Happy New Year!!

Tootoo's rehab could help others: mother

"The mother of Nunavut-raised hockey star Jordin Tootoo says she hopes her son's decision to seek treatment for his alcohol abuse will encourage other northerners dealing with substance abuse to get help.

Rose Tootoo said she is pleased to see her son, a 27-year-old forward with the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators, stepping up to deal with his heavy drinking problem.

"If you're a role model, regardless, absolutely no human being is perfect," the elder Tootoo told CBC News from the family's home community of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

"Everybody makes mistakes. So if you think you have a problem, don't be afraid, like I say. Go out and get help."..."read more

Argentina to record UFO sightings

Updated: 07:02, Thursday December 30, 2010

"The Argentine Air Force has created a commission to record and investigate reports of unidentified flying objects (UFO) in the South American country's airspace, a spokesman told AFP Wednesday.
The Commission for the Investigation of Airspace Phenomenon "is in the process of being formed," said Captain Mariano Mohaupt.
Officials said the air force already holds records of reported UFO sighting, but the interdisciplinary commission - involving meteorologists, air traffic controllers and civilian pilots alongside military authorities - would formalise the data keeping.
Other South American countries including neighbouring Brazil and Uruguay and have previously moved to record alleged UFO sightings.
Argentine authorities urged military and civilian pilots as well as air traffic controllers to report their experiences and, if possible, to send any documenting evidence..."read here

Driving in the Snow

Photo by Brian Elmquist via Twitter"When you wake up the morning after a snowstorm to find 2 feet of fresh powder piled up in your driveway, you can guarantee that traveling anywhere outside your home is going to be a chore. Driving is going to be especially dangerous.
The only foolproof way to stay safe when the roads are covered in winter snow is to stay at home. But sometimes, you have to go out. So if you must, here are some ways to make your trip safer and easier for you and your fellow drivers...." driving in the snow

Snow in the UK: more pictures of winter weather in Britain taken by Telegraph readers

Interesting pictures...

"...After all these pictures of dogs in the winter weather, it's good to see a cat enjoying the snow - at least we think he's enjoying it. Anne-Marie Dawe of Eltham, London, writes: "Here is a photo of our cat Milo enjoying the snow - once he has had a play, he usually runs into the house through the cat flap like a madman, running around the house as though trying to get the snow off."..."Pictures of Winter Weather in Britian

Rescuers save dog with his head trapped in a wall

"Animal rescue workers have saved an inquisitive dog who got his head stuck in a hole in a wall and ended up looking like a hunting trophy.
Rebel the German shepherd had become curious about a hole in a 18-inch block wall in California and stuck his head though to take a look.

But the eight-month-old was instantly unable to get back out and when a friend of the owner heard him whimpering the sent for help.

Officers from Riverside County Animal Services say it took 30 minutes to gently pull him back through the wall. He's now feeling a hole lot better..."read more here

North To Alaska ~ Johnny Horton

Strange Hawaiian Caterpillar HD

photo

V I C T O R---- C R I S O S T O M O Fine art painter and contemporary artist

http://www.gcrisostomo.com/aboutme.html

Alcoholics May Stop at One Drink With Help From Lundbeck Anti-Abuse Drug

"The first pill designed to curb a person’s urge to have more than a few drinks at a sitting is undergoing tests in Europe, promising doctors and public-health authorities a new approach to fighting alcoholism.
The drug, nalmefene from H. Lundbeck A/S in Valby, Denmark, blocks brain signals that make activities such as sex and drinking feel good. Should trials succeed, the medicine may win clearance in Europe as early as 2012, becoming the first new alcoholism treatment approved there in more than 15 years.
While the drugs now sold are used to prevent relapses after people quit drinking, nalmefene is aimed at reducing consumption without the abstinence that Alcoholics Anonymous and other treatment programs say is necessary. This less-strict approach may drive more abusers to seek treatment for the first time, said Adron Harris, director of the University of Texas at Austin’s Waggoner Center for Alcohol & Addiction Research...."read here

China has carrier-killer missile, U.S. admiral says

pic"China's military is deploying a new anti-ship ballistic missile that can sink U.S. aircraft carriers, a weapon that specialists say gives Beijing new power-projection capabilities that will affect U.S. support for its Pacific allies.

