Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Greek Archaeological Find! Heavy Rains Unearth a Tribute to Zeus!

A small handmade bronze statue of a Bull was discovered in On March 19, 2021 in the Olympia Archaeological site in Greece. It was a tribute to the powerful Greek God Zeus. This is really exciting to me since I've always admired the Greek Gods and I love archaeology.  In today's blog you'll read about the finding and learn more about Zeus.

WHERE IS THE SITE? The Olympia Archaeological site is an ancient stadium at Olympia, GreeceOlympia (Ολυμπία) is one of the most influential ancient Greek sanctuaries, located in western Peloponnese, in Elis. The site covers an expanded area of ruins scattered among low trees, as well as the ancient stadium where the Olympics took place.
(Photo credit:  [Ministry of Culture)

Torrential downpour reveals bronze bull statue in Olympia

Ekathimerini.com (Greece) Newsroom19.03.2021  

The Culture Ministry on Friday announced the discovery of a small bronze bull statue in the Olympia Archaeological Site during an inspection by ministry staff and the Ilia Ephorate of Antiquities. 

 According to the statement, the bull was spotted by archaeologist Zaharoula Leventouri who spotted one of its horns protruding from the ground, following heavy rainfall in the area shifting the earth. It was immediately unearthed by the team and then taken to the Ephorate’s laboratories to be protected and examined. 

According to the first scientific reports, the well-preserved bronze statue can be traced to the Geometric Era (1050-700 BC) and was an offering to Zeus, the God of Thunder and patron of the holy site at Olympia. Similarly to most small statues of animals, the bull was most likely dedicated to the head of the Greek pantheon by a worshipper during ritual sacrifice, as evidenced by the surrounding sediments and deposits which exhibit burning.


WHO IS ZEUS? Zeus is the Olympian god of the sky and the thunder, the king of all other gods and men, and, consequently, the chief figure in Greek mythology. The son of Cronus and Rhea, he is probably most famous for his infidelity to his sister and wife, Hera. 

(Image: Zeus from the pages of DC Comics' Wonder Woman series. Credit: DC Comics) 

  

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Not Rocket Science: How Anti-Asian Racism Exploded in the the last year

Since the the founding of our country, Asian people have been victims of prejudice. In the 1800s for example, Chinese immigrants helped build the railroads in the western U.S. and were harassed and victimized. In the early 1900s and throughout the 20th century, you will find literature and cartoons (even in comic books) demeaning to people of Asian backgrounds. All of this has led to racism and prejudice. Last year (2020), when the pandemic began Asian people have increasingly become the victims of brutal prejudice. Where did this elevated level of hatred come from? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out the prejudice existed, but was fueled to astronomical proportions by one person (who is fortunately been mostly silenced). Today's blog highlights some happenings and offers suggestions for combating it.   

HOW DID IT GET OUT OF CONTROL?  When the COVID-19 virus spread around the world,  just 1 person   affixed a bigoted label to it and called it the "China Virus" and "Wuhan Flu."  YOUR WORDS MATTER. 

Sadly, this bigot was in office when the pandemic exploded and he spread hatred, intolerance and promoted targeting all people of Asian backgrounds. He  said nothing to stop it and actually exacerbated the hatred and intolerance by continually using the words "Kung Flu" and blaming the Asian community for the pandemic.  NBC News reported, "As the virus spread, so too did violence against Asian Americans, spurred in part by then-President Donald Trump’s repeated use of the term “Chinese virus” and the even more offensive (and deeply scientifically inaccurate) "Kung flu.""

A significant increase in attacks on Asian peoples can be directly correlated to his incendiary words.  He incited and inspired followers to brutalize innocent people because of his prejudice and intolerance of others who are not caucasian.


(Photo: Credit NBC News) 

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Stand up against bullies. Call out the bullies. Support the Asian community. Show kindness, help them in any way you can.  Here are 10 ways to help:

1) Confront the Bullies 2) Keep a record of the bullying 3) Photograph or video the bully before stepping in 4) Call for help 5) Report it to the Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center ― a coalition of nonprofits, organizers and educators ― has been instrumental in keeping track of attacks, both nationally and locally.  http://stopaapihate.org/. 6) Donate to non-profits that support American-Asian communities 7) Support Chinatown areas in cities. 8) Check in on your Asian-American friends and offer to talk or listen. 9) Spread awareness on Social Media 10) Follow more Asian voices on Instagram and Twitter to diversify your feeds.

