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German Alps
Even if it doesn’t cover an extraordinary large part of the Alps - with the Upper Bavaria and Allgäu regions, Germany boasts two Alpine pearls of unforgettable natural beauty.
Quote of the Day
The Force Behind Cooperation and Conflict
Across history and cultures, religion increases trust within groups but also may increase conflict with other groups.
"Moralizing gods, emerging over the last few millennia, have enabled large-scale cooperation and sociopolitical conquest even without war," says University of Michigan anthropologist Scott Atran, lead author of the article with Jeremy Ginges of the New School for Social Research. "Sacred values sustain intractable conflicts like those between the Israelis and the Palestinians that defy rational, business-like negotiation. But they also provide surprising opportunities for resolution." As evidence for their claim that religion increases trust within groups but may increase conflict with other groups, Atran and Ginges cite a number of studies among different populations. These include cross-cultural surveys and experiments in dozens of societies showing that people who participate most in collective religious rituals are more likely to cooperate with others, and that groups most intensely involved in conflict have the costliest and most physically demanding rituals to galvanize group solidarity in common defense and blind group members to exit strategies. Secular social contracts are more prone to defection, they argue.
Their research also indicates that participation in collective religious ritual increases parochial altruism and, in relevant contexts, support for suicide attacks. They also identify what they call the "backfire effect," which dooms many efforts to broker peace. In many studies that Atran and Ginges carried out with colleagues in Palestine, Israel, Iran, India, Indonesia and Afghanistan, they found that offers of money or other material incentives to compromise sacred values increased anger and opposition to a deal. This dynamic is behind the paradoxical reality that the world finds itself in today: "Modern multiculturalism and global exposure to multifarious values is increasingly challenged by fundamentalist movements to revive primary group loyalties through greater ritual commitments to ideological purity." But Atran and Ginges also offer some insights that could help to solve conflicts fueled by religious conviction. Casting these conflicts as sacred initially blocks standard business-like negotiation tactics. But making strong symbolic gestures such as sincere apologies and demonstrations of respect for the other's values generates surprising flexibility, even among militants and political leaders, and may enable subsequent material negotiations, they point out.
"In an age where religious and sacred causes are resurgent, there is urgent need for joint scientific effort to understand them," they conclude.
Kemo D. 7
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The Lost Treasure of Espiritu Santo
Where is the treasure of the Espiritu Santo?
In 1554 off the coast of Texas near South Padre Island a couple of Spanish ships, the Espiritu Santo and the San Esteban, ran into a hurricane and lost. Both ships ran aground along with the Santa Maria de Yciar, a companion ship. Onboard was a fortune in gold on it's way back to Spain. Only a few men reached land, but they were eaten by local cannibals, but one man survived and thus the story continues. After telling the Spanish authorities a salvage crew was sent out but it was to late, the ships were swallowed up by the sands. It is believed that the ships still lay buried either on South Padre Island or in the shallows between the island and the mainland. In the 1940's a dredging crew disturbed the the Santa Maria De Yciar scattering coins along the coast...
After a big storm treasure hunters comb the area and relics are still being discovered to this very day.
Kemo D. 7
impressed
The Ark Project
The Ark would be one of the safest buildings on Earth.
The Ark project was designed by Russian firm Remistudio with the assistance of the International Union of Architects program Architecture for Disasters Relief. The dome-shaped hotel is constructed with wooden arches, steel cables and a self-cleaning plastic layer instead of glass. The slinky-like Ark hotel can be adapted to suit both land and water. It is built to stay afloat in the event of floods or rising seas. The 14,000 square meter shell-like construction of arches and cables distributes the weight evenly, meaning it can withstand earthquakes. Daylight is filtered through to internal rooms due to the hotels see-through structure, reducing the need for lighting. Designed as an integrated energy system with an uninterruptible power supply using alternative energy sources, the hotel uses solar panels and a rainwater collection system to provide inhabitants with power and water. It would be built around a central pillar connecting to roof-top wind generators and heat pumps, as well as to energy storage and thermal conversion units below. There will also be a tornado energy generating spiral at the top of the pillar.
They also said that the Ark would be constructed in just a few months in any places on Earth.
Kemo D. 7
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Amy Robach
good
Today's edition, along with Friday's edition, of my journal will be added tonight. Thanks for visiting and have a great day. Kemo D. 7
The Hydra Cluster
Two stars within our own Milky Way galaxy anchor the foreground of this cosmic snapshot. Beyond them lie the galaxies of the Hydra Cluster. In fact, while the spiky foreground stars are hundreds of light-years distant, the Hydra Cluster galaxies are over 100 million light-years away.
