#A Brief History of Australia

[lionheartlr]

Explore Australia: The Ultimate Travel Guide

Australia, the land down under, is a unique blend of stunning landscapes, diverse wildlife, and vibrant cities. This travel guide provides an in-depth look into what makes Australia a must-visit destination, covering its history, culture, top attractions, practical travel information, and more. A Brief History of Australia Indigenous Heritage Australia’s history dates back over 65,000 years…

[nando161mando]

"Ambedkar’s speech was denied the audience it was meant for. When he published the speech at his own expense, he chose to make public his entire correspondence with the Mandal, thus offering a prehistory of the speech in the very first edition.

He perhaps had hoped to shame the Mandal and Hindus who pretended to be reformers."

A brief history of the publication of BR Ambedkar's Annihilation of Caste

[plaguedocboi]

We all love the beach, right? I sure do. Where the sea meets the land is a magical place. It is the overlap of two very different worlds; our sunny, sandy, beautiful home and the alien waves that beckon you into the inhospitable wilderness of the ocean. When crossing that foam-fringed boundary, one must remember that you are no longer in your world. You are entering the sea, and the sea is vast and dark and dangerous. It is more untamed than the wildest jungle and full of creatures that can kill you in a hundred different gruesome ways. Every wave whispers to you that you do not belong here, you may only visit for a brief time if you want to leave with your life. Hold tight to the warm sunlit sand that fringes the barrier of this place, or you may never see it again. Welcome to the beach. Enter at your own risk.

1. Tamarama beach, Australia

This is know as both the smallest and the most dangerous beach in NSW. There is a permanent rip current that runs along the rocky northern shore, but at any given time there could be more hidden in the surf. Large waves break just a little ways offshore, posing a hazard to swimmers but an attraction for surfers. Although there are rarely deaths here, lifeguards have to rescue multiple people a day. Interestingly, this beach is only around sometimes! Occasionally all the sand will wash away and all that’s left is a rocky outcrop. There’s no way to be certain when the beach will come back or how big it will be or what it might look like. I guess it never gets boring to visit.

2. Isle of Ré, France

This island is not the only place you can go to see square waves, but it is one of the places most famous for this strange phenomenon. This is called a cross sea, and occurs when two opposing wave patterns intersect. Although this is certainly a tourist attraction, it is best to observe from a distance, as cross seas can be very dangerous to both ships and swimmers. Cross seas can cause powerful rip currents and walls of water up to 10 feet high, rolling ships and dragging people underwater. (As a side note, my mother thought I had made up cross seas as a freaky supernatural event in my book. Unfortunately, I did not.)

3. Dumas Beach, India

This is supposedly one of the most haunted places in India. Although this beach is full of tourists during the daytime, no one remains after dark, for fear that they will become the next ghost to wander the sand. Apparently, this beach was once used as a burial ground, and said to be black due to the human ashes mixed in. At night, people report hearing voices and seeing apparitions, and even dogs behave strangely once the sun goes down. There have also been multiple unexplained disappearances and at least one recorded death. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there definitely seems to be something eerie happening on this beach.

4. Morecambe Bay, UK

This is an interesting one, as it’s not technically the water that’s dangerous. The ground is. This estuary features extreme tides, with the water level dropping and rising up to 32 feet twice a day. This exposes an expanse of mud flats and channels which are composed of loose, wet material that can absolutely suck you in and trap you. If this happens when the tide is coming in, it can quickly turn deadly. This has happened many times going back through history, including one incident in 2004 where 23 people died. Yes, all at the same time. No, I don’t want to delve into that incident too deeply in this list as it’s extremely horrifying and tragic. Feel free to research it yourself.

5. Monastery Beach, Oregon

This has earned its nickname “mortuary beach” by being extremely dangerous. Over 30 people have died here, including people who weren’t even in the water. In 2015, a woman walking along the beach was dragged in by a wave and drowned. The beach has multiple factors that make it so deadly, including a steep drop off, unpredictable waves, and strong undertows. This beach isn’t even safe to walk on. I um. Don’t like that.

6. Hanakapiai Beach, Hawaii

Despite its beauty, this Hawaiian beach is not recommended for swimming except for expert surfers. During the summer, this beach is a popular place for hiking, sunbathing and sightseeing, but during the winter the sand is washed away and the waves crash against the cliffs directly. Even in the relatively safe summer months, this beach has no barrier reef to break up the strong waves and powerful currents, which leads to a dangerous situation where swimmers can quickly be swept out into the open ocean and drown. At least 30 people have died here, and 15 of the bodies have never been recovered.

7. Lake Michigan. Just, all of it.

Despite all the Great Lakes being somewhat terrifying, Michigan takes the title of the most dangerous lake in the country. Yearly, Lake Michigan has more drownings than all four other Great Lakes combined. The reason that Michigan is especially hazardous is that, well, it’s kind of weirdly shaped. Thanks to its 300+ miles of uninterrupted parallel shorelines running north-south, it forms huge waves and strong riptides and long shore currents. It is also a question of numbers; Lake Michigan has more public beaches and large population centers than the other Great Lakes. All in all, a recipe for disaster.

8. Playa Zipolite, Mexico

This is also called the “beach of the dead”, so it’s inclusion on this list seems pretty self-explanatory. These waters have strong undercurrents that rotate in a circular pattern, either pushing you into shore or pulling you out to sea. There is a pervasive rumor that 50 people drown at this beach a year, although this is… somewhat exaggerated. In fact, very few people drown at this beach these days, as it has actually gotten less dangerous over the years. There used to be a steep drop-off that would catch people by surprise, but due to several severe storms in the early 2000s, the beach has eroded back and now gently slopes down instead. Although very few people die at this beach nowadays, multiple rescues are performed every day due to the dangerous currents.

9. Cyclops, Australia

This is a particular type of wave that forms off the coast of Esperance, Australia, as the sea floor rapidly goes from deep, open water to a very very shallow reef. It is… unsettling. The longer I look at it, the weirder it gets. It’s like an ai generated image. I couldn’t even pick one picture of it so I made you a collage.

It is considered one of the most dangerous surf spots in the world, and can only be accessed by boat. To quote pacific surf dot com, “the reason the wave is dangerous is because it does not act like any other wave in the world. It engulfs itself due to the massive change in the ocean floor when the wave rolls up.”

10. Nazare, Portugal

This area of Portugal is home to some of the biggest waves in the world. Just offshore is an underwater canyon, plunging down to 16,000 ft deep. This allows large, fast deep-water waves to move into shore unimpeded, and when they hit the shallows close to shore all the water gets suddenly pushed up, resulting in waves up to 80 ft tall. I think the picture speaks for itself in this case. Probably best to not get in the water if you see that shit.

That was fun, wasn’t it? Before I go, let me end this on a different note than the rest of my lists; some actual advice for if you should you ever decide to visit these beaches (or any beach, really). Rip currents are incredibly strong (believe me, I know) but very narrow currents that run perpendicular to shore. To get out of a rip current, swim parallel to shore. Trying to fight the current will just tire you out and eventually leave you exhausted and way the fuck out in the ocean, which is typically when you die. Swimming parallel to shore will get you out of the current, and once you’re free you can swim back in at your leisure. And, just in general, never fight the sea. The sea will win.

[sixteenseveredhands]

The Giant Wood Moth: these rat-sized moths have a wingspan of up to 23cm (about 10 inches) and can weigh as much as 30 grams, making them the heaviest moths in the world

This species (Endoxyla cinereus) is found only in Australia and New Zealand. It has a larval stage that can last 2-3 years, and the larvae spend most of that time eating and tunneling into the wood of eucalyptus trees. Once they are finally ready to pupate, they transform their tunnel into a pupation chamber, and they eventually emerge from the chamber as adult moths.

Above: the enormous pupa of a giant wood moth

The adult moths can only survive for a few days after that; like many other lepidopterans, the adults of this species are incapable of feeding, because they do not have any functional mouthparts, so their lifespan is extremely brief. They spend their entire adult lives (which last only a matter of days) searching for a mate and reproducing. In order to accomplish that goal, they must rely on the energy afforded by the fat reserves that they accumulated when they were larvae.

Above: the adult moths

Giant wood moths display a significant degree of sexual dimorphism, as the females are roughly twice the size of the males; they can weigh up to 30 grams, which makes this the heaviest moth species in the world.

In fact, the females are so heavy that they can barely even fly. In order to find a mate, they must crawl to the top of a tree trunk or fence post, release their pheromones, and then simply wait for the males to find them.

Sources & More Info:

Australian Museum: The Giant Wood Moth

Austral Ecology: Life History, Ecology and Ethnoentomology of the Giant Wood Moth

Australian Geographic: Giant Wood Moth

Moth Identification Guide: Endoxyla cinereus

The Guardian: Giant Wood Moth: 'very heavy’ insect rarely seen by humans spotted at Australian school

[37sommz-archive]

✼. THRU SPACE 'N TIME | GRID DYNAMICS.

NOW PLAYING: michaela's grid dynamics. ✼. view:⠀masterlist⠀⸻⠀join the taglist⠀⸻⠀request.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀ALEXANDER ALBON.

