Mary Beard: Recycling dilemmas (TLS)
Ok everyone, before you berate me! I am a keen recycler, and I fully believe that throwaway plastic packaging is stupid as well as wicked (I was brought up on brown paper bags from the local greengrocer and glass milk bottles, both of which I am still lucky enough to get in leafy Cambridge). So, I think I am on the side of the angels. But I really do wonder if the recycling tsars have got the PR right.
Mary Beard: From one lav to another (TLS)
A few weeks ago, I got the chance to sit (very comfortably) on Maurizio Cattelan's golden lavatory (entitled "America") when it had just been installed at Bleinheim Palace. It will be featuring briefly in this week's Front Row Late on BBC Two. But, as most people probably know, very shortly after I had enjoyed its facilities it was stolen in what looks like a classic heist. Two people have since been arrested, but not charged, though there is as I write no sign of the golden lav (worth several million dollars, precise estimates vary).
Mosquitoes (alternate spelling mosquitos) are a group of about 3,500 species of small insects that are flies (order Diptera). Within Diptera they constitute the family Culicidae (from the Latin culex meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by mosca and diminutive -ito) is Spanish for "little fly". Mosquitoes have a slender segmented body, one pair of wings, three pairs of long hair-like legs, feathery antennae, and elongated mouthparts.
The mosquito's saliva is transferred to the host during the bite, and can cause an itchy rash. In addition, many species can ingest pathogens while biting, and transmit them to future hosts. In this way, mosquitoes are important vectors of diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, Chikungunya, West Nile, dengue fever, filariasis, Zika and other arboviruses. By transmitting diseases, mosquitoes cause the deaths of more people than any other animal taxon: over 700,000 each year and as many as half of the people who have ever lived.
Source
Jim from CA, retired to ID, replied:
Mosquitoes are responsible for around 725,000 deaths per year.
Deborah responded:
Human animals kill the most humans every year. That's my WAG.
Cool and quite pleasant. If this is fall settling in, I'm down.
Ed K wrote:
Wayne LaPierre
Daniel in The City said:
I'd go with mosquitos
Alan J answered:
Mosquitoes.
Rosemary in Columbus responded:
Mosquito
Dave in Tucson replied:
Man.
BttbBob wrote:
This villain... at least I think so.
... which is currently spreading West Nile and the Eastern Equine viruses here in Michigan. Not to just people, neither. Two Mexican Gray Wolf pups have died in a Grand Rapids zoo recently from the EEE virus...
Dave took the day off.
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Your Libtard, Snowflake, Socialist friend, Roy in Tyler, TX took the day off.
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Saskplanner took the day off.
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For a while, country singer/songwriter Hank Williams had a bad habit of borrowing cigarettes, reaching into one of his band members' pockets and taking a cigarette whenever he felt like it. He got cured of that bad habit after one of his band members found a novelty store that sold exploding cigarettes. By the way, Mr. Williams would sometimes write lyrics when traveling in a car from one gig to another. Once, he asked, "What rhymes with 'street'?" Guitarist and close friend Don Helms answered, "Your smelly feet!"
At the Metropolitan Opera, tenor Leo Slezak had just finished performing in Christoph Willibald Gluck's Armide. He saw an old, distinguished gentleman standing nearby, so he pushed him onto the stage, pointed to him, then bowed. Afterward, reporters asked him whom the old gentleman had been, and Mr. Slezak told them that it had been Gluck himself. The reporters printed the story, not knowing that Gluck had died in 1787.
Andrι Previn once conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at a rehearsal during which he asked the musicians to play a Russian composition that they had not played before. After they had gone through it once, Mr. Previn said, "That was wonderful! I have never heard an orchestra play so perfectly the first time! Now, let's try it again, and this time I'd like to hear a few wrong notes!" The musicians had fun obliging him by playing many wrong notes! He laughed.
Tenor Enrico Caruso didn't mind playing a practical joke on stage once in a while. While singing "Che gelida manina"("Your tiny hand is frozen") to Geraldine Ferrar in La Boheme, he slipped a piece of ice into her hand.
Prejudice
In 1972, Yale University invited many black musicians to its campus in order to raise money for an African-American music department. The invitees included Eubie Blake, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Max Roach, Noble Sissle, Willie "The Lion" Smith, and Mary Lou Williams. While Dizzy Gillespie was leading a sextet in a performance, someone called in a bomb threat. The other musicians moved outside to play, but Mr. Mingus declined to do that, saying, "Racism planted that bomb, but racism ain't strong enough to kill this music. If I'm going to die, I'm ready. But I'm going out playing 'Sophisticated Lady.'" Outside, Mr. Gillespie and other musicians played Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady," but from inside the theater building, whose doors were open, Mr. Mingus played his bass.
