Miscellaneous

Jersey City Ignites Innovation & Waterfront Development In Reality & Fiction

by Ron Callari

The octagonal 50-foot clock remaining on the shore of the Hudson River facing Manhattan is a historical reminder of Jersey City's tenaciousness and its prominence during the 1940s & 1950s. By the 1970s, the city experienced a period of urban decline clouded by corruption held over from the Mayor "Boss" Hague reign of backroom deals and political cronyism .

5 comments

'Vampire Teeth' Take Japanese Cosmetic Dentistry into the Twilight Zone

by Steve Levenstein

The latest cosmetic dentistry trend out of Japan is “Yaeba”: Vampire Teeth. Dental Salon Plaisir, located in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district, specializes in this cosmetic procedure that lengthens, sharpens and enhances one's canines to fang-tastic proportions.

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Taking The Bull By The Horns, "Occupy Wall Street" Posters Motivate Campers

Top 20 "Occupy Wall Street" Posters Motivates 20,000 To Camp Out In Downtown Manhattan

by Ron Callari

On September 17th, a protest organized by several activist group will take Wall Street by storm to protest opposition to the use of corporate money in politics. Groups such as Anonymous, Adbusters, US Day of Rage are collaborating their efforts to promote a peaceful protest to attract on upwards of 20,000 to turn downtown Manhattan into a campground.

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Giant Tunic Suit Salutes Sun Yat-sen and China's 1911 Revolution

by China.new

A huge gray “Mao Suit” now on display in the Chinese city of Ningbo celebrates both the 1911 Revolution against China's creaky Qing Dynasty and revolutionary Father of the Nation, Dr. Sun Yat-sen.

China's 9/11 Nirvana Rose Memorial is a Tribute to Life and Loss

by China.new

A memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks by a group of Chinese artists recreates the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in handcrafted lacquer and rose petals.

Freedom Tower Will Tower Over NYC's Skyline

Freedom Tower Commences Its Ascent In Towering Over NYC's Skyline

by Ron Callari

When the World Trade Center landmark twin towers were completed in May, 1973, they rose 1450 feet to become the tallest buildings in the world, surpassing the Empire State Building. Its demise as the result of the horrific devastation of September 11, 2001 has launched a decade of debates as to what type of architecture could possibly replace its iconic imagery remembered by so many.

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Social Media Building Blocks are a Series of Cubes

by Steve Levenstein

An innovative system of social media cubes adds style with substance to your virtual world. Tomodachi (“friends”) Blocks, a design concept by Japanese designer Aya Shimada, allow you to build your social network with two-fisted determination.

'Time of the Sky' Watch Gives Minutemen the Blues

by Steve Levenstein

Watchers of the sky (even those who aren't Genesis fans) will love the “Time of the Sky” wristwatch, a small window on one's arm that distills the passage of the hours down to their essence: the changing hues and tints of the sky above.

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Moon Bowls Appeal to Your Romantic Phases

by Steve Levenstein

Here's to you, romantic lunatics! Moon Bowls from Tale Co. Ltd are designed with a contoured bottom that becomes more exposed the more you drink. As the liquid recedes, the bowl gradually reflects the phases of the moon from full to new.

Social Media Blogger Crunching Start-Ups & Conflicts Of Interest

by Ron Callari

Traditional media has longed categorized bloggers as an unruly lot who choose to work outside of legitimate journalistic guidelines. Our editorial contributions have sometimes been dismissed as pay-for-play fodder and at its worse - content farms - or "black hat" websites compiled for the sole purpose of stimulating Internet traffic versus publishing quality social discourse.

George W. Bush's Autobiography is Published in Chinese

by China.new

The newly released Chinese language edition of former U.S. President George W. Bush's autobiography features a unique introduction intended to appeal to readers in China.

Cool Cat Hoodie is a Back to School Faux Paws

by Steve Levenstein

Wanna be the teacher's pet? Then make a feline beeline for the Hachiware Cat Parka from Japan. Available in black or gray with a rose-red zipper "tongue", this cool cat hoodie is absolutely purr-fect for students looking to show some style before school's out and it's time to join the rat race.

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Look Sharp: Taiwanese 'Nail Artist' Howard Chen Redefines Hammer Time

by China.new

When Taiwanese artist Howard Chen decides to create a work of art, he really nails it – literally. Chen's chosen medium are iron “mosquito nails” fired into white canvas by the hundreds of thousands; one at a time.

Solar Planet, the Interplanetary Orrery that Runs on the Sun

by Steve Levenstein

A solar-powered solar system might seem overly obvious but Solar Planet from Elekit ain't any ordinary orrery.

Android App Allows Jealous Girls to Remotely Follow Their Boyfriends

by Steve Levenstein

Spyware just got personal. "Karelog" (Boyfriend Log) allows jealous girls to keep track of their boyfriends through their Android cell phones, without said boyfriends knowing they're being monitored from afar.

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Milk Mint Drink is Too Cool for School

by Steve Levenstein

You can't get this “cow chiller” in Chowchilla but you can in Japan! Yes indeed, Milk Mint from Nissin-York has arrived on Japanese supermarket and convenience store shelves just as another stiflingly hot and humid summer is about to close... hey, better late than never.

Lobster Motorcycle? I Can Harley Believe It!

by China.new

A Chinese seminar on cooking art took an unusual turn – some might say, popped a wheelie – when Taiwanese artist Huang Mingbo unveiled his carefully crafted lobster shell motorcycles.

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Pink Panther Strikes Again as Cherry-Coated Cats Cavort

by China.new

Blame industrial pollution in China for creating a cat of a different color. At least one cherry-coated kitten has been seen in Lanzhou, western China, and odds are it isn't there to audition for the role of a real-life Hello Kitty.

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Turning (Pages) Japanese: The USA's Top Ten Best-Selling Manga

by Steve Levenstein

One Piece? Yu-Gi-Oh!? Oh no, those and other manga titles may be loved in Japan, but they're not among the top ten in ICv2's ranking of American manga sales for the first half of 2011.

5 comments

Social Media Makes Strange Bedfellows As MSN & Renren Begin An Affair

by Ron Callari

While China is the country everyone wants to get a piece of these days - the two major Internet giants in the world - namely, Google and Facebook - face major hurdles with the government's insidious "firewall" and its strict censorship regulations.

3 comments