I find mankind's history fascinating. A new discovery gives us a huge understanding of prehistoric life 1,000 years before Stonehenge was constructed. Neolithic 'halls of the dead' have been unearthed in Herefordshire, England.

Archaeologists are calling the two 6,000-year-old halls of the dead the discovery of a lifetime.

Teams from the University of Manchester and Herefordshire Council made the find on Dorstone Hill, near Peterchurch, close to the border of Wales.

The halls were lit and burnt to the cinders which later formed part of burial mounds.  Archaeologists say the fire rituals were a statement of community in a time when groups of people were in the first stages of forming societal structures.

The remains of the halls are thought to have been built between 4000 and 3600 BC. Bodies may have been placed in the halls before being moved to nearby chambered tombs.
Early Neolithic halls are already extremely rare, but to find them placed within a long barrow makes the discovery unique.

Some of the burnt wood unearthed at the site shows the character of the building structure above ground level and experts believe the buildings were probably used by entire communities. Although their size cannot be determined, they may have been of similar length to the Neolithic long barrows, or burial mounds.

A flint axe and a finely-flaked flint knife found on the site are similar to artifacts dating from around 2600 BC found in eastern Yorkshire, giving a possible links between Neolithic communities in Herefordshire and Yorkshire. Rather than being used for trade, the axe and knife may have been part of a ceremony or an ancestral pilgrimage.

The subsequent finds show that 1,000 years after the hall burial mounds were made, the site is still important to later generations living 200 miles away—a vast distance in Neolithic terms.

Archaeologists have long speculated that a close relationship existed between houses and tombs in Neolithic Europe, and that houses of the dead amounted to representations of the houses of the living.

It's hard to imagine how our predecessors lived or what sort of weather they endured. Perhaps conditions like gathering food and the need for protection from animals made them more socially reliant on each other. The climate must have been good in England because huge assemblies of men traveled from all over England to build ancient monuments like Stonehenge. Visitors even arrived from overseas, according to various artifacts discovered nearby.


This latest dig has cast light on one more piece in the puzzle of mankind's early civilization.

Five hundred years ago, the Incas gave a beautiful virgin, frozen in time, elite status during the year before her death.

Tests on three child mummies found in Argentina have shed new light on the Inca practice of child sacrifice. Scientists have revealed that drugs and alcohol played a key part in the months and weeks leading up to the children's deaths.

Dr Emma Brown, from the department of archaeological sciences at the University of Bradford, said: "The Spanish chroniclers suggest that children were sacrificed for all kinds of reasons: important life milestones in the lives of the Incas, in times of war or natural disasters, but there was a calendar of rituals too."

The mummified remains were discovered in 1999, entombed in a shrine near the summit of the 6,739m-high Llullaillaco volcano in Argentina. Three children were buried in the mountain is over 6,000m above sea level: a 13-year-old girl, and a younger boy and girl, thought to be about four or five years old.

"They've been called the best preserved mummies in the world," Dr Emma Brown University of Bradford said.  ""These three children look like they are asleep."

Their remains date to about 500 years ago, during the time of the Inca Empire, which dominated South America until the Europeans arrived at the end of the 15th Century.

The international team of researchers used forensic tests to analyze the chemicals found in the children's hair. They discovered that all three had consumed alcohol and coca leaves in the final months of their lives. Historical records reveal that these substances were reserved for the elite and often used in Incan rituals.

Tests on the girl's long braids revealed that her coca consumption increased sharply a year before her death. The scientists believe this corresponds to the time she was selected for sacrifice. Earlier research also reveals that her diet changed at this point too, from a potato-based peasant diet to one rich in meat and maize. The girl, known as the Llullaillaco maiden, was probably considered more highly valued than the younger children, because of her virginal status.  The results also revealed that the girl ingested large amounts of alcohol in the last few weeks of her life.

It suggests she was heavily sedated before she and the other children were taken to the volcano, placed in their tombs and left to die. Dr. Brown said, "With the combination of being placed in the grave with the alcohol and the cold... she would have passed away quietly. There is no sign of violence. She is incredibly well looked after: she has a good layer of fat, she has beautifully groomed hair, beautiful clothes."

The mummies are now housed in the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology in Salta, Argentina.

At least the children didn't suffer undue cruelty, torture or rape. No matter what I think about other cultures and the practices of former civilizations, at least the findings set my mind at ease.

US singer-songwriter JJ Cale has died of heart attack at the age of 74.

Born in Oklahoma, in 1938, Cale helped create the Tulsa Sound, which combined blues, rockabilly, and country. He pioneered the use of drum machines, and was famous for his personal laid-back singing style.

