Mishka‚ a dog from California who vanished last July‚ was discovered 2‚000 miles away from home in Harper Woods‚ Michigan‚ finally getting her much-awaited reunion with her owners.

The Crime Stats Are Juked

Gelatinous blobs reportedly rained down on the timber town of Oakville back in the summer of 1994‚ kicking off a mystery that would come to be known as the Oakville Blobs. Exactly what the jelly rain consisted of had residents spooked‚ with several reporting that they became unwell and animals died as the Oakville Blobs rained down.So‚ what were the Oakville Blobs‚ and where did they come from?Oakville Blobs: What happened?On August 7‚ 1994‚ the Oakville Blobs first arrived. They rained down from the sky in flecks of goo smaller than a grain of rice‚ but at such a high volume that they became visible across the ground and on shed roofs‚ including that of Oakville resident Sunny Barclift.On August 19‚ 1994‚ Seattle Post-Intelligencer Tom Paulson wrote about the Oakville Blobs for The Lewiston Tribune‚ stating: Twice in the past two weeks when it has rained‚ small blobs of clear‚ gelatinous goo have fallen on and around the home [Sunny] Barclift shares with her mother‚ Dotty Hearn‚ on a 29-acre [12-hectare] farm.There have been no other confirmed reports of mysterious blobs‚ officials with several agencies said. But a National Weather Service employee in the area received a call from an unidentified man in early August describing hot‚ metallic particles from the sky that burned holes in his children';s trampoline.Oakville Blobs: What were they?A hospital reportedly looked at the Oakville Blobs under a microscope‚ stating they contained some human white cells. This prompted the suggestion the Oakville Blobs were concentrated fluid waste from an airplane toilet‚ but a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said this was unlikely as toilet fluids are typically dyed blue‚ giving it the nickname blue ice.A second‚ more intriguing theory to explain the Oakville Blobs is that it had something to do with blowing up jellyfish. Bombs were being dropped in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington by the 354th Fighter Squadron at the time‚ and the Oakville Chief of Police Gary Greub received a tip-off that detonating a school of jellyfish might be the source of the Oakville Blobs.The ocean certainly isn';t short on gelatinous creatures. Could it have been the source of the Oakville Blobs?Image credit: Kathy Parsells / Shutterstock.comIn the Netflix series Files Of The Unexplained (FOTU)‚ Paul Johnson‚ Associate Professor of Biology at the University of North Georgia‚ said that it was plausible that something the size of portions of a jellyfish could be pulled up into the atmosphere and redeposited during a storm. Raining animals is nothing new‚ but Barclift reported six events of Oakfield Blobs raining down from the sky‚ making it harder to imagine jellyfish particles were floating in the air for so long.On August 20‚ 1994‚ The New York Times reported that the Mystery Blobs Were Once Alive following an analysis by the Washington State Department of Ecology. Agency scientist Mike Osweiler who tested the Oakville Blobs said they found a number of cells of various sizes.These results would appear to blow the human white cell story out of the water‚ as they revealed the cells had no nuclei something that you would see in human white cells taking the jellyfish theory with it. As multicellular organisms from the phylum Cnidaria‚ jellyfish are made up of eukaryotic cells like other animals‚ which contain nuclei along with other membrane-bound organelles.The kind of life that would lack nuclei would be made up of prokaryotic cells‚ found in bacteria and archaea. That ties in with the findings of Washington State Public Health Department (WSPHD) microbiologist Mike McDowell who appeared on the TV series Unsolved Mysteries in 1997 to talk about the testing he did on the Oakfield Blobs.It was very uniform‚ McDowell says in a clip shown in FOTU. There was no structure that we could see visibly or with a microscope. I set it up on various microbiological media and attempted to isolate bacteria.A report from the WSPHD presented by Barclift in the episode states the culture yielded two kinds of bacteria: Pseudomonas fluorescens and Enterobacter cloacae‚ both normal residents in the digestive tracts of humans and other mammals. They can also be found environmentally when waste has been deposited‚ and can travel in water and aerosols.According to McDowell';s sons‚ he believed the goo might be some kind of carrier system‚ but also said he didnt have any hard evidence to support the claim. The suggestion has prompted theories of biological weapon testing‚ but such activity by the US military would violate international treaties. Unfortunately‚ McDowell was never able to get to the bottom of the mystery as his samples went missing before he could finish his work.Oakville Blobs: Did people really get sick?Several Oakville