Genius!

A Latvian designer named Kaspars Jursons has invented the 'Sink-Urinal' which is designed to save water and encourages men to wash hands.  The design, called Stand, sells for about $590 per unit.  Several sink-urinals are currently installed in a concert venue in Riga, Latvia, where s they have worked smoothly and saved thousands of liters of water.  Give this man a Nobel Prize!!

More here: The 'Sink-Urinal' Saves Water, Encourages Men To Wash Hands

Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

Rolling Stone magazine has updated it's 500 greatest albums of all time list.  No prizes for working out what was listed at No. 1.

Why Tony Abbott is Scared to Debate the Economy

Tony Abbott would be wise to refuse any debate on the economy, because there is little substance behind his claims on the budget and debt, writes Stephen Koukoulas on the ABC's Drum.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five (live 1961)

The Dave Brubeck Quartet perform "Take Five" on the "Jazz Casual" show in 1961.  The piece was composed by Paul Desmond (saxophonist) and originaly released on album "Time Out" in 1959.  The Dave Brubeck Quartet consist of: Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Morello and Gene Wright.

Space station in front of moon

Miles Davies

From the arhcives, a memo to the head of Miles Davis' record company wondering what the hell to do about the name of Mile's upcoming double album.  (Hint: they didn't change it and the rest is history)

Moon on Road

Hmmm... Wonder Which Would Be Better?

Dr Karl is the Son of a People Smuggler

You've been misled on boat people: Here are the facts

In an Opinion piece in the Age,  Julian Burnside lays out the facts about refugees attempting to find asylum in Australia:

Refugees are LEGALLY entering Australia to request asylum
There is NOT QUEUE for refugees.  Never has been, never will be.
We don't need protection from refugees.  Refugees need protection from... well, everyone.

Finally, this quote is the most telling of all:

"If you and your family faced persecution at the hands of the Taliban, would you wait in Kabul for a bullet; or hide in Indonesia for years on end waiting for another country to offer you protection? Or would you run for your life, and do whatever it took to get you and your family to safety? I know I would get to safety by hook or by crook. And if I got to a convention country, I would ask for protection."

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/youve-been-misled-on-boat-people-here-are-the-facts-20130718-2q5rv.html#ixzz2ZOQkLZbC

Maralinga

US Senator Elizabeth Warren Wants to Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act

“Banking should be boring.” That’s the slogan accompanying Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s latest project, a highly anticipated bill that would reinstate the firewall between commercial and investment banking, first instituted after the Great Depression as the Glass-Steagall Act. Warren’s implied goal is to make the institutions that take customer deposits, and perform simple lending, smaller and less risky. If a bank wants to gamble in the Wall Street casino, under her legislation, they can’t accept taxpayer support.

More here: Elizabeth Warren’s new fight

This is VERY Bad News

Following on from the news that China has now had two quarters of low growth (a recession compared to China's recent growth) is this article in the Washington Post.  China’s credit market has been in a bubble for years, with too much lending and borrowing, similar to what happened in the United States during the financial crisis. All that lending helps grow the economy until, one day, the bubble bursts, and it all comes crashing down, as happened the United States. China’s economic growth has been slowing, making a similar a crisis more likely. Chinese leaders seem to be trying to prevent a disaster by basically popping the bubble, a kind of controlled mini-collapse meant to avoid The Big One.  Really bad news.

More here: This is VERY Bad News

The Problem with Abbott is Not that he Doesn't Have Any Policies, He Does and They're Horrible.

Tony Abbott's policies reveal him to be in thrall to the voices of wealth and privilege, and for all his claims of conservatism, he is actually leading a party that does not believe in community, writes Tim Dunlop in this article on ABC's Drum.

The Imgur For Audio

This is actually pretty exciting: a site where you can share a tune as easily as you'd share a picture of a cute cat.  Check it out: http://audiour.com/

Super Moon

Documentary About Thorium

A couple of Irish film-makers have made a documentary about Thorium.  As they say:

"You could fly a plane into one of these things and all that would happen is the fuel would leak out and solidify. No radioactive gas cloud, no meltdown. Safety in standard nuclear reactors comes from complicated electronics and high-pressure cooling systems.
Safety in thorium reactors comes from some basic physical principles and physics doesn't malfunction."

Irish documentary looks to Thorium as a fuel of the future

Igor (Young Frankenstein) - Marty Feldman

Tony Abbott on talkback radio

Fifteen success stories Australians must never be told

This article recently never published in "The Australian" gives just 15 examples of what could be published in the Australian Medja but never seems to be... wonder why?