VIDEO report from NBC News March 11, 2021: https://youtu.be/9fLxrPxShDY


EVEN IN NYC TODAY

On March 17, I just heard on WCBS-AM News radio New York City, an Asian woman was assaulted and acid was thrown in her face. An Asian man was brutally beaten because he is Asian. - 

LINK TO Story in St. Paul Minnesota (click here) 

ANTI-ASIAN ATTACKS RISE DURING PANDEMIC (2020-2021)

March 17, 2021:   NPR noted today, "Crimes targeting Asian Americans have risen dramatically since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition that tracks incidents of violence and harassment against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S., reported nearly 3,800 instances of discrimination against Asians in the past year. The actual number could be much higher.

YALE IDENTIFIES THE RACISM IN MARCH 2020: 

 On March 12, 2020 Dr. Marietta Vazquez, Yale Professor of Pediatrics /Pediatric Global Health Track Director wrote an article for Yale University  titled: "Calling COVID-19 the “Wuhan Virus” or “China Virus” is inaccurate and xenophobic" 

 SHE WROTE: This week, my colleagues logged on to Twitter to see “#ChinaVirus” and “#WuhanVirus” trending in the United States. Most posts were written with dismay from people who couldn’t believe some government officials were influencing others to refer to COVID-19 (also known as the Coronavirus) this way. As vice chair of diversity, equity, and inclusion for pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine, I feel compelled to speak out. In the weeks since COVID-19 has been circulating, Asian-Americans and Asians around the world have noted a spike in discrimination and xenophobic attacks. ARTICLE: https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/23074/

SEPTEMBER 2020- JOURNAL ARTICLES DEMAND STOPPING THAT LABEL

Time to stop the use of ‘Wuhan virus’, ‘China virus’ or ‘Chinese virus’ across the scientific community


  2020; 5(9): e003746. Published online 2020 Sep 6. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003746Zhaohui Su,corresponding author1 Dean McDonnell,2 Junaid Ahmad,3 Ali Cheshmehzangi,4 Xiaoshan Li,5 Kylie Meyer,6 Yuyang Cai,corresponding author7,8 Ling Yang,9 and Yu-Tao Xiang10 

Paper Summary
  •  The use of phrases such as ‘Wuhan virus’, ‘China virus’ and ‘Chinese virus’ is prevalent, even among academics. Considering the fact that, to date, no evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 was originated in Wuhan, the use of these phrases to refer to SARS-CoV-2 is unjustifiable and unscientific. 
  •  In this paper, we discussed how the use of these terms violates the research ethics proposed by the National Institute of Health, ranging from objectivity to responsibility. 
  •  In addition, we emphasized the fact that these phrases are discriminatory and can have a negative impact on Wuhan and Chinese people’s health and well-being. 
  •  We concluded by calling for ceasing to use these phrases, as fundamentally, they are misleading and can distract the public’s attention from the most important issue of the day: how to stop the virus from spreading.

Monday, March 29, 2021

Dog Rescue Transport Day! We Drove Sophie the French Bulldog Home

It's been quite a while since we were called into service to help transport a rescue dog, but this past Sunday that's exactly what we did for a little French Bulldog named Sophie. Here's the story and the pictures:

For over a decade, we've been volunteering with dog rescues to do transports, home visits, and shelter pickups if needed. Usually, it has been for Dachshunds and Weimaraners (because those are the kids we have/had). 

(Photo: Sophie in Katie's front seat)

One of the transport chains covers all small dogs and it's called "Weenie Express" (named for Dachshunds or "weiner dogs."). Transports for the express are coordinated by a Katie, who lives in Virginia. She uses a website to send out an invitation to all members who live along the U.S. East coast from Florida to New England. So, last week we received one and responded. Transports are always on weekends because we all work during the week. 

(Photo: Tom wheeling Sophie, in her crate, to our pickup truck for a drive to Baltimore)

There were 2 French Bulldogs that were taken out of a kill shelter from Jacksonville, Florida and were to be transported to Baltimore through a series of 11 different drivers. There were two rescues receiving the dogs. One was in Virginia, the second in Baltimore, so Tom and I only had to transport one of the dogs on our leg. 

