No, I'm not going to compare the two bands, if that's what you're wondering. The other day a friend told me to look up the difference between the terms "poisonous" and "venomous" -  I had no idea that they were different things, which got me thinking about how we use those two words erroneously very often!
     Both venomous and poisonous beings produce a toxin that is injurious or even lethal to another organism. The difference between them lies in how such toxin is delivered.
     You see, venomous organisms deliver or inject venom into other organisms, using a specialized apparatus of some kind (usually fangs or a stinger). The venom is produced in a gland attached to this apparatus.
     On the other hand, poisonous organisms do not deliver their toxins directly, they may only be harmful when touched or eaten, since the entire body, or large parts of it, may contain the poisonous substance.
      And now, shall we talk about music? Well, maybe tomorrow!

~Ally

      Today I really need to cheer myself up - although it is friday -, so what can be better than ghost stories from Scotland?
     The glaistig is a ghost from Scottish mythology, a type of fuath (an evil water spirit). It is also known as maighdean uaine (Green Maiden) and "Green Jean", and may appear as a woman of beautiful or monstrous mien, as a half-woman half-goat similar to a satyr, or in the shape of a goat. The lower goat half of her hybrid form is usually disguised by a long, flowing green robe or dress, and the woman often appears grey with long yellow hair.
     So, she is basically an ambivalent ghost that appears in legend as both a malign and benign creature. Some stories have her luring men to her lair via either song or dance, where she would then drink their blood. Other such tales have her casting stones in the path of travellers or throwing them off course.
     In more benign incarnations, the glaistig is a type of tutelary spirit and protector of cattle and herders, and in at least one legend in Scotland, the town of Ach-na-Creige had such a spirit protecting the cattle herds. The townsfolk, in gratitude, poured milk from the cows into a hollowed-out stone for her to drink. According to the same legend, her protection was revoked after one local youth poured boiling milk into the stone, burning her. She has also been described in some folklore as watching over children while their mothers milked the cows and fathers watched over the herds.
     Another rendition of the glaistig legend is that she was once a mortal noblewoman, to whom a "fairy" nature had been given or who was cursed with the goat's legs and immortality, and since has been known as "The Green Lady". She might either be benign, watching over houses and looking after the weak mind, or appear as a vengeful ghost. In some tales she was murdered in a green dress, and then stuffed unceremoniously up the chimney by a servant. It is said that her footsteps can still be heard as she walks the castle in sadness. Such Green Lady myths have been associated with a number of locations in Scotland, including Ardnacallich, Dunollie Castle, Loch Fyne, Muchalls Castle, and in Wales at Caerphilly.
      A third tale synthesizes the two threads. It tells of a mortal woman who lived on an island near the Firth of Clyde and who was smitten by the fairies and was granted her unspoken wish to become one of them. Afterwards, she dedicated herself to watching over the cattle of the island until a farmer offended her greatly through rude treatment and she left, making her way to the mainland by leaping to nearby islets before snagging her hoof in the rigging of a passing ship. She, according to this tale, fell into the ocean and presumably drowned, or at any rate was never seen again.

~Ally

     Back in the early 1920's, hundreds of Japanese women would dive in the seas of their country in search for oysters and pearls. They were capable of holding their breath for more than 2 minutes, and the search dives would happen for up to 60 times in a single day!
   These amazing womem were called Amas and were also known as mermaids, but the photo above and others by Iwase Yoshiyuki are now the only record of a mesmerizing profession that ended a couple of decades later. And, if you're thinking about breath-held diving (apnea diving) and all their equipment, forget it: these girls would use only a mask for the eyes and special slippers. But why diving naked? Well, diving suits didn't arrive to Japan until 1950 and cotton clothes would disturb the diving, besides being very unconfortable when wet and taking a long time to dry.
     A single Ama, working for some weeks collecting oysters and pearls, would earn more money than a common man working for a whole year. And men, by the way, wouldn't participate in this kind of search. They believed that the women's body was more appropriate to control breath and the low temperatures, since they contained more fat. Talk about chubby girl power!

