THE MUPPETS - Full Trailer 2011

11-year-old wows crowd on 'Got Talent'

By Ree Hines

America’s got huge talent, but sometimes it comes in small packages.

That was the case Tuesday night when petite 11-year-old Anna Graceman took the “America’s Got Talent” stage and proved to the judges that appearances can be deceiving.

Playing the keyboard while belting out a near-perfect rendition of Alicia Keys’ hit “If I Ain’t Got You” earned Graceman accolades and an all-important a trip to Las Vegas.

Judge Piers Morgan was amazed by the tween’s “decibels per inch” vocal power, while his co-panelist Sharon Osbourne was surprised by the Graceman’s whole act.

“You're just this little girl with amazing soul in your voice, which is something that can't be learned,” Osbourne said. “You either have it or you don't. It's an amazing gift that you have.”

To hear more from Graceman before she returns to the “Got Talent” stage, check out her YouTube channel.

Watching her performace has to remind us, when young Jackie Evancho took teh stage for the first time:

or her Finale with Sarah Brightman "Time to Say Goodbye"

On the other end of the talent spectrum, viewers finally got a full look at the indescribable act that was teased last week — whether they wanted to or not.

Behold, whatever it is!

Unlike Graceman, he (well, probably he) did not make it to Vegas.

Radiohead Performs New Song “Staircase” (Video)

article written by: Andy Green

Whether or not you prefer the sounds of Radiohead, you cannot deny the simple fact that these guys have left their dent on the music industry. Mr. Yorke and the boys have been creating their sonic world for years and they are still going strong. They released their latest album “King of Limbs” in February of this year and they have a new BBC special which will air on July 1st called “The Basement Sessions” and this new track of theirs’ “Staircase”– will be featured on the show.

Uploaded by radiohead on Jun 20, 2011

Here's a new track called Staircase, taken from our upcoming 'From The Basement' session.

And no, you're not seeing double. The doppelganger drummers are myself and Clive Deamer. Clive has long been one of my favourite drummers and so I was really excited when he agreed to perform with us. Hope you like what we've all done.

Philip x

What Dance is This Dog Doing, Exactly?

It is a Modified River-dance?

While the famed Merengue Dog still holds the record for the hottest Latin canine dance moves in our book, we here at the Daily Treat know raw talent when we see it. Check out this tiny new dancing sensation, who we believe might just have a chance at the coveted mirror ball trophy.

Notably, this diminutive dancer maintains a solid look of feigned nonchalance as he masters the complex steps of this Latin dance, which looks a bit like Salsa ? The Cha Cha Cha? Flamenco? Modified River-dance? What the heck is it? Anyone? Flamenco is described a solo dance characterized by hand clapping, percussive footwork, and intricate hand, arm and body movements...which frankly I'm just not seeing here.

For comparison purposes, check out Salsa dog below and please share your theories on what dance these dogs are doing...or at least pick up a few new moves!

World Naked Bike Ride L.A. (NSFW)

Just how clean are bike seats anyway?

The L.A. participants in the World Naked Bike Ride flashed Echo Park, Silver Lake, Downtown and...

photo by Josh "CuriousJosh" Reiss

Full Gallery Here: http://www.laweekly.com/slideshow/world-naked-bike-ride-l-a-nsfw-30120632/

Break Dancing Gorilla at the Zoo

The video shows Zola having pure fun with an enrichment opportunity and is not trained behaviour; the music was added afterward.

Zola, nine-years old, is one of eight Western lowland gorillas currently living at the Calgary Zoo as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Gorilla Species Survival Plan. He loves to play in water and keepers regularly give him the opportunity to do so as part of the enrichment activities they plan and vary on a daily basis.

Heaven on earth: Lago di Olginate, Italy

From: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/

Lago di Olginate, Italy

Photograph by Stefano Anghileri, Your Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: Nature and Weather Photos

A layer of low clouds covers the alpine valleys of northern Italy, just south of Lake Como. The clouds are just dense enough to hide uniformly the valley and also filter the artificial lights below like they were an opaque blanket. Above the layer, moonlight and high cirrus clouds make the night less dark. You can easily recognize the round shape of Lago di Olginate and the lights of the villages all around its banks.

(This photo and caption was submitted to Your Shot.)

