Restless in holidays Trace of white frost on green grass, red ribbons on the fences, menorahs on the lawns, red, green, and silver lights on pine trees manmade icicles on front eaves It is that time of the year again. Boxed ornaments welcome their short-lived freedom while hang on branches of indoor pines. Decorated shop-fronts invite window-shoppers […]
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Police in Japan have reported that crime is at a minimum and that they have nothing to do. They say that there has only been one gun homicide since 2015 when they made firearms illegal. Gun control is the major reason for this low homicide rate. Japanese Law states that no person is allowed to own a firearm or sword. […]
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Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, has blistering 800-degree temperatures at its equator—but its poles are full of ice. New data from NASA’s Messenger spacecraft, which began orbiting Mercury last year, has revealed that as much as a trillion tons of ice exists in shadowy polar craters, where temperatures can drop to minus 370 degrees. Much of the ice […]
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Linfen, China A suspected Chinese organ trafficker gouged out the eyes of a 6-year-old boy to steal the corneas for the black market. The boy was playing outside his house in Shanxi province last weekend when a woman kidnapped and drugged him. His parents found him hours later with bloody eye sockets, and the eyeballs were found nearby missing the […]
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“Soft is stronger than hard, water stronger than rock, love stronger than violence.” – Hermann Hesse
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“The more I traveled, the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine
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“Trainwreck” hilariously depicts some sobering news: Alcohol consumption is on the rise among educated professional women. And in a high-pressure culture where workdays can end in rounds of drinks, collegial boozing is creating some tricky situations. For the young creatives at one Washington, D.C.-based marketing agency, grabbing a beer together is as typical as a group coffee run. And on […]
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Tropical forests account for a third of the total carbon fixed by photosynthesis. Lianas’ increasing abundance may be driven by changing climate, increased disturbance or by more severe seasonal drought. By reducing the ability of tropical forests to accumulate and store carbon released through burning fossil fuels, lianas could cause a positive feedback loop, accelerating climate change. “This study has […]
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“There are two kinds of light — the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures.” – James Thurber
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An anonymous “Secret Santa” traveled to New Jersey and New York last week to hand out $100 bills to people who’d lost their homes and possessions in Hurricane Sandy. The Kansas City, Mo., businessman spent a day in Elizabeth, N.J., and Staten Island, N.Y., giving C-notes to the poor and homeless; he plans to give away $100,000 this holiday season. He was […]
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