Old people, originally uploaded by andisheh.

My hilarious 2nd cousins Shervin and Aria doing their impression of the stiff, stoic way fathers and sons posed in old black and white photos.

I later learned the pose is based on a black and white photo displayed in sandwich shop near their house.

They missed a few steps, but the order is correct., originally uploaded by andisheh.

Common Scents

A sentimental time waster for my relatives: old bottlecaps from Iran.

Bipsi Cola, anyone?



BONUS SENTIMENTAL TIME WASTER: Pictures of Tehran landmarks from the 1940s to 1960s.

Happy birthday, Dad. Thank you for being born. I love you very much.

More on this graffiti here.

Today is the 40th anniversary of sentences that begin "They can put a man on the moon, but . . ."

A shirtless stupid person recorded a slanderous, hateful rant on YouTube about Atlanta super chef Shaun Doty.

I barely know Shaun, but I admire him greatly. I'm a big fan of his restaurants, and every time I see him he's kind and gracious to me and everyone around me.

So the stupid rant about him ticked me off. So much so, I arranged for a second shirtless idiot to respond.

Which prompted the first shirtless idiot to get even madder. (video 3).

And the second shirtless idiot to break down in tears. (video 4).

The Internet really brings out the best in people.

Q: What's the difference between Neil Armstrong and Michael Jackson?

A: Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Michael Jackson molested children.

An enjoyable rarity.

Here's Michael Jackson actually singing (as opposed to lip-synching) "Rock With You" on a Diana Ross TV special.

This video shows two things:

1) Michael Jackson was a great pop singer even without studio help.

2) It is extraordinarily difficult to dance and sing at the same time. The only time he misses notes is when a dance move interrupts them. This is why dance-y pop stars seldom sing live on TV or in concert.

Further reading: Britain's Guardian newspaper has a great appreciation of the song's composer, Rod Temperton.

In addition to "Rock With You," Temperton composed three more all-time great slick light-funk classics "Off The Wall," "Thriller," and "Boogie Nights," which he saved for his own band, Heatwave. Temperton also wrote the wedding slow-dance classic "Always And Forever."

The tenor of his discography makes his biography quite surprising. Temperton was born-and-raised in Cleethorpes, a small, English village facing the North Sea.

Furthermore, he doesn't exactly look like a man who walks up to women in clubs and suggests rocking with them.

When I wrote earlier this year that Israel was targeting helpless civilians in Gaza, supporters of Israeli tactics loudly disagreed. See the comments here and here.

In March, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz published testimony by Israeli soldiers detailing the targeting of civilians.

Now more Israeli soldiers are speaking up.

From Rupert Murdoch-owned SkyNews:

Breaking the Silence, a group of former Israeli soldiers, interviewed 30 veterans of the Gaza offensive.

Their testimony corroborates other claims that Israelis were given permissive rules of engagement that caused enormous damage to civilians and their property.

"At any obstacle, any problem, we open fire and don't ask questions," claimed one anonymous sergeant in the Israeli Armoured Corps.

"Even if it's firing in the dark, firing aimed at unknown target, firing when we don't see, deterrent fire, no problem with that, etc.

"A vehicle that's in the way - crush it, a building in the way - shoot at it. This was the spirit which was repeated throughout the training."

Faxy!

From HuffingtonPost:

Did a CID-Gallup poll last week indicate that a plurality of Hondurans support the military coup against democratically elected President Zelaya? Yes, according to the Washington Post [July 9], the Wall Street Journal [July 10], the Christian Science Monitor [July 11], and Reuters [July 9], which all reported that the poll showed 41% in favor of the coup, with only 28% opposed.

But in fact the poll showed that 46% -- a plurality -- were *opposed* to the coup, according to the New York Times [July 10], the Associated Press [July 11] and the president of CID-Gallup, in an interview with Voice of America on July 9.

As of this writing -- Sunday evening, 5:30 pm Eastern time -- none of the outlets which reported the poll incorrectly had corrected their earlier, inaccurate, reports.

Honduras just can’t catch a break. The country’s so-called leaders always seem intent on wrecking the place.

I mean, doesn’t it feel like it was just yesterday that King K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Yopaa of Quiriguá led his army into Copán, where he beheaded rival king Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil — effectively ending the golden age of Honduras' greatest Mayan kingdom?

I mean, I know it was 1,271 years ago. I’m just saying it feels like it was yesterday.

(Read more)

My Daily Briefing for Mother Nature Network is online.

Thanks again to Russell, Benyamin and everyone at MNN for letting me invade their space for a few days.

Why does it sound strange to name cars after some ethnic/national groups, but not others?

Jeep Cherokee doesn't sound strange or funny to most of our ears. Neither does Volkwagen Touareg.

But you'll never see a Nissan Albanian or a Chevy Mexican.

Squirrels stole nearly all of my tomatoes. A full accounting of my irrational rage can be found at Fresh Loaf.

From the web site of the Berlin brothel Maison d'Envie:

“The Maison d'Envie offers one major advantage over other establishments: it is perfectly accessible by public transport […] And because we want to reward your green commitment, we have -- and it's unique in Berlin -- an environmental discount."

Read the rest at Mother Nature Network, where I'm guest-blogging this week.

Today through Wednesday, I'm doing the Daily Briefing for the environmental news site Mother Nature Network.

Today's briefing reveals the secret of long life and, since I wrote it, includes at least one more curse word than necessary.

I'll be blogging at Mother Nature Network again this week.

Thank you, Russell McClendon, for trusting me with the blog-sit for you.

I'll post the links when they go live.

Christi's grandparents gave us a Wurlitzer.

BBC Radio 4's In Our Time recently did an incredible program on the 1683 Siege of Vienna.

It makes me crave a Sacher Torte.

My latest column is a short rant about why I hate oil.

Not canola. The petroleum stuff.

A happy sight, originally uploaded by andisheh.

Adorable and a reminder to vacuum.