Our leg was about 60 miles (each way or 120 miles) from Alexandria, Virginia to Baltimore, Maryland. That means driving around the Washington, D.C. beltway which is always a challenge, even on weekends. Plus, that day it rained and there seemed to be quite a few drivers who decided 40 mph in a 60 mph highway was the right thing to do (it wasn't).

(Photo: Rob in the driver's seat with Tyler and Dash in the back seat)

At 11:30 a.m. on the rainy Sunday, we met Katie, who drove from Fredericksburg to Alexandria, Virginia. We meet at hotel parking lots, or park and ride areas because they're low traffic areas on weekends and we can walk the dogs, give them water and treats between car swaps. 

Sophie is 29 pounds, 7 years old, and a cream colored French Bulldog. She came with her paperwork, and a bag full of things. Because Katie said Sophie is "an escape artist" Katie put Sophie in a small cage on wheels and Tom wheeled her over to our pickup truck. The cage fit perfectly in the back of the extended cab, and Dash was back there to keep her company. Tyler decided that he preferred sitting in Tom's lap for the drive.

The drive in the rain to Baltimore took an hour and we handed Sophie off to Christal who was going to foster her for the rescue. The total time we were on the road with our co-pilots Tyler and Dash to do the transport was 3 1/2 hours. 

(Photo: Christal and Sophie. Christal met us in Baltimore and is fostering Sophie).

The rescue is K9 Rescue of the Eastern Shore (called K9-ES). If anyone is interested in adopting Sophie they can contact the rescue at www.k9rescuees.org 




Sunday, March 28, 2021

Idiots of the Week: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and GOP-Georgia Legislature Signs Extreme Voter Limits into Law

This week's Idiots are people who believe in restricting voting rights. HOW does that help people elect someone? It doesn't.   As someone who votes in every election, I just don't understand why Republicans want to limit voting as much as possible. The party and their governor in Iowa just signed into law a bill that places extreme restrictions on the ability of people to vote.   Georgia Republicans did the SAME thing.  

    Why is that? Because their base is really old white people (who are generally racists) and always vote on election day. Meanwhile, they understand that people who are liberal thinkers tend to be employed, educated and include people of color. Employed people find it harder to get to the polls- and that's the truth. Just read the new stupid restrictions in the article here from the Sioux City Journal - Gov. Kim Reynolds YOU are this week's idiot for signing this extremely restrictive law that inhibits all voters from casting a ballot.  Here's the story>



Iowa Governor  Kim Reynolds Signs Extreme Voter Limits into Law

 .Tim Hynds, Sioux City Journal

ERIN MURPHY Journal Des Moines Bureau

DES MOINES — Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday signed into law sweeping legislation that will significantly alter Iowa’s elections, including by reducing the amount of time for early voting.

The legislation was rushed through the law-making process by majority Republicans — it was introduced and passed by the Iowa Legislature in just more than a week — and became law with only Republican support.

Under the new law:

 • The polls will close on Election Day at 8 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. 

 • The number of days to vote early is reduced from 29 to 20. (Until two years ago, Iowa’s early voting period had been 40 days.) 

 • Absentee ballots cannot be mailed to voters until 20 days before the election, down from 29 days, with limited exceptions. 

• Local officials can only mail out an absentee ballot request form if the voter requests one.

 • There can be only one drop box per county for dropping off completed early ballots. 

 • Local elections officials face stricter requirements before setting up a satellite early voting location. 

 • Voters must return and submit their own early ballot, with limited exceptions. 

 • Early ballots must be received by the county auditor by Election Day. With limited exceptions, early ballots that arrive after Election Day will not be counted, no matter when they were mailed. 

 • A voter’s registration status is changed to inactive after missing just one election. 

 • County auditors face stronger penalties, including a Class “D” felony, for violating elections laws.

Under the new law, Iowa’s early voting window is shortened to just less than the national average. However, the shortened time in which absentee ballots can be mailed out to voters puts Iowa in the bottom handful of states. 

************************

Here's what the Georgia GOP did on March 9, 2021:

GOP ATTACKS GEORGIA VOTING RIGHTS 

The Republican-controlled Georgia Senate has passed legislation to suppress voting rights. The bill would end no-excuse absentee voting, among other restrictions. It's expected to pass the Georgia House, but Republican Gov. Brian Kemp hasn't said whether he will sign it. The move follows unprecedented election wins for Democrats in Georgia.

