Today is the Fourth of February. Scott Palmer, 26, Californian author and golfer, hit a hole-in-one 18 times between June 1983 and the following January. Besides that, his drives hit the pin on 50 other occasions. He collected affidavits to this from 65 witnesses. Four of his holes-in-one came on consecutive days in October, seven were par-4 holes and the average length of all 18 was 209 yards. He hit all but one of his aces with the same ball - a Spalding Top Flite XL No. 2, for which he turned down a £7,000 offer. At the moment of his charmed strokes, he got the image of a faceless woman pouring a glass of milk.
Weird.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Buddy Holly-day
Today is the Third of February. On this day in 1943, four US Army chaplains aboard the then-sinking USAT Dorchester gave up their lifevests, and their lives, to save the lives of other soldiers and sailors aboard. In 1948, Congress recognized their heroism and designated today as Four Chaplains Day.
In 1809, Felix Mendelssohn was born.
In 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed in an airplane accident.
In 1809, Felix Mendelssohn was born.
In 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed in an airplane accident.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Endings
Today is the Thirtieth of January. Big day in history, though you might not know it: to begin with, in 1661, Oliver Cromwell was officially, formally executed. He had been dead for over two years. Just in case, ya know. He was a bit of a rascal.
In 1835, Richard Lawrence attempted to assassinate President Andrew Jackson, but both his pistols misfired. President Jackson instead beat him with his cane. This was the first known assassination attempt on a U.S. President.
In 1882, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born.
In 1948, Mohandas K. (Mahatma) Gandhi was shot and killed.
In 1969, The Beatles performed together for the last time, in an impromptu concert on the roof of Apple Studios, London, at No. 3 Saville Row. It was broken up by police, because of the traffic problems it caused on the streets below (go figure!).
In more current news, the Danish Air Force has opened its UFO archives to the public.
And a UFO was documented by Germany's air traffic safety office.
And Israeli Prime Minister Olmert was taken to task at Davos by Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey, before he left the building in disgust. (Good video).
In 1835, Richard Lawrence attempted to assassinate President Andrew Jackson, but both his pistols misfired. President Jackson instead beat him with his cane. This was the first known assassination attempt on a U.S. President.
In 1882, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born.
In 1948, Mohandas K. (Mahatma) Gandhi was shot and killed.
In 1969, The Beatles performed together for the last time, in an impromptu concert on the roof of Apple Studios, London, at No. 3 Saville Row. It was broken up by police, because of the traffic problems it caused on the streets below (go figure!).
In more current news, the Danish Air Force has opened its UFO archives to the public.
And a UFO was documented by Germany's air traffic safety office.
And Israeli Prime Minister Olmert was taken to task at Davos by Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey, before he left the building in disgust. (Good video).
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Owls for breakfast, hippos for lunch
Today is the Twenty-eighth of January. On this day in 1887, snowflakes measuring 15” across x 8” thick fell on Fort Keough, Montana.
Someone's come up with a very interesting answer to the honeybee problem. I hereby promise to leave the hornets' nest in the eaves of my shop, alone. Pollinate away, little critters! Fly! Be free!
And here's an interesting answer to our energy troubles, at least to some degree. Go, Norway!
Alberto Gonzales is a worm. Watch him squirm. Disgusting.
Bring on the shackles, indeed: let's watch these guys squirm too. Jail is too good for the likes of these folks, 'cos I don't think there's much doubt about their guilt anymore.
Someone's come up with a very interesting answer to the honeybee problem. I hereby promise to leave the hornets' nest in the eaves of my shop, alone. Pollinate away, little critters! Fly! Be free!
And here's an interesting answer to our energy troubles, at least to some degree. Go, Norway!
Alberto Gonzales is a worm. Watch him squirm. Disgusting.
Bring on the shackles, indeed: let's watch these guys squirm too. Jail is too good for the likes of these folks, 'cos I don't think there's much doubt about their guilt anymore.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Future pink
Today is the Twenty-seventh of January. On this day in 1757, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born.
In 1832, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) was born.
In 1947, the Los Angeles Times (and later, Time magazine) reported that the crew of the oiler USS Caliente weighed anchor from nine fathoms and discovered that an overhand or lover's knot had been tied in the chain twenty feet from the anchor.
In 1984, filming for a Pepsi commercial went terribly awry when Michael Jackson’s hair product caught on fire.
Computers serve two basic purposes, in terms of economy: they create demand for more disposable goods (computers, programs, accessories), and they reduce the need for new employees by facilitating paperwork and book-keeping. More jobs are lost to computers, than created by building them or programming for them (and that's to say nothing of work lost to computer-controlled robots, eliminating jobs at twice that rate, or higher). Different kinds of work, to be sure, but employment all the same. The net effect is a loss of jobs. Computers just aren't helping.
Teaching kids to use computers in school is early job-training. Worse- it's free job training for industry, because business taxes rarely (if ever) go to schools. Ask yourself: why should you pay for your kid to be trained to do data entry? Even if they're learning to code: don't fool yourself- the days of madly-wealthy computer programmers are gone-daddy-gone. Ahh, the roaring dot-com Nineties! They're as gone as the roaring Twenties.
We should not give them computers in school- we should give them classes that teach them to use tools that make things and fix things: wood shop, metal shop, plastics, even electronics shop; cooking, accounting, home economics, sewing, design ferchrissake. They should be using their abundant imaginations to be making new things and developing skills that will be usable "across multiple platforms"- what we used to call being handy. It's a good thing to be, useful. Java, flash, and C++ are not usable across multiple platforms: they are skills related to a very, very limited range of jobs. They will not help your kid when the power goes out and he still needs to eat, or when the alternator goes out in her car when she's between jobs, or when the kitchen table, the toaster, or the TV goes down.
Bottom line: teaching kids to use computers will not help them do anything except find a job as a desk jockey or a 10-key operator. Is that really what you want for your children? A career as a Customer Service Specialist at a call center? That's what's coming, if we stay on this track. Mark my words.
This much is certain: there is no going back to our consumption-driven way of life. We simply have to change: economy will demand it. Businesses can not think of themselves first as profit-making machines- they must reconsider their places within their communities (of whatever size). A business is inseparable from its community, in the same way that your hand is inseparable from your body.
That's a better metaphor than you might think, actually. If the body represents a community, then the blood is its money, the brain its government, the heart its industry. Wait a sec, you might say- where is the service sector? We here in the US are all about service sector jobs, after all. In terms of the body, the service sector would be things like the immune system, the glandular organs, the skeletal system. In other words, a very significant -but very small (in terms of volume) segment.
Now, in terms of this metaphor, what the hell has happened with our economy? Think of it this way: growing population means a growing body. When the body grows but the blood supply doesn't match its growth, then blood becomes more precious (prices go up). The credit crisis? Something in the body (the banks; our veins and arteries I suppose) decided that the flow of blood wasn't fast enough (because, of course, population has grown while manufacturing capability has dwindled- the body grew but the skeleton hasn't produced the blood to fill it), so they demanded more than they were giving. Organs couldn't keep up with the demand- they can't pump more blood out than they get in, and they can't make it themselves-- so they atrophied as a result (homeowners defaulted on mortgages, businesses defaulted on payrolls, millions of jobs lost).
The problem is that money is pooling, not flowing. Blood clots in the brain and heart are threatening the health of our national community (execs are pulling in oversized salaries and not spending the money locally, ultimately leaving banks in the lurch). We need manufacturing jobs- jobs that produce real goods and real wealth. In a short time, this will stimulate spending and buying- and saving! --because there will be things worth buying, and people earning paychecks to buy the stuff with. Blood will fill our veins; savings rates will start to rise again, banks will be happy, and credit will loosen up again.
