Another year ends !

 It is New Year’s Eve.

2010 is almost gone and 2011 is almost here. Wow. Time flies.

In fact, as I have mentioned to several folks lately, time is flying so fast that the pages on my calendar are producing a breeze like a fan!

As 2010 ends and 2011 begins many will be celebrating in various ways. 

Some will be at wild and raucous parties doing things that they will likely regret the next day.

Others will quietly celebrate with family and or friends playing games, watching videos, reminiscing, etc. etc etc.

Many will be working at their jobs, traveling, sick and in hospitals, or at home  sleeping.

Some will be in churches worshipping - or at home praying and reading the Bible.

What will you be doing?  Will you be partying? Will you be reflecting? Or perhaps both?

If you do decide to ‘reflect’ you might want to consider the fact that In 2010, as in all years, many many many people died and passed into eternity. 

2010 was short but Eternity!  That is a long long time.

Where will you spend it?

Perhaps you should give this some thought as 2010 ends.

And, to assist you in this thinking, HERE’S A LINK. 

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A new reason / excuse to eat Chocolate?

 Ok all you ‘chocholateoholics’ out there.  I know you have been waiting for this.

It seems that soon you can have a medical ‘reason’ (aka excuse) to ingest your chocolate.

Not yet but possibly soon.

It seems that there is a new ‘Chocolate cough remedy in sight.’

I kid you not.

It is not here yet but is ‘promised’ to be coming soon.

But, alas, while you await this new medicine, I guess you will just have to continue to enjoy your Chocolate in the usual ways (hot chocolate, candy bars, cakes, etc).

A relative, who has a cough and is a ‘chocholateoholic’, found this article telling about the discovery. I am sure she is eagerly awaiting the new remedy. HERE’S THE LINK.

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Bees solve math problems faster than humans

During these Christmas Holidays, we have been spending time with relatives.

Today, while eating lunch with kiddos, who are so well behaved that it is hard to believe, we discussed several things.

One of the questions we asked the almost 10 year old (he will be 10 today as you read this DIT), was

“... have you memorized your multiplication tables yet?”

He did know some of the answers such as 12 times 12 is 144 but alas did not know a lot of the others.

So one of the adults began to show him how to do the Nines multiplication.

It was really a complex thing and imho it would be easier just to memorize the 9 table.

The kiddo apparently had the same thought in that he said “that makes my head hurt”.

Apparently on the same wavelength the other adults at the table encouraged him to just memorize the multiplication tables and to do it as soon as possible, pointing out that this is something one needs to know forever unlike some ‘facts’ that we are told to learn in school.

Later as I pondered on this conversation I remembered an article that I had recently read about bees and how smart they are.

How smart are they? you ask.

Well, the are so smart that they can solve math problems faster than humans and even faster than computers!

Wow.  I guess they know their multiplication tables and more!

To read that very interesting but short article, HERE’S THE LINK.

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The Christmas Blizzard of 2010

Astounding, Amazing, Who would have thought???

I am referring, of course, to the Christmas Blizzard of 2010.

Snow storms and blizzards are not rare in the USA but usually occur in areas where expected.

You know -- such places as the New England states, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio, etc. etc.  etc.

But this year many additional and unusual areas experienced the ‘joy’ of Snow on Christmas day.

And those areas included much of the usually snowless ‘sunny south’.

Atlanta, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and innumerable other places that usually do not ‘think’ snow on Christmas Day had snow in 2010.

We DIT folks were in Atlanta when this momentous event occured and can attest to the fact that it really happened.

And not only did it happen but this was the first significant measurable snow (ie more than scattered flakes or a light dusting) on Christmas day in 128 years!

WOW!  128 years.  This means that the last time this happened in Atlanta was in 1882.

Several similar historical records were also set in other Southern places on Christmas Day.  But, since we were in Atlanta at the time, that is the record we are noting here.

To see a 2 minute 26 second video of ‘how it looked’ in Atlanta HERE'S THE LINK

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iBand performs Christmas Songs

Well, it had to happen.

Awhile back we posted a link to one person playing music on the new iPad

Now the North Point iBand is using their iPads to play music.

