Toolmarks at a Crime Scene

Toolmarks examination is an important discipline of forensic science. When tools are used at a crime scene they can be linked to the unique toolmarks.

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Food Company Annual Report that must be Baked

Your eyes are not deceiving you the headline does read Food Company Annual Report that must be Baked. It is just so clever I couldn't stop smiling when I read it.

It is one of those really smart ideas that probably has no uses.

Croatian creative agency Bruketa & Zinić have designed an annual report for food company Podravka that has to be baked in an oven before it can be read. The secret is thermo-reactive ink.

It's a little bit like the magic trick we used to do with the invisible writing when we were kids - remember, writing something with lemon juice and then only being able to read it if you held a flame under the paper and the lettering showed up brown.

Adopt an Acre of Rainforest

Well this is a new one - Adopt an Acre of Rainforest. I've adopted plenty of other things like a star and a piece of sky and..., but an acre of rainforest, never before.

Obviously these Adopt-schemes work well and are good for raising awareness. As the website explains: Adopt an Acre® is a program of The Nature Conservancy that provides critical funds for rainforest protection and restoration.

Every year, Adopt an Acre® chooses an imperiled rainforest site that is in critical need of protection.

Since its beginning, the Adopt an Acre® program has protected hundreds of thousands of forested acres worldwide.

Once you adopt your acre(s), you'll receive a personalized certificate, more information about the program, a car magnet and a subscription to our quarterly magazine, Nature Conservancy.

But don't take my word for this virtual adoption program - no, you don't ACTUALLY own the Acre of Rainforest you adopt.

The also have an update on last year's Adopt and Acre Africa program . During the 2006 and 2007 season this program resulted in the adoption and preservation of more than 24,000 acres in East Africa's Rift Valley.

Ek is verlief op die kind

Dankie Joy-Mari van Brokencats

One- Letter Words

Ok, so the concept of One-Letter Words can sound a bit strange until you really go into it and explore the concept a bit.

Think about: I haven't been playing my A game lately or He's got it down to a T.

Craig Conley is a curator, benefactor, philosopher, author, music producer, and documentarian. A former college teacher of writing and literature, he left academia to pursue his research into one-letter words, two-fold deities, and ancient technologies for using harmonics to heal and to facilitate spiritual transformations.

He says: "Sometimes you do have something to say, but “the words get in the way.” You can’t find the precise word for what you mean, and every word you can think of gives the wrong impression or is misleading."

The solution is to get back to basics. Put your trust in the ABC’s. With this dictionary of one-letter words, you have the power to fight jargon and to simplify modern communication. It’s now up to you.

For each letter in the one-letter word dictionary, , Conley gives dozens of meanings, which he often supports with citations from literature, science and pop culture. The definitions are arranged in groups like “shapes and sizes,” military and “people, places, things,” some of which are common to most letters and others that pertain to only one, like “exertions of power,” which has two entries under “d.”

African Path leads to a Village

I've been a fan of African Path for a long time. Tun by Josh Wanyama, a Kenyan living in the USA, the African Path website had a great mix of news, sport, politics, music, arts and opinions about Africans by Africans. I look forward to the newsletter.

Now African Path has created a virtual African Path Village where you can connect with African Culture. There are forums, photos, groups and all the social networking goodies as well as some cool badges and widgets- even a slideshow one for Facebook.

Check it out and join the conversation!

What is Mitochondrial DNA?

Well I guess this has nothing much to do with protocol or with public relations unless you're trying to trace your maternal lineage or you were caught up in a Tsunami or an earthquake and and your remains need to be identified, but Mitochondiral DNA is really very interesting.

I've started writing on Forensic Science, which is why all these rather off-topic articles are popping up and one of the fascinating things I found while researching the Mitochondiral DNA article was the whole Mitochondial Eve theory - you know, that we are all descended from one mother, right here in Africa - well you'd better read more:

What is Mitochondrial DNA? Inherited from the Mother, mtDNA is Perfect for Cold Cases