Cat's have the right to negotiate their own terms.

Be good to your cats, because at any moment they may decide to up and leave.

I recently read an article in Discover Magazine about the 100 scientific discoveries of 2007. One of them was the history of feline domestication. When Man first developed agriculture they created fields, to grow plants. These fields did much more than just that. They offered smaller animals, such a mice, a feeding ground. This eventually brought cats to the fields. After all they do love to eat those furry little rodents. Shorty the cats who were predisposed to tolerate people flourished, living in fields, then huts and villages. The cats had found a world where they could hunt to their hearts content, but sleep protected from larger predators by man.

So those cute little kitty cats who always act like they own the place, and their doing you a favor by allowing you to be in their presence, actually have a right to be proud. They are the only "domestic" animal to never be domesticated by man.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Since it is Christmas eve this will be a short post, but I felt I had to share my story. Today I went shopping. Not Christmas shopping. I did not leave shopping for the last minute this year. Today I went watch shopping.

Recently my watch died. It lasted me five and a half years. It was a good watch. Durable. Told me the time, date and day of the week. It's time was up. So today I replaced it, with an almost exact replica.

When the sales representative came over to help me I had already narrowed my selection down to two choices. One was the replica. The other was a thinner model. The first question was...are these water resistant?

Sales Clerk:

They should be. It will say on the back.

Me:

It says's water resistant.

Sales Clerk:

That means it can be submerged up to 100 meters. So about 5 miles.

Yes, you heard that right 100 meters is equal to 5 miles. Well after that we moved on to a new topic. One that has less to do with measurements.

Me:

When can I get the watch sized?

Sales Clerk:

We won't be able to do any sizing until January 1.

Me:

There's no way we can have it happen sooner, cause I will be leaving on the 27th.

Sales Clerk:

Oh well I can get it sized for you after Christmas, we're just busy right now.

Me:

Oh. Can you guarantee that it will be ready to be picked up on the 26th. Cause I will be leaving in the morning on the 27th.

Sales Clerk:

Well let me see if I can get it for you today. Follow me.

We then went over to talk to the guy who does the sizing. She handed over the sale to him, which we were very thankful for. He was able to get the watched sized in five minutes.

In the end I got to see the difference between an incompetent sales clerk and a competent one. The later made my shopping experience much less stressful, but with less hilarity.

Pictures

Bill Richardson with Mun Jong Choi in January. Richardson is running for president in 2008. He says he has more international experience than the other Democratic Candidates.



Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart, Steven Colbert and David Letterman are all expected to return for production in January. Despite the writers strike. They are doing this to help offset the people involved with production, such as cameramen, who are not getting paid due to the strike.



New research has led scientists to believe that Whales evolved from Mammals. The Indohyus, tiny deer like animals went back into the water that they had evolved out of and became the Whales we know today.



For all you star gazers out there now is the time to check out Mars. Located just above Gemini, the planet is the closest it has been since 2003 and will not get any closer until 2016.

National Museum of Iraq

Following the norm whenever a country goes through turmoil, Iraq's art community has suffered greatly these past few years. When Baghdad fell looters stole around 15,000 Mesopotamian artifacts from the National Museum of Iraq. This is a huge loss to society as Iraq was in the center of various great early civilizations, including the Persian Empire. (From whom those of the Middle East claim descendants, and are ironically, if not significantly the ancient rivals of the Greeks, whom the West claim descendants.)

Since the looting of the museum the museum directors have managed to recover 4,000 of the missing pieces. 400 of which were returned by Ahmad Chalabi, a Shiite politician who is trying to get international support in locating and recovering the artifacts that remain lost.

The museum's tragedy has also brought a spotlight on the vast amount of illegal digging that occurs at 12,000 of Baghdad's archaeological sites. In a country of turmoil, black market antiquities can bring in enough money to support a whole family for a long time.

Hobbit

YAY!

I am very happy to see that New Line and Peter Jackson have patched things up. Jackson will now be directing the Hobbit. The book, a prequel to the Lord of the Rings, will be made into two films. The Hobbit just wouldn't have stood up to the Lord of The Rings if Jackson hadn't been on board.

I'm not saying that the films will be as good as the trilogy, that debate has to wait for the completion of filming. What I am saying is that having any other Director would have caused stylistic difference between the films. I'm grateful for the potential for consistency Jackson offers.

Can't wait to see the films.

History

tom Holland on King Darius' view of his reign over Persia:

History, in effect, had been brought to a glorious close. The Persians' empire was both its end and its summation - for what could a dominion be that contained within it all the limits of the horizon, if not the bulwark of a truly cosmic order?"

