Stunningly Preserved 165-Million-Year-Old Spider Fossil Found | Wired Science | Wired.com
Scientists have unearthed an almost perfectly preserved spider fossil in China dating back to the middle Jurassic era, 165 million years ago. The fossilized spiders, Eoplectreurys gertschi, are older than the only two other specimens known by around 120 million years.
The level of detail preserved in the fossils is amazing, said paleontologist Paul Selden of the University of Kansas and lead author of the study appearing Feb. 6 in Naturwissenschaften. “You go in with a microscope, and bingo! It’s fantastic.”
The fossils were found at a site called Daohugou in Northern China that is filled with fossilized salamanders, small primitive mammals, insects and water crustaceans. During the Jurassic era, the fossil bed was part of a lake in a volcanic region, Selden said.
Spider fossils from this period are rare, because the arachnids’ soft bodies don’t preserve well. The pristine fossil pictured in these photos was probably created when the spider was trapped in volcanic ash. The ultrafine clay particles squashed the spider without breaking up the animals’ delicate cuticle as more coarse sediment would, Selden said.
E. gertschi shows all the features of the modern members of the family, found in North America, suggesting it has evolved very little since the Jurassic period, Selden said. “The scimitar-shaped structure you notice out of the male is so distinctive,” he said. “Looking at modern ones, you think, well, it’s just a dead ringer.”
The findings also suggest this family of spiders, the Plectreuridae, was once much more widespread than it is today. Currently, the family has only been found living in California, Arizona, Mexico and Cuba. Yet 165 million years ago, they lived on a small continent called the North China Block.
“At some point something caused their range to contract to this part of southern North America,” Selden said. He speculates that changes in vegetation during an ice age or other climactic event wiped them out in other areas, “but they were still happy in these arid areas of the Southwest.”
Images: Paul Selden
Stunningly Preserved 165-Million-Year-Old Spider Fossil Found | Wired Science | Wired.com
Paranormal headgear: part deux
Zak or quack
Zak Bagans shows us the proper way to wear a doctor’s mask. In this case, the headgear was allegedly used as a trigger object for the ghosts of Poveglia Island. I guess that his theory was that the mask would provoke the spirits. In my case it provoked laughter.
I guess what I’m really trying to say with my comments about the headgear is that I, and other people, can not help but wonder what is becoming of paranormal research. Sure, I see an ever increasing number of paranormal shows; but these shows are to paranormal research what the WWE is to the sport of wrestling.
I see a lot of paranormal pseudo-stars who strut and pose in front of the cameras in the same fashion as a professional wrestler. They stir up some hype and exaggerate their findings. Perhaps the headgear of these pseudo-stars betrays what they really think about what they are doing. That to them it is nothing more than a show.
I guess what I am wondering is if it is too late? Will paranormal research become, or perhaps already is, nothing more than entertainment? Is it nothing but ratings? If it is nothing but ratings, how long will it be before we have the thong bikini ghost hunt or the lingerie ghost hunt.
I guess only time will tell. Until then, I will continue to look for silly headgear. If you see a silly hat … let me know.
No joke: South Carolina now requires ’subversives’ to register | Raw Story
Five-dollar registration fee for persons planning to overthrow US government
Terrorists who want to overthrow the United States government must now register with South Carolina’s Secretary of State and declare their intentions — or face a $25,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison.
The state’s "Subversive Activities Registration Act," passed last year and now officially on the books, states that "every member of a subversive organization, or an organization subject to foreign control, every foreign agent and every person who advocates, teaches, advises or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States … shall register with the Secretary of State."
There’s even a $5 filing fee.
By "subversive organization," the law means "every corporation, society, association, camp, group, bund, political party, assembly, body or organization, composed of two or more persons, which directly or indirectly advocates, advises, teaches or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States [or] of this State."
A PDF of the registration form can be found here, courtesy of FitsNews.
The law also gives subversive organizations "subject to foreign control" 30 days to register with the state after setting up shop in South Carolina.
While the intention of the law is apparently aimed at Islamic terrorists, it’s unclear in the law’s wording whether it can be applied to right-wing militias, some of whom have reputedly called for the overthrow of the US government. The law states that "fraternal" and "patriotic" groups are exempt from the law, but only if they don’t "contemplate the overthrow of the government."
While the law is clearly redundant — there are plenty of statutes at the state and federal level through which terrorists can be prosecuted — it reflects a not-uncommon pattern in some states of "doubling down" against particular crimes.
For instance, South Carolina is among those states which require drug dealers to declare their illegal income, or face additional criminal penalties on top of the already established penalties for buying, possessing and selling drugs.
The South Carolina blog FitsNews describes the new law as "bureaucracy for terrorists."
"In the long and storied history of utterly retarded legislation in South Carolina, we may have finally found the legal statute that takes the cake for sheer stupidity, which we think you’ll agree is saying something," the unsigned blog posting scathingly commented.
No joke: South Carolina now requires ’subversives’ to register | Raw Story
Margaret Cho Joins Cast of CBS’s ‘Ghost Whisperer’ 2010/02/04
Comedian and actress Margaret Cho will join the cast of CBS’s "Ghost Whisperer" starting February 5. She will play Professor Avery Grant.
"Ghost Whisperer" follows Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character of Melinda Gordon- a woman who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. While trying to live as normal a life as possible, Melinda helps them pass over to the other side by working as an owner of an antique store, sometimes dealing with people who push her away, and disbelieve her ability. The show was created by John Gray and is produced by Sander/Moses Productions, in association with ABC Studios and CBS Television Studios.
Margaret Cho has performed nationwide with one-woman shows including "I’m the One That I Want," "Notorious C.H.O," "Revolution," "State of Emergency," and "Assassin." On screen, she has played John Travolta’s FBI colleague in the action movie "Face/Off." On television, she appears as Terri – assistant to lawyer Jane Bingham – on Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva."Ghost Whisperer" airs on CBS Friday’s at 8 pm EST.
Margaret Cho Joins Cast of CBS’s ‘Ghost Whisperer’ 2010/02/04
Review: Hidden Flame
The Hidden Flame
by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke
(4 stars)
Abigail is a young Judean Christian woman who is caught up in the whirlwind that was life in 1st century Jerusalem. She is persued by two suitors while Jerusalem twists in a struggle for power.
The book is set during the time covered by Luke in book of Acts. If you are familiar with the book of Acts, you will know the fate of one of the major characters in the book. However; that little bit of foreknowledge does not take anything away from the story.
I have to admit that I found the story riviting.
I received this complimentary book from Bethany House for review purposes.
News: Third Da Vinci Code Film Confirmed | Latino Review
In a move that’s sure to excite fans of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, Columbia Pictures has announced that it will adapt the third book in the series, called The Lost Symbol, and has hired Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things) to do the honors.
Despite the fact that Angels and Demons, the follow-up film to The Da Vinci Code, failed to meet its predecessor’s degree of success ($486 million worldwide as compared to $758 million worldwide), Columbia is chancing that The Lost Symbol will be a healthy entry to the series after watching the book version fly off the shelves last year.
The Lost Symbol will follow Robert Langdon as he works to decode Freemason symbols in Washinton, D.C. No word on whether Tom Hanks will reprise his lead role as Langdon, the guy with a soft spot for female descendants of Christ.
Paranormal headgear: part 1
Interesting headgear of paranormal researchers part 1:
I know that many of you are interested in the equipment of paranormal researchers. I, for one, enjoying seeing how the professional ghost hunters present themselves to the public. To that end, I have decided to focus on the headgear used by some of the paranormal researchers.
This time around, I’ll take a look at Eilfie of Paranormal State. Eilfie sports a stunning chapeau with a set of goggles that Eugen Rommel would envy . I guess that the goggles are for eye protection during active poltergeist activity. After all, it’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.
To add to the effect, her chapeau also sports a “plume noir” which may promote paranormal activity as a trigger object.
One can only wonder …
Next time, I’ll look at Zak’s mask on Poveglia Island.
Kinti Mining Lmtd.’s (KMLD) Announces Supriem David Rockefeller and the Rebuilding of the 3rd Jewish Temple in Addition to Frank Love Commencing the "Temple Now Project"
Kinti Holdings Group (KMLD) (OTCBB: KMLD) President, Frank Love, and Director Supriem David Rockefeller, states the following, "Kinti Holdings will be raising funds to go towards building the third Temple in Jerusalem in strict coordinance with The Temple Institute, Rabbi Hiam Richman and The Palestinian National Interest Committee (PNIC) and supporting Husam Bajis for President of Palestine. Prince Husam Bajis and the PNIC support our mission to build the Temple and to create a One Israel-Palestine state.
About Kinti Holdings Group. We are a division of Kinti Mining Lmtd. that is publicly traded under ticker symbol (KMLD). Our corporation has 50 Million shares Authorized, issued and outstanding, with approximately 80% being held tight within the corporation and its friendly stakeholders.
Please visit our website (www.kintimining.webs.com) for our disclaimer and links to the "Temple Now Project" and Temple Institute.
Contacts: Kinti Holdings Group Frank Love President kintimining@gmail.com www.kintimining.webs.com
Paranormal Cops: Stirring up the dead
This investigation took place at the “The Stag’s Head” which is a bar that is undergoing renovations.
Basically, Fabs and the crew set up to investigate the “Stag’s Head” in much the same way as other paranormal investigators. They set up some sound equipment, a couple of static cameras, and tour the building in much the same fashion as other investigators. Being profession investigators, on their day job, I expected more.
Shortly into the investigation, the sounds of alleged footsteps were heard on a set of stairs. Sadly, little if anything was done to debunk the sounds. Was it sounds from another set of stairs? Did the sound carry from somewhere else? Was it even footsteps? We don’t know. If the team did try to debunk the sounds, it was not made part of the show.
