Doomsday Clock ticks 30 seconds closer to midnight

Citing a rise in global nationalism and humanity’s failure to confront nuclear weapons and climate change, scientists today pushed the infamous Doomsday Clock 30 seconds closer to midnight—the symbolic moment humankind is supposed to annihilate itself. That pushes the planet from 3 minutes to destruction to a mere 2.5. Since the clock was launched in 1947, this is the closest we’ve come to the brink since 1953, when the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) moved the hand 2 minutes to midnight following the first testing of a hydrogen bomb.

One of the biggest reasons for the move, wrote BAS scientists in an op-ed in The New York Times, was the ascent of U.S. President Donald Trump: “Never before has the Bulletin decided to advance the clock largely because of the statements of a single person,” they wrote. “But Mr. Trump’s statements and actions have been unsettling.”

Those include comments about the use of nuclear weapons during his campaign as well as during his transition to the White House. In a tweet in December 2016, Trump wrote, “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.” Politico reported he has since given mixed responses regarding the notion, saying “there is not going to be an arms race” but also noting -read more

Saturday is not for fighting.

No not a elton john reference but how in the form of karate i do i have too now and again do kumite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumite or randori -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randori-both which i do at gesar karate in holworhty as part of sports karate .I am not really a fighter and find it hard when we need to do as i dislike violence and i am not very good in a honest opinion of my self .So why do you practise you may ask well- http://www.willingtonkarateclub.org/articles/7reasons.html-i enjoy learning how to push myself.

The 'almost human' gorilla who drank tea and went to school

John Daniel was no ordinary gorilla. For starters, he was called John Daniel. And he had his own bedroom, drank tea and cider, and could purportedly do his own washing up.

The extraordinary tale of the village that adopted its very own gorilla a century ago is told in a new local history book by a Gloucestershire historian.

Margaret Groom, an archivist at the Uley Society, unearthed a collection of photographs of John, which have been published in her book about the village’s history.The book recounts how villagers in Uley adopted the lowland gorilla after he was captured in Gabon by French soldiers who shot his parents. In 1917, he was spotted for sale in a London department store by Uley resident Maj Rupert Penny, who paid £300 (about £20,000 in today’s money), and named him John Daniel.

Penny’s sister, Alyce Cunningham, raised John as a human boy in the village and used to send John on regular walks with the children of Uley junior school, according to Groom.-READ MORE

Roman buildings found under Chichester park

Ground-penetrating radar scans of a park in Chichester city centre have revealed three near-complete Roman buildings.

Moving images of one scan have shown a large part of a townhouse with walls and floors and a freestanding building nearby.

Archaeologists were left stunned by their "remarkable degree of preservation", Chichester District Council said.

Further exploration will take place this year.see video

The Battle of Torrington, 1646

During the final months of 1645, General Fairfax and the New Model Army advanced slowly into the south-west of England. The Prince of Wales, Captain-General of the West, had withdrawn to Exeter after Lord Goring's defeat at Langport in July. As Fairfax began his advance into Devon in October 1645, the Prince moved further west to Truro in the loyal county of Cornwall where the Prince's Council struggled to hold the demoralised western army together. In early November, Lord Goring himself abandoned the Prince and fled to France.

In mid-October, Fairfax advanced to Tiverton and quickly overran the town. The Royalist garrison of 250 men took refuge in the castle. Parliamentarian siege guns proceeded to bombard the castle until, on 20 October, a lucky shot broke the chains holding up the drawbridge and the garrison promptly surrendered. With forces blockading the Royalist stronghold of Exeter, Fairfax's army quartered around Tiverton and Crediton. Lieutenant-General Cromwell arrived from his campaign in southern England on 24 October to bring the New Model Army back up to full strength.-read more

HISTORY OF VALENTINE’S DAY

Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from? Find out about the history of this centuries-old holiday, from ancient Roman rituals to the customs of Victorian England.

THE LEGEND OF ST. VALENTINE

The history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?

Did You Know?

Approximately 150 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.-read more

Polar bear gets fireman help.

For a dental examination Victor-18 year old ,80 stone polar bear and u.k s  oldest required the help of firefighters .The firefighters had the specialist  equipment to allow dentist to check a discoloured tooth and vets to x-ray and take blood samples for testing,Yorkshire wildlife park,donchester.

