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Could the 21st century trend of "selfies" (self-photographs taken with a smart phone and a mirror) have been invented almost a hundred years ago by a young member of Russian royalty?
A century before Instagram and Snap Chat became the normal way of sharing photographs to the world at large, the young, enigmatic Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last sovereign of Imperial Russia, took a lovely "selfie" of herself using a Kodak Brownie camera, manufactured in 1900, to send to a friend of the family.
Seeing that the teen lived in the magnificently opulent Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe, Russia, (pictured below) at the time, it is easy to see how she could have been bored! In a letter that accompanied the photograph that was dated October 28, 1914, the young Anastasia wrote, "I took this picture of
myself looking at the mirror. It was very hard as my hands were
trembling."
Unfortunately, life did not turn out so well for Anastasia: She was murdered along with her entire family by the Bolshevik secret police during the Russian revolution on July 17, 1918, at the young age of 18. Rumors that she had escaped the assassination persisted throughout Europe for years, until the actual location of where her body had been buried was discovered in 2007.
Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, as the old adage goes...
The residents of Sardinia are busy cleaning up after a freak cyclone by the name of Cleopatra delivered a powerful blow to the Mediterranean island, long a getaway retreat for Europeans looking for a bit of sun, sand and surf.
At least 18 people were killed and thousands left homeless after Cyclone Cleopatra deluged the island with an astonishing 450 millimeters (17 inches) of rain in only an hour and a half overnight. The torrential rain flooded the streets of cities and villages across Sardinia, off the coast of Italy, sweeping away cars, animals and people and flooding countless thousands of homes. More rain fell on the island in 90 minutes than usually falls in more than half a year, local weather officials announced. The Red Cross has stepped in, providing temporary shelter for the thousands of residents displaced by the unusual weather event.
The disaster in Sardinia comes only days after an unusual November tornado outbreak swept across the US Midwest, with hundreds of tornadoes touching down and causing deaths and destruction across several states. The cyclone also follows the most powerful storm ever recorded, Typhoon Haiyan, which slammed into the Philippines as a post-Category 5 storm, leaving tens of thousands of people dead and destroying entire cities. A freak cyclone struck the coast of Somalia only two days after Haiyan's deadly voyage, killing almost five hundred people and destroying entire villages along the coast of the east African nation. A freak rain storm also struck Saudi Arabia earlier this week, dumping copious amounts of rain on a usually arid region of the world, creating havoc and destruction.
Expect more stories of a similar nature to come in the future as the runaway effects of climate change continues with a vice-like grip on the world's population:
Update: Alerts have been issued for the Philippines as Tropical Depression Zoraida threatens to form into a tropical storm/typhoon and follow virtually the same track as Haiyan. This will bring more high winds and heavy rains to areas completely devastated by Haiyan, making an already desperate situation even more desperate:
Update II: There are fears that the initial estimate of 10,000 people killed by the horrific Typhoon Haiyan is far too low in the face of this monumental cataclysm. Rescue workers have described the once vibrant Tacloban City as a "corpse-choked wasteland", with rescuers scrambling for body bags and places to bury the dead. Survivors continue to patrol the streets in shell-shocked dismay and silence, searching for surviving family members, mementos as well as food, shelter and fresh water. No city or town in Haiyan's devilish path remain standing. Many communities up the coast have been left virtually inaccessible by the overwhelming debris field, where thousands more people are certainly dead or dying. Conservative damage estimates from the storm are from between $8-15 Billion US, making this one of the most expensive disasters...this year. The human cost of this disaster is beyond measure.
There are terrifying stories coming out of the Philippines this weekend after one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), smashed into the Southeast Asia island nation as a post-Category Five super typhoon on Friday.
Packing sustained winds in excess of 200mph, the storm lay to waste entire cities in the Eastern Samar region of the country. While official estimates on a death toll are not clear at this time, the situation in the Philippines is clearly very grim. Local officials and law enforcement in the region are calling out for global support in the rescue and clean-up efforts, begging for emergency supplies from the international community as well as body bags to contain dead bodies being recovered. In some more remote areas, officials are resorting to burying dead bodies, many unidentified, in mass graves out of fear of creating a disease epidemic.
