The Boy Whose Birthday It Is
July 31, 1980 ~ the auspicious date, by all accounts, on which one Harry Potter was born. In his honor, a brief compilation of fascinating facts: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/135910
The Oldest Olympian
At 71, Japan's Hiroshi Hoketsu is the oldest competitor at this year's Olympic games. He and his horse, Whisper, are competing in dressage (video): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19073349
RIP, Gore Vidal
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| from salon.com via pitt.edu |
~ Gore Vidal
Today, July 31, the world lost one of the sharpest minds and keenest wits of the modern era. Fortunately, his writing remains, as does footage of some of his more memorable debates and appearances. To learn more about this man, go to http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/gore-vidal/about-gore-vidal/724/His New York Times obit: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/books/gore-vidal-elegant-writer-dies-at-86.html?pagewanted=all
The Past Is Present
Tools and other artifacts found in a cave in South Africa are 44,000 years old. Not only are they 20,000 years older than other such finds, but they are nearly identical to the tools used by today's San bush people. "You can hold [one of the] ancient artefacts in your left hand and a modern artefact in your right and they're exactly the same," said Dr. Lucinda Backwell, of South Africa's University of Witwatersrand (and, yes, you're reading it correctly: We spell it "artifacts," and the British and others spell it "artefacts"): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19069560
Scuttling a Myth
A study of lists of shipwreck survivors indicates that, with few exceptions, the captain does not go down with the ship and women and children do not come first: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-sinking-ship-manners-20120731,0,197854.story
A Family of Firsts
Genealogists have found that President Obama is related, on his mother's side, to a man whom many call "the first African slave" in America: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-related-to-legendary-virginia-slave-genealogist-says-20120730,0,3463156.story
Nature's Energy
While so many in India are suffering through a fierce heat wave without electricity, perhaps now is a good time to consider the concept of free energy from nature ~ and why so many of its proponents and inventors have been ridiculed and suppressed through recent history, including Nikola Tesla (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKWPht3fU-o&feature=player_embedded#!
After the Party
Beijing, Los Angeles, Athens ... what happens to Olympics venues when the crowds go home? (slideshow): http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/pictures/120726-2012-olympics-games-london-sports-venues-world-sports/?source=hp_dl2_news_olympics_venues20120727
Passing the Torch
Pictures of a selection of Olympic torches starting with Berlin's in 1936 (caption translation: été = summer; hiver = winter): http://www.laboiteverte.fr/historique-des-torches-des-jeux-olympiques/
Beauty at His Fingertips
Four Eyes, 37 Languages
A British computer programmer has developed a pair of glasses that will display real-time translations of conversation. As one can see in the video, it's not perfect (and that may have something to do with the fact that Spanish is not the speaker's first language), but it's close (story and video): http://www.gizmag.com/language-translating-glasses/23494/
Light at Night May Not Be Right
Recent experiments are showing that, for animals at least, nighttime exposure to dim light promotes depression: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/342495/title/Night_lights_may_foster_depression
First-Class Germs
Airports are germ arsenals, but some are more likely than others to be ground zero of an international epidemic. Number 1 on the list is JFK, and Number 2 is LAX: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/342660/title/Top_airports_for_spreading_germs_IDed
Rock the House!
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| Ilya Varlamov |
The Moon Never Sets ...
... on the American flag. Photos taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show that the flags planted by astronauts are still there, and still standing. The only exception is the one from the Apollo 11 mission: http://www.livescience.com/21941-american-flags-moon-apollo-photos.html
New Olympic Hymn?
