This is a fascinating and melancholy photography study of people before and after dying. Some of the blurbs from the people are heartbreaking.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/gallery/2008/mar/31/lifebeforedeath?picture=333325401

 Great pictures from science fairs... I love the Crystal Meth: Friend or Foe? We didn't have science fairs at my school. The extending learning program participated in something called Odyssey of the Mind in which a team of students built something a robot or something. My youngest brother was really into it. Anyway, check this out:

http://www.holytaco.com/2008/02/26/science-fair-photos-are-hilarious-informative/#more-585

 is the title of a funny article in the NY Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/dining/13incompatible.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

I can appreciate it, but seems like a funny thing to end a relationship over.

 There seems to be a growing trend towards considering diets that are primarily vegetarian. There are a number of issues raised in this excellent NY Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html) but to me it breaks down like this:

1)  Raising cattle, pigs and chickens is hard on the environment (space, waste, feed). 
2)  Mass producing livestock requires sacrifices in quality of the meat (antibiotics, cheap feed).
3)  Mass producing livestock requires sacrifices in the quality of the animals' lives.

I'm unlikely to ever give up eating meat entirely. I believe that a great steak or roasted chicken is one of the cornerstone joys of humanity. But I could meat once a week (and sometimes do) without a major modification to my diet. Meat will inevitably have to become more expensive and the standards higher in raising livestock.

The reality is that these same standards will have to apply to seafood too. We're badly overfishing the seas.

This article about my favorite football player, Mr. Tony Gonzales, is very inspirational too. His diet is too extreme for my taste, but I respect what he has accomplished: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120122116182915297.html.

I've been listening to the NPR:Music playlists for the last few weeks. I just recently found this site and it has a really great set of live opera performances. I just finished the Le Nozze di Figaro (took me about 2 weeks to get through it all).

At the end of Act 4, there is an absolutely beautiful moment, possibly the finest music every written, when the Count and Countess are reunited. I had to just sit back and enjoy it, set down the keyboard, and shut my eyes. 2 minutes of complete and utter bliss.

And the genius of Mozart is that the music is so beautiful, but it is also set perfectly for the voice. I think that it would almost be difficult to sing it poorly.

Here is a brief excerpt, you can start at 1:30 for the "Contessa, perdono."

 

Finding unique gifts for children can be really hard. This list has some great gift ideas from overseas: http://www.cracked.com/article_15670_25-most-baffling-toys-from-around-world.html.

One of my favorites for the budget conscious shopper. Note the packaging descriptions: Battery, Operated, Creative, Various Music.