Early estimates fear that at least 10,000 people are dead and that many others will perish due to a lack of clean, potable water, fresh food and medicine, especially in more remote regions where towns are completely inaccessible due to debris-clogged roadways. Early reports indicate that a large portion of the country's infrastructure is completely destroyed and could take years if not decades to repair.
The city of Tacloban, which has a population of over 200,000, appears to be completely devastated by the incredible force of the storm, which created a deadly tidal storm surge that swept into the city and damaged or destroyed nearly every building in the entire city. The death toll in Tacloban alone is feared to be in the thousands. A correspondent for the BBC says that thousands of people have sought temporary shelter at the local airport in Tacloban City, which sustained massive damage from Haiyan, many desperate to get flights out of the city, although only emergency aid flights are being allowed to land and leave at this time. Aerial views from the region show miles and miles of city left in complete devastation as far as the eye can see. Thousands of survivors are now roaming the debris-ridden streets in shock, in search of shelter and food. ""People are walking like zombies looking for food," said Jenny Chu, a medical student in Leyte. "It's like a [horror] movie."
The ferocious storm of the century comes only weeks after a series of less powerful storms swept across the nation as well as an intense earthquake which rattled parts of the Philippines and toppled buildings and frayed nerves, leaving more than 300 people dead.
The storm is expected to make landfall again in Vietnam early on Monday as a far less powerful storm. Over 600,000 people in Vietnam have been evacuated as a precaution from the still dangerous typhoon. New satellite imagery shows a storm currently developing over the same region that spawned Haiyan, with fears a second storm could follow close on its deadly heels.
Update: According to Weather Underground, Typhoon Haiyan is now officially the strongest storm on record, besting the old record set by Hurricane Camille, which devastated the Gulf Coast of the US in 1969:
If you are like me, it simply is not Christmas at my house without at least one viewing of the classic holiday comedy, A Christmas Story! The film about one boy's never-ending quest for the ultimate Christmas present, a Red Ryder BB Gun, has become one of the most beloved holiday movie's of all time.
Watching as Ralphie plots and schemes to get the only Christmas present that matter to him, all of us can remember and relate to that wonderful sense of innocence we possessed as children, eagerly anticipating what Santa would bring for us on Christmas morning. The film is the perfect slice of Americana, representing a time of innocence and wonder long-since gone from our world.
You can celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the cherished film with a new book, You'll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid: A Christmas Story Trivia Book, which takes a loving look back at an incredibly special movie that millions of people the world over love. You can test your knowledge of the film with family and friends...what better way to bring the whole family together on Christmas morning?
The book is now available in both a paperback and Kindle edition, exclusively from Amazon. Simply click on the links below:
Chinese residents grabbed their cameras and rushed
outside to marvel at an extremely rare astronomical illusion of "triple
suns" in the sky over Chifeng, in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
over the weekend
The sun appeared to be accompanied by two smaller
twins that suddenly emerged in the sky at around nine AM local time, and the
third “sun” appeared to be surrounded by several arched rainbow-like halos.
The astronomical illusion remained in the skies over
Chifeng for approximately two hours, and many residents took pictures or videos
to record the incredible moment out on the streets.
Some witnesses claim to have seen five suns shining
in certain areas of the city. The illusion is actually classified as a legitimate
astronomical phenomenon known as phantom sun or ice halo,
according to the Chifeng Meteorological Bureau.
The rare phenomena only appears when ice crystals
create high clouds in the air around 6,000 meters above ground, and produce
reflected sunlight, which causes the appearance of additional “suns”.
Update: December 07, 2013: It is official. The record of volcanic eruptions during a calendar year has been broken in 2013! The average number of volcanic eruptions in a year has been 50-60, but this year we have had a record-breaking 83 eruptions, which bests the previous record of 82 set in 2010. Without a doubt, the earth is experiencing a dangerously serious uptick in both volcanic and seismic activity. The ash, ejecta and carbon dioxide from all of these eruptions is being propelled high into the atmosphere and circling the globe, which will definitely have an influence on the global climate.
When Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991 with a VEI (Volcanic Explosive Index) of 6 on a scale to 8, the average global temperature dropped by an astonishing two degrees for over two years, due to the ash partially blocking out the light from the sun. The eruptions of Krakatoa and Tambora in Indonesia in the 19th century also created climate chaos, with record cold temperatures and snows experienced globally.
