Friday, February 28, 2014

Neanderthals cleared of driving mammoths over cliff in mass slaughter

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/feb/28/neanderthals-driving-mammoths-cliff-jersey

New evidence suggests it would have been impossible to stampede mammoths to their deaths at site in Jersey

Ian Sample, science correspondent
theguardian.com, Friday 28 February 2014 09.44 EST

Researchers doubt mammoths would ever have ventured up to the high, rocky plateau where Neanderthals were alleged to have chased them. Photograph: Getty

Heaps of mammoth and woolly rhino bones found piled up at the foot of a cliff were thought to be the grim results of Neanderthals driving the beasts over the edge.

The piles of bones are a major feature at La Cotte de St Brelade on Jersey, one of the most spectacular Neanderthal sites in Europe. But the claim that they mark the remains of mass slaughter has been all but ruled out by a fresh investigation.

Researchers have found that the plateau that ends at the cliff edge was so rocky and uneven that mammoths and other weighty beasts would never have ventured up there. Even if the creatures had clambered so high, the Neanderthals would have had to chase them down a steep dip and back up the other side long before the animals reached the cliff edge and plunged to their doom.

"I can't imagine a way in which Neanderthals would have been able to force mammoths down this slope and then up again before they even got to the edge of the headland," said Beccy Scott, an archaeologist at the British Museum. "And they're unlikely to have got up there in the first place."

Hundreds of thousands of stone tools and bone fragments have been uncovered at the Jersey site where Neanderthals lived on and off for around 200,000 years. The site was apparently abandoned from time to time when the climate cooled, forcing the Neanderthals back to warmer territory.

Scott and her colleagues drew on a survey of the seabed that stretches away from the cliff to reconstruct the landscape when the Neanderthals lived there. The land, now submerged under higher sea levels, was cut with granite ravines, gullies and dead-end valleys – a terrain perfect for stalking and ambushing prey.

"The site would have been an ideal vantage point for Neanderthal hunters. They could have looked out over the open plain and watched mammoths, woolly rhinos and horses moving around. They could see what was going on, and move out and ambush their prey," said Scott. Details of the study are published in the journal Antiquity.

The researchers have an alternative explanation for the bone heaps. Neanderthals living there may have brought the bones there after hunts, or from scavenged carcasses, and used them for food, heating and even building shelters. Older sediments at the site are rich with burnt bone and charcoal, suggesting the bones were used as fuel. The heaps of bones were preserved when Neanderthals last abandoned the site, and a fine dust of silt blew over and preserved the remains.

Archaeologists have investigated the site at La Cotte de St Brelade since the mid-19th century. More artefacts have been unearthed here than at all the other Neanderthal sites in the British Isles put together.

The exposed coastal site, one of the last resting places of the Neanderthals, was battered by fierce storms in February, raising fears that ancient remains at the site had been destroyed.

Secrets of the Viking hoard

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/ng-interactive/2014/feb/28/vikings-360-degree-interactive-gallery

Secrets of the Viking hoard – interactive

Plunder the British Museum’s Viking hoard, drink in hallucinogenic visions from middle earth and see a 1000-year-old magician’s box. As the new exhibition opens, our interactive gives you 360-degree close-ups of six of the best treasures on show. Turn them virtually in your hands with Jonathan Jones as your guide
• British Museum’s Viking show locates the original Scandinavian Noir

Queen, Lewis chessmen

Late 12th century

The Lewis chessmen, found buried on the isle of Lewis in 1831, show not just the skill of the Vikings but also the sophistication of their lifestyle, for these warriors were also merchants and explorers who sailed as far as America and down the rivers of Russia. This chess queen resting her face on her hand in an expression of gloom was probably left on Lewis by a merchant sailing to Dublin, a Viking colony. Why's she so sad? Is she contemplating the vast Atlantic?

The Fyrkat woman's box brooch

Late 10th century

Turn this little object (virtually) in your hand: it belonged to a Viking woman more than a thousand years ago. No one knows her name but she was probably a magician, for the treasures found in her grave at Fyrkat in Jutland also include animal charms, henbane seeds and a magician's staff. She would have taken the henbane seeds to induce a trance and see visions of Valhalla. She was buried with lots of expensive stuff like this brooch, so there must have been money in magic.

