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The Blogmanac: "On This Day" ... and much more
Think universally. Act terrestrially.
For in a hard-working society, it is rare and even subversive to celebrate too much, to revel and keep on reveling: to stop whatever you're doing and rave, pray, throw things, go into trances, jump over bonfires, drape yourself in flowers, stay up all night, and scoop the froth from the sea.
Anneli Rufus*
"A giant colony of ants stretching 100km (62 miles) has been discovered in the Australian city of Melbourne, threatening local insect species.
"The ants, which were imported from Argentina, are ranked among the world's 100 worst animal invaders.
"Although they exist in their usual smaller group size in their homeland, the colonies have merged in Australia to create one massive super colony.
"Experts fear that the invasion poses a threat to biodiversity in the area ...
"Australian scientists are studying colonies in Perth and Adelaide to see if they share the same genetic structure and behaviour as the Melbourne ants.
"If they do, a super colony several thousand miles wide could spread across southern Australia."
Have you been affected by the ant invasion? You can add your comments on the page at the BBC, where you can also read the full text.
Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign. I mean, you're a – you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities. George W Bush, Washington, DC, August 6, 2004
Remember Bushisms? They're still coming. Here's a page of recent ones.
Just a few cool Public Domain (copyright free) sources I've been using lately, and a drop in the ocean of PD material online. I include US government agencies because, according to Wikipedia, all images published by the USA government are public domain. I presume this means unless otherwise noted. I've been finding plenty of great space shots at NASA.
Sorry, I'm too sleepy to categorise them. Use the following at your own risk:
*Ø* Moore footage shows new CIA boss ruling himself out
I saw this clip last night. It's remarkable.
"Michael Moore yesterday released unseen footage of the new CIA boss explaining his own unsuitability for the role. The scene, which didn't make the cut for Fahrenheit 9/11, shows Porter Goss pointing out that his lack of language and computer skills means he 'wouldn't get a job' with the CIA ...
"Goss, who served in army intelligence and the CIA 30 years ago, said: 'I couldn't get a job with the CIA today. I am not qualified. I don't have the language skills'.
"Porter Goss is set to take over from George Tenet, who resigned before the 9/11 commission delivered its damning verdict on the state of the US intelligence community.
"He explained, 'My language skills were romance languages and stuff. We're looking for Arabists today. I don't have the cultural background probably.
"'And I certainly don't have the technical skills, as my children remind me every day: 'Dad, you got to get better on your computer.' So, the things that you need to have, I don't have.'
The White House dismissed the footage as 'hearsay'. Goss was described as the 'right man' by the president on Tuesday. [Hearsay?? He's on film! - N]
Olympic bosses were branded hypocrites today over sports firms using the famous five ring logo on clothes made in sweatshops.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was criticised in Athens for talking of the 'Olympic spirit' of fairness and human values while thousands of workers are slaving away in Far East factories.
"Campaigners say the IOC and the Olympic movement should be true to their principles to stop the famous five rings being used on sportswear made by firms who abuse workers ..." Campaign Against Slave Labour Lobbies Olympic Bosses
"Athens, August 10, 2004: The Play Fair at the Olympics campaign staged an action in Athens on the eve of the opening of the Olympic games in solidarity with sportswear workers worldwide.
"Twenty women gathered on an Athens rooftop to mark a silent protest staged by the Play Fair at the Olympics campaign. Play Fair held a 'sew-in', featuring 'faceless' activists, operating sewing machines against the backdrop of the Acropolis.
"The action was staged in order to highlight the appalling working conditions experienced by hundreds of thousands of workers in the sportswear industry. They face punishing work schedules, poverty wages, harassment and discrimination on a daily basis.
"Spokespersons from the campaign commented that improvements had been seen in the sportswear sector, but serious problems still exist, and much more needs to be done to ensure workers' right are respected in this global industry. They also announced that the IOC had declined to accept over half a million signatures from campaign supporters in Athens." Source: Indymedia Sydney Google up some sweatshop campaign info
Courts can hear evidence if abusers are not British
"Appeal court judges yesterday defied human rights campaigners by ruling that British courts could use evidence extracted under torture, as long as British agents were not complicit in the abuse.
