Ambergris

Ambergris

"Ambergris is an excretion from the Sperm Whale. It is found floating on the oceans or collected from the shores of many countries around the world. Ambergris is formed in the intestines of the sperm whale in response, it is thought, to irritation caused to the stomach lining of the whale from the sharp,indigestible, parrot-like beaks of squid."

Whale 'vomit' sparks cash bonanza

An Australian couple who picked up an odd-looking fatty lump from a quiet beach are in line for a cash windfall.

Leon Wright and his wife took home a 14.75kg lump of ambergris, found in the innards of sperm whales and used in perfumes after it has been vomited up.

Long lusted-after due to its rarity, ambergris can float upon the oceans for years before washing ashore on beaches.

Worth up to $20 a gram, Mr Wright's find on a South Australian beach could net his family US$295,000 (£165,300).

At first, Mr Wright and his wife Loralee left the strange lump on the beach where it was found.

However, two weeks later the couple returned to Streaky Bay and found it still lying there.

Floating gold

Curious, Mrs Wright persuaded her husband to take it home.

AMBERGRIS FACTS Found in warm water oceans around the world Bile secreted by sperm whales as a digestion aid Solidifies and floats on water, sometimes for years Used in perfumes, medicines, flavourings Banned in US under endangered species legislation

Internet investigations failed to resolve the mysterious matter of the lump's identity, so the couple turned to local marine ecologist Ken Jury for help.

"I immediately decided it was ambergris - it couldn't be anything else," Mr Jury told Australia's ABC radio.

Mythologised for thousands of years, ambergris has been referred to as "floating gold" by scientists and scavengers who long for a windfall amid the surf.

Expelled from the abdomen of the giant sperm whale, often while hundreds of miles away from land, ambergris is a natural excrement thought to be used by the whale as a digestion aid.

The hard beaks of giant squid, a main source of food for the whale, have often been found inside lumps of ambergris.

Initially, ambergris is a soft, foul-smelling waste matter that floats on the ocean.

But years of exposure to the sun and the salt water of the ocean transform the waste into a smooth, exotic lump of compact rock that boasts a waxy feel and a sweet, alluring smell.

"It's quite remarkable when you think about it, because when the whale throws this out, it's discarded material that they can't digest," Mr Jury added.

"[But] after 10 years, it's considered clean and all you're getting then is the wonderful musky, very sweet perfume, which I've got to say is ultra smooth - it's unbelievable."

Weekend Horoscope...

Aries

My horoscope for today......

The gentle winds of change are blowing through your life at the moment, dear Aries. You have a feeling of newness and an open attitude toward the world. Some outside events will be coming up in your life that give you the impression you are advancing in a concrete manner toward a new life. You can expect to have some pleasant surprises.



And the myth behind the constellation:



Zeus' wife, Hera, had a suitor named Ixion who was tricked by Zeus into impregnating a cloud that had the likeness of Hera. The cloud, Nephele, bore a child and Ixion, as punishment for his attempted indiscretion with Zeus' wife, was attached to a flaming wheel and forced to roll around the heavens for eternity. This is an early reference to the line of the ecliptic, the path of the sun as it moves through the sky. The child was the first centaur. Nephele was lonely and eventually fell in love with Athamas, the king of Böeotia and brother of Sisyphus. She had two children, Phrixus and Helle, who Athamus eventually tried to have sacrificed after he fell out of love with their mother. Hera sent a golden ram to their aid. They jumped on its back and were carried out of harm's way, but not necessarily to safety. Helle lost her grip and fell to her death into the part of the sea that became known as the Hellespont. Phrixus landed at Colchis on the Black Sea and sacrificed the ram in honor of Zeus. He took the fleece of the ram and hung it in a sacred wood in his honor as well, leaving as its guard a dragon sometimes represented by the constellation Draco. This fleece became the stuff of which legends were made as it was sought by countless men not unlike the Holy Grail. The golden fleece of the ram was the treasure sought by Jason and his Argonauts.

A column from David Pogue

David Pogue is hilarious:


How to Be a Curmudgeon on the Internet



Last week in my Times column, I referred to the five-note "Intel Inside" jingle often heard in TV ads. At least a dozen readers e-mailed me to inform me that the jingle is actually four notes, not five. As I've come to expect, some of these readers expressed, ahem, somewhat more anger than the circumstances might have seemed to require.



"If you have that much trouble counting on one hand," one wrote, "you shouldn't be reviewing technology. Maybe a four-year-old can help you out next time."



I replied to this reader that I'm including the first "ping" in my tally. In that case, there ARE five notes in the jingle, as you can hear here.



