• Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond books, worked for British Naval Intelligence during World War II. Sometimes, he would take a captured German U-boat captain to lunch at his favorite London restaurant and attempt to become friendly in an effort to pick up some scraps of information not yet known to British Naval Intelligence. During one meal, the waiter overheard Mr. Fleming and his guest talking in German about shipping, so the waiter called Scotland Yard. Mr. Fleming and his guest were arrested, and it was some time before Mr. Fleming could convince Scotland Yard that he was not a German spy.
• During an oral test in Divinity, Oxford College, Oscar Wilde was asked to translate out loud a passage from the Greek New Testament. The passage described Christ’s Passion and Mr. Wilde translated quickly and fluently. After a number of verses, the Chairman of the Examination Committee told him he could stop, but Mr. Wilde said that he wanted to continue, saying, “Oh, do let me go on. I want to see how it finishes.”
• Mark Twain believed that vigorous cussing was one of the greatest joys of life; unfortunately, his wife, Livy, disagreed. One morning, Mr. Twain cut himself while shaving, so he vigorously shouted a long stream of cuss words. Livy, in an attempt to shock him, calmly repeated each word he had said. Mr. Twain smiled at his wife, then said, “You know the words, dear Livy, but you don’t know the tune.”
• In the first half of the 20th century, John Kieran, a New York Times sports columnist, was invited to a forum at an Ivy League university, where some of the students criticized Mr. Kieran’s school, Fordham, because it provided its graduates with what they considered a less-than-ideal classical education. Mr. Kieran responded by rising and speaking in defense of Fordham — in Latin.
• Mark Twain wrote in Innocents Abroad that when he was in Paris, he fell into the trap of thinking that no one around him could speak English. He told a friend, “Dan, just look at this girl, how beautiful she is!” The “girl” turned to him and said, “I thank you more for the evident sincerity of the compliment, sir, than for the extraordinary publicity you have given to it!”
• Investigative reporter I.F. Stone was very interested in studying the Greek and Latin classics in the original languages. Once he was asked whether he would be able to communicate with Pericles, if the ancient Greek political leader should miraculously come back. “Sure,” Mr. Stone replied, “if he spoke Yiddish.”
• As a child growing up in Edwight, West Virginia, Mary Carter Smith used to compete in cussing contests. Because she was so good with language, she always won. As an adult, she put her love of language to a much more socially acceptable use as an African-American griot (storyteller).
• While in the apartment of poet and Latinist A.E. Housman, Cyril Clemens picked up a copy of an edition of the Roman poet Manilius. When he did so, several pages from the back of the book fell to the floor — obviously, Mr. Housman had made much use of this book.
• Dr. Samuel Johnson, the author of the first comprehensive English dictionary and thus a man who knew the definitions of words, apparently had bad personal hygiene habits. Once a woman told him, “You smell.” Dr. Johnson replied, “You smell; I stink.”
• Author Mordecai Richler tells a story about being in Barcelona in 1951, where he saw a Joel McCrea western movie which had been dubbed. In the movie, Mr. McCrea moseyed up to a bar in a Tombstone saloon and ordered, “Uno cognac, por favor.”
Invented in 1963 by British entrepreneur Edward Craven Walker, this item consists of colored wax and liquid in a glass vessel, and exploits surface tension with a light bulb. Available in a variety of styles and colors, what is the name of this lovely novelty in the US?
This song about a goddess by a Dutch rock band reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 7 February 1970, and again in 1986 when it was recorded by an English girl group. What is the title of this chart topping song?
"Venus" is a song by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, initially released as a single in the Netherlands in the summer of 1969. Written by Robbie van Leeuwen, the song topped the charts in nine countries. In 1981, it was used to open the "Stars on 45" medley. In 1986, English girl group Bananarama covered "Venus" for their third studio album, True Confessions, reaching number one in six countries. The composition has been featured in numerous films, television shows and commercials, and covered dozens of times by artists around the world.
