It's astounding to think that if you go scuba diving off the coast of Italy, you could find 30,000 coins from Ancient Rome with legible inscriptions, including dates and faces. That's what happened to one lucky diver. Here's the story from Livescience.
(Photo: A handful of the ancient bronze coins discovered by a diver in Sardinia. Image credit: Italian Ministry of Culture)
Scuba diver discovers 30,000 astonishingly well-preserved Roman coins off Italian coast
The well-preserved bronze coins found off the coast of Sardinia could be linked to a shipwreck.
A diver exploring the waters off Sardinia in Italy has discovered tens of thousands of Roman-era bronze coins hidden in the seagrass.
The man immediately contacted the authorities about the finding, which was near the town of Arzachena. Based on the location of the hoard, experts think the cache could be connected to an undiscovered shipwreck, according to a translated statement by Italy's Ministry of Culture.
Initial weight estimates put the hoard at between 30,000 and 50,000 pieces. Only four were damaged, but even these contained legible inscriptions, including dates and faces.
Further examination by archaeologists revealed that the folles, a type of large coin used in the Roman and Byzantine empires, were minted sometime between A.D. 324 and 340 and were in an "exceptional and rare state of preservation," according to the statement.
The coins were in circulation during Roman Emperor Constantine the Great's reign, which lasted from A.D. 306 to 337.
(Image: Red colored island is Sardinia, Italy. Credit: Britannica)
"The treasure found in the waters of Arzachena represents one of the most important discoveries of numismatic finds in recent years and highlights once again the richness and importance of the archaeological heritage [at] the depths of our seas," Luigi La Rocca, general director of archaeology, fine arts and landscape for the Mediterranean island, said in the statement.
Today, November 29th, is Tyler's 13th birthday! Tyler, a black and tan Dachshund, came to us as a Rescue pup without a birthday. Because he bonded with (our late Weimaraner) Dolly, we gave him Dolly's birthday.
Tyler is great at agility, loves fast walks, exploring forests, enjoys rides, barking at Dunkin drive thru employees, de-squeaking toys, playing with his brother Dash, his morning rub downs, and giving kisses.
12 years ago, our friend Shelley who works with several dog rescues, ask if we would foster him, and we did, finally adopting him. Shelley gave us the greatest gift in our boy.
I recently enjoyed a third in the "Elderhostel Mystery Series" called "Tip-a-Canoe" by Peter Abrecht.
Peter Abrecht is a Maryland author whom passed in the last several years. He penned a nice cozy mystery series about two retirees named James Dandy and his girlfriend Dodee Swisher (who loves to draw) and together on various excursions with other retirees, they find themselves in a murder mystery. They are all light-hearted and well done. I love the main characters and this is the second book I've read in the series (the first two I reviewed earlier called "Painted Lady and " Killing Thyme") - If you're retiring or retired, you'll really relate to these and enjoy them! The latest is Tip-A-Canoe and takes the couple into the swamps of South Carolina where several people wind up dead, and they're caught in the middle of it! . Really enjoyable book!
ABOUT THE BOOK: When senior citizens James P. Dandy and Dodee Swisher go canoeing in South Carolina with the elderhostel program, their romantic rendevous is interrupted when they find a corpse in a nearby swamp.
For those of you who are not dog parents, you'll find this disgusting (as you should), but for those of us who ARE dog parents, you've likely encountered this before. Some dogs eat poop. UGH! Only three of the dogs we've had have not: Dolly, Buzz and Sprite. But all the other kids have... We pick up the yard usually whenever they do it, but sometimes it gets missed. Medicated remedies don't work- we've tried them. After all, what could make poop taste worse? LOL. Here's the new science behind the reasons why they do it.
Poop eating is a natural behavior in dogs; although it may disgust humans, it usually poses no threat to your canine's health.
While dogs may be man's best friend, it's hard to avoid judging Fido when he gets into his own feces.
A 2018 study published in the Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Science surveyed about 1,400 dog owners in the United States and found that 23% of dogs had eaten poop at least once and 16% were "frequent" poop eaters who ate poop at least six times over the course of the study.
But why do dogs eat poop, and is it harmful to them?
