1000 Awesome Things

A website listing the small things that make us smile on a bad day has become a worldwide hit:

1000 Awesome Things

Snowy days, having a whole row to yourself on a plane, popping bubble-wrap, finally untanging a really big knot, hitting a row of green traffic lights... these are apparently the little things in life that make us smile.
How do we know? Because a website called 1000 Awesome Things (which is dedicated to small pleasures such as these) has struck an unexpected chord with millinons of people round the world. Indeed, many are finding it provides an instant antidote to those days when everything seems to go wrong.
It happens to all of us and it is this kind of identification with its readers' lives that has made 1000 Awesome Things such a big hit.
The blog is the brainchild of Neil Pasricha, a 30-year-old Canadian who describes himself as a " boring guy who works in an office and eats frozen microwave suppers". He was having a bad year when he came up with the idea for his blog.
"I had lots of personal problems," he said. "My marriage was heading the in the wrong direction, my best friend was in a bad state of depression and the papers were full of heavy stuff: polar ice caps melting, pirates storming the seas, the economy on the verge of collapse."
One chilly night in June 2008, to help him find a way out of the gloom, he decided to start a blog that would target "one simple awesame thing every single day".
Unfortunately, his year then got even worse: "My wife came home from work and said, 'I don't love you any more', and so we sold our house and I ended up in a tiny apartment. Also, my friend committed suicide."
Pasricha decided he had two choices: "wallo in gloom and doom, or grieve and get on". So, despite everything, he continued to blog. Every night, when he got home from work, he forced himself to think of just one happy event.
To start with no one noticed, apart from his mum and dad. But soon his simple yet clever idea was drawing in fans. A growing number of people round the globe, it seemed, were eager to read about the joy of switching from a queue in the supermarket to a freshly opened checkout lane; of finding that the socks from the dryer all matched up; of seeing one's luggage again after a long flight
Within a year the website had won the Webby award for best blog of the year. It has now had more than 17 million hits, attracts 50,000 visitors a day and has spawned a bestselling book in the United States, not to mention translations in countries as diverse as France and South Korea.
In the process of brightening up other people's lives, Pasricha has also changed his own. A television company has asked him to write a series based on his blog; las week he gave the  keynote speech in Washington for a conference on the next generation of government leaders and he is in great demand as a motivational speaker.
The secret of the blog's appeal, he believes, is that it embraces small events as if they are being experienced for the first time. "I'm not special," he insists, "I just write about the sweet things in life."
Such as? "I love three-year-olds," he muses. "The way they stare at caterpillars, go slack-jawed at baseball games or pick a handful of dandelions for a vase."
You may not identify with all of his "awesome" moments, of course. His whimsical catalgoue takes the form of a countdown that started at 1,000. After he embarked on it, a friend said: "Do you realise you're only going to be done on April 20th, 2010?" He has yet to miss a day. By his desk (he works as a human reosurces manager), he keeps scrap paper so he can jot down ideas as they come to him.
When he's stuck, he goes out to "grab chicken wings and beer with my friends" and asks them what's made them laugh that day. "It's not too hard," he says.
"When I'm lying on a couch and someone throws a blanket on me, I smile and think, that's awesome! When I put on warm underwear straight out of the dryer, I smile and think, that's awesome!
"We all have these moments: you don't really need us to point them out."
Writer: Christina Lamb (International Culture, The Sunday Times)

Hi everybody,

My name is Neil and I’m a no-name 30-year-old guy who  started 1000 Awesome Things back in June, 2008 with the goal of writing about one awesome thing every weekday.

I did this as my life was falling apart. My best friend took his own life and my wife and I went different ways. We sold our house, I moved to a tiny apartment, and I tried to get things back on track by talking about one simple, universal little joy every single day — like snow days, bakery air, or popping bubble wrap.

Internet travelers from all over the world supported awesome things from the start and sent it to friends who sent it to friends. New people seeing the site helped us win the Best Blog award two years in a row and land a book deal.

This Spring The Book of Awesome comes out everywhere.

Honestly, this is just incredible and I’m totally shocked and overwhelmed. But more than anything, I just want to say thanks.

Neil

p.s. Here are a few of my favourites:

#980 Old, dangerous playground equipment

#864 Mastering the art of the all you can eat buffet

#858 The other side of the pillow

#780 Squeezing through a door as it’s shutting without touching it

#720 The final seconds of untangling a really big knot

#675 Wordless apologies

#654 Peeling that thin plastic film off new electronics

#601 Getting through it

#525 That teacher

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Newsy: 100 Million Facebook Profiles Leaked to the Public

Personal details from more than 100 million Facebook profiles have been made public after a security consultant Ron Bowes 'harvested' the data and made it available for download.

“A hundred million. That’s how many Facebook users profiles are now available to download to anybody. The security consultant who hacked the information says, he did it to show that Facebook settings are confusing and comprimise user information.” (Fox News)

Never before has so much personal information been available in one publically available spot.

Or, so says, secruity consultant Ron Bowes who gathered all the personal data of 100 MILLION Facebook users stuff they hadn’t protected and put it in one easily available download.

Lots of people have availed themselves of that information.

We’re analyzing coverage of this very public listing - from Fox News, The BBC, the Herald in Scotland, Tech Crunch and Thinq.com.

Pictures, birthdays, nicknames, pals. You name it. Bowes gathered it and posted it online, whenceforth it was then re-downloaded time and time again. Bowes defends his actions, telling the BBC... "I am of the belief that, if I can do something then there are about 1,000 bad guys that can do it too. I believe in open disclosure of issues like this, especially when there's minimal potential for anybody to get hurt.”

Indeed, much of this information was already public. Just not all in one place. Facebook is investigating if that any laws were violated in gathering the information. But a privacy expert says, Facebook is the one to blame -- not the researcher. Scotland’s The Herald interviews Simon Davies from the watchdog Privacy International... “Facebook should have anticipated this attack and put measures in place to prevent it.”

