Even people who have their finances squared away can ruin their golden years with a misstep.
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Monday, November 29, 2010
Quasimodo's Replacement
After Quasimodo's death, the bishop of the cathedral of Notre Dame sent word through the streets of Paris that a new bellringer was needed. The bishop decided that he would conduct the interviews personally and went up into the belfry to begin the screening process. After observing several applicants demonstrate their skills, he decided to call it a day when a lone, armless man approached him and announced that he was there to apply for the bellringers job.The bishop was incredulous."You have no arms!"
"No matter," said the man, "Observe!" He then began striking the bells with his face, producing a beautiful melody on the carillon.
The bishop listened in astonishment, convinced that he had finally found a suitable replacement for Quasimodo. Suddenly, rushing forward to strike a bell, the armless man tripped, and plunged headlong out of the belfry window to his death in the street below. The stunned bishop rushed to his side. When he reached the street, a crowd had gathered around the fallen figure, drawn by the beautiful music they had heard only moments before. As they silently parted to let the bishop through, one of them asked, "Bishop, who was this man?"
"I don't know his name", the bishop sadly replied, "but his face rings a bell."
(but wait, there's more...)
The following day, despite the sadness that weighed heavily on his heart due to the unfortunate death of the armless campanologist (now there's a trivia question), the bishop continued his interviews for the bellringer of Notre Dame.
The first man to approach him said, "Your excellency, I am the brother of the poor, armless wretch that fell to his death from this very belfry yesterday. I pray that you honor his life by allowing me to replace him in this duty."
The bishop agreed to give the man an audition, and as the armless man's brother stooped to pick up a mallet to strike the first bell, he groaned, clutched at his chest and died on the spot. Two monks, hearing the bishop's cries of grief at this second tragedy, rushed up the stairs to his side. "What has happened?", the first breathlessly asked, "Who is this man?"
"I don't know his name," sighed the distraught bishop, "but he's a dead ringer for his brother."
Khmer Rouge escapee returns
Vannak Khem was only a small boy when he fled the Khmer Rouge's brutal regime.
Also: Europe OKs Irish bailout plan
Finance ministers also set bailout rules to keep the debt crisis from spreading.
Also: Nuclear scientist killed in Iran car bomb
It's going to be hard to imagine where to even start looking for the culprit(s).
BBC News:
BBC News:
An Iranian nuclear scientist has been killed and another wounded in two separate, but similar attacks, according to Iranian media reports.
The scientists were targeted in Tehran by attackers who attached bombs to each of their cars, reports said.
The scientist killed has been named as Majid Shahriari of Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, according to the official Irna news agency.
Another scientist was killed in a bomb blast at the beginning of the year.
Copenhagen to build superhighway for bikes
What a cool city. Between the great bike paths and public transportation, there's really no need to have a car in Copenhagen.
"It's a mode of transportation used by all social classes, even politicians ride bikes," he says.
It is on crowded Noerrebrogade -- the busiest bicycle street in Europe, according to the cyclist association -- that city planners have decided to build the first of Copenhagen's environmentally friendly boulevards.
The jammed bike paths will be widened up to four metres (yards) on either side of the road, which will itself will be reserved for buses only.
The idea is to make Noerrebrogade "Europe's great cycling street", says Andreas Roehl, the Copenhagen municipality's bicycle program manager who is also known as "Mister Bike".
Leave it to the Canadians
Two friends lived in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
They were sick of winter, so they went to a travel agent and booked a trip to Australia.
When the two friends got off the plane -still dressed for Canadian winter weather -they wandered into a pub and sat down.
The locals wondered about these strangers, so one of the Aussies walked over to the visitors and said, "G'day, mates. Where're you from?"
"Saskatoon, Saskatchewan," one of the Canadians replied.
"Ahhhh," said the Aussie, returning to his table.
"So where are they from?" the other locals asked.
"Don't know, mate," replied the Aussie.
"They don't speak English."
They were sick of winter, so they went to a travel agent and booked a trip to Australia.
When the two friends got off the plane -still dressed for Canadian winter weather -they wandered into a pub and sat down.
The locals wondered about these strangers, so one of the Aussies walked over to the visitors and said, "G'day, mates. Where're you from?"
"Saskatoon, Saskatchewan," one of the Canadians replied.
"Ahhhh," said the Aussie, returning to his table.
"So where are they from?" the other locals asked.
"Don't know, mate," replied the Aussie.
"They don't speak English."
Native Costume
"Yakut woman wearing festive costume"
Roman sextans coin
The sextans was an Ancient Roman bronze coin produced during the Roman Republic valued at one-sixth of an as (2 unciae). The most common design for the sextans was the bust of Mercury and two pellets (indicating two unciae) on the obverse and the prow of a galley on the reverse. Earlier types depicted a scallop shell, a caduceus, or other symbols on the obverse.Looks like the scallop also has two "pellets" next to it. This coin from the British Museum collection, where it says the reverse (not shown) displays the inside of the scallop shell. 269-266 BC.
