All about the planets

Here is a neat link that has a lot of information about the planets. It tells you what their density is, their temperature, how long a day is, and how long a year is. You can see on the density chart that Saturn would float on water!

A great summary of package shipping options

A helpful post, especially for this time of year.

Hanukkah is the story of a great fight

Fascinating article (via this great post by Simcha).

Advent in 2 Minutes

See your house in a snow globe

Cool...if a little creepy.

Love and the disabled child

A powerful article by a woman who never wanted kids, whose life was transformed when she became a single mother to a daughter with Down syndrome who eventually developed cancer.

Fascinating facts about the biggest tsunami ever recorded

Wow.

Maternal death rates in hospitals with pro-life policies

DarwinCatholic has a great post about the Savita Halappanavar tragedy, with an important clarification about Catholic teaching on abortion and the life of the mother. The most interesting part was this statistic:

In this regard, Irish law and medical practice are in line with a Catholic understanding of the principle of double effect, which is to say: Not only did Irish law not mandate that the hospital decline to treat Ms. Halappanavar, but Catholic teaching does not either.  And, indeed, Ireland is right to be proud of its record of caring for the health of both mothers and children. The percentage of women who die of pregnancy related complications in Ireland (6 out of every 100,000 pregnancies) is half that of the pro-choice UK and less than a third of that of the United States. 

On the other side of depression

An inspiring post from a woman who recently battled Post Partum Depression.

Why homeschoolers shouldn't worry about the gaps in their children's educations

Great post.

When it rains on this mountain, the water could end up in one of three difference oceans

A rare geologic feature.

20 Most Amazing Microscope Pictures

The ant holding a microchip is amazing.

Time-lapse: Space shuttle Endeavour's trek across L.A.

Neurosurgeon who once doubted life after death now believes in heaven

Interesting story!

What an Astronaut's Camera Sees at Night

The Writing Revolution

The fascinating story of how one principal turned her school's performance around by focusing on an often-overlooked area of education: the ability to articulate ideas in writing.

Research shows that with exercise, less is more

That's what we lazy people like to hear!

If you mounted a camera in one place and took a picture at the same time every two weeks for a year...

This is what you'd see. Cool!

Photographs of life...lit only by glowing screens

An interesting visual commentary on the impact our electronic devices have on our lives.

Pictures of grandmas' favorite dishes from around the world

Neat!

Because I'm always a sucker for ultra-luxury airline videos...

Here's another one.

Astounding underwater footage

A surprising (and cool) way to separate egg yolks and whites

Why one couple went through the pain and expense of having their sterilizations reversed

An honest and inspiring post.

"Our Conversion on Contraception"

A powerful post about how secondary infertility influenced one mom's thinking about contraception.

"Why I'm involved with 40 Days for Life"

One woman's response to members of her book club, who kicked her out for being a pro-lifer.

When it's time to go

A raw, beautiful post by a missionary about to head back to a devastated region of Africa.

10 stars who refuse to get plastic surgery

An inspiring list!

"How a weekly holy hour changed my life"

Inspiring.

Who would represent the Vatican in the Olympics?

Funny post.

via Brandon Vogt

Bob Ross Remixed

A charming remix of the work of "happy little trees" painter Bob Ross:
 via Austin Kleon

Lightning in super-slow slow motion

An amazing video!

What does your phone number spell?

Find out here. (Very useful for helping kids remember important phone numbers!)

A tour of the most organized home in America

How big is the solar system?

This great graphic puts it in perspective.

A database of planets outside our solar system

Neat!

Dear Melinda Gates

Lots of great data here. Definitely worth a watch.

Beautiful no-mow yards

I'm not familiar with this book, but these pictures are inspiring:

How rich are you?

Find out where you rank on the global richness scale. Surprisingly revealing.

via City of God

A Litany for Healing

A powerful litany, from a service praying for victims of childhood sexual abuse.

How to host an organized garage sale

Impressive tips.

Hundreds flock to "Manhattanhenge"

"Manhattanhenge, sometimes known as the Manhattan Solstice, occurs when the setting sun aligns with east-to-west streets of the main street grid."

"A Conversation With My 12 Year Old Self"

A video 20 years in the making.

10 special needs of special needs parents

Practical tips for supporting parents of children with special needs.

Pictures of a mom who spent her birthday doing random acts of kindness

Inspiring!

