• • • an aural noise • • •
word salad: Freedom is the greatest good we have. We have the freedom to make and listen to the music we like. Unfortunately this cannot be taken for granted … Let yourself be carried away into a world of love and peace and listen to the sounds of this album.
• • • some of the things I read in antisocial isolation • • •
Mongolia’s Melting Ice Reveals Fragile Prehistoric Artifacts
Researchers scramble to find and study everyday items preserved for millennia and now at risk.
Archaeologist and paleoenvironmental researcher Isaac Hart of the University of Utah surveys a melting ice patch in western Mongolia. Embiggenable. Vacation at home.
IN THE WORLD’S HIGH MOUNTAIN regions, life needs ice. From the Rockies to the Himalayas, glaciers and other accumulations of snow and ice persist throughout the year. Often found on shaded slopes protected from the sun, these ice patches transform barren peaks into biological hot spots.
As an archaeologist, I value these snow and ice patches for the rare peek they can provide back in time through the fog of alpine prehistory. When people lose objects in the ice, ice patches act as natural deep-freezers. For thousands of years, they can store snapshots of the culture, daily life, technology, and behavior of the people who created these artifacts.
Frozen heritage is melting from mountain ice in every hemisphere. As it does so, small groups of archaeologists are scrambling to cobble together the funding and staffing needed to identify, recover, and study these objects before they are gone.
Alongside a group of scholars from the University of Colorado, the National Museum of Mongolia, and partners from around the world, I’m working to identify, analyze, and preserve ancient materials emerging from the ice in the grassy steppes of Mongolia, where such discoveries have a tremendous impact on how scientists understand the past.
Domestic reindeer in northern Mongolia cool themselves on an ice patch to escape heat and insects (left). Others attempt the same in an area that recent melting has left devoid of perennial ice, hurting herd health.
During the warm summer months, unique plants thrive at the well-watered margins of ice patches. Large animals such as caribou, elk, sheep, and even bison seek the ice to cool off or escape from insects. …
Tbilisi, Georgia: ‘Chronicle of Georgia’
This extraordinary, multi-pillared monument depicts the fascinating history of Georgia.
Chronicle of Georgia. Embiggenable. Explore at home.
CONSTRUCTED IN 1985, THIS STRIKING monument depicts scenes from the 3,000-year history of Georgia and was designed and created by Zurab Tserteli, a Georgian sculptor who later served as the President at the Russian Academy of Arts. It sits on the outskirts of Tbilisi and its prominence in the middle of a small wooded area allows it to be seen from afar.
Sometimes referred to as “The Georgian Stonehenge,” the “Chronicle of Georgia” consists of 16 large columns that reach a height of around 114 feet (35 meters) each. The lower parts portray the life of Jesus and other notable figures throughout the history of Christianity. The higher parts of the pillars contain notable members of royalty and rulers of Georgia. Interestingly, the towers are yet to be fully completed, intermittently, work still continues on the structure. Next to the memorial lies a small Georgian Orthodox church.
The monument sits atop a small hill and is reached by climbing a large set of steps. Once at the top, the location provides a fantastic panoramic view of the Tbilisi Sea and the surrounding suburbs. The monument is not as well-visited as some of the city’s more known attractions and often, visitors will be able to take in the beauty while having the place to themselves. …
Americans Have No Idea What the Supply Chain Really Is
Behind shipping delays and soaring prices are workers still at mortal risk of COVID-19.
Imbiciles are already hoarding.
At this point, the maddeningly unpredictable Delta variant has changed the expected course of the coronavirus pandemic so much that it can be hard to know exactly what you’re waiting for, or if you should continue waiting at all. Is something like before-times normalcy still coming, or will Americans have to negotiate a permanently changed reality? Will we recognize that new normal when it gets here, or will it be clear only in hindsight? And how long will it be before you can buy a new couch and have it delivered in a timely manner?
Somehow, that third question is currently just as existential as the first two. Everyday life in the United States is acutely dependent on the perpetual motion of the supply chain, in which food and medicine and furniture and clothing all compete for many of the same logistical resources. As everyone has been forced to learn in the past year and a half, when the works get gummed up—when a finite supply of packaging can’t keep up with demand, when there aren’t enough longshoremen or truck drivers or postal workers, when a container ship gets wedged sideways in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes—the effects ripple outward for weeks or months, emptying shelves and raising prices in ways that can seem random. All of a sudden, you can’t buy kettlebells or canned seltzer.
All of this was supposed to be better by now. Not perfect—even a triumphant end to the pandemic wouldn’t stop climate change or political unrest from throwing their own wrenches into global logistics—but better. Instead, as Delta has forced new restrictions in countries fighting to contain the virus and deepened uncertainty and fear in the United States, the game of supply-chain whack-a-mole that manufacturers and shippers have been playing for the past year and a half has grown only more complex. Some book publishers have had to delay new releases because the pulp used to manufacture paper has been gobbled up by online shopping’s endless appetite for cardboard.
