Webcam video from February 28, 2014 10:13 AM-ghostman talks c---p

Dogs' brain scans reveal vocal responses

Devoted dog owners often claim that their pets understand them. A new study suggests they could be right.

By placing dogs in an MRI scanner, researchers from Hungary found that the canine brain reacts to voices in the same way that the human brain does.

Emotionally charged sounds, such as crying or laughter, also prompted similar responses, perhaps explaining why dogs are attuned to human emotions.

The work is published in the journal Current Biology.

Lead author Attila Andics, from the Hungarian Academy of Science's Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, said: "We think dogs and humans have a very similar mechanism to process emotional information."

Eleven pet dogs took part in the study; training them took some time.

"We used positive reinforcement strategies - lots of praise," said Dr Andics.

"There were 12 sessions of preparatory training, then seven sessions in the scanner room, then these dogs were able to lie motionless for as long as eight minutes. Once they were trained, they were so happy, I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it."

READ MORE

Corinna Downes: Interviewed by Mark Antony Raines

What inspired you to get into birds? 

Birds are, quite simply, magnificent. And the fact that some migrate thousands of miles, year after year, just boggles the mind. They come in all shapes and sizes, colouration and beauty, and from the smallest to the largest they fill this world with their songs, their displays, and – in some cases - their downright stamina: annual migration, living a life on the wing, or roaming the oceans, and only coming to land to breed. 

What is the aim of your blog? 

Many birds across the world are facing the same fate as elephants, rhinos and tigers – to name but a few – and their plight needs to be publicised far and wide. The human race needs to learn that killing for fun is not acceptable; who exactly do we think we are? Killing for feathers to adorn hats and such like is obscene. And if we are supposed to have evolved into such great beings, why is it that some cannot accept that the old ways are defunct? Not forgetting those creeps that trap to sell to the illegal wildlife trade. We - as the so-called intelligent species – are systematically destroying the world around us and it just seems to me that the dilemma of birds is largely ignored. Wind farms, for example, may be the way forward for us, but for a lot of birds they are merely another form of execution. High rise buildings may be a way of solving our problems of over-population but to one heck of a lot of birds their windows are a death sentence. People are beginning to wake up to these problems, but we need to continue to drive home the point, lest it shrinks into the background once news of such things begins to fade. 

What plans do you have for the future? 

To continue to bring stories of their struggles to light. And the successes, of course, and there are some. But for the sake of the birds there should be more. We need to educate the future generations that the sight and sounds of birds alive is more important than seeing pile upon pile of them laying dead, watched over by a smiling hunter who appears to have had a fun day killing. Or nets full of dead ones after a day out trapping. Those snapshots of our world should be erased once and for all. But, of course, they never will be. We are humans after all. 

All in very simplistic terms, but I think you get my drift.

Karl Shuker: Interviewed by Mark Antony Raines

What inspired you?

Right from the earliest age, I'd always been fascinated by animals and in particular by unusual ones. But cryptozoology didn't enter my life significantly until my early teens, when my mother, Mary Shuker, bought as a birthday present for me a copy of the 1972 Paladin paperback edition of Bernard Heuvelmans's classic cryptozoology book On the Track of Unknown Animals. Once I'd read that, I was totally hooked on the subject, and re-read it so many times that I could quote great chunks of it. I later bought the bigger, unabridged edition that contained a few extra chapters, as well as his book on sea serpents, and during my spare time during sixth form and university I began amassing an archive of magazine articles, books, and newspaper cuttings re mystery animals of every kind. When I obtained my PhD in zoology, I decided to try my hand at becoming a full-time writer and media consultant specialising in cryptozoology, and in 1989 my first book, Mystery Cats of the World, was published and was a big success. I now have 20 published books to my name and countless articles, most of them on cryptozoology, and have just completed my 21st book. 


What are your aims?
My primary aim with my cryptozoology career has always been to investigate and document lesser-known mystery beasts. There are so many researchers and publications re bigfoot, yeti, Loch Ness monster, etc, so I've always aimed to publicise the more obscure examples, uncovering long-forgotten reports in early travelogues, little-known periodicals, and so forth, so my books and articles cover many cryptids that you won't find in other published works. Of course, with the internet a lot of my work gets copied by others online without even giving me the courtesy of a reference, but those who read my publications know that mine are the origin of these online coverages, so that's all that really matters. Also, I now have my own award-winning blog, ShukerNature (at: www.karlshuker.blogspot.com), where I regularly post new or updated articles of mine on a vast range of subjects, not just cryptozoology but also other animal anomalies and mysteries, and it attracts numerous viewers every day. There are almost 400 articles on my blog at present, and one of them alone, on black lions, has attracted almost a million hits since I posted it less than 2 years ago.

