Buddhist Monks Build Temple Out Of Beer Bottles

Beer lovers, this is for you. A group of Thai Buddhist monks recycled a million beer bottles by using them to construct a temple. Great photos here.

Speaking Of Repeal And December 5

On December 5, the Cato Institute will hold a forum on the subject of prohibition and repeal. Yes, it will also run live on the web. Tip o' the mug to Jacob Grier, who alerted me to this event.

"Repeal Day" As National Holiday?

Jeffrey Morganthaler (mixologist and blogger in Eugene, Oregon) argues that December 5 ought to be a national holiday. Read about it here. And here's a link to his Repeal Day site. He may be on to something.

A Bigger Bucket, Please

Heh heh. Only thing wrong with it is that the guy in the Carhart needs a bigger bucket.

For you non-Iowans, the cartoon is hilarious because here in Iowa, the first-in-the-nation-caucus state (which, ahem, this year brought you Barack Obama....), the politicking literally never stops. As soon as an election ends, candidates start wooing the state's political activists. If you're an Iowa Republican, your phone will start ringing soon, and it will be ringing in earnest in another year or so. (Had McCain won the election, it would be Democrats' phones ringing).

The two people in the cartoon are Mike Huckabee and Bobby Jindal, who will both be in Iowa in the next week. Their ostensible reason is to give invited talks -- but the reality is that they're testing the waters for 2012. Seriously.

To which I say: BIGGER BUCKET, PLEASE!

Brian Duffy is the political cartoonist at the Des Moines Register. The cartoon ran this morning, with the first panel on the front page (where Duffy's 'toons always run), but the second panel inside on the editorial page. (Which was pretty cool. I don't remember Duffy ever doing that before.)

NOTE: Brian Duffy lost his job a day or two after the cartoon ran, another victim of the collapse of print journalism.

Very Cool Map

This is definitely worth looking at (assuming (a) you like maps; and (b) you're not sick of election stuff.) The map's creator, cartographer/geographer Mark Newman, has also co-authored a new book that looks like it's worth digging into: The Atlas of the Real World.

Tip o' the mug to Andrew Sullivan at Daily Dish.

Yes, It IS Our Government, Virtual And Otherwise

Almost-President Obama promised to keep we the people in the loop -- and he's keepin' his word. The [wired] twenty-first century version of our republic is taking shape, right before our eyes.