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Looking back on another year, my second Xmas with the Double Fs, I have come to appreciate the power and complete kickassedness of a lot of you here. For me, putting aside one's personal spiritual persuasions, Xmas is about taking stock of the ones you know and the ones you hold dear. This year has been hard for a lot of us. Some of us have battle personal tragedy. Some of us have battled financial stresses. Some of us have battled illness or disease... some continue that battle and you are in our thoughts. The year kicked off in spectacular fashion with the birth of Audrey Moskovitz. I have enjoyed watching her grow and I have also enjoyed watching the growth of Akiva and Rochelle as they experience some of the things those of us with kids have experienced. I have forged strong friendships. I have built on existing ones. I have lost some as well. The fact that I have a wonderful friend in Mr Josh Haley is a true blessing and a gift that lasts longer than one day. He truly is the Yang... more... - Johnny Worthington

Is that a short list of heroes or a list of short heroes? - Johnny Worthington from iPhone

This link started their exploration online: http://ff.im/adQPl (via http://twitter.com/louisgr...) - Louis Gray

BUMP - Johnny Worthington

Merry Christmas, Anne! - MVB (Grinch of FF)

and to you, Anne :) - winckel

That's so smart - Ciaoenrico

cool man! - Ibrahim El Issaoui

"He was in my advent calendar this morning....or at least, the directions to go pick him up from the rescue were. It replaced the play-in-the-snow-day we were supposed to have today. David had some trouble deciding if this was the right gift this year, seeing as how it might be early to get another hedgie after Miss Clementine. Huck here seems to be a good fit for our crazy family, though, so I think David made the right call. He is already proving himself to be a troublemaker.... I like it." - edythe from Bookmarklet

naaaw thats sooo cute - Avynn Kaboom and its gone

"Terry Gilliam is rather surprised to be here. "Here" being a Manhattan hotel suite, where he's promoting his new film "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus." When star Heath Ledger died of an accidental prescription drug overdose 23 months ago, the director never imagined ever being able to complete the movie, which opens in limited release on Christmas Day. "When your star dies in the middle of the film, you don't finish films," Gilliam said. "It doesn't happen." Distraught upon hearing the tragic news, Gilliam at first decided to shut down the project. He credits the persistence of his daughter Amy, a producer on the film, and Director of Photography Nicola Pecorini, for changing his mind. But there still remained the bigger problem. How do you finish a movie without your lead actor? Gilliam is no stranger to adversity. He's had films upended by natural disasters and had bare-knuckle brawls with studios over the final cut. But dealing with Ledger's death was something else entirely.... more... - RAPatton from Bookmarklet

I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie - I'm a fan of Gilliam's work, but the plot of this one has just sounded so fascinating from the get-go. I'm glad they were not only able to 'salvage' the film, but looking at the preliminary reports, create something that is pretty special. - Jennifer Dittrich

I've been pondering this as well. - Laura B.

I'll continue to take steve's advice. - Spidra Webster

"The years from 2000 to 2009 were unified by fakeness — high-profile charlatans penetrated virtually every area of life (as Frank Rich also pointed out). From fake celebrities to fake journalists, here's a top ten of our favourite* frauds." - Steven Perez from Bookmarklet

or, for that matter, fake equal protection decision? - Andrew C

"SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 23: A wallaby enjoys a festive food Christmas treat at Taronga Zoo on December 23, 2009 in Sydney, Australia. The Christmas-themed treats, enrichment gifts and festive activities are designed to highlight the animals behavioural diversity as the zoo prepares for the festive period. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)" - Jessie from Bookmarklet

"J-PAL's work is vital because of their intention to question commonly held assumptions, and to use research to determine if a particular course of action results in a certain result. This may seem basic, but quite often, theorists develop their ideas and implement them, without going back to evaluate the effectiveness of a certain program. J-PAL manages a network of affiliated researchers around the globe, tasked with gathering data and sharing their results with the group." - Jessie from Bookmarklet

"The more common — and more valid — criticisms cut to the heart of the way J-PAL researchers study and interpret their trials. Several well-known economists have raised questions about the randomized controlled approach, citing long-standing criticisms of clinical medical trials by the Nobel-winning University of Chicago economist James Heckman. Though the arguments are math-heavy, the... more... - Jessie

King Penguins like these were the only kind of penguins we didn't get to see (of the penguins who reside in the Antarctic region) while we were in Antarctica. Funny that Zooborns refers to Happy Feet since those were Emperor and not King penguins (they are similar though). Our small sightings of Emperor penguins is up next in our Antarctic blog too, and even though we didn't get to see Kings, this Zooborn post makes me think of the Emperors and makes me smile!! - Rachel Lea Fox from Bookmarklet

"It was blizzard bliss Monday for a pair of polar bears, the San Francisco Zoo's own Andy and Pike. They're among the few creatures that can truly appreciate the holiday gift they received on the first day of winter: 10 tons of ice donated by the San Francisco Ice Co. The zoo had it blown into snow as a special treat for the colossal white bears, which are most comfortable in their native Arctic near the frigid North Pole. Andy and Pike also unwrapped a hefty box of fish and peanut butter. But for the bears, which are on the federal threatened species list due to global warming, nothing compares to ice-bathing and frozen flakes as a way to bring in winter right." - Anne Bouey from Bookmarklet

"Three years ago, I went to Sweden with my then-girlfriend (now-wife), to meet her family and celebrate my first Christmas. As an only partially lapsed Jew, I was not well-versed in Christmas traditions, and I was completely ignorant of Swedish customs and culture. So I was prepared for surprises. I was not prepared for this: Every year on Dec. 24 at 3 p.m., half of Sweden sits down in front of the television for a family viewing of the 1958 Walt Disney Presents Christmas special, "From All of Us to All of You." Or as it is known in Sverige, Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul: "Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas."" - Jessie from Bookmarklet

