'Vampires' unearthed in Venice plague grave by researchers

DID YOU EVER WONDER WHERE THE LEGEND OF VAMPIRES BEGAN? IT SURE WASN'T BRAUM STOKERS COUNT DRACULA BOOK. PEOPLE REALLY BELIVED THEY WERE UNDEAD MONSTERS WHO SUCKED HUMAN BLOOD. VAMPIRES ARE POPULAR IN TODAY'S CULTURE. THERE WAS A RECENT MOVIE ABOUT VAMPIRES - THE TWILIGHT - WHICH ROMANTIZED THE BLOODSUCKERS. HERE'S AN INTERESTING REPORT FROM RUETERS...

By Daniel Flynn ROME (Reuters) - Italian researchers believe they have found the remains of a female "vampire" in Venice, buried with a brick jammed between her jaws to prevent her feeding on victims of a plague which swept the city in the 16th century. Daniel Flynn Rome (reuters) - Italian Researchers Believe They Have Found The Remains Of A Female "vampire" In Venice, Buried With A Brick Jammed Between Her Jaws To Prevent Her Feeding On Victims Of A Plague Which Swept The City In The 16th Century. – Thu Mar 12, 1:19 pm ET

Matteo Borrini, an anthropologist from the University of Florence, said the discovery on the small island of Lazzaretto Nuovo in the Venice lagoon supported the medieval belief that vampires were behind the spread of plagues like the Black Death.

"This is the first time that archaeology has succeeded in reconstructing the ritual of exorcism of a vampire," Borrini told Reuters by telephone. "This helps ... authenticate how the myth of vampires was born."

Read more about vampires here. Image via www.fanpop.com/spots/vampires/images/4076279

Have you ever been to the "Goat Races" in Tabago?

THEY'RE THE THOUROUGHBREDS OF THE CARRIBEAN...THEY ARE GOATS WHO RUN FAST AND THE PEOPLE WHO RUN WITH THEM!

THESE JOCKIES RUN BEHIND THEIR STEEDS WHILE ENCOURAGING THEM TO KICK UP THEIR HEELS.

SOUNDS KINDA LIKE A CERTAIN RACE WE HAVE IN AMERICA EVERY FOUR YEARS BETWEEN THE ELEPHANTS AND THE DONKEYS...

In Tobago, goat racing is serious business! Introduced in 1925, goat racing as an Easter Tuesday activity, has a long history. This event is surrounded by pageantry and pomp. There are stables, owners, trainers, jockeys and of course the steeds. Racing goats are very carefully selected and trained. They must be energetic and long-legged. The training of the jockey is equally rigorous.

They must be able to match their goat's pace during an actual race over a 100m stretch of turf.

Once they are assigned to their respective lanes, the goats are paraded with commentary about the race favorites, before being taken to the box.

I remember when I was a kid my Aunt and Uncle had a big old Billy Goat named Stonewall Jackson.

He might not have been a racing goat, but I thought he was pretty fast when he chased me!

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                          photos by © Claus Qvist Jessen

Famous investigative journalist, Sy Hersh, drops a bombshell at University of Minnesota event

HERE'S AN INTERESTING ITEM FROM ALTERNET TODAY:

Investigative journalist Sy Hersh dropped a bombshell revelation on Monday about international killings ordered under Bush.

At a “Great Conversations” event at the University of Minnesota [Monday] legendary investigative reporter Seymour Hersh may have made a little more news than he intended by talking about new alleged instances of domestic spying by the CIA, and about an ongoing covert military operation that he called an “executive assassination ring.”

Click here to read the rest of this revealing talk to university students and staff.

Google image via : www.saffronpromotions.com/corporateevents/vie...

75-year-old Saudi woman to be whipped for letting in 2 deliverymen unrelated to her!

• FROM TRUTH DIGG THIS MORNING WE HAVE A DISTURBING ACCOUNT OF AN ELDERLY WOMAN WHO IS FACING A WHIPPING AND PRISON TIME...
• "For the crime of receiving two unrelated men in her home, a 75-year-old Saudi woman has been sentenced to 40 lashes and four months behind bars.
• Once again, a nation that is both one of America’s closest allies and brutally oppressive of women finds itself in an awkward light."

