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Mysterious people

Sun, 04 May 2008 14:39:35 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth
clipper's remarks: who appeared in the village of Woolpit in Suffolk, UK, in the 12th century. The children were brother and sister and they had green colored skin. Their appearance was normal in all other areas. They spoke an unrecognized language and refused to eat anything other than pitch from bean pods. Eventually their skin lost its green color. When they learned English they explained that they were from the ‘Land of St Martin’ which was a dark place because the sun never rose far above the horizon. They claimed that they were tending their father’s herd and followed a river of light when they heard the sounds of bells - finding themselves in Woolpit.Some of the more unusual theories proposed for the origin of the children are that they were Hollow Earth children, parallel dimension children, or Extraterrestrial children.

Clip Source: listverse.com

Top 10 Mysterious People

Over the centuries, history is filled with wonderful tales of mysterious people - many of whom are never identified.

Monsieur Chouchani

nickname of a

Jewish teacher

left a very strong intellectual legacy via his students

The Poe Toaster

nickname given to a

man who pays annual tribute to Poe by visiting his grave every year

started in 1949 - a century are after Poe’s death

Babushka Lady

Kaspar Hauser

Fulcanelli

pseudonym of a late 19th century French Alchemist and author

D. B. Cooper

Comte St Germain

courtier, adventurer, inventor, amateur scientist, violinist, amateur composer, and a mysterious gentleman

also

skills associated with

alchemy

Man in the Iron Mask

died November 1703

was a prisoner held in a number of Jails (including the Bastille) during the reign of King Louis XIV of France

To this day, no one knows who he was.

Gil Pérez

Spanish soldier

suddenly appeared in Mexico City on October 26, 1593

Green Children of Woolpit

were two children

Tags: odd, weird, mystery

The Code of Hammurabi

Sun, 04 May 2008 11:06:12 GMT

clipped by: alanocu
clipper's remarks: Hammurabi (ruled ca. 1796 BC – 1750 BC) believed that he was chosen by the gods to deliver the law to his people.

The Code of Hammurabi was one of several sets of laws in the Ancient Near East.[7][8] Most of these codes come from similar cultures and racial groups in a relatively small geographical area, and they have passages which resemble each other. The earlier Code of Ur-Nammu (21st century BC), the Hittite laws (ca. 1300 BC), and Mosaic Law (traditionally ca. 1400 BC under Moses), all contain statutes that bear at least passing resemblance to those in the Code of Hammurabi and other codices from the same geographic area.

The complete text of Hammurabi's Code of Laws. http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/hammurabi.htm. Quite shocking.

The photographs were taken at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Invictus has a clip on Hammurabi: http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/92611450-2366-40A4-8825-C9287250A843/

Clip Source: viewer.zoho.com

Clip Source: eawc.evansville.edu

195. If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off.

282. If a slave say to his master: "You are not my master," if they convict him his master shall cut off his ear.

Clip Source: viewer.zoho.com

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

The Code of Hammurabi (also known as Codex Hammurabi) is one of the earliest and best preserved law codes from ancient Babylon, created ca. 1760 BC (middle chronology). It was enacted by the sixth Babylonian king, Hammurabi.^[1]

Clip Source: viewer.zoho.com

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

The code is often pointed to as the first example of the legal concept that some laws are so basic as to be beyond the ability of even a king to change. Hammurabi had the laws inscribed in stone, so they were immutable.

Clip Source: viewer.zoho.com

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

The laws are numbered from 1 to 282 (numbers 13 and 66-99 are missing) and are inscribed in Old Babylonian cuneiform script on the eight-foot tall stela

It was discovered in December 1901 in Susa, Elam, which is now Khuzestan, Iran, where it had been taken as plunder by the Elamite king Shutruk-Nahhunte

It is currently on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Clip Source: viewer.zoho.com

Tags: law, babylonia

20 world geography facts that might surprise you

Sun, 04 May 2008 03:19:58 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: by Roger Wade

Clip Source: www.bootsnall.com

Portland, Oregon, where it rarely snows, is about 130 miles further north than Toronto, and over 200 miles further north than Boston.

On France’s southern Mediterranean coast, Cannes, the sunny summer playground of the rich, which is sometimes incorrectly called ‘tropical’, is about 10 miles further north than Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Sydney, Australia

Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Cape Town, and Sydney are each thousands of miles apart and are known for having unusually pleasant year-round climates, and they are all almost identical distances from the Equator.

The 49th Parallel, which makes up the long and straight US/Canada border in the west, is about 120 miles north of Estcourt Station, Maine.

The entire country of England, with over 50 million residents, is a wee bit smaller than the state of Louisiana.

France is about 30% larger than the state of California.

About two-thirds of Africa is in the Northern Hemisphere.

Tags: world, geography, facts.

The birth of a chicken

Sun, 04 May 2008 19:00:47 GMT

clipped by: dakotayii
clipper's remarks: A photo essay from an egg to birth.

