Dong Jin Su Ji

A young 18-year-old boy from Nepal, Ram Bahadur Bamjan, is believed by many to be a reincarnation of Buddha. He has never claimed himself as Buddha but many people seem to think so because he has been meditating for 3 years without sleep, food, or water. He was bit by snake twice during his meditations and continue to stay alive and healthy.

Some researchers revealed today the fish that has become a mystery for 50 years. The fish has a transparent head and barrel eyes which allowed it to see in 360 degrees. Below are the quotes from the press release:

Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute recently solved the half-century-old mystery of a fish with tubular eyes and a transparent head. Ever since the “barreleye” fish Macropinna microstoma was first described in 1939, marine biologists have known that it’s tubular eyes are very good at collecting light. However, the eyes were believed to be fixed in place and seemed to provide only a “tunnel-vision” view of whatever was directly above the fish’s head. A new paper by Bruce Robison and Kim Reisenbichler shows that these unusual eyes can rotate within a transparent shield that covers the fish’s head. This allows the barreleye to peer up at potential prey or focus forward to see what it is eating.

Most existing descriptions and illustrations of this fish do not show its fluid-filled shield, probably because this fragile structure was destroyed when the fish were brought up from the deep in nets. However, Robison and Reisenbichler were extremely fortunate–they were able to bring a net-caught barreleye to the surface alive, where it survived for several hours in a ship-board aquarium. Within this controlled environment, the researchers were able to confirm what they had seen in the ROV video–the fish rotated its tubular eyes as it turned its body from a horizontal to a vertical position.

Source: MBARI.org

The following are the complete list of nominess for Academy Award, split into categories:

Best Motion Picture of the Year

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire

Achievement in Directing

• David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
• Gus Van Sant, Milk
• Stephen Daldry, The Reader
• Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

• Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
• Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
• Sean Penn, Milk
• Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

• Josh Brolin, Milk
• Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
• Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
• Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

• Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
• Angelina Jolie, Changeling
• Melissa Leo, Frozen River
• Kate Winslet. The Reader
• Meryl Streep, Doubt

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

• Amy Adams, Doubt
• Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Viola Davis, Doubt
• Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

• Bolt
• Kung Fu Panda
• Wall-E

Original Screenplay

• Dustin Lance Black, Milk
• Courtney Hunt, Frozen River
• Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
• Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
• Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, WALL-E

Adapted Screenplay

• Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
• Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
• David Hare, The Reader
• Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

• The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
• The Class (France)
• Departures (Japan)
• Revanche (Austria)
• Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

Original Score

• Alexandre Desplat, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• James Newton Howard, Defiance
• Danny Elfman, Milk
• A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
• Thomas Newman, WALL-E

Original Song

• “Down to Earth,” Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; WALL-E
• “Jai Ho,” A.R. Rahman and Gulzar; Slumdog Millionaire
• “O Saya,” A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam; Slumdog Millionaire

Achievement in Art Direction

• Changeling
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• The Duchess
• Revolutionary Road

Achievement in Cinematography

• Changeling
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire

Achievement in Costume Design

• Australia
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Duchess
• Milk
• Revolutionary Road

Best Documentary Feature

• The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
• Encounters at the End of the World
• The Garden
• Man on Wire
• Trouble the Water

Best Documentary Short Subject

• The Conscience of Nhem En
• The Final Inch
• Smile Pinki
• The Witness—From the Balcony of Room 306

Achievement in Film Editing

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• Slumdog Millionaire

Achievement in Makeup

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• Slumdog Millionaire

Best Animated Short Film

• La Maison en Petits Cubes
• Lavatory—Lovestory
• Oktapodi
• Presto
• This Way Up

Best Live Action Short Film

• Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
• Manon on the Asphalt
• New Boy
• The Pig
• Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Achievement in Sound Editing

• The Dark Knight
• Iron Man
• Slumdog Millionaire
• WALL-E
• Wanted

Achievement in Sound Mixing

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Slumdog Millionaire
• WALL-E
• Wanted

Achievement in Visual Effects

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Iron Man

A song by Will.i.am and David Foster which, I think, is perfect to be an anthem to a country. It is full of patriotic lines that even a non-american like me can appreciate. Parts of the lyric were taken from Obama’s speech. I’m not sure if other president’s speeches were also included. Together with Will.i.am, some other famous artists perform this song. They are Mary J. Blige, Bono, Seal, and Faith Hill. Listen to this: