Iron Dick

April 30, 1583, Richard ('Iron Dick' or 'Richard in Iron') Burke, first husband of the Irish chieftain and pirate, Granuaile (Grace O’Malley), died.

One of many themes discussed
by hoi polloi and upper crust
is whether life is ever just.
I, like most, remain nonplussed.
The Bard himself has put it thus:
"Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust."
Perhaps. And even Iron Dicks, I trust,
As all things ferrous, come to rust.
PW

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.

Tie a yellow ribbon around that stupid bloody flag

And what on earth could have been going through the minds of the Australians who showed up at the closing days of the Bali trial of Schapelle Corby carrying Aussie flags and wearing yellow ribbons?

If I were Schapelle, who is charged with the preposterous capital crime of smuggling four keys of ganja from Australia into Indonesia, I would want to stop my 'supporters' reminding the judges about John Howard, the Union Jack, and of course, Tony Orlando and Dawn. I know how those in a confined, hot space would detrimentally affect my judgement.

Abu Ghraib first anniversary

Iraq Through the Eyes of Unemebedded, Independent Journalist Dahr Jamail

Dahr Jamail, one of the few independent, unembedded journalists reporting in Iraq for months, joins us in our firehouse studio to discuss the siege of Fallujah, detention of Iraqis, so-called 'reconstruction' and much more. [includes rush transcript]

"One of the most enduring images of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal is the photograph of a prisoner cloaked in black, standing on a box with wires attached to his outstretched arms.

"Now, the man depicted in the photo has reportedly been identified. He is speaking out on this week's edition of the PBS newsmagazine 'Now.' His name is Haj Ali. He was a mayor of a Baghdad suburb and a member of the ruling Baath Party, when he was snatched off the street in late 2003 and transported to Abu Ghraib, despite denying involvement in the insurgency.

"In the interview, Ali says,

'They made me stand on a box with my hands hooked to wires and shocked me with electricity. It felt like my eyeballs were coming out of their sockets. I fell, and they put me back up again for more.'

"Today is the first anniversary of the publication of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. We turn now to Iraq.

"We turn now to Iraq. An article in the British newspaper the Guardian titled 'This Is Our Guernica' reads:

"'In the 1930s the Spanish city of Guernica became a symbol of wanton murder and destruction. In the 1990s Grozny was cruelly flattened by the Russians; it still lies in ruins. This decade"s unforgettable monument to brutality and overkill is Falluja, a text-book case of how not to handle an insurgency, and a reminder that unpopular occupations will always degenerate into desperation and atrocity.'

"Those are the words of journalist Dahr Jamil. He spent many months in Iraq as one of the only independent, unembedded journalists there. He published his reports on a blog called DahrJamailIraq.com and was a regular guest on Democracy Now! He joins us in our firehouse studio today ..."
Read on at Democracy Now!

Brigadier: "There is no war on terrorism"

By Cynthia Banham, Defence Reporter, SMH

"The so-called global war on terrorism does not exist, a high-ranking
army officer has declared in a speech that challenges the conventional
political wisdom.

"In a frank speech, Brigadier Justin Kelly dismissed several of the
central tenets of the Iraq war and the war on terrorism, saying the
"war" part is all about politics and terrorism is merely a tactic.

"Although such wars were fuelled by global issues, they were essentially
counter-insurgent operations fought on a local level. This would result
in Australian soldiers fighting in increasingly urban environments.

"Speaking at a conference on future warfighting, Brigadier Kelly, the
director-general of future land warfare, also suggested that the
'proposition you can bomb someone into thinking as we do has been found
to be untrue'.

"His speech appears to fly in the face of a comment by the Prime
Minister, John Howard, last year that the 'contest in Iraq represents a
critical confrontation in the war against terror ...'"
Source: Sydney Morning Herald via South News (stay informed: I highly recommend a subscrion to the latter)

Solar alignment at Teotihuacan, City of the Gods

The city of Teotihuacan, Mexico, settled in the 2nd century BCE, was ancient when the Aztecs found its ruins. They named it 'place of the creation of the gods'.

The entrance of a ritual cave there was aligned to a point on the western skyline where the sun set on August 12 and April 29. These days are separated by day counts of 260 and 105 (making 365 in all). The ancient Mesoamerican system had a 260-day ritual calendar and a 365-day standard calendar.

