Boston Globe, Oct 30, 2024, at page B1

choi

My apology. My posting on modern horse:
(1) All horses in the world (be they Arabian or 汗血马 (Akhal-Tekin OR Fergana horse from Fergana Valley -- or because their DNA lineage is not done yet; from 大宛, which en.wikipedia.org spells Dayuan or Tayuan) are of the same species, with 32 pairs of chromosomes. Przwalski;s horse has 33 pairs of chromosomes. In some taxonomy, modern horse and Przewalski's horse are one species, but in another, these are two species. Nobody has crossed the two, but in theory, the crossing can not produce offspring.
(2) Librado P et al (last author is Orlando L), Widespread Horse-Based Mobility Arose Around 2200 BCE in Eurasia. Nature, 631: 819 (July 6, 2024)

Abstract: "Here we assemble a collection of 475 ancient horse genomes to assess the period when these animals were first reshaped by human agency [read: domesticated; only after domestication could humans select and mate, to change genetics of animals] in Eurasia. We find that reproductive control [meaning selection and mating for desired phenotypes] of the modern domestic lineage emerged around 2200 bce [before common era, which is the same as BC; ce is the same as AD; some people avoid BC and AD because these two terms are associated with Christianity], through close-kin mating [mating between close kin, which animals will not do in nature] and shortened generation times [to expand offspring size by mating animals earlier than they would do in the wild]. Reproductive control emerged following a severe domestication bottleneck [(modern) horse died off for reasons not mentioned in this article; when the size or number of the animals at issue is too small, close-kin mating occurs which leaves genetic evidence] starting no earlier than approximately 2700 bce, and coincided with a sudden expansion [of (modern) horses, NOT humans] across Eurasia that ultimately resulted in the replacement of nearly every local horse lineage. This expansion marked the rise of widespread horse-based mobility in human history, which refutes the commonly held narrative of large horse herds accompanying the massive migration of steppe peoples [called Yamnaya] across Europe around 3000 bce and earlier [because the timing of (modern) horse expansion was 600 years LATER than people from steppe migrated west who spoke PIE (proto Indo European language)]. Finally, we detect significantly shortened generation times [to expand horse size; but not through close-kin mating] at Botai around 3500 bce, a settlement from central Asia associated with corrals and a subsistence economy centred on horses [Botai people bred horses not to ride them, but to eat them].

"coincided with a sudden expansion [of (modern) horses, NOT humans] across Eurasia that ultimately resulted in the replacement of nearly every local horse lineage." The emphasis here is expansion of of (modern) horses, not of humans; Modern horse, of course, was spread by humans but whose identity we do not know), just NOT steppe people who spoke PIE, according to Librado P et al
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Note: Globe's section B is titled "Metro," about news from within or around Boston.

(1) Billy Baker, Salem Witches to Honor Stormy Daniels. top article.

Note:
(a)
(i) Witches and Wizards. Encyclopedia.com, undated
https://www.encyclopedia.com/his ... witches-and-wizards
("Witches and wizards are people thought to possess magical powers or to command supernatural forces. They appear in the myths and folktales of many cultures. The word 'witch' usually refers to a female, though male witches exist in some traditions. Men who possess the powers associated with witchcraft are often known as wizards or warlocks.  In many myths and legends, witches are evil, dishonest, or dangerous. Some cultures do not consider them fully human. If not evil by nature, witches may be possessed by demons or wicked spirits determined to harm humans"_

The "black magic" is a term for bad mafic.
(ii) Encyclopedia.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopedia.com
(1998- )

(b) "Lorelei Stathopoulos"
(i) Lorelei
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorelai
(ii) Greek name suffix -poulos (meaning son of) "is derived from Latin [noun masculine] pullus 'nestling, chick.' "  Oxford Reference, undated.
https://www.oxfordreference.com/ ... 80190245115-e-59345

(c) "she made her living doing virtual readings for people."
(i) The word "virtual" means remotely, via video conferencing (also known as Web conferencing), a prime example of which is Zoom.
(ii) The "psychic reading" is a consultation with a psychic. The en.wikipedia.org for this term is not informative, but does show a photo whose caption is "Psychic reader booth at a fair."
(iii) A psychic is different from a medium, who communicates with the dead (of your relatives or pet).

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SALEM -- Each Halloween at 5 pm, practicing witches from around the world gather on Salem Common to form a "magic circle," a ceremony to honor the dead that drew an estimated 1,500 witches last year.

