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Author Topic: Non-routine News  (Read 19721 times)

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AGelbert

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Is There a River In Thailand that Emits Fireballs?  ???


There is a river in Thailand that emits fireballs, referred to as Naga’s Fireballs. The phenomenon takes place in the Nong Khai province along the Mekong River has occurred each year for hundreds of years.

On the 11th lunar month, coinciding with the end of the Buddhist Lent, pink, red and orange fireballs jump from the river into the sky for about three days, and the occasion is celebrated with a festival. Legend states that the fireballs are caused by a mythical serpent creature from the river, but scientists believe they could be the result of heated gas being released from decomposed plants and animals on the bottom of the river.

More about the Mekong River:

The Mekong River runs for 2,610 miles (4,200 km) in Southeast Asia, from China to Vietnam.
Fish from this river are estimated to provide the main source of protein for nearly 50 million people in Southeast Asia.

The Mekong River Commission has stated that building hydroelectric dams in the river would provide as much as 8% of the area’s energy needs by 2025, but critics argue that dams could cut the fish supply by as much as half.

http://www.wisegeek.com/is-there-a-river-in-thailand-that-emits-fireballs.htm
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Mystery Rock 'Appears' in Front of Mars Rover
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2014, 07:41:52 pm »
Mystery Rock 'Appears' in Front of Mars Rover  :o


 
 Jan 17, 2014 05:31 AM ET  //  by  Ian O'Neill


After a decade of exploring the Martian surface, the scientists overseeing veteran rover Opportunity thought they’d seen it all. That was until a rock mysteriously “appeared” a few feet in front of the six wheeled rover a few days ago.

News of the errant rock was announced by NASA Mars Exploration Rover lead scientist Steve Squyres of Cornell University at a special NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory “10 years of roving Mars” event at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, Calif., on Thursday night. The science star-studded public event was held in celebration of the decade since twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed on the Red Planet in January 2004.

PHOTOS: Alien Robots That Left Their Mark on Mars

While chronicling the scientific discoveries made by both rovers over the years, Squyres discussed the recent finding of suspected gypsum near the rim of Endeavour Crater — a region of Meridiani Planum that Opportunity has been studying since 2011 — and the discovery of clays that likely formed in a pH-neutral wet environment in Mars past. While these discoveries have been nothing short of groundbreaking, Squyres shared the Mars rover’s team’s excitement for that one strange rock, exclaiming: “Mars keeps throwing new stuff at us!”

In a comparison of recent photographs captured by the rover’s panoramic camera, or Pancam, on sol 3528 of the mission, only bare bedrock can be seen. But on sol 3540, a fist-sized rock had appeared (raw Pancam images can be found in the mission archive). MER scientists promptly nicknamed the object “Pinnacle Island.”

“It’s about the size of a jelly doughnut,”
Squyres told Discovery News. “It was a total surprise, we were like ‘wait a second, that wasn’t there before, it can’t be right. Oh my god! It wasn’t there before!’ We were absolutely startled.”

But the rover didn’t roll over that area, so where did Pinnacle Island come from?     ???




Quote
A comparison of two raw Pancam photographs from sols 3528 and 3540 of Opportunity's mission (a sol is a Martian day). Notice the "jelly doughnut"-sized rock in the center of the photograph to the right. Minor adjustments for brightness and contrast.
NASA/JPL-Caltech

http://news.discovery.com/space/mystery-rock-appears-in-front-of-mars-rover-140117.htm#mkcpgn=fbsci1


If you liked that rock, you'll LOVE my NEXT trick...
« Last Edit: February 27, 2014, 04:00:35 pm by AGelbert »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Vermont Stories and Historical Gossip BEFORE GLOBAL WARMING. 

Quote
Although it may not be obvious to the casual observer, the population of the State of Vermont can be sorted into two distinct types:

1.Those people whose families have lived in Vermont since it was settled and whose family folklore includes tales of the great Republic of Vermont, when Vermont was an Independent Country, and who have never quite forgiven Ethan Allen for agreeing to join the Union despite all of his other fine accomplishments. These people, who will subsequently be referred to as "Native Vermonters", are hardy and hard working, straightforward and straight talking, and are the foundation of everything that makes Vermont great. They are also almost, but not quite, completely invisible in the current Vermont landscape.


2.Everyone else, who will subsequently be referred to as "Flatlanders." Flatlanders are sometimes called "New Yorkers" by older Native Vermonters.