Quote of the Day
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Earth as Living Organism
New finding may hold key to Gaia hypothesis of Earth
as living organism.
Is Earth really a sort of giant living organism as the Gaia hypothesis predicts? A new discovery made at the University of Maryland may provide a key to answering this question. This key of sulfur could allow scientists to unlock heretofore hidden interactions between ocean organisms, atmosphere, and land - interactions that might provide evidence supporting this famous theory. The Gaia hypothesis -- first articulated by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis in the 1970s -- holds that Earth's physical and biological processes are inextricably connected to form a self-regulating, essentially sentient, system. One of the early predictions of this hypothesis was that there should be a sulfur compound made by organisms in the oceans that was stable enough against oxidation in water to allow its transfer to the air. Either the sulfur compound itself, or its atmospheric oxidation product, would have to return sulfur from the sea to the land surfaces. The most likely candidate for this role was deemed to be dimethyl sulfide.
Newly published work done at the University of Maryland by first author Harry Oduro, together with UMD geochemist James Farquhar and marine biologist Kathryn Van Alstyne of Western Washington University, provides a tool for tracing and measuring the movement of sulfur through ocean organisms, the atmosphere and the land in ways that may help prove or disprove the controversial Gaia theory. According to Oduro and his colleagues, this work presents the first direct measurements of the isotopic composition of dimethylsulfide and of its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate. These measurements reveal differences in the isotope ratios of these two sulfur compounds that are produced by macroalga and phytoplankton. These measurements (1) are linked to the compounds' metabolism by these ocean organisms and (2) carry implications for tracking dimethylsulfide emissions from the ocean to the atmosphere. Sulfur, the tenth most abundant element in the universe, is part of many inorganic and organic compounds.
Sulfur cycles sulfur through the land, atmosphere and living things and plays critical roles in both climate and in the health of organisms and ecosystems. "Dimethylsulfide emissions play a role in climate regulation through transformation to aerosols that are thought to influence the earth's radiation balance. We show that differences in isotopic composition of dimethylsulfide may vary in ways that will help us to refine estimates of its emission into the atmosphere and of its cycling in the oceans," says Oduro. As with many other chemical elements, sulfur consists of different isotopes. All isotopes of an element are characterized by having the same number of electrons and protons but different numbers of neutrons. Therefore, isotopes of an element are characterized by identical chemical properties, but different mass and nuclear properties. As a result, it can be possible for scientists to use unique combinations of an element's radioactive isotopes as isotopic signatures through which compounds with that element can be traced. This study establishes that we should expect to see variability in the sulfur isotope signatures of these compounds in the oceans under different environmental conditions and for different organisms.
Scientists think that this will ultimately be very important for using isotopes to trace the cycling of these compounds in the surface oceans as well as the flux of dimethylsulfide to the atmosphere.
The ability to do this could help us answer important climate questions, and ultimately better predict climate changes.
Kemo D. 7
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relaxed
America's Lasting Legacy
Every year in early July, the National Park Service does set off a big fireworks display above the presidents' heads on Mount Rushmore. But for several years now, the fireworks have been staged on July 3. This unusual scheduling is intended as a way to prevent the show from conflicting with Independence Day celebrations in Rapid City and other neighboring communities.
Quote of the Day
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How To Encourage People
To Change Their Own Minds
Self-persuasion: let people talk themselves around to
your point of view.
Changing people's minds is hard. We resist having our attitudes adjusted by others, especially when the message isn't directly relevant to us and we aren't paying that much attention. But what if you could get people to change their own minds? People will listen to themselves and will automatically generate arguments that have personal relevance for them. It's not as crazy as it sounds. Actually people are being encouraged to persuade themselves all the time. Here are a few examples:
1. When a parent wants to change a child's behavior they might ask them why it is wrong, rather than just telling them it is wrong.
2. When we're encouraged to take part in role-playing exercises, we might espouse attitudes and values we don't believe in.
3. When we want to change our behavior, say, to healthier eating, we might try to convince ourselves we don't like the forbidden foods as much as we do.