Saturday, March 27, 2021

Hero of the Week: A Canadian Named Clover

 Lately it's been easier to find stories about dogs than people. There have been several stories about dogs who have saved their pet parents' lives and helped people out. Well, this week's Good Person/hero is about one of those dogs. She saved his mom's life when she blacked out from a seizure in the street. Here's the story from NBC News: 

(Photo: Clover the hero. Credit; CTV) 


Video captures moment hero dog stopped traffic during owner's seizure 

A very good girl named Clover blocked the road and summoned help from passing drivers during owner Haley Moore's sudden seizure in Ottawa, Canada.

March 25, 2021, 5:06 PM EDT

A dog named Clover is being hailed by Canadian media as a hero for helping her human, Haley Moore, survive a seizure that struck her suddenly during a walk.

Moore was strolling through the Stittsville neighborhood of Ottawa on Tuesday when she seized and fell to the curb, CTV News reported.

The incident was captured by a neighbor's home security camera.

Clover, a year-and-a-half-old Maremma mix, sprung into action, attending first to Moore before bounding into the street and stopping traffic.

Dryden Oatway, a driver who stopped thanks to Clover's heroics, said, "It was really impressive, the dog actually blocked my way. She kind of backed into the road to block my truck."

Clover stopped another driver and then returned home.

"All I remember is waking up in the ambulance and being really confused, just like, 'What is going on?'" Moore recalled in an interview with CTV. The cause of seizure remains unknown.

Moore's father, Randall Moore, told CTV that Clover was fed delicious steaks as a reward for her faithful service.

Psychology Today reported in March that new research suggests that seizure-predicting dogs are aided by the scent of volatile organic compounds that are excreted around seizures.

Friday, March 26, 2021

Discovery! Australia: Oldest rock art is 17,300-year-old kangaroo

 BBC News reported an amazing and ancient discovery of artwork done by primitive man in Australia- and it was of a Kangaroo!  Here's the amazing story and picture:


(Image caption  A montage of photographs of the 17,300-year-old kangaroo rock painting (left) and an illustration of the artwork (right), Credit: BBC News, DAMIEN FINCH) 

Discovery!  Australia: Oldest rock art is 17,300-year-old kangaroo

Australian scientists have discovered the country's oldest known rock art - a 17,300-year-old painting of a kangaroo. 

 The artwork measuring 2m (6.5ft) was painted in red ochre on the ceiling of a rock shelter. It was found in Western Australia's Kimberley region, known for its Aboriginal rock paintings. Its age was determined by radiocarbon-dating ancient mud wasp nests. 


(Image right: Australia, with the Kimberely region highlighted top left corner of the continent)

NOTE: Wikipedia noted: ThKimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami deserts in the region of the Pilbara, and on the east by the Northern Territory.

The findings were published on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

  Researcher Damien Finch, who pioneered the mud wasp dating technique, said it was rare to find mud wasp nests both on top and underneath a single artwork. But the team was able to sample both types to establish the artwork's minimum and maximum ages. "

We radiocarbon dated three wasp nests underlying the painting and three nests built over it to determine, confidently, that the painting is between 17,500 and 17,100 years old; most likely 17,300 years old," said Dr Finch, a geochronologist from the University of Melbourne. 

 Scientists say this estimation makes the artwork the oldest known intact painting in Australia. 

FULL ARTICLE: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-56164484

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Scientists Develop a Superman-like X-Ray Vision to Read Sealed Historic Document

Scientists have finally learned to do something that Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman, came up with in 1938- Use X-ray vision to see things that are hidden from plain sight. 

 (Image: Superman, issue 37. 1939. Credit: DC Comics/ Jerry Seigel/Joe Shuster)

   In this research finding from Science Magazine in March, 2021, Scientists developed an "x-ray vision" to read a sealed document! It only took 83 years to make the concept a reality.. of course, computer code to decipher a rolled up document played a part, otherwise, it would have not been possible to read it! Here's the story from the journal Nature Communications:

 

UNLOCKING HISTORY RESEARCH GROUP


In a feat worthy of Superman, scientists have read a letter sealed in 1697—without opening it. Instead, they used a high-resolution x-ray scanner to see through layers of paper and a computational algorithm to digitally unfold it, NPR reports. The letter, a request for a copy of a death certificate, was intricately folded using “letterlocking,” a common way to prevent tampering before the invention of the envelope.

