Cave News

Giant circular stone structure found in Israel beneath Sea of Galilee

CNN reports:

A mysterious, circular structure, with a diameter greater than the length of a Boeing 747 jet, has been discovered submerged about 30 feet (9 meters) underneath the Sea of Galilee in Israel.

Scientists first made the discovery by accident in 2003 using sonar to survey the bottom of the lake but published their findings only recently.

Scientists consulted a couple of archaeologists who said it looked like an unusually large Bronze Age statue.

The structure is comprised of basalt rocks, arranged in the shape of a cone. It measures 230 feet (70 meters) at the base of the structure, is 32 feet (10 meters) tall, and weighs an estimated 60,000 tons. It is twice the size of the ancient stone circle at Stonehenge in England.

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From Live Science:

Putting all the data together researchers found that the structure is cone shaped, about 230 feet (70 meters) in diameter and nearly 32 feet (10 meters) tall. It weighs an estimated 60,000 tons.

To put the structure's weight into perspective consider this - at 60,000 tons it is heavier than most modern day warships. In fact it weighs about the same as the ship shown above - the now retired battleship USS New Jersey.

Link

Spain spends $680 million on submarine that can’t resurface

Spanish engineers have spent $680 million on designing a new generation S-80 class submarine claiming it to be a major “technical innovation.”

There is just one problem – calculations show if submerged in water, it may never come up again.

And this from a country with nearly insolvent banks and possibly on the verge of repeating it’s November 19, 1607 bankruptcy.

Oops!

Full report here.

Belize home of antivirus pioneer John McAfee burns to the ground

The Belize home of John McAfee has reportedly burned to the ground.

A building manager reportedly called the fire department as a bush fire closed in, but by the time they got there it was too late to stop the blaze.

The property, which was reportedly for sale, was where Mr. McAfee (pictured) was living when his American neighbour Gregory Faull was shot dead in November.

It was subsequently raided by Belize police who found guns and ammunition. Mr McAfee was named as a "person of interest" but not a suspect in the case.

McAfee has denied any involvement and claimed he was being persecuted by corrupt authorities.

Mr. McAfee now lives in Portland, Oregon.

Link

Planes land just feet above heads of beachgoers in St Maarten

Click HERE for video

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Woman struck and killed by three vehicles after falling out of party bus

A 26-year-old Kansas City, Kansas woman was killed after she fell out of a small bus and was struck by three vehicles on a busy highway in Wyandotte County.

The woman, Jamie Frecks fell out of an emergency door on the party bus and landed in traffic on Interstate-35.

One of the vehicles stopped. Law enforcement officials continue to search for the two vehicles that struck Frecks on the roadway and then drove away.

Link

A school in Washington closed due to nice weather

No snow days for this school but they did take a sun day.

In sun-deprived Washington state, the promise of nice spring weather has prompted a small private school to give students a day off to enjoy the sunshine.

It was a "sun day" of sorts for 205 students at Bellingham Christian School in Bellingham, Wash.

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Winter in May

Winter in May video here.

NJ Governor Chris Christie angered PETA for killing spider

On Friday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie posted a video showing him smashing a spider on his desk in front of a group of visiting school children.

Ingrid Newkirk, president of People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), described Christie's killing of the spider as a thoughtless act.

This isn't the first instance of a high-profile politician killing an insect on film.

In 2009, President Barack Obama swatted a fly during a televised interview.

President Obama's fly-killing provoked a similar response from PETA, which released a statement dubbing it an "executive insect execution" that criticized peoples' thoughtless treatment of insects.

Link

Churchill Downs in the rain and mud

The Churchill Downs race track in Louisville may have been wet and rainy but that did not stop Kentucky Derby spectators from showing off their finest, and in many cases unique, headgear.

The hat above is topped with a mannequin dressed as a jockey.

Some hats were completely covered for protection from the rain.

How many mint juleps did it take for this man to get enough courage to wear his hat and trousers in public?

How many mint juleps did this man need for the courage to roll in the infield mud after the race?

Snow hit Colorado and midwest on May Day

A May Day snow storm made travel difficult on some Colorado highways and along Interstate 80 in southeastern Wyoming.

Denver International Airport reported about 50 flight cancellations, and other flights were delayed for de-icing.

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This Boulder Daily Camera photo was taken Wednesday morning in Denver.

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Ten inches of snow fell here in Loveland, Colorado.

Cheyenne, Wyoming had 15 inches of snow by noon Wednesday.

My home town of Sioux Falls, South Dakota got its first May snowfall in 37 years.

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