Daily Koan

Photo

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 19:00:54 -0400

The new Iphone commercial has a guy ask Siri "what's the best BBQ in Kansas City." They don't show the rest of the story where the phone explodes do to the eternal cosmic battle between Gates and Arthur Bryant's

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:34:47 -0500

I think “Eternal” and “Cosmic” were probably the best words to describe my first reaction to Arthur Bryant’s. The correct answer, from this former KC resident and BBQ enthusiast, is: Gates for burnt ends, Oklahoma Joes for pork, Jack Stack’s for ribs and the fancier meats, and Arthur Bryant’s for brisket (ok, and burnt ends too).

fastcompany: The cold of your fridge is actually ruining a lot...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:32:34 -0500

fastcompany:

The cold of your fridge is actually ruining a lot of your (expensive, local, bought at the farmer’s market) produce. An artist’s project finds ways to use the way fruits and vegetables spoil to keep them fresh, the old-fashioned way.

Read on->

Am I the only one that thinks the pictures coming out of the...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:30:47 -0500

Am I the only one that thinks the pictures coming out of the protest around the middle east are making Tank Girl & Mad Max seem more prophetic than we’d like to admit?

thepoliticalnotebook:

Picture of the Day (Protester and Gas Mask, Part Deux). Cairo, Egypt. A protester uses a protective combination of mask and goggles to shield himself from tear gas during clashes near the interior ministry.

See yesterday’s protester and gas mask photo.

Photo Credit: Marco Longari/AFP/Getty. Via.

View more Picture of the Day posts. Submit a photo.

Ain't what I expected so far

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:07:01 -0500

It occurs to me that I haven’t been using this blog…at least not the way I anticipated. It seems that while I’m deployed much more of my focus is on the professional side of my life which I write about at another blog called PAONCO. If you’re interested in finding out more about that aspect of my life then I’d invite you to check that one out.

That being said, I think it is worth making an effort to write about the more personal stuff here a bit more often. I mean, neat photos, dancing gifs, and cool artsy stuff is what makes tumblr what it is…but I didn’t start this blog for that reason. So it’s time to get back to writing a bit more about the other side of me and do it in a real and focused way.

Stay Tuned

Kansas City Then and Now (Then

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:35:12 -0500

trenthomepagea:

Kansas City Then and Now (Then

Just too cute not to share…lol

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:34:28 -0500

Just too cute not to share…lol

Lazy Self-Indulgent Book Reviews: Thirty Seconds After Hitting "Publish"

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:00:08 -0500

Lazy Self-Indulgent Book Reviews: Thirty Seconds After Hitting "Publish":

lazybookreviews:

…on my piece about the evil and capricious nature of any true interventionist deity, one of my Facebook friends posted a story about a corgi surviving the avalanche killing his owner with the comment: “it’s a miracle!”

if you’re keeping score…

God loves: corgis, the Denver Broncos, pieces of…

"In my next life I want to live my life backwards. You start out dead and get that out of the way...."

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:01:32 -0500

““In my next life I want to live my life backwards. You start out dead and get that out of the way. Then you wake up in an old people’s home feeling better every day. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, and then when you start work, you get a gold watch and a party on your first day. You work for 40 years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement. You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous, then you are ready for high school. You then go to primary school, you become a kid, you play. You have no responsibilities, you become a baby until you are born. And then you spend your last 9 months floating in luxurious spa-like conditions with central heating and room service on tap, larger quarters every day and then Voila! You finish off as an orgasm!””

- Woody Allen (via hickeyfiasco)

seafaringgypsy: A reunited Temple of the Dog rock Hunger...

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:24:38 -0500

seafaringgypsy:

A reunited Temple of the Dog rock Hunger Strike.

The Family Unit: A Garden In Winter. Kauffman Memorial.

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:25:30 -0500

The Family Unit: A Garden In Winter. Kauffman Memorial. :

thefamilyunit:

A haven of serenity and silence is hiding in the midst of our urban landscape.

At The Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden, tranquility sits within plain sight of Troost and Taco Bell.

High stone walls shelter plantings and pathways that invite contemplative thought.

loveyourlibrary: Kansas City Library.

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:03:27 -0500

loveyourlibrary:

Kansas City Library.

