The Agents of F.L.A.S.K.

[Tiki Tom]

Dang! Here is a strange and dangerous creature that I had never heard of. Looks very Alien and packs a punch. I’m a bit surprised that I’ve never read anything about Blue Dragons before.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/09/us/blue-dragon-padre-island-national-seashore-trnd/index.html

 

[Benny Holiday]

Fascinating creature. Never heard of them either. We have plenty of problems here in summer with the Portuguese Man O' Wars, AKA Blue Bottles or Stingers, though.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Cool. Stumbled upon this example of Amateur Archaeologists helping to make important discoveries in the UK (true, in this case they were volunteers working under the guidance of a university program):

https://www.theguardian.com/science...logists-redraw-map-of-roman-britain-from-home

Nonetheless, many important archaeological discoveries have been made by amateurs (Machu Picchu and Mayan ruins, for example). No doubt there are still important sites waiting to be found.

On the other hand, there are whole websites that are dedicated to trashing the work of amateurs. Personally, after reading several articles on the following website (and reading the sometimes snarky comments and responses), I can't help but feel that perhaps "he doth protest too much."

https://ahotcupofjoe.net/2020/02/bu...nalities-of-pseudoarchaeology-gobekli-tepe-2/

But still, as in all things, the truth may lie somewhere in the middle. You can't blindly accept all new crazy theories, yet you also have to be open to new ideas and new evidence.

The Cerutti Mastodon find (in San Diego of all places!) is another one of those crazy ideas that sets accepted dogma on its ear. If true, the claim would put Humans in North America a good 100,000 years before what is generally believed. Extra points go to Mr Cerutti (pictured in the article) for his hat!

https://www.sdnhm.org/blog/blog_details/the-cerutti-mastodon-site-one-year-later/96/

 

[Tiki Tom]

There are claims (by Graham Hancock, if you must know) that the remains/ruins of at least one city have been found submerged off the coast of India.

Sorry. Just following where the clues lead. This bit about a sunken city off of India got me wondering if it was true. Seems it is, and possible 9,500 years old, no less. Again, if true, it throws off the whole accepted human timeline.

1. From the BBC: The remains of what has been described as a huge lost submerged city may force historians and archaeologists to radically reconsider their view of ancient human history.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1768109.stm

2. The exciting discovery of an ancient city submerged off the Gujarat coast could revolutionise the way Indians look at history. It could turn out to be the earliest known settlement in India, at 7500 B.C.

https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/...ould-be-oldest-in-the-world-795877-2002-02-11

3. The Nay Sayers:
Official view of archaeology: “"Culturally speaking, in that part of the world there were no civilisations prior to about 2,500 BC.” Complaints have arisen because NIOT recovered artefacts by dredging the sea floor of the site and archaeological techniques were not used. The discovery of an ancient piece of wood does not imply the discovery of an ancient civilization. Agrawal argues that the wood piece is a common find, given that 20,000 years ago the Arabian Sea was 100 meters lower than its current level, and that the gradual sea level rise submerged entire forests.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_archaeology_in_the_Gulf_of_Cambay

I'm surprised that these discoveries aren't more well known. Sounds like more investigation is needed. Is your dive certificate up to date?

 

[Tiki Tom]

Any code breakers out there?

"Experts Baffled by Mysterious Inscription on Medieval Sword"

https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/british-medieval-sword-inscription-324075

 

[Benny Holiday]

I have no idea what the inscription says, but wouldn't it mess with some peoples' heads if it turned out to be "Live long and prosper"?

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Cracked it ! It reads 'Made in China' in colloquial Norman.

 

[GHT]

Cracked it ! It reads 'Made in China' in colloquial Norman.

Close, but no cigar. Hanwei are the Chinese manufacturers of repro swords, here's one of their Norman versions: You see the pattern down the centre, that's not for elaborate decoration, it's to allow the blood to escape from the victim who is skewered on the end of it.

Look closely at the handle end of the blade, the last three letters before the cross are XCH. That is an old English abbreviation for Christchurch.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Well, I was hoping for a reference to the Lady of the Lake. You know, something like “whoever wields this sword shall be king.” Or maybe a clue to the location of the Holy Grail or the treasure of the Templars (one and the same, I know, I know) but all I got was this:

NDXO = In the year of our Lord
XCH = Christchurch
WD = verbo domini = word of God
RG = a large area (regio grande)
HDX = And afterward God Christ (hel deo X)
ORVI = world, globe or some variant?