The same horizon position is the setting point of the Pleiades, the star cluster that makes its initial annual appearance on the first of two days each year when the noon sun passes directly overhead at the latitude of Teotihuacan ...

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.

Gangadham: Hindu mythology theme park

"Its backers describe it as the 'world's biggest ever mythological theme park'. Hindu gods such as Ram, Hanuman and Krishna will be the central attractions for a 'Disneyland on the Ganges' in India.

"The aim of the 25 acre park, called Gangadham, is to recreate great moments in Hindu mythology through hi-tech rides, an animated mythological museum, a 'temple city', food courts and a sound and light show.

"The park is to be on the banks of the Ganges, in the north Indian pilgrimage town of Haridwar.

"It is where the Hindu god Vishnu is said to have left his footprint. The town attracts more than 18 million visitors a year."
Source: BBC News

'Extinct' Ivory Billed Woodpecker Sighted

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The ivory-billed woodpecker, feared extinct for 60 years, has been seen in a remote part of Arkansas, ornithologists said on Thursday.

"Several experts have spotted and heard at least one and possibly more ivory-billed woodpeckers deep in an ancient cypress swamp in eastern Arkansas. One was videotaped last year.

"'This is huge. Just huge,' said Frank Gill, senior ornithologist at the Audubon Society. 'It is kind of like finding Elvis.'"
Source

Author backs father of dead soldier to beat Blair

"The novelist Frederick Forsyth yesterday became the latest high-profile personality to publicly back an attempt by the father of a murdered Red Cap to unseat Tony Blair.

"He has urged voters in Mr Blair’s Sedgefield constituency to support the 52-year-old anti-war protester Reg Keys.

"Mr Keys is standing as an independent and basing his campaign on accusations that the Prime Minister misled parliament over the reasons for going to war.

"His son, Lance Corporal Tom Keys, 20, was one of six members of the Royal Military Police killed by an Iraqi mob as they manned a small police station in Al Majar Al Kabir on 24 June, 2003.

"Mr Forsyth, who has penned many successful novels, including The Day of the Jackal and The Fourth Protocol, said the people of Sedgefield had the power to stop Mr Blair returning to power."
Source: Scotsman

Workers of the World ... relax! Bob Black's classic essay 'The Abolition of Work' has been reprinted in many languages and is now in the Almaniac dialect. The author has permitted me to publish it, and it's now on this page in the Scriptorium.

Bob Black's classic essay 'The Abolition of Work' has been reprinted in many languages and is now in the Almaniac dialect. The author has permitted me to publish it, and it's now on this page in the Scriptorium.

Ex-Afghan rights chief attacks US

"The former United Nations human rights envoy to Afghanistan, Cherif Bassiouni, has said he lost his job because of pressure from the United States.

"The UN Human Rights Commission ended Professor Bassiouni's mandate at a meeting in Geneva last week.

"American officials said Afghanistan's human rights situation had improved.

"But Prof Bassiouni said it was because US defence officials did not want investigations into the way people were detained without trial by US forces.

"Prof Bassiouni has spent the past year investigating allegations of human rights violations in Afghanistan for the commission.

"The professor, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999, was extremely critical of Washington's policy on detainees."
Source: BBC


* Ø * Ø * Ø *

Shooting the Messenger Who Reported Human Rights Abuses in Afghanistan

"In a report issued to the UN Commission on Human Rights, M. Cherif Bassiouni reported on allegations that American military forces and independent contractors in Afghanistan acted above the law with 'sexual abuse, beatings, torture, and use of force resulting in death.'

"As a result, the UN Commission on Human Rights was pressured at a meeting in Geneva by U.S. diplomats to eliminate his post that was appointed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan last April: the United Nation's 'independent expert on human rights in Afghanistan.'

"It was only last year that the U.S. had pushed for the post of 'Special Rapporteur' to be downgraded in stature to that of 'independent expert.' Now with the elimination of this position, the burden of monitoring human rights abuses in Afghanistan falls upon the shoulders of UN human rights commissioner Louise Arbour whose global responsibilities 'won't leave her time to focus on Afghanistan,' according to Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. But this is precisely what the Bush administration wants."
Source: Dissident Voice

Google News Search Bassiouni

US urged to release terrorism report figures

"An American politician has called on the United States Government to release the figures it used to compile a report on global terrorism.

