Looking Into The Past

Some very cool pictures. A photographer(s) has taken antique photos back to their original location and 're-shot' them, inserting the antique photo into the picture.

Big Picture: Fiery European Festivals

Today, we have two stories of fiery festivals in Europe, Up Helly Aa, a fire festival celebrated for over 130 years now in Scotland's Shetland islands, and the even older Feast of Saint Anthony the Great, in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, where residents ride their horses and mules through purifying bonfires. (22 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

The State of the Union is . . .

My favorite blogger did some research on the State of the Union speech that I thought I would pass along.

One thing I keep hearing about this week is whether or not President Obama will say, “The state of our Union is strong.” And that got me to thinking, how often has that phrase been said either at a State of the Union address or an Address of the President to the Joint Session of Congress (you know, that first speech the president gives at the beginning of his term that’s just like the State of the Union but it’s not since he’s new to the job and doesn’t really have anything to report).

So I decided to look over all of these speeches (minus special addresses like the one right after 9/11 and the conclusion of Desert Storm) since 1986, the beginning of Reagan’s second term. I could have went back further, but hey, I’m a one man research crew.

Click on the image above to read his findings.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

NH teacher, 100, gets degree a day before dying

It was Harriet Richardson Ames' dream to earn her bachelor's degree in education. She finally reached that milestone, nearly three weeks after achieving another: her 100th birthday.

On Saturday, the day after receiving her diploma at her bedside, the retired schoolteacher died, pleased that she had accomplished her goal, her daughter said. Ames had been in hospice care.

"She had what I call a 'bucket list,' and that was the last thing on it," Marjorie Carpenter said Tuesday.

Click the image to read the full article.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Multi-Faith Q & A

What happens when you put a Muslim Imam, a Jewish Rabbi, and an Evangelical Pastor on a stage? There is no punchline as this event really happened. Live questions were taken from the audience which was composed of followers of all three faiths. Rabbi Jeremy Schneider, Imam Sheik, and Pastor Bob Roberts answered these questions revealing distinctions in core beliefs about God but a common respect for one another despite those differences.

Click the link above to watch the video.

(The actual sermon that came prior to the Q&A can be seen by clicking this link.)

It Happened in Italy: Goodness in a Time of Evil

I am a WWII history buff and I had never heard that there were concentration camps in Italy.

In 2005, the United Nations designated January 27 as an annual day of commemoration for the victims of the Nazi regime. They chose the 27th because on this day in 1945, the Soviet army liberated Auschwitz. Most know the grim tales of what happened in Nazi death camps only too well—six million Jews killed, the gas chambers, the crematoriums, forced labor.

But while the horrors of concentration camps in Nazi Germany may be familiar, what happened to Jews in concentration camps at the same time in Mussolini’s Italy is not.

Click the image above to read the blog post.

Big Picture: At work, part II

Although the global economic downturn no longer appears to be heading off a cliff, signs of stability or recovery are still sporadic and tenuous. As news stories look for signs of of the direction of economic indicators, photographs fill the wires of people working from all over. Once more, I've collected some of these disparate photos over the past couple of months, composing another global portrait we humans at work around the world. (45 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

40 Gut-Busting Restaurant Challenges for Free Food

In the ancient battle of Man vs. Food, e-sportbooks and restaurants are betting on the man. For example, BetED.com recently posted odds for the epic "Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest," held every 4th of July.

Of course, Nathan's isn't the only place to find gourmands gorging themselves for fame, glory and free food. Amateur gluttons and the restaurants that serve them are found across the country. We researched 40 gut-busting restaurant challenges for those seeking free food and entertainment. A couple words of advice: Don't fill up on bread and remember foods dunked in liquids slide down easier.

And if you scope out any ringers, let us know so we can call our bookie

Thanks To FrugalInFortWorth

Time Lapse Video: Salvaging US Airways Flight 1549

A little more than a year after one of the most impressive landings in the history of aviation, N106US, formerly known as Flight 1549, will be on the auction block. Word on the street is that there are some very interested buyers out there with some very creative plans for this Airbus A320. David Martin, who lives just above the site of the water landing, spent 72 hours filming time lapse video of the recovery effort to remove the submerged aircraft from the Hudson River. The result is more than a little bit impressive. Also, word to the wise, check the carfax history on this plane before making any bids, I hear that it might have some water damage.