Clip Source: fun.ql4.org

Tags: photo

chicks with guns

Sun, 04 May 2008 03:41:05 GMT

clipped by: tanyamm

Clip Source: www.myconfinedspace.com

Rock Balancing

Sat, 03 May 2008 14:09:30 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: www.slightlywarped.com

In what must be an incredible show of patience and preciseness, there are people in this weird world we all share that make a practice of balancing seemingly implacable rocks on top of each other. The result is surreal and quiet beautiful... if for nothing more than its apparent impossibility.

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Clip Source: www.rock-on-rock-on.com

Clip Source: www.westportnow.com

In Pictures: Traditional boxing in Nigeria

Sun, 04 May 2008 00:06:48 GMT

clipped by: alanocu
clipper's remarks: "Most boxers smoke a large amount of cannabis, known in Nigeria as Indian hemp."

“It calms us down and makes us strong,” says Hussaini Maisauki Baki.

"Fighters club together to help pay for any serious injury to be treated, but most use traditional medicine to cure themselves. "

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Dangerous

The men who dedicate their lives to it are wanderers, itinerant labourers in search of fame, or the sons of boxers - born into the ring.

"Dembe", as it is called in Hausa, is exceedingly dangerous. Serious injury, and even death, are a real risk.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Poised to strike

The boxers can stare at each other in this pose for what seems like minutes before striking.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Hammer blow

Dembe fighting is done to the sound of "talking drums", which gets the boxers’ adrenalin going.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Knock him down

The winner is the one that knocks his opponent to the ground.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Sand and blood

Wrapped inside his fist are small animal skin packets containing bird feathers or other charms the boxer believes protect him.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

'No friends'

“but in the ring, there are no friends”.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

'Die in the ring'

“I know that one day I will die in the ring. Or the friends of the man I killed will take their revenge.”

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Defeat

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Victor

Their fame is certainly more than their fortune.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Performance enhancing?

Most boxers smoke a large amount of cannabis,

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

A boxer's wife

Sound The Alarm: Landscapes in Distress Enviro-Exhibit

Sun, 04 May 2008 10:30:26 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth

Clip Source: www.inhabitat.com

This carefully curated photography and painting exhibition at Wavehill’s Glyndor Gallery in the Bronx is strikingly powerful

Set amidst a lush garden estate and thriving cultural center, Sound the Alarm: Landscapes in Distress is proof that ‘interpreting’ nature and our relationship to and with it, is perhaps better understood while in the throes of nature and all its eco-messiness rather than in a gallery’s sleek, sanitized, white box.

features an impressive roster of international photographers who have painstakingly documented the state of our environment - in all is fragility and resilient robustness

Alarming enviro-circumstances from the Artic to the Equator are boldly represented as are man-made imprints like rock quarrying, wildfires, burnt farmland, subterranean coal mines, and peoples displaced by some serious climate shift.

Biomonitors like moss and lichen are also shockingly off-color in the photos displayed

and

communities

seem to be a former charred shadow of their vibrant selves

Clip Source: www.wavehill.org

Tags: environment, green, photography, exhibition

Bodyshock: The Amazing Story behind the 256 Year-Old Man

Sun, 04 May 2008 09:08:12 GMT

clipped by: alanocu
clipper's remarks: "Looking at all of this from a medical and documented perspective: Jeanne Louise Calment, a French woman who died in 1997 so far holds the title for the person who has roamed the earth the longest: 122 years, which is a phenomenal length of time.

That means, that if the records discovered by Wu Chung-chien were accurate, Li Ching-Yun’s age would surpass the official record by more than 130 years. Is this even medically possible?

The detail, which seems to prove both arguments and debunk them at the same time, is Li’s youthful appearance, noted in a 1928 article from the New York Times. Visually and physically, he appeared to look like a typical 60 year-old. Does this therefore signify a superhuman body capable of lasting one quarter of a millennium, or is the story of Li Ching-Yun based on a series of half-truths, lies or exaggerations?"

Clip Source: www.environmentalgraffiti.com

Li Ching-Yun. Image from The People’s Republic of China

According to the 1933 obituaries in both Time Magazine and the New York Times, Li Ching-Yun was reported to have buried 23 wives and fostered 180 descendants by the time he died at the age of 256.

“Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon and sleep like a dog.” These were the words of advice Li gave to Wu Pei-fu, the warlord, who took Li into his house to learn the secret of extremely long life.

Clip Source: thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp

Clip Source: www.environmentalgraffiti.com

By his own admission he was born in 1736 and had lived 197 years. However, in 1930 a professor and dean at Minkuo University by the name of Wu Chung-chien, found records “proving” that Li was born in 1677. Records allegedly showed that the Imperial Chinese Government congratulated him on his 150th and 200th Birthdays.

So the question is, had he forgotten his own birthday? Was this even the same Li Ching-Yun?

Unfortunately, we may never know. You may draw your own logical conclusions.

Sources: 1, 2, 3,

Why men think with their ...

Sat, 03 May 2008 12:21:49 GMT

clipped by: Djiezes

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

Evidence that Men Think With Their Junk

Us dudes are always accused of thinking with our dicks. Perhaps it's because the genes expressed in our brains are similar to those expressed in our 'nads:

Among the 17 tissues, the highest similarity in gene expression patterns was between human brain and testis, based on DDD and clustering analysis. Genes contributing to the similarity include ribosomal protein (RP) genes as well as genes involved in transcription, translation and cell division.