What could be causing the dramatic increase in volcanic activity? See my recent blog regarding anomalies detected within our solar system here: Is Something Out There?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
With today’s eruption of Mount Sinabung on the
island of Sumatra in Indonesia, a very troubling list of volcanoes that are at
present experiencing eruptions and/or major upticks in unrest and activity
should be brought to life. At present, there are 36 volcanoes erupting, with at
least triple that amount experiencing unrest or minor activity within the past
year.
Particularly troubling are the Kamchatka Peninsula
of Russia where five volcanoes are currently in eruption phase with ten other
volcanoes experiencing minor or increased activity.
Eruptions in Indonesia and the Philippines in the Ring of Fire are also
disturbing, as so many of the volcanoes are very near to large population
centers and any major eruptions would entail mass evacuations of large groups
of people.
The most disturbing intel I have read is that the
lava dome located beneath the Yellowstone Park super-volcano in Montana has
nearly tripled in size and expanded over the past decade, with an increase in
harmonic tremors and seismic activity. The Yellowstone volcano is perhaps the
world’s most dangerous, and a significant eruption would place literally
billions of lives at risk, due to massive amounts of ash and debris that would
be released high into the atmosphere, blotting out all life for perhaps
hundreds of miles and creating havoc with the global climate.
For a complete list of volcanoes erupting or
experiencing activity, please visit here:
The old saying goes "Money doesn't grow on trees", but the leaves of the eucalyptus tree may hold clues that there is gold in the ground beneath them!
Scientists in Australia have discovered that many plants and trees in the drier areas of the country have root systems that burrow deep within the earth in search of precious water in order to survive. (Australia is the driest nation on the planet, as the current devastating wildfires will attest.) The trees, in particular the eucalyptus, then absorb gold and other mineral particles from the ground. In an effort to expel the toxic heavy metals, the particles of gold are then expelled through the leaves, which are the favorite treats of those adorable koala bears!
The gold particles are extremely tiny—only about one-tenth the width of a normal human hair— which means it would take a lot of particles to make any money. The presence of the gold particles in the trees, however, would be a good indication that there are gold deposits located in the ground beneath the trees, which is good news for any prospectors Down Under!
India has emergency preparations in place as highly dangerous Cyclone Phailin, which formed only a few days ago in the Bay of Bengal, bears down on the sub-continent. The storm is as of now the equivalent of a Category Five on the Saffir-Simpson scale and is enormous in size, comparable in size to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region of the United States in 2005.
Highly destructive winds well over 160 kph (100 mph) and flooding rain of at least 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) is expected across a wide area. A catastrophic storm surge of at least 4-6 meters (14-20 feet) is expected in advance of the storm making landfall on Saturday morning, local time.
The local government has issued mandatory evacuation orders for people living in the path of the ferocious storm, with several hundred thousands residents already relocated to designated shelters throughout the region. Anyone residing in the states of Orissa or eastern Andhra Pradesh is strongly encouraged to take proper precautions and prepare for life-threatening conditions as the storm makes landfall.
Phailin is the most dangerous storm to hit the region since 1999, when super cyclone Odisha hit India, killing more than 15,000 people. The areas expected to be pummeled by Phailan this weekend, specifically in an area from the cities of Visakhapatnam to Brahmapur, is home to millions of people, a majority of whom live in substandard housing.
After making landfall in northeastern India on Saturday, the cyclone will continue to track northwest through the interior of India and weaken Sunday into Monday, where heavy rain will continue to cause flooding and even mudslides through early next week.
Scientists at the University of Utah have discovered that the venom of centipedes may actually be a more powerful painkiller than morphine, a new study has concluded.
The venom from the Chinese red-headed centipede apparently contains a compound that blocks pain receivers in the body, and would work better than the standard morphine currently being used for sufferers of acute, chronic pain.
Experiments conducted on mice in a laboratory have shown that the centipede venom is highly effective in stopping pain and in some instances can actually work better, but without the terrible side effects of morphine. Another positive is that mice given the venom did not develop an addiction to the drug because it does not block the same receptors that morphine does.
The drug will have to go through a battery of more tests to prove how safe it is and pass muster with the FDA before being introduced to the US market.
This kind of gives a new twist to that creepily awful movie The Human Centipede...
