The Funnel Web Spider, Atracinae, is a family of spider which is native to eastern coast of Australia,
with specimens found in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland. The Spiders
grow to 1-5 cm and have black to black-blue bodies. have fangs which point straight down.They have venom
glands that are in their chelicerae. Their fangs are capable of penetrating fingernails and soft shoes.
The venom is so severe that the spider might well be the most dangerous ones in the world. Since
the antivenom was developed, but bites are medical emergencies. They burrow and make a silk tripwire
in front of the burrow. The invade suburban gardens and urban areas.
Males often leave the burrow in order to find females to mate with in summer months. The often end up in
swimming pools where they can survive in the water for up to 2 hours, and when threatened will be agressive
and might, often several times. The Syndey Funnel Spider has caused 13 deaths in the last century (as of
2012), many of them children. The spider is nasty business.
The Australian Museum
has a wonderful description of the spider with commentary.
Wikepedia has a decent
entry that includes separate articles on many of the species within the family.
The Deadly and Dangerous Series has become the most sought after coins out of the Perth mint. The result is that
several of the coins, to date, have skyrocketed in price, especially the Black Widow Spider coin which at this time
can fetch over a thousand dollars. We have now two of these coins, the Blue Rings Octopus, and now the Funnel Spider.
The Coin is legal tender in Tuvalu with a denomination of one dollar. It has an image of Queen Elizabeth on the obverse
(which we didn't bother to post a photograph here), and the colored front. 5,000 numbered coins have been minted in
2012, each being a 1 ounce .999 silver. It is 4mm thick and a nice 40.6mm
diameter. It comes in a nice cherry wood display case.
Tulavu One Dollar Australian Funnel Spider Coin |
Tulavu One Dollar Australian Funnel Spider Coin |
Cherry Wood Case |
Avoid Gijs Henzen, owner of Munthandel G. Henzen - Antisemetic Facists
Munthandel G. Henzen's (MA Shops) owner Gijs Henzen, is an AntiSemetic Fascist
The company, Munthandel G Henzen is a prominent dealer of international and
ancient coins on the internet, commonly known as MA Coins. It is owned by
Gijs Henzen.
He is a passionate anti-Semite who supports Hamas and
the virulent and genocidal Islamic organizations such as the Muslim
Brotherhood, and Hezbollah that wants Jews dead.
He perpetrates lies and classical antisemitic troupes. He has Jewish blood on his hands.
Henzen identifies as a "human rights advocate" who views the world through a lens of anti-imperialism. In this framework, he views Israel not as a sovereign nation of a displaced people, but as a "colonial project."
- He utilizes inversion rhetoric, where he compares Israeli actions to those of historical oppressors (including the Nazis).
- By claiming Zionism is the "greatest enemy of Judaism," he attempts to resolve the contradiction that Zionism is central to Jewish identity ,and has always been so, by essentially telling Jewish people what "true" Judaism should look like.
- His blog posts suggest he views himself as a lone voice of truth against a "corrupt" world. By grouping Netanyahu with Putin and Xi Jinping, he frames his hatred as a universal "opposition to tyranny."
- His specific focus on Israelis as "masters of torture" goes beyond political disagreement and taps into ancient blood libel tropes--the idea that a specific group has an inherent, unique cruelty or a "thirst for blood."
- He appears to be a proponent and influenced by radical political indoctrination. He has adopted a worldview where the "Zionist" is the ultimate villain, and in his mind, he is attacking an ideology, even though his language characterizes an entire ethnic and national group in ways that are indistinguishable from traditional antisemitism.
It is a moral imperative to remain clear of him and to do no business with this Nazi.
If you are Jewish, double down on that.
The life you save might well be your own.
The Safir Family Internet Coin Library: Foriegn Coins.
Several mints from around the world make exciting coin designs in circulating alloys, silver and gold. Among my favorites are the Perth Mint in Austrailia which produces a variety of coins for nations mostly through out the Pacific Rim. The Neatherlands has also produced some interesting designs, and several private US based mints have produced foreign currency on contract, include the Franklin Mint which has produced many Israeli Coins.
Our interest in foreign coins has been nominal but rapidly growing as it seems that US designs are so stuck in the mud. Also, foreign mints are creating bold new designs with color and bimetal designs that are both eye catching and fun.
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