"Venus" was issued in the Netherlands in July 1969 as a single, backed with "Hot Sand", on the Pink Elephant label. The song peaked at number three on the Dutch Top 40 on 12 July 1969, and remained at that position for a total of five weeks. Later that year, "Venus" was issued in several European countries and other worldwide nations. In the United States, "Venus" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 7 February 1970. On 28 January 1970, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of one million copies in the United States. Worldwide, the single has sold over 7.5 million copies.
"Venus" had been a part of Bananarama's repertoire for several years before they actually recorded it. The group's three members, Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward, had the idea of turning the song into a dance music tune, but they were met with resistance from their producers at the time, Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. Bananarama brought the idea to the production trio of Stock Aitken Waterman, and it became Bananarama's first collaboration with them.
Dallin, Fahey, and Woodward had nearly completed recording their third studio album, True Confessions, with Jolley and Swain. Stock, Aitken and Waterman also resisted the idea because they believed that "Venus" would not make a good dance record. After persistence by the women, SAW relented. Bananarama's "Venus" peaked at number one in the United States, Australia, Finland, New Zealand, Switzerland, and South Africa, while reaching number two in Germany and the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and their native United Kingdom (number eight on the UK Singles Chart). It also topped the US Hot Dance/Disco chart for two weeks.
Source
Kevin in Washington DC said:
“Venus” was her name.
Alan J answered:
Venus.
mj replied:
Once considered Earth's "twin"
Venus was the song.
Dave responded:
Venus. I recall the song, but not the band Shocking Blue (active 1967-1974). Shocking Blue might be considered a One Hit Wonder, but they had songs that charted in Europe in various languages and sold a few million records. The English girl group Bananarama cover brought the song back to the top of the US charts. Bananarama is still working, although the 2 remaining ‘girls’ are about 60. Some people can’t get enough of ‘80s pop, although I’m not one of them.
Cal in Vermont wrote:
Venus by Shocking Blue as sung by Mariska Veres.
David of Moon Valley wrote:
ah'm a guessin'...
Venus by the Shocking Blue…
sky here in the Valley of the Moon at 9 in the AM is actually ochre….look it up…it’s not pleasing to be thinking that that is what we’re breathing around here…to paraphrase The Great John Lee Hooker by way of George Thorogood : 'one mask ain’t enough, Jack, better make it three...'
Billy in Cypress U. $. A. said:
"Venus"
Deborah, the Master Gardener answered:
That’s got to be “Venus” by Shocking Blue, and later by Bananarama. I don’t recall all the lyrics but I can hum the tune.
The drift smoke from the fires near Chico are otherworldly: at 8 a.m. it was as dark as dusk. It’s eerily silent and ash is collecting on the streets like a light snow. What an unusual time to be alive.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, responded:
Venus by Shocking Blue and Bananarama
DJ Useo replied:
“Venus” is it’s name. A real pop gem, innit? I have that album.
I always liked that song, but I especially like this cover version by Nervus Rex, which I also had on vinyl.
George M. said:
If my memory serves me correctly - which it does - the song in question is "Venus".
The first edition was recorded and performed by the Dutch rock group the Shocking Blue; this is the version which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970.
The later version in the Eighties was recorded and performed by the British all-girl group Bananarama.
Rosemary in Columbus wrote:
Venus
Barbara, of Peppy Tech fame answered:
The answer is "Venus."
Mac Mac took the day off.
Dave in Tucson took the day off.
Daniel in The City took the day off.
Joe ( -- Vote Blue, No Matter Who -- ) took the day off.
Roy, the Libtard Snowflake, livin' the hermit life in Tyler, TX took the day off.
Stephen F took the day off.
Kenn B took the day off.
John I from Hawai`i took the day off.
Michelle in AZ took the day off.
Doug in Albuquerque, New Mexico, took the day off.
