Alasdair Roberts - Long a-Growing

Fresco do mito grego de "Leda e o Cisne" descoberto em Pompeia

O Parque Arqueológico de Pompeia informou esta segunda-feira da descoberta arqueológica de um fresco do mito grego de "Leda e o Cisne", entre as ruínas deste sítio, localizado em frente ao golfo de Nápoles, em Itália.

Segundo a mitologia, Leda, mulher de Tíndaro de Esparta, passeava junto ao rio Eurotas quando foi seduzida ou violada -- depende das versões -- por um cisne, que era, afinal, Zeus camuflado.

Leda pôs, então, dois ovos, dos quais nasceram quatro filhos: os gémeos Pólux e Castor, Helena -- futura mulher de Menelau, rei de Esparta, e causadora da guerra de Troia - e Clitemnestra. Mas apenas Helena e Pólux eram considerados filhos de Zeus e, portanto, imortais.

O fresco descoberto em Pompeia retrata o encontro entre Leda e Zeus, numa "cena de grande sensualidade", segundo indica o comunicado de imprensa do parque arqueológico.

in Sic noticias

Festival Internacional Música do Algarve

ORQUESTRA METROPOLITANA DE LISBOA (OML)

"Danses Concertantes"
26/MAY/2017

LAGOA | CENTRO DE CONGRESSOS DO ARADE | 21h00

More info

Whistling Tom - Under Paris Skies

When dead birds were a good thing to put on Christmas cards

Henry Cole invented the Christmas Card in 1843 as a way to escape the drudgery of hand-writing a bunch of letters to his friends. In this article, Hunter Oatman-Stafford of Collectors Weekly presents the curious history of the Christmas card.

“The Victorians had some really strange ideas about what served as an appropriate Christmas greeting,” says Bo Wreden, who recently organized an exhibition of holiday cards for the Book Club of California. “They liked to send out cards with dead birds on them, robins in particular, which related to ancient customs and legends. There’s a famous quotation from the Venerable Bede about a sparrow flying through the hall of a castle while the nobility is celebrating Christmas: The moment from when it enters until it flies out is very brief, a metaphor for how quickly our lives pass.” Apparently, killing a wren or robin was once a good-luck ritual performed in late December, and during the late 19th century, cards featuring the bodies of these birds were sent to offer good luck in the New Year.

/ MARK FRAUENFELDER / 12:15 PM WED DEC 23, 2015

Centro Ornitológico do Porto

Festival de las aves -Ciudad de Caceres

Jan. 8, 1948: When judge chirps, birds begin to sing

EDMONTON - Canaries rarely make headlines these days, although they’re still referenced in popular speech, as in “a canary in a coal mine” (an early warning) or “sing like a canary,” (providing information about a crime to the police).

Sixty-seven years ago, members of the Edmonton Roller Canary and Type Bird Society were preparing to show off their fine feathered songbirds at the 11th-annual canary show.

More than 100 canaries were judged in several categories for colour, type and singing.

Frank Lajoy, a railroader and canary fancier from Portland, Ore., was brought in to judge the event held at the I.O.O.F. Hall on 103rd Street.

“As Mr. Lajoy, with report sheet and pencil in hand, cocked his ear to the bass rolls, glucke rolls, and flutes of four of the 147 canaries entered in the show, he commented there was a possibility of finding an Enrico Caruso or maybe a Bing Crosby in the group,” the Journal story said.

“Usually, birds which sing baritone are preferred,” the judge said. “Their notes are truer and have a musical value that is a requisite of a good singer, but many good birds do sing in other ranges.”

For a perfect performance, which was rare, the story noted, a canary must go through 10 tours, meaning it must sing 10 different little “ditties” without a break. It could repeat any of the 10 as it went through general song, but each of the group had to be included.

If a bird is judged a bad singer, that doesn’t mean it lacks talent. The onus usually falls on the trainer, who lacks the required ability to develop the canary’s voice.

