Two weeks, there was a piece in the NYTimes about Carolyn Porco and her remarkable contributions in imaging the outer planets of our solar system. A protege of Carl Sagan, she is credited as being the model for the character Dr. Ellie Arroway in the book/movie "Contact". Definitely an interesting read.
But today there was an interesting letter called "Eyeing the Cosmos"in the NYTimes, inspired by the article:
...In pondering the possibility of life elsewhere in the cosmos, Dr. Porco echoes yet another august figure in her ancestral patrimony, Marcus Aurelius: “The entire Earth is but a point, and the place of our own habitation but a minute corner of it...
If you have not read Marcus Aurelius, I highly recommend the recent translation by Gregory Hays, "Meditations: Marcus Aurelius" This book belongs on the self of every well-read Pagan/Wiccan/Atheist.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Saxon Hoard Found
Amateur with Metal Detector Strikes Ancient English Treasure
A dedicated hobbyist, who was often made fun of for his passion, makes major archeological find:
LONDON — For the jobless man living on welfare who made the find in an English farmer’s field two months ago, it was the stuff of dreams: a hoard of early Anglo-Saxon treasure
Terry Herbert, the 55 year old discoverer of the find, sometimes offered up an intention when he started one of his explorations with a metal detector:
...He said that on the day of his discovery he reworked a mantra that he regularly used for good luck. “I have this phrase that I say sometimes — ‘Spirits of yesterday, take me where the coins appear’ — but on that day I changed ‘coins’ to ‘gold.’ I don’t know why I said it that day, but I think somebody was listening.”
This is a significant find:
...experts described it as one of the most important in British archaeological history. They said it surpassed the greatest previous discovery of its kind, a royal burial chamber unearthed in 1939 at Sutton Hoo,
A dedicated hobbyist, who was often made fun of for his passion, makes major archeological find:
LONDON — For the jobless man living on welfare who made the find in an English farmer’s field two months ago, it was the stuff of dreams: a hoard of early Anglo-Saxon treasure
Terry Herbert, the 55 year old discoverer of the find, sometimes offered up an intention when he started one of his explorations with a metal detector:
...He said that on the day of his discovery he reworked a mantra that he regularly used for good luck. “I have this phrase that I say sometimes — ‘Spirits of yesterday, take me where the coins appear’ — but on that day I changed ‘coins’ to ‘gold.’ I don’t know why I said it that day, but I think somebody was listening.”
This is a significant find:
...experts described it as one of the most important in British archaeological history. They said it surpassed the greatest previous discovery of its kind, a royal burial chamber unearthed in 1939 at Sutton Hoo,
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Clash of the Gods
Has anyone been watching "Clash of the Gods" on the History Channel? The show has been rather good. So far, episodes have covered Zeus, Hercules, Hades (the place and the God) and The Medusa. Most recently, 'Part I' of Odysseus aired. You can view some of the past episodes on the History channel website, above.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Darwin and the Pythoness
No U.S. distributor for Charles Darwin movie because of fear of fundamentalists
Many of you will remember the Xtian angst that ensued when the Monty Python movie "The Life of Brian" was released in the USA. At that time, I was friendly with a married couple who ran the a 'mom & pop' size theater in my college town. They were fans of Python, and dearly wanted to show the film. But they had received a very pointed threat against them on their answering machine, if they decided to show the film. They agonized whether they should show the film. In this case, this threat of terrorism had the desired effect. One of the owners told me that although someone defacing one of their movie screens would be covered by insurance, the loss of revenue would ruin them. (This was before studio owned megaplexes dominated the market). They decided not to show the film.
