2018 has been a tough year when we've said goodbye to 3 friends and 6 special pet-friends whom all passed on. We just want to take this blog to honor all of them and let them know that although they may have passed from the physical world, we feel their spirits, in things we do, say or places we go. We keep their memories warm and the love we shared for them never fades.
Hil
OUR HUMAN FRIENDS NOW IN SPIRIT - I've blogged about all of these friends earlier this year: Richard, Hil and Les. All of them will be deeply missed.
Cathy's boy, Buddy the Weimaraner
Bear's kitty, Buddy
OUR PET FRIENDS NOW IN SPIRIT - Buddy the dog (Cathy's dog), Buddy (Bear's cat), Max (Cindy's dog and our former foster dog), Rolo (Jeff J's cat) and Peppers (Rob, Tracey and Jordan's dog) and Faith (John and Martha's cat).
This week's idiot proposes weakening the protections for U.S. Wetlands. In today's blog, you'll learn WHY protecting U.S. Wetlands is so important to everyone. You'll also read about the idiots who are planning to relax and remove protections. They are a group of politicians (you know which, led by you know who). My question to those who support these people - How does removing wetland protections help anyone? It doesn't. READ ON to find out why Wetlands are important, what the do, why they need protections, and then, learn about the idiots who want to remove the protections... WHY ARE WETLANDS IMPORTANT?
Wetlands prevent flooding by holding water much like a sponge. By doing so, wetlands help keep river levels normal and filter and purify the surface water. Wetlands accept water during storms and whenever water levels are high.
WHY KEEP WETLANDS HEALTHY? Improved water quality, flood control, wildlife and fisheries habitat, and recreational opportunities are just a few economic benefits that wetlands provide. Wetlands are an important, yet often overlooked, resource. Keeping them healthy is critical to maintain clean water and to support wildlife and fish populations
WHO ARE THE IDIOTS OF THE WEEK AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING? U.S. expected to propose weakening Obama-era wetland protections (reuters news 12-11-18)
The Trump administration is expected to propose weakening protections for U.S. wetlands on Tuesday, in a move sought by ranching and mining interests but one that will likely be held up in the courts amid opposition from environmentalists.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (READ: ONLY Under the demand by the Trump Administration -otherwise they know much better), will make a water policy announcement at 11:25 Eastern Time (1625 GMT), the agency said without elaborating.
The EPA is expected to relax protection standards in the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule that went into effect during the administration of former President Barack Obama.
President Donald Trump, who accused Obama of over-reaching on regulations on oil, gas and agriculture, made rolling back WOTUS one of his top environmental policy priorities.
The 2015 rule defines which streams and wetlands are protected by federal clean water law from pollutants such as pesticides, fertilizers and mine waste. Trump’s EPA is expected to propose relaxing the definitions of what waters should be protected.
The rule required farmers to get permits before applying pesticides and fertilizers that could run into certain bodies of water, protections that could be lifted. But the plan may leave at least some ditches regulated, to the consternation of agriculture groups.
From Dictionary.com- The word of the year is "Misinformation." - and you can learn the difference here between "Misinformation" and "Disinformation." (Simply think Fox News for generating the latter because it's Intentional).
2018 Word of the Year Is … Misinformation
The rampant spread of misinformation
poses new challenges for navigating life in 2018. As a dictionary, we
believe understanding the concept is vital to identifying misinformation
in the wild, and ultimately curbing its impact. But what does misinformation
mean? Dictionary.com defines it as “false information that is spread,
regardless of whether there is intent to mislead.” The recent explosion
of misinformation and the growing vocabulary we use to understand it
have come up again and again in the work of our lexicographers. Over the last couple of years,
Dictionary.com has been defining words and updating terms related to the
evolving understanding of misinformation including disinformation, echo chamber, confirmation bias, filter bubble, conspiracy theory, fake news, post-fact, post-truth, homophily, influencer, and gatekeeper.
Misinformation vs. Disinformation
The meaning of misinformation is often conflated with that of disinformation. However, the two are not interchangeable. Disinformation means “deliberately misleading or biased information; manipulated narrative or facts; propaganda.” So, the difference between misinformation and disinformation comes down to intent. When people spread misinformation,
they often believe the information they are sharing. In contrast,
disinformation is crafted and disseminated with the intent to mislead
others. Further confusing the issue is the fact that a piece of
disinformation can ultimately become misinformation. It all depends on
who’s sharing it and why. For example, if a politician strategically
spreads information that they know to be false in the form of articles,
photos, memes, etc., that’s disinformation. When an individual sees this disinformation, believes it, and then shares it, that’s misinformation.
