Honor and Modernity. Is honor an antiquated concept in the modern world? An interesting essay by a Norwegian anthropologist addressing how cultural misunderstanding can lead to tragedy.

'New Organics' found on 'strange' comet, Wild 2. More evidence for comets as the origin of life on earth.

Yay cornstarch! Spanish TV show El Hormiguero fills a pool with a cornstarch-water slurry (also known as "oobleck" — make your own) and has fun with it. Previous weird cornstarchy goodness here. more inside

Thank God our perception of beauty is distorted. Remember the Dove ad (previously here)? Don't know if this is a counter-point or just a well made spoof, but it may just stop you from slow down your drinking and smoking. [flash video]

Your surname - its origins. Its distribution in the UK , or US.

The strange story of Myriam Bédard. An arrest warrant has been issued for the former Olympian, alleging she has abducted her own daughter during a trip to the U.S. to defend her partner against allegations of stealing art by Ghitta Caiserman. more inside

Curious George: online encyclopedia for kids My Kids are driving me crazy with their homework! What they need is a good (free) online knowledge base aka. encylopedia. History, maths and science espcially for 12-16 year olds. F'rinstance - "Daddy, was the Roman empire cruel and civilisied at the same time? If so can you give me 10 examples of each?" Tempted not to quote the Life of Brian's immortal "What have the Romans ever done for us?" I decided to turn to the interweb thingy for ideas. Aaaargh! Where do you start? Help from simians greatly appreciated

The Mefi Compilation Album (wot, no monkey album?)

Every click a coalition death in Iraq.

Language podcasts. Remember that language you were always going to learn? Try it with podcasts. Chinese, French, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Russian and English.

Rubes So we've talked a little about Rube Goldberg [flash] and his cartoons which have inspired the young, and older, the French, and the Japanese. They've even been used in advertising, but I think this one most exemplifies Rube's style.

Curious George: Xmas cookie recipes Any tried-and-true Xmas cookie and candy recipe recommendations to share? I fill Xmas tins for gifts every year and I'm always on the lookout for new ideas. I'd like some personally-tested and Monkey-approved recipes - what cookies do your family traditionally make/associate with Xmas? more inside

Just another meteor shower, you say? Perhaps not. This solar Coronal Mass Ejection (last night) was pointed almost directly at our Pale Blue Dot. A Middle Latitude Aurora Warning has been issued meaning that the Northern Lights may be seen as far south as Northern California, Kansas, Southern Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina (U.S.) and France, Northern Italy, Poland, Central Russia on the east side of the pond. Southern Hemisphere watchers should be alert as New Zealand and Southern Australia may see periods of activity. more inside

Watch out fellow monkeys; the Superlions are here!

Peter Boyle dead at 71. Oddly, his lengthy career is overshadowed by Everybody Loves Raymond. So much so that the obit doesn't even mention the funniest bit ever put on film:the "Puttin' on the Ritz" scene.

Cat fishing Guess the subject from the Wikipedia categories.

The DJ Riko Merry Mixmas collection is now up for grabs. Includes links for prior year mixes.

The Baiji Yangtze Dolphin is with all probability extinct. The white dolphin known as baiji, shy and nearly blind, dates back some 20 million years. Its disappearance is believed to be the first time in a half-century, since hunting killed off the Caribbean monk seal, that a large aquatic mammal has been driven to extinction.

How do you pronounce Pinochet? There's no single correct pronunciation for the name in Chile. The first two syllables don't change too much, and should be something between "pin-oh" and "pee-no." But the last syllable is up for grabs: Some Chileans go with "shay," others "chay," and still others "chet."

Ben Crispin Glover and his friend Ben, along with a cast of characters (what's your major malfunction?) _{YouTube goodness all around} more inside