residents became ill with similar flu-like symptoms after coming into contact with Oakville Blobs‚ including Barclifts mother. Though if they were a direct consequence can';t be known for certain.After the first blob shower on Aug. 7‚ Hearn went to the hospital suffering from dizziness and nausea‚ wrote Paulson. Barclift and a friend also had minor bouts of nausea and fatigue after collecting and touching the mysterious goop. A newly adopted kitten‚ which lived outside‚ died days later after a struggle with severe intestinal problems.At the time‚ Barclift acknowledged that the illnesses might have been a coincidence‚ but speaking on FOTU‚ she maintains that something unusual was going on with the Oakville Blobs. As Johnson explained‚ the incident is made all the most intriguing by the apparent association of ill-health.I was looking at this again and found a few other cases where people said something similar‚ but there was very little detail largely because I dont think anybody got sick. So thats where nobody sort of cared‚ he said.What happened in Oakville was unusual‚ its called the sort of Swiss Cheese model. Finally had enough things that came together‚ enough of those holes lined up‚ that we got just the right magic bullet to get through there to give us a one-off unusual story.

The number of deaths caused by viral hepatitis around the world is increasing‚ according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). An estimated 3‚500 people succumb to the disease each day‚ making it the second leading infectious cause of death in 2022‚ with a death toll matching that of tuberculosis.The 2024 Global Hepatitis Report‚ released at the recent World Hepatitis Summit‚ includes new data from 187 countries‚ the largest number ever included. From this‚ the WHO has concluded that deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. More than 6‚000 people are newly infected every day.What is viral hepatitis?Hepatitis is the broad term for an infection causing inflammation and damage to the liver. Viral hepatitis is categorized into five main groups‚ called hepatitis A‚ B‚ C‚ D‚ and E. If doctors arent clear on the cause of someones infection‚ they may refer to it as hepatitis X‚ or non-A-E hepatitis.The WHO report focuses on hepatitis B‚ which accounts for 83 percent of new infections‚ and hepatitis C‚ which accounts for 17 percent. Both of these viruses tend to cause chronic infections‚ which over time can lead to cirrhosis‚ cancer‚ and liver failure.The disease is also prevalent in younger populations‚ with around half of chronic hepatitis B and C infections occurring in people aged 30-54‚ and 12 percent in children under 18.Why are hepatitis death rates rising?While untreated hepatitis can have severe consequences‚ with early detection our ability to combat these infections has improved dramatically.For hepatitis B‚ the most common route of transmission is during childbirth‚ but we have safe and effective vaccines that can prevent this. Hepatitis C is caught through exposure to infected blood‚ such as through unsafe injection practices or‚ rarely‚ unprotected sex. While theres no vaccine yet‚ the WHO estimates that more than 95 percent of people can be fully cured if they have access to antiviral medication.But there‚ unfortunately‚ lies the problem. The new report highlights that only a small fraction of people infected with hepatitis B and C are being diagnosed in a timely manner and given access to treatment‚ in line with the WHOs goals.For example‚ in the WHO African region where 63 percent of new hepatitis B infections arise‚ only 18 percent of newborns are vaccinated. Globally‚ only 20 percent of people with hepatitis C have received curative treatment‚ well below the 80 percent target.According to the report‚ part of this can be explained by pricing disparities that mean many lower income countries are unable to purchase antiviral drugs at a reasonable cost‚ even generic medications that are no longer subject to patents. Equally‚ residents in many countries may be forced to pay for testing and treatment services‚ which for some will be out of reach.What can be done to address the problem?The report contains a number of recommendations which‚ if implemented swiftly‚ should get us back on track to achieving the WHOs goal of ending the hepatitis epidemic by 2030.These include widening access to diagnostic tests‚ strengthening prevention efforts‚ and advancing research to hopefully find a cure for hepatitis B‚ but the WHO also cautions that global funding for these efforts‚ as it currently stands‚ is insufficient.This report paints a troubling picture: despite progress globally in preventing hepatitis infections‚ deaths are rising because far too few people with hepatitis are being diagnosed and treated‚ said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement.WHO is committed to supporting countries to use all the tools at their disposal - at access prices - to save lives and turn this trend around.

