I'm a big fan of ghosts - though I haven't seen one yet - and love to hear horror stories that involve such beings. If you didn't get the message until now, yes, I believe in ghosts. And werewolves. And goblins. But those are matters for another day.
     Anyway, these days I was googling cool haunted places and was delighted to know that my beloved Scotland is one of the most haunted countries in the world, and home of the so-called most haunted castle of the world: the castle of Edinburgh.
     Battles and sieges were fought over it and royalty lived and died within its walls, by natural death or murder. Which probably might have caused the ghastly apparitions. Back in the Iron Age, warriors defended a hill fort there, and the nation's oldest poetry tells of a war band feasting here for a year before riding to their deaths in battle. How merry!
     The Scots and English struggled for control of this castle during the Wars of Independence. In 1314 it was recaptured from the English in a daring night raid led by Thomas Randolph, nephew of King Robert the Bruce (friend of William Wallace, remember him?).
     The castle has sheltered many Scottish monarchs. They include Queen Margaret (later St Margaret), who died here in 1093, and Mary Queen of Scots, who gave birth to James VI in the Royal Palace in 1566. Her great-great-great grandson Charles Edward Stuart - Bonnie Prince Charlie - captured Edinburgh but was unable to take the castle during the 1745-6 Jacobite Rising.
     In 1996, the Stone of Destiny, on which kings were enthroned for centuries, was returned to Scotland. It is now displayed in the Crown Room.
     It was also used as army headquarters in the 1600s. Some buildings were rebuilt and new ones were raised to house a huge garrison - and provide a secure jail for prisoners of war. The military presence remains unbroken, but over the last 200 years the castle has become a national icon. It is now Scotland's leading tourist attraction, and a key element of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site.
     The castle also houses deep caves, known to refuge Black Plague victims in quarantine. If that doesn't give it a ghost or two, go home, lad, ye're done.

~Ally

     And before you can say "damn, there goes more talk about Vlad Tepes", no, I'm not talking about our favorite impaler. In fact, as I learned today, there is no official register in Bram Stoker's writings that he even knew Vlad was an impaler - he knew some things about Romenian history and Vlad, but didn't mention in his writings that this historical figure was his inspiration for Bela Lugosi's alter ego.
    Historians now claim that Stoker might have based his vampire in a Irish floklore character, the Abhartach. Also referred to as Avartagh (Irish word for dwarf), he is part of an early Irish legend, which was first collected in Patrick Weston Joyce's The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places (1875). Check out the legend below:

"There is a place in the parish of Errigal in Derry, called Slaghtaverty, but it ought to have been called Laghtaverty, the laght or sepulchral monument of the abhartach [avartagh] or dwarf (see p. 61, supra). This dwarf was a magician, and a dreadful tyrant, and after having perpetrated great cruelties on the people he was at last vanquished and slain by a neighbouring chieftain; some say by Fionn Mac Cumhail. He was buried in a standing posture, but the very next day he appeared in his old haunts, more cruel and vigorous than ever. And the chief slew him a second time and buried him as before, but again he escaped from the grave, and spread terror through the whole country. The chief then consulted a druid, and according to his directions, he slew the dwarf a third time, and buried him in the same place, with his head downwards; which subdued his magical power, so that he never again appeared on earth. The laght raised over the dwarf is still there, and you may hear the legend with much detail from the natives of the place, one of whom told it to me."

     In some versions Abhartach rises from his grave to drink the blood of his subjects, while the chieftain who slays the revenant is named as Cathrain. The hero variously consults an early Christian saint instead of a druid, and is told that Abhartach is one of the "neamh-mairbh", or walking dead, and that he can only be restrained by killing him with a sword made of yew wood, burying him upside down, surrounding his grave with thorns, and placing a large stone on top of the grave. I bet Van Helsing didn't have that much of trouble!
     According to recent folklore, Abhartach's grave is now known as Slaghtaverty Dolmen, and is locally referred to as "The Giant’s Grave". It comprises a large rock and two smaller rocks under a hawthorn.

