The Wheel turns! This wonderful pic is via Dr. Zaius. Don't you think it sums up the year fairly well? Bye-bye, Christine O'Donnell.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Happy Yule
The Wheel turns! This wonderful pic is via Dr. Zaius. Don't you think it sums up the year fairly well? Bye-bye, Christine O'Donnell.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Ants cause Xtain angst at Smithsonian
Art or Hate Speech? Video of Ants Crawling on Crucifix Pulled from Smithsonian
I well remember the war against the NEA, waged by the Religious