"Congressman Henry Waxman says the figures may undermine Washington's assertion that it is winning the war on terrorism.

"He says he has been told that the number of terrorist attacks in Iraq last year was nine times higher than in 2003.

"The State Department last year initially released erroneous figures that understated the attacks and casualties in 2003, and used the figures to argue that the Bush administration was prevailing in the war on terrorism."
Source: BBC/Reuters/ABC

Euro May Day flexmob

"To participate in the first FLEXMOB/euroMAYDAY ACTION simply email your mobile phone number to euromayday@hushmail.com. We will send a text message to you on the morning of MAYDAY (Sunday May 1st), with directions of how to participate at this year's Europe-Wide Day of action (www.euromayday.org)."
Source: WOMBLES

May Day Net Parade [Great site! Just turn the music off.]

More at Indymedia

US admits Iraq insurgency undiminished

"The Iraqi insurgency is just as strong now as it was one year ago, the most senior US military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers has admitted."
Source via South News

Ghost of Sir Joh declares state of emergency to stop funeral protest

"The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that a group of disgruntled former power station workers are planning to blockade the state funeral of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, who, as Queensland premier, had little respect to the right to protest.

"In response, Sir Joh has appeared from beyond the grave to declare a state of emergency.

"The ghosts of riot police past will be out in force to ensure that nothing can prevent Sir Joh's corpse from touring the cemetery."
Source: The Daily Grind, via SatireSearch

The agony of war

The death of US aid worker Marla Ruzicka (28) in Iraq

By Bob Herbert, NY Times, April 25, 2005

"The vast amount of suffering and death endured by civilians as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq has, for the most part, been carefully kept out of the consciousness of the average American. I can't think of anything the Bush administration would like to talk about less. You can't put a positive spin on dead children. ...

"More than 600 people attended Ms. Ruzicka's funeral on Saturday in her hometown of Lakeport, Calif. Among them was Bobby Muller, chairman of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. A former Marine lieutenant, he knows something about the agony of war. His spinal cord was severed when he was shot in the back in Vietnam. He told the mourners: 'Marla demonstrated that an individual can make a profound difference in this world. Her life was dedicated to innocent victims of conflict, exactly what she ended up being.'"
Source: NY Times

Marla Ruzicka Lived, Died for Her Cause
"The global justice movement, at least in its current incarnation, is a young cause. Rooted in the anti-sweatshop campaigns of the 1990s and thrust onto the world stage by the Seattle anti-WTO protests of 1999, the movement remains overwhelmingly youthful in composition, leadership and spirit.

"As such, it has experienced few deaths of comrades - particularly among the legions of activists in the United States. Until now.

"Marla Ruzicka, the 28-year-old head of the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, which worked to aid civilian victims of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, was killed Saturday on the road from Baghdad to that city's airport when her car was apparently caught between a suicide car bomber and a U.S. military convoy."
Source: Common Dreams

My Hero: Marla Ruzicka!
Intrepid Iraq activist Marla Ruzicka remembered
Google News on Marla Ruzicka

Abu Ghraib Only "Tip of the Iceberg"

USA sends prisoners to "third-country dungeons"

"(New York, April 27, 2005)— The crimes at Abu Ghraib are part of a larger pattern of abuses against Muslim detainees around the world, Human Rights Watch said on the eve of the April 28 anniversary of the first pictures of U.S. soldiers brutalizing prisoners at the Iraqi jail.

"Human Rights Watch released a summary of evidence of U.S. abuse of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as well as of the programs of secret CIA detention, 'extraordinary renditions,' and 'reverse renditions.'

"'Abu Ghraib was only the tip of the iceberg,' said Reed Brody, special counsel for Human Rights Watch. 'It's now clear that abuse of detainees has happened all over—from Afghanistan to Guantánamo Bay to a lot of third-country dungeons where the United States has sent prisoners. And probably quite a few other places we don’t even know about.'"
Source: Human Rights Watch

Image above from Kerspelbedeb: The Struggle In Iraq. See Kersplebedeb for books, buttons, stickers, etc.