But what about personal responsibility?, asks TechCrunch. If you don’t want everyone in the world, including the bad guys to see your stuff take the time to set your privacy settings, like, now.

“These kinds of security breaches will only encourage more hackers desperate for attention. Now would be a good time for Facebook to set their default search to “Friends Only.” Why? Because most people aren’t quite aware that check mark next to “Everyone” includes a hacker who can grab your personal info, package it up and sell it to the highest bidder.”

Yeah, says the UK’s Thinq.com. Time to fetch, buy, or just plain get -- a clue: “....perhaps the existence of a stalker's online black book might finally persuade less security-minded Facebook users to get their arses in gear.”

Oh, and by the way, if you want back the privacy Bowes took too late. Even if you change your privacy settings now, it’s still on the download.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

'Call people fat, not obese' says health minister Anne Milton

GPs and other health professionals should tell people they are fat rather than obese, England's public health minister says. Anne Milton told the BBC that the term fat was more likely to motivate them into losing weight.

She said it was important people should take "personal responsibility" for their lifestyles.

But health experts said the word could stigmatise those who are overweight.

Ms Milton, who stressed she was giving her own, personal view, said: "If I look in the mirror and think I am obese I think I am less worried [than] if I think I am fat."

She said too many staff working in the NHS were worried about using the term, but suggested it could help encourage "personal responsibility".

"At the end of the day, you cannot do it for them. People have to have the information," she added.

A white paper is expected to be published in the autumn, which she said would stress the combined role of the individual, state, business and society.

The comments come after Health Secretary Andrew Lansley last month attacked the "lecturing" of recent public health campaigns, such as the drive on school meals that followed Jamie Oliver's TV shows.

'More brutal'

Professor Steve Field, of the Royal College of GPs, said he agreed with Ms Milton and already tried to use the term fat as much as he could.

"I think the term obese medicalises the state. It makes it a third person issue. I think we need to sometimes be more brutal and honest.

"You can be popular by saying the things people want to hear and in the NHS we too often do that when we should be spelling things out clearly."

But Professor Lindsey Davies, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health, which represents public health professionals, warned against using 'fat' when dealing with patients.

"People don't want to be offensive. There is a lot of stigma to being a fat person."

She said health professionals started using the term obesity to encourage patients to think about the condition in a different way.

"Obesity is something that happens to people rather than something they are. The language you use all depends on the relationship you have with a patient.

"I would probably be more likely to say something like 'can we talk about your weight' rather than obesity, but that is a judgement you make on a patient-by-patient basis."

The history of the term obesity

The term obesity comes from the Latin word obesus, which roughly translated means intensive eating.
Societies have long been worried about problems of excess weight with Greek philosopher Hippocrates even writing about the dangers .
But it was not until the mid 1600s that obesity started being used as a medical term and then in time directly linked to other diseases.
Between 1830 and 1850 a Belgian scientist invented the BMI index to measure obesity by dividing weight by height.
The Journal of Chronic Diseases reported in 1972 that BMI was the best way of measuring excess fat
Over the last three decades the terms BMI and obesity have been getting more and more popular with health professionals as a result.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Newsy: Catalonia Bans Bullfighting

The Canary Islands did the same a few years ago,  and now Catalonia has banned bullfighting after lawmakers ruled the sport was too barbaric.

Bullfighting is banned in Catalonia after lawmakers there sided with activists who say the sport is too barbaric. But bullfighting enthusiasts smell dirty politics, and say they’ll fight to win back what they say is an integral part of Spanish culture. 

The debate was a heated one in Catalonia, with tensions running high on both sides. KOAT features both an opponent and supporter of the ban: “Enrique Guillén sees the essence of Spain in what he calls the noble art of bullfighting. 'My father brought me to see the bullfights when I still had a pacifier. It would be frustrating not to be able to give that to my children, what my parents gave to me.' ... Bullfighting is part of Spanish culture, but that should change, she says, adding many traditions disappear as the society advances.”

And while animal rights activists hail the ban as a major victory, others say the decision was purely politics from Spain’s most independent-minded region. CNNand Sky News speculate: “The subtext here was local politics in the Catalan region there is a strong independence movement. Some here saying that’s really the politicians here got behind this ban.”

MATADOR: “The only thing they care about is independence from Spain. It’s a purely political decision. They want to separate themselves from everything that has Spanish ties. Bullfighting to them sounds Spanish...”

But lawmakers who support the ban maintain the decision has less to do with politics and more to do with the sport’s declining popularity in the region. But as ITNand France 24 report, both sides say this fight isn’t over.

BULLFIGHTER: “For the minute you’ve only got anti-bullfighting people, and the bullfighting fraternities have never organized itself against it. But I think you might get a backlash.”

REPORTER: “But that backlash might not be enough. Catalonia is the first mainland Spanish region to ban bullfighting, and many believe the vote could cause a chain reaction.”

“And in fact in Madrid, 51,000 signatures have been collected to take that debate to Madrid, which is for some the heart of bullfighting.”

The bullfighting ban goes into effect in 2012.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Newsy: Head Lice: Stay-In-School?

A new study suggests by the time lice is found in the hair, it’s already too late, and students shouldn't be sent home from school.

“Seriously? A new study suggests that kids with head lice don’t need to stay home from school. Moms and Dads out there… are you okay with that?”(MSNBC)

It's a story that's going to make your skin crawl. The creepy, little critters called head lice are making headlines, and not just in your home, but at school. 

CNN suggests that by the time the bug is seen on the scalp, it’s too late to send the child home from school: “It makes no medical sense to send somebody home [from school] if you find lice, because by the time you see something the child has had the infestation for several weeks.”

