Don Williams
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
'It doesn't even smell': a ride on the Bristol bus powered by human poo
The soft West Country burr belongs to Maisie, a 30-year-old nurse travelling with her toddler, Josh, and three bags of shopping. Squirming out of his mother’s grasp, Josh presses his face to the window as we pass rows of Georgian terraces and graffiti-speckled tower blocks.
This is Bristol, and while the surroundings are typical of many British cities, our 41-seater bus is unique. Not due to its sleek design or humorous exterior – though it’s certainly turning heads as we drive past the harbourside – but because the aptly named No 2 bus doesn’t use electricity or oil: it runs entirely on human faeces.
The Bio-Bus, to use its official name, is powered by, well, gas – extracted from the sewerage works at nearby Avonmouth, then purified and enriched to form a super-clean source of fuel. It’s just one of many sustainable initiatives happening in Bristol ahead of the city’s turn as European Green Capital 2015.
“I’ve always used the No 2, so the poo bus makes the trip a whole lot more exciting,” says Maisie. “And it’s good for the environment on top of that.” Most importantly for her and other Bristol residents, tickets to the Bio-Bus are the same as a normal bus fare. “It doesn’t even smell!”...Continue reading...
Help Bruce Almighty Recover - update
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Baltimore police officers hurt, state of emergency called as riot erupts after Freddie Gray funeral
Tom Foreman Jr. And Amanda Lee Myers, Associated Press: 
BALTIMORE — Rioters plunged part of Baltimore into chaos Monday, torching a pharmacy, setting police cars ablaze and throwing bricks at officers hours after thousands mourned the man who died from a severe spinal injury he suffered in police custody.
The governor declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard to restore order. A weeklong, daily curfew was imposed beginning Tuesday from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., the mayor said. At least 15 officers were hurt, and some two dozen people were arrested. Two officers remained hospitalized, police said.
Officers wearing helmets and wielding shields occasionally used pepper spray to keep the rioters back. For the most part, though, they relied on line formations to keep protesters at bay.
Monday’s riot was the latest flare-up over the mysterious death of Freddie Gray, whose fatal encounter with officers came amid the national debate over police use of force, especially when black suspects are involved. Gray was African-American. Police have declined to specify the races of the six officers involved in his arrest, all of whom have been suspended with pay while they are under investigation...Continue reading, photos and video...
"Baltimore" Nina Simone:[link]
Monday, April 27, 2015
Nepal earthquake and Everest avalanche kill more than 3,300 people with 'violent' aftershock causing more chaos
Members of the Chinese International Search and Rescue Team arrive at Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu (Rex)
Foreign Secretary says some British nationals "almost certainly" caught up in Nepal's earthquake, but no reports yet of any Britons killed or injured - follow latest updates...updates here...
No beast is a burden to animal rescuer Carolyn Press-McKenzie
Carolyn Press-McKenzie set up HUHA, Helping You Helping Animals. She has
a menagerie of animals at her Kaitoke property, including a pack of 12
dogs.
by BESS MANSON:
"Do you mind dogs?" Carolyn Press-McKenzie asks quite innocently. "I've got rather a large pack at the moment," she adds, in something of an understatement, as it turns out.
I don't mind them at all. Love them.
So she opens the door to her house at the top of a hill on her Kaoitoke Kaitoke farm, near Wellington, and what can only be described as a hairy wall of canine comes barrelling towards me. One of them has three legs, another has only one eye. One, with no amount of exaggeration, is as big as a small horse.
The peaceful, bucolic scene becomes one of slobbering, leaping, moulting dogness. Covered in hair and drool, I'm already picturing a bath. A hot one.
"They need a good walk," Carolyn bellows over the barking pack, so up into the hills we go.
There are 14 dogs in all at her animal sanctuary, if you count the two tiny puppies rescued the night before. But that's just the dogs. There are five monkeys, an emu, a few goats who think they're cats, several cats, including one with muscular dystrophy, horses, donkeys, two basking kune kune pigs, a cow and a flock of pigeons which do a circuit over her house every few minutes. I'm leaving out some, I'm sure, because Carolyn says she has about 50 creatures on the property...Continue reading, photos and video...
"Do you mind dogs?" Carolyn Press-McKenzie asks quite innocently. "I've got rather a large pack at the moment," she adds, in something of an understatement, as it turns out.
I don't mind them at all. Love them.
So she opens the door to her house at the top of a hill on her Kaoitoke Kaitoke farm, near Wellington, and what can only be described as a hairy wall of canine comes barrelling towards me. One of them has three legs, another has only one eye. One, with no amount of exaggeration, is as big as a small horse.
The peaceful, bucolic scene becomes one of slobbering, leaping, moulting dogness. Covered in hair and drool, I'm already picturing a bath. A hot one.
"They need a good walk," Carolyn bellows over the barking pack, so up into the hills we go.
There are 14 dogs in all at her animal sanctuary, if you count the two tiny puppies rescued the night before. But that's just the dogs. There are five monkeys, an emu, a few goats who think they're cats, several cats, including one with muscular dystrophy, horses, donkeys, two basking kune kune pigs, a cow and a flock of pigeons which do a circuit over her house every few minutes. I'm leaving out some, I'm sure, because Carolyn says she has about 50 creatures on the property...Continue reading, photos and video...
This Photographer Spent 1,021 Days Traveling the World. Here’s What He Saw.
Larung Gar Gompa, East Tibet. A dense collection of monk quarters sprawled out over a hill.* Uruma Takezawa was in his 10th year as a professional
marine photographer when he started to yearn for a change of scenery. In
2010, he decided to come ashore for a journey.
Takezawa thought it would take 18 months, but his travels ended up
lasting 1,021 days, taking him to 103 countries on four continents.
Photos from those travels are on display in the exhibition, “Land,” at
Foto-Care Gallery in Manhattan until May 5.
“I realized that one year was not nearly long enough to complete my
project. What I wanted to see and experience were places and people that
I had never witnessed before and that moved me in some way emotionally
or spiritually,” he said by email...Read more, photos...
Friday, April 24, 2015
Native Actors Walk off Set of Adam Sandler Movie After Insults to Women, Elders
Actor Loren Anthony gears up for a fight scene with Nick Nolte, who is visible over his shoulder, on the set of 'Ridiculous Six.' Photo source: Image source: instagram.com/lorenanthony
Approximately a dozen Native actors and actresses, as well as the Native cultural advisor, left the set of Adam Sandler’s newest film production, The Ridiculous Six, on Wednesday. The actors, who were primarily from the Navajo nation, left the set after the satirical western’s script repeatedly insulted native women and elders and grossly misrepresented Apache culture.
The examples of disrespect included Native women’s names such as Beaver’s Breath and No Bra, an actress portraying an Apache woman squatting and urinating while smoking a peace pipe, and feathers inappropriately positioned on a teepee...Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/04/23/native-actors-walk-set-adam-sandler-movie-after-insults-women-elders-160110
Hubble Space Telescope Celebrates 25 Years of Unveiling the Universe
A Hubble Heritage Release: April 23, 2015: NASA and ESA are celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope's silver anniversary of 25
years in space by unveiling some of nature's own fireworks — a giant cluster of
about 3,000 stars called Westerlund 2. The cluster resides inside a vibrant stellar
breeding ground known as Gum 29, located 20,000 light-years away in the
constellation Carina. The comparatively young, 2-million-year-old star cluster
contains some of our galaxy's hottest, brightest, and most massive stars. The
largest stars are unleashing a torrent of ultraviolet light and hurricane-force winds
that etch away the enveloping hydrogen gas cloud. This creates a fantasy
celestial landscape of pillars, ridges, and valleys...HubbleDite-NewsCenter
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
UFOs Are Real Says Canada’s Ex-Defense Minister Paul Hellyer: Alien Ships As Common As Airplanes
Jonathan Vankin:
UFOs are not only the real deal, says a
top former Canadian member of parliament, but alien spaceships fly
through the skies over Planet Earth at least as frequently as our own
commercial airliners. And now Paul Hellyer, who served as one of
Canada’s most important defense ministers in the early 1960s, has called
once again for his own government, as well as other governments, to reveal what they know about UFOs and extraterrestrial visitors.
Hellyer, seemingly tireless at the age of 91, has embarked on a speaking tour of Canada known as the “Disclosure Canada Tour,” calling for release of UFO files...Continue reading...
