MaryAnn Bernal's Blog, page 291

FREE KINDLE PROMO April 19 to April 22th for Everville The City of Worms

FREE KINDLE PROMO April 19 to April 22th for Everville The City of Worms [InD'Tale Magazine's Creme de la Cover March Winner]

 College freshman Owen Sage has just started to understand the darkness trying to overtake Everville and the earthly realm. With the help of The Keeper and the Fron army, Owen has managed to buy some time, but new problems have already emerged, new secrets need to be revealed, and the race against time to stop Them from conquering both dimensions has only just begun. The Keeper, Owen Sage, and his friends at Easton Falls University must now battle threats from within. To do it, they must reunite with familiar creatures and join forces with new ones as they navigate their journey to the truth that awaits them in Everville. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EQZ5T2E

History Trivia - Viking raiders kill Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury

April 19

 607 Comet Halley approached within 0.0898 AUs of Earth.

 1012 Viking raiders killed Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury before being bought off with a huge bribe.

1054 Pope Leo IX died.  He was able to transform the papacy from a local power in Rome to a major influence in Europe.

The Phil Naessens Show: San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat & Oklahoma City Thunder Playoff Previews

  On today’s Phil Naessens Show J.R. Wilco joins Phil to preview the San Antonio Spurs first round playoff matchup with the Dallas Mavericks, David Ramil joins Phil to preview the Miami Heat’s first round playoff matchup with the Charlotte Bobcats and J.A. Sherman joins Phil to preview the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first round matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies.  http://phillipnaessens.wordpress.com/2014/04/18/the-phil-naessens-show-san-antonio-spurs-miami-heat-oklahoma-city-thunder-playoff-previews/

History Trivia - First stone laid in St. Peter's Basilica

April 18

310 St Eusebius began his reign as Catholic Pope.

387 Bishop Ambrosius of Milan baptized Augustinus who was a Latin philosopher and theologian from Roman Africa. His writings were very influential in the development of Western Christianity.

1480 Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI, and sister to Cesare Borgia, was born. 1

506 First stone laid in St. Peter's Basilica and was completed in 1615.

500-Million-Year-Old Embryos Fossilized in Rare Find

A Cambrian embryo fossil exposed by acid etching on rock. The polygonal pattern suggests that the embryo was in the multicellular blastula stage of development.
Credit: Broce et al


By Stephanie Pappas, Senior Writer

Tiny, spherical fossils found in southern China appear to be the embryos of a previously unknown animal.
The fossils come from the Cambrian, a period dating from 540 million to 485 million years ago and known for an explosion of diversity. Some of the organisms that appeared during the Cambrian, such as the bug-like trilobite, had exoskeletons and other hard parts that fossilized nicely. Others, including sponges and worms, were made of soft tissue that rarely preserves.
Researchers Jesse Broce of Virginia Tech, James Schiffbauer of the University of Missouri and their colleagues were searching for these rare soft-tissue fossils in limestone from the Hubei province of southern China when they found something even more rare: tiny spheres, including some with polygonal patterns on their surfaces. These itsy-bitsy fossils are most likely fossilized embryos, the researchers report in the March issue of the Journal of Paleontology. The fossils come from the third stage of the Cambrian, dating back to around 521 million to 541 million years ago.

"We found over 140 spherically shaped fossils, some of which include features that are reminiscent of division-stage embryos, essentially frozen in time," Schiffbauer said in a statement.
The researchers began their investigation by attempting to dissolve fossils out of the limestone from China's Shuijingtuo formation with acid, but that method seriously damaged or destroyed the spherical fossils. Researchers then hand-chiseled the rock into millimeter- or centimeter-sized chunks, exposing the fossil surfaces manually.
[image error] Soft-tissue fossils from the Ediacaran period, the last period before the Cambrian. These fossils come from the Mackenzie Mountains of Canada.
Credit: Broce, et alView full size imageFrom there, the researchers investigated the spheres with a variety of techniques, including slicing them into thin sections, which can be viewed under a microscope. The scientists also imaged the fossils with X-ray and scanning electron microscopy and X-ray techniques.
The results showed specimens with a phosphate-rich envelope surrounding a ball of calcite. (The organic compounds that once made up the embryos have long since mineralized.) Some of the spheres had polygonal patterns that look very similar to those seen on fossilized embryos from Markuelia, a Cambrian worm-like creature. The researchers believe that these specimens are blastulas, which are an early, multicellular stage of embryonic development.
It remains a mystery what these embryos would have grown up to become. Fossilized embryos from a variety of species pop up occasionally in the fossil record, from a 380-million-year old fish with an embryo still in her belly to dinosaur embryos still curled up inside their eggs.
http://www.livescience.com/44828-cambrian-embryo-fossils.html

