New Sasquatch Video, with closeup of bigfoot face

At the 35 second mark, you can see a close up face shot of a purported Sasquatch.

via Cryptomundo » Todd Standing: He’s Baaack! With New Sasquatch Video!.

Hmm… That’s good, but it doesn’t have that “omg that is REAL” feeling to it to me.

Hot springs microbe yields record-breaking, heat-tolerant enzyme

Robert Sanders – Bioprospectors from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Maryland School of Medicine have found a microbe in a Nevada hot spring that happily eats plant material – cellulose – at temperatures near the boiling point of water.

In fact, the microbe’s cellulose-digesting enzyme, called a cellulase, is most active at a record 109 degrees Celsius (228 degrees Fahrenheit), significantly above the 100oC (212oF) boiling point of water.

This so-called hyperthermophilic microbe, discovered in a 95oC (203oF) geothermal pool, is only the second member of the ancient group Archaea known to grow by digesting cellulose above 80˚C. And the microbe’s cellulase is the most heat tolerant enzyme found in any cellulose-digesting microbe, including bacteria.

“These are the most thermophilic Archaea discovered that will grow on cellulose and the most thermophilic cellulase in any organism,” said coauthor Douglas S. Clark, UC Berkeley professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. “We were surprised to find this bug in our first sample.”

Clark and coworkers at UC Berkeley are teaming with colleagues, led by Frank T. Robb, at the University of Maryland (U-Md) School of Medicine in Baltimore, to analyze microbes scooped from hot springs and other extreme environments around the United States in search of new enzymes that can be used in extreme industrial processes, including the production of biofuels from hard-to-digest plant fiber. Their team is supported by a grant from the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a public-private collaboration that includes UC Berkeley, in which bioscience and biological techniques are being applied to help solve the global energy challenge.

“Our hope is that this example and examples from other organisms found in extreme environments – such as high-temperature, highly alkaline or acidic, or high salt environments – can provide cellulases that will show improved function under conditions typically found in industrial applications, including the production of biofuels,” Clark said. …

via Hot springs microbe yields record-breaking, heat-tolerant enzyme.

Witches fear being driven out of town following ‘hostility from Christians’

It sounds like a horror story straight from medieval times.

Two witches descend on an ancient market town – only to be targeted by terrified Christians calling for them to be burned at the stake.

But for father-of-one Albion and his partner Raven, 39, this is no historical event – it is a modern nightmare.

The Pagan couple opened their shop The Whispering Witch in the quaint town of Alcester, Warwickshire, around 15 months ago and claim to have been subjected to a hate campaign ever since.

‘People shout ‘burn the witches’ as they go past and we’ve had others urinating up the window,’ said Albion, 51.

‘I found a pile of wood stacked in front of the door one morning.

‘We’ve also had letters quoting extracts from the Bible telling us not to ‘promote the work of darkness’ in ‘their town’.

‘I can only assume this is the work of Christians. The handwriting looks as though it’s from an adult. It’s like living in the 16th century.’

The pair, from Redditch, have been Pagans for years and no longer use their birth names, which they refuse to reveal.

‘Things have gotten so bad that Raven has been close to a nervous breakdown,’ Albion said.

‘When she walks down the street, people cross the road to avoid her.

‘She’s been to the doctor to get help, the stress is too much.

‘It does sound like the letters are from people attending the churches because of the references to the Bible. We’ve had four in total and each one has been in different handwriting.

‘It seems their main aim is to oust us from the town because they disagree with our beliefs. There are references to the devil, but we don’t believe in that as it is a Christian concept.

‘It is pathetic and unbelievable. What we are suffering is racism from people with a 16th century mentality.

‘Paganism is a recognised religion and we are here to stay.’ …

via Witches fear being driven out of town following ‘hostility from Christians’ | Mail Online.

