Drawing names or buying gifts only for children will help you stay within your budget.
Also: 
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Rare 'Star-Spangled Banner' on sale
An 1814 first edition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is heading for the auction block in New York City. It's estimated to go for $200,000 to $300,000 at the sale early next month.
And I Quote
"Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. we all breathe the same air. we all cherish our children's future. and we are all mortal." -JFK
Unpublished JFK photos released
Unpublished photos commemorate the 50th anniversary of his presidential election.
Also: Ghosts of Amsterdam: combining WWII photos with contemporary images
Jo Teeuwisse combined found WWII-era photos of Amsterdam with contemporary shots of the same places to create a series called "The Ghosts of Amsterdam": "In the picture above, you can see a group of young factory workers posing probably outside the factory during the war. I cheated a little bit by removing some pots of flowers which are on the steps today!"
DRIVE-IN BRAINS 25c
Jack Klobnak writes in: "I took this pix in the 1970's. It is on Choteau Ave. in St. Louis, which was famous in the early 20th Century for Brain Sandwiches (use a lot of mustard). It was not uncommon for dolts to be told to take a quarter down to Choteau to get some brains. Sadly, the building is no longer standing."
The location appears to have since been completely redeveloped as a hospital.
The Most Colorful Cities in the World
I live in a bright yellow house in a mostly brown or brick neighborhood, so I am drawn to these colorful neighborhoods around the world. This picture is from Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, South Africa. See all 20 colorful cities at Buzzfeed.
Breathtaking Satellite Photos Showcase the Fragile Earth as Art
High above the earth hover satellites; their eyes trained on the surface, capturing images from a perspective few humans will ever experience.
Besides their unique position, these satellites are capable of discerning details the human eye misses. The intense detail captured by the Landsat-7 satellite—and the thermal gradients illustrated by NASA's Terra Satellite's Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer—show earth for what it is: A fragile work of art.
The Golden Spine of Autumn
Or maybe, the Resting Golden Dragon? Wonderful colors in Namego Valley, Japan (Tenkawa Mountain):
(image credit: , via)
The Supercell
National Geographic's Photo Contest includes this stunning image: a supercell thunderstorm rolls across the Montana prairie at sunset. (Photo by Sean Heavey)
(photo by Sean Heavey, National Geographic)
Incredible Pictures From ISS By NASA Astronaut Wheelock
On September 22, 2010, with the departure of the Expedition 23 crew, Colonel Douglas Wheelock assumed command of the International Space Station and the Expedition 25 crew.
He is also known as @Astro_Wheels on Twitter, where he has been tweeting pictures to his followers since he arrived at the space station. The images bring breathtaking views from our only off planet Vista point.
Pluto planetary debate
The tiny icy body gets renewed attention after an important recalculation by astronomers.
Also: Seeing inside the cell
A human hair is somewhere between 60,000 and 120,000 nanometers wide. The new microscope that took this image of a mouse cell can capture 3-D images at a resolution of 30 nanometers.
Other microscopes have achieved higher resolutions, but not without a lot of work. It can take up to two weeks to get this kind of image via electron microscopy, as you take sliver after sliver of the cell and piece the images back together. This system, called X-ray nanotomography, can capture the entire cell in one step.
The smallest of details were visible: the double membrane of the cell nucleus, nuclear pores in the nuclear envelope, membrane channels in the nucleus, numerous invaginations of the inner mitochondrial membrane and inclusions in cell organelles such as lysosomes. Such insights will be crucial for shedding light on inner-cellular processes: such as how viruses or nanoparticles penetrate into cells or into the nucleus, for example.
Top-secret satellite debuts
The U.S. launches a mysterious payload touted as the "largest satellite in the world."
Also: Diagrams That Changed The World
A picture, the old adage goes, is worth 1,000 words. But in science a diagram can describe things that transcend the written word. A single image can convey the simple underlying pattern hidden by words or equations.
Draw the right picture and you can literally transform the way we see the world. But a diagram is more than just a physical representation of what we see with our eyes.
Roman Swimming Pool Found
- Archaeologists discover a swimming pool in which a legion of Roman soldiers bathed after sacking Jerusalem.
