In the news

Sometimes in science news, the headline makes the story: Ancient hill fort defended from raiding rabbits. Almost makes me wish I were a Monty Python fan.

Probably unrelated story: Custom-printed Bibles for U.S. Special Ops on the way. Commentary from SojoMail (from Sojourners, part of the Christian left): "It appears that [The International Bible Society]'s crafting of the Special Ops Bible will rely on the 'new package, same great taste' approach that the commercial sector often takes when introducing a new logo or easy-grip handle for an existing product. It's hopefully safe to assume that though the Bibles are new, they will not be 'improved.' IBS has an extraordinary task ahead of it, as they must juxtapose, hypothetically, Christ's 'Blessed are the peacemakers' pronouncement with army-centric motivational messages and images." Procurement notice here.

Researchers at Rockefeller University in the US have made the first tentative steps towards creating a form of artificial life. "Their creations, small synthetic vesicles that can process (express) genes, resemble a crude kind of biological cell." Story from the BBC, not well-known for accuracy in science news, so take with grain of salt.

Stem cell researcher makes paralyzed rats walk.

And in news about my avian relatives, Hummingbirds lose power at high altitudes.

Magnetic bracelets really do reduce the pain of osteoarthritis.

A heavenly show awaits stargazers this holiday season: Over the next few weeks sky-watchers can spot five planets in the same nighttime sky. While we're talking about local space, the Sun is in the 13th house of the zodiac, and Earth is getting hit by a strange breeze from beyond the solar system. In more environmental news, Cassini scientist sees evidence that Saturn's outer rings could be disappearing.

Saturday update!

Last spring and summer, an ice cream truck used to go around the neighborhood playing Christmas carols on its ice-cream truck bells. Today, an ice cream truck was playing "Home on the Range." I don't get the logic.

Last weekend, I was so wiped out I left the house only to take the garbage out to the side of the road. Midweek, physical therapy was less helpful than usual because I was too tired to do the exercises--and then the massage turned out to be torture because my skin hurt so much.

Today? Today I went for a walk. Because fatigue has been such a problem this last year, I try to get a decent amount of exercise so that when I do have energy I will not find myself hampered by deconditioned muscles. So, feeling better than usual and enjoying the lovely weather, I wandered around a bit, thinking this would be a good day to do the standard 2.5 mile walk, maybe go a little farther. As I said, though, I wandered around a bit--by which I mean that, while online map sites can't say exactly how far I walked because there was so much zigzagging involved (some of it off-road), I probably went about three times the distance I'd originally planned. Maybe more. Whee!

If I had been planning to walk out of state today, I would have picked a muuuch shorter route.

Seriously, I am quite pleased with my lovely walk today into the wilds of Washington, DC, even though I originally started out walking in the opposite direction. My only real complaint is that my feet are killing me.

Not having anything either deep or clever to say this evening, I shall leave you with a holiday composition from MegaHAL:

Jingle bell, jingle bell rock
and donated to the cold and dead,
he's a smooth operator,
professions reduced to curiosity

by wandering time. Only in the molten earth seethed
in friendship, and a stake is driven through its heart.