A family member posted this on Facebook. 

It is too good to not share with you.

So even though Christmas is over, the merriment continues.

Check it out.   For the 7 min 22 second video, HERE’S THE LINK

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If you missed the Total Lunar Eclipse

It was overcast with a light drizzle here.

So we didn’t get to see the Total Eclipse on the First Day of Winter, Dec. 21.

However, it was posted live on several websites which was how I was able to see it.

And a friend emailed to said that they were viewing it live (without clouds) in New York. Wow.

Or perhaps you just were too sleepy and went to bed.

But if you missed it. Good news. 

Several folks took pictures. 

HERE’S THE LINK

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Was Jesus born in a stable? or in a house?

Today the world celebrates Jesus’ Birthday.

And for the past few days and weeks many plays, nativity scenes, church programs and other activities have depicted this event.

Likely almost all of these depictions have pictured the birth happening in a manger setting.

But is this what really happened? 

Was Jesus Christ born in a stable or a barn?

And was He even born on Dec. 25 (but that is another topic for another time -- indeed we have a short Bible study about that.  It is titled “What really happened on Christmas Day”.   To access that study, HERE’S THE LINK)

But, back to the topic at hand which is “Was Jesus born in a stable? Or in a House?

An excellent article about this was recently posted on the AIG website.  HERE’S THE LIINK.

And if you want to know even more details, HERE’S ANOTHER LINK.

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Silent Monks sing Hallelujah Chorus

Well, as you know, I love the Hallelujah Chorus.

But something has happened to it.

It is not what it used to be.

You will not believe this 2 minute 58 second rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus as portrayed by High School Students dressed as monks.

HERE’S THE LINK
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2 Merry Christmas Cards for You

All of you have all been wonderful friends to visit our DIT (Daily Interesting Things) site this year.

And we do thank you for visiting.

But since we are not sure where you live or what your email addresses are....

We are sending this very special Christmas Greeting in an unusual way.

Alas the proverbial ‘snail’ will not get to deliver the mail but cyberspace will do the task.

And, since we can use cyberspace, we are sending not one but two very special “Christmas Cards’.

We did not create the cards ourselves but a friend found them and sent them to us via email and we thought they were soooooo wonderful that we want to share them with you.

The first card is a ‘fun’ card.   To view it, HERE’S THE LINK.

And after you view the ‘fun’ card, here is a serious card with the real meaning of Christmas.  HERE’S THE LINK

Be sure to view both!

Merry Christmas !!!!!

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Christmas Lights and Decorations

Some folks do not do much decorating for Christmas.

Others are moderate.

But others go all out. 

For those that go ‘all out’ I do not want to see their electric bills but kudos to them for spending the money and for all the hard work.

It is fun to drive around town and look at the Christmas lights and decorations.

But if you would rather just sit at your computer and not get out in the cold, snow, sleet, whatever and  still see examples of the ‘all out’ category in decorating, HERE’S THE LINK.

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Today is the first day of Winter

Well, that is good news and bad news I guess.

Good news for those who love cold, snow, ice, etc.

Bad news for those who don’t.

But more good news is that The First day of Winter means that the days which are so very short now will start getting longer.  Yay.

This change of the seasons is not, of course, something that only we 21st Century folks notice.

Indeed, the ‘ancients’ (who supposedly were ‘ignorant’, knuckle dragging entities according to those with the evolutionary glasses) knew about the Winter Solstice and even erected structures (monoliths, buildings, carins, etc.) to help them know exactly ‘when’ the Winter Solstice occurred.

One of these structures is known as Maes Howe (also known as Maeshowe). I have visited this site and other similar sites such as the Chambered tomb of Newgrange. These sites are famous for their midwinter (Winter Solstice) alignments.

Many of these sites today have video cameras set up so we can sit at our computers and see what the ‘ancients’ saw millennia ago. One of these cameras is at the Maeshowe site. HERE’S THE LINK

And for more information and a bunch of other links about Maeshowe, HERE’S THE LINK.

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A most unusual Lunar Eclipse !

 Wow. Check this out !

The Winter Solstice and a Lunar eclipse will overlap this year for the first time in 456 years! 