Bonding over their mutual dry sarcasm, Alex and Michaela are another underrated pairing on the grid. Though not exceptionally close when compared to their other grid friendships, there is a lighthearted respect for one another that underscores all of their interactions. Michaela regularly voiced her missing Alex’s presence on the grid during his brief hiatus from the track and Alex claims Michaela was the first driver to congratulate him upon his return. As regulars on each other’s personal Instagram profiles, they’ve subtly played into fans’ expectations of a monthly Albon dump on Michaela’s secondary page.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀FERNANDO ALONSO.

Fernando is admittedly one of Michaela’s racing heroes. Aside from his clear talent, Michaela has been vocally in support of his “villain” approach to racing, though she admits she doesn’t have half the courage needed to pull off some of his stunts. On Fernando’s end, he has always identified Michaela as a blossoming force on the grid who would be capable of domination if given the right team behind her. 

It’s a little-known fact that Michaela’s signing with Aston Martin was actively encouraged by Alonso who insisted the team allow the two drivers to compete against each other for points. In his view, the two would flourish in an environment where they were encouraged to outplace each other. To Fernando’s credit, his approach has worked pretty well for the team in its development of a more competitive reputation on the grid, for which Michaela has repeatedly thanked him.

As teammates, the two spend a considerable amount of time together having grown quite comfortable in each other's presence. From the occasional humorous quip during press conferences to their iconic tiktoks, Fernando and Michaela's partnership has been her most successful at the Formula One level.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀PIERRE GASLY.

Of all the drivers on the grid, Michaela shares the most extensive history with the Frenchman. As her first teammate after joining Prema to race in the GP2 series in 2016, Michaela has not been shy about expressing how thankful she was for Pierre’s consistent inclusion of her in a sport that had been continuously unwelcoming. Though their beginnings were an awkward mix of pubescent introversion, by the end of their season together Michaela was a regular guest with Pierre’s family when her own family could not make the flight from Australia. Accordingly, Michaela is quite close with Pierre’s mother, Pascale, who is never seen without a #37 pin on race weekends. 

The next three years of their friendship would be strained by Pierre’s move to Super Formula in 2017 while Michaela remained at the Formula Two level. Their friendship would recover, however, after Michaela was selected for the 2019 grid as a driver for Alfa Romeo. Since then, Pierre has continued to be one of Michaela’s most vocal supporters, regularly extending cheers her way through passive comments during press conferences. 

However, their close comfort with one another is often mistaken for a bitter rivalry. especially after a particularly tense moment at the 2022 Monaco GP where Pierre pulled off a choppy overtake with Michaela calling him a “cunt” over the radio. The swirl of rivalry rumors never seems to fully go away with their limited interactions on race weekends, but their dual-family dinners tell the full story.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀LEWIS HAMILTON.

As the two black drivers on the grid, the two have always been silently protective of one another. In a similar vein to her admiration of Fernando, Lewis has always been Michaela’s greatest motivation in believing that she was capable of reaching Formula One despite the matters of her race and gender. Accordingly, Lewis was the first of the senior drivers to pass his personal number to the driver in her rookie season. 

To this day, the two conduct quiet check-ins with each other whether grabbing a gourmet lunch in Monaco or sitting front row at Fashion Week. One of the more underrated pairings, the other drivers recognize the unique bond the two have and marvel at Michaela’s ability to chip away at Lewis’ guarded exterior.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀CHARLES LECLERC.

Another set of former teammates, Michaela and Charles were admittedly not very close during their time at Prema in Formula Two. The running joke of “Sommers falls just short behind Leclerc” rings uncomfortably true for the Australian who first experienced a taste of Il Predestinato’s reign after finishing 2nd in the Formula Two Championship. Though that simple fact never bothered her much, the media storm that continues to cloud over any semblance of tension between the two bothers her to no end.

As the two have matured past that tense 2017 season, they’ve found common ground in the issues that frustrate them within their careers. Similar to the sense of pressure she shares with Max, Michaela shares a passionate frustration with Charles in the face of a less-than-beneficial strategy. In particular, Michaela’s second season at McLaren and Charles’ 2022 season with Ferrari brought the two almost infinitely closer as they bonded over not the nicest words vented about their respective teams. In fact, Charles was the one to convince Michaela to take a risk in signing with Aston Martin after the 2022 season, a decision he never lets her forget turned out quite nicely for her driving style.

Aside from their shared tempers, Michaela and Charles spend quite a bit of time together privately, frequently attending tennis matches alongside their partners—and Pierre. Their friendship is a fan favorite though the two rarely publicly outside of Instagram comment sections and press conference giggling.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀LANDO NORRIS.

Though Lando and Michaela have known each other since 2014 when they both competed in the Ginetta Junior Championships, it wasn’t until their rookie Formula One season that the two exchanged their first words. While Lando fervently claims that Michaela was quite removed from the other drivers in the championship, they both know the hidden truth of Lando’s bashful shyness in the face of the then taller, more competitive Australian. Despite the rocky start to their friendship, their first two seasons in Formula One were marked by a noticeable growth in recurring bits and shared inside jokes. 

That growth was initially spelled out to be a dream pairing for McLaren after they signed Michaela to a two-year contract in 2021. Placing two extraordinarily talented drivers with a rare competitive respect for one another seemed to be the right choice for the papaya team until the two actually began racing during the 2021 season. Disaster for the two drivers quietly drew closer throughout the bulk of their first season as teammates with glimpses of the future lying in terse shoulder checks after particularly competitive races. 

The discord between the two McLaren drivers became clearer in 2022 after Michaela publicly voiced her frustration with their overwhelming support of Lando despite her outperformance of the British driver in all but two races in those two long years. The tension between Michaela and the rest of the team came to a head in Sao Paulo when she was ordered to give way for Lando to pass her into 3rd place so she could defend against Carlos in 5th. Despite begrudgingly following the orders, Lando would collide with Leclerc to receive a penalty and be forced to retire later on with gearbox failure. With a new order to compete for points, Michaela would win the race but be left to celebrate on her own with the rest of the team retiring early to discuss adjustments with Lando. 

After the season closer in Abu Dhabi, Michaela would sign a joint statement with McLaren stating she would not be pursuing another contract with them and would instead be joining Aston Martin. The disastrous season for the Australian only stifled her friendship with Lando who found himself less than happy with the grudge she would hold against him for their entire tenure as teammates. In the two seasons since then, the two have spoken on short occasions in attempts to repair their friendship. Though they seem to be on less bitter terms with one another, their interactions are kept brief in public between tight-lipped smiles and the very rare return of an old joke.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀DANIEL RICCIARDO.

As the only Australians on the grid until Oscar’s promotion in 2023, Michaela and Daniel bonded over their mutual distaste for English cuisine and endless homesickness. Admittedly a bad influence, Daniel brings out Michaela’s wild side often dragging her along into his X-rated jokes and late-night adventures in the cities they visit.

Though their vibrant friendship is frequently exploited for PR purposes on Drive to Survive and Formula One promotional content on YouTube, the two prefer being matched up together due to their similar energies. Michaela’s image, carefully crafted by her Press Officer Beata, always comes tumbling down as she giggles at Daniel’s shenanigans, letting out the off-color expression with the ease of a wide smile adorning her face. 

The normal tense in her shoulders naturally relaxes whenever Daniel enters the room who is more than aware of his calming effect on the younger Australian. Most recently, the two have attempted to indoctrinate Oscar in their more extroverted ways. Michaela in particular has taken Oscar under her wing at press conferences in her own way of simulating the state of ease Daniel places her in.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀CARLOS SAINZ.

Before 2023, the extent of Carlos and Michaela’s interactions was limited to shared eye rolls across the press conference room and a rare Sommers-faulted crash at the 2021 Canadian Grand Prix. Though fans mourned the lack of interaction between the two favorites, their friendship suddenly burst onto the public radar after Michaela appeared in one of Carlos’ vlogs in early 2024. 

Since that surprise appearance, they’ve been somewhat unsuccessful at hiding their shared camaraderie in the public eye. Giving into the public demand for their interactions, Carlos and Michaela have slowly opened up about their friendship, giving the occasional insight through seemingly empty comments. Though not much is known about just how close the two are, it’s frequently pointed out that Michaela was a guest at Carlos’ sister’s wedding despite not being publicly announced as one. 

Privately, Carlos is possibly Michaela’s closest friend on the grid with Carlos Sr. even musing that he had hoped the two would get together, much to their mutual genuine distaste for the idea. In Michaela’s own words, Carlos is the only driver she trusts with her precious puppy Tilly. Carlos has casually echoed that sentiment claiming that the two push each other to continue to be at the top of their performance, encouraging each other through the roughest of times in both their career and personal lives.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀YUKI TSUNODA.

When Yuki first entered Formula One, there was an unspoken expectation that he would get on quite well with Michaela. Paradoxically, the two bring out the absolute worst in each other. Amongst the glaring jabs thrown at each other in press conferences, there lies an animosity that both intrigues and bewilders everyone in and around the Formula One world.

The discord between the two shortest drivers was placed center-stage through a screaming match in the pits after Yuki spun out of a turn, taking Michaela with him and handing them both a DNF in a critical race for the Australian. Since then, the two racers have done their best to exchange as few words as possible, keeping the strife cold for the sake of their teams’ best interests.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀MAX VERSTAPPEN.