What are your plans for the future?

My plans for the future are to write more books and articles - I have lots of ideas in mind, though obviously I'd prefer not to go into details publicly just in case someone else steals them and gets a book or article out on the same subject before I do! I can say, however, that the book I have just completed and which will be published by CFZ Press later this year is my third compilation volume of extraordinary animals, containing a varied mix of mystery animals, mythological animals, and bizarre known animals. It's called The Menagerie of Marvels. So look out for that one soon!

Weird Weekend 2014 - August 15 to 17th 2014

Weird Weekend 2014 - August 15 to 17th 2014 shared a link.

12 November 2013

Tickets for the 2013 event are now on sale at a special discount price of £20 if you buy in advance. Don't be square, be there.

http://forteanzoology.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-publicity-juggernaut-for-next-years.html

Gonzo Multimedia

About Gonzo

Gonzomultimedia.co.uk went live in October 2010, with the first exclusive being Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman's debut release as a duo "The Living Tree".  Gonzo Multimedia brings you a wide variety of products from a number of renowned artists and record labels, largely spanning rock and pop music from the '60s to today, and the Gonzo catalogue includes 100% exclusive products that are unavailable elsewhere.
 In addition to a varied and wildly eclectic catalogue Gonzo also boasts its own YouTube TV channel and its own dedicated streaming web radio service which features exclusive interviews with some of the world’s biggest artists. Two recent additions to the web radio stream were exclusive interviews with Daevid Allen and Steve Hillage from Gong and those two legendary Prog musicians Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman who are discussing their latest album The Living Tree.

Gonzo Multimedia also have a large back catalogue of DVD releases including DVDs from Ginger Baker, Yes, Renaissance, T’Pau, Nik Kershaw and Van Der Graaf Generator and albums from Gordon Giltrap and Rick Wakeman, Hawkwind, Soft Machine, The Fall and Gong  with  many more to come. Gonzo also exclusively distribute releases from the great British film director Tony Palmer and some of the recent best selling DVD releases from Tony Palmer featuring Frank Zappa, Jack Bruce and Leonard Cohen have been released through Gonzo Multimedia

With further exclusives in the pipeline from names such as Yes and Leonard Cohen we look forward to serving you with the best music on the planet and quite possibly in the Universe, Well, let’s stick to Planet earth for now.

Sign up to our mailing list for news on releases web casts and TV shows not to mention advance news of upcoming tours from Gonzo related artists and you will not miss out on any forthcoming exclusives and special offers!

http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/about.html

Lars Thomas: Interviewed by Mark Antony Raines

What inspired you?

My inspiration when it comes to cryptozoology was a Danish book about the Loch Ness monster I bought at a book sale when I was 12. And later on Janet and Colin Bord's book Alien Animals, which brought me in contact with the world of cryptozoology in a more serious manner, and then it just grew from there.

What are your plans for the future?

My future plans a simple, to find the truth behind as many cryptozoological creatures I possibly can, to make sure, that Denmark will have a new generation of cryptozoologists when I am gone, and to get at least on of the universities in Denmark to offer a course in cryptozoology - just once!

What are your aims?

My aim in life is to teach as many people as I can, what a wonderful place nature is - not just from a cryptozoological point of view, but also just from a natural history point of view. There are so many exciting creatures out there - you just have to look for them! 

Christophe​r Stone: Interviewed by Mark Antony Raines

What inspires you to write?

What inspires me to write? Everything inspires me to write. I’m interested in most things and have a compulsion to communicate that interest. That’s the essence of writing: being interested and then being able to communicate that interest in an accessible and open-hearted way. 

Currently I’m working with this guy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bolton, Steve Bolton, on his autobiography. The reason I’m interested in this is that it’s like my own story to some degree. It’s the story of post-war Britain. Steve was a rock and roll star. He’s been there, done that, got the tee-shirt, taken the drugs, lost the tee-shirt, and ended up in a field in Reculver playing guitar by an open fire. How interesting is that?

What are your plans for the future?