For over a century‚ humans have been searching for alien civilizations somewhere out there in the universe. Though we obviously have found nothing so far‚ we have become rather good at finding planets‚ confirming over 5‚000 of them in the Milky Way since our first discovery in the 1990s.Analyzing the spectrum of light from those planets‚ we';ve even identified some intriguing possible hints of life‚ including dimethyl sulfide on exoplanet K2-18b‚ a gas that‚ on Earth‚ is produced only by life. But were we to find a planet with life‚ or advanced civilizations‚ should we initiate contact?Not everybody thinks that is a good idea‚ and among them was physicist Stephen Hawking. In 2015‚ while launching a project to listen out for alien civilizations‚ Hawking explained why it';s probably best not to say hello back.";We don';t know much about aliens‚ but we know about humans‚"; Hawking said at the event‚ per Space.com. ";If you look at history‚ contact between humans and less intelligent organisms have often been disastrous from their point of view‚ and encounters between civilizations with advanced versus primitive technologies have gone badly for the less advanced. A civilization reading one of our messages could be billions of years ahead of us. If so‚ they will be vastly more powerful‚ and may not see us as any more valuable than we see bacteria.";This is similar to the Dark Forest Theory‚ outlined in Liu Cixin';s sci-fi novel The Dark Forest.In the book‚ one character argues that given the uncertainty about the motivations of alien civilizations‚ it makes sense to stay quiet. If even one civilization is hostile‚ or hell-bent on destroying all other possible threats to their own civilization‚ we should take care not to advertise our existence too loudly.Despite having trepidations about contacting aliens‚ Hawking was very much in favor of continuing to look.";We believe that life arose spontaneously on Earth‚ so in an infinite universe‚ there must be other occurrences of life‚"; Hawking added. ";Somewhere in the cosmos‚ perhaps intelligent life might be watching these lights of ours‚ aware of what they mean. Or do our lights wander a lifeless cosmos‚ unseen beacons announcing that‚ here on one rock‚ the universe discovered its existence? Either way‚ there is no better question. It';s time to commit to finding the answer‚ to search for life beyond Earth. The Breakthrough initiatives are making that commitment. We are alive. We are intelligent. We must know.";Of course‚ the decision on whether to alert alien civilizations to our presence could be out of our hands. It';s possible that aliens could find us in similar ways to how we are finding them (only they may have had thousands of years to look‚ not hundreds)‚ or could even pick up on the signals we are leaking from our planet. It may already be too late to lie low and pretend nobody is home.

