Bees, Bugs & Other Crawlers

My son will enjoy this and I have another nice young man that enjoys following my page so I think he will like this post as well.  His name is Sam.  Just click on the photo to get an awesome closeup of these creatures.  My source is from Bees, Wasps, and Other Beneficials.  Check out their Facebook page as they have some interesting information....

Experts Predict Japan's Mount Fuji Will Erupt Soon

The last time Mount Fuji erupted, the year was 1707. A lot has changed since lava and ash spewed out of the 12,000 foot mountain. 

Now, volcanologists think the active stratovolcano may catch up with the times.
The National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention recently measured the pressure within Fuji and the results were startling. At 1.6 megapascals, the pressure in Fuji's mega chamber has now surpassed levels measured right before its 1707 eruption, reports WIRED. Keep in mind that the reading is 16 times the 0.1 megapascals needed for an eruption to occur.
Some experts believe a "massive eruption" is likely to occur within three years. The warning signs: steam and gas emitting from the crater, hot natural gas and water being released from nearby massive holes, and most telling, a recently discovered 21 mile long fault beneath Fuji. If an earthquake were to occur along the fault line, the eruption could cause Mount Fuji to collapse, sending mud and landslides cascading down along with the lava. 
Japanese officials have begun preparing for a possible evacuation of the surrounding Honshu Island region, with a test run scheduled for 2014, Japan Today reports. In 2004, the government conducted a report that estimated an eruption would cost the country $31 billion.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/experts-predict-mount-fuji-will-erupt-soon-2012-9#ixzz25kqCam75

Make Fire With A Coke Can And Chocolate Bar

Ok, let's get to it... The can.... The key to this is the bottom of the coke can (by the way, any pop can will do), which is ideal for reflecting and concentrating the sun's light and energy. Here is a photo of a coke can bottom. Note that it has a slightly dull finish. In its present condition it is not shiny enough to concentrate the sun's rays enough to ignite tinder. That's where the chocolate bar comes in ....

The chocolate bar.... The can bottom is not shiny enough to function as a good reflector and concentrator of sunlight. It needs polishing. The chocolate does an excellent job of this. So, simply break off a piece of chocolate and use it to polish up the can bottom! P.S. Any type of chocolate will do. Probably the purer it is, the better. In that case, maybe a Toblerone bar isn't so great, as it has nuts and honey in it.

This is a close-up of the surface of an un-polished can's bottom. Note the fine straight lines in the aluminum. These fine lines on the unpolished can are actually the grain of the aluminum roll stock from which the can is made, indicating a small degree of surface roughness which limits the can's reflectivity. These scatter the sun's rays, and prevent them from being focused together into a single bright point. This is why the can needs polishing. Compare this to the picture below of a polished can bottom.

Here is a close-up of a polished can bottom. Compare this to the picture above of an un-polished can bottom. There's a big difference. How can you tell when it's polished enough? What you are looking for is a "mirror" finish. An object placed near the bottom of the can should produce a clear (although distorted) image.

A note from A. Robinson, via email: "DO NOT eat the chocolate after you have used it to polish the can! It will pick up aluminum from the can, which is toxic. I've done metalwork with aluminum, and you're actually supposed to handle it with gloves, since it leaves a black toxic residue on your skin. Once it has been exposed to air for a few hours, aluminum is safe to handle because it forms an oxide layer on the surface which is non-toxic. But polishing it will remove the oxide layer and expose bare metal, and the chocolate will definitely pick up some aluminum. Not a mortal danger, but not the best thing in the world to eat!"

Polishing the bottom of the can. Note: For polishing the can, one needs to use the wrapper (or something else) in the process. Just rubbing chocolate on the bottom of the can won't do too much. The process is to smear some chocolate on the bottom, then use the wrapper (or whatever) as a "cloth" to do the polishing. Every now and then, one needs to add a bit more of the "abrasive." As a reference point, it will probably take ½-1 hour or more to finish the process.  Toothpaste also works as a good polish. Using the chocolate bar holds to the initial challenge - but using fine steel wool, some sort of cleanser or other polishing compound gives much more rapid results.  Jeweller's rouge will get the bottom of the can to a mirror finish in a few minutes.  Chocolate at best would take an hour!

