How would Jason of Greek mythology handle the Gulf Coast Oil spill? Here's an interesting post by Ellen Kanner at Huffington Post:
...Jason got the Golden Fleece, but was so ruthless, he managed to piss off people, gods and his metaphorical mother. Jason didn't honor the Argo, he didn't take care of it and it lay rotting -- and plotting -- in the sun. One day, Jason passed by and a piece of the prow fell off and beaned him on the head, killing him...We don't want the same fate. But we've been ruthless and greedy and will most likely continue to be. Most of us aren't going to row to work, give up our cars or even convert to clean energy any time soon. But rather than further risking the earth's wrath, one thing we can all do -- herbivores and omnivores alike -- is buy and eat food that's local and in season.
Some of the enemies of our Mother Earth are indeed as immense as the mythological challenges Jason faced. But Jason (like many heroes of Pagan mythology) often used his wits to overcome obstacles. Making the right choices in our lives (such as diet) can not only have health benefits, but has a disproportionally positive impact on the environment. Yet, as the article points out, we can't just rest on our laurels (heh!) Btw, there's a great recipe for "Braim" in the article...Yum!
(Thanx GreenGhost, for sending me this)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Possible new Necropolis found
Greco-Roman mummy, tombs uncovered in Egypt oasis
New mummies found! Yeah:
(Reuters) - Egyptian archaeologists carrying out excavations at the site of a planned youth center have found 14 tombs dating back to the third century BC, including one with a female mummy adorned with jewelry.
New mummies found! Yeah:
(Reuters) - Egyptian archaeologists carrying out excavations at the site of a planned youth center have found 14 tombs dating back to the third century BC, including one with a female mummy adorned with jewelry.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Steve Irwin must be rolling in his grave!
Sarah Palin hosting a wildlife show on the Discovery Channel? When I first heard that, I thought it was something that belonged in the hoax archive at Snopes. But no, it's true.
It's dumbfounding that a network whose programing centers so much on science and the environment would provide a venue for such a polarizing figure, more concerned with spouting falsehoods to cement her "maverick" reputation and double her speaking fees.
As recently pointed out in a stinging commentary by Rachel Maddow (short version and transcript here, extended video here), there's alarming growth in a particular form of political dialog which relies on easily demonstrable falshood. For example, Palin and other opponents of Health Insurance reform have touted "death panels" (no such thing exists) and "a government takeover of health care" In fact, there's nothing even remotely "death panel" in the bill. As to a 'takeover' of heath care'--there's not even a public option in the legislation!
What the hell is going on here? Does the Discovery Channel feel it's too left-leaning in its programming? True, some people out there feel facts have a liberal bias. Maybe we need some shows produced by the Creation Museum?
If you wish to get involved, Defenders of Wildlife and ThePetitionSite have online petitions voicing strong concern about TLC/Discovery Channel's programming.
It's dumbfounding that a network whose programing centers so much on science and the environment would provide a venue for such a polarizing figure, more concerned with spouting falsehoods to cement her "maverick" reputation and double her speaking fees.
As recently pointed out in a stinging commentary by Rachel Maddow (short version and transcript here, extended video here), there's alarming growth in a particular form of political dialog which relies on easily demonstrable falshood. For example, Palin and other opponents of Health Insurance reform have touted "death panels" (no such thing exists) and "a government takeover of health care" In fact, there's nothing even remotely "death panel" in the bill. As to a 'takeover' of heath care'--there's not even a public option in the legislation!
What the hell is going on here? Does the Discovery Channel feel it's too left-leaning in its programming? True, some people out there feel facts have a liberal bias. Maybe we need some shows produced by the Creation Museum?
If you wish to get involved, Defenders of Wildlife and ThePetitionSite have online petitions voicing strong concern about TLC/Discovery Channel's programming.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Visit to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary
A group of us (including GreenGhost) spent a great day this weekend at the Woodstock Animal Sanctuary, just outside of Woodstock, NY. From the website:
...Surrounded by the Catskill Mountains in the town made famous for peace and music, Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary provides shelter to cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, sheep, goats, rabbits, ducks and geese who have been rescued from cases of abuse, neglect and abandonment...