Stayin' Alive at Gallipoli

Gallipoli, Turkey, 1915: An estimated 131,000 Allied soldiers were killed and 262,000 wounded (sources vary widely); about 250,000 (some sources say 450,000) Turkish men were killed or wounded in an area measured in a handful of square kilometres.

The Australian, New Zealand and Turkish governments put on a big show (dawn service) at Anzac Cove on Anzac Day, 2005. The crowd was huge, as it is each April 25: this year there were 17,000 Aussies and an unknown number of others.

The solemnify the occasion, the organisers played music videos, including Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees.

TV Turnoff Week

Get your keyring TV-jamming device

TV Turnoff Week, Apr 25 - May 1




"TV Turnoff Week is no ordinary social ritual. The goal is simple: to shake up routines and get people questioning the role of TV in their lives.

"Sure, it’s a statement against dead-end couch culture. But it's also about cleaning up the mental environment. Like our oceans and air, our shared mindscape is littered with pollutants -- distorted news, manipulative ads, violence and top-down culture.

"How can we fight back? In years past, we've smashed TVs, postered schools and offices, aired ads, and performed anti-tube street theater. The hottest idea this year? TV-B-Gone™ -- a key-chain remote control capable of turning off virtually any television. It's the ultimate tool for reclaiming our commons.

"From April 25 to May 1, thousands of jammers will be hitting the streets with this ingenious device, illicitly zapping TVs. Clarity of mind, one click at a time.

Get yours at cost until May 1 » "

Source

Anti-TV guerrillas wield their new zapper
Taking the TV turn-off test
TV B-Gone (keyring device for jamming TVs)
Watch TV on the Internet
The Truth About TV TV Addiction is No Metaphor (Scientific American) (Full text)
Federation Without Television
More links: TV, in the Planet Directory
Four Arguments for the Elimination of Televison, the classic book by Jerry Mander

Activist victim of the 'Patriot Act'

Who is Lynne Stewart?

"Radical human rights attorney Lynne Stewart has been falsely accused of helping terrorists. On Tuesday, April 9, 2002, she was arrested and agents searched her Manhattan office for documents. She was arraigned before Manhattan federal Judge John Koetl. This is an obvious attempt by the U.S. government to silence dissent and install fear in those who would fight against the U.S. government's racism, seek to help Arabs and Muslims being prosecuted for free speech and defend the rights of all oppressed people."
Source

Lynne Stewart is you and me. Anyone could find themselves framed by Bush's 'Patriot Act'. Click here to find out why the case of Lynne Stewart should matter to you, and what you can do to help.

Who will defend you if your lawyer is afraid to speak?

How Green is Camouflage?



"The U.S. Army celebrated Earth Day this year with a special campaign called 'Sustaining the Environment for a Secure Future.' The effort's website features links to an Army Earth Day message, an Army Earth Day video promo, computer screen wallpaper, and a commemorative poster.

"'We are a nation at war. The need to protect our homeland has never been clearer,' the Army's message states. 'The Army's Strategy for the Environment establishes a long-range vision that focuses efforts that sustain our mission. For success in the global war on terrorism we must carry out our responsibilities for the long-term. The land, air, and water resources we work and train on are vital to both our present and future missions. We must use those resources wisely in a manner that reflects our devotion to duty and respect for the needs of tomorrow’s Soldiers.'"

Source: PRWatch

Pope's public relations

The last pope was a master of public relations, which is to say, his PR firm was. The new pope has done exactly what I would have got him to do if, when I was a PR manager, he had been my client: he's flattered the media within days of his election:

Pope Benedict Seeks `Fruitful' Rapport With Media
"April 23 -- Pope Benedict XVI, in his first address to members of the press, said he would seek to maintain a close working relationship with them, and expressed gratitude for their coverage of events leading to his election.

"The pope's 15-minute 'audience' with journalists, held inside a crowded 6,500-seat auditorium, was interrupted by cheers and claps usually reserved for athletes and rock stars."
Source: Bloomberg

Benedict XVI launches media offensive
Pope Podcasts Show Importance of Medium (Source: Strategic Public Relations)

Who is PR for the pope?
Do you know which firm manages Vatican PR? I've been searching, and I can't find it anywhere. Thanks if you can advise me.