-pgw took the day off.
Gary K took the day off.
Leo in Boise took the day off.
Harry M. took the day off.
Roy the (now retired) hoghead (aka 'hoghed') ( Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid. ~Frank Zappa ) took the day off.
Ed K took the day off.
DAngelo took the day off.
Jon L took the day off.
Saskplanner took the day off.
Gateway Mike took the day off.
Steve in Wonderful Sacramento, CA, took the day off.
MarilynofTC took the day off.
Paul of Seattle took the day off.
Brian S. took the day off.
Gene took the day off.
Tony K. took the day off.
Noel S. took the day off.
James of Alhambra took the day off.
BttbBob has returned to semi-retired status.
~~~~~
Both “Take Me to the River” and “Let’s Stay Together” have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Al Green Wikipedia Article
Hi Records is the premier Memphis Soul Record Label of the 1970's and home to Al Green, Ann Peebles, Syl Johnson, Otis Clay, Willie Mitchell, and more.
Price: $1 (USD) for track; $20 (USD) for 57-track album
I ran across this FB post today and thought it was missing a few things, so I added my own.
Billy in Cypress U. $. A.
FACEBOOK POST: (with comments added)
Whoever wrote this I agree to the max.
I don’t know who wrote this but SOMEONE FINALLY put into words what many have been thinking and I couldn't agree more!
I agree that these platitudes are nice, but there is more ”reality” that is never mentioned or just ignored, i.e. two or more sides to every story, thought, life, etc.
I’m sick of covid-19.
I agree, but it takes more than that “feeling” to eliminate the problem and that takes time, money, leadership, science, etc.
I’m sick of black vs. white.
And, I am sick of white people killing black people, husbands killing wives, crazy people killing children in schools or homes or anywhere at any time, or anyone killing anyone. However, I do not object to people killing themselves if that will prevent the former actions.
I’m sick of Democrats vs. Republicans.
I’m sick of Republicans vs. Democrats.
Real problems require real solutions.
I’m REALLY sick of the media.
Where will you get your information? You must be able to listen, evaluate stories you hear, see, and read. We do not live in a vacuum. We must be able to decide what is true, what is false, what is neither/both, what we think, what we do not know, what we think we know, what others think, …
I’m sick of the language being used and plastered all over the media...
We must decide what we believe: lies, truths, unknowns, … Why do we feel that way? Are our truths, feelings, experiences, or thoughts the only things that exist in this world?
I’m sick of no one being allowed to think what they want & feel what they do without offending someone.
But, this statement contradicts itself.
I am sick of the people who are out there jumping on the bandwagon to protest just to cause mass confusion and more hatred and to riot, loot, and destroy...
Do you know that this is true, or is it just what you believe? Did you ask the people at the Boston Tea Party? This statement needs more details of specific cases not blanket condemnation.
I am sick of blaming the world for the sins of a few.
Who are YOU blaming? "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:1-59
We’re one race - the human race.
Amen! And the question is this: “Is everyone in the one race equal and treated equally?” Do you believe that or just talk about it?
You want to support Trump? You do it! It’s your choice.
You want to support Biden? Fine... also your choice!
There are always more than two choices, if you look for them.
You want to support Biden? You do it! It’s your choice.
You want to support Trump? Fine... also your choice!
You want to support anyone/no-one else? Great choice!
You want to believe in God? Okay, believe in God. He really is the way but I’ll leave that up to you.
You want to believe in magical creatures that fly around & sprinkle fairy dust to make life better? Awesome... you do it!!
But, your feeling/thoughts sound rather condescending to billions of people. Did God create man in God’s image or did man create God in man’s image?
BUT how about being mature enough to be able to deal with the fact that everyone doesn’t have the same exact mind-set as you. Having our own minds is what makes us all individuals and beautiful. If you can’t handle that fact....I’m sorry!! I don’t have to agree with everything you believe in AND you don’t have to agree with me. We’re all entitled to our own opinions.