The crew also allegedly heard the sounds of a woman. In all honesty, it sounded a lot like a cat to me. Yet again, nothing was done to test if the sound may have traveled from somewhere else.
In another part of the show, the medium came up with a word, grove. I couldn’t help but laugh as the crew tried to find a meaning for that word. As it turns out, the word was part of the former name of the bar. How hard is it to attach the word grove to anything? I knew a family named Grove. I have a friend who lives in a place with grove in its name.
I guess the most disappointing part of the investigation was Fabs and crew calling some debris floating in the air an orb. That would be like me calling Fabs’ cigar an orb.
The team did get one interesting EVP, “step back.” They also picked up some interesting EMF hits.
I’m not really seeing anything different in Paranormal Cops method of investigation. Paranormal programing has turned into a crowded field so Paranormal Cops is going to have to step up to the plate or fall behind better known shows. I’ll give them a few more trys.
Neo-Pagans get worship circle at Air Force Academy – KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, CO — The Air Force Academy chapel will add a worship area for followers of Earth-centered religions during a dedication ceremony, which is tentatively scheduled to be held at the circle March 10.
The circle, located atop the hill overlooking the Cadet Chapel and Visitor Center, will be the latest addition to a collection of worship areas that includes Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist sacred spaces.
Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier, NCO in charge of the Academy’s Astronautics laboratories, worked with the chapel to create the official worship area for both cadets and other service members in the Colorado Springs area who practice Earth-centered spirituality.
"Feel free to check the site out, but treat it as you would any other religious structure," he said.
The stones that now form the inner and outer rings of the circle once sat near the Visitor Center, where the chance of erosion made the rocks a safety hazard. The 10th Civil Engineer Squadron moved the rocks to the top of the hill in spring and early summer. Once finished, the circle will also include materials from a smaller circle that Sergeant Longcrier briefly set up in Jacks Valley.
"We used the (Jacks Valley) circle during Basic Cadet Training, and it was great," he said. However, the new circle offers significant advantages.
"The circle that we secured in December is much bigger, better and closer to the cadet area," he explained. "This will allow cadets to use the circle anytime they feel the need."
The Academy’s chaplains have supported Sergeant Longcrier’s efforts every step of the way, the NCO said.
"There really haven’t been any obstacles for the new circle," he said. "The chaplain’s office has been 100-percent supportive."
"Every service member is charged with defending freedom for all Americans, and that includes freedom to practice our religion of choice or, for that matter, not to practice any faith at all," said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) William Ziegler, Cadet Wing chaplain. "Being in the military isn’t just a job — it’s a calling. We all take an oath to support and defend the Constitution, and that means we’ve all sworn to protect one another’s religious liberties. We all put on our uniforms the same way; we’re all Airmen first."
The presence of diverse worship areas reflects a sea change from five years ago, when reports surfaced alleging religious intolerance at the Academy. Sergeant Longcrier became Pagan shortly after arriving at the Academy in 2006 and said he believes the climate has improved dramatically.
"When I first arrived here, Earth-centered cadets didn’t have anywhere to call home," he said. "Now, they meet every Monday night, they get to go on retreats, and they have a stone circle. … We have representation on the Cadet Interfaith Council, and I even meet with the Chaplains at Peterson Air Force Base once a year to discuss religious climate."
Earth-centered spirituality includes traditions such as Wicca, Druidism and several other religious paths that, while relatively new, trace their roots to pre-Christian Europe, Sergeant Longcrier said. Gerald Gardner founded the first Wiccan tradition in England in 1952, with neo-Druidism following in the early 1960s.
Some Earth-centered traditions involve the worship of gods and goddesses, whereas others may involve only one deity or none at all. Reincarnation is a popular concept, as is rebirth and celebrating the cycle of the seasons.
Famous outdoor worship circles include Stonehenge and Avebury in England and Native American sites such as the Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming and Cahokia Henge in Missouri. A worship circle at Fort Hood, Texas, became a flashpoint for discussions about Paganism in the U.S. military after it was established by the Sacred Well Congregation in 1999.
The Fort Hood Open Circle was vandalized on four separate occasions from 1999 to 2000, including an incident Oct. 27, 2000, in which the half-ton limestone altar was destroyed outright. In response, a member of the Sacred Well Congregation wrote, "If we speak together, we are a chorus to be heard. If we whisper alone, we are but a sigh in the dead of night."
"We want to create that chorus," Chaplain Ziegler said. "We want to invite the Academy leadership, the Cadet Interfaith Council, the news media and people from every religious background for the dedication ceremony. We want this dedication service to be another example of celebrating the freedom we enjoy as well as the freedom we, as Airmen, have pledged to defend."
Neo-Pagans get worship circle at Air Force Academy – KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |
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