html

Project Wonderful - Your ad here, right now, for as low as $0.00

July 15th, 2008: Hey I'm thinking of coming out with some new shirts! If you've read something in my comic and you've said to yourself, "MAN I wish I could spend money on that!" why not email me? That way if I get a thousand emails saying MAKE A SHIRT THAT SAYS "WHOAH, CHECK OUT THESE GENITALS" then I'll know you're all crazy. Crazy prescient!

http://www.qwantz.com/archive/001261.html

Project Wonderful - Your ad here, right now, for as low as $0.00

July 10th, 2008: If you're in Toronto, you should come to my street artist friend Posterchild's art show opening tonight, 8 pm! It's at the Hotshot gallery in Kensington market and it will be full of DEAD ASTRONAUT DOLLS HANGING FROM THE CEILING. Awesome.

jwz

DNA Lounge update, wherein the clock ticks.

jwz

Please enjoy jwz mixtape 039.

http://www.qwantz.com/archive/001260.html

Project Wonderful - Your ad here, right now, for as low as $0.00

July 10th, 2008: If you're in Toronto, you should come to my street artist friend Posterchild's art show opening tonight, 8 pm! It's at the Hotshot gallery in Kensington market and it will be full of DEAD ASTRONAUT DOLLS HANGING FROM THE CEILING. Awesome.

http://www.qwantz.com/archive/001259.html

Project Wonderful - Your ad here, right now, for as low as $0.00

July 10th, 2008: If you're in Toronto, you should come to my street artist friend Posterchild's art show opening tonight, 8 pm! It's at the Hotshot gallery in Kensington market and it will be full of DEAD ASTRONAUT DOLLS HANGING FROM THE CEILING. Awesome.

jwz

DNA Lounge update, wherein HOLY SHIT HOUSTON. OVER.