Grin and Bear It: Ancient Death-Smile Potion Decoded?

 From National Geographic...

By James Owen

Thousands of years before the Joker gassed comic book victims into a grinning death, Phoenician colonists on the island of Sardinia (map) were forcing smiles on the faces of the dead.

Now scientists say they know just how the ancient seafaring traders created the gruesome smiles some 2,800 years ago—not with a toxic gas like Batman's nemesis but with a plant-based potion.

And someday that plant might be used to Botox-like effect, perhaps reducing rather than adding smile lines, the researchers speculate.

(Related: "Phoenician Blood Endures 3,000 Years, DNA Study Shows.")

Ancient Death Grins

By the eighth century B.C., Homer had coined the term "sardonic grin"—"sardonic" having its roots in "Sardinia"—in writings referring to the island's ritual killings via grimace-inducing potion.

Click here to read the rest.

Image via National Geographic Online

Are urban villages in store for the city of Detroit?

Planners say Detroit could one day resemble the English countryside

From The Detroit Free Press...

BY JOHN GALLAGHER •

In a new vision of Detroit's future, a team of visiting urban planners suggests the city might one day resemble the English countryside, with distinct urban villages surrounded by farms, fields and meadows.

The idea may sound improbable, but Alan Mallach, a New Jersey-based planner who led the visiting team, said Detroit is evolving in that direction anyway, with large chunks of the city now largely abandoned.

"In a way, think of it as a 21st-Century version of a traditional country pattern," Mallach said. "You have high-density development on one side of the street and cows on the other, quite literally."

The team's recommendations, contained in a draft report by a committee of the American Institute of Architects, are the latest in a flurry of ideas for dealing with Detroit's growing vacancy.

Click here to read the rest.

Image via The Detroit Free Press Online

There goes one of his nine lives:Cat survives a 26 story fall

From Gothamist...

By Jen Chung

WABC 7 had this crazy story over the weekend: A cat fell 26 stories from a lower Manhattan building—and survived! And the cat's name is...Lucky! Apparently Lucky's owner had left a window in her apartment open 6 inches wide—which is more than enough for any enterprising cat to wander through. Lucky decided to walk out onto the ledge, but he slipped.

What's also amazing is that a window washing crew across the street took pictures! See them here—WABC 7 describes them, "First of Lucky perched dangerously on the ledge, and then a stomach-turning shot of Lucky midair. Finally, they captured Lucky, after landing, on his feet on a neighbor's balcony 26 stories below." Lucky was hospitalized briefly and seems to be fine and as cute as ever, judging by the video.

If you have any pets, do not leave unscreened windows open more than a inch. Here's the ASPCA on high rise syndrome.

The Animal Communication Project: FROG CALLS

Ever wonder what all the croaking is about when you hear Frogs communicating? You knew those "ribbits" had a story to tell. Here it is:

From the Animal Communication Project...

The concave-eared torrent frog (Amolops tormotus) produces and responds to ultrasonic calls.

   "As dusk falls over a swampy pond, the chorus begins. First one frog croaks, a little hesitantly. Soon another joins in. Suddenly the pond resonates with the voices of dozens of male frogs, each signaling his species, availability and qualifications as a father.

Two populations of the same species, separated geographically—a highway running through a swamp, for example—develop dialects, slight differences in their calls. In most species, only males call, though the female midwife toad out shouts her mate. A sudden foreign sound silences them one and all. But soon a single voice starts again, followed by another and another.

The sound of a pond full of frogs can reach deafening levels, far out of proportion to the tiny bodies producing the sound. An air sac on the floor of the frog’s mouth enables it to do two remarkable things. First, when it’s expanded, the sac acts as a resonator, like the hollow body of a violin. Second, by forcing air into the sac from the lungs, then back into the lungs, a frog can croak continuously, even under water. The loudest frogs breed in temporary ponds. When the water’s available, the males muster mates quickly, for all frogs lay eggs only in water, and the tadpoles must grow legs before the temporary ponds dry up.

Click here for the rest of the story.

Photo © 2006 Albert S. Feng

Hendrix murdered by his manager, says former aide

From The Independent People

By Sadie Gray

The rock legend Jimi Hendrix was murdered by his manager, who stood to collect millions of dollars on the star's life insurance policy, a former roadie has claimed in a new book.

James "Tappy" Wright says that Hendrix's manager, Michael Jeffrey, drunkenly confessed to killing him by stuffing pills into his mouth and washing them down with several bottles of red wine because he feared Hendrix intended to dump him for a new manager, according to a report in the Mail on Sunday.

In his book, Rock Roadie, Mr Wright says Jeffrey told him in 1971 that Hendrix had been "worth more to him dead than alive" as he had taken out a life insurance policy on the musician worth $2m (about £1.2m at the time), with himself as the beneficiary. Two years later, Jeffrey was killed in a plane crash.

