Universal to offer free music downloads

"The music industry's war against piracy has entered a new phase, with a major recording company deciding to allow free downloads from more than half of its catalogue.

"Universal Music Group has signed a deal with an online service which will allow consumers to legally download artists such as U2, Powderfinger and Jack Johnson.

"But there's a catch: anyone taking up the offer will be forced to listen to 90 seconds of advertising before downloading each song ..."
The World Today

Listen mp3

Tagged: music

WMD search intellectually dishonest: inspector

Australia: "A former weapons inspector in Iraq says the process of searching for weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) was intellectually dishonest.

"John Gee is an expert on chemical weapons who worked with the United States-led Iraqi Survey Group after the Iraq war.

"Dr Gee resigned from the survey group in March 2004 because he had no confidence in the process.

"He has now spoken out about his concerns ..."
ABC News

More at Yellow Pages

Tagged: australia, iraq, wmd, war+on+terror, disinfo, disinformation

Did King David exist?

"Some scholars are busily debunking the Bible's account of the great King David, asking: Was he really all that great? Was he largely legendary, Judaism's version of Britain's legendary King Arthur, or totally fictional?

"These matters are crucial not only for Jews but for Christians, since Jesus' biblical identity as the messiah stems from David's family line.

"Skepticism about the Hebrew Bible's history was promoted to popular audiences in 'The Bible Unearthed' (2001) by Tel Aviv University archaeologist Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman. Their most recent book focuses on 'David and Solomon' (Free Press).

"Though some scholars claimed David never existed, in 1993 archaeologists discovered a stone inscription from 835 B.C. that mentions 'the house of David.' The authors say that established the existence of a dynastic founder named David and that shortly after his 10th-century era a line of kings 'traced their legitimacy back to David.'

"However, Finkelstein considers the Bible seriously distorted propaganda. He treats David as a minor bandit chieftain and Jerusalem as a hamlet, not an imperial capital ..."
Source

New desktop image switcher

Equal with Calendar Magic and Lunabar, at the top of my list of many free programs I've downloaded is John's Background Switcher. It gives you new images as wallpaper as often as you want, either from your own files or from flickr.

John has just released a new version with lots of new features. Enjoy this great resource as I do.

Tagged: photography, internet+resources, free

Court slams 'silly' bin Laden link

Australia: "A magistrate has blasted the federal government for including terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden's name in a list of people that cannot be contacted by terror suspect Jack Thomas.

"In the federal magistrates court in Canberra, magistrate Graham Mowbray accused the government of turning the proceedings into a farce by including Bin Laden's name on an extensive list of people who Mr Thomas is not permitted to contact."
Sydney Morning Herald

With Bush & Co trying to convince the public that even they can't find bin Laden (sure, sure), this is extremely weird. Note that the Herald refers to Thomas as a "terror suspect". As he has been declared innocent by two courts, the Herald might as well call anyone by that name. But, of course, 'Granny' is not the paper it once was.

Tagged: bush, usa, australia, war+on+terror, terrorism, bin+laden

Freeing the Insects, Japan

Late August, Early September: Freeing the Insects, Japan

An ancient rite held when the “seven grasses of summer” are in full bloom. People buy insects in small bamboo cages from vendors (usually bought on May 28), and free them in public parks. The person listens for the chirpings as they go free.

Tagged: calendar+customs, japan

The dad from hell

Ever had trouble with your old man? Be thankful you're not one of the Beach Boys Wilsons. Listen to their fuckwit dad, Murry Wilson, drunk and obstreperous in the recording session for one of the band's greatest hits, 'Help Me Rhonda'.

Lid dip to BoingBoing.

Tagged: music

Oops!

Oops! Remember to close your mike at the appropriate times if you're 'anchoring' TV news. Link

That zany, madcap Australian press

As an addendum to yesterday's post about Jack Thomas and scurrilous Australian media, yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald article, Jihad Jack wife's terror link, shows that it's not just the gutter press that needs a kick up the arse. Even our so-called "quality" broadsheets have disgraced themselves time and again with regard to Howard's phony "war on terror". They're at it again.

The Herald's headline is obviously a total nonsense. Mrs Thomas went to the same school as a woman who later married a terrorist. That's it. Obviously the headline should have scoffed at the puerile allegation. Today's Herald was awash with letters condemning the article, so there's still hope.

If this can happen to Jack Thomas and his wife, it could happen to you and me. Be very afraid.

Tagged: australia, war+on+terror, terrorism, journalism

Mark Antony and Cleopatra

30 BCE Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) committed suicide at the court of Cleopatra VII of Egypt of Egypt when he wrongly heard that his queen was dead.

Cleopatra later committed suicide (legend has it she clasped an asp, the royal snake of Egypt, to her bosom) when she thought she would be exhibited by Octavian in his triumph at Rome ...

Tagged: ancient+egypt, ancient+rome, biography

Before Prohibition

Before Prohibition:
Images from the pre-prohibition era when many psychotropic substances were legally available in America and Europe.

Tagged: drugs, addiction, health, advertising, corporations

Trouvelot and the UFOs

1871 At the Meudon Observatory in France, astronomer Étienne Léopold Trouvelot (1827 - 1895) saw several flying objects high in the atmosphere.

He described one object as descending like a disc falling through water. Ufologists suggest this might have been the first description of the ‘falling leaf motion’ that is known in modern UFO cases. Some sources say Trouvelot’s objects resembled those seen at Basel, Switzerland, on August 7, 1566.

Trouvelot, by the way, made a living as an artist, painting mostly portraits, but he had an amateur interest in entomology. He was the person who introduced gypsy moths to North America, bringing them back from a trip to Europe between late 1868 and early 1869 with a view to raising them to make silk, a plan which failed. Over the next seventeen years, the gypsy moth population exploded and it is now a major pest ...

Tagged: ufo, astronomy, mysteries, biography

How to advertise on this blog

The sidebar has a link to Blogads, our advertising server (reasonable rates).

Latest political stunt from Jihad John

I don't know whether Australian citizen Jack Thomas is a potential terrorist or not, but Blind Freddie can see that he's had a raw deal.

Thomas was convicted earlier this year of receiving money from Al Qaeda, but the conviction was overturned by the Victorian Court of Appeal. Thomas has consistently claimed that the charges against him were based on statements he made under physical and psychological torture in a Pakistan prison.

The gutter press branded him 'Jihad Jack' and has relentlessly waged a ludicrous but effective character assassination campaign against him over the past couple of years.

Now that Thomas is a free man, and probably out of sheer spite, the Jihad John Howard Government has placed an "interim control order" on this man whom the courts have determined to be not guilty. This involves a curfew, thrice-weekly reporting to police, monitoring of his communications (phone, email, etc) and other impositions. Welcome to John Howard's New Australia Order.

"The prosecution has said their case 'stands or falls' on the basis of a single interview conducted in March 2003 while Jack was detained in Pakistan. In the interview Jack asks repeatedly to see a lawyer but both AFP agents conducting the interview fail to inform him that his family had already obtained legal representation in the days following his arrest. Instead they tell him that the Pakistanis won’t allow him a lawyer and proceed with the interview, ignoring a basic right under Australian law.

"Jack soon found himself in solitary confinement in Barwon Prison’s maximum security Acacia Unit where all of the suffering and pain from his experiences in Pakistan came flooding back in what one psychiatrist has described as a form of 'secondary torture'."
The Real Jack Thomas

Thomas control order based on 'far-fetched' idea

Tagged: terrorism, australia, war+on+terror, torture, civil+rights, human+rights, law, legal

Israeli soldiers "shoot to kill" at anti-war demonstrators

"Israeli activists have uploaded a video of the shooting of Lymor and the initial violence of the Israeli military in Bil’in on Friday, August 11th. To view it click here."
GlobalResearch

Tagged: israel, lebanon, war, peace, activism, demonstrations, military

Low rode the moon that night

1857 Abraham Lincoln's night of the "moon riding low"

When he was a lawyer, Abraham Lincoln defended a man, one William Armstrong, who had been charged with murder.

The prosecutor said that Lincoln's client had murdered a man on August 28, 1857 in the "light of the moon". Holding up the 1857 edition of the Old Farmer's Almanac for the jury to see, Lincoln pointed out that on the night in question the "moon was riding low". Thus was Armstrong acquitted of all charges in a real-life scenario that has had its echo in countless crime fictions since then.