One of the most amazing things was how friendly the animals were. Once they get liberated from factory farm situations--or some other horribly abusive situation--they soon recognise humans as their friends. Check out "The Tale of Two Piggies" to get an idea of the great work the folks at the WFAS are doing:
...Surrounded by the Catskill Mountains in the town made famous for peace and music, Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary provides shelter to cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, sheep, goats, rabbits, ducks and geese who have been rescued from cases of abuse, neglect and abandonment...
One of the most amazing things was how friendly the animals were. Once they get liberated from factory farm situations--or some other horribly abusive situation--they soon recognise humans as their friends. Check out "The Tale of Two Piggies" to get an idea of the great work the folks at the WFAS are doing:
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Samantha, please blink this AWAY!
Turning the Witch-Hunter into a Hero
I saw this on WildHunt. The plot for a potential (in development) film depicts Witch-hunters as heroes:
...The protagonist is one of the last remaining witch hunters, a breed that keeps the population of witches and warlocks in check. They are about to repopulate in a major way unless he can stop them...
Jason at WildHunt rightfully comments:
...So let me get this straight, the historical figures who tortured, killed, and accused innocent men and women of being “witches” and “warlocks” are being revamped as broody anti-heroes trying to save humanity from real-live witches? What’s next? A film where heroic cops raid gay bars for the good of America? Films set in the old west where Native Americans are turned into villains again and again...?
Elizabeth Montgomery must be spinning in her grave.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Hammer of the Gods
After a long day at work, finding this in my inbox brightened my day. Heh! This was sent by my friend and fellow Pagan, musician Bill Brovold. You can find out more about his music here and here. Thanx, Bill.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Casaubon's plants to grow
25 Plants you should consider growing
I have not been over to Scienceblogs in a while, having grown tired of the Neo-atheist dogma. But you should really check out Casaubon's blog, especially if you are interested in environmental issues and trying to order adapt yourself to an earth-friendly lifestyle. Here's an example from her list of recommended plants for your edible garden:
...3. Blueberries. If there was ever an ornamental edible, this is it. A prettier shrub than privet or most common privacy hedge plants, it produces berries and turns as flaming red as any burning bush in the autumn. I have no idea why more people don't landscape with blueberries. Add to that the fact that blueberries have more antioxidants than most other foods and unlike other good for you crops, will be eaten by the bucketfull by kids. They do need acidic soil, but there are blueberries for all climates. Definitely worth replacing your shrubs with blueberries if you can...
How true. I have 3 plants of a dwarf variety growing in my front yard. But I'm thinking of getting some full-size plants. I agree with most items on her list, such as rhubarb and potatoes. But she does include some odd-balls, like rice. Rice! Seriously?
I have not been over to Scienceblogs in a while, having grown tired of the Neo-atheist dogma. But you should really check out Casaubon's blog, especially if you are interested in environmental issues and trying to order adapt yourself to an earth-friendly lifestyle. Here's an example from her list of recommended plants for your edible garden:
...3. Blueberries. If there was ever an ornamental edible, this is it. A prettier shrub than privet or most common privacy hedge plants, it produces berries and turns as flaming red as any burning bush in the autumn. I have no idea why more people don't landscape with blueberries. Add to that the fact that blueberries have more antioxidants than most other foods and unlike other good for you crops, will be eaten by the bucketfull by kids. They do need acidic soil, but there are blueberries for all climates. Definitely worth replacing your shrubs with blueberries if you can...
How true. I have 3 plants of a dwarf variety growing in my front yard. But I'm thinking of getting some full-size plants. I agree with most items on her list, such as rhubarb and potatoes. But she does include some odd-balls, like rice. Rice! Seriously?
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Purrrrfect Discovery
Cat Goddess Bastet Temple: Egypt Announces Find Of Ancient Temple
The Temple of Bast in Alexandria has been discovered:
Mohammed Abdel-Maqsood, the Egyptian archaeologist who led the excavation team, said the discovery may be the first trace of the long-sought location of Alexandria's royal quarter. The large number of statues depicting Bastet found in the ruins, he said, suggested that this may be the first Ptolemaic-era temple dedicated to the cat goddess to be discovered in Alexandria. This would indicate that the worship of the ancient Egyptian cat-goddess continued during the later, Greek-influenced, Ptolemaic period, he said. Statues of other ancient Egyptian deities were also found in the ruins, he added.
