Today Is Mary's Birthday!

Today is Mary's Birthday. If you are a Twitterer, click on the image above to wish her a Happy Birthday. You can also leave a comment on her blog.

Big Picture: G20 Protests in Toronto

Last week, leaders of nations from both the G8 and G20 gathered in Ontario Canada, for meetings in in Huntsville and Toronto. Canadian authorities planning for the event spent an estimated $1 billion, mostly for security. Tens of thousands of protesters descended on Toronto, looking to have their voices heard on a broad range of issues, from indigenous rights to anti-capitalist ideals, to human and animal rights, and much more. Many peaceful marches took place throughout the weekend, but on Saturday, a small group of "black bloc" anarchists became violent, smashing storefronts and burning several police vehicles. Harsher tactics and more arrests by the 20,000 police officers deployed to Toronto soon followed, although many of those arrested were released from a temporary G20 detainment center soon after. (42 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

Big Picture: Remembering the Korean War, 60 years ago

Friday, June 25th, it will have been sixty years since the beginning of the Korean War in 1950. After decades of Japanese occupation, Korea was divided in two by Allied Forces at the end of World War II, with the south administered by the U.S. and the north by Soviet Russia. Deep divisions built over several years, leading to skirmishes and finally an invasion by North Korean troops on June 25th, 1950. The United Nations sent troops and support from 21 countries to support South Korea, primarily from the United States and Britain. The war lasted for three years, with large advances and retreats on both sides, and many casualties. Hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers were killed. The two Koreas are technically still at war since hostilities ended in a ceasefire, not a peace treaty in 1953. Though it is often referred to as "The Forgotten War", I hope this collection of photographs helps us to remember the events of 1950-53, those involved, and the legacy that still remains, sixty years later. (48 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection. Warning: Some images are graphic.

10 'most American' cars

Just because a car has a Detroit brand name doesn't mean it's all-American.

To to figure out which cars really are the "most American," analysts at the automotive Web site Cars.com looked at where the vehicles are manufactured and how many domestic-made parts they use. The rankings also take U.S. sales into consideration, since top-selling models should boost American employment.

Click the image to see the full list.

Big Picture: Halfway in - 2010 World Cup

Nearly halfway through the month-long 2010 World Cup Tournament in South Africa, over a dozen teams have been eliminated from the original group of 32, with the Round of 16 beginning tomorrow, June 26th. Television and web viewership has been setting records all over the world as supporters tune in to watch the events in South Africa and react along with the fans and players in the stadiums as they celebrate their wins and suffer through losses. Collected here are recent photos from the 2010 World Cup, as some of the players and their supporters have been experiencing it - in South Africa and around the globe. (43 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection. And yes, this is a couple of days late

Taco Bell Petitions Federal Reserve “We Want Our $2 Bills!”

Taco Bell® launched a national petition to the Federal Reserve calling on them to circulate more $2 bills to celebrate its all-new $2 Meal Deal. Consumers who crave value and enjoy the quirky nature of the $2 bill are asked to sign the petition on the “$2 Dollar Deal” tab at www.facebook.com/tacobell for Taco Bell’s “$2 Meal Deal Appeal” campaign.

The Federal Reserve prints all denominations according to demand. However, the $2 bill has not been in demand and production of the note is the lowest of U.S. paper money at less than one percent of all bills printed. The last year the $2 bill was printed was 2006. While older generations of Americans treat the $2 bill with reverence, giving them as gifts or keeping them for good luck, younger generations have yet to discover it.

Click the image to read the full article.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Friendly’s Grilled Cheese BurgerMelt

Friendly’s newest sandwich creation, released early this month, is a burger and grilled cheese in one — you know, in case you can’t choose. We found five more of the worst fast food sandwiches.

At 1,500 calories, the Burger Melt features the best of all worlds — a burger in between two grilled cheese sandwiches. With 1,500 calories and 97 grams of fat, it’s hard to imagine a worse sandwich than an item that is literally three sandwiches combined.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Big Picture: Oil in the Gulf, two months later

62 days have passed since the initial explosion of BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, and the crude oil and natural gas continue to gush from the seafloor. Re-revised estimates now place the flow rate at up to 60,000 barrels a day - a figure just shy of a worst-case estimate of 100,000 barrels a day made by BP in an internal document recently released by a congressional panel. Louisiana's state treasurer has estimated environmental and economic damages from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill could range from $40 billion to $100 billion. Collected here are recent photographs from the Gulf of Mexico, and of those affected by the continued flow of oil and gas into the ocean. (37 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.