If you asked the other drivers if they thought Max and Michaela would have gotten along, they all would have responded with resounding dissent. Despite the odds, however, the two have only become parters-in-crime through their time competing against each other. As two naturally ultra-competitive people Michaela and Max have bonded over the pressure they both feel to deliver—admittedly in different ways—every weekend. Though most of that pressure is relieved in late-night rants over the phone, they do find levity in making fun of the press every chance they get. As such, the two are rarely placed next to each other in press conferences unless they’ve finished with a very familiar Verstappen-Sommers podium. 

Max is another driver who’s particularly vocal about his support of Michaela’s “trailblazing”. Though the media frequently attempts to bait him into forced high praise of the Australian driver, he makes it a point to call out journalists who center her gender in a less than well-meaning way. One of the more iconic Mickey and Maxie moments came after Max shut down a reporter fishing for an unflattering story while ignoring her glorious winning finish. 

Off duty, the two spend quite a bit of time together whenever Michaela finds herself in Monaco. Joining him for simulation streams and being pictured spilling their secrets over drinks has led to an abundance of deranged shippers and secret romance rumors. The two find the fun in the rumors, playing up their dynamics when they become aware of fan presence during their private outings. However, they’ve both been more than clear that their friendship is nothing more than that, leaving no room for their partners to be harassed by crazed fans.

✼. taglist:⠀@evie-119 @lavisenri @doodlehunz @thearchieves @pamacs-macs @hwalllllllelujah @d3kstar @thewannabewriter @vogueprincess @cha-hot @certifiedlesbianbaddie @nichmeddar @bxdbxtxh

✼. note:⠀if you are listed here but are not receiving notifs, pls let me know!

[monzamash]

down under — daniel ricciardo

daniel ricciardo x you | 1.3k summary – daniel receives a gift from a friend on the morning of the aus gp. warnings – 18+ (sex, course language) a/n – just wild, wild thoughts and prompts from @percervall & @estevries — both legends and brilliant writers. thank you for inspiring something so fun x masterlist

A loud yelp followed by a chesty laugh caught your attention as you stood in front of the hotel’s en suite mirror, putting on your face for the day. Daniel had answered the door and received whatever it was concierge had brought to your room. For you, it was too early to be bothered by anyone – the long haul flight that Daniel had warned you about had killed your mood and regret immediately set in while you tossed and turned all night, wishing you had heeded his warnings and flown to Australia earlier in the week with him.

The jet lag alone was bad enough without misty rain sweeping past the large sky-scraping windows, dampening the city and your already miserable spirit. There was no place you would rather be though – supporting and loving on your man for his first grand prix appearance of the season. It had been tough for both of you watching afar, the good and the bad memories flooding back. Recent history.

But Daniel had reassured you that he was at peace with his choices, happy to be a guest on the sidelines and you believed him. His smile was brighter, his painfully lame jokes were funnier and his charming disposition oozing contentment, finally returned. He was free to be who he wanted to be and to do whatever the fuck he wanted, when he wanted. Including annoying the absolute shit out of you every chance he got.

“Oh, honey! You gotta come out here and see these!” Daniel shouted from behind the door separating the two of you, closed by design so you could get through your morning routine without interruption.

“I’m drying my hair! Can you wait?”

He couldn’t. The door sliding open triggered an eye roll; knowing your kind hearted, generous boyfriend was barging in without invitation, giggles still bubbling away behind pursed lips, failing to suppress his little snorts. The whirring echo of your hairdryer diminished as you switched it off and set it down on the countertop, clipping the rest of your hair up before giving Daniel so much as a look – or a death stare.

“What do ya reckon?” He asked, patting your backside a couple of times to get your attention, bare feet tapping on the cold tiles as if he was jumping on the spot behind you. He was.

You sighed softly to yourself, prepared to plaster on a smile through gritted teeth for him as you spun around but you didn’t need to. The quick glance at Daniel’s goofy smile was brief before your eyes instantly trailed down his bare torso and landed on the only piece of material sheathing his toned body.

All that was covering him from being stark naked was a pair of skin tight Australian flag patterned budgy smugglers. Nothing else and truth be told, they weren't full-coverage. Not even a little bit.

“What the fuck are those?!” You gasped, a laugh slipping from your lips before you could clasp your hand over your mouth, shocked by the sight.

“Hot, right?” Of course he loved himself sick in them.

"Is that what concierge just dropped off? Who sent them?" You asked incredulously, reaching out and grabbing the small card hanging from Daniel's fingertips.

"It's a bucks night present from Scotty – apparently he wants all the boys to be matching when we go out on Sunday night," He replied with a raspy chuckle, aware of how strange that sounded and you couldn't help but roll your eyes when you read, 'don't cock it up and let the boys down' as you finished reading the note.

"You two fuckin' worry me sometimes..."

Your eyebrows had a life of their own, quirked so high on your forehead you were certain they had risen off your face entirely as you glanced down again. Yes, Daniel was hot, insanely so, but even you could see past all the abs and sexiness and admit he looked ridiculous, posing in front of you and catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror behind your head, smiling from ear to ear at how hilarious he looked. Blue steel activated.

“Want me to model these for ya?” He teased, poking his butt out and flexing his muscles like a body builder would.

“Seriously though – yeah or nah?”

“For what exactly?” You scoffed, unsure of what kind of yeah-nah, open-ended question you were dealing with before answering.

Daniel shrugged and bent his knees, eyebrows scrunched with a grimace, “I dunno,” He grunted, hand squeezing between his skin and the seams of the speedos, readjusting his situation in the tight confines. Some would say too tight.

“They are certainly something though…”

“Sexy? Sickening? Extremely flattering? Give me something to stroke my ego with for fucks sake,” He joked but genuinely wanted to know what your true feelings were behind that lip bite and pursed smile.

“Well they make you look massive…”

You threw that line out there for him, hoping he would bite.

“Duh, because I am massive.”

“… well,”

Your pause provoked Daniel, gasping at your insinuation as his hand immediately reached out and grabbed your jutted hips. His calloused fingertips brushing against your exposed, sensitive skin drew a high-pitched scream from your throat before catching you off guard and tickling the opposite side even harder, both watery-eyed from the uncontrollable laugher.

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding! You are! You are massive!”

You shouted loudly, palms pressed to his bare chest that was rising and falling from the dwindling laughter, curls tickling your skin as he kissed your neck softly, panting. Skin sweet from the shower you'd just taken without him, pout no longer lingering from that saga.

Daniel stifled a laugh against your ear at your proclamation, never tiring of hearing how satisfied you were with his attributes.

“I haven’t gotten any complaints so far in life so thank you for clearing that up, honey,” He sarcastically replied as you pushed him back gently, needing to get another peep at the speedos before they disappeared forever.

“They are so bloody tight, Daniel - that's why I can't stop giggling but I guess that's so everything doesn't fall out,” You reasoned, covering your blushing smile and trying not to laugh again. It was just too much, too early for you.

Daniel looked down, tugged on the waistband and glanced back up with a mischievous smirk, eyebrows wiggling as he closed the gap between the two of you again. You knew where this was going.

“Getting tighter by the second too, you know...”

Considering how tight the material was around his manhood to begin with, his voice was lot deeper than you expected in such constricting conditions. Between the seductive brown eyes practically undressing your partially clothed body and his hands roaming your waist again, reaching around to get a grip on your backside before hoisting you up on the counter, you were struggling to think of a reason to stop him.

Really, really struggling.

“Okay, big boy – simmer down. You have a press meeting in an hour so get out of the bathroom,” You ordered meekly, unconvincingly.

Daniel didn’t budge; his smirk flaring when he saw the devious glimmer in his eyes reflected back at him. He had you right where he wanted – fingertips tracing the bold 'of love and life' script inked on his clavicle forever, travelling south.

“I’m always fashionably late – you know this,” He taunted in response to your shallowed demands, peeking down and nudging forward between your thighs that he had spread with his strong hands, chuckling as he closed the inches separating you. Tantalisingly touching through thin material, breathlessly so.

“You are a walking fashion crime right now,” You retorted, pecking his puffy bottom lip and capturing the skin between your sharp teeth, assessing how far he was about to push you with limited time.

“Don’t test me, baby. Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

The gruffness in his voice strained his words as he whispered into your lips, the question tumbling down your throat along with your inaudible response. Every whine, every moan was muffled by the deep kiss he was pressing to your lips, tongues searching for one another amongst the desire that was burning within.

“We don’t have time for this,” You whispered and gently knocked Daniel back from between your thighs so you could hop down off the warm marbled counter. You were immediately met by a loud, 'noooo' protest from the man standing practically naked in front of you.

That was until you grabbed a fluffy white towel from the shelf behind him, chucked it on the ground and dropped to your knees with a smirk. You rested your palms on the sides of his muscular thighs, mind wandering until you remembered why you were down here, knees already tender but dulled by the ache between your own.

“I’m feeling particularly patriotic this morning – any idea why?”

Daniel shakily exhaled as your finger traced the white lines of the union jack, his eyes fluttering shut for a split second. He had finally realised what you meant – you didn’t have time for a quickie but the thought of having your warm lips wrapped around him had him throbbing in the tight polyester, large hand cupping your soft cheek as he gazed down into your matching lust-filled pupils.

“Want me to sing the national anthem while you suck me off?”

His crude question made you laugh as your eyes devoured what was being presented to you in a neatly sealed package. He was deliciously stiff when he sprung free, tip glistening – a whole goddamn meal served in red, white a blue. Nature’s gift.