Tags: science, paper, brains, genes, evolution

Aurora Season

Sun, 04 May 2008 10:04:06 GMT

clipped by: Lubaska

Clip Source: www.nasa.gov

Spring is Aurora Season

What are the signs of spring? They are as familiar as a blooming daffodil, a songbird at dawn, a surprising shaft of warmth from the afternoon sun. And, oh yes, don’t forget the aurora borealis. Spring is aurora season. For reasons not fully understood by scientists, the weeks around the vernal equinox are prone to Northern Lights. Canadians walking their dogs after dinner, Scandinavians popping out to the sauna, Alaskan Huskies on the Iditarod trail -- all they have to do is look up and behold, green curtains of light dancing across the night sky. Spring has arrived!

Auroras are much more than just pretty lights in the sky. Underlying each display is a potent geomagnetic storm with possible side-effects ranging from satellite malfunctions in orbit to power outages on terra firma. Telecommunications, air traffic, power grids and GPS systems are all vulnerable. In a society that relies increasingly on space technology, understanding these storms is vital.

Clip Source: www.nasa.gov

Tags: spring, aurora, nasa

Cities at Night: View from Space

Sun, 04 May 2008 09:54:07 GMT

clipped by: Lubaska

Clip Source: earthobservatory.nasa.gov

Looking east from a location southwest of Ireland, an astronaut took this nighttime panorama of population centers in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Image ISS016-E-27034 was taken on February 1, 2008, using a 28 mm lens.

what about humanity’s signature footprint—cities? By day, cities viewed from space can blend into the countryside, or appear as gray smudges, depending on the style of development and size of the urban area.

Orange sodium vapor lights illuminate the port facilities of Long Beach, California, supporting the round-the-clock operations of one of the world’s busiest commercial cargo ports. Image ISS016-E-27162 was taken on February 4, 2008, using the 400 mm lens, providing superior resolution.

The “Vegas Strip” of casinos and hotels—reputed to be the brightest spot on Earth

The streets of Denver, Colorado, are aligned with the cardinal directions

night lights of Tokyo, Japan, have a blue-green glow that comes from mercury vapor lighting

Clip Source: earthobservatory.nasa.gov

Tags: nasa, cities, space, lighs

The art of sandwich making

Sun, 04 May 2008 07:47:43 GMT

clipped by: valann 47

Clip Source: bestpicsaround.com

" The Art of Sandwich Making "

Tags: food, sandwich, funny

Temple of the Dog

Sun, 04 May 2008 07:01:31 GMT

clipped by: alanocu
clipper's remarks: "These habitats bark exclusivity, class, elegance and comfort. Consecrated, like an ancient times, when they were considered cult objects: the Assyrian and Egyptians embalmed them after death; and the Chinese, the Incas and Maya took special care of them. The symbol, DOG IS A GOD, underlines this rediscovered divinity, where man is no longer superior or equal..." [sic]

Clip Source: design42day.com

Outstanding guests. In families where they fall prey to wild canine prophets, in families where they seek sanctuary in absolutely essential affectations, in excessively indulgent families, they are ready to swear their best friendship. They are primitive gods, affectionate and sentimental, now living on a human scale that we've created.

Clip Source: viewer.zoho.com

Inside a Tsunami Factory

Sun, 04 May 2008 02:26:58 GMT

clipped by: alanocu
clipper's remarks: Image shows travel times of Pacific tsunamis originating from earthquakes off Chile and Alaska.

Last year aboard the vessel Chikyu, a Japanese science vessel, researchers took 3D seismic images of the faultzone, the point where the North American plate is subsiding with the Filipino plate. The images they retrieved helped the researchers to pick the best spot to drill. However, in their imaging, they also managed to discover new steeper faults in the rock. Tthese near-vertical faults could be the reason why the Nankai Trough produces approximately one 8+ earthquake every 150 years.

Clip Source: viewer.zoho.com

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Known as the Nankai Trough, the 500 mile long boundary between a pair of tectonic plates off the southwestern coast of Japan is now the focus of intense scientific attention.

Clip Source: viewer.zoho.com

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

the Nankai Trough has produced tsunami after tsunami

scientists involved in the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment hope to find out just what makes it work

Clip Source: viewer.zoho.com

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Answers are likely to filter in over the next four years, as scientists drill some 20,000 feet in to the rock below the surface of the sea.

They will then drop seismometers and other varying instruments in to the holes that will allow them to monitor the fault in real time.

Clip Source: viewer.zoho.com

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

The drilling process begins with the Chikyu lowering a 20-inch wide, 1,000-foot tall segmented pipe over the drilling target. The ship will then drop a 12-inch wide drill bit down through the pipe, while simultaneously fluid will be pumped through the pipe to help with friction. The fluid will also carry any rock and debris that is churned up in the drilling process to the surface.

Clip Source: viewer.zoho.com