Dogs eating their own poop — a condition called coprophagia — is considered a natural behavior. It's not a form of attention seeking or a result of nutritional deficiencies. Instead, veterinarians think coprophagia in dogs stems from their evolutionary connection to wolves, as wolf mothers eat their pups' poop to avoid exposing them to intestinal parasites.
Wolves will eat the feces of their young during the first three years of life, veterinarian Dr. Nicholas Dodman, president of the nonprofit Center for Canine Behavior Studies and a professor emeritus at Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, told Live Science. In fresh poop, the eggs of various parasites are not yet infectious. If let to sit, the parasites can grow and infect the pups if ingested.
"You're more likely to survive if you're healthy than if you're … ridden with worms," he said.
Even though domesticated dogs have come a long way from the wolf den, "I think the important takeaway is that it's no risk; it's just disgusting to us because of our upbringing," Dodman said.
(Photo: "Who, me?" Tyler only sampled when he was younger)
Which dogs eat poop?
Certain dog breeds might be more prone to coprophagy, the 2018 study found. Shetland sheepdogs had the highest rate of coprophagia (41%), while no poodles were reported as poop-eating. A dog's sex is also linked to its tendency to eat poop. A 2019 study conducted by Dodman and colleagues and published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior looked at the behavior of over 4,000 dogs. They found 11% of male dogs engaged in poop eating, while 16% of female dogs did. Interestingly, coprographia was twice as common in dogs that were neutered than in dogs that were not neutered.
As for why dogs eat the poop of other animals, like cats and rabbits … it's just tasty, Melissa Bain, a veterinary behaviorist at UC Davis Veterinary Medicine and co-author of the 2018 study, told Live Science. Cats eat a high-protein diet, so their stool might be particularly delectable to dogs, she said.
How do I get my dog to stop eating poop?
Even if it's not harmful to your pooch, there's no denying that people are repulsed by poop eating. So is there anything you can do to get your dog to stop?
Several commercial products are marketed for getting dogs to stop eating poop, but these have not been proved effective. Bain's 2018 study looked at 11 food additives marketed for coprophagia and found that the effectiveness of these products ranged from zero to 2%. "Don't waste your money," she said.
(Photo: Dolly never touched it!)
Over the Counter Remedies Don't Work
The internet is full of home remedies to stop coprophagia, like adding breath mints or pineapple to a dog's food. But there's no evidence that this works for most dogs, either. "You'll probably find someone who says they think it worked in their dog," Dodman said. "But basically, it's not a strategy that you can rely on."
In his veterinary practice, Dodman has tried diet changes that alter the consistency of a dog's poop and stop coprophagia. Brands like Hills RD or Purina OM have between about 14% and 16% fiber, according to their websites, which is much higher than in commercial dog kibble, Dodman said. The result is a dog stool that's more like cardboard, he said.
(Photo: Tyler, Franklin and Dolly at the gate... Franklin wanted to find the poop first!)
"If you change it to be less palatable, if you can imagine that, and more … dry and cardboardy, that seems to work," Dodman said, although he has not tested this in clinical trials.
What does work? "Clean it up," Bain said, and give the dog no time to munch on its feces. Some owners may try sprinkling Tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper on a dog's poop to deter them from eating it. "But if you're going to do that," Dodman said, "you might as well pick it up."
When you're building a new house, it's important to be cognizant of your budget, and also to get a feel for how things look before you commit
(Photo: the backyard stairs that Tom built)
to them. One of the items we held off on was having a deck built in the backyard, because we couldn't gauge its extent and whether it would block light to the basement windows. So, we opted to wait until we lived in the house to decide.
COST: One of the things that we were surprised by was the cost of a small deck. We received quotes for a 10x10' deck for as much as $20,000! Wow. To me (I'm not an architect like Tom), I thought that was outrageous.
(Photo: What the door looked like before Tom built the stairs!)
NEXT OPTION: We have a door from our kitchen that opens to the outside into the backyard. When the house was built, the builders just nailed a railing against the house to block anyone from falling out of the door. As an architect, Tom knew how to design and even BUILD a stairway, so he did! It took him about 2 days to do it, and it looks amazing. It's also a much better option for us, because in a pinch, we can grab one of the dogs who needs an urgent outside break and take them out that way. So, it all works out.
INDUSTRIOUS - Tom has installed ceiling fans, under cabinet lighting, built himself a workbench, built this stairway and we worked together to make a forest path. He's been quite industrious (I feed him, so that's my contribution).