Pets make trips more enjoyable
Looking for an enjoyable vacation? Take your dog. In an Associated Press-Petside.com poll, 75 percent of pet owners who have vacationed with their animals in the last two years said their pets made the trip more enjoyable.
Dogs Smarter Than Cats
Dog owners, this will confirm what you always thought.
And cat owners, prepare to extend your claws: scientists at Oxford University say canines are smarter than felines.
And cat owners, prepare to extend your claws: scientists at Oxford University say canines are smarter than felines.
Wooden sticks “too dangerous” for dogs
Health and safety went barking mad yesterday when these rubber sticks were launched for dogs – because real wood is too dangerous. Vets say the traditional game of throwing sticks found on the ground could lead to serious injuries from splinters and sharp points. So now rubber Safestix – which are approved by the Royal Veterinary College and The Dogs Trust – are hitting the shelves of some of Britain’s biggest pet retailers. The 70cm flexible sticks were designed by Army sergeant Paul Blair, 39, after his beloved four-year-old Jack Russel Razzle was badly hurt chasing a stick.
He spent 18 months working with vets, designers and air hostess wife Helen, 29, to create Safestix after failing to find a product that replicated a large stick. Sgt Blair, who is with the Parachute Regiment at Netheravon, Salisbury, Wilts., said he hoped the sticks would become a hit with pet owners. He said: ”I’m not trying to be the fun police but I do want to get the safety message out to educate dog owners about the dangers of throwing sticks. I was just throwing a normal stick for my Jack Russell. He ran on to it in an awkward way and a splinter came off and punctured the inside of his mouth.
”I started researching similar injuries online and found that they are very common so I decided to do something about it. The Safestix is one of the biggest dog toys on the market so it really replicates playing with a stick for dogs, which they love.” Professor Dan Brockman from the Royal Veterinary College praised Safestix as ”perfect”.
He said: ”This product would seem like the perfect alternative to a piece of wood. It has been carefully designed with no rough ends or edges and is made of material that is tough enough to withstand even my terriers teeth.” The Safestix are designed to be long-lasting and are made from tough rubber, which has twists in it to make it ”more interesting” for dogs to chew and catch. Three new Safestix versions – a shorter 50cm stick, an ”extra tough” one and a teeth cleaning mint stick – will go on the market next year.
He spent 18 months working with vets, designers and air hostess wife Helen, 29, to create Safestix after failing to find a product that replicated a large stick. Sgt Blair, who is with the Parachute Regiment at Netheravon, Salisbury, Wilts., said he hoped the sticks would become a hit with pet owners. He said: ”I’m not trying to be the fun police but I do want to get the safety message out to educate dog owners about the dangers of throwing sticks. I was just throwing a normal stick for my Jack Russell. He ran on to it in an awkward way and a splinter came off and punctured the inside of his mouth.
”I started researching similar injuries online and found that they are very common so I decided to do something about it. The Safestix is one of the biggest dog toys on the market so it really replicates playing with a stick for dogs, which they love.” Professor Dan Brockman from the Royal Veterinary College praised Safestix as ”perfect”.
He said: ”This product would seem like the perfect alternative to a piece of wood. It has been carefully designed with no rough ends or edges and is made of material that is tough enough to withstand even my terriers teeth.” The Safestix are designed to be long-lasting and are made from tough rubber, which has twists in it to make it ”more interesting” for dogs to chew and catch. Three new Safestix versions – a shorter 50cm stick, an ”extra tough” one and a teeth cleaning mint stick – will go on the market next year.
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Daily Drift
The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:Ready for the pace of life to pick up -- considerably?
Good, because opportunities for growth are going to come your way in fast and furious style, and you, of all signs, won't want to miss out on a single one.
Of course, opportunities won't get you anywhere if you don't know what you're doing -- but you do.
Congratulations.
It's called being in the right place at the right time -- with the right qualifications.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Sittard, Limburg, Netherlands
Prague, Hlavni Mesto Praha, Czech Republic
Hanau, Hessen, Germany
Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
London, England, United Kingdom
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Annecy, Rhone-Alpes, France
Kassel, Hessen, Germany
Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Augsburg, Bayern, Germany
Derby, England, United Kingdom
as well as Singapore, Philippines, Romania, Japan, Sweden, Brazil and in cities across the United States such as Hopewell Junction, Monessen, Ephrata, Covina and more.