But my correspondent never wrote back. That, of course, would violate the rules for being an Internet pill, reprinted here in their entirety, courtesy of the Pills of the American Internet Neighborhood Society (PAINS):



RULES FOR TROLLS AND PILLS



WHEREAS, 95 percent of all the e-mail received by critics and columnists is civil, friendly or respectfully constructive;



but WHEREAS, this is the Internet age, and we're all anonymous and can avoid making eye contact forever;



and WHEREAS, there's so much information overload, a little heat and drama on your part may be necessary just to be heard above the din;



and WHEREAS, many of those who fire off potshots are missing out on some of the best techniques for effective snippiness;



THEREFORE let us now post the rules for membership in the Pills of the American Internet Neighborhood Society.



1. Use the strongest language possible. Calling names is always effective, and four-letter words show that you mean business.



2. Having a violent opinion of something doesn't require you to actually try it yourself. After all, plenty of people heatedly object to books they haven't read or movies they haven't seen. Heck, you can imagine perfectly well if something is any good.



3. If it's a positive review that you didn't like, call the reviewer a "fanboy." Do not entertain the notion that the product, service, show, movie, book or restaurant might, in fact, be good. Instead, assume that the reviewer has received payment from the reviewee. Work in the word "shill" if possible.



4. If it's a negative review, call the reviewer a "basher" and describe the review as a "hatchet job." Accuse him of being paid off by the reviewee's *rival*.



5. If it's a mixed review, ignore the passages that balance the argument. Pretend that the entire review is all positive or all negative. Refer to it either as a "rave" or a "slam."



6. If you find a sentence early in the article that rubs you the wrong way, you are by no means obligated to finish reading. Stop right where you are--express your anger while it's still good and hot! What are the odds that the writer is going to say anything else relevant to your point later in the piece, anyway?



7. If the writer responds to your e-mail with evidence that you're wrong (for example, by citing a paragraph that you overlooked), disappear without responding. This is the anonymous Internet; slipping away without consequence or civility is your privilege.



8. Trolling is making a deliberately inflammatory remark, one that you know perfectly well is baloney, just to get a rise out of other people. Trolling is an art. Trolling works just fine for an audience of one (say, a journalist), but of course the real fun is trolling on public bulletin boards where you can get dozens of people screaming at you simultaneously. Comments on religion, politics or Mac-vs.-Windows are always good bets. The talented troll sits back to enjoy the fireworks with a smirk, and never, ever responds to the responses.



9. Don't let generalities slip by. Don't tolerate simplifications for the sake of a non-technical audience. Ignore conditional words like "generally," "usually" and "most." If you read a sentence that says, for example, "The VisionPhone is among the first consumer videophones," cite the reviewer's ignorance and laziness for failing to mention the prototype developed by AT&T for the 1964 World's Fair. Send copies of your note to the publication's publisher and, if possible, its advertisers.



And there you have it: the nine habits of highly effective pills. After all: if you're going to be a miserable curmudgeon, you may as well do it up right!

Congratulations!

Changing Chile

Chilean press hails Bachelet win

The woman taking Chile's top job (BBC News)

“Chile's first woman president, Michelle Bachelet, is breaking many political traditions.

Not only is she a woman, but she calls herself a socialist and she is a single parent with a 12-year-old daughter and two other grown children.

Giving a victory speech to cheering supporters in Santiago, Ms Bachelet said: "Who would have thought, just five years ago, that Chile would have a woman president?"

Outgoing President Ricardo Lagos has hailed her election as an "historic triumph".

Chilean society is often portrayed as ultra-conservative, dominated by men and the Roman Catholic Church.

Only 4% of senators are women and divorce was only introduced last year.

But Ms Bachelet believes this is only part of the picture and Chile is changing - as reflected by her election victory.

"We have a mature, democratic society that believes men and women can hold responsibility," she said.”

and perhaps, someday soon, here too!

Make mine a Breve...

The other morning, after no breakfast and a trip to the dentist (complete with drilling and novocaine), I ended up at our local Wild Oats® store looking for both breakfast and coffee. Desperate for the coffee, I looked at the menu and chose cappuccino. Then came the choices – skim, soy, lite: not enough fat or taste in any of those for me. I asked about whole milk or cream and was offered half and half. And then I heard this voice, just to my left – “That’s a Breve” . OK – so, I’m clueless when it comes to “Java” terminology. So I am posting a list found at one of the many coffee sites on the web – and oh, by the way, make mine a triple expresso breve:

Java Terminology

Americano
Espresso coffee blended with hot water and served in an 8 to 20-ounce cup. Served with 2 cups or 1 cup and an insulator sleeve due to temperature of cup. Often served with cream or iced to bring temperature down.

Breve'
Espresso coffee blended with steamed half and half and topped with foam. Breve's are served in an 8 to 16-ounce cup. Can be flavored.