Cup depicting female figures

10th century

Revolve this silver cup slowly: you are entering the realm of the Viking gods. The knotted patterns suggest the dreams and visions that Vikings could get from swallowing hallucinogenic seeds or just getting massively drunk, which they did regularly. The female figures appearing out of the swirls are demons or spirits who connect the people of "middle earth" - the Viking term for our world, later reused by Norse expert JRR Tolkien - with the Aesir, as the gods Odin, Thor and their companions were known, and their enemies the giants. Unusually the Viking gods were mortal, doomed to die in battle like all true warriors.

King, Lewis chessmen

Late 12th century

This ivory king was carved in Scandinavia when the age of the Vikings had given way to a more settled and ordered society. The Lewis chessmen portray that new medieval order with its enthroned king. Yet turn this renowned object around and you see the swirling, hypnotic patterns of an older, pagan world - the world of the Vikings. The artist preserved their myths and magic in these images of demonic serpents.

Byzantine flask

8th - 9th century

As you turn this elegant carved ivory flask around, its intricate patterns of foliage and Greek key-pattern "meanders" become more and more impressive. Portraits and animals fold into the tendrils of vegetation, adding to the layers of beauty. This is a refined work of art which the Vikings got from the eastern empire of Byzantium on their travels. Comparing it with their own creations, it seems so much more "civilised". But which is more fascinating - this or a Viking ship's snarling dragon figurehead?

Carolingian cup from the Vale of York hoard

9th century

The Vikings loved to hoard. The patterns on this big cup, which twist and gyre ornately as you revolve it, were created in the Carolingian empire but a Viking used it to bury a hoard of silver and gold in the Vale of York. The cup was buried in the earth with the precious things inside it - they came from as far away as Afghanistan, proving how far the Vikings traded. In the Old English poem Beowulf, which is saturated with Viking lore, a dragon guards a hoard like this.

British Museum's Viking show locates the original Scandinavian Noir

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/feb/27/british-museum-vikings-show-nordic-noir-longboat

Hiddensee hoard … 14 gold filigree pendants, spacers, brooch and neck-ring, (late 10th-century Denmark). Photograph: Kulturhistorisches Museum der Hansestadt Stralsund

British Museum's Viking show locates the original Scandinavian Noir

The big new exhibition in the museum's newest hall will float many a longboat, though those simply seeking the raping and pillaging berserkers of legend may be surprised

It is the year of our lord 793, and I am a God-fearing monk living on the island monastery of Lindisfarne on the Northumbrian coast. I am illuminating manuscripts in my cell, or weeding the vegetable patch. Or sneakily opening my eyes while supposedly praying, when on the horizon I catch sight of a black dot sailing this way. An hour later that small dot has enlarged to a boat, a small flotilla of boats in fact, and a few hours after that the monastery is ransacked, its storehouses emptied and precious objects stolen. Fellow monks lie slaughtered, their bodies face down in a crimson sea, or have been taken as slaves. As the wounded and maimed stumble around the beach the sterns of several longboats are still visible out on the water, heading north-east.
That was a scene outlined by a history teacher at some early point in my school career, and one that clunks mechanically into place, like a photograph in an old carousel-slide projector, whenever the word Viking is used. My understanding of modern Scandinavia was informed by cliches, this time perpetuated through popular culture, trivia and urban myths. The Swedes built reliable cars, designed collapsible furniture and had the highest suicide rate of any nation. The Danes baked pastries, produced sizzling bacon and brewed the best lager in the world, probably. And the Norwegians had their ski jumps, A-ha, and continued to hunt whales in the face of international condemnation.
I suspect that for many Britons those stereotypes persisted at a subconscious level until the more recent wave of Norse invasions which have shifted our perception of its peoples, transformed our viewing habits and redefined our attitude towards the knitted sweater. The Killing, Wallander, Borgen, The Bridge ... "Nordic Noir" has landed, and suddenly we're finding a great deal to admire about Scandinavia, including contemporary cuisine (Copenhagen boasts Noma, "the world's number one restaurant"), architecture, interior design, bike riding, and progressive environmental policies. Even Hollywood has got the bug, if the Thor franchise can be said to retain any of its mythological Norse origins, and the new Lego movie is a box-office smash.
Viking exhibitionse