Today is:
Today is Monday, November 22, the 326th day of 2010.
There are 39 days left in the year.
Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:
There isn't one.
Don't forget to visit our sister blog!
U.S. boy stages protest in China
A Miss. teen barely had time to unfurl his banner before Tiananmen Square police sprang into action.
Also: Paris Rising
Photo: CFuga under a Creative Commons license.
One of the striking things about Paris is that, for a major city whose metropolitan area includes nearly 12 million people, there are very few buildings more than five or six stories tall. Since 1977, soon after the construction of the 689 foot tall Tour Montparnasse, a building that sticks out like a sore thumb and is widely disliked by Parisians, there has been a height limit of 121 feet on all new buildings. (The Eiffel Tower, at 1,063 feet, is by far the tallest structure in the city.) But on Tuesday, Le Monde reported, the Paris City Council voted to raise the height limit to a revolutionary 590 feet, meaning that in the next few years, the Paris skyline will have a growth spurt.Article continues: Newly Freed from Height Limits, Paris Skyline Ready to Rise
Twelve Abandoned Skyscrapers
See twelve such empty buildings at Web Urbanist.
What guests won't tell you
If a neighbor has a blinking light display, put up blackout shades so guests can sleep.
Also: How to save $100 a month
Two frugal experts reveal how to shave 15 percent off your monthly utility bills.
Also: World's best places to retire
Some locales off the beaten path — like Nicaragua — are scenic and ultra-affordable.
Also: Best jobs for working alone
If you prefer working alone, these seven fields offer the best opportunities.
Also: Most dangerous U.S. cities
A controversial study names America's most crime-ridden areas, leading locals to cry foul.
Also: America's priciest suburbs
Families often flee the city in search of cheaper housing, but that's not the case here.
Also: 'Salad Spinner' house for sale
A Beverly Hills mansion turns heads for its unique architecture — and its whopping price tag.
Also: Culinary DeLites
Cooking with Thermite
Oh no! The family will be here anytime and you forgot to cook the turkey! What to do? I don’t think the Butterball hotline has the solution you’re looking for. What heats up faster than a microwave? Thermite! No, we don’t advocate trying this, but you can watch the magic of thermite cook a turkey in under thirty seconds in this video.And yes, they eat it.
If your turkey is still frozen, you'll defrost the bird faster by soaking it in a cold bath.
Also: 
Bad Cops
Oregon mom sues police and school district after her third-grade son is allegedly knocked to the ground and handcuffed by cops
Georgia police officer charged with felony theft by taking
Kansas city to pay $925,000 to man injured during 2006 arrest
Fired Indiana cop gets 15-year sentence on child porn charge
Colorado police officer gets probation in road rage incident
The farce that is the TSA
It would help if TSA's "fact vs myth" didn't include a myth of its own
From TSA's blog (it's not entirely clear to me why the TSA has a "blog," but whatever):Myth: Pat downs for certain individuals are limited to the head and neck.Well that's utterly and completely untrue. And even more untrue.
Fact(Myth): No one is exempt. Everyone is subject to the same screening. TSA is sensitive to religious and cultural needs, but everyone must be screened effectively. Administrator Pistole echoed those sentiments on MSNBC’s Hardball recently.
TSA removes shirt of young boy during 'pat down'
You will notice the TSA wearing the blue shirts (the current uniform) so this is recent enough. If the purpose of this "enhanced pat down" is to make people feel safer during their travels, maybe stripping down a young boy in front of others is not going to help.
Post-9/11 public goodwill has vanished as increasingly invasive airport searches enrage travelers.
Also: Amputee forced to remove prosthesis, expose residual limb, be separated from 4yo son
These stories just keep getting worse and worse. And this incident apparently took place earlier this year, before the "enhanced" procedures went into place:
"I had just been put in the Plexiglas screening booth," said Peggy. "My 4-year-old son was made to sit across from me, crying because they would not let him touch me. Everyone was looking at us. Then the TSA agent asked for my prosthetic leg. I knew they could wand my leg, but he insisted on taking it from me. And if that wasn't humiliating enough, he asked for the liner sock that covers my residual limb, saying I had to give it to him. I felt pressured to give him my liner even though it is critical to keep it sanitary. I was embarrassed to have my residual limb exposed in public."