Posted on Kontain.com - [Flight 1549] from David Martin on Vimeo.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Big Picture: At Work

When the economy makes big news, many photographs of people at work come across the wires, usually to help illustrate a particular story or event. By collecting these disparate photos over the past few months, I found that a global portrait emerged of we humans producing things. People assembling, generating, and building items small and large, mundane and expensive, trivial and important. I hope you enjoy this look into some people's work lives around the world. (45 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

Need First Aid? There's An App For That

Alone in the darkness beneath layers of rubble, Dan Woolley felt blood streaming from his head and leg.

Then he remembered -- he had an app for that.

Woolley, an aid worker, husband, and father of two boys, followed instructions on his cell phone to survive the January 12 earthquake in Haiti.

"I had an app that had pre-downloaded all this information about treating wounds. So I looked up excessive bleeding and I looked up compound fracture," Woolley told CNN.

Click the image above to read the CNN article.

Big Picture: Faces of Haiti

Ten days after the massive earthquake in Haiti, some 80,000 of the estimated 200,000 dead have been buried, two million residents now find themselves homeless, and hundreds of thousands of them are now trying to flee the capital city. Rescue crews are beginning to abandon hope of finding any further survivors in the rubble - the last person to be pulled out alive was on was rescued on Wednesday, the 20th. Aid agencies are still ramping up their efforts - the Red Cross alone has deployed what it calls its greatest deployment of emergency responders in its 91-year history. Collected here are some closer looks into recent events in Haiti, seen through the faces of the survivors and the recently-arrived security, rescue and care workers. (46 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection. Warning: Some images are graphic.

My Pastor's Blog Entry About The Service At Temple Shalom

I thought I would share this for anyone that is interested. Click on the image above to read our Pastor's perspective of the service at Temple Shalom on Friday.

How We Spent Our Weekend: 3 Faiths join For Weekend Of Understanding

It's an unprecedented event in local religious circles. Muslim, Jewish, and Christian congregations going to each others houses of worship on consecutive days to share both the similarities and differences of their faith.

Click the image above to watch CBS Channel 11's video report.

Human Beings. 1-100

A fun video that put a smile on my face.

People In Order: 1. Age from James Price on Vimeo.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

National Pie Day - January 23, 2010

This just in from Runner's World

National Pie Day? Well, why not? Pies have always been a sweet treat to warm the cold winter days and with the holiday celebrations a fading memory, this is a great way to warm up a January cold snap.

The The American Pie Council is dedicated to spreading the word about the benefits of pie for the body and soul, and urge Americans to perform "random acts of pieness" in celebration. To help, they've collected a list of heart warming ways to celebrate pies...

Click the image to learn more.

Keller pastor's multifaith initiative includes 'trialogue' with Muslims, Jews

This is going to be an interesting time.

But the Rev. Bob Roberts Jr., pastor of 3,000-member NorthWood Church in Keller, has befriended Vietnamese communists, Afghan Muslims and even liberal Christians in a fast-paced, far-flung ministry that emphasizes peace-making and service as well as evangelism.

One of his sayings: "We serve not to convert but because we are converted. We serve because Christ has changed us and made us servants to people who are lost and hurting."

This weekend, Roberts is stepping out a bit more, but close to home. He has enlisted Rabbi Jeremy Schneider of Dallas' Temple Shalom and Imam Zia Sheikh of the Islamic Center of Irving for a "trialogue" with his congregation and theirs.

Members of NorthWood and the mosque will attend the regular worship service tonight at Temple Shalom. On Saturday afternoon, the Christians and Jews will visit the mosque. Finally, on Sunday morning, the Jews and Muslims will attend NorthWood for worship.

After each gathering, the three clergymen will answer questions about the differences and similarities of their faiths.

Click the image above to read the Dallas Morning News article.

If you are interested in participating you can get more information here: Multi-Faith Weekend

Multi-Faith Weekend from Northwood Church on Vimeo.

Have a ballpark yard

The No. 1 U.S. lawn care company is staking out new turf by offering baseball fans a chance to replicate the lush, green playing fields of such iconic ballparks as Wrigley Field and Fenway Park in their own yards as part of a sponsorship deal.

Click the image to read the MLB Report

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Big Picture: Gold

Sought after since the beginning of recorded history, gold remains a highly valued metal, reaching record highs recently, climbing over 135% in value in the past year alone. The recent rise in the price of gold comes just as annual worldwide mine production has decreased - down by nearly 8% since 2001. In human history, only 161,000 tons of gold have been mined - more than half of that extracted in just the past 50 years. Collected here are a handful of recent photographs of people searching for, mining, rediscovering, celebrating, buying and selling gold. (37 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

Understanding The Haiti Earthquake

It has been over a week since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince (the capital of Haiti) and its surrounding areas. What was the overall destruction? How many people were affected? How much help is on the way?