And while we're at it, you might want to watch our president's version (well, not really his ... you'll see!) (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX1YVzdnpEc
photo from ryanseacrest.com
Après-Olympics
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| Bruce Jenner, 1976 Olympics |
Put a Sock in It
Ideas for what to do with old socks besides throw them away (bonus video: how to make a sock puppet!): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/29/reusing-old-socks-old-_n_1710773.html
Loping to London
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| Australian Flying Finish in her stable at Greenwich/© Kit Houghton |
Grander Canyon
British scientists have discovered a huge canyon ~ up to a mile deep in some places ~ beneath the Ferrigno Ice Stream in Antarctica. The finding broadens our understanding of the natural forces behind glacier melt: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=scientists-uncover-grand-canyon-in-antarctica
A Bond With the Queen
Gateway to the Gold
Full disclosure: I hail from the San Francisco Bay Area (and that is where my heart still lies). Now to the Interesting Thing ~ apparently, so are an overwhelming number of our Olympians: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/26/bay-area-olympians-_n_1706946.html
The Mother of All Host Countries
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| BBC |
Being Dali
Quintessential Surrealist Salvador Dali had a favorite ~ and obviously successful ~ way of capturing those elusive thoughts and images that visit us when the brain lets go: http://www.creativitypost.com/create/salvador_dalis_creative_thinking_technique
Beyond the Box
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| Cloud House, McBride Charles Ryan, Australia/John Gollings |
eARTh
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| First-place winner EROS/USGS/NASA image |
American Pie
What do you do with an obsession? Brian Dwyer is expanding his extensive (maybe the world's largest) collection of pizza-related paraphernalia into a restaurant-museum in Philadelphia that will be called Pizza Brain (story and audio): http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/07/25/157118940/pizza-museum-to-offer-a-slice-of-american-food-and-culture?ps=cprs
What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been On
The body of Eva Perón, wife of Argentina's longtime dictator and beloved ~ and reviled ~ by many, was finally laid to rest in 1976, but for the 20 years before that, it spent time in a van, in the Buenos Aires waterworks, and in a cemetery in Italy, among other places. And you thought Einstein's brain traveled a long way! (Warning, some of the images and comments could be disturbing): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18616380
Breathe Easy
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| The Aegis parka, designed by Nieuwe Heren |
In the Swim
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| Speedo's FastSkin3 |
The Shadow of Her Smile
The skeleton of the woman thought to have inspired Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa may have been found. Tests will be conducted to determine whether it is really she: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/304079/italy-scientists-find-skeleton-that-may-be-real-mona-lisa
Be It Ever So Humble ...
They Came From the Deep
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| Screen shot of the Gulper, or Pelican, Eel |
Bad Sports
Since 1896, 10 sports have been removed from the Olympics. They include croquet, polo, tug-of-war, and something called jeu de paume, which I always thought was a strange name for a museum in Paris. (So, naturally, I had to look it up. The jeu de paume, or game of palm [aka palm game], sounds very much like handball.) Of course, they have been replaced by others, and two ~ golf and rugby ~ have made a comeback: http://topendsports.com/events/discontinued/index.htm and http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetorch/2012/07/24/157304683/olympic-sports-we-dont-see-any-more-and-why
Thanks for the Turtles
Sometimes a book review can be just as fun to read and contemplate as the book being reviewed. Case in point, "wrongologist" Kathryn Schulz's musings on Jim Holt's Why Does the World Exist?: http://www.vulture.com/2012/07/kathryn-schulz-on-jim-holt-why-does-the-world-exist.html
Otto Mobile
"The more you have traveled, the more you realize how little you have seen." So says Gunther Holtorf, who with his late wife, Christine, and later alone has logged more than 500,000 miles over the last 23 years in his "main partner," his car, Otto (video): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18910560
Know When To Fold 'Em
intricate origami by Krystyna and Wojtek Burczyk, at the Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles
We're Number One!
Really? Number 1? For what? Literacy (defined as percentage of population over the age of 15 that can read and write)? No, there, we're Number 36. Exports? Number 3. Per-capita GDP? Number 11. Perhaps life expectancy at birth? 49. Well, what, then? We are Number 1 in civilian gun ownership: http://www.indexmundi.com/g/r.aspx?t=10&v=39
An interactive world map of comparative firearm statistics: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2012/jul/22/gun-ownership-homicides-map
An interactive world map of comparative firearm statistics: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2012/jul/22/gun-ownership-homicides-map
Mayor Meower
An Alaskan town has voted in the same cat as mayor for 15 years running ~ and he didn't even have to claw his way to the top (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWav2HcFIbM&feature=player_embedded
What a Blast!