10 Youtube URL Tricks You Should Know About

Some helpful stuff.

The symbolic power of keeping one empty drawer

A very interesting exercise.

How to Clock-Out When You Work From Home

A few great practical tips for not letting your work overtake your life when you work from home.

Amazing photos of 1870s London

Fascinating.

Some surprisingly interesting facts about pencils

Neat facts, along with some neat pictures of a man who makes micro-mini sculptures from the tips of pencils.

Ten Guilt-Free Non-Suppers

A helpful list for busy parents.

"Am I Married to My Brother?"

A post about sperm donation, and how it impacts the lives of people conceived that way. An excerpt:

It is clear that, at a visceral level, David Gollancz gets the foregoing teachings. He has drawn some good out of his situation by rejoicing in his long-lost siblings, but his feelings about his ancestry are mixed. He says: "It's rather uncomfortable, because artificial insemination was developed on an industrial scale for cattle and I don't like the feeling of having been 'bred.'"

"Happiness is the longing for repetition"

A touching and thought-provoking essay by a young woman who found solace in the power of ritual after the loss of her mother.

10 Billboard music milestones

Some fun stuff here, like the fact that Dark Side of the Moon spent 14 years on the Billboard 200 charts!

What writers can learn from ancient oral storytelling traditions

A powerful essay about Irish storytelling and what all writers can learn from it. An excerpt:

Lesson one: Dance with the language. There's a saying that "The English hoard words like misers, the Irish spend them like sailors." Those ancient storytellers were drunk on words. They arrested us with their language, they painted pictures. Storytelling, in print or speech, needs vital energy.

Pictures of a $42 million mansion - on 5th Avenue in NYC

Wow!

What A Wonderful World With David Attenboroug

Great way to start your week:

Catching a 178mph golf ball in a car

Amazing wood chip art

Beautiful!

The Dutch Village With No Roads

Some neat pictures of a town where people get around only by water.

Disability: A Thread for Weaving Joy

Powerful thoughts on suffering and joy from Archbishop Chaput.

Top 35 Saints Names Rarely Picked for Confirmation

A fun list.

The tragic story of a nun who lost her order

A heartbreaking and powerful piece by a man whose sister was called to life as a religious sister, then was left on her own as the order fell apart. Do take the time to read it.

NASA's Ultra-high Definition View of 2012 Venus Transit

To a Frustrated Poet

An amusing poem (which makes a reference at the very end to this famous poem).

The Catholic Mass in 155 A.D.

"We adopted a teen in our 50s"

A one-page summary of one family's experience who adopted a 15-year-old boy when they were in their 50s.

25 Awesome Virtual Learning Experiences Online

Great resources.

Anger and the Psalms

Some powerful thoughts from the Christ in the Desert monastery:

Most of us live in a world in which anger is not a completely acceptable emotion. We are nice people who believe in a religion of peace and we may not experience anything that really seems to make us angry. When our reality is then confronted with the reality of the cursing Psalms we experience a sense of dislocation. We feel that these are not acceptable sentiments for prayer.  

Once again, though, the cries for destruction of enemies and vengeance can become good news. To people who have lost everything, their families, their health, their possessions, their autonomy, anger is not a foreign emotion. For the victims of atrocities in our world anger is a healthy response. When people are able to feel anger rather than simply the emptiness of loss, healing can begin. The Psalms then facilitate this healing because they engender a reality in which it is God who is called upon to act. We are not called upon to personally destroy our enemies but we reaffirm our faith that God is Lord and will bring about justice. A cycle of violence is not being created but rather an affirmation that evil will not triumph.

What Goes On in the Garden When You Aren't Watching

An astounding video. From an email I received: "This is beautiful...be sure and watch closely (around 2 min 40 sec) and check out the baby bat under its mama. Unreal."

Mom of seven shares her laundry management secrets

And makes a compelling case against dressers. I'm intrigued!

How the Japanese name their streets

An enjoyable two-minute TED talk.

The world’s longest flights

Which flight covers over 9,000 miles, 12 times zones, and lasts for 18 hours? Find out here.

10 tips for finding a great Mother's Day Out program

Really good advice.

A roundup of American celebrities speaking foreign languages

Surprisingly cool.

Emotions play a role in decision making

Interesting!

Born into addiction and poverty, but grateful to be alive

An inspiring story.