Now let's get back to the new economy -the one that will work for your kids and grandkids, the one we need to build. Disposability is simply no longer an option. Our landfills are -well, filled. Most of the stuff we use today can't even be safely disposed of in a landfill anyway, yet frankly was made to be thrown away. Raw materials are dwindling, and rising in cost. Disposability is not a sustainable way of life, and we're coming up against the final wall.
We need to demand reliable appliances, fixable appliances, and to settle for nothing less. Industry, instead of preparing to meet those demands, is running in the opposite direction: making goods that are cheaper to buy at first but more expensive in the long run because you're buying three disposable items for every one fixable item you might have bought instead. This amounts to a race to the bottom, as GE, Sony, Philips, etc, run themselves into the ground. In ten years, these industries will be hemmoraging, as consumers revolt by buying from more local, more accessible companies whose products are more reliable and ultimately repairable. Pink slips will flow by the thousands as these huge manufacturers of crappy 'goods' have to cut back. This is the economic crisis to come, and there's no stopping it: the only thing we can do is change course, now.
In 1832, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) was born.
In 1947, the Los Angeles Times (and later, Time magazine) reported that the crew of the oiler USS Caliente weighed anchor from nine fathoms and discovered that an overhand or lover's knot had been tied in the chain twenty feet from the anchor.
In 1984, filming for a Pepsi commercial went terribly awry when Michael Jackson’s hair product caught on fire.
Computers serve two basic purposes, in terms of economy: they create demand for more disposable goods (computers, programs, accessories), and they reduce the need for new employees by facilitating paperwork and book-keeping. More jobs are lost to computers, than created by building them or programming for them (and that's to say nothing of work lost to computer-controlled robots, eliminating jobs at twice that rate, or higher). Different kinds of work, to be sure, but employment all the same. The net effect is a loss of jobs. Computers just aren't helping.
Teaching kids to use computers in school is early job-training. Worse- it's free job training for industry, because business taxes rarely (if ever) go to schools. Ask yourself: why should you pay for your kid to be trained to do data entry? Even if they're learning to code: don't fool yourself- the days of madly-wealthy computer programmers are gone-daddy-gone. Ahh, the roaring dot-com Nineties! They're as gone as the roaring Twenties.
We should not give them computers in school- we should give them classes that teach them to use tools that make things and fix things: wood shop, metal shop, plastics, even electronics shop; cooking, accounting, home economics, sewing, design ferchrissake. They should be using their abundant imaginations to be making new things and developing skills that will be usable "across multiple platforms"- what we used to call being handy. It's a good thing to be, useful. Java, flash, and C++ are not usable across multiple platforms: they are skills related to a very, very limited range of jobs. They will not help your kid when the power goes out and he still needs to eat, or when the alternator goes out in her car when she's between jobs, or when the kitchen table, the toaster, or the TV goes down.
Bottom line: teaching kids to use computers will not help them do anything except find a job as a desk jockey or a 10-key operator. Is that really what you want for your children? A career as a Customer Service Specialist at a call center? That's what's coming, if we stay on this track. Mark my words.
This much is certain: there is no going back to our consumption-driven way of life. We simply have to change: economy will demand it. Businesses can not think of themselves first as profit-making machines- they must reconsider their places within their communities (of whatever size). A business is inseparable from its community, in the same way that your hand is inseparable from your body.
That's a better metaphor than you might think, actually. If the body represents a community, then the blood is its money, the brain its government, the heart its industry. Wait a sec, you might say- where is the service sector? We here in the US are all about service sector jobs, after all. In terms of the body, the service sector would be things like the immune system, the glandular organs, the skeletal system. In other words, a very significant -but very small (in terms of volume) segment.
Now, in terms of this metaphor, what the hell has happened with our economy? Think of it this way: growing population means a growing body. When the body grows but the blood supply doesn't match its growth, then blood becomes more precious (prices go up). The credit crisis? Something in the body (the banks; our veins and arteries I suppose) decided that the flow of blood wasn't fast enough (because, of course, population has grown while manufacturing capability has dwindled- the body grew but the skeleton hasn't produced the blood to fill it), so they demanded more than they were giving. Organs couldn't keep up with the demand- they can't pump more blood out than they get in, and they can't make it themselves-- so they atrophied as a result (homeowners defaulted on mortgages, businesses defaulted on payrolls, millions of jobs lost).
The problem is that money is pooling, not flowing. Blood clots in the brain and heart are threatening the health of our national community (execs are pulling in oversized salaries and not spending the money locally, ultimately leaving banks in the lurch). We need manufacturing jobs- jobs that produce real goods and real wealth. In a short time, this will stimulate spending and buying- and saving! --because there will be things worth buying, and people earning paychecks to buy the stuff with. Blood will fill our veins; savings rates will start to rise again, banks will be happy, and credit will loosen up again.
Now let's get back to the new economy -the one that will work for your kids and grandkids, the one we need to build. Disposability is simply no longer an option. Our landfills are -well, filled. Most of the stuff we use today can't even be safely disposed of in a landfill anyway, yet frankly was made to be thrown away. Raw materials are dwindling, and rising in cost. Disposability is not a sustainable way of life, and we're coming up against the final wall.
We need to demand reliable appliances, fixable appliances, and to settle for nothing less. Industry, instead of preparing to meet those demands, is running in the opposite direction: making goods that are cheaper to buy at first but more expensive in the long run because you're buying three disposable items for every one fixable item you might have bought instead. This amounts to a race to the bottom, as GE, Sony, Philips, etc, run themselves into the ground. In ten years, these industries will be hemmoraging, as consumers revolt by buying from more local, more accessible companies whose products are more reliable and ultimately repairable. Pink slips will flow by the thousands as these huge manufacturers of crappy 'goods' have to cut back. This is the economic crisis to come, and there's no stopping it: the only thing we can do is change course, now.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Bright new day
Today is the Twenty-first of January. It's National Hugging Day.
In 1824, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was born.
In 1924, Vladimir I. Lenin died. Almost immediately, Josef Stalin began to purge his rivals, to clear his way to Premiership.
On the home front, this is encouraging news from the Obama administration. I can't think of a better way to start. Realistically, anyway.
In 1824, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was born.
In 1924, Vladimir I. Lenin died. Almost immediately, Josef Stalin began to purge his rivals, to clear his way to Premiership.
On the home front, this is encouraging news from the Obama administration. I can't think of a better way to start. Realistically, anyway.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Don't stop: just keep running.
Today is the Nineteenth of January. On this day in 1808, Lysander Spooner was born.
In 1809, Edgar Allen Poe was born.
In 1839, Paul Cezanne was born.
In 1935, the first brief was displayed in a Marshal-Fields department store window in Chicago, during a blizzard. The display was ordered to be taken down because it was silly to show such skimpy underwear on such a cold day, but before the display could even be taken down, six hundred pairs were sold. Thirty thousand would be sold in the next three months. The world would never be the same.
In 1977, snow fell in Miami, Florida, and the Bahamas. First time ever.
You know, I am optimistic about Obama's presidency, but I'm no fool. In spite of my rhetoric here, I am realistic about the future.
I'm not expecting single-payer, universal coverage health care. No, the homeless and poor are still going to suffer and die of ultimately-curable illnesses.
I'm not expecting gay marriages. I'm not expecting a roll-back of Bush's abuses of the environment, or of the Endangered Species Act, or marked improvements in air quality, or water quality, or even gender equality in the workplace.