He became famous in 1970, when Eric Clapton covered his song After Midnight. In 1977, Clapton also made Cale's Cocaine popular. The two worked together on an album which won a Grammy award in 2008. Building up on the success of After Midnight, he recorded Naturally - the first of his 14 studio albums.

However Cale always described himself as a songwriter rather than a singer, and his songs tended to enjoy greater success when performed by others - notably Tom Petty, Santana and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Every day, events prompt me to remember how precious the gift of life is. My husband is the same age as JJ Cale. However, nothing on the physical plane of Earth lasts forever. People are born and then die. The best we can do is love, grow and learn.

JJ Cale used his time on Earth by creating music which will be remembered for generations to come. His sound brings back memories of the freedom and joy of the 1970's for me. Nothing was impossible back then. I refused to listen to my abused heart, instead focusing on nurturing teenage children. I imagined them living wonderful lives and achieving their full potential. My 6'5" eldest son, with his high IQ and his loving nature would contribute to the world in a unique way; his devoted sister would share her gentle spirit with everyone she met; her younger sister would care for all those around her.

Those dreams were largely unfulfilled. My youngest daughter is the only one remaining, and we are separated by half the globe.

I like to hope my beloved children exist on a heavenly plane and that we'll be reunited. Maybe they'll be listening to JJ Cale's music.

And so the summer peace begins. Sure, supermarkets might be packed with jostling children amongst the shoppers, but the roads outside are free of backed-up, idling traffic and the noise level has decreased. And all because of the summer school holidays.

Two schools dot the single strip of cottages along the road here in Elstree Hill North. St. Nicholas Primary school is a five minute walk away from my home, as well as a pre-school Montessori school at the top of the hill. Parents need to drop their children off each morning and pick them up each afternoon—hence traffic jams.

The narrow road outside our home serves as an artery out of Borehamwood and as a short-cut for trucks and transports between major roads. Added to that, two bus services operate along the route and two separate schools—Haberdashers Aske's boys and girls schools—are situated close by.

Surrounded by trees and fields, the Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School is a British independent school, or public school, for boys aged 4–18. The fees are around £15,000 a year. The prep school is located on the grounds of Aldenham House, a minor stately home. Although the house is used by the school for various purposes, teaching takes place in a number of buildings that have been built on the grounds, most situated around a central Quadrangle.

About 15 years ago, I attended my catering job interview inside the main reception of Aldernam House. I wish I could have found a picture to share the splendor with you. The walls in the spacious area were painted in the colors of Wedgewood—pale blue and white. However, during my job of serving food, I found the boys behavior rude and boisterous. Their attitude is typified by the recent news leak that some pupils considered Victoria and David Beckham's boys too 'common' to be allowed entrance.

A private bus transported the catering staff to and from work along the narrow route through Elstree.

But during the school holidays, remove school-runs from the frenzy of getting to and from work, and Elstree is left with relative peace. For a month. In summer.

How do the school holidays affect your area?

US singer-songwriter JJ Cale has died of heart attack at the age of 74.

Born in Oklahoma, in 1938, Cale helped create the Tulsa Sound, which combined blues, rockabilly, and country. He pioneered the use of drum machines, and was famous for his personal laid-back singing style.

He became famous in 1970, when Eric Clapton covered his song After Midnight. In 1977, Clapton also made Cale's Cocaine popular. The two worked together on an album which won a Grammy award in 2008. Building up on the success of After Midnight, he recorded Naturally - the first of his 14 studio albums.

However Cale always described himself as a songwriter rather than a singer, and his songs tended to enjoy greater success when performed by others - notably Tom Petty, Santana and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Every day, events prompt me to remember how precious the gift of life is. My husband is the same age.

JJ Cale used his time on Earth by creating music which will be remembered for generations to come. His sound brings back memories of the freedom and joy of the 1070's for me. Nothing was impossible back then. I refused to listen to my abused heart, instead focusing on nurturing teenage children. I imagined them living wonderful lives and achieving their full potential. My 6'5" eldest son, with his high IQ and his loving nature would contribute to the world in a unique way; his devoted sister would share her gentle spirit with everyone she met; her younger sister would care for all those around her.

Those dreams were mostly unfulfilled. My youngest daughter is the only one remaining, and we are separated by half the globe.

I like to hope my beloved children exist on a heavenly plane and that we'll be reunited. Maybe they'll be listening to JJ Cale's music.

Firms have begun drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic. What are they doing to our beautiful world? Why isn't the UK Government taking action to halt the harvest? Although the government said it was not its place to tell Arctic states which resources they could extract, repercussions if things go wrong will not only affect the UK's weather systems and biodiversity, but those of the rest of the world.