The Temple of Bast in Alexandria has been discovered:
Mohammed Abdel-Maqsood, the Egyptian archaeologist who led the excavation team, said the discovery may be the first trace of the long-sought location of Alexandria's royal quarter. The large number of statues depicting Bastet found in the ruins, he said, suggested that this may be the first Ptolemaic-era temple dedicated to the cat goddess to be discovered in Alexandria. This would indicate that the worship of the ancient Egyptian cat-goddess continued during the later, Greek-influenced, Ptolemaic period, he said. Statues of other ancient Egyptian deities were also found in the ruins, he added.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Sol, Sun, and Son
Religion, science, and the solstice
This a fine editorial about Yule by James Carroll of the Boston Globe, I first saw over at DailyKos:
...Religion and science occupy separate and opposed spheres, no? Not to our distant forebears, from whom all of our illumination festivals derive. They could not afford the facile dichotomy between the sacred and the profane that defines thinking since the Enlightenment, when people of the West sought to free themselves from the bane of superstition. For most of history, though, religion was not taken to be a flight from rationality, but a mode of it...
Is it me, or have there been less articles this season about the phony 'War on Christmas', and more like the one above? I hope so. Carroll wishes for a peaceful resolution between two parties that are often at odds in our society:
When mystical wonder was walled off from measurable observation, science restricted its range, and religion anathematized critical thinking - disasters both. But the festivals this week, sparked by this morning’s dawn, call to mind the age-old spaciousness of informed imagination. Happily, it remains so. Knowledge is holy. Season’s greetings.
Happy Yule, everyone.
This a fine editorial about Yule by James Carroll of the Boston Globe, I first saw over at DailyKos:
...Religion and science occupy separate and opposed spheres, no? Not to our distant forebears, from whom all of our illumination festivals derive. They could not afford the facile dichotomy between the sacred and the profane that defines thinking since the Enlightenment, when people of the West sought to free themselves from the bane of superstition. For most of history, though, religion was not taken to be a flight from rationality, but a mode of it...
Is it me, or have there been less articles this season about the phony 'War on Christmas', and more like the one above? I hope so. Carroll wishes for a peaceful resolution between two parties that are often at odds in our society:
When mystical wonder was walled off from measurable observation, science restricted its range, and religion anathematized critical thinking - disasters both. But the festivals this week, sparked by this morning’s dawn, call to mind the age-old spaciousness of informed imagination. Happily, it remains so. Knowledge is holy. Season’s greetings.
Happy Yule, everyone.
Monday, November 16, 2009
God Found! He's in your genes
The Evolution of the God Gene
There have been a couple of shots-across-the-bow directed at the neo-Atheists and others who delight in kneeling at the altar of reason. The above article points up the growing evidence that religion and spirituality have imparted an evolutionary advantage to our species:
...This and other research is pointing to a new perspective on religion, one that seeks to explain why religious behavior has occurred in societies at every stage of development and in every region of the world. Religion has the hallmarks of an evolved behavior, meaning that it exists because it was favored by natural selection. It is universal because it was wired into our neural circuitry before the ancestral human population dispersed from its African homeland.
Here's the part that will sting the biological determinists (oops, I mean neo-Atheists):
...For atheists, it is not a particularly welcome thought that religion evolved because it conferred essential benefits on early human societies and their successors. If religion is a lifebelt, it is hard to portray it as useless.
But don't feel so self assured, devout monotheists:
...For believers, it may seem threatening to think that the mind has been shaped to believe in gods, since the actual existence of the divine may then seem less likely.
Now Pagans, Rejoice :
...But the evolutionary perspective on religion does not necessarily threaten the central position of either side. That religious behavior was favored by natural selection neither proves nor disproves the existence of gods...
