I?m sitting in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, trying to meditate. Remembering the monk?s words, I visualize a clear crystal ball in the center of my body, and try to hold on to that picture of clarity as I observe my breath moving in and out, in and out. The temple glitters with gilt and mirrors and a large gleaming Buddha at one end, … Continue »
Science theories mixed with creativity prove popular on YouTube
Eggheads are setting concepts to music and animation and uploading their videos. They are drawing eager viewers by the hundreds of thousands. Eli Cirino's high school science project was quite literally an overnight success. Students in the 10th-grader's honors chemistry class at Granada Hills Charter High School were asked to make a video … Continue »
The Bullied Bus Monitor: One Cog In A Broken Machine
As her story begins to fade from the news cycle, bullied bus monitor Karen Klein will ride off into the sunset a whole lot richer, while the ?bad guys? ? her seventh-grade tormentors ? exit the stage a lot less cocky than they entered, suspended from school for a year and their actions thoroughly condemned. Don?t cue the happy ending music … Continue »
Facebook group helped with cancer support, mourning
A cancer-stricken man and his wife find a sense of community online to keep friends and family informed of his progress. Apryl Lundsten was, in her own words, "not a good Facebook user." "Facebook made me uncomfortable. I'd post something, and somebody would answer, and I'd be like, 'Oh, my God, do I have to answer them?' I just had … Continue »
Swiss Bliss
In a picture-perfect illustration of nature?s elegant sense of balance, the icy, snowcapped peaks of the Swiss Alps were thoughtfully placed atop a valley filled with natural thermal springs.?This perfect apr?s-ski indulgence was, of course, in place long before skiing was even invented ? in fact, mentions of the benefits of a nice hot soak in the … Continue »
MOCA To Import Heavier Rock From Much Farther Away
In a move emblematic of the fierce competition for museumgoers, MOCA will follow the recent phenomenon of the LACMA Rock by importing a "heavier rock" transported from "much farther away," the museum announced in a statement. For MOCA's installation, dubbed Elevated Math, artist Layne Christensen will transport an even more gigantic boulder from … Continue »
Cacophony Society Prankster Group Gets New Exhibit and Documentary
Is a friendly game of strip dreidel a matter of concern for the Department of Homeland Security? To celebrate an exhibit and a documentary detailing the high jinks of prankster crew the Cacophony Society ? best known for helping to spawn Burning Man and SantaCon in the early 1990s ? the group is creating a "Caco-palooza" at Santa Ana's Grand … Continue »
A Fundamental Right To Sodomy
By Paul Abramson and L.J. Williamson You have no legal right to sex, and never had. In fact, in case you haven't heard, Texas Republicans want sodomy to be a crime again. Last June, the Texas Republican Party embraced a political platform that opposed the legalization of sodomy. To be clear, sodomy law refers to either oral or anal sex. … Continue »