This affects us all.

Previous scientific work has shown that the diminishing ice cover in the East Siberian sea is allowing the waters to warm and the methane to leach out. Scientists have found plumes of the gas up to a kilometer in diameter rising from these waters.

The impacts of the extra methane would be felt most in developing countries which are more vulnerable to rising waters, flooding and the agricultural and health impacts of rising temperatures. 

The Environmental Audit Committee reported that oil companies were unable to prove their ability to clean up an oil spill in the harsh conditions. Members renewed their call to halt new drilling, saying it was risky for the climate and the environment.

Last month, the International Energy Agency warned that two-thirds of existing fossil fuel reserves cannot be burned before 2050 if global temperatures are to be kept within the projected danger threshold of a 2C rise. Exploring for new reserves in the Arctic is therefore needlessly risky.

Scientists report large amounts of methane released from thawing permafrost in the Arctic could have huge economic impacts on the world. It is thought that up to 30% of the world's undiscovered gas and 13% of undiscovered oil lie in the waters. Transport companies are looking to send increasing numbers of ships through these fast melting seas. According to Lloyds of London, investment in the Arctic could reach $100bn within ten years.

There you have the reason why nobody wants to prevent the drilling. Money. Profit. Greed. I could cry for the Earth. I beg forgiveness, 'for they know not what they do'.

Why do people follow fashion? I believe they mainly dress or act a certain way to fit in with their peers, or perhaps gain status by jumping ahead. For instance, in the 70's, every woman wore her skirt above the knee—even the mature woman. As a teenager, I loved to read magazines about the latest trend and always stayed one jump ahead. Madness! This could have been prompted by mankind's long fashion history.

Fashion is a general term for a popular style or practice, especially in clothing, footwear, accessories, makeup, body piercing, textile creations or furniture. Fashion refers to a distinctive trend in the way a person dresses, as well as to prevailing styles in behavior.

Early Western travelers to Persia, Turkey, India, or China frequently remarked on the absence of changes in fashion.

Meanwhile, observers from these other cultures comment on the unseemly pace of Western fashion, which many felt suggested an instability and lack of order in Western culture.

The Japanese Shogun's secretary boasted to a Spanish visitor in 1609 that Japanese clothing had not changed in over a thousand years. However in Ming China, for example, there is considerable evidence for rapidly changing fashions in Chinese clothing. Changes in costume often took place at times of economic or social change (such as in ancient Rome and the medieval Caliphate), but then a long period without major changes followed.

Historians mark the beginnings European rapid change in clothing styles to the middle of the 14th century. The most dramatic was a sudden drastic shortening and tightening of the male over-garment, from calf-length to barely covering the buttocks, sometimes accompanied with stuffing on the chest to look bigger. This created the distinctive Western male outline of a tailored top worn over leggings or trousers. Ten 16th century portraits of German or Italian gentlemen may show ten entirely different hats.

Though colors and patterns of textiles changed from year to year, the cut of a gentleman's coat and the length of his waistcoat, or the pattern to which a lady's dress was cut changed more slowly. Men's fashions largely derived from military models.

The pace of change picked up in the 1780s with the increased publication of French engravings that showed the latest Paris styles.

The history of fashion design is normally taken to date from 1858. Tailors and dressmakers were no doubt responsible for many innovations before, and the textile industry led many trends.

Recently, fashion has grown to include face or body reconstruction. Not content to alter their appearance with clothing, women change their faces. It seems women around the world will go to any length to alter their appearance in the name of beauty.

Global cosmetic trends:

Afghanistan Afghan women want big eyes like their Bollywood idols. Eyelid lifts are the most popular.

China Some women go through painful surgery to lengthen their legs to gain height—a sign of status.

India After a trend announcement, women take dangerous steroid-based pills to get fatter.

Iran Smaller, upturned noses are popular. Women have surgery as a sign of social status.

Jamaica To achieve a big bum, young women take high-fat 'chicken' pills to help them gain weight.

Japan Dermal fillers are highly sought-after to enlarge noses and chins.

Thailand White skin is considered rich, by showing lack of work outdoors. Skin-lightening creams are in.

Is fashion mad? You be the judge.

I don't feel well today. Could be the heat.

Unwell:

Somewhat prone to illness; my poor ailing grandmother; feeling a bit indisposed today, you look a little peaked; feeling poorly; a sickly child; is unwell and can't come to work.

Ailing, indisposed, peaked, poorly, under the weather, sickly, seedy - affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function.

However, two recent events have inspired me.

