The NAZCA Lines

The Nazca lines

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The Nazca Lines are a series of geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert, a high arid plateau that stretches more than 80 km (50 miles) between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the Pampas de Jumana in Peru. Although some local geoglyphs resemble Paracas motifs, these are largely believed to have been created by the Nazca culture between 200 BCE and 700 CE. There are hundreds of individual figures, ranging in complexity from simple lines to stylized hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, fish, sharks or orcas, llamas, and lizards.

The lines are shallow designs in the ground where the reddish pebbles that cover the surrounding landscape have been removed, revealing the whitish earth underneath. Hundreds are simple lines or geometric shapes, and more than seventy are natural or human figures. The largest are over 200 m across. Scholars differ in interpreting what the lines were for but generally ascribe religious significance to them. "The geometric ones could indicate the flow of water or be connected to rituals to summon water. The spiders, birds, and plants could be fertility symbols. Other possible explanations include: irrigation schemes, giant astronomical calendars, or landing for spaceships."

The dry, windless, stable climate of the plateau has preserved the lines to this day, for the most part. Extremely rare changes in weather may temporarily alter the general designs.

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One explanation for the method of construction employed by the Nazca people involves the use of simple tools and surveying equipment. Wooden stakes in the ground at the end of some lines (one of which was found and used to carbon-date all of the figures) support this theory. Researcher Joe Nickell of the University of Kentucky has reproduced the figures using the technology available to the Nazca people of the time and without aerial assistance. With careful planning and simple technologies, a small team of individuals could recreate even the largest figures within days.

The lines were made by removing the reddish-brown iron oxide-coated pebbles that cover the surface of the Nazca desert. When the gravel is removed, the lines contrast sharply with the light-colored earth beneath. There are several hundred simple lines and geometric patterns on the Nazca plateau, as well as over seventy curvilinear animal and human figures. The area encompassing the lines is nearly 500 square kilometers (193 square miles), and the largest figures can be nearly 270 m long (886 feet). The lines persist due to the extremely dry, windless, and constant climate of the Nazca region. The Nazca desert is one of the driest on Earth and maintains a temperature around 25°C (77°F) all year round, and the lack of wind has helped keep the lines uncovered to the present day.

One theory of the purpose of the lines is that the Nazca people's motivations were religious and that the images were constructed so that gods in the sky could see them. Kosok and Reiche advanced one of the earliest reasons given for the Nazca Lines: that they were intended to point to the places on the distant horizon where the sun and other celestial bodies rose or set. This hypothesis was evaluated by two different experts in archaeoastronomy, Gerald Hawkins and Anthony Aveni, and they both concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support an astronomical explanation.

In 1985, the archaeologist Johan Reinhard published archaeological, ethnographic, and historical data demonstrating that worship of mountains and other water sources played a dominant role in Nazca religion and economy from ancient to recent times. He presented the theory that the lines and figures can be explained as part of religious practices involving the worship of deities associated with the availability of water and thus the fertility of crops. The lines were interpreted as being primarily used as sacred paths leading to places where these deities could be worshiped, and the figures as symbolically representing animals and objects meant to invoke their aid. However, the precise meanings of many of the individual geoglyphs remain unsolved as of 2009.

Henri Stierlin, in his 1983 book , linked the Nazca Lines to the ancient textiles found wrapping mummies of the Paracas culture. The lines and trapezes may have been used as giant, primitive looms allowing for the fabrication of the extremely long strings and wide pieces of textile that are typical of the area. In this theory, the figurative patterns (smaller and less common) have only ritualistic purposes.

Some, such as Jim Woodmann, have proposed that the Nazca Lines presuppose some form of manned flight in order to see the figures properly and that a hot air balloon was the only possible available technology. Woodmann actually made a hot air balloon using materials and techniques that he believed would have been available to people at the time, in order to test this hypothesis. The balloon flew, after a fashion, but there is no evidence in support of Nazca-era hot air balloons, and Woodman's work has been rebutted.

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What Is Hiding Under The World Famous Nazca Lines In Peru | Blowing Up History

Ed Payne from Lindon, Utah has made some amazing discoveries using Google Earth. An incredible series of ancient lines, circles and shapes has been documented similar to the famous landscape lines in Nazca, Peru except these lines exist on the American landscape. The circular features, and various linear shapes are connected by lines and they appear to be ancient in origin found in very remote locations in Utah. Many of the geoglyphs have been partially hidden by nature and some of the lines have been turned into modern roads. Some long lines continue up to the edges of tall cliffs where they are abruptly cut off by a vertical drop.

