Random

• SOME Guam friends spotted this Christmas billboard in front of someone's home. It takes the traditional Christmas card to a whole new level -- and avoids having to mess with the post office, too. ~ link

• I'M in favor of retaining the the speed cameras on Arizona highways. They do seem to make a noticeable difference. I've driven in many of the major metro areas in the US -- and in pre-camera Phoenix. Currently Arizona drivers stay closer to the speed limit and they tend to leave more breathing room between cars than in other places. ~ link

• CANCER breakthrough could save the Tasmanian Devils ~ link

• NEW research: Loneliness spreads very much like a communicable disease.

...They report in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that loneliness formed in clusters of people, and that once one person in a social network started expressing feelings of loneliness, others within the same network would start to feel the same way. The effects spread as far as three degrees of separation. Those who had immediate contact with lonely people were around 50% more likely than average to feel lonely themselves. In people who knew people who had direct contact with lonely people, the figure was 25%. Those with three degrees of separation showed roughly a 10% increase.

The reason for the spread, the team argues, is because loneliness causes people to act towards others in a less generous and more negative fashion. As someone becomes lonely, he is more likely to interact with his friends negatively, and they are then more likely to interact with other friends negatively. If these interactions are repeated, the ties of friendships fray and people become lonelier and more isolated. ~ link

• AN explosion of new masters degrees ~ link

• JAMES DOBSON is leaving Focus on the Family so younger people can assume leadership. But he is going to start another, nearly identical, radio show. Ugh? ~ link

• BRAIN research:

Over the past several years, scientists have looked deeper into how brains age and confirmed that they continue to develop through and beyond middle age... Recently, researchers have found even more positive news. The brain, as it traverses middle age, gets better at recognizing the central idea, the big picture. If kept in good shape, the brain can continue to build pathways that help its owner recognize patterns and, as a consequence, see significance and even solutions much faster than a young person can. ~ link