That means this very unusual event last occurred In 1554 AD.

Hmmmmmm.

Amazing.

But, 'stop the presses' as they used to say. 

Those dates might not be totally accurate.   NASA reports that the last time this occurred was 300 years ago in 1638.

Well, whatever. 

Either way this is a rare event and one you should try to view if possible since the next time this will happen, according to NASA, will be in 2094.

But, back to the unusual eclipse ...

According to one news article reporting this: “The eclipse begins on Tuesday morning, Dec. 21st, at 1:33 am EST...”

To read more about this HERE’S A LINK
and HERE IS ANOTHER LINK
and for completeness sake HERE’S ONE MORE LINK.

Be sure to read all three links as they all have important information about this amazing event.

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Why does the Universe look so old?

Doubtless you have asked this question yourself and have wondered “Why does the Universe look so old?”

Various answers, discussions, and even debates have attempted to answer this question.

Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr., President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.. gives an excellent answer and explains why the correct understanding is essential.

Indeed, the reason why the correct answer is essential is more important than the answer itself.

The video version of the answer was presented at the Ligonier Conference in June 2010. 

The written answer is the text of his Keynote speech given at the banquet celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the Institute for Creation Research

To see the excellent video version (about an hour) of the answer to this question, HERE’S THE LINK

Or if you would prefer to read the answer in a written article, HERE’S THE LINK

Actually you should do both.

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Teddy Bear Toss !

Not being a Hockey fan though I have relatives who are, this was a totally new thing for me.

What thing? you ask.

Well, it seems that there is a hockey team in Canada, the Calgary Hitmen, who each year hold a Teddy Bear Toss.

This is truly an amazing sight to behold !

23,096 Stuffed animals were tossed onto the ice rink during the 2010 Toss!

But rather than rattle on about it, you need to see this 1 minute 32 second video and read about how, when, and why it is done.

HERE’S THE LINK.

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A very informative book -- After the Flood

Yesterday we mentioned attending a conference about Ancient Man.

At that conference, a question arose about the post-flood history and genealogy of the descendants of Noah.

We previously recommended this book on this site on March 24, 2010.

But since we may have new readers as a result of handing out information linking to this DIT site, we would like to once again remind folks about this book.

Book?  What book?

Well, it is titled “After the Flood” by Bill Cooper.

And, it answers the question about genealogies and more. 

To learn about this book and how to get it, HERE’S THE LINK

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A Henge 10 Times bigger than Stonehenge

Recently we attended a very interesting conference about ‘Ancient Man.’

As we have indicated before, Ancient Man (of about 3000- 4000 or so years ago) was considerably more advanced than most folks think.

The article that we are referencing today is another example of Ancient Man’s advanced knowledge.

Specifically this article again affirms the ability of Ancient Man to construct Stone Circles such as the famous and well-known Stonehenge.

For as big and amazing as is Stonehenge, there has recently been found a stone circle that is 10 times bigger than Stonehenge!    HERE’S THE LINK.

Libraries around the world

There are libraries and then there are Libraries -- big, small, specialized, whatever.

Libraries are soooooo awesome and all true ‘bookaholics’  love a Library.

But, alas, I fear that in this age of the Kindle and Spindle (Just kidding about the Spindle but it rhymed), Libraries are fast becoming a thing of the past.

Sadly, in many cities including ours, Libraries are being phased out or severely scaled down in their hours of operation because of budget problems.

So, while they still exist and before the Kindle does away with the physical library, you can view 15 truly awesome Libraries that still exist.

For some reason the famous Trinity College Library in Ireland (shown above) and the huge Library of Congress along with other notables are not included in this list. 

But the 15 that are pictured are also big and beautiful. HERE’S THE LINK.

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Cities at night from space

It is that time of the year when Christmas lights are everywhere and it is fun to ride around the neighborhoods and look at the many varied light displays.

But, the astronauts on the International Space Station are also viewing some very interesting and beautiful lights -- the lights of cities.

As seen from space at night, cities are beautiful sights.

To view 21 pictures of various cities as seen from the Space Station, HERE’S THE LINK

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Sneaky Shopping Scams

 Sneaky Shopping Scams. 