The lesson here is that before you go spending a lot of money on a deck, or anything else, live in the house first to see if you really need it. We didn't need it at all!
Imagine being so corrupt that you sign a law to prevent the public from ever seeing records about what you've done. That's EXACTLY What Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee has done. Why would you ever sign such a law unless you're breaking other laws all the time? She's this week's corrupt idiot. Here's the story from the Associated Press:
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs law restricting release of her travel, security records
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law Thursday restricting release of her travel and security records after the Legislature wrapped up a special session marked by a fight to more broadly scale back the state Freedom of Information Act.
The law, which took effect immediately, allows the state to wall off details about the security provided the GOP governor and other constitutional officers, including who travels on the State Police airplane and the cost of individual trips. Proposed changes to the 1967 law protecting the public’s access to government records were among several items Sanders had placed on the agenda for a session that met this week.
Sanders has argued the restrictions are needed to protect her and her family, citing threats she’s faced since taking office and going back to her time as White House press secretary for former President Donald Trump.
“We protected the police officers who protect our constitutional officers and my family in keeping their security information and tactics exempt from Freedom of Information Act disclosure,” Sanders said before signing the measure, about two hours after lawmakers gave it final it approval.
This week's hero is a lobsterman who works off the coast of Maine and saw a car go into the Atlantic Ocean. The quick-thinking hero immediately went after the driver as the car sank in Casco Bay. Here's the story AND the video report... and there's a twist at the end about the driver...
(Photo: Police say a car drove down the boat ramp near East End Beach in Portland and into Casco Bay on Thursday afternoon. (WGME))
Lobsterman pulls person from submerged car in Casco Bay, police say
PORTLAND, Maine - Police in Maine say a lobsterman jumped from a boat into the water to help save a driver trapped in a sinking car. Police in Portland say the car drove into Casco Bay shortly after noon on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. Police and fire crews were able to force entry into the vehicle while it was underwater.
Manny Kourinos, who was on board, jumped in and helped pull out the driver, police said. The water temperature was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius).
“I've been diving for 20 years now and never been in that circumstance where I had to recover someone from underwater,” Kourinos told WCSH-TV.\
Police say a nearby lobsterman put on scuba gear and dove in to get the person out of the car. They pulled the person out and brought them to the boat launch.
Police say the victim didn't have a pulse when they brought them to the surface. Paramedics then resuscitated the person, and they were taken to the hospital. The person is 33 years old and in stable condition.
“The citizen that aided the rescue risked their life to rescue this person and certainly gave them a fighting chance of survival,” Portland Police Lieutenant Robert Doherty said.
The car sank about 75 yards offshore. It has since been pulled out. Police say the car was reported stolen in South Portland earlier Thursday.
Over the Halloween season, I decided to enjoy reading another horror/paranormal novel by Australian author Darcy Coates, and it was another page-turner! "The Whispering Dead" captures you from the first chapter - when you meet Kiera, a woman who has lost her memory and is being pursued by someone through woods. From the minute she reaches a cemetery and the nearby pastor's house, strange things happen and she realizes she has a gift... while still not knowing her past.
I won't spoil it, but I will say it's worth reading. 5 of 5 stars!!!
About the book: USA Today bestseller and rising queen of atmospheric horror Darcy Coates returns with a ghost story that will haunt you long after the final page. She hears them whispering...
Homeless, hunted, and desperate to escape a bitter storm, Keira takes refuge in an abandoned groundskeeper's cottage. Her new home is tucked away at the edge of a cemetery, surrounded on all sides by gravestones: some recent, some hundreds of years old, all suffering from neglect.
And in the darkness, she can hear the unquiet dead whispering.
The cemetery is alive with faint, spectral shapes, led by a woman who died before her time…and Keira, the only person who can see her, has become her new target. Determined to help put the ghost to rest, Keira digs into the spirit's past life with the help of unlikely new friends, and discovers a history of deception, ill-fated love, and murder.