Tagged: history, usa, moon, almanacs

On arrogance and pig's eyes

I was in a dentist's chair this morning, but not for long.

From the outset the guy was patronising, abrasive and borderline rude so I quickly and politely excused myself. He redeemed himself somewhat by telling the receptionist there would be no charge for his bad service, but still I won't be going back.

It reminded me of the only other time I've walked out of a dental surgery like that. That was about 20 years ago, I guess. I had been getting some fillings done at the Sydney Dental Hospital -- this was in the days before the John Howard government vandalised free dental care in this country and you could get more than a tooth yanked out or crappy plastic dentures after waiting for years.

Anyway, 20 years or so ago I went for my appointment, sat in the chair and watched tremulously as my dentist and some three or four others began stretching and slapping on rubber gloves. I was naturally confused. "What do you intend to do?" I asked my main man.

"We're going to extract your wisdom teeth," came the reply.

Now, I've heard from people what it's like to get your wisdoms pulled out, and it ain't nice. You don't want to have it done in a chair and then have to drive home. Some people stay in bed for days after this nasty procedure. You certainly don't want it done without a word of discussion beforehand.

So when I was informed that these men and women intended to remove those teeth, I responded "In a pig's eye you are," got up, walked out and went home. Remarkably, in 53 years I've never had a minute's pain from my wisdom teeth. But I guess professionals know best, especially when there's a welfare guinea pig suitable for the hands-on instruction of several dentistry students.

Tagged: health

Turn it up, Sol

On the steam wireless I heard Yank rich guy Sol Trujillo explaining how he was going to rescue Telstra, Australia's major telecommunications company, from the mess that it's got into since he became its CEO.

This corporate suit from Cheyenne, Wyoming believes that a thing called 'Census' will help pull Telstra out of its hole. At least, that's how I heard it. But no, it's Sensis, which in the mind of Sol will change the fortunes of his huge corporation. Sol actually believes that people will use the Sensis search engine rather than Google. Also, the Edsel will be Ford's biggest seller and quadrophonic is the coming thing in music. It'll never fly, Orville. The odd thing is, obviously a significant number of shareholders have bought this googless fantasy.

And, apart from having a name that's a confusing homophone, there is already a http://www.sensis.com/ just to confound things further. Way to go, Sol!

By the way, Mr Trujillo only got US$72 million when he left his last job in the States (source). Where do these guys get off?

(Pictured: Mr Trujillo explains to his staff the meaning of 'three inches'.)

Trujillo's role questioned as Telstra shares dip

Tagged: corporations

Anti-semitic tale of Little Hugh

Feast day of St Little Hugh of Lincoln

The martyrdom by crucifixion of the infant St Hugh (1247 - August, 1255) became a very popular subject for the ballad poetry of the Middle Ages and a focus for the rampant anti-Semitism of the times.

Like St William of Norwich, Hugh was supposed to have been murdered by the Jews of Lincoln. The boy disappeared on July 31, and his body was discovered in a well on August 29 ...

Tagged: saints, uk, england

Krakatoa eruption

1883 On the Indonesian island of Rakata, the volcano Krakatoa (real name, Krakatau) erupted with one of the biggest volcanic explosions ever in human history (some say Santorini’s eruption in 1628 BCE was three times as forceful. Krakatoa was heard over 7.5 per cent of the earth’s surface).

The sound of the eruption was heard as far as 3,540 km away, in Australia. By way of comparison, an equivalent phenomenon in Australia would be an explosion in Perth being heard in Sydney, or in the USA, a New York explosion being heard in San Francisco. Tsunamis caused by the great blast killed 36,000 people in Java and Sumatra.

‘Modern’ communications helped the world know about Krakatoa in a short time and helped changed the world view of the day. Whereas news of Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 assassination did not reach London for 12 days, Europeans and Americans knew about the explosion of Krakatoa in four hours. The difference: in the years between 1865 and 1883 there had been three great developments: the invention of Morse Code; the global spread of the telegraph, and the establishment of Reuter’s news agency. No longer could the world be seen as vast and unknowable.

The eruption is also the subject of a 1969 Hollywood film entitled Krakatoa, East of Java starring Maximilian Schell – which is notable chiefly for getting the volcano’s location embarrassingly wrong: Krakatoa is in fact west of Java ...

Tagged: indonesia, history

Israel's Guantanamo sinks without trace

Why is it that Camp 1391, revealed just on three years ago in the article Inside Israel's secret prison (August 20, 2003), seems to have disappeared from public consciousness?

Three years down the track, try to find much buzz about it via Google, and you'll be left in the dark. Noam Chomsky mentions it in a recent interview at CounterPunch, but that's a rarity. For someone old enough to remember when the press could boast something approaching investigative journalism, this is mysterious and unsettling.

Tagged: israel, human+rights, civil+rights

Bob Dylan at Google video

A propos yesterday's post about Dylan, here is a page of links to Zimmy vids at Google video.

'Isis' is great, so is 'Love & Theft'. I'm still a-waitin' for the others (dialup).

Pagan bull sacrifice ends for Celts

1778 The last pagan sacrifice of a bull to be conducted publicly in the Celtic world, was performed on the island of Eilean Maree (Maelrubha, formerly Eilean a Mhor Righ – Island of the Great King), in Loch Maree, a lake in the Ross and Cromarty region of the Scottish Highlands.

The sacrifice was to ensure the healing of mental disorders. Libations of milk were also poured out on the hills, ruined chapels were perambulated, wells and stones worshipped, and divination practised each year on this date, the alternative feast day (his primary one being April 21) of St Malrubius ...

Tagged: pagan, celtic, calendar+customs, scotland

Dog gone planet

So, we were sold a pup with Pluto.

Today's announcement is a bit like being told there were really only six wonders of the world, but in 20 or 30 years kids will laugh when by rote we say "MercuryVenusEarthMarsJupiterSaturnUranusNeptunePluto". Not that the ex-planet didn't always have a risible name. Of course, Mickey Mouse's dog was named in the wake of the discovery of the 'planet' (which was named after the god of the Underworld), not vice versa.

By the way, why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours?

Some questions and answers about our new solar system
San Jose Mercury News - 33 minutes agoLOS ANGELES - Astronomers rejiggered the nine-planet solar system for the first time in 76 years on Thursday, kicking out Pluto and creating a new category of "dwarf planets." Here are some questions and answers about our new solar system: ...
Pluto's lack of star power results in demotion
Three New Planets with the Stroke of a Pen? Great News for Science ...
Hindustan Times :: Reuters :: NEWS.com.au :: New York Times :: all 932 related »

Tagged: science, astronomy

Dylan on bad recording and illegal downloading

Legend derides 20 years of 'atrocious' recordings - including his own

"'You do the best you can, you fight technology in all kinds of ways, but I don't know anybody who's made a record that sounds decent in the past 20 years, really,' Dylan tells the novelist Jonathan Lethem for Rolling Stone magazine.

"Why not? [Music] ain't worth nothing anyway"

"Responding to claims by record companies and some artists that illegal downloading starves them of income, he says: 'It was like, "everybody's gettin' music for free". I was like, "well, why not? It ain't worth nothing anyway".'

"In the 20-year period he condemns Dylan has released eight studio albums, but he makes no attempt to exempt his own work from his critique. Speaking of his latest CD, released in the US next week, he says: 'Even these songs probably sounded 10 times better in the studio when we recorded 'em.'"
Guardian Unlimited

This bloke agrees with Zimmy and tells why.

Bob Dylan, Professional Rabblerouser
Bob Dylan trashes modern music
Bob Dylan returns to 'Modern Times'
TheCelebrityCafe.com :: Hindustan Times :: all 84 related »

Tagged: music, dylan

Is sustainable agriculture an oxymoron?

"Jared Diamond calls it 'the worst mistake in the history of the human race.' Bill Mollison says that it can 'destroy whole landscapes.' Are they describing nuclear energy? Suburbia? Coal mining? No. They are talking about agriculture. The problem is not simply that farming in its current industrial manifestation is destroying topsoil and biodiversity. Agriculture in any form is inherently unsustainable. At its doorstep can also be laid the basis of our culture’s split between humans and nature, much disease and poor health, and the origins of dominator hierarchies and the police state. Those are big claims, so let’s explore them.