Jerry Lee Lewis' mother once told him, "You and Elvis are pretty good, but you're no Chuck Berry." Chuck Berry, of course, was a duck-walking guitarist who put 15 songs on the R&B Top Ten chart. By making hits such as "Maybelline," "Johnny B. Goode," and "Roll Over Beethoven," Mr. Berry helped integrate the United States, which during the 1950s was segregated in many places. He and Fats Domino, best known perhaps for "Blueberry Hill," toured together in the 1950s. At first, a rope divided the blacks from the whites, but later the black music fans and the white music fans mixed. Mr. Berry said, "Salt and pepper all mixed together." He added that Fats and he used to look at the mixed audiences and say, "Well, look what's happening."
Neil Spencer, editor of New Music Express (NME) from 1978 to 1985, points out that for a long time, female vocalists and musicians were expected to be eye candy. That changed with punk music and Poly Styrene and the Slits. Suddenly, female vocalists and musicians were not playing that game. Mr. Spencer remembers about the Slits, "Guys would shout at them. 'You look ugly,' and they'd reply, 'We're not here to look nice for you.'"
During the Jim Crow days, Bobby Womack toured with Sam Cooke, who gave him some advice. Mr. Womack said, "Sam used to tell me, whenever you got some money, you go get yourself a good ring and a good watch. Why would I need that? And Sam would say, you might have to get outta town quickly, before you get paid, and you can always hock that ring and that watch."
Cloudy day - the defective rooster crowed all afternoon.
Tonight, Saturday:
CBS begins the night with a RERUN'Bob Hearts Abishola', followed by a RERUN'Carol's Second Act', then '48 Hours'.
NBC opens the night with a RERUN'The Voice', followed by a RERUN'SNL', except on the left coast, where it's LIVE'SNL', followed by a RERUN'SNL'.
'SNL' is FRESH with Woody Harrelson hosting, music by Billie Eislish.
ABC fills the night with LIVE'College Football', then pads the left coast with local crap and maybe a RERUN'Stumptown'.
The CW offers a buncha '2½ Men'.
Faux fills the night with LIVE'MLB Baseball', then pads the left coast with local crap.
MY recycles an old 'Major Crimes', followed by another old 'Major Crimes'.
A&E has 'Live PD', followed by a FRESH'Live PD: Rewind', then a FRESH'Live PD'.
AMC offers the movie 'Twister', followed by the movie 'Pearl Harbor'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] HIDDEN HABITATS - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 4-Monterey Bay
[6:30AM] NATIONAL LAMPOON'S EUROPEAN VACATION (1985)
[8:30AM] NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)
[10:45AM] NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION (1983)
[12:45PM] NATIONAL LAMPOON'S EUROPEAN VACATION (1985)
[2:45PM] NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)
[5:00PM] NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION (1983)
[7:00PM] VEGAS VACATION (1997)
[9:00PM] NATURE'S GREAT EVENTS - TV-GSEASON 1 - EPISODE 6-The Great Feast
[10:10PM] PLANET EARTH: SOUTH PACIFIC - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 1-Ocean of Islands
[11:20PM] PLANET EARTH: SOUTH PACIFIC - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 2-Castaways
[12:30AM] PLANET EARTH: SOUTH PACIFIC - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 3-Endless Blue
[1:40AM] PLANET EARTH: SOUTH PACIFIC - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 4-Ocean of Volcanoes
[2:50AM] NATURE'S GREAT EVENTS - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 6-The Great Feast
[4:00AM] PLANET EARTH: SOUTH PACIFIC - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 5-Strange Islands
[5:00AM] PLANET EARTH: SOUTH PACIFIC - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 6-Fragile Paradise (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has the movie 'Something Borrowed', followed by the movie 'Baby Mama', then the movie 'Baby Mama', again.
Comedy Central has the movie 'Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story', followed by the movie '21 Jump Street', then the movie 'Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story'.
FX has the movie Spider-Man', followed by the movie 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'.
