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A multi-disciplinary team of scientists has a new theory for why all human civilization abruptly ended on the banks of the Dead Sea some 3,700 years ago. According to analyzed archaeological evidence, the disaster of biblical proportions can be explained by a massive explosion, similar to one recorded over 100 years ago in Russia. […] As reported in Science News, at the recently concluded Denver-based ASOR Annual Meeting, director of scientific analysis at Jordan’s Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project Phillip J. Silvia presented a paper, “The 3.7kaBP Middle Ghor Event: Catastrophic Termination of a Bronze Age Civilization” during a session on...

British scientists have deciphered a mysterious ancient clay tablet and believe they have solved a riddle over a giant asteroid impact more than 5,000 years ago. Geologists have long puzzled over the shape of the land close to the town of Köfels in the Austrian Alps, but were unable to prove it had been caused by an asteroid. Now researchers say their translation of symbols on a star map from an ancient civilisation includes notes on a mile-wide asteroid that later hit Earth - which could have caused tens of thousands of deaths. The circular clay tablet was discovered 150...

The Dead Sea nearly disappeared about 120,000 years ago, say researchers who drilled more than 1,500 feet below one of the deepest parts of the politically contentious body of water. The discovery looms large at a time when the Dead Sea is shrinking rapidly, Middle Eastern nations are battling over water rights, and experts hotly debate whether the salt lake could ever dry up completely in the years to come. New data from drilled deposits are also helping piece together geological history that slices through Biblical times. Further research may offer opportunities to verify whether earthquakes destroyed the cities of...

Artist’s evidence-based depiction of the blast, which had the power of 1,000 Hiroshimas. Credit: Allen West and Jennifer Rice A giant space rock demolished an ancient Middle Eastern city and everyone in it – possibly inspiring the Biblical story of Sodom. As the inhabitants of an ancient Middle Eastern city now called Tall el-Hammam went about their daily business one day about 3,600 years ago, they had no idea an unseen icy space rock was speeding toward them at about 38,000 mph (61,000 kph). Flashing through the atmosphere, the rock exploded in a massive fireball about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers)...

[Catholic Caucus] New head of JPII marriage institute suggests Church must change its definition of familyMonsignor Philippe Bordeyne claims that 'theologians cannot continue to assert certainties about the family when we see the transformations it is undergoing today.'(LifeSiteNews) — Weeks after taking up his post as new president of the former John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Monsignor Philippe Bordeyne made a remarkable statement in a revealing interview with La Croix International, the English-language daily edited by La Croix, unofficial daily of the French episcopate, saying, “We theologians cannot continue to assert certainties about the family when we...

An Ancient DisasterIn the Middle Bronze Age (about 3,600 years ago or roughly 1650 BCE), the city of Tall el-Hammam was ascendant. Located on high ground in the southern Jordan Valley, northeast of the Dead Sea, the settlement in its time had become the largest continuously occupied Bronze Age city in the southern Levant, having hosted early civilization for a few thousand years. At that time, it was 10 times larger than Jerusalem and 5 times larger than Jericho. “It’s an incredibly culturally important area,” said James Kennett, emeritus professor of earth science at UC Santa Barbara. “Much of where...

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, are going to become parents. "The process isn’t done yet and we’re thankful for the love, support, and respect for our privacy that has been offered to us," he wrote. "We can’t wait to share more soon."

Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Aug. 14 pride logo The City of Bloomington will celebrate the contributions of individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender, queer, and "+" (other gender identities) at a summer festival. Celebrate LGBTQ+ pride on the east lawn of Bloomington Civic Plaza with entertainment, food, arts and crafts, games and stilt walkers.

The BBC did not broadcast live coverage of transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard’s event at the Tokyo Olympics after it warned that it would report viewers who questioned her right to compete as a woman to “the relevant authorities”. The British broadcaster did not air the women’s weightlifting on Day 10 of the Games live, when the transgender New Zealand athlete crashed out of the 87 kg+ category after failing to record a single valid “snatch” lift, and showed eventing, showjumping and athletics instead. It also did not broadcast US gymnast Simone Biles’ bronze-medal winning routine live on BBC1 this morning...

HUNGARY could quit the European Union before the end of the decade once it becomes a net contributor to the bloc's budget, according to the country's finance minister. Mihaly Varga said Budapest’s membership of the EU could fall under questioning if its budget payments increase and Brussels continues to launch political attacks on the government. If a referendum was held on Hungary’s EU membership this year, the minister said he would support continued participation in the bloc. But Mr Varga warned this could soon change. He said: “If there was such a question in 2021, I’d be among those who’d...

