Art of the Day – The Ascension by Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali. Ascension. 1958. Oil on canvas. 115 x 123 cm. Private collection.

I’ll take Easter in the U.S anytime. pass the peeps, please!

Filipino Catholics crucify themselves to mark Good Friday

Devout Catholics in the Philippines had themselves nailed to crosses while others whipped themselves until the blood flowed in a gruesome ritual to mark Good Friday.

By Ian MacKinnon in Hua Hin, Thailand
Published: 6:18PM BST 02 Apr 2010

Photo: Jay Directo/AFP/Getty Images

“this will hurt me more than it will hurt you”. i think not.

Devout catholics take part in a crucifixtion to mark Good Friday. Photo: Jay Directo/AFP/Getty Images

At least 23 people were crucified – one for the 24th time – in three villages north of Manila as the media recorded every moment from gantries erected around the crosses.

The Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines disapproves of the bloody spectacle that is a mark of the worshippers’ faith, but is powerless to stop the annual ritual.

Let them eat Cake

April 4, 2010 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

David Biello reports

How Will Climate Change Impact Bread?

Warming temperatures have already impacted wheat yields–in the U.S.

Listen to  podcast:

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Climate change may already be hitting you—in the stomach. A new analysis reveals that higher average temperatures in Montana over the last six decades equal less wheat.

Plant scientist Luther Talbert of Montana State University and his colleagues looked at weather records for the Mountain State from 1950 to 2007. The month of March has had the most warming overall, increasing by nearly 0.1 degrees Celsius per year on average. As a result, farmers now plant wheat 10 days earlier.

In addition, higher temperatures in July linked up to less wheat to harvest and lighter grains.

In 2007, the U.S. grew 12.8 million metric tons of hard red spring wheat, which is primarily used to make bread. Yields of this staple grain have increased exponentially since the 1950s because better farming practices and new wheat breeds have more than made up for those hot Julys.

Such innovations will have to continue since the future is likely to be even hotter, according to the scientists. Breeding wheat to deal with high heat is compulsory if we want our daily bread.—David Biello