Try to say that 3 times real fast.

But seriously.  It is that time of the year when folks are furiously shopping for Christmas.

And as folks merrily shop, either on line using a computer or in person in stores, there are a lot of Sneaky Shopping Scams that can ‘get you’ if you are not aware and careful.

What are they?

Well, several are detailed in this realllllly interesting article. HERE’S THE LINK.

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The Heavens declare the Glory of God ...

The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. (Psalms 19:1).

This is so true!

Alas, many folks are so busy with their coming and going that they often fail to just stop and look at the sky, the stars, and the heavens above them.

It is rush rush rush to work, to shop, to go out to eat or to a sports event, or to go home and watch TV.

So busy.

No time to observe and contemplate “The Splendor of God’s Creation”.

There is a great article, with beautiful pictures, written by Astronomer Jason Lisle, PhD, that will give you a better appreciation of God’s awesome creation.

And, it will enable you to better understand what you are seeing the next time you take a look at the night sky.

This is a must read.  HERE’S THE LINK.

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Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon

Perhaps you have marched in a band and learned the various maneuvers and formations.

If so, you know that just simple marching takes some skill.

But, Silent Drill Platoon marching and maneuvering really puts one’s skill and attention to the test.

This Drill team is a great example of a ‘job well done.'

To see the 5 Minute 53 seconds video.  HERE’S THE LINK

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“Merry X-Mas” What does this mean?

 For years folks have tried to ‘shorten’ the Christmas greeting by substituting an X for the word Christ.

Sometimes they say that this is ‘ok’ because the “X” is a substitute for a greek letter that somehow is the same as the word, Christ.

Well, not being a greek scholar, that may or may not be true but I seriously doubt that it is true.

And, even if it is, how many of us non-Greek scholars would interpret the X to stand for Christ?

So, ever since this substitution began, it has seemed to me that writing “Merry X-mas” is just plain wrong and even blasphemy.

An email recently came from a friend of a friend who has a friend (are you confused yet) who is good with graphics. 

Apparently the friend of my friend’s friend thinks similarly and made a graphic depicting his views on X-mas.

He really tells it like it is. To see the graphic, HERE’S THE LINK

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Where is the Line to see Jesus?

Another email with an awesome link has arrived.

The email contained an explanation of how the song, “Where is the Line to see Jesus” came to be.

Cutting and pasting from the email, here is the explanation:

“As the stores start displaying Christmas trees and the like, I wanted to share this song with you.  I know you will enjoy it. Here’s the story behind the song:

About the Song

     While at the mall a couple of years ago, my then four year old nephew, Spencer, saw kids lined up to see Santa Claus. Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, he asked his mom, "where's the line to see Jesus"?

My sister mentioned this to my dad, who immediately became inspired and jotted words down to a song in just a few  minutes. After putting music to the words, and doing a quick recording at home, he received a great response from friends.

He sent the song off to Nashville without much response, except for a Christian song writer who suggested adding a bridge at the end of the first chorus.

My dad then asked if I wanted to record the song to see what we could do with it. I listened to the song, made a few changes to the words to make it flow better, and we headed to Shock City Studios.

It was at the studio where Chris, owner and producer, rewrote the 2nd verse and part of the chorus... with goosebumps andd emotions high, we were all hopeful and felt like we had something special. The demo was recorded in just under 2 hours and sent off again to Nashville ... still no response.

Then 2 weeks before Christmas last year, my cousins Greg and Robbie decided to do a video to see what we could accomplish on YouTube. The first day we had 3000 hits and it soared from there. ...

After a couple of meetings with Chris following the amazing response, we got serious. We headed back into the studio this past spring... this time with guitars, drums, bass, pianos, choirs... the real deal.... and here we are today. ...

... Out of the mouths of babes come profound truths that many adults can not understand.  Hopefully Spencer's observation will cause people all over to reflect on the love of Jesus, and that one day we will all stand in line to see Him. We are most thankful to our Heavenly Father to have this chance to share our music with you. Merry Christmas everyone.”