A Babble blog explains exactly why The American Academy of Pediatrics opposes “no-nit” policies that require a child be sent home from school: “There is no medical reason to take kids out of school because head lice is not as contagious as the schools make it seem. By the time they are discovered at school, most lice is past the contagious point.”

...but there’s one more reason to be concerned about the parasites. The Wall Street Journal reports those strawberry seed-sized menaces are becoming super bugs: “… common treatments for killing head lice, including prescription medications… may no longer be effective because the pests in some areas have built up resistance… families that succeed in treating the condition with popular products such as Rid and Nix may have to apply the pesticidal creams as many as three times to get rid of the pests.”

So what do you think? Should children be sent home if they have head lice? Is there really a "super bug" lice pandemic? You tell us.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Newsy: New, Massive Star Discovered

It’s been called “stellar behemoth”, “monster ball” and even “scorcher”. What is it? It’s what scientists are calling the heaviest star ever found.

“Experts say the star has a mass over 265 times the size of the sun... and is more than a million years old.” (MSNBC)

The Guardian reports this type of star has an odd life… a life that always ends in suicide: “They are the most colossal stars ever seen and live short, bright, lives in faraway reaches of space before exploding in a blaze of glory. Were it to replace our own star, the intensity of the rays would sterilise the Earth leaving it lifeless.”

Dailytech attempted to explain why the star lives such a ‘short’ lives using a weight-loss analogy. The blog quotes northern England’s University of Sheffield’s lead astrophysicist: “‘R136a1 is already middle-aged and has undergone an intense weight loss program, shedding a fifth of its initial mass over that time, or more than fifty solar masses.’”

Whatever diet these stars are on, it seems to be working. National Geographic reports the star used to be much, much bigger: “… the behemoth may have actually slimmed down since birth, when it likely tipped the scales at 320 times the sun's mass… the record-breaking star is so massive that it burns its hydrogen fuel at an unprecedented rate.”

But the Christian Science Monitor says the claims might be too good to be true: “Others have suggested that the team has detected very tightly packed clusters with stars too close to resolve individually.” 

In other words, Christian Science Monitor is suggesting it might not be the ‘behemoth’ scientists think... it could just be a bunch of stars so close together it merely looks like a massive star.

So what do you think of the new discovery? Exciting? Or just another space case? 

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

35 mm

"35mm" is a shortfilm about cinema itself. We picked 35 of our favorite movies and tried to simplifly them as far as possible. The outcome is a 2 minute journey through the history of film.
Leave your comments with the movies you have found!

Take a close look and tell us if you've recognized them all!

Concept / Layout: Sarah Biermann, Torsten Strer, Felix Meyer, Pascal Monaco

Animation: Felix Meyer, Pascal Monaco

Sound: Torsten Strer

35mm from Pascal Monaco on Vimeo.

Concept / Layout: Sarah Biermann, Torsten Strer, Felix Meyer, Pascal Monaco

Animation: Felix Meyer, Pascal Monaco

Sound: Torsten Strer

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

The Story of Bottled Water

The Story of Bottled Water with Annie Leonard - How Manufactured Demand pushes what we don’t need and destroys what we need most

The Story of Bottled Water employs the Story of Stuff style to tell the story of manufactured demand—how you get Americans to buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows from the tap.
Over eight minutes, the film explores the bottled water industry's attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces. The film concludes with a call to take back the tap, not only by making a personal commitment to avoid bottled water, but by supporting investments in clean, available tap water for all.

The Story of Bottled Water was released on March 22nd, 2010, World Water Day, an annual UN-sponsored day of action to support access to clean, safe water for the world’s people. Globally, more than 1 billion have little choice but to use potentially harmful sources of water, leading to what the World Health Organization calls “a silent humanitarian crisis.” Meanwhile, many Americans, who generally have access to safe and abundant water from the kitchen tap, drink bottled water despite the enormous waste of money, energy and resources it represents.

Production partners on the bottled water film include five leading sustainability groups: Corporate Accountability International, Environmental Working Group, Food & Water Watch, Pacific Institute, and Polaris Institute.

And, for all you fact checkers out there http://storyofstuff.org/pdfs/StoryOfBottledWater_pdfs.zip

The Story of Bottled Water companion website (www.storyofstuff.org/bottledwater) will serve as an interactive launch pad for information and activism. The site offers viewers a series of ways to get involved, including links to the partners’ campaigns, as well as downloadable resources and information, including an annotated script.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

In It To Win It

Alberto Contador & Andy Schleck In It To Win It

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Pórtico de la Gloria - The first movie of mankind, filmed in stone

From the lost Paradise to Judgement Day. Pórtico de la Gloria in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the first great movie of mankind, filmed in stone.

Perhaps the chief beauty of the cathedral, however, is the 12th century Portico da Gloria, behind the western facade. This Portico da Gloria in the narthex of the west portal is a remains from the Romanesque period. It is a masterwork of Romanesque sculpture built between 1168 and 1188 by Master Mateo at the request of king Ferdinand II of Leon. The vigorous naturalism of the figures in this triple portal is an expression of an art form, varied in its details, workmanship and polychromy (of which faint traces of colour remain). The shafts, tympana and archivolts of the three doorways which open onto the nave and the two aisles are a mass of strong and nervous sculpture representing the Last Judgment.

The central tympanum gives us an image of Christ in Majesty as Judge and Redeemer, showing His wounds in His feet and hands, accompanied by the tetramorph. He is surrounded on both sides by a retinue of angels carrying the symbols of the Passion. In the archivolt are represented the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse, who are tuning their musical instruments.

The column statues represent the apostles with their attribute, prophets and Old Testament figures with their name on a book or parchment. These were all polychromed. Noteworthy is the faint smile of the prophet Daniel looking at the angel of Reims.