IFC -
[6:00A] Batman - The Contaminated Cowl
[6:33A] Batman - The Mad Hatter Runs a Foul
[7:06A] Batman - The Zodiac Crimes
[7:39A] Batman - The Joker's Hard Time
[8:12A] Batman - The Penguin Declines
[8:45A] Up in Smoke
[10:45A] Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
[1:15P] Police Academy
[3:30P] Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment
[5:30P] Days of Thunder
[8:00P] Road House
[10:45P] Road House
[1:30A] Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
[4:00A] Up in Smoke (ALL TIMES EDT)
Sundance -
[6:15am] The Andy Griffith Show
[6:50am] The Andy Griffith Show
[7:25am] The Andy Griffith Show
[8:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[8:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[9:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[9:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[10:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[10:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[11:00am] M*A*S*H
[11:30am] M*A*S*H
[12:00pm] M*A*S*H
[12:30pm] M*A*S*H
[1:00pm] M*A*S*H
[1:30pm] M*A*S*H
[2:00pm] M*A*S*H
[2:30pm] M*A*S*H
[3:00pm] M*A*S*H
[3:30pm] M*A*S*H
[4:00pm] M*A*S*H
[4:30pm] M*A*S*H
[5:00pm] M*A*S*H
[5:30pm] M*A*S*H
[6:00pm] M*A*S*H
[6:30pm] M*A*S*H
[7:00pm] M*A*S*H
[7:30pm] M*A*S*H
[8:00pm] M*A*S*H
[8:30pm] M*A*S*H
[9:00pm] Beverly Hills Cop II
[11:00pm] Beverly Hills Cop III
[1:00am] Once Upon a Time in Mexico
[3:00am] Last Action Hero (ALL TIMES EDT)
SyFy has the movie 'Red 2', followed by the movie 'The Magnificient Seven'.
Officials at the Mark Twain Cave in Missouri said a signature found on a limestone wall could belong to the author of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," according to a news release by the Missouri-based park.
The cursive signature of "Clemens" -- Twain's real name was Samuel L. Clemens -- was written in pencil and appears to be scrawled long before Twain became a world-famous author, according to the Herald-Whig of Quincy, Illinois.
The discovery was announced at the cave, located at the south end Hannibal, where Twain lived from ages 4 to 17 (1839 to 1853).
Cave officials said they discovered the signature July 26, but waited until the signature was verified before making an announcement, according to The Kansas City Star.
"We found Sam Clemens' name inside the cave," Linda Coleberd, the cave's owner, said at a news conference.
It's time for one last ride: Netflix's BoJack Horseman is coming to an end after six seasons, with a two-part final run that shows BoJack (Will Arnett) on the road to healing...even if the world around him continues to spiral.
The first trailer for the final season of BoJack Horseman sees the former star of Horsin' Around in rehab, relieved that he's finally getting help for his years of alcohol abuse and other problems stemming from his self-destructive behavior. Much of the trailer takes the form of letters between BoJack and Diane (Alison Brie) as BoJack shares the peace he's found in rehab-while adding little reminders that he's not entirely free of his narcissistic tendencies.
Meanwhile, the world outside of rehab continues in its typical chaotic fashion, with Carolyn (Amy Sedaris) adjusting to life as a parent and Todd (Aaron Paul) getting some shocking news about his mother. But that's not breaking BoJack's stride. He's wasted years being miserable, and he's tired of it. It's clear that BoJack is finally trying to get the help he needs, but is it going to be enough?
Part one of BoJack Horseman's final season will arrive on Netflix October 25, with the second half getting released on January 31, 2020.
Alphabet Inc.'s Google hired the top aide to Republican Senator Rob Portman to head its Washington policy operation, filling a key post as the internet search giant confronts escalating regulatory threats.
Mark Isakowitz, who was Portman's chief of staff, will be in charge of government affairs and public policy in the U.S. and Canada, according to a Google announcement Friday. He replaces Susan Molinari, who took an advisory role after resigning the position last year.
He will report to the company's global policy chief, Karan Bhatia, who said Isakowitz brings "serious policy knowledge, and an impressive record of bridging divides and achieving results."
Google is grappling with escalating scrutiny from federal, congressional and state antitrust officials. The Justice Department and 50 state attorneys general are conducting broad investigations, while a House panel probing the technology sector has also zeroed in on the company.
Bhatia joined Google last year after overseeing global affairs at General Electric Co. A former deputy U.S. trade representative under President George W. Bush, Bhatia at one point circulated an empty organizational chart with his name at the top and blank boxes representing all open positions reporting to him, prompting staffers to fear for their jobs, Bloomberg reported.
The skeleton of an ancient sports fan was discovered alongside an 1,800-year-old jar shaped like the head of a wrestler or boxer who may have had his nose broken, archaeologists reported.
The "spectacular" balsamarium - a jar used to store liquids such as balm or perfumes - was found in a grave in southeastern Bulgaria (ancient Thrace).
It dates to a time when the Roman Empire controlled Thrace - an ancient area that encompassed parts of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.
Made of brass, the balsamarium depicts a man with a goatee and a nose that looks crooked or bent as if it had been broken and not fully healed. The man is wearing a cap made from the skin of a feline, likely a panther or leopard, the archaeologists wrote in a paper published in the October issue of the American Journal of Archaeology.
Examples of balsamariums that have similar features, such as a crooked or bent nose, have been found elsewhere in the Roman Empire and are often interpreted as depicting boxers or wrestlers.