Before getting its curtain call in a show, a canary is kept in the dark. “Then when it’s time to perform, it gets the idea that it is sunrise, and consequently his time to sing,” the story said.

“Mr. Lajoy prefers to judge the birds in fours. He lets them build up a chorus or sing individual solos, but always seems to be able to tell which bird is doing what and credits them individually.

He was having trouble getting one quartet into a singing mood, and he finally had to do a little chirping and whistling of his own. The birds caught on in a hurry and, not wishing to be outdone by any human, soon had the judge’s room resounding with their own singing.”

The average quartet was given about 30 minutes to do its bit before the judge.

Birds could score a possible 56 marks and Lajoy said one bird entered in the show had reached that mark.

An exceptionally good singer could be sold for as much as $300, but the average for this type of bird was $50-$150.

czdeb@edmontonjournal.com

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

 BY CHRISZDEB, EDMONTONJOURNAL JANUARY 8, 2015

Jan. 8, 1948: When judge chirps, birds begin to sing

EDMONTON - Canaries rarely make headlines these days, although they’re still referenced in popular speech, as in “a canary in a coal mine” (an early warning) or “sing like a canary,” (providing information about a crime to the police).

Sixty-seven years ago, members of the Edmonton Roller Canary and Type Bird Society were preparing to show off their fine feathered songbirds at the 11th-annual canary show.

More than 100 canaries were judged in several categories for colour, type and singing.

Frank Lajoy, a railroader and canary fancier from Portland, Ore., was brought in to judge the event held at the I.O.O.F. Hall on 103rd Street.

“As Mr. Lajoy, with report sheet and pencil in hand, cocked his ear to the bass rolls, glucke rolls, and flutes of four of the 147 canaries entered in the show, he commented there was a possibility of finding an Enrico Caruso or maybe a Bing Crosby in the group,” the Journal story said.

“Usually, birds which sing baritone are preferred,” the judge said. “Their notes are truer and have a musical value that is a requisite of a good singer, but many good birds do sing in other ranges.”

For a perfect performance, which was rare, the story noted, a canary must go through 10 tours, meaning it must sing 10 different little “ditties” without a break. It could repeat any of the 10 as it went through general song, but each of the group had to be included.

If a bird is judged a bad singer, that doesn’t mean it lacks talent. The onus usually falls on the trainer, who lacks the required ability to develop the canary’s voice.

Before getting its curtain call in a show, a canary is kept in the dark. “Then when it’s time to perform, it gets the idea that it is sunrise, and consequently his time to sing,” the story said.

“Mr. Lajoy prefers to judge the birds in fours. He lets them build up a chorus or sing individual solos, but always seems to be able to tell which bird is doing what and credits them individually.

He was having trouble getting one quartet into a singing mood, and he finally had to do a little chirping and whistling of his own. The birds caught on in a hurry and, not wishing to be outdone by any human, soon had the judge’s room resounding with their own singing.”

The average quartet was given about 30 minutes to do its bit before the judge.

Birds could score a possible 56 marks and Lajoy said one bird entered in the show had reached that mark.

An exceptionally good singer could be sold for as much as $300, but the average for this type of bird was $50-$150.

czdeb@edmontonjournal.com

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

 BY CHRISZDEB, EDMONTONJOURNAL JANUARY 8, 2015

Charles Edward Conder

Charles Conder

• 1868–1909
• Nationality: British

British painter and occasional printmaker, born in London, a direct descendant of the great 18th-century sculptor Roubiliac. In 1884 he emigrated to Australia to work for his uncle, a surveyor, but he gave this up for art. He mainly painted landscapes at this time and was influenced by Tom *Roberts, whom he met in Melbourne, where Conder lived from 1888 to 1890 (see Heidelberg School). Then he returned to Europe, briefly visiting England before moving to Paris, where he studied at the *Académie Julian and became part of a circle of artists, including *Anquetin, *Bonnard, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901). He appears in two of Lautrec's paintings of the Moulin Rouge, and like Lautrec was notoriously dissipated; his friend William *Rothenstein said he was ‘often without a sou, but…never without a lady’. In 1897 Conder settled in London, but he made frequent visits to Dieppe and Paris. His work was seen in numerous exhibitions, including one-man shows, and he became a well-known figure in the art world, but he fell seriously ill in 1906 from syphilis and stopped painting. 
more in BBC 