The middle pier represents Saint James, his face conveying an ecstatic serenity. The text scroll in his hand shows the words Misit me Dominus (the Lord sent me). below him is the Tree of Jesse (the lineage leading to Christ), while above is a representation of the Trinity. It is customary for the pilgrims to touch the left foot of this statue, signifying that they have reached their destination. So many pilgrims have laid their hands on the pillar to rest their weary bones, that a groove has been worn in the stone.

The lateral portals are dedicated to the rival churches: on the left to the Jews and on the right to the unbelievers.

The right tympanym is divided in three parts and is dedicated to the salvation of the souls. In the centre Christ and St Michael, flanked by Hell (represented by demons) and Heaven (represented by children). The purgatory is shown on the side.

The left tympanum shows scenes from the Old Testament.

Demons are represented at the bottom of the pórtico, signifying that Glory crushes sin.

Behind the portico stands the statue of Maestro Mateo, the master architect and sculptor put in charge of the cathedral building programme in the 12th century by Fernando II. It is said that whoever butts their head three times against the statue will be given a portion of Mateo's genius and perhaps enhanced memory. There is usually a long line of visitors waiting to bump their head against the statue. The sculptures in this portico have been a point of reference for Galician sculpture until the 15th century.

Learn more at:

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/portada/gran/biopic/Jesus/elpepusoceps/20091220elpepspor_8/Tes
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cultura/Portico/vio/Maestro/Mateo/elpepucul/20100728elpepucul_2/Tes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_Santiago_de_Compostela

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Newsy: Dolphin Hurls Itself Out of Tank

The debate over keeping animals in captivity is heating up after footage of a dolphin jumping out of its tank in Japan hit the Internet. Here’s the clip.

First, the dolphin makes a high jump. Then, it jumps again. Other dolphins can be seen crowding around the creature. It was later lifted back into the tank with a crane, and trainers say it sustained only minor injuries. But critics say this is further evidence that captivity is cruel. ABC’s anchors are appalled, and say it seems like the dolphin was trying to escape.

“You almost wonder what these animals go through because they’re trapped there. They have to do shows for people. ... It kind of makes you wonder how desperate those animals feel, when they’re there all day, trapped up like that, having to perform shows and deal with people all day. So, that whale tried to make a run for it.”

And the Daily Mail quotes Ric O’Barry, the filmmaker who made The Cove, the Oscar-nominated documentary about dolphin slaughters in Japan. O’Barry says: “‘The habitat…is so unnatural it leapt out in desperation. … It wanted to end it. Why does a person jump out of a building?’”

But, NBC reports the aquarium is defending itself: “The manager of the animal park denied the dolphin’s captivity was cruel, saying the tank was not overcrowded and followed general aquarium guidelines.”

Do you think this dolphin was trying to escape? How do you feel about animals in captivity — is it necessary for education, or just cruel?

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Theory of Relativity

If you wish to know more:

• http://www.youtube.com/Best0fScience

• http://www.youtube.com/ScienceMagazine

• http://www.youtube.com/FFreeThinker

EINSTEIN'S RELATIVITY:

Everything in the universe is traveling through space-time at the speed of light - the maximum speed possible. If you are sitting still in space, then you are traveling through time at the maximum speed. But if you begin traveling through space, then your progress through time slows down. Time Dilation and other relativistic phenomena await you in this interesting series, so hurry up and slow down!

1. Basics And Impact In Our Everyday Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j72bPmXsyvk&fmt=18

2. Time Dilation - Slowing Down Clocks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHRK6ojWdtU&fmt=18

3. The Famous Equation E=mc2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h7tyQlpda4&fmt=18

4. Gravity And Acceleration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHPqhTY6dh0&fmt=18

5. Black Holes, Event Horizon & Gravitational Waves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA53l7AG7Pg&fmt=18.

SPACE:

Want to know why we don't have to worry about our sun burning out? It's because long before that happens, the sun will expand so enormously that Earth will be cooked to a cinder. Take a tour through the solar system, learn about the event horizon of black holes and when our galaxy began. 

1. Faster Than The Speed Of Light (1/2): The Universe - Created Out Of Nothing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxNbXjBbzEo&fmt=18

2. Faster Than The Speed Of Light (2/2): The Expanding Universe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoTNGmlOO2g&fmt=18

The Cassiopeia Project - making science simple!

The Cassiopeia Project is an effort to make high quality science videos available to everyone. If you can visualize it, then understanding is not far behind.

http://www.cassiopeiaproject.com

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Every school should have a bad teacher

Every school should have a ‘useless teacher’, according to the chairman of the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), Zenna Atkins: a bad teacher helps children learn how to ‘manage’ people who are not good at their jobs.

Atkins,44, said: ‘It’s about learning to identify good role models. One good thing about primary school is that every kid learns how to deal with a really bad teacher. In the private sector, as a rule, you need to performance manage 10 per cent of people out of the business. But I don’t think that should be the case in schools. I would not remove every single useless teacher because every grown up in a workplace needs to learn to cope with the moron who sits four desks down without lamping them and to deal with authority that’s useless. I’d like to keep the number low, but if every primary school has one pretty naff teacher, this helps kids realise that even if you know the quality of authority is not good, you have to learn how to play it. Schools need to reflect society, especially at primary level. In society there are people you don't like, there are people who are incompetent and there are often people above you in authority who you think are incompetent, and learning that ability to deal with that and, actually surviving that environment can be an advantage.’

She also recommended schools use violent computer games to teach maths as they help "intuitive thinking".

The comments also follow a report last week which said that, although the General Teaching Council estimated two years ago that there could be as many as 17,000 sub-standard teachers circulating in Britain, just 18 had been struck off in the last ten years.

The 44-year-old married mother of two children and two step children was appointed as the first Chairman of Ofsted in September 2006 with the remit to ‘help ensure a better deal for children and adult learners in England’.