Vermont has always had a population of Flatlanders: those who've moved to Vermont from somewhere else because Vermont "is such a nice place." In recent years those who pay attention to the media might conclude that Flatlanders have taken over the entire State. It is true that important Towns like Montpelier (the State capital) and Burlington (a self-styled major metropolitan city) are almost, but not quite, exclusively populated by Flatlanders.

Native Vermonters quite sensibly regard the current large numbers of Flatlanders to be a temporary phenomenon and have the attitude of "This Too Shall Pass." Like mud season.  ;D They know that as soon as it appears to the Flatlanders that Vermont has somehow, despite all their progressive efforts , become "just like everywhere else", they will move away in droves. Perhaps leaving behind a few people, who might after a few generations be considered "Newcomers"  ;)  to Vermont by the Natives and occupy that wide gray area between the two solitudes, so to speak.

This book reveals for the first time the true History of Vermont as maintained by Native Vermonters.  8)  When the influx of Flatlanders started to become chronic Native Vermonters agreed in a series of Town Meetings to conceal some of the more interesting episodes of Vermont History by the simple and expedient method of denying knowledge of any such thing and implying that the questioner was a few cows short of a herd.  ;D  This tactic was incredibly successful and centuries of Vermont History were hidden this way. The truth of this remarkable assertion can be demonstrated at any time by finding an older person in Vermont (Flatlanders without exception move to Florida once their joints reach a certain age and temperature) and asking that person whether he or she has heard of the events described in this book. The answer will invariably be "No." followed by something on the order of "What's the weather like on the planet you come from?"   ;D

How did the author, who moved to Vermont from California, learn of this secret history? The answer is that he inadvertently acquired two undeniable attributes of Native Vermontership as follows:


1.He purchased property in a Town in which the terrain goes uphill in both directions. (Admittedly this is not a difficult feat in Vermont.)


2.He built and occupied a one-room log cabin with just a wood stove and without utility power for an entire Vermont winter (11.5 months).  Actually he did this for two entire Vermont winters in a row but no one noticed because it's extremely difficult for anyone, even Native Vermonters, to determine when one Vermont winter ends and the next one begins.  ;D

One day after walking uphill (of course  ) in the snow for hours into Town for a breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup the other people in the Town Restaurant began to talk about strange events in his presence. After several more days of walking uphill (of course  ) in the snow for hours into Town for a breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup the author began to piece together the incredible Secret History of Vermont.  ;)

Why is the author willing to reveal these incredible truths? The answer is that if he publishes a book and someone actually buys it then all those breakfasts become tax-deductible as a research expense. Free food!  Everyone has their price when it comes to betraying deep secrets. That's mine. 

http://www.heurtley.com/richard/tshov.html

SNIPPETS:


The word "Vermont" derives from Olde Neanderthale but modern day scholars are divided as to its precise meaning. Some say that it comes from "ver mont" which in Olde Neanderthale means "Heaven on Earth" but others insist that it really comes from "verm ont" which means "Any place that if you stay there during the winter you must have rocks in your head." Olde Neanderthale is a very pithy language.

Back in the days when the U.S. Federal Government was disorganized and inefficient (1789 to date) it often had difficulty maintaining an adequate supply of currency.


The problem with cows is that they are large and difficult to store.


The problem of keeping the paddlewheel boats running during the winter was solved in a typical Vermont fashion. Instead of trying to keep the water channels open, the paddlewheels were affixed with chains, the entire boat was mounted on sled runners, and a snowplow was attached to the front. As a result, the paddlewheel boats ran considerably faster on the ice during the winter than they did in the water during the summer. The summer slowdown was tolerated because it typically only lasted 15 days.


Vermont is unique among the states in that it has two completely independent State governments. The first, known as the Vermont State Government, has no bureaucrats, has levied no taxes, and is of the opinion that it isn't the government's place to go around telling people what to do. It has the highest approval ratings of any governmental organization in the observed universe. The other is known as the Montpelier Legislature whose motto is, "Pass six unenforceable regulations before breakfast."


Because it is a major cause of pain and suffering the Montpelier Legislature occasionally proposes a bill outlawing Death and is puzzled each time when the idea is solidly rejected by the citizens. This is because the citizens have seen that Death is practically the only way a member of the Montpelier Legislature can be persuaded to give up his or her seat.

