12/25/08

I really did not intend for today's post to have the obvious theme but it just kind of happened. I blame my sources.
IMAGE OF THE DAY







A late nineteenth century photochrom of a reindeer sled, Arkhangelsk, Russia. Reindeer have been herded for centuries by several Arctic and Subarctic people including the Sami and the Nenets. They are raised for their meat, hides, antlers and, to a lesser extent, for milk and transportation.


HUMOR
Beware the Snowman!
Some 7,000 jumbo-sized snow globes were recalled by Hallmark Cards Inc. because the holiday decorations can act as a magnifying glass when exposed to sunlight and ignite nearby combustible materials, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Tuesday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE4BM4HH20081223



Beware the Santa!
Man in Santa suit opens fire at Xmas party:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/12/25/state/n043824S10.DTL&tsp=1

XMAS TREE ART
A gallery of Do-it-yourself Yule Trees:
http://www.pfadvice.com/2006/12/21/top-10-do-it-yourself-christmas-tree-photos/


Leaving the theme-

ART
Beautiful Snow Prints:
http://2pie.blogspot.com/2008/12/snow-prints.html









The breath-taking beauty that aerial photography at its best can be:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/12/21/75-eye-catching-examples-of-aerial-photography/




SCIENCE:
VERY, VERY COOL!:
Adjustable liquid glass lenses, enabling the world's poor to see without expensive equipment:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/dec/22/diy-adjustable-glasses-josh-silver

The deep sea is full of surprises, and the four-eyed spookfish is up there with the best of them. It is the first vertebrate found with eyes that use mirrors, rather than a lens, to focus light.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16341-first-vertebrate-eye-to-use-mirror-instead-of-lens.html
Pictures of the fish here:
http://www.fishbase.org/photos/ThumbnailsSummary.php?id=9121

2008 was a good year for Neanderthals:
For a species that went extinct more than 25,000 years ago, 2008 has been a hell of a year for Neanderthals. The ancient humans got their first complete mitochondrial genome sequence, their stone tools turned out every bit as efficient as ours, and we even heard them speak.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16329-2008-a-good-year-for-neanderthals.html


Spirituality spot found in brain:
People with less active right parietal lobes, the area that is our active center of self-awareness, are more likely to lead spiritual lives, reports the study in the current issue of the journal Zygon.
http://www.livescience.com/health/081224-brain-spirit.html


Mystery of Hexagonal Basalt Formations Solved with Kitchen Materials!
When I was 11 years old I went to Ireland and the UK for 3 weeks by myself. One of my most lasting memories (of the many from that journey) was visiting the Giant's Causeway in Ulster. I have always wondered about the amazing formation and its regularity so this is a great news for me.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216104325.htm


"It's always a delight to be able to think about a beautiful natural system and even nicer to solve an ancient problem with such a simple experiment," says Morris.






Nanoparticles Delivering Drugs Can Kill Skin, Breast Cancer Cells
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215151147.htm

Chocolate, Wine And Tea Improve Brain Performance
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081223123530.htm

Spotless Mind? Unwanted Memories Might Be Erasable Without Harming
Other Brain Functions
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081223121137.htm


HISTORY:
And finally, an amazing interactive history site about the excavation of the Johnson's Island Civil War era POW camp with comments from the archeologists and volunteers, reprints of letters from prisoners, journals from the guards and commandant and many images of artifacts.
http://www.archaeology.org/johnsonsisland/

REST IN PEACE
Harold Pinter dies at 78
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7799708.stm