Roman Shipwreck Raised After 2,000 Years

Dive to the bottom of France's Rhône River, and experience the recovery of a sunken Roman boat that remains virtually intact after 2,000 years in the mud.

Siberian Mummies in Copper Masks Pose Mystery

by
Rossella Lor
Russian archaeologists have resumed excavations in a remote site near the Arctic Circle in the attempt to understand a perplexing find of medieval mummies clad in copper masks.
Roughly 1,000 years old, the mummies were found during a series of excavations that started in 1997 in a Siberian necropolis near the village of Zeleniy Yar, at the base of a peninsula local people called "the end of the Earth."
The archaeologists found 34 shallow graves with seven male adults, three male infants, and one female child wearing a copper mask. Buried with a hoard of artifacts, most of the bodies had shattered or missing skulls, and smashed skeletons.Explore the Siberian Mummies and Their Artifacts: Photos
Five mummies were unearthed still shrouded in copper and blankets of reindeer, beaver, wolverine or bear fur, while three copper masked infant male mummies were found bound in four or five copper hoops two inches wide.
The best preserved mummy was a red-haired man found in a wooden sarcophagus. He was covered chest to foot in copper plate and was laid to rest with an iron hatchet, furs and a bronze head buckle depicting a bear."Nowhere in the world are there so many mummified remains found outside the permafrost or the marshes," Natalia Fyodorova, of the Ural branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the Siberian Times.
The soil at the site is sandy and not permanently frozen. Scientists have determined that the mysterious people were mummified by accident due to a dip in temperatures in the 14th century. The copper may have also prevented oxidation of the remains.‘Frankenstein’ Mummies Are a Mix of Corpses
Intriguingly, the legs of the dead all point toward the nearby Gorny Poluy River. According to Fedorova, such posture might have had a religious meaning. However, archaeologists admitted the graves feature burial rites they had never seen before.
Excavation was halted in 2002 following objections by local people who feared the archaeologists disturbed the souls of their ancestors. But work has resumed now.
"It is a unique archaeological site. We are pioneers in everything from taking away the object of sandy soil, which has not been done previously," Fyodorova said.Photos: Mummy Stash Found in Italian Church
Among the artifacts discovered near the copper clad mummies are an iron combat knife, bracelets, silver medallions and bronze figurines.
The archaeologists also found bowls originating in Persia, some 3,700 miles to the southwest, dating from the 10th or 11th centuries.
The finding suggests that around one millennium ago Siberia was not a remote and inhospitable site, but an important trading crossroad.
Further research on the mysterious people will include genetic tests. Image:The best preserved mummy was unearthed from a wooden sarcophagus and contained a red-haired man. Credit: Kate Baklitskaya/ Siberian Times .

http://news.discovery.com/history/arc...

The 14th Annual BEVERLY HILLS FILM FESTIVAL - Screenplay Competition Finalists includes The Briton and the Dane

 About the Festival The 14th Annual BEVERLY HILLS FILM FESTIVAL

Entering another successful year, the Beverly Hills Film Festival (BHFF) is an international competition dedicated to showcasing the art and talent of emerging filmmakers in the city globally recognized as the headquarters for VIPs to the motion picture industry.
Dedicated to independent filmmakers, the BHFF creates a wonderful screening environment allowing participants to feature their films in the highest quality venues available to consumers around the world. Professionals and industry tastemakers representing all facets of the movie industry have been spotted attending year after year.