Atkins was seen as an ideal figure to do this having overcome her own chequered education to become an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Ms Atkins, who is dyslexic, was born in London but educated at St Clare’s, a private school in Penzance that has since closed, and attended Cornwall College of Further Education.

Her father was an academic who spoke 17 languages while her mother was also dyslexic.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Newsy: "What Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?" Question Finally Solved

British researchers say they’ve finally answered which came first — the chicken or the egg. See which one did and why.

It’s a story that can only be described as groundbreaking. Scientists have answered the age-old question: Which came first — the chicken or the egg? Media are astounded.

ABC says: “It has remained one of life’s unsolved mysteries…”

And food news site EatDrinkandBe says that: “A debate raging for centuries may have finally been solved…”

So which came first? After two years of research, British scientists discovered that a protein found in chicken ovaries is necessary for forming chicken eggs. So, they say, eggs must come from chickens, and it’s the chicken that existed first. 

Sky News explains the science: “Hens produce a protein called OC-17. Using a supercomputer to zoom in on the egg-making process, scientists saw that OC-17 speeds up the conversion of calcium carbonate into calcite crystals, which make up the egg shell.”

Still, there are some naysayers. An anchor on NBC’s South Carolina affiliate, WYFF, is highly skeptical: “I don’t see how you’ve solved this. What you’ve proven, by a computer, is that eggs can only be formed, chicken eggs can only be formed, by chickens — but chickens can only be formed by chicken eggs. ... I’m not convinced in the slightest.”

“Well then why did we do the cotton pickin’ story?”

“You know what? Throw that away. It’s garbage.”

But others are grateful, and want more answers. CBS’ Los Angeles affiliate, KCAL, poses an even bigger question: “Now scientists can concentrate on the more important question: Why did the chicken cross the road?”

What do you think of this research? And dare we ask… which do you think came first?

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

WORLD CHAMPIONS !!!!!!

To Spain the glory of a World Cup triumph in which they prevailed over a deplorable Holland side that was reduced to 10 men when the English referee Howard Webb eventually dismissed the Dutch defender John Heitinga with a second caution in the 109th minute. Cesc Fábregas, on as substitute, fed Andrés Iniesta, undoubtedly man of the match and of the whole World Cup, to score the winner seven minutes later.

Andrés Iniesta, man of the match, and best player in 2010 World Cup

An unforgettable World Cup final ground its way to a penalty shoot-out, after offering cautions in place of goals. Holland were overwhelmingly the guilty party, with eight bookings to Spain's four. Although football was not wholly excluded, chances were shunned and the Spain right-back Sergio Ramos put a free header high from a corner kick in the 77th minute. A little later, Arjen Robben broke clear for Holland but Iker Casillas saved at his feet. The goalkeeper's team-mates had not been incisive enough until the very end.

The mayhem and nastiness of the occasion was an encumbrance for Spain, who will have visualised a wholly different type of game. It was potentially unsettling that victory should be seen as their destiny considering that they had never even reached the final before. Vicente del Bosque's side, for that matter, have developed a highly individual style founded on exceptional technique that exhausts and demoralises opponents as a midfield of supreme artistry confiscates the ball.

The flaw lies in the fact that possession can be an end in itself for Spain. European champions though they might be, the team began its World Cup programme in South Africa with a defeat by Switzerland. They went behind then and a single goal sufficed for the victors. That occasion must have been prominent in the thoughts of the coach Bert van Marwijk and the Holland players. It can certainly be agreed that adversity of another sort lay before Spain in Johannesburg.

There had been an expectation that the Dutch would be much less respectful than the young Germany side that lost to Spain in the last four. Holland have a hard-bitten air and Mark van Bommel, the defensive midfielder, is utterly at peace while making enemies. Curiously, the Bayern Munich player attracts the bulk of the animosity despite the fact that it was his abrasive colleague Nigel de Jong, of Manchester City, who was suspended from the semi-final.

Van Bommel did collect a caution here but notoriety was being dispersed liberally. His yellow card was the third of four that Webb had flashed by the 22nd minute. The teams had a pair apiece by then and there was a kind of parity as an initially nervous Holland settled down. De Jong took up old habits unacceptably later in the first-half, but escaped with a yellow card after landing his studs in the chest of Xabi Alonso.

The midfielder was unscathed, but Spain had a fragility of sorts. Fernando Torres, out of form since a knee injury in March, was again among the substitutes. That had not left the team toothless, but they had to step out of character for the semi-final, when the centre-back Carles Puyol scored the single goal with a pounding header at a set-piece.

As it turns out, the direct approach may not be as alien to this side as we suppose. Ramos leapt to connect with a Xavi set-piece after four minutes and Maarten Stekelenburg was fully extended to parry to his right. The finer points of open play were forgotten before the interval. Spain, as anticipated, had more polish but the final assuredly did not gleam. Intrigue lay, after a further foul or two, in speculation as to how close Webb had come to giving Van Bommel a second yellow card.

Holland were also menacing in laudable ways. A prepared move for instance involved Arjen Robben pulling back a corner to an unmarked Van Bommel, but the midfielder miscontrolled his attempt. That was in keeping with the shabby character of the final then, but the Dutch may have found satisfaction in being in contention against Spain. In the 45th minute, the goalkeeper Iker Casillas had to be alert to turn behind a Robben effort that could have sneaked past him at the near post.

Whatever was said at half-time did not lead to many people changing their way. Before an hour was completed, it had been necessary for Webb to caution Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Johnny Heitinga of Holland. Van Bronckhorst is captain, veteran and cultivated left-back but not even he could rise above the ugliness.

The tone might have altered swiftly with a goal that looked likely in the 62nd minute. Wesley Sneijder suddenly introduced artistry with the lovely pass that freed Robben and the winger attempted to take care, yet Casillas got his right leg in the path of the shot and conceded merely a corner. It was a spell in which Holland were in the ascendancy. The better moments made it all the more infuriating that Webb still had to keep reaching for a yellow card. For convenience sake, he would have been as well keeping it in his hand at all times. Football did break through now and again, with Spain squandering an excellent opportunity.