Carl Sagan was right when he said in "Cosmos" that the interior of the cell nucleus housed the 'holy of holies'. But I've quoted too much from this excellent article by Nicholas Wade. Please give it a read. There's also Karen Armstrong's book "The Case for God":
...The time, in other words, is ripe for a book like “The Case for God,” which wraps a rebuke to the more militant sort of atheism in an engaging survey of Western religious thought. Karen Armstrong, a former nun turned prolific popular historian, wants to rescue the idea of God from its cultured despisers and its more literal-minded adherents alike. To that end, she doesn’t just argue that her preferred approach to religion — which emphasizes the pursuit of an unknowable Deity, rather than the quest for theological correctness — is compatible with a liberal, scientific, technologically advanced society...
Amen! Er, I mean--Amon! Armstrong argues for a point of view which many Pagans are familiar with (and something I've discussed here and on other blogs):
...Both modern believers and modern atheists, Armstrong contends, have come to understand religion primarily as a set of propositions to be assented to, or a catalog of specific facts about the nature of God, the world and human life. But this approach to piety would be foreign to many premodern religious thinkers, including the greatest minds of the Christian past, from the early Fathers of the Church to medieval eminences like Thomas Aquinas...These and other thinkers, she writes, understood faith primarily as a practice, rather than as a system — not as “something that people thought but something they did.” Their God was not a being to be defined or a proposition to be tested, but an ultimate reality to be approached through myth, ritual and “apophatic” theology, which practices “a deliberate and principled reticence about God and/or the sacred” and emphasizes what we can’t know about the divine...
What we do, or how we act, is more important than what we believe.
There have been a couple of shots-across-the-bow directed at the neo-Atheists and others who delight in kneeling at the altar of reason. The above article points up the growing evidence that religion and spirituality have imparted an evolutionary advantage to our species:
...This and other research is pointing to a new perspective on religion, one that seeks to explain why religious behavior has occurred in societies at every stage of development and in every region of the world. Religion has the hallmarks of an evolved behavior, meaning that it exists because it was favored by natural selection. It is universal because it was wired into our neural circuitry before the ancestral human population dispersed from its African homeland.
Here's the part that will sting the biological determinists (oops, I mean neo-Atheists):
...For atheists, it is not a particularly welcome thought that religion evolved because it conferred essential benefits on early human societies and their successors. If religion is a lifebelt, it is hard to portray it as useless.
But don't feel so self assured, devout monotheists:
...For believers, it may seem threatening to think that the mind has been shaped to believe in gods, since the actual existence of the divine may then seem less likely.
Now Pagans, Rejoice :
...But the evolutionary perspective on religion does not necessarily threaten the central position of either side. That religious behavior was favored by natural selection neither proves nor disproves the existence of gods...
Carl Sagan was right when he said in "Cosmos" that the interior of the cell nucleus housed the 'holy of holies'. But I've quoted too much from this excellent article by Nicholas Wade. Please give it a read. There's also Karen Armstrong's book "The Case for God":
...The time, in other words, is ripe for a book like “The Case for God,” which wraps a rebuke to the more militant sort of atheism in an engaging survey of Western religious thought. Karen Armstrong, a former nun turned prolific popular historian, wants to rescue the idea of God from its cultured despisers and its more literal-minded adherents alike. To that end, she doesn’t just argue that her preferred approach to religion — which emphasizes the pursuit of an unknowable Deity, rather than the quest for theological correctness — is compatible with a liberal, scientific, technologically advanced society...
Amen! Er, I mean--Amon! Armstrong argues for a point of view which many Pagans are familiar with (and something I've discussed here and on other blogs):
...Both modern believers and modern atheists, Armstrong contends, have come to understand religion primarily as a set of propositions to be assented to, or a catalog of specific facts about the nature of God, the world and human life. But this approach to piety would be foreign to many premodern religious thinkers, including the greatest minds of the Christian past, from the early Fathers of the Church to medieval eminences like Thomas Aquinas...These and other thinkers, she writes, understood faith primarily as a practice, rather than as a system — not as “something that people thought but something they did.” Their God was not a being to be defined or a proposition to be tested, but an ultimate reality to be approached through myth, ritual and “apophatic” theology, which practices “a deliberate and principled reticence about God and/or the sacred” and emphasizes what we can’t know about the divine...
What we do, or how we act, is more important than what we believe.
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