~Ally

     A study published recently in Nature claims that Skeletal remains from a 7,000 year old Spaniard have been genetically sequenced and suggests that the evolutionary onset of light-colored eyes predates light skin.
     The remains were discovered in northwestern Spain at the La Braña-Arintero site. The skeleton belonged to a man from the Mesolithic Period who has been dubbed La Braña 1. One of his teeth yielded enough DNA to complete a genetic analysis. The results gave important clues about the evolution of appearance in the region.
     Though the height and approximate age at time of death were not released, the researchers were able to determine that La Braña 1 did not look quite how they expected. His dark hair and dark skin were not unusual, but he likely had light eyes which was very unusual for this time period. The exact shade of his eyes could not be determined, but it was clear to the researchers that they were not brown. This could very well mean that light eyes made their evolutionary debut before light skin.
     Another male skeleton, named La Braña 2, was also discovered by the team in 2006. Unfortunately, the DNA was not as well preserved in this second individual, which is making it difficult for the researchers to sequence. They are currently working to restore the genome and provide more information about what the earliest Europeans looked like during the Mesolithic Period.
Another male skeleton, named La Braña 2, was also discovered by the team in 2006. Unfortunately, the DNA was not as well preserved in this second individual, which is making it difficult for the researchers to sequence. They are currently working to restore the genome and provide more information about what the earliest Europeans looked like during the Mesolithic Period. - See more at: http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/genetic-analysis-reveals-blue-eyes-evolved-light-skin#sthash.cBg5HHIt.dpuf

~Ally

     It looks like a landscape from the early days of Earth, but this wonderful set of geysers are current, real, and located in a secret farm near Gerlach, Nevada, USA. It was formed by accident in 1916, when a drilling procedure was made in the spot. Several years after, hot water began to escape from a weaker wall and the geyser erupted, launching a hot water and steam column into the open air. The dissolved minerals, as well as bacteria, accumulated and ended up forming the mount where the geyser rises upon, like a mini-volcano. Nowadays, the waterjet can reach up to 5m high. Five meters of awesome, I would say!

~Ally

     A dust devil, apart from what I thought  - a devil made of dust (yeah, I read far too many mythology books) -  is a strong, well-formed, and relatively long-lived whirlwind, ranging from small (half a meter wide and a few meters tall) to large (more than 10 meters wide and more than 1000 meters tall). The primary vertical motion is upward. Dust devils are usually harmless, but can on rare occasions grow large enough to pose a threat to both people and property.
      Also called "dancing devil", "chiindii" or "Saci", they are comparable to tornadoes in that both are a weather phenomenon of a vertically oriented rotating column of air. Most tornadoes are associated with a larger parent circulation, the mesocyclone on the back of a supercell thunderstorm. Dust devils form as a swirling updraft under sunny conditions during fair weather, rarely coming close to the intensity of a tornado.