Sounds from Portugal - " Vozes" - Gavião

FUKUSHIMA CLEANUP OPERATIONS BLAMED FOR CONTAMINATION OF RICE CROPS

via Enformable.com / July 14, 2014 / Officials from the agriculture ministry told reporters on Monday that efforts to clean up debris at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may have been the source of cesium that contaminated rice crops about twelve and a half miles away in the city of Minami Soma.

The officials suggested that the radioactive materials were transported by winds during debris removal work conducted in August 2013 at the Unit 3 reactor building and called for TEPCO, operator of the plant, to take measures to address the contamination.

According to the agriculture ministry in 2013 rice harvested from 14 paddies in Minami Soma contained cesium levels exceeding the 100 becquerels per kilogram safety limit set by the Japanese government. Investigations found that the contamination was found on the outside of the husks.

NHK is reporting that TEPCO told the agriculture ministry that it will begin using chemicals to suppress dust from spreading during future debris removal operations at the Unit 1 reactor building.

TEPCO plans to conduct debris removal operations at the Unit 1 reactor after they disassemble the covers that were installed to help stem the continuous release of radioactive materials from the crippled building from escaping.


Original Sources: NHK / Japan Times

Fukushima nuclear reactor No.5 plagued by radioactive leaks

Japan Newspaper: Leaks plaguing Fukushima No. 5 reactor — Experts: Indicates “deterioration in the system” — Report: Water contains up to 3,000 Bq/liter of Cobalt-60, had been used to cool spent fuel (PHOTOS) http://enenews.com/japan-newspaper-leaks-are-plaguing-fukushima-no-5-reactor-experts-this-indicates-deterioration-in-the-system-report-water-contains-up-to-3000-bqliter-of-cobalt-60-was-used-to-cool-spe?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29
Asahi Shimbun, July 20, 2014: Water leaks continue to plague No. 5 reactor at Fukushima plant— A leak of radioactive water was found in the piping of water used to cool the spent fuel pool [...] a sign of possible deterioration in the system. [TEPCO] said water from the cooling pond leaked [...] TEPCO employee found a pool of water in each of two boxes–75 centimeters by 50 cm–that house a control valve in the cooling water piping system on the fifth floor [...] The water had collected to a depth of 9 cm in one box and 18 cm in the other. The water contained 2-3 becquerels of cobalt 60 per cubic centimeter [2,000 to 3,000 Bq/liter], according to the utility. This particular piping section has been unused since July 6, when a similar leak was discovered at another section. Experts say the continuing leaks indicate that valves are deteriorating, and that the utility’s inspections are inadequate. [...] the pumping of cooling water was temporarily halted after a leak in a similar piping system [inside the No. 6 reactor building] was detected on July 11.

See also: Cobalt-60 detected in Unit 4 fuel pool during first month of disaster

TEPCO official: “We are aware that our approach proved to be lax as we were unable to detect the problem until the leak occurred. We are reviewing the way checks should be conducted.”

Similar incident at Unit 5 on July 6 — Fukushima Daiichi NPS Prompt Report, Jul 8, 2014: The cooling of the spent fuel pool of Unit 5 [...] was stopped due to seawater leak found at a pipe resumed cooling by another system at 15:40 today [...] A system that cools the spent fuel pool at Unit 5 has been stopped on July 6 2014, after seawater was found leaking from a pipe [...] the cooling of 994 fuel assemblies inside the spent fuel pool will be continued through another system [...]