Joh goes

Former Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam (pictured at left), while he and Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen were both in office, called Joh (pictured at right) "that Bible-bashing bastard". Now Joh is dead, at 94, and the bastard who presided over one of Australia's most corrupt State governments, will be given a State funeral.

For almost two decades Joh's regime was notorious for unbridled environmental destruction, for union bashing and the persecution of free-thinkers and protesters. Joh was a great one for using the legal processes for his weird ends, and Australia has archaic defamation laws that help people like Joh get away with their activities, so today is the first chance I've had to call him a bastard too.

Columnist Phillip Adams, compared Sir Joh with Peter Sellers' character, the moronic Chance, in the movie, Being There: "Both (Joh and Ronald Reagan) have visions as limited as their vocabularies, yet both these grotesque garden gnomes are seen as colossi by their deluded followers. The louder we laughed at them, the more powerful they became. The more improbable their careers, the more certain their ascendancy."

Bye-bye, Joh. We get the last laugh, because we know how much you wanted to see Jesus.

* Ø * Ø * Ø *

"During his 19 years in power, Sir Joh was renowned for his 'can-do' attitude towards development, and his uncompromising approach to unionists, protesters and political opponents.

"In the late 1980s, the Fitzgerald Inquiry into corruption became increasingly embarrassing for his government.

"As the situation came to a head, Sir Joh tried unsuccessfully to sack five ministers for disloyalty, but instead he was dumped by his party and ultimately resigned as premier on December 1, 1987.

"In 1991 he fought a perjury charge arising from the Fitzgerald Inquiry, but a district court jury could not reach a verdict."
Source: ABC News

Feast day of St George, 'The Great Martyr', patron of England
(Harebell, Hyacinthus non scriptus, was designated today’s plant by medieval monks. It is dedicated to St George, whose feast day this is.)

King Edward III (1312 - 1377) adopted St George as the patron of England, and today is the National Day of that nation. Ever since this saint supposedly came to the aid of English crusaders during their campaign at Antioch in 1098, he has been popular in England.

He was probably a Roman officer, a martyr who died at Diospolis, ie Lydda, in Palestine before the time of Constantine during the Diocletian persecution of Christians, according to hagiographer Alban Butler. The Greeks called him The Great Martyr. Pope Benedict XIV recognised him as Protector of the Kingdom of England and Edward III instituted the Order of the Garter under his name and ensign.

His legendary slaying of the dragon is an allegory for the triumph of good over evil. One day in Libya, St George came upon a swamp-dwelling dragon. The locals offered it two sheep each day in appeasement, but, having run out of sheep, had begun sacrificing humans selected by lot. When the lot fell on the daughter of the king, no one would take her place but St George saved the princess by slaying the creature.

St George may well be a version of the Greek chimera-slayer, Bellerophon, and the northern European hero, Sigurd the Dragonslayer, who is Siegfried in the Wagnerian opera. Possibly, too, the legend of St Michael and the slaying of his dragon might have been conflated with the story of St George ...

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.

Top Indian designers to boycott Australian wool

"Hyderabad, April 20. (UNI): Top Indian designers Hemant Trevedi, Wendell Rodericks, Rohit Bal, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Ashley Rebello, Jatin Kochar and animal rights campaigner, Anita Dongre, have pledged 'not to use Australian merino wool until live exports and mulesing (lamb mutilations) end', the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India announced on Tuesday.

"In a signed statement to PETA India, the designers have said they would not use leather or wool, out of concern for animals. India is the third-largest importer of Australian wool. During 2002-2003, Australia supplied around 60 per cent of India's raw wool imports and almost all its apparel-grade wool.

"PETA's international campaign against the live flaying of the rump of the lamb - as a cheap way to prevent maggot infestation - and the cruel export of live sheep abroad in open-deck ships in extreme weather conditions, has led to protests spanning three continents.

"There has been a fast-growing international boycott of Australian wool, the NGO said in a statement here on Tuesday."
Source: The Hindu

PETA India
PETA UK
Boycott Australian Wool

This bloody disgrace is called Mulesing
"Can you imagine the public outcry if someone grabbed a dog and sliced away skin and flesh the size of a dinner plate from around its anus and tail with a pair of shears and without anaesthetic.