Adm. Robert F. Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, disclosed to a Japanese newspaper on Sunday that the new anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) is now in the early stages of deployment after having undergone extensive testing..."read more

Roberta Flack - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Rock Me Baby-BB KIng/Eric Clapton/Buddy Guy/Jim Vaughn

Playboy's Hugh Hefner engaged to 24-year-old former playmate

"Who says May-Miss December romances don't work?

Hugh Hefner, the 84-year-old Viagra-popping founder of Playboy, is tying the knot for the third time.
This time the lucky gal is 24-year-old Crystal Harris, December 2009 playmate of the month.
“When I gave Crystal the ring, she burst into tears,” Hefner posted on his Twitter account. "This is the happiest Christmas weekend in memory."
“Yes, the ring I gave Crystal is an engagement ring," he clarified later for those asking if it was merely a Christmas present or a step forward for the couple.
Hefner posted that he and Harris spent the night before Christmas watching a movie, then exchanging gifts. Hefner had a few for his girlfriend, including the legendary diamond Playboy watch, which Harris tweeted a picture of.
His big gift was the engagement ring. It was a "memorable Christmas Eve together," Hefner tweeted.
Video: The world's ultimate playboy gets engaged
Hefner's love life has, of course, been well documented – including the popular reality show showcasing a trio of girlfriends in "The Girls Next Door."
Hefner and his previous wife, 1988 playmate of the year Kimberley Conrad, were married in 1989 and separated in 1998. They divorced this year. Now Hefner will walk down the aisle half a century after his first marriage in 1959 to Mildred Williams.
But if you think Hef might not be the exact icon of monogamy or a perfect relationship, he begs to differ. In an interview with RadarOnline.com after the breakup of Sandra Bullock and Jesse James, he said more than anyone, he knows all of the sides to a relationship – and what makes one work.
"I was married and completely faithful for eight years," he told Radar. "I lived a single life, a playboy lifestyle, before and after it, but while I was married I was faithful to it."  Hefner told the New York Times magazine in July that he uses Viagra – which he called "God's little helper" – a couple of times a week."http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/26/playboys-hugh-hefner-engaged-to-24-year-old-former-playmate/?hpt=C2&replytocom=365707

Snoopy’s Christmas

Unbelievable Live Earth - Sneaky Sound System UFO - HQ

The total lunar eclipse in pictures

"Skygazers with a clear view in North America and Europe were greeted with a celestial treat in the early morning hours, as a total lunar eclipse transformed the Moon pink, coppery or even a blood red. Coinciding with the northern hemisphere's mid-winter solstice - for the first time in almost four centuries - the eclipse showed the Sun, the Earth and its satellite as they directly aligned, with the Moon swinging into the cone of shadow cast by its mother planet..." lunar eclipse in pictures

Lunar Eclipse 2010 LIVE Recap: Photos, video & Tweets

The Moody Blues - December Snow

Coyote rescued from ice float

Miss Cellania-morning cup of links

The Most Heroic Animals of 2010. Read stories of dogs, cats, horses, dolphins, rabbits, and a cow that might leave you a little verklempt. (via Nag on the Lake)
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Ancient Robots & Victorian Androids. Leonardo da Vinci thought about them, and people have been building robots of one kind or another ever since.
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Sex in space will eventually lead to pregnancy in space, which raises some far-out concerns. How will microgravity affect human gestation and childbirth? (via Metafilter)
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Walks of Life is a Cyriak animation made for Showtime. Once you get past the creepiness of finger-figures, notice it tells the tale of evolution.
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Double Dreamhands! Part of me wants to try this; another part of me is laughing too hard to stand up straight.  (via Breakfast Links)
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London’s parkour stuntmen show off their stuff -and how! The action starts about 2.5 minutes in.
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Rudolph, and Santa’s 27 Other Reindeer. We herd they were planning a trip this weekend. http://www.misscellania.com/about-miss-c/

Jana Mashonee

1.http://www.facebook.com/janamashonee 2.http://www.myspace.com/janamashonee 3.http://www.janamashonee.com/ Jana Mashonee ft. Derek Miller - A Change Is Gonna Come

THE DIGITAL STORY OF THE NATIVITY

Britain's ugliest dog finally finds a loving home after his 'unique' looks make him a hit with the ladies

"With his bug eyes, wildly crooked teeth and sparsely-whiskered chin, scrawny Ug sat for months, unclaimed and overlooked at an animal sanctuary.

But now, after being dubbed Britain’s ugliest dog, the two-year-old’s less-than-enticing looks have landed him a loving home..." read here, more photos

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer-Gene Autry

picRudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him,
you would even say it glows.

