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Midwife Mercada Dasa lived in the Old City of Jerusalem until 1948. In her attic she raised an unusual pet -- a white female snake about a meter and a half long -- and fed it sugar cubes. Just before the entry of the Jordanian Legion she left the besieged city with her family and her pet remained behind. That a midwife, whose family lived in Jerusalem since the time of the Second Temple, carried on a tradition of feeding white female snakes was part of the family's lore, but not something anyone considered significant. Now Mercada's grandson, Benny Avigdory,...

Dr. Mamdouh El Damaty announced the discovery of the remains of the eastern gate of Tharw fortres in Sinai which served as the Egyptian army headquarters in the New Kingdom. The discovery was made by the Egyptian team working at Tell Habwa in the east bank of the Suez Canal. The discovery also include mid brick royal warehouse belong to "Ramses II and Thotmoses III" and 26th Dynasty cemetery most of the graves are mud brick and group tombs of contains human remains showing battles injuries. The discovered part of the eastern gate of Tharw fortress are 3 fragments of...

Scientists have discovered that a particular type of enzyme can cut away antigens in blood types A and B, to make them more like Type O -- considered the 'universal' blood type, because it's the only type that can be donated to anyone without the risk of provoking a life-threatening immune response. The team, from the University of British Columbia of Canada, worked with a family of enzymes called 98 glycoside hydrolase, extracted from a strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Over many generations, they were able to engineer a super high-powered enzyme strain that can very effectively snip away blood antigens...

Scientists at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Utrecht University have identified key mechanisms of the aging process of catalyst particles that are used to refine crude oil into gasoline. This advance could lead to more efficient gasoline production. Their recent experiments studied so-called fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) particles that are used to break long-chain hydrocarbons in crude oil into smaller, more valuable hydrocarbons like gasoline. "A major problem is that these catalysts quickly age and lose their activity, so tons of fresh catalysts have to be added to a reactor system every day," said lead researcher...

Can cars run on formic acid? They just might one day, after what physical chemist Georgy Filonenko discovered in his dissertation. He developed a catalyst in which hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) can form formic acid in no time, faster than had ever been measured before. And the reverse reaction is just as quick. It seems to be the start of a hydrogen battery for use in hydrogen cars of the future, for example. He received his PhD degree yesterday, cum laude. Hydrogen is one of the foremost candidates in the running towards becoming the energy carrier of the future....

Woman steals $10k worth of mini alcohol bottles • An aeroplane cleaner working at JFK Airport has been arrested for allegedly stealing more than 1,400 miniature bottles of booze worth US$10,000. Juanette Cullum, 48, of Brooklyn, allegedly stole the alcohol over a three-year period from American Airlines planes in Terminal 8, reports the New York Post. Police were alerted to the thefts by an airport security guard, and uncovered 1,429 miniatures bottles hidden in a wardrobe at Cullum’s home. On average, the 50ml bottles have an RRP of US$7 each on flights. But while the loot is estimated to worth...

Vietnamese foodie guide: Critic Brad A. Johnson dishes about the 25 best things to eat in Little Saigon The scent of Little Saigon hits me in the face. An intoxicating perfume of jackfruit and bananas and the vanilla-y scent of pandanus leaves wraps itself around me in a warm, tight embrace. It’s a sunny Friday afternoon, and the line to purchase something cold and sweet at Thach Che Hien Khanh in Garden Grove stretches out the front door and down the sidewalk, past a vendor of exotic fruits and knickknacks — chopsticks, paper lanterns, plastic Buddhas, various figurines of the...

The number of Chinese tourists eager to travel the world has risen dramatically over the last few years, and Beijing International Airport is launching the world's biggest terminal to cope with the substantial increase. Opening in 2018, the gigantic Terminal 1 will cover 700,000 square metres, and is set to handle 45million passengers a year. Renown British-Iraqi architect, Zaha Hadid, has collaborated with airport developers ADPI to create a six-tier concept which aims to decrease customer walking distances, and increase connectivity.