 The new approach to reading old closed letters not only avoids damaging paper, the researchers write today in Nature Communications, but it also preserves the unique folding patterns that were once a top-level security strategy.

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Washington Metro Dachtoberfest Announces Ending- I Have wonderful memories there

 The Washington Metro Dachtoberfest announced they won't be holding their annual event anymore. This was such an incredible, wonderful experience that I've enjoyed for years. It leaves an emptiness. I want to thank everyone for making this happen for years. It holds many wonderful memories for me and I was fortunate enough to give several lectures about pets and the afterlife, and I've made some wonderful friends there. I'm going to squeeze my doxies tightly today.

WMDF said:

It is with deep sadness that we must inform our loyal supporters, vendors, sponsors and friends near and far that WMDF is coming to an end.

This decision was not made lightly but with the changes in the world, our ability to continue is no longer possible. Saying goodbye is never easy, so we will say farewell, and hope that each of you will remember with fondness all the wonderful times we had together.

 As one of our early Fest themes said "Dachshunds make me Happy." Hold tight to those words and keep loving those long and lovely dogs! Dachshunds will always own our hearts, 

 Washington Metro DachtoberFest Foundation Visit the WMDF facebook page for further announcements and updates.



















Sometimes Its Better NOT to KNOW: Using DNA Search, Woman find Father is a Killer and Fugitive

On March 10, the Boston Globe ran a story that shows  how some things are better left unknown. In this case, a woman used DNA testing to find her real father. He's a murderer and a fugitive. Here's the story:  

(Photo Credit: Federal Bureau of Investigation)


A Mass. woman found her birth father via DNA. He's a fugitive accused of killing his family.

Source: Boston Globe/March 10, 2021 (click for link)

Growing up south of Boston, it often seemed to Kathy Gillcrist that her personality never quite matched up with her adoptive family. While her parents had been shy and quiet, she was “a bossy little girl with a vivid imagination” and a type A personality, she wrote.

When she took a DNA test decades later and eventually unearthed the identity of her birth father, it came as no surprise to find a man who exhibited the same kind of drive and flair for the dramatic.

But Gillcrist, 63, says she could not have anticipated just how notorious he would be: Her birth father, William Bradford Bishop Jr., is accused of violently murdering his wife, mother and three sons with a small sledgehammer, she would learn. The notorious fugitive from Bethesda, Md., has been wanted by the FBI since 1976, at one point appearing on the agency’s Ten Most Wanted list

When Gillcrist first found out about his identity, “I just laughed,” she told WECT last week. “We have a great sense of humor in my adoptive family and I thought, ‘Of course, my father’s a murderer!”

That revelation, which she also recounted in a new book, “It’s in my Genes,” is the latest case of a DNA test — a cheek swab or vial of saliva meant to learn more about family ancestry — leading to a very different kind of genealogical discovery, sometimes with troubling consequences.

About three years ago, an Oregon doctor and former sperm donor learned on Ancestry.com that he had unknowingly fathered at least 19 children, all of whom lived a short drive away from his own family. Two childhood best friends in Maryland recently unearthed the fact that they share a father. Others have learned that their family doctor was actually their biological parent, or that their dad had a second secret family.

Yet even as genealogical databases become increasingly popular, few can claim to have found ties to a fugitive who is believed to still on the loose. In 2016, the FBI said a team of federal and local law enforcement officers had spent the past two years following up on more than 650 leads to locate Bishop.

When she first conducted a 23andMe DNA test around the same time, Gillcrist told WECT, she only received one distant family connection from the vial of spit she had sent in: Susan Gillmor, a third cousin living in Maine.

Besides their similar last names, the two women discovered a number of uncanny parallels: They both majored in English in college, both went on to become teachers, and both had the same blonde hair.

But Gillmor, herself a genealogist, offered to dig a bit deeper for Gillcrist’s birthparents. When she finally landed upon Bishop after a years-long search, she decided to only give her third cousin his name.

“Is it someone famous?” Gillcrist remembered asking.

She needed no convincing that Bishop was in fact her father. His children — her siblings — resembled her more than her own kids, she recalled. “And when I look at the behaviors and characteristics, it’s more than clear in my mind,” she told WECT, noting they both had struggled with insomnia.

As The Washington Post’s Dan Morse reported in 2014, Bishop was a skilled world traveler and amateur pilot who worked for the State Department Foreign Service, with postings in Italy and Botswana.