"Go on then."

a//n – this is what you came for, right? 😂 just a little something to get my writing juices flowing again and to those new to the blog – hi! welcome to my mind lol x masterlist | askbox

[viandclintbarton-supremacy]

The Unkillable Lion (GN Wrestler Reader x Russio)

Warning: Mentions of blood, swearing and bad writing

W/N = Wrestler Name

Your heart beat was bumping, nerves settled in, its happening!!

You are going to walk out at Wembley Stadium for the match of your life. A match in your home country, the biggest ever and in front of a sold out crowd. But not infront of your family....It sucked. Not only was your family stuck in Australia but your sister and girlfriend lost the finals of the Women's World Cup and all you could do was call and text them since thier flights were delayed. You could physically be here for them. You sighed resuming your stretching

*Crowd roars*

You glanced at the backstage monitor the screen just showed the graphic of the next match

For the Newly reinstated NJPW Intercontinental Championship

NO HOLDS BARRED

"The Unkillable" W/N

VS

"The King" Minoru Suzuki (C)

Excalibur on the commentary team "Up next will The King Suzuki be knocked off his throne? Or will The Unkillable be Killed on their home soil"

Jim ross would respond "There is no doubt that this match with be a slobber knocker"

You smiled before feeling a hand on your shoulder, you turn to see Kenny Omega

Y/N:"Great match out there today Kenny" He smiled

Kenny:"Do I ever have a bad match" giving you a really look

F/N:"Fair Point"

Kenny:"This crowd is red hot, they are gonna have your back I'd say even against Suzuki. And i have ni doubt your family and gal are gonna be watching from Australia"

You looked at him with a determined smile "Thanks Ken"

"5 minutes F/N" You hear from the gorilla position.

"Now go show them what the Elite is all about " you smirked and winked before leaving to go tear the house down

"Calm down mum, F/N will be fine."

"Well you know what i am like Jorge"

"They are a Bronze they will survive anything, right Luc?" Jorge would turn to his sister who had a far away look in her eye. Jorge slightly frowned, the impact of losing the World Cup final was still being processed.

"Luc?" Lucy felt a nudge of a leg moving her leg, she looked to her side to see Keira "Jorge was saying Bronze's can survive anything, personally i think he is correct" Bronze smiled as she looked at the tv and starred at her sibling face. She felt so much pride seeing her sibling being apart of something so big and living their dream.

"Yeah they will survive, though knowing Y/N there will be blood"

"BLOOD!" the room would jump at the sound of Alessia Russo sudden outburst.

"Bloody hell Les!" Ella Toone would say placing her arm on her chest from being startled "Sorry i just didn't know, i don't even know what this match actually is. will their actually be blood" Alessia would say looking at Bronze with slight worry but also embarrassment. She felt bad as she still didn't understand Y/N's job fully. She hated watching them get hurt but to star bleeding???

"Well basically a No Holds Barred Match is anything goes. No count outs they can use any sort of weapon, go anywhere in the stadium." Lucy would say earing the attention of some of the lionesses who were also watching and those new to the sport. Since the flights were delayed, the group decide to have a massive hang out with the team and families "And yes Y/N has a history being busted open" Lucy would say with grimace on her face. Making Alessia more nervous and scared for Y/N.

Alessia met Y/N on her first match for the Senior England Team, Y/N was supporting their sister Lucy during the match and the duo would have a brief encounter but would greet each other everytime. One of the things Russio like about Y/N was they always greeted everyone and shook peoples hands. no matter if they were players, team's family's or staff. As a wrestler Y/N always showed respect and etiquette to everyone.

It wasnt until Alessia moved to London after signing for Arsenal, That their paths would cross at a gym from there the duo would grow closer. Everytime Y/N would go across the country or abroad, Alessia would miss the charming wrestler. And when Russio did the same Y/N would miss the clumsy but talented footballer.

It wasn't until a gym session 2 months ago after the duo both hadn't seen each other for nearly two months that one thing led to another that the duo would engage in a heated night of passion..........in the gym bathroom.........and then Y/N's Car......and then Y/N's bed. Basically a LOT of PASSION happened that night.

The duo would become an item, keeping it on the low and eventually would tell thier families tho both were SCARED TO FUCK to tell Lucy. Given the fact that the last time Lucy found out F/N had a partner.....well F/N doesn't know actually their partner just vanished, no sign of where they went but it smelt of Lucy's involvement.

When the duo announced to Lucy, it was a surprise as she seemed to beam with happiness seeing her teammate and her siblings together. She knew Russio well and trusted her and when Lucy embraced Russio, she would whisper "If anything happens to them, remember it's very easy for me to find you" Before hugging her sibling leaving Les gulping slightly before smiling nervously.

Alessia's worry grew she struggles to watch F/N wrestle, seeing them getting hurt and thrown around scared her. and now blood? She would be lying is she said she understood wrestling. She was snapped out of her trance by a hand on her shoulder "Les? They will be ok. this is their job" Alessia turned to the voice and smiled at her best friend Ella Toone. "She's right. They will fuck that guy up" Russio smiled at Mary Earps comment.

*Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne plays at Wembley"

The crowd roars as the lionesses and focus on the screen.

You hear the rumble of the crowd, you wanted for your cue to leave, you couldn't wait to leave and see the crowd and start the walk to the ring.

Lucy breathed out, feeling nervous for you as Les got excited

You started to walk down the Hallway, every step the view of the crowd getting more and more in view. As you step out the crowd cheered like maniac and wanted for you to remove your hood and ignite your pyro.

"Oh my god, the colour of their gear" Stanway pointed out. Gaining the attention of the lionesses "Its the same colour scheme as our away kit" The lionesses couldn't help but feel flattered at the gesture whilst the Bronze family were filled with pride

You removed the hood revealing your face and the pyro went off to loud cheers as you screamed and shouted to the fans to cheer. you felt the breeze against your skin as you stood there for the moment to take it all in. you looked out to the sea of people. Your fellow countrymen and fans that came to see you. Lucy watched with pride, She knew the feeling you had right now. whilst Les smiled at the cute reaction you showed You nodded as you began to walk down the ramp high fiving the fans and kids in the front row.

"A year ago a team of Lionesses walked onto the pitch of Wembley and played with pride and passion to become champions of Europe. One of those Lionesses was Lucy Bronze" Nigel McGuiness paused. The lionesses ears were listening at the commentator with smiles. they may have lost the finals but they did achieve greatness with winning the euros. As Lucy's name was mentioned

"Now a year later, W/N Bronze walks into the same Arena. With the goal to become champion like their sister. This isn't a try and fail for Y/N this is a must for them. They HAVE to walk out of Wembley champion" Les couldn't help but the amount of pressure you must be under, she didn't think of the story of his match and started to worry what if you did lose. She has lost the finals of the World Cup, she couldn't bear to see you lose too "They need to win, so when they walked down the streets, people will come up to then and say. 'Hey you are the NJPW Intercontinental Champ, W/N Bronze right?.' And Not 'oh isn't Lucy Bronze your sister.'"

The group would frown as you entered the ring. Did the commentator really say that. They thought it was harsh, but Lucy knew. She hated seeing you accomplish so much but still be referred as the other sibling. Alessia also knew she would see interviews of you and every time you were undermined and Lucy was brought up you can feel your energy switch.

As you made your way to the ring, the crowd's energy continued to surge and you couldn't help but feel the support from your home country. The cheers and chants were overwhelming and it motivated you even more for the match. You knew that this was a critical moment in your career, and you had to give it your all and you couldn't LOSE

The Lionesses and your family continued to watch with bated breath. Lucy felt the pride of being your sister and couldn't help but recall her own moments of glory at Wembley. She understood the immense pressure you were under, and her heart swelled with hope for your success. Alessia, on the other hand, was torn between her excitement for you and her deep concern. She wasn't familiar with wrestling and seeing you in a No Holds Barred match with the potential for blood made her uneasy. The support and reassurance of her friends helped ease her worries, but she couldn't help but feel a knot in her stomach.

"F/N started in the outskirts of Sunderland before heading to Japan, Joining the Faction Chaos by recommendation of Will Ospreay, there Y/N would win multiple tag titles and tournaments before betraying Okada and leaving Chaos and Joining the Bullet Club. A year later F/N would be kicked out of the BC with the Elite and headed to AEW. And now to Wembley. What a journey for this Youngblood" Jim Ross said as he praised you. the commentary about your journey and the pressure to succeed struck a chord with Lucy, Alessia and your Family. They knew how much this meant to you, not just as a wrestler but as an individual trying to step out of your sibling's shadow.

The atmosphere in Wembley Stadium shifted as "The King" Minoru Suzuki made his way to the ring. He was a legendary figure in the world of professional wrestling, known for his no-nonsense, hard-hitting style and a reputation as one of the toughest men in the business.

Suzuki's presence alone exuded an aura of intimidation. His face bore the scars of countless battles, and his cold, unflinching stare made it clear that he had no intention of relinquishing his Intercontinental Championship without a brutal fight.

You watched as he swaggered down the ramp. You prepared yourself mentally as you knew he was gonna try and murder you but you were prepared to fight no matter the cost

The crowd which had been firmly behind you, was now divided. Some cheered for the local hero, "The Unkillable" W/N Bronze, while others cheered to the reigning champion, Suzuki, Hoping that he would tear you apart. The air was electric with anticipation and you could feel the weight of the moment pressing upon you.