Eyjafjallajokull rocks.
This 1,000-ton rock was spat out by the awesome force of an erupting volcano.
The picture was taken after Iceland's infamous Eyjafjallajokull volcano burst into life this March.
Ash spewing from the eruption grounded flights and left thousands of holidaymakers stranded across Europe.
Icelandic photographer Ragnar Sigurdsson captured the spectacular scenes as he documented the progress of the eruption - even bravely flying over the bubbling crater.
The long winter night comes to Tromsø
In Tromsø, Norway - way north of the Polar Circle - the sun has gone down for the last time this year. To mark the beginning of the ‘Mørketid’ as the period without daylight is called, hundreds of local kindergarten kids each brought a homemade candle to the city square where they were all lit…
The sun is expected to return in early January 2011, as usual…
How Climate Change Threatens the American Farmer
Photo: nosha. Flickr, CC
Too often, the conversation about climate change gets framed as a culturo-political debate: with liberals and scientists calling for action on one side, and conservatives and free market fundamentalists arguing against it on the other. The media is too often tacit in condoning or flat-out grooming this conflict, and as a result, the public loses out on well-rounded coverage on the topic, both from scientific and personal perspectives. So it's refreshing to see a firsthand account like this -- an American farmer's experience with (and fears of) climate change -- published in a leading national paper:Article continues: How Climate Change Threatens the American Farmer
Russia Investing $2 Billion in Space Debris Removal
Image via Keith Fiore
We've seen some crazy ideas for getting rid of space debris, a problem that sounds absurd in itself but is actually a real issue for satellites and even astronauts in the International Space Station. However, Russia is set on a concept that they think is worth serious investment -- about a $2 billion investment. Energia, Russia's space corporation, is planning to build a "pod" that will knock junk out of orbit and back down to earth.Article continues: Russia Investing $2 Billion in Space Debris Removal
Saturn's moon Rhea has an oxygen atmosphere
NASA scientists have first suspected that Rhea has a thin atmosphere with oxygen and carbon dioxide, based on the observations of Jupiter’s icy moons by the Galileo spacecraft and Hubble Space Telescope. It was only now that they proved that their hypothesis was correct. According to the report transmitted by Cassini, the oxygen appeared to occur when Saturn’s magnetic field rotates over Rhea that eventually formed the moon’s water-ice surface.
New photos emerge of the Loch Ness monster
The legend of Nessie has resurfaced with a new sighting and pictures of the Loch Ness monster. Richard Preston, a landscape designer, has been the latest person to spot a mysterious shape that might be the Loch Ness monster and capture a series of images on camera.
While working on Aldourie Castle gardens on the banks of the Loch Ness, 27-year-old Mr Preston spotted a shape on the loch's surface out of the corner of his eye. He said: “I was just walking through the castle gardens and I spotted something in the distance. When I looked closer I could clearly see the four hump-like features. I thought I’d take a picture of it, to see if there was anything in it, to see what others thought.
“I was surprised that it stayed there as long as it did. I took various shots of it before it suddenly disappeared. I literally just turned my back and it was gone.” He showed one of his friends who was also convinced there was certainly some mystery in the pictures.
When asked whether or not he believed in the monster, Mr Preston said: “Well there’s definitely something in the myth.There were no ripples in the water, no boats, nothing around. I have no idea what it was, but it undoubtedly looks like Nessie.” The latest sighting has brought hope to monster enthusiasts, as it had been a relatively quiet spell for spotting any activity in the Loch. Fears had been mounting that Nessie might be dead since reports of any sightings had been diminishing.
While working on Aldourie Castle gardens on the banks of the Loch Ness, 27-year-old Mr Preston spotted a shape on the loch's surface out of the corner of his eye. He said: “I was just walking through the castle gardens and I spotted something in the distance. When I looked closer I could clearly see the four hump-like features. I thought I’d take a picture of it, to see if there was anything in it, to see what others thought.
“I was surprised that it stayed there as long as it did. I took various shots of it before it suddenly disappeared. I literally just turned my back and it was gone.” He showed one of his friends who was also convinced there was certainly some mystery in the pictures.
When asked whether or not he believed in the monster, Mr Preston said: “Well there’s definitely something in the myth.There were no ripples in the water, no boats, nothing around. I have no idea what it was, but it undoubtedly looks like Nessie.” The latest sighting has brought hope to monster enthusiasts, as it had been a relatively quiet spell for spotting any activity in the Loch. Fears had been mounting that Nessie might be dead since reports of any sightings had been diminishing.
Killing of Five Endangered Elephants Hints at a Greater Conservation Dilemma
If trends continue, the Sumatra elephant may soon only survive in captivity.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Five endangered Sumatran elephants have been found dead in Indonesia and authorities believe they were poisoned by farmers. With fewer than 3,000 individuals surviving in increasingly fragmented groups, the loss to the species is severe—and the latest example of a trend that threatens the elephant's survival.Article continues: Killing of Five Endangered Elephants Hints at a Greater Conservation Dilemma
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