Click here to read the rest.

Image via The Independent People

On this day in 1928 there was still Civil War Veterans...

TODAY IN PHOTOGRAPHS: By Steven Mikulan in City News

Civil War veterans join a Memorial Day celebration at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The original newspaper caption read: "Old in years but young in spirit those who fought in the War of the Rebellion again paid tribute to the hero dead of the nation."

image via LA Weekly

Lakers back in NBA Finals - They wrap up Nuggets in 6th game

photo by Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles Lakers are back in the NBA Finals after taking care of a tough Nugget team 119-92. It was another hard-fought series, but the Lakers survived. Now the question is, who will they play in the Finals? Cleveland is down 3-2 and plays the Magic tonight. If the Magic win then it's LA vs Orlando. Go Lakers!

A History of Credit Cards: Americans embrace concept in 1951

These early credit pioneers led to the blood-sucking credit cards companies of today who are so bad that Congress has recently had to make them clean up their act. However, I think they will narrowly apply the mandated regulations while thinking up new ways to fleece customers.

From The Big Money...

By Caitlin McDevitt

Diners Club Card, 1951

As the story goes, 60 years ago, Frank McNamara, the founder of what's considered the first credit card, was eating out at a restaurant, and when the check arrived, he realized that he had not brought along his wallet.

The embarrassing situation led him to eventually create the Diners Club card, which allowed members to pay restaurant bills monthly.

The card itself was wallet-sized and made of paper and wasn't any fancier than a library card. But the idea behind it-a third party facilitating a "buy-now, pay-later" process-was revolutionary.

BankAmericard, 1958

The first bank credit card, the BankAmericard, was unveiled when Bank of America gave out 60,000 unsolicited cards in Fresno, Calif., in 1958.

Unlike in the past, when getting a loan might have meant taking a trip to the bank’s basement, this card was a ticket for anyone to spend freely and decide when was best to pay it back.

American Express Card, 1959

Plenty of large and small players saw the opportunity in the card business and jumped in quickly. American Express (AXP) differentiated itself from other providers by offering the first-ever plastic credit card in 1959. As opposed to flimsier cards, the plastic alternative was designed to “better withstand day-to-day use

Some other milestones are: The American Express Executive Card, 1968; Master Charge, 1970; Chase Visa Card, 1984; Discovery Card, 1986; and the Visa/NFL Co-Branded Credit Card in 1989.

images of Diner Club and BankAmericard via creditcollectibles. American Express Card image via American Express Corporate Archives.

Oklahoma State Trooper Assaults, Attempts to Arrest EMT Headed for Hospital

This is another example of why people think cops are bullies. Anyone who has ever been pulled over by State troopers in Oklahoma or Texas knows it can be a scary experience. I've been there and done that!

By William Grigg

Who cares about the needs of a critical care patient when there's a State Trooper's hungry ego to feed?

Emergency Medical Technician Maurice White, Jr., a paramedic with the Creek Nation EMS in Oklahoma, was shuttling a patient to the hospital when he was stopped by a State Trooper. White, intent on getting the patient the care she needed, hadn't noticed that the trooper had been behind him with lights flashing; when the trooper zoomed by, he made radio contact and snarled at White that he "should consider checking [his] rear view mirrors."

A little while later the Trooper, operating his vehicle with typical recklessness, cut off a car driven by a family member of the patient and signaled for White to pull over. Seeing a woman sitting next to the Trooper, and thinking she might need medical care, White complied -- only to find himself under assault and the subject of a spurious arrest on the way to the hospital.

Several other brown-shirted state police materialized, and White was swarmed; at one point, one of the skinheaded state stormtroopers had his hand on White's throat.Once again, in keeping with the quasi-official media protocol, this episode was described by local ABC affiliate news as a "scuffle" or a "confrontation," rather than a criminal assault by several armed tax-feeders on a medical professional in the course of carrying out a task that actually helps people, rather than harassing or plundering them.

image via the LRC Blog

Illinois Senate narrowly passes Marijuana bill

I almost forgot to mention that Illinois is joining a growing number of states that will be legalizing marijuana (see story below about Delaware).

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Associated Press) — The push to legalize medical marijuana in Illinois has taken a big step forward.

The Illinois Senate voted 30-28 in favor of a plan to let sick people use pot for relief from diseases like cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis.

The bill now goes to the Illinois House, where a committee passed a medical marijuana measure earlier this year.

Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, says that if the bill is eventually signed into law, Illinois would join 13 other states that have such measures in place.

Critics argue allowing medical marijuana would make it harder for police to enforce other marijuana laws and would be a step toward wholesale legalization of pot.

 

image via Google Images