January 03, 2015

China's Lost Civilization: The Mystery Of Sanxingdui

An earthquake nearly 3,000 years ago may be the culprit in the mysterious disappearance of one of China's ancient civilizations, new research suggests.

The massive temblor may have caused catastrophic landslides, damming up the Sanxingdui culture's main water source and diverting it to a new location.

That, in turn, may have spurred the ancient Chinese culture to move closer to the new river flow, study co-author Niannian Fan, a river sciences researcher at Tsinghua University in Chengdu, China, said Dec. 18 at the 47th annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. [Ancient Chinese Warriors Protect Secret Tomb]

In 1929, a peasant in Sichuan province uncovered jade and stone artifacts while repairing a sewage ditch located about 24 miles (40 kilometers) from Chengdu. But their significance wasn't understood until 1986, when archaeologists unearthed two pits of Bronze Age treasures, such as jades, about 100 elephant tusks and stunning 8-feet-high (2.4 meters) bronze sculptures that suggest an impressive technical ability that was present nowhere else in the world at the time, said Peter Keller, a geologist and president of the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California, which is currently hosting an exhibit of some of these treasures.

The treasures, which had been broken and buried as if they were sacrificed, came from a lost civilization, now known as the Sanxingdui, a walled city on the banks of the Minjiang River.

"It's a big mystery," said Keller, who was not involved in the current study.

Archaeologists now believe that the culture willfully dismantled itself sometime between 3,000 and 2,800 years ago, Fan said.

"The current explanations for why it disappeared are war and flood, but both are not very convincing," Fan told Live Science.

But about 14 years ago, archaeologists found the remains of another ancient city called Jinsha near Chengdu. The Jinsha site, though it contained none of the impressive bronzes of Sanxingdui, did have a gold crown with a similar engraved motif of fish, arrows and birds as a golden staff found at Sanxingdui, Keller said. That has led some scholars to believe that the people from Sanxingdui may have relocated to Jinsha.

But why has remained a mystery.

Geological and historical clues
Fan and his colleagues wondered whether an earthquake may have caused landslides that dammed the river high up in the mountains and rerouted it to Jinsha. That catastrophe may have reduced Sanxingdui's water supply, spurring its inhabitants to move. [History's 10 Most Overlooked Mysteries]

The valley where Sanxingdui sits has a large floodplain, with 4.3 miles (7 kilometers) of high terraced walls that were unlikely to have been cut by the small river that now flows through it, Fan said.

And some historical records support their hypothesis. In 1099 B.C., ancient writers recorded an earthquake in the capital of the Zhou dynasty, in Shaanxi province, Fan said. Though that spot is roughly 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the historic site of Sanxingdui, the latter culture didn't have writing at the time, so it's possible the earthquake epicenter was actually close to Sanxingdui — but it just wasn't recorded there, Fan said. Geological evidence also suggests that an earthquake occurred in the general region between 3,330 and 2,200 years ago, he added.

Around the same time, geological sediments suggest massive flooding occurred, and the later-Han dynasty document "The Chronicles of the Kings of Shu" records ancient floods pouring from a mountain in a spot that suggests the flow being rerouted, Fan said. (Around 800 years later, Jinsha residents built a wall to prevent flooding.)

A river rerouted?
Together, the findings hint that a major earthquake triggered a landslide that dammed the river, rerouting its flow and reducing water flow to Sanxingdui, Fan said.

But if so, where did the river get rerouted? The team found clues high up in the mountains in the deep and wide Yanmen Ravine, at about 12,460 feet (3,800 meters) above sea level.
The modern-day river cuts through the ravine, which was carved by glaciers about 12,000 years ago. Yet the telltale signs of that glacial erosion — bowl-shaped basins known as cirques — are mysteriously absent for a long stretch of the ravine. The team hypothesizes that an earthquake spurred an avalanche that then wiped out some of the cirques about 3,000 years ago.

At this point, the theory is still very speculative, and additional geological data is needed to buttress it, Fan said.

And while the geological story is possible, Keller said, it doesn't answer the basic question: "What would motivate people to destroy their entire culture and bury it in two pits? And why didn't the culture reemerge at Jinsha?"

Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter and Google+. Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science.

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Some Of The World's Greatest Minds

Steve Jobs

News of the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs on Oct. 5, 2011, has been received with sadness, admiration and gratefulness for a man considered a "creative genius" who "changed the world" in many ways. In addition to Jobs, plenty of great minds have challenged paradigms, opened windows into worlds we didn't even know existed, and produced innovations that have persisted through time. Here's a look at the world's titanic thinkers, from Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking.

Albert Einstein

1879-1955: Being labeled a "slow learner" in grade school didn't stop Einstein from making some of the greatest-ever achievements in science. He proposed the general theory of relativity, helped develop quantum theory, and received a Nobel Prize in physics for his description of the photoelectric effect. [Nobel Prize in Physics: 1901-Present]

Alexander Graham Bell

1847-1922: Determined to find a way for his deaf mother to hear, Alexander Graham Bell was one of the most prolific inventors of his time. Although best known for inventing the telephone, in 2002 it was determined that Antonio Meucci invented it several years prior. Bell is, however, credited with the metal detector, photophone and hydrofoil.

Maria Curie

1867-1934: A pioneer in radiology, Curie won Nobel Prizes in chemistry and physics and had a unit of radioactivity, the curie, named for her and her husband Pierre's work. She isolated two radioactive elements, polonium and radium, to study their properties and potential uses. Although she was particularly interested in their therapeutic potential, she eventually died from long-term radiation exposure.

Sir Isaac Newton

1643-1727: Everybody knows his "what goes up, must come down" universal theory of gravity, but Sir Isaac Newton also showed that color is inherent in white light, studied the speed of sound, advanced the heliocentric view of the solar system, and postulated on the origin of the stars. He's also known for his three laws of motion, including inertia and "for every action there is an equal, but opposite, reaction."

Thomas Edison

1847-1931: Generally considered the most productive inventor of all time, Edison holds nearly 1,100 patents. He improved the typewriter and helped develop motion pictures and many of his inventions, such as the incandescent light bulb, phonograph, and tattoo guns are still used today.

Charles Darwin

1809-1882: From his observations on the Galapagos Islands, Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution whereby changes in species are driven, over time, by natural and sexual selection. He struggled internally with this idea, finally publishing "The Origin of Species" 20 years after returning from his voyage. [Charles Darwin: Family Man, Scientist and Skeptic]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

1756-1791: This musical prodigy was composing by age 5 and wrote his first symphony by age 10. As an adult, Mozart's music was extraordinarily complex, drawing influence from many different styles, and considered radical at the time. He composed more than 600 pieces, including concertos, operas and symphonies, in his short life and is considered the most significant European classical composer.

Wernher Von Braun

1912-1977: Generally regarded as the father of the U.S. space program, von Braun powered astronauts and satellites into space on giant rockets. But his more significant contribution may have been his vision for the future. His dreams of space stations and airplane-styled spacecraft paved the way for today's space age. [Satellites Gallery: Science from Above]

Benjamin Franklin
1706-1790: Hailed by historians as the "First American," Benjamin Franklin shaped the American Revolution and was an intellectual leader of the "Enlightenment" Noted for his ingenuity and diversity of interests, he invented bifocals, the Franklin stove, the lightning rod, the glass harmonica, swimfins and is famous for his experiments with electricity. [Trove of Unknown Ben Franklin Letters Found]

Mohandus Ghandi
1869-1948: Gandhi freed India from British rule through nonviolent protest, fasting while others fought. His nonviolent philosophy continues to influence national and international resistance movements to this day.

Leonardo Da Vinci
1452-1519: The archetypical "Renaissance Man," da Vinci was a gifted anatomist, architect, astronomer, engineer, inventor, painter, and sculptor. Perhaps best known for painting the "Mona Lisa," da Vinci's surviving notebooks detail flying machines, human anatomy, and the first robot in recorded history. [Da Vinci's 10 Best Ideas]

Stephen Hawking
1942-Present: Born on the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death, Stephen Hawking provided mathematical proof, assuming the general theory of relativity is correct, for the Big Bang theory that explains the origin of the universe. This implied that time would end with black holes, which lead to the unification of General Relativity and Quantum Theory. Shown above in a photo with astronaut Buzz Aldrin. [8 Shocking Things We Learned From Stephen Hawking's Book]

Galileo Galilei
1564-1642: Referred to as the "father of modern astronomy, physics and science," Galileo didn't invent the telescope, but was the first to use it well. By making improvements to existing technology, he discovered Jupiter's four largest moons, which helped him verify a sun-centered model for the solar system (which defied the Church's belief that Earth was at the center of it all). He was also the first to spot Saturn's rings. (Photo: An 1857 painting titled "Galileo facing the Roman Inquisition" shows the astronomer standing trial before the Roman Catholic Church inquisitors.)

