london

Behold the London Olympics' Creepy 'Brand Exclusion Zone'

Adrian Chen · 05/24/12 05:34PM

Everyone knows the London Olympics are going to be an advertising shit-show. But a full understanding of the Olympics' all-enveloping corporate embrace requires a trip into the "Brand Exclusion Zone," a desolate region of London where only Official Olympic Sponsors can survive.

Moron Paleontologists Find New Species of Dinosaur in Their Own Museum

Max Read · 12/06/11 04:00PM

A hearty congratulations to the paleontologists of Britain's Natural History Museum, who have just discovered a new species of dinosaur! And in what exotic location did they uncover its bones? The wild Gobi desert? The harsh terrain of the Badlands? No! No, they found it in the fucking basement.

Violence Erupts in Rome as Occupy Wall Street Goes Global

Max Read · 10/15/11 12:11PM

Hundreds of thousands of people around the world marched on dozens of cities on Saturday, joining the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations against greed, inequality and everything else that's screwed up right now.

Watch This Long-Jumper Leap Over Three Mini Coopers

Lauri Apple · 09/30/11 04:00AM

How many cars do you usually leap over at one time, when you do that? British long-jumper and Olympic hopeful J.J. Jegede can clear at least three, as he demonstrates in this video shot near the Tower Bridge in London. (A nifty time-lapse picture of Jegede's 20-foot jump lives here.) Jegede's personal best is 8.04 meters—still not enough to qualify for the Olympics, but there's still time.

Stabbing, Fleeing, Heroism, Incompetence, Drama Captured in One Shot

Hamilton Nolan · 08/31/11 08:18AM

At London's Notting Hill Carnival on Monday, 20 year-old Rio Andre was stabbed by a teenager after trying to break up a fight. What was that intense moment like? Well, just look at this god damn picture: There's Andre in the middle of the scene with his wound, arms out, looking stricken; there's the stabber, fleeing the scene with knife in hand; there's the heroic bystander trying to trip the perp as he runs by; there are the police, frozen, like "huh?"; there's the crowd in the background, shocked.

Clueless British Police Suggest Twitter Require Real Names

Adrian Chen · 08/26/11 11:42AM

Here is a striking example of how detached from reality British authorities' post-riot social media crackdown is. The cop in charge of their social media efforts suggested that Twitter could force people to use their real names on the service. Has he ever been on Twitter?

The Volunteer Army Staging a Post-Riot 'Urban Intervention'

Remy Stern · 08/12/11 05:38PM

The U.K. riots of the past week have done incalculable damage to businesses and homes. After the cleanup come the longer-term task of rebuilding—and many of the people who have been hit the hardest (i.e. small business owners) can't afford the high costs involved.

British Police Plan a 'Fightback' as Three More Die in Riots

Adrian Chen · 08/10/11 10:36AM

On the fourth night of England's riots, 10,000 police flooded London streets and the city remained mostly calm. But the riots spread to other cities, leaving three men dead in Birmingham. British Prime Minister David Cameron promised a "fightback" to squelch unrest.