There have been many names given to the region of the Atlantic coast that stretches between the Kunene and Swakop rivers in Namibia‚ and none of them are reassuring. To the local San people‚ its known as the land God made in anger; to the Portuguese sailors who briefly stopped there in 1486‚ it was the Gates of Hell.But to most people today‚ its known as the Skeleton Coast. And theres a good reason why.Bones in the sandThe Skeleton Coast is named for what it is: a huge animal graveyard‚ CNN travel writer and journalist Karen Bowerman recalled in 2013‚ describing seal skulls jumbled with turtles rib cages and the colossal‚ bleached vertebrae of whales.While you might be tempted to think these were the victims of the lions and hyenas you will likely see wandering the sands‚ most of them died at the hands of a much more deadly species: humans‚ employed in the once-booming whaling industry. Dont feel too bad‚ though the coast has taken its revenge‚ in the form of hundreds of shipwrecks that dot the 500 kilometers (311 miles) of shoreline.Some of them are found behind dunes‚ far onshore from the sea‚ Jan Friede‚ a former ranger at Skeleton Coast National Park who photographed and documented 112 wrecks during his six-year tenure there‚ told CNN in 2018.Even if you survived the wreck you were probably doomed‚ Friede said. You struggle ashore‚ overjoyed that youve been saved‚ and then realize that you landed in a desert and probably should have gone down with the ship.The Eduard Bohlen‚ a ship that was wrecked on the Skeleton Coast on September 5‚ 1909.Image credit: WiPhi267 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Some of these ship carcasses date from hundreds of years ago; some are barely more than a decade old. But of all of the nearly 1‚000 wrecks that have run aground over the centuries‚ few are as infamous as the tale of the Dunedin Star a British cargo liner that fell foul of the coast back in 1942‚ and whose rescue has gone down as one of the most notable examples of Murphys law in history.Built in Birkenhead‚ England‚ [the Dunedin Star] had an illustrious career in the Second World War‚ surviving multiple Italian aerial attacks as part of a convoy relieving the siege of Malta. The Skeleton Coast was to be its undoing‚ wrote renowned travel author Oliver Smith in his Atlas of Abandoned Places.Carrying munitions to Egypt in 1942‚ it hit a reef close to the present-day border with Angola‚ he explained. Rapidly taking on water‚ 63 on board were evacuated to the beach‚ as rescue ships rallied from afar. In the ensuing drama‚ one rescue ship itself ran aground‚ and a plane that had hoped to land nearby crash-landed in a salt flat.Thanks to air-dropped supplies‚ almost everyone survived. Other shipwrecks were far less lucky. [One] unknown vessel washed up in 1860‚ author and journalist Tahir Shah wrote in a 2011 BBC Travel article. The 12 headless skeletons were found 70 years ago‚ along with a slate buried in the sand. It read: I am proceeding to a river 60 miles north‚ and should anyone find this and follow me‚ God will help him. The writers remains have never been found.Life finds a wayDespite all this desolation‚ the Skeleton Coast is teeming with life. Visitors to the shore can‚ if theyre lucky‚ see some of the Namib deserts unique variations on iconic African wildlife: desert lions in high-tech collars‚ who prowl the beach looking for a tasty seafood snack; ostrich and springbok; even populations of elephants‚ adapted over generations to life in the harsh Namib desert.Seeing the elusive desert lions is a rare and unique experience‚ Wessel Landman‚ from the Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp‚ told CNN in 2018. And while seeing them can never be guaranteed‚ they have been known to visit the waterhole near the camp‚ and have even been seen relaxing on our walkways.The opportunity to see them‚ whether in the vicinity of the camp‚ or further afield in the dunes or on the beach‚ is an extraordinary privilege‚ he added.[Lion voice] yum yum.Image credit: LouieLea/Shutterstock.comThe seas‚ too‚ are flourishing. Whales‚ once hunted to near-extinction‚ are fast becoming a mainstay of the Namibian coast; the Cape Cross Seal Reserve‚ meanwhile‚ is home to over 200‚000 foul-smelling fur seals‚ wrote documentarian Genna Martin in the New York Times in 2022. The coast is reputedly one of the best places in the world for fishing and surprisingly popular for enthusiasts of a rather different sport‚ too.Its kind of a surfers dream‚ pro surfer Max Elkington said of the waters off the Skeleton Coast in 2023.