Barbara McClintock
1902-1992: Back when genetics was still considered an agricultural science, McClintock was studying chromosomes, their genetic content and means of expression. As a founder of the cytogenetic field, she developed the technique for visualizing chromosomes and genetic recombination and received a Nobel Prize for discovering transposons, also called jumping genes, which affect gene expression.

Nicola Tesla
1856-1943: Nikola Tesla ushered in the age of electrical power and is regarded as one of the greatest scientists in the history of technology. He developed the induction motor, the fluorescent lightbulb and created alternating current, which he proved safe by passing it through his body. Other experiments were less successful, such as attempting to fly off his roof clutching an umbrella.

Henrietta Swann Leavitt
1868-1921: As one of the "woman computers" working at Harvard College Observatory, Leavitt cataloged more than 1,500 variable stars in the Magellanic Clouds. She noticed that the brighter stars took longer to vary, and used this observation to develop a method to measure the distance to any object in the universe.

Johannes Kepler
1571-1630: A talented mathematician, astrologer, and astronomer, Kepler was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century. He established Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion, determined Christ's birth year, described refraction in the human eye and improved the telescope.

With thanks to Live Science
Below: picture via Twitter.

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2014's Most Catchy and Popular Songs

Let's cut to the chase. Great music is often not popular and popular music is sometimes dreadful.

Sad to say the music industry – as a business ecosystem – has more pressing concerns than pleasing everyone's ears: turning a profit, providing jobs, that sort of thing. Fair enough.

If you find that depressing because music is about emotion and the sublime, you aren't the only one. It's fairly likely, then, that certain wildly popular songs each year will drive you bonkers, sounding like fingernails on a chalkboard when you start to hear them everywhere.

But it's hard to argue that a pop song has failed if it's so memorable: in fact that's the point of plenty of pop songs; to take over your brain like a musical sleeping gas, just as Gangnam Style did in 2012, or Daft Punk's Get Lucky last year, or going back to 2001, Kylie Minogue's Can't Get You Out Of My Head.

This year, as with every year, there have been plenty of contenders. Here's a few. (And let me tell you, dear reader, there was considerable personal sacrifice in listening again to songs I'd prefer to never hear again.)

1. Geronimo by Sheppard

You know how really good songs grow on you? The very first listen felt like Geronimo was designed by an evil genius to hold as many of my brain cells hostage as possible, rather than give me some kind of uplifting musical experience. It's a three minute 44 second nonsense jingle selling a brand of clothes wash that I can never seem to find at my IGA, no matter how hard I search. No wonder Justin Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun wanted to manage Sheppard after hearing it – he always looks so clean.

2. Happy by Pharrell Williams

There's plenty to love about Happy – the world's first 24-hour music video it came with and the smiling, exuberant dancing in the clip is a joy. It has a gentle danceable groove. But that one word title that gets repeated in the chorus slowly started to grate back in February. Over time it felt twee, Happy Clappy, and when I'm cranky it can bring on a headache and vague nausea. One wag posted a YouTube video explaining all he hears now when it comes on is Angry.

3. Let It Go by Idina Menzel

If I see and hear one more precocious poppet pirouette while shooting imaginary magic dust from their fingertips while singing this melodramatic chorus I really will jump. It's a remarkable song: remarkably heavy-handed and sickly. I apologise in advance if I made any children cry by writing this.

4. Fancy by Iggy Azalea

A monster hit in the United States, this didn't do anywhere near as much business here. Was it our tall poppy syndrome? Or perhaps our innate radar for unauthenticity? Azalea sings with such a strong southern US accent, I for one cringe when I hear this song. It sounds like a very good parody of someone imitating an American rapper. It would go great on a comedy show

5. Drunk In Love by Beyonce

Drunk with power more like. Beyonce is a lavishly talented and all-round impressive artist, but the hubris around Team Bey-Z is increasing souring their output. This is an undoubtedly sexy song, but it really feels a bit too pervy and with a less powerful artist, it may never have seen the light of day. For a woman with such influence and wealth, why does does she have to so objectify herself? Beyonce is better than this song.

6. Anaconda by Nicki Minaj

Minaj's rapping is superb but her maniacal candy floss vocals and innuendo-soaked lyrics are, to be blunt, ridiculous. Without even watching the absurd video clip, this has to be one of the least sexy songs ever written. Shudder.

7. Riptide by Vance Joy

The song that began the ukulele revival may just have ended it too. James Keogh (Vance Joy) probably can't believe his luck at its success – but let's hope this song doesn't define the rest of his career. He has more to him than cute whimsy.