“in the year of our Lord in Christchurch, the word of God (conquered) a large area and afterward, the World.”

It sounds vaguely medieval, but is not quite there yet. (Didn’t crack it in ten minutes on my first try? I must be losing my touch. )

Interestingly enough, when I typed in HDX a Hebrew translation, “and they tempted”, also came up.

The quest for Excalibur continues. This sword would have been about 800 years too recent anyways.

Or am I overlooking something???

 

[Tiki Tom]

A fascinating read about the search for the lost spitfires of Burma. Not sure if David Cundall was/is a member of F.L.A.S.K. or not. But he should be... He somewhat obsessively pursues the legend of the twenty spitfire fighter aircraft that were supposedly crated and buried in Burma at the end of WWII. If found they’d truly be worth a fortune. I’ll leave it at that...

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/buried-spitfires-of-burma.html

I hope you will all agree that the book draws the wrong conclusions. It is not about a failed (or even nutty) attempt to find a “treasure”. The intellectual and physical thrill of the hunt is what it is about; the excitement of the pursuit of legendary mysteries. The desire for the world to still be a place where adventure is possible. I doff my fedora to Mr Cundall. (Sorry, I’ve got to stop writing now... I’m told it is time to take my meds and that the tinfoil hat is only for special occasions.)

 

[Tiki Tom]

You can stand down (for now). The Forrest Fenn treasure has apparently been found.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a32801149/forrest-fenn-treasure-found/

But don’t lose hope, armchair adventurers. Yet another lost city has been found in the jungles of Central America. (This LIDAR technology is starting to take the fun out of finding lost cities.)

unless I miss my guess, I’m reasonably certain that somewhere in this lost city there must be a small solid gold religious idol sitting on a weight-sensitive pedestal that will trigger elaborate booby traps If the idol is removed. I hear that a shady French archaeologist who has gone over to the dark side is already en route.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200604-the-ancient-lost-city-teeming-with-life

The lost city is also interesting in another respect. Apparently the location is so remote that the city is home to animal species that were previously thought to be extinct.

 

[GHT]

You can stand down (for now)Yet another lost city has been found in the jungles of Central America. (This LIDAR technology is starting to take the fun out of finding lost cities.)

unless I miss my guess, I’m reasonably certain that somewhere in this lost city there must be a small solid gold religious idol sitting on a weight-sensitive pedestal that will trigger elaborate booby traps If the idol is removed.

The lost city is also interesting in another respect. Apparently the location is so remote that the city is home to animal species that were previously thought to be extinct.

Lost city? I bet they have uncovered the secret base that the Nazis built, and where they continued to research, improve and build their technology, from which they would succeed in world domination.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Whisky Tango Foxtrot (WTF)?! I thought I had heard it all... But I’ve never heard this one before. The impossible tale of people having stumbled upon the half buried remains of a Viking longship in the desert of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. Help me out here. Any Californians care to comment? Zombie_61, you are from the vicinity. Ever hear of this? The very craziness of the story makes it kind of fun. ...But who knows? After all, the Kensington Runestone supposedly “proves” that the Vikings made it as far inland as Minnesota. So why not SoCal? Watch the video in the article... drink the Kool-Aid... you’ll like it!

https://www.newsweek.com/2017/02/10/lost-viking-treasure-ship-california-colorado-desert-547251.html

 

[Zombie_61]

...Any Californians care to comment? Zombie_61, you are from the vicinity. Ever hear of this?...

No Sir, I can't say I have. It seems odd that everyone who claims to have seen it at one time or another never made it back to confirm their sightings. But then...well, in my observations most of the people who live in the desert areas of southern California are rather...unique. Different energy, something in the air, hallucinogens, brains baked by the hot sun, who knows why? All I know is, them folks just ain't right.