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General Motors CEO Mary Barra is dismissing any talk of a possible merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. […] Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne recently floated the idea of merging with GM or another global automaker. He is a proponent of industry consolidation and says only the biggest automakers will survive. …

First-quarter profit at General Motors rose nearly eight times above a year ago as U.S. consumers spent big on pickups and SUVs and the company didn’t have to set aside a huge stack of money to pay for recalls. The Detroit automaker said it made $945 million, as consumers got used to lower gasoline prices and decided to buy bigger vehicles. That’s right in GM’s sweet spot, with trucks such as the Chevrolet Silverado pickup and Cadillac Escalade large SUV. Profit margins on the trucks are sizable, with analysts estimating that GM makes more than $10,000 per vehicle. In the...

An airport immigration officer who repeatedly asked a woman personal questions, including whether she slept with other men while her husband was away, has been arrested and suspended from duty while a full investigation takes place. The victim was a female passenger about to depart India for Hong Kong. While waiting at the immigration counter before boarding the flight to meet her husband, she was stopped for questioning. The immigration officer started by asking probing and seemingly unnecessary questions “like how many children I have, do I drink, do I smoke or eat chicken”, the woman told Indian news channel...

The CEO of American Airlines received compensation valued at $12.3 million last year and will stop drawing a salary and instead be paid entirely in company stock. CEO Doug Parker said Wednesday that the change started immediately and would make his compensation more in line with shareholder interests. American Airlines Group Inc. disclosed his compensation and the other changes in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. […] Parker’s deal seems to cut against a trend in CEO pay. Stock grants were attractive just after the financial crisis of 2008 but are less appealing now after a long rally in...

Please, if you are able, visit Washington, D.C., and see the Constitution and the Bill of Rights before Obamugabe has them shredded. When you visit the National Archives you will find them housed in the same room as the Declaration of Independence. Although I am a Boomer who has lived in Maryland all of her life, I just saw these precious documents for the first time yesterday. Embarrassed that it has taken me so long. We just spent a week at a DC-area private campground, a fairly affordable alternative to staying in a hotel. I highly recommend this place, Cherry...

When Hilda Gurney’s name crops up, they love to tell stories about her switcheroo involving aviator Charles Lindbergh at the Van Nuys Airport. The pilot and her co­pilot husband, Harlan “Bud” Gurney, decided in 1969 to take out a small plane, and Lindbergh — a close friend of the family who often stayed with them when he was in Los Angeles — asked if he could fly alongside. But the press got wind of the renowned aviator up in the SoCal skies, and reporters descended upon the airport to wait for his landing. Wise to the plan, Lindbergh and the...

Archaeologist Kristján Ahronson has concluded that Kverkarhellir, a manmade cave between waterfall Seljalandsfoss and farm Seljaland in South Iceland, was partly created around 800 AD, before the settlement of Iceland, which, according to sources, began in 874... “Kverkahellir, along with Seljalandshellir, is remarkable as it is part of a number of cave sites in southern Iceland, manngerðir hellar [‘manmade caves’], that are marked by cross sculpture.” ... Ahronson would not state that theories that the crosses may have been made by papar, monks from the British Isles who were said to have lived in Iceland before the Norse settlers, may...

CENTER CITY (WPVI) -- Action News has obtained video of the moment a SEPTA commuter stumbled onto the subway tracks after getting too close to the edge Wednesday night. Seconds later a Good Samaritan springs into action, risking his own life to save a stranger. It happened around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on the westbound Market-Frankford El tracks at 15th Street Station. 28-year-old Charles Collins of South Philadelphia can be seen in the video wearing an Eagles jacket, walking away from the camera. Moments later an older man, identified as Alfred McNamee, is seen walking near the SEPTA platform's yellow line....

The crash near the interchange of the 118 and 210 freeways left others hospitalized in critical conditionA big rig driver suffered what authorities described as a "coughing attack" at the wheel before crashing off a Southern California freeway and slamming into a pickup in a fatal collision that involved several other vehicles. The northern San Fernando Valley crash, which left four people hospitalized in critical condition, occurred under the 210 Freeway-118 Freeway interchange near the Paxton Street exit. The big rig crashed off the 210 Freeway freeway and down an embankment before crossing an exit ramp and slamming into the...

Edmonton, Alberta, spends five months a year below freezing. Now, the Canadian city is considering a proposal to create a 7-mile skating trail for Edmontonians to use during their winter commutes.