In 1957, five Air Force officers and one photographer volunteered to stand under a 2-kiloton nuclear bomb as it exploded (story and videos): http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/07/16/156851175/five-men-agree-to-stand-directly-under-an-exploding-nuclear-bomb?ps=cprs
Score One for the Gorillas
Juvenile mountain gorillas were spotted dismantling poachers' dangerous traps. "They were very confident. They saw what they had to do, they did it, and then they left," said Veronica Vecellio, gorilla program coordinator at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund's Karisoke Research Center: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120719-young-gorillas-juvenile-traps-snares-rwanda-science-fossey/?source=hp_dl2_news_smart_gorillas20120720
Embarras de Water
A huge aquifer found in Namibia could change the face of the country: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18875385
The Beat(ing) Goes On
Excavations of community cemeteries ~ not including battle sites, by the way ~ show that the current Israel/West Bank region has always been violent. A full 25% of the skulls found there, from 100 years ago and back to the Copper Age, bear evidence of severe wounds. That's the largest percentage found anywhere: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/342366/title/Mideast_violence_goes_way_back
How Brassiere Is That!
Lace and linen undergarments, including bras, from 500 years ago were found by workers restoring a castle in Austria. The find "totally rewrites" fashion history, according to Museum of London's fashion curator Hilary Davidson: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2174568/Found-castle-vault-scraps-lace-lingerie-rage-500-years-ago.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Take a Moment
A website that leads you through a short meditation, complete with restful video (you can choose from among a few scenes), music, and narrative (video): http://www.calm.com/
L.A. Has a River!
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| The Los Angeles River Wikipedia |
Rove Mars
NASA's getting ready for its rover Curiosity's Mars landing on Aug. 5 (Aug. 6 on the East Coast), and we can, too, with Unity, a 3D "virtual rover" that will allow us to follow Curiosity's path. NASA is asking for our help with crowd sourcing it now: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-205&cid=release_2012-205&msource=2012205
What To Do
Suggestion #145: Swim in the world's largest manmade swimming pool, the 19-acre, 66-million-gallon seawater pool at the San Alfonso del Mar Resort in Algarrobo, Chile
Country of Choice
Meb Keflezighi came to the United States from Eritrea by way of Italy. In 2004, the runner won Olympic silver, and this year, he's going for gold. Here are the fascinating and moving stories of six U.S. Olympic hopefuls who started life elsewhere (videos): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18821583
EPA's F re: BPAs
Caveat emptor. A new study links BPA, which is still in just about everything ~ makeup, food, containers ~ to diabetes (among other things). But it's not the first scientific study to do so. The connection was made as far back as 2005: http://www.care2.com/causes/beauty-products-may-be-slowly-killing-you.html
The Gift of the Gifted Child
July 15-21 is National Parenting Gifted Children Week, and SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted) has a week's worth of special resources ready to mark the occastion: http://www.sengifted.org/npgc-week-2012
Find Your Way
Animals don't use satellites or compasses, yet many, like homing pigeons and lobsters, know exactly where they are and how to get to where they want to go. What do they know that we don't, and how can we use it to help us find our way when our GPSs can't use satellites? (story and video): http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57472649-76/tapping-earths-magnetic-field-for-indoor-navigation/?tag=cnetRiver
Underground Art
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| Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. |
World Weight
Type in a few relevant stats and find out where you stand on the world's fat meter, based on UN and WHO data. I, for example, am "most like someone from Nepal" and learned that "If everyone in the world had the same BMI as [I], it would remove 44,439,383 tonnes from the total weight of the world's population": http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18770328
Life Lived
"Life is tenacious. Life is fragile. Life relentlessly wants to live.