Misinformation and Social Media
While the word misinformation
has been around since the late 1500s, the nature of how information
spreads has gone through drastic transformations over the last decade
with the rise of social media. For most individuals on social media,
fact-checking is an afterthought, if it is a thought at all, and
misinformation thrives.
A friend recommended that I read "Jimmy Mender and his Miracle Dog" and it was well-worth the read. It's pretty captivating. It's about a man named Paul who meets a man named "Jimmy," and spends time together for a week, developing an instant bond. They know there's a friendship and mutual attraction but Jimmy leaves quickly before anything progresses. For 5 years, Paul never forgot Jimmy, and then receives in the mail a letter from Alaska with Jimmy's journal. The letter stated Jimmy died, and it set Paul off on a quest from California to Alaska to find closure. .. and a dog along the way.
The story will want to make you read until the end... and some of the short stories in the back were interesting, too. Great story! - Rob
ABOUT THE BOOK: Can a man you've only known for a week change your life?
Paul
Young can't forget Jimmy Mender, the Stetson-wearing cowboy and former
Marine who smells of Old Spice. Jimmy Mender can't forget that he's got a
past that could hurt anyone he loves. And when Jimmy disappears, Paul
is heartbroken.
For years, Paul wonders what
happened to Jimmy. Then, out of the blue, Paul receives a package from
Alaska. In it is a note from a stranger informing Paul that Jimmy has
died. Also enclosed is a stack of Jimmy's journals and a notice that
there are other things up in Alaska that Paul is welcome to if he wants
to go there and get them.
And so, Paul embarks
on a journey to the north. In the process, he discovers who Jimmy truly
was, and in turn, learns a great deal about himself. Along the way, a
Border Collie with a secret decides to help him out. Sometimes, falling
in love with the wrong man can bring you exactly where you need to be in
your life.
The paperback edition also includes a bonus of 15 short stories, previously only available in ebook format.
Here's a story that shows how the climate has changed and continues to change. This was from Dec. 13...
It's Colder In Boston Right Now Than It Is In Antarctica
Boston's North End Credit Getty images
Dec. 13, Forbes.com; Trevor Nace
It's hard to believe but temperatures in
Boston and across New England are colder right now than in Antarctica.
Yet, that's not the whole story.
Current temperatures as of 11:09 a.m. EST in Boston, MA are 28° F, compare this to the current temperature in Belgrano II Base, Antarctica where the current temperature is 40°
F. How can it be that a location 8,448 miles south of Boston, MA is
warmer in temperature? It could be a daily coincidence, but to find out
its best to look at historical climate data and see how that fits into
December 2018 temperatures.
A surprising part of the story lies in the temperature compared to
historical temperatures. Both Boston and Belgrano II Base are
experiencing warmer than historically average temperatures thus far in
December.
The table above represents how today's high compares to the
historical average for the month of December and how this month's high
temperatures in average compare to historical records.
Boston has recorded warmer than average temperatures, fitting into
the historical temperature measurements show warming in Boston, which is
especially pronounced in the past few decades.
WHAT DOES THE CHANGING CLIMATE MEAN? Measured warming over the past century plus has indicated
that the high latitudes will warm faster than low latitudes.
Let's compare this to the global picture of how historical
temperatures have changed over time. This is something NASA regularly
tracks via an array of local temperature measurements, including 6,300 weather stations, ocean and sea surface temperature measurements, and Antarctic research stations.
IMAGE CAPTION: Earth’s average global temperature from 2013 to 2017, as compared to a baseline average from 1951 to 1980.NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio.
As noted in NASA's report on average 2017 temperatures,
warming trends continued and disproportionately so in the high
latitudes. Measured warming over the past century plus has indicated
that the high latitudes will warm faster than low latitudes.
It is easy to get caught up in the daily fluctuations of weather and
temperature. While the high temperatures in Boston today are much colder
than the monthly average and temperatures in Belgrano II Base are much
warmer than the monthly average, this disguises the overall trends in
temperatures over the past several decades.