~Ally

     Recently back in fashion - or not so much gone from it all these years, I guess - beards have exerted considerable influence in human history.
    Facial hair is a secondary sex characteristic that may have been present in our evolutionary lineage for millions of years. Given that facial hair isn't necessary for survival, Charles Darwin, himself a beard enthusiast, surmised that this trait functioned in sexual selection, making our heavily bearded ancestors appear more attractive to mates and intimidating to rivals.
     Throughout the ancient world, beards were common, a sign of masculinity, virility, age and wisdom. Beards weren't simply grown; they were cultured. Ancient Assyrian men, for example, were known to curl their beards and sprinkle gold dust in them. Ancient Persian kings laced their beards with gold thread. For a man to have his beard shaved off would be a punishment or form of humiliation. Off with their beards!
     During the 4th century B.C., the clean-shaven look started to catch on with the rise of Alexander the Great. In 345 B.C., he decreed that his soldiers would shave their beards, so that their enemies couldn't grab hold of them for an advantage in battle. Makes sense. As Alexander's influence and empire grew, so did the practice beyond the Macedonians. The Macedonians didn't invent the look, however. There are depictions of clean-shaven men in cave paintings dating back to 10,000 B.C.
     Before the first century B.C., ancient Roman men grew long beards and viewed clean-shaven faces as effeminate. Following the footsteps of another conqueror, Julius Caesar preferred the hairless look, inspiring Roman men to follow suit. Emperor Hadrian two centuries later would reverse that trend, however, when he made beards once again fashionable by sporting one himself.
     While beards have gone in and out of fashion in different societies over the years, there are religious denominations, including Sikhs, Muslims, the Amish and sects of Judaism, that encourage or require men to have facial hair. The reason for the requirement is fairly simple: to promote masculinity. In some religious traditions, facial hair fashions were also used to distinguish members of one faith or culture from another. The ancient Israelites, for example, are often depicted as bearded, while the Philistines were clean-shaven. Similarly, early Muslims were directed to trim their mustaches and beards a certain way to distinguish themselves from Christians. In Christian history, however, facial hair has a bit of a tangled history. The question of whether to shave or not to shave divided the early church, reflecting one of many tensions that would lead to the Great Schism, or the separation of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. When a French cardinal attempted to excommunicate the Patriarch of Constantinople, facial hair was one of the "heresies" listed as grounds for the expulsion. In 1170, Pope Alexander III prohibited beards among members of the clergy.
     Throughout the Middle Ages, popular interest in facial hair waxed and waned within a matter of a few generations. Certain styles also fell in and out of fashion. During the 17th century, for example, Van Dyke beards, a style of facial hair involving a pointed mustache and goatee, named after Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck, were considered stylish amongst European men.
     In order to modernize Russia, Peter the Great instituted a tax on long beards in 1705, emulating the Western European fashion of clean shaven faces. In addition to paying the tax, anyone sporting a beard would have to carry around a copper coin  indicating that they had paid up. Inscribed on the coin is the phrase: "The beard is a superfluous burden." This tax stood in stark contrast to Ivan the Terrible, who one and a half centuries before Peter the Great, declared: "To shave the beard is a sin that the blood of all the martyrs cannot cleanse."
     Beards in the 21st century still hold the same fascination that they have throughout human history, with their fair share of fans and critics alike. Modern beards aren't just about style; they're also about sport and the spirit of competition. First hosted in 1990, the World Beard and Moustache Championships are held annually and attract competitors from all over the world.

~Ally

     An Indonesian sulfur mine by day and a spectacular - and dangerous - show by night, Kawah Ijen is the hazardous workplace of many men. Miners hike to the top of the peak, descend 660 feet into its crater, then pick up chunks of raw sulfur and slog them back up to the rim in a pair of baskets that hold 100 to 200 pounds.
     The blue lava is the result of the molten sulfur just over the boiling point of water. Conditions in the crater aren’t actually hot enough for the sulfur to self-combust, so it turns molten when miners drop their torchesSulfur becomes molten at temps just over the boiling point of water and turns into the spectral blue lava you see here. Conditions in the crater aren’t actually hot enough for the sulfur to self-combust — it turns molten when miners drop their torches. .
     Take a look at Olivier Grunewald's testimony about this place:

    "For over 40 years, miners have been extracting sulphur from the crater of Kawah Ijen in Indonesia. To double their meagre income, the hardiest of these men work nights, by the electric blue light of the sulphuric acid exhaled by the volcano.
     As the light of day recedes, an eerie incandescence appears to rise from the depths of the Kawah Ijen crater. The high-temperature liquid sulphur that flows from an active vent at the edge of the world's largest hydrochloric acid lake flares in blue flames that can reach up to 5 metres.
     At the foot of the glow, miners bustle amidst the toxic fumes. They are monitoring the flow of molten sulphur as it pours out of pipes at 115 °C, and its subsequent crystallisation. Breaking up, gathering up, loading up and transporting the coagulated blood of the earth earns them a living. By the blue light of the flare, they extract hunks of sulphur, then carry them up the flank of the crater to sell for 680 roupees per kilo (about €0.04). But the loads they carry, weighing between 80 and 100 kilos, cost them their health—and sometimes their life. By working nights, they manage to haul out two loads every 24 hours, doubling their salary, avoiding the daytime heat of the Kawah Ijen cauldron, and despite the condition remaining independant.
     The sulphur, among the purest in Indonesia, is destined for the food and chemical industry. Whitening sugar, at the price of their health and youth, such is the destiny of these serfs to sulphur."