Reporting from the Edges of the World

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:37:37 -0500

Reporting from the Edges of the World:

paonco:

PAOs, and the reporters we facilitate, tend to operate in rather austere environments and finding the right equipment for these environments is a full time job in and of itself (seriously, there are 2 guys at Ft. Meade, MD doing it for just the U.S. Army). During the beginning days of major operations we are often cut off from reliable electricity and internet in deserts, mountains, oceans, jungles, and lord-only-knows wherever else we get sent. While we have systems such as DVIDS to help us get the story out, such systems are bulky and can be cumbersome when weight and speed are a factor. Alan Arnette isn’t a Soldier (never has been to my knowledge) but he is a bit of a kindred spirit in that he has blogged, photographed, reported, and generally communicated literally from the top of the world. I’ve always followed his story because I believe in his cause but also because I was amazed at how he was able to reliably communicate from places that are virtual black holes. He shares the secrets of how he did if from the tops of the worlds tallest mountains in this post from his site. While the military and professional news outlets have their own equipment and ways of doing business this seems like a great primer for anyone planning to freelance in those parts of the world that few dare to tread.

The War No One Cares About Anymore

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:05:08 -0500

The War No One Cares About Anymore:

paonco:

At the core of the Public Affairs Specialist job is communication. We communicate with the American and International public to help make sense of seemingly senseless things. We act as a voice to explain what the troops are doing and provide the context for those actions. When I was in Iraq at the height of the war, this was difficult because of the sheer volume of interest…in Afghanistan, the reverse is true. It seems that much of the outside world has lost interest in what happens here. There are still teary-eyed memorial ceremonies for the fallen or bold-typed headlines when a massive bomb goes off in a major city like Kabul but for the most part the names of the places here are still as foreign to most Americans as they were 10 years ago. Iraq is over, Afghanistan is not. It seems that by-and-large this war is forgotten by the people at home. To a certain extent I can’t help but feel somewhat responsible. It is my job to inform the American Public but increasingly it seems that no one is listening.

"It is a pity that Wall Street with its ability to control all the wealth of the nation and to hire..."

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:16:07 -0500

“It is a pity that Wall Street with its ability to control all the wealth of the nation and to hire the best brains of the country has not produced some statesmen, some men who could see the dangers of bigness and of the concentration of the control of wealth. Instead of working to meet the situation, they are still employing the best law brains to serve greed and selﬁsh interest. People can only stand so much, and one of these days there will be a settlement.”

- - Sen. Harry S. Truman, delivered on the Senate floor, Dec. 1937

Yeah, Harry was a hipster…he was down with #OWS before it was cool.

ilovecharts: The Idea Funnel

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:34:46 -0500

ilovecharts:

The Idea Funnel

life: Happy Birthday Keith Richards — What’s your favorite...

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 13:41:33 -0500

life:

Happy Birthday Keith Richards — What’s your favorite Rolling Stones song?

Above: Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones plays onstage at Madison Square Garden on July 24, 1972.

(see more — Rock Seen: Photos by Bob Gruen)

Just…wow… thedailyfeed: Good lord! The hero worship...

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 11:33:57 -0500

Just…wow…

thedailyfeed:

Good lord! The hero worship of Tim Tebow by Broncos fans and believers alike is strongest in Denver, where pastors have taken to praising Tebow from the pulpit.

Pastor Jim Phillips, 52, is known to take the pulpit wearing the quarterback’s navy blue No. 15 jersey. On any given game day, the pastor isn’t alone.

“There’s 30 to 40 jerseys every week, from infants to grandparents who are all wearing Tebow,” Phillips said. “Tebow has given us the opportunity to elevate the conversation about Jesus because he’s so forward about his faith.”

thedailyfeed: Christmas kindness is spreading! It started with...

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 05:22:43 -0500

thedailyfeed:

Christmas kindness is spreading! It started with one woman at a Kmart in Grand Rapids, Mich., but now anonymous “layaw-angels” are walking into retail stores across the country and paying for strangers’ holiday purchases.

After Grace Clark heard reports about the layaway angels, she knew she wanted to help. So she went to Straub’s Kmart yesterday and gave about $125 to pay off two families’ layaway purchases, then bought wrapping paper to give to the families as well.

“I really wanted to give back to families with young children, so they looked for layaway packages that had children’s toys and clothes,” she told The Daily. “The boxes had Barbie dolls and bracelet-making kits and books, so it was a good number of different things that I think children will really enjoy.”

washingtonpoststyle: The Iraq war in images. The Iraq war year...

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:14:09 -0500

by Khalid Mohammed (AP)

by Mario Tama (Getty)

buy Luis Sinco (L.A. Times/AP)

(AP)

by John Moore (Getty)

washingtonpoststyle:

The Iraq war in images.

The Iraq war year by year.

The Iraq war closing ceremony.