Wraithfodder's Lair

Just miscellaneous stuff gleamed from the web...

1) Apparently vigorous plant growth near a volcano can indicate where magma may spurt. So if you live on a volcano's slope and have three foot high dandelions, guess it's time to move...

2) Sad fact: Thousands of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan may be risking permanent brain damage by returning to combat with relatively minor but undiagnosed concussions, often caused by bomb blasts, military researchers say. Read more at

3) A Swedish woman discovered that the slight loss of hearing in one ear wasn't from buildup of wax, but because a spider had moved in. When she heard a "scratching sound," she got something to rinse out her ear. Out came the spider. The spider had taken up its non-rent status for 27 days! Eeeuuuuu....

4) The humble sea lily, which everybody always thought was rooted to the floor, in fact was caught in video footage creeping away. Shades of Day of the Triffids! They can travel at the amazing speed of 3 to 4 centimetres a second.

5) See, see, Didn't I warn you? ;) Yes, according to a CNN report, sweltering temps across Europe have brought a plague of jellyfish to Spain's eastern seashores. The Red Cross has treated more than 10,000 jellyfish stings this summer so far in the eastern region of Catalonia, a spokesman for the organization said. Meanwhile, in a more ominous note, the http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5197846.stm reports that "A nuclear power plant in Japan was forced to lower the output of its reactors after jellyfish blocked a filter in a seawater cooling system. Power from two reactors at Chubu Electric Power Co's plant in Hamaoka had to be reduced after the water intake system shut down automatically. Workers removed the jellyfish mass and output later returned to normal. Output for the two reactors was reduced to between 60 and 70% of capacity for about three hours, the company said."

And that's it for odd but real news while I wait for the double play of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis tonight :)