Topic: Culture & Society

Unfortunately, a numerology chart for the date 8-8-08, the day of the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympic Games, reveals that it's an unfavorable date. The astrology chart of the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympic Games also suggests an abundance of ill-fated energy.

The Chinese place a lot of importance on the number eight, as they associate it with prosperity. The Beijing Olympic Games are scheduled to start on 8-8-2008, at 08:08:08 PM China Standard Time in Beijing. Although all those eights might appear to be a good sign, beneath the surface lurks a darker reality, according to Scott Petullo and Stephen Petullo of MysticTwins.com.

Salaam Press publishes "Illegal Citizens: Queer Lives in the Muslim World" by Afdhere Jama. The book follows 33 people in 22 countries.

Following thirty-three people in twenty-two countries, Afdhere Jama paints a complicated picture in Illegal Citizens; Queer Lives in the Muslim World. "I set out to tell the stories of people suffering everywhere," says Jama, who is the editor of Huriyah, a queer Muslim magazine. "Instead, I was confronted with diverse lives including happy ones - sometimes in places I never imagined."

Many of us have long realized that the cartoon series "The Simpsons" is, ironically, the most true-to-life show on television. After nearly two decades, the academics are finally getting wise.

The cartoon depictions of educators in The Simpsons could serve as professional development tools for real teachers.

A gemstone information website has developed an online test to determine which gemstone is best for a particular person.

Shopgemstones.com has just developed an innovative online test to determine which gemstone is best for a person. People can take a 10 question, multiple choice test, answering questions about their health, astrological sign, personality traits, birth month, and life values.

What impresses us the most about this quick look at Facebook is that the writer, a resident of Stockholm, is just as concerned about the CIA as we, even though he's well outside the "official" grasp of the U.S. government. Perhaps we're not so paranoid after all.

What is Facebook? Is Facebook an idealistic social project allowing people to become friends worldwide or an American company making money?

Post traumatic stress disorder and other issues involving disabled American veterans have become the focus of a new film entitled, "Who Will Stand." There are many films about the war in Iraq, but a small team of Las Vegas filmmakers decided that the soldiers would be better served by addressing the issues they deal with after they return home.

More American soldiers kill themselves than are killed by the enemy, and many others suffer the effects of post traumatic stress disorder. As many as eighteen soldiers a day are committing suicide and most of those soldiers kill themselves after they return home. Their divorce rate has tripled since the beginning of the war and substance abuse among veterans is four times the national average. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg according to Who Will Stand producer/director Phil Valentine.

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10 year old Christian Golsynski bears the horrors of war in this photo as he accepts the folded American flag after the loss of his father Marc in Iraq.

Sustainable Farmer offers articles, videos and slideshows offering practical advice to people who want to grow food responsibly, for themselves and their families and for sale. The site features profiles of sustainable farmers, advice on growing and marketing fruits and vegetables, a forum where producers can ask questions and share ideas and a special section producing specialty food for diverse consumers.

As food and fuel prices rise, a new generation of farmers is looking to sustainable agriculture as a way to provide fresh local food to local consumers in ways that protect the planet. Sustainable Farmer is a new independent journalistic voice that offers them the information and advice that they need to succeed.

Kaya McLaren is back, telling us that it's okay to still be a tomboy well into adulthood.

For me, the late thirties are dinner time on a summer night when you’re a kid. Your mom calls you in to have the obligatory meal and clean-up with the family, but you’re not ready to go inside. You’re not ready to give up your wildness for table manners. I’m supposed to be hearing my biological clock go off, but like a kid that’s building a fort in the woods too far from the house to hear her mother, I can’t seem to hear my biological clock either.

The Weather Channel's "Forecast Earth" has beed redesigned, offering expanded environmental coverage on how to "live smart" and stay green

Visitors to Forecast Earth, the interactive broadband site dedicated to climate change issues created by The Weather Channel Interactive, can now find new content on how to "live smart" and stay green in an entirely redesigned and easy-to-navigate site. The redesigned Web site contains practical information to help consumers live well, reduce waste, save money and sustain the planet. Additionally, a roster of new bloggers provides perspective and commentary on environmental issues. Eco-friendly lifestyle tips and features can also be found directly from weather.com.

Development company Ferrumar has discovered that George Putnam, the future husband of aviator Amelia Earhart (who vanished in the Pacific Ocean 71 years ago), directed the killing of a polar bear and capture of her cubs on behalf of the Manhattan-based American Museum of Natural History.

Privately-held development company Ferrumar has discovered that George Putnam, the future husband of aviator Amelia Earhart , directed the killing of a polar bear and capture of her cubs on behalf of the Manhattan-based American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). Wednesday marked the 71st anniversary of Earhart's disappearance in the Pacific Ocean.

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George Putnam, 3rd from left.