It is easy to place Haiti “out of sight, out of mind” and think that there is nothing that you can do, but in all honestly any little bit does help. If you would like to contribute to aid efforts and know for certain that your money will be put to use rather than squandered away, please visit the American Red Cross and do what you can. Even $10 will go a ways to help those who have it much harder then we will ever know.

Click the image to see the original and then click on the original to make it larger.



Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Cube Illusion

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Cruise ships still find a Haitian berth

Sixty miles from Haiti's devastated earthquake zone, luxury liners dock at private beaches where passengers enjoy jetski rides, parasailing and rum cocktails delivered to their hammocks.

The 4,370-berth Independence of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean International, disembarked at the heavily guarded resort of Labadee on the north coast on Friday; a second cruise ship, the 3,100-passenger Navigator of the Seas is due to dock.

I actually have a little sympathy for the cruise line. They are stuck in a no-win situation. Avoid Haiti and you take away the only real income opportunity for a segment of the population. Go to Haiti and they are painted as uncaring. I don't know what I would do in their shoes.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

PolitiFact Texas

PolitiFact Texas is a partnership of the Austin American-Statesman and PolitiFact.com, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Web site of the St. Petersburg Times, to help you find the truth in politics.

Every day, reporters and researchers from the American-Statesman examine statements by Texas elected officials and candidates and anyone else who speaks up on matters of public importance. We research their statements and then rate the accuracy on our Truth-O-Meter – True, Mostly True, Half True, Barely True and False. The most ridiculous falsehoods get our lowest rating, Pants on Fire.

Click the image to go to the site.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

How can I Tell a Cult?

Our church is in the middle of the sermon series called 'Your Questions'. People have submitted questions and each week the congregation gets 4 to choose from. You text in your vote and the 'winning' question is the sermon for the next week. The staff will then answer some of the 'losing' questions on the church blog.

One of the losing questions this week was 'How can I Tell a Cult?'.

A non-Christian religion is an organized group that teaches something clearly different than Christianity does about God or the spiritual/supernatural realm.

A cult is a group that can, at first, appear to be aligned with the orthodox teaching of Christianity but upon further examination actually does not hold to the same beliefs as Christians on core doctrinal issues. Often these groups will deem themselves to be “Christian.” Trying to discern? Start with these questions:

Click on the image above to read the blog post.

Wanna Watch Netflix Movies On Your Wii?

If you have a Wii and a Netflix account you will soon be able to stream movies to your TV. Click on the link above to read more.

Big Picture: Haiti six days later

Haiti remains a place of profound need, anguish, desperation and danger, with a few glimmers of hope and slowly growing capabilities to receive and distribute the international aid now flowing in. Sporadic looting, sometimes violent, was met with force by security oficials and ordinary citizens, resulting in a number of further deaths and injuries. The tenuous security situation has led to at least one temporary evacuation of a medical facility, to protect the care-givers. Despite the long time since the earthquake, at least five people were pulled from the rubble alive this weekend, including a young girl trapped inside a supermarket who was fortunately surrounded by food, and survived on fruit snacks. (38 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection. Warning: Some images are graphic.

SpaghettiOs Creator Donald Goerke Dies

The Campbell Soup Co. executive who was behind the enduring brands SpaghettiOs and Chunky Soup has died.

Donald Goerke (GUHR'-kee) was 83. A Campbell spokesman confirmed that Goerke died of heart failure Sunday at his home in Delran in southern New Jersey.

Goerke was marketing research director of Campbell's Franco-American line in the early 1960s when his group started dreaming up pasta in shapes that would appeal to kids. He chose the o's. They were marketed with the unforgettable tagline, "Uh-oh, SpaghettiOs."

Later, he helped introduce Chunky Soup, a hearty ready-to-serve soup that stood out from the company's traditional line of condensed soups.

The Waukesha, Wis., native worked for Camden-based Campbell for 35 years, retiring in 1990.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Spitting Cobra - Artillery in Afghanistan

From Michael Yon, and Independent Journalist in Afghanistan.

Artillery is called “The King of Battle.” When it comes to the delivery of force, probably nothing outside of nuclear weapons can outmatch the sustained delivery of extreme brutality. Cannons also can deliver small atomic weapons.

Click the image above to read the dispatch and see Mr. Yon's incredible pictures.

