ADVENTURE OF DISCOVERYS

A Lasting Impression For its sheer beauty, the Berlin specimen of Archaeopteryx has been described as a “ paleontological Mona Lisa ” by Dr. Luis M. Chiappe of the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles . Without a doubt it is one of the most attractive fossils that I have ever seen. It is striking because it clearly has avian features , yet it is so different from modern birds. Head with clearly visible teeth, a very reptilian feature Clawed Wings and Teeth A previous article on the reference specimen of Archaeopteryx (London Natural History Museum) mentioned both the claws and the teeth. The London specimen’s counterslab contains  a piece of the jaw including a few teeth. The Berlin specimen still has the head attached and it is very easy to see the teeth, which are a feature no longer present in modern birds. Equally impressive are the digits of the hands and especially the claws on the wings. There are a few living birds that have claws on their wings, ...

Samuel Beckett Samuel Beckett was born in Foxrock, Dublin, on April 13th 1906. In 1919 Beckett went to the prestigious Portora Royal School in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, whose former graduates had also included Oscar Wilde. Afterwards Beckett studied at Trinity College Dublin from 1923 to 1927, before lecturing at the university in 1930. Becket spent some time in the 1930 journeying France, Germany and Russia, before settling in Paris as a lecturer shortly before the war. During World War II, Beckett joined the French Resistance and was rewarded for his efforts with the Croix de Guerre and the Medaille de la Resistance. Beckett's work is characterised as stark, minimalist and existentialist and as pessimistic by some circles. His most famous work is arguably Waiting for Godot (1952), a tale of two tramps waiting in vain for one of their friends. The success of Waiting for Godot propelled Beckett to fame and further critical acclaim followed with plays such as Endgame...

The many myths and legends of Ireland form the basis of early Irish history and the structure of Gaelic society. Yet unlike much Celtic mythology, the mythology of Ireland, it's legends, its folklore and mythical figures, have stood the test of time informing elements of Irish culture throughout its history. The survival of Irish mythology and folklore owes much to the Romans and the fact that they decided Ireland was too distant a territory to conquer and left the country alone. This allowed the Celts of Ireland to develop a Gaelic society of their own that even with the conversion to Christianity, held a certain autonomy from the rest of Christian Europe. Indeed, though they altered the religious significance of the mythologies, the religious clerics of the Dark Ages and Medieval Period transformed much of Ireland's ancient oral history into texts such as the Annals of the Four Masters and the Book of Leinster, which are found at Trinity College. Irish mytholog...

Atlantis was a myth, but real-life lost lands do exist. A lost continent off the coast of Brazil may have been found, scientists announced this week. Granite boulders dredged from the seafloor off the coast of South America two years ago could be remnants of a long-vanished continent, according to Roberto Ventura Santos, the geology director of Brazil's Geology Service. "This could be the Brazilian Atlantis," Santos told reporters, adding that he was speaking metaphorically and not claiming to have found the legendary sunken world. "Obviously, we don't expect to find a lost city in the middle of the Atlantic," he said. Santos and his team speculated that the granite—a relatively low-density rock found in continental crust—belonged to a continent that was submerged when Africa and South America drifted apart and formed the Atlantic Ocean about 100 million years ago. But Michael Wysession, an Earth and planetary scientist at...

Isle of the Blessed - Arthur's final resting place The BBC interpretation of the Isle of the Blessed, which is usually associated with Avalon Ynys Avallach, the Isle of the Apples, is at the heart of Arthurian mythology. It is Avalon, home to the Lady of the Lake and spiritual centre of the old religions. Geoffrey of Monmouth calls it Avallo in the Historia and Insula Pomorum (Island of Apples) in his Vita Merlini . The association with apples seems to come from its name being similar to many Celtic words which describe the fruit: Old Irish aball , Middle Welsh afall , Middle Breton avallenn , Celtic avallo . There has also long been a connection with the pagan god Avalloc (Avallach) who is said to be the ancestor of the dynasty of Coel Hen, the eventual rulers of Powys. Avalloc is also said to be the father or Morgen (who later becomes Morgan le Fay) and her eight sisters, who were Celtic priestesses renowned for their ability to turn into ...

Portugal: Land of Myth and Legend: Part 1 Of Sebastianismo Lynne Booker 'Portugal itself has many more myths than the rest of Europe put together, which could perhaps help the latter [Europe] realise its destiny' wrote Gilbert Durand the French Academician known for his work on imagination and mythology. You might expect a country whose people had first imagined and then actually discovered the sea route to Índia to be rich in myth and legend. And you would certainly also expect Portuguese to tell tales and histories of the glorious events that led to Portugal´s empire over half of the world. Camões, Fernão Mendes Pinto, Father António Vieira, and more recently Fernando Pessoa all told their stories of Portugal´s greatness and destiny. And these stories encourage the belief that Portugal´s fortunes will rise again and that Portugal will become the spiritual and temporal Fifth Empire of Humanity. The return to Portugal of D Sebastião will be the sign that...

Marcus Aurelius myadventurefam.blogspot.com Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus   Bust of Marcus Aurelius in the Musée Saint-Raymond,  Toulouse. Joint 16th Emperor of the Roman Empire Reign 8 March 161 – 17 March 180   Predecessor Antoninus Pius Successor Commodus Co-emperors Lucius Verus (161–169) Commodus (177–180) myadventure of discovery             Born 26 April 121 Rome Died 17 March 180 (aged 58) Vindobona or Sirmium Burial Hadrian's Mausoleum Issue 14, incl. Commodus, Marcus Annius Verus, Antoninus and Lucilla Full name Marcus Annius Catilius Severus (or Marcus Catilius Severus; birth to marriage) Marcus Annius Verus (marriage to adoption by Antoninus Pius) Marcus Aelius Aurelius Verus Caesar (as imperial heir) Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (as emperor) Dynasty Antonine Father Marcus Annius Verus Mother...