I'm not expecting him to handle Afghanistan any better either: he has, after all, promised to "win" there, whatever that means (hint to President Obama: ask Alexander the Great about central Asia).
I'm just excited because -for the first time ever-- we have a visible, tangible reason to believe that anyone can make it here.
When you hear the dogs behind you, just keep running.
That being said about my beliefs, I remain fascinated by, but agnostic about UFOs, especially in light of the recent flap of sightings. I'm so intrigued by them: if they are from space, then that's interesting in and of itself. And if they're not from space, then that's more interesting still: what the hell are they? If they're illusionary or hallucinations, then what is it in the human makeup that makes us see them? And then makes us interpret those visions as Visitors from Space? And if they're not hallucinations or visions or visitors from space, then what the hell are they? Honestly people, I can't see how anyone could not be interested.
Here's another.
In 1809, Edgar Allen Poe was born.
In 1839, Paul Cezanne was born.
In 1935, the first brief was displayed in a Marshal-Fields department store window in Chicago, during a blizzard. The display was ordered to be taken down because it was silly to show such skimpy underwear on such a cold day, but before the display could even be taken down, six hundred pairs were sold. Thirty thousand would be sold in the next three months. The world would never be the same.
In 1977, snow fell in Miami, Florida, and the Bahamas. First time ever.
You know, I am optimistic about Obama's presidency, but I'm no fool. In spite of my rhetoric here, I am realistic about the future.
I'm not expecting single-payer, universal coverage health care. No, the homeless and poor are still going to suffer and die of ultimately-curable illnesses.
I'm not expecting gay marriages. I'm not expecting a roll-back of Bush's abuses of the environment, or of the Endangered Species Act, or marked improvements in air quality, or water quality, or even gender equality in the workplace.
I'm not expecting him to handle Afghanistan any better either: he has, after all, promised to "win" there, whatever that means (hint to President Obama: ask Alexander the Great about central Asia).
I'm just excited because -for the first time ever-- we have a visible, tangible reason to believe that anyone can make it here.
When you hear the dogs behind you, just keep running.
That being said about my beliefs, I remain fascinated by, but agnostic about UFOs, especially in light of the recent flap of sightings. I'm so intrigued by them: if they are from space, then that's interesting in and of itself. And if they're not from space, then that's more interesting still: what the hell are they? If they're illusionary or hallucinations, then what is it in the human makeup that makes us see them? And then makes us interpret those visions as Visitors from Space? And if they're not hallucinations or visions or visitors from space, then what the hell are they? Honestly people, I can't see how anyone could not be interested.
Here's another.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
"Playing into each other's noses" he said.
No, I can't keep my mouth shut: news happens, and I feel compelled to talk about it, even though I said I was ignoring it until Tuesday. First and foremost: North Korea is actively threatening South Korea. It's not a conflict I follow closely, but hey, nuclear weapons are everybody's business. We all need to know.
Today is the Eighteenth of January. On this day in 1671, Captain Morgan captured Panama from the Spanish.
In 1843, a report appeared in The Times (London) that two young girls were out picking leaves at Livet in France when stones of different colors showered down on them, slowly and harmlessly. They called their parents, and stones fell on them too. Respectable witnesses were called, priests, doctors, and all were gently and colorfully stoned (sic). It only happened in one spot, and only when the girls were there. After a few days it stopped.
In 1892, Oliver Hardy was born.
In 1904, Cary Grant was born.
In 1913, Danny Kaye was born.
In 1932, Robert Anton Wilson was born.
In 1943, Soviet officials announced that they had broken the Nazi-led siege of Leningrad (started Sept. 8, 1941- some 900 days!).
In 1964, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” entered the Billboard pop chart at #45, marking the entrance of The Beatles to the U.S. market. It would be at #1 by the end of the month.
A letter to Obama that I wish I could co-sign (a bit long, but worth it). I'm optimistic, but not foolish.
Today is the Eighteenth of January. On this day in 1671, Captain Morgan captured Panama from the Spanish.
In 1843, a report appeared in The Times (London) that two young girls were out picking leaves at Livet in France when stones of different colors showered down on them, slowly and harmlessly. They called their parents, and stones fell on them too. Respectable witnesses were called, priests, doctors, and all were gently and colorfully stoned (sic). It only happened in one spot, and only when the girls were there. After a few days it stopped.
In 1892, Oliver Hardy was born.
In 1904, Cary Grant was born.
In 1913, Danny Kaye was born.
In 1932, Robert Anton Wilson was born.
In 1943, Soviet officials announced that they had broken the Nazi-led siege of Leningrad (started Sept. 8, 1941- some 900 days!).
In 1964, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” entered the Billboard pop chart at #45, marking the entrance of The Beatles to the U.S. market. It would be at #1 by the end of the month.
A letter to Obama that I wish I could co-sign (a bit long, but worth it). I'm optimistic, but not foolish.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Just keep swimming
Today is the Sixteenth of January. On this day in 1547, Ivan Grozny ('the Terrible;' the IVth Ivan) proclaimed himself first Tsar of Russia.
In 1605, the first edition of Book One of Don Quixote was published.
It's been a long eight years. I still get apoplectic when I think about the 2000 selection, ferchrissake. It's been a long eight years, and that's all I'm going to say about it, right now.
I'll breathe more easily after the inauguration. I've felt like I was in limbo since the first of the month. Sure, you're thinking "whoaa, he's taking this all way too seriously," and maybe you're right, but I've just got a lot of (metaphorical) balls in the air right now (juggling balls -get your head out of the bed, sheesh), and I'm waiting to see which ones come down first. Of course I'm optimistic about the new administration and the new congress, but I'm also optimistic about the projects I've got going, and their prospects in the new year and the phoenix of our economy.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
News is on hold.
Today is the Fifteenth of January. As far as I'm concerned, the news is on hold until some time next week. Citibank breaking up to better face the crumbling economy, you say? My retort, complete with my fingers in my ears:
"LA LA LA LA LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU...."
I know that a new administration won't turn the economy around overnight. I know that a President Obama won't instantly restore bankers' faith in borrowers, and that even with a Democratic-controlled Congress, real legislative change will not be coming in a hurry...
but...
I do know that the mere presence of a good leader can do a lot for morale. And further, I know that morale is very closely related to faith, and to confidence. Faith (that cash will once again flow) and confidence (on the part of banks, regarding their clients' ability to pay them back in a timely manner, as well as confidence in our leadership) are at the core of our economic difficulties right now.
More importantly in the short term, though, is the sense of optimism and possibility that Obama seems to signify to so many. That hope and optimism will start to show, almost immediately. It will be the first sign of the Big Thaw.
It will start out subliminal: maybe a little more courtesy between strangers, a little more patience on the roads. Maybe tithing will go up. I suspect that bars, restaurants and grocery stores will feel it first, as the most-common-denominators of our culture. That money- a significant amount of it in the form of cash tips-- will spread out into the wider mercantile culture and stimulate other businesses. Bigger changes will have to be helped along from above: banks will need to free up credit for businesses so those businesses can expand their payrolls again, but that will happen as sales go up again. Good, healthy changes are on the way. I can feel it.
And- oh this is the best part-- the Rule of Law might just prevail again. I say "might," because I'm almost afraid to hope, for fear of disappointment. It is the government, after all.
And yeah, I know I said the news is on hold, but this caught my attention, and it seems like it could develop into something important. It always seems just a bit strange when a denial precedes the accusation.
Whatever else happens, we still have to cope with our national shame: a legacy of torture.