A piercing cross from the substitute Jesús Navas went through the legs of Heitinga, but David Villa met the ball cleanly and it was deflected for a corner. By that stage both sides must have understood the unpalatable nature of the final, with Holland the principal offenders, but it was beyond them to mend their ways.

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The New York Times: To Move Ahead, Spain Needs Its Mojo Back

By Rob Hughes

JOHANNESBURG -- Spain dealt comfortably enough with Honduras at Ellis Park Stadium. But beating one of its former colonies, 2-0, is far from convincing proof that the Spaniards are anywhere near to being the potential world champions we thought they might be.

David Villa scored both goals, and each was an example of just why Barcelona has recently invested €40 million, or $49 million, to buy him from Valencia. But in truth, Villa should have filled his boots with more goals, and Villa looked to be Spain’s only striker who was in form. He also was, by his own admission, extremely lucky to stay on the field after reacting to a kick by slapping a Honduran opponent in the face at halftime. The referee appeared to see it and told Villa to behave himself, but did not issue a red card.

His partner in attack, Fernando Torres, looks more like a barometer of Spain’s sporting health. Torres had knee surgery to repair torn cartilage in April, and though he started, the athleticism was missing, the sharpness was a memory, and the running that he and Villa do automatically for one another was only intermittently there.

So the Spanish attack is, like the team itself, in convalescence.

It is easy to understand why Vicente del Bosque, the national coach, used a group game against a team far below Spain’s level to allow Torres and Villa time to search for their form. At their best, they can take apart almost any defense; but their best may be weeks away.

Torres could have undergone surgery in January, but his club, Liverpool, delayed it. Clearly, it is cutting it fine to expect him to be Villa’s running mate all the way to the final of this World Cup on July 11.

But there is no other Torres. Spain, and Villa, need him because he is the true athlete of the pair. He has the height, the reach, the power, while Villa has the incredible knack of being in the right place to sniff out goals.

Their form is not by any means the only area of the side that keeps del Bosque wearing that hangdog, basset hound look of his on the sideline. The passing for which Barcelona is famed — and therefore this Spanish side that is molded on Barça — is not as fluent as it was when Spain won the Euro 2008 tournament.

It is there, but it stutters. Xavi Hernandez, arguably the world’s finest rhythm maker, has had his own thigh muscle tear, and he looks a week away from performing at his peerless best.

Cesc Fabregas, who would challenge Xavi if anyone could, is only just returning to form from a broken leg.

Excuses count for nothing. The tournament is now, even if Spain is not ready. And if Spain beats Chile on Friday to reach the second round, its opponent after that will be formidable.

It could be Brazil, or it might be Portugal. Brazil’s physical shape, its power as well as its skills, would crush the Spanish, based on the performances this week by the two squads. Portugal might not, but those seven goals the Portuguese ran in against poor North Korea earlier Monday were warning enough.

Del Bosque will say, as he often does, that it has to come one step, one game at a time. Monday was a better match by far for Spain than its opening game, when Switzerland clamped down its opponent with ultrastrong defensive pressure. Losing that game was the shock of this World Cup, and there have been some mighty shocks from the start. Those who like their soccer cultured might wish that Spain would get better quickly — quickly enough to give Brazil a real run for its money if that contest comes sooner in the tournament than many hoped for.

However, even to get through the first round, Spain needs its passing mojo back. Outpassing, outplaying, and outscoring Honduras was not that tough, but doing the same against Chile, a gifted and cunning opponent, will be a far greater challenge.

If Chile could shoot with anybody nearly as well as the Villa-Torres combination usually does, then we might consider the Chileans a title prospect.

Monday was like shooting practice for the Spanish duo. Torres could have scored a hat trick, but missed all his chances before del Bosque decided that 70 minutes, rather than 90, was the limit he should run after his operation.

Villa scored a magnificent first goal, sprinting between two startled Honduran defenders, enticing a third, Osman Chávez, toward him. And then, when Chávez made a lunge at him, he slipped him and, off balance, hooked the ball into the top corner of the net.

Villa’s gesture, the matador withdrawing the cape in front of the bull, was delightful.

His second goal, created by the speed and pass of the Romany winger Jesús Navas, was also hit with such powerful instinct that again the Honduran goalkeeper could not get a hand to it.

Villa should have made it three, at least. He woefully misplaced a penalty kick, and he darted through a hapless defense often enough to where he should have become the second player of this tournament — after Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain — to claim the match ball for scoring a hat trick.

He has 40 goals in 60 appearances for his country, just four shy of Raúl González, the Spanish icon they said Villa could never replace. He is close now to that record, and in 42 fewer games than Raúl. Whether it will come during this World Cup might be determined by how far the healing process of the Spanish goes.

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Newsy: McDowell Beats Big Names at U.S. Open

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell outplayed golf's household names to win the U.S. Open Championship at Pebble Beach.

“A mistake he would not make. Every player dreams two putts to win the open. Northern Ireland for the first time, and Europe for the first time in 40 years.”(The Golf Channel)

Graeme McDowell held off the world's best players on Sunday to win the US Open Championship. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Ernie Els were all in contention but couldn’t generate a Sunday charge.

We're monitoring reaction to the Open from ESPN, The Golf Channel, Sky News and The Irish Independent

The Golf Channel spoke with McDowell who described what an extraordinary fathers day it was for him.

“ANCHOR: What’s it feel like to have your father Kenny here and to get that big hug on the 18th green?

“MCDOWELL: That was awesome, you know, on Father's Day to have him out here. He has been talking about Pebble Beach all year, can’t wait to go there. He said to me, ‘There’s only one thing I want from fathers day this year and that’s for you to pick this trophy up’, and that’s a special feeling. I think it’s only the second time I’ve won with him in the crowd, and this is a pretty special one.”