But this year, all eyes will be on a single witch, who will be honored at the center of the circle because organizers believe she has been the victim of a modern-day witch hunt: Stormy Daniels, the pornographic film actress who alleges she had an affair with former president Donald Trump. In May, Trump was convicted of a felony for trying to conceal a hush-money deal with Daniels.

Daniels has been a practicing witch since her childhood in New Orleans, and said she "screamed like a little girl" when she heard she was being honored at this prestigious witch gathering.

"I can't find the words to explain emotionally how big this is to me," Daniels said in a phone interview from her RV [recreational vehicle], where she said she has been living "on the run" since Trump's attorneys posted the address of her Florida home on screen during the trial, which the attorneys said was an accident.

"No one understands what the last six years have been like for me," she said. "Everyone else gets to turn off the TV and forget about politics, which has reached this next-level [hyphen indicates this compound word is an adjective], dark insanity. I don't get that opportunity. I'm living in a RV because I can't go home/ The persecution those witches felt hundred years ago feels very familiar to me."

The decision to honor Daniels with the Salem Witches' Woman of Power Award is the brainchild of Salem witches Christian Day, Brian Cain, and Lorelei Stathopoulos, who all own witch shops in the city and host Halloween magic circle. The notation on the award reads: "In recognition of your strength, your intuition, and your magic. You are a true patriot."

Cain said the decision to recognize Daniels on the most sacred night of the year for witches fits with the witch message of empowering women. "So to be able to honor an icon like her, and the onslaught she's been under, is a way to say she is a part of our family," Cain said.

Daniels, 45, said she became curious about witchcraft as a child, when things happened to her that she struggled to understand.

"I've always seen spirits and communicated with the dead, and in middle school I read voraciously about it," she said. "But I've always been a solo practitioner -a term more commonly associated with attorneys or physicians], so this will be my first time being part of a circle. And what a prestigious and amazing way to do that."

In recent years, she said she has studied under a voodoo priest in New Orleans (who gave her his personal wand) and trained to be a paranormal investigator -- she's working on a television show about that. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she made her living doing virtual readings for people.

She has made several trips to Salem with her 13-year-old daughter, who is also a practicing witch. On a trip last November, they befriended Stathopoulos, who is known as "Lorelei the Love Witch."

"This honor is important because this gives ger a voice," Stathopoulos said. "When I came to Salem 25 tears ago, they tried to shame me for being s former adult entertainer, a burlesque [which is not prn but racy] dancer, so this is our wat to honor this woman who has been through much and remains proud of who she is."

Last year, the magic circle was disrupted by Christian protesters who broke into ceremony carrying a large wooden cross, according to Day. In hopes of avoiding a large incidents this year, organizers delayed the announcement of Daniels's appearance until the day before Halloween, "so people don't get on planes and come and try and ruin it," Day said.

Daniels's history with magic and witchcraft is not a secret, but has not garnered nearly as much attention as her history in adult films. As far as her practice, Daniels says most of her magic is done intuitively.  

She said she reads many books on the craft and will follow them for spells that require particular herbs, "but my most effective work is when I just go with what feels right," she said. "I've learned to test myself and ask if something feels off. Because we all know that one time I didn't, and look where it got me [probably hinting her encounter with Trump]."

Her specialty is creating herb-filled "spell jars," and said many people come to her wanting her to cast spells for their court cases.

"I try to be ethical and do 'justice-served [meaning justice is served]' spells instead, because i don't know what's going on , who's right and who's being unfairly prosecuted," she said.

So has she cast a spell against Donald Trump?

"I think every witch in the world has done magic against Donald Trump, but you cannot fight something if you don't know what it is," she said. "When I think of him, I think of that scene in 'Men in Black' where this robot human dues and they find a tiny alien inside controlling him.

"So I haven't dome anything specifically against Donald Trump," she added. "That's like killing a person because there' a worm inside them [sic; should be him]. We need to find out the cause. He's the symptom, not the cancer."

Daniels said that Trump's lawyers always tried to persecute her for being a witch, for being a porn star, for being a paranormal investigator, "and I'm always like: 'What does this have to do with wire fraud?' "  

"The best part is that Trump always says it's a witch hunt against him. That's funny," she said. "People lie to say Donald Trump is evil,, but you need to be a genius to be evil, and he's not that smart."

choi

(2) Shelly Murphy, Teixeira Lawyers Seek 11-Year Term; Prosecutors Ask for 16 1/2 Years in Prison.

Note: That is Jack D Teixeira, whom you may remember.