But the past is not as simple as it seems, and Keira's time is running out. Tangled in a dangerous web, she has to find a way to free the spirit...even if it means offering her own life in return. BOOK TRAILER: https://youtu.be/lfyBqcA2rHI?si=BgcrUoqhXKm6Iq_-
Seawater intrusion is happening in the U.S. with rivers whose discharge is less because of drought. It means that salty ocean water is moving further upstream in rivers like the Mississippi. Salt adversely affects crops, drinking water, erodes structures like bridges, and more! It's happening in the U.S. NOW, and its because of climate change. Here's the story from the Conversation.
Caption: Under natural conditions, fresh water flows underground toward the ocean and keeps seawater from moving into coastal aquifers. Pumping too much groundwater from the aquifer lowers water levels and can draw seawater inland.USGS
What is seawater intrusion? A hydrogeologist explains the shifting balance between fresh and salt water at the coast
Seawater intrusion is the movement of saline water from the ocean or estuaries into freshwater systems. The seawater that has crept up the Mississippi River in the summer and early fall of 2023 is a reminder that coastal communities teeter in a fragile land-sea balance.
Fresh water is essential for drinking, irrigation and healthy ecosystems. When seawater moves inland, the salt it contains can wreak havoc on farmlands, ecosystems, lives and livelihoods.
I am a coastal hydrogeologist and have studied water across the land-sea interface for 25 years. I think of seawater intrusion as being like a seesaw: The place where fresh water and salt water meet is the balance point between forces from land and forces from the sea.
A push from the land side, such as heavy rainfall or high river flows, moves the balance point seaward. A push from the sea side – whether it’s sea-level rise, storm surge or high tides – moves the balance point landward. Droughts or heavy use of fresh water can also cause seawater to move inland. As climate change and population growth stress freshwater supplies, one result will be more seawater intrusion.
Graphic of a coastal aquifer.
Under natural conditions, fresh water flows underground toward the ocean and keeps seawater from moving into coastal aquifers. Pumping too much groundwater from the aquifer lowers water levels and can draw seawater inland. USGS
When the ocean moves upriver
The current seawater intrusion in the lower Mississippi River is due primarily to drought in the Midwest, which has reduced the river’s volume. Both the magnitude of reduction in river flow and the length of time that the river is low influence how far upriver the salt water moves. As of Oct. 2, 2023, the saltwater “wedge” in the Mississippi had moved nearly 70 miles upstream from the river’s mouth.
This isn’t the first time that low water on the river has allowed seawater to move inland. But as climate change raises sea levels and causes more severe weather anomalies, intrusion will become more common and will inch farther upstream.
And the problem isn’t unique to the Mississippi. In Delaware, seawater is traveling farther up small tidal streams during storms and the highest tides, flooding farmland and killing crops.
Researchers in Maryland explain how seawater intrusion threatens coastal agriculture.
In the Sundarbans of India and Bangladesh – one of the largest coastal mangrove forests in the world – seawater is intruding into the mouth of the Ganges River. The main causes there are upstream dams and water diversions from the river for irrigation and navigability, plus encroachment due to sea-level rise. Seawater intrusion could threaten many types of plants and animals in this UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is home to countless rare and endangered species.
Invading underground
Another interface between fresh water and salt water at the coast is less obvious because it’s underground. Many coastal communities draw their freshwater supply from groundwater – clean water that moves through pore spaces between grains of sand and soil.
Groundwater doesn’t just stop at the coastline: Under the ocean floor, the groundwater is salty, and somewhere between land and the ocean, there is an underground meeting point. It typically is landward of the coastline because salt water is denser than fresh water, so it has a greater force and naturally pushes in. But just as with a river, that interface moves when groundwater levels drop on land or water levels rise offshore.
In groundwater basins of central and southern California, widespread pumping has caused groundwater levels to drop hundreds of feet in some areas. This is tipping the seesaw and causing groundwater from the sea to move far inland. Accessible groundwater has supported irrigated agriculture in these areas, but now the double hazard of reduced groundwater availability and seawater intrusion threatens crops like strawberries and lettuce.
Seawater intrusion into groundwater is happening all over the world, but perhaps the most threatened places are communities on low-lying islands. Fresh groundwater is often the sole source of water for drinking and irrigation on small islands, and it exists in a thin lens that floats on top of saline groundwater.
The lens can shrink in response to droughts, pumping and sea-level rise. It can also become salty from floodwater infiltration during storms or high tides.
In the Marshall Islands, for example, a combination of sea-level rise and wave-driven flooding is predicted to make many islands uninhabitable by the end of the century.