After Dustin Johnson, the 54-hole leader, collapsed under the pressure of the Open, the tournament was wide open for the taking. But ESPN’s Rick Reilly says seemingly, nobody wanted it: “The best players in the world came to the best golf course in the world and played everywhere but the golf course. The played out of junk, they played out of rocks, they played out of beaches. ... It was the open they really should have closed. It was the open nobody seemed to want to win. ... Pebble Beach seemed to be a mountain nobody could climb. I’m just happy nobody hurt themselves, or got electrocuted.”

The biggest surprise of the tournament was the performance of an unknown qualifier: Frenchman Gregory Havret. He came within one stroke of forcing a playoff with McDowell for the championship. Sky News interviews him on his life changing experience: “I’m probably in between the best surprise of my life, and the best disappointment too. I’m second which is probably the worst place, but in another hand it's such a dream.”

Dublin's The Irish Independent says McDowell was built to handle the incredible mental grind of golf’s toughest test: “McDowell's a phenomenal warrior, one of that special sporting breed who can turn butterflies into bullets.”

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Cloud Computing in Plain English

What is cloud computing? Here is an explanation in plain English:

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Newsy: Sweden's Royal Wedding Sparks Controversy

The king of Sweden has agreed to pay for half of his daughter's wedding, being called the most lavish since Princess Diana and Prince Charles'. But taxpayers aren't happy about footing the other half.

“Today the King of Sweden hosted the most lavish royal wedding since Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s. His daughter is the princess bride, Victoria but the groom… Daniel Westling, who shed a tear during his vows, is from a very different world: the gym.”

Sweden rejoiced as a fairy-tale wedding unfolded in front of them. However, the 20 million kronor, or 2.63 million dollar, wedding bill has sapped the joy out of some people, mainly the taxpayers who will be responsible for at least half of the cost of the wedding.

We're analyzing coverage from CNN, The Local and The Wall Street Journal.

Although the popularity of the monarchy has dropped down from 62 percent to 56 percent over the past 6 years, CNN reports the Swedish are looking forward to the wedding and the opportunities it will bring: “We hope the wedding is going to be very good for us and good for Stockholm. Asa Norberg runs a souvenir shop at the heart of old town. After losing almost a third of her normal customer volume to the financial crisis she's hoping the royal wedding will turn things around.”

The Local, a Swedish English language news Web site, stated that the king has promised to absorb half the cost of the wedding, but that that will not include additional expenses, like free public transportation cost, extra security and a whole lot more: “A news program at the weekend stated that the government allocated 40 million kronor ($5.7 million) to renovate a palace near Stockholm that the couple will live in. Another 8 million kronor ($1.14 million) over two years has been granted to run the place.”

Stockholm has also invested millions into a two-week long festival celebrating the occasion. They are expecting huge returns. But, The Wall Street Journaldiscovered, Sweden might have overestimated the royal’s popularity. Of the 2,300 journalists covering the wedding, only 700 were non-Swedes. It found a business student who tried to rent out his property for the event: “No one was interested. I guess there were too many of us thinking the same thing.”

So what do you think of the Swedish wedding? ‘Happily ever after’ for the people? Or should tax-payers get a spending pre-nup?

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Newsy: England Team Facing Criticism

English fans and critics are calling for changes to the national team after two lackluster performances.

Steve McManaman: “Everyone was just deeply frustrated, wasn’t it? We’re all trying to put our finger on it, why everyone is, why everything has gone wrong at the moment. And nobody knows the answer...” (ESPN)

Add the English football team to the ranks of the frustrated and underachieving, after ties with the United States and Algeria. 

Now, with one game remaining against Slovenia, coach Fabio Capello is hearing boos from English football fans, and is getting advice on what to do with the team from former players and coaches.

We’re analyzing what has happened to England from ESPN, The Sunday Mirror, South Africa’s Independent Online, and Sky News sports.

How much dissatisfaction is there? The Sunday Mirror reports, South African authorities arrested English fan Pavlos Joseph after he barged in on the team to berate them after the nil-nil draw with Algeria: “Mortgage advisor Pavlos Joseph stumbles into dressing room while looking for toilet and reads stunned team the riot act ... [and tells] the multi-millionaire failures: ‘You are a disgrace.’”

After the game, striker Wayne Rooney lashed out at the fans...fans who have been loudly booing their national team: “Nice to see the home fans boo ya. Thanks for really supporting us.” (BBC)

But maybe he brought it on himself. 

Going into the game against Algeria, Rooney said his team wouldn’t need to be at its best to beat the Algerians. Algerian striker Ryad Boudebouz told South Africa’s Independent Online, that made a tie, rewarding: "It's true that getting a draw made us particularly happy because of the way the English under-estimated us with their comments in the media in the run-up to the match.”

Former England international Steve McManaman tells ESPN, the players are under a lot of pressure, but that’s no excuse: “You can’t just blame the pressure of playing for England. That’s counted. That’s been there forever. But they need to improve, because if they do find a way to beat Slovenia, which is not a given at the moment, and progress, they could meet a Germany or Serbia or a Ghana the way their group is fluctuating at the moment, and that’s going to be a really important game.”

And Slovenia is well aware of the pressure facing the English team. The team’s goalkeeper tells Sky Sports, England is in a slumber: "I hope England do not wake up against us... England have some big names in their squad, but in their first two matches they showed they weren't superior to their rivals in the group."

So what do think is wrong with England in the World Cup? And will they snap out of it in time to advance?

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Newsy: Harry Potter Theme Park Opens

Thousands came out for opening of 'The Wizarding World of Harry Potter' at Universal Orlando. However, some say the theme park is too expensive.