This is another example of where weather and climate are important to separate and know where one stops and the other begins.
I am a geologist
passionate about sharing Earth's intricacies with you. I received my PhD
from Duke University where I studied the geology and climate of the
Amazon. I am the founder of Science Trends, a leading source of science
news and analysis on everything from climate ... MORE
Trevor Nace is a PhD geologist, founder of Science Trends, Forbes contributor, and explorer. Follow his journey @trevornace.
Cox's daughter walks to school after bullying kids on a bus (several times)
Now THIS is a great father. His daughter had bullied children on a bus several times and he had
enough. He taught his little hellion a lesson.
STORY is below.
SWANTON, Ohio - An Ohio father's message about bullying has gone viral.
Matt Cox's daughter was suspended from riding the school bus on Nov. 30 due to bullying.
Cox said his daughter told him that he had to drive her to school the following week, but he decided to teach her lesson instead.
"I realized she viewed the privilege of riding the bus and or car rides to and from school as a right and not a privilege," Cox said.
On Monday, Cox made his daughter walk to school and posted a video on Facebook saying, "Life lessons."
In the video, Cox said a lot of children today feel that the things their parents do for them are a right and not a privilege.
Cox said his daughter was upset when she first started walking on Monday.
During the walk, Cox talked to his daughter about how her actions were the reason she was walking. He said by the end of the walk she calmed down and realized that if she hadn't bullied others she would still be on the bus.
The video has been shared more than 200,000 times.
Cox said he was shocked when he found out the video went viral.
"I was in complete shock that so many people responded when I originally posted it. I just thought friends and family would see it, and then a friend asked me to make it public so that they could share it," Cox said. "By the time I woke up the next day I had hundreds of messages in my inbox and saw that there were quite a few views."
Cox said he sat down with his children to show them the comments on the video so that they could understand the effects of bullying.
"She, along with my other two children, seem to show a great deal of empathy towards some of the sad stories that I read with them," Cox said.
He believes his daughter learned her lesson about bullying and will now appreciate the bus ride to school.
Cox hopes that when others view the video, they will learn just how much words can hurt others.
"I just hope that through the video being shared kids can take a look and read some of the comments and tutorials on the post and see just how much words can hurt and cut deep and can have lasting effects on those involved sometimes in the most awful cases life-ending effects," Cox said.
"I also hope that parents see the video and start holding their kids accountable for their actions and stop sweeping their child's actions under the rug with the ideology that kids will be kids. We as parents need to stop the bullying on the home front because bullying only breeds bullying," Cox said.
It's Christmas day, and we wish you a merry one, and Happy Paw-lidays from our house to yours! Our little 10 year old Dachshund/Chihuahua mix named Dash was our big present this year. We adopted him in September after fostering him for 1 1/2 months and he gets along great with Dolly (our Weimaraner), Franklin (our red dachshund) and Tyler (our black and tan dachshund) - all pictured here on our holiday card. Wishing you all health, happiness and love over the holidays and all year 'round. Rob, Tom and kids
Here are the pics of the kids that showed them on Santa's Naughty or Nice List. The only one that made the Nice list was Dolly... ooops!
Naughty: Tyler for barking at the neighbor's dog
Dolly: Good List!
Naughty: Dash for removing and hiding his diapers!
It's Menagerie Monday, and this is a special edition of the day when Dolly, Franklin, Tyler and Dash got to meet Santa and tell him about the treats and toys they want this year (despite some of them being on the naughty list). Three Dog Bakery treats topped their list, with chicken treats. Little squeaky squirrels were also a big request. Tyler loves his yellow Peanuts' character "Woodstock" toy and asked for another (Santa has 4 in storage). Happy Christmas eve from the Menagerie!
Every year at Christmastime, a huge garden shop called "Homestead Gardens" (www.homseteadgardens.com) creates a massive holiday display of
variously and ornately decorated artificial (and live) Christmas trees, a
giant toy train track and display (That takes up one entire room) and a
massive village of light up houses. So, without any further text,
enjoy the pictures!
Snoopy's Christmas
Tom's favorite- Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace in the U.K.
This week's idiots are countless, and they are also criminals. They are sexual abusers in Baptist
churches across U.S. - During the week of Dec. 10 a major story broke about hundreds of sex abuse allegations in the most conservative Baptist churches in the U.S. These are people who manipulate others to do things in the name of Jesus or God. Not only for politically reasons, and to hate people unlike them, but now revealed- for their own disgusting sexual pleasure. Here's the story from the Miami Herald: Hundreds of sex abuse allegations found in fundamental Baptist churches across U.S.