On this day in 1919, a "tidal wave" of two-and-a-half million gallons of molasses killed 21 people in Boston.
Recent British UFO flap, condensed version
Remarkably similar events reported in Indonesia and Argentina
V-shaped craft low flying over Chicago
"LA LA LA LA LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU...."
I know that a new administration won't turn the economy around overnight. I know that a President Obama won't instantly restore bankers' faith in borrowers, and that even with a Democratic-controlled Congress, real legislative change will not be coming in a hurry...
but...
I do know that the mere presence of a good leader can do a lot for morale. And further, I know that morale is very closely related to faith, and to confidence. Faith (that cash will once again flow) and confidence (on the part of banks, regarding their clients' ability to pay them back in a timely manner, as well as confidence in our leadership) are at the core of our economic difficulties right now.
More importantly in the short term, though, is the sense of optimism and possibility that Obama seems to signify to so many. That hope and optimism will start to show, almost immediately. It will be the first sign of the Big Thaw.
It will start out subliminal: maybe a little more courtesy between strangers, a little more patience on the roads. Maybe tithing will go up. I suspect that bars, restaurants and grocery stores will feel it first, as the most-common-denominators of our culture. That money- a significant amount of it in the form of cash tips-- will spread out into the wider mercantile culture and stimulate other businesses. Bigger changes will have to be helped along from above: banks will need to free up credit for businesses so those businesses can expand their payrolls again, but that will happen as sales go up again. Good, healthy changes are on the way. I can feel it.
And- oh this is the best part-- the Rule of Law might just prevail again. I say "might," because I'm almost afraid to hope, for fear of disappointment. It is the government, after all.
And yeah, I know I said the news is on hold, but this caught my attention, and it seems like it could develop into something important. It always seems just a bit strange when a denial precedes the accusation.
Whatever else happens, we still have to cope with our national shame: a legacy of torture.
On this day in 1919, a "tidal wave" of two-and-a-half million gallons of molasses killed 21 people in Boston.
Recent British UFO flap, condensed version
Remarkably similar events reported in Indonesia and Argentina
V-shaped craft low flying over Chicago
Friday, January 09, 2009
Sit right back and you'll hear a tale...
Oh geez, it's already the Ninth of January. On this day in 1683, Charles II set aside the day for the ceremony of Touching for the King's Evil (a sort of scrofula, or suppurating tumour), so called from a notion prevailing from the reign of Edward the Confessor that it could be cured by the royal touch.
In 1905, some 200,000 Russians rallied behind Father Georgiy Gapon to present their grievances to Tsar Nikolas II. Troops on the scene panicked and fired into the crowd, igniting the 1905 revolution which broke the Tsar’s hold on power. He consented to the adoption of a constitution, and election of a Duma to advise him. (Julian calendar date).
In 1935, Bob Denver was born. I had a strange and unflagging fascination with Gilligan's Island as a kid. I had more than one dream in which I was Gilligan on the show. And I never dreamed about any other TV show. Can you say, "fixation"? Maybe the island setting reminded me of Montserrat (we didn't live in grass huts or sleep in hammocks though). Maybe it just appealed to my radical jungle hippie, back-to-nature, almost-anarcho-primitivist freaky style, I don't know. I still sing snippets of their "Hamlet," as set to "Carmen." To myself, of course. ...Neither a borrower nor a lender be/ Do not forget- stay out of debt...
Sign of the times?
More on it here, and a more prosaic explanation offered here. I notice there's no reportage on the condition of the blades; whether or not they show evidence of impact. Watch the video though, and tell me what you think. Also, my knowledge of geography of the UK is somewhat limited- but is this related?
...There's just one other thing/
You ought to do-/
To thine own self be true!
In 1905, some 200,000 Russians rallied behind Father Georgiy Gapon to present their grievances to Tsar Nikolas II. Troops on the scene panicked and fired into the crowd, igniting the 1905 revolution which broke the Tsar’s hold on power. He consented to the adoption of a constitution, and election of a Duma to advise him. (Julian calendar date).
In 1935, Bob Denver was born. I had a strange and unflagging fascination with Gilligan's Island as a kid. I had more than one dream in which I was Gilligan on the show. And I never dreamed about any other TV show. Can you say, "fixation"? Maybe the island setting reminded me of Montserrat (we didn't live in grass huts or sleep in hammocks though). Maybe it just appealed to my radical jungle hippie, back-to-nature, almost-anarcho-primitivist freaky style, I don't know. I still sing snippets of their "Hamlet," as set to "Carmen." To myself, of course. ...Neither a borrower nor a lender be/ Do not forget- stay out of debt...
Sign of the times?
More on it here, and a more prosaic explanation offered here. I notice there's no reportage on the condition of the blades; whether or not they show evidence of impact. Watch the video though, and tell me what you think. Also, my knowledge of geography of the UK is somewhat limited- but is this related?
...There's just one other thing/
You ought to do-/
To thine own self be true!
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Distaff day
Today is 7 January (already!?). It's Distaff day: Get back to work, woman! Traditional day in many European cultures on which women get back to “women’s work” after the Yule festivities.
In 1598, Fyodor I of Russia died. Fyodor was the only surviving son of Ivan IV ('the Terrible'), and was -well-- an imbecile. It's an interesting date because Boris Godunov, who had been acting as Regent since Ivan's death, took this opportunity to fully assume the throne. Fyodor’s only son Dmitri had died under somewhat mysterious circumstances in 1591; when Fyodor himself died, Boris took the throne until his death in 1605. Godunov's 16-year old son then assumed the throne as Fyodor II, but was imprisoned and murdered six months later by representatives of someone who fashioned himself Dmitri Fyodorovich (son of Fyodor I). He lasted six months before the Boyars killed him too. Welcome to the Time of Troubles. Maybe the W years weren't so bad....
In 1899, Francis Poulenc was born.
In 1904, the distress signal “CQD” was established. Two years later, it would be replaced by “SOS.”
In 1598, Fyodor I of Russia died. Fyodor was the only surviving son of Ivan IV ('the Terrible'), and was -well-- an imbecile. It's an interesting date because Boris Godunov, who had been acting as Regent since Ivan's death, took this opportunity to fully assume the throne. Fyodor’s only son Dmitri had died under somewhat mysterious circumstances in 1591; when Fyodor himself died, Boris took the throne until his death in 1605. Godunov's 16-year old son then assumed the throne as Fyodor II, but was imprisoned and murdered six months later by representatives of someone who fashioned himself Dmitri Fyodorovich (son of Fyodor I). He lasted six months before the Boyars killed him too. Welcome to the Time of Troubles. Maybe the W years weren't so bad....
In 1899, Francis Poulenc was born.
In 1904, the distress signal “CQD” was established. Two years later, it would be replaced by “SOS.”
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Put out the light.
Today is 6 January. Rastas celebrate Haille Sellasie’s birthday today, though it's not actually his birthday (reminds one a bit of Christmas, no?).
In 1883, Khalil Gibran was born.
In 1915, Alan Watts was born.
In 1919, Teddy Roosevelt died. His last words: “Put out the light.”
In more current news:
The truth about snowmen
The truth about pirates
In 1883, Khalil Gibran was born.
In 1915, Alan Watts was born.
In 1919, Teddy Roosevelt died. His last words: “Put out the light.”
In more current news:
The truth about snowmen
The truth about pirates
Sunday, January 04, 2009
White knot?
As my friend Kevin would say, it's a meaningless gesture, but hey- can't hurt, right?
Go ahead, tie one on.