It is interesting to note how man has viewed history. History is what has gone before. Our view, or opinion, of that history is what the dominate social group chooses to make of it. Manipulating the populous' view of History through propaganda campaigns, the dominate groups have been able to create a history that benefits their own agendas. This is a pessimistic view, yes, but I believe it is true.

King Darius campaigned that "History" had been working toward perfection, towards truth, and the empire had finally reached that perfection under his leadership.

Take your Girlfriend to work day!

This weekend I followed my boyfriend around as he worked. He's a sports reporter for the Trenton Times. He typically covers highschool sports, but will occasionally be called to cover college basketball.

He really loves his job, and now I can see why.

This weekend we watched a girl's basketball game and three wrestling matches. It was a lot of fun. As a student athelet I didn't get the chance to watch many sporting events in highschool, other than my own. This weekend I discovered how fun that can be (and yes I do ealize how often I am using the word "fun" in this paragraph).

The girl's b-ball game was all defense, except for number 2 of the away team who stole the show on offence. It was entertaining to hear the parents cheer on their daughters and yell at the calls the refs were making. It made me feel nastalgic for how my dad would cheer me on at my Volleyball games.

Wresteling was far less thrilling. This was the first time I have ever seen a match. All I can say is, while it was entertaining to watch the 285 pound kids push eachother around. It reminded me of two bulls locking their horns and fighting for supremency. I do not understand why any man would want to play this sport. I guess its a kind of motcho thing I will never understand.

After 4 hours of wresteling we were done covering sports for the weekend. I'm glad I got to see what my boy does while he's far away from me. If you can and you don't have a standard desk job or have a job you dislike, I completely suggest taking your significant other to work with you sometime.

A Modern Day Monopoly

Amtrak, a modern day monopoly. In today's business world when an American thinks of a monopoly they usually think... Microsoft. Although Mac has been encrouching upon that in the past couple of years. When I think of monopolies my mind is immediately drawn to tAmtrak.

A Company where the prices are high and the service is marginal, Amtrak has bloomed into the only train company in town. At least the only train company that can get a person along the Northeast Corridor (I am not very familiar with corridors in other parts of the country). Due to the fact that they are the only game in town Amtrak can charg $111 for a train ticket from Washington =, Union Station to Trenton, NJ. That's how much it costs at 1 p.m. on a Friday. The same trip costs $58 at 12 a.m. on Sunday.

That's half price!

So, either Amtrak is lossing an incredible amount of money on their non-rush hour trains, or supply and demand is workinghighly in their favor. I'm inclined to believe the later.

On that note...will no philanthropus save us from these high prices and consistantly late trains?

Funny warning signs and labels

I doubt I will be able to post anything, never mind my usual pictures tomorrow. So please enjoy the following funny signs and warning labels.

Medea

The Medea is a well known ancient play written by Seneca. Lucius Annaeus Seneca was from Cordoba, Spain. As an ancient Roman he inherited many of the traditions and beliefs of the Romans, as well as the Greeks before them. Medea was based upon a pre-existing myth surrounding a mystical golden fleece. The main character, Medea, was a witch from Colchis, along the eastern shores of the Black Sea. She loves Jason, the hero, whom she helps gain power through the use of magic. But, Jason turns on her and marries another woman, after Medea has already born him two children. In her rage she seeks revenge upon Jason by killing their children.

Recently I learned of the existence of an ancient town. This town was originally under the power of the Assyrians, who used it's great access to horses to add speed to their army. The town then was helped to lead a revolt against their foreign dictators. After winning the town became one of the most prominent of the region. It maintained that status, even after King Cyrus of the Persians, conquered it's walls. The town was called Media.
When King Cyrus expanded his campaign to be a supreme leader and conquer of all he expanded towards the Greek lands. When he came into contact with the Ionians he gave his general, Harpagus instructions to conquer these people using all the force and brutality that the Persians were famous for. Harpagus did a splendid job. The Ionions feared this general, who was from the city of Media, to such an extent that they started to refer to the Persians as Medes.

I have not done any further research, but it appears to me that Seneca borrowed the name Media (this is the English spelling, Medea is the Latin spelling) to represent the most horrific, and brutal woman depicted in the ancient plays.