Designed to bridge the world of premiere independent cinema with the renowned city of Beverly Hills, the BHFF welcomes over 20,000 attendees annually who congregate for 5 days of screenings, poolside celebrity panels, special events, seminars, VIP after parties and deal making.
On the fifth and final night of the Festival, the jury (usually made up of professionals from all over the globe) presents it awards in every category usually found in top notch festivals. They honor the finest in cinematic achievement in filmmaking displayed during the competition at an exclusive and heartfelt black-tie Gala Awards usually held at the Four Seasons Hotel each year. Screenplay Competition Finalists

Title: Ark
Writer: Aaron Wroblewski
Title: Life's a Bitch
Writer: Ace Cheverez
Title: Both Sides
Writer: Alastair Murdoch
Title: I Give Up
Writer: Alessandro Nicolaci
Title: Patchwork
Writer: Amanda Keener
Title: Aurora
Writer: Amber Karlins
Title: Canvas
Writer: Andrew Champagne
Title: Born to Fight
Writer: Anthony von Sager
Title: Gamma - Part I: The years of darkness
Writer: Anthony Allen
Title: Dreams
Writer: Antonio Leonard
Title: The Killing Kind
Writer: Arturo Portillo
Title: Writing Space
Writer: Ashley Zeuch
Title: Jennifer
Writer: Austin Priester
Title: Lord of the Primitive Shore
Writer: Barbara Westley
Title: Missed Connection
Writer: Bruce Gadel
Title: You Can't Play the Game If You Don't Know the Rules
Writer: Burleigh Smith
Title: Wonder Drug
Writer: Caitlin McCarthy
Title: Finally Me
Writer: Charles Laulette
Title: Journey of an Uncommon Mother
Writer: Chau Ai Pham
Title: Will Of Fortune
Writer: Chloe Bellande
Title: Human Terrain
Writer: Chris Willis
Title: Narcosis
Writer: Christopher Drzewiecki
Title: Prophet
Writer: Cliff Pulliam
Title: Wired - The Movie
Writer: Craig Schenning
Title: A Weightless Thought
Writer: Craig Stewart
Title: All of Lucy's Lovers
Writer: Danijel Gujic
Title: DARPA Secrets
Writer: David Bugay
Title: The Reunion
Writer: David Harry Rowlands
Title: The Gurgitator
Writer: David Klein Klein
Title: Lost Cause
Writer: David Schroeder
Title: The Reluctant Knight
Writer: David Yuzuk
Title: Crossways
Writer: Dean Watts
Title: Honeysuckles and Blood
Writer: Debra Johnson
Title: Project P.A.R.I.S.
Writer: Dennis Douda
Title: In the Wrong Hands
Writer: Dianna Zimmerman
Title: Focus
Writer: Duncan Payne
Title: Super Vampire
Writer: Eduardo Soto-Falcon
Title: Vagueness
Writer: Eleutherios Kakathimis
Title: Eldridge
Writer: Evan Manning
Title: Rear Naked Choke
Writer: Evan McNamara
Title: The Power of Faith-The Untold Story
Writer: Gabi Mor
Title: Spinning
Writer: Gene Pina
Title: The Summer of Love
Writer: George Petersen
Title: Hop-On Hop-Off
Writer: Hannah Leskosky
Title: Deja Duet
Writer: Heather Mehudar
Title: A Lost Tribe in Amsterdam
Writer: Ian Sax
Title: Requiem
Writer: Irene Suver
Title: Edge of Mania
Writer: Irina Tuchinsky
Title: Mammon
Writer: J.C. Millen
Title: Go Long
Writer: James White
Title: God's Will
Writer: Jamison Derfler
Title: Soccer Balls
Writer: Jason Doeren
Title: Rexford All-Stars
Writer: Jason Fulani
Title: Conjurers
Writer: Jason Lan Hing Vee
Title: Nobody's Child
Writer: Jay Blumenkopf
Title: Survival of the Fittest
Writer: Jeff Affrunti
Title: Sociopath
Writer: Jeff Sussman
Title: Grace
Writer: Jeffrey A. Russel/Lynda Lemberg
Title: Rex Adam & Me
Writer: Jeffrey May
Title: Where the Green Grass Grows
Writer: Jeremy Elliott
Title: Delmorian Poesy
Writer: Jeremy Rafuse
Title: The Last Day Of Summer
Writer: Jeremy Wulc
Title: The Parts In-Between
Writer: Jimmy Monack
Title: Lobison
Writer: Joe 'Tuffy' Tofuri
Title: Out of the Box
Writer: Joe Randazzo
Title: The Healer
Writer: Joey Kent