"Well Australian protection laws, whilst prohibiting such cruelty on companion animals, allow this gory primitive act to be carried out on millions of sheep each year."
Source

Minnie the Moocher

What a great song, and I just found out what it meant ... I mean the original 'Minnie the Moocher' by Cab Calloway. He recorded it in 1930, just on 50 years before it was used in The Blues Brothers. I was wondering what 'kick the gong' meant, and found it here. It means to smoke opium, and when Minnie did it, she had opium dreams of all kinds. And I guess we all know what a 'coker' is. That Minnie was quite a bad gal (but she had a heart as big as a whale).

But even more interesting, maybe, is the use of the word 'bloke', which I thought was English and Aussie, but not American. Hmmm ...


Hey folks here’s the story ’bout minnie the moocher
She was a lowdown hoocie coocher
She was the roughest toughest frail
But minnie had a heart as big as a whale

Hidehidehidehi (hidehidehidehi)
Hodehodehodeho (hodehodehodeho)
Hedehedehedehe (hedehedehedehe)
Hidehidehideho (hidehidehideho)

She messed around with a bloke named smokie
She loved him though he was cokey
He took her down to chinatown
And showed her how to kick the gong around

Hidehidehidehi (hidehidehidehi)
Whoah (whoah)
Hedehedehedehe (hedehedehedehe)
A hidehidehideho (hidehidehideho)

She had a dream about the king of sweden
He gave her things that she was needin’
He gave her a home built of gold and steel
A diamond car with platinum wheels

A hidehidehidehidehidehidehi (hidehidehidehidehidehidehi)
Hodehodehodehodehodehodeho (hodehodehodehodehodehodeho)
... (...)
... (...)

He gave her his townhouse and his racing horses
Each meal she ate was a dozen courses
Had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes
She sat around and counted them all a million times

Hidehidehidehi (hidehidehidehi)
Hodehodehodeho (hodehodehodeho)
Hedehedehedehe (hedehedehedehe)
Hidehidehideho (hidehidehideho)

Poor min, poor min, poor minnie

Govt accused of exporting death penalty

"[Australia] A civil libertarian wants the Federal Government to clarify its position on the death penalty after nine Australians were arrested in Bali for heroin smuggling.

"Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman says it appears they were about to board a plane to Australia when they were arrested.

"Mr O'Gorman says he cannot understand why the Australian Federal Police (AFP) passed information to Indonesian authorities rather than waiting to make the arrest themselves.

"He says then they could have faced the Australian justice system ...

"'They have been arrested in Indonesia where they will be executed,' he said.

"'If we're in effect exporting the death penalty of Australians to other countries and if there has in effect, been a change in Government policy, then let's hear about it.'"
Source: ABC News

[I am flabbergasted that the Australian government has allowed this to happen and that the Leader of the Opposition, Labor leader Kim 'Bomber' Beazley, is going along with it. Once we had a Labor Party that strenuously opposed the death penalty. In fact, once we had a Labor Party.]

Storm of protest against nod for more Bt crops

"NEW DELHI, HYDERABAD, APRIL 17: Farmers' groups and civil society organisations across the country have expressed deep concerns over the country's regulatory authority approving new biotech (Bt) cotton hybrids for cultivation in new areas when the case for extension of the approval period for three such varieties under cultivation has become controversial.

"As part of the Global Week of Action (GWA) being celebrated worldwide, several civil society and farmers' groups have stepped up the campaign against 'unwarranted approval of new Bt cotton hybrids, when the case for old varieties remains undecided.' ...

"Some civil society groups have conducted scientific studies, which show the failure of Bt cotton in south India. The Secunderabad-based Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) conducted a study under the leadership of Dr GV Ramanjaneyulu and entomologist Dr SMA Ali, which showed the failure of Bt cotton in Warangal and Medak districts of Andhra Pradesh. A similar study conducted by Dr Abdul Qayum and Kiran Sakkhari on behalf of the Deccan Development Society (DDS), Andhra Pradesh Coalition in Defence of Diversity and Permaculture Association of India bared farmers suffering from heavy losses on account of Bt cotton cultivation. The district authority of Warangal has asked Mahyco Monsanto to compensate the farmers for the losses.