Second Update: NASA has released some incredible images of the new volcanic island that sprang forth from the sea off the coast of Pakistan after last week's powerful earthquake. The new terrestrial formation has been given the name Zalzala Jazeera, or "earthquake island" and can be seen from space.
Update: The official death toll now sits at 328, with thousands still missing. New reports coming from the region state that the new "island" actually measures 250 to 300 feet (76-91 meters) in length, and about 60 to 70 feet (18-21 meters) above the water. Local residents are now going out to the island to see the mysterious new land mass for themselves and taking photographs. Scientists on the scene have confirmed that methane gas is being emitted from cracks and fissures in the newly-formed island and have forbidden any members of their crew to strike a match or start a fire for fear of igniting an explosion.
Today's deadly 7.8 earthquake in Pakistan has taken at least 328 lives with thousands still unaccounted for in in the impoverished area of the Baluchistan province. Thousands of buildings have collapsed, with many people still trapped in the ruins of buildings and homes, as rescuers try desperately to free survivors.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake had a magnitude of 7.8 with an epicenter about 230 kilometers southwest of Dalbandin in Pakistan's Baluchistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
Now, there are reports coming out of the region of a new land mass that has emerged off the coast of Pakistan following the powerful temblor. Pakistani TV Geo News, citing Pakistan's deputy inspector general, is reporting that a 100-foot-wide island arose out of the Arabian Sea about 350 feet off the coast of Gwadar immediately after the earthquake struck at 4:29 p.m. local time (11:29 GMT). Pakistani media is also broadcasting a photograph of this new island mass.
Needless to say, this is another instantly recognizable news item to those who have been following the Webbot Project and their predictions regarding the earth changes that are now manifesting across the planet. For years, the "New Land Rising" linguistic meme was an important part of the projects' ALTA runs, and was a pre-cursor to the "Global Coastal Event" disaster forecast that is predicted to affect most of humanity. Follow this blog closely for any new information and important updates.
For more information, visit these related past blog posts:
While visiting the local Garden Ridge craft
mega-store today, I noticed two things: One, there sure is a lot of
crappy stuff crammed onto the shelves and two, they keep the aisles
pretty dark so you can't get a good look at just how crappy the stuff
is! Here's a veritable treat of extremely kitschy objet d'art found at
Garden Ridge! Enjoy!
The Hot Lips chair looks super comfortable and inviting...
There's something about an over-sized, Zebra-stripped stiletto heel chair that reminds me of big, warm hugs...
I
think a five-year-old vomited on Aisle Eight after eating a bag of
Skittles, some Pixie Sticks, and some garden-variety bugs for good
measure...
This
hanging mass of mildewed sea kelp wouldn't look any more appealing if
the photograph was in focus... Now picture it on your wall!!!
A basketball made out the stone-washed jeans your Mom wore to see "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo". Go, Wildcats!!!
Good to know Garden Ridge sells safety pins that are the perfect size if you have to diaper a Cyclops...
So, it is better luck to rub the Jade Buddha on it's tummy, or on its dangling man boobs?
The never-before-caught-on-film mating ritual of the wild Serengeti speckled lamp shades...
'Nuff said!!!
Here are two of Jackson Pollock's lesser-known works. The first painting is titled "How Drunk Am I?" The second is called "Does Drinking Rubbing Alcohol Make One Hallucinate?"
No wonder Mama Celeste broke things off with the Swedish Chef...
Where to start, as the information and intel is coming in fast and furious, and we are definitely at the point of "shock & awe", as the webbots predicted several years out from current events.
The Earth Changes are by now too obvious for even the most casual observer to ignore. To say that we are neck-deep into the approaching crisis doesn't quite cover the extent of what we are witnessing and ...what is yet to come.
The "biblical and apocalyptic" flooding (the media's terminology) in Colorado and New Mexico is just the tip of the iceberg, as it were. Now, current reports from the region have at least 500 people missing and unaccounted for, with some damage estimates over $3 Billion US. This will be the 12th Billion Dollar Plus disaster since January of this year, worldwide. It actually may be more than twelve, as I have lost count. Follow the money, folks, as the figures don't lie, but are telling an incredibly disturbing story. Accounts coming out of the disaster zone are riveting and terrifying, with stories of abject terror as well as those of miraculous survival. More information about the catastrophe here.