Go ahead, tie one on.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Insert pun here
Dead Soles? Of course I had to say something. Forget the rains of frogs and fish and corn and what-not: this is the best Fortean event, ever. No one knows where they came from. Apparently no one saw them fall? Who would load a truck up with used shoes, anyway? I wonder if they were in pairs. I wonder if any of them belong to any of those feet that keep washing up on the shores of British Columbia? Wrong ocean, I know, but when you're dealing with events like this, can you really rule anything out?
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Yellowstone
Today is the Thirtieth of December. On this day in 1865, Rudyard Kipling was born.
In 1922, the USSR was formed.
In 1978, two large geese prevented customers from entering the Birdhouse Inn in Edinburgh. After they had chased away customers all morning, the manager was able to lure them into a van with cheese sandwiches.
It's probably nothing, but still- Yellowstone caldera is a real hot spot. When it goes up, as it will at some point-- it's going to be big.
In 1922, the USSR was formed.
In 1978, two large geese prevented customers from entering the Birdhouse Inn in Edinburgh. After they had chased away customers all morning, the manager was able to lure them into a van with cheese sandwiches.
It's probably nothing, but still- Yellowstone caldera is a real hot spot. When it goes up, as it will at some point-- it's going to be big.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Elephants in the room
Today is the Twenty-ninth of December. I can feel the days getting longer, already. On this day in 1852, Emma Snodgrass was arrested in Boston for wearing pants.
And in 1936, Mary Tyler Moore was born.
Interesting idea here. Not entirely sure I agree, but by the same token, I'm not entirely convinced that it couldn't (or won't) happen. After all, no one took seriously the possibility that the USSR could collapse, in 1988. The part I really don't agree with, is Panarin's assertion of foreign control over what's left. Cute, maybe even quaint, but Canada's history hardly suggests a future as a colonial power, and Mexican control of Texas is -well, at this point, laughable. Mexico can't even control Tijuana, not to mention Chihuahua, or Chiapas.
Still, how might this come to pass? Panarin offers some theories, but one thing he doesn't consider is the impending water crisis. The entire southwest quarter of the United States is problematic in this sense: it is a desert by any standard, populated relatively densely by people who are very fond of green lawns (which need a lot of water) and swimming pools. Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix... all of these major urban centers get their water from the Colorado River. At one time the largest river west of the Rockies, the Colorado River is now so diverted for agricultural, industrial and personal use that it no longer reaches the sea. In some sense, we have reached its limit -our limit. Any further growth in the region now is tentative and completely reliant on borrowed time. We're looking at a future water bubble, and the inevitable crash is not going to be strictly financial. There will be blood. Right here in river city.
But it's a big world, and we don't exist in a vacuum. What happens in Africa, Iceland, the Caucasus, the Carribbean, and the Hindu Kush, is going to have a big effect on what happens in the U.S. over the next couple of years. China is already heavily invested in Africa, and is increasing its presence in South- and Central America- oil and agriculture weigh heavy on Chinese minds these days as its population begins to exceed its ability to provide for itself (nascent colonialism). Canada is building multiple new naval bases on their Arctic coastline. An independent Greenland (with reserves of both petroleum and fresh water) would change the political dynamic of the Arctic, Europe, and NATO alike.
It may be a big world, but resources are limited. Populations are generally not inclined to limit themselves passively, and we all need the same things, so heightened conflict is coming. The only question is, when?
If it's possible to avert this scenario, it will be through slow and natural population reduction. Homosexuality is the answer: we don't make babies. And yes, I'm a recruiter. Sign up now!
And in 1936, Mary Tyler Moore was born.
Interesting idea here. Not entirely sure I agree, but by the same token, I'm not entirely convinced that it couldn't (or won't) happen. After all, no one took seriously the possibility that the USSR could collapse, in 1988. The part I really don't agree with, is Panarin's assertion of foreign control over what's left. Cute, maybe even quaint, but Canada's history hardly suggests a future as a colonial power, and Mexican control of Texas is -well, at this point, laughable. Mexico can't even control Tijuana, not to mention Chihuahua, or Chiapas.
Still, how might this come to pass? Panarin offers some theories, but one thing he doesn't consider is the impending water crisis. The entire southwest quarter of the United States is problematic in this sense: it is a desert by any standard, populated relatively densely by people who are very fond of green lawns (which need a lot of water) and swimming pools. Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix... all of these major urban centers get their water from the Colorado River. At one time the largest river west of the Rockies, the Colorado River is now so diverted for agricultural, industrial and personal use that it no longer reaches the sea. In some sense, we have reached its limit -our limit. Any further growth in the region now is tentative and completely reliant on borrowed time. We're looking at a future water bubble, and the inevitable crash is not going to be strictly financial. There will be blood. Right here in river city.
But it's a big world, and we don't exist in a vacuum. What happens in Africa, Iceland, the Caucasus, the Carribbean, and the Hindu Kush, is going to have a big effect on what happens in the U.S. over the next couple of years. China is already heavily invested in Africa, and is increasing its presence in South- and Central America- oil and agriculture weigh heavy on Chinese minds these days as its population begins to exceed its ability to provide for itself (nascent colonialism). Canada is building multiple new naval bases on their Arctic coastline. An independent Greenland (with reserves of both petroleum and fresh water) would change the political dynamic of the Arctic, Europe, and NATO alike.
It may be a big world, but resources are limited. Populations are generally not inclined to limit themselves passively, and we all need the same things, so heightened conflict is coming. The only question is, when?
If it's possible to avert this scenario, it will be through slow and natural population reduction. Homosexuality is the answer: we don't make babies. And yes, I'm a recruiter. Sign up now!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Happy winter!
Today is the Twenty-eighth of December. On this day in 1832, Vice President John Calhoun resigned, due to difficulties with the President, Andrew Jackson.
In 1849, M. Jean Baptiste Jolly discovered dry-cleaning with a little help from his maid, when she spilled a mixture of turpentine and oil on his dirty clothes and he noticed a cleaning effect.
In 1869, William Semple filed the first patent application for chewing gum, though he didn't invent it.
In 1889, F.W. Murnau was born.
In 1895, the Lumiere brothers had their first paying audience for their motion pictures, at the Grand Café.
I may never fly again. Right before the storms hit here, I rode the train down to San Jose to see my friend John. He had offered to give me his old car if I could drive it home, so off I went. It was a great excuse to get away and see a good friend.
But as I said, I may never fly again. Riding on the train was a blast. From the very beginning it was nice: even the architecture of the train station was comforting somehow- details to take in everywhere, so unlike airport architecture (designed to keep you looking straight ahead and moving along like cattle in a slaughterhouse). I stood in line for about a minute until I reached the ticket counter, where the clerk printed my ticket and directed me to another queue. This one was a long one; I expected to be waiting there for an hour, but it moved quickly and within ten minutes I was crossing the tracks to my train, seat number in hand.
If you haven't ridden on an Amtrak train, they might surprise you. Seating is very roomy- I'm not sure I could have reached the seat in front of mine with my feet, while sitting down. Lots of room overhead. The bathrooms were spacious too. And unlike the Balkan Express, Amtrak trains have running, potable water on board. Not to mention a dining car AND a snack bar. With beer and wine!
Not enough room in your seat? Or maybe you don't like who you're sitting next to? Take a walk to to the lounge car- big huge windows, and even roomier seats -these facing out so you can take in the scenery without turning your head. It's like a moving coffee house (coffee available downstairs in the snack bar). One guy was just sitting there, sketching other passengers and giving them the sketches.
