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If you've never seen it, you must visit JavaJive.  Brandon Hoover is a superb photographer from Java, and although his island was not affected by the tsunamis, he has friends up north who he should have heard from by now.  But hasn't.
Carl Parkes is a traveling writer who has been blogging and photo-posting extensively on the disaster. (Some viewers will find the photos disturbing.)  Can't figure out exactly where he's located.
MorningDew lost 50 relatives.
Kevin Sites is a journalist who has posted first-hand stories and (his own) disaster photos from Thailand.
Rick Von Feldt has created a blog just to describe what it was like in Phuket, Thailand when the tsunami hit.  He has links to survivor stories.

New Scientist writes about Creationists, and reports on a new generation of scanners--credit card sized pieces of flexible plastic that plug into your cell phone and scan whatever you can wrap them around, whether a bottle or someone's hairy arm.

Here are some people blogging from the island of Sri Lanka off the Indian coast.  It was arguably the worst hit country in the tsunami disaster.  Fred posts pictures and an inside perspective of the events. Sarath  says he has friends killed or wounded, and Insignificant View claims that the Sri Lankan government is (or at least was) withholding aid from the northern part of the country--specifically the Tamil people.
Primary0 has some great reporting, pictures, and photos of the disaster from the Maldives.
Disaster pics from the Maldives.

A new species of macaque [pronounced meh - KAK] has been discovered in northeast India.  The Arunachal macaque is known to locals of the Himalayan region in which it is found, living deep in forests high above sea level. 
With over a billion people, India has the second largest population of any country in the world.  The fact that a primate lived there for so long without being observed by Western science goes to show how much is out there to be explored.  The last discovered species of macaque was recorded in 1903.

The fastest and most powerful infrared camera in the world in now on duty.  The Wide Field Camera, on the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope in Hawaii, has the largest viewing area of any infrared camera.  "In a single night, it will generate over 200 gigabytes of data --- enough to fill over 300 CD-ROM disks," says the news release.  Infrared cameras detect invisible light--radiation--in space, color-coding the various wavelengths and providing a scientifically valuable (and beautiful) picture, such as this one of the Orion nebula, produced by the new camera.

With the death toll at 22,000 [update: 55,000 and rising], Indonesia and Asia have a long recovery ahead.  Sometimes it's best to see more and speak less.  I could never put into words the grief of these Indians.  More photos from the front here, and a shot-by-shot gallery of the tsunamis' approach here.  You may find some photos disturbing.

". . .The LORD will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men." ~from Lamentations, of the Bible

 

Have a great holiday if you are planning to be with family or friends.  Take my advice and bring up some conversation topics other than the snow and football, and everyone will be grateful.  And remain at peace with everyone, as much as is possible.
Yet today is for some people the most depressing day of the year, because, as Charlie Brown said, "I already know no one likes me.  Why do we have to have a holiday to emphasize it?"  If 364 days are filled with hurt, broken relationships, loneliness, and maybe poor choices, the 25th of December is no respite.  It is an exaggeration.  But although our discontented lives may tempt us to blame God and call him unfair, "Christ Mass" should be a prodding--a warning--that our lives are about Christ, the man who was God and who is the only Salvation in the world. 

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. ~from I Timothy of the Bible

For those who are forgiven, Christmas is merry indeed.

The latest from Mars.  Courtesy ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)