To Americans whose lives have gotten progressively closer to normal this year—who are back in the office, whose kids are in school, who eat inside restaurants and go on vacation without much worry—these nagging problems can be baffling. They shouldn’t be. Americans are habitually unattuned to the massive and profoundly human apparatus that brings us basically everything in our lives. Much of the country’s pandemic response has treated us as somehow separate from the rest of the world and the challenges it endures, but unpredictably empty shelves, rising prices, and long waits are just more proof of how foolish that belief has always been. …
The global supply chain crisis could fuel a severe dose of stagflation
Economic observers should heed the warnings now – rising prices and slowing growth are a very real threat.
A shortage of microchips, AKA semiconductors, are playing havoc with global supply of goods and services.
How will the global economy and markets evolve over the next year? There are four scenarios that could follow the “mild stagflation” of the last few months.
The recovery in the first half of 2021 has given way recently to sharply slower growth and a surge of inflation well above the 2% target of central banks, owing to the effects of the Delta variant, supply bottlenecks in both goods and labour markets, and shortages of some commodities, intermediate inputs, final goods, and labour. Bond yields have fallen in the last few months and the recent equity-market correction has been modest so far, perhaps reflecting hopes that the mild stagflation will prove temporary.
The four scenarios depend on whether growth accelerates or decelerates, and on whether inflation remains persistently higher or slows down. Wall Street analysts and most policymakers anticipate a “Goldilocks” scenario of stronger growth alongside moderating inflation in line with central banks’ 2% target. According to this view, the recent stagflationary episode is driven largely by the impact of the Delta variant. Once it fades, so, too, will the supply bottlenecks, provided that new virulent variants do not emerge. Then growth would accelerate while inflation would fall.
For markets, this would represent a resumption of the “reflation trade” outlook from earlier this year, when it was hoped that stronger growth would support stronger earnings and even higher stock prices. In this rosy scenario, inflation would subside, keeping inflation expectations anchored about 2%, bond yields would gradually rise alongside real interest rates, and central banks would be in a position to taper quantitative easing without rocking stock or bond markets. In equities, there would be a rotation from US to foreign markets (Europe, Japan, and emerging markets) and from growth, technology, and defensive stocks to cyclical and value stocks. …
Capitalist Heroes! This Vape Company has Found a Way to Monetize Sadness https://t.co/Zfa3W2Ai1P #sponsored #onionlabs @truthorange pic.twitter.com/quzYKTMqpo
— The Onion (@TheOnion) September 21, 2021
Greyhound Used To Say There’s No Such Thing As ‘Bus Rage.’ Then Came The Cannibal
“There’s a reason you’ve never heard of ‘bus rage’,” said an ad campaign Greyhound was running in 2008. Because riding the bus may not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but when you think about it, it’s a whole lot less stressful than driving. You can even just lean back and sleep through all the traffic. So when you’re driving behind schedule and simmering with rage, if you happen to see a billboard with that slogan, you might think about booking a bus the next time you get the chance.
Then came July 2008. Over in Canada, Tim McLean, who worked at a carnival in Edmonton, boarded a Greyhound bus for the 800-mile trip to Winnipeg. Like many passengers on the long ride, he went to sleep.
If you aren’t interested in reading about a brutal murder, close this page now. We’ll be back with something less grisly tomorrow.
The passenger beside him, Vince Weiguang Li, took out a knife. As he started stabbing McLean, the bus pulled over, and the driver and every other passenger took the opportunity to flee the vehicle. Then a couple of them reconsidered and turned back to help the attacked man, but Li had the door shut now and just waved his knife at them. …
Ed. Seriously, you really don’t want to know the rest. Instead, re-read the title to understand why… and scroll along.
Millionaire Robert Durst Found Guilty Of First-Degree Murder https://t.co/PdId7lNldT #WhatDoYouThink? pic.twitter.com/HaToMifVeL
— The Onion (@TheOnion) September 21, 2021
UNRELATED: Somaliland: The World’s Most Bizarre Case Of International Recognition
By almost every measure, Somaliland has been an independent country since 1991. They have their own functioning government, a flag, a currency, a police force, and a population that almost universally considers themselves a country. In 2001, 97% of Somaliland voters stated support for their independence, and it does not seem like this number has gone down.
But according to international recognition, Somaliland is simply part of Somalia. Not a single country recognizes Somaliland as a country. Neither does the United Nations. Nor does the African Union. This makes Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, one of the most unique cases of statehood around the globe.