Lewis Chessmen (1150-1145). Photograph: The Trustees of the British Museum A good time, then, to be renegotiating our relationship with that part of the world on a historical level too, through a major new exhibition in the British Museum's major new exhibition hall. Timely as well that I should be visiting while our own nation is in a state of flood – rain bucketing from the skies, the sea spewing over harbour walls, rivers bursting their banks – because water is very much the central theme of this curation, and at its heart is a boat.
When it opened in 1759 about seventy people a day mooched around in the echoey galleries of the British Museum. Last year more than six million passed through its doors. The Vikings are at the back, beyond the Parthenon, the Nereid Monument and the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos and through a set of pristine glass doors yet to experience the sticky hands of the general public. Once inside, a single copper brooch in the stylised shape of a ship is offered as a motif for the entire exhibition, the two little holes either side of the mast like eyes through which all other objects should be viewed.
Oxidised to a pale green over the past one thousand years or so, it's a beautifully worked piece, which speaks of art and decoration as much as plunder and booty, and I ask project curator Tom Williams if there's something of a re-branding going on here, an attempt to get away from the enduring image of Vikings as bloodthirsty barbarians, out for all they could get. Yes and no seems to be the cautious answer. The academic discourse has been veering in that direction for over 50 years now, and if anything the British Museum is putting a bit of cold steel back into the debate.
But anyone expecting the raping and pillaging berserkers of cartoon and caricature will be challenged and surprised by the more complex, multi-faceted Vikings presented here. Through the first series of exhibits we are re-familiarised with the narrative of Viking incursions into Britain and Ireland, and reminded how foraging parties made it all the way across the Atlantic to the shores of North America or "Vinland" several hundred years before Columbus. Moving on we learn of Norse trading expeditions to the east and south, through the Slavic and Baltic states, into Russia, the Mediterranean and even into the Arab world, and on my part at least the image of blue-eyed, blonde-haired Vikings sculling along the Bosphorus or heading off into the markets of 10th-century Constantinople requires a certain amount of mental CGI.
Geographical curiosity can't be ruled out but the pursuit of wealth would have been the primary motive for such extensive travel, because with wealth came well-being, status and power. So furs, jet, soapstone, falcons and slaves went one way and weapons, glassware, wine, metals and large quantities of silver went home, just as elements of design were traded and shared. Nowhere is this more tellingly and beguilingly illustrated than with the Vale of York hoard. Dug out of a field in North Yorkshire by a father and son metal-detecting team and subsequently valued at over a million pounds, its true worth is in its contribution to our knowledge of the Viking map.
Viking brroch

Hunterston brooch (700). Photograph: National Museums Scotland As well as objects of Scandinavian origin the hoard included items from Ireland, Russia, several parts of continental Europe, north Africa and Afghanistan. The liturgical cup is Frankish and the coins are Islamic dirhams, strewn here with studied casualness among arm rings, neck rings and bullion bars, glittering and winking under the artificial light. Displayed like this it is the treasure of fairy tales, the kind that might be found at the end of a rainbow or under an elf's pillow. Other cabinets show the Vikings at rest and in their finery: games, dice, combs, outrageously lavish pin brooches, a gold ear-scoop (yes, for scooping wax out of ears) and a thickly woven necklace of solid gold – Viking bling at it its most extravagant.
There is no agreed definition of the word "Viking", be it a reference to their geographical origins or their identity as raiders. They were Norse people from before the formation of the later day kingdoms of Scandinavia, and their lightweight, shallow ships allowed them the freedom of the rivers, inlets and the high seas. Taken from the first Viking attack in Dorset circa 789 to Harald Hardrada's defeat at Stamford Bridge in 1066, the Viking age is a relatively short period of British history, and their presence on these shores was intermittent and diffuse.Yet their influence was long lasting. As well as the Lindisfarne incident , school drummed into us the legacy of Norse place names in suffixes such as -by, -thorpe and -thwaite, and hundreds of Norse loan words maintain their place in the English language, some like bairn and addle as dialect words, others such as egg, skin, root and window in everyday usage. Orkney and Shetland are steeped in Viking culture, with some residents feeling stronger affiliations with their neighbours to the north and east than with their rulers to the south.
A looped tape plays in the background of the exhibition, and only by careful listening is it possible to discern that the language echoing around the gallery isn't Danish or Norwegian but English, as spoken by a Shetlander, talking about shipbuilding.
Seen alongside maps of Norse penetration into the west of Scotland, south Wales and the eventual subjugation of most English regions, if nothing else the Vikings are just one more example of this country as cultural and ethnic crossroads for migrants and mobile populations, giving the lie to any notion of homogeneous Brits going right back to Adam and Eve.
Reinforcing the point, a book known as the Liber Vitae lies open at a page containing the only known image of King Cnut in existence, seen here with his queen, Emma, presenting an altar cross to the church. Cnut ruled England for almost 20 years. He was a Dane.
Viking exhibition

