mrneoluddite

From the page: "This Week in the Directory
By Dave Sikula
Tue, November 25, 2008, 12:01 am PST

Now that the holidays are upon us, we thought that, rather than looking at the immediate past of sites and categories added to the Yahoo! Directory, we should take a look at the bigger picture; that is, the stuff you�ve looked for in years past, and which we�re pretty sure you�ll be looking for again this week. After all, this is the season for giving, and what better gift can we give you than the information you so desperately crave?

Let�s start with the most obvious search: Thanksgiving. People will be hustling and bustling around the country to be with loved ones, so you�ll want to know whether your guests will arrive (or if you�re the traveler, how long it�ll take). Why not start in the Travel category, where you'll find information about ticketing, tracking flights, and airport advisories? If you're not flying, how about information about trains, automobiles -- or less traditional forms of travel?

Of course, if you�re hosting a Thanksgiving dinner, you�ll probably want to decorate, and you�ll find clip art and graphics here -- even wallpaper for your computer.

But let�s not forget the guest of honor: Mr. Tom Turkey. We can show you a vast array of ways to prepare the noble bird -- or even substitute a healthier alternative -- along with an array of ubiquitous side dishes from mashed potatoes and gravy to green bean casseroles.

Not quite sure what to do with all that turkey afterwards? Fear not, as we can show you plenty of recipes for leftovers and soups. (And of course, if you just can�t stand another mouthful of stuffing, well, that�s what takeout is for.)

Of course, since the holiday is just beginning, you know what comes next. Even in these economically-unsure times, there are those who just can't resist the siren call of the shopping mall, and we can show you where to go and who has the best deals.

For those of you not shopping, who are of a more traditional persuasion, take a gander at some ideas for Christmas decorating -- after all, it�s only a month away (where the heck did 2008 go, anyway?).

Regardless, happy holidays from your friends at the Yahoo! Directory; America�s favorite Internet source of aggregated information for over a tenth of a century."

From the page: "Darwin Loves Lucy
By Amy Holzer
Mon, November 24, 2008, 12:01 am PST

If history does indeed repeat itself, then today we should be on the lookout for groundbreaking news in the study of evolution. Why? Well, it was on this day in 1859 that Charles Darwin published the revolutionary "On the Origin of Species," and 115 years later, Donald Johanson and Tom Gray discovered the Lucy skeleton at Hadar, Ethiopia.

"On the Origin of Species" detailed the processes of natural selection and adaptive radiation. Though the work never explicitly claimed we were descended from apes, Darwin was nonetheless attacked for that proposition. Even today, he's still a polarizing figure, as creationists try to refute what biologists and the scientific community defend -- that man evolved over time from ancient hominid ancestors. The debate continues with no likely end in sight.

So did Lucy's discovery lend a hand to Darwin and his proponents? Most certainly. The discovery of this 40%-complete skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis offered fossil evidence of a potential human ancestor that walked upright 3,000,000 years ago. Furthermore, this evidence was supported by Mary Leakey's amazing find of footprints from Lucy's time at Laetoli.

While it may seem that debate over scientific theory is one best left to the experts, average Americans haven't been deterred from taking it to the streets. Nothing short of a silent evolutionary war is being waged on the backsides of automobiles. From the Jesus fish to the Darwin fish to the truth-eats-Darwin fish and beyond, this once-binary argument has given birth to unforeseen allegiances and a unique forum for debate.

With such a contentious topic at hand, it seems as though it may be risky to make a call for one side or the other. However, based on the historical significance of this day in history, the 24th of November is going to have to be called in favor of the evolutionists. So go have a banana and go for a walk, you bipedal hominids of today!"

From the page: "Taking a Gander at the Goose
By Liz Gill
Fri, November 21, 2008, 12:01 am PST

Giant turkey float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 2006
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 2006
(Photo by Ellie)
Next Thursday, millions of televisions will be tuned to the 82nd annual Macyâ€s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Between helpings of yams and stuffing, folks will glance up to see an unnaturally large frog or other frightening figure float across their screens. As much as I enjoy the homely traditions of the holiday season, I must say that this whole phenomenon of watching a parade on television, rather than in person, is a supreme copout.

A parade isn't meant to be viewed on a screen, but experienced! The parade attendee is a hearty breed, braving the blistering sun of summer or the punishing cold of winter with a smile on her face or a march in his heart.

Some of paradedom's most enthusiastic fans are those who attend the annual Mother Goose Parade in El Cajon, California, which will mark its 62nd celebration on Sunday. Its debut in 1947 attracted over 25,000 people to a town with a population of less than 1,500. In its fourth year, even though the parade was delayed until Thanksgiving night due to rains that were so heavy a float crashed, over 100,000 people still attended. Even in the "sophisticated" 21st century, Mother Goose and her parade hold their own against such better-known events as the Macyâ€s parade by including community programs and celebrity hosts.