There are all kinds of situations in which we are arguing with ourselves, whether it's because we've initiated it ourselves, or because we've been subtly encouraged to do so by someone else. So if you want someone to persuade themselves, you can try asking them to put aside their own attitude for a moment and try getting them to generate their own arguments for the point you want to make. Whatever the cover story, as long as the person is encouraged to generate their own arguments, it has a chance of changing their mind.
Kemo D. 7
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Spring in Japan
This is a great time of year to visit Japan as the weather is perfect – warm, but not nearly as hot as summer, and everybody is in a party frame of mind.
Quote of the Day
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The World of Tomorrow
Here are couple of reasons why 2020 will be an awesome year.
Get ready for the first complete synthetic human brain, moon mining, and much more. Maybe robotic moon bases, chips implanted in our brains, self-driving cars and high-speed rail linking London to Beijing. According to a dazzling number of technology predictions that single out the year 2020, it's going to be to be one heck of a year. Take a look at some of the wonders it has in store:
Japan will build a robotic moon base: There’s no technological reason why Japan shouldn't be able to move forward with its ambitious plan to build a robotic lunar outpost by 2020 — built by robots, for robots. In fact, there’s really no nation better for the job in terms of technological prowess. The Institute for the Future’s Mike Liebhold says, “There are private launch vehicles that are probably capable of doing that, and I think the robotics by that point are going to be quite robust.”
China will connect Beijing to London via high-speed rail: China’s plan:Link the East and West with a high-speed rail line. Not linking the Eastern with the Western parts of China — they're talking about linking the Eastern world with the Western world. How to deal with the inevitable headaches of a 17-country train? Offer to pick up the tab. China would pay for and build the infrastructure in exchange for the rights to natural resources such as minerals, timber and oil from the nations that would benefit from being linked in to the trans-Asian/European corridor.
Cars will drive themselves: It's long been a dream of, well, just about everyone, from Google and DARPA to automakers themselves: utter safety and ease of transport thanks to self-driving cars. There's movement being made, but the first hurdle to clear is a big one: Getting all these heterogenous cars to speak to one another. We don't yet have the wireless infrastructure, globally speaking, to link all our cars with all our traffic tech.
Biofuels will be cost-competitive with fossil fuels: The U.S. military has pledged to get half its energy from renewable resources by 2020, and the Navy whole-heartedly believes it can turn to 50 percent biofuels by then. It makes political sense not to rely on volatile regions for energy, and this push could mean both cleaner vehicle fleets and a major bump in the competitiveness of biofuels in the market.
We'll control devices via microchips implanted in our brains: The human brain remains biology’s great, unconquered wilderness, and while the idea of meshing the raw power of the human mind with electronic stimulus and responsiveness has long existed in both science fiction and — to some degree — in reality, we likely won’t be controlling our devices with a thought in 2020 as Intel has predicted. While it’s currently possible to implant a chip in the brain and even get one to respond to or stimulate gross neural activity, we simply don’t understand the brain’s nuance well enough to create the kind of interface that would let you channel surf by simply thinking about it!
Kemo D. 7
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Children of the Lost Eden
Ancient language discovered on clay tablets found amid ruins of 2800 year old Middle Eastern palace.
Archaeologists have discovered evidence for a previously unknown ancient language – buried in the ruins of a 2800 year old Middle Eastern palace. The discovery is important because it may help reveal the ethnic and cultural origins of some of history’s first ‘barbarians’ – mountain tribes which had, in previous millennia, preyed on the world’s first great civilizations, the cultures of early Mesopotamia in what is now Iraq. Evidence of the long-lost language - probably spoken by a hitherto unknown people from the Zagros Mountains of western Iran – was found by a Cambridge University archaeologist as he deciphered an ancient clay writing tablet unearthed by an international archaeological team excavating an Assyrian imperial governors’ palace in the ancient city of Tushan, south-east Turkey. The tablet revealed the names of 60 women – probably prisoners-of-war or victims of an Assyrian forced population transfer programme. But when the Cambridge archaeologist – Dr. John MacGinnis - began to examine the names in detail, he realized that 45 of them bore no resemblance to any of the thousands of ancient Middle Eastern names already known to scholars. Because ancient Middle Eastern names are normally composites, made-up, in full or abbreviated form, the unique nature of the tablet’s 45 mystery names is seen by scholars as evidence of a previously unknown language. Typical names, borne by the women – the evidence for the lost language – include Ushimanay, Alagahnia, Irsakinna and Bisoonoomay.