Hellyer, seemingly tireless at the age of 91, has embarked on a speaking tour of Canada known as the “Disclosure Canada Tour,” calling for release of UFO files...Continue reading...
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
"Gun Street Girl" Tom Waits
portrayed by Tom Waits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaVZmo8CsGQ
US Headed Toward Military Confrontation With Iran Over Yemen
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt
is steaming towards the Yemeni coast to intercept Iranian ships believed
to be supplying the Houthi rebels. April 20, 2015.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia
By: Lori Lowenthal Marcus
The U.S.S. carrier Theodore Roosevelt is heading towards the Yemeni shore to join with other American ships preparing to intercept Iranian vessels, Fox News reported on Monday, April 20.
It is believed that Iranian ships are carryng weapons to the Houthi rebels who overthrew the U.S.-backed Yemeni government last month. The Iranian-backed Houthis are attempting to gain control over Yemen.
There are currently approximately nine U.S. warships in the waters near Yemen, including cruisers and destroyers...Continue reading...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v24TJkyW7-Y.
The U.S.S. carrier Theodore Roosevelt is heading towards the Yemeni shore to join with other American ships preparing to intercept Iranian vessels, Fox News reported on Monday, April 20.
It is believed that Iranian ships are carryng weapons to the Houthi rebels who overthrew the U.S.-backed Yemeni government last month. The Iranian-backed Houthis are attempting to gain control over Yemen.
There are currently approximately nine U.S. warships in the waters near Yemen, including cruisers and destroyers...Continue reading...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v24TJkyW7-Y.
Full coverage here.
The Pool without water, Chernobyl, Ukraine. 360cities.net
Created by Deema.
The gas-masks on the floor
https://www.360cities.net/image/the-gas-masks-on-the-floor
The gas-masks on the floor
https://www.360cities.net/image/the-gas-masks-on-the-floor
5 things you need to know about Palcohol
By Amanda Kelly, Global News: MONTREAL – Like many Canadians, Phoenix-based inventor and oenophile
Mark Phillips loved the outdoors, and after a long hike, relished a
“refreshing adult beverage.”
But he faced what he considered a serious dilemma. When hiking, camping or kayaking, he didn’t want to lug around bottles of alcohol to enjoy later.
So Phillips came up with an ingenious solution: powdered alcohol.
“One package weighs about an ounce and is small enough to fit into any pocket,” Palcohol’s official website notes.
“In any situation where weight and breakage is an issue, Palcohol provides the answer. That’s why we say, ‘Take your Pal wherever you go!'”
Recently approved by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), the powdered alcohol hit a hiccough on its way to American shelves...Continue reading...
But he faced what he considered a serious dilemma. When hiking, camping or kayaking, he didn’t want to lug around bottles of alcohol to enjoy later.
So Phillips came up with an ingenious solution: powdered alcohol.
“One package weighs about an ounce and is small enough to fit into any pocket,” Palcohol’s official website notes.
“In any situation where weight and breakage is an issue, Palcohol provides the answer. That’s why we say, ‘Take your Pal wherever you go!'”
Recently approved by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), the powdered alcohol hit a hiccough on its way to American shelves...Continue reading...
Monday, April 20, 2015
The Giant Rats That Save Lives
A Gambian pouched rat clears a minefield in northern Angola.
Credit
/ Nicholas Kristof/The New York Times.
This
is a Gambian pouched rat, a breed almost 3 feet from nose to tail, the
kind of rat that gives cats nightmares. Yet this rat is a genius as well
as a giant, for it has learned how to detect land mines by scent — and
it’s doing its best to save humans like me from blowing up.
These
rodent mine detectors have been dubbed HeroRats, and when you’re in a
minefield with one that seems about right. You’re very respectful, and
you just hope this HeroRat doesn’t have a stuffed nose.
I’m here because five years ago, my kids gave me a HeroRat for a Father’s Day present through GlobalGiving.org. I didn’t actually take physical possession (fortunately!) but the gift helped pay to train the rat to sniff out explosives. And now I’ve come to minefields of rural Angola to hunt for my rat.