Well, it looks like the factually challenged have won the day again. The 'good' news is that theater owners will not have to sweat the decision to show the film or not, as the film now has about zero chance of finding a distributor in the US. From Crooks&Liars:
Many of you will remember the Xtian angst that ensued when the Monty Python movie "The Life of Brian" was released in the USA. At that time, I was friendly with a married couple who ran the a 'mom & pop' size theater in my college town. They were fans of Python, and dearly wanted to show the film. But they had received a very pointed threat against them on their answering machine, if they decided to show the film. They agonized whether they should show the film. In this case, this threat of terrorism had the desired effect. One of the owners told me that although someone defacing one of their movie screens would be covered by insurance, the loss of revenue would ruin them. (This was before studio owned megaplexes dominated the market). They decided not to show the film.
Well, it looks like the factually challenged have won the day again. The 'good' news is that theater owners will not have to sweat the decision to show the film or not, as the film now has about zero chance of finding a distributor in the US. From Crooks&Liars:
...Good God, what is this country coming to?
It seems the film Creation, a major-production biopic about Charles Darwin starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly, won't be seen in the United States because no distributor with the guts to stand up to the religious right in this country can be found...
The producer said:
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Venus and crescent Moon
Space Weather News for Aug. 16, 2009
http://spaceweather.com
For those getting up early, there's a cool site in the sky Monday morning:
MONDAY MORNING SKY SHOW: Set your alarm for dawn. On Monday morning, Aug. 17th, Venus and the crescent Moon will gather beautifully close together in the eastern sky. For many observers in North America, the International Space Station (ISS) will make an appearance, too. It's a fantastic way to begin the day. Check http://spaceweather.com for a sky map and ISS flyby predictions.
http://spaceweather.com
For those getting up early, there's a cool site in the sky Monday morning:
MONDAY MORNING SKY SHOW: Set your alarm for dawn. On Monday morning, Aug. 17th, Venus and the crescent Moon will gather beautifully close together in the eastern sky. For many observers in North America, the International Space Station (ISS) will make an appearance, too. It's a fantastic way to begin the day. Check http://spaceweather.com for a sky map and ISS flyby predictions.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Amazon, or the Ministry of Truth
Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle
The ironies here are obvious. Of all "books" for Amazon to erase from Kindle, it's ones by George Orwell! All I can say is thanx, George, for showing how stupid it is to buy into such a dubious vehicle for the printed word. The old ways are best, folks. Stick with the printed word. At least when they want to burn your books, they gotta go through the trouble of breaking your door down, not just click an menu selection:
...In a move that angered customers and generated waves of online pique, Amazon remotely deleted some digital editions of the books from the Kindle devices of readers who had bought them...Digital books bought for the Kindle are sent to it over a wireless network. Amazon can also use that network to synchronize electronic books between devices — and apparently to make them vanish.
The ironies here are obvious. Of all "books" for Amazon to erase from Kindle, it's ones by George Orwell! All I can say is thanx, George, for showing how stupid it is to buy into such a dubious vehicle for the printed word. The old ways are best, folks. Stick with the printed word. At least when they want to burn your books, they gotta go through the trouble of breaking your door down, not just click an menu selection:
...In a move that angered customers and generated waves of online pique, Amazon remotely deleted some digital editions of the books from the Kindle devices of readers who had bought them...Digital books bought for the Kindle are sent to it over a wireless network. Amazon can also use that network to synchronize electronic books between devices — and apparently to make them vanish.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Queen of Entomology
Spider Lady of the Liverpool Albert Dock’s Bugworld Experience spins web of love for eight legged friends
Here's a lady after my own heart:
...Jenny’s hungry housemates include 40 tarantuas, a clutch of huntsman spiders, 20 scorpions, a colony of Madagascan hissing cockroaches, assorted giant millipedes and six hermit crabs....“I’m the spider lady,” jokes Jenny, 26. “I haven’t been away since going on a family holiday with my family because I couldn’t ask anyone to come in and feed them. But I don’t mind. They’re my life...”I'm in love! Jenny manages the living exhibits at "Bugworld Experience". How cool is that! She even gets to take home some of her charges, ones that need special care, when exhibits are being worked on:
...But she and her fiance – who plan to marry at Chester Zoo – chose their home with their menagerie in mind...
