what not an orb in devon?

DNA traces origins of Iceman's ragtag wardrobe

DNA analysis of Oetzi the Iceman's clothes has traced their origin to at least five different species of animal.

Among his kit were a hat of brown bear skin and a quiver made from roe deer.

Despite being well preserved and studied, the 5,300-year-old mummy's various leather items had not all been identified at the species level.

These findings, published in Scientific Reports, reveal a mix of wild-hunted animals with sheep, goat and cattle related to modern domestic breeds.

The researchers say this points to Copper Age people choosing carefully between different wild and domesticated animals when looking for materials to make their clothes.

But Oetzi's motley wardrobe, including a coat made from at least four separate goat and sheep hides, could also suggest a more haphazard and desperate approach - stitching together whatever scraps of skin were available.-read more

British Comics: A Cultural History

The specifically British contribution to the history of comics and cartoons remains under-researched and underappreciated. While there is a growing critical literature on such high-profile figures as Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Grant Morrison, huge swathes of British cartooning history have been neglected by critics, historians, and fans. As James Chapman points out in his informative new study, the “work of Martin Barker and Roger Sabin represents the only sustained academic engagement with comics in Britain… the British comic has never achieved the cultural cachet of the bande dessinee, but nor has it found a popular mythology equivalent to the American superhero tradition.” While Chapman might also have pointed to Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury’s 2006 book on Great British Comics: Ripping Yarns and Wizard Wheezes, his larger point is a valid one. Not only has “scholarly attention” been “thin on the ground,” fan culture in Britain often evinces a greater interest in second-tier Marvel characters than indigenous creators and titles. The so-called “British invasion” of the 1980s and 1990s is the conspicuous exception precisely because it left its mark on the American mainstream.

Both the scope and the scale of British cartooning are worth emphasizing. The medium’s early development was profoundly influenced by the work of satirical print artists such as William Hogarth (1697-1764), James Gillray (1757-1815), and George Cruikshank (1792-1878), as well as by various London-based illustrated magazines of the nineteenth century, such as Punch, the Illustrated London News, and-read more

Marvel Comics History and Marvel Comics Background

Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Entertainment, Inc. Affectionately called the House of Ideas by the fan press, Marvel’s best-known comics titles include Fantastic Four, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Daredevil, Thor, Captain America, and X-Men. Most of Marvel’s fictional characters reside in the Marvel Universe.

Since the 1960s, it has been one of the two largest American comics companies, along with DC Comics. Located in New York City, Marvel has been successively headquartered in the McGraw-Hill Building on West 42nd Street (where it originated as Timely Comics in 1939); in suite 1401 of the Empire State Building; at 635 Madison Avenue (the actual location, though the comic books’ indicia listed the parent publishing-company’s address of 625 Madison Ave.); 575 Madison Avenue; 387 Park Avenue South; 10 East 40th Street; and 417 Fifth Avenue.

Timely Comics

Marvel Comics was founded by established pulp-magazine publisher Martin Goodman in 1939 as an eventual group of subsidiary companies under the umbrella name Timely Comics. Its first publication was Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), featuring the second appearance of Carl Burgos’ android superhero, the Human Torch, and the first generally available appearance of Bill Everett’s mutant anti-hero Namor the Sub-Mariner. The contents of that sales blockbuster were supplied by an outside packager, Funnies, Inc., but by the following year Timely had a staff in place.

The company’s first editor, the writer-artist Joe Simon, teamed with soon-to-be industry legend Jack Kirby to create one of the first patriotically themed superheroes, -read more

The History Of DC Comics

DC Comics is known as the king of all comic books. It has been the leader in the industry since its start many years ago. They paved their way with their styles and strategies and many other comics book industries in America followed them such as their rival Marvel Comics. The history of DC Comics has gone on to be a huge part of American culture.

DC Comics were able to survive and continue to thrive even when there were times when they had gone through declining periods when comics books were losing interest. However, today they proved to be one of the most successful stories in the comic book industry and are a subsidiary of the Warner Brothers Entertainment and are also part of Time Warner too.

The DC Comics made a name for themselves in 1939 as they were then founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. During that time its company was known as National Allied Publications. The initials for the DC Comic books were from taken from the Detective Comic series.

With that series came the rise of Batman. There was another line of comic books, known as Action Comics, which featured a new super hero named Superman. Over the years these two super heroes became quite popular and to this day they are still two of the most popular characters to ever appear in comic books and went on to spark the way for many other super heroes.

There once was a time when this industry was under an attack during the 1950’s as they were not considered to be up to any American standards for any children and the younger generation too. This company did continue to keep its success during that time along with several other companies too, and covered some areas as westerns and romantic stories but it was their reemergence of the super heroes which would lead them to a huge recreation of what made them so successful in the comic book industry known as the Silver Age.

It was during 1965 when the industry introduced a new super hero by the name of Flash. This character was created many years before but was brought back and updated to be placed in more popular times. This time more emotional and personal compelling stories were used along with some better storyboards and artwork which helped to liven up the character. The company did the same with all the other characters too, which included batman and superman. -read more

old gold

the worlds oldest known  gold artifact -4mm metal bead -dated between 4,500 and 4,600 bc has been discovered whilst a remains of a house were being checked due it sat in a ancient urban settlement near pazardzhik ,bulgaria.

hope i see the shower

on friday 12-8-2016 -this post is being written today sunday 14.i hope to be among the stargazers as over 80 shooting stars an hour may get seen due to perseid shower hitting a 12 year peak ,aw pictures on tv wow what a free show universe.