~Ally

     Back when I was a kid, I never wanted to be an astronaut, no matter what my father would say or how many times I watched Star Wars and Star Trek. Seeing movies like "Apolo 13" didn't help either. The fact is, travelling to the stars has always been a daunting task - I mean, come on, it's SPACE!!! - , but is it possible that it is being made more difficult than it needs to be? Could  someone – or something – be trying to do its best to keep mankind on Earth, by sabotaging space flight after space flight? This idea has become so widespread that NASA has jokingly referred to this enigmatic and often deadly force as the ‘Great Galactic Ghoul’. But could it be real?
     When we stop to think about the high incidence rate of spaceflight accidents, disappearances and technological foul ups it is easy to see that it would have crippled any other endeavour that did not have the benefit of government funding. And this screw ups happen with everybody, no matter if you're Russian or American.
     One example was the much vaunted Mars Explorer in 1993, which was to take closer pictures of the mysterious Cydonia Region of Mars. Just as the craft was entering Martian orbit, it suddenly stopped functioning. Other failures include the Soviet Koralb 11 (blew up), Sputnik 24 (blew up), NASA’s Mariner 3 (missed Mars), Mariner 8 (fell into Atlantic) and the fiery deaths of the astronauts involved in the Apollo 1 mission in 1971. The list goes on and on, either a testament to staggering incompetence or evidence of a thorough, worldwide act of sabotage, perhaps even on a galactic scale.
     But the strangest part comes when we consider Martian missions. These kind of endeavours fare the worst when it comes to the idea of sabotage. One of the most disturbing was the fate of the Russian Phobos probes. Launched in 1988, the Russians sent the two probes to investigate Phobos, the smaller of Mars’ two moons. They were interested in the irregular orbital patterns, which led many to believe it to either an artificial construct or perhaps even hollow. The first probe was somehow lost on the journey from Earth, while the Phobos 2 made it to Mars. En route to the small moon, the probe took photographs of a cylindrical shaped shadow on Phobos’ surface. Shortly thereafter, the probe was destroyed. Its final picture, beamed back to Russia, has been declared too sensitive to release to the public. The same night, orthodox Russian priests were asked to go to Moscow Phobos 2 Control Centre to discuss the pictures received.
     I'm not sure if I want to know what is really out there.

~Ally

     Three-legged (or tripedal) crows are found in various mythologies and arts of Asia, Asia Minor, and North Africa. It is believed by many cultures to inhabit and represent the sun, but today I'm going to talk about Yatagarasu, or the Japanese myth of the three-legged crow.
      In it, this flying creature is a raven or a Jungle Crow and its appearance is construed as evidence of the will of Heaven or divine intervention in human affairs. Although Yatagarasu is mentioned in a number of places in the Shintō canon, the depictions are primarily seen on Edo wood art, dating back to the early 1800s wood-art era. And although it's not as celebrated these days, the crow is considered a mark of rebirth and rejuvenation; the animal that has historically cleaned up after great battles symbolized the renaissance after such tragedy.
     Yatagarasu the Crow-God himself is symbolic specifically of guidance. This great crow is said to have been sent from heaven as a guide for Emperor Jimmu on his initial journey from the region which would become Kumano to what would become Yamato. It is generally accepted that Yatagarasu is an incarnation of Taketsunimi no mikoto, but none of the early surviving documentary records are quite so specific.
     Both the Japan Football Association and subsequently its administered teams such as the Japan national football team use the symbol of Yatagarasu in their emblems and badges respectively. The winner of the Emperor's Cup is also given the honor of wearing the Itachi emblem the following season.