Turtle doesn’t care about the police

From: http://uberhumor.com/

iPhone 4 officially becomes most popular Flickr camera

From: http://www.electronista.com/

iPhone 4 claims top Flickr camera title

Flickr's Camera Finder has officially confirmed Apple CEO Steve Jobs' claims at WWDC that the iPhone 4 was the most popular camera. The smartphone just edged past the Nikon D90 to get the largest percentage of members and 4,800 photos uploaded per day. It had been threatening an upset for the past several weeks.

The current iPhone was also the unambiguous leader among phone cameras in recent memory, having long since passed the iPhone 3G in frequency. It still had to overcome lifetime usage, though, as just nine million photos were on the photo hosting service where the iPhone 3G accounted for 36 million. The only non-Apple device on the chart was the HTC Evo 4G, which was tied with the iPod touch.

Much of the rapid rise has been attributed to Apple's emphasis on image quality over raw resolution as well as the popularity of the iPhone 4 as the single most successful smartphone model, even though Android outnumbers it through the sheer variety of manufacturers.

Flickr also hinted that the iPhone might have taken over sooner if its data was more complete. Phones are often "under-represented" since the metadata and other camera traits only carry through about two thirds of the time. The graphs are still relative to the volume of those joining Flickr and mirrors a sustained interest even as Flickr's overall member base grows.

Why Hammocks Make Sleep Easier, Deeper

by Nancy Shute

from http://www.npr.org/

Amriphoto/iStockphoto.com

Swaying to and fro can help you rest easier.

Napping in a hammock is one of the more delightful tasks of summer, and Swiss researchers say they now know why.

The gentle rocking motion makes people fall asleep faster, and they sleep deeper. Those changes in brain activity may inspire new ways to help insomniacs, the researchers say.

Neuroscientists at the University of Geneva rigged up a bed so it would sway gently from side to side every four seconds, considerably slower than the pendulum on a cuckoo clock. "This rocking is very gentle, very smooth, oscillating every four seconds," Sophie Schwartz, a professor of neurology who led the study, told Shots. "It's not like rocking like you would see some mothers rocking their babies, it's more gentle."

A dozen adult research subjects napped on the bed for 45 minutes while scalp electrodes recorded brain activity. During one nap the bed swayed; for another, it was stationary.

The scientists weren't too surprised to find that people fell asleep faster when the bed rocked. But they were surprised at the big difference that rocking made in brain activity.

Rocking increased the length of N2 sleep, a form of non-REM sleep that takes up about half of a good night's rest. It also increased slow oscillations and "sleep spindles." Sleep spindles are brief bursts of brain activity, which look like sudden up-and-down scribbles on an electroencephalogram.

University of Geneva

How some sleep scientists simulate a hammock.

"We were basically trying to find a scientific demonstration of this notion of rocking to sleep," Michel Muehlethaler, a professor of neuroscience who conducted the research with Schwartz, tells Shots. The fact that the brain waves changed so much, he says, was "totally unexpected." The results were published in the journal Current Biology.

Sleep spindles are associated with tranquil sleep in noisy environments and may be a sign that the brain is trying to calm sleepers stuck in them. Spindles also have been linked with the ability to remember new information. And that is associated with the brain's ability to rewire itself, known as brain plasticity.

That ability is important in recovery from stroke, and the researchers say that rocking while sleeping should be tested on people with strokes or other brain injuries. Rocking is "changing things in your brain," Schwartz says.

The Swiss scientists are eager to try the rocking bed on night-time sleepers, to see if it might help with insomnia and other common sleep disorders. But Shots readers may not want to wait for those results, and instead head directly to the back yard and their own time-tested research tool, the hammock.

The ultimate flashmob: Hundreds of mothers breastfeed in front of shoppers

By Daily Mail Reporter

From : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

A bold group of mothers gave a new meaning to the term 'flashmob' when they bared their breasts at a major shopping centre today to raise awareness of breastfeeding.

More than a hundred mothers of all ages - some accompanied by their partners - descended on the Trafford Centre in Manchester to feed their babies in front of stunned shoppers to promote the start of NHS-backed National Breastfeeding Awareness Week.

The proud women bore all in full view of customers sitting in the shopping centre cafes to highlight the health benefits of breastfeeding.

