Entry 129: St. Bernadette's Day

Saint Bernadette of Lourdes: (1844-1879) Oldest of 6 children in a very poor family headed by Francois and Louise Casterot. Hired out as a servant from age 12 to 14. Shepherdess. On 11 February 1858, around the time of her first Communion, she received a vision of the Virgin. [...] She received 18 more in the next 5 months, and was led to a spring of healing waters. She moved into a house with the sisters of Nevers at Lourdes where she lived, worked, and learned to read and write. The sisters cared to the sick and indigent, and at age 22 they admitted Bernadette into their order since she was both. Always sick, and often mistreated by her superiors, she died with a prayer for Mary's aid. Body is incorruptible. --www.catholic-forum.com

I'd read a book about her, when I was younger. Don't know where the book is now.

Just came back from a long morning of GOH training, and the best thing about training in the morning is that almost whatever you did at home after that can be seen as rest. I'm blogging now. But today I'm telling you, there's this thing you've got to go and check out if you're any good in biology or archaeology:

Click here for The Genographic Project Website.

Besides the cool tangy flash layout, it lays out 200,000 years of human voyages and migrations right in front of your eyes. It traces your ancient ancestry all the way to Adam and Mitochondrial Eve, or at least where your ancestors went before they landed on what would be your homeland. If that wasn't enough, watching the ice sheets change shape on the world map might be intriguing also, or maybe not.

Screenshot of interface: Presenting the Na-Dene Languages of North America

If you've got the financial prowness, you can join the project by buying the package, send your cheek swab to the scientists and let them identify your Haplogroup, and when you get your results after the test, never cease to be amazed.

Stop Press at 10:42 pm: I've just stumbled on the flash version of the Elements Song by Tom Lehrer, and it's so cool. This link here is for me to get to save the file into my own computer actually, but anyone's free to click and be entertained.