Google Image via Rueters

There's more than one way to make apple juice!

(via "The Red Green Show")

Police go "Phishing" at rock concert and arrest 200 fans!

The cops have come up with a new plan to bust people for drugs. They just attend concerts and shake fans down! The whole shakedown was overseen by the Hampton Police Division under a "multi-jurisdictional operation."

The return of Phish to the concert stage has been a welcome development for both fans of the jam band and police.

During a series of concerts last weekend in Hampton, Virginia, authorities arrested nearly 200 Phish fans, most for possession or distribution of narcotics (cops reported seizing $68,000 and illegal drugs with a purported street value of--exactly!--$1,213,882.80)."multi-jurisdictional operation" overseen by the Hampton Police Division.

image via thesmokinggun.com

I'm Back! Time to Blog and Roll.....

Look out traditional newspapers, Dave's back to blog! I've been going through withdrawals not being able to blog the last four days.

So much is happening in the world that I have to blog on it. It's time for opinions, snappy images, jokes, optical illusions, news items, and so much more.

I see my column last Sunday (3/8/09) has got people talking in cyberspace and that four different blogs have picked it up. One of those blogs, WatchPaul, seemed to think I was day-dreaming about pot legalization. Rose pointed out that my column was all "hearts and flowers" etc.

First off, I want to thank Rose, and everyone else, who gave input on my legalization column. The T-S Topix thread got a lot of responses to my column. Some people thought I was nuts. However, if you read those comments you'll notice that the majority seem to agree with my position on legalizing pot.

Not that that matters. When I give an opinion I expect people won't always agree with me. That's really okay. I just like having honest input, pro or con. Oh yeah...you may be right Rose...about me being all happy about the prospect of legalization. Should I have lengthened the column and talked about all the possible problems and side-effects of legalization?

I don't think so. I stayed on point for a reason. To make an impact. There's plenty of naysayers out there willing to conjure up all kinds of reasons why legalization wouldn't work. I hear what Rose is saying, and respect her opinion. I hope that is a two-way street.

Time to open the door to my muse for the day...it's great being back!

Google image

I'll be away from this blog for a a short period of time! From Today - 3/6- until Wednesday morning - 3/11

I may be gone but don't let that stop you from checking out my archives. You're bound to find something interesting.

image via Google Images

The Ongoing Meltdown: RNC Member wants Steele to resign!

This interesting news from The Hill web site is going to provide the "talking heads" from both parties with plenty of ammo. Watching the GOP Party thrash around trying to find a new identity is almost painful to see. Who will emerge from this chaos carrying the Republican flag to victory in the next election? My guess is Rush Limbaugh after recent events exposed the GOPs slavish following of an entertainer-who just happens to be an conservative extremist who wants the country to fail unless his buddies get their way about whose going to run things. Steele probably isn't wacky enough for the confused elephant-worshippers. Stay tuned...

By Reid Wilson

Michael Steele should resign as Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman, according to a committee member from North Carolina.
In an e-mail to fellow RNC members obtained by The Hill, Dr. Ada Fisher, North Carolina's national committeewoman, said Steele is "eroding confidence" in the GOP and that members of his transition team should encourage him to step aside. Fisher added Steele's personal e-mail address to the e-mail."I don't want to hear anymore [sic] language trying to be cool about the bling in the stimulus package or appealing to D.L. Hughley and blacks in a way that isn't going to win us any votes and makes us frankly appear to many blacks as quite foolish," Fisher wrote.

Click here to read the rest of this controversial column advocating recently-elected Republican Party Chair Steele to step down. AP/News Photo

Classic paintings meet Classic Horror in these artworks

 

Classic Masters paint Classic Horror, with a good dose of the pop-culture camp.
This is only a part of the larger series, located at Worth1000.com.

Vintage Consumer Packaging: products in their infancy

 

 

If you're interested in vintage kind of stuff then go to this web site where there's 912 products featured. It's kinda fun noodling around and reading the labels and recalling the ones you used to use when you were young.