Mummified Dinosaur!

In 1999 a mummified dinosaur was found in North Dakota. Over these past couple of years scientist have been extracting the mummified Edmontosaurus from the rock in which it is enclosed. The fossil has been nick named Dakota.

Dakota is about 30 feet from nose to tail. It is one of 4 mummified dinosaurs that have ever been found. Of the 4 Dakota has the most, and best preserved skin. This discovery has really helped scientist explore the question: "what did dinosaurs look like?"



I am very excited about this discovery. Dakota will be put on public display for the first time this summer. Road trip anyone?

National Geographic has been funding this excavation.

Cocoa in a glass

Yoo Hoo. Hot Chocolate. Chocolate Milk. Liquid chocolate is something that man has enjoyed since they learned how to harness cocoa. Recently scientist have discovered evidence that suggests Mesoamericans used cocoa pods to create chocolate drinks 500 years earlier than had been previously thought. This means that ancient Americans, pre-Olmec, were drinking these mixtures as early as 1100BC.

How cool is that! I remember going to my dad’s factory when I was a kid and always buying a Yoo Hoo out of the vending machine. They actually kept the Yoo Hoo in the machine just for me, that’s how much I drank, and spent. I went back to the shop a couple years ago, and they didn’t sell Yoo Hoo anymore. I was severely disappointed. That is a drink that is rooted deeply in my childhood.


Today I don’t drink Yoo Hoo, it just doesn’t taste the same to me, but that doesn’t keep me from enjoying other chocolate drinks. Chocolate milk could be the most fun to make out of all the chocolate drinks. Personally I squeeze the Hershey’s bottle until it covers the bottom of the glass three times over. Then poor in the milk. Then, and this is my favorite part, MIX! I personally like to circle the spoon around the glass as fast as I can creating a vortex within the glass. Yummy.

And of course there is Hot Chocolate. In the winter there is nothing better, except maybe hot apple cider. A good cup of hot chocolate can brighten up your day. Down the street from where I work is a coffee shop. I’m not a fan of coffee, but they have a $10 hot chocolate. $10 you say? Yes, $10, and it’s worth every cent. I’ve never had a hot chocolate that was thicker or darker. It was so chocolaty and delicious I can’t compare it to anything else, because nothing else is like it. For $10 you can’t have one everyday, but every now and then I just have to treat myself.

For more information about the discovery in Mesoamerica read the article.

Medea

The Medea is a well known ancient play written by Seneca. Lucius Annaeus Seneca was from Cordoba, Spain. As an ancient Roman he inherited many of the traditions and beliefs of the Romans, as well as the Greeks before them. Medea was based upon a pre-existing myth surrounding a mystical golden fleece. The main character, Medea, was a witch from Colchis, along the eastern shores of the Black Sea. She loves Jason, the hero, whom she helps gain power through the use of magic. But, Jason turns on her and marries another woman, after Medea has already born him two children. In her rage she seeks revenge upon Jason by killing their children.

Recently I learned of the existence of an ancient town. This town was originally under the power of the Assyrians, who used it's great access to horses to add speed to their army. The town then was helped to lead a revolt against their foreign dictators. After winning the town became one of the most prominent of the region. It maintained that status, even after King Cyrus of the Persians, conquered it's walls. The town was called Media.
When King Cyrus expanded his campaign to be a supreme leader and conquer of all he expanded towards the Greek lands. When he came into contact with the Ionians he gave his general, Harpagus instructions to conquer these people using all the force and brutality that the Persians were famous for. Harpagus did a splendid job. The Ionions feared this general, who was from the city of Media, to such an extent that they started to refer to the Persians as Medes.

I have not done any further research, but it appears to me that Seneca borrowed the name Media (this is the English spelling, Medea is the Latin spelling) to represent the most horrific, and brutal woman depicted in the ancient plays.