According to google earth anomalies some explanation for these lines could be :

tar sands explorations 

uranium surveys 

Although that the administrator Ed Payne says at the end quote "Conclusions:  After extensive research, the origins of the Utah lines remains a mystery and does not have any basis in modern activity.  The purpose and meaning behind these mysterious geoglyphs and lines have yet to be determined and the culture that created them remains an enigma."

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Of course, a lot of research will go into these recently discovered patterns, so what could we assume about the makers of these patterns?

I believe we have to look at the original inhabitants of these regions.

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Which Indian tribes were living in these regions?

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The Hopi and the Navajo Indians 

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The Navajo Nation (Diné Bikéyah in the Navajo language)

The Diné's traditional boundaries are the four sacred mountains, which actually include an area much larger than the present-day reservation. The boundaries of the Nation itself are the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation at the Four Corners Monument and stretch across the Colorado Plateau into Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico.

The Nation surrounds the Hopi Indian Reservation; the Hopi tribe is sometimes known as “Navajo Land Island”.

Hopi mythology

The true Pahana (or Bahana) is the "Lost White Brother" of the Hopi. Most versions have it that the Pahana or Elder Brother left for the east at the time that the Hopi entered the Fourth World and began their migrations. However, the Hopi say that he will return again and at his coming the wicked will be destroyed and a new age of peace will be ushered into the world. As mentioned above, it is said he will bring with him a missing section of a sacred Hopi stone in the possession of the Fire Clan, and that he will come wearing red. Traditionally, Hopis are buried facing eastward in expectation of the Pahana who will come from that direction.

The legend of the Pahana seems intimately connected with the Aztec story of Quetzalcoatl, and other legends of Central America. This similarity is furthered by the liberal representation of Awanyu, the horned or plumed serpent, in Hopi and other Puebloan art. This figure bears a striking resemblance to figures of Quetzacoatl, the feathered serpent, in Mexico. In the early 16th century, both the Hopis and the Aztecs seem to have believed that coming of the Spanish conquistadors was in fact the return of this lost white prophet.[citation needed] However, unlike the Aztecs, upon first contact the Hopi put the Spanish through a series of tests in order to determine their divinity, and having failed, the Spanish were sent away from the Hopi mesas

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The Hopi Indians believe all of humanity can be traced to a matriarchal hierarchy. According to the Hopi man was created by woman.The Sumerians believed man was created by a woman.

The male dominant creator is KA. 

Taiowa, is the sun God and created the Earth.

Two brothers were given guardianship rights over the Earth.

The Earthlings have access through prayer and meditation to spiritual guides called Alo.

Katchinas (Katsinas) are the messengers of the God KA. They are the spirit teachers of nature.

The Katsinas are descendants of Eototo.

The Hopi name for Pleiades is ChooChooKam

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Katsinas by spirit role:

Nan-Ga-So-Hu Chasing Star

Akush Dawn

Danik Guardians in the clouds

Sotunangu Sky

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There's also a striking similarity between the gods of the Hopi and the gods of the Sumerians !

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The Hopi believe the Creator of Man is a woman. The Sumerians believed the Creator of Man was a woman.

The Hopi believe the Father Creator is KA. The Sumerians believed the Father Essence was KA. 

The Hopi believe Taiowa, the Sun God, is the Creator of the Earth. The Sumerians believe TA.EA was the Creator. 

The Hopi believe two brothers had guardianship of the Earth. The Sumerians believed two brothers had dominion over the Earth. 

The Hopi believe Alo to be spiritual guides. The Sumerians believed AL.U to be beings of Heaven. 

The Hopi believe Kachinas (Kat'sinas) are the spirits of nature and the messengers and teachers sent by the Great Spirit. The Sumerians believed KAT.SI.NA were righteous ones sent of God. 

The Hopi believe Nan-ga-Sohu is the Chasing Star Katsina. The Sumerians believed NIN.GIR.SU to be the Master of Starships. 

The Hopi believe Akush to be the Dawn Katsina. The Sumerians believed AK.U to be Beings of light. 