Silver inlaid axehead in the Mammen style, (900). From Bjerringhoj, Denmark. Photograph: The National Museum of Denmark As well as their treasure hoards and hog stones and their buried ironwork, the Vikings must also have contributed a fair number of mitochondria to the gene pool. Am I of Viking stock? I do not have the trademark looks, but neither did another Yorkshire skald, WH Auden, and he believed he was a Norseman body and soul. Back in the museum we're getting towards the grisly end of Viking activities, initially in the shape of manacles, shackles, then the weapons of war.
A Viking's sword was not just a functional tool, it was his badge of recognition on the battlefield, his status symbol when worn at his side, and his passport to the afterlife – the object by which he would be recognised by the gods as a warrior and rewarded accordingly. So sword hilts were beautifully fashioned and inlaid, and the shafts intricately decorated.Two swords on display came from the forge of the "designer" blacksmith Ulfberht , and bear the maker's name on the face of the blade. These are high-end swords, though interestingly several others that bear the same logo are not even mediocre but downright shoddy, implying that counterfeiting was as much an issue then as it is today. Science stops short of being able to tell how far into human flesh some of these swords might have plunged, or how many times, though from wear and tear to the hilts it's possible to surmise how they were handled and worn, and therefore to imagine them slung in position around a warrior's waist.
Science of a more forensic type has helped shed light on the fifty or so skeletons unearthed during excavations for the Weymouth Bypass in 2009. Carbon dating of bones places the deaths somewhere in the early 11th century, and stable isotope analysis of tooth enamel provides chemical proof that these men were of Scandinavian origin. But on this occasion they were victims rather than perpetrators of violence.
Disturbingly, they bear no signs of struggle or injury, yet their bodies were heaped in one pile and their heads in another, ritually slaughtered or summarily executed it would seem. Lying here partly reassembled they look like a lost tribe, pitiful, humbled and a long way from home.
There is more dental related activity on display in the form of a well preserved male Viking skull with filed teeth, the kind of self-mutilation that might suggest the Vikings were social outsiders even within their own world, "punks or Hell's Angels" as the catalogue puts it. A helmet hangs above the skull, quite a rare object despite being the most obvious symbol of Viking identity, at least as far as suppliers of fancy dress are concerned. It is superbly crafted and as smooth as an acorn; even among laypeople the fact that Viking helmets did not sport horns seems better known than the misunderstanding it corrects.
The exhibition contains little in the way of literature other than quotes from Viking lore or the Icelandic sagas emblazoned on the walls, although I notice later that the book shop has taken the opportunity of incorporating a translation of the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf into its tower of Viking reading matter.
Instead, runic inscriptions etched on possessions are left to tell their own stories, ranging from the enigmatic to the mundane. From "We fared out to the men of Friesland, changing combat clothes with them," (a possible euphemism for "We kicked their arses and nicked their gear") to "Sakse carved these runes".