My plan for the future is simply to keep writing. I’m approaching my retirement now and don’t have any pension sorted out. What better an occupation for a retired person than writing? It doesn’t involve any physical work, just mental work. All you have to do is to sit on your arse and be interested in things and then interesting in the way you express them.As for what it’s like to be a writer, well it’s not a lot different from being a plumber I imagine. Both of them are skills. Both of them are trades. You can earn money from either and there is a certain amount of demand for both. The only difference is, really, that the writer can express his life through his work, while the plumber has to wait till he gets down the pub. http://christopherjamesstone.wordpress.com/

"Stone writes with intelligence, wit and sensitivity." Times Literary Supplement

Publications *The Guardian Weekend*The Observer*The Big Issue*The Independent*The Independent on Sunday*The New Statesman*The London Review of Books*Mixmag*The Sunday Herald*The Times Literary Supplement*Prediction*Kindred Spirit*The Whitstable Times*Saga Magazine*Kent Life*The Whitstable Gazette*

Books *The Trials of Arthur (with Arthur Pendragon: Big Hand Books 2010)*Housing Benefit Hill (AK Press 2001)*Last of the Hippies (Faber & Faber 1999)*Fierce Dancing (Faber & Faber 1996)*

"Wry, acute, and sometimes hellishly entertaining essays in squalor and rebellion." Herald

"The best guide to the Underground since Charon ferried dead souls across the Styx." Independent on Sunday

"Passionately serious, irresistibly compelling, and hilariously good-humoured." Professor Ronald Hutton, Bristol University

"Searching, funny, intelligent and illuminating." Deborah Orr, The Independent

Webcam video from February 22, 2014 3:02 PM

Webcam video from February 22, 2014 2:47 PM

EARTHQUAKE HITS SOUTH WEST

FURTHER INFOA earthquake that measured 4.1 magnitude hit parts of the SOUTH WEST on THURSDAY 20/2/2014.It is believed to have started in the BRISTOL CHANNEL at 1.21pm and was felt in DARTMOOR,SOUTH MOLTON,BARNSTAPLE,GLOUCESTER,SWANSEA,LLANELLI.

Master monkey's brain controls sedated 'avatar'

The brain of one monkey has been used to control the movements of another, "avatar", monkey, US scientists report.

Brain scans read the master monkey's mind and were used to electrically stimulate the avatar's spinal cord, resulting in controlled movement.
The team hope the method can be refined to allow paralysed people to regain control of their own body.
The findings, published in Nature Communications, have been described as "a key step forward".
Damage to the spinal cord can stop the flow of information from the brain to the body, leaving people unable to walk or feed themselves.
The researchers are aiming to bridge the damage with machinery.
Match electrical activity The scientists at Harvard Medical School said they could not justify paralysing a monkey. Instead, two were used - a master monkey and a sedated avatar.
The master had a brain chip implanted that could monitor the activity of up to 100 neurons.
During training, the physical actions of the monkey were matched up with the patterns of electrical activity in the neurons.
The avatar had 36 electrodes implanted in the spinal cord and tests were performed to see how stimulating different combinations of electrodes affected movement.READ MORE

Tourism best hope for critically endangered lemurs

Madagascar's lemurs - the world's most threatened primate - could be saved from extinction by eco-tourism, conservationists say.

The big-eyed fluffy creatures are unique to the island but their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years.
Now researchers have unveiled a survival plan that combines tourism with increased conservation efforts.
Writing in Science, the team says the project will cost £4.6m ($7.6m),
There are over 100 species of lemur known to science, the majority of which are at dangerously low levels, largely due to habitat loss from illegal logging.
Madagascar is the only known home of these species as its unique location, split off from the African mainland, has allowed the primates to evolve in near isolation. READ MORE

HARPY EAGLE-FOOTAGE

VIKINGS-10 FACTS

Never  wore helmets with horns on.Excavations of viking sites uncovered tweezers,combs,razors,ear cleaners and thier bathed at least once a week.Viking woman could inherit property,request divorce,reclaim dowry payments thier parents give thier husbands.Used primitive ski,s and skied for fun.Used soap containing lye which bleached hair,beards for fashion and killed lice.Applied dark eyeliner to make eyes look whitier.Filed horizonal lines in thier teeth  and coloured the marks with red resin to look fiecier .Wore baggy trousers down to knee,fastened shut with small clasps.The viking woman loved bling- brooches,dragon-headed pin.Boiled fungus in human uraine which created a substance which smouldered so they could carry a spark to light fires when on the move.

Ancient American's genome mapped

Present-day Native Americans are descended from some of the continent's earliest settlers, a genetic study suggests.