Big Picture: Fire and Ice

For today's entry, an exercise in contrasts: Fire and Ice. Fire can be a life-sustaining, constructive element, or, at worst, a powerfully destructive force - something we humans continue to use, play with, and struggle to control. Ice is closer to the natural state of the universe, cold, still and lifeless. Earth's orbit lies in a "Goldilocks zone" where we may seasonally experience icy environments, but never freeze completely. Collected here are several recent alternating photographs from around the world of both Fire and Ice. (40 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

Definitely Something to Think About

Update: The Manhattan Declaration

On November 25th I created a blog post regarding the Manhattan Declaration. Earlier today I received a note indicating that there are now over 385,000 people that have signed this document.

If you have not already done so, please click on the image above to learn more about the Manhattan Declaration and then add your signature.

Thanks.

Ten deadliest natural disasters since 1900

From the Houston Chronicle Science Blog

To put the tragedy in Haiti into context, I have attempted to make a list of the deadliest natural disasters since 1900, an arbitrary point but one that largely represents the beginning of the modern era.

Such lists are invariably difficult due to often sketchy or conflicting information. I
have chosen only to rely on the best sources, including the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I have excluded famines, droughts and disease outbreaks in favor of discrete events such as earthquakes and hurricanes.

Finally, I chose to exclude partially manmade disasters, such as the 1938 floods in China, which were self-inflicted by China's Nationalist Government in an attempt to halt the rapid advance of the Japanese forces.

Click the image above to read the blogpost.

Big Picture: Haiti 48 hours later

Two days after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck beneath Port-au-Prince, Haiti, some of the massive damage is becoming more apparent. Rescue teams are arriving, aid groups are trying their best to battle huge logistical challenges, bodies are being identified, and some medical care is being given. Rescue teams from all over the world have joined the recovery effort, as the United States pledged $100 million in relief efforts. The Red Cross ventured an estimate of up to 50,000 deaths, as bodies at the local morgues overflowed into the streets. Collected here are some more scenes from this devastated region - see yesterday's entry as well. (33 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection. Warning: Some images are graphic.

Will It Waffle?

My sister got a new waffle iron for Christmas so i thought I would post this for her.

Waffleizer's goal is to answer the question "Will it waffle?" — thereby expanding the frontiers of waffling. (In other words, this blog offers alternative recipes for your waffle iron.)

Click the picture to see the blog.




Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Since Your Family & Friends Are Not Capable Of Pick A Gift You Really Want

Best Buy has a cool new thing called the Pitch In Card. You can create one for free, and then friends and family can contribute to it.

Say hello to the unique, reloadable Pitch In Card.

Your friends and family can contribute any amount, any time — and you can use your card to shop at Best Buy or BestBuy.com. It's the perfect way to get that big Wish List item you've been dreaming of.

Best of all, it's free to create a card and there's no expiration date. You can keep using your Pitch In Card from one special occasion to the next.

Click on the image to learn more.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Big Picture: Earthquake in Haiti

Tuesday afternoon, January 12th, the worst earthquake in 200 years - 7.0 in magnitude - struck less than ten miles from the Caribbean city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The initial quake was later followed by twelve aftershocks greater than magnitude 5.0. Structures of all kinds were damaged or collapsed, from shantytown homes to national landmarks. It is still very early in the recovery effort, but millions are likely displaced, and thousands are feared dead as rescue teams from all over the world are now descending on Haiti to help where they are able. As this is a developing subject, I will be adding photos to this entry over the next few days, but at the moment, here is a collection of photos from Haiti over the past 24 hours. (36 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.Click the picture above to see the full collection. Warning: Some images are graphic.

For My Guy Friends With Daughters

A 'blog friend' recently announced that he and his wife are expecting their first child (see my post here). Well, yesterday he and his wife learned that they are going to have a girl.

Today Keith posted a blog entry titled "Getting to Know You, FetusGeeding". I am sure that deep down, most men have feelings like Keith expressed so I thought I would share the link. Click on the image above to read his post.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

That's My King

Our Bible Study group just started studying the book Crazy Love: Overwhelmed By A Relentless God. The title of chapter 1 is 'Stop Praying', which is a little unusual for a book you are reading as part of a Bible Study. The premise of that chapter is that most of us are saying words by rote memory and not really understanding that through prayer we are praying to God, the creator of he universe. We forget that God is Holy, that God is eternal, that God is all-knowing, that God is all-powerful, and that God is both fair AND just.

One of the group co-leaders brought the video below to help us see a little about who God is. It was so powerful that I thought I would share it on this blog. It is well worth the 6 minutes it will take to watch.

You can learn about the speaker at: S. M. Lockridge

You can read the text of this talk at: That's My King

Haiti Damage Via Twitter

People are using Twitter to send out news and photographs of the damage in Haiti. The picture above is of the Presidential Palace before and after the quake.