"Permaculture, although it encompasses many disciplines, orbits most fundamentally around food. Anthropologists, too, agree that food defines culture more than our two other physical needs of shelter and reproduction. A single home-building stint provides a place to live for decades. A brief sexual encounter can result in children. But food must be gotten every day, usually several times a day. Until very recently, all human beings spent much of their time obtaining food, and the different ways of doing that drove cultures down very divergent paths ...

"We’re also taught that foragers’ lives are 'nasty, brutish, and short,' in Hobbes’s famous characterization. But burial sites at Dickson Mounds, an archaeological site in Illinois that spans a shift from foraging to maize farming, show that farmers there had 50% more tooth problems typical of malnutrition, four times the anemia, and an increase in spine degeneration indicative of a life of hard labor, compared to their forager forebears at the site. Lifespan decreased from an average of 26 years at birth for foragers to 19 for farmers. In prehistoric Turkey and Greece, heights of foragers averaged 5'-9" in men and 5'-5" in women, and plummeted five inches after the shift to agriculture. The Turkish foragers’ stature is not yet equaled by their descendants. In virtually all known examples, foragers had better teeth and less disease than subsequent farming cultures at the same site. Thus the easy calories of agriculture were gained at the cost of good nutrition and health ..."
Energy Bulletin

Permaculture news constantly updating at Daily Planet News

Tagged: permaculture, sustainability, agriculture, environment

Man tells security penis pump is bomb

"Stupidest man in the world, writes Baz 'PumpMan' le Tuff about this report:

"United States prosecutors say a 29-year-old man traveling with his mother desperately didn't want her to know he'd packed a sexual aid for their trip to Turkey. So he told security it was a bomb, officials said ..."

Tagged: humor, humour

Researchers claim 'ethical' stem cell breakthrough

ABC reports: "A team of US researchers say they have developed a way to make human embryonic stem cells without harming the original embryo, a finding it says could dispel ethical objections to promising medical research using such cells.

"'It is possible to generate stem cells without destroying the embryo and without destroying its potential for life,' chief scientist Dr Robert Lanza said.

"US President George W Bush last month vetoed an expansion of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, saying that US taxpayers who object to such research should not have to pay for it ...

"The scientists used a method already employed in fertility treatments to remove one cell from a human embryo without harming it.

"Then they grew stem cells from that single cell."

What atheistic monsters! Don't they know that in Hezekiah 12:13 The Lord said "Thou shalt not even use teensy weensy bits of cells, for therein lieth the soul, even unto the furthest heavens"?

Tagged: science, religion, christianity

What's wrong with this picture?

The first thing wrong with this picture is that England, the country which gave the world rights of accused persons, is now allowing police to hold people without charge for lengthy periods. This disgrace, of course, is thanks to Tony Blair's phoney baloney war on terror.

The second thing wrong with this picture is that it's such an execrable example of courtroom art, a genre that has a proud and brilliant tradition, not the least in the UK. Has Britain come to this?

Tagged: uk, law, legal, war+on+terror, civil+rights, art

Bartholomew Fair

Today is St Bartholomew's Day, which is associated with one of Britain's largest and longest lasting historical market days.

The play Bartholomew Fair (1614) by Ben Jonson (1572 - 1637), depicts the customs associated with the popular English fair held annually on this day at Smithfield (home of two famed monasteries – St Bartholomew the Great and Charterhouse) in the north-western part of London. Jonson’s play is peopled with balladeers, stall holders, prostitutes and cut-purses.

Bartholomew Fair began with a vision. Rahere, the jester of King Henry I, said he had seen the apostle Bartholomew in a vision and he had directed him to found a church and hospital in his honour. After the work was done, Rahere established a fair which was to begin on his patron’s day, and go for three days. It lasted from 1133 to 1855 ...

Tagged: calendar+customs, uk, england, fairs, history, saints

In News We Trust

Vale Murray Bookchin

I only heard today that Murray Bookchin (b. 1921) died nearly a month ago. He was one of the most important voices in environmentalism, anarchism and anti-authoritarian politics. Bookchin was the founder of the Social Ecology school of thought.

The best known and most influential modern anarchist intellectual, except perhaps for Noam Chomsky, Bookchin was a prolific author (Post-Scarcity Anarchism, 1971; The Ecology of Freedom, 1982), philosopher, and advocate of Libertarian Municipalism (which has had an influence on the Green Movement), as well as head of the Institute for Social Ecology.

"Murray Bookchin, a writer, teacher and activist who began his political odyssey as a Communist, became an anarchist and then metamorphosed into an influential theorist on ecology, died July 30 at his home in Burlington, Vt. He was 85.

"The cause was complications of a malfunctioning aortic valve, said his daughter, Debbie Bookchin.

"Mr. Bookchin’s environmental philosophy emerged from his leftist background. He argued that capitalism, with what he characterized as dominating hierarchies and insistence on economic growth, necessarily destroyed nature. This put him at odds with ecologists who favored a more spiritual view and with environmentalists dedicated to gradual reform.

"'Capitalism can no more be "persuaded" to limit growth than a human being can be "persuaded" to stop breathing,' he wrote in 'Remaking Society' (1990), one of his 27 books.

"Another book, 'Our Synthetic Environment' (1962), raised issues about pesticides similar to those addressed by Rachel Carson in 'Silent Spring' six months later. A decade earlier, Mr. Bookchin had warned about the dangers of chemicals in food. He also wrote under pseudonyms. His popular book 'Small Is Beautiful' was published under the name Lewis Herber.

"Mr. Bookchin’s writings had their strongest influence on Green Parties in the United States and Europe and on the radical edges of the environmental movement. His emphasis on human society and economic systems put him at odds with “deep ecologists,' who believe that humans have arrogantly usurped their position as just another species to wreak environmental havoc.

"Although he claims to be an anarchist, he writes like a Stalinist thug,' Gary Snyder, the poet and an adherent of deep ecology, said of Mr. Bookchin in an interview with The Los Angeles Times in 1989.

"Mr. Bookchin, in turn, called deep ecologists 'eco-fascists,' partly because they wanted to limit the population radically ..."
InfoShop News

Tagged: anarchism, environment, philosophy, biography

Oil Depletion Protocol

"Over the last few years we've all been hearing about Peak Oil - the time when the international production of this much needed fossil fuel reaches its highest point, and reserves begin declining.

"There's debate about when this will happen - some say it will be up to 30 years, while others say we could see it this decade.

"But in an industrialised world reliant on oil for so much production and international trade - what can be done to prepare for the inevitable depletion of oil whenever it does arrive?

"Petroleum geologist and founder of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil, Dr Colin Campbell has a proposed a plan that would see countries vountarily sign up to reduce their oil production and oil imports over time.

"Richard Heinberg is a journalist, lecturer and author of several books looking at responses to future oil shortages, including The Party's Over and Power Down.

"In his latest book The Oil Depletion Protocol: a plan to avert oil wars, terrorism and economic collapse Heinberg argues the case for the Oil Depletion Protocol as the answer for Peak Oil."
Listen

Richard Heinberg's website
Details of Richard Heinberg's Australian Tour with permaculturist David Holmgren

Tagged: oil, permaculture

Most in US see no tie between Iraq, terror war: poll

"A majority of Americans no longer see a link between the war in Iraq and Washington's broader anti-terrorism efforts despite President George W. Bush's insistence the two are intertwined, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released on Tuesday.

"Fifty-one percent of those surveyed said the war in Iraq was separate from the U.S. government's war on terrorism. The findings were a considerable shift from polls taken in 2002 and early 2003, when a majority considered the two to be linked, The New York Times said.

"As recently as June, opinion was evenly split, with 41 percent on both sides of the divide. Now only 32 percent considered Iraq to be a major part of the fight against terrorism, the newspaper said.

"According to the poll, 46 percent said the Bush administration had concentrated too heavily on Iraq and not enough on terrorists elsewhere. Fifty-three percent said going to war in the first place was a mistake, up from 48 percent in July, The New York Times said.

"Bush's approval ratings remained unchanged at 36 percent. His popularity has been damaged by the unpopular war in Iraq, in which the U.S. military death toll is 2,610."
Yahoo News

Tagged: usa, bush, iraq, war+on+terror, terrorism

Lennon and the UFO

Everybody’s smoking and no one’s getting high
Everybody’s flying and never touch the sky
There’s a UFO over New York and I ain’t too surprised
Nobody told me there’d be days like these

1974 John Lennon's UFO encounter.

Lennon and his 'personal secretary', May Pang, saw what they considered to be a UFO.