"Also, studies conducted by the Gene Campaign, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology and Greenpeace India have shown the failure of Bt cotton in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil nadu. Eminent scientist and Padma Bhushan awardee Dr Pushpa M Bhargava has gone on record saying that Bt cotton has failed to live up to expectations. So far, only one survey which was conducted by an advertising and market research agency, IMRB on behalf on Monsanto India has attested to the success of Bt cotton cultivation. However, the CSA has refuted point-by-point the survey conducted by IMRB."
Source: financialexpress.com

The Bible: not so very big

Pharyngula, always worth a read, has posted an article, 'The proper reverence due those who have gone before'. It stimulates the grey matter, on the subject of Biblical creationism and science, by comparing the part of history covered by the Bible, with the eons of our species' existence. I found it at The Panda's Thumb.

While we're at it, here's a page on Project Steve, named for the late American palaeontologist Stephen Jay Gould. Project Steve is a humourous-but-serious campaign for intellectual freedom, again taking a swipe at Creationism.

And on a similar subject, from Evolving Thoughts, 'Hobbit Not a Pinhead', another one I found at The Panda's Thumb.

Adidas, amigos

Note from Pip: I have the offer of a free ride to Sydney tomorrow, so I'm going to grab the opportunity to go and see family and friends for a few days, between Tuesday, April 5 and Sunday, April 10. I haven't taken time off for more years than I care to admit, so I won't be online for the duration. See you when I get back.

America's first 'Trial of the (19th) Century'



April 2, 1800, Manhattan Well Mystery: In New York City, the trial of carpenter Levi Weeks ended with an acquittal. Weeks, accused of murdering Gulielma (Juliana; Elma) Sands, was defended by a 'dream team' of former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, and later Vice-President Aaron Burr, in a short trial that had the whole city talking.

Pretty Elma Sands, a 21-year-old milliner, had lived in a boarding house (pictured) on the south-west corner of Greenwich St and Franklin St in New York City, run by her uncle and aunt, Quaker couple Elias and Catherine Ring. It was said in evidence that she had just become engaged to marry Levi Weeks, who lived in the same establishment. She was described by a neighbour as "uniformly cheerful and serene, and on the day previous to the murder was remarkably so. Her expectation of becoming a bride on the morrow was the natural cause of her liveliness. Her temper was mild and tranquil; her manners artless and tender; her conversation ever chaste and innocent. She was one of those virtuous characters against whom the tongue of slander never moves." Levi, too, was a man of good repute – even the prosecutor, assistant attorney-general of New York State and future mayor of New York City, Cadwallader David Colden, referred to Levi's "amiable and engaging manners”.

"Oh, Lord have mercy upon me! What shall I do? Help me!"
A female voice heard by witnesses from the well vicinity on the murder night

On the evening of Sunday, December 22, 1799, Elma left the boarding house and was never to return alive, but her body was not found until January 2. It was found in the bottom of one of New York's wells, the so-called Manhattan Well, which coincidentally had been dug by the Manhattan Co., owned by lawyer Aaron Burr. In Weeks's subsequent two-day trial, 75 witnesses testified, but the evidence was all circumstantial and, at worst, Weeks appeared to be a likeable and respected man who had been having sexual relations with Elma Sands.

The judge advised the jury to find Weeks not guilty, which was the verdict returned after only five minutes of consideration. At this point Mrs Ring shocked all present by turning to Attorney Hamilton with the words: "If thee dies a natural death, then there is no justice in heaven". Or, so it is said. Weeks left New York and the public spotlight, apparently moving around the USA for some time then ending up in Natchez, Mississippi, where he lived as a respected architect and family man, dying in 1819 at the age of 43.

One of the witnesses, Richard David Croucher, on whom suspicion had fallen during the trial, was later tried for rape of a 13-year-old girl and sentenced to life imprisonment. As a strange footnote, Hamilton was killed in a duel by his associate Aaron Burr less than five years after the trial. Later, Burr was arrested and tried for treason and his career was shattered.

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.

Almanac guests double since July



As this shot of the last nine months of stats for visitors to the homepage of Wilson's Almanac (the Scriptorium) shows, traffic has been increasing steadily. That's just visits to the home page; as we have more than 3,000 fully searchable pages, we must be getting a huge number of readers overall; in the hundreds of thousands per year would be a conservative guess and the only conservative thing you'll get out of your almanackist.