View today’s press release from TEPCO here

in http://nuclear-news.net/

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Peter, Paul and Mary - Three Ravens

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Endless Fukushima catastrophe: 2020 Olympics under contamination threat 

As the escape of radiation at Fukushima seems virtually unstoppable, there are still steps that governments all over the world should take to prevent worst case consequences. One of them would be canceling the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.Scientific estimates predict that the radioactive plume travelling east across the Pacific will likely hit the shores of Oregon, Washington State and Canada early next year. California will probably be impacted later that year.Because the ongoing flow of water from the reactor site will be virtually impossible to stop, a radioactive plume will continue to migrate across the Pacific affecting Hawaii, North America, South America and eventually Australia for many decades.

We are only talking about ocean currents, however, fish swim thousands of miles and don’t necessarily follow the currents. 
As noted in Part I, big fish concentrate radiation most efficiently, and tuna have already been caught off the coast of California containing cesium from Fukushima. Seaweed also efficiently concentrates radioactive elements.
As I contemplate the future at Fukushima, it seems that the escape of radiation is virtually unstoppable.
The levels of radiation in buildings 1, 2 and 3 are now so high that no human can enter or get close to the molten cores. It will therefore be impossible to remove these cores for hundreds of years if ever. 

Buildings 1, 2 & 3
If one of these buildings collapses, the targeted flow of cooling water to the pools and cores would cease, the cores would become red hot and possibly ignite releasing massive amounts of radiation into the air and water and the fuel in the cooling pools could ignite. It is strange that neither the US government in particular nor the global community seem to be concerned about these imminent possibilities and exhibit no urge to avert catastrophe.
Similarly the global media is strangely disconnected with the ongoing crisis. Most importantly, the Japanese government until very recently has obstinately refused to invite and collaborate with foreign experts from nuclear engineering companies and/or governments.

Building 4

This structure was severely damaged during the initial quake, its walls are bulging, and it sank 31 inches (79cm) into the ground. On the roof sits a cooling pool containing about 250 tons of hot fuel rods, most of which had just been removed from the reactor core days before the earthquake struck. 

This particular core did not melt because TEPCO was able maintain a continuous flow of cooling water, so the rods and their holding racks are still intact, but geometrically deformed due to the force of the hydrogen explosion. 
The cooling pool contains 8,800 pounds of plutonium plus over 100 other highly radioactive isotopes. Instead of this core melting into a larval mass like the other three cores, it sits exposed to the air atop the shaky building. 
A large earthquake could disrupt the integrity of the building, causing it to collapse and taking the hot fuel rods with it. The cooling water would evaporate and the intrinsic heat of the radioactive rods would ignite a fire as the zirconium cladding reacted with air, releasing the radioactive equivalent of 14,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs and 10 times more cesium than Chernobyl.