During the right time of year a visitor to Vermont cannot help but to be astonished at the amount of acreage devoted to growing corn. A simple calculation shows that during its 15 day growing season Vermont grows enough corn to feed all of Asia and Africa for several years. Where does all this corn go?


Some of it is fed to cows. Cows are no longer legal tender but cows give milk that can be made into Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream which is legal tender in most parts of the world. Some of the corn is converted into whisky most of which is discretely exported to foreign places like Kentucky and Tennessee.

The Vermont Libertarian Mountain Lion

Unlike moose, which are officially everywhere, mountain lions officially don't exist. There hasn't been a proved sighting of a mountain lion by a certified official for over a hundred years. Occasionally someone will claim they've seen a mountain lion, or catamount as they're sometimes called by Native Vermonters, but the evidence is never enough to survive the so-called trial by immersion in a Montpelier manure pit.


The Vermont Tin Pecker

The absence of the usual clue, warmer weather, makes it difficult to tell when spring is coming to Vermont. Nevertheless there are a few signs well known to all Vermonters. When people all over the State are awakened half an hour before the alarm clock by the vigorous percussion of a diamond-hard beak on chimney pipe or roof flashing then you can tell that the springtime mating season of the Vermont Tin Pecker has begun.



Radiocarbon Dating

It's not that Vermont isn't full of jokers. (Drive a car with out-of-state plates and ask directions from someone in Vermont sometime. Please!) It's just that the conclusion that every single Vermont archaeology student independently decides to pull exactly the same prank is one that only an Archaeology Professor or Radiocarbon Lab Owner would come to.

The other conclusion, that the canning jar racks in grandma's basement are 30,000 years old, is one of those things that's so completely and totally obvious that the maintainers of the Secret History don't have the slightest worry of it ever being discovered



http://www.heurtley.com/richard/tshov.html
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

Surly1

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Re: Non-routine News
« Reply #18 on: January 30, 2014, 06:02:07 am »
Vermont humor is pretty damned dry, isn't it?

AGelbert

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Re: Non-routine News
« Reply #19 on: January 30, 2014, 02:19:07 pm »
YEP. This place is probably where the term "deadpan" came from.  ;D
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Foucault Pendulum
« Reply #20 on: February 09, 2014, 07:21:29 pm »
Foucault Pendulum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqpV1236_Q0&feature=player_embedded



This pendulum provides visual proof of the Earth's rotation. Designed by Jean Leon Foucault in 1851, it is called the Foucault (foo-koh) Pendulum.

Pendulum: a body suspended from a fixed point so as to swing freely to and fro under the action of gravity.

How does the Foucault Pendulum work?
 Once the pendulum is set in motion, it continues to swing back and forth in a vertical plane defined by the track of the ball and cable.

The direction of swing is constant. Although gravity is pulling down on the ball and tension in the cable is holding it up, there is no force acting to change the direction of swing.

Why does it appear to be moving in a circle?
 The apparent change in direction of swing is related to the perspective of the observer. Because no force is acting to change the direction of swing, it doesn't change. Instead, the floor, the observer, and the Earth's surface are turning beneath the pendulum.

The Earth's spin is essential to life.
 Night and day, darkness and light, cooling and warming- these are the result of the spinning Earth.

The Earth's spin contributes to the movement of ocean and wind currents, which in turn affect climate, weather, food production, and our everyday lives.

The pendulum's direction of swing does not spin with the Earth.
 The hardware holding the pendulum is attached to the roof of the Museum and moves with the Earth. But with flexible wire for support, the pendulum swings back and forth in the same plane.

The pendulum is not a perpetual motion machine.
 Because of air friction and gravity the pendulum would eventually stop swinging, but a magnet encircling the cable pulls on the cable with each swing. Electric current controlling the magnetism is turned on and off with each swing of the pendulum.

The pendulum is not a clock.
 However, the time it takes to go around the circle is predictable. Imagine yourself hovering above the Earth's axis at the North or South Pole. The Earth below appears to be spinning like a merry-go-round. The pendulum would complete the circle in 24 hours.

Now imagine yourself hovering above the equator.
 The Earth appears to be rolling like a barrel. As the pendulum swings, it does not move around the circle at all. Latitude determines the length of time required for a complete trip around the circle. Here in San Diego, the pendulum makes its way around the circle in 44˝ hours.


