The Power of Music
Thor Heyerdahl and the Kon-Tiki Expedition
* Kon-Tiki is Thor Heyerdahl’s account of his 101-day, 4,300-mile journey (with five friends) across the Pacific on a balsawood raft in 1947.
* The purpose of the voyage was to prove Heyerdahl’s theory that it would have been possible for people from South America to get to and settle on Easter Island in pre-Columbian times. ( Today, despite some DNA evidence to the contrary, most anthropologists still favor the idea that the original settlers came from eastern Polynesia.)
* The raft was named Kon-Tiki after the Inca sun god. The original is now on display in the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo.
* It was supplied with 275 gallons of drinking water in 56 water cans, 200 coconuts, fruit, sweet potatoes and other root vegetables. They had some field rations as well, and they caught lots of fish.
* Since Heyerdahl’s crossing in 1947, there have been at least a half-dozen raft expeditions from Peru to Polynesia.
In this New Yorker article, River Clegg is poking fun at those that use the internet to avoid feeling depressed about global issues they have little control over. I am one of those people…
Facts About CBD
CBD stands for cannabidiol, a molecule derived from the cannabis plant. Unlike THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), its better-known sibling, CBD won’t get you high. But it is – and this contradicts what you’ve probably heard – psychoactive. Psychoactive simply means that it affects the mind. And CBD does that. It influences the body’s endocannabinoid system, altering the release of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Bill Bonner on “How America Goes Full-Venezuela”
It doesn’t take a genius to understand that Venezuela’s economic policies had a lot to do with its current problems. But unless you dig into it, you may not realize how lethal Communism was. This very engaging essay by Bill Bonner is a good, quick introduction with a historical perspective.
More About “Chernobyl”…
I started to watch this HBO series a few weeks ago. It’s a gripping replay of the actual event – one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history. Take a look at the trailer.
What I’ve seen so far made me want to learn more, so I did some googling. Here’s some of what I found out:
* The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel.
* The resulting steam explosion and fires released at least 5% of the radioactive reactor core into the atmosphere and downwind – some 5200 PBq (I-131 eq).
* Two Chernobyl plant workers died on the night of the accident, and a further 28 people died within a few weeks as a result of acute radiation poisoning.
* UNSCEAR says that apart from increased thyroid cancers, “there is no evidence of a major public health impact attributable to radiation exposure 20 years after the accident.”
* Resettlement of areas from which people were relocated is ongoing. In 2011 Chernobyl was officially declared a tourist attraction.
You get what you pay for.
In a deck of cards, three of the kings have mustaches. Only the king of hearts does not.
Another endorsement for Rancho Santana from a major publication (USA Today): “10 Places Where You Can Help Endangered Sea Turtles Hatch”
In Brunei, adultery and gay sex are punishable under Sharia (Islamic) law by death from stoning. Amputations are permitted for theft.