Officially, Somaliland and Somalia have been united since 1960. Before this, both Somaliland and Somalia were territories under European rule from Great Britain and Italy, respectively. In 1960, they both gained independence and united as one Somalia. The shared cultural heritage theoretically made this a natural fit, but many in Somaliland considered themselves more strongly tied to Somaliland rather than the new country.
This intensified when Somalia came under the rule of Siad Barre in 1969 following a military coup. Barre’s rule was oppressive and was especially unpopular in the northern parts of Somalia that are today Somaliland. During the 1980s, the Somali National Movement based in present-day Somaliland rebelled against Barre’s regime, and after a civil war, declared itself an independent country. …
10 Morally Reprehensible Turtles Who Deserved To Get Their Heads Stuck In Plastic Rings https://t.co/Jui5tFdPWY pic.twitter.com/sX1so2h6z8
— The Onion (@TheOnion) September 22, 2021
How Humans Lost Their Tails
A new study suggests that a single genetic mutation helps explain why monkeys have tails, while apes and people do not.
A team of scientists say they have pinpointed the genetic mutation that may have erased our tails 20 million years ago.
For half a billion years or so, our ancestors sprouted tails. As fish, they used their tails to swim through the Cambrian seas. Much later, when they evolved into primates, their tails helped them stay balanced as they raced from branch to branch through Eocene jungles. But then, roughly 25 million years ago, the tails disappeared.
Charles Darwin first recognized this change in our ancient anatomy. But how and why it happened has remained a mystery.
Now a team of scientists in New York say they have pinpointed the genetic mutation that may have erased our tails. When the scientists made this genetic tweak in mice, the animals didn’t grow tails, according to a new study that was posted online last week.
This dramatic anatomical change had a profound impact on our evolution. Our ancestors’ tail muscles evolved into a hammock-like mesh across the pelvis. When the ancestors of humans stood up and walked on two legs a few million years ago, that muscular hammock was ready to support the weight of upright organs.
Although it’s impossible to definitively prove that this mutation lopped off our ancestors’ tails, “it’s as close to a smoking gun as one could hope for,” said Cedric Feschotte, a geneticist at Cornell who was not involved in the study. …
Ed. Inappropriate qustion: Since these so-called scientists have now pinpointed the genetic mutation that caused us to not have a tail, why aren’t we correcting this horrible mutation?
IT phoned home: Storytelling box foils kindergarten thief
German police say they have solved a burglary case at a kindergarten after a storytelling gadget the suspect had swiped revealed his location.
Police said Tuesday that the 44-year-old suspect had stolen various items during a break-in at a kindergarten in the western town of Halver in April.
Among them were a laptop, picture books, cups and glasses, some fish sticks, pasta and a smart speaker for playing children’s stories.
When the man tried to download new stories onto the device a month later it sent his home location to the manufacturers, who informed police. …
Video Goodnesses
and not-so-goodnesses
and not-so-goodnesses
Deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. officially surpass the number of deaths from the 1918 Spanish flu, and San Francisco’s mayor is caught dancing maskless at a Tony! Toni! Toné! concert.
THANKS to Comedy Central and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah for making this program available on YouTube.
土管を解体する前にもうちょっと有効活用したい！ と思ったら土管に詰まって出られなくなったまる。今までの穴よりは大きいので、たぶん土管の高さによって中でつま先立ちになっているためと思われる。I wanted to make more effective use of the pipe before dismantling it! Although the hole was larger than usual, Maru could not get out of the pipe. Because of the height of the pipe, he is probably standing on tiptoe in it.
FINALLY . . .
LSA — The Legal and Natural Alternative to LSD
This legal substance can be the tip of the psychedelic renaissance.
LSA — LSD Alternative PsychedelicEmbiggenable. Explore at home.
is an organic substance produced naturally in the seeds of some species of creeper plants.
This substance is capable of inducing mystical, deeply meaningful sensorial journeys similar to the effects of the synthetic psychedelic substance: LSD.
To many psychonauts, LSA represents a natural substitute to LSD.
The implications of a naturally grown alternative to LSD are tremendous in the time of the psychedelic boom.
As governments come up with new regulations and recognize the usefulness of the responsible use of psychedelic substances, new organizations emerge with the motif of tackling mental health issues using psychedelics as their main tool.
In April this year (2021) NASDAQ listed MindMed, an LSD-based mental health company.
Most nations hold the pharmaceutical industry with the most strict scrutiny and now we have these regulations applied to the synthesis and use of psychedelics like LSD.
We are facing a substance that is extremely cheap to produce and relatively safe to consume.
Especially in comparison with other mainstream drugs.
…
Ed. More tomorrow? Possibly. Probably. Maybe. Likely, if I find nothing more barely uninteresting at all to do.
Ed., etc. I didn’t have time to do this today.