He had Gillcrist with her birth mother in 1957 but married his high school sweetheart two years later, eventually settling in Bethesda with her, his mother and three sons. In 1976, he was passed over for a promotion and apparently took it out on his family, police said, bludgeoning all five to death in their sleep. After the attacks, he drove nearly 300 miles to a swampy corner of North Carolina, dug a shallow grave and lit their bodies on fire.

 Authorities would find his car several hours away, at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with maps and hiking information inside. But Bishop himself had disappeared.

Nearly three decades later, in 2014,the FBI placed him on the its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, making it clear that they believed he was still alive. Officials said that with fluency in five languages, he could have easily created a new life for himself somewhere abroad. He would be 84 years old today.

Gillcrist, who was in her late teens at the time of the murders, said her birth mother had listed a different name for her father on adoption records and on her original birth certificate.

“Either she was really confused or was leading a life that involved keeping a lot of secrets,” she told Bethesda Beat. “There is a lot of mystery.”

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Rare meteorite recovered in the U.K.- and the Amazing Facts Behind it

On February 28th, many cities and towns in the United Kingdom caught photos of a meteorite that streaked through the sky and landed there. In today's blog you'll learn how crazy fast it was traveling, what "meteorite ablation" means, and its likely origin in the solar system!  I gathered info from the UKFireball Alliance report and details from the Imperial College of London to write this blog. It's pretty fascinating. Read on!  >>

(Image Credit:  image is from a video by Ben Stanley, processed by Markus Kempf of the AllSky7 network, via Imperial College London.) 

A Meteorite Caused a Huge Fireball display in UK, and Led to a Rare Find

The U.K. Fireball Alliance (UKFAll) used a network of cameras around the United Kingdom on Feb 28 to recreate a fireball’s flight path before it landed there. The cameras allowed scientists to determine exactly where in the solar system the space rock came from and follow it to its landfall.  It’s likely to become known as the Winchcombe meteoriteaccording to meteorite experts at the University of Manchester Natural History Museum, because it landed in  Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, UK. It’s the first recovered meteorite in the U.K. in the past 30 years.

(Photo credit: Credit: Trustees of the Natural History Museum)


HOW FAST WAS THE METEORITE MOVING?  The UKFAll classified the Winchcombe meteor as an SPO (Sporadic type, not associated with any known meteor shower) and entered Earth’s atmosphere at speed of 14 kilometers per second (that's 31,317 miles per hour!). "

WHAT IS METEORITE ABLATION? Meteor ablation occurs when a meteor travels through the Earth's atmosphere and the aerodynamic pressure of the surrounding atmosphere surpasses the material strength of the object. This generates heat from atmospheric entry and breaks up the object, causing it to lose mass. 

WHAT IS IT MADE UP OF? The Imperial College of London noted, "The meteorite is a carbonaceous chondrite, a class that comprises some of the most primitive space rocks known. These rocks formed in the very earliest days of the Solar System and have remained largely unchanged in the many millions of years since, and so provide a pristine window into our cosmic past."

HOW MUCH DID IT ULTIMATELY WEIGH? The group ultimately recovered about 10.5 ounces (300 grams) of the meteorite. Part of it landed on a driveway in the town of Winchcombe

WHERE DID IT COME FROM? UKFAll noted that origins of meteorites of harder material like this are likely from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Monday, March 22, 2021

News You May Have Missed: Railway Link Deal /Texas Roadhouse Tragedy/British Army Downsized/Criminal Probe/Hikers Fall/UK Electric Cars

In today's News you may have missed, you'll read about  a Railway Deal that may link the U.S. to Canada and Mexico, aTexas Roadhouse Tragedy,  The British Army gets Downsized, a Highly-watched Criminal Probe, Hikers Fall, and how an island off the Scotland coast is running all its cars by ocean-power.  



CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY AGREES TO ACQUIRE KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN in $25B deal; will create first rail network connecting Canada, Mexico, and the US

(Photo: American Rails.com) 


 COFOUNDER AND CEO OF THE TEXAS ROADHOUSE RESTAURANT CHAIN, KENT TAYLOR, DIED BY SUICIDE OVER THE WEEKEND after a battle with persistent COVID-19 symptoms.  He co-founded the chain that opened in 1993, made headlines a year ago for giving up his bonus and base salary to pay his chain’s workers during COVID. On a prorated basis, the forgone salary and bonus would be just under a $1 million donation to employees,” the spokesperson said then.