Harry Potter fans around the globe are excited for the newest addition to Universal Orlando Resort — The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park. 

The Orlando Sentinel got these images of opening day — thousands crowded the entrance.

The attraction is getting rave reviews from the likes of MSNBC, WEWS, and WFTS. 

“Two…One, LUMOS MAXIMA!”

“The wait is over. Now, Harry Potter fans from across the world who have read and watched the wizarding journeys from J.K. Rowling’s Potter saga can finally experience Harry’s world for themselves.” (MSNBC)

“The park is a replica of the town of Hogsmead and the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and had glowing reports.” (WEWS)

“You want to know what’s the best thing about this? Take a look at the detail. This is Hogwarts castle behind me and it’s just amazing what they’ve done here because you walk here and it’s like you’re walking onto the movie." (WFTS)

Fans have waited five years for this, and while it seems most people are pleased with the park, critics are expressing disdain over high costs. The Wallet Pop andBBC highlight the pricey problem: …“and you can only buy it here, and it’ll cost you. Golden snitches, fifteen dollars. Omioculars, thirty-five dollars. Sneak-o-Scopes, fifteen dollars. Remembrall, thirteen dollars.” (Wallet Pop) 

“If you want to dress like one of the Hogwarts kids this is going to send you back a hundred dollars. This little wand here is Hermione’s wand. This is thirty bucks. And if you want to ride the same broomstick as Harry Potter himself, this Firebolt is three-hundred dollars.” (BBC) 

The park is so expensive that some don’t think they will be able to afford it. One mother tells The Stir: “…that adds up to $296 for entry only to one park for a family of four with two kids under age 9. ... More power to you if you can afford to make this trip, but this adventure isn't going to make my family's summer vacation plans…”

So what do you think of the new theme park? Is the magic worth the money?

WRITER: Jessica Duong

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Humour: How does the Vuvuzela work?

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Newsy: Spain Facing Economic Crisis

After discussion at EU’s summit meeting Thursday, the global community is attempting to evaluate and shore-up what some are calling Spain’s economic debt crisis.

We’re analyzing coverage from CNBC, BBC, euronews, The New York Times, and TIME Magazine.

First, multiple perspectives on that crisis from some of the people who know it best, on the BBC, CNBC, and Euronews.

“There has been this increase in debt ratio. For some countries, this is really serious, like in the case of Greece, for instance. Some countries are in the middle, like Germany or France. Some countries are in a rather good situation compared to the debt ratio, and I’m thinking about Spain." (BBC)

“We’re not seeing anything yet that suggests that there is a risk that they will have to resort to European stroke IMF funding yet.” (CNBC)

“The European Commission categorically denied a report that the EU, IMF and U.S. Treasury were drawing up a liquidity plan for Spain.” (Euronews)

Although an IMF bailout is not necessary in the works now, the road to Europe’s economic recovery hinges on Spain. Unicredit Group Chief Economist Marco Annunziata describes Spain as “the Euro-zone’s linchpin...”: “…accounting for almost 12 percent of the area’s G.D.P. ... If Spain fails, the Euro-zone’s wheels will come off, derailing the continent’s recovery and its financial system.” (The New York Times)

TIME writer Michael Schuman agrees with the IMF, saying that overall Spanish PM Zapatero is “moving in the right direction.”: “His cabinet approved a labor reform bill to encourage hiring and make the labor market more flexible.”

But he also adds: “Much more needs to get done, like financial sector reform.”

An ING banking expert tells CNBC, financial sector reform must also be implemented throughout the European Union: “Let’s again be honest and say that if you want the Euro to survive, you need a credit union followed by some sort of partial fiscal union.”

So what do you think? Is Spain in economic trouble? Can it survive without a bailout? Does the Eurozone as a whole need fundamental reform? 

WRITER: Kelly Hagen

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Newsy: Internet 'Kill Switch' Proposed

A new bill would give President Obama the power to shut down the Internet in the event of a cyber attack which could compromise national security.

A new bill in Congress could give the president what’s being called an Internet kill switch, spurring outcry that it would give the government too much power.

We’re looking at perspectives from CNN, American Public Media, The Volokh Conspiracy Blog, The Inquisitor, The Portland Mercury Blog and Instapundit.

The bill would give the president the power to issue measures that Internet companies would have to comply with in case of a cyber attack which could comprimise national security. The president would be able to shut down parts of the Internet. It’s sponsored by Senator Joe Lieberman, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee. CNN expands on the bill.

KIRAN CHETRY: “Senator Lieberman has long supported government regulation of the Internet, but this new bill goes even further in the handling of emergency powers, handing them over to the Feds.”

American Public Media’s Marketplace says the idea of a cyber attack is not all that far-fetched, and The Volokh Conspiracy blog says, iif an attacked occurred, the president would have the ability to protect the country: “The Pentagon and private companies like Google already fend off millions of attacks every day.”

“If another country launches a computer network attack on U.S. infrastructure, do we want the president to look as helpless as he looks today in response to the BP spill?”

Fox News reports that the bill is supported by many Internet companies because it would protect them from civil lawsuits and reimburse them if the Internet was shut down. The Inquisitir says this isn’t surprising: “…the typical sweet deal being dangled in front of the companies to con them into signing on this stupidity…”

The Portland Mercury blog is astounded that a senator would even conceive an idea like this: “That activating a ‘kill switch’ would not only bring our economy to a near-screeching halt, but could possibly cause irreparable damage? It sincerely blows my mind that this person is allowed anywhere near the federal government!”

Finally, an Instapundit blog explains that something like this could cause public chaos: “WHAT COULD GO WRONG? ... If they shut down the Internet, I’m getting my gun. And I think everyone should take it as a signal to do the same -- because one way or the other it means the country’s under attack.”

What do you think? Should the government have control of the Internet in case of a cyber attack? If so, does this bill provide the right amount?

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