The culture within an independent fundamental Baptist church Hundreds of sex abuse allegations found in fundamental Baptist churches…
Joy Evans Ryder was 15 years old when she says her church youth director pinned her to his office floor and raped her.
“It’s OK. It’s OK,” he told her. “You don’t have to be afraid of anything.”
He straddled her with his knees, and she looked
off into the corner, crying and thinking, “This isn’t how my mom said it
was supposed to be.”
The youth director, Dave Hyles, was the son of
the charismatic pastor of First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana,
considered at the time the flagship for thousands of loosely affiliated
independent fundamental Baptist churches and universities.
Joy Evans Ryder, pictured in this image from a yearbook.
Courtesy Joy Evans Ryder
At least three other teen girls would accuse
Hyles of sexual misconduct, but he never faced charges or even sat for a
police interview related to the accusations. When he got in trouble,
Hyles was able to simply move on, from one church assignment to the
next.
Hyles’ flight to safety has become a well-worn path for ministers in the independent fundamental Baptist movement.
For decades, women and children have faced
rampant sexual abuse while worshiping at independent fundamental Baptist
churches around the country. The network of churches and schools has
often covered up the crimes and helped relocate the offenders, an
eight-month Star-Telegram investigation has found.
More than 200 people — current or former church
members, across generations — shared their stories of rape, assault,
humiliation and fear in churches where male leadership cannot be
questioned.
“It’s a philosophy — it’s flawed,” said Stacey
Shiflett, an independent fundamental Baptist pastor in Dundalk,
Maryland. “The philosophy is you don’t air your dirty laundry in front
of everyone. Pastors think if they keep it on the down-low, it won’t
impact anyone. And then the other philosophy is it’s wrong to say
anything bad about another preacher.”
The Star-Telegram discovered at least 412
allegations of sexual misconduct in 187 independent fundamental Baptist
churches and their affiliated institutions, spanning 40 states and
Canada.
Twenty-one abuse allegations were uncovered
exclusively by the Star-Telegram, and others were documented in criminal
cases, lawsuits and news reports. But victims said the number of abused
is far greater because few victims ever come forward.
One hundred and sixty-eight church leaders were
accused or convicted of committing sexual crimes against children, the
investigation found. At least 45 of the alleged abusers continued in
ministry after accusations came to the attention of church authorities
or law enforcement.
Compounding the problem is the legal statute of
limitations. For many alleged offenders, the statutes on the crimes have
expired.
Many of the allegations involve men whose
misconduct has long been suspected in the independent fundamental
Baptist community. But most of their victims have not publicly come
forward, on the record, until now. Even pastors have for the first time —
in interviews with the Star-Telegram — acknowledged they moved alleged
abusers out of their churches rather than call law enforcement.
From Connecticut to California, the stories are tragically similar:
A music minister molested a 15-year-old girl in
North Carolina and moved to another church in Florida. Another girl’s
parents stood in front of their Connecticut congregation to acknowledge
their daughter’s “sin” after she was abused by her youth pastor,
beginning at 16. This year, four women accused a pastor in California of
covering up sexual misconduct and shielding the abusers over almost 25
years.
To understand how this systemic, widespread
abuse could happen again and again, some former members say it is
necessary to understand the cult-like power of many independent
fundamental Baptist churches and the constant pressure not to question
pastors — or ever leave the church.
“We didn’t have a compound like those other
places, but it may as well have been,” said one former member who says
she was abused. She requested anonymity because, like many others, she
is still intimidated by the church.
“Our mind was the compound.”
Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article222576310.html#storylink=cpy
I'm a big fan of Batman and have been since I was a kid and watched the 1960s Batman TV show. The book "Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman" by Marc Tyler Nobleman (with illustrations by Ty Templeton) is an amazing revelation about Batman's creation.
I've been reading Batman comics since the 1970s, and love the character and all of the films and cartoons he's appeared in as well. However, since his debut in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939, his creation as always been attributed solely to a man named Bob Kane. Well, Kane actually collaborated with Bill Finger to revise the look of Batman and Bill Finger wrote decades of stories about him.
