Dinosaur Skull Found in Church

A slab of marble in the Cathedral of St. Ambrose in Vigevano, Italy, appears to contain a cross-section of the skull of a dinosaur:

The rock contains what appears to be a horizontal section of a dinosaur’s skull. The image looks like a CT scan, and clearly shows the cranium, the nasal cavities, and numerous teeth,” Andrea Tintori, the University of Milan paleontologist who spotted the fossil near the altar, told Discovery News.

Measuring about 30 cm (11.8 inches), the skull was cut in sections as slabs of the marble-like rock were used to build the Cathedral between 1532 and 1660.

Just IMAGINE, a 4,000 year-old artifact like that in a Church! Amazing... Full Story here

Prison Economics Help Drive Arizona Immigration Law

An investigation by NPR has some interesting/depressing things to say about the intersection of private prison companies, political lobbying, and the drafting of immigration law, notably in the fine state of Arizona.

The law is being challenged in the courts. But if it's upheld, it requires police to lock up anyone they stop who cannot show proof they entered the country legally.When it was passed in April, it ignited a fire storm. Protesters chanted about racial profiling. Businesses threatened to boycott the state.
Supporters were equally passionate, calling it a bold positive step to curb illegal immigration.But while the debate raged, few people were aware of how the law came about. NPR spent the past several months analyzing hundreds of pages of campaign finance reports, lobbying documents and corporate records. What they show is a quiet, behind-the-scenes effort to help draft and pass Arizona Senate Bill 1070 by an industry that stands to benefit from it: the private prison industry...

The full article is available here.

Breaking News

The introduction of Oxford Teddy to British Teddy was all right with a few icy 'how do you do's. But then the shock followed when Oxford Teddy said you rowed at Oxford and British Teddy said that couldn't be because a) you were at Cambridge and b) you rowed at Cambridge and you had an oar to prove it. Oh dear, you will have a lot of explaining to do. In the meantime this little lady Teddy (see pic) for weeks has been asking for you because she wants to have a wedding like you. Long story short, she is now engaged to Oxford Teddy. British Teddy is exasperated. While all this is going on, we brought Pouhi and Pouha (see pic in next email) back from the green bag in your room and they asked about the little girl who played with Pipe. So they are confused that you are married. British Teddy feeling very responsible doesn't know what to so with all this mess...Pouf D

Clearly, dear brothers, there is much drama abreast in Vaudreuil... I think indeed it may be time I go back for a visit and sort things out.

Regards,
Evelyne

Dub Step / Jazz?

Fuckwit at the Commands

One of my more eccentric DPhil acquaintances posted this sketch on facebook - which he doodled while attending a really boring conference talk. He does stuff about the history of music and wrote a dissertation on violins. He works for a big auction house now, handling Stradivariuses with white felt gloves. All of this is true, and the reality of this person is even more peppered with delightful arcane eccentricities...

When Catching Butterflies is not Child's Play

Why Sisterly Chats Make People Happier

“Having a Sister Makes You Happier”: that was the headline on a recent article about a study finding that adolescents who have a sister are less likely to report such feelings as “I am unhappy, sad or depressed” and “I feel like no one loves me.”These findings are no fluke; other studies have come to similar conclusions. But why would having a sister make you happier?...
(Check out the full article from the New York Times)



Just puttin' it out there! :)

Mind-Blowing Photo

Also my desktop for the foreseeable future

Take-Home Point:

Africa is effing huge!

It's also interesting that Italy is almost as long as the American East coast.