Thursday, 23 December 2010

Scientists produce 'world's smallest Christmas card'

Scientists have produced what they believe is the world's smallest Christmas card.

It was created by nantotechnologists at the University of Glasgow and is so small it could fit on to the surface of a postage stamp 8,276 times.















Prof David Cumming said: "Our nanotechnology is among the best in the world but sometimes explaining to the public what the technology is capable of can be a bit tricky."

"We decided that producing this Christmas card was a simple way to show just how accurate our technology is."

Source: BBC News



Friday, 17 December 2010

Jesus and Mo at Christmas

Our Atheist and Secular Christmas card offerings have been woeful this year... Sorry.

Please do visit Jesus and Mo for joyful images such as these:
















































Jesus and Mo   (sadly not available at Cool Cards)

Tuesday, 14 December 2010

Operation Holly. Turkey or Porridge? Cops send Crim-bo cards to the worst offenders

CHRISTMAS cards warning criminals they could end up “doing porridge” instead of eating turkey are being sent out by police in Wales.














The greetings, personally signed by detectives, will be hand-delivered to the most prolific offenders across Cardiff in the coming days.

Featuring a stark picture of a man lying on a cell bunk next to a stainless steel toilet and a tinsel-covered tree, the greeting inside warns known burglars and thieves they could spend Christmas Day behind bars if they fail to show good will to all men.

Detective Inspector Tudor Thomas said the cards served as a timely reminder and deterrent to those who might be tempted to break the law as the season’s financial pressures build.
“Those who ignore our message could find themselves spending the festive season in one of our cells,” he added.

The greeting inside the cards warns: “Don’t be a turkey this Christmas; South Wales Police are continuing their operation against persistent offenders. Season’s greetings from South Wales Police.”

They are just one of the many measures – including increasing police patrols by putting back-office staff on the beat – which are part of the city’s Christmas crime crackdown, known as Operation Holly.

Detectives across Cardiff will be given cards to send to those who commit the most crimes in their area.
Det Insp Thomas, from Roath and Cathays CID, said: “We have an effective and successful offender management unit, which monitors convicted criminals who are now out of prison.
“Many of these people have stopped committing crime; however, we know that there are extra financial pressures and temptations at this time of year so the cards serve as an additional reminder.”

Police have acknowledged that although the latest Home Office figures show burglaries are down 15.1% compared to the same period last year, break-ins traditionally increase in the run-up to Christmas as criminals know people have presents and other valuables at home.
Det Insp Thomas added: “The cards might seem light-hearted, but the image on the front is the reality and they carry a very serious message.”

Source: Wales Online

Secular Xmas cards

Secular Xmas cards are a sign that ‘Christ is being airbrushed out of Christmas’

"A SURVEY carried out by the Daily Mail reveals that less than one per cent of cards stocked by supermarkets have religious themes.
Some had no cards at all with religious references in their extensive ranges.


Customers are far more likely to choose this sort of card at Xmas
The paper visited major outlets of the big four supermarkets – Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons – in seven towns and cities.
Out of 5,363 cards sold individually or in multipacks, just 45 featured Christian scenes such as the Nativity – 0.8 per cent.
The “worst offender” was Morrisons, which had six out of a range of 973 cards, or 0.6 per cent.
Second “worst” was Tesco, despite chief executive Sir Terry Leahy, a practising Catholic, writing to a customer in October to tell her:
We have increased the number of Christmas cards that will be available with a religious theme this year.
Dr Don Horrocks, of the Evangelical Alliance, said supermarkets were:
Airbrushing Christ out of Christmas.There has been a rise in cards that say ‘Season’s greetings’ or ‘Happy holidays’ which is evidence of the speeding up of the trend of stripping the religion out of Christian festivals.
Stephen “Birdshit” Green, the solitary voice of Christian Voice, added:
The situation is caused by managers subscribing to political correctness and the idea that in some way Christian cards are offensive to other religions. This is simply not true.
Even Muslims have been jumping on the bandwagon. Anas Altikriti, of the Muslim Association of Britain, said he was “worried” at the increasing secularisation of Britain.
People who are looking for proper choice of Christmas cards should raise it with the store manager.
The Mail was contacted by a Tesco customer earlier this week who said her local store in Ely, Cambridgeshire, had just a “handful” of cards with religious themes last year – and still had only three out of 67 last month, despite a personal assurance from Sir Terry.
After she had repeatedly contacted customer services, she received a letter from the company chief. She moaned:
Sir Terry promised more cards this year. But the selection of cards with anything relating to the true meaning of Christmas was tiny, so he has not kept his word.
Tesco said it had doubled the range of religiously themed cards this year but refused to give numbers, saying they “vary from store to store”.
An Asda spokesman said:
We sell five different Christmas cards that have religious sentiment and traditional designs.
And Morrisons said:
We stock types of cards that appeal to our customers.
A Sainsbury’s spokesman added:
The ranges that appear in our stores reflect what our customers want to buy.";


Saddened by the lack of religious xmas cards? 




Dutch Elm Conservatoire come up with new greeting card slogans.