Porn star Stormy Daniels settled her lawsuit against the city of Columbus, Ohio, over her arrest last year at a strip club, officials said Friday.
Daniels will receive $450,000 and drop all claims made in her federal civil complaint against the city, according to her attorney, Chase Mallory, and a spokeswoman for City Attorney Zach Klein.
Her lawyer said that Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, could have reached a settlement for more than $450,000, but she was satisfied with changes implemented by the Columbus Police Department following her arrest.
Police arrested Daniels on July 11, 2018, at the Sirens Gentlemen's Club on misdemeanor charges of inappropriately touching customers. The charges were quickly dropped.
Daniels' lawsuit accused police of staging the arrest in a bid to protect President Don-Old Trump (R-Crooked). Daniels claims she had an affair with Trump more than a decade ago.
For nearly 5 years, growing numbers of scientists have blamed the weird orbits of distant solar system objects on the gravitational effects of an as-yet-undiscovered "Planet Nine" that lies in the icy realm far beyond Neptune. But a pair of physicists is now floating an intriguing idea that could offer a new way to search for the object: What if that supposed planet is actually a small black hole?
Previous studies have suggested Planet Nine, which some astronomers refer to as "Planet X," has a mass between five and 15 times that of Earth and lies between 45 billion and 150 billion kilometers from the sun. At such a distance, an object would receive very little light from the sun, making it hard to see with telescopes.
To detect objects of that mass, whether planets or black holes, astronomers can look for weird blobs of light formed when light "bends" around the object's gravitational field on its journey through the galaxy (simulated image above). Those anomalies would come and go as objects move in front of a distant star and continue in their orbit.
But if the object is a planet-mass black hole, the physicists say, it would likely be surrounded by a halo of dark matter that could stretch up to 1 billion kilometers on every side. And interactions between dark matter particles in that halo-especially collisions between dark matter and dark antimatter-could release a flash of gamma rays that would betray the object's presence, the researchers propose in a forthcoming paper posted on the preprint server arXiv.
The physicists will soon start to comb through publicly available data from the Earth-orbiting Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which has covered the sky in all directions since 2008. They'll be looking in particular for groups of sporadic gamma ray flashes that would move slowly across the sky, as Planet Nine would be expected to do as seen from Earth. Although the physicists' proposal is speculative, their search may yield all sorts of information about dark matter and the sources of gamma ray flashes-whether they lie within our solar system or far across the universe.
Saudi Arabia on Friday said it was offering tourist visas for the first time, opening up the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom to holidaymakers as part of a push to diversify its economy away from oil.
The kingdom also eased its strict dress code for foreign women, allowing them to go without the body-shrouding abaya robe that is still mandatory public wear for Saudi women, as authorities open up one of the last frontiers of global tourism.
The push comes just under two weeks after devastating attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure -- blamed by Washington on Iran -- which roiled global energy markets and raised fears of a wider regional conflict.
Citizens from 49 countries are eligible for online e-visas or visas on arrival, including the United States, Australia and several European nations, the statement said.
Kickstarting tourism is one of the centrepieces of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 reform programme to prepare the biggest Arab economy for a post-oil era.
Scientists are expressing surprise after discovering a solar system 30 light-years away from Earth that defies current understanding about planet formation, with a large Jupiter-like planet orbiting a diminutive star known as a red dwarf.
Stars generally are much bigger than even the largest planets that orbit them. But in this case, the star and the planet are not much different in size, the researchers said on Thursday.
The star, called GJ 3512, is about 12% the size of our sun, while the planet that orbits it has a mass of at least about half of Jupiter, our solar system's largest planet.
"Yes, an absolute surprise," said astrophysicist Juan Carlos Morales of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia at the Institute of Space Sciences in Spain, who led the research published in the journal Science.
The planet, which like Jupiter is composed mainly of gas, was discovered using a telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain. It travels around its star in a very elliptical orbit lasting 204 days.
Even in the topsy-turvy world of Indian religion, Motibar Rahman stands out as a Muslim looking after a Hindu shrine, as his family has done for centuries -- on the orders of Lord Shiva himself.
Like his forefathers, Rahman, 73, sweeps the Burha Gosair Than shrine every morning and lights candles for Shiva, one of Hinduism's foremost deities, who many believe resides inside.
"Before me, my father used to do this work and his father before him. Our family has been the keepers of this holy place for the past 500 years," the 73-year old told AFP.
"The first man in our family is Borhansa. Lord Shiva came to Borhansa and told him, 'I want to live in this place. From now on it will be the responsibility of your family to keep this place. I shall accept service from your family only and no one else'," Rahman explained.
The shrine is in Assam state, part of India's far-flung northeast, long a melting pot of ethnic groups and religions sandwiched between Muslim-majority Bangladesh and mostly Buddhist Myanmar.
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