The referee checked both competitors for any concealed weapons, making it clear that in a No Holds Barred match, anything could and would happen. The tension in the ring was palpable as the official signaled for the match to begin.

You and Suzuki locked eyes and for a brief moment, He tilted his head before smiling like a maniac, You replied with a smirk. Both of you understood the magnitude of the battle about to take place.

So you decided to throw a chop to the Japanese legend. A loud smack can be heard as Suzuki was caught off guard before accepting the challenge "Come on then wanker" You say trying goad him

Then he did, You felt the chop ripple threw your body sending electricity throughout your body. The each delivering thunderous knife-edge chops to the other. The sound of flesh meeting flesh reverberated throughout the stadium, and the crowd's cheers and gasps grew louder with each strike. Your chest and Suzuki's were both bright red from the onslaught of chops, and neither of you showed any signs of backing down. It was a test of willpower, a battle of endurance, and the audience couldn't believe the spectacle they were witnessing.

"Why why are doing this" Alessia had her hands to her face, During the chop off. She hated seeing you het hit like this and hearing the sounds of the smack echoing around the area "Fucking hit hm F/N" But lucy on the other hand was invested and wanted you to slap the shit out of your opponent

But in a sudden turn of events, Suzuki let out a deep, guttural laugh, his sadistic grin never leaving his face.

"Oh shit" You regretted your challenge

*Chop*

The crowd's gasps turned into collective exclamations of shock and your friends and family watched as the chop sent you to the ground like a bag of potatoes. Alessia squealed as she turned into her father's direction who was laughing at his daughters reaction. "Jesus Christ" Lucy would hear from her brother as he held his child in his arms. Meanwhile you laid there as Suzuki was taunting you "I think my chest is caved in" You would say feeling like you got shot. This was gonna be a war.

Many moments would happen during the match, You power bombing Suzuki through a table, him hitting you with a chair, brawling in the crowed. It wasn't until you took a barbed wire bat to the head that cut you open above the eye. Your family gave a grim look whilst Alessia shrieked and hid her face in Ella's shirt. You looked dazed as the blood dripped down your face and you spat out the blood that fell into your mouth. It was a site that made the crowd stare at you. The match went almost 28 mins before you found yourself in a Gotch powerbomb set up as he went to lift you, You countered with a DDT just as Alessia peeked out

"Focking hell" Toone would say as Your family and lionesses cheered. Alessia heart filled with excitement and amazement. You fighting with such passion made her heart flutter

And then you hit a Bronze Maker (Flatliner) when he ran for you

"BRONZE MAKER!! CAN THAT BE THE MOVE OT MAKE BRONZE, A GOLD MAKER!!" Nigel would say on commentary

As you laid down you heard the chants for you and the rhythm of claps from 81.000 strong behind you. The whole stadium was alive for Y/N Bronze. You staggered up and saw Suzuki now bleeding from the head was on one knee you had to stop him so you ran and dropkicked him into the corner

Alessia was in a trance.

Seeing your chance and the adrenaline pumping jumped to the top rope top, The crowd rumbling they knew what was next after sticking your tongue out with dried blood over your face, you hit your iconic The moonsault stomp "HERE IT COMES"

The crowd popped sending a massive shockwave throughout the arena

"HOLY SHIT!" Mary Earps said in shock

"THAT WAS FUCKING SICK" Stanway said in a hyped voice

"I FELT THAT ONE" Hemp would say as she grimaced

"GO ON Y/N" Millie Bright said a pumped up attitude

"COME ON Y/N" Lucy calm demeanour changed as she couldn't keep still and fully stood up bouncy.

"Come on babygirl/babyboy" Alessia whispered to herself

You stood over the body of your Suzuki and grabbed both arms and brought him to his knees "COME ON KID, MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF AND ARCHIVE GREATNESS" Jim Ross adding more excitement and goosebumps with his words and passion

"NIGHT NIGHT MOTHERFUCKER" You shouted as you used the last of your strength to drive your knee into Suzuki's head.

"LION KILLER!!!!" Excalibur shouted on commentary. The crowd roared with passion, as it was like a button you hit on Suzuki's head to make them roar. The room of Lionesses watched on with anticipation

You fall on top of Suzuki and pin him. You hear the referee land on the canvas. And everyone counted with him

"ONE" the ref screamed along with the crowd

"TWO" The Bronze's, Alessia and the lionesses screamed

It felt like forever that you watched the hand come down but eventually

Lucy had goosebumps all over her body. Could it be, Will she finally see you achieve your dream

Alessia was on the break of tears. The art of wrestling, her love and proudness of you was beaming

Finally

"THREE!" Your heart stopped. The crowd roared, your family was in a mixture of tears and joy.

Lucy was hugging and shaking Keira around with joy. She was overwhelmed by seeing you achieve your dream. She saw you start from a underdog to a champion. This meant more to her then the World Cup.

Alessia was tearing up as Ella and Mary were teasing but also cheering. She now understood the moments wrestling made and how it made fans feel. And to see you in such a moment made her cry and celebrate with her friends and lucy

"HE/SHE DID IT, W/N HAS ACHIEVED IMMORTALITY AT WEMBLEY" Jim Ross shouted with passio

You layed there, you did it. You thought looking up to the sky with the open roof of Wembley in view, you don't know how long it took until you realized the ref standing over you with the belt. You slowly sat up onto your knees and held the title staring at it like a new born baby. You then shot up with pride ignoring the pain and held it above your head and the crowd roared once again. A image will for ever be in the minds for Fans's Lucy and Alessia.

As the celebrations went on Omega, The Young Bucks, Ibushi and Hangman came out and praised you as you were lifted onto the Buck's Shoulders. Ella nudging Alessia as she saw the jealous look on her face. But then music hit

"Woah hold on here" Jim Ross said as out of the entrance way came Will Ospreay and members of the United Empire "Its Ospreay, we saw him earlier tonight when he beat Jericho." Excaliber would say "So is the Aussie Open and Jeff Cobbs but that snake Don Callis and Takashita are alongside them." You looked confused as the young bucks set you down. Kenny, Ibushi and Hangman glared at Takeshita and Don Callis due to Earlier events.

As they entered the ring, The Golden Elite stood behind you and the United Empire behind Ospreay as the two of you had a face to face. The stadium rumbled at the sight. Making this a match they wanted. Don would step forward and in response so would Kenny. A action that made Don step back. Kenny was now to you right making it Osprey's left. Kenny glared at will, He still wasn't done with the aerial assassin. As a gesture of he wasn't finished he held up the finger triggers to Ospreay

The Lionesses were Intrigued by this situation. Alessia was annoyed that you didn't get a full celebration and wanted you to have your moment. but Lucy knew something was off by your stance.

And then

"OH MY GAWD!" Jim Ross shouted

"WHAT!! Nigel was flabbergasted

Alessia was wide eyed as most of the Lionesses. Lucy eyebrow raised in surprise

You just SuperKicked Kenny

The arena was stunned, The Golden Elite were frozen. The United Empire then rushed The Elite and started to dismantle them. As you and Ospreay starred at each other, A growing smirk came to both of your faces

"Oh don't tell me" Jim Ross would say kn commentary. You would then make the United Empire hand sign and hug will laughing. "Oh that son of a bitch!" You both grabbed Kenny as you set him up for Will's hidden blade.

You would laugh and stick your tongue out

"Oh you two are definitely related" Lucy would hear Hemp say to which Lucy shrugged smirking "It's a family thing" . Alessia however was shocked at your evil side and couldn't help but blush at the cockiness you were showing.

You then decided to lift Kenny on your shoulders and hit him with his own move. The One Winged Angel

You sat there laughing with Ospreay as your girlfriend blushed more

"Oooh you like when your playmate is a baddie" Mary bumped Alessia making her more embarrassed.

There you stood at Wembley. With your new wrestling family and champion

A few days later

"BABY!!" Alessia was caught off guard but welcomed you picking her up and holding her "I missed you so much" you placed her down and kissed her to which see kissed you back after a minute of tongue twirling of you would part for breathe. "I missed you" You said to your girlfriend. "I missed you too sweetheart"

You smiled with pride " I am so fucking proud of you babe" You said. She smiled sadly but then she cupped your cheeks "Not as proud as me champ" You smiled smugly "Well i am a talented bastard." Alessia fought back a laugh before looking down and biting her lip. You placed your finger on her chin lifting her to look at you. "Whats wrong pet" You gave her a cocky smile. Alessia loved it and knew what was happening. One of her teammates blabbed to you about her liking your bad side. She inches closer.

"THERES MY BOY/GIRL!" all of a sudden you felt yourself picked up into the arms of you sister Lucy. To which you hugged back. The two of you started to playfight "LETS GO CHAMP" Lucy would start saying. You haven't seen her this happy since the Euros. You couldn't help but be happy with Lucy's reaction to your win. Ever since you were a child you wanted her approval and recognition. She was the best sister ever. You notice people at the airport started to look at you and so did lucy. Alessia couldn't help but smile at the cute behaviour before her

"YEAH MY BROTHER/SISTER IS A CHAMPION AND WHAT!" Lucy shouted as she wrapped her arm around your shoulder and leading you away. You reached out your hand to Alessia who grabbed her stuff and your hand and walked with you "Seriously Y/N i am so proud of you bro" Lucy squeezed you closer as you rested you head on her shoulder for a sec "Thanks Lu. I am proud of you two. You were amazing throughout" She smiled sadly before cheering up "Thanks child" You rolled your eyes "That reminds me i got both of you Souvenirs from the show and Keira also" The girls smiled, Lucy was extra thankful as you mentioned her partner is was having a hard time with her injury.