Espresso
Straight shot of coffee. A single shot of espresso should yield 1-¼ fluid ounces and a double shot about 2 fluid ounces. Always served in an 8-ounce cup and always brewed directly into the cup. Espresso is made by forcing hot water (220 degrees) through finely ground coffee. Espresso is very rich, aromatic, flavorful, and is served by itself or as a base to a number of delicious drinks including mochas and lattes.

Espresso Con Panna
Espresso coffee topped with a dollop of whipping cream. Always served in an 8-ounce cup.

Espresso Macchiato
Espresso that is "marked" with just a little milk.

Caffe' Viennese
Shot of espresso sprinkled with a dash of cinnamon. A shot of steamed milk, and topped with whipping cream.

Cappuccino
1/3 espresso coffee blended with 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 foamed milk. Served in 8 to 20 ounce cups. Served "wet" means more steamed milk than foam and "dry" meaning espresso with only thick foam on top. Often dusted with nutmeg, cinnamon, or chocolate powder.

Espresso Roma
A shot of espresso with a lemon twist. Served in an 8-ounce cup.

Iced Mocha
Pour shot of espresso over chocolate and swirl. Pour 1 inch of milk in cup and swirl, add ice and rest of milk, swirl to mix.

Iced Latte'
Pour shot of espresso and add 1 inch of milk. Next, add ice swirl and balance of milk. Can be served in a 12 or 16-ounce cup.

Latte
Espresso coffee blended with steamed milk and topped with foam. Served in 8 to 20-ounce cups. If liked, a generous sprinkle of chocolate or cinnamon on top.

Lattecino
An espresso based beverage with 2 parts steamed milk and 1 part foamed milk. A cross between a cappuccino and a latte.

Latte Machiatto
Steamed milk topped with a shot of espresso. This drink is the reverse of a latte with the espresso poured in last. Do not stir. Served in an 8 to 20-ounce cup.

Machiatto
A shot of espresso topped with a dollop of steamed milk and foam. One spoon of foam per shot. Served in an 8-ounce cup.

Mezzo
Espresso coffee, ½ cup of hot water, and steamed milk. Pour in espresso then bring mixture to a ½ cup with hot water, add steamed milk and top with foam.

Mocha
Espresso coffee with steamed milk and chocolate syrup. Swirl the espresso and chocolate syrup together first, then add steamed milk to blend. 1 ounce of chocolate per 8 fluid ounces. The finished product topped with whipping cream and should not be stirred. Often sprinkled with ground cocoa.

Ristretto
Means restricted in Italian. Let half of the normal amount of water pass through a straight shot of coffee. The finished product is a half shot of espresso, the best essence of the bean and the most flavorful. Served in an 8-ounce cup.

Footsteps

Did you ever wonder who walked before you (literally) on the sidewalk, on the trail, on the beach...from the newest
Weekly e-Letter from Science News:


Stone Age Footwork: Ancient human prints turn up down under


January 7, 2006

Bruce Bower

"Researchers working near the shore of a dried-up lake basin in southeastern Australia have taken a giant leap backward in time. They've uncovered the largest known collection of Stone Age human footprints.

The 124-or-more human-foot impressions, as well as a few prints left by kangaroos and other animals, originated between 23,000 and 19,000 years ago in a then-muddy layer of silt and clay, say archaeologist Steve Webb of Australia's Bond University in Robina and his colleagues. Their report appears in the January Journal of Human Evolution."

Textile Museum

Museum weaves story of textile manufacturing

LOWELL, Massachusetts (AP) -- The clanking sounds of a loom at the American Textile History Museum take visitors back to a time when clothes were hand-woven, and textiles drove the New England economy in this historic mill town and others.

"Textiles are such a basic part of everybody's life," said Diane L. Fagan Affleck, the museum's senior research associate. "And yet I think partly because of the technology that we have today, we just don't even think about where they came from or how they came to be."

My son’s grandmother was a ”mill girl”. When she was in her nineties you could watch her hands make weaving motions as she dozed in the afternoon. The museum is near the Lowell National Historic Park:

“The history of America's Industrial Revolution is commemorated in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Boott Cotton Mills Museum with its operating weave room of 88 power looms, "mill girl" boardinghouses, the Suffolk Mill Turbine Exhibit and guided tours tell the story of the transition from farm to factory, chronicle immigrant and labor history and trace industrial technology. The park includes textile mills, worker housing, 5.6 miles of canals, and 19th-century commercial buildings.”

Calling Cards

I keep a small calling card case in my purse. From Levenger, it contains my business cards and several different designs of personal calling cards. I have a design that is specific for “accidents” and another for friends who want information about my web blog and my Flickr site. The artwork distinguishes each type of card. My very enhanced lips, for my Flickr icon and associated calling card, came from experimenting with my Corel PaintShopPro program.

Calling cards became popular during the Victorian era with a well defined social etiquette for paying calls and leaving cards.

" Although the calling card usually supplied only the name of the caller, the following messages could be left to a person by using a system of folds:

Calling Cards System of Folds

If the top left corner was bent or torn, it was a social call.