There
are 39 HeroRats here, and they underscore the way the aid world is
increasingly embracing innovative approaches to old challenges...Continue reading...
http://grooveshark.com/#!/search?q=Ben%20-%20Michael%20Jackson
Watch stunning deep-sea video of a giant sperm whale putting on a show for shocked researchers [VIDEO]
By Dan Taylor, National Monitor:
A curious sperm whale interrupted an underwater video stream off the coast of Louisiana, giving researchers aboard a ship who were watching it quite the shock.
The huge whale circled an underwater robot that researchers had sent on April 15 to monitor methane bubbles and collect samples of seawater for what is known as the Nautilus Live expedition, which aims to explore the ocean floor off the coast of Louisiana, according to a USA Today report.
Using a remotely operated vehicle called Hercules, researchers spotted a large gray object on the video monitors, with one person being heard saying, "The heck is that?"
Minutes later, the crew realizes that they are watching a sperm whale, which initially caused some concerns that it would damage the 11-foot-long vehicle or come in contact with its cables, but the whale managed to avoid bumping it, said Susan Poulton, a Nautilus Live spokeswoman, according to the report...Continue reading...
A curious sperm whale interrupted an underwater video stream off the coast of Louisiana, giving researchers aboard a ship who were watching it quite the shock.
The huge whale circled an underwater robot that researchers had sent on April 15 to monitor methane bubbles and collect samples of seawater for what is known as the Nautilus Live expedition, which aims to explore the ocean floor off the coast of Louisiana, according to a USA Today report.
Using a remotely operated vehicle called Hercules, researchers spotted a large gray object on the video monitors, with one person being heard saying, "The heck is that?"
Minutes later, the crew realizes that they are watching a sperm whale, which initially caused some concerns that it would damage the 11-foot-long vehicle or come in contact with its cables, but the whale managed to avoid bumping it, said Susan Poulton, a Nautilus Live spokeswoman, according to the report...Continue reading...
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Bruce Almighty the Saskatchewan cat recovering after electrical tape ordeal
Postmedia Network
A young cat named Bruce Almighty, who was found in the freezing cold
earlier this year with electrical tape tightly wrapped around its legs,
is recovering nicely, the Regina Humane Society says.
"The healing of his wounds on his front paws is going incredibly well and his newly unwrapped back leg is looking near normal," the society said on its Facebook page.
"Bruce Almighty is feeling much stronger and is happiest when he is near people. He's able to walk short distances with his front bandages and now spends his weekdays in staff offices and the weekends at home with his foster family."...Continue reading, video...
"The healing of his wounds on his front paws is going incredibly well and his newly unwrapped back leg is looking near normal," the society said on its Facebook page.
"Bruce Almighty is feeling much stronger and is happiest when he is near people. He's able to walk short distances with his front bandages and now spends his weekdays in staff offices and the weekends at home with his foster family."...Continue reading, video...
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Russian infiltration of Ukrainian military complicates Canadian training mission - National Post
Ukrainian
soldiers guard their position in the village of Berdyanske, eastern
Ukraine, Tuesday, April 14, 2015. Pro-Russian operatives are believed to
have infiltrated throughout the Ukrainian military.
AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka [photo]
Matthew Fisher
Analysis
Training Ukrainians to fight pro-Russian separatists may turn out to be a far more complicated business for the 200 Canadian soldiers Ottawa announced Tuesday it is sending to Ukraine than it is for the nearly 70 Canadian trainers now on a similar mission in Iraq.
The reason is that Russian intelligence operatives of every kind have so deeply compromised the Ukrainian military that almost nothing they say or do remains secret for long, according to a recent paper for the U.S. Army’s Foreign Military Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Citing unclassified, mostly Russian sources in his essay, “Brothers Disunited: Russia’s Use of Military Power in Ukraine,” Roger McDermott warned of the “penetration of the Ukrainian state intelligence apparatus, the SBU or Security Service of Ukraine by Russian intelligence agencies including GRU (Russian Military Intelligence), the FSB (Federal Security Service and the SVR (Foreign Intelligence Service).”
The infiltration of the Ukrainian military does not only involve formal intelligence operatives. Ukrainians sympathetic to Moscow are believed to be working inside or close to almost all Ukrainian military units, making all aspects of the conflict — including training for war — that much harder for those assisting the Ukrainian side...Continue reading, video...
AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka [photo]
Matthew FisherAnalysis
Training Ukrainians to fight pro-Russian separatists may turn out to be a far more complicated business for the 200 Canadian soldiers Ottawa announced Tuesday it is sending to Ukraine than it is for the nearly 70 Canadian trainers now on a similar mission in Iraq.
The reason is that Russian intelligence operatives of every kind have so deeply compromised the Ukrainian military that almost nothing they say or do remains secret for long, according to a recent paper for the U.S. Army’s Foreign Military Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Citing unclassified, mostly Russian sources in his essay, “Brothers Disunited: Russia’s Use of Military Power in Ukraine,” Roger McDermott warned of the “penetration of the Ukrainian state intelligence apparatus, the SBU or Security Service of Ukraine by Russian intelligence agencies including GRU (Russian Military Intelligence), the FSB (Federal Security Service and the SVR (Foreign Intelligence Service).”
The infiltration of the Ukrainian military does not only involve formal intelligence operatives. Ukrainians sympathetic to Moscow are believed to be working inside or close to almost all Ukrainian military units, making all aspects of the conflict — including training for war — that much harder for those assisting the Ukrainian side...Continue reading, video...
Sister Rosetta Tharpe "Didn't It Rain"
Her music runs like a thread through rock’n’roll … Sister Rosetta Tharpe
in 1959. Photograph: Harry Hammond/Getty Images/V&A Images/Hulton
Archive
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/18/sister-rosetta-tharpe-gospel-singer-100th-birthday-tribute
Saskatchewan Aurora Hunters capture northern lights
CBC News: The Saskatchewan Aurora Hunters haunt the highways and back roads of the province, seeking the best shots of the northern lights...Continue reading... http://article.wn.com/view/2015/04/14/Saskatchewan_Aurora_Hunters_capture_northern_lights/
Canaan Dog - The National Dog Of Israel
http://www.natural-dogs.org.uk/canaan-dog.html: The Canaan dog, known in Israel as (Kelev Kna'ani, lit. "Canaanite dog") and other Levantine countries as (Kaleb Kana'an) is a breed of pariah dog recognized as Israel’s national breed.
It may have existed in the eastern Mediterranean seaboard for millennia, as referenced in ancient carvings and drawings.
The Canaan dog began in ancient times as a street dog in ancient Canaan, where the Canaanites lived, roughly corresponding to the region encompassing modern-day Israel, Palestinian territories, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan.
This dog is one of the oldest, dating back to biblical times. The caves of Einan and Hayonim are sites in which the oldest remains of dogs have been found (more than 10,000 years ago). In the Bible there are a number of references to roaming dogs and dogs that worked for man...Continue reading... More links: The Canaan Dog. The National Dog of Israel.
It may have existed in the eastern Mediterranean seaboard for millennia, as referenced in ancient carvings and drawings.
The Canaan dog began in ancient times as a street dog in ancient Canaan, where the Canaanites lived, roughly corresponding to the region encompassing modern-day Israel, Palestinian territories, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan.
This dog is one of the oldest, dating back to biblical times. The caves of Einan and Hayonim are sites in which the oldest remains of dogs have been found (more than 10,000 years ago). In the Bible there are a number of references to roaming dogs and dogs that worked for man...Continue reading... More links: The Canaan Dog. The National Dog of Israel.
Protests as Turkey builds first nuclear power plant
The Akkuyu plant has become a bete noire for environmentalists who have
raised alarm about safety issues and the building of the power station
in an area rich in wildlife (AFP Photo/Veli Gurgah) [link]
By Burak Akinci with Stuart Williams in Istanbul:
Ankara (AFP) - Turkey on Tuesday
launched construction of its first nuclear power plant which Ankara
hopes will open a new era of greater energy self-sufficiency, but the
ceremony was marred by angry protests against the controversial $20
billion project.
After the
launch ceremony, dozens of environmental protesters converged on the
iron gates of the site in Akkuyu in Mersin province on the shores of the
Mediterranean.
They managed
to lock in the official delegations, security forces and journalists
inside the site and were only dispersed when a water cannon truck was
used against them, video footage showed.
The
power station -- which will have four power units with a capacity of
1200 MW each -- is being built like Iran's first nuclear power plant by
Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom...Continue reading...
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Ignorance has no color.