He and May were in their upper East side apartment when John saw what he believe to be a UFO and called May over to the window to see it.

Lennon refers to the experience on the cover of his album Walls And Bridges (pictured), which was released in 1974: "On 23 August 1974, I saw a UFO J.L.".

Tagged: ufo, mysteries

Viruses approved for treating US food

WASHINGTON (AP)— "A mix of bacteria-killing viruses can be safely sprayed on cold cuts, hot dogs and sausages to combat common microbes that kill hundreds of people a year, federal health officials said Friday in granting the first-ever approval of viruses as a food additive.

"The combination of six viruses is designed to be sprayed on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, including sliced ham and turkey, said John Vazzana, president and chief executive officer of manufacturer Intralytix Inc."
Source (lid dip to Green Spiral Dragon)

Tagged: science, genetic+engineering

It's official but almost 5 years too late

"President Bush was in the midst of explaining how the attacks of 9/11 inspired his 'freedom agenda' and the attacks on Iraq until a reporter, Ken Herman of Cox News, interrupted to ask what Iraq had to do with 9/11. 'Nothing,' Bush defiantly answered. Watch it."

Bush says that no one in his administration has ever suggested that Iraq was involved with 9/11! What about this?

Tagged: bush, iraq, 9/11

Alex Jones Predicts 9/11-type attack on July 25, 2001

Alex Jones Predicts 9/11-type attack on July 25, 2001 (video)

Tagged: 9/11

Sheesh I've Never Even Heard of This Before Department

Crikey, and I thought I knew a bit about ruling elites and their weird shit. Bohemian Grove is too much.

Time Warner is not the only media corporation with Bohemian connections. The list of Fourth Estate bigwigs who have been members or guests is extensive: Franklin Murphy, the former CEO of the Times Mirror corporation; William Randolph Hearst, Jr.; Jack Howard and Charles Scripps of the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain; Tom Johnson, president of CNN and former publisher of the Los Angeles Times. Source

Bohemian Grove at Wikipedia
Bohemian Grove Google Search

Tagged: occult, esoteric, usa

Book of Days celebrates a milestone

It's a special day for the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days.

Today we passed 3.66 million words. Divide that by the number of days in a year ( a Leap Year, that is), and you'll see that we now have 10,000 words on average for any day of the year.

You're invited to bookmark the Book of Days for the folklore and history associated with your birthday and those of your friends and family. If this isn't the most comprehensive such almanac on the Internet, we haven't heard about the other one yet.

If you would like to help this project grow even further, I invite you to visit this page. The Almanac needs the support of people who see the value of this free project.

David Hicks rallies this week

Australians: Participate in GetUp's Candlelight Vigil in Adelaide on Wednesday

On Wednesday evening GetUp is hosting a candlelight vigil in Adelaide with Major Michael Mori, culminating in a walk to the office of Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, where we will present our letter of demand to repatriate David Hicks.

When: Wednesday August 23, from 5:15pm

Where: Assemble outside in Rundle Mall (western end, near Myer's)

BYO: Candle (friends, colleagues, parents and children also welcome!)

Major Michael Mori will speak at 5:30. Sunset is at 5:49, when we will light our candles and walk peacefully to Alexander Downer's ministerial office nearby, and present our letter of demand. To join us and Major Mori, please RSVP through the link below, indicating the number of people you plan to bring.

www.getup.org.au/campaign/JoinUsForJustice

*Attend Major Mori's final address in Sydney on Friday evening

On his final night in Australia this Friday, GetUp will host an evening with Major Michael Mori in Sydney to discuss David Hicks' case: what's been achieved, the next steps and how we can help. It's the final wrap-up of Major Mori's official visit, and an opportunity to come together, say thank you and learn more about what each of us can do to stand up for the values we share.

When: Friday August 25, 6:00pm - 7:45pm

Where: City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney (near Martin Place, enter from George or Pitt streets)

No booking required: The event is free and we encourage you to bring friends and colleagues - however seating is limited so please arrive early.

Tagged: david+hicks, guantanamo

Feast day of Aedesia, ancient Greece – or is it?

Many neopagan calendars on the Net and elsewhere refer to August 22 as a commemoration for ‘Aedesia’, who is usually described as a female Neoplatonist philosopher of the 5th Century, "famous for her virtue and beauty". Some sources say she was Greek, or at least that this was a Greek day of commemoration.

However, it is very difficult to find any actual evidence of this, as these conscientious people at Societas Via Romana website have discovered independently of your almanackist. There is an Aedesius (died 355), a male Neoplatonist philosopher, who came from Cappadocia and taught at Pergamum, so he hardly fits the bill whether in century, country or sex. Was Aedesia the wife of Herminus and mother of Ammonius? If so, was she commemorated on a particular day? If so, was it August 22?

A great many neopagan calendars are based on the Juno Covella Perpetual Calendar (or upon calendars based on it), which was written by Lawrence Durdin-Roberston, who founded the Fellowship of Isis in 1976. In turn, Juno Covella is derived, I believe, from the Lux Madriana calendar. The Juno Covella Calendar entry for August 22 gives today as a day for Aedesia.

The oft-borrowed-from Nigel Pennick’s The Pagan Book of Days (Destiny Books, Rochester, Vermont, USA, 1992), makes the 'Aedesia' claim on page 99. Like your almanackist, like the Juno Covella, like all the commemorations calendars on the Net and in bookstores, both neopagan and other, Mr Pennick borrows from many sources, just as many sources borrow from many others. Sometimes a fact gets multiplied such that it’s like looking in barbershop mirrors. Caveat emptor: there is a great deal of arbitrariness in all such calendars. Wilson’s Almanac is no different, except that I do generally try to give references, a practice I recommend to my colleagues for the benefit of all ...

Tagged: calendar+customs, neopaganism, paganism

The visions of Knock

1879 On a Thursday evening, a number of residents of Knock, in County Mayo, Ireland claimed to have seen a group of religious statues come to life at the local Roman Catholic church.

Residents of the village of Cnoc Mhuire, Margaret Beirne, Mary Beirne, Mary McLoughlin claimed to have seen in broad daylight the Virgin Mary, St Joseph and St John the Evangelist (dressed as a bishop) appear at the south gable of Knock Parish Church. To the left of St John was an altar, a lamb and a cross surrounded by angels.

The vision lasted for about two hours in heavy rain, and another thirteen people gave testimony that they saw bright lights around the church ...

Tagged: religion, christianity, ireland, saints, mysteries

Funny Flash animation

I did a college Flash animation course two or three years ago and really struggled with it -- in fact, I was the class dummy. All those buttons and symbols and weird hierarchies of filing were too hard for my little brain.

I did manage to get my class project finished, however, and I have it on the Scriptorium homepage, but it's the only one I've ever done and I can't see myself doing another unless I get a brain transplant.

Anyone who's done Flash will, I think, get a laugh out of this animation which shows a stick man fighting with a Flash animator. It's very clever, and funny, even for non-Flashies.

I dips me lid to Maryannaville for the laughs.

Tagged: humour, humor, animation

Patti Smith song on Lebanon massacre

Patti Smith has recorded a new song: 'Qana'.

Download the MP3

Qana

There's no one
in the village
not a human
nor a stone
there's no one
in the village
children are gone
and a mother rocks
herself to sleep
let it come down
let her weep

the dead lay in strange shapes

Some stay buried
others crawl free
baby didn't make it
screaming debris
and a mother rocks
herself to sleep
let it come down
let her weep

the dead lay in strange shapes

Limp little dolls
caked in mud
small, small hands
found in the road
their talking about
war aims
what a phrase
bombs that fall
American made
the new Middle East
the Rice woman squeaks

the dead lay in strange shapes

little bodies
little bodies
tied head and feet
wrapped in plastic
laid out in the street
the new Middle East
the Rice woman squeaks

the dead lay in strange shapes

Water to wine
wine to blood
ahh Qana
the miracle
is love

Source: PattiSmith.net

Tagged: music, lebanon, israel

Islamophobia

"Islamophobia is a mental and spiritual affliction. And our Western ruling elites bear the responsibility for inflicting it upon the psyches of the masses ..."
Why Do We Hate Them? Fear and Loathing in the Occident

Tagged: islam, war+on+terror, usa, terrorism, religion, neo-cons

The Great White Fleet lands at Sydney

1908 The Great White Fleet arrived in Sydney, Australia to an enormous welcome given by about a quarter of a million people, half the city's population. The Sydney Morning Herald reported the event pictorially, using photographs for the first time in its 67-year history.