This is the real moral of the story of mass extinctions, but life
wanting to live does not mean that no harm ever comes. Life wanting to
live does not mean that bad things don’t happen. We all know this. Or
should. And when bad things happen, life still wants to live.
Relentlessly, desperately, lovingly, fully." A beautifully written, thought-provoking hymn about nature, including us (and thanks to Kris for finding it): http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/4945/#
Schools for Fools
What are students saying? School's too easy, they're not challenged, they're not learning anything (and certainly not critical thinking) ~ basically, it's not much more than childcare. Why this would come as a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention for the last four decades is beyond me: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/07/state_of_education.html
A Mark, a Yen, a Buck, or a Pound
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| Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey in Cabaret |
What, Me Worry?
The latest international Greendex from the National Geographic Society shows Americans being less green ~ and less concerned about it ~ than the rest of the world. Who fared best this year? India, China (despite having fallen in the rankings), and Brazil (which also fell): http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120712-greendex-environment-green-sustainable-science-consumers-world/?source=hp_dl1_news_greendex20120714
Bee Counted
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Ron Hemberger
|
Ghouls Rush In
And so it goes. As more consumers realize the benefits of eating organic (which is good), they buy more organic, and as they do so, that sector becomes more profitable. As it becomes more profitable, big industry starts moving in. This has two major results. Some organic food becomes moderately more affordable (also good), and the rules governing the sector become looser (which is less than good). An eye-opening chart showing who now owns what: http://www.cornucopia.org/who-owns-organic/
And while we're on the subject, you might want to educate yourself about biotech giant Monsanto's ever-tightening grip on the USDA, which should by all rights be independent in order to best protect the public: http://www.cornucopia.org/is-the-usda-a-wholly-owned-subsidiary-of-monsanto/
Back in 2008, Vanity Fair published an interesting investigative piece illustrating one way Monsanto got to become the giant it is today: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto200805
And while we're on the subject, you might want to educate yourself about biotech giant Monsanto's ever-tightening grip on the USDA, which should by all rights be independent in order to best protect the public: http://www.cornucopia.org/is-the-usda-a-wholly-owned-subsidiary-of-monsanto/
Back in 2008, Vanity Fair published an interesting investigative piece illustrating one way Monsanto got to become the giant it is today: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto200805
Antique Stools
Fossilized feces found in caves in Oregon point to the existence of humans on the west coast of North America before the Clovis people: http://www.nature.com/news/genomes-and-fossil-faeces-track-the-first-americans-1.11006
Big MacSecret
MacDonald's secret Big Mac sauce? Assuming anyone cares anymore (story and video): http://www.digitaltrends.com/lifestyle/how-to-make-an-authentic-mcdonalds-big-mac/
How To Create Like a Child
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| by KLD, age 4 |
When my son was little, he would get frustrated and complain that he drew like a child. He was incredulous when I told him that most adult artists spend their lives trying to do just that. In case he ~ or anyone else ~ has reached that point, an interesting article and a tutorial: http://www.creativitypost.com/create/scratch_a_genius_and_you_surprise_a_child
The 3-Million-Mile Car
Irvin Gordon bought his Volvo in 1966, and both of them have come a long way since (story and video): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18803064
Lonely No Longer
Last year, in a fit of desperation, a man named Jeff put his number up all over NYC. Here's what happened and some of what he learned (story and video): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18803128
Book It
Allons, Enfants!