Here's a lady after my own heart:
...Jenny’s hungry housemates include 40 tarantuas, a clutch of huntsman spiders, 20 scorpions, a colony of Madagascan hissing cockroaches, assorted giant millipedes and six hermit crabs....“I’m the spider lady,” jokes Jenny, 26. “I haven’t been away since going on a family holiday with my family because I couldn’t ask anyone to come in and feed them. But I don’t mind. They’re my life...”I'm in love! Jenny manages the living exhibits at "Bugworld Experience". How cool is that! She even gets to take home some of her charges, ones that need special care, when exhibits are being worked on:
...But she and her fiance – who plan to marry at Chester Zoo – chose their home with their menagerie in mind...
FIANCE! Damn, why are all the good ones taken?
Friday, June 26, 2009
Day at the Museum
Scientists study foes' ways at Creation Museum
Scientists are visiting the 'Creation Museum' in order to learn how they are portrayed:
...The real purpose of the museum visit is to give some of my colleagues an opportunity to sense how they're being portrayed," said Arnold Miller, a professor of paleontology at the University of Cincinnati, which is hosting the conference. "They're being demonized, I feel, in this museum as people who are responsible for all the ills of society...
I'm glad he used the term 'demonized'. That's the way most Dominionists and Eliminationists characterize anyone who does not subscribe to their myopic world view.
Scientists are visiting the 'Creation Museum' in order to learn how they are portrayed:
...The real purpose of the museum visit is to give some of my colleagues an opportunity to sense how they're being portrayed," said Arnold Miller, a professor of paleontology at the University of Cincinnati, which is hosting the conference. "They're being demonized, I feel, in this museum as people who are responsible for all the ills of society...
I'm glad he used the term 'demonized'. That's the way most Dominionists and Eliminationists characterize anyone who does not subscribe to their myopic world view.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Another "Stonehenge" discovered
Huge Pre-Stonehenge Complex Found via "Crop Circles
It's hard to believe that another Stonehenge-like complex has remained hidden all these years. But aerial photography of some peculiar 'crop circles' has revealed just that:
...For such a site to have lain hidden for so long is "completely amazing," said Wickstead, of Kingston University in London. Archaeologist Joshua Pollard, who was not involved in the find, agreed. The discovery is "remarkable," he said, given the decades of intense archaeological attention to the greater Stonehenge region. "I think everybody assumed such monument complexes were known about or had already been discovered," added Pollard, a co-leader of the Stonehenge Riverside Project...
It's hard to believe that another Stonehenge-like complex has remained hidden all these years. But aerial photography of some peculiar 'crop circles' has revealed just that:
...For such a site to have lain hidden for so long is "completely amazing," said Wickstead, of Kingston University in London. Archaeologist Joshua Pollard, who was not involved in the find, agreed. The discovery is "remarkable," he said, given the decades of intense archaeological attention to the greater Stonehenge region. "I think everybody assumed such monument complexes were known about or had already been discovered," added Pollard, a co-leader of the Stonehenge Riverside Project...
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Dinosaur speaks!
Antediluvian politician Eye-of-Newt Gingrich took a moment from his 24/7 foaming at the mouth quest for power to utter this gem. From DailyKos:.
...I think this is one of the most critical moments in American history. We are living in a period where we are surrounded by paganism...
I have to hand it to the jackass, it takes a lot of scraping to get to our level of the barrel. I mean, I was starting to wonder if we had lost our relevance or something, as he's pissed-off just about every other sentient entity on this planet.
...I think this is one of the most critical moments in American history. We are living in a period where we are surrounded by paganism...
I have to hand it to the jackass, it takes a lot of scraping to get to our level of the barrel. I mean, I was starting to wonder if we had lost our relevance or something, as he's pissed-off just about every other sentient entity on this planet.
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