The Great White Fleet, sent around the world as a goodwill and propaganda exercise by US President Theodore Roosevelt from December 16, 1907, to February 22, 1909, consisted of sixteen new battleships of the Atlantic Fleet. The battleships were painted white except for gilded scrollwork on their bows. The Atlantic Fleet battleships only later came to be known as the "Great White Fleet" ...

Tagged: usa, australia, military, propaganda

Under enough eyeballs, all errors are shallow

The Hive, by Marshall Poe in the September, 2006 Atlantic, is the best article I've read on Wikipedia -- its origins, practices, strengths and weaknesses.

I found the overview of the roles of Larry Sanger and Jimbo Wales particularly interesting.

"Wales’s benign rule has allowed Wikipedia to do what it does best: grow. The numbers are staggering. The English-language Wikipedia alone has well more than a million articles and expands by about 1,700 a day. (Britannica’s online version, by comparison, has about 100,000 articles.) As of mid-February 2006, more than 65,000 Wikipedians—registered users who have made at least ten edits since joining—had contributed to the English-language Wikipedia. The number of registered contributors is increasing by more than 6,000 a month; the number of unregistered contributors is presumably much larger. Then there are the 200-odd non-English-language Wikipedias. Nine of them already have more than 100,000 entries each, and nearly all of the major-language versions are growing on pace with the English version."

Long, but worth reading.

Tagged: wikipedia, internet+resources

Vinalia Rustica, ancient Rome

The Roman vintage began on this day, a festival held in honour of Jupiter, and Venus, goddess of vineyards. The other Vinalia was on April 23, when the wine of the previous season was broached.

The name of this annual festival derives from vinum (wine) and was celebrated with both wine and fire. There were two festivals of this name celebrated by the Romans: the Vinalia urbana or priora, and the Vinalia rustica or altera. The Vinalia were wine festivals lasting several days, honouring Roman god Jupiter, leader of the gods and god of the sky, and also Venus (pictured) in her aspect as guardian of gardens, olive groves and vineyards. Today was the day for honouring Venus as the protectress of the hetairae, or dancing girls. The hetairae entertained with music and dancing during dinners and feasts, and sometimes with sexual favours ...

Tagged: calendar+customs, anicent+rome, deities, mythology, festivals

They have a website so it must be true

"We have developed a technology that produces free, clean and constant energy.

"This means never having to recharge your phone, never having to refuel your car. A world with an infinite supply of clean energy for all."

Yeah yeah. Link

Tagged: energy

Is capitalism growing more socially conscious?

"Recent trends suggest that both corporations and investors are taking socially responsible investing (SRI) more seriously. A study released by the Social Investment Research Analysts Network on July 11 reveals that 34 companies listed on the S&P 100, a weighted index of 100 major blue chip companies, now base their corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports on a recognized third-party standard—the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. The use of uniform reporting criteria is critical to helping SRI firms select appropriate companies in which to invest. Other indicators similarly point to corporations’ greater embrace of social responsibility: according to the same study, 79 of the S&P 100 firms now have CSR websites, up 34 percent from last year ..."
WorldWatch Institute

The revival of the electric car?

"Sony Picture's new film, Who Killed the Electric Car, details the birth, short life, and controversy over the demise of General Motors' all-electric vehicle, the EV1. Launched in 1996, the EV1 was pulled off the market after six years because, according to the filmmakers, the electric car threatened the status quo of the auto and oil industry. General Motors, however, says it discontinued the car for economic reasons and lack of interest—over a four-year period, just 800 vehicles were leased. An initial waiting list of 5,000 interested consumers materialized into only 50 actual customers. And once suppliers stopped manufacturing replacement parts because of low demand, GM decided that ensuring the future safety and repairs of the vehicles would be impossible.

"But now, a Silicon Valley start-up, Tesla Motors, aims to bring back the electric car. The new Tesla Roadster premiered July 19 in Santa Monica, California, and is expected to ship to consumers in summer 2007 ..."
Blue Moon Fund

Tagged: appropriate+technology, sustainability, oil

CROATOAN mystery

1590 John White, the governor of the Colony of Roanoke in America, returned from a supply trip to England to find the settlement entirely deserted of all 117 people, including the first white child born in the country, his granddaughter Virginia Dare, whose third birthday it was.

Nine days after Virginia's birth, on August 27, 1587, White had left the colony for England, acting as Roanoke’s agent in obtaining further aid and assistance for the colony. He arrived in England that November as the nation was about to go to war with Spain. It was not until August 1590 that White reached Roanoke with a relief expedition. It found no trace of the settlers – only the word CROATOAN carved on a post. The infant Virginia had vanished along with all the other Roanoke colonists. It is likely that they did leave for Croatoan Island, an island near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and it is believed by many that what survivors of the ‘Lost Colony’ there may have been were absorbed into the Croatan tribe ...

Tagged: usa, american+history, history, mysteries

A cry in the dark

1980 Australia: The baby Azaria Chamberlain was taken by a dingo at the great monolith, Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock). (Later the story was made into a Hollywood film, 'Evil Angels', aka 'A Cry in the Dark', in which Meryl Streep played Azaria’s mother, Lindy Chamberlain.)

Eventually, Mrs Chamberlain was cleared of having killed her daughter, but not before she had spent time behind bars in a case that greatly dominated the Australian consciousness for years.

Uluru is the second largest monolith in the world (after Mount Augustus, also in Australia) ...

Tagged: australia, crime, law, legal, mysteries

Dame Mary Gilmore and a bomb plot

1865 Mary Gilmore (born Mary Jean Cameron; later, Dame Mary Gilmore; d. December 3, 1962), Australian poet, utopian socialist, Communist, close friend of leading Australian socialist William Lane and fellow poet Henry Lawson. Gilmore was the first woman member of the Australian Workers Union (AWU) and member of its executive. She is the woman on the $10 note.

Lawson once asked her to marry him but she gave him a "no", noting in her diary "a curious immaturity" in him – like a "sappy twig".

When Lane led several hundred (figures vary according to source) Australians on the Royal Tar to Paraguay to form a utopian community, first New Australia and then Cosme when they abandoned the former, Gilmore was the colony's schoolteacher and 'newspaper' editor (the paper was read out daily to the colonists). After her return to Australia some six years later (she and her husband were among the first to leave Cosme, disillusioned), she continued to write poetry and became active in campaigns for the aged and under-privileged ...

In her old age she told the National Times, May 6 - 11, 1974 of an unsuccessful attempt of Larry Petrie's to blow up Circular Quay, the main dock area of Sydney. No date is given, but it’s probably 1892.

Petrie had left a bomb in a drain at the Quay, and some of his associates decided to remove it. While Mary Cameron (as she was before marrying William Gilmore) watched out for police, with great trepidation the diminutive Member of NSW Parliament Arthur Rae (1860 - 1943) crawled up the drain and removed the bomb, having volunteered to do so because at 5 feet tall he was the smallest person in the clandestine operation. Rae was Vice President of the AWU and one of the founders of the Australian Labor Party. In 1891 he was one of the first 36 Labor members elected to Parliament; he was later a Senator in the Australian Parliament ( 1910 - 1914, 1918 - 1935). Alongside Artie Rae and Mary at this extraordinary occurrence was Chris Watson (1867 - 1941), third Prime Minister of Australia and the first Labor PM (1904) ...

Tagged: australia, progressive, poetry, labor+history, radical+history, terrorism

Apart from The Bible, who says atheists are fools?

See the Atheists video.

There's No Such Thing As Eco-Tourism

Anneli Rufus, always an interesting writer, sets the cat among the AlterNet-reading pigeons with There's No Such Thing As Eco-Tourism:

"First Worlders penetrating the Third World aren't the wild rebels they imagine themselves to be, he snorts. They're deluded children, lulled by the convenience of their own electronic toys and their longing to make the folks back home envy them for where they've been. More and more trips these days, he writes, are 'apparently influenced more by the Guinness Book of Records than by a desire to travel per se. People aspire to be the first to swim the entire length of the Mekong backstroke or become the only dude ever to go snowboarding in Antarctica. Take a camera crew along to capture your waggish ego!'"

