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Everything is Relative

Cell size and scale.  

Very cool - use the slider to zoom in.

A Statement From the Commander of the IDF

IDF Chief: We Won't Rely on Others for Our Security (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said in Berlin on Monday:

• I, Gabi Ashkenazi, the son of Josef Ashkenazi, may he rest in peace, a Holocaust survivor from Bulgaria, am here today as the commander of the Jewish defense force - the Israel Defense Forces, and proudly carry the flag of the State of Israel - the state of the Jewish nation.
• Our obligation [is] to always remember and never forget the worst atrocities in the history of mankind,...to never take the threats of those who would harm us lightly,...to ensure our security ourselves, and never let anyone else control the future of Israel.
• Even today, leaders of states publicly declare their desire to destroy the State of Israel - they reject the sovereign and national right of the Jewish nation to exist.
• Our legitimate struggle against the terrorist organizations that disrupt the daily routine of our citizens has been used as an excuse by anti-Semitic advocates, Holocaust deniers and other hostile sources. Their attacks give legitimacy to the atrocities committed against the citizens of Israel.
• The Israel Defense Forces, the shield of the Jewish nation, is not an army that advocates war - rather it is an army of defense. We do not look for battle, but nonetheless, if war is forced upon us we will do everything necessary to enable the citizens of Israel to live in their homes securely.

A Cool Graphic of Every Mission to Mars

"Though most missions to the red planet have failed, the success rate is definitely improving."

Space Painting

Wow - that's cool:

Super Sprayer - The most popular videos are a click away

Heaven and Hell in an Elevator

Extremely cool - - skip the video that's on the site and click directly to the HD version. It is one of the most interesting, creative, detailed things I have seen on the internet. What a great thing to watch on an elevator ride!

Hat tip: Discarded Lies

Man Can Fly

Wingsuit base jumping - wonderful video:

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

Amazing!

A resident of Vancouver BC (Canada), Ray is one of the most famous kitefliers in the world, traveling to dozens of events every year... For those interested, Ray does frequently make appearances or demonstrate his kite skills for special groups and event organizers.

Our Milky Way Like You've Never Seen it Before

 

A photo taken from a cave in Utah.  The bright object on the top left is Jupiter. The photographer went to great lengths to shoot it. Read about it here.   

Human exoskeleton suit helps paralyzed people walk

Yet another positive Israeli contribution to humanity:

HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) - paralyzed for the past 20 years, former Israeli paratrooper Radi Kaiof now walks down the street with a dim mechanical hum.

That is the sound of an electronic exoskeleton moving the 41-year-old's legs and propelling him forward -- with a proud expression on his face -- as passersby stare in surprise.

"I never dreamed I would walk again. After I was wounded, I forgot what it's like," said Kaiof, who was injured while serving in the Israeli military in 1988.

"Only when standing up can I feel how tall I really am and speak to people eye to eye, not from below."

Link

Blog Challenge

I want this one to stay up top for a while.  Visit these blogs.  They are well worth your time:

Leora chose my blog to be on her list of seven, for which I thank her most humbly.  Below is the list of my 7 favorite blogs - in no particular order.  I love having the opportunity to compliment such fine writers and people:

Bookworm Room: Bookworm possesses a combination several traits which make her blog a terrific read, and also a gathering place for some of the most intelligent and interesting commenters on the internet.  They are: Intelligence, truly awesome writing talent, and impeccable manners.  I just admire the heck out of her. 

Daled Amos:  If there is one blog I regret not reading often enough, it is Daled Amos.  Any time I visit, I learn something. This blogger is very dedicated, covers his subject both broadly and deeply, has a terrific eye for choosing the most important stories, and delivers very insightful commentary. 

Oceanguy: He's blogging less these days, but hopefully that won't last much longer because I really miss his writing. There's a reason so many people link to his blog and pay attention when he says something.  It's not just the fact that he writes so well, which he truly does, but his thoughts are backed by real knowledge of the subjects he covers.  Few weave real life experiences into their blogging as well as he does. Plus he's got great taste in music.