The Hopi believe Danik to be Guardians in the Clouds. The Sumerians believed DAK.AN to be Sky Warriors. 

The Hopi name for the Pleaides is ChooChookam. The Sumerians believed SHU. SHU.KHEM were the supreme Stars. 

The Hopi believe Tapuat is the name of Earth. The Sumerians believed Tiamat was the name of Earth. 

The Hopi call a snake Chu'a. The Sumerians called a snake SHU. 

The Hopi use Omiq to mean above, up. The Sumerians used AM.IK to mean looking to Heaven. 

The Hopi believe Tuawta is One Who Sees Magic. The Sumerians believed TUAT.U was One from the Other World. 

To read more about the creation legend of the Hopi Indians go to indianlegend

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Source(s) :  peruexplorer , googleearthanomalies , dreamscape,  Wikipedia

Tooth "BLING" in Ancient South- America

Tooth jewelry.

In hip hop culture, a grill (also front or golds) is a type of jewelry worn over the teeth. Grills are made of metal and are generally removable. They began to be worn by hip hop artists in the early 1980s, but they became widely popular during the mid-2000s due to the rise of Dirty South rap. Though grills are fitted to the tooth impression of the wearer, whether they are safe for long-term wear is unknown.

Grills are made of metal (often silver, gold, or platinum) that is sometimes inlaid with precious stones; they are generally removable, though some may be permanently attached to the teeth. Grills can cost anywhere from fifty dollars to thousands of dollars, depending on the materials used and the number of teeth covered.

Grills are most often worn by 18- to 35-year-old urban male hip-hop listeners, and at least one commentator has argued that grills will never become mainstream. However, grills are worn by both men and women of all races, at least to some extent, as well as by celebrities far from hip-hop culture like Marilyn Manson or Travis Barker of Blink-182.

Paul Wall wearing his trademark grills.
Some of Wall's grills cost nearly $30,000.

The sparkling  "dental works" of some hip-hop stars aren't exactly new. High skilled dentistry allowed Native Americans to add sparks to their teeth as far back as 2,500 years ago, as new research shows .

Ancient peoples of southern North America went to their local  "tooth doctor" - among the earliest known - to beautify their grinders with notches, grooves, and semiprecious gems, according to a recent analysis of thousands of teeth examined from collections in Mexico.
Scientists don't know the origin of most of the teeth in the collections, which belonged to people living throughout the region, called Mesoamerica, before the Spanish conquests of the 1500s.

But it's clear that people - mostly men - from nearly all walks of life opted for the look, according to José Concepción Jiménez, an anthropologist at the institute, which recently made  the findings public .

He stated that "They were not marks of social class" but instead meant for pure decoration .
In fact, the royals of the day - such as the Red Queen, a Maya mummy found in a temple at Palenque in what is now Mexico - don't have teeth decorations, Jiménez said.

Other evidence of early Mesoamerican dentistry - including a person who had received a ceremonial denture - has also been found.

Skilled  Dentists 

The early dentists used a drill-like device with a hard stone such as obsidian, which is capable of puncturing bone.

"It's possible some type of ( Plant based ) anesthetic was applied prior to drilling to blunt any pain," according to Jiménez.

The ornamental stones - including jade - were attached with an adhesive made out of natural resins, such as plant sap, which was mixed with other chemicals and crushed bones, still according to Jiménez.

The dentists likely had a sophisticated knowledge of tooth anatomy, Jiménez further mentioned. For example, they knew how to drill into teeth without hitting the pulp inside, he said.

"They didn't want to generate an infection or provoke the loss of a tooth or break a tooth."



Source(s) : Wikipedia | National Geographic

Paul Karason (The BLUE MAN)

Paul Karason

Argyria is a condition caused by improper exposure to chemical forms of the element silver, silver dust or silver compounds. The most dramatic symptom of argyria is that the skin becomes blue or bluish-grey colored. Argyria may be found as generalized argyria or local argyria. Argyrosis is the corresponding condition related to the eye. The condition is believed to be permanent, but laser therapy has been used to treat it with satisfactory cosmetic results.

Since at least the early part of the 20th century, doctors have known that silver or silver compounds can cause some areas of the skin and other body tissues to turn gray or blue-gray. Argyria occurs in people who eat or breathe in silver over a long period (several months to many years). A single exposure to a silver compound may also cause silver to be deposited in the skin and in other parts of the body; however, this is not known to be harmful. It is likely that many exposures to silver are necessary to develop argyria. Once argyria develops, it is generally believed to be permanent.

