On Sept. 15th, a fireball streaked across the skies of Peru and soon thereafter a watery crater was discovered by local residents near the town of Carancas. At first experts dismissed the connection; the crater didn't look like a meteorite impact. But since then minds have changed:

"Without reservation this is definitely a meteorite," says
astronomy professor Peter Brown of the University of Western Ontario. "We found some infrasound data recorded by a station in La Paz about 70 km away. From the size of the the airwave we can work out the kinetic energy of the impactor--about 0.03 kton TNT."

"Something like 20 to 30 kg of the meteorite have already been recovered, but odds are good a multi-ton monster lurks at the bottom of the crater," he continues. "The bad news: It is below the water table, the rainy season is coming and unless some action is taken ASAP, the rock will quickly oxidize and crumble." [more]

Meanwhile, he says, "we are digging for seismic data of the actual impact--the first actual seismic recording of a terrestrial meteorite impact!"

Return of...The Devils' Bible

Early in the 13th century, a Benedictine monk wrote the Codex Gigas, a manuscript containing the sum of the Benedictine order's knowledge of the time. More than 600 pages long and weighing in at 75 kg, it is considered the largest medieval book. It probably took the monk about a decade to write, but legend has it he promised to write it overnight in atonement for his sins. How could he possibly succeed? The legend says he asked the devil for help, and thus the work is known as the "Devil's Bible."

The Codex was taken from Prague after the Thirty Years' War by Swedish troops. Now it is back, on loan from Sweden's Royal Library and on display through January 6. Find out more about it in the article at the Canadian Press.

I am creating artificial life, declares US gene pioneer
Craig Venter, the controversial DNA researcher involved in the race to decipher the human genetic code, has built a synthetic chromosome out of laboratory chemicals and is poised to announce the creation of the first new artificial life form on Earth.

Vatican paper set to clear Knights Templar
The mysteries of the Order of the Knights Templar could soon be laid bare after the Vatican announced the release of a crucial document which has not been seen for almost 700 years.

Lottery win for 10 childminders
A childminder has scooped a share of a £2m lotto jackpot just days after her husband predicted the win in a dream.

The hat man
The tumor was large, about the size of a chicken egg. In the spring of 1971, a surgeon removed the cancerous mass from 11-year-old Rob Langevoort’s brain and Rob spent months undergoing radiation therapy. So, when Rob started seeing things that didn’t belong in his home, he didn’t know if they were real or imaginary. His first encounter was summer 1971.

A number of bloggers who critically reviewed and/or criticized the creepy video game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" have received threatening notes from Left Behind games demanding they remove their critical comments. (more here) If you recall, the apocalypse-themed game rewarded "Christian" players for converting or killing nonchristian characters. It appears that the truth about the dominionist evangelical nature of the games may be hurting sales.

Day of the Dead

Tim Boyle / Getty Images

The Day of the Dead is celebrated annually in Mexico on November 1st, coinciding with the Catholic observation of All Saint's Day. The Day of the Dead is a uniquely Mexican celebration, a festival resembling Halloween in many ways, but with more cultural and spiritual meaning. The holiday combines elements of Catholicism with ancient Aztec symbolism, and honors the spirits of departed ancestors and loved ones who are believed to return to earth to join in the celebrations.

Here are some of the more common emblems of this important cultural holiday.

See also:

The Calaveras of Jose Guadalupe Posada
Remembering the Dead

Thanks for coming by and hope you had a great Thanksgiving. A much-needed break from work appears to be on the horizon and The Goddess Remnant is almost complete. It has taken a very interesting turn where the main character is reunited with an estranged brother and each are under the mistaken notion that the other is holding a grudge for past indifferences. It has proven very cathartic but left me on a number of occasions with an overstimulated heart chakra. How can I tell?

If you find yourself weepy or shedding tears, for no real reason, while watching a nature show or an unfolding drama, you might want to clear you heart chakra and stimulate your root chakra to ground you. The method I use is simple: Place one palm - your dominant one - over the center of your chest, and place your other close to your root chakra, near the base of the spine. Sitting or standing, execute several repetitions of rhythmic breathing with closed eyes. Don't be alarmed with any tingles or rushes of energy and to finish, simply shake out your hands as if shaking off excess water.

Got a great method for stress relief that takes about 2 minutes but well worth the effort and time. Hopefully, my next post will be in about two weeks.

See you in the ether !