~Ally

     There is an account of a mysterious creature sighted in America during the 19th century by a lumberjack, which came to be known as "Old Spider Legs".
     As the lumberjack was travelling through the forest, he heard a quick and numerous galloping noise, he then got a clear sight of horse that had eight legs positioned like a spider’s legs, he got on his horse and chased after the beast but he could not keep up and lost sight of it. Many have heard it since, but none have seen it again.
   Skeptics say it might have possibly been a regular wild horse that had a twin that did not develop fully, got its extra appendages, which, in this case, were positioned like a spiders, and it learned to use these to its advantage of running faster.Or it could be Aragogue. Or Ungoliant. You never know, right?

~Ally

     Time for more folklore!
     The clurichaun is an Irish fairy which resembles the leprechaun. Some folklorists describe the clurichaun as a night "form" of the leprechaun, who goes out to drink after finishing his daily chores. Others regard them as regional variations on the same creature. The folklorist Nicholas O'Kearney described the clurichaun in 1855 as follows:

“The Clobhair-ceann was another being of the same class: he was a jolly, red-faced, drunken little fellow, and was ever found in the cellars of the debauchee, Bacchus-like, astride of the wine butt with brimful tankard in hand, drinking and singing away merrily. Any wine-cellar known to be haunted by this sprite, was doomed to bring its owner to speedy ruin. ”

     Clurichauns are said to always be drunk. However, unlike their cousins, they are surly. Many fables conclude clurichauns enjoy riding sheep and dogs at night. If you treat them well they will protect your wine cellar, and if mistreated, they will wreak havoc on your home and spoil your wine stock. In some tales, they act as buttery spirits, plaguing drunkards or dishonest servants who steal wine; if the victim attempts to move away from their tormentor, the clurichaun will hop into a cask to accompany them.

~Ally

    Penthesilea or Penthesileia was an Amazonian queen in Greek mythology, the daughter of Ares and Otrera and the sister of Hippolyta, Antiope and Melanippe. She killed Hippolyta accidentally with a spear when they were hunting deer; and this caused Penthesilea so much grief that she wished only to die, but, as a warrior and an Amazon, she had to do so honorably and in battle. She therefore was easily convinced to join in the Trojan War, fighting on the side of Troy's defenders.
     Penthesilea arrives in Troy the night before the fighting is due to recommence following Hector's death and funeral. She came to Troy to prove to others that her people, the Amazons, are great warriors and can share the hardships of war and to appease the Gods for accidentally killing her sister Hippolyta while hunting. She arrived with twelve companions and promised the Trojans that she would kill Achilles. On her first and only day of fighting, Penthesilea kills many men and clashes with Telamonian Ajax, although there is no clear victor, before she comes face to face with Achilles, who had been summoned by Telamonian Ajax. Prior to Achilles' entrance, Penthesilea had tried to fight Telamonian Ajax but he had merely laughed off her attempts, thinking her an unfit opponent. With only one blow to her breastplate, Achilles knocks her to the ground and she begs for her life. He is unmoved, kills her, and mocks her corpse until he removes her helmet and feels strong remorse.

~Ally

     Here in Brazil we often say and hear that St. Peter is responsible for controlling the weather, but I never quite understood why. So I decided to research a little bit!
     Turns out that this fame comes from the reports that St. Peter was chosen by Jesus to be the gatekeeper of Heaven - of which he is responsible for carrying the keys -, since he was the closest to Jesus. Thanks to that passage on the Bible, people began to associate Peter with heaven itself, in a "logic" more or less like this: "if he can open or close the doors and windows of heaven, than he is the one we should ask for rain or to cease the floodings".
     Remember that next time you forget your umbrella in a cloudy day!

~Ally

     Wait, what?! Before you think I finally went bonkers, look at the photo above. On the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, there is a underwater cave that blew my mind today: the Angelita Cenote.
     It is totally surreal, since there's a river in it that flows through the ocean - but the sweet water doesn't get mixed with the salty ocean water! That's possible thanks to a thin layer of hydrogen sulfate which separates the liquids and keeps the sweet water in the upper part and the salty in the lower one. So, when you dive under 30m, it is possible to approach the bottom, where you see a kind of cloud surrounded by tree's branches and logs. Awesome.

~Ally