Title: New York Lobby, 3:00 a.m.
Writer: John Burdeaux
Title: Task Force Baum - Patton's Top Secret WWII Raid
Writer: John Lock
Title: Cold Quiet Country
Writer: John Spare
Title: Max's Fantastic Adventures - The Well Of Lost Souls
Writer: Jonathan Bucari
Title: A Noble Truth
Writer: Jonathan LaPoma
Title: Becky
Writer: Joseph Hughes
Title: In the Cargo
Writer: Judianny Compres
Title: Little Girl Found
Writer: Julian Renner
Title: A Hundred Realities
Writer: Karel Coates
Title: Dolphin's Song
Writer: Kathy Krantz Stewart
Title: Brewster Commons
Writer: Kay Poiro
Title: The Seedling
Writer: Kevin Howard
Title: Of Punks And Posers
Writer: Kyra Nicole Rogers
Title: A Mountain Lion Story
Writer: Lance Sadia
Title: The Sizzling Steg
Writer: Lane Bristow
Title: Molokai
Writer: Lee Costanzo
Title: Storm Dragons
Writer: Leonardo Reis
Title: Irish Grudge
Writer: Leslie Flannery
Title: Dangerous Ground
Writer: Lili Matta
Title: Everything But Love
Writer: Lisa J. Mitchell / Joseph Dial
Title: Aoede's 'What Are Dreams Made Of?'
Writer: Lisa Sniderman
Title: Bioterror Conspiracy
Writer: Louis Lio
Title: The Remake
Writer: Lynne Alana Delaney
Title: Bob Dooley
Writer: Margina Sisson
Title: How to Be a Good Christian
Writer: Mark Kalriess
Title: The Briton and the Dane
Writer: Mary Ann Bernal
Title: Underneath Her Skin
Writer: Maud Lazzerini
Title: High School Orientation
Writer: Michael Berner
Title: The Return of Set
Writer: Michael Buchanan
Title: The Spy and the Fence
Writer: Michael Gibrall
Title: Breed of Crows
Writer: Michael Reynolds
Title: Divinity
Writer: Michelle Brezinski
Title: Mademoiselle
Writer: Nathan Goldman
Title: Dark Matter
Writer: Olga Holtz
Title: Kentucky House
Writer: Patricia M. Mahon
Title: Jessie-The Golden Heart
Writer: Peggy Roger-Carey
Title: Cebu
Writer: Peter Bacho
Title: Cornflowers
Writer: Philip Henson
Title: Olivia's Oath
Writer: Philip Sedgwick
Title: The Beauty of Letting Go
Writer: Rachel Howard
Title: Sgraffito
Writer: Rachel Zake
Title: Rose Colored Shades
Writer: Randy Sparks
Title: Tobacco Roses
Writer: Raymond Harrison
Title: The Crimson Confession
Writer: Raymond Just
Title: A Cult Film
Writer: Richard Levine
Title: Danny Boy
Writer: Rick Mole
Title: Buried
Writer: Robbi D'Allessandro
Title: The Shrouds of Halloween
Writer: Romaner Strong
Title: Master Connections
Writer: Ronald Townsen
Title: At Last
Writer: Rubi Herrera
Title: Spencer
Writer: Sam Gasch
Title: Absolute Zero
Writer: Scott Caswell
Title: Rendezvous
Writer: Seth Kozak
Title: The FlipSide
Writer: Shakira Gamble
Title: Mass Exodus
Writer: Shaun Delliskave
Title: Nevada V-I
Writer: Simon King
Title: A Short Encounter
Writer: Stanley Eisenhammer
Title: Life More Perfect
Writer: Steve Brechtel
Title: The Frequency Check
Writer: Steve Kaleff
Title: The Great Quest
Writer: Steve Weissman
Title: The Tapestry
Writer: Steven Prowse
Title: The Sleeping House
Writer: Suzanne Griffin
Title: Three Men and a Dragon
Writer: Suzy Stein
Title: No Blood For Oil
Writer: Ted King
Title: Cold Current
Writer: Terrance Mitchell Thibideaux
Title: White Powder, Dirty Money
Writer: Thomas O. Mitchell
Title: Patriote Peril
Writer: Thomas Thorpe
Title: Codependency
Writer: Tiffany Jaide Hightower
Title: Hang Them High
Writer: Tom Zarnowski
Title: How Rock and Roll Changed The World
Writer: Tracy Kowalski
Title: Anna (Inspired By The True Story of Anna Smith)
Writer: Tron Griffin
Title: The Team
Writer: Troy Sweeney
Title: Cream Cakes
Writer: Vicki Bartholomew
Title: Kill Yourself For Me
Writer: Vojin Vasovic
Title: Troublesome Creek
Writer: Wesley Mullins
Title: The Method, The Madness
Writer: William Huntsman
http://beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com/index.php
 