[It] is such an unbelievable place. You kind of have to go there to understand what the wave is like‚ you know‚ he said. Its just so long‚ and youre surrounded by nothing. Youre in the middle of nowhere‚ desert‚ sand dunes‚ jackals‚ just so wild up there.Diamonds in the desertToday‚ the Skeleton Coast is virtually uninhabited; accessible only by the most hardy vehicles and guarded by a skull and crossbones. And yet‚ it wasnt so long ago that it was home not just to larger settlements‚ but to veritable boom towns.Just like the ships that washed up on the beach‚ you can still see the wrecks of the houses‚ restaurants‚ casinos‚ and hospitals that once populated places like Kolmanskop‚ a German colony established a century ago and eventually abandoned in the 1950s. And why? Because‚ Shah explained‚ Namibia is a land of diamonds like no other.Kolmanskop was a mining town‚ but it barely needed to be: diamonds on the Skeleton Coast quite literally get washed up by the sea like seashells. Its the final step in a story that began hundreds of millions of years ago. As far as geologists can determine‚ beginning sometime during the Jurassic Age‚ the diamonds that wash up in Namibia were pushed to the surface by Kimberlite Pipes about 800 kilometers [497 miles] to the east‚ along whats now the Orange River‚ explained Peter Fuhrman in a 2016 Fortune article.The biggest‚ heaviest diamonds were gradually pulled down the river by currents and then eventually far out into the sea in Namibian coastal waters‚ he continued. The tides are now slowly but surely pushing them back on land.We weren';t kidding about the skulls and crossbones.Image credit: Jens Khnel via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)Diamonds can still be found on the Namibian shorelines but these days‚ the Skeleton Coast isnt where you should look. Unfortunately‚ the place to go about 750 kilometers (466 miles) southeast‚ on the countrys border with South Africa is known as the Sperrgebiet‚ or Forbidden Area. Guarded not by government forces‚ or even by the forces of nature itself‚ but by the De Beers Diamond Consortium‚ entering without permission is akin to breaking into a maximum-security prison‚ Fuhrman recalled.Luckily‚ theres enough natural treasure in the Skeleton Coast for us mere mortals and if you want diamonds‚ all you have to do is look up.Light pollution is almost non-existent on the Skeleton Coast‚ noted a 2016 CNN article on the region. The area is a stargazers paradise.The Milky Way is able to put on a majestic display against the black backdrop‚ and the galaxy bursts bright and brilliant in the night sky‚ it reported. If youve got a telescope‚ pack it you might even be able to see the Tarantula Nebula‚ a spidery cloud of dust and gas‚ and one of the Milky Ways biggest star factories.

A total solar eclipse happened across North America yesterday‚ in case you';re the one person who missed it and wondered why it was briefly nighttime during the day.OK‚ there';s not much chance you missed it‚ given the amount of coverage everywhere. There were countless articles online and so many TV items during the news letting you know how to view it safely‚ you can';t have missed all of them.But nevertheless‚ it looks like the message didn';t sink in. Judging by spikes of certain Google search terms‚ it looks like a lot of people may have done what you should never do during the eclipse‚ and stared right at the Sun.For example‚ the search term ";my eyes hurt"; suddenly spiked during the eclipse.Google trends for the search term ";my eyes hurt"; over the last 7 days (top) and on April 8 (bottom).Image credit: Google Trends (top and bottom)Perhaps more alarmingly‚ when Google breaks down the data by state‚ it tracks a little too well with the path of totality.Interest in the search term ";my eyes hurt"; by state.Image credit: Google TrendsIf you';re thinking it could just be an unrelated spike in eye pain‚ similar related (but less ambiguous) terms searched in higher-than-normal volume included: ";eyes hurt after looking at eclipse";; ";my eyes hurt after looking at the eclipse";; and ";why do my eyes hurt after looking at the eclipse";.So what should you do if you were one of the people who couldn';t resist taking a little glance at our star?IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Well‚ that depends. If you looked whilst wearing proper safety glasses‚ it could be that your eyes just hurt from adjusting to the unusual light you saw through the shades‚ like when you wear any new glasses and it takes time for your eyes to adjust.If you looked directly at the Sun without glasses‚ however‚ it can potentially burn your retina‚ known as solar retinopathy. According to the Eyecare Trust‚ symptoms include:Watery and sore eyesDifficulty seeing shape and detail of objectsDiscomfort with bright lightA blind spot in your central visionObjects may appear to be unusually colored or distorted in shapeIf you are experiencing any of these symptoms and you looked directly at the Sun‚ you should see your physician or optometrist ASAP.The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice‚ diagnosis‚ or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.[H/T: Reddit]