All of the other reindeer
used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rudolph
join in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say:
"Rudolph with your nose so bright,
won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then all the reindeer loved him
as they shouted out with glee,
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,
you'll go down in history!

Run Run Rudolph - Johnny Reid

2 Christmas videos: Animals Singing and The Night Before Christmas

Merry Christmas

The last word: Why old dogs are the best dogs

"They can be eccentric, slow afoot, even grouchy. But dogs live out their final days, says The Washington Post’s Gene Weingarten, with a humility and grace we all could learn from..."old dogs are the best dogs

You Are Not Alone-photos by Anastasia

    Photography by Anastasia found here

Video: On-air drug (hallucenogenic herb salvia) use by Saskatoon DJ sparks debate

pic"A Saskatoon radio disc jockey touched off a fierce local debate about the hallucinogenic herb salvia on Thursday, by smoking it during a live broadcast.

Concerned about a recently-released video of teen pop star Miley Cyrus giggling after puffing something her publicist claimed was salvia divinorum — a legal substance sold in many hemp stores — DJ Ryder of Wired 96.3’s morning show staged a live demonstration, hoping to discourage others from trying it themselves.

The station later posted a disturbing 12-minute video of his “trip” on its facebook page, along with a link to an online petition started by Ryder, calling for the federal government to make salvia an illegal substance...read more & video
Study: Salvia is Powerful Hallucinogen:(NewsCore) - Salvia, the drug Miley Cyrus was caught smoking out of a bong in a video recorded at her birthday party, is a short-acting, extremely powerful hallucinogenic drug, according to new research published Wednesday in Science Magazine.

In spite of its popularity as a recreational drug, little has been known about the effects of the plant, which is a type of mint that is native to Mexico. But researchers at Johns Hopkins University recently completed the first experiments with the drug done on human test subjects.

In more than 20 sessions, the participants inhaled various doses of highly purified salvinorin A, the plant’s psychoactive substance, or were given a placebo. Their vital signs were monitored and the test subjects were also queried about their experiences.read study here

City targets liquor store panhandlers

By David Hutton, The StarPhoenix "The City of Saskatoon proposes to add teeth to a bylaw to curb aggressive panhandling in front of liquor stores and prevent drunk or stoned panhandlers from pestering passersby for money.

After consulting with police, community and business groups, the city solicitor is asking city council on Monday to approve a ban on panhandling within 10 metres of liquor stores.

Aggressive panhandling has increased in recent years, said Saskatoon police Insp. Shelley Ballard, who is responsible for the central division, which includes the city's downtown core and surrounding neighbourhoods..."read more

100 Time-Saving Search Engines for Serious Scholars

"While burying yourself in the stacks at the library is one way to get some serious research done, with today’s technology you can do quite a bit of useful searching before you ever set foot inside a library. Undergraduates and grad students alike will appreciate the usefulness of these search engines that allow them to find books, journal articles and even primary source material for whatever kind of research they’re working on and that return only serious, academic results so time isn’t wasted on unprofessional resources..." search engines for scholars

23,096 stuffed animals bombard a hockey rink

By Greg Wyshynski  While tossing hats onto the ice when a player scores three goals might be hockey's most famous tossing tradition, it simply doesn't compare to the Technicolor grandeur of 23,096 teddy bears and other stuffed animals blanketing the rink as they did at the Calgary Hitmen game on Sunday. For 16 years the Hitmen, who were co-owned by and named after former WWF champion Bret Hart, have held a Teddy Bear Toss to benefit over 50 charities in Alberta that work with children. On Monday, after the 23,000-strong toss, the players hand-delivered teddy bears to the Alberta Children's Hospital.

Hockey Teddy Bear Toss @ Yahoo! Video

Marines fly Santa, helpers to Arizona reservation

SUPAI, Ariz. (AP) --" Children on the Havasupai reservation don't associate Santa Claus with a sleigh and flying reindeer.
They know he's coming when they hear the swooshing sounds of Marine helicopters overhead.
Three Marine helicopters meandered through canyons to make sure Santa and his helpers reached even the most remote of places Wednesday - a small roadless reservation that sits deep in a gorge off the Grand Canyon and the only place in the country where mail is delivered by mule train...." read here The Official Website of the Havasupai Tribehttp://www.havasupai-nsn.gov/
Havasupai means "people of the blue green water". Havasupais have dwelt in the Grand Canyon and the rest of north-central Arizona for over 1,000 years, practicing summertime irrigated farming in the canyons and wintertime hunting in the plateaus. The Havasupai Tribe Reservation is at the end of Indian Route 18 off historic Route 66. It consists of 188,077 acres of canyon land and broken plateaus abutting the western edge of the Grand Canyon's south rim. Residents live in Supai Village in the 3,000 foot deep Havasu Canyon. The reservation was established in 1880 and substantially enlarged in 1975. The tribe is known for its location, traditional cultural life, and beautiful arts and crafts...

