Train Tour of 18055 SW Seiffert Rd Sherwood Oregon — via Youtube
Read Bill & Melinda Gates’ 2014 annual letter and #StopTheMyth — via Youtube
Astor’s (Fran Kranz) happy tenacity spoils his one chance at love with his lifelong crush Mila (Beau Garrett). Convinced he needs more experience with women to win her back, he engages her ex-best friend Cali (Dichen Lachman) to teach him how to woo women — via Youtube
Denver Zoo is celebrating the birth of a Critically Endangered Amur (ah-Moor) Leopard cub named Sochi, born 3 December. The young male, named for the Russian city hosting this year’s winter Olympics, is the tenth birth of his species at Denver Zoo since Amur Leopards arrived at the zoo about 25 years ago. After spending some time bonding mum, Dazma (Dazz-mah), Sochi can now be seen by zoo guests inside the zoo’s feline building — via ZooBorns
At 12 inches long, the Serenity Cutaway Replica is 1:250 scale. The real fun starts when you lift the upper hull sections, which attach securely to the lower half of the model using magnets. You can view the cockpit, main corridor and galley furnished with chairs, consoles, rugs and storage lockers. All the key elements of those sets are reproduced in the model, with some of the interior details measuring barely two millimetres. The Serenity Cutaway Replica is made of polystone resin and is comprised of more than 200 hand-painted parts — via Quantum Mechanix
Scientists have discovered a new species of dolphin in the Amazon River system for the first time in almost 100 years – and say it should immediately be given endangered status.
Experts from the Federal University of Amazonas in Manaus, Brazil found that a small group of river dolphins, also known as botos, in the Araguaia basin were separated from other populations by only a narrow canal and series of rapids.
Upon closer inspection and after DNA testing, Tomas Hrbek and his team discovered that the group was in fact a distinct species, which they suggest naming the Araguaian boto.
Publishing their research in the journal Plos One, the scientists said the Araguaian boto was most likely separated from other dolphin species more than two million years ago, and that a series of morphological and genetic differences represent strong evidence that individuals from the Araguaia River represent a distinct biological group
— via redwolf.newsvine.com
Loved this throwaway scene from the second-season episode of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated
(The Hodag of Horror) featuring perhaps the strangest crossover of all time and for Mystery Incorporated, that’s really saying something — via Youtube
A fox has been tracked more than 40 miles (70km) away from its home range, breaking the previous British record.
The fox was named Fleet by University of Brighton researchers and fitted with a satellite tagged collar.
Scientists were surprised to record Fleet walking a total of 195 miles (315km) as he headed into the Sussex countryside from his home in the city — via redwolf.newsvine.com
A rare blue diamond has been discovered in a mine in South Africa.
The 29.6-carat stone was recovered by Petra Diamonds at its Cullinan mine, about 40km (25 miles) north-east of Pretoria.
stone is one of the most exceptional stones recovered at Cullinan during Petra’s operation of the mine,
the company said.
Petra unearthed a 25.5 carat blue diamond which sold for $16.9m (£10.3m) in 2013 — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Whether repairing a gas leak on the bridge of your submersible, or turning heads at Cthulu’s R’yleh Homecoming Ball, the SquidPunk Respirator will be at your humble service — via Etsy
If you can’t afford one of the classic modernist or mid-century modern properties featured over at WowHaus, you can always get yourself one in miniature. Like one of these Miniio modernist dolls houses and furniture. Inspired by mid-century architecture and interior design we would presume, you can choose from three houses and various furniture sets, all constructed from the likes of oak and plywood and all hand finished — via Retro To Go
On 24 December, a healthy male Cougar was born at Zoo Salzburg in Austria. Cougars may have a litter of up to six cubs, but typically give birth to two. This time, a single cub was born and mum, 14-year-old Winnie, devotes all her care to this little one — via ZooBorns
Talk about cat climbing heaven! This incredible line of hand-crafted designer cat climbing furniture comes from German company Goldtatze, which seems to translate to Gold Paw
, a fitting name since any cat who is given such luxurious accommodations is certainly living the good life — via hauspanther
I wouldn’t get between this bird and his salt and vinegar snack — via Clare Sams
Pretty much everything you need to know about sex in 6 minutes — via Youtube
The Nauruan parliament has endorsed a 3,900 per cent increase in the visa application fee for journalists — making it prohibitively expensive for the media to report from the Pacific island republic where Australia now detains hundreds of asylum seekers who arrive by boat.
Under the new fee structure, which is expected to come into force this week, it will cost media professionals $8,000 to apply for a single-entry visa valid for up to three months. The money would not be refunded even if the application were rejected.
Presently, journalists can apply for a subclass of business visa for media workers. The Nauru government website says the fee is $200.
Nauru’s Principal Immigration Officer Ernest Stephen told The Global Mail that $200 is the application fee for a single-entry visa for up to three months and that journalists could pay $400 to apply for a one-year multiple-entry visa.
Mr Stephen said the new $8,000 fee had been approved by the Nauruan parliament but would not be implemented until it had been gazetted, which he expected to happen in the next couple of days
.
Single-entry three-month tourist visas cost $100 — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Toucan, originally uploaded by Fabrizio Lancellotti
The continuing inability of Myer and David Jones to deliver customers a decent online brand experience disqualifies them from complaining about digital competitors eating their lunch, argues Tim Burrowes.
All credit to Myer. It’s not many retailers who can make a Boxing Day sale last for three weeks.
But thanks to comments from unhappy customers on the company’s Facebook page, it is possible to monitor in real time the continuing erosion of brand value.
I must declare an interest here. I am myself an amused and bemused consumer of that online experience. Not that Myer’s main rival David Jones has done much better, but more on that later.
Being something of a misanthrope when it comes to bricks and mortar retail sales, I actually decided to give the stores’ online sales a shot.
As it will have been hard to miss, Myer’s site crashed within hours of its Christmas night launch and remained offline for the next eight days.
In a world where Google being down for eight seconds would be remarked upon, Australia’s biggest retail brand was down for eight days.
But most curious was how unconcerned Myer boss Bernie Brookes seemed.
The nice folk at partner IBM were hard at work fixing it, he told the market.
And online was, he reassured his investors, only responsible for about one per cent of the company’s revenues. Which doesn’t sound too bad until you wonder whether the fact that it’s only at one per cent is because the store hasn’t been doing enough to catch up with its competitors.
Still, when the Myer site came back, and lured by the offer of free delivery, I gave it a shot — via redwolf.newsvine.com
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