Another Reminder: Time Change This Saturday Night

Time Change This Saturday Night

Big Picture: Conflict In Pakistan

After recent Pakistani military operations in Pakistan's own Swat Valley to push out Taliban insurgents who had taken control of the region, its operations are now more focused on the Taliban strongholds in the South Waziristan region. Pakistani troops and Taliban militants have been locked in intense clashes recently in the tribal area which has killed more than 150 people. Relief workers say that more than 120,000 people have been displaced by the fighting. Insurgent responses to the increased military pressure have included numerous bombings and suicide attacks, killing and injuring scores across Pakistan in recent weeks. Just today a car bomb in a busy marketplace in Peshawar killed more than 93 people, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an official visit - announcing the latest in a series of U.S. aid packages to Pakistan. (36 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

How Bad Was The Drought Of 2009?

The Houston Chronicle has science blog that I have learned to enjoy. Although it focuses quite a bit on NASA, it covers many other topics as well.

Today they blog addressed "the great drought of 2009", indicating that it was largely over. That post has a couple of drought maps that I found particularly interesting (see below). The map on the left shows Texas drought conditions on August 4, 2009 while the one on the right shows the current conditions (click the image to see a larger version).

Read the blog post here.

When 'Common Sense' Math Doesn't Add Up

In my role with Crown Financial Ministries I hear people talk about their money quite a bit. While leading these classes I quickly learned that we all have some ideas that we regard as common sense that just don't add up when you actually do the math. Unfortunately, many people will fight tooth and nail to defend their idea regardless of what the Bible says or the math says is true.

One of the most common bad ideas that I hear is that you should not try to pay off your mortgage. Dave Ramsey recently had a caller ask about this subject and I thought he did a good job of explaining the reasons people object and the reasons those objections are wrong. Click on the phone link to listen to the call (my recommendation) or the book link to read a synopsis.

Grieving Chimps?

United in what appears to be deep and profound grief, a phalanx of more than a dozen chimpanzees stood in silence watching from behind the wire of their enclosure as the body of one of their own was wheeled past.

This extraordinary scene took place recently at the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center in Cameroon, West Africa.

When a chimp called Dorothy, who was in her late 40s, died of heart failure, her fellow apes seemed to be stricken by sorrow.

As they wrapped their arms around each other in a gesture of solidarity, Dorothy's female keeper gently settled her into the wheelbarrow which carried her to her final resting place - not before giving this much-loved inhabitant of the centre a final affectionate stroke on the forehead.

Click the image to read the full article.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

The Butterfly Circus: A Story of Redemption

At the height of the Great Depression, the showman of a renowned circus leads his troupe through the devastated American landscape, lifting the spirits of audiences along the way. During their travels they discover a man without limbs at a carnival sideshow, but after an intriguing encounter with the showman he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed.

You will not regret the 20 minutes you invest in this film.



Thanks To Brent at Worshiply

Autistic Artist Draws NYC From Memory

Great talent. Watch the video below and then read the article by clicking on the image.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Congratulations To BagOfNothing

If you follow this blog at all you know I am a fan of Keith Geeding's blog, BagOfNothing. He always has a number of posts each day that almost always fit my quirky sense of humor and interests. Well, that sense of humor was on display again today. Recently the Geeding family learned that there is going to be an addition early next year. And in the great tradition of BagOfNothing, they used a quirky method to announce their pregnancy to her parents. I thought I would share the pics here.





Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Row, Row, Row Your (cardboard) Boat

This past weekend Mary and I had the opportunity to experience something that did not happen back when we were in High School. Our nephew's high school physics class was given the task of building and then racing a cardboard boat. Now, when we were in school I think we would have been smart enough to know that water and paper don't mix, but today's youth just aren't that bright. They took the assignment and ran, I mean rowed, with it. Watch the video below to see the start of the race. Click on either image to see other pictures.

Baby Clothes Will Reveal When Baby Has Fever

The garments change colour with baby's temperature - meaning they can tell parents when their child is getting too hot and help prevent catastrophic illness.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

U2 - Live From The Rose Bowl

On Sunday, October 25th U2 performed live at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, CA. They simulcasted that concert live on YouTube and it is still available to watch. The concert is 2 hours and 21 minutes long, but it is all there for you to enjoy. It includes some backstage footage as well as the show.