Porky Pig - Blue Christmas

Skunk Damages Hundreds Of Gifts At Purcell Charity

Pic & story of pet skunk Oreo(Oreo did not spray gifts) @skunk

" Officials with a charity in McClain County have a unique holiday problem.>> Images: What's That Smell? A Skunk Ruining Christmas! A skunk sprayed hundreds of presents that were going to be given to low-income families in the area, said Peggy Christian with McClain County Operation Christmas.McClain County Operation Christmas is an all-volunteer group, Christian said, that took care of 786 children in 2009 with expectations of providing gifts to 850 or more in 2010.As for the gifts that were sprayed, it's unclear whether they can be salvaged."The ones laying out, they have been sprayed with Febreeze many, many times," Christian said.Volunteers took the wrapped presents outside to air out.The group cooperates with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services to vet families to ensure they fall below prescribed income levels. McClain County churches and clubs also work through Operation Christmas to provide gifts to families otherwise unable.Christian said the group would welcome donations to help out in this situation.She said those donating toys should do so at the Purcell Multi-Purpose Center before 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, or at the Purcell Police Department after 5 p.m. any of those days.Christian said the group plans to hand out its presents on Friday..."read here

Oilers Octane first-ever performance. 14 December 2010

"The Edmonton Oilers announced today the launch of the first-ever Canadian NHL Cheer Team called the Oilers Octane. The Oilers Octane consists of 19 women aged 18-29 who competed with over 100 talented dancers to earn a spot on Octane..." http://oilers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=66416

Stem Cell Transplant Cures HIV In 'Berlin Patient'

"On the heels of World AIDS Day comes a stunning medical breakthrough: Doctors believe an HIV-positive man who underwent a stem cell transplant has been cured as a result of the procedure.
Timothy Ray Brown, also known as the "Berlin Patient," received the transplant in 2007 as part of a lengthy treatment course for leukemia. His doctors recently published a report in the journal Blood affirming that the results of extensive testing "strongly suggest that cure of HIV infection has been achieved."...read here

Robbie Robertson - Golden Feather

Racism?

Everyone seems to be in such a hurry to scream ‘racism’ these days.
 
A  customer asked, “In what aisle could I find the Polish sausage?”  
 
 The clerk asks, “Are you Polish?”
 The guy, clearly offended, says, “Yes I am.  But let me ask you something.  

If I had asked for Italian sausage, would you ask me if I was Italian? 

Or if I had asked for German Bratwurst, would you ask me if I was German?

“Or if I asked for a kosher hot dog would you ask me if I was Jewish? 
Or if I had asked for a Taco, would you ask if I was Mexican?
Or if I asked for some Irish whiskey, would you ask if I was Irish?”

The clerk says, “No, I probably wouldn’t.”

The guy says, “Well then, because I asked for Polish sausage, why did you  ask me if I’m Polish?”

The clerk replied, “Because you’re in Home Depot.” 

Mindblowing examples of Black and white photography

http://blog.pokkisam.com/content/mindblowing-examples-black-and-white-photography

Barn owl rides skateboard

"A barn owl that rides a skateboard has become a hit at its local shopping centre.
But contrary to expectation Alby is no night rider – instead he displays his wheely good skills in front of stunned shoppers in Folkestone, Kent.

Brian Maxted, 73, who runs Folkestone Owl Sanctuary, said he discovered Alby’s unusual talent during a trip to the local shopping centre.

He said: “I often take some owls into town to try and get some donations from shoppers.I had the owls out one day last week and a young lad stopped to look at them.He put down his skateboard and Alby, who’d been fast asleep, saw it and jumped on. Someone pulled it along the ground and he loved it so much, we had to get him one of his own.”

Alby, who is 13, has now developed his technique, which involves him swooping onto the board, using the momentum from his flight to push him along.

When the board comes to a stop, Alby takes off and flies in a small circle before re-landing on the board, pushing it along again." read here

Feline survives leap from telephone pole

yahoo pets

Linus- Christmas Monologue