And with that said by way of introduction, to see the Video of this song,  HERE'S THE LINK

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World’s Scariest roads

And you thought driving in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Paris, or wherever you drive is bad. 

Well, as bad and scary as those roads are,  and those places do have scary roads.

Still, those places are a piece of cake.

Check these roads out. HERE'S THE LINK

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Today is Pearl Harbor Day

69 Years ago, on December 7, 1941, America was attacked as enemy planes swooped in on our ships in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, causing great destruction and killing and wounding many.

As a result of this attack, the United States entered World War Two.

You have likely heard about this from your parents and grandparents.

Perhaps you are old enough to recall it yourself.

Or you may have read about this in history book.

But, pictures always help make events such as this more understandable and meaningful.

Pictures truly are worth a thousand words.  

So, enough of the ‘words’, to see several pictures, HERE’S A LINK.

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Good, Very Good, And Not Good

Recently, while reading a Christian magazine, I came across several statements that led me to believe that though the writer did believe in a literal 6 Days Creation, he did not believe that it occurred recently and he did not believe that everything was ‘good’ at the time of creation as the Bible states.

Rather, the writer stated, and this is not a direct quote, that he believed that when the Garden of Eden was created, yes, it was perfect, but everything outside of it was not!

And that area outside the Garden of Eden, of course, consisted of the rest of the earth and the entire universe.

Those areas outside the Garden of Eden, therefore, according to this ‘theory’, were not perfect.  He said that there were imperfect (not good) things in them including the Devil and his fallen angels.

The only place where things were perfect (good) was in the Garden of Eden!

Wow, I had not heard THAT before!

This is not the usual ‘Day Age’ Theory or even the usual ‘Gap’ Theory but is a variation and a close cousin to both.

However, according to the Bible, this unusual theory as well as the Day Age and the Gap theories “does not compute”.

For a brief explanation why they “do not compute”, HERE’S A LINK.

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Tiny Houses

Several times in the past we have posted links to various forms of small (and we do mean small) living spaces (tiny apartments, little houses, small hotel rooms, etc).

And now there is another version of the ‘Tiny House’.

Want to see some of them?  Well, then HERE’S THE LINK

The power of a volcano

As you know the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland began erupting in March of 2010.

And, amongst the usual ‘eruptee’ (is there such a word) things that volcanos spew out, a most unusual object was recently spewed.

It is not so much the object itself (a rock) that is unusual, for rocks are commonly erupted along with ash, lava, gasses, etc.

Rather it is the size of the rock that is so amazing.

The rock weighs 1,000 tons.  

Let’s see. 1 ton equals 2000 pounds.

So this rock weighs 2 million pounds????  WOW.

Want to see what a 2 million pound rock looks like? Then, HERE’S THE LINK

Jobs with NO Future ???

As you are likely aware, many folks are graduating from High School, College, and Graduate School and unable to find a job.

Sometimes this is because they ‘went’ for a ‘useless’ degree.

You know, those degrees that produce a diploma but do not prepare one for a normal job.

After all, who hires folks with ‘underwater basket weaving’ or ‘folding chairs 301’ degrees.

Yes, those useless degrees do lead to dead ends career wise.

But who would have thought that many jobs that have been stable,  popular, and numerous are now also on the endangered list.

What are some of these newly endangered jobs? you ask.

Well, prepare to be surprised.  HERE’S THE LINK

6 Unusual uses for your Freezer

Sometimes the things posted on this site remind me of Hints by Heloise.

Remember them?

Thought you did.

Anyway, there is an interesting article on the net that gives 6 unusual (to me) uses for the Freezer.

Some of them you probably already know.  But the others are amazing.

HERE’S THE LINK

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Today is Hanukkah

What is that? you ask.

Well, Hanukkah is a Jewish Holiday, also known as the Feast of Lights.

It is not as famous or as well known as the other Jewish Holidays such as Passover, etc. But it is a very interesting Holiday.

Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 days and 8 nights and commemorates the the victory over the Maccabees and the ensuing miracles during the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Hanukkah is also spelled Chanukah or Hannukah.

For more information about this holiday from a Judiasm site on About.com.   HERE’S THE LINK.

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