Badger -otter fossils found.

Fossils found in China were of badger-otter the size of wolves that roamed earth  6 million years ago.

V.C Found.

A medal found by an amateur treasure hunter may have belonged to Private John Byre who served in the Crimean War .The medal in question is a Victoria cross  and was 1 of 16 awarded after the Battle of Inkerman -november 5th 1854 and 1 of 2 inkerman v.c,s still unaccounted for .The problem is the v.c has date of battle but not recipients name on a suspender bar which is missing.

Betty the pole cat rescued after spending a whole DAY stuck on top of a pylon

A terrified cat was finally rescued after spending a whole day stuck on top of a 30ft electricity pole.

A whole street had to have their power switched off so that firefighters could stage the rescue operation.

Betty the black and white moggy managed to scale the wooden structure but found herself stranded on the top and unable to get back down.

The electricity pole was at the bottom of a neighbour’s garden and it took a full rescue crew, electricity supply workers and an RSPCA officer to carry out the rescue on Friday.

The lovable cat was stuck up the pole for 24 hours and only rescued after neighbours heard her cries for help.

Utility firm Western Power Distribution switched off the power supply to the whole street in Cam, Gloucestershire., as a precaution-read more

Britain's first NAKED workout classes launched by personal trainer

A personal trainer has launched the UK's first ever nude workout classes.

Ten participants bared all to take part in the first Nude-ercise class on Saturday night.

Former recruitment consultant Helen Smith, 35, led the circuits-style workout, which included jumping-jacks, sit-ups, push-ups and partner work.

The hour-long class, which costs £8, is described as "gentle boot-camp style exercise with partner games and teamwork" suitable for all fitness levels.

People aged between 33 and 70-years-old to part in the first class in Southampton, Hants., but Helen welcomes adults of all ages to try the activity-read more

Moths instead of mice .

I do not think this is a good news as dislike animal experiment and do not understand why still required.Scientists are thinking of using moth larae instead of mice,rats and rabbits for experiments .

BEWARE POTATOES

Really weird science - the top 10 barmy theories boffins are researching

Does the Earth have a hidden second sun? Will we all become vampires?

It seems, as Einstein once said, “imagination is more important than knowledge” when it comes to science. So BBC Focus magazine looked at 10 of the most radical theories boffins are researching – and they read like science-fiction...

Mind-bending drugs are good

Researchers are testing for positive effects in many previously vilified drugs.

Of particular interest is the use of psychedelic drugs in treating mental illness. A team at Imperial College London has been studying how LSD can be used to combat depression.

And a single dose of psilocybin compound, from magic mushrooms, reduced anxiety and depression in cancer patients for six months.-read more

Chair Saga.

This post s our account of problems that have occurred whilst using this chair.My wife Enid was given a reclining chair via loacl ot worker to help her rest legs and stand up.But the chair has caused her to get sores on back of leg and shering on her bottom which are being treated with creams and biatain on a daily basis and visited by community nurses once a week was twice .To you dear reader this may seem what is the problem well it has taken a long time to convince the nurses this was the case .Enid mental health was affected as got too point of not wishing to get up and parniod that noone else believed the phyiscal discomfort she was in and hates advice to go back to specialised bed -air mattress to prevent bed sores -as makes her fees isolated and does not wish to see family members like tis as feels like a hospital visit.Enid has been given a plastic step with handle as aid to help sit back better but itslips and she has nearly fallen a couple of times so does not use.We are getting as visit from the company involed that designed the chair and we now of one other person in holswortrhy that has a simlar problem so we suspect a design fault.I f we can make sugestions for improvement s here are our ideas.1 the bar that runs in front of chair needs extra padiing ,cahir needs to be less bak and deep and seting are needs extra padding.Enid is even wiling to trail new design and give back fedback to help others in the future..

Wheelchair news.

Saw article the other day how bus drivers may have to force reluctant paasengers to give up spaces for wheelchair usersby refusing them to continue journey on said bus due to supreme court ruling.

Just a rose?