Never mind that it took 19 hours. It was 19 pleasant, effortless hours during which I didn't have to worry about airport security, getting bumped to another flight, missing my flight because my connecting flight was late or canceled, losing my luggage, losing my lunch due to turbulence, outrageous ticket prices, confusing airport design, being treated like livestock, not making it off the runway or tumbling out of the sky. Or even getting uncomfortable in my seat, because you can walk around the train all you want.
And it was only a little late getting in to San Jose.
John and I had a great time; it has been way too long since we got to really hang out. We drove in to San Francisco after he showed me their house. We had a little lunch in the Castro district, then explored a little more before we found the park where the hang-gliders play. We poked around there for a few minutes, met an older guy who answered some questions we had, before one guy strapped his glider on and walked up to the edge of the cliff. I guess the wind that day wasn't ideal, so he stood there for a few minutes gauging it, flexing his knees, and then he just started running toward the edge of the cliff. Step, step, step ...then he was flying, right there. I think it might have been the most beautiful thing I've ever seen a human do. To this day, I don't have the words to describe it. I'm not sure I could do it myself, but I'd love to watch again. Incredible.
We drove across the Golden Gate with the top down. It was a little chilly, but very sunny in the city, so that was great.
He even got me to play a video game, believe it or not. Yes, I played "rock band," and I have to admit, it was really fun. I did not know how social and interactive a video game could be; now I'm perhaps not quite so anti as I was. Don't get your panties in a bunch though- I'm not running out to buy a Wii or anything, and my (nearly antique) GameBoy Advance (or whatever it's called) is still packed away safely, and not going anywhere, haha.
I had to leave the next morning, ready or not. John had work to do (and a volunteer art-teaching gig at his daughters' school), and I had to get home in time to meet Jeremy at the Portland airport. Storms were hitting the Oregon-Washington coast as I left San Jose, so I knew that the trip home might be tricky. Reports from northern California/southern Oregon said lots of snow, so I ended up buying tire cables in some little town just south of the mountains in California.
I drove in to the mountains expecting the worst, though the weather in the valley was clear and relatively warm. Turns out, it stayed that way well into the mountains- clear skies, and though there was a lot of snow on the ground, there was almost none on the road. Until Oregon, anyway.
Almost as soon as I crossed the border, the weather turned, but it didn't get really bad until I passed Salem or so. After that, the roads started to get snowy and icy, but the main issue was traffic. I hadn't thought about it before, but I realized that I-5 is the only north-south corridor west of the Rockies and north of Sacramento, so everybody driving north in Oregon was on I-5 at the same time, and I think they were all rushing to get home to Portland. More than even the snowy mountain roads, that part of I-5 was the part that made me think I might not make it home.
But I thought about Phil, and Kava and Socrates and even Raoul; I imagined myself pulling up to the house and unlocking the front door, and soon enough, there I was. It might have been the happiest solstice ever.
In 1849, M. Jean Baptiste Jolly discovered dry-cleaning with a little help from his maid, when she spilled a mixture of turpentine and oil on his dirty clothes and he noticed a cleaning effect.
In 1869, William Semple filed the first patent application for chewing gum, though he didn't invent it.
In 1889, F.W. Murnau was born.
In 1895, the Lumiere brothers had their first paying audience for their motion pictures, at the Grand Café.
I may never fly again. Right before the storms hit here, I rode the train down to San Jose to see my friend John. He had offered to give me his old car if I could drive it home, so off I went. It was a great excuse to get away and see a good friend.
But as I said, I may never fly again. Riding on the train was a blast. From the very beginning it was nice: even the architecture of the train station was comforting somehow- details to take in everywhere, so unlike airport architecture (designed to keep you looking straight ahead and moving along like cattle in a slaughterhouse). I stood in line for about a minute until I reached the ticket counter, where the clerk printed my ticket and directed me to another queue. This one was a long one; I expected to be waiting there for an hour, but it moved quickly and within ten minutes I was crossing the tracks to my train, seat number in hand.
If you haven't ridden on an Amtrak train, they might surprise you. Seating is very roomy- I'm not sure I could have reached the seat in front of mine with my feet, while sitting down. Lots of room overhead. The bathrooms were spacious too. And unlike the Balkan Express, Amtrak trains have running, potable water on board. Not to mention a dining car AND a snack bar. With beer and wine!
Not enough room in your seat? Or maybe you don't like who you're sitting next to? Take a walk to to the lounge car- big huge windows, and even roomier seats -these facing out so you can take in the scenery without turning your head. It's like a moving coffee house (coffee available downstairs in the snack bar). One guy was just sitting there, sketching other passengers and giving them the sketches.
Never mind that it took 19 hours. It was 19 pleasant, effortless hours during which I didn't have to worry about airport security, getting bumped to another flight, missing my flight because my connecting flight was late or canceled, losing my luggage, losing my lunch due to turbulence, outrageous ticket prices, confusing airport design, being treated like livestock, not making it off the runway or tumbling out of the sky. Or even getting uncomfortable in my seat, because you can walk around the train all you want.
And it was only a little late getting in to San Jose.
John and I had a great time; it has been way too long since we got to really hang out. We drove in to San Francisco after he showed me their house. We had a little lunch in the Castro district, then explored a little more before we found the park where the hang-gliders play. We poked around there for a few minutes, met an older guy who answered some questions we had, before one guy strapped his glider on and walked up to the edge of the cliff. I guess the wind that day wasn't ideal, so he stood there for a few minutes gauging it, flexing his knees, and then he just started running toward the edge of the cliff. Step, step, step ...then he was flying, right there. I think it might have been the most beautiful thing I've ever seen a human do. To this day, I don't have the words to describe it. I'm not sure I could do it myself, but I'd love to watch again. Incredible.
We drove across the Golden Gate with the top down. It was a little chilly, but very sunny in the city, so that was great.
He even got me to play a video game, believe it or not. Yes, I played "rock band," and I have to admit, it was really fun. I did not know how social and interactive a video game could be; now I'm perhaps not quite so anti as I was. Don't get your panties in a bunch though- I'm not running out to buy a Wii or anything, and my (nearly antique) GameBoy Advance (or whatever it's called) is still packed away safely, and not going anywhere, haha.
I had to leave the next morning, ready or not. John had work to do (and a volunteer art-teaching gig at his daughters' school), and I had to get home in time to meet Jeremy at the Portland airport. Storms were hitting the Oregon-Washington coast as I left San Jose, so I knew that the trip home might be tricky. Reports from northern California/southern Oregon said lots of snow, so I ended up buying tire cables in some little town just south of the mountains in California.
I drove in to the mountains expecting the worst, though the weather in the valley was clear and relatively warm. Turns out, it stayed that way well into the mountains- clear skies, and though there was a lot of snow on the ground, there was almost none on the road. Until Oregon, anyway.
Almost as soon as I crossed the border, the weather turned, but it didn't get really bad until I passed Salem or so. After that, the roads started to get snowy and icy, but the main issue was traffic. I hadn't thought about it before, but I realized that I-5 is the only north-south corridor west of the Rockies and north of Sacramento, so everybody driving north in Oregon was on I-5 at the same time, and I think they were all rushing to get home to Portland. More than even the snowy mountain roads, that part of I-5 was the part that made me think I might not make it home.
But I thought about Phil, and Kava and Socrates and even Raoul; I imagined myself pulling up to the house and unlocking the front door, and soon enough, there I was. It might have been the happiest solstice ever.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thawing, melting
Today is the Twenty-sixth of December. Forget Boxing Day-- Wren Day sounds more fun, and Junkanoo might be even more fun than that.
In 1791, Charles Babbage was born.
In 1893, Mao Tse Tung was born.
