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       LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
4th Place June 09 Olav wrote us this letter about the library of congress, as a recent visitor, and a Canadian, we think he makes as good a case for it as any text we could write about it: The Library of Congress is the world's largest library. More than 32 million books, 15 million periodicals, movies and 100 million other items add up to hundreds of miles of shelf space and several terabytes of information. What's awesome about that? It is an institution that is open to public use. That's right, not just the use of Congress, not just the use of Americans, but the use of anyone from any part of the globe. The world's largest repository of information is accessible to everyone. Considering the size of the collection, the labrynthine warren of tunnels in which the books are stored and the demands of the public, one would understand if it took the librarians several days to find any particular book. However, just about any book in the collection can be retrieved within an hour. Seriously! One hour! I was there last weekend doing some research and I requested New Computer Methods for Global Optimization an obscure book from 1988 that had a print run of less than 500 copies. They had it in my hands in 15 minutes! That's incredible. I'm going to go so far as to say that The Library of Congress isn't just awesome, it's one of the Wonders of the World. There are many great things about America, but I would list the Library of Congress as the single best. It is all of the greatest achievements of Western Civilization under one roof, at the fingertips of all those who seek knowledge. Seriously. I was awe-struck. I am awe-struck. I'm well-known as someone who is loquacious, and I can't even find the words to express how impressed I was with the Library of Congress.
Nominated by Olav Rokne
Image Credits
Filename: libraryofcongress.jpgSource: wiki commons author: Andreas Praefcke Url: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LoC_Main_Reading_Room.jpg 
Filename: libraryofcongress_exterior.jpgSource: Public Domain Url: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ThomasJeffersonBuildingLOC.jpg 
Filename: libraryofcongress_building.jpgSource: wiki commons author: Josh from Washington, D.C., USA Url: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Library_of_Congress_(1).jpg 
Filename: libraryofcongress_interior.jpgSource: wiki commons author: Diliff Url: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Library_of_Congress_Interior_Jan_2006.jpg 
Filename: libraryofcongress_1921.jpgSource: wiki commons author: Josh from Washington, D.C., USA Url: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Library_of_Congress_1921.jpg
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Library of Congress was voted MORE AWESOME than:
 Teddy Roosevelt  Moustache Balaclava  Shaved Ball Cap  Giant Nintendo Controller  Little Superstar  Meat Suitcase  Venus Fly Traps  Unibrow  Theo Jansen's Art  General Lee 01  Crop Circles  BigDog Robot  Roller Derby  Freerunning  Dwight K. Schrute  President Obama  The Hamburger Bed  Wingsuit Base Jumping  Bob Ross  Flying Spaghetti Monster  Badass Mountain Men  Beer Maids  Rollerman  Space Invader Invasion  The Brick Testament  Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton  The Man with No Name  The Stig  Queen of the Mist  Deja Vu  Ultra Slow Motion  Troy Hurtubise's Inventions  Gong  Keith Loutit's Little Sydney  Soccer* Hooligans  Reliant Robin Teddy Roosevelt  Choose Your Own Adventure Books  Tiesto  Rasputin  The Disintegrator: Rubber Band Minigun  Death Star  Mermaids  Male Emperor Penguins  Indy's Whip  Literal Video Versions  Chuck Norris vs. Bruce Lee  Hunter S. Thompson  Extent of the Universe  Mark Twain Library of Congress was voted LESS AWESOME than:  Nikola Tesla  Robocop on a Unicorn  Miracle On Ice  Aurora Borealis  Brawndo: The Thirst Mutilator  Captain James T. Kirk Captain James T. Kirk  Johnny Cash Teddy Roosevelt Death Star  James Earl Jones Counts to 10 James Earl Jones Counts to 10  Jesus Riding A Dinosaur  Walking on the Moon
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     THE STIG
Some say he never blinks, and that he roams around the woods at night foraging for wolves... All we know is he's called The Stig. The Stig is a character on the BBC show "Top Gear", who has never spoken or removed his helmet on camera. Primarily his function on the show is running timed laps around the test track, as well as training celebrities to run laps. He has been tapped for a series of other driving duties as well, such as driving a Jaguar off an aircraft carrier. There has been much speculation as to exactly who is beneath the Stig's white racing suit. The official BBC response has long been, "We never comment on speculation as to whom or what the Stig is." But they have since identified him as racing driver Graham Hill (who is deceased), second as troubled Bank of Scotland CEO Tom McKillop and later on as Barack Obama.