Sure, the parade will be televised on a local broadcast, but if you're yearning to park a folding chair on a curb among thousands of your friends and neighbors to watch decorated pickups and marching bands, poke around the Yahoo! Directory's Events category a bit and find a parade, event, or festival that will get you out into the elements.

And if you can't find anything local, and your town is just starving for some organized (or disorganized) revelry, as El Cajon was before 1947, go out and make some of your own!"

tons of links to videos, so click through to maximize your pleasure.


From the page: "
Thank You For Being a Friend / TV Theme Songs Are Back Again
By Mike McKiernan
Thu, November 20, 2008, 12:01 am PST

Deadwood opening credits title card
"Deadwood" opening credits
Earlier this year, we looked back at some of the best theme songs from our favorite TV shows of the '70s and '80s. Well, there's a lot more story to tell, so it's time to take another trip down memory lane, starting with the '80s:

Those cheerful Bosom Buddies rarely had the blues on Hill Street, since P.I.s Magnum, Remington Steel, Simon & Simon, and Mr. and Mrs. Hart were all Moonlighting to keep the streets safe. And as long as he had a stick of bubble gum and some dental floss, MacGyver could bail us out of any trouble. The Golden Girls in their Dynasty estate might have gotten rough with each other, but that Cosby family celebrated their Wonder Years by dancing every season.

In the '90s, The Simpsons lived far away from their rich Friends in Beverly Hills, 90210 who only cared about Sex and the City. Buffy might have Charmed them, though, with her good looks and feisty attitude while she was slaughtering monsters like Mulder and Scully. Speaking of monsters, mess with The Sopranos and you'd be lucky to end up in the ER, and not wind up a Murder One victim and having the NYPD Blue discover your body.

Nowadays, however, the C.S.I.s in Las Vegas, New York, or Miami would find your killer, so no worries there (unless he attempts a Prison Break). Plus, young Clark Kent is still in Smallville and almost ready to drop his Alias and become known as the last Survivor of his planet Krypton. But, if you cross paths with Dexter or an outlaw in the lawless town of Deadwood (which is no safe place for a Family Guy or even a tiny Firefly), you might find yourself Six Feet Under, unless Dr. Grey stitches you up first. Worst case scenario, Jennifer Love Hewitt, aka The Ghost Whisperer, will keep you company in the afterlife, which doesn't sound too bad to me -- after all, it is her Tru Calling."

From the page: "The Spark
Learn about stuff you never knew you wanted to know about in The Spark. Yahoo!'s Search Editors dig through the Web and blog about its hidden gems, celebrity birthdays, and bizzare and little-known holidays. Come on in and see what sparks your interest."

From the page: ""The Most Dangerous Woman in America"
By Dave Sikula
Tue, November 11, 2008, 12:01 am PST


She was like a science-fiction story come to life. A woman who carried a highly infectious disease but who was herself immune (and who denied that she carried the disease at all). But the story of Mary Mallon, aka "Typhoid Mary," was far from fictitious, and ended with her death 70 years ago today.

Other than her ability to make people violently ill, Mallon's story was nondescript. She emigrated from Ireland to the United States at the age of 15 in 1884, finding work as a cook in New York. Her unintentional notoriety began when a family she was working for in Mamaroneck came down with typhoid. All of the members recovered (except for a laundress, who died), but no connection was made to Mary, who moved on to other jobs. But in 1901, another family she worked for was struck, and then another in 1906, and then three more. The authorities suspected Mary, but imagine how you'd feel if a stranger came up, accused you of spreading disease, and demanded samples of your bodily fluids. You'd probably act like Mary did and threaten that stranger with a carving fork.

Eventually the Department of Health had Mary arrested and confined in isolation, which she fought vigorously until she was finally released in 1910, on the condition that she not work as a cook again. Unable to make a living as a laundress, she soon returned to the kitchen (under the name "Mary Brown") at the Sloan Maternity Hospital, and in 1915, the cycle started again as 25 people came down with typhoid. After one of the women died, investigators discovered "Mary Brown's" real identity and sent her back into isolation for the remaining 23 years of her life. Although she never came down with the disease herself, her autopsy showed her to be as dangerous in death as in life, as her gallbladder was full of live typhoid bacteria.

We don't want to start a panic, but the next time you eat out and the food tastes a little funny, you may want to make sure the cook seems perfectly healthy -- you never know, after all..."