Paul Appleton was piloting a helicopter and taking pictures during the Super Bowl in Miami last week when a bird crashed through the windshhield. The turkey vulture landed in Appleton's lap -and stayed there.

"I lost sight of him for a second and then I heard a boom and all of a sudden I have a turkey vulture sitting on my lap up against my chest and on my forearm," Appleton recalled. "I don't know the exact size or weight of it, but it was a pretty big bird."

Appleton decided it would not be safe to push the big bird out, so the buzzard rode for twenty miles sitting in the pilot's lap. When the helicopter landed, the bird flew out, stumbled around for a while, then flew off for good. The incident was captured on video. Link -via Arbroath

The Olympic Torch arrives in Vancouver tonight for the opening ceremonies of the 21st Winter Games. On its way through Canada, it rode on skates, sleds, snowmobiles, boats, wheels, and even a snowboard. One torchbearer even received a marriage proposal while she was carrying the Olympic flame! The Big Picture shows what the journey is like in a series of photographs. Link

(image credit: VANOC/COVAN, Lorenzo Negri with IMF)

A recent New York Times/CBS News poll about the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy asked the same question in two different ways and got significantly different answers.

The results highlight the importance of wording on the issue. In a test, half of the poll’s respondents were asked their opinion on permitting “gay men and lesbians” to serve, and the other half were asked about permitting “homosexuals” to serve.

The wording of the question proved to make a difference. Seven in 10 respondents said they favor allowing “gay men and lesbians” to serve in the military, including nearly 6 in 10 who said they should be allowed to serve openly. But support was somewhat lower among those who were asked about allowing “homosexuals” to serve, with 59 percent in favor, including 44 percent who support allowing them to serve openly.

The poll was taken by telephone and included responses from 1,084 adults. Link -via Fark

(image credit: Flickr user splorp)

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A praying mantis is trying to catch the cursor on a computer screen! After the video was recorded, the insect was taken outside and set loose. -via Arbroath

The H.R. Giger Cake is a creation of Jet City Cakes. The cake is named for the designer who gave us the Alien from Alien. Perfect for the wedding of two avid sci-fi fans, this confection features two Chestbursters dressed for matrimony on top! Link -via Geeks Are Sexy

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At the opening ceremonies for the Vancouver Olympics Friday, Robel Teklemariam will carry the flag for Ethiopia. Teklemariam is a cross-country skier from a country that has no snow. He came to the United States at age 9 while his mother worked for the UN in New York City, and attended the University of New Hampshire on a full scholarship. This will be his second Olympic competition. http://www.theskichannel.com/news/skinews/20100208/Ethiopian-crosscountry-skier-Teklemariam-to-compete-in-his-second-Winter-Olympics

What goes together better than neuroscience and LOLcats? It doesn't matter, because they are together in this handy study guide, complete with a sparkly title and lots of sweet sugary cuteness along the synapses. Link -via Metafilter

Nick and Anna Berte of Bel Air, Maryland built a giant snowman and rigged it with a flamethrower inside! Link

Becci Lomax of Plymouth, England encountered a baby duckling that was going to be put down because of a lame leg. She took the duck in and nursed it back to health. As Lomax gave the duck, now named Ming-Ming, a dose of physical therapy every day, her 4-year-old son Finlay, who was born with cerebral palsy, watched and learned.

"This is the most amazing thing because in doing physio on the duckling, the same as I do for my son, Finlay took his first three steps after watching me doing the physio with the duckling.

"I was brimming with pride.

"Finlay uses a frame at home but even that's increased. He said 'I walk like the duck Mummy'," says Becci.

Is this quack medicine? We'll see when she gets a bill. Link -via Fark

*ducks*

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Another musical remix by Nick Bertke, also known as Pogo, this time composed entirely of sounds found in the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day. -via Laughing Squid

Previously at Neatorama: Expialidocious and Alice.

The New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust is restoring the shack used by explorer Ernest Shackleton during his Anarctic expedition of 1907-1909. In 2006 they discovered two cases of whisky, but only recently have they been able to free those crates from the ice. Then they discovered another case of whisky and two crates of brandy! Although the crates and most of the contents must remain with the historical site, a sample of the whisky will be retrieved for the distiller.

Richard Paterson, master blender at Whyte & Mackay, whose company supplied the Mackinlay's whisky for Shackleton, described the find as "a gift from the heavens for whisky lovers".

He added: "If the contents can be confirmed, safely extracted and analysed, the original blend may be able to be replicated. Given the original recipe no longer exists, this may open a door into history.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jLreLzu5m5Sg1E66PBBoCQ0onxsA -via Arbroath, where'll you'll find a video report.

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How many times have looked in a mirror and saw someone you didn't realize was there with you? Never? Well, it happens a LOT in the movies. -via FilmDrunk

I would have to agree that the Olympics would be improved with sports that people actually participate in during snowy weather. Snowball Fights, Snowman Building, and Hot Toddy Drinking are right up my alley, but I will leave Dogsled Racing to those who are more experienced. Video examples of each are included. Link

Kevin Van Aelst create artworks inspired by biology from a wide variety of mediums. I particularly like this set of chromosomes made from Gummi worms. Link -via The Sciencepunk Blog

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Beaker tries for YouTube fame. It's not as easy as he thought! -via YesButNoButYes