How to turn junk mail into a form of protest, what it’s like to be clinically dead for an hour, and bizarre beach creatures.
From Occupying Wall Street to Keeping Wall Street Occupied
As the Occupy movement gains momentum around the world, many more videos have emerged from protests since our last installment. At Occupy Oakland, footage has surfaced of the former marine Scott Olsen being shot in the head with a tear gas canister while standing still, followed shortly by police aiming a flash grenade into the group of people who had gathered to help him. At the same protests a few days later, another protester was shot with a projectile by police, once again without having displayed even a hint of threatening or violent behavior.
For those not living close to any of the major protests yet still wanting to get involved, one activist has found a way to let the protesters’ voices be heard. In this short video he encourages people to take unsolicited credit card offers and return the pre-paid envelopes empty, or better still, filled with messages written on wood shims and roofing shingles to add to the banks’ postage costs. The idea is to turn junk mail into an opportunity for dialogue with the major banks; the message for those unable to join the protests: “If you can’t occupy Wall Street, you can at least keep Wall Street Occupied.”
Back from the Dead
This video from Reuters shows the remarkable possibilities that come from combining modern medicine with cutting edge technology. Rodney Whitmore was clinically dead for more than an hour after suffering a cardiac arrest two months ago. As a result of new drug treatments and a device called a capnography machine, he is now alive and well. This “revolutionary combination of treatments” not only revived Rodney, but has allowed him to recover without any major side effects.
Wind Walkers
Theo Jansen is an artist, kinetic sculptor, and eccentric. For over twenty years he has been creating wind-propelled beach ‘animals’ that roam the beaches of his native Holland. In this time his creations have evolved to such an extent that some are able to detect obstacles and change course, while others can anchor themselves when they sense a storm approaching. The most sophisticated and intricate of these creatures even have “stomachs” that can store air under pressure and use it to propel themselves in the absence of wind. According to his website, Theo eventually wants to ‘put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives.’