The longship Roskilde 6 is the longest vessel to have survived the Viking age. Photograph: The Trustees of the British Museum However, up to this point we have been pussyfooting around the enormous installation that takes up most of the floor space in this hall, and the item that forms the centrepiece, thematically as well as physically.
In 1997, during the construction of a new Viking ship museum in the Danish town of Roskilde, nine hitherto undiscovered vessels were excavated from the harbour area, including the ship that now goes by the name of Roskilde 6. As longboats go it's very long indeed, the longest ever found in fact at more than 37 metres (122ft). Using dendrochronology – the study of growth rings in timber – experts have dated the boat to around 1025 and identified the source of the wood as the Oslo fjord in south-eastern Norway. They can also say that at some stage after 1039 it was repaired in the Baltic area, and had been stripped of some of its beams and boards before it sank or was scuttled. Painstakingly recovered and partially reconstructed, Roskilde 6 now sits in a colossal steel cradle or basket, which forms the fexternal skeleton, so it's best to see it from above. Standing on the viewing platform and looking down, though, I have to admit to a sense of disappointment. When I ask Tom, "Is that it?" I'm trying to spin the question as an inquiry into the preserved proportion of the original ship (to which the answer is "about 20%"), but I'm sure he detects an element of deflation in my mood, a sense of unfulfilled expectations.
If only the prow or stern had been recovered, with one of those big curly figureheads at the top like a treble clef, or more of the hull, to give a sense of the forty or so pairs of oars that would have propelled the ship through the water. But what we have here, in non-nautical language, is the boat's bottom, a series of dark wooden boards at the base of the shiny metal scaffolding, the scaffolding that in some ways is more impressive than the planks it houses.
I should also confess that several years ago I visited the Viking ship museum on Bygdøy outside Oslo, and even at almost half the length of this more recent find, a craft known as the Oseberg ship has set the standard for all Viking ships in my mind, simply because it looked as if it could float. I guess it's what the remains imply that counts, rather than what they constitute, but visitors to the British Museum's Viking exhibition should remember not to leave their imaginations at home.
If Roskilde 6 is the elephant in the room, then it has the effect of throwing attention back onto the smaller, finer objects on display, many of them given plenty of space in their cabinets and cases, drawing the visitor right up to the glass. One such artefact is a tiny silver carving of Odin; his two ravens are at his side, and in a reference to his association with feminine magic and sorcery he appears to be wearing women's clothing.
Another is a 25cm (10in) stick from Bergen in Norway, just a bit of driftwood it seems until I put on my glasses and take a step closer. Once in focus, a set of vertical striations resolve themselves into a fleet of Viking longboats with their tell-tail dragon-head prows and wind vanes, harbingers of terror, or trade, or possibly both. Then I'm exiting through the gift shop and steering north, letting the installation team gather up the last of the bubble wrap and tissue paper before the grand opening, and leaving them to get things ship-shape, or as near to the shape of a ship as possible given the available materials.

The exhibition

This is the first time in 30 years that the British Museum has mounted a major Vikings exhibition. Neil MacGregor, the museum's director, said: "The reach and cultural connections of the Viking Age make it a remarkable story, shared by many countries, not least the British Isles."
The centrepiece of the exhibition – from 6 March till 22 June – is Roskilde 6, the remains of a Viking ship that would have been 36 metres long and carried 100 men. Among the other exhibits is the Vale of York Hoard, shown in its entirety for the first time since it was discovered near Harrogate in 2007 and featuring hundreds of silver coins. Maya Oppenheim

The Phil Naessens Show 3 Reasons the Phoenix Suns Won’t Make the Playoffs

On this edition of the Phil Naessens Show J.R. Wilco joins Phil to discuss Kawhi Leonard returning from injury, answers a listeners question about the San Antonio Spurs “Rodeo Roadtrip” and answers another listeners question about the Phoenix Suns playoff chances. Mr. Brewtown joins Phil to discuss what he thinks the fans reaction to Ryan Braun will be and the new faces on the Milwaukee Brewers. J.A. Sherman joins Phil to discuss the injury to Kendrick Perkins, what happened to the Oklahoma City Thunders defense and gives Phil his weekly “Kiwi” test plus much more NBA and MLB talk.

http://phillipnaessens.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/the-phil-naessens-show-3-reasons-the-phoenix-suns-wont-make-the-playoffs/

In loving memory of Mackenzie Knight -a tribute to my dear friend

Mackenzie put up a valiant fight against the disease that took her life. You live in our hearts and shall never be forgotten.

One of Mackenzie's favorite shows

Haunted Halloween Spooktacular Live!

Scary Stories, Spooky History, just a extremely fun Halloween Show!

Staring- Your Host Mackenzie Knight, Your Co-Host Psychic Beth Shelby, Author, and spooky story-teller Constance Victoria Briggs, The Paranormal Investigation Team- Renegade Paranormal- Our Halloween Contest Winner and Author Victoria Valentine. Join us for a night of fright, and fun!

have a listen

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mackenzie1/2012/10/31/haunted-halloween-spooktacular-live#.Um_147fXqbI.twitter

History Trivia - Westminster Abbey opens

February 28

364 Valentinian I became Roman Emperor.

590 Gregory I (The Great) became Roman Catholic Pope.

870 The Fourth Council of Constantinople closed.

1066 Westminster Abbey opened.

1574 Two Englishmen and an Irishman were burnt for heresy on the orders of the Holy Office of the Inquisition.

1638 The Scottish National Covenant was signed in Edinburgh, which denounced the attempts by Charles I to force the Scottish church to conform to English practices, at the same time urging loyalty to the king.