19th-century astronomical drawings

A great collection.

10 Ways Our Minds Warp Time

Interesting article.

Some great organization tips for small houses

Especially for families with young children.

A glimpse inside a Korean convent

An American blogger who recently moved to Korea has some great stories and pictures about a local convent.

1940-1943, Captured in Kodachrome

Pictures from the early 1940s that look like they were taken yesterday.

Are You an Egg, a Potato, or Coffee?

A power analogy about how we respond to suffering.

Inside a stunning church

Stunning.

7 'healthy' foods with more sugar than Twinkies

Interesting list!

Police save words of blind author who wrote 26 pages after pen ran out

Great story!

Nine siblings join church after losing their parents

A touching Easter story.

"His belief was stronger than my doubt"

A great post about faith and skepticism from Fr. Dwight Longenecker.

Track ships around the world

From a friend: "This link shows the location of every ship on the ocean, its name, heading and speed. To see something impressive work the map over to the English Channel and click on the square south of Southampton."

36,000 feet into the ocean...

A fascinating infograph. Don't miss the gadget on the right that shows you the pressure at any given point. (Also, per the note at the very bottom, I didn't realize that anyone had ever been to the deepest point in the ocean!)

This is your brain on fiction

Some interesting data about how the human brain process fiction:

What scientists have come to realize in the last few years is that narratives activate many other parts of our brains as well, suggesting why the experience of reading can feel so alive. Words like “lavender,” “cinnamon” and “soap,” for example, elicit a response not only from the language-processing areas of our brains, but also those devoted to dealing with smells.

God's message to you: You're worth it

A great video from makeafriar.com:

The deepest point on earth - Challenger Deep

Some amazing facts.

If M.C. Escher designed typefaces

Very cool font.

A beautiful time lapse video of Yosemite

Yosemite HD from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

A breakdown of the claim that 98% of Catholic women use contraception

Great stuff.

11 Stunning Cakes That Look Exactly Like Other Foods

Impressive!

Does Evolutionary Science Disprove the Faith?

Mark Shea makes some interesting points.

How to prevent berries from getting moldy

Wash them with a vinegar/water solution!

5 Things I Learned From My Internet Fast

An excellent, thought-provoking post from Brandon Vogt.

Growing a 30,000-year-old flower

Neat story about scientists growing a flower from 30,000-year-old seeds that were found in permafrost.

The ancient art of making a canoe

When magicians own iPads

A great video. (It's in German, but you don't need to understand the language to understand the coolness.)

Sea sickness, anyone?

An astounding video of a boat being rocked by waves at Cape Horn.

Dinner in New York

I found this really fascinating. It's a photo essay with shots of how different people eat dinner. The pictures reveal a lot about their lifestyles. (Click on the arrow on the top right to begin the slideshow.)

via Slow Mama

Picking a combination lock

Who knew it was this easy?

Painting with candle smoke

Very cool.

25 Handmade Gifts Under $5

Some really unique ideas here (I especially love the printed candles!)

Amazing picture of a gravitational lens mirage

There is a blue galaxy exactly behind a red one and the gravity from the red one bends the light of the one behind it and focuses it toward us almost in a perfect circle. Wow.

Atoms are imaginary

A great analogy for those who say that God is only an imaginary friend.

Video of a Lego man being launched into space

So cool! Here's the story.

Middle Eastern parents comedy skit

I thought this was cute. It's funny to see how universal so many family struggles are.



via A Year in Skirts

LOLspeak generator

An important tool that will turn normal text into LOLspeak, a la the famous "I can haz cheeseburger?" meme.

The 40 Best TV Theme Songs of All Time

A fun list.

The power of words

A thought provoking video.

How adoption impacts children

A powerful post by a mom whose family recently added their third child through adoption.

Why I Love Religion AND Jesus

This is excellent.



via Matthew Warner

Copying the Bible like a medieval monk

The neat story of a man who has set out to copy the Bible by hand.

Cute - man sings puppies to sleep

Stunning photos of water droplets

Wow.

The restart page

A collection of different restart screens from different computer platforms from different times.

What will books look like in the future?

Brandon Vogt excerpts some fascinating thoughts.

An interactive map about religion in different parts of the U.S.

Some interesting data.

How to have a great Monday morning

Though this post is targeted at homeschoolers, it has great tips for everyone.

Pictures of early-1900s America

A neat collection.