The duo mentioned they got something for you two as you walked out of the airport not before a squeak came from Alessia after you gave a cheeky squeeze to her bum, showing off the cocky side once more leading to you and Lucy laughing at her flustered look

The End

this took so long, like 2 - 3 months. kept dropping in and out of it but i hope my Wrestling readers and woso readers enjoyed it. If you are a fan of both then consider yourself spoiled.

but this leads to a question would you like more wrestling x woso? let me know

and all feedback is welcome.

[arminreindl]

A Brief History of Flamingos

People wanted it so here it is, a brief rundown of flamingos throughout prehistory, which is essentially a brief summary of extinct flamingo species that I worked on for Wikipedia. Because of this, I'll stick to the two main famillies, the Palaeolodidae ("swimming flamingos") and Phoenicopteridae (true flamingos) and leave aside the misc. early forms we don't know are actually related or not.

Palaelodidae Palaelodids, occasionally referred to as "swimming flamingos" are an interesting and surprisingly long lasting group, containing 3 genera, 10 species and ranging from the Oligocene to the Pleistocene across all continents bar Africa and Antarctica.

The oldest palaelodid is Adelalopus hoogbutseliensis from the Early Oligocene of Belgium. Not much to be said other than that its name is an anagram of Palaelodus.

Palaelodus is the most widespread of the genera in the family, with the type species being Palaelodus ambiguus from the Oligocene and Miocene of Europe. I did actually make a whole post about the genus before here. Anyways, P. ambiguus is the best known species thanks to the ample material collected at Saint-Gérand-le-Puy, France. Remains were also found in Germany and maybe Brazil?

Brazil is interesting, because already by the Oligocene palaelodids were nearly cosmopolitan. Two other species, Palaelodus pledgei and Palaelodus wilsoni, have been recovered from the Oligocene to Miocene of Australia, half a world away from P. ambiguus. P. pledgei is the smallest known species of Palaelodus.

During the early Miocene we also get Palaelodus aotearoa, from New Zealand, and from the middle Miocene Palaelodus kurochkini from Mongolia. The later of the two may in fact be its own genus, but for now its deemed Palaelodus.

Generally, Palaelodus is less specialised than flamingos, though living in brackish waters and feeding on small aquatic insects, they didn't yet have the same suffisticated filter feeding bill as todays flamingos. Whats debated is how they moved. Some suggest wading, others diving and again others propose the idea that they may have been swimmers.

There is one more note on this group, which is that there are some remains assigned to P. wilsoni that appear to have been Pleistocene in age? Obviously this would be a massive deal, but it has also been suggested that this could be a new species given the time gap or a whole new genus. Still, palaelodid remains from the Pleistocene are still incredible. Palaelodus by Alphinyx and Tom Simpson

The last member of the Palaelodidae is Megapaloelodus. Yes they misspelled Palaelodus in the genus name. The definition of this form is kinda vague and mostly based on size, which is why there's so many issues around Megapaloelodus goliath. You see it was initially described based on its size, but when larger remains of Megapaloelodus were found it was transferred to that genus. However, all other Megapaloelodus species are from the Americas, so thats kinda odd, although of course not a dealbreaker. Still, future research might change things up here.

While Megapaloelodus goliath was contemporary and found at the same place as Palaelodus ambiguus, all others are found in Miocene to Pliocene deposits of America.

Megapaloelodus connectens is the type species and known from the Miocene of South Dakota and California.

Megapaloelodus peiranoi may be the basalmost species and was discovered in Miocene deposits of Argentina.

Finally, we got Megapaloelodus opsigonus from Oregon and possibly Baja California. As this is the youngest species, from the Pliocene, its name means "born in a later age".

Megapaloelodus by Joschua Knüppe (with Argentavis) and Scott Reid

Which actually wraps up palaelodids. Yeah the majority of studies are focused on palaelodids, no surprise given its the only one with really good remains. But based on said animal, its a fascinating group.

This means we can move on to true flamingos, members of the family Phoenicopteridae. I hope you like that name btw, because goddamn "Phoenico" is an overused prefix for these animals to a ridiculous degree. Even I struggled keeping up.

Just to set the stage, lets establish the modern flamingos, split into two to three genera. There is the Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor), the only extant member of its genus and native to Africa and Asia. There are two species of Phoenicoparrus, the Andean and Jame's flamingos (Phoenicoparrus andinus and Phoenicoparrus jamesi respectively), both endemic to South America. And then there's the three species of Phoenicopterus. The incredibly whidespread Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), the American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) and the Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis). As if the Greater and American flamingos didn't already have latin names way too similar, they were also synonyms for a while so thats fun when they get brought up in old papers.

Chart of living flamingos by Mr. Gharial

Anyways, lets reset to the Oligocene and do this semi-chronologically as before. And yes, Oligocene. Because contrary to what you might think, palaelodids, as we currently think of them as, aren't the ancestors to flamingos and more a really weird sister group that appeared from the same common ancestor aroundt he same time.

Thankfully, we get to start with something fun and not confusing, Harrisonavis croizeti. Another one I did actually cover in detail on Tumblr right here. The short of it is that Harrisonavis already bears the hallmarks of modern flamingos, possessing that classic curved bill and certainly doing some filter feeding already. And if you paid attention you might recognize where its from. Saint-Gérand-le-Puy, France. Yup, this guy coexisted with Palaelodus and Megapaloelodus. Must have been a fascinating place.

Harrisonavis and Palaelodus by Joschua Knüppe

Of course this being a well known form, we gotta follow it up with something bad. Elornis is, simply put, a mess. We aren't even super sure if its a flamingo or not and its history is convoluted. All we can say for sure is that it lived during the late Oligocene in France.

Like palaelodids, true flamingos seem to have dispersed rapidly, as our next entry managed to reach Australia by the late Oligocene. Phoeniconotius eyerensis, I repeat that one, PhoenicoNOTIUS (you see what I mean with things getting confusing?) is a genus from the Lake Eyre Basin of South Australia. It was a comparably robust animal, much more massive than other flamingos and perhaps more of a wader than a swimmer, staying away from deeper waters?

Same time same place we got Phoenicopterus novaehollandiae. PhoenicoPTERUS, as in the same genus as American and Greater flamingos. Now this guy sticks mostly to the same stuff as its relatives, thus differing clearly from Phoeniconotius.

Phoeniconotius (foreground), Phoenicopterus novaehollandiae (?, middle) and palaeolids (background) by Frank Knight, Phoeniconotius by Anne Musser

We can now move into the Miocene. We get a brief break from Phoenico names courtesy of Leakeyornis aethiopicus from Kenya. Tho its not super well preserved, its among the few fossil flamingos with known skull remains, so thats gotta count for something.

Skeletal by me, art by Joschua Knüppe

Also during the Miocene, we get the appearance of the genus Phoeniconaias (PhoenicoNAIAS) thanks to Phoeniconaias siamensis. A small species, only slightly larger than today's Lesser Flamingo, its remains are exclusively known from the Mae Long Reservoir in northern Thailand.

Fossil material of P. siamensis alongside a Lesser Flamingo via เบิร์ดโบราณ - Ancient bird on Facebook

And already we find ourselves in the Pliocene. Oh how time flies. Lets wrap up known fossil species of Phoeniconaias then while we're at it. Phoeniconaias proeses is a species from Australia. Unlike our friend from Thailand, this one is actually smaller than its modern relative. It also coexisted with two other flamingos. Fossils from the region have been assigned to the Greater Flamingo and one other form we'll cover next.

Xenorhynchopsis. Our last truly original name. Xenorhynchopsis minor is the older of the two, Pliocene in age and the species I just alluded to earlier. The genus then went on to continue into the Pleistocene via Xenorhynchopsis tibialis. Neither is especially well known and both had been named by de Vis, who while no doubt an important contributor to Australian paleontology also had plenty of flaws I'll discuss soon with my next post on mekosuchines. Anyways, Xenorhynchopsis has a cool name, a confusing history (they were described as storks) and likely died out when the inland waterways of Australia dried up.

Its all downhill from here folks. It's all PhoenicoPTERUS from now on and none of them are especially good. Lets rewind to the Pliocene to cover them properly.

We got Phoenicopterus floridanus from the early Pliocene of, who guessed it, Florida. It may have also inhabited North Carolina.

Phoenicopterus stocki, or Stock's Flamingo, lived during the middle Pliocene in Mexico. Tho not well described, we got juvenile remains too, young individuals that were not yet capable of flight.

Finally we got two Pleistocene species.

Phoenicopterus minutus from California, specifically Lake Manix. Lake Manix also yielded fossils tentatively assigned to the other Pleistocene fossil species.

Phoenicopterus copei. While fossils of P. minutus are currently exclusive to Lake Manix, P. copei was more widespread, ranging from Mexico in the south to Oregon in the north as well as California in the west and Florida in the east. Where it coexisted with other flamingos, like P. minutus and American flamingos, it would have been the larger species.

