The Sisters of Fraternity Notre Dame set up a soup kitchen in New York in 1991. They also work with AIDS patients. They do not proselytize, just work to serve others. But they picked up a hobby!

Shortly after their arrival, they began to study the martial arts. The thought of using it on the streets to protect themselves was not the reason they began training. It was purely for exercise and recreation. One of the sister's, Mary Chantel, had earned a black belt in judo before entering the convent. She was eager to resume the sport and found a place for all of them to work out.

Witness Magazine has a photo essay on the sisters, including several karate pictures near the end. http://visionproject.org/mag/nuns/index.php -via Metafilter

Tardigrades (water bears or moss piglets) are tiny creatures who can survive being frozen, boiled, dehydrated, and irradiated. They can even survive in the vaccuum of space! There are over 900 species of water bears; see some at Dark Roasted Blend. Link

Those bubbles are BIG! This video contains the recipe for super-tough bubble formula. Push play or go to 5min Life. -via the Presurfer

Less than three weeks til Halloween; what costume are you going to wear this year? mental_floss has a gallery of ten costumes that gained internet fame over the past few years that may give you some inspiration. Link

Disclaimer: I wrote this.

Posted by Flickr user knittingskwerlgurl, this is titled Eatin Celery. Link -via J-Walk Blog

HenryvKeiper took footage from the 1954 movie The Dam Busters and synced it with audio from the climactic Death Star scene from Star Wars episode IV. Read about the connection at Wikipedia. Push play or go to YouTube. -via Cynical-C

Mr. Liu Yong, a Chinese who was educated in Germany, makes a comparison between German culture and Chinese culture, illustrated in international symbol-style graphics. This graphic compares “queues”. See the whole thing at Adino Online. Link -via Reddit

St. Wilgefortis became popular in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. She was known by names that translated as “Strong Virgin” and “The Liberator”. Legend says that the young noblewoman prayed to be delivered from an arranged marriage and miraculously grew a beard that broke the deal. The actual story is even stranger! Read about it at Curious Expeditions. http://www.curiousexpeditions.org/2007/10/miracle_beard.html

The Inaugural General Assembly of the World Toilet Association will have its first gathering next month. In honor of the occasion, founding member Sim Jae-duck of South Korea built this toilet-shaped house south of Seoul.

"Among its many amenities, the house features four deluxe toilets," said the group, started in South Korea and dedicated to providing clean sanitation to the more than 2 billion people who live without toilets.

The home has a showcase bathroom located in its centre. Other toilets have features that range from elegant fittings to the latest in water conservation devices.

Link -via Arbroath

This game is not easy (the fifth difference is always the hardest), but its artful and pleasant. http://www.ivoryboy.com/difference.html -via Dump Trumpet

Deputy Dog has a picture collection of odd scarecrows from all over. This one is from my home state of Kentucky. http://deputy-dog.com/2007/10/10/scarecrows-of-the-world/

This is one of our blind dogs, Callie the Dachshund, who always pretends not to hear us when we're calling all the dogs to go out one last time before bed. She rolls over and pretends she's dead ...

Except for one little detail. Push play or go to YouTube. -via Arbroath

If you enjoyed The Weirdest Insects in the World, you can have one of your own, without adopting a pet! The Discovery Channel Store is offering a radio-controlled insect with three interchangable exoskeletons- a Rhinoceros Beetle, Hissing Cockroach and Hercules Beetle. Make your bug move in forward and reverse with a remote control shaped like a stick. Link -via Dump Trumpet

Egyptian officials have announced that the mummy of King Tut will be removed from its sarcophagus and displayed to the public in a climate-controlled glass case starting next month in Luxor. The move is partially to preserve the damaged mummy, which now lies in his tomb with no protection from the humidity generated by tourists. King Tut will be partially rewrapped in new linen, but the face will be left bare when the exhibition begins. Link

In times of stress, some single-celled organisms band together to create an entity that resembles a multicellular animal. And some of members of the colony will sacrifice their lives to ensure the survival of others. In Carol Otte’s first article for Damn Interesting, the altruism of amoebas becomes fascinating. Link