The words sound okay, but you have not convinced me that you believe those words.
So be a decent human being.
Or is it: “Be a decent human being as I think you should be, not as you are.”???
And no negative comments.. don't need them and not asking for them. You don't like it keep scrolling... It's that easy!!!!
Life is full of truths, lies, unknowns, endless possibilities. Some are “positive”, some are “negative”, some are “ignored”. What was once negative, might now be positive, or something else entirely. Things change, but life is not easy and platitudes do not solve real problems.
Unfortunately, despite the RNC laying turf over it (the Rose Garden), the new grass was damaged anyway by the chairs and AV equipment erected to pipe Melon's forgettable murmurings to a bored nation, as CNN was first to note.
On the South Lawn where Trump gave his interminable acceptance speech, the damage was even more extensive. The thin layer of protective turf draped across the grass was no match for a heavy stage, massive speakers, and huge screens flanking the 1,500 chairs crammed close together for maximum droplet density.
And mystery solved as to why Predator is being DRIVEN to Andrews instead of taking the more usual helicopter:
Trump's crack comms team thought that reporters who've worked at the White House for years just wouldn't notice that they were being parked on Pennsylvania Avenue? They'd just think the president felt like driving to Andrews Air Force Base instead of taking Marine One, which can't land on the South Lawn until the new sod is in?
While we're miles from any fires, the sky was overcast and what sun filtered through cast a weird dull brown/orange-ish light.
Tonight, Thursday:
CBS opens the night with a FRESH'Big Brother', followed by a FRESH'Love Island', then TBA.
On a RERUNStephen Colbert (from 8/17/20) are Susan Rice and Sheryl Crow.
Scheduled on a FRESHJames Corden, OBE, are Usher and Joan Jett.
NBC fills the night with LIVE'NFL Football', then pads the left coast with local crap and maybe an old 'Dateline'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Fallon is Miley Cyrus.
Scheduled on a FRESHSeth Meyers are Michael Cohen and Sheryl Crow.
On a RERUNLilly Singh (from 3/31/20) are Natalya Neidhart, and Paige & Alexa Bliss.
ABC starts the night with a FRESH'Holey Moley', followed by another FRESH'Holey Moley', then a FRESH'Shark Attack: The Paige Winter Story With Robin Roberts'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel, with guest host John Legend, is DJ Khaled.
The CW offers a FRESH'Mysteries Decoded', followed by a RERUN'Penn & Teller: FU'.
Faux has a RERUN'Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours To Hell & Back', followed by a RERUN'Last Man Standing', then another RERUN'Last Man Standing'.
MY recycles an old 'L&O: CI', followed by another old 'L&O: CI'.
AMC offers the movie 'Titanic', followed by the movie 'Titanic', again.
BBC -
[6:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - TIME'S ORPHAN
[7:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - THE SOUND OF HER VOICE
[8:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - TEARS OF THE PROPHETS
[9:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - IMAGE IN THE SAND
[10:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - SHADOWS AND SYMBOLS
[11:00AM] STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - AFTERIMAGE
[12:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - UNNATURAL SELECTION
[1:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - A MATTER OF HONOR
[2:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - THE MEASURE OF A MAN
[3:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - THE DAUPHIN
[4:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - CONTAGION
[5:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - THE ROYALE
[6:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - TIME SQUARED
[7:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - THE ICARUS FACTOR
[8:00PM] FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF
[10:30PM] NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION
[12:30AM] FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF
[3:00AM] NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION
[5:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - THE ICARUS FACTOR (ALL TIMES ET)
Bravo has 'Real Housewives Of NYC', followed by a FRESH'Real Housewives Of NYC', then another FRESH'Real Housewives Of NYC', followed by a FRESH'Watch What Happens Live'.
Comedy Central has all old 'The Office' all night.
Scheduled on a FRESHThe Daily Show it's The Daily Social Distancing Show.