Bastille Day, aka French National Day, is on Saturday, July 14 (which means that the day before is yet another Friday the 13th). It celebrates the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789, which was inspired in part by ours. It was a fascinating time (I can say from the comfort and safety offered by the intervening centuries) filled with many intriguing characters: http://bastille-day.com/
One of my all-time favorite books, whose story takes place during this time, is Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities: a story of the French Revolution. It is a tragic story of love, fear, hope, loyalty, treachery, and suspense, and it both begins and ends with some of the most famous lines in all of literature (plus, who can ever forget Mme. Defarge and her knitting?): http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/98
Perhaps one of the more interesting celebrations in the United States will be taking place at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, where citizens can take part in a Super-Soaker storming of the prison, the Bearded Ladies will dance, and 3,000 Tastykakes will be showered upon the onlookers as Marie Antoinette is guillotined: http://www.easternstate.org/bastille-day
One of my all-time favorite books, whose story takes place during this time, is Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities: a story of the French Revolution. It is a tragic story of love, fear, hope, loyalty, treachery, and suspense, and it both begins and ends with some of the most famous lines in all of literature (plus, who can ever forget Mme. Defarge and her knitting?): http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/98
Perhaps one of the more interesting celebrations in the United States will be taking place at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, where citizens can take part in a Super-Soaker storming of the prison, the Bearded Ladies will dance, and 3,000 Tastykakes will be showered upon the onlookers as Marie Antoinette is guillotined: http://www.easternstate.org/bastille-day
Warning Signs
Scientists have discovered signs ~ the first being in the spinal fluid ~ of future Alzheimer's that show up as long as 25 years before the symptoms do: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18796309
Extraordinary Eateries
It rains every half hour in the Tonga Room in San Francisco, The Cave, in Missouri, has waterfalls and fish ponds, and fans of Sex and the City will be pleased to know there really is a restaurant called B.E.D., only it's in Miami. Here they are, America's Weirdest Restaurants: http://www.cnbc.com/id/42266618?slide=1
I Owe, I Owe ...
A new report discloses that one-fifth of all student loan debt is owned by people in their 50s: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-20-of-student-loans-held-by-people-over-50-20120711,0,4414502.story
PSST!
As a big fan of Words With Friends, I was happy to find this list of 17 vowel-less words: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/102828
Cats, T. gondii, and Our Brains
The story of Czech scientist Jaroslav Flegr and his decades-long work to prove his suspicion that a parasite often present in cats' feces was messing with his mind and, therefore, with the minds of others as well: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/8873/
Summer Strolls
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| Hollywood Beach Boardwalk, FL/Visit Hollywood |
Bee Youthful
A new study found that bees that took on the duties traditionally performed by young bees not only staved off both physical and mental aging but that their brains changed on the molecular level: https://asunews.asu.edu/20120702_bee_brainaging
Seeding the Big Picture
"If you look at a map of the world and you look at where the hungry
people are, where acute things like famine and drought recur, or areas
where people can’t be certain that they will get enough food from their
land, what you see is that a lot of those areas are the most important
biodiversity areas of the world." The president and CEO of EcoAgriculture Parners explains the "whole landscape" approach, how it's working in Africa, and why the whole world needs to adopt it: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/global-pulse/qa-ecoagriculture-partners
Bear It
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| TWELV Magazine |
So you want to start a fashion mag in a world of Elles, Marie Claires, Vogues (I could go on). What do you do to get a little attention? Write the magazine's name in all caps, like this: TWELV? Well, it's a start. Anything else? Make an evening dress out of 50,000 gummy bears, maybe?: http://twelvmag.com/media/newsletters/gummybeardress.html
152,455 Bricks
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| Gizmag |
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| Gizmag |
Space-Trip Advisor
As more companies get into the space-tourism game, as the technology becomes less onerous and the trip therefore becomes less costly, it may be time to ask yourself: Which company should I go with? A summary of what's out there: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120622-space-a-travel-guide/1
Carigami
The latest wrinkle in the search for a solution to the urban-traffic situation? A mini-electric car that actually folds up to be even smaller when parked. In fact, three and a half Hiriko (a portmanteau word meaning "from the city") Folds can fit into a standard parking space: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120613-folding-cars-offer-city-solution
Commander in Chef
What's the Matter?