1694 Queen Mary II of England died after five years of joint rule with her husband, King William III.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

The Phil Naessens Show: Do the Baltimore Orioles Have What it Takes to Win the AL East?

On this edition of the Phil Naessens Show Alex Hall joins Phil to talk about Los Angeles Angel CF Mike Trout signing a million dollar contract plus what’s the deal with all the “qualifying offers” in MLB plus more MLB talk. Rush Olson joins Phil to take a closer look at the Baltimore Orioles and Mark Berman joins Phil to discuss the possible New York Mets batting order, Jon Niese travelling back to NYC for an MRI, Ruben Tejada, Ike Davis and much more.

http://phillipnaessens.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/the-phil-naessens-show-do-the-baltimore-orioles-have-what-it-takes-to-win-the-al-east/

History Trivia - Henry IV crowned King of France

February 27,

280 Constantine I (The Great) was born.

380 Roman emperor Theodosius declared the orthodoxy of the Nicene Creed, and made Christianity the sole religion of the empire.

837 The 15th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.

1560 The Treaty of Berwick, which expelled the French from Scotland, was signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland.

1594 Henry IV was crowned King of France

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Baleen whale graveyard discovered in Chile's Atacama desert

Site is branded most diverse on planet for marine mammals after Pan-American Highway roadworks

Josh Halliday
theguardian.com, Wednesday 26 February 2014 09.12 EST

The baleen whale fossil graveyard in Chile known as Cerro Ballena, 'whale hill'. Photograph: Adam Metallo, Smithsonian Institution

A mass graveyard of whales has been unearthed beside the Pan-American Highway in Chile, in what scientists believe is one of most extraordinary marine mammal fossil sites on the planet.
The skeletons of dozens of baleen whales were found in ancient sandstones in the Atacama region of northern Chile, where they are thought to have lain undetected for between 6m and 9m years.

Whale fossil graveyard in Chile. Photograph: Adam Metallo/Smithsonian Institution In an article published in the Royal Society journal, scientists explain that the whales ended up in the same small area as the result of four separate mass strandings over a period of more than 10,000 years.
Researchers believe the animals ingested toxic algae before being washed into an estuary and, eventually, on to flat sands at the site dubbed Cerro Ballena ("whale hill").
Whale fossil graveyard in Chile

Chilean and Smithsonian paleontologists study several fossil whale skeletons at Cerro Ballena. Photograph: James Parham/California State University, Fullerton Nicholas Pyenson, a palaeontologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, told the BBC: "We found extinct creatures such as walrus whales – dolphins that evolved a walrus-like face. And then there were these bizarre aquatic sloths.
"To me, it's amazing that in 240 metres of road-cut, we managed to sample all the superstars of the fossil marine-mammal world in south America in the Late Miocene. Just an incredibly dense accumulation of species."
Whale fossil graveyard in Chile

From left, Adam Metallo and Vince Rossi use high-res laser arm scanners to document one of the most complete fossil whales from the Cerro Ballena site. Photograph: Smithsonian Institution Cerro Ballena was famed locally for its hidden ancient skeletons – but the latest discovery was made by chance during construction work on the busy Pan-American Highway that runs alongside the area, which is now seen as one of the richest fossil sites in the world.
Many of the fossils were found in perfect condition, with the skeletons of two adults whales laid on top of the skeleton of a juvenile whale.
Whale fossil graveyard in Chile

Chilean and Smithsonian paleontologists study fossil whale skeletons at Cerro Ballena. Photo: Adam Metallo/Smithsonian Institution The remains of an extinct species of sperm whale, a walrus-like toothed whale, an aquatic sloth and two seals were also uncovered at the site, but scientists believe there may be hundreds more ancient creatures waiting to be discovered.
Sol Square, a palaeontologist who worked on the discovery, described the find as "a discovery of global importance".
"There has never been a find of this size or this diversity anywhere in the world, which is one of the very special parts of the Atacama region."
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/feb/26/baleen-whale-graveyard-fossil-treasure-atacama-chile

Richard III DNA test sparks controversy

By Stephanie Pappas

Published February 26, 2014

LiveScience

A new facial reconstruction of King Richard III, based on the bones unearthed beneath a parking lot in Leicester, England, show the vilified monarch in a kinder, gentler light. (copyright Richard III Society)

King Richard III has been dead for more than 500 years, but his bones continue to ignite fresh controversy.