FX has the movie 'Ted 2', followed by the movie 'The Equalizer'.
IFC -
[6:00am] Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet - Experiment 1202: Atlantic Rim
[7:45am] The Shining
[11:00am] Event Horizon
[1:15pm] Pitch Black
[3:30pm] The November Man
[6:00pm] Two And A Half Men
[6:30pm] Two And A Half Men
[7:00pm] Two And A Half Men
[7:30pm] Two And A Half Men
[8:00pm] Two And A Half Men
[8:30pm] Two And A Half Men
[9:00pm] Two And A Half Men
[9:30pm] Two And A Half Men
[10:00pm] Two And A Half Men
[10:30pm] Two And A Half Men
[11:00pm] Two And A Half Men
[11:30pm] Two And A Half Men
[12:00am] Two And A Half Men
[12:30am] Two And A Half Men
[1:00am] Full Metal Jacket
[1:30am] Parks And Recreation
[2:00am] Parks And Recreation
[2:30am] Parks And Recreation
[3:45am] Grindhouse Presents: Planet Terror
[4:00am] Piranha 3D (ALL TIMES ET)
Sundance -
[6:00am] perry mason
[7:00am] perry mason
[8:00am] perry mason
[9:00am] the andy griffith show
[9:30am] the andy griffith show
[10:00am] the andy griffith show
[10:30am] the andy griffith show
[11:00am] the andy griffith show
[11:30am] the andy griffith show
[12:00pm] the andy griffith show
[12:30pm] the andy griffith show
[1:00pm] law & order
[2:00pm] law & order
[3:00pm] law & order
[4:00pm] law & order
[5:00pm] law & order
[6:00pm] law & order
[7:00pm] law & order
[8:00pm] law & order
[9:00pm] law & order
[10:00pm] law & order
[11:00pm] law & order
[12:00am] law & order
[1:00am] law & order
[2:00am] the preppy murder: death in central park - Parts 1 & 2: Woman Down In Central Park; Rough Sex
[4:00am] perry mason
[5:00am] perry mason (ALL TIMES ET)
SyFy has the movie 'Taken 2', followed by the movie 'Tomb Raider'.
With less than two months to go until the presidential election, Pearl Jam are stepping up their efforts to engage fans in the process with the announcement of PJ Votes 2020. A big part of the initiative involves asking their audience to accept the Take-Three Pledge of “Vote by Mail,” “Recruit Three Friends” and “Don’t Wait.”
“It’s about reminding people that their voice matters and their voice can make a big difference,” says Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament. “Like a lot of things, if you find out that your good friends are doing something, you become more curious about it and more invested in it. What we found with voting is that when people you’re living with or your family or your best friends are voting, then you tend to vote as well.”
The band originally planned to spend 2020 on the road supporting their new album Gigaton, which would have given them a platform to expound their message from the stage and register fans at venues. “The last leg of that tour was supposed to be right around now in St. Paul,” says Ament. “We hand-picked a handful of states we thought were important to visit in middle of this and support candidates that we believe in in those states.
“In lieu of not being on tour and not being able to play Madison, Wisconsin and Milwaukee and Ohio and Pittsburgh and Philadelphia,” he continues, “these places we were really looking forward to going, we’re just going to reach out to people in these places and try to support some of these groups we really care about and just try to get people out to vote.”
In addition to the Take-Three Pledge initiative, the band is also partnering with leading national organizations like People For the American Way, the League of Conservation Voters as well as select regional organizations like Make the Road Pennsylvania to promote voting by mail. (Head to www.pearljam.com for more info or or text PJVotes to 52886.)
Verzuz will feature its two most iconic artists yet when Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle square off on the quarantine-era song battle show. Brandy and Monica duked it out on the last Verzuz stream.
