Centered in the Gulf of California.

Images from the photographer of the Lake Project.

The governor announced today that Butte, El Dorado, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties are also in a state of emergency.

The son in the shower is working on his kargyraa technique.

A very good explanation of throatsinging can be found here.

The kind of day that is perfect for making Christmas candy, which I did not get to do much of due to - has it been over 14 days? - cloudy, rainy weather.

All the supplies are neatly stacked still. The brown sugar, the blocks of chocolate, both white and milk, the huge jars of nuts waiting to be made into brittles.

Do I plan to make candy? Well, no. It’s January, time to work off all that holiday fat. But up ahead looms Valentine’s Day.

Last year, scientists said yes to a connection. This year, they say no. In fact, the study showed that those who drank soda had less incidences of the cancer than those who did not.

The researchers say this does not mean that your diet Coke prevents cancer of the esophagus, but that consumers of diet drinks tend to watch their health more carefully. This means they are less likely to be obese smokers with reflux problems, who avoid fruits and vegetables.

In Devon, 100 boar were set free from a farm by animal rights activists. Some 40 or so have been captured, but the rest are frightening the locals. At over 400 lbs each, this is understandable.

Many of the females are pregnant, prompting the farm’s owner to warn that there will be a population explosion of the boar variety very soon unless they are caught.

The big ones (up to 120 lbs) are found only along the Indian Himalayas. It has big fins, big scales, and puts up a huge fight when caught.

Behind the desk, there are stuffed creatures.

The secret to a stellar macaroni and cheese: no fancy shmancy pasta shapes, no expensive cheeses, just lots of American cheese, which will form its own crust.

Things to keep in mind if you don’t have clean, well-functioning nasal passages.

Where to look tonight for the brightest stars, if you have clear skies.

No one likes to get a shot, but if you’re a diabetic, it can be a daily necessity. Two Tokyo companies produce what is billed as the ‘world’s thinnest needle’.

What does it feel like? A mosquito bite.

When a dead whale sinks to the bottom of the sea, its fat-rich carcass can provide food to an army of organisms for up to 100 years. Because it is so difficult to find the whale bodies, scientists tow dead beached whales, weighed down with scrap metal, to sites for continued study.