‘I had to psychologically dislocate a detainee’: Former CIA agent reveals ‘torture’ methods and secret prison in memoir

A former CIA operative has described how he was torn between serving his country and refusing to ‘torture’ a man he believed was innocent.

Glenn Carle has written a shocking new tell-all memoir detailing his time with the agency in which he confessed that some people would call him a ‘torturer’.

Though the CIA has already redacted 40 per cent of his book in a two-year battle to get it published, Carle was still able to provide a vivid account of his journey to a CIA ‘black site’ or secret prison.

There, he said, he spent 10 intense days psychologically manipulating a man who the agency believed could hand them Osama Bin Laden – but who Carle believed was innocent.

He was told to ‘do whatever is necessary’ – subverting Geneva conventions in favour of the American flag.

He said he was shocked at the order to use ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’, writing that he told his superiors: ‘We don’t do that sort of thing’.

The reply was curt: ‘We do now.’

Carle’s memoir The Interrogator is the first account of one who had to carry out the controversial orders of former President George W Bush. He called it ‘the supreme challenge of my professional life, possibly my life’.

He maintains he carried out all his duties within the law and within the boundaries of what he believed was morally right.

But it cost him his faith in his leaders. ‘I had to oppose the orders of an administration whose actions corrupted the flag I had sworn to serve,’ he told Britain’s Sunday Times.

Spies, he said, are ‘an unusual combination of the most goody-two-shoes, upright, principled people who are then trained to subvert everyone else’s principles’.

It is a definition that haunts his tale. …

via ‘I had to psychologically dislocate a detainee’: Former CIA agent reveals ‘torture’ methods and secret prison in memoir | Mail Online.

Sounds like an interesting book. I do believe that agents in the CIA and FBI are upright principled people. At the same time, I have wondered how much latitude they have, and what options they have if they are given orders which conflict with their personal values, or which they believe violates a law or even the US Constitution. Is there a process in place? Does it work?

Portugal drug law show results ten years on, experts say

Health experts in Portugal said Friday that Portugal’s decision 10 years ago to decriminalise drug use and treat addicts rather than punishing them is an experiment that has worked.

“There is no doubt that the phenomenon of addiction is in decline in Portugal,” said Joao Goulao, President of the Institute of Drugs and Drugs Addiction, a press conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the law.

The number of addicts considered “problematic” — those who repeatedly use “hard” drugs and intravenous users — had fallen by half since the early 1990s, when the figure was estimated at around 100,000 people, Goulao said.

Other factors had also played their part however, Goulao, a medical doctor added.

“This development can not only be attributed to decriminalisation but to a confluence of treatment and risk reduction policies.”

Portugal’s holistic approach had also led to a “spectacular” reduction in the number of infections among intravenous users and a significant drop in drug-related crimes, he added. …

via Portugal drug law show results ten years on, experts say – Yahoo! News.

Monkey borrows photographer’s camera, takes self portraits

To capture the perfect wildlife image, you usually have to be in exactly the right place at precisely the right time.

But in this instance, David Slater wasn’t there at all and he still got a result.

Visiting a national park in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, award-winning photographer Mr Slater left his camera unattended for a while.

It soon attracted the attention of an inquisitive female from a local group of crested black macaque monkeys, known for their intelligence and dexterity.

Fascinated by her reflection in the lens, she then somehow managed to start the camera. The upshot: A splendid self-portrait.

‘One of them must have accidentally knocked the camera and set it off because the sound caused a bit of a frenzy, said Slater, 46.

‘At first there was a lot of grimacing with their teeth showing because it was probably the first time they had ever seen a reflection.

‘They were quite mischievous jumping all over my equipment, and it looked like they were already posing for the camera when one hit the button.

‘The sound got his attention and he kept pressing it

‘At first it scared the rest of them away but they soon came back – it was amazing to watch.

‘He must have taken hundreds of pictures by the time I got my camera back, but not very many were in focus. He obviously hadn’t worked that out yet.

