Random

~ Sign of the times: "A Wired News first, here we count down the top 10 organisms that didn't exist on Dec. 31, 2006." -- Link

When something, including genetic engineering, gets a top-ten list in a consumer magazine it has gone mainstream. Yes, the glow in the dark cats are on the list -- along with the hypoallergenic cat. Next year we're told that we can expect cats that never grow beyond kitten size.

~ There are now more cell phones in the US than land line phones (250 million verses 170 million) -- 13% of American households don't use land line phones at all -- opting to rely on cell phones (and at least one of them is on Guam). -- Link

~ Brits are hot on the American approach to college. -- Link

"I’m not applying to any British universities. I want to go to the US because of the breadth of study and also the extracurricular life..."

"I think there is more on offer in the US and the opportunities are more diverse..."

~ Kurt Fredrickson gets some ink in an LA Times story about the proliferation of specialty Bibles -- Link

~ What it looks like when Asia, without a strong Christian history of its own, embraces Christmas -- NY Times OpEd piece

~ Hey, world religion students! Scot McKnight is planning a series of posts on Gerald McDermott's book God's Rivals -- which so many of you reacted against in class -- but which probably made you think more than most books you've read in college. BTW, I think McDermott isn't too far off base. -- Link

~ We don't usually think of an excursion to the zoo as dangerous. But -- A Siberian tiger escaped from her cage, killing a visitor and mauling two others Tuesday evening at the San Francisco Zoo, almost exactly a year after she attacked her keeper during a feeding, zoo officials said. -- Link

I suppose this is more shocking because the San Francisco Zoo is the zoo that I used to visit as a child. So it is still a familiar place in my mind.