By Peter Vincent

With thanks to The SMH

Pharrell Williams Happy Was Biggest Song Of 2014 In USA

Pharrell Williams ‘Happy’ sold 6,455,000 downloads in the USA in 2014 making it the biggest selling song of the year.

Pharrell’s best selling song sales figure is line-ball with last year’s biggest seller ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke (6.498,000). However, overall digitals sales for 2014 are well down on 2013 figures.

According to Nielsen Music, digital songs declined in sales by a massive 12% in the past 12 months leaving a grim outlook for the music industry. While streaming registered a 54% increase, the revenue difference falls way short of making up the difference in declining sales.

US Top 10 Songs of 2014

1. Pharrell Williams – Happy (6,455,000)
2. John Legend – All Of Me (4,674,000)
3. Katy Perry ft. Juicy J – Dark Horse (4,430,000)
4. Meghan Trainor – All About That Bass (4,357,000)
5. Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – Fancy (3,974,000)
6. Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz – Talk Dirty (3,959,000)
7. DJ Snake ft. Lil Jon – Turn Down For What (3,449,000)
8. Taylor Swift – Shake It Off (3,431,000)
9. Idina Menzel – Let It Go (3,370,000)
10. Sam Smith – Stay With Me (3,340,000)

By Paul Cashmere

With thanks to Noise 11

December 30, 2014

Happy New Year - 2015

Happy New Year to all! Live in hope as there is no other way.

Picture credit:Happy New Year Wall Papers.

December 21, 2014

Merry Christmas - 2014!

Merry Christmas to all!

Enjoy your holidays and take care!

First clip by my friend Chris.

It features Mary Chapin Carpenter,Tommy Emmanuel, and Damien Leith.

Second clip is Jarrod Radnich's version of "I saw Three Ships".

December 19, 2014

John Lennon or Paul McCartney? 550 Matt Schichter Documentary Offers Answers

IT is pop music’s most polarising dilemma — Lennon or McCartney?

Canadian television personality Matt Schichter posed the question to 550 actors and musicians over a decade and has compiled the results in a 34 minute documentary.
He told them to answer the Beatles binary curveball in one word only.
Most of his interview subjects complied but some couldn’t help offering lengthy validations for their choice.Here it is:

Those on Team Lennon usually didn’t hesitate.

Many on Team McCartney felt compelled to explain themselves.

Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz opined for more than a minute as to why he rates McCartney over Lennon.

He gave the bespectacled Beatle props for his lyrics but cited McCartney’s enduring melodies as the key to his greatness.

“I don’t know how one guy wrote so many pieces of music that I can hum 50 years later,” Duritz said.

“I don’t know how that’s possible. And that to me is such a rare thing.”

Several musicians said they preferred McCartney because of his voice or pointed at Helter Skelter as evidence of his songwriting genius. It was written by McCartney but credited to Lennon/McCartney.

Jakob Dylan was among the 9 per cent of entertainers polled who had no answer or offered McLennon.

“I'm not answering that one. And I never engage in The Beatles versus The Stones. There’s room for all of them,” Dylan said.

Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann also sat on the fence.

“As individuals they are absolutely brilliant, together they are something else,” he said.

Rock’n’roll pioneer Bo Diddley didn’t rate either Beatle.

“Neither. I don’t understand what they’re doing. Never have,” he said.

Schichter didn’t intend to make a doco out of the poll responses he had gathered over a decade of interviews.

“Honestly, there was no rhyme or reason. Just thought it was an interesting/telling question and the acts might enjoy the compilation,” he said.

A sample of Team Lennon includes Aaron Paul, Arctic Monkeys, David Byrne, Florence Welch, Gary Oldman, Justin Bieber, Kevin Spacey, Lady Gaga, LL Cool J, Morgan Freeman. Robert DeNiro, Sylvester Stallone, Sam Smith, Daniel Johns and Slash.

Those who answered McCartney included Dwayne Johnson, Ellie Goulding, Fall Out Boy, Franz Ferdinand, fun, Hanson, Selena Gomez, JJ Abrams, Katy Perry, Miss Piggy, Pete Townshend and Psy.

Personally, I am with Justin Long and pick George Harrison.

THE FINAL TALLY

Here were the most popular responses to Schichter’s decade-long poll:
John Lennon: 282
Paul McCartney: 196
No Answer: 50
George Harrison: 15
Ringo Starr: 4
Jimi Hendrix: 1
Lou Reed: 1
Oasis: 1 (That was from Metallica’s Lars Ulrich. We think he was joking)

By Kathy McCabe

With thanks to The Herald Sun