Erich von Daniken, the Swiss author whose bestselling books about the extraterrestrial origins of ancient civilizations brought him fame among paranormal enthusiasts and scorn from the scientific community, has died. He was 90. read more
Bob Weir, the veteran rock musician who helped guide the legendary band the Grateful Dead through decades of change and success, has died at age 78, according to a statement posted to his verified Instagram account on Friday. read more
Local leaders announced a separate probe of the shooting after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Minnesota did not have jurisdiction. read more
The first definitive evidence of poisoned arrowheads came from the mid-Holocene, in an Egyptian tomb dated to about 4,400 years ago and in a South African cave dating to about 6,700 years ago. In both cases, the arrows had been tipped with toxic plant compounds in what's considered by the study authors "a hallmark of advanced hunter-gatherer technology." But now, researchers from the University of Stockholm and the University of Johannesburg have detected traces of natural poison on five of 10 arrow tips collected from the Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In the first direct evidence of poison applied to Pleistocene hunting weapons, the discovery backs up the timing of human use of poisoned arrows by orders of magnitude, to about 60,000 years ago. read more
Approaching the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the official plaque honoring the police who defended democracy that day is nowhere to be found. read more
"I thought we grabbed Maduro to stem socialism in the Americas, not to turn D.C. into Caracas on the Potomac," said a defense industry official, referring to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro.
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"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."
Karl Marx, 1875
Yours is a very needy president, Boaz.
Coriolanus ...
In the 50s, as a kid, I devoured Frank Edwards (en.wikipedia.org(writer_and_broadcaster)#Books) " Stranger Than Science, etc., and other great, preposterous stuff that could withstand no real scrutiny (along with Mad and the usual horror magazines). The problem, of course, wasn't that the writers hadn't done any research; they just hadn't bothered to conduct any real research. Von Daniken demonstrated how playing on wishful thinking and ignorance could be monetized. He wasn't the first and he certainly won't be the last, but he was hugely influential and historians and anthropologists still answer questions generated from his grab bag of Great Whatisits.