AFP Photo / TEPCO 

Not only would the Northern Hemisphere become badly contaminated, but the Japanese government is seriously contemplating evacuating 35 million people from Tokyo should this happen. 
TEPCO has constructed a steel frame to strengthen the shaky building in order to place a massive crane on the roof so they can extract the hot rods by remote control. 
This operation is always performed by computer and a remote manually-controlled extraction has never been attempted before. If the rods are deformed, a rod could fracture releasing so much radiation that the workers would have to evacuate or, should they touch each other, a chain reaction could release huge amounts of radiation.
I defer to Arnie Gundersen, a nuclear engineer in whom I have great faith. 
He says that a 2-meter thick zeolite wall should be constructed some distance from the reactors on the mountainside, which would effectively absorb the cesium from the water surrounding the reactor cores so it could not get out and further pollute the pure water descending from the mountain. 
At the same time, channels must be constructed to pump and divert the unpolluted mountain water into the sea. Then the three molten cores and their associated buildings could be immersed in concrete as the Soviets did at Chernobyl, and the situation could possibly be neutralized for about 100 years. 
What our poor descendants will then decide to do with this radioactive rubbish dump is beyond my comprehension.
However, as one Japanese official said, “If we just buried them no one would look at another nuclear plant for years.” An interesting reaction, so it is perfectly obvious that despite the calamity, they still want to pursue the nuclear option.
North America and Canada the EPA should immediately start monitoring the fish routinely caught off the west coast and it must also, as a matter of urgency, establish many effective airborne monitors up and down the west coast and across the US continent, so that if there is another large release of radiation it will be effectively measured and the information rapidly passed on to the public. 
The same holds true for Canada.
The US and Canadian governments must forthwith ban imported food from Japan, unless each batch is monitored for contamination, and the food grown in the US and Canada needs to be effectively monitored pending another major accident. 
The US has allowed food measuring up to 1,200 Becquerels per kilo to be sold in the US from Japan, while the Japanese allowable concentration for food is only 100 Becquerels per kilo. What does the US government think it is doing purposely exposing people to radioactive food? This situation must be urgently amended. 
more http://rt.com/op-edge/fukushima-catastrophe-nuclear-olympics-883/

Max Planck Institute for Ornithology

Fraternal singing in zebra finches

Young zebra finches are able to learn their fathers’ song via their brothers

June 12, 2013

The song of songbirds is usually transmitted from one generation to the next by imitation learning and is thought to be similar to the acquisition of human speech. Although song is often learnt from an adult model, there is some evidence of active vocal learning among siblings. 
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen now showed that juvenile zebra finches that have been raised without their fathers are able to learn their song via a brother that for a short period had been exposed to the fathers’ song. Remarkably, when comparing the songs of the two brothers, they turned out to be more alike than the song of the brother with its father. Thus, just like an adult tutor, a juvenile peer has the same potential to serve as a song model, and this could be a common strategy in birdsong learning.

Social learning from peers is a widespread phenomenon in infants. Peer group size may influence the degree to which interactions within the group can influence their own behaviour. 
This insight nowadays gains more importance as an increasing number of children get into contact with large group peers at an even earlier age, for example in day nurseries. 
The type of social partners can also be crucial for the intensity of social learning. A well-known example is the spontaneous development of a particular language in adolescent deaf children in several schools in Nicaragua in the eighties. These pupils invented a private sign-language with Creole characteristics. 
With this, they emancipated themselves from their unaware teachers who taught the normal sign language. 
Therefore, the same-age peers had the same or an even larger role model function than the adult teachers.
Song learning from peers has now been investigated by Sébastien Derégnaucourt and Manfred Gahr from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen using juvenile zebra finches. In their study, young males were raised by both parents until the age of 14 days. 
Afterwards the mother and her chicks were separated from the father. Juvenile zebra finches start to memorise song from the age of 17 days on. When the chicks were about one month old, one of the sons was given back to his father for one week in order to hear his songs, while the other son was kept alone in another room. 
After the week the two brothers were reunited. When they became adult at 100 days of age the researchers recorded their songs. First, they found that juveniles exposed to their fathers learned his song, although the degree of song learning showed large individual variation, which the researchers attributed to the relatively short exposure period. 
These sons were then able to transmit their songs to their brothers that had been without their fathers since they were two weeks old. Remarkably, after the completion of the song learning phase as adults, there was a high similarity in the songs of the two brothers. 
This similarity was even higher than the similarity that the researchers measured between the paternal song and the song of the son to whom he was exposed. These results show that a juvenile peer can be a role model that is as efficient as an adult suggesting a large social component underlying song learning, explains Sébastien Derégnaucourt.

 © Huet des Aunay SL/HR

Exposição fotográfica “Aves da Beira Baixa, Aves da Nossa Terra”

Oleiros Exposição fotográfica “Aves da Beira Baixa, Aves da Nossa Terra”
Local: Posto de Turismo de Oleiros
Data: 2 a 31 de Julho de 2013

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