As salt water continues to encroach on freshwater systems, there will be consequences. Drinking water that contains even 2% seawater can increase blood pressure and stress kidneys. If salt water gets into supply lines, it can corrode pipes and produce toxic disinfection by-products in water treatment plants.
Seawater intrusion reduces the life span of roads, bridges and other infrastructure. It has been implicated as a contributor to the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida, in 2021. Seawater intrusion changes ecosystems, creating ghost forests as trees die and marshes move inland.
Smart management can tip the seesaw back toward the sea. Limiting surface water extraction and groundwater pumping, or injecting treated wastewater into vulnerable aquifers, can increase the force pushing against intruding salt water.
Constructing seawalls or maintaining healthy dune systems also can help hold seawater at bay, though these approaches protect only against saltwater flooding and infiltration at the surface, not underground. Pumping out saline groundwater or installing underground barriers can keep deeper salt water from moving inland.
Being proactive is best, because once groundwater is contaminated, it’s hard to remove the salt. If salt water does penetrate inland, communities can manage water quality by constructing desalination plants and switching to salt-tolerant crops.
Another option is to let nature take its course. Allowing marshes to migrate inland can compensate for losses at the coastline as sea level rises. This preserves critical habitats, enhances flood protection and stores carbon at rates far exceeding most terrestrial ecosystems – dialing back the acceleration of climate change.
Since we often rely on recommendations from people we know, here are four recommendations I have given 5 of 5 stars to, from calendars to dog treats and harnesses. They're all dog-themed, of course!
1) Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund Softcover Weekly Planner 2024 Spiral-Bound Engagement Calendar, Willow Creek Press (6.5" x 8.5")
5.0 out of 5 stars Best desk calendar with fun photos
There's nothing better to make your day than seeing a fun dog photo, especially that of Crusoe the celebrity dachshund in costumes and fun settings. Have used Crusoe's desk calendars for 10 or so years. They are well organized and easy to use with lots of space to write events each day.
Follow in Crusoe's pawprints and capture your own adventures with this spiral-bound softcover weekly planner.
2) GOOD 'N' TASTY Kabob Bites, Gourmet Treats for All Dogs, Made with Real Chicken
5.0 out of 5 stars - Good for non-powerful chewers
Our senior dachshund-Chihuahua mix who came to us as a senior with 8 teeth easily chews these little light crunchy treats and enjoys them. Good for dogs with fewer teeth!
3) Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund Daily 2024 Box/Desk Calendar - Willow Creek Press (5.86" x 4.72")
5.0 out of 5 stars Best and cutest desk calendar!
I have been enjoying the Crusoe desk calendars for years and they always provide fun and wonderfully photographed pictures of Crusoe the Dachshund and his sister and brother. Great costumes and set ups. It's a smile every day. CRUSOE'S CHRONICLES – With appearances on Ellen, Good Morning America, and more, Crusoe's over 50M viral video views and nearly 3M social media followers make him the undisputed canine king of pop culture. Follow in Crusoe's pawprints and capture your own adventures.
4) Puppia Authentic Soft Harness, Grey, Small
5.0 out of 5 stars Great, secure harness
Puppia made a great harness for dogs. We bought this for our 10 pound dog, and it fit well, and provided security. It was easy to use and tighten to secure the dog. I've tried several harnesses and like this one the best. (Photo: Tyler, Dash and Cody all sporting their Puppia Harnesses)
Now that we moved to New England, there are a lot of lighthouses to explore. Most of them have been turned into historic landmarks and museums, so it's a big deal when a lighthouse that hasn't been functional for a long time and has been restored. That's what happened in Florida when people got together to make an old lighthouse shine again. Here's the story.
Caption: Alligator Reef Lighthouse is named after the USS Alligator, a U.S. Navy schooner that ran aground on the reef in 1822 and sank, and five other aging lighthouses off the Keys were important maritime navigational aids that helped warn ships away from the Keys’ barrier coral reef. Andy Newman /Florida Keys News Bureau.
150-year-old Islamorada lighthouse shines again after decade of darkness
Islamorada, Florida Keys – A 150-year-old lighthouse that has been extinguished for a decade is shining again at night in the Florida Keys.