And thats it. All the fossil flamingos of the Palaelodidae and Phoenicopteridae. Alas, bird fossils preserve notoriously poorly and though stuff like the ends of tibiatarsi and tarsometatarsi are diagnostic, they aren't super helpful to making them sound interesting to the average joe. So sorry if this whole post is a little dry in spots.

[cartermagazine]

Today In History

John Hope Franklin, American historian and educator was born in Rentiesville, OK, on this date January 2, 1915.

Noted for his scholarly reappraisal of the American Civil War era and the importance of the black struggle in shaping modern American identity, John Hop Franklin helped fashion the legal brief that led to the historic Supreme Court decision outlawing public school segregation, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954).

Franklin has had a distinguished career as a historian and educator. He has served as professor at Fisk University, Saint Augustine's College (Raleigh, North Carolina), North Carolina Central University (Durham), and Howard University (Washington, D.C.). Subsequently, he chaired the Department of History at Brooklyn College and has been John Matthews Manly Distinguished Service Professor of History at the University of Chicago, James B. Duke Professor of History at Duke University, Fulbright Professor in Australia, and Pitt Professor of American History and Institutions at Cambridge University, England.

His many awards include the Jefferson Medal of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (1984), the Clarence Holte Literary Prize (1985), the Jefferson Medal of the American Philosophical Society, the National Endowment for Humanities Charles Frankel Award in (1993), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1995).

CARTER™ Magazine carter-mag.com #wherehistoryandhiphopmeet #historyandhiphop365 #cartermagazine #carter #johnhopefranklin #blackhistorymonth #blackhistory #history

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Wednesday SpaceTime 20240918 Series 27 Episode 113

Recent volcanism on discovered on the Moon

Scientists have discovered evidence of volcanism on the lunar surface as recently as 125 million years ago.

The Strange phenomena people will see at Moon's south pole

When astronauts return to the Moon’s surface as part of the Artemis 3 mission to the Lunar south pole, they’ll experience a very different environment to that which the Apollo astronauts witnessed more than half a century ago.

A new crew arrives at the International Space Station

The Russian Soyuz MS-26 capsule has successfully docked with the International Space station just three hours after its launch aboard a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in in the central Asian republic of Kazakhstan.

The Science Report

Study shows up to 19% of dementia cases could be linked to vision problems.

Over 52 million tonnes of plastic dumped into the environment every year.

The growing amount of incorrect AI generated data being generated.

Alex on Tech: are the new iPhone 16s worth it? 

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

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SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. Gary’s radio career stretches back some 34 years including 26 at the ABC. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. He was part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and became one of its first on air presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

[lionheartlr]

Discovering Bulgaria: A Comprehensive Travel Guide

Nestled in Southeast Europe, Bulgaria is a gem that offers a rich blend of history, culture, and natural beauty. From ancient ruins and stunning landscapes to vibrant cities and delicious cuisine, Bulgaria has something for every traveler. This guide will provide you with everything you need to know for an unforgettable trip to this enchanting country. A Brief History of Bulgaria Bulgaria’s…

[anarchistfrogposting]

Hey just wanted to quickly ask if you could maybe explain what settler colonialism is, I'm a bit confused by the term because it seems like it doesn't really apply anymore in places like the US. There aren't really colonies, but fully developed capitalist states that oppress both the people who were originally colonized as well as the working class there.

Colonialism is an aspect of imperialism which focuses on an imperialist state (most obvious examples of this are Britain and France, for example) extracting natural resources from conquered/bought/stolen land abroad, wherein the country that forms the core of said colonial empire takes those resources and uses them to develop their own industries and thereupon its productive capabilities. Many places in Africa experienced considerable colonial oppression, but comparatively little settler-colonial oppression (although I will be clear; there were and are many large-scale settler colonial operations that aimed and some to support and protect European hegemony over Africa).

Settler colonialism is a specific form of colonialism wherein settlers from the imperial core travel to and form significant communities within colonial nations, stealing land from and displacing the local, native populace and replacing it with the native population of the imperial power. These projects inevitably and necessarily involve attempts to wipe out native culture and heritage and replace them with a new settler identity. Prominent examples of this can be seen in former colonies of the British empire; the US, Canada and Australia, e.g., but settler colonialism is a critical aspect of the success of colonial projects; the impacts thereof can be seen in a huge way in Latin America, India, all across Africa (prominently Algeria), and Oceania. In all the aforementioned native populations were displaced and their culture and identity intentionally erased.

Israel is certainly a settler colony, but it stands out as having a somewhat unique background and history. If you are interested in what I mean by this, I’d recommend you to watch this video by crash course (now quite old), which seems to do a decent job of quickly providing a brief overview.

Without significant decolonisation efforts, many of these places are, in a sense, still settler colonies. America will arguably always be a settler colony, but notably still colonises Native Americans in its borders. As does Canada. You could argue that these are postcolonial nations, but I feel that obscures the fact that many of these nations still actively engage in colonialism.

The line between colonialism and not colonialism, I would posit, is not a matter of development but a matter of policy and direction.

There are many many people far more qualified to talk about colonialism and settler colonialism than me, a white person from the UK, but I hope this helps. If you’re interested in exploring black and anti-colonialist anarchism, I would recommend Andrewism on YouTube, and would look into Angela Davis, who, along with being a prison abolitionist has also written extensively on colonialism.

[phantomoftheorpheum]

can i ask you to ramble about the artful dodger please?? your gifset is sooo pretty so im curious what its about!

Oh my God, have you come to the right place. There is nothing I would love to do more rn. Okay, so-

The Artful Dodger is basically (pretentious film & tv people are gonna absolutely despise this description) a post-canon/slightly canon divergent fanfiction set in the world of Dickens' Oliver Twist, following Jack Dawkins (The Artful Dodger) 15 years after the events of Oliver Twist.

So, quick recap of Oliver Twist (spoilers, obviously) for anyone who isn't familiar with that story- Oliver is this little orphan kid in England in the 18(30/40s?) << I don't believe the exact date is stated, but it was seemingly contemporary to when Dickens wrote it, which was 1837-1839. Oliver runs away from an orphanage to London and ends up meeting Jack (The Artful Dodger, AKA "Dodger" or "Dodge"), a street kid in London who takes him in. Jack is known as The Artful Dodger because he is particularly talented at pickpocketing/thieving, which is what he and the other kids he lives with do to survive. They are all "looked after" by a character called Fagin, who is basically using this child gang to support himself and his greed (listen, we can talk about Fagin's character in the show vs the books at some point if you want, but I want to keep this section brief), and Jack is the favorite because he is the best. Anyway, stuff happens, Oliver ends up having a long lost inheritance and gets to live a life of wealth, Jack is caught pickpocketing and sent to Australia (at that time a penal colony), Fagin is arrested and hanged.

*This post is relatively spoiler free for the show, but not 100%, since it's impossible to talk about without discussing character's actions, personalities, relationships, etc. However I'm doing my best to avoid any major spoiler plot points.

This show, The Artful Dodger (Hulu/Disney+) picks up 15 years later, with a few small alterations to the Oliver Twist ending. In the canon of this show, Jack was arrested for pickpocketing, but escaped prison, joined the navy, and was taught to be a surgeon. After his time in the navy, he now lives in Australia and is a doctor in a town called Port Victory, but seeing as he is also an escaped convict, he would be hanged if his past were discovered. Fagin (who dies in the original version of Oliver Twist) was spared by Oliver, and has now been sent to Port Victory as a convict. Obviously this will be a problem for Jack, who is hiding his past.

SO, with that out of the way, the premise of the show is basically this-

Jack is now a surgeon trying to live a lawful life, which is disrupted when Fagin arrives in Port Victory and threatens to expose his past and attempts to draw him back into a life of crime. Simultaneously, Jack meets Belle (totally OC for this show), the governor's daughter, who wants to be a surgeon and is willing to go to extreme lengths to get there. Unsurprisingly, Jack and Belle (who are both pretty stubborn and sassy personalities) clash in many ways, but also share common passion & interests, and thus the stage is set for the show.

So you've got two key dynamics to the show- Jack & Fagin, who have a long history (Fagin often tries to claim to be a father figure in Jack's life, which Jack rejects, as Fagin abandoned Jack when he was arrested in order to save himself) and different priorities/agendas, and Jack & Belle, who have just met, and are still trying to figure each other out. They are of very different pasts, class, mindsets/life philosophies, and this dynamic provides a lot of tension/humor/emotion (if your ask is talking about the gifset that I think, then you already know a bit about where this leads).

The show has elements of comedy, adventure, crime, romance, medical drama, etc. There are additional side plots/characters, but Belle, Jack, and Fagin are at the center of it. It's a lot of fun and only 8 eps, so I definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested! TW: blood/surgery shown on screen quite often.

Anyway, on a personal note, this show feels like it was made for me. I had this absolute obsession with The Artful Dodger character as a child; he's one of the first characters I was ever super emotionally attached to, and led to me wanting to write. For this reason, I paid to have an Artful Dodger tattoo designed while I was in college (though I have not gotten it yet, as it's part of a bigger piece that I'm still mentally workshopping) like as a reminder of why I love telling stories. So I was incredibly nervous for this show, since it was touching a character who has been fundamental to my own creative passions, so I am happy to report that it exceeded my expectations. It probably helps that I've been part of the fanfic community for a long time, so seeing "alternate" versions of characters I'm familiar with doesn't faze me too much, and I think all the actors did a great job with their performances/characters.