 2 MASSACHUSETTS HIKERS FOUND DEAD IN APPARENT FALL IN ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

BAR HARBOR, Maine (AP) — Two Massachusetts hikers have died after apparently falling about 100 feet along ice-covered cliff bands on Dorr Mountain in Maine’s Acadia National Park, officials said Saturday.

 ‘NEXT PHASE’ OF CRIMINAL PROBE INTO TRUMP FINANCES: FINDING WITNESSES

Investigators in a criminal probe of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s real-estate business are combing through millions of pages of newly acquired records with an eye toward identifying witnesses who can bring the documents to life for a jury, say two people familiar with the probe.

UK NEWS: BRITISH ARMY BEING DOWNSIZED

The size of the Army is expected to be reduced by about 10,000 soldiers as part of a move towards robots, drones, and cyber warfare.  The defence review is likely to see the loss of some tanks and aircraft - but the government said there would be "more ships, submarines and sailors". Numbers in the regular Army will be reduced to about 70,000 soldiers, having already fallen in recent years.  (Credit: BBC News) 

SHETLAND, UK  ELECTRIC CARS CAN NOW BE FUELLED PURELY BY THE POWER OF THE SEA

Shetland also called the Shetland Islands is a subarctic archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated in the Northern Atlantic

Cars in Shetland can now be fuelled purely by the power of the sea, in what is believed to be a first for the UK. Nova Innovation's tidal turbines have been powering local homes and businesses for more than five years. The company has now created an electric vehicle charge point on the island of Yell where drivers can fill up using tidal energy. The charge point is located on the shores of Bluemull Sound, at Cullivoe harbour. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-56482777 (Credit: BBC News) 

 

 

'Eccentric' England house with built-in pipe organ is sold

I've heard about a lot of odd things in houses for sale, but never a handbuilt pipe organ that goes through an entire townhouse. That's exactly what a realtor was dealing with in England, when an old house, owned by people who played pipe organ in their church built one in their home!  Can you imagine living in the townhouses next to them and trying to sleep if they practice on the massive several story high pipe organ?  That would NOT be a fun place to live next to...
Here's the story from BBC News!

(Photo: ALLEN AND HARRIS
image captionThe organ sits at the top of the stairs

'Eccentric' Bristol house with built-in pipe organ is sold


A four-bedroom "charismatic and eccentric" terraced house has been sold - with a full organ built into the fabric of the building.
 
The house in Cliftonwood, Bristol, was put on the market after the previous owner died last year.
Joan Baker, 98, was an organist at the local church. Her husband made the organ, which has pipes going through the landing into one of the bedrooms.

Organist Anna Lapwood said it was "so unusual" to find a house like this.

The price of the sale will not be confirmed until contracts have been exchanged.
(Photo: ALLEN AND HARRIS
image captionFrom the outside the house in Cliftonwood looks like any other

Mrs Baker, who played the organ at Holy Trinity Church, moved into the house in the 1940s. Her husband, Ronald, and his brother, built the instrument so she could practise at home.

Her neighbour, Dick Willis, said: "She would sit there on the half-landing and play the organ and her husband Ronald would stand on the half-landing below and play the trumpet.

"She was just the most extraordinary person. She died at the age of 98 and had been desperate to make it to 100."She had lived in that house since she was 21. She was very much the street granny. She had a great sense of humour. She was just lovely, very sociable." 

The organ, which has not been played in several years, is on top of the stairs, but the pipes go all the way around the landing.

"The base pipe and the pump are in the top bedroom and Ronald knocked through the two cupboards in the two top rooms and made a seating area across the stairwell which is where the keyboard, the foot pedals and the treble pipes are," he said.
 
"So if you go up the house it dominates the place."
(Photo: ALLEN AND HARRIS
image captionMrs Baker used to play the organ while her husband played the trumpet


But it is likely the organ has played its last tune, with property experts expecting it to be removed to create more space.  

Estate agent James Bailey from Allen and Harris, who sold the house, said: "It is the first time in my 20-year property career that I have brought to market and agreed a home with a full-scale church organ."
 
He said Cliftonwood and neighbouring Clifton had lots of houses "steeped in history".

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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

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