Click the image above to be taken to the site. You can see the set list for this show at SetList.fm.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Big Picture: Afghanistan

Over the past month in Afghanistan it became clear that a Presidential runoff vote between President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah would need to take place. The Obama administration continued to deliberate on whether to commit further troops to the conflict, and at least 46 U.S. service members were killed, including 14 in two separate helicopter crashes today. A recent U.N. report recorded 1,500 Afghan civilian deaths in the first six months of 2009 alone, describing this as the deadliest year for civilians in Afghanistan since the start of the U.S.-led war against Taliban eight years ago. Collected here are some images of the country and conflict over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan. (43 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

Ring Of Fire: Aggie Bonfire

I love Texas A&M. My time there was some of the most enjoyable years of my life. I really love the traditions that are part of the core of being an Aggie. Things like saying 'Howdy' when you pass someone, taking your hat off when in the Memorial Student Center (MSC), yell practice, Silver Taps, etc. (see list here: Aggie Traditions).

One of my favorite traditions was bonfire. There was no way I could explain it to friends and family, but there was something incredible about working on that stack of logs. I really wish my nephews were able to experience bonfire at Texas A&M.

The November, 2009 edition of Texas Monthly has an article on this revered tradition. It uses the words of those that worked on Bonfire to capture some of the magic of building bonfire, but it also captures the tragedy of what happened on November 18, 1999. I could have quoted 90% entire text here, but it would be easier for you to just read the article.

"Five thousand logs, cut by hand. Five thousand logs! The center pole alone was a hundred feet tall. When you stood on top of stack, it felt like you were on top of the world. We lit it around Thanksgiving, and when we got back from Christmas break, it was still smoldering."

"Most people just came to see it burn. But the way my buddies and I looked at it, burning it was the least important part. We didn’t build it to burn it; we burned it to get it out of the way, so we could do it again."

"Suddenly, in some unforeseeable twist of fate, my life changed, and the life of every Aggie who came before and after me changed. Texas A&M changed."

"Twenty-seven students were injured in the collapse. Forty-two hours after the accident, Tim Kerlee, who was seventeen years old, became the twelfth, and last, student to die. The number resonated with the Aggie community because of the long-standing Twelfth Man tradition, which began with E. King Gill, a student who suited up and stood ready to help his team during a hard-fought football game in 1922. Ever since then Aggies have stood for the duration of their football games to show their willingness to support the eleven players on the field."

Click on the image above to read the article.

Thanks to Rob Adams for making me aware of the article.

Disappearing Speed Bumps?

Speed bumps are mostly seen as the stupid, irritating, indiscriminating bulges that will trouble motorists no matter how well they are driving. To make these uglies less of a bother and actually worth their job, Mexico based Decano Industries is developing a “smart” speed bump. The idea is to reduce fuel consumption, increase safety, and stop troubling speed limit abiding motorists.

The bump falls flat for motorists below the speed limit, but remains “bumpy” for vehicles above the speed limits. Decano says the speed bump will cost $1500 to install, have a ten year lifespan and projected maintenance costs of $500. The prototype bump uses a “patented technology” to measure the force of the impact, and the two steel plates in the speed bump behave accordingly. They say there is no requirement of electricity to power the system, but what power source is exactly used is uncertain.

Click the image to read about it.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

U2 Setlist From Arlington

is a website that posts the set lists from various concerts. You can find the setlist for U2 and Muse's concert at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington by clicking the band's image below.

Finally, Honesty In Advertising

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Order Your Balloon Boy Costume Before It Is Too Late

Click the image to read all about it.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Big Picture: Diwali

October 17th marked the celebration of Diwali among Hindus and other groups around the world. Diwali is also known as the "Festival of Lights" (the name translates as "row of lamps" in Sanskrit). The festival marks the homecoming of Hindu God Rama to Ayodhya after a 14-year exile in the forest following his victory over Ravana, and signifies the victory of good over evil, of light over darkness. Celebrants observe Diwali with fireworks, colorful lanterns, lamps, garlands, sweet treats and worship. Collected here are a handful of photographs of Diwali this year. (33 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

Flying Anvils

This looks like a sport a man could really enjoy!


Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Leaping Wolf Snatches Photo Prize

This subspecies of the grey wolf lives close to human habitation in northern Spain. They are often persecuted by people who see them as a threat to livestock, and they are consequently very wary.

Watching the animals as they returned to the same spot to collect food each night, Mr Rodriguez decided on his dream shot.