If the bars of the graph were to scale, the image would be more accurate as it would show that traffic has actually more than doubled in nine months. Thanks to all our readers and supporters for helping us grow. More than 440 websites (that we know of) have linked their sites to the Almanac, for which we are very grateful.

We nearly went under last week
Trouble is, there's no such thing as a free Almy. Despite our growth, we are having serious trouble paying our online fees. In fact, I didn't tell you this but just last week I nearly had to pull the plug on the whole project (I couldn't pay by the month and had to pay an annual fee -- money I didn't have). I think it would be a real shame if we had to go, and I'm sure many readers would think so too. If you would like the Scriptorium, Book of Days, Blogmanac and all our other many free features to be sure to stay online, will you throw Puppy a coin? Even a couple of bucks will help pay our Internet bills and keep about 6 million words of Almanac material online for the people of 190 nations, rich and poor, to read absolutely free.

If you prefer, home shopping at our Cafe Diem! store is another great way to make sure we will still be around in another nine months. If you intend to buy a gift or a book for yourself (or software, DVD, home wares, etc, etc) anyway, you can avoid mall carparks and have fast delivery through Cafe Diem. You'll be amazed what a range of products can be found with our search box. Many thanks for your support.

Britannica takeover of Wikipedia



(Wikipedia victim of onslaught of April Fool's jokes)

"Today Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia that anyone can edit, was the victim of an onslaught of practical jokes, as April Fool's Day kicked in in various timezones around the world. Wikipedia contributors were kept busy tidying up and removing prank articles and changes made by other Wikipedia contributors, and were expecting to be cleaning up the aftermath for days afterwards.

"The most highly visible prank was the prank 2005 Britannica takeover of Wikimedia encyclopaedia article ..."
Source: Wikinews

2005 Britannica takeover of Wikimedia (it's very funny)

April Fools' Day

(Noddy Day, Gowkie Day, Gowkin’ Day)

If this year’s first day of April is like any other, you’ll have to keep your guard against the practical jokes that others can play on you, much to your annoyance and their delight. But what are the origins of the strange cult of April Fools' Day?

There are a couple of explanations put forward by scholars to account for the trickery that takes place throughout much of the Western world on April 1.

One theory suggests that, because of the tradition of sending someone on 'a fool's errand', the practice might derive from the Biblical story in which Jesus Christ was sent uselessly back and forth between Annas, Caiphas, Pontius Pilate and King Herod, each of them not being able to resolve what to do with him ...

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.

T Rex fossil found with blood vessels

"A 70-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex fossil dug out of a hunk of sandstone has yielded soft tissue, including blood vessels and perhaps even whole cells, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.

"Paleontologists forced to break the creature's massive thighbone to get it on a helicopter found not a solid piece of fossilized bone, but instead something looking a bit less like a rock.

"When they got it into a lab and chemically removed the hard minerals, they found what looked like blood vessels, bone cells and perhaps even blood cells."
Source: MSNBC

Become a Republican (Flash animation)



Click

Bike Tour Riders Burn Granola Bars Not Fossil Fuels!

"The Portland Peace and Justice Center, a non-profit organization working to advance global peace and justice by promoting local economics and grassroots democracy, is launching its first annual Sustainable Energy in Motion Bike Tour and fundraiser this June. Using one of the most sustainable means of travel – a bicycle – participants explore real examples of local businesses and communities working together to create thriving regional economies and environmentally sustainable societies.

"Sustainable Energy in Motion combines the fun and adventure of bicycle touring with the added benefit of learning about the sustainability movement. These fully supported rides concentrate on active involvement with Native American communities, permaculture and organic agricultural sites, sustainable businesses models and educational organizations. Participants need to be prepared to get their hands dirty as they give back to these host communities through service, participating in projects such as building a Native American sweat lodge, organic farming/orchard work, and wild land restoration."
Source: emediawire

The Undoing of America

Gore Vidal on war for oil, politics-free elections, and the late, great U.S. Constitution

"For the past 40 years or so of Gore Vidal’s prolific 59-year literary career, his great project has been the telling of the American story from the country’s inception to the present day, unencumbered by the court historian’s task of making America’s leaders look like good guys at every turn ..."
Read this great interview at Bellaciao

Thanks Chris Keeley for the tip.