Nominated by The Dude
Image Credits
Filename: stig.jpgSource: Stig Photography on flickr cc Url: http://www.flickr.com/photos/clintonmichaeltong/3306989596/ 
Filename: stig_show.jpgSource: nahtanoj on flickr cc Url: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nahtanoj/204851366/ 
Filename: stig_xmas.jpgSource: Robin Kearney on flickr cc Url: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinkearney/3150278078/
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Notes
The Stig is the name given to the anonymous racing driver on the BBC show Top Gear. In the show he is cast as a mysterious "tame racing driver"[1] whose identity is unknown, and who never speaks or removes his helmet on camera. Nonetheless he is fully credited as a presenter, albeit as "The Stig", alongside Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
The Stig's primary functions on the show are to post lap times in various cars around the Top Gear Test Track in Dunsfold Park, and to train each week's guest in setting a lap time in the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car feature on the show. In addition the Stig carries out other driving duties when the need arises.
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The Stig was voted MORE AWESOME than:
 Peekaru Gong Keith Loutit's Little Sydney Soccer* Hooligans  Stinky Cheese Tiesto  Notorious B.I.G. Doll The Stig was voted LESS AWESOME than: Queen of the Mist Deja Vu Ultra Slow Motion Troy Hurtubise's Inventions  The Viking Helmet Johnny Cash Reliant Robin Library of Congress Rasputin  Che Guevara James Earl Jones Counts to 10 The Disintegrator: Rubber Band Minigun Male Emperor Penguins Indy's Whip
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A) Books are awesome.
B) Large quantities of books are more awesome than lesser quantities. C) Democracy is awesome. D) Freedom of speech is awesome. E) Freedom of information is awesome. F) Thomas Jefferson is awesome. The Library of Congress combines the net awesomeness of that entire list, in an awesome building, with awesome organization, awesome people running it and awesome art on the walls. This should be in the Top 8. I am more in awe of this than the sum of all other nominees, even though all nominees this month are awesome in their own right. reply
Agreed.
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So the Stig is Michael Schumacher? Not sure what impact that has on his awesomeness...
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The Stig is touring car driver Ben Collins... allegedly. He does speak with an English accent. I'va also heard the theory that The Stig is Damon Hill, But he set a faster time in the Suzuki than Damon Hill did.
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Then again the whole point of The Stig is that no one really does know who The Stig is. That's why Borat and Daft Punk aren't nearly as awesome because we know who they really are.
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I am The Stig...prove me wrong
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Easy. I am The Stig.
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I am The Stig. My T-shirt says so. BAM!
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I got a Top Gear Father's Day cake with the Stig on it today!
Now, how many of his competitors are awesome enough to feature on Father's Day cakes? Che Guevara, Johnny Cash, the US National Library or whatever it's called? No. reply
My friend got a Father's Day cake with Che Guevera's face on it...
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The Stig is being beat by a library? This is wrong!
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It's not just 'a library,' The Library of Congress represents everything that makes the U.S.A. better than Iran, better than China, better than Russia.
It's what makes the U.S.A. great: the unfettered and democratic access to information. Anyone can read anything in the library, and the library does not discriminate against any printed matter; it contains books of unpopular opinions, written by villains and assasins as well as by saints and by heroes. It is the ultimate forum for the marketplace of ideas, for the freedom of speech, for the freedom of the press. This is Thomas Jefferson's greatest achievement and it is a monument to last for the ages. The Library of Congress is awesome. reply
well s*** dude. sure thats amazing and great. but the stig has got lightning speed and a kick a** uniform. plus he's barack o bama in disguise. way more awesome.
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Even I have a hard time voting for The Stig after that. And I nominated him.
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It may well be the comprehensively stocked library on the planet: but it is still a library, a building with books in it. How can that compete with the Stig?
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* most comprehensively stocked...
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Because it's more than the sum of its components. It's more than the bricks and mortar of the building or the pages of its books. It's an idea, an idea like the Constitution, the Magna Carta or the Bill of Rights.
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In a race between the Stig and The Library of Congress, do you know who would win?
The Library. It's just that awesome. reply
This is how the Original Stig met his demise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4x0Dz00csA
The new Stig is a bit more robust...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIv0bOd9XtA
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The Great Library of Alexandria was one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World...perhaps the Library of Congress should be considered one of the Wonders of the Modern World? THAT would be awesome!
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IMHO, the LoC is all seven wonders of the Modern World.
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Hey, Ivan! it was actually a Jaguar that The Stig drove off an aircraft carrier. Just for the sake of accuracy.
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