Tagged: environment, tourism

Studying the non-scientific

Baz 'Dar Wins Every Time' le Tuff, who obviously wants me condemned as a Yank-basher, saw the previous post and then gleefully and malevolently sent this:

"The latest issue of Science has a statistical analysis that gets into some of the whys and hows of the strange relationship the US public has with the science of evolution. The results are really best analyzed in two parts. The first compares the US's acceptance of evolution with that in 32 European countries plus Japan. The results produce the graph [above - PW] ... The US places next-to-last both in terms of accepting the accuracy of the theory of evolution, and in terms of considering it absolutely false. The country we're racing to the bottom is Turkey ..."
Source

Tagged: science, evolution, fundamentalism, usa, religion, christianity, education

Gullible Americans

"... a July Harris Poll reported that 50 percent of Americans still believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when Bush invaded that country, and that 64 percent of Americans still believe that Saddam Hussein had strong links with Al Qaeda ...

"Americans never check any facts. Who do you know, for example, who has even read the Report of the 9/11 Commission, much less checked the alleged facts reported in that document. I can answer for you. You don’t know anyone who has read the report or checked the facts.

"The two co-chairmen of the 9/11 Commission Report, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, have just released a new book, 'Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission.' Kean and Hamilton reveal that the commission suppressed the fact that Muslim ire toward the US is due to US support for Israel's persecution and dispossession of the Palestinians, not to our 'freedom and democracy' as Bush propagandistically claims. Kean and Hamilton also reveal that the US military committed perjury and lied about its failure to intercept the hijacked airliners. The commission even debated referring the military's lies to the Justice Department for criminal investigation. Why should we assume that these admissions are the only coverups and lies in the 9/11 Commission Report?"
Gullible Americans

Bush's fear factory

Today's Bush terror alert

"Today's a RED and ORANGE ALERT day. How odd. They just caught the British guys with the chemistry sets. But when these guys were about to blow up airliners, the USA was on YELLOW alert. That's a 'lowered' threat notice.

"According to the press office from the Department of Homeland Security, lowered-threat Yellow means that there were no special inspections of passengers or cargo. Isn't it nice of Mr. Bush to alert Osama when half our security forces are given the day off? Hmm. I asked an Israeli security expert why his nation doesn't use these pretty color codes.

"He asked me if, when I woke up, I checked the day's terror color.

"'I can't say I ever have. I mean, who would?'

"He smiled. 'The terrorists.'

"America is the only nation on the planet that kindly informs bombers, hijackers and berserkers the days on which they won't be monitored. You've got to get up pretty early in the morning to get a jump on George Bush's team.

"There are three possible explanations for the Administration's publishing a good-day-for-bombing color guidebook.

"1. God is on Osama's side.

"2. George is on Osama's side.

"3. Fear sells better than sex.

"A gold star if you picked #3.


The Fear Factory
"I'm going to tell you something which is straight-up heresy: America is not under attack by terrorists. There is no WAR on terror because, except for one day five years ago, al Qaeda has pretty much left us alone.

"That's because Osama got what he wanted. There's no mystery about what Al Qaeda was after. Like everyone from the Girl Scouts to Bono, Osama put his wish on his web site. He had a single demand: 'Crusaders out of the land of the two Holy Places.' To translate: get US troops out of Saudi Arabia.

"And George Bush gave it to him. On April 29, 2003, two days before landing on the aircraft carrier Lincoln, our self-described "War President" quietly put out a notice that he was withdrawing our troops from Saudi soil. In other words, our cowering cowboy gave in whimpering to Osama's demand.

"The press took no note. They were all wiggie over Bush's waddling around the carrier deck in a disco-aged jump suit announcing, 'MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.' But it wasn't America's mission that was accomplished, it was Osama's ..."
Greg Palast (lid dip to Nora at pagans4peace)

Terror Alert Funnies in the Almanac Scriptorium

Tagged: war+on+terror, humour, humor, terrorism, bush, usa, disinfo, disinformation

Tutbury hunters' procession

Tutbury hunters' procession, Middle Ages (Aug 15 - 16)

In old England, on the Feast of the Assumption, the wood-master and rangers of Needwood forest started the festivities by meeting at Berkley Lodge, in the forest, to arrange for the dinner that was given to them on this day at Tutbury Castle. The buck they were allowed for the feast was killed, as another that was their annual present to the prior of Tutbury.

They would ride into town in procession, each carrying a green bough, and one bearing the buck’s head, with a piece of fat fastened to each antler. The town’s minstrels accompanied them. When they reached the centre of town the hunters blew their horns, then all went to the church and each paid a penny offering. Mass was celebrated, then a grand dinner prepared for them in the castle. The prior gave them 30 shillings towards the feast, and the following day there were further festivities ...

Tagged: calendar+customs, england, uk

Assumption Eve festivities, Messina, Sicily

Today the festivities include the parading of two huge statues, I Giganti, a pair of 8-metre papier-maché giants representing Messina’s legendary founders, Mata and Grifone.

Once upon a time there was gigantic Moorish Saracen, by the name of Grifone, who landed at Messina (the third largest city on the island of Sicily) and proceeded to sack the town. As soon as he met the beautiful Mata in Camaro, he fell in love with her and wanted to marry, but the giantess refused because he was cruel and Muslim, whereas she was very kind and Christian. I believe the Muslim version of the tale differs slightly.

However, the dark, nasty Grifone fell so madly in love with the beautiful blonde Mata, or perhaps, like George W Bush, he had such a spiritual turnaround, that he became kind and was baptised, so naturally Mata married him and they happily ever after with many children. Thus was Messina founded.

According to another legend, Grifone and Mata were Muslim prisoners taken by the mercenary soldier Ruggero D'Altavilla in 1086. Another says that in 1964, during the siege of Messina, Arab General Hassas Ibn-Hammar fell in love with Mata, the beautiful daughter of a local merchant, and forced her to marry him. The Saracen did all he could to win her love, but to no avail until his conversion to Christianity, whereupon he changed his name to Grifo, and soon became known as Grifone (Big Grifo). In this version, Mata and Grifone also lived happily ever after.

Cam and Rea are among a number of alternative names for the legendary founders of Messina. In fact, Messina was founded by Greek colonists in the 8th Century BCE, but let’s not spoil a good yarn.

Tagged: folklore, legends, calendar+customs

Web firms criticised over China

"Internet firms have been criticised by UK MPs for 'collaborating' with state censorship of the web in China.

"Businesses such as Microsoft, Google and Yahoo blocking some information was "morally unacceptable", the Commons foreign affairs committee said.

"The MPs also called on the government to put pressure on China to relax its restrictions on the internet.

"Their comments came in a wide-ranging report on east Asia which also attacked China's record on human rights."
BBC News

Tagged: china, human+rights, civil+rights, corporations, internet

Down at The Rapture with George

Click to embetter

What's the Motivation?

From What's the Motivation?, by Dan Froomkin in the Washington Post:

"Yesterday, I noted former Newsday and Knight Ridder White House correspondent Saul Friedman 's essay on NiemanWatchdog.org: "I believe this to be the first time in modern American history that a president's religion, in this case his Christian fundamentalism, has become a decisive factor in his foreign and domestic policies. It's a factor that has been under-reported, to say the least, and that begs for press attention."

"Former Clinton official Sidney Blumenthal sees another, related form of evangelism at work: The neoconservative variety. He writes in Salon: 'By secretly providing NSA intelligence to Israel and undermining the hapless Condi Rice, hardliners in the Bush administration are trying to widen the Middle East conflict to Iran and Syria, not stop it. . . .

"'The neoconservatives are described as enthusiastic about the possibility of using NSA intelligence as a lever to widen the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and Israel and Hamas into a four-front war.'

The End Times?
"And here's another data point: Joel C. Rosenberg, who writes Christian apocalyptic fiction, told me in an interview this week that he was invited to a White House Bible study group last year to talk about current events and biblical prophecy.

"Rosenberg said that on February 10, 2005, he came to speak to a 'couple dozen' White House aides in the Old Executive Office Building -- and has stayed in touch with several of them since.

"Rosenberg wouldn't say exactly what was discussed. "The meeting itself was off the record, as you could imagine," he said. He declined to name the staffer he said invited him or describe the attendees in any way other than to say that the president was not among them. 'I can't imagine they'd want to talk about it,' he said.

