Israeli archeologists could win prestigious award over 2nd Temple-era find

Israel is among the five candidate countries for the prestigious annual International Archaeological Discovery Award “Khaled al-Asaad” for an excavation conducted in the Western Wall Tunnels in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Tuesday.

A dig headed by Israeli archeologists Barak Monnickendam-Givon and Tehila Sadiel discovered a hidden underground complex that experts think was used by the Jews to prepare for religious services during the Second Temple period before it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

Sadiel added that various subjects were also discovered in the rooms. “We found terracotta crockery, some bases of an oil lamp used to make light, a stone cup exceptional for the period and a fragment of qalal, [which is] a large stone container used for water, perhaps linked to the Jewish practices of the purification ritual”. Source: Israel Hayom

The Queering of Kids TV: 259 LGBTQ Characters in Children’s Animation as Producers Actively Push Agenda

A new report reveals LGBTQ producers are actively working behind the scenes in children’s programming to push LGBTQ characters and storylines in animated cartoons to target young eyes and minds with their agenda.

The Insider reports transgender and nonbinary characters are increasingly being represented within animated kids’ shows. At present, the website found 259 LGBTQ characters in children’s animation, or 5% when compared to cisgender characters who make up 49%.

One example of the recent rise in LGBTQ characters within animated programs is the series Double Trouble, which includes several new characters who are identified as nonbinary, trans, and other gender minorities.  Source: CBN News

 

Iran clock counting down to Israeli destruction halts amid power cuts

A clock in Iran that counts down to the destruction of the State of Israel has reportedly ceased working after power cuts sweep through the nation.

According to former Al-Monitor journalist Asaad Hanna, the “countdown to Israel’s annihilation clock” stopped displaying following a power outage. Source: Times of Israel

Biden: Door to Door Vaccination Outreach Plan

“We need to go community-by-community, neighborhood-by-neighborhood, and oft times door-to-door, literally knocking on doors” to get people vaccinated, President Joe Biden said.

What would you say if they knocked on your door?

Facebook’s warning users of ‘harmful, extremist content’

Facebook users on Thursday began noticing a new pop-up warning that asks some whether they know anybody who could be “becoming an extremist.”

“Are you concerned that someone you know is becoming an extremist?” the warning asks. “We care about preventing extremism on Facebook. Others in your situation have received confidential support.”

The warning includes a clickable option to “get support” but does not provide a definition of an extremist or extremist behavior. — Source: Just the News

Jurassic Park Coming Soon? Scientists Are Trying to Revive Woolly Mammoths With CRISPR

Wrapped up in that potential is the ability to bring extinct species back from the dead. As CRISPR allows scientists to splice individual genes that program for specific characteristics into the genome of living species, it could be used to create new, hybrid animals that exhibit at least some of the physical and behavioral traits of their extinct brethren.

One such species that has been brought into the CRISPR spotlight in recent years is the woolly mammoth. The Woolly Mammoth Project is one of several ambitious plans under the direction of Revive & Restore, a California-based non-profit organization co-founded by the long-time environmentalist Stewart Brand, with the goal of enriching biodiversity by genetically rescuing endangered and extinct species. How exactly might scientists achieve it in the case of the mammoth?

“First, you need to sequence a prehistoric mammoth,” explained journalist Ben Mezrich in a 2017 interview with National Geographic.  Source: Interesting Engineering