If the top right corner was bent, it was a visit of congratulations, perhaps for a recent engagement, wedding, birth, or other good news.

If the bottom left corner was bent, it was a visit to say goodbye, as if the visitor were getting ready to go on a trip.

If the bottom right corner was bent, it was a visit of condolence, usually for a death in the family."

Spaceweather.com

Jarkko Rosenström,
Saarijarvi FINLAND
Sep. 10
Camera Canon EOS 350D Tv10s Av4.5 ISO400.

Daryl Pederson,
the Twenty Mile River area in south central Alaska.
Sep. 10

Spaceweather.com is one of my favorite web sites. I get alerts from them for all kinds of interesting space phenomenon including auroras. They have done a bit of redesign and now have a new gallery dedicated to auroras. I saw my first auroras in Vermont, during college, traveling in the fall through the mountains to go to EMT training at Johnson State College. Most recently we were treated to spectacular early evening auroras here in Maine in the fall of 2003.

More about the new gallery:

"A note from Dr. Tony Phillips, Spaceweather.com webmaster: I've been making aurora galleries for Spaceweather.com since 2000. It is both a tedious and extremely enjoyable task. To the hundreds of photographers who have contributed their hard-won photos, I thank you sincerely and hope that you will send more in the future.

Browsing the galleries, you may notice a few things: (1) Contrary to popular belief, you can photograph auroras in places like California and Florida about once a year. The trick is knowing when to look. (2) September, October and November are consistently the best months to see auroras. Why? It's a bit of a mystery. (3) And finally, auroras do not vanish during solar minimum. As proof, we offer the spectacular galleries of 2005."

Enjoy!

Runes

Mythic Runes

I have dabbled in tarot cards, runes and numerology. All fun if not taken too seriously. I visit several on-line sites for all but I like the Runes found here. My draw for 2006 was this one:

Wunjo

This Rune announces a state of security and relaxation, a sense of well-being. Light is finally peeking through the clouds, fruits hang heavy on the branches, and bad times are finally staying behind.

You may see yourself surrounded by joy, pleasure and comfort both at home and outside. There is clarity and a new energy that will allow you to understand, to balance, to renew yourself and your personal relations.

Necessary changes have already been carried out, and now you may rejoice and receive Wunjo's blessings freely.

An explanation of runes is as follows:

"Runes are an alphabetic script used by the peoples of Northern Europe from the first century c.e. until well into the Middle Ages. In addition to their use as a written alphabet, the runes also served as a system of symbols used for magic and divination. Runes fell into disuse as the Roman alphabets became the preferred script of most of Europe, but their forms and meanings were preserved in inscriptions and manuscripts.

The primary characteristic which distinguishes a runic alphabet from other alphabets is that each letter, or rune, has a meaning. For example, whereas "ay", "bee", and "cee" are meaningless sounds denoting the first three letters in our alphabet, the names of the first three runes, "fehu", "uruz", and "þurisaz" are actual words in the Germanic language, meaning "cattle", "aurochs", and "giant", respectively. Runes also have magical and religious significance as well, thus transforming the simple process of writing into a magical act. They are also used for divinatory readings and to create magical spells.

Today, runes have been rediscovered as a symbolic system and have gained immense popularity as a means of divination. They are, however, much more than a curious alternative to Tarot cards for telling fortunes. They provide a key to understanding the lives and beliefs of the ancient people who created them, and have much to teach us about a way of life that was perhaps more intimately connected to the natural world, and to the realm of spirit, than our own."

Tea for Women

Coffee is for my morning and tea is for the rest of the day. I like a nice strong black tea after lunch; then lighter green and mint teas for afternoon and evening. It’s good to know that I am protecting my health as I drink!

Tea Tippling Linked to Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk

"STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec. 12 - Middle-age women who drink two or more cups of green or black tea every day may reduce their risk for invasive epithelial ovarian cancer by almost half, epidemiologists here reported.

In a prospective population-based study, Karolinska Institute researchers found a dose-response relationship between the amount of tea a woman consumed and her risk for ovarian cancer, after controlling for potential confounders (P for trend, .03).

Susanna C. Larsson, MSc., and colleagues reported in the Dec. 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Women who consumed two cups or more per day lowered their risk for ovarian cancer by 46%, with each additional cup of tea lowering the risk by another 18% (multivariate hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.68-0.99).

Tea's compounds have been extensively studied as chemopreventive agents, the investigators wrote, yet tea's potential against ovarian cancer specifically had yet to be established.

These antioxidant polyphenols, which include catechins, theaflavins, thearubigins, and flavonols, "are abundantly present in both green and black teas and have been shown to inhibit carcinogenesis," Larsson and colleagues wrote.

However, the study also found the women who drank tea also tended to be in better health."