40
POPSI'm a Grandma! I met my 9-month-old grandson for the first time yesterday! I'm so excited, I can't stop smiling! This is the best Christmas ever. My son & I have reconciled after too many years of estrangement. Praise God for answering my prayers. I wanted to share my love and joy with all of you.
40
POPSGod's Inbox Hahhaahhahahah!!! Since I'm being evil, I'm sure that Father Christmas would leave me coal in my stocking this year. Coal won't be so bad......................... As long as it comes with a grill and steaks.
33
POPSWhat if everything you believe is Wrong? Retrospect and reflection are priceless. It's easy to cherish a belief that we are not prepared to challenge. Like a crab that needs to shed it's shell to grow, for a short time is soft and vulnerable. Soon it is harder, stronger and bigger. (unless it's a Hermit crab, with a new shell ready) One of the keys to the manner in which we challenge our beliefs is through learning and experience. Without the unknown to draw us forward, we would run around in circles. Consider the way a child sees the world. It can be valid, but sometimes beliefs belong in the domain of children. Children can believe a man they barely know gives them gifts for Christmas. There comes a time in their life that they have to admit not so much that this is a fiction, but that the truth has been that their parents have had to work to get the money to get the gifts, with absolutely no credit. (Sorry, I should write Recognition. Credit and Christmas are Mortal enemies)
25
POPSMath Behind Ancient Islamic Tile Patterns Decoded When Peter J. Lu traveled to Uzbekistan, he had no idea of the mathematical journey that he was about to embark on as well. See the full research article as published in Science . It's a wonderful example of original, multidisciplinary academic research bridging history and mathematics that happens to force us to re-think the sophistication of ancient geometrical knowledge. When Lu looked at photographs of Islamic buildings, he found that he could break the patterns on their surfaces up into the same shapes, even though the shapes often weren't immediately visible. "I couldn't sleep for days," he said. "I skipped Christmas break to work on it."
21
POPSThe Origin of the Crossword Puzzle Crossword Casualties Some folks were driven over the edge by the craze. In 1924, a Chicago woman sued her husband for divorce, claiming "he was so engrossed in solving crosswords that he didn’t have time to work." The judge ordered the man to "limit himself to 3 puzzles a day and devote the rest of his time to domestic duties." In 1925, a New York Telephone Co. employee shot his wife when she wouldn’t help with a crossword puzzle. And in 1926, a Budapest man committed suicide, leaving an explanation in the form of a crossword puzzle. (No one could solve it.) Eventually, the craze died down. It took The New York Times to revive it. Today, The New York Times crossword puzzle is considered the puzzle of choice for hardcore addicts, but that hasn’t always been true. Believe it or not, the Times resisted crosswords for more than two decades.Here’s the story of how the newspaper changed its mind...<<
21
POPSMerry Clipsmas! Austin's favorite Eggnog Recipe! T'wil soon be Clipsmas, and t'is the season for reflective discussion, contemplative reading, somewhere between the smoky fire and icy window, preferably sinking into a soft worn-out arm chair. And what could be better for contemplative discussion than heart-stopping quantities of alcohol and heavy cream? Because I can't physically share a glass with you all, but love everyone none the less, in the esprit de Clipsmass, here's my favorite Eggnog Recipe, inaugurating my food blog! Please drink responsibly. Friends don't let friend drink and clip!