Organizers of an Islamorada community group that took title to the lighthouse in late 2021 installed solar-powered lights in the lantern room to remind the public of a nearly six-million-dollar project that is underway to restore and preserve the aging structure.
“Alligator Lighthouse was lit in 1873 and it stayed lit until about 2013, and then it went dark for 10 years,” said Rob Dixon, executive director of Save Alligator Lighthouse. “And now our Statue of Liberty is lit once again.
“We lit Alligator Lighthouse up so the whole community could be focused, even at nighttime,” Dixon said.
Alligator Reef Lighthouse is named after the USS Alligator, a U.S. Navy schooner that ran aground on the reef in 1822 and sank.
Alligator Reef Lighthouse and five other aging lighthouses off the Keys were important maritime navigational aids that helped warn ships away from the Keys’ barrier coral reef. But modern-day satellite navigation made open-water lighthouses off the Keys obsolete and the structures now fall under the auspices of the General Services Association for disposal.
A detailed engineering study of Alligator Lighthouse was completed to determine what is required to stabilize the structure after many years of being subjected to highly corrosive conditions.
“To save Alligator Lighthouse, the engineering study says it’s going to be a 6-year, five- to six-million-dollar project, so we need to raise funds,” said Dixon. “We’ve got a great community behind us; we’ve got a lot of support — there’s nobody in this community that doesn’t want to help our project.”
Dixon said fundraising is well underway with about $500,000 already raised that includes $215,000 from the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.
Because we have a lot of woods behind our new house, we decided to create a forest path so we could walk the dogs off the street, and enjoy the quiet of a forested walk. We also found at least 9 Native American rock markers. Today's blog is about the story, photos and a video where I walk YOU through the woods with our kids. The blog concludes with the video forest tour and my favorite sunrise photo through the woods that I captured in October. Enjoy the blog!
(Photo: Dash at the back end of one of the three trails, and Tom near the middle. Credit R.G.)
HOW WE DID IT: Tom began making a pathway through the woods by clearing the leaves, then raking down to the mossy bottom of the forest. Rob outlined the sides of the path with tall, slender fallen trees. Lots of heavy raking with plastic rakes and metal rakes helped clear the path.
(Photos: Left: The right-side entrance to the first path. Right: in the middle of the first path)
ROUTING TO AN OLD LOGGING ROAD - We have an old logging road at the far end of the property, so it was our goal to get the path to go all the way back there (we did). Once the first path was done, Rob started working on a second path, scoped it out with fallen trees, and also brought it out to the logging road, so we had a circular path. But we were not done!
(Photos; Left: the old logging road at the back of the property line. Right: looking from the middle of the path toward the house)
TIME REQUIRED: It took about 2 months to clear out all the leaves and fallen branches. and get the paths down to the mossy surface. So, once those were complete, We created another exit path facing the house (because there was only 1 exit and the circular path was in the forest. Rob used many fallen birch trees to line the path (he calls it "Birch Way" and the entrance feeds in to the second, left side pathway in the woods.
NATIVE AMERICAN MOUNDS - We were puzzled by 9 or so large mounds of rocks that were scattered throughout the forest. Despite researching them, we could only conclude that Native Americans made these rock mounds to guide them through forested areas.
(Photo: Fork in the road. The right-side path splits into a left and right path through the woods, that comes out to the logging road in the back, making a circular route).
MEMORIAL MARKERS: Throughout the path, we placed memorial markers for our dogs in spirit: Dolly, Franklin, Sprite and Buzz.
THE WAY LIFE SHOULD BE - Like the slogan from the state of Maine, this little forest path is "the Way Life Should Be." It's quiet, off the road, and there are no other dogs to bark at! Our dogs love the scents and sounds.There's always an adventure back there, and there's nothing more peaceful than a quiet walk in a forest. Make your own happy place!
This week's idiot is a drunken fool who got behind the wheel of a car and collided with other cars on a highway, sending multiple people to the hospital.
(Photo: Jennifer Pratka of Litchfield was injured; accused of drunken driving and causing a 5-vehicle accident on the Everett Turnpike on Saturday. (Nashua Fire Rescue)
Several Injured During Nashua Crash; Woman Accused Of Wrong-Way DUI
Jennifer Pratka of Litchfield was injured; accused of drunken driving and causing a 5-vehicle crash on the Everett Turnpike Saturday night.