Tom Tillison:
A video of a young black man recounting an encounter with a police officer is gaining attention for the improbable pro-cop message it sends.In the footage, the man explained that he had just been pulled over for a traffic violation, stressing that he was compliant throughout the stop and that the cop eventually allowed him to go with just a warning.
“The point of this is to say that I am an African-American male, [and] this gentleman was Caucasian,” he said. “There was no problem. He did his job; I did what I was supposed to do.”
The man then offered a refreshing perspective on those who believe all cops are bad.
“People need to understand that not all officers are crooked, not all officers are racist, bad people,” he said. “And not all people who get shot or tased or arrested by officers are innocent victims. Just because you’re black doesn’t mean you’re a victim. Just because you’re white doesn’t mean you’re a racist. Just because you’re a cop doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.”
He ended the video by delivering a bit of advice that would serve us all well in today’s overly sensitive, reactionary world.
“This world really needs to stop putting labels on people and see them for who they are — people,” he said. “Ignorance has no color.” http://www.bizpacreview.com/2015/04/11/mans-honest-lesson-about-race-and-traffic-stops-goes-viral-ignorance-has-no-color-194662#ixzz3XF7y7SUo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqI-gCZ2xOA
Using the global warming hoax to destroy America
When President Obama announced on March 31 that he intends to ensure that the U.S. will slash its "greenhouse gas emissions" 26% below 2005 emissions levels by 2025 in order to keep pledges made to fulfill the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, he failed to mention that such levels would be comparable to what they were in our Civil War era, 150 years ago.
He also failed to mention that the U.S. has made no such pledges as regards the 1992 "Kyoto Treaty" which was resoundingly rejected by the U.S. Senate when then Vice President Al Gore brought it back from the U.N. conference.
There is no need, globally or nationally, to reduce such emissions. It would be a crime against humanity, especially for the millions that would be denied electrical power or would see its cost rise exponentially. "The President has no credible evidence to back up his claims," said H. Sterling Burnett, a Research Fellow with the free market think tank, The Heartland Institute. "Obama's climate actions are likely to cause far more harm to people, especially the poor, than any purported threats from global warming."
"Global warming" and "climate change" are attributed to the use of fossil fuels to manufacture and transport ourselves and our goods, and to create electrical energy, despite the fact that the Earth, its oceans and land areas naturally generate such gases. There are, for example, more than 1500 potentially active volcanoes and countless others under the oceans. They produce billions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases that are identified as "greenhouse gas emissions." The human contribution pales in comparison to natural sources such as the warming ocean surface which releases CO2.
Even so, CO2 constitutes a mere 0.04% of the atmosphere. There is no evidence CO2 plays any role in the Earth's global temperature...Continue reading... Related: Volcanoes and climate
Folk singer uses songwriting to help tame her mental illness
Scott Eisen/Bloomberg News
Singer-songwriter Meg Hutchinson struggled for years with
mental illness; now she is open about her experience to remove the
stigma.
Months before mental illness took over and steered her toward suicide, American folk singer and songwriter Meg Hutchinson was in line at her favourite coffee shop to order a latte. A man approached. He was serious and official-looking in a suit.
"I'm a fan," he said.
The stranger had seen her in concert. He loved her music and he said he worked for the FBI.
She was flattered. Her songs are emotional, personal. They draw a loyal audience. But an FBI agent? That was surprising.
There was something else. Hutchinson had been reading a biography of Ernest Hemingway that outlined his paranoia with law enforcement, the FBI included.
The coffee-shop encounter in Somerville, Massachusetts, lasted minutes; her anxiety about whether the moment was real or imagined would linger for years. She'd soon leave to tour Europe and her illness would worsen. She had shifted through big highs and lows before, never really acknowledging what was going on in her head. This was a whole new level.
Making a living as a folk singer is difficult enough. Mental illness makes everything that much harder.
People with bipolar disorder can control their condition with medication and often work at very high levels, said D.J. Jaffe, who runs the website mentalillnesspolicy.org... Continue reading...
Months before mental illness took over and steered her toward suicide, American folk singer and songwriter Meg Hutchinson was in line at her favourite coffee shop to order a latte. A man approached. He was serious and official-looking in a suit.
"I'm a fan," he said.
The stranger had seen her in concert. He loved her music and he said he worked for the FBI.
She was flattered. Her songs are emotional, personal. They draw a loyal audience. But an FBI agent? That was surprising.
There was something else. Hutchinson had been reading a biography of Ernest Hemingway that outlined his paranoia with law enforcement, the FBI included.
The coffee-shop encounter in Somerville, Massachusetts, lasted minutes; her anxiety about whether the moment was real or imagined would linger for years. She'd soon leave to tour Europe and her illness would worsen. She had shifted through big highs and lows before, never really acknowledging what was going on in her head. This was a whole new level.
Making a living as a folk singer is difficult enough. Mental illness makes everything that much harder.
People with bipolar disorder can control their condition with medication and often work at very high levels, said D.J. Jaffe, who runs the website mentalillnesspolicy.org... Continue reading...
Monday, April 13, 2015
Nano-bullet tech shoots down brain cancer in Tel Aviv U study
Illustrative photo of an operating theater (photo credit: Nati Shohat/Flash90)
Israeli researchers may have discovered a way to beat the worst form of malignant glial tumor by David Shamah: The worst form of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is
considered largely incurable by doctors. Victims generally die within a
year and a half of being diagnosed with the tumors. It’s such a
devastating disease that the National Academy of Sciences calls it “the
Terminator.” But an innovative nanotech-based “end-run” around cancer
cells by Tel Aviv University researchers could provide doctors with a
new way to treat – or even cure – GBM and other malignant killer
cancers...Read more: Nano-bullet tech shoots down brain cancer in Tel Aviv U study | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/nano-bullet-tech-shoots-down-brain-cancer-in-tel-aviv-u-study/#ixzz3X8zn8II
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Researchers Discover Fossils Of A New Species Of Terror Bird
By Brian Thompson
Researchers have discovered fossils of a new species of terror bird that was 10 feet tall and lived in Argentina 3.5 million years ago.
Researchers from the Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra and the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba in Argentina have discovered fossils of carnivorous birds with hooked beaks standing 10 feet (3 meters) tall and who roamed parts of South America in search of prey. They added that it is the most complete terror bird fossil ever discovered, with over 90% of the skeleton preserved, meaning it can shed light on the predatory group of birds.
The researchers have named the new species Llallawavis scagliai. ‘Llallawa’ means magnificent in Quechua. It is the language that is native to the people of the central Andes. Also ‘avis’ means bird in Latin. The species name honors the famed Argentine naturalist Galileo Juan Scaglia.
The researchers have stated that the specimen has revealed new details of anatomy that are rarely preserved in the fossil record. This includes the auditory region of the skull, the voice box, trachea, eye bones and palate. This helped the researchers to build an unprecedented understanding of the sensory capabilities of terror birds, helping to explain behavior and ecology of this group of extinct birds.
According to the researchers, the Llallawavis scagliai could hear very low frequency sounds compared to other birds. They also found it communicated with low-frequency noises, suggesting it hunted its prey by listening out for footsteps.
Federico Degrange, an assistant researcher of vertebrate paleontology at the Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra and the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, and the lead author of the study, said, “Our estimations of hearing sensitivity in Cariamiformes places Llallawavis below the average for living species. Because the vocalization range of most birds falls within the lower half of their hearing sensitivity range, Llallawavis may have had a narrow, low vocalization frequency range. At the lower frequency end of the range of hearing, the ear becomes less sensitive to soft sounds. It seems plausible to hypothesize that Llallawavis had enhanced acoustic abilities at lower frequency registers.”
The findings were published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. http://dailysciencejournal.com/researchers-discover-fossils-of-a-new-species-of-terror-bird/22240/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx2jq184
Researchers have discovered fossils of a new species of terror bird that was 10 feet tall and lived in Argentina 3.5 million years ago.
Researchers from the Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra and the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba in Argentina have discovered fossils of carnivorous birds with hooked beaks standing 10 feet (3 meters) tall and who roamed parts of South America in search of prey. They added that it is the most complete terror bird fossil ever discovered, with over 90% of the skeleton preserved, meaning it can shed light on the predatory group of birds.
The researchers have named the new species Llallawavis scagliai. ‘Llallawa’ means magnificent in Quechua. It is the language that is native to the people of the central Andes. Also ‘avis’ means bird in Latin. The species name honors the famed Argentine naturalist Galileo Juan Scaglia.
The researchers have stated that the specimen has revealed new details of anatomy that are rarely preserved in the fossil record. This includes the auditory region of the skull, the voice box, trachea, eye bones and palate. This helped the researchers to build an unprecedented understanding of the sensory capabilities of terror birds, helping to explain behavior and ecology of this group of extinct birds.
According to the researchers, the Llallawavis scagliai could hear very low frequency sounds compared to other birds. They also found it communicated with low-frequency noises, suggesting it hunted its prey by listening out for footsteps.
Federico Degrange, an assistant researcher of vertebrate paleontology at the Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra and the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, and the lead author of the study, said, “Our estimations of hearing sensitivity in Cariamiformes places Llallawavis below the average for living species. Because the vocalization range of most birds falls within the lower half of their hearing sensitivity range, Llallawavis may have had a narrow, low vocalization frequency range. At the lower frequency end of the range of hearing, the ear becomes less sensitive to soft sounds. It seems plausible to hypothesize that Llallawavis had enhanced acoustic abilities at lower frequency registers.”
The findings were published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. http://dailysciencejournal.com/researchers-discover-fossils-of-a-new-species-of-terror-bird/22240/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx2jq184
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Lemmings jumping of cliffs.
Lemmings Do Not Explode Or Throw Themselves Off Cliffs
Lemmings, the small
burrowing rodents that live in the Arctic regions, are an odd
bunch. They look a bit like hamsters, but they are notoriously
fierce. (Case in point: a lemming
attacking a sled dog.) Like many rodents, they are prodigious
reproducers, but the Norway lemming and the brown lemming have
particularly dramatic population booms. Their population can fluctuate
so chaotically that, for centuries, people have been coming up with wild
explanations for the overwhelming abundance of little
lemmings, followed by a seemingly sudden disappearance.
Locals "came to see the lemming as a crazed creature, and a swarm as 'the forerunner of war and disaster,'" writes Henry Nicholls for BBC. Karl S. Kruszelnicki at ABC Science recounts:
Back in the 1530s, the geographer Zeigler of Strasbourg, tried to explain these variations in populations by saying that lemmings fell out of the sky in stormy weather, and then suffered mass extinctions with the sprouting of the grasses of spring.
The strangest myth—and the one that makes calling another person "lemming" an insult — is the idea that lemmings will mindlessly commit suicide by jumping off a cliff. It probably has a basis in reality: When "lemming years"
happen, some areas will grow so densely populated that groups of
lemmings will set off en masse to find better fields. While these
migrations may have inspired the suicide myth, one person may be largely
responsible for perpetuating it: Walt Disney...Continue reading...
A giant bat is greeting children at this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll
Kamilah, a Malayan Flying Fox, is helping educate kids about bats’ role as pollinators. (Organization for Bat Conservation) What has big ears and soft fur and will be greeting children at the White House Easter Egg Roll today?
A giant bat, of course.
Instead of the petting zoos of years past, Kamilah, a Malayan flying fox, will be hanging out — or, rather, hanging upside-down — off Rob Mies. As Kamilah’s spokesman and the executive director of the Organization for Bat Conservation, Mies will explain bats’ role in the ecosystem.
“Bats are important pollinators of bananas and avocados, the cacao plant, which we make chocolate from, and even the agave plant, which we make tequila from,” Mies says...Continue reading...
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Meet Philip Sayce – Canada's newest home-grown guitar hero
By Darryl Sterdan
After 20 years in the music business, Philip Sayce is finally getting started.
“I’m just in first gear,” quips the 38-year-old Canadian singer-guitarist down the line from L.A. “Now it’s time to burn rubber.”
And high time for classic-rock fans, blues freaks and guitar heads to get up to speed. The best way to do that: Score Sayce’s Canadian major-label album debut Influence, available April 7. As coming-out parties go, it’s a barnburner — and a superb showcase for Sayce to display his blistering guitar heroics, soulful vocals and earthy songwriting, while paying tribute to some of his own musical icons. Another way to get to know Sayce: This list of things you need to know about Canada’s newest home-grown guitar hero...Continue reading...
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By Bill Sanderson Saudi Arabia's King Salman (right) and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef walk to greet President Obama in Riy...