The Poor Man's Copyright is useless, no matter what 'experts' tell you

 http://www.bookmakingblog.com/2014/04/the-poor-mans-copyright-is-useless-no.html

by Michael N. Marcus


The practice of mailing a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a “poor man’s copyright.”

Ignorant authors assume that the postal service’s cancellation date on the stamped envelope proves that the document inside was created prior to the cancellation date, and that authors can use that date in a suit for copyright violation.

Its cost is merely the price of a stamp (currently 49 cents in the USA) and an envelope (currently as little as 40 for a buck at Dollar Tree).

While 52 cents is much less than the cost of a real copyright from the U.S. Library of Congress, the 52 cents is a complete waste of money, time and emotion. It accomplishes nothing!The scheme has a fundamental flaw because anyone can mail an empty, unsealed envelope, receive it, store it and years later insert a document and seal the stamped-and-canceled envelope. Judges and defense attorneys know this.There is no provision in the American copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and the “poor man’s copyright” is not a substitute for proper registration with the Library of Congress.

Sadly, the poor man's myth survives and is perpetuated by ignorant publishing 'experts.'Helen Gallagher’s fault-filled book, Release Your Writing, mentions the poor man’s copyright as a supplement to a real copyright to prove when a document was created. It’s a waste of postage.The following dangerous and naive misinformation was posted on the Facebook page of Peppertree Press, and on the blog of Peppertree boss Julie Ann Howell: "My favorite way to copyright might sound old fashioned; however... it works. Print out your manuscript and then mail it to yourself and do not open it. Tuck it away in a drawer. It will stand up in a court of law." BULLSHIT! Nathan, a foolish "writer and film director" provides visual instructions for achieving non-protection on the YouTube ExpertVillage channel. He is not an expert on copyrights.
The poor man's copyright process is not the only copyright myth.

Some people believe that a creative work must be registered with the government to be protected by copyright. That’s not true. Your precious work is legally protected from copycats from the moment of creation without your having to fill out any forms or having to pay even one penny to the Feds. Your work is copyrighted even if you don’t put the © copyright symbol on it.
However, there are still advantages to going through a formal copyright registration, particularly if you end up suing for copyright infringement.
Copyright registration is voluntary. Many people choose to register their works because they want to have the facts of their copyright as a public record and have a certificate of registration. Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney’s fees in successful litigation. If registration occurs within five years of publication, it is considered prima facie evidence in a court of law. Registration within 90 days gives you the most protection.
The fee for filing a copyright application online, using the new electronic Copyright Office (eCO), is just $35. The fee is $65 if you register with a paper application.Self-publishing companies often charge much more to get a copyright. CrossBooks charges $204. Xlibris charges $249 or more. Schiel & Denver (apparently defunct) charged $250.Online legal services supplier LegalZoom charges $149.It takes less than 15 minutes to register a copyright online with the Library of Congress. By custom (not by law), if you publish a book during the last three or four months of the year, you can use a copyright date of the next year. This makes the book seem to be a year fresher as it ages. However, DON’T register it until the year shown in the book.

Copyright Office website:  www.copyright .gov Electronic Copyright Office:  w ww.copyright .gov/eco/notice.html  Physical Address:
U.S. Copyright Office
101 Independence Ave. S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000
Phone: 202-707-3000

History Trivia - Geoffrey Chaucer tells the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II

April 17

69 After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius became Roman Emperor.

858 Pope Benedict III died.

1397 Geoffrey Chaucer told the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II. 

1534 Sir Thomas More was confined in London Tower.