The alligator penis doesnt have an off setting. Unable to inflate with blood or lymphatic fluid‚ it instead maintains erection by being constantly rigid due to a dense network of collagen fibers inside the penile shaft. This means that rather than being flaccid and rising to the task of copulation‚ its permanently ready to pop out for a quick bit of fertilization‚ before being retracted out of sight again.Alligator Penis In ActionDiscovering the unique function of the alligator penis came as something of a jump-scare for a group of researchers‚ as you can witness in the below video which we really really dont recommend you watch if youre currently in the office. It shows Brandon Moore of Louisiana Tech University dissecting a freshly dead male alligator just as his scalpel makes contact with the pelvis nerve‚ releasing the alligator penis like a cursed Jack-In-The-Box.Making sense of the alligator penis fell to Diane Kelly at the University of Massachusetts‚ who published a paper on her findings. Kelly had exposed the anatomical secrets of several penises within the animal kingdom‚ and solving the puzzle of the alligator penis involved working with deceased specimens at the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana.Alligator Penis DissectionsHer work revealed that the alligator penis doesnt need to inflate‚ unlike those of mammals‚ birds‚ and other reptiles. Instead‚ it maintains a permanent erection by being built up of dense layers of collagen‚ the main structural protein in our connective tissues.If you dont know what an alligator penis looks like‚ its with good reason. They dont permanently brandish them on the outside of their body like other animals‚ but instead tuck the 10-centimeter (3.9-inch)‚ ghostly-white appendage behind something called a cloaca.The all-in-one orifice gets its name from the Latin for sewer‚ and its the exit route for urine‚ feces‚ and anything that comes out of the reproductive organs. That includes the alligator penis‚ so how does it go surface-side when the time comes to make some baby gators?How Does The Alligator Penis Work?Weirdly‚ Kelly found the alligator penis has no musculature‚ being a rigid structure that sits on the levator cloacae without actually being attached to it. By manipulating the levator cloacae in dead animals‚ Kelly was able to recreate the explosive action of the alligator penis we saw in Brandon Moores video.This indicated that it was this muscle that enabled the permanently erect penis to fling out with aplomb by squeezing the cloaca‚ forcing the dense-collagen penis out. When the muscle relaxes‚ the ligaments pull the alligator penis back in.So there‚ thats something you know now.

Dated April 9‚ 1885‚ within the pages of The New York Times‚ the article titled Missouris Buried City: A Strange Discovery in a Coal Mine near Moberly unfolds a narrative that is as enigmatic as it is enthralling. Moberly‚ then the largest city in Randolph County‚ with a population of 6‚108 during the 1880s‚ serves as the backdrop for this remarkable account.The story harkens back to an era when journalism valued sales over accuracy and truth was often sacrificed for commercial success. But the story is about an underground city and giants in the Midwest‚ so its worth telling again.Newspaper clipCoal miners‚ sinking a shaft 360 feet deep‚ broke into a cavern revealing a wonderful buried city‚ the article claimed. Lava arches stretched across the roof of the cavern‚ looming over the streets of an ancient city which are regularly laid out and enclosed by walls of stone‚ which is cut and dressed in a fairly good‚ although rude style of masonry.Workers‚ along with Moberly city recorder David Coates and Moberly city marshal George Keating‚ inspected the site‚ found a 30-by-100-feet hall in the cavern filled with stone benches and hand tools.Further search disclosed statues and images made of a composition closely resembling bronze‚ lacking luster‚ the article read.Explorers discovered a stone fountain in a wide court‚ still pouring perfectly pure water into its basin. But it was what lay beside the fountain that interested the people exploring the site.Lying beside the foundation (of the fountain) were portions of the skeleton of a human being‚ according to the article. The bones of the leg measured‚ the femur four and one-half feet‚ the tibia four feet and three inches‚ showing that when alive the figure was three times the size of an ordinary man‚ and possessed of a wonderful muscular power and quickness.Its skull‚ the story reported‚ was shattered; bronze tools‚ granite hammers‚ metallic saws and flint knives were scattered all around. They are not so highly polished‚ nor so accurately made as those now finished by our best mechanics‚ but