~Ally

     As if navigation and maps couldn't get cooler. Than you find out that some winds have names! Here are some of them! Read. Be amazed. Pretend you know the name of the next wind that blows your hair.

• Abroholos - A squall frequent from May through August between Cabo de Sao Tome and Cabo Frio on the coast of Brazil.
• Borasco - A thunderstorm or violent squall, especially in the Mediterranean.
• Boreas / Borras - A ancient Greek name for north winds. The term may originally have meant "wind from the mountains" and thus the present term BORA.
  

• Diablo - Northern California version of Santa Ana winds. These winds occur below canyons in the East Bay hills (Diablo range) and in extreme cases can exceed 60 mph. They develop due to high pressure over Nevada and lower pressure along the central California coast.
• Euros - The Greek name for the rainy, stormy southeast wind.
• Foehn - A warm dry wind on the lee side of a mountain range, whose temperature is increased as the wind descends down the slope. It is created when air flows downhill from a high elevation, raising the temperature by adiabatic compression. Examples include the Chinook wind and the Santa Ana wind. Classified as a katabatic wind.
• Papagayo - A violet northeasterly fall wind on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua and Guatemala. It consists of the cold air mass of a norte which has overridden the mountains of Central America.
  

• Willy-willy  A tropical cyclone (with winds 33 knots or greater) in Australia, especially in the southwest. More recent common usage is for dust-devils.
  

• Zephyros  The ancient Greek name for the west wind, which generally light and beneficial.  It has evolved into "zephyr" which denotes a soft gentle breeze.
  

~Ally

     I knew Babe and his pals could learn a trick or two, but to know that researchers compare pigs' intellect to be on the same level as dolphins and higher apes... Well, I didn't see that one coming.
     Part of this intellect, they say, might be because large chunks of pig genome are virtually identical to humans, though our last common ancestor died out 100 million years ago. Pigs love to become couch potatoes and would rather eat, drink, smoke, and watch TV than be active. Man, I totally know many pig-people.
     In a study, when introduced to a mirror, the animals were initially fascinated by the pig in the reflection and tried to interact by nudging and vocalizing. While they could see food in the mirror, they tried looking behind the mirror only to end up hungry. Poor things. The next time the mirror was presented, they were not interested in their own image, but instead used the reflection to find the bowl of food behind them in under 30 seconds. Ha!
     Pigs can also be trained to learn tricks fairly easily, as I said before. However, if at first they don’t succeed, getting the courage to try again is a long process, especially if the pig got hurt in the attempt. Researchers speculate that the memory of the failure is a big hurdle to overcome for many pigs. Humans too, they might add. Failures in training and living conditions can affect a pig's mood, as the animals are capable of having and expressing complex emotions. Who knew, right?!

~Ally

     A statue of Prince Edward in West Yorkshire depicts him as "the victor of Crécy and Poitiers, the Flower of English Chivalry and the Upholder of the Rights of the People in the Good Parliament." But I had never heard of him.
    Though he never became king, the Black Prince wielded real power in England, Wales (though he never visited there), and above all Aquitaine, which he ruled with his wife, the controversial Joan of Kent, for most of the 1360s. He was the sovereign ruler of a large part of France, too. Edward was a brilliant soldier and commander, but politics were not his strongest suit and there is a strong argument for saying that he won the war but lost the peace because of his misgovernment of Aquitaine. Very good in fighting, but on the politics, he was either rather hopeless or simply uninterested. In terms of religion and estate management, there is no real evidence that "the Flower of English Chivalry" was even personally involved.
    Some curiosities about his life tell that he owned a tent and full suit of armor with a spare helmet, he played dice, and he had pets, since there was a page with responsibility for his hares. The prince married for love. Joan of Kent was a highly unsuitable match in the eyes of his parents - at least compared to a foreign princess. She already had been married twice and had a reputation for loose living as well as for beauty. Yet, the Black Prince married her in Windsor.
     If you'd like to read some great and funny comics about him, click here.

~Ally