Canada women's soccer will do no worse than silver after beating the U.S. women's national team in the Olympic semifinal round Monday. In addition to being a monumental win, the victory also ensured that Olympic history will be made. When midfielder Quinn took the field in Canada's Olympic opener against Japan, they became the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics. Now Quinn is the first transgender Olympian to secure a medal.

The National Football League (NFL) recently joined virtually every other American institution in lauding — and marketing to — the LGBT community during Pride Month in June. It did so by releasing a new 30-second commercial proudly proclaiming that "football is gay, lesbian, queer, transgender, bisexual and exciting." The ad begins by stating "football is gay" to the sound of drums rolling and people cheering. (I'm not sure what Dick Butkus would have to say about this advertisement, but I digress.) f you love this game, you are welcome here. Football is for all. Football is for everyone. The NFL...

It’s well after midnight on a Saturday morning, but traffic is as thick as rush hour along a four-block industrial stretch in East New York, Brooklyn. Scantily clad women walk mid-block, their heels click-clacking on the asphalt as they move from car to car, leaning into driver’s side windows to entice the next man in line. One woman on the sidelines, appearing disinterested, sips from a can of Red Bull through a straw. It’s a rare break in a cycle that repeats for hours on end: Hopping into strangers’ cars, riding out of view for 10, sometimes 30 minutes, then...

As reported by AP and The Forward, Israel's Supreme Court sitting as the High Court of Justice yesterday ruled that the government must allow same-sex couples and single men to become parents through surrogate mothers on a equal basis with heterosexual couples and single women. Its ruling takes effect in 6 months, in order to give time for the creation of professional guidelines. AP explains: The court ruled in 2020 that a surrogacy law, which had expanded access to single women but excluded gay couples, “disproportionately harmed the right to equality and the right to parenthood” and was unlawful.

“You think that we’ll corrupt your kids. Funny, just this once, you’re correct. We’ll convert your children happens bit by bit, quietly and suddenly and you will barely notice it.” VIDEO AT LINK............................

The Justin Trudeau-led Government of Canada has announced that one month is not sufficient for the celebration of LGBT pride, and that the festivities will be extended to cover the whole season. “1 month isn’t enough to celebrate Pride in Canada!” declared his Twitter-verified ‘Free to be me’ account, an official account of the Government of Canada, alongside an emoji rainbow, gay pride flag emoji, and transgender flag emoji. “#PrideSeason takes place from June to September with local events across the country celebrating the resilience and spirit of #LGBTQ2 people in Canada. Follow us as we highlight Pride celebrations all...

(Excerpt) Just as we got settled, our elementary-schooler pointed in the direction of oncoming floats, raising an eyebrow at a bare-chested man in dark sunglasses whose black suspenders clipped into a leather thong. The man paused to be spanked playfully by a partner with a flog. “What are they doing?” my curious kid asked as our toddler cheered them on.The pair was the first of a few dozen kinksters who danced down the street, laughing together as they twirled their whips and batons, some leading companions by leashes.At the time, my children were too young to understand the nuance of...

The Austin Police Department revealed a brightly-colored PRIDE car Wednesday, the final day of Pride Month, and says the vehicle will join the department’s celebrations during Austin’s Pride parade in August. The department said this month it also became the first department in Texas to adopt a Pride patch for its officers and civilian staff to wear in June and during the parade. The department worked with the Lesbian and Gay Peace Officers Association and Cops for Charities to create the patch and an accompanying hat.

A vote Tuesday by Travis County Commissioners will allow county staff to fly the the LGBTQIA+ Pride Flag at any Travis County government building annually during Pride month. Travis County Judge Andy Brown, LGBTQIA+ leaders and commissioners held a Pride flag-raising ceremony at the Travis County Government Administration building in downtown Austin to commemorate the moment Tuesday.

When Benedicte Blanchet, a 40-year-old who lives in a Paris suburb, decided that she wanted to have a child on her own and not wait to meet the right man, nothing prepared her for the costly obstacle course that was to follow. Under existing laws in France, which are among the strictest in western Europe, only heterosexual couples who are married or have been living together for at least two years and have difficulties conceiving a child, are given access to medically assisted reproduction, such as sperm donation or in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments. “It’s really hard. Since the French...