Warning Signs: Take into account Janet Napolitano's chilling statement as she departed the office of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security two weeks ago. She warned of not only an approaching Cyber World War, but that a "natural disaster — the likes of which the nation has never seen — is also likely on its way". This disaster has the the potential to not only cripple the United States, but the global economy and would place billions of lives in peril. Her wording was direct and to the point, so there is no room for misinterpretation. Keep in mind that Napolitano had access to extremely sensitive intelligence reports, from the FBI, the CIA as well as FEMA, NASA and the NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.) A warning from her should be taken VERY seriously. Her statements can be viewed as a conditioning report, to help prepare the populace to accept the idea of what is coming around the bend. The full story can be read here.
From the Earth Changes files, a State of Emergency has been declared in the South American nation of Peru, due to continued eruptions of the Ubinas volcano. The volcano has erupted seven times in the past few weeks as it spews highly toxic ash and dust thousands of feet into the air. More information can be found here.
Breaking News...I'm having to edit my blog post mid-stream, as more information and events relevant to this story continue to pore in from around the globe. Now, there are reports of thousands of people fleeing for their lives on the Indonesian island of Sumatra due to a powerful eruption of the Mount Sinabung volcano. Full story here!
I am also receiving information of an uptick in seismic actitivy and harmonic tremors in the Yellowstone Caldera, one of the world's most dangerous super-volcanoes. I will keep everyone updated as I receive more information.
Also, some interesting images of Comet ISON are making the rounds. These images look suspiciously like the "Winged Disk" of Sumerian legend, as well as the Egyptian "Eye of Horus". The jury is still out on whether ISON will put on a spectacular show in the night (and day) skies over the next few months. I hope it does, so that it will make the sheeple of the world look up from their smart phones for a second or two and be in awe.
As always, stay tuned here for the latest, breaking information. I promise to bring the news to you, unvarnished and raw, the way the news should be. Peace out...
A radio station's prank last week regarding a supposed alien invasion panicked local citizens, had local schools on lock down and used up important resources for the financially-strapped police department!
Obviously inspired by Orson Welles' infamous 1938 radio broadcast of H.G. Wells classic War of the Worlds on Halloween Eve that panicked America, Alabama radio station Star 94.9 thought it would be fun to play a mock-up of an alien invasion to announce to the public of the station's impending format change. The situation got a little out of control, however, when listeners thought that the station had indeed been hacked by aliens— or perhaps terrorists— plotting the destruction of the country!
Worried parents immediately started calling emergency services after the phony announcement, fearing a bomb threat at local schools, while many other parents kept their children home from school out of fear of an attack. Police officers had to be dispatched to several schools to keep the peace and to assure students and faculty alike that there was no [immediate] threat of spindly, four-eyed, green aliens taking over and turning everyone into a source of food, because—as everyone knows— humans are extremely tasty to extra-terrestrials.
"It may have started as something innocent," said Tuscumbia, Alabama, Police Chief
Tony Logan, "but it has gotten out of hand and turned into an issue
concerning public safety." Logan also stated that some officers had to be paid overtime due to the prank, which has put a strain on the departments' already-strapped budget.
Director of programming Brian Rickman has apologized for the unfortunate incident, stating "It's a very innocuous promotion that got blown out of proportion."
There are some red faces at Buckingham Palace in London today after it was revealed armed security guards mistook Prince Andrew for an intruder on the grounds of the royal residence and ordered the prince to prove his identity!
The 53-year-old Duke of York had apparently decided to take a stroll on the well-manicured grounds of the royal palace to enjoy the gardens and the early-evening sunshine when he was approached by two police officers with guns.
A royal insider has claimed that the officers pointed their guns at Prince Andrew, and ordered him to the ground before realizing who he was, but Metropolitan Police and Scotland Yard insist that no weapons were ever brandished. The police force released this official statement: "On Wednesday, September 4, at approximately 6PM, two uniformed officers approached a man in the gardens of Buckingham Palace to verify his identity. The man was satisfactorily identified. No weapons were drawn and no force was used." The statement does not mention the identity of the man.
The incident comes less than 48 hours after an intruder who had scaled the security fence around the palace was discovered by officers on the grounds of Buckingham Palace. The man was arrested and is currently in jail awaiting charges.
Needless to say, Prince Andrew is not very happy about the embarrassing incident, but at least the Royal Family know that the security officers given the responsibility to protect them are doing a very thorough job...