Flashmob! Hundreds of mothers and their infants descend on The Grand Staircase at The Trafford Centre in Manchester today

A stunned onlooker said: 'It's not every day you see that many breasts while out doing your shopping. I suppose it's a good way of getting people to listen to the message. I fully support them.'

The Trafford Centre is backing National Breastfeeding Awareness Week 2011 - which runs from Sunday 19th to Saturday 25th June, backed by the NHS Infant Breastfeeding Services - and has recently refurbished its breastfeeding facilities for shoppers.

One mother, Jade Fitzmartin, 18, from Atherton, Greater Manchester, said: 'It's great to get together for such a good cause as we all know how important breastfeeding is. The flashmob was a really exciting thing to be part of, although in normal circumstances I would probably prefer to use the breastfeeding facilities here.

'All new mums should take it seriously as an option when midwives and health visitors discuss it with them.'

Nature's best: The event is to help publicise National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, which runs until June 25

Organiser of the flash mob event, Alison Healey, Breastfeeding Coordinator at NHS Ashton, Leigh and Wigan, said there were a number of advantages linked to choosing to breastfeed.

These included a lowered likelihood of common health complaints in babies such as diarrhoea, ear and chest infections and eczema and an improved immune system.

'The likelihood of a healthy life for babies is greatly enhanced by parents choosing to breastfeed instead of feeding their baby with formula milk.

'When a new mum chooses to breastfeed she is also greatly benefitting her own health as it can also help her to lose the weight she might have gained in pregnancy and lower the risk of some cancers.

'New mums should feel proud of their decision to breastfeed and know that they can get support from their local Midwives and Health Visitors.'

Gordon McKinnon, Director of Operations at The Trafford Centre, said: 'We're a family friendly centre, which means we're fully supportive of mums who make the decision to breastfeed. If they require a comfortable, private space in which to feed their child we have four sets of dedicated facilities including our new Laura Ashley-designed breastfeeding suite, but we consider most public spaces appropriate and our retailers are equally understanding.'

iPhone Babe: slide to unlock

American Airlines Switching From Paper to iPads, Will Save $1.2 million In Fuel

by Jaymi Heimbuch

from: http://www.treehugger.com/

Photo by lrargerich via Flickr CC

American Airlines is eyeballing iPads as a light-weight way to carry flight charts. And the company guesses the change will save it over a million dollars a year in fuel costs.

The move towards digitization and dematerialization is hitting the airlines now. MarketWatch reports that American Airline pilots have started testing out US-approved iPad tablets as a way for going paperless. A 1.5 lb tablet device will carry maps and other paperwork that can weigh as much as 35 lbs, saving space in the cockpit as well as removing excess weight from the flight.

The airline estimates a savings of $1.2 million a year in fuel costs alone -- not to mention how much will be saved in paper. Plus, the pilots will likely have an easier time accessing the information with the ability to zoom in on maps or easily find particular data.

The transition also marks a change in allowing electronic devices to be turned on during take-off and landing. According to MarketWatch, this will be the first time use of the device is allowed during all phases of flight. But that certainly doesn't mean passengers will be allowed to use their own iPads during these times.

Meanwhile, Alaska Air is looking to go the same route, providing iPads to its pilots for manuals, though maps will still be provided on paper.

The carbon footprint comparison of tablet devices vs paper is getting a whole new component with this use. Normally we hear about issues such as electricity consumption, durability, and lifespan, but now we'll also have to weigh in how much fuel is saved during travel by carrying a tablet instead of piles of paper.

Apple Insider reports that Samsung is also wanting to help airlines go paperless, with Galaxy Tab devices offered as entertainment devices for passengers. However, they aren't able to replace flight charts like iPads can because they aren't able to run the FAA-approved flight charting app.

Star Wars Movie Mashup Posters

From: http://www.geekinheels.com/

Artist Matthew Ranzetta has re-created the posters of five popular movies using the typography and imagery of Star Wars. Beautifully thought-out and rendered!

Via Geekosystem.

Darth Vader's personal Lego spaceship flies Sept. 1

by Daniel Terdiman
from http://news.cnet.com/

Lego will start selling a special Star Wars set featuring the personal spacecraft of Darth Vader. It will go on sale on September 1, and cost $400. It will be the longest Star Wars set in Lego history.

(Credit: Lego)

Lego said Friday that it will begin selling a new Star Wars model seat featuring Darth Vader's own personal ship, the Super Star Destroyer Executor. The set will go on sale on September 1 on Lego's Web site and in its branded retail stores.

This will be the longest Star Wars Lego model at 50 inches, and it takes 3,152 bricks and pieces to put together. All told, it will weigh eight pounds. One feature will be a command bridge underneath a removable section of the top of the model. Inside will fit mini-figures of several Star Wars characters--Vader himself, and a few others.

How Lego makes its bricks (photos)

The set will cost $400 when it goes on sale.

Another look at the new Darth Vader Lego model.

(Credit: Lego)

Mother To Donate Uterus To Daughter For Experimental Operation

By: Kimberley Mok
From: http://parentables.howstuffworks.com/

Photo: Focus Laser Vision / Creative Commons License

A British woman born without reproductive organs is hoping to conceive by undergoing an operation for a uterus transplant -- supplied by her own mother.

Sarah Otterman, a 25-year-old biology teacher who lives in Stockholm, was diagnosed with Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser syndrome at birth and cannot have children, though she has considered adoption.

But now she's a potential candidate for a womb transplant trial in Goteburg, Sweden, which will test the success of the experimental procedure in ten pairs of donors and recipients. If the organ is not rejected after one year, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) drug therapy will be administered to boost the patients' chances of conceiving after organ transplantation.

After much discussion, Sarah's 56-year-old mom, Eva Otterman, a managing director at a Nottingham lighting company, volunteered to be her daughter's donor. In fact, the majority of the donor pairs are mothers and daughters, something that didn't surprise Dr. Mats Brännström, head of the transplant team. He told the Toronto Star:

It is the natural fit. There may be an advantage with the mother because the daughter is similar in tissue type so you have less of rejection. The mother would also be more determined to help their daughter in this way than other people.

Despite the odd circumstances, it's a true example of deep motherly love. Brännström and his team have already done trials with 25 female baboons -- though without the IVF therapy -- and estimates a 60 to 70 percent chance of success with humans based on preliminary data. If the first five human womb transplants to be done in 2012 are successful, this procedure could eventually become available worldwide to thousands of women who cannot naturally conceive. All of this leads us to ask, would you be willing to donate or receive a womb transplant from a relative?

Read more over at the Toronto Star.

Meet Daisy, the Houdini-like cow that can open gates with her tongue

By Ali Plumb
From: http://www.asylum.co.uk/

If you were under the impression that cows weren't that clever, then prepare to think again. Our case in point: an ingenious Houdini-like cow by the name of, you guessed it, Daisy.

Now despite her seemingly unremarkable name, our Daisy is one clever bloody cow. You see, it turns out that she was sick of being cooped up in her cow shed all day, so she recently decided to do something about it.

Slickly using her tongue, she discovered she was able to whip out the bolts in the gate to her part of the shed, allowing the whole herd to funnel out into the open air.

Her owner, a Northern Irish farmer by the name of Tom Grant, thought that he might have some cattle rustlers on his hands after he kept seeing his cows wandering free – that is, until he whipped his camera out and recorded Daisy's remarkable trick.

The footage is below for you to take a look but, but just to get them over with, here are some horrific cow puns that we somehow managed to resist mentioning in the actual news story: "This is 'udder' genius", "'Cow' did they do that?", and "Meet 'Moo-dini'!" Oh, wait, no we didn't. Damn. Sorry about that.

Steven Spielberg demanded Megan Fox be fired from Transformers, says Bay

The actor was reportedly forced to leave the franchise for her remarks likening director Michael Bay to Adolf Hitler

• Catherine Shoard
• guardian.co.uk

Before the fallout ... Megan Fox in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009). Photograph: PR

As Lars von Trier knows, comparing a film director to Hitler – even if it's yourself – is rarely wise. And it's now been confirmed by Michael Bay that it was Megan Fox's remarks likening Bay to the German dictator that led to her being dismissed from the Transformers franchise.

1. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
2. Country: USA
3. Directors: Michael Bay
4. Cast: Hugo Weaving, John Malkovich, Josh Duhamel, Patrick Dempsey, Shia LaBeouf
5. More on this film

Speaking ahead of the 4 July premiere of Transformers 3, in which British model Rosie Huntingdon-Whitley replaced Fox as the female lead, Bay has revealed it was the film's executive producer, Steven Spielberg, who demanded Fox's dismissal. Bay said: "You know the Hitler thing? Steven (Spielberg) said, fire her right now."

Fox, 25, made the offending remarks to British magazine Wonderland shortly before production was scheduled to begin on the third instalment of the franchise. "He's like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous madman reputation," she said of Bay. "He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he's a nightmare to work for but when you get him away from set, and he's not in director mode, I kind of really enjoy his personality because he's so awkward, so hopelessly awkward. He has no social skills at all. And it's endearing to watch him. He's vulnerable and fragile in real life and then on set he's a tyrant. Shia [Labeouf] and I almost die when we make a Transformers movie. He has you do some really insane things that insurance would never let you do."

At the time, Fox's departure was credited to her desire to pursue other acting opportunities.

Bay's appointment of Fox was not universally popular. In an open letter posted on Michael Bay's website, a Transformers crew member disparaged Bay's decision to cast her over more experienced actors. "He told everyone around to just trust him on his choice … she became one of the most Googled and [ogled] women on earth. She was famous! She was the next Angelina Jolie, hooray! Wait a minute, two of us worked with Angelina. Second thought: she's no Angelina. You see, Angelina is a professional. We know this quite intimately because we've had the tedious experience of working with the dumb-as-a-rock Megan Fox on both Transformers movies."

Public Urinal Feeds Plants With Pee

by Sami Grover
from http://www.treehugger.com/

Image credit: Tuvie/Eddie Gandelman

The idea of urine separation to ward off peak fertilizer is not exactly new. But while some of us get to pee on our garden mulch, or urinate on our compost heaps, infrastructure for large-scale urine collection in an urban environment still seems a ways off. But here's a more decentralized option from designer Eddie Gandelman in the form of a public urinal that filters pee on site, and uses it to feed plants.

Posted over at design site Tuvie, the When Nature Calls urinal is in the concepting stages right now. While us TreeHuggers may focus on the tantalizing idea of resource efficiency and offsetting fertilizer needs, the primary motivation of the designer seems to be making public toilets a more pleasant place to be, and pee:

By setting up the restroom in pod format with 4 urinals on every pod, the users can enjoy more space and privacy. This system as well paves way for both peeing and watering the plants. Approved by a professor of toxicology, the project employs 3 processes. The urine thus collected is filtered, which is then used for the plants. Peeing, besides being a waste process becomes a nurturing one, which appears to be a great advantage here. This idea will certainly make the very notion of urination a better experience.

We're not the only ones to wonder if this could be taken a step further though. Michael Hines over at Trend Hunter writes about When Nature Calls, suggesting that restaurants and bars could could grow vegetables or fruits, cutting "costs and carbon at the same time." Of course some fairly careful monitoring would need to be done to ensure that the systems' filter mechanisms can get rid of potential pathogens or medications. And whether or not the public would be ready to accept such a direct and immediate connection between human waste and food remains to be seen—however safe it proved to be.

But hey, at least it's not a burger made from poop...

Happy Summer Solstice to you!

• in the Northern Hemisphere, summer solstice begins on Jun 21 2011 at 1:16 P.M. EDT
  
  
• in the UK June 21, 2011 at 17:16 UTC
  
  

Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning "sun" + "to stand still." As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky.

As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.

Early Celebrations

Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice, Midsummer (see Shakespeare), St. John's Day, or the Wiccan Litha.

The Celts & Slavs celebrated the first day of summer with dancing & bonfires to help increase the sun's energy. The Chinese marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light.

Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids' celebration of the day as the "wedding of Heaven and Earth", resulting in the present day belief of a "lucky" wedding in June.

Today, the day is still celebrated around the world - most notably in England at Stonehenge and Avebury, where thousands gather to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.

Pagan spirit gatherings or festivals are also common in June, when groups assemble to light a sacred fire, and stay up all night to welcome the dawn.

Summer Solstice Fun Facts

• Pagans called the Midsummer moon the "Honey Moon" for the mead made from fermented honey that was part of wedding ceremonies performed at the Summer Solstice.
  