So, that elusive little Higgs boson is back in the news and getting everyone all excited. But why? What's the big deal? An explanation, by way of a Q&A (story, audio, video): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16116236
An alternative explanation (video): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18712914
Stephen Hawking had a big bet riding on this (video): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18708626
An alternative explanation (video): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18712914
Stephen Hawking had a big bet riding on this (video): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18708626
Lobster Tale
There are some very lucky lobsters with a great story to tell somewhere in the Mediterranean (and, with luck, they'll avoid those traps from now on). A couple vacationing in Italy bought a seafood restaurant's live lobsters and set them free: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/07/03/german-couple-free-lobsters-from-italian-restaurant/
'Don't Drive,' She Said
It seems there are many reasons, but there is one result, and that is that fewer Gen Y-ers are choosing to drive (while, at the other end of the age spectrum, there are more drivers over 70): http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/01/us-usa-generationy-driving-idUSBRE8600BK20120701
Decathlon Man
Daniel Berdichevsky, aka DemiDec Dan ~ or more like Demigod Dan ~ translated his record-setting score in the 10-subject competition into a profession and himself into an international legend: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-decathlon-20120702,0,3452597.story
No Pressure
Back in June, 9 million high school students in China took the gaokao, or college entrance exam, competing for fewer than 7 million spots. One's score determines not only whether one gets into college, but which college one will get into, and that can determine the course of one's life (story and video): http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/world/asia/burden-of-chinas-college-entrance-test-sets-off-wide-debate.html?_r=1&hpw
The Man Who Frees Whales
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| Landry works to free a humpback whale/Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies |
Children's Spaces
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| Ryan, 11, North Carolina James Mollison |
International photographer James Mollison (born in Kenya, grew up in
England, now lives in Italy) juxtaposed portraits of children from
around the world with pictures of their bedrooms. "My thinking was," he
says, "that the bedroom pictures would be inscribed with the children's
material and cultural circumstances": (slideshow): http://www.jamesmollison.com/wherechildrensleep.php
Livin' la Vida Java
The word from scientists is this: Drink more coffee ~ and it doesn't matter whether it's caf or decaf! A study conducted on more that 400,000 people found that "more than two cups a day seemed to offer some protection against death
due to heart disease, respiratory ailments and diabetes, while four or
more cups a day imparted apparent benefits against stroke and
infections." Excuse me while I brew myself another cup: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/340733/title/Coffee_gives_jolt_to_life_span
The Business of Being Bieber
Fifteen million albums, 157 tour dates, a fragrance, and a biopic add up to about $108 million over the last two years. So, what does Justin Bieber do with all that money? He invests it, mostly in private tech start-ups (story and videos): http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2012/05/16/justin-bieber-venture-capitalist-the-forbes-cover-story/
Garagelevator
This apartment building in New York identifies your car as you drive up to it, and the car elevator takes you home, even if home is on the 14th floor (video): http://video.forbes.com/fvn/lifestyle/car-elevator/
Reading and the Shorter Sentence
Prisoners in Brazil are being given an opportunity to shorten their jail time by reading! For each book read and essay written about that book (up to 12 a year), a prisoner can reduce his/her sentence by four days: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/26/prisoners-books-reduce-sentence
Happy iBirthday!
Has it really been only five years since the birth of the now-ubiquitous iPhone? It feels like it's been around forever! To celebrate, a slideshow of some of the more momentous moments of its short but consequential life so far: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_20966580/happy-birthday-iphone-apple-iconic-device-turns-5?source=rss
Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone in San Francisco
Karl Mondon/Mercury News.com
No More Hot Dogs
Summer's lovely hot weather brings the same danger for pets every year and the same warnings for pet owners every year. Yet every year, we hear the same tragic stories of dogs left in hot cars, panting and whining, and some eventually succumbing, while their owner shops or dines only a few yards away. A group called Red Rover has put together a website with tips and information AND downloadable fliers that can be placed under a windshield wiper for an offending owner to find and, one hopes, learn from: http://www.mydogiscool.com/index.php#.T_CZn3BJQ70
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