"In a highly controversial judgment, the second highest court in the land rejected the appeals of 10 men suspected of having links to international terrorism and currently held without charge in what activists call 'Britain's Guantánamo Bay' ...
"The judgment was immediately condemned as leaving the door open for torture evidence to be used in British courts - and the detainees plan to take their appeal to the House of Lords.
"Last night Amnesty International criticised the judges for giving a 'green light for torture'. It said: 'The rule of law and human rights have become casualties of the measures taken in the aftermath of September 11. This judgment is an aberration, morally and legally.'" Full text at The Guardian
The hierarchy can write to Bertie as often as they like but I'm glad the pressure (which was probably going on in other European countries too) came to nothing.
"The Catholic hierarchy wrote to the Taoiseach in June to express its disappointment at the absence of a reference to Christianity in the draft EU constitutional treaty, wrties Arthur Beesley, Political Reporter.
"The Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Seán Brady, and the retired Archbishop of Dublin, Cardinal Desmond Connell, raised the absence of such a reference in separate letters to Mr Ahern after the Government brokered an EU agreement on the draft constitution in June.
"Records released under the Freedom of Information Act show the Conference of Religious in Ireland (CORI) and individual priests lobbied the Taoiseach to push for such a reference in the run-up to final negotiation of the treaty. The preamble to the draft cites the 'cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe', but it does not refer to any specific tradition." [My emphasis} Continue at The Irish Times
CCR Submits Their Detailed Account of Abuse to Senate Armed Services Committee
"In a detailed report, Shafiq Rasul, Asif Iqbal and Rhuhel Ahmed provide a graphic first-hand account of life at Guantanamo Bay. On August 4, 2004, attorneys with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) sent the report detailing the former Guantánamo detainees' experiences to Senators Warner, Levin and Leahy and called for an independent commission to investigate the allegations of abuse.
"The 115-page report is testimony by the three young men from Tipton, a poor neighborhood in the West Midlands of England with a small community of Pakistani and Bangladeshi people. All three were detained in Northern Afghanistan on November 28, 2001. In March of 2004, after 2 ˝ years in extreme conditions, they were released to the U.K. They were never charged with any crime and were released shortly after they returned. The men completed this report solely to let the world know the truth about what is happening to the prisoners at Guantánamo and in the hope that their testimony might help improve conditions for those still there. The document was compiled by the Tipton men and their attorney, noted British civil rights lawyer Gareth Peirce.
"The report details the several weeks that Rasul and Iqbal were held in open cages at Camp X-Ray, allowed out for only a few minutes each week for one shower, and otherwise left to swelter in the Cuban heat. Scorpions and snakes were allowed to roam the cells, and many prisoners were bitten. According the report, the US marines who ran the camp were “very brutal,” and the abusive treatment was focused in a carefully planned and sophisticated manner to have maximum impact on the individual prisoner:
"• The report discusses the sexual humiliation of the prisoners that first began when General Geoffrey Miller, later of Abu Ghraib notoriety, came to Guantánamo. For example, the prisoners would be stripped naked and forced to watch videotapes of other prisoners who, in turn, had been ordered to sodomize each other. The sexual humiliation was reserved for those who would be most impacted by it, those who had been brought up strictly in their Muslim faith ..." Source: CCR (where you can download the report in PDF)
Chords for Change By Bruce Springsteen The New York Times
A nation's artists and musicians have a particular place in its social and political life. Over the years I've tried to think long and hard about what it means to be American: about the distinctive identity and position we have in the world, and how that position is best carried. I've tried to write songs that speak to our pride and criticize our failures.
These questions are at the heart of this election: who we are, what we stand for, why we fight. Personally, for the last 25 years I have always stayed one step away from partisan politics. Instead, I have been partisan about a set of ideals: economic justice, civil rights, a humane foreign policy, freedom and a decent life for all of our citizens. This year, however, for many of us the stakes have risen too high to sit this election out.