NASHUA, NH — Nashua fire and police, New Hampshire State Police, and AMR ambulance responded to a report of a multi-vehicle accident on the F.E. Everett turnpike near Exit 7W reportedly involving a wrong-way driver on Saturday.
State police received calls just before the accident that a vehicle was driving north in the southbound lane. Troopers said the wrong-way driver was operating a Subaru Impreza, which caught fire upon impact, and the vehicle driver was entrapped.
State police identified the driver as Jennifer Pratka, 29, of Litchfield. She was transported to St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua for minor injuries.
A preliminary investigation found the Subaru Impreza was driving north on the F.E. Everett Turnpike in the southbound lanes when it collided with a pickup truck in the left lane. Immediately after, three other vehicles crashed into these two vehicles. The driver and the passenger of the pickup truck sustained serious injuries while the occupants of the other vehicle sustained minor injuries.
A total of three AMR ambulances were required at the scene and five patients were treated. Two trauma patients were transported to Southern NH Medical Center while three other patients were transported to St Joseph’s Hospital according to Nashua Fire.
The F.E. Everett Turnpike southbound lanes were shut down between Exits 7W and 7E for approximately three and half hours while the crash was being investigated, the vehicles were removed, and debris was cleaned from the roadway. New Hampshire State Police were assisted on the scene by the Nashua Police Department, Nashua Fire, and EMS, and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.
If you're not a dog (or pet) person, you will never know what unconditional love means. Today's hero is a dog who stayed with his dad for 10 WEEKS in the Colorado Mountains, after his dad passed on a mountain.
(Photos: Richard Moore and his dog, Finney. Credit: Colorado Missing Person Organization)
A hiker died of hypothermia in Colorado mountains. His Jack Russell terrier stayed with his body and was rescued 10 weeks later.
A tiny Jack Russell terrier survived in the Colorado mountains for more than 10 weeks after her owner died of hypothermia, despite losing half her body weight, a rescuer said.
Richard Moore of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and his 12-pound dog Finney had set out to climb Blackhead Peak east of the town on Aug. 19, but never returned home, the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office said.
A days-long search of the treacherous and steep western side of the mountain between where Moore’s car was parked and the peak was unsuccessful, said Delinda VanneBrightyn with Taos Search and Rescue, whose search dog joined the effort. From the starting point, the hike to Blackhead Peak gains 2,150 feet (650 meters) in elevation.
When a hunter came upon the 71-year-old’s body in the San Juan Mountains on Oct. 30, Finney was still there with him, despite being down to just 6 pounds, VanneBrightyn said Tuesday.
A recovery crew was flown in the next day. Finney was taken to a veterinarian for a checkup and treatment and is now with Moore’s family, the sheriff’s office said.
Finney’s “magnificent story of survival” is a testament to her dedication and loyalty to Moore, said VanneBrightyn, who has trained dogs for two decades. “Jack Russells are pretty fierce, I have to say, they’re tough little dogs.”
The hunter found Moore’s body about 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) east of the peak, further away from his car, VanneBrightyn said.
Moore, who was an experienced hiker, died of hypothermia, Archuleta County Coroner Brad Hunt said. Hypothermia can cause people to become disoriented and confused.
But tiny Finney somehow survived, likely by hunting small animals such as mice while also managing to avoid predators like mountain lions, coyotes and bears, VanneBrightyn said.
“If that dog could talk it would be an amazing story,” she said. “We probably could not even believe the story the dog would tell.”
“We are very glad … that Finney was returned to the family because they have lost their loved one, but they still have this wonderful, loyal dog,” VanneBrightyn said.
If you are fascinated by dinosaurs and prehistoric sea life as I am, today's blog will be for you. There's been a new discovery in North Dakota of a giant sea creature from the Cretaceous period. The Cretaceous is a geological period that began 145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago. It is the last period in the Mesozoic Era. It comes after the Jurassic Period and before the Paleogene - the first period of the Cenozoic Era, our current era. Here's the story of this amazing find.
(Image: An artist's rendition of the newly described mosasaur, named Jǫrmungandr walhallaensis after a mythical Norse sea serpent, attacking another. (Image credit: AMNH))Newly discovered Cretaceous sea monster named after world-ending Norse serpent
Paleontologists have described a new species of mosasaur with "angry eyebrows" that lived 80 million years ago.
