Posted on 06/11/2021 11:51:04 AM PDT by Red Badger
At 563 carats, the Star of India is the world’s largest gem-quality blue star sapphire, and is approximately 2 billion years old. (Image credit: D. Finnin/Copyright AMNH)
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What does the legendary Star of India — a 563-carat star sapphire the size of a golf ball — have in common with a 35-million-year-old petrified redwood slab; a massive cluster of sword-like crystals that looks like it came from "Game of Thrones;" and a 5-ton (4.5-metric ton) stone pillar that can "sing?"
You can see all of them, along with 5,000 other amazing stones, in the newly renovated Mignone Hall of Gems and Minerals at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City, which is reopening after a four-year closure on Saturday (June 12). There, one-of-a-kind precious gems appear alongside odd-looking rocks — some of which date to billions of years ago — that have been uniquely warped and twisted by extreme temperatures and pressures.
Individually and together, these objects tell a story of the diverse geologic processes that shape minerals on Earth's surface and deep inside our planet, beginning when the world was young and continuing to this day, museum representatives told Live Science.
Related: 13 mysterious and cursed gemstones
The Star of India, which formed about a billion years ago, was discovered in Sri Lanka in the 18th century. It is one of the best-known gems in the world, in part because it was famously and brazenly stolen from AMNH in 1964, along with several more of the museum's prized stones, by a pair of thieves named Jack "Murf the Surf" Murphy and Allan Kuhn, Smithsonian reported in 2014, on the heist's 50th anniversary. (The one-of-a-kind sapphire was recovered and went back on display in 1965).
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Oh, yes. Dogs and their owners. But don’t get me started! If you have a dog, and you have a vet and you don’t have sense enough to get tranquilizers for your dog, then sit down and shut up.
Or, as Grandiliquent Word of the Day says: Confer thy querulous blatherings upon the palmar fascia.
Indeed, well said.
I haven’t told any of the dog-whiners to freep themselves on NextDoor, just ranted to you ;-). I did “like” a comment from a man who said, “Everyone has to listen to your ‘babies’ bark 364 days a year, and now you want us to skip having fireworks? Forget it!”
His response would have been mine as well, I think!
For the most part the small dogs here are brought in when they begin to bark, but there are some (three within three apartments of me) that are just downright nasty and should be escorted, with their arrogant neighbors right off the property.
If I should decide on a dog, I’ll get one that isn’t known to bark. Or one that barks when it’s appropriate. I just checked and the ones I could probably afford are too high maintenance or weigh too much for the guidelines of public housing.
I’ll check the local shelters when I get to Dogpatch AR!
Tom is supposed to arrive soon to drive his brothers ...
Hooray for Tom! I’m very happy to know you have someone to help you with the Driving Adventures. :o]
I just finished getting ready for church and I think I wore myself out. Not surprising, in view of this last week.
Anyway, I’m shutting down for now. See you when you get back and wake up from your Nap with Cat.
Seeya!
Tom went off with the brothers and some cash. The plan is that he will bring them to church before 1:00 p.m.
It will be interesting to see how close to the wire they come! LOL!
Church was good, as usual, but we had some unexpected things happen. Not really unexpected on a First Sunday, but unexpected as in “not on the program.” We DID sing some patriotic hymns, including the National Anthem, so it was better than on Memorial Day.
Now, of course, I’m worn out. I’ll see how long I can hang in there...
They arrived about 15 minutes to 1:00.
We would have done patriotic hymns at an English mass, but for the Spanish, we did “Jesus, Nombre Sobre Todo Nombre” (Jesus, the name above every name) and “Con la Cruz Venceremos” (With the Cross We are Victorious).
Fifteen minutes is much better than three, which is what a certain child of mine would have done! ;o]
They may have sung something similar to those Spanish hymns at the Spanish-speaking wards, but I don’t know if there even are any here. I know there is at least one in St George.
I forgot to put up the flag this morning, but I did it as soon as I got back from from church. I’m going to be taking it down soon, because I need to go lie down.
I’m surprised I’ve lasted so long!
Spanish-speaking countries have their own patriotic hymns, some of which we have performed. Deacon Rafael gave the sermon today, and while he was speaking, Father Gary, who doesn’t understand Spanish, was reading the biography of John Adams.
At the English Masses, he probably got up and started his sermon with, “I was just reading this book, and ...” *waves book he was literally just reading*.
I had a nap with Jake. Now I’m going to sit out in the yard again. Shannon was lying on her back in the grass a few minutes ago, but she probably got embarrassed when Tom went out and lurked back into the shrubbery.
On Facebook this morning:
Please keep your children and dogs quiet in the morning.
Some of us have been up all night setting off fireworks.
Off to do the laundry.
Good morning. Only adults and cats are stirring here.
Shannon as a fluff-ball?
Good morning.
The laundry room/clubhouse smelled of cigarettes, the dryer lint traps were not cleaned out and one of the dryers turned on by itself as I was loading the washers. On the opposite side of the room.
The front-loading machine was stopped at “1 MIN” and I had to pull the plug on the machine to reset it, and then I found out that it cost $1.50 instead of the $2 it was the last time I used it. I really need to get out of this place.
My apartment reeked of cigarettes when I got up this morning (the puny little A/C unit doesn’t have enough strength to send air to the bedroom because of the apartment configuration. The bedroom is in the “dogleg” part of the place.
Needless to say, I left a long note for Chuck today, even though he probably won’t be in until tomorrow. I’m really tiring of New Neighbor David, even though I’ve never met the man.
Smokers don’t realize how they smell.
That is not Shannon, but a kitteh with similar colors.
We kept the cats in last night, and Jake was really annoying. He kept sitting on my pillow right by my head.
The ultimate in yard protection
Good morning. Happy Monday! I hope everyone enjoyed Independence Day.
Kitteh has the right idea. Find a good shady tree and relax today.
Our puppy seemed not to mind the fireworks too much, until I was putting her out and one went off seemingly right behind us. But she calmed down again pretty quickly. We stayed up with her an extra hour until the shooting stopped.
!
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