Knight and LaBelle’s match-up will air on Sunday, September 13th simultaneously via the Verzuz Instagram Live and Apple Music at 8 p.m. EST. The legends will be on stage together at Philadelphia venue the Fillmore.
“The Master Class we’ve ALL been waiting for! Y’all gotta get dressed up in ya Sunday’s best for this classic affair,” read the caption in the Verzuz announcement. “Leave ya church clothes on all Sunday and pull up to the affair of all affairs.”
Launched by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland back in March, Verzuz has become a popular series as people shelter in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the early months of quarantine, various rappers, singers, producers and songwriters squared off remotely and cycled through multiple rounds of playing their hits, deep cuts and fan favorites. No winner is officially crowned during the telecast, although the thousands of viewers who tune in often crown their own winner on social media in the days following. Since partnering with Apple Music in July, the production has now moved to venues.
Ryan Reynolds has (sort of) resurrected the on-screen career of a beloved Hollywood icon.
In a new commercial for the launch of Mint Mobile's unlimited plan, the Deadpool actor welcomes Little Shop of Horrors and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids star Rick Moranis back to the screen following a two-decade hiatus.
"So, what do you want me to do? You want me to say something about Mint?" Moranis asks after Reynolds introduces him. "I've really got to get a phone."
Reynolds later admits he simply brought Moranis into the fold because he's "a huge fan." The two share an awkward stare before Moranis promptly exits.
Hilary Swank has filed a lawsuit against the trustees of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan, asking a federal judge to order the trustees to resume coverage of her treatment for recurrent malignant ovarian cysts, which have afflicted the two-time Oscar-winning actress for more than 11 years.
Her lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, says that beginning in 2009, she submitted claims to the plan’s precursor – the SAG Health Plan – for treatment of ovarian cysts, which the trustees initially denied but later agreed to cover. “However, in 2015, the Trustees reversed course and stopped allowing Swank’s claims for treatment of ovarian cysts. It also just so happened that around the same time as when the Trustees no longer agreed to allow Swank’s claims, Swank was undergoing procedures to preserve her ability to conceive in the future. Seizing upon Swank’s choice to keep her options open, the Trustees pointed to an exclusion in the Plan for ‘infertility treatment,’ relying on the notion that the only purpose of preserving the health of an ovary is to procreate.”
“This matter addresses the shockingly antiquated question of whether the sole purpose of a woman, and specifically her ovaries, is to procreate,” says the lawsuit (read it here). “When faced with a claim for insurance benefits for the medically necessary treatment of ovarian cysts and endometriosis, the Trustees answered ‘yes,’ determining that there could be no possible reason to treat those conditions other than for the purpose of trying to conceive.”
“Despite Swank’s, and her board-certified doctors’ insistence that she was not seeking coverage for fertility treatment, but only for treatment for her ovarian cysts, the Trustees dug in their heels,” the suit states. “The Trustees repeatedly said that there was no medically necessary reason to treat or monitor ovarian cysts other than for ‘infertility treatment.’”
This action is brought, the suit says, “for the purpose of obtaining benefits under the terms of an employee benefit plan; to clarify and enforce Swank’s past, present and future rights to benefits under an employee benefit plan; and to obtain other equitable relief, including an declaration that the Trustees must qualify Swank for the future receipt of benefits related to the treatment of ovarian cysts and endometriosis and to pay Swank benefits to which she is entitled; for pre-judgment and post-judgment interest; and for attorneys’ fees and costs.”
The US attorney general, William Barr (R-Compromised), has described white police brutality towards unarmed black Americans as a “false narrative”.
Those comments come amid national turmoil over the police shootings of George Floyd and Jacob Blake, two unarmed black men whose stories have provoked widespread anger and accusations about systemic racism across the US.
Mr Barr downplayed the suggestion that police departments were plagued by racism, saying on Wednesday there was not an “epidemic of cops shooting unarmed black men.”
“I think the narrative that the police are on some epidemic of shooting unarmed black men is simply a false narrative,” he told CNN.