Through my work, I've always tried to ask hard questions. Why is it that the wealthiest nation in the world finds it so hard to keep its promise and faith with its weakest citizens? Why do we continue to find it so difficult to see beyond the veil of race? How do we conduct ourselves during difficult times without killing the things we hold dear? Why does the fulfillment of our promise as a people always seem to be just within grasp yet forever out of reach?
I don't think John Kerry and John Edwards have all the answers. I do believe they are sincerely interested in asking the right questions and working their way toward honest solutions. They understand that we need an administration that places a priority on fairness, curiosity, openness, humility, concern for all America's citizens, courage and faith.
People have different notions of these values, and they live them out in different ways. I've tried to sing about some of them in my songs. But I have my own ideas about what they mean, too. That is why I plan to join with many fellow artists, including the Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., the Dixie Chicks, Jurassic 5, James Taylor and Jackson Browne, in touring the country this October. We will be performing under the umbrella of a new group called Vote for Change. Our goal is to change the direction of the government and change the current administration come November.
Like many others, in the aftermath of 9/11, I felt the country's unity. I don't remember anything quite like it. I supported the decision to enter Afghanistan and I hoped that the seriousness of the times would bring forth strength, humility and wisdom in our leaders. Instead, we dived headlong into an unnecessary war in Iraq, offering up the lives of our young men and women under circumstances that are now discredited. We ran record deficits, while simultaneously cutting and squeezing services like afterschool programs. We granted tax cuts to the richest 1 percent (corporate bigwigs, well-to-do guitar players), increasing the division of wealth that threatens to destroy our social contract with one another and render mute the promise of "one nation indivisible."
It is through the truthful exercising of the best of human qualities - respect for others, honesty about ourselves, faith in our ideals - that we come to life in God's eyes. It is how our soul, as a nation and as individuals, is revealed. Our American government has strayed too far from American values. It is time to move forward. The country we carry in our hearts is waiting.
It's an excellent Yahoo! Group for anyone with an interest in Nature-oriented spirituality and progressive activism, and a sense of humour. I like the group because it's grounded – not 'off with the pixies' – and because so much very interesting info is shared. It's not a neo-pagan group pushing a religious point of view, and no doctrinal arguments as far as I've ever seen – it's against the rules. It's also extremely welcoming.
For example, this was posted in p4p today, by jonipinkney:
"An email making the rounds has quotes from veterans who supposedly served with Kerry, and saying bad things about him. Although the quotes are real, only one of those quoted actually served with Kerry." See Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is a hoax
Feast day of St Lawrence St Lawrence was a 3rd-century archdeacon of Rome under Pope Sixtus I, and looked after the poor, orphans and widows. He was a ‘keeper of the treasures of the church’ in a time when Christianity was outlawed. Lawrence suffered martyrdom under Valerian – the emperor, not the herb, which would have just made him laid back rather than dead ... he was killed by being roasted on a gridiron, on August 10 ...
Lawrence's tears and the Perseid meteor showers The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, and very bright at this time of year (generally visible between July 23 and August 22, peaking around August 13). Thus, in England the meteors in medieval times were called 'the fiery tears of St Lawrence' as they were visible on his day, and also related symbolically to the torments of the martyr ...
This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with many more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date (or your birthday) when you're there. From Space Weather News: The Perseid meteor shower peaks this week. Look for rare but lovely Perseid Earthgrazers when the sun goes down on Wednesday, August 11th. Then, before dawn on Thursday, August 12th, go outside for the main event: as many as 60 meteors per hour. Getting away from city lights is a good idea: dark skies reveal more meteors.
LONDON (Reuters) - "Traces of the anti-depressant Prozac have been found in the drinking water supply, setting off alarm bells with environmentalists concerned about potentially toxic effects.
"The Observer said that a report by the government's environment watchdog found Prozac was building up in river systems and groundwater used for drinking supplies." Continue here
How many people have been found in Hussein's mass graves? Blair said 400,000, but finally admits it is one-eightieth that number, ie, 5,000. Just a tad less.
The transnational oil corporations really, really, really wanted that black stuff, didn't they? If you go to places like this article in the red-white-n-blue American Daily you'll read puke-making stuff like this:
We went to war because Saddam himself is a Weapon of Mass Destruction. The mass graves we have discovered in Iraq prove that. Three hundred thousand bodies have been discovered in these graves – so far.