Click on the image below to see the search results. Click on the links in the search to see the news/photo updates.

What Movies Are Your Neighbors Watching?

The New York Times has an interactive map that shows what Netflix movies are being rented from in a zip code.
To see your zip code do the following:

• Click on the image above to see the map
• Click on the small map that is closest to where you live
• 'Drag' the map to show your zip code
• Hold your mouse pointer over the zip code to see the list.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Will Your Letterhead Stand The Test Of Time

Letterheady is an online homage to offline correspondence; specifically letters. However, here at Letterheady we don't care about the letter's content. Just its design.

Click the letterhead below to see other designs.



Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

What If The Pharisees Had Twittered?

Perry Noble wrote this on his blog this morning. I thought it was insightful so I wanted to share it. Click on either image above to read the blog post.

Big Picture: Dakar Rally 2010

The 31st running of the Dakar Rally is being held in South America for the second year, instead of the traditional African route, due to ongoing security concerns. This year's race began and will end in Buenos Aires, covering a looping 9,000 kilometers between Argentina and Chile over 14 stages. 362 Teams began the race with 176 motorcycles and quad bikes, 134 cars, and 52 trucks. The race is just over halfway completed now, the winners expected to cross the finish line on January 16th. Collected here are several photographs from the first 8 stages of this year's rally. (37 photos total)

Click the picture to see the full collection.

Debating whether God is a Mac or a PC

Is God Mac or PC?

That is, up in heaven, is he cranking away on a Mac or a PC? Does he love the iPhone or is he currently listening to Michael W. Smith’s greatest hits on a Zune? Does he have a little apple sticker stuck anywhere?

I feel like lists work well on blogs, so let’s break it down list style and weigh all the facts.

Click the image above to read the blog post.

Thanks To Stuff Christians Like

Decade in Preview: The Youthful Vision

These experts, most under 13, consult their imaginations to foretell the 20-teens.

Sure, the last decade didn't get such a great rap; recessions, wars, and massive unemployment tend to do that. The question remains, though: What can we expect in the next 10 years? Instead of asking the usual experts, we wanted the dirt from those with the best imaginations - young people (that's anyone born after 1985). We recently e-mailed queries to parents and teachers asking what their charges predicted. Some forecasts were quite gloomy. But at least we'll finally have money trees.

Click the image above to read the article, but below are a few examples:

• I think in 10 years there will be a device that makes monkeys talk to you in English. It will be the next big hit in the U.S.
• I think in the next decade the world will have too much technology and everyone will be attached to it. They won’t go outside and play with their friends.
• I think that in the next decade, scientists will start to make prosthetic lungs and other organs. I also think Apple will make at least five more products, a genius will be born, NASA will make plans for a habitable colony on the moon, the Hubble Space Telescope will find a new galaxy, and more efficient light bulbs will be made. Finally, I think heat lasers will be used in warfare.
• I think presidents will only have one year and one year only to live in the White House with fame. So yearly people get a chance to vote. I don’t think there will be a flying car, which is just unreasonable.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Big Picture: Images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was launched in June, 2009, and is currently orbiting the Moon around its poles at a low altitude of just 50 kilometers (31 miles). The primary objective of the LRO is to prepare for future lunar exploration, scouting for safe and compelling landing sites, potential resources (like water ice) and more. The high-quality imagery used in the mapping of the lunar surface is unprecedented, and a few early images have included detailed overviews of the landing sites of several Apollo missions, some 40 years after they took place. LRO is now on a one year mission, with possible extensions up to five years. Collected here are several recent LRO images, and a few then-and-now comparisons of Apollo landing sites. (18 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

10 Highest Valuations On Antiques Roadshow

The antiques world was rocked (okay, more like gently bumped) when a recent episode of Antiques Roadshow estimated a woman’s collection of carved Chinese jade objects at $710,000 to $1.07 million. Either figure would make it the highest-appraised item in Antiques Roadshow history. Unfortunately, when the woman actually sold the items at auction, she only got $494,615. Why the discrepancy? It’s complicated — read about it here if you want the blow-by-blow from real antiques experts. Meanwhile, below I have collected the Top 10 Antiques Roadshow valuations (actually 11 items, as there’s a tie for second place), courtesy of YouTube user Ultranothing. The jade still comes in first as I’m counting by valuation, despite its later actual sale value being lower than predicted.

Click the roadshow logo above to see the top 10 valuations on Antiques roadshow.

Thanks To MentalFloss

What if Sonic was a steakhouse?

It almost was. You can read about that and the original plans for 9 other fast food joints on MentalFloss by clicking the image above.