Click the image to see this and other pictures.

See previous years winners: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005

ChemBot: The Military’s Shape Shifting Robot Blob

iRobot, the makers of the Roomba, have released footage of their bizarre new robot prototype, Chembot. It’s a is a small mobile device being developed for DARPA and the United States Army which looks like a gelatinous blob, and can change shape to navigate through tight spaces. The Chembot will eventually be used in intelligence gathering and search and rescue missions.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Begin And End With Andy Rooney

I have always enjoyed Andy Rooney, but he is even better after a little editing. Someone took the time to edit quite a few of his commentaries by splicing together the first and last sentences and leaving the rest on the cutting room floor. There are quite a few available, but my personal favorite (of the ones I have seen) can be found below. Click the image above to see the collection.



Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

A Wild Ride For Wily Coyote

A full-grown coyote took a wild ride across Nevada and California this week, spending eight hours wedged behind a car bumper before being rescued, relatively unscathed.

Click the image to read the article.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Brush Your Teeth In 40 Seconds (All Of Them).

This is the world's most efficient electric toothbrush that thoroughly cleans all of your teeth in 40 seconds, reducing necessary brushing time by 66%. Unlike typical toothbrushes that only clean one surface at a time, this advanced model has four heads that clean six surfaces--the front, back, and chewing surface of top and bottom teeth--simultaneously.

The electric toothbrush automatically executes the Bass technique, a brushing method recommended by the American Dental Association: the bristles are aligned at a 45-degree angle and move towards and away from the gums 810 times per minute to remove bacterial plaque from teeth and at or below the gumline. The pivoting heads self-adjust to accommodate narrower front teeth and broader back teeth and the bristles have varying lengths so that they clean prominent tooth surfaces and hard-to-reach spaces.

Two included rechargeable AA batteries provide up to 60 uses after a 12-hour charge. Charger plugs into AC. Includes four soft bristle brush heads and a tongue cleaner.

Click the image to order yours.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Zoom In On Da Vinci's Last Supper

A cool online tool to let you zoom in on Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper". See what the painting looks like up close...REAL CLOSE.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

One Love

In April I posted a video of people around the world singing "Stand By Me". I just found this one that I thought I would share as well.

From the award-winning documentary, “Playing For Change: Peace Through Music”, comes an incredible rendition of the legendary Bob Marley song “One Love” with Keb’ Mo’ and Manu Chao. This is the third video from the documentary and a follow up to the classic “Stand By Me” and the incredible “Don’t Worry.” Released in celebration of Bob Marley’s birthday on February 6th, this tribute to the legend is performed by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it traveled the globe.

Playing For Change | Song Around The World "One Love" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Interesting Insight Into War In Afghanistan

We ask Afghans for help in defeating the enemies, yet the Afghans expect us to abandon them. Importantly, Mr. Filkins pointed out that Afghans don’t like to see Americans living in tents. Tents mean nomads. It would be foolish for Afghans in “Talibanastan” to cooperate with nomadic Americans only to be eviscerated by the Taliban when the nomads pack up. (How many times did we see this happen in Iraq?) The Afghans want to see us living in real buildings as a sign of permanency. The British at Sangin and associated bases live in temporary structures as is true with American bases in many places. Our signals are clear. “If you are coming to stay,” Afghans have told me in various ways, “build a real house.” “Build a real office.” “Don’t live in tents.” We saw nearly the opposite in Iraq where pressure evolved to look semi-permanent. The Dr. Jekyll–Mr. Hyde situation in Iraq seemed to seriously catch hold by 2006 or 2007, by which time Iraqis realized we were not going to steal oil and might decide to pull out while leaving them ablaze in civil war.

Click the image to read the full article.

Big Picture: Saturn At Equinox

Checking in with NASA's Cassini spacecraft, our current emissary to Saturn, some 1.5 billion kilometers (932 million miles) distant from Earth, we find it recently gathering images of the Saturnian system at equinox. During the equinox, the sunlight casts long shadows across Saturn's rings, highlighting previously known phenomena and revealing a few never-before seen images. Cassini continues to orbit Saturn, part of its extended Equinox Mission, funded through through September 2010. A proposal for a further extension is under consideration, one that would keep Cassini in orbit until 2017, ending with a spectacular series of orbits inside the rings followed by a suicide plunge into Saturn on Sept. 15, 2017. (Previous Big Picture Posts: October 24, 2008, May 30, 2008, April 20, 2009). (23 photos total)

Click on the image to see the full collection.