This inflates 5,000 bodies to 300,000. OK, so the guy's a redneck nutter, so we can wear it. The American right has been lying about the Middle East for three years – in fact, all our lives.
But when a Labor Prime Minister of Britain says 400,000 bodies have been found in mass graves since the end of the war in Iraq, why isn't there an uproar in the media, in Parliament and in Congress? Check this out:
"In an account that might be more aptly titled The Incredible Shrinking Mass Graves, the Observer revealed that a claim by Tony Blair that '400,000 bodies had been found in Iraqi mass graves' was false and that only 5,000 bodies have been discovered so far. Tony Blair's claim was prominently featured in a report entitled Iraq's Legacy of Terror: Mass Graves that was published by USAID and remains unchanged on its website.
"According to an article by the Guardian: On December 14 Blair repeated the claim in a statement issued by Downing Street in response to the arrest of Saddam Hussein and posted on the Labour party website that: 'The remains of 400,000 human beings [have] already [been] found in mass graves.'
"The admission that the figure has been hugely inflated follows a week in which Blair accepted responsibility for charges in the Butler report over the way in which Downing Street pushed intelligence reports 'to the outer limits' in the case for the threat posed by Iraq ...
"It comes amid inflation from an estimate by Human Rights Watch in May 2003 of 290,000 'missing' to the latest claims by the Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, that one million are missing.
"At the heart of the questions are the numbers so far identified in Iraq's graves. Of 270 suspected grave sites identified in the last year, 55 have now been examined, revealing – according to the best estimates that The Observer has been able to obtain – about 5 000 bodies.
"The numbers of mass graves in Iraq continues to inflate (from 400,000 to 500,000) ..." [emphasis mine] Source: US Foreign Aid Watch
"A non-radioactive steam leak killed four people and injured seven others Monday in the worst-ever accident at a Japanese nuclear power plant, officials said. One other worker was reportedly in critical condition." Source: Canada.com
Are you getting any good spammers' names in your in-tray? Here are some recent ones received in this neck of the woods. I'd love to hear yours.
Pocahontas E. Maharajas Pacifically T. Gloss Morse K. Commencement Annihilation J. Silliness Eridanus H. Sweatier Exorcized H. Scuttle Ambiguities U. Magnetos Emulsified U. Carrier Stress F. Obelisks Morocco S. Yanking Hohenstaufen V. Sicking Abhorrence P. Versifying Harebrained L. Ramrodded Steers Q. Bloodhound Leaching K. Criming
and last but not least
Propitiate F. Mockingly
(who writes: Hello, I'm 5"1', 100-105lbs,hazel e y e s but wear bleu contacts, and have long natural brown hair. I l0ve t o have boom boom and will try almost anything at least once)
Today was a milestone for the Book of Days part of the project; two million words was passed today:
"The last index of your web site index completed 14 seconds ago. It took 1 minute to crawl 383 pages and index 383 pages containing 2012601 words for a total of 43593917 bytes. 48633 word endings, 0 synonyms, 97607 sound-alike words, and 15 excluded words were included in the index."
So it should be about three million words by November 22 when I finish it (touch wood).
"Light pollution is not just a waste of energy, it's taking the stars away from us – the Southern Cross included. Light pollution shows how the effect of pollution can increase even when per capita wealth is increasing. Light pollution is an important, but not generally known issue.
"We are losing the Southern Cross as Sydney's light pollution increases. Much of Sydney cannot see the fifth star of the Southern Cross. The fourth star will be the next to go, as more and more waste light blots out the faint detail of the night sky.
"Light pollution robs us all of our common heritage : the sky. Anyone who has been to the country knows what we miss. It is not an inescapable result of modern life; it is a consequence of careless, selfish and ignorant lighting practices. It is a cause fought by The Sydney Outdoor Lighting Improvement Society (SOLIS) ..." Source: Indymedia Sydney
The walk joined the commemorations at the Atomic Dome, to remember the hundreds of thousands of people who were killed by the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, and acknowledge the millions of others who continue to be affected by the nuclear industry globally. Australian Aboriginal Elders spoke at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Source: Indymedia
"A number of serving defence force officers shared the concerns of a group of 43 former defence chiefs and diplomats who wanted a return to truth in government, retired defence chief General Peter Gration said today.