"'I can't tell you that the people that I spoke with agree with me, or believe that prophecy can really help you understand what will happen next in the Middle East, but I'm not surprised that they're intrigued.'

"The White House press office wasn't able to confirm the visit for me, but there have been previous reports about White House Bible study groups inviting Christian authors to come speak."

Tagged: usa, bush, christianity, religion

Maestro of mediocrity

The maiden speech of Australia's current Prime Minister and war criminal, John Howard, was delivered to Parliament on September 26, 1974.

Fortunately for us, Howard kept his address to the nation mercifully short, but he had no doubt laboured over it for some days as all new Members must, so that he would express, to the full measure of his intellect and eloquence, his core values and widest visions for the Commonwealth.

Unfortunately for us, the speech was entirely pedestrian, irksomely authoritarian and unbelievably narrow. It was a token of things to come for John Howard and the nation he helps to shape. For example, this maestro of mediocrity can scarcely see past his nose for solutions to a multifarious problem known to all societies -- social dislocation:

"Australia can only be taken out of the possibility of social dislocation if, firstly, we receive leadership and, secondly, there is preserved in the community a united attack on the problems of inflation," he said categorically in his First Big Speech.

He is a crafty lawyer but he has the passions of an accountant. Some people, it's said, know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Speech in full

Tagged: australia, authoritarianism, john+howard

'McBrat' beats fast food bullies

"An intellectual property lawyer has won a David and Goliath battle against fast food giant McDonald's for the right to use the name McBrat on his rugby team's shorts.

"Malcolm McBratney, a partner in Brisbane legal firm McCullough Robertson, said McDonald's, had been using 'bully boy' tactics in seeking to prevent the Brisbane Irish team from using the name 'McBrat'.

"The ruling was mailed to Mr McBratney by the Australian Trademarks Office in Canberra, following a hearing in April this year when McDonald's objected to the Brisbane lawyer's trade mark application.

"Mr McBratney, a former player for the club, said it was not just the end of a two year legal battle which had cost him 'tens of thousands of dollars' of his time, but it also was a victory for people taking on the financial muscle of McDonald's.

"'Frankly, it's bully boy tactics,' Mr McBratney said.

"'This was was not a fair fight from them and, it just so happened, they picked the wrong guy in this case ...

"There are a lot of Scottish and Irish people out there who have better rights to the "Mc" prefix than McDonald's does.'"
The Australian

Vertumnalia, in honour of Vertumnus and Pomona

In Roman mythology, Vertumnus (Vortumnus, Vertimnus) was the god of seasons, change and plant growth, as well as gardens and fruit trees. Like the seasons and the fruit trees, Vertumnus was a shapeshifter.

Using his shapeshifting power, he tricked the dryad (wood nymph) Pomona, the patron of orchards and gardens, into becoming his wife by disguising himself as a crone ...

The Ides of August was also sacred to Jupiter and known as the feriae Jovi, or Festival of Jove, and to Diana, the goddess of the moon, and called the Festival of Diana. Diana was sometimes viewed as Jupiter's female equivalent (not his wife, who was Juno). On this day, Diana's temple on the Aventine Hill was consecrated; today cow horns (symbols of Hercules), were hung in the front of the temple ...

Tagged: calendar+customs, folklore, mythology, ancient+rome, deities

World to end on August 22

"Better cancel those holidays. We now have a date for Armageddon, and it's a week on Tuesday - August 22.

"This information comes from no lesser source than the Wall Street Journal, where Bernard Lewis, President Bush's favourite historian, provides the details ..."
Read on at The Guardian

Tagged: religion, islam, christianity, usa, israel

Biblical inconsistencies, atrocities, absurdities, more

Key to Biblical Abbreviations

Fatal Biblical Flaws?

Biblical Absurdities

Biblical Atrocities

Biblical Inconsistencies

Biblical Precepts: Questionable Guidelines

Biblical Vulgarities & Obscenities

Source

Tagged: religion, christianity, rationalism

Valley Fever vaccine petition

Mary Ann at Maryannaville asks my help in spreading knowledge of a petition in support of a vaccine for Valley Fever. Sounds to me like an important issue for the USA.

My friend Mary Ann also showed me this very good progressive blog, Organizing Notes.

Tagged: health, usa

The Lychnapsia, ancient Egypt

The Lychnapsia (Lignapsia; Aset Webenut; Isis the Luminous One), ancient Egypt

The Egyptian Lychnapsia, or Festival of Lights, was over the centuries transformed into the Christian day of St Clare of Assisi (whose feast day was formerly August 12, but moved by the Catholic Church to August 11, qv). It is a day for the lighting of candles, like Candlemas (February 2), or Imbolc as it is known in the Celtic tradition.

In the case of the Lychnapsia (the Graeco-Roman term for what the Egyptions called Aset Webenut, or Aset the Luminous One), the candles were to help Isis find her husband, Osiris ...

Tagged: ancient+egypt, calendar+customs, folklore, deities, religion

John Dee and Francis Bacon meet

1582 There was an entry in the journal of English alchemist John Dee (1527 - 1609) that English philosopher Sir Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626), and Dee met (at Mortlake) – the young Bacon came to the famous alchemist to learn about the ancient Hebrew esoteric numerical code known as the Gematria, one of the oldest cipher systems known, dating from 700 BCE. Esoteric themes are threaded through much of Bacon’s writing and we can only guess at Dee’s influence.

John Dee’s friends

Alchemists in the Almanac: Cornelius Agrippa :: Roger Bacon :: Count Cagliostro :: Edward Kelley :: Robert Fludd :: Isaac Newton :: Paracelsus :: James Price :: Tycho Brahe :: Raymond Lulle :: Elias Ashmole
The Alchemy Web Site :: Wilson's Almanac Alchemy Clock (a bit of fun) :: Shop Alchemy

Tagged: alchemy, esoteric

Lawrence's tears and the Perseid meteor showers

Today is St Lawrence's day in the Christian tradition, commemorating the saint, a 3rd-Century archdeacon of Rome who was roasted alive on a gridiron.

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 ...

The Perseids get their name from usually making their appearance in or near the constellation Perseus, named for the Greek god ...

Tagged: calendar+customs, astronomy, saints, folklore, mythology

At least 100,000 march against US-Israeli aggression

Interesting article with video and photos that claims the media downsized the recent London peace march from 100,000 people to 15,000 and even fewer.

Tagged: war, peace, peace+movement, israel, lebanon, activism

Global warming and hurricanes

Jessica Bosanko, Online Activism & Outreach Coordinator over at that great website Environmental Defense has kindly sent me a link to a page on the connections between global warming and hurricanes.

Get the latest global warming news minute-by-minute at Daily Planet News.

Tagged: global+warming, climate+change, hurricanes, weather, environment

Achoo!!

A few readers will know the miseries of extreme hayfever. August in this State can be a nightmare for the allergic. My son Remy and I are both sick with allergies today and the school had to rouse me from bed when they phoned to say Rem was in the sick bay bed. Hope to see you tomorrow, thrillseeekers.

The Great Train Robbery

1963 History’s most famous heist, the Great Train Robbery took place in England. A 16-member gang stole 2,631,784 pounds – worth over 26 million pounds ($AU75.5 million) today – in used bank notes which were on their way back to the Bank of England for burning.

Two London gangs combined for the stick-up. Best known of the robbers, the fun-loving birthday boy Ronnie Biggs (pictured, born on this day in 1929), was a member of neither, but was chosen because he knew the train driver. For his minor role in the robbery, Biggs was given a 30-year sentence, considered by many to be out of proportion to his crime. He gained fame by escaping from prison and remaining free for 28 years under the noses of Scotland Yard. Biggs lived secretly in Australia, then publicly in Brazil, made a movie with the Sex Pistols, and became an even bigger celebrity, making a living by being available for barbecues for a fee.

Old and infirm, Ronnie Biggs in 2001 made a celebrated voluntary return to Britain, and despite having lived a reformed life for 38 years, was arrested at London’s airport and remains in prison ...

Tagged: uk, law, legal

Galloway whips Sky TV over Lebanon reports

From Extra! Extra comes this must-see video interview:

Sky News (Murdoch-owned) interviews George Galloway on Israel/Lebanon

Tagged: israel, lebanon, murdoch, media, disinfo, disinformation, terrorism

Elizabeth Bathory, murderess

1560 Elizabeth Bathory serial killer (d. 1614).

The ghastly crimes of Erzsébet Báthory (Elizabeth Bathory; the Bloody Lady of ?achtice; d. August 21, 1614) were uncovered on December 26, 1610.