Scientists have named an ancient species of giant sea lizard with "angry eyebrows" and a stumpy tail after Jörmungandr, a sea serpent from Norse mythology.
The fearsome creature, Jǫrmungandr walhallaensis, lived 80 million years ago in an ancient sea in what is now North Dakota.
"If you put flippers on a Komodo dragon and made it really big, that's what it would have looked like," lead author Amelia Zietlow, a postdoctoral student in comparative biology at the American Museum of Natural History's Richard Gilder Graduate School, said in a statement.
Zietlow and colleagues discovered the almost-complete skull, jaws, cervical spine and several vertebrae of the 24-foot-long (7 meters) mosasaur in 2015 in Walhalla, North Dakota. The team described the sea monster in a paper published Monday (Oct. 30) in the journal Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.
(Credit: Árni Magnússon Institute in Iceland.)
ABOUT Jörmungandr
Jörmungandr is theMidgard (Earth) Serpent (also World Serpent) in Norse mythology who encircles the realm of Midgard. He is the son of the god Loki and the giantess Angrboða and brother of the great wolf Fenrir and Hel, Queen of the Dead
If you're a fan of Batman like I am, it's fun to read the collection of his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939 and then his own comic book soon after. The first appearance of Robin happened in March 1940, in Detective Comics 38, and BOTH are included in the The Batman Chronicles Vol. 1 trade paperback.
Not only Batman and Robin, but the collection from the 1930s and 40s includes the first appearances of characters like Catwoman, Hugo Strange, and the Joker!
The co-creators who wrote and illustrated Batman of the 30s and 40s are Bob Kane and Bill Finger.
In the early Batman stories, he didn't have an issue with throwing criminals and killers off of buildings. He later took on the "do not kill" code.
This is a great collection of the very first Batman stories and highly recommended!!
It's going to be an EL NINO Winter in the U.S. and here's what that means according to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Climate Prediction Center. BTW, we have to laugh a little as when we told people we were moving to northern New England they all reacted "What about all the snow?" Well, this year, El Nino is expected to reduce the amount of it (last year, Maine got 12" over 3 weeks in March ONLY, and that was it). Here's the story.
(Image: Snowfall during all El Niño winters (January-March) compared to the 1991-2020 average (after the long-term trend has been removed). Blue colors show more snow than average; brown shows less snow than average. NOAA Climate.gov map, based on ERA5 data from 1959-2023 analyzed by Michelle L'Heureux.)
Who are the snowfall winners (or losers) during El Niño?
As Emily shared with us last month, the jet stream tends to extend eastward and shift southward during El Niño winters. You can think of the jet stream as a river of air, which carries more moisture and precipitation along the southern tier of the United States during El Niño. As a result, it is not surprising to see a stripe of increased snowfall (blue shading) over the southern half of the country.
Obviously, snowfall is limited in its southernmost reaches because it needs to be cold enough to snow, so the effects are strongest in the higher and colder elevations of the West. To the north, however, there is a reduction in snowfall (brown shading), especially around the Great Lakes, interior New England, the northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest, extending through far western Canada, and over most of Alaska.
In fact, El Niño appears to be the great snowfall suppressor over most of North America.
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DISCLAIMER
The ENSO blog is written, edited, and moderated by Michelle L’Heureux (NOAA Climate Prediction Center), Emily Becker (University of Miami/CIMAS), Nat Johnson (NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory), and Tom DiLiberto and Rebecca Lindsey (contractors to NOAA Climate Program Office), with periodic guest contributors.
Ideas and explanations found in these posts should be attributed to the ENSO blog team, and not to NOAA (the agency) itself. These are blog posts, not official agency communications; if you quote from these posts or from the comments section, you should attribute the quoted material to the blogger or commenter, not to NOAA, CPC, or Climate.gov.
I'm a simple guy who enjoys the simple things in life, especially our dogs. I volunteer for dog rescues, enjoy exercising, blogging, politics, helping friends and neighbors, participating in ghost investigations, coffee, weather, superheroes, comic books, mystery novels, traveling, 70s and 80s music, classic country music,writing books on ghosts and spirits, cooking simply and keeping in shape. You'll find tidbits of all of these things on this blog and more. EMAIL me at Rgutro@gmail.com - Rob