2 million mile air traveler says TSA pat downs are 'blatant sexual harassment'
Isn't it surprising that she doesn't want to sacrifice her privacy so someone who never flies can have the illusion of air safety? As someone who has flown to fifty countries and six continents, I'm with her."This past weekend I was in Phoenix, the weekend before I was in Las Vegas, the weekend before I was in Vancouver," she said. "I do not fly for pleasure at all, pleasure is staying home."And credit should be also given to Senator George LeMieux who said he would never want his wife to be touched the way the TSA is touching people. It's about time everyone in Congress and the White House (including the Cabinet) goes through both procedures.
Briles has two double knee implants, so she always "rings" at the metal detector. After a few recent trips, the TSA, she feels, is intimately familiar with her. She has been checked several times recently by the TSA, and one of those times was a private session.
"I really don't know who marked the box and said, 'Yes, now let's really touch them.' Let's turn from feeling where they would go on the back of their hand and going down - now they're doing full frontal, where they run their hands over your breasts, they will cup your breast, they're going inside your collar," Briles said. "If anyone pulled what TSA is doing, they would be sued and fired for just blatant sexual harassment."
Teabaggers and and other repugicans now claiming Thanksgiving is a lesson in socialism
You know who else used to rewrite history to their own political advantage?
The Soviets.
These guys are amazing.
And of course, as always, the historians say they're completely wrong.
And it's not just the Teabaggers, it's Dick Armey, their patron, and Lush Dimbulb.
It's modern wingnuttery that passing this lie.
From the NYT:
The Soviets.
These guys are amazing.
And of course, as always, the historians say they're completely wrong.
And it's not just the Teabaggers, it's Dick Armey, their patron, and Lush Dimbulb.
It's modern wingnuttery that passing this lie.
From the NYT:
In the Tea Party view of the holiday, the first settlers were actually early socialists. They realized the error of their collectivist ways and embraced capitalism, producing a bumper year, upon which they decided that it was only right to celebrate the glory of the free market and private property.
Historians quibble with this interpretation.
Bradford did get rid of the common course — but it was in 1623, after the first Thanksgiving, and not because the system wasn’t working. The Pilgrims just didn’t like it. In the accounts of colonists, Mr. Pickering said, “there was griping and groaning.”They're not just idiots. These people are dangerous.
“Bachelors didn’t want to feed the wives of married men, and women don’t want to do the laundry of the bachelors,” he said.
The real reason agriculture became more profitable over the years, Mr. Pickering said, is that the Pilgrims were getting better at farming crops like corn that had been unknown to them in England.
As for Jamestown, there was famine. But historians dispute the characterization of the colony as a collectivist society. “To call it socialism is wildly inaccurate,” said Karen Ordahl Kupperman, a historian at New York University and the author of “The Jamestown Project.” “It was a contracted company, and everybody worked for the company. I mean, is Halliburton a socialist scheme?”
Faux has donated $40 million in air time to repugican presidential candidates
As always, fair and balanced for the repugican side.
More from Media Matters:
Between January 1 and October 31 of this year, five potential repugican presidential candidates -- Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, John Bolton, and Rick Santorum -- who also serve as Faux News contributors or hosts have appeared on the network for a combined total of nearly 66 hours. Media Matters for America estimates this time to be worth at least $40 million in advertising costs.
World's First Rock-and-Roll Song Identified
- "That’s All Right Mama" by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup is the song that launched a genre, according to one historian.
Lady in New Zealand sells her depression for $155
A depression sufferer has sold her illness for $155 on Trade Me. In the listing Emma, 29, said she suffered from depression since age 14. "My depression won't let you down. It will rear its ugly head at regular intervals. You can call it the Black Dog if you like," the listing said. "At its severest, you won't be able to get out of bed to shower, change your underwear or clean your teeth."
She estimates the monthly cost of keeping depression "under wraps" was around $500, not including taking time off work. Acquiring depression isn't guaranteed, but the winning bidder did get a transfer of ownership form, with the $155 going to the Movember Foundation. The listing had more than 10,700 page views and a long tail of comments, some commending her and others sharing similar stories about depression. "I tried chucking mine out the window but it didn't work," one post said.