they show skill and an evidence of an advanced civilization that are very wonderful‚ according to the article.Explorers spent 12 hours in the buried city and resurfaced only after the oil in their lamps burned low.No end to the wonders of the discovery was reached‚ the article stated. A further extended search will be made in a day or two.No record of the extended search could be found.Dr. Tom Spencer‚ a professor in the department of History‚ Humanities‚ Philosophy and Political Science at Northwest Missouri State University‚ said thats because after printing the story‚ the newspapers tried to forget it.A lot of the time I think these stories were written based entirely off hearsay and little or no direct on-site reporting‚ he said. As the story grew‚ the details got more and more outrageous.He equates it to a childhood game where children sit in a circle and one child whispers a story into anothers ear and by the time the story completes the circle‚ it was completely different.The point of this exercise was to try to see what would happen when the story had made it all the way around the circle‚ he said. If you recall‚ sometimes the finished story bore little resemblance to the original story. My guess is one element of this story is factual like the strange shaft formation or a long femur was found and it became more and more embellished as it went around the journalistic circle at the time.So what happened to the fabulous buried city under Moberly‚ Mo.?There were stories like this periodically at the time and they usually disappear quietly because someone goes to investigate and theres nothing to it‚ Spencer said. In order to avoid the embarrassment the newspapers just dont say anything else about it.The post Missouris buried city a strange discovery in a coal mine near Moberly appeared first on Anomalien.com.

On Monday‚ the Vatican clarified its stance on surrogacy‚ gender surgery and gender theory indicating that all three are violations of human dignity. The Vaticans doctrine office released a 20-page declaration titled Infinite Dignity that was approved by Pope Francis on March 25 and announced Monday.The document contains the Vaticans official stances on a number of issues and brings in biblical as well as just moral principle reasoning.In addressing some of the many grave violations of human dignity today‚ we can draw upon the teachings of the Second Vatican Council‚ which emphasized that all offenses against life itself‚ such as murder‚ genocide‚ abortion‚ euthanasia‚ and willful suicide must be recognized as contrary to human dignity.Furthermore‚ the Council affirmed that all violations of the integrity of the human person‚ such as mutilation‚ physical and mental torture‚ undue psychological pressures‚ also infringe upon our dignity.Specifically‚ regarding surrogacy‚ The Church insists that it takes a stand against the practice of surrogacy.First and foremost‚ the practice of surrogacy violates the dignity of the child. Indeed‚ every child possesses an intangible dignity that is clearly expressedalbeit in a unique and differentiated wayat every stage of his or her life: from the moment of conception‚ at birth‚ growing up as a boy or girl‚ and becoming an adult. Because of this unalienable dignity‚ the child has the right to have a fully human (and not artificially induced) origin and to receive the gift of a life that manifests both the dignity of the giver and that of the receiver. Moreover‚ acknowledging the dignity of the human person also entails recognizing every dimension of the dignity of the conjugal union and of human procreation. Considering this‚ the legitimate desire to have a child cannot be transformed into a right to a child that fails to respect the dignity of that child as the recipient of the gift of life.The document claims that surrogacy also violates the dignity of the woman who is carrying someone else';s child as she becomes detached from the child growing inside her and is merely the vessel to help others reach gain or desire.Oddly enough‚ the document didnt mention the Bible‚ Christ or God in its reasoning against surrogacy - when surrogacy‚ in and of itself‚ is an attempt to play God and artificially create life.When it came to gender theory‚ the Church insisted that biological sex and the socio-cultural role of sex (gender) can be distinguished but not separated and therefore hedged against any attempts to be something other than what you actually are.This principle carried into the next section regarding sex change where the document insisted that any sex change‚ or attempts to do so‚ risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception.These positions arent new for the church‚ but the rise in the popularity of these issues is however‚ hence the official statement. Lets hope this redirects and keeps people on the track of sanity!