Roses have been around for a long time and often given as a romantic gesture to a person you love .But the rose has some intestesting history like the Nebuchadnezzar who used them to adorn his palacewith tem.In Persia were grown as perfume and petals used to fill sultans matress.Mogul emperor,s grow them in rose gardens and were stern in river to welcome them on return home.And the rose has a bit of a dark past due to romans as thier made  local peasants gow roses instead of food to satify the neds of thier emperors.Roman emperors used roses to fill swimming baths,fountainswith rose water and as a carpets for feasts and orgies.-Read More

As the CIA release 800,000 declassified files online, we take a look at some of the US’ past secrets

Following long-running campaign and lawsuit, the Central Intelligence Agency has finally allowed online publication of hundreds of thousands of files
His special powers are revealed in a trove of 800,000 files – a total of 13 million pages – of declassified documents released online after a long campaign by freedom-of-information activists and a lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency.
While the information was previously available for public viewing, it could only be looked at on one of four computers in a library at the National Archives in Maryland.20 per cent of the 1,500 UFO sightings in the past 70 years are unexplained
OF 1,500 UFO reports since 1947, 20 per cent were unexplained.
One of the most dramatic cases was a sighting by two police officers in Lithuania on June 26, 1996.
The report reads: “They noticed a spherical object hanging and ‘pulsing’.
“They heard a strange sound like an electric or electronic crackle.
“The sphere moved away, rose higher and rapidly departed.”
IN 1980, the CIA compiled a report into whether it was possible to see into the future or move objects solely with the mind.
It is claimed that psychic Ingo Swann, along with others, “demonstrated the ability to describe distant rooms, they had never previously observed, with considerable accuracy”.
Reports also investigated the “bond between men and plants”.
One test in 1974 claims that the connection is so extreme that “the plant would respond automatically whenever the man was injured”.
REVELATIONS on the infamous MKUltra project, dubbed the CIA mind control programme, list bizarre experiments on human subjects to develop drugs and procedures for interrogation and torture.
The subjects were hypnotised, tested for psychic abilities and even given the psychedelic drug LSD.
A 1953 report found that LSD could be used to interrogate any “unwilling subjects” as it stimulates them “to talk more freely”.-Read More

What was phrenology?

What was phrenology?

Phrenology was a science of character divination, faculty psychology, theory of brain and what the 19th-century phrenologists called "the only true science of mind." Phrenology came from the theories of the idiosyncratic Viennese physician Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828). The basic tenets of Gall's system were:

1.The brain is the organ of the mind.
2. The mind is composed of multiple, distinct, innate faculties.
3. Because they are distinct, each faculty must have a separate seat or "organ" in the brain.
4. The size of an organ, other things being equal, is a measure of its power.
5. The shape of the brain is determined by the development of the various organs.
6. As the skull takes its shape from the brain, the surface of the skull can be read as an accurate index of psychological aptitudes and tendencies. (For a description in Gall's own words see: Letter to von Retzer)

So it was believed that by examining the shape and unevenness of a head or skull, one could discover the development of the particular cerebral "organs" responsible for different intellectual aptitudes and character traits. For example, a prominent protuberance in the forehead at the position attributed to the organ of Benevolence was meant to indicate that the individual had a "well developed" organ of Benevolence and would therefore be expected to exhibit benevolent behaviour.

However, like so many popular sciences, Gall and the phrenologists sought only confirmations for their hypotheses and did not apply the same standard to contradictory evidence. Any evidence or anecdote which seemed to confirm the science was readily and vociferously accepted as "proof" of the "truth" of phrenology. At the same time, contradictory findings, such as a not very benevolent and disagreeable person having a well-developed organ of Benevolence were always explained away. This was often done by claiming that the activity of other organs counteracted Benevolence. What was never accepted by phrenologists, however, was that admitting that the activity of a particular faculty could be independent of the size of its organ undermined the most fundamental assumptions of the science- and thereby rendered all of its conclusions inconsistent and meaningless. (For a more in depth account of the origins of phrenology see: van Wyhe-Read more

Be careful when playing fetch with dogs.

Please be careful when you play fetch with your beloved canine friend as you may be harming thier legs.This is due that dogs shift weight to thier front legs which can cause physical burdensoree.