The medieval king, unearthed from a Leicester parking lot in 2012, has been the center of debate over where and how his body should be reburied. Now, a plan to sequence the full genome of Richard III has brought new strife.

"Why is the University of Leicester doing this, and why is it doing it without any consultation?" said John Ashdown-Hill, an independent historian involved with the search for the bones. The DNA testing will add very little to scientific knowledge, and it breaks agreements with Buckingham Palace made before the University got involved in the Richard III search, Ashdown-Hill told Live Science. [See Photos of the Search of King Richard III

'It's breaking the precedent we had in 1965, what's going on at the moment [with Richard III].'

- independent historian John Ashdown-Hill

"We're talking about a member of the royal family and a former head of state," he said.
A lost king and controversyRichard III died in 1485, a victim on the field at the Battle of Bosworth, part of the English War of the Roses. Historical records held that his battered body was taken to Leicester and buried, but the grave was lost in the early 1600s.

The search for Richard III's body was sparked by the Richard III Society, a group of historical enthusiasts who call themselves Richardians Ashdown-Hill is a part of the Looking for Richard team that got the ball rolling; he started working to sequence the mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down the maternal line, of Richard III's living descendant in 2003.

Screenwriter and dedicated Richardian Philippa Langley took the lead on the archaeology, urging the Leicester City Council to allow a dig in its building's parking lot, as historical records suggested the lot sat over the site of Greyfriars, the church where Richard III was buried. The Richard III society funded the dig and hired University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) to do the archaeology. ULAS is an independent group of archaeologists embedded in the University of Leicester's school of archaeology and ancient history.

These players have sometimes clashed with each other, as well was with outsiders. Most prominent are debates over where the king will be reburied. The University of Leicester was granted the exhumation license for the body, making it the institution responsible for the reburial. The plan is to rebury Richard III in Leicester Cathedral. That arrangement has sparked anger from some who claim relation to the king who'd like to see him buried in his adopted hometown of York And even some who accept a Leicester burial are upset with the modernistic designs for Richard III's tomb.

DNA debateAs a result of the burial controversy, a judicial review of the University of Leicester's custody of the body is ongoing, with a judgment expected in a few weeks. Against this backdrop come the criticisms of a newly announced project to sequence the entire genome of Richard III. The identification of the king's body was made with mitochondrial DNA, which is a limited portion of the body's DNA.
That mitochondrial DNA test was necessary, as Richard III was buried in a shallow grave without a coffin or remaining marker, Ashdown-Hill said. But further testing, he argues, goes against precedent.

"Her Majesty the Queen would not allow exhumation of other royal remains, or the testing of them," Ashdown-Hill said. The hurried circumstances of Richard III's burial and the turmoil at the time are the only reasons his bones don't lie in state like other monarchs, he said in which case, they would never be studied. [Images: A New Dig at Richard III's Grave

The only other royal body exhumed was Anne de Mowbray, the 8-year-old Duchess of York, and the child bride of one of Richard III's nephews, one of the two "Princes in the Tower" who were kept in the Tower of London and then vanished when Richard took the throne. (Rumors persist that he had them murdered.) The little Duchess was found accidentally in 1964 on a construction site; her body was not scientifically investigated, and she was reburied in Westminster Abbey in 1965.
"It's breaking the precedent we had in 1965, what's going on at the moment [with Richard III]," Ashdown-Hill said.

Crumbling trustThe controversy also reflects distrust between the University of Leicester and some on the search team not affiliated with the university. The Looking for Richard team instigated the project and fought an uphill battle to get everyone else on board for the actual investigation, Ashdown-Hill said.
"We had to work really hard to get them to do it, and yet when they found it, everything was, 'The University of Leicester has done this, the University of Leicester has done that,'" he said.
The Looking for Richard team talked with Buckingham Palace before the University of Leicester got involved and agreed that images of any remains found shouldn't be broadcast and that the remains should be treated with respect, Ashdown-Hill said. The university now claims the right to continue the scientific investigation, and has already taken additional bone samples. Even if the courts judge rules the university doesn't have legal custody of the body, they may still continue the DNA analysis, Ashdown-Hill said.

"This might tell us whether or not Richard III had difficulty in digesting milk, for example," he said. "It might tell us whether his hair was medium brown, light brown or dark brown. But is that really very valuable information?"