All polished and shiny. Note that other polishing agents will work as well, such as toothpaste, powder cleansers, etc.

How to actually make fire... On a sunny day (yes, you do need sunlight!), Hold a piece of suitable tinder, such as a fragment of tinder fungus, at the focal point of the can bottom -- about 1 - 1.25" away from the center of the "bowl". One doesn't need to use tinder fungus. To keep to the core of the challenge, one can use pieces of the chocolate wrapper to get a coal. If the chocolate bar has a black paper insert, this is of course the best due to the dark colour. It takes a bit longer with the wrapper - but, as with a magnifying glass, many things can be used.

It is important to orient the bottom of the can towards the sun. If the bottom of the can is "off-axis" from the sun, then the the light gathering will be less optimal. To make sure that you are finding the optimal focal point, try using some black newspaper. Take a small strip, and move it towards the focal point. As you move the paper in and out, you should be able to see the light converge to a small point. At this time, the newspaper should start to smoke. Wearing sunglasses is suggested. It protects the eyes and also reduces the intensity of the light so that it is easier to identify the sharpest focus. CLICK HERE for more info and photos of how to do this.

Holding the small piece of tinder fungus is easier with a long thin stick with a small split in the end, such as is shown in this photos. Other materials can be used as tinder. Eye safety tip: Stand facing away from the sun (facing your shadow) and hold the can above your head so that you are looking at the bottom of the tinder and the side of the can instead of the top of the tinder and the mirror. Move the tinder to find the brightest spot. (Thanks to Thomas for this tip)

After a very short time (only a few seconds in the bright sun), the tinder fungus will be smouldering. Then transfer it to a tinder bundle and blow it into flame (if you're using a large enough piece of tinder fungus). If you're using a very small piece, then transfer the ember to a larger piece by holding the two pieces together and blowing on them. Alternatively, you could use a small bundle of very volatile tinder. For more info about Tinder, click here.

... And that's all there is to it! Article Source: http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/cokeandchocolatebar/

Alien Baby Found?

I usually have no interest in things like this.  This is from a few years ago but I just stumbled upon it.   I must admit I find this one interesting....

 Is this bizarre creature really an alien baby or just part of an elaborate hoax - and was it the cause of a mysterious revenge death?

 

Mexican TV revealed the almost unbelievable story - in 2007, a baby 'alien' was found alive by a farmer in Mexico.

He drowned it in a ditch out of fear, and now two years later scientists have finally been able to announce the results of their tests on this sinister-looking carcass.
At the end of last year the farmer, Marao Lopez, handed the corpse over to university scientists who carried out DNA tests and scans.
He claimed that it took him three attempts to drown the creature and he had to hold it underwater for hours.
Tests revealed a creature that is unknown to scientists - its skeleton has characteristics of a lizard, its teeth do not have any roots like humans and it can stay underwater for a long time.
But it also has some similar joints to humans.
Its brain was huge, particularly the rear section, leading scientists to the conclusion that the odd creature was very intelligent.
But it has seemingly left experts stumped.
And in a further mystery, Lopez has since mysteriously died.
According to American UFO expert Joshua P. Warren (32), the farmer burned to death in a parked car at the side of a road.
The flames apparently had a far higher temperature than in a normal fire!
Now there are rumours that the parents of the creature Lopez drowned were the ones who in turn killed him out of revenge.
There are frequent UFO sightings and reports of crop circles in the area where the creature was found. Perhaps it was left behind deliberately by aliens.
Mexican UFO expert Jaime Maussan (56) was the first to break the story. He claimed it was not a hoax. Farmers also told him that there was a second creature but it ran away when they approached. 
The puzzle has caused intrigue amongst BILD’s readers. Some say it is a mutant, others wonder why aliens would leave a baby behind - and one reader asked why aliens don’t wear clothes.
And the bizarre story has reached as far as South Korea and China!

Article Source:
http://www.bild.de/news/bild-english/news/bizarre-creature-found-in-mexico-stumps-experts-9516518.bild.html