According to a recent Wall Street Journal blog post:

The number of Amish in North America has doubled since 1991 and their distinctive communities can now be found in Canada as well as 28 U.S. states, including unlikely ones like Texas and Maine.

The full article has an interesting chart with Amish population by state.

Wall Street Journal article (via neatorama)

Video link

Underground comic book pioneer, Harvey Pekar, died today. He was 70 years old. His most famous series “American Splendor” was an autobiographical chronicle that started in the late 70s and lasted several decades.

Actor, Paul Giamatti, played Pekar in the 2003 movie adaptation of Pekar’s “American Splendor.”

If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s a pretty good movie.

Video link.

“Your dirty sex makes God send hurricanes.” Genius.

- Dave

Video link

This interview of Sarah Palin by Katie Couric is almost too painful to watch. I can only imagine Palin during the vice presidential debates with Joe Biden. It will be like Godzilla stepping on Bambi.

-Dave

George Carlin died yesterday of heart failure.  He was 71 years old, but had the mouth of a 18 year old sailor.

Famous for his 7 words you can’t say on TV.  Well, since I’m paying for bandwidth and hosting here, I can say anything I want.  So, this is for you George:

Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits.

There you have it.

Those seven words took Carlin to the Supreme Court in 1978.  According to Wikipedia, he lost in a 5-4 decision which allowed the government to censor him on the airwaves.

I hope he’s turning St Peter’s ears blue at the pearly gates right now.

- Dave

From http://www.marianneart.dk/

A combat tank which was used in World War II was the setting for this work of art. As a protest against the Danish (USA´s, UK´s) involvement in the war in Iraq the tank was covered from the canon to the caterpillar tracks with knitted and crocheted squares made with pink yarn The 15 x 15 cm squares in pink yarn/thread, were knitted by many people from many European countries and USA. The process of covering the tank was documented with a video and this video is shown in ”Nikolaj, Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center“ (Copenhagen, Denmark) as part of the exhibition “TIME” from April 27 – June 4, 2006.

Brilliant.

Link to the video.

-Dave

From The Onion

I love the Onion.

-Dave

Video link

From the Associated Press:

Evel Knievel, the red-white-and-blue-spangled motorcycle daredevil whose jumps over crazy obstacles including Greyhound buses, live sharks and Idaho’s Snake River Canyon made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.

Rest in Peace, Evel.

-Dave