SoccerDad:  So many great things to say, so little time....That he's a great blogger can almost go without saying because he's so well-known and much linked - from Instapundit to Memeorandum to Taranto's Best of the Web - SD gets around, and with good reason.  He's a good writer, is well-read, well-informed, has a fantastic - no, make that surreal - memory, and can analyze news like nobody's business.  He's the creator of Haveil Havalim and Musical Monday, is very generous with links and has been instrumental in helping to publicize the jblogosphere. 

Treppenwitz:  What a way with words.  Truly a gifted writer.  Maybe one day he'll write a book and I can say I sorta kinda knew him when. "Yes children, The Great Treppenwitz (sounds like a magician, doesn't it?) once actually commented on my blog. No, I am not making it up - it's true!"

White Pebble: Ephemeral, deep, mysterious, calm as the ocean on a windless day, poetic as...as...as...um...er...a poet. Patti has her own special aura, and I always find it interesting and different.  One of my first blogging friends.  Actually, maybe THE first. Our birthdays are within a couple of days of one another, our birth years are the same, we are both cancer survivers.  She is a woman of many talents, from writing to mathematics.

New Era:  Shirl is another early blogging friend.  I was so inspired by her fantastic photography that I began taking and posting pictures myself.  Her shots are amazing - capturing the moon and the night sky, the reflection of a cat in a window, a butterfly with bright summer flowers, and her farm - oh my, her farm.  I have been a suburban girl all my life, but when I see Shirl's pictures of her farm, it makes me want to live there.  I want to photograph it and paint it and see it in all the different seasons.  What a pretty place - especially seen through Shirl's eyes.

Last, but not least - I know this makes 8, but I'm not good at following rules.

Here in HP:  What a terrific turn of events to have found this wonderful blogging artist, just as I was getting back into art again!  Leora is a terrific mother, is very knowledgeable about Judaism, nutrition and psychology, paints beautiful watercolors, and she takes great photographs too.  She is an excellent teacher and very generous sharer of information through her blog. I have learned a lot from her and find her posts on Judaism to be particularly enlightening.

Botanical Twitter

Botanicalls Twitter answers the question: What's up with your plant? It offers a connection to your leafy pal via online Twitter status updates that reach you anywhere in the world. When your plant needs water, it will post to let you know, and send its thanks when you show it love.

Wow - A Very Cool Time-Lapse Video of San Francisco

Watch it to the end and see the lights go on as nightfall descends .  Filmed on 2/8/08

Via The Presurfer

Now THAT is One Cool Map

From the Earth's center, to the furthest reaches of the universe. Link

How Completely and Utterly COOL

Virgin Galactic - taking the first tourist flights into space:

More than 200 potential astronauts are believed to have already paid deposits for the £100,000 flights, including actress Victoria Principal, scientist Stephen Hawking, and Princess Beatrice.

Flights will last for two hours and will include four and a half minutes of weightlessness.

Link 

Changing the World, One Loan at a Time

Interrupting Gelastic Jew has alerted me to a great site with a great idea.  She writes:

Last summer I helped the world become a better place: I loaned $25, which was aggregated with small sums from other individuals, to help a woman in Tajikistan expand her small business selling children's clothing so she can send her son to university. I did it through Kiva, which organizes microlenders like me and connects us to lending groups (often banks) which then make the loans to qualified people running small businesses.

You can go to Kiva's website and lend to someone in the developing world who needs a loan for their business - like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent - and you get updates letting you know how the business is going. The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back - and Kiva's loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

Very cool.  Read more.

Update:

I have made a loan to a group of women in Peru to help them further develop their grocery store. They need $1,000.00 and have raised $150.00 so far.

Take a Seat

An interactive seat which follows the user at the library:

Flight Patterns

Watch the flight paths of planes to and from the US over a 24-hour period.