So if you're still here at the end of my ramblings and you think that the show sounds like a fun time, definitely check it out! I'd be willing to do a more spoilery version of one of these at some point, but I didn't want to get into heavy spoilers in a introductory post.

Thanks for asking!! <33

[justforbooks]

Dr Michael Mosley

Popular celebrity medic who offered health advice to millions through his TV and radio roles, most notably on fasting

Dr Michael Mosley, who has died aged 67 on the Greek island of Symi, explored health and fitness issues of interest to big audiences. He was a versatile communicator, whether as a television diet guru, newspaper columnist or podcaster.

He became a household name for diet books promoting calorie reduction and fasting, including The Fast Diet (2013), written with the journalist Mimi Spencer. His work gained in popularity from his self-experimentation, which included swallowing tapeworms, magic mushrooms, internal cameras and – most famously – fasting to cure his own type 2 diabetes, diagnosed in 2012. He became a well known TV and radio celebrity medic, regularly appearing on The One Show for the BBC and This Morning for ITV. On BBC Radio 4’s Just One Thing podcast he offered health tips to the nation, from the benefits of daily spoonfuls of olive oil to the usefulness of the plank position.

Yet his own medical career was brief. Mosley, who studied philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at New College, Oxford, trained in medicine at the Royal Free hospital, north London, after two years of working as a banker. He wanted to become a psychiatrist, saying that he found people more interesting than finance, but was disappointed to find that “there were severe limitations to what you could do”, he told the British Medical Journal in 2004.

He opted instead to exert influence through the medium of television, joining the BBC training scheme as an assistant producer in 1985, and going on to produce documentaries based mostly in science, mathematics and history.

His most glorious moment arguably came with the Horizon programme Ulcer Wars, which he made in 1994 about the work of Barry Marshall of the University of Western Australia, who was convinced that the bacteria he had identified called Helicobacter pylori was responsible for most gastric cancers and ulcers.

The story appealed to Mosley and inspired his own self-experimentation: Marshall had drunk a solution of H pylori from a beaker in the 1980s and his stomach had been colonised by the bacteria, which disappeared when he took antibiotics.

Marshall was right and later, with his colleague Robin Warren, won a Nobel prize. Mosley received more than 20,000 letters from people cured of their ulcer pain by antibiotics. The film brought him awards. “I probably did, in a funny way, more good with that one programme than if I had stayed in medicine for 30 years,” said Mosley in the BMJ.

In 2002, Mosley was nominated for an Emmy as executive producer on the documentary featuring John Cleese, The Human Face. In 2013, he began to host the series Trust Me, I’m a Doctor for the BBC. His most recent TV series were for Channel 4: Who Made Britain Fat? (2022) and Secrets of Your Big Shop (2024).

The Fast Diet book, which launched the 5:2 diet, also came out of a Horizon documentary. Eat, Fast and Live Longer (2012) was inspired by Mosley’s own diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, which is linked to excess weight. The disease ran in the family. His father, Bill, had died of the complications at the age of 74. Mosley came across the American neuroscientist Mark Mattson’s work on intermittent fasting, and adopted the pattern he advocated of normal eating for five days and consumption of just 500-600 calories on the other two.

He claimed to have lost 20lbs and reversed his own type 2 diabetes. Mattson appeared in the documentary, which is credited with popularising the 5:2 diet. In 2021, Mosley published The Fast 800 Keto, which combines fasting with a ketogenic diet, high in fat and low in carbohydrates, but in its later stages allows carbohydrates back in.

Mosley’s diet work was controversial because of its focus on calorie reduction to lose weight. In 2021, the eating disorder charity Beat said of his Channel 4 series Lose a Stone in 21 Days that “the programme caused enough stress and anxiety to our beneficiaries that we extended our helpline hours to support anyone affected and received 51% more contact during that time”.

He said he had suffered from chronic insomnia from his late 30s. That became the subject of another BBC documentary and also a book published in 2019, called Fast Asleep.

Born in Calcutta (Kolkata), India, Michael was the son of a banker, Bill Mosley, and his wife, Joan. At the age of seven he was sent to boarding school in Britain. Mosley said in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald that his mother was heartbroken to send him away to school, but that his father worked in Hong Kong and the Philippines, wanted Michael and his other son, John, to become bankers as he had, and that sending children to boarding school back in Britain was part of the culture of that time.

His maternal grandfather was an Anglican bishop. Mosley said he came from a long line of missionaries, but “the closest I get to religion is incorporating fasting in my diet”.

Mosley met Clare Bailey at the Royal Free hospital medical school, now part of UCL medical school, and they married in 1987. Bailey, who became a GP, was an active partner in Mosley’s dietary work and wrote recipe books for people embarking on the Fast 800 diet as well as newspaper columns in her own right. She told interviewers that she did not fast, because she had never needed to lose weight, and that she would hide chocolate from Mosley, who had a sweet tooth.

She survives him, along with their three sons, Alex, Jack and Daniel, and a daughter, Kate.

🔔 Michael Mosley, doctor, writer and broadcaster, born 22 March 1957; found dead 9 June 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[thewitcheslibrary]

Brief history of wicca

A brief history:

Gerald Gardner, an English civil servant, novelist, and magician, is credited with establishing the religion that would become known as Wicca. Gardner, born in 1884, travelled much as a child and developed an interest in anthropology, archaeology, folklore, and, finally, spiritualism and other esoteric issues. He belonged to a number of groups and associations relating to his hobbies, including the Rosicrucian Order, which he joined in 1939. Gardner met other acquaintances who were members of an even more hidden inner group, and they confessed to him that they were a witch coven. He was inducted into the coven in September of that year.

Several years prior, in the early 1920s, a popular hypothesis circulated in anthropological circles about an old pagan religion that had been largely eradicated by Christianity but was still practiced in secret enclaves across Western Europe. Margaret Murray, the anthropologist who pushed the thesis, referred to the religion as a "Witch-cult," claiming that the remaining practitioners were organised into 13-member covens. When Gardner encountered the New Forest group, he knew they were one of the last vestiges of this old pre-Christian religion, and he intended to help assure the Witch-cult's survival into the twentieth century.

Throughout the 1940s, Gardner remained interested in a variety of religious and spiritual traditions and concepts, but his encounters with the New Forest coven had a profound influence. He eventually formed his own coven, Bricket Wood, and began to create a new incarnation of the ancient Witch-cult, drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, including the New Forest coveners, elements of Freemasonry and ceremonial magic, and the work of other occult figures such as Aleister Crowley and Cecil Williamson. Gardner's primary innovation eventually became one of Wicca's most fundamental elements: the worship of a Goddess and a God who were equal in every aspect. This was very unusual after millennia of male-dominated, patriarchal faiths!

Gardner never referred to his relatively young religion as "Wicca." He did occasionally refer to his coven members as "the Wica," an Old English name for sorcerers and diviners. However, the tradition was usually referred to as Witchcraft, or "the Craft," or "the Old Religion." It didn't become recognised as Wicca until at least a decade later, when it expanded to the United States and Australia.

By then, Gardner's disciples and other occultists had produced new versions on his idea, some of which bear little resemblance to the original Bricket Wood coven. In reality, many people in the UK who continue to practise Gardner's rituals as they have been passed down from covener to covener refer to it as British Traditional Witchcraft. These Witches see "Wicca" as something altogether distinct, often referring to it as an American creation. Gardnerian Wicca is the name given to the original version of Wicca in other parts of the world.

Although Gardner is regarded as the founder of the contemporary Witchcraft movement and was undoubtedly one of its most vocal public supporters, he clearly did not do it alone. Indeed, there are several notable personalities throughout Wicca's history. Many of his friends and colleagues participated in the partnership, including Patricia Crowther, Lois Bourne, and Doreen Valiente, as well as mid-century occultists Robert Cochrane and Raymond Buckland. Indeed, the complete history of Wicca and its growth may fill books, but the entire narrative would most likely never be recounted!

Furthermore, Gardner and others took inspiration from information, beliefs, and practices produced by various previous organisations dating back to the British occult resurgence of the late nineteenth century, and even earlier, to the thirteenth century. And those Middle Age occultists did, in fact, deal with ideas and materials from ancient civilizations.

So, even though no evidence for Murray's Witch-cult theory has ever been discovered, and no unbroken tradition of occult practice dating back to antiquity appears to exist, it is possible to argue that there was some kind of spiritual "lineage"—perhaps an eternal divine essence—strong enough to survive centuries of Christian dominance and reappear in modern times. Whatever the case, for individuals who practise Wicca, the experience is really timeless.

[spaceintruderdetector]

Mount Kailash in Asia, the Black Hills in North America, Uluru in Australia: around the globe there are numerous mountains that have been and continue to be attributed sacredness. Worship of these mountains involves prayer, meditation and pilgrimage. Christianity, which for a long time showed little interest in nature, provides a foil to these practices and was one factor in the tensions that arose in the age of colonialism. Decolonisation and the 'ecological turn' changed the religious power of interpretation and gave discourses about sacred mountains new meaning. 

Mount Sacred - A Brief Global History of Holy Mountains Since 1500 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive