The Writer's Corner

I was recently interviewed by Playwright and Screenwriter Ryan Sprague for his site, The Writer's Corner.

Ryan's based in New York City and has some pretty exciting projects in the works.  I'm especially looking forward to his film "Reach" currently in pre-production.

Drop by his site and check out my interview, and while you're at it, take a glance at some of the other interviews he's done with writers from several different corners of the creative world.

http://www.ryandsprague.com/2/post/2013/04/david-weatherly-author-of-the-black-eyed-children.html

Return to Coast to Coast AM

On Friday, April 12th, I had the pleasure of making a return appearance on Coast to Coast AM.  I joined George Noory for the top two hours of the show to discuss Black Eyed Children as well as accounts of Black Eyed Adults. 

The show is available in the archives section of the C2C Website:

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2013/04/12

Nazca Lines Damaged

Peruvian news daily, El Comercio, has reported damage to a group of lines on the Nazaca plateau.
According to the daily, heavy machinery owned by a firm removing limestone from the area is responsible for the damage.  The company claims that the plant is on private property and that the owners have a right to carry out their operations.
Eduardo Herran Gomez de la Torre, director of research at Ojos de Condor says the damage in the area is extensive:  "We have witnessed the irreparable destruction to a set of lines and trapezoids that existed in the area."
Commenting on the company's claims of land rights, Herran was quoted as saying: "The limestone firm responsible has not been sanctioned or supervised by the authorities of the Regional Directorate of Culture of Ica, despite being in this great archeological reserve."

The Nazca lines consist of hundreds of geometric shapes and simple lines.  The lines also contain over seventy zoomorphic shapes of creatures including, spiders, hummingbirds, lizards, fish and even a monkey.  The largest of the shapes is over 660 feet across.  The lines were created by removing the reddish pebbles from the land's surface, revealing the light gray dirt below.  
The lines are located on an arid, coastal plain south of Lima, Peru.  The plateau stretches more than fifty miles between the towns of Nazca and Palpa.  Much controversy surrounds the origins and purpose of the Nazca lines.  Some scientist believe the lines are related to water rituals, or perhaps, as directional lines to indicate water sources.  Other theories propose that the lines are a form of Archeoastronomy used to track astronomical movements in ancient times.

Nazca was made famous in the field of Ancient Astronaut studies by researcher Erich Von Daniken, author of Chariots of the Gods.  Von Daniken suggested that the lines were a result of technology beyond the scope of the native peoples of the region.  He postulated that the lines were actually some type of "ancient runway", visible from space and created as a guide for extraterrestrial visitors.

The Nazca lines were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.  They have been under threat for some time and face major conservation challenges.  In 2012, they were added to the World Monuments Fund's watch list of cultural heritage sites at risk.  The lines face danger from looters, mining operations, unregulated tourism and even changing weather patterns.  They are considered an important site to the world as well as a significant tourist destination.  The government of Peru has had a difficult time keeping the site safe and it is clear that new steps must be taken to preserve this valuable, historical location.

Rising Activity on the Ring of Fire

The Ring of Fire lies in the Pacific Ocean, a horseshoe shaped volcanic arc deep in the ocean.

In recent months, activity on the ring has increased setting off earthquakes and disturbances all along its extensive course. Some scientists believe that increased activity on the ring could be a warning of something much more massive to come.

Learn more in my new article for this month's Politics, Prophecy & the Supernatural, available at:

http://www.lamarzulli.net/news_magazine.htm

Giant Spider Discovered

A new, giant tarantula has been discovered in a remote area of Northern Sri Lanka. With a leg span of eight inches the spider is large enough to cover an average human face.

The ornately marked spider is part of the family of ‘tiger spiders’ indigenous to India and Sri Lanka. Tiger spiders are known for their colorful markings and speed. They are venomous spiders related to a class of South American tarantulas that includes the Goliath bird eater, the world’s largest known spider. Tiger spiders live on birds, snakes and rodents, catching them with their shear speed and of course, the use of venom.

Tiger spiders are usually found in tree hollows and among rocks. In forest areas, during monsoon season, they often move into human dwellings.

During the recent expedition, the spiders were found in trees and in the old doctor’s quarters of a hospital in Mankulam. Scientist Ranil Nanayakkara, part of the research team that found the tarantula, reports:

“Days of extensive searching in every tree hole and bark peel were rewarded with a female and, to our, satisfaction several juveniles too.”

The spider was actually first noticed in 2009 during a survey of Sri Lankan arachnids. Some villagers killed one of the spiders and brought it to the research group. Ranil Nanayakkara studied the dead male spider carefully and determined that it had significant differences from similar tarantulas, enough to establish it as a new species.
With the help of locals, the research team found enough spiders to gather a detailed description of the species

 The new tarantula has been dubbed “Poecilotheria rajaei” after a local police inspector who helped scientist locate the spider. The primary differences noted on this tarantula are leg markings that include yellow and gray inlays and geometric patterns. The creature also has a pink abdominal band.
The spider is in the class “Poecilotheria”, of which about fifteen species have been identified. Several of them are endangered mostly because of loss of habitat and a couple are even listed as critically endangered.

“They are quite rare. They prefer well established old trees but due to deforestation the number has dwindled and due to lack of suitable habitat they enter old buildings.” Nanayakkara reports.