Mr Barr also misinterpreted statistics on police shootings, saying that “it’s very rare” for black Americans to be shot.
"Zombie" wildfires that were smoldering beneath the Arctic ice all winter suddenly flared to life this summer when the snow and ice above it melted, new monitoring data reveals.
And this year has been the worst for Arctic wildfires on record, since reliable monitoring began 17 years ago. Arctic fires this summer released as much carbon in the first half of July than a nation the size of Cuba or Tunisia does in a year.
That's according to monitoring by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, the European Union's Earth-monitoring organization. More than 100 fires have burned across the Arctic since early June, according to Copernicus. "Obviously it's concerning," Copernicus senior scientist Mark Parrington told the BBC. "We really hadn't expected to see these levels of wildfires yet."
The "zombie fires" tracked by Copernicus were likely smoldering beneath the ice and snow in the carbon-rich peat of the Arctic tundra. When the ice and snow melt, these hotspots can ignite new wildfires in the vegetation above.
Siberia wasn't the only wildfire hotspot in the Arctic this summer. Northern Alberta, Canada has also been particularly impacted. The Chuckegg Creek Fire in northern Alberta, for example, burned more than 1,351 square miles (350,134 hectares) and took three months to contain, according to Global News Canada.
The high Andes mountains of Peru are a hummingbird’s paradise, rich in wildflower nectar and low in predators. But there’s one problem: the cold.
Nighttime temperatures often dip below freezing in these rainy tropical highlands. How does a six-gram bird that needs nectar from 500 flowers a day just to survive get enough extra energy to keep itself warm all night?
It doesn’t.
Instead, as temperatures drop with the sun, these hummingbirds enter a state of suspended animation known as torpor. One species, the black metaltail (Metallura phoebe), chills to 3.26° Celsius, the coldest body temperature ever recorded in a bird or non-hibernating mammal, researchers report September 9 in Biology Letters.
“They’re cold as a rock,” says Blair Wolf, a physiological ecologist at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. “If you didn’t know better you’d think they were dead.” Cooling to near-death temperatures lets the hummingbirds save precious energy, allowing them to survive the cold night and gear up to feed the next day, Wolf says.
A series of 2,200-year-old Chinese texts, written on silk and found buried in ancient tombs, contain the oldest surviving anatomical atlas, scientists say.
The texts were discovered in the 1970s within tombs at the site of Mawangdui in south-central China. The tombs belonged to Marquis Dai, his wife Lady Dai and their son. The texts are challenging to understand, and they use the term "meridian" to refer to parts of the human body. In a paper recently published Sept. 1 in the journal The Anatomical Record, a research team led by Vivien Shaw, an anatomy lecturer at Bangor University in Wales in the United Kingdom, argues that these texts "are the oldest surviving anatomical atlas in the world."
Additionally the texts "both predate and inform the later acupuncture texts, which have been the foundation for acupuncture practice in the subsequent two millennia," the researchers wrote in the study. The find "challenges the widespread belief that there is no scientific foundation for the 'anatomy of acupuncture,' by showing that the earliest physicians writing about acupuncture were in fact writing about the physical body," they added.
The texts, which are written in Chinese characters, are difficult to understand. "The skills necessary to interpret them are diverse, requiring the researcher firstly to read the original Chinese, and secondly to perform the anatomical investigations that allow a re-viewing of the structures that the texts refer to," the researchers wrote in the paper.
But if the texts are read carefully, it can be seen that the "meridians" refer to parts of the human body. For example, the text says (in translation) that one meridian starts "in the center of the palm, goes along the forearm between the two bones following straight along the tendons, travels below the sinew into the bicep, to the armpit, and connects with the heart." The researchers contend that this description of a "meridian" actually refers to the path of the ulnar artery, the main blood vessel of the forearm.
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Do you have something to say?
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better, amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican hypocrites?
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