Now archaeologists and linguistics experts are set to analyze the mystery names in even greater details to try to discover whether the letter-order or letter frequency shows any similarities to previously attested ancient tongues to which this mystery language could be related.
Kemo D. 7
relaxed
Aurora Over Northern Iceland
Norway and Iceland are famous for having "the best seats" for viewing the Aurora Borealis ( the Northern Lights ) . The Aurora Borealis is a natural phenomenon that occurs spasmodically throughout the year, but is only visible when the night sky is at its darkest. So in practical terms this means during the winter months.
Quote of the Day
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The Power Within
Are we all connected and part of one universal mind in
one sea of energy?
The universe has always fascinated the human race. For thousands of years man has tried to find answers to these 4 questions: Who are we? where do we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going?. Man has looked to the sky and to the mysterious universe to seek the truth. Through religion and science man has been on the hunt for the answers to these and many other questions. As time goes by we are getting more enlightened, gaining new knowledge and changing our frames of reference according to what we believe in. Some people have found inner peace and answers to many of these questions others are still searching. Once people thought the earth was flat and the centre of the universe. New knowledge showed it to be round and part of what people thought to be the only galaxy - the Milky Way. Which of course was not true. Earth is just a small part of the Milky Way which again is one of billions of galaxies. As scientists uncover more and more of the secrets of this great, big universe we realize that we are infinite small and have a long way to go before we see the whole picture of this giant puzzle - if we ever will.
Quantum physics is showing that everything in the universe is energy and electrical currents. Science is saying that electrons behave like waves in a sea of energy. What once was thought to be empty space in the universe - in between stars and planets - is in fact energy in small packets called quarks and leptons surfing on an ocean of pure consciousness. When we go down the scale from the DNA to the molecules to the atom to the sub-atomic particles to the smallest particles we find energy sitting on top of the UNIFIED FIELD - an ocean of universal consciousness. Humans are made of the stuff that everything else is made of in the universe. If we look at the human body and go down the scale we find cell, molecules, atoms, sub-atomic particles and pure energy. The whole universe is made up of energy - and at this level everything is vibrating. Hence we are all made of this energy and the energy packets are "surfing on this sea of universal consciousness" - hence we are all connected and living in a "thought universe". An intangible world affects the tangible world of our experience.
So are we in fact living in a "thought universe" - with universal consciousness where everything is entangled like it was at the spark of the Big Bang? Are we droplets in this giant sea of energy?
If so, it might explain, from a scientific viewpoint, where we all came from and how it started.
Kemo D. 7
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Gwyneth Paltrow
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In the Shadow of Everest
The Bodhnath Stupa is a World Heritage site in Kathmandu, Nepal. Kathmandu is for many a gateway to Mount Everest.
Quote of the Day
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The Dragon's Triangle
The "Devil's Sea" and the Dragon's Triangle located in the Philippine Sea off China's eastern coast is known for vanishing ships and seamen similar to the legendary Bermuda Triangle.
While sensational theories for the mysterious disappearances speak of extraterrestrials and lost kingdoms under the sea wreaking havoc, others believe that the region displays the same magnetic anomalies as the Bermuda Triangle. The area, which can be marked off on a map by connecting Japan, Taiwan, and Yap Island, has become known as the Dragon's Triangle after a centuries-old Chinese myth. According to the myth, dragons live deep beneath the surface and their movement can suddenly churn up waves, whirlpools, thick fog, and sudden storms. In 1950, Japanese officials declared the triangle a danger zone for shipping. In 1952, a research vessel, the Kaio Maru No. 5, sent by the Japanese government to investigate the troubled waters, vanished without a trace, and 22 crewmen and nine scientists were lost. Like the Bermuda Triangle, the Devil's Triangle area may be volatile, subject to sudden weather changes and ocean swells not yet understood. Considering the unique history of both regions it can't be coincidence. Undersea volcanoes are believed to influence the area's sudden environmental changes. Others cite mikakunin hiko-buttai, Japanese for UFOs. Recently, a top secret document has been released about underwater and under seabed bases in the pacific ocean that are known as Seagates. These are military locations where DNA research is conducted with humans and dolphins. As part of the Super Soldier program (Omega) scientists are creating hybrid people who would inherit some of the abilities of dolphins such as advanced telepathy, echo location abilities and multi-dimensional capabilities.
It's unclear if these secret underwater bases are also involved in investigating the mysteries of the Dragon's Triangle.
Kemo D. 7