  
• Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires, when couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump.
  
  
• Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. To thwart them, Pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers. One of the most powerful of them was a plant called 'chase-devil', which is known today as St. John's Wort and still used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer.
  
  

More about summer solstice around the Web:

On the Web, discover more about the topic, where & how Summer Solstice is celebrated around the world along with related history, folklore and rituals that mark the much-awaited long, bright days of summer ....

Summer Solstice - Good overview of its history, customs & holidays, illustrations, date & time charts and related links, from Wikipedia.

Summer Solstice Celebrations - Ancient & Modern - Skip past the intrusive ads for a detailed discussion about how the day has been celebrated over the centuries, and in many cultures, with suggested reading and related links.

BBC Religion - Summer Solstice - A brief overview of Pagan rituals and ceremonies with related links to more facts & information.

Weird Wilstshire - Summer Solstice - Archived pictures with a report on one particularly successful UK sunrise celebration, including related links & online forum.

The Pagan Festival of Litha - The origins of Druidic Summer Solstice celebrations and their meaning in the natural cycle of seasons.

Here are some recent quotes on this day from the press, along with some words from those who celebrate the Summer Solstice as a holiday.

“Once, humans were intimate with the cycles of nature, and never more than on the summer solstice. Vestiges of such awareness survive in White Nights and Midnight Sun festivals in far northern climes, and in neo-pagan adaptations of Midsummer celebrations, but contemporary people take little notice of the sun reaching its far point on the horizon. Tomorrow is the longest day of the year, the official start of the summer season, the fullest of light — yet we are apt to miss this phenomenon of Earth’s axial tilt, as we miss so much of what the natural world does in our surrounds.” - James Carroll, The Boston Globe

“Legends describe the solstice as a time when the doors to enchanted castles and the underworld were cast open and mortals could mingle with fairies and imprisoned princesses and explore hidden caverns. Shakespeare set his silly and brilliant comedy on this night, depicting the collision of three very different worlds in a magic forest where fairies work romantic mischief on sleeping couples, while bad actors rehearse a Roman play about doomed lovers. The youth of today may not pause to think that they are reenacting ancient midsummer celebrations or mating rituals when they get debaucherous at the many music festivals that kick off around the solstice, but the primal desire to be outside dancing and carousing late into the night is irrepressible at this time of year.” - Megan Cytron, Salon.com

“Midsommar, the Swedish celebration of summer solstice, is a pretty easy holiday to love — perhaps because it’s more of a party than a holiday. This year, the solstice itself falls on June 21. Swedes, like many in Europe, have celebrated the longest day of the year since pagan times. And with good reason: In a northern land where the sun barely rises during the dark, snowy winter, summer is a time to celebrate the golden outdoors. It’s a time to sing and dance (ideally around a flower-studded maypole or frighteningly large bonfire), eat the best of the summer crops, and toss back shots of bracingly strong alcohol.” - Deena Prichep, NPR

But for some, midsummer is about more than glorious dawns, for pagans it is a very significant date. Steve Ludford of the Pagan Federation explained: “In essence it is a time to celebrate the strength of the sun, which is the masculine element in paganism, and obviously in midsummer the sun is at its strongest.” “The word solstice actually comes from the Latin meaning to stand still, because at midsummer the sun appears to stand still in its path.” Although thousands of pagans will head to Wiltshire to celebrate the occasion, Chair of the Druid Network Phil Ryder believes most will head to our own monuments to mark the occasion “Most druids would rather avoid Stonehenge like the plague. The land where we reside is most important to us, so for that reason, people are most likely to navigate towards the ancient sites near them. In many cases the ancestors built the stone circles and burial cairns oriented towards the solstice which makes them a good place to see the dawn and celebrate.” - Western Telegraph

“While it heralds the sun’s waning, Litha is not about light or dark winning victories over each other, even temporarily, or about one end of the polarity between ice and fire being the “good” one; it’s about the constant interplay in the dance that is the turning of the Wheel of the Year. That cooperation and interaction are the real story of destruction averted, and not just averted, but transformed into the ongoing process of re-creation. Now that’s something to celebrate.” - Literata, The Slacktiverse