In 1921, Steve Allen was born.
In 2004, a tsunami was caused by an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra. Over 200,000 people were killed.
Blood diamonds; blood gadgets. The cost of that convenience may turn out to be the existence of wild gorillas. Doesn't seem worth it, to me.
In 1791, Charles Babbage was born.
In 1893, Mao Tse Tung was born.
In 1921, Steve Allen was born.
In 2004, a tsunami was caused by an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra. Over 200,000 people were killed.
Blood diamonds; blood gadgets. The cost of that convenience may turn out to be the existence of wild gorillas. Doesn't seem worth it, to me.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
So this is christmas
It's the Twenty-fifth of December. Christmas was first celebrated on this day in 354 CE (common era). No, it's not Jesus's birthday.
It is Humphrey Bogart's birthday, though (1899, and note the great portrait by Yousuf Karsh on the Wiki page), as well as that of Rod Serling (1924), Carlos Castaneda (1925), and Jimmy Buffet (1946).
In 1776, Gen. George Washington led his troops across the Delaware River, to win an engagement against Hessian troops.
In 1868, Andrew Jackson granted unconditional pardons to all persons involved in the “southern rebellion.”
Richard Starkey got his first drum kit on this day in 1959.
In 1985, James McDonnel of NYC returned home after 15 years, having been believed dead for at least seven. His fugue started in 1971 after two car accidents: he complained of a headache, went for a walk, and did not return. He found himself in a Philadelphia street, knowing only that his name was James, and took the name 'Peters' off a nearby store sign. On Christmas Eve in 1985 he bumped his head, his memory returned, and he looked up his wife's name in the phone book. She, luckily, was still living in the same house.
In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union. The USSR would dissolve the next day.
I hope you enjoy your holiday.
It is Humphrey Bogart's birthday, though (1899, and note the great portrait by Yousuf Karsh on the Wiki page), as well as that of Rod Serling (1924), Carlos Castaneda (1925), and Jimmy Buffet (1946).
In 1776, Gen. George Washington led his troops across the Delaware River, to win an engagement against Hessian troops.
In 1868, Andrew Jackson granted unconditional pardons to all persons involved in the “southern rebellion.”
Richard Starkey got his first drum kit on this day in 1959.
In 1985, James McDonnel of NYC returned home after 15 years, having been believed dead for at least seven. His fugue started in 1971 after two car accidents: he complained of a headache, went for a walk, and did not return. He found himself in a Philadelphia street, knowing only that his name was James, and took the name 'Peters' off a nearby store sign. On Christmas Eve in 1985 he bumped his head, his memory returned, and he looked up his wife's name in the phone book. She, luckily, was still living in the same house.
In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union. The USSR would dissolve the next day.
I hope you enjoy your holiday.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Night of the Radishes!
Today is the Twenty-third of December. Night of the Radishes!
In 1908, portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh was born. See some of his brilliance here.
In 1980 a Saudi Arabian Tristar flying from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan had a hole blown in it by a retracted wheel exploding, and the sudden decompression sucked out two children, Samina, 10, and Ahmed, six. An immediate search was made for them with no result. Three years later, a Pakistani visiting a small Saudi port met the two children, who had been found floating in the sea by a fisherman who thought they were a gift form God and cared for them. The Saudi authorities were alerted about the children, but the fisherman and his charges had moved on.
Politics and small aircraft mix like oil and water. Maybe more like oil and fire.
Melissa Etheridge meets Rick Warren. Good news. Good readin'! This is still a bit troublesome, but I'm now willing and prepared to listen to his explanation.
Benny the Rat: Church needs money. Keep making babies!
Me: Homosexuality is part of the ecology of man. There are simply too many of us already- the human population on Earth is unsustainable, and homosexuality is a natural, ecological response. We don't reproduce.
I know this sounds foolish, but I had cash to spare right now, I'd consider stock in Ford. Call it a hunch, I dunno, but it's cheap, and my hunch says Ford isn't done yet. I've been right before, you know.
In 1908, portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh was born. See some of his brilliance here.
In 1980 a Saudi Arabian Tristar flying from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan had a hole blown in it by a retracted wheel exploding, and the sudden decompression sucked out two children, Samina, 10, and Ahmed, six. An immediate search was made for them with no result. Three years later, a Pakistani visiting a small Saudi port met the two children, who had been found floating in the sea by a fisherman who thought they were a gift form God and cared for them. The Saudi authorities were alerted about the children, but the fisherman and his charges had moved on.
Politics and small aircraft mix like oil and water. Maybe more like oil and fire.
Melissa Etheridge meets Rick Warren. Good news. Good readin'! This is still a bit troublesome, but I'm now willing and prepared to listen to his explanation.
Benny the Rat: Church needs money. Keep making babies!
Me: Homosexuality is part of the ecology of man. There are simply too many of us already- the human population on Earth is unsustainable, and homosexuality is a natural, ecological response. We don't reproduce.
I know this sounds foolish, but I had cash to spare right now, I'd consider stock in Ford. Call it a hunch, I dunno, but it's cheap, and my hunch says Ford isn't done yet. I've been right before, you know.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Jesusism and the cult of human sacrifice
Today is the Twenty-second of December. I have returned from my mission. It was an adventure (meaning, I thought I might die. It's not a real Adventure until you think you might not make it through).
On this day in 1849, the execution of Fyodor Dostoevsky was cancelled at the very last second (that would count as an adventure, yes). Some sources suggest that this was a mock execution, designed to scare the proto-revolutionaries, but the Tsar (Nicholas I) was known to be prone to paranoia and autocratic whims.
In 1990, Lech Walesa was sworn in as President of Poland.
Paul Krugman steps up to the plate, to answer my question about the difference between Madoff's crime and the economy at large. Thanks, Professor! (Quick answer: there is no difference. I was right!)
If you're wondering how I feel about Obama's choice of pastors to swear him in to office: yeah, I was a little miffed. Warren is a homophobe, plain and simple. Caring for gay people in order to change them, is homophobic. Caring for gay people because you think you're supposed to care for 'the unfortunate' is not only homophobic, but self-righteous and prideful.
But...
As the President-Elect has said, America is a country of opinions, and we should be boisterous with them. Warren is entitled to his opinion, however much it might contradict his supposed religious beliefs. Obama is assembling a 'cabinet of rivals,' a group of advisors who openly disagree, not only with Obama but also each other. Why, then, shouldn't he pick a pastor with whom he disagrees on a point or two?
I suppose my problem with it, is that Obama himself doesn't openly support my side in the present civil rights struggle. Mr. President-Elect, what part of "separate but equal" don't you understand here?
To my Christian friends: best to stop reading here today, unless you're extremely open-minded. Skip to the green stuff at the end. I am not implicating you in anything written below; what follows is a critique of modern, contemporary religiosity, and not your personal beliefs and practices. I do not believe that any of my friends practice or condone human sacrifice. But I do know that contemporary Christian parents have been known to try to kill their children in the name of God. It happens, and this is why.
Christianity is digging its own grave, while money-grubbing and power-hungry charlatans are taking over the pulpit. Rev. Warren: as far as anyone knows, Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. Jesus never said anything about caring for the less fortunate but only if they try to be more like you. In fact, I think he said something like "judge not, lest ye be judged," right? Hmm.