Clinical psychologist Duncan Thomson says the auction shows the value in being open, and even humorous, about mental health, and the impact it can have on people's lives. "The concept that you can sell your depression is pure irony," he says. "She is actually making the really useful point that depression is something that is often managed - rather than cured in the medical sense - in all kinds of different ways, often with a combination of therapy, drugs and things that are generally positive for wellbeing like exercise, diet and meditation."
Thomson says there is a trend toward being more open about depression and that can only be good. "It reduces the stigma associated with the mental illness, makes people feel less alone and helps people seek help," he says. Movember Foundation country manager Jim Slattery says the foundation fully supported Emma's auction. "I hope whoever bought it casts it out to sea."
She estimates the monthly cost of keeping depression "under wraps" was around $500, not including taking time off work. Acquiring depression isn't guaranteed, but the winning bidder did get a transfer of ownership form, with the $155 going to the Movember Foundation. The listing had more than 10,700 page views and a long tail of comments, some commending her and others sharing similar stories about depression. "I tried chucking mine out the window but it didn't work," one post said.
Clinical psychologist Duncan Thomson says the auction shows the value in being open, and even humorous, about mental health, and the impact it can have on people's lives. "The concept that you can sell your depression is pure irony," he says. "She is actually making the really useful point that depression is something that is often managed - rather than cured in the medical sense - in all kinds of different ways, often with a combination of therapy, drugs and things that are generally positive for wellbeing like exercise, diet and meditation."
Thomson says there is a trend toward being more open about depression and that can only be good. "It reduces the stigma associated with the mental illness, makes people feel less alone and helps people seek help," he says. Movember Foundation country manager Jim Slattery says the foundation fully supported Emma's auction. "I hope whoever bought it casts it out to sea."
Woman accused in pizza shop video pleads guilty
A North Carolina woman accused of appearing in a gross video at a Domino's Pizza kitchen that was posted on the Internet last year has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the video.
Would You Travel One-Way to Mars?
Article continues: Would You Travel One-Way to Mars?
Reasons Geeks Can't Sleep
11. Not because of caffeine. Just can't stop thinking about coffee.10. Converting MP3 collection to OGG taking longer than you thought.
9. Dorito crumbs on sheets cause unbearable itching.
8. Borg costume needed redesigning because it just wasn't realistic enough.
7. Had to keep checking the torrent to make sure it was still downloading.
6. Too scared to sleep after watching "Hackers" and knowing they can make more movies like it.
5. MMORPG withdrawal causing uncontrolable shaking.
4. Removed your bed to make room for the server rack.
3. Years of living underground have made your eyelids translucent.
2. Watched special edition of Star Wars and still pissed off over Greedo shooting first.
1. Had to sell bed to buy new graphics card.
A Computer Chip the Size of a Molecule
The governments of Singapore and the European Union are trying to develop a computer chip the size of a single molecule. From Singapore’s press release on the subject:A*STAR’s IMRE and 10 EU research organizations are working together to build what is essentially a single molecule processor chip. As a comparison, a thousand of such molecular chips could fit into one of today’s microchips, the core device that determines computational speed. The ambitious project, termed Atomic Scale and Single Molecule Logic Gate Technologies (ATMOL), will establish a new process for making a complete molecular chip. This means that computing power can be increased significantly but take up only a small fraction of the space that is required by today’s standards.
The fabrication process involves the use of three unique ultra high vacuum (UHV) atomic scale interconnection machines which build the chip atom-by-atom. These machines physically move atoms into place one at a time at cryogenic temperatures. One of these machines is located in A*STAR’s IMRE.
Man to Travel 200 Miles in Solar-Powered Wheelchair
Photo via The National
Chances are, you haven't heard of Haidar Taleb yet, but he's on a mission to inspire the world. On Monday, the disabled 47-year-old from the UAE is set to embark on a record-breaking 200 mile voyage across the desert in a solar-powered wheelchair he designed and built himself. "With this journey I hope to raise awareness of disability and sustainability as well as what we can achieve as individuals if we have the courage and determination to try," he says.Article continues: Man to Travel 200 Miles in Solar-Powered Wheelchair
New Airplane Design Mimics a Seagull
Airplanes took off when humans stopped trying to mimic birds, but a new design unintentionally evoked a seagull.
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