Here's some of what you'll learn: It was Bill Finger's stories that helped propel Batman into fame with characters like Catwoman, the Joker, Penguin, Riddler and others. You'll read about his part in developing Robin the boy wonder, too.
MY THOUGHTS: The author, obviously a Batman fan, researched Bill Finger's family, history and work. Although a short book, and written and illustrated like a comic book, EVERY BATMAN FAN should read this. Bill Finger was married twice and had 1 son named Fred who was gay. The author's on detective work (which is a tribute to Batman himself, as he is known as "the world's greatest detective" - uncovered an heir to Bill Finger, living today... I won't give it away, however, he also uncovered that someone falsely claimed to be related to Bill Finger and was collecting royalties (which ended with the revelation).
Bill Finger was the co-creator of Batman with Bob Kane.
Bill Finger also helped co-create the original Green Lantern (Alan Scott).
He was an amazingly talented writer.
Again - Every Batman fan should read this book. - Rob
Caret-headed nails were found at the Coronado Historic Site. (Cr: Clay Mathers)
I've posted a lot of archaeological findings in the past, most recently about a recently uncovered city in Greece. Today's story though, is about a location in New Mexico.
A recent discovery at the Coronado Historic Site near Bernalillo, New
Mexico tells the story of some kind of skirmish between the Spanish and
the people of Kuaua at about the time Francesco Coronado was here in the 16th
century.
One of the archaeologists was interviewed in a 10 minute video, included in today's blog.
Following the "Who Was Francesco Coronado" is the article from the Albuquerque Journal.
Credit: /www.landofthebrave.info
WHO WAS FRANCESCO CORONADO? - Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, (born c.
1510, Salamanca, Spain—died September 22, 1554, Mexico), Spanish
explorer of the North American Southwest whose expeditions resulted in
the discovery of many physical landmarks, including the Grand Canyon,
but who failed to find the treasure-laden cities he sought
Site yields evidence of Coronado’s expedition
By Maddy Hayden / Journal Staff Writer, Albuquerque Journal Newspaper
Monday, December 3rd, 2018 at 12:05am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Major archaeological news is being reported from the Coronado Historic Site in Bernalillo.
An ongoing archaeological metal detector survey of the site revealed, for the first time, tangible evidence that the expedition of Vázquez de Coronado was present at this site.
In July 2017, a large-scale archaeological metal detector
survey of Coronado Historic Site was initiated by Dr. Clay Mathers of
The Coronado Institute with the support of New Mexico Historic Sites,
the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division, the Pueblo of Isleta, the
Pueblo of Sandia, the Pueblo of Santa Ana, and Holmans, Inc.
According
to the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, although
archaeological and historical research has been focused on the Coronado
Historic Site and its Pueblo of Kuaua for nearly 140 years, previous
excavation, survey, and archival research had not identified any
material evidence of the Vázquez de Coronado Expedition at this site.
(Photo: Clay Mathers lectures at Coronado Historic Site on Nov. 10. (Cr: Richard Estrada)
Now
in its 16th month, the survey has revealed the first definitive objects
from that site that can be linked to the expedition led by Francisco
Vázquez de Coronado.
Objects recovered include copper crossbow boltheads, chain mail armor, nails, lead shot and other equipment.
These
artifacts offer compelling evidence to suggest the site was attacked by
Vázquez de Coronado during the expedition’s extended stay in the
Albuquerque-Bernalillo area between the summer of 1540 and spring of
1542.
Artifact types, such as caret-headed nails and copper crossbow boltheads, are diagnostic of the Vázquez de Coronado expedition.
They
have been found at other sites associated with this expedition in the
Middle Rio Grande Valley, Pecos, El Morro National Monument, and Zuni.
Recent discovery at the Coronado Historic Site near Bernalillo, New
Mexico tells the story of some kind of skirmish between the Spanish and
the people of Kuaua at about the time Coronado was here in the 16th
century.
We are big fans of Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund, and his adventures and awesome costumes. He's got a blog, has two best-selling books on the New York Times Book list, has many wonderful and cute videos and facebook, Instagram and twitter pages. He will make you smile.
He also just one the People's Choice Award last week for BEST Celebrity Animal on the Internet!
- Recently, I ordered is new book, Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund: the Worldly Weiner Dog" and it is full of his costumes, travel and adventures. A great read just before you go to sleep, so you'll dream about exploring all of these places with Crusoe (who looks like our Tyler!)