Turi King, the University of Leicester geneticist leading the DNA project did not respond to a request for comment; instead, the university sent a statement defending the decision. The study was considered by the ethics committee of the university and the university's college of medicine before approval and is governed by guidelines set by the Church of England and the governmental body English Heritage, according to the University.

"King Richard III is a figure of immense historical and cultural significance, and the information that we hope to obtain from sequencing his genome will provide insights into the health and ancestry of the king and his historical environment," the university statement reads.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/02/26/richard-iii-dna-test-sparks-controversy/

The Phil Naessens Show : The San Antonio Spurs Do Beat Top NBA Teams!

http://phillipnaessens.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/the-phil-naessens-show-the-san-antonio-spurs-do-beat-top-nba-teams/

On this edition of the Phil Naessens Show Zeb Benbrook joins Phil to talk about Jason Collins ten day contract with the Brooklyn Nets, Knicks Point Guard Raymond Felton facing gun charges and look at the Golden State Warriors. Rich Baxter joins Phil to discuss the Philadelphia Phillies and allegations they turned in one of their draft picks to the NCAA and look at the Phillies potential starting lineup. Michael Erler joins Phil to discuss statements George Karl made regarding the possibility Tim Duncan would retire and look at the fallacy that the San Antonio Spurs can’t beat the top NBA teams plus more NBA talk.

History Trivia -

February 26

364 Valentinian I, founder of the Valentinian Dynasty and considered to be the last great Western Emperor, was proclaimed Roman Emperor.

1266 Battle of Benevento was fought between Charles of Anjou and Manfred of Sicily. Charles' victory resulted in the collapse of Hohenstaufen rule in Italy.

1616 Spanish Inquisition delivered an injunction to Galileo.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The Wizard's Cauldron: An Australian Romance: Danielle Belwater - around ...

The Wizard's Cauldron: An Australian Romance: Danielle Belwater - around ...: This week, author Danielle Belwater joins us all the way from Australia. A paranormal romance and YA author, Danielle has just released...

Mr. Chuckles stopped by The Wizard's Cauldron, checking out an Australian country girl

The Great Wizard says:

This week, author Danielle Belwater joins us all the way from Australia.

A paranormal romance and YA author, Danielle has just released her first novel; the beautifully titled and covered, "Of Fire and Roses." Take it from me, she is a delightful person who is a pleasure to interview.

She's just undertaken an endless blog tour and those of you interested in finding out more about blog tours, will be interested in meeting Danielle who has done a passable impression of One Direction's infinite World Tour this past two months. I interrupted Danielle on the Wizphone as she lassoed a bull on her ranch somewhere between the cobalt South Australian Pacific and the golden sands of the outback.

click on the link to read the interview in its entirety:

http://greenwizard62.blogspot.com/2014/02/an-australian-romance-danielle-belwater.html

The Phil Naessens Show: Rip City is Back!

http://phillipnaessens.wordpress.com/2014/02/24/the-phil-naessens-show-rip-city-is-back/

On this edition of the Phil Naessens Show Amar joins Phil to discuss the Utah Jazz, Dave Deckard joins Phil to talk Portland Trailblazers basketball and Amar rejoins the show to take a closer look at the Western Conference seeding plus much more NBA talk.

History Trivia - England's Elizabeth I is declared a heretic by Pope Pius V

February 25

777: Saint Walburga (Anglo-Saxon abbess and saint), patroness of sailors because her prayers calmed a stormy sea, and thereby saving a ship caught in its wake, died.

1570 Elizabeth I was declared a heretic by Pope Pius V.

1601 Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex and former favorite of Elizabeth I, was beheaded in the Tower of London for high treason.

Monday, February 24, 2014

The Phil Naessens Show 2014 NBA Trade Deadline and it’s Fantasy Basketball Impact

http://phillipnaessens.wordpress.com/2014/02/21/the-phil-naessens-show-2014-nba-trade-deadline-recap-plus-spurs-and-thunder-news/

On this edition of the Phil Naessens Show Tom Lewis joins Phil to talk about the impact of the Danny Granger trade, Evan Turner, Pacers legend Slick Leonard finally being inducted into basketball’s Hall of Fame and look ahead to this weeks Indiana Pacers games. Kyle McKeown joins Phil to discuss the NBA Trade Deadline moves and how they impact Fantasy Basketball owners. Joe Mullinax stops in to talk about the growing rivalry with the Los Angeles Clippers, Lionel Hollins griping about the Grizzlies, bad officiating and much more Memphis Grizzlies news.