Báthory was a Hungarian countess, a niece of King Stephen Báthory of Poland. Although it is difficult, if not impossible, to separate fact from fiction and legend, it has been alleged that she was a serial killer responsible for the torture and murder of over 600 peasants. It is commonly believed that her primary motive for murder was that she sought to improve her complexion by bathing in the blood of girls, but it is not known if this is a mere legend ...

Tagged: biography

More photos free to use

Following my recent post about free public domain images online, here are some more links (thanks Mary Ann from Maryannaville):

http://www.morguefile.com/
http://www.imageafter.com/
http://www.openphoto.net/
http://sxc.hu/
http://www.ppdigital.com/
http://www.piotrpix.info/
http://www.bigfoto.com/
http://www.freerangestock.com/

Tagged: internet+resources, public+domain, photos

The beginning of the Web

Only fifteen years ago today, Tim Berners-Lee released files describing his idea for the 'World Wide Web'.

Berners-Lee (now Sir Tim; b. 1955) is the London-born scientist who invented the World Wide Web, and head of the World Wide Web Consortium, which oversees its continued development.

The first web site Berners-Lee built (and therefore the first web site) was at http://info.cern.ch/info.cern.ch and was first put online on August 6, 1991.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the UK on July 16, 2004 ...

Tagged: internet

Living alone helps create consumption crisis

"One-person households are the biggest consumers of land, energy and household appliances in England and Wales, with men between the ages of 35 and 45 being the worst offenders, according to UCL (University College London) research.

"The report, published in the journal 'Environment, Development and Sustainability', concludes that the current rise in solo living, combined with the group's increasing affluence and consumption, is likely to cause a consumption crisis. This must be countered by providing environmentally-friendly lifestyle choices for this emerging group, such as collective housing, relocation schemes and ecological homes, according to the report."
news-medical.net

Tagged: environment, consumerism, lifestyles

Justice, politician style

The 'serial shooter case' in Phoenix, Arizona has turned a corner with the arrest of two suspects.

"These are the two monsters we've been hunting and as I promised you and my colleagues promised you, we're not yet finished," Mayor Phil Gordan said.

Looks like such antique niceties as a fair trial and convictions can be dispensed with, now that the monsters have been caught.

Tagged: law, legal, usa

Viral video questioning global warming linked to DCI

"The video 'Al Gore's Penguin Army,' which belittles the threat of global warming (suggesting viewers 'stop exhaling') and makes fun of the former vice-president, has a "home-made, humorous quality." Yet the filmmaker's email links him to 'DCI Group, a Washington, D.C., public relations and lobbying firm whose clients include oil company Exxon Mobil,' reports the Wall Street Journal."
PR Watch

Tagged: climate+change, global+warming

Jesse Owens urban legend

1936 "Adolf Hitler walked out of the 1936 Summer Olympics stadium in Berlin, Germany after African-American athlete Jesse Owens won gold in the 200 metre race. Owens’s four gold medals were an eloquent refutation of Hitler’s theory of the inferiority of the black races."

So says the story, repeated in many places. However, it isn’t so. Hitler wasn’t at the Olympics that day, and it was probably a story invented by journalists at the time ...

Tagged: urban+legends

Iraqi civil war has already begun, US troops say

Iraqi civil war has already begun, US troops say

Tagged: iraq, war, peace, military, war+on+terror, usa

Loch-mo-Naire pilgrimage, and the serpent

We discussed in the Book of Days on August 1 how Lughnasadh (Lammastide) was for Celtic people and others in Europe a time for visiting healing wells and springs. Today we look at an ancient healing waters custom from Scotland that was practised annually on August 4, leading one to postulate (do you like that? "leading one to postulate") that it was a Lammas commemoration. Its rites contain actions that remind one not only of Celtic practices, but also the Christian sacrament of baptism.

Loch-mo-Naire, a lake in Strathnavon, Sutherlandshire, famous for its supposed miraculous healing qualities, was a site of pilgrimage for the lame, sick, impotent, and mentally ill. At midnight, these faithful unfortunates would gather on the shore of the loch to drink from its sanative waters, strip naked, and walk backwards into the loch. After immersing themselves three times, they would throw offerings of silver coins into the depths.

An old tradition informs us how the loch obtained its wondrous qualities and its name. Long, long ago, an old woman had somehow come to own some bright crystals, which, when placed in water, had miraculous powers of rendering the liquid an infallible cure for all "the ills to which flesh is heir". As the fame of these wonder-working pebbles soon spread far and wide, it soon attracted the greed of a member of the neighbouring Gordon clan, who made up his mind to secure the miraculous crystals for the Gordons' exclusive use.

To this end, Gordon feigned sickness, but the moment he presented himself to the crone, she divined his intention and fled. Escape, however, was impossible, because she was old and her pursuer had youth and swiftness on his side ...

Tagged: folklore, calendar+customs, scotland, dragons, legends

Presbyterian publisher issues 9/11 conspiracy book

"The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were orchestrated by the U.S. government, according to a book to be released later this month by Westminster John Knox Press -- a division of the denominational publisher for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)."
Christianity Today

Operatiou iustructions

Thanks to Baz le Tuff for this example of fractured English -- it's from a manual for a mousemat with flashing lights.

Thomas Francis Meagher

Irish rebel, Australian convict, US general

1823 It has well been said that one person’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. This is the story of an Irishman, Thomas Meagher, who was almost hanged and his body chopped into four pieces by the British government, for his 'terrorist' leanings, and who went on to become Governor of Montana, USA. His fellow 'terrorists' also had remarkable careers – but more of them in just a minute.

This day saw the birth of Thomas Francis Meagher, Irish nationalist, and later transported convict, escapee, American Civil War general, and Governor of Montana ...

Tagged: ireland, biography, australia, activism, liberty

The Fab Tree Hab living tree house

From the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Team HED (Human Ecology Design) -- click image to enlarge:

"The Fab Tree Hab concept resolutely accumulates the inscribed nuances that influenced the American Rustic period. Stemming from the insurgent writings of Thoreau, Emerson, Whitman, and Alcott, America defined a sensibility. These authors represent an early mode of intention that was profoundly ecocentric. Their notion of dwelling was envisioned as retreats, poets’ bowers, hermitages, and summer cottages in a Sylvan style. In 1847 it culminated in the self-made assembly of a crooked cedar and honeysuckle summer home by Thoreau and Alcott for their friend Emerson in the midst of a cornfield. This peculiar house served as our point of departure. Here traditional anthropocentric doctrines are overturned and human life is subsumed within the terrestrial environs. Home, in this sense, becomes indistinct and fits itself symbiotically into the surrounding ecosystem."
Source

Tagged: permaculture, sustainability, shelter, environment

My favourite juggler

Was William Rufus a pagan sacrifice?

1100 England’s King William Rufus (William II of England; b. c. 1056) was killed when shot through the chest by an arrow while hunting.

Was William a pagan sacrifice?
The Celts celebrate the main part of the festival of Lughnasadh from sunset on August 1 until sunset on August 2. On August 2, 1100 English King William Rufus was killed when shot through the chest by an arrow while hunting in the New Forest. Rufus (‘the Red’) was a son of William the Conqueror, and his elder brother, Richard, had also died in the New Forest. Rumours probably abounded that Richard and Rufus were victims of heathen ill will, for William the Conqueror had expelled the dwellers of the New Forest ...

Tagged: calendar+customs, pagan, england, royalty

The Games of Lugh

Because when I went outside onto the beach last night and saw an unbelievably bright shooting star -- like a fireworks rocket -- to the south of the Milky Way, I thought I'd post about the Games of Lugh today. Spend some time outside tonight and see what flashes by.

This is an old Celtic name for the Perseids, the most familiar of all meteor showers, that take place at around this time of year. Associated with the Swift-Tuttle Comet, the Perseids have been well documented since at least 830 CE and take their name from the constellation Perseus where shooting stars appear.

We can well imagine ancient Celts looking upon these wonders and associating them with other phenomena of the season between the equinox and solstice, including the heat of the last of the Dog Days. They attributed the celestial display of Perseid lights to games being played by Lugh, 'the shining one' ...

Tagged: calendar+customs, celtic, astronomy, deities