Scientists sequenced the genome of a one-year-old boy who died in what is now Montana about 12,500 years ago.

Some researchers have raised questions about the origins of early Americans, with one theory even proposing a link to Ice Age Europeans.

But the Nature study places the origins of these ancient people in Asia.

The infant was a member of the Clovis people, a widespread, sophisticated Ice Age culture in North America. They appeared in America about 13,000 years ago and hunted mammoth, mastodon and bison.

The boy's remains, uncovered at the Anzick Site in Montana in 1968, were associated with distinctive Clovis stone tools. In fact, it is the only known skeleton directly linked to artefacts from this culture.

But the origins of the Clovis people, and who they are related to today, has been the subject of intense discussion.

Eske Willerslev, from the University of Copenhagen, and his colleagues were able to extract DNA from the bones of the Anzick boy and map his genome (the genetic information contained in the nucleus of his cells).

The researchers found that around 80% of today's Native Americans are related to the "clan" from which the boy came.READ MORE

Nazis 'researched use of mosquitoes for war' at Dachau

German scientists at Dachau concentration camp researched the possible use of malaria-infected mosquitoes as weapons during World War Two, a researcher has claimed.

Dr Klaus Reinhardt of Tuebingen University examined the archives of the Entomological Institute at Dachau.

He found that biologists had looked at which mosquitoes might best be able to survive outside their natural habitat.

He speculates that such insects could have been dropped over enemy territory.

Continue reading the main story

Nazi experiments

• According to medical historian Paul Weindling, almost 25,000 victims of Nazi scientific experiments have now been identified.
• Dr Weindling says there were different "phases" to the Nazis' experiments. The first was linked to eugenics and forced sterilisation.
• The second phase coincided with the start of the war. "Doctors began experimenting on patients in psychiatric hospitals," Prof Weindling writes. "Sporadic experiments were made in concentration camps like Sachsenhausen near Berlin, and anthropological observations at Dachau."
• The third phase began in 1942, when the SS and German military took greater control of the experiments. There was a surge in the numbers of experiments, with lethal diseases including malaria and louse-borne typhus administered to thousands of victims.
• During a fourth phase in 1944-45, explains Dr Weindling, "scientists knew the war was lost but they continued their experiments".

• Read one researcher's account of uncovering the Nazis' lost victims

Heinrich Himmler, the leader of the SS, set up the institute at Dachau in 1942.

Disease

The organisation's work was believed to have focused on insect-borne diseases such as typhus, which afflicted the camp inmates.

Dr Reinhardt, writing in the journal Endeavour, has found evidence that the unit's researchers investigated a particular type of mosquito which could live without food and water for four daysREAD MORE

Tuna hearts 'affected by oil spill'

Scientists say that tuna swimming in the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill may have experienced heart damage.

Lab research has demonstrated how crude oil chemicals can disrupt heart function in the fish.

The study, published in Science magazine, is part of the ongoing work to try to understand the impacts of the disaster.

The gulf is an important spawning ground for bluefin and yellowfin tuna.

Tracking studies have indicated that many of these fish would have been in the area during the 2010 disaster.

Scientists have long known that certain chemicals in crude oil – such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – can be harmful to the hearts of embryonic and developing fish.

These molecules, which have distinct ring-like structures, cause a slowing of the heart, irregularities in rhythm and even cardiac arrest at high exposures.READ MORE

Cat parasite found in Arctic Beluga

The cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which can cause blindness in people, has been identified in Beluga in the western Arctic.

The discovery by University of British Columbia scientists has prompted a health advisory to Inuit people in the region who eat the whale's meat.

Researchers say it is an example of how the warming of the Arctic is allowing the freer movement of pathogens.

Icier conditions in the past acted as an obstruction to infectious agents.

“Ice is a significant ecological barrier and it influences the way in which pathogens can be transmitted in nature and your risk of exposure,” said molecular parasitologist Michael Grigg.

“What we’re finding with the changes ongoing in the Arctic is that we’re getting new pathogens emerging to cause diseases in the region that haven’t been there before,” he told BBC News.

The UBC Marine Mammal Research Unit scientist was speaking here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)READ MORE

BADGERS TO GET BIRTH CONTROL?

The newest idea from the government  is to give  badgers birth control injections and hopefully  an vaccine against tuberculosis,laughed at by the backbenches.As you known the government tried to murder -badger cull -but did not work as lower number than required dead-1,800-still too many.