‘I wish I could have stayed longer as he probably would have taken a full family album.’

via Black macaque takes self-portrait: Monkey borrows photographer’s camera | Mail Online.

See more here.

‘Floss for fertility’, women advised

Women who want the best chance of having a baby should make sure they floss their teeth regularly, say doctors.

Poor oral health is as bad for fertility as obesity – delaying conception by about two months.

Experts at a fertility meeting in Sweden heard how women with gum disease took over seven months to conceive, compared to the usual five months.

They believe the underlying cause is inflammation.

Unchecked, this can set off a chain of reactions capable of damaging the body’s normal workings.

Peridontal disease has already been linked with heart disease, type 2 diabetes and miscarriage, plus poor sperm quality in men.

In this latest study from Australia, which involved over 3,500 women, those with gum disease had raised blood levels of markers for inflammation.

Lead researcher Professor Roger Hart, of the University of Western Australia, said: “Until now, there have been no published studies that investigate whether gum disease can affect a woman’s chance of conceiving, so this is the first report to suggest that gum disease might be one of several factors that could be modified to improve the chances of a pregnancy.” … Around 10% of the population is believed to have severe periodontal disease.

via BBC News – ‘Floss for fertility’, women advised.

Bicyclists Report Getting Smacked By Angry Bird

Bicyclists in eastern Oregon say they’re getting whacked on the head by an angry bird.

Riders in Pendleton, Ore., told the East Oregonian that a male hawk is dive-bombing them because they’re too close to a nest he’s guarding in an old cottonwood tree.

Bicyclist Mack Temple says the bird came in from behind like a fighter plane and whacked his helmet. Another rider, Charlie Newhouse, says the attack on his helmet was “like getting hit with a baseball bat.” He says the talons went in through the helmet.

Bird-watchers say the large bird is a Swainson’s hawk. The riders say he’s been vigilant for a few nesting seasons, but hasn’t been as aggressive as this year.

Bird-watchers say the hawk will ease up once his brood learns to fly.

via Bicyclists Report Getting Smacked By Angry Bird.

Strange Exits: Man dies lighting fireworks with family in Osage County

An Osage County man died Sunday night after a firecracker possibly misfired and hit him in the throat, Skiatook fire officials said.

Emergency crews arrived at the scene just outside of the Skiatook city limits where a 20-year-old man had apparently been leaning over some sort of firework when it went off and struck him in the throat, Skiatook fire Capt. Richard Postier said.

The man was identified as Austin McCloud, a welder from Wynona, according a representative from Sien-Shelton Funeral Home in Skiatook.

McCloud was lighting fireworks at a family event and was injured about 10 p.m., Postier said.

The firecracker may have been some sort of misfire because someone else was struck or injured when it went off, Postier said.

When emergency crews arrived, McCloud did not have a pulse, he said.

Officials were able to get a pulse, but the injuries were too great and he died on the way to the hospital, Postier said.

Services are pending with Sien-Shelton Funeral Home in Skiatook. He is survived by his wife, 18, according to the funeral home.

via Man dies lighting fireworks with family in Osage County | Tulsa World.

 

Prisoner’s suitcase escape foiled

Police say a woman was caught trying to sneak her common-law-husband out of a Mexican prison at the weekend in a suitcase following a conjugal visit.

A spokesman for police in the Caribbean state of Quintana Roo says staff at the prison in Chetumal noticed that the woman seemed nervous and was pulling a black, wheeled suitcase that looked bulky.

Spokesman Gerardo Campos said that prison guards checked the bag of 19-year-old Maria del Mar Arjona and found inmate Juan Ramirez Tijerina curled up inside in the fetal position.

Ramirez is serving a 20-year sentence for a 2007 conviction for illegal weapons possession.

Arjona was arrested and charges are pending.

via Case solved – prisoner’s escape bid foiled | Otago Daily Times Online News Keep Up to Date Local, National New Zealand & International News.

His face looks like he has been recently beaten.