Firstly, Rick Bylina, an American writing colleague, published a very frank review of my newly released novel, Tidal Surge, on his blog.

http://rickbylina.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/read-arc.html

Secondly, another associate allowed me to talk about why I consider writing a novel as an art-form.

http://amusednow.com/blog/francene-stanley-expression-through-stories/

Small kindnesses cheer the weakest hours. Have you done anything lately to bring happiness into someone's life?

Dolphins join the birds and the bees in pointing the way to human speech development.

Scientists have found further evidence that dolphins call each other by name. The marine mammals use a unique whistle to identify each other. A team from the University of St Andrews in Scotland found that when the animals hear their own call played back to them, they respond. The researchers believe this is the first time this has been seen in an animal.

Previous research found that their distinctive whistles were used frequently, and dolphins in the same groups were able to learn and copy the unusual sounds. To investigate, researchers recorded a group of wild bottlenose dolphins, capturing each animal's signature sound. Dolphins use three forms of signaling to other dolphins - whistles, clicking and postures.

In 2008, the BBC News reported that a bottlenose dolphin appeared to talk to two stranded whales before leading them to safety. The beached pygmy sperm whales were in clear distress. But when the dolphin arrived at Mahia beach on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, their mood changed and they followed him to safety.

Similar in size and colour to a bottlenose dolphin, it is possible that a pygmy sperm whale might have signals in common with a dolphin, just as different species of dolphins are known to share signals which might theoretically allow a form of basic inter-species communication. Although, maybe the whales simply joined a vaguely similar creature.

Other studies have suggested some species of parrot may use sounds to label others in their group. However, inter-species communication usually takes the form of unconscious eavesdropping.

While many mammals have the ability to understand human language, they lack the capacity to articulate anything themselves, although apes have been known to use hand gestures. Vervet monkey listens to the alarm calls of the superb starling to find out what kind of marauder is around. If the signal is about an aerial predator they duck under trees or if it's a leopard they run up trees.

Ants protect the habitat of leaf lice and in return get a sugar excretion to eat. They interact chemically and physically - the ants massage the leaf lice by secreting a small amount of the sugary food they are after.

Honeyeater birds guide larger animals, like badgers, to a beehive for them to do the dirty work of breaking it so they can gain access.

Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology along with a scholar from the University of Tokyo, suggest that Darwin was on the right path. Evidence points to human language as a grafting of two communication forms found elsewhere in the animal kingdom: first, the elaborate songs of birds, and second, the more utilitarian, information-bearing types of expression seen in a diversity of other animals.

Birds sing learned melodies. The entire song has one meaning, whether about mating, territory or other things. The Bengalese finch can loop back to parts of previous melodies, allowing for greater variation and communication of more things; a nightingale may be able to recite from 100 to 200 different melodies.

By contrast, other types of animals have bare-bones modes of expression without the same melodic capacity. Bees communicate visually, using precise waggles to indicate sources of foods to their peers; other primates can make a range of sounds, comprising warnings about predators and other messages.

Human language is unique, in that two independent systems in nature merged to allow us to generate unbounded linguistic possibilities. Shakes, wiggles and hand gestures combine with tone in our speech.

Take note of the way you communicate. You might be surprised.

Eight out of 10 men and nine out of 10 women diagnosed with the most dangerous form of skin cancer will now survive the disease, according to a new report from Scotland.

Cancer Research UK said 30 years ago only 58% of men and 78% of women beat the disease. Scotland's improved survival rates are linked to better treatment, early diagnosis and awareness of the symptoms.

Cancer is one of mankind's toughest challenges to overcome. Scientists all over the world are working on finding a cure. However, the injured body takes care of some things unaided.

Have you ever thought deeply about the miracle of the way the body heals? We cut ourselves, the skin forms a scab while underneath, blood cells work in harmony to make a seal. We break a leg, the bone reforms and sets again—straight if the limb is held rigid.

I broke a finger about two years ago. Not on purpose for the sake of an experiment either. The joint in question sat above my wedding ring. A finger-stall held the joint immobile for six long weeks. I felt pretty useless without my left hand to help the right one carry out tasks. You can imagine the relief when I could use the finger again. The joint remains stiff but otherwise works fine—clicking on the letter 'w' as I type. However, the finger grew in width and I couldn't wear my wedding ring, using a substitute instead.

The news: My wedding ring fits again. My wonderful body might be aging, but it managed to heal and return to the normal size.

Just consider making a toy that could heal itself—or a car, or a robot. Methinks anything manmade would require a superior brain and a miraculous body—like ours. Animals, birds, in fact every living creature has the ability to heal. However, without help, the transformation could be inferior; resulting in a crooked leg, and the creature or plant might die of infection. In my opinion, this makes humans unique.

Which brings us to the age-old puzzle: Are we created in God's image?