Snail Mail

It's amazing how books keep us together. Today I am planning on sending a friend in NY a book I read over the weekend. "Love Walked In" by Marisa De La Santos is a heartwarming story of Love in all it's forms. I enjoyed the story and I think she will too. The book was originally sent to me by my boyfriend, in NJ, who got it from his mom. This book has traveled. It is not the only book that I've read to travel great distances. The farthest someone has sent a book to me is from France, but it is not the distance that is impressive. The idea that in today's world of instant messenger and cell phones, sending the written word via "snail" mail is still one of the best ways to show you care.
Sending a book not only shows that you care, but that, even from a distance, you still know who they are and what they like. People love receiving mail, especially in today's world of instant communication. While instant communication is great for long distance relationships, the thought and effort of sending actual mail is appreciated far more. Recently my sister got a new job. She was really excited, and over the phone I said "congratulations". Later that day I sent her a card. She was so surprised and thrilled that she immediately called to thank me.
...to thank me. It seems so strange to be thanked for doing something that was second nature, and expected 10 years ago.
In the end I love "snail" mail. I dislike calling it that because we should not focus on it's speed, especially since it usually get's there the next day. A far cry from the Pony Express. Instead we should focus on it's tangable nature. It is a physical connection between two people of great distance.

New Pictures

This week I seem to be very "scientifically" oriented.



Above is the very first picture taken from the moon of the earth. It was taken on August 23, 1966 by the Lunar Orbiter 1.



Muons are generated by cosmic rays. Physicists have developed a way to use the Muons to penetrate the earth and examine ancient sites, such as the Mayan the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacán. They will also be using the muons to study active volcanoes and detect nuclear materials.



Meet the jerboa. Located in the Mongolian desert this animal has been lovingly dubbed "Mickey Mouse of the Desert". It has been classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources' Red List, and is getting fresh attention from the zoological society's EDGE program, which focuses on species that are "evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered." The jerboa has recently made appearances on various news stations in America, in the hope that the media attention will help increase awareness for the protection of this tiny little animal.

Synopsis

I have a few thoughts that either aren't big enough for their own post, or I just haven't gotten to them yet...which means I may never. So here is a synopsis of these thoughts.

1. It snowed today, all day. I find how the residents of DC react to snow to be quite amusing. Other than the endless hilarity that can come from 1 inch of snowfall in DC I'm really not a fan of this type of precipitation.

2. The wonders of Football. This includes my love of Dallas, and that love's beginning, and the horrible greatness that is Brady and the Patriots.

3. "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman. I am currently reading this book, which is an expanded thought based upon scientific research about how long it would take nature to reclaim the world if Man were to disappear in, lets say, rapture style. The book also looks at how man, and all of our inventions have affected nature. I am particular moved by our affects on Megafauna and birds.

4. My Volleyball team won our league championship last night! NUMBER 1! Now we have to decide what prize we want: T-shit, Trophy, money off next years league fees, or a Pint Glass. I'm for Pint Glasses.

5. Christmas. Yes I know it's only December 5, but I have had all (except 3) gifts bought and wrapped for 2 weeks now. Tomorrow is my first holiday party. I have 3 more work parties before I leave to visit family on the 21st. That seems like an outrageous amount of parties, especially since my parents are hosting one the day after I arrive.

Pictures (Late, I know, but here)

Marine life and coastal life are being effected by the great amounts of trash being dumped into the sea. The worst of this trash are the plastics, which do not biodegrade. Scientist have recently discovered that none of the plastics created by man have decomposed, they have merely broken apart into tiny pieces and are now floating around in the Sea or being buried in the earth.



Redskins' Sean Taylor. May he rest in peace.



Cherry Blossoms in Japan are confused. They are blooming out of season. This is due to the eradicate temperature changes. Scientists are concerned for the trees. If they bloom now the seeds that they drop won't have the proper conditions to plant themselves. Those that bloom now, will not bloom in the Spring, when their supposed to.



New images taken form space of Earth's Arctic frontier by NASA.



Criminal Master Mind! This particular 1,000,000 dollar bill is a forgery. The U.S. government does not make bills this high. One individual, who probably thought he was pretty savvy, tried to use it to buy something (I hope it was a car or house and not...m&m's). The cashier wouldn't take the bill and called the cops. The man was arrested and charged with two counts of forgery, he had just deposited fake checks into his banking account.

Supergirl!

Your results:
You are Supergirl

Supergirl 88% The Flash 85% Iron Man 80% Superman 70% Wonder Woman 63% Robin 63% Green Lantern 60% Catwoman 60% Hulk 45% Spider-Man 40% Batman 15%

Lean, muscular and feminine. Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...


This is great, cause I loved Supergirl as child. She was second only to SheRa (HeMan's sister).