Here's a video interview about the book, where Crusoe and his dad were guests on a morning show.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Crusoe, the Worldly Wiener Dog: Further Adventures with the Celebrity DachshundHardcover– October 16, 2018
The New York Times bestselling and 2018 Animal StarPeople's Choice Award-winning
popular blogger, internet sensation Crusoe, the Celebrity Dachshund
returns with a beautiful and whimsical book full of heartwarming and
goofy photographs of his around the world travels in Crusoe, the Worldly Wiener Dog.
We think that archaeology is fascinating and recently, researchers found the grave of a woman in Scotland who lived 4,250 years ago, and they re-constructed her face. Here's the amazing story from BBC News:
Giving life to a woman found in a 4,250-year-old grave in Caithness
Image copyrightHew MorrisonImage caption A facial reconstruction of an Early Bronze Age woman known to archaeologists as Ava
Researchers have gained new insights into the life of a woman who died more than 4,250 years ago.
Known as "Ava", her bones were found in a grave cut into solid bedrock at Achavanich in Caithness in 1987.
New ancient DNA research has shown that she was descended from European migrants who arrived in Britain a few generations before she was born.
The analysis also suggested that she likely had brown eyes and black hair, and that she was lactose intolerant.
The research, published in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and led by archaeologist Maya Hoole, has shed new light on previous ideas on Ava's appearance. She was found to be from an earlier date than previously thought.The new analysis of her genomic data has resulted in the making of a new facial reconstruction of Ava by a forensic artist, Hew Morrison.
The original reconstruction interpreted Ava with red hair and blue eyes.
Ms Hoole said the new ancient DNA evidence, gathered by experts at the Natural History Museum in London and Harvard Medical School, had revealed more accurately what Ava would have looked like.
She said: "Archaeologists rarely recover evidence that indicates hair, eye or skin colour but these new revolutionary techniques allow us to see prehistoric people like we never have before.
"The revelation that her ancestors were recent northern European migrants is exciting, especially as we know that she has no, or very few, genetic connections with the local Neolithic population who resided in Caithness before her."
Image copyrightMaya HooleImage caption The location of where Ava was found buried
Ava, who was aged between 18 and 25 when she died, lived in an Early Bronze Age community in an area forested with hazel, pine, alder and birch trees.
The community farmed cattle, ate a meat rich diet, was likely using local flora for medicinal practices and were highly skilled at crafting tools and objects.
Ms Hoole said: "Ava was a healthy young woman who was likely involved in physical labour.
"We don't know what caused her death, but the way she was buried suggests that extra effort was put into the creation of her grave. She was either well respected, greatly cared about or both."
The archaeologist added: "I never dreamed we would be able to do and learn so much from Ava."
Mr Morrison, a graduate of the University of Dundee, said great care was taken in creating the facial reconstruction.
He said: "As the skull was a very old and delicate artefact, the approach used to reconstruct Ava's face was the two-dimensional method.
"This is a less intrusive approach to the traditional three-dimensional method of when a plaster cast is made of a skull and the face is built up manually by hand."
The process the artist followed included photographing and taking measurements of Ava's skull and teeth, using information from a database of modern European tissue depths that correlated with Ava's age, sex and ancestry and drawing the shape of the woman's head and facial features.
Mr Morrison said: "When I received the results of the DNA testing from Maya, which showed that Ava had straight dark hair, brown eyes and a less-fair complexion, I was presented with the opportunity to revise the first facial reconstruction.
"Whilst the overall shape of Ava's face and facial features remained as they were previously, darkening her eyes, her skin tone and giving her totally new hair made her look very different to what I initially imagined when I received the DNA results."
He added: "I did not feel that she looked typical of what a person from Bronze Age Britain would have looked like, but perhaps that of a person from a more southern part of Europe."
Ava's bones, including a skull and teeth, were discovered during a quarrying operation near what is now the A9 trunk road, between Latheron and Thurso. She was buried in an unmarked rock-cut grave rather than underneath a cairn or in a grave dug into soil, which are the most commonly discovered burial sites from the Copper Age and Early Bronze Age.
A piece of pottery, known as a Beaker, was among a small number of items Ava was buried with.
Archaeologists studied the finds at the time and established that she was part of a European group known as the Beaker people, who spread across the European continent and into Britain in a massive migration event.
