The Brazilian authorities say almost 408,000 people still cannot return home because of floods that began last month in the north of the country....
Nearly 400,000 children are also missing classes either because roads are blocked, classrooms are under water, or schools are being used as shelters to accommodate the homeless.
The situation is said to be most critical in the state of Amazonas, where a quarter of all pupils are affected.
Despite the government's emergency aid, there are reports from the worst-affected areas that help is not reaching those who need it most.
I love chess. I can recall playing with my dad and grandfather when I was younger and then on up into my adult years. I also love oversized chess "boards" because of the perspective it gives you. It's just a completely different playing experience. Check out this pic of me and my friend Shaylon from quite a few years ago. I think it was at a mall in Kentucky of all places (and say nothing of the hair please)...
As fun as that was, it's not quite as sexy as what's being planned in London for the London Design Festival.
Spanish designer Jaime Hayón will create a giant chess set in Trafalgar Square, London, as part of this September’s London Design Festival. The installation, announced today at the festival’s press launch, is billed as “a design reinterpretation of the Battle of Trafalgar”.
Hayón will create thirty-two ceramic chess pieces, each up to 2m tall that will be located in the center of Trafalgar Square. Supported by Arts Council England and the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade - this installation will be interactive, inviting the public to stage giant-scale chess matches. Check it out.
In case you've missed it, there's a little country in Africa called Zimbabwe. The challenges there make our current "economic crisis" look like Bert, Uncle Albert, Mary and the kids laughing and having tea on the celiing.
As of October of last year, the inflation rate in Zim was 231,000,000%. Yes, you read that right... Two-Hundred-Thiry-One-Million-Percent. A small newspaper has printed all their advertising on money since it has become completely worthless.
BreathingEarth is a representation of CO2 emissions and the birth/death rates of every country on the planet. I left it open and running yesterday and the death rate reached over 80,000 people and the birth rate over 100,000 in just a few hours. Honestly, I didn't look at the CO2 emissions although I know I probably should go green and really care but I was more taken with the fact that in a few hours over 80,000 people had died and many of those without Christ... very sobering.
I've tossed out the idea to some friends of mine about doing some Danis Linus City Guides. Ok, it was actually Tyes' suggestion but we've discussed it a few times since. Well, recently Unlike.net launched and it's actually the very essence of what we're looking for... only on multiple doses of steroids.
This site is actually pretty interesting if not disconcerting. You can get an inside look into the homes and rooms of average people in, say, Finland. What about in China, Afghanistan, Brooklyn, or Mexico? With Normal Room you can peek into homes all over the world—or upload photos of your own to share. From the site...
See how people live around the world! Explore the variety of lifestyles and cultural peculiarities!
Normal Room shows you interior design and home furniture from all around the globe. Search our image database and explore the differences and similarities in architecture and home decoration between people in different countries.
I posted a couple of days ago the different countries that have "hit" Danis Linus. So, I check this morning and overnight 4 more countries hit: Monaco, Spain, Belgium, and India. And, as I am writing this, someone from Israel in between the Gaza Strip and West Bank is reading the completely random entries of Danis Linus. Whoever you are: Hello from America and God bless you.
I've tossed out the idea to some friends of mine about doing some Danis Linus City Guides. Ok, it was actually 