I don't know about you but this stuff fascinates me.  ;D
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Doomstead Diner INFECTED! Avoid Until Further Advised!
« Reply #21 on: February 23, 2014, 03:40:55 pm »
I am in the process of eliminating ALL links to the Doomstead Diner. It is infected with a HIGH RISK type Trojan virus.  ???   :P >:(

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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The Ax falls at IBM
« Reply #22 on: February 27, 2014, 07:31:44 pm »

IBM  ------->   Big (Butcher) Blue

Quote
Weeks of speculation and nervous anticipation of expected job cuts at IBM’s Essex Junction facility ended Thursday when Gov. Peter Shumlin confirmed layoffs were beginning, drawing a sharp response from his political opposition.

“I have been advised by leadership at the IBM Vermont plant in Essex Junction of layoff notifications there as part of a global workforce reduction,” Shumlin said in a statement sent at 9:40 a.m.

He said he was told the number of workers affected was about one-third the number let go in June,, “although we will not know the exact number of affected workers until the process is completed and a state notice is filed by the company next month,” Shumlin’s statement said. The June layoff affected 419 workers.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20140227/BUSINESS/302270022/Job-cuts-confirmed-IBM-Essex-Junction?odyssey=mod%7Cbreaking%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Why you shouldn't be too near a building fire...
« Reply #23 on: February 28, 2014, 03:22:47 pm »
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAGuobwtFSU&feature=player_embedded

FORMER HOTEL IN AINSWORTH BC BURNS TO THE GROUND - TMTV/BCTV Kootenays  June 3, 2010
 
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Cat Videos are good or you. REALLY!
« Reply #24 on: May 02, 2014, 10:39:22 pm »
Finally, science confirms what we all already knew in our hearts—videos of cats unrolling (and then re-rolling) toilet paper are good for our brain health! 


In fact, anything that makes us laugh is good for our brains. According to new research from Loma Linda University in Southern California, a big fit of laughter (you know, the kind where you think you might pee your pants?) gives your brain a great workout.

For the study, researchers measured brain activity in participants while they watched a laughter-inducing 20-minute video. And from it, they pinpointed the optimal laugh for the brain—30-40 hertz frequency, which matches brain wave frequencies seen in people who reach a “true state of meditation.”

“This allows for the subjective feeling states of being able to think more clearly and have more integrative thoughts,” explains study co-author Lee Berk. “This is of great value to individuals who need or want to revisit, reorganize, or rearrange various aspects of their lives or experiences, to make them feel whole or more focused.”

And that’s not all. The participants who watched the funny video also scored higher on memory tests than those who didn’t watch it, and they also had a significant decrease in cortisol, a stress hormone that can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.

And on that note, have you seen the video of the cat in a shark costume on a Roomba? (at link) (You’re welcome!).


Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/why-funny-cat-videos-are-good-for-your-brain.html#ixzz30cGVk1Vc
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Does Sound Travel at the Same Speed Through Different Materials?‏   ???

Sound travels 17 times faster when going through metal than it does when
going through air.

Sound is the result of molecules interacting or disturbing one another, so
sound does not travel at the same speed through different materials because
there are varying amounts of room between the molecules of different types
of materials. For example, sound travels about 17 times faster when going
through metal than it does through air — more than 10,000 mph (16,093
km/h) through metal, compared with about 761 mph (1,224 km/h) through air.
In water, sound travels about four times faster than through air, at about
3,000 mph (4,828 km/h). Sound travels more slowly through air because air
consists mainly of nitrogen and oxygen, whose molecules are not arranged as
rigidly as those in materials such as water or steel. The more rigidity in
a material, the faster sound travels because the molecules interact with
one another more.

Read More:
http://www.wisegeek.com/does-sound-travel-at-the-same-speed-through-different-materials.htm?m
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Police Department—Jennifer Morrison, Police Chief

Numbers and Facts

In the past month, we have responded to over 900 calls for service, and we had 422 contacts through motor vehicle stops. We arrested 17 people for a variety of crimes, including DUI, domestic assault, reckless endangerment, unlawful restraint, and more.

The busiest days of the week for calls for service were Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The most common reasons for calls this month were suspicious circumstances , public or medical assists , motor vehicle crashes, and motor vehicle complaints.

Our marine unit is back on the water. As the weather warms, we expect activity on the lake to pick up significantly.

Community Outreach Activities

In the past month, CPD has participated in the following: mock crash at the high school,
**** Aggression Defense class #2 of 2014 , Drug Take Back Day, child safety seat inspections, special traffic details, and more.

For further information or to comment, please call Linda Kingston at 264-5509.
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

 

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