"The show's cultural significance cannot be understated. You do not tape or DVR Kalle Anka for later viewing. You do not eat or prepare dinner while watching Kalle Anka. Age does not matter—every member of the family is expected to sit quietly together and watch a program that generations of Swedes have been watching for 50 years. Most families plan their entire Christmas around Kalle... more... - Jessie

Do they have commercials during it? If so, it would be like Sweden's version of the SuperBowl, with ad agencies outdoing themselves every year to make better ads. That would mean half the people just watch it for the ads! - Gabe

***Cue Evil Laugh*** - Merry Xmas FFeeders - AJ

"Mexico City has become the first city in Latin America to legalise same-sex marriage, a change that will give homosexual couples more rights, including allowing them to adopt children." - Jessie from Bookmarklet

“...your demand that I retract my statements is a demand that I do further unwarranted and costly damage to a reputation you have already deliberately tarnished. Demanding an apology adds insult to this injury. Obviously, neither of these will be forthcoming.” - Anthony Citrano from Bookmarklet

Let's all write to Demi and tell her we would have no beef if she wasn't trying to cover up something that isn't honestly about her (cuz it's just about the retouching). And write to W saying we will never sub to them if they force celebs to take the defensive for their publication. - Heather

<3 - Jemm

Precious. - PurpleZoe

I'm not super-worried, because she never shows the slightest interest in going outside. If she was a door-darter, I'd be much more concerned. She is micro-chipped, but people are more likely to assume a cat that gets outside with a collar belongs to someone than one that doesn't have one on. - Katy S

Mine are fairly comfortable living the life of luxury indoors, too. But her collar is cute and argyle, so I thought I'd try again and see if she'd wear it. I'm more amazed that Plum doesn't try to take off her collar. - Katy S

American kids might be confused by Santa having an Australian accent. :) - Rochelle

If you want your kids to think Santa is Canadian, check out the Portable North Pole (dynamically created video card) http://santa.sympatico.ca/home - Micah Wittman

OSCAR the bald parrot has virtually no feathers - but doesn't let it get her down - chaz2b from Bookmarklet

daily mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news... (careful, this pic she looks like she's about to attack you, :o) - chaz2b

My cats would kill me, but it is kinda cute. - Katy S from Bookmarklet

I work on Monday and then will be off until Jan 4 - Alan Simpson

Me, as you know :) - Pete

"DANBURY, Conn. — Ray Crouch, a senior at Danbury High School, logged onto the computer in his family’s living room just after 5 p.m. on Tuesday and entered the Web site of the Yale admissions office. Suddenly the screen turned blue — Yale blue — and an image of a bulldog, the university mascot, appeared, followed by “Welcome to the Class of 2014.” Ray, 18, had been offered a spot in the next freshman class, under its early-admission program. Standing behind him, his mother, Caroline, screamed. But that was only the beginning. Moments later, Ray’s brother, Kenny, also 18, went to the Yale site and got an identical message. He was followed by their sister Carol. Same news. Then the room fell silent. Ray, Kenny and Carol are quadruplets, and their sister Martina had applied to Yale, too. “I was thinking, it’s going to be really awkward when I don’t get in,” Martina recalled Friday. But the computer turned blue for her as well, which prompted such an outpouring of joy from their mother that she wrestled their father, Steven, to the floor in a hug." - Admiral Anika from Bookmarklet

Top Chef is (approximately half) about competent people doing things well. - Andrew C

Perfect!!!!! - Emre BAHADIR

woawowl :O - sedef tenim

"On a fall morning at a public school in New York City, sixth-graders are called to sit down at their desks. At first glance, it looks like any other middle-school science classroom. There’s an aquarium full of tiny turtles and a harried teacher fumbling with a projector. But then the instructor boots up the day’s lesson: a video game. The students watch as the tiny dolls in PlayStation 3’s LittleBigPlanet (pictured) hop through a maze of contraptions onscreen. The game is being used to introduce them to Newtonian physics, and as part of their coursework, the kids will be required to build devices similar to the ones they’ve just seen. This is the inaugural class of Quest to Learn (Q2L), the first-ever school in the U.S. built on the innovative approach of games-based learning. While many American schools use computers and games, Q2L is the first to follow a curriculum entirely focused on video games. Its 72 sixth-grade students—guided by six teachers—study and explore subjects... more... - Anne Bouey from Bookmarklet

"Some educators think the leap is too big and unnecessary. “I’m not hostile to the idea of kids learning with technology, but there’s not much deep thinking behind the hype about gaming,” says Gary Stager, an educational technology expert at Pepperdine University. “Great teachers have reached kids for generations through interesting subject matter and meaningful work.” But what seizes... more... - Anne Bouey

lol - VAL D. Zone

"Some Christmas trees for sale in the Anchorage area are adorned with something truly different this holiday season — live Pacific Chorus frogs. While the small frogs are very cute, measuring an inch or two with lovely moss-colored green sides and black spots, state officials are asking residents to practice some tough love. If you find a Christmas tree frog, kill it. So far, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, has received reports of two amphibious hitchhikers. One of them was hiding out on a holiday tree from Washington state that was sold this week at an Anchorage nursery. The frog ended up in the biology department at the University of Alaska Anchorage." - Anne Bouey from Bookmarklet

Poor little froggies. :( - Anne Bouey