Just like the Wonder Woman film, the Aquaman movie coming out in just 2 days on Dec. 21 has
received GREAT REVIEWS. As a long-time fan of the Sea King, I'm super happy to see this. Below are some of the reviews after I tell you about Aquaman (in case you don't know him).
BIG AT THE FOREIGN BOX OFFICE! According to Variety, on Dec. 17, Aquaman already made 1/4 of a Billion dollars overseas. James Wan’s “Aquaman” just passed $250 million internationally, and a weekend haul of $126.4 million from 43 territories.
WHO IS AQUAMAN? According to his first origin story, Aquaman
aka Arthur Curry was the son of Atlanna, an Atlantean princess banished
from Atlantis due to her interest in and frequent visits to the surface
world, and Tom Curry, a lighthouse keeper living in Amnesty Bay, Maine. Due to his heritage, Aquaman
discovers as a youth that he possesses various superhuman abilities,
including the powers of surviving underwater, communication with sea
life, and tremendous swimming prowess. Aquaman can breathe underwater, swim at tremendous speeds, and
telepathically communicate with sea life. Being able to withstand ocean
depths, he gets bonus points on land with his superhuman strength, enhanced senses, and nearly impenetrable skin. Eventually, Arthur decided to use
his talents to become the defender of the Earth's oceans.
ABOUT THE FILM:
Aquaman finds himself caught between a surface world that ravages the sea and the underwater Atlanteans who are ready to revolt.
Excited I can now say how much I enjoyed #Aquaman! It's a cool adventure built on some tremendous action sequences and set pieces, with a great hero arc/performance from Jason Momoa as the glue. There's fun world building, and it looks wonderful. A great step for the DCEU.
Chalk up a big, wet win for DC. #Aquaman is an epic, swing-for-the-fences adventure that plunges fans into incredibly creative worlds. Goofy in spots, but it's rollicking fun. See it on the biggest screen possible!
#Aquaman is great. James Wan made a really unique super hero origin film, often crossing into fantasy-epic territory, but grounded in family and discovery. The world is visually incredible. Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry is a total bad-ass.
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
This week's idiot proposes weakening the protections for U.S. Wetlands. In today's blog, you'll learn WHY protecting U.S. Wetlands is so important to everyone. You'll also read about the idiots who are planning to relax and remove protections. They are a group of politicians (you know which, led by you know who). My question to those who support these people - How does removing wetland protections help anyone? It doesn't. READ ON to find out why Wetlands are important, what the do, why they need protections, and then, learn about the idiots who want to remove the protections...
From Dictionary.com- The word of the year is "Misinformation." - and you can learn the difference here between "Misinformation" and "Disinformation." (Simply think Fox News for generating the latter because it's Intentional).
A friend recommended that I read "Jimmy Mender and his Miracle Dog" and it was well-worth the read. It's pretty captivating. It's about a man named Paul who meets a man named "Jimmy," and spends time together for a week, developing an instant bond. They know there's a friendship and mutual attraction but Jimmy leaves quickly before anything progresses. For 5 years, Paul never forgot Jimmy, and then receives in the mail a letter from Alaska with Jimmy's journal. The letter stated Jimmy died, and it set Paul off on a quest from California to Alaska to find closure. .. and a dog along the way. 
It's Menagerie Monday, and this is a special edition of the day when Dolly, Franklin, Tyler and Dash got to meet Santa and tell him about the treats and toys they want this year (despite some of them being on the naughty list). Three Dog Bakery treats topped their list, with chicken treats. Little squeaky squirrels were also a big request. Tyler loves his yellow Peanuts' character "Woodstock" toy and asked for another (Santa has 4 in storage). Happy Christmas eve from the Menagerie!
I'm a big fan of Batman and have been since I was a kid and watched the 1960s Batman TV show. The book "Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman" by Marc Tyler Nobleman (with illustrations by Ty Templeton) is an amazing revelation about Batman's creation. 
According
to the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, although
archaeological and historical research has been focused on the Coronado
Historic Site and its Pueblo of Kuaua for nearly 140 years, previous
excavation, survey, and archival research had not identified any
material evidence of the Vázquez de Coronado Expedition at this site.
I recently read an article that listed the top 10 most expensive rental cities, so we're not moving to any of these when we retire!