Stan Jones | Source

Generalized form of Argyria.Reports of cases of argyria and a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency statement suggest that 1 to 4 grams of silver or a silver compound taken in medication in small doses over several months may cause argyria in some humans. People who work in factories that manufacture silver can also breathe in silver or its compounds. In the past, some of these workers have become argyric. However, the level of silver in the air and the length of exposure that caused argyria in these workers is not known. It is also not known what level of silver causes breathing problems, lung and throat irritation, or stomach pain in people. Studies in rats show that drinking water containing very large amounts of silver (2.6 grams per liter) is likely to be life-threatening.

Argyria that covers the entire body is not seen following skin contact with silver compounds, although the skin may change color where it touches the silver. However, many people who have used skin creams containing silver compounds such as silver nitrate and silver sulfadiazine have not reported health problems from the silver in the medicine. In one animal study, a strong solution of silver nitrate (81 milligrams silver nitrate per liter of water) applied to the skin of guinea pigs for 28 days did not cause the animals to die; however, it did cause the guinea pigs to stop gaining weight normally. It is not known if this would happen to people if they were exposed the same way.

A recent prominent case was that of Stan Jones of Montana, a Libertarian candidate for the United States Senate in 2002 and 2006. Jones acquired argyria through consumption of a home-made silver product that he made due to fears that the Year 2000 problem would make antibiotics unavailable. The peculiar colouration of his skin was featured prominently in media coverage of his unsuccessful campaign, though Jones contends that the best-known photo was "doctored". Jones promised that he was not using his silvery complexion as a gimmick. He continues to promote the use of colloidal silver as a home remedy. He has said that his good health, minus the unusual skin tone, is the result of his use of colloidal silver.

On December 20, 2007 the world press published stories about Paul Karason, a California man whose entire skin gradually turned blue after consuming colloidal silver made by himself with distilled water, salt and silver, and using a silver salve on his face in an attempt to treat problems with his sinus, dermatitis, acid reflux, and other issues.

On 2008, ABC reporters interviewed Paul Karason, 40 year-old who's skin turned blue after he used colloidal silver to ease his ailments. It started a decade ago, when he saw an ad in a new-age magazine promising health and rejuvenation through colloidal silver. Karason sent away for a kit for making colloidal silver -- a home brew of microscopic silver particles suspended in water. For a while, he was drinking at least 10 ounces a day as a cure for arthritis. "I had arthritis in my shoulders so bad I couldn't pull a T-shirt off. And the next thing I knew, it was just gone." he explained the media, but these claims have no basis in science and after a couple of months, his whole skin turned blue. "I kind of hoped it would fade off!" But it didn't fade off. Argyria is permanent.

Source(s): Wikipedia

The Cantor's GIANT SOFT-SHELLED Turtle

The Cantor's giant soft-shelled turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) is a species of fresh water turtle. The turtle has a broad head and small eyes close to the tip of its snout. The carapace is smooth and olive colored. Juveniles may have dark-spotted carapaces and heads, with yellow around the carapace.

Cantor's giant soft-shelled turtles can grow up to 6 feet (about 2 meters) in length. P. cantorii is an ambush predator and primarily carnivorous, feeding on crustaceans, mollusks and fish (although some aquatic plants may also be eaten).

The turtle spends 95 percent of its life buried and motionless, with only its eyes and mouth protruding from the sand. It surfaces only twice a day to take a breath, and lays 20-28 eggs (about 1.2 to 1.4 inches [3.0-3.5cm] in diameter) in February or March on riverbanks.


Distribution
The turtle is found primarily in inland, slow-moving fresh water rivers and streams. There is some evidence that its range extends to coastal areas as well.

The turtle was once distributed across India, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Sumatra, Borneo, and western Java.

The turtle is regarded as endangered, and has disappeared from much of its range. Until recently, it was last seen in Cambodia in 2003. A 2007 survey of one area of the Mekong River in Cambodia found the turtle in abundance along a short 30-mile (48 kilometer) stretch of the river.

The species is not found in New Guinea, while the two other members of the genus Pelochelys, P. bibroni and P. signifera are both restricted to New Guinea.