 

[Tiki Tom]

A new photo of Nessie! Remarkably clear. Pro: not an anonymous posting. Not taken by a professional Nessie hunter but by an identified tourist who thinks the photo is just of a whopper of a fish. Some fish! However: There is always the possibility that it has been photo-shopped. Why would John Q Public photo shop something, and then ask for help identifying what kind of fish it is? Or: is Nessie just a very large sturgeon? I enjoy the fact that, no matter how many times this legend is debunked, it just refuses to go away.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-rising-water-sparks-online-claims-Nessy.html

 

[Lean'n'mean]

A new photo of Nessie! Remarkably clear. Pro: not an anonymous posting. Not taken by a professional Nessie hunter but by an identified tourist who thinks the photo is just of a whopper of a fish. Some fish! However: There is always the possibility that it has been photo-shopped. Why would John Q Public photo shop something, and then ask for help identifying what kind of fish it is? Or: is Nessie just a very large sturgeon? I enjoy the fact that, no matter how many times this legend is debunked, it just refuses to go away.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-rising-water-sparks-online-claims-Nessy.html

Looks like a seal to me. There are quite a few up there.

Nessie or playing seals ?

 

[Tiki Tom]

Love that photo of the seals playing. The mottled skin color looks about right. However, I think the “Nessie photo” has a much sharper back line. Plus it looks awfully big to be a seal. But who knows? Hard to imagine a breeding population of large critters that have not been discovered yet. I vote for a large fish of some sort. Some mysteries are meant never to be solved!

 

[GHT]

Love that photo of the seals playing. The mottled skin color looks about right. However, I think the “Nessie photo” has a much sharper back line. Plus it looks awfully big to be a seal. But who knows? Hard to imagine a breeding population of large critters that have not been discovered yet. I vote for a large fish of some sort. Some mysteries are meant never to be solved!

Scotland doesn't want it solved, myth or fact, Nessie is a monster, a money-making monster for the Highlands, £41M a year. A study, carried out by Chartered Accountant Gary Campbell, who also keeps the official register of sightings of the creature, uses the most up-to-date visitor figures for the Loch Ness area.

“We analysed the number of people that visit the attractions around the Loch, along with those who took to the water to try to get a closer look for Nessie and then took other research into tourism spend on overnight accommodation and food,” said Mr Campbell.

“We then added in the day trippers and from this we conservatively estimate that the draw of the monster is adding £40.7m to the local economy each year.”
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/f...-worth-nearly-41m-a-year-to-scottish-economy/

 

[Tiki Tom]

This has always been a theory that intrigues me: In short, that in order to save the mummy of Alexander the Great from destruction by rampaging Christian mobs, the elders of old Alexandria rechristened the corpse as the body of Saint Mark. This is why ---in ancient first-person travelogues--- the body of Saint Mark appears in Alexandria at the exact moment when all references to Alexander’s tomb cease. A couple of hundred years later, Venetian merchants steal St Mark’s body and take it to Venice. So, who is buried at St Mark's Cathedral? Could it be Alexander? It’s a neat theory. The church refuses to allow DNA testing.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...-the-bones-of-alexander-the-great-732020.html

Of course, not everyone buys into this line of thinking. As we speak, others are digging up Alexandria in the hope of finding its namesakes long lost crypt.

As if the search for Alexander the Great's Tomb is not enough to draw you to Alexandria, the location of Cleopatra’s Tomb is another archaeological mystery that should give us reason to go. Apparently there have been developments...

https://www.theguardian.com/science...find-offers-clues-in-hunt-for-cleopatras-tomb

Alexandria awaits. City of mystery. Let’s go!

 

[Zombie_61]

...Hanwei are the Chinese manufacturers of repro swords, here's one of their Norman versions: You see the pattern down the centre, that's not for elaborate decoration, it's to allow the blood to escape from the victim who is skewered on the end of it.
View attachment 238126

Many years ago someone explained the purpose of that depression in the blade to me as you described it, and it made perfect sense--the faster the victim bleeds out and succumbs to his/her wounds, the sooner the combat is finished. Years later in a different conversation on the same subject someone else said that it was to "vent" the victim's body because the flesh, once the body is punctured, tends to "grab on" to the metal and create suction, making it difficult to remove the blade and continue the fight. Then years later I read that both explanations, however plausible, were incorrect and that the purpose of that so-called "blood groove" (actually called a "fuller") had nothing to do with blood, but was simply a way to remove material and a) lighten the blade without weakening it, and/or b) balance the weapon. I've never stabbed anyone so I don't really know which explanation is true (or most true), but the last one is the one most historians recite.