Today's 'christianity' has nothing to do with Jesus except fetishizing his image, which is why I call it 'Christianism,' or 'Jesusism.' Didn't Jesus throw the moneychangers out of the Temple? Didn't Jesus tell you to pray privately? Didn't Jesus preach tolerance and acceptance? Jesus never said "go worship me in a stadium every sunday and fork over the cash." No, he said "do it like I do," which is to say (being Jewish himself): don't work on Saturday, and quietly observe the (Jewish) holy days. Not Christmas, not Easter: Passover, Rosh Hashana. Maybe even Hanukkah. But never his own birth, and certainly not his own death.
How positively ghoulish.
The "God" of the Old Testament is a bloodthirsty monster. The "God" of the New Testament is invisible and has nothing to do with the world as we see it, unless you want to think of Him as the one who orchestrated Jesus's death, in which case he's still vengeful and bloodthirsty, and demanding human sacrifice. We're told to "worship" an image of a man being executed.
Jesus is rolling over in his grave.
All that aside, we have managed to do one good thing with this season, and that's to have turned it into a celebration of charity, the best thing we can do for each other. I hope your winter celebrations are filled with love and warmth and caring and consideration and respect for one another, whatever holiday you choose to celebrate (yes, even Christmas). May the next year be more peaceful and prosperous for us all (to the extent that we can all prosper at once).
Love!
Why is my finger twitching as I aim for the "publish post" button...?
On this day in 1849, the execution of Fyodor Dostoevsky was cancelled at the very last second (that would count as an adventure, yes). Some sources suggest that this was a mock execution, designed to scare the proto-revolutionaries, but the Tsar (Nicholas I) was known to be prone to paranoia and autocratic whims.
In 1990, Lech Walesa was sworn in as President of Poland.
Paul Krugman steps up to the plate, to answer my question about the difference between Madoff's crime and the economy at large. Thanks, Professor! (Quick answer: there is no difference. I was right!)
If you're wondering how I feel about Obama's choice of pastors to swear him in to office: yeah, I was a little miffed. Warren is a homophobe, plain and simple. Caring for gay people in order to change them, is homophobic. Caring for gay people because you think you're supposed to care for 'the unfortunate' is not only homophobic, but self-righteous and prideful.
But...
As the President-Elect has said, America is a country of opinions, and we should be boisterous with them. Warren is entitled to his opinion, however much it might contradict his supposed religious beliefs. Obama is assembling a 'cabinet of rivals,' a group of advisors who openly disagree, not only with Obama but also each other. Why, then, shouldn't he pick a pastor with whom he disagrees on a point or two?
I suppose my problem with it, is that Obama himself doesn't openly support my side in the present civil rights struggle. Mr. President-Elect, what part of "separate but equal" don't you understand here?
To my Christian friends: best to stop reading here today, unless you're extremely open-minded. Skip to the green stuff at the end. I am not implicating you in anything written below; what follows is a critique of modern, contemporary religiosity, and not your personal beliefs and practices. I do not believe that any of my friends practice or condone human sacrifice. But I do know that contemporary Christian parents have been known to try to kill their children in the name of God. It happens, and this is why.
Christianity is digging its own grave, while money-grubbing and power-hungry charlatans are taking over the pulpit. Rev. Warren: as far as anyone knows, Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. Jesus never said anything about caring for the less fortunate but only if they try to be more like you. In fact, I think he said something like "judge not, lest ye be judged," right? Hmm.
Today's 'christianity' has nothing to do with Jesus except fetishizing his image, which is why I call it 'Christianism,' or 'Jesusism.' Didn't Jesus throw the moneychangers out of the Temple? Didn't Jesus tell you to pray privately? Didn't Jesus preach tolerance and acceptance? Jesus never said "go worship me in a stadium every sunday and fork over the cash." No, he said "do it like I do," which is to say (being Jewish himself): don't work on Saturday, and quietly observe the (Jewish) holy days. Not Christmas, not Easter: Passover, Rosh Hashana. Maybe even Hanukkah. But never his own birth, and certainly not his own death.
How positively ghoulish.
The "God" of the Old Testament is a bloodthirsty monster. The "God" of the New Testament is invisible and has nothing to do with the world as we see it, unless you want to think of Him as the one who orchestrated Jesus's death, in which case he's still vengeful and bloodthirsty, and demanding human sacrifice. We're told to "worship" an image of a man being executed.
Jesus is rolling over in his grave.
All that aside, we have managed to do one good thing with this season, and that's to have turned it into a celebration of charity, the best thing we can do for each other. I hope your winter celebrations are filled with love and warmth and caring and consideration and respect for one another, whatever holiday you choose to celebrate (yes, even Christmas). May the next year be more peaceful and prosperous for us all (to the extent that we can all prosper at once).
Love!
Why is my finger twitching as I aim for the "publish post" button...?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Krampus
Today is the Seventeenth of December. On this day in 1786, Karl Maria von Weber was born.
In 1903, the Wright brothers flew their unlikely contraption.
In 1977, a mystery blob of molten metal [PDF] fell at Big Lake Park, Council Bluffs, Nebraska. 'Officials' branded it a hoax, despite several reports of a 'bright trail' in the sky that night. A USAF test indicated 'it was neither meteor nor part of a space satellite'. Further blobs fell on Council Bluffs on 5 July and 10 July the following year. In the last case, firemen were called to douse a small blaze and discovered a mass of splattered metal about three feet in diameter lying in a small impact crater.
I'm leaving on a secret mission today. I'll report back on -no I can't tell you, haha!-- I'll report back later.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Anodyne
Today is the Sixteenth of December. On this day in 1773, some 50-60 Sons of Liberty, dressed as Indians, dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor in defiance of the Tea Act of 1773 (which gave monopoly power to the British East India Tea Co. in the colonies). This monopoly power amounted to taxation without representation (because East India could then charge whatever it wanted, without fear of being undercut by the Dutch).
In 1811, the ground beneath New Madrid, Missouri began to shake. Tremors continued on and off until at least February of 1812, the most severe coming on February 7, later estimated to have been greater than an 8.0 on the Richter scale. It was felt as far away as Boston, possibly even Maine. Among other startling results of this event, the Mississippi River flowed backwards for a while.
In 1916, Gregory Rasputin was killed.
In 1917, Arthur C. Clarke was born.
In 1811, the ground beneath New Madrid, Missouri began to shake. Tremors continued on and off until at least February of 1812, the most severe coming on February 7, later estimated to have been greater than an 8.0 on the Richter scale. It was felt as far away as Boston, possibly even Maine. Among other startling results of this event, the Mississippi River flowed backwards for a while.
In 1916, Gregory Rasputin was killed.
In 1917, Arthur C. Clarke was born.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Rubicon
Today is the Fifteenth of December. On this day in 1943, Fats Waller died. A year later, Glenn Miller was lost over the English Channel.
In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association declared that homosexuality is not mental illness (whew!).
In 1989 -one urban legend goes-- a huge effigy of Father Christmas was made with conscientious attention to detail for one of Tokyo's largest department stores. The staff were delighted, but got their western festivals confused. Father Christmas was put on the roof and crucified.
In 1990 members of the Truth Tabernacle Church in Burlington, North Carolina, staged a mock trial, charging 'Satan Claus' on 10 counts, including child abuse, impersonation of St Nicholas, Baal idolatry and falsification of Christ's birthday. He was found guilty and hanged in effigy.
The world is about to change dramatically, no matter the degree to which we succeed or fail to restore our hegemony after Obama takes office. The next few months are likely to be like the first few months of the Bushcheney regime, with news of radical changes to our social, foreign and economic policy coming every other day. Hopefully, this time around, those changes won't be the sort of draconian, nepotistic, fascist, self-serving changes that Bush and Dick made. Otherwise, we'll end up with more of this, and if that looks good to you, ask Greece how it feels.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