P. cantorii is relatively unstudied, and it is possible that the current species may actually be composed of several taxa. One recent scholarly study showed that what was once thought to be P. cantorii in New Guinea was actually Pelochelys bibroni, and that earlier studies of P. cantorii only described populations further to the west.

Despite reports that it can grow up to 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) in length and is the world's largest extant freshwater turtle, this maximum size and title is murky at best.  Apparently the largest specimen carapace length, 129 cm (51 in), known is considered suspect and the heaviest specimen known (weighing approximately 250 kg (550 lb) was actually a misidentified Yangtze giant softshell turtle. A more realistic range of carapace length for this species is reportedly 70 to 100 cm (28 to 39 in) and it is one of about a half-dozen giant softshell turtles from three genera that reach exceptionally large sizes, i.e. in excess of 100 kg (220 lb) in mass.

Source(s): Wikipedia                                                                      

The STAR NOSED Mole

The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a little North American mole found in wet low areas of eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States, with records extending along the Atlantic coast as far as extreme southeastern Georgia. It is the only member of the tribe Condylurini and the genus Condylura.

Star-nosed moles are easily identified by the eleven pairs of pink fleshy appendages ringing their snout which are used as a touch organ with more than 25,000 minute sensory receptors, known as Eimer’s organs, with which this hamster-sized mole feels its way around.


Appearance and Behavior

The star-nosed mole lives in wet lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic insects, worms and mollusks. It is a good swimmer and can forage along the bottoms of streams and ponds. Like other moles, this animal digs shallow surface tunnels for foraging; often, these tunnels exit underwater. It is active day and night and remains active in winter, when it has been observed tunnelling through the snow and swimming in ice-covered streams. Little is known about the social behavior of the species, but it is suspected that it is colonial.

The star-nosed mole is covered in thick blackish brown water-repellent fur and has large scaled feet and a long thick tail, which appears to function as a fat storage reserve for the spring breeding season. Adults are 15 to 20 cm in length, weigh about 55 g, and have 44 teeth. The mole's most distinctive feature is a circle of 22 mobile, pink, fleshy tentacles at the end of the snout, from which they derive their name. These are used to identify food by touch, such as worms, insects and crustaceans.

The star-nosed mole mates in late winter or early spring, and the female has one litter of typically 4 or 5 young in late spring or early summer. However, females are known to have a second litter if their first is unsuccessful. At birth, each offspring is about 5 cm long, hairless, and weighs about 1.5g. Their eyes, ears, and star are all sealed, only opening and becoming useful approximately 14 days after birth. They become independent after about 30 days, and are fully mature after 10 months. Predators include the Red-tailed Hawk, Great Horned Owl, various skunks and mustelids, and even large fish.


Nose

Star Nosed Mole close up 

- courtesy of Image Kenneth Catania

The incredibly sensitive nasal tentacles are covered with minute touch receptors known as Eimer's organs. The nose is approximately one centimeter in diameter with approximately 25,000 Eimer's organs distributed on 22 appendages. Eimer's organs were first described in the European mole in 1871 by German zoologist Theodor Eimer. Other mole species also possess Eimer's organs, though they are not as specialized or numerous as in the star-nosed mole. Because the star-nosed mole is functionally blind, it had long been suspected that the snout was used to detect electrical activity in prey animals,though there is little, if any, empirical support for this contention. It appears the nasal star and dentition of this species are primarily adapted to exploit extremely small prey items. A report in the journal Nature gives this animal the title of fastest-eating mammal, taking as short as 120 milliseconds (average: 227 milliseconds) to identify and consume individual food items. Its brain decides in the ultra short time of 8 ms if a prey is comestible or not. This speed is at the limit of the speed of neurons.
They also possess the ability to smell underwater. It is done by exhaling air bubbles onto objects or scent trails and then inhaling the bubbles to carry scents back through the nose.

Did You Know?...

• In the movie G-Force, one of the animals starring was a Star Nosed Mole called 'Speckles'. 
• In the movie The City of Ember, there is a Star Nosed Mole that has mutated to great size.
• In Suzanne Collins's The Underland Chronicles, a race of giant star-nosed moles called "diggers" attacks the human city of Regalia.
• In the Phineas and Ferb episode "At the Car Wash", Isabella and the fireside girls are raising money to save a Star-nosed Mole 

More on the Star Nosed Mole : naturalhistorymag

Source(s): Wikipedia