News Briefs 11-06-2009

TDG: Caviar for the brain. But what's caviar without a good shot of Vodka? привет! :)

• Will the great treasure of the Aztecs finally be uncovered? I'd love it if Philip Coppens is right, and they find some crystal skulls among the loot, just as he describes in Darklore No. 2 (Amazon US & UK).
• Because we've all gotta make sacrifices sometimes; and nobody understood this better than the Incas.
• The Raelians to build UFOland in Las Vegas. I think Liberace was the one who abducted Rael :-P
• Vive le ET? Is France about to disclose the presence of Extraterrestrials on Earth? (H/T Greg Bishop).
• Mixing Nepotism with the Alien franchise? My gut (or a xenomorph trying to burst out of my thorax) tells me it won't end well.
• The good news: Astronomers believe we may have visitors from another galaxy. The bad news...
• I ask for Warp speed, and Michio Kaku says, "How fast?". And THAT is why he's the head engineer, Rick —while you're the one in charge of cleaning the toilets onboard the USS Grail ;-)
• This - NASA's new rocket engine - is Sooo Cool.
• Alan Boyle discusses how to measure the Universe, without making it feel insecure about its waistline. "Dah'ling! You haven't grown a single parsec."
• The Brain that Changes Itself: Hopeful book on the science of Neuroplasticity (Amazon US & UK). It isn't too hopeful though, if your brain changes for the worst.
• Hipster geeks: despair! The periodic table has been updated, so it's time to throw your favorite t-shirt away :-(
• The question for the existence of Gravity, finally solved!
• Calling sensei Charles Fort-san: It's raining tadpoles in Japan! How do you say 'damned' in Japanese?
• "Row row row your trunk canoe, gently down the stream..." — 16,000 year-old campfire site found.
• Ten years ago the US government set out to test herbal and other alternative health remedies to find the ones that work. After spending $2.5 billion, the results are... disappointing.
• When I heard that the Israeli army was deploying a Solid Snake to the battlefield, I was thinking something kind of this, instead of this :-/
• St Bernards — the Swiss national dog — are getting replaced by helicopters and modern technology. But a helicopter would surely make the Worst. Beethoven sequel. Ever!
• Arrrh! Them pirates are getting a foothold (peghold?) on the European parliament, matey.
• Indian mausoleums: Where the wealthy dead and the homeless living share the same roof. How karmically ironic.
• Prostitutes in India have begun taking karate lessons. Somehow I find that both distressing AND arousing at the same time.
• Raw Video: Cop tasers 72 year-old Granny. Somebody give this valiant trooper a medal.
• What is the object that Sean Viloria photographed on Lake Okanagan? Loren Coleman shares his thoughts, along with an analytic overlay sent to him by a member of Cryptomundo. But what I really want to know is... does Sean's girlfriend have a sister??
• Los Gatos Bigfoot expert releases new book (Amazon US & UK).
• Warning to all cat lovers: Do not —Repeat: DO NOT— read this last story. See? I told you!

Thanks Rick, Kat & Greg.

Quote of the Day:

"You are the Great Cat, the avenger of the gods, and the judge of words, and the president of the sovereign chiefs, and the governor of the holy circle; you are indeed the Great Cat."

Ancient inscription on a royal Egyptian tomb.