"Mr Gration, who headed the Australian Defence Force from 1987 to 1993, said he and the other signatories believed Australia joined the invasion of Iraq on the basis of false assumptions and deception of the Australian people ...
"The signatories to the statement include former defence force chief Alan Beaumont, former defence department secretary Paul Barratt, former prime minister's department secretaries Alan Renouf and Richard Woolcott, plus and former ambassadors including Rawdon Dalrymple, Stephen Fitzgerald and Ross Garnaut." Source: Sydney Morning Herald
"The Edinburgh Military Tattoo has begun its three-week sell-out run amid protests in the Scottish capital ...
"However, a number of organisations are angry at the inclusion of the PLA [Chinese People's Liberation Army] in the 55th Tattoo.
"Despite claims from the organisers that their appearance is a musical and not a political decision, protesters say the PLA's human rights record means their presence is inappropriate and offensive.
"The Free Tibet Campaign and Scottish followers of the Falun Gong movement - banned in China - both intend to protest outside the event throughout the run." Full text: BBC
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - "A tech-savvy young San Francisco man who staged his own mock beheading on the Internet duped international media today into believing Islamist kidnappers had executed an American hostage in Iraq.
"The video, which appeared on a Web site used by Islamic militants, showed a man who identified himself as Benjamin Vanderford appealing to the United States to leave Iraq. The Web format was that used by al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and was introduced by a headline that said it showed Zarqawi killing an American.
"'If we don't (leave Iraq), everyone is gonna be killed in this way ... I have been offered for exchange for prisoners here in Iraq,' the terrified-looking man said, rocking back and forth in his chair, his hands tied behind his back.
"The video showed a hand with a large knife apparently slicing through the neck of a limp body.
"But it was all a hoax.
"The blood was dye, the setting was a friend's garage, the Koran reading was a tape and the knife was held by a friend. Mutilated bodies and sound effects were edited in from photos on Web sites and the video was purposefully blurred to make it seem even more amateur, Vanderford said.
"A major motivation for his action, an unrepentant Vanderford told Reuters, was to see how the world media would react and to see if they would be fooled. 'It really illustrates the potential that this kind of thing would happen,' he said." Full text
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"A giant colony of ants stretching 100km (62 miles) has been discovered in the Australian city of Melbourne, threatening local insect species.
Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign. I mean, you're a – you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities.
"Michael Moore yesterday released unseen footage of the new CIA boss explaining his own unsuitability for the role. The scene, which didn't make the cut for Fahrenheit 9/11, shows Porter Goss pointing out that his lack of language and computer skills means he 'wouldn't get a job' with the CIA ...
"Athens, August 10, 2004: The Play Fair at the Olympics campaign staged an action in Athens on the eve of the opening of the Olympic games in solidarity with sportswear workers worldwide.
"Appeal court judges yesterday defied human rights campaigners by ruling that British courts could use evidence extracted under torture, as long as British agents were not complicit in the abuse.
CCR Submits Their Detailed Account of Abuse to Senate Armed Services Committee
Chords for Change 
Feast day of St Lawrence
LONDON (Reuters) - "Traces of the anti-depressant Prozac have been found in the drinking water supply, setting off alarm bells with environmentalists concerned about potentially toxic effects.
How many people have been found in Hussein's mass graves? Blair said 400,000, but finally admits it is one-eightieth that number, ie, 5,000. Just a tad less.
Losing the Southern Cross
After 
"A number of serving defence force officers shared the concerns of a group of 43 former defence chiefs and diplomats who wanted a return to truth in government, retired defence chief General Peter Gration said today.
"The Edinburgh Military Tattoo has begun its three-week sell-out run amid protests in the Scottish capital ...
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - "A tech-savvy young San Francisco man who staged his own mock beheading on the Internet duped international media today into believing Islamist kidnappers had executed an American hostage in Iraq.