15 Manly Smells

Smells can conjure up some powerful memories. The smell of pine needles can take you back to childhood Christmases or the smell of a laundry detergent can remind you of home. For me, there are certain smells that I’ve come to associate with manliness. Whenever I smell them I think of my dad or grandpa or some aspect of my boyhood and my initiation into the rites of manhood.

And apparently, I’m not alone. For fun last week, I asked Art of Manliness Facebook Fans and Twitter followers what smells they thought were manly. The response was overwhelming. I decided to pick a few of my favorite responses and make a post out of it. So without further ado, I present 15 manly smells.

Click the image to read the article.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Creative Punishment

My little sister just posted these pictures. Here is what she wrote.

My niece and nephew "were not being nice to each other, so their punishment from their dad was that they had to stand outside holding hands and wave to 5 cars."

The Sky Is Falling, The Sky Is Falling...

Back in the spring we had a hailstorm blow through the area. This one was a little worse than most resulting in us (and most of our neighbors) needing a new roof. Well, today is the day the crew has started replacing ours.

Most of you know that we have a dog. Kensington is a rescue dog and we don't know much about her background. I wouldn't call her timid, but I would definitely not call her brave either. A little earlier today I walked downstairs for lunch and found that the guardian of our house had found her safe place to wait out the pounding on the roof. Now, this is a regular place for her to nap away the day, but she will ALWAYS come out when food is being served in the kitchen. Well, not this time. Here desire for self preservation outweighed her sweet tooth and she decided to stay put. With all of this racket Mary and I are thinking about joining her under there.

I Dare You To Open The Box

While driving to work last week we found a large, great horned owl on the side of the freeway next to a tall concrete wall. He could fly, but not very well (he looked like he may have gotten clipped by a car).

We caught him in mid-flight before it got out in traffic and I somehow managed to not get bitten or ripped open by his claws.

We were on the way to work so we had to bring him with us. He was pretty mad so it was really tricky to photograph him. I had to hold him with one hand in my lap and work the camera with the other hand.

Click the image to see and read more.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

What Is Written On Your Corn Flake?

According to the advertising slogan, if you see Kellogg’s on the box then you know it’s Kellogg’s in the box.

But now the company has become so concerned about similarly packaged supermarket cereals, it has developed a laser to burn its logo on to individual Corn Flakes.

The concentrated beam of light creates a toasted appearance without changing the taste.

Click the image to read the full article.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Oops - Marine Corp Silent Drill Team

Have you ever wondered what happens when the Marine Corp's silent drill team has one of their rare misses? Click on the image to watch the video and see. The 'oops' happens at the 2:30 mark.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Big Picture: World Animal Day

Earlier this month (October 4th) was World Animal Day. Started in 1931, the day was set aside to celebrate animal life in all its forms around the world, and humankind's relationship with the animal kingdom. Collected below are 41 photographs of animals around the world, at play, at rest, at work and more, taken over the past several weeks. [Previously on TBP: World Animal Day 2008] (41 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

Kramer Makes An Entrance (Or Two)

If you liked Seinfeld, you liked Kramer. Here is every single Kramer entrance in chronological order.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Big Picture: Artistic Gymnastics World Championships

The 2009 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships are taking place right now in London, England (until October 18th). London's O2 arena is housing a total of 437 gymnasts from 72 delegations competing for medals in ten events, plus the men's and women's individual all-around medals. The championships at the O2 Arena are seen as a preview of 2012, when London will host the Olympic games, and the O2 will house both basketball and gymnastic events. Collected here are some photographs of training and qualifying rounds from this year, the 41st World Championships. (36 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

Stunning Images Of The Waves

A friend just brought this photographer to my attention. WOW is all I can say.

Clark Little, pictured above photographing the reknowned Waimea Shorebreak, started his career surfing the heaviest shorebreak in the world at Waimea. When he picked up photography, he naturally gravitated toward the impact zone and producing stunning images of the barrel from the shorebreak.

Clark puts himself in the critical point of the waves and gets rewarded with stunning images. His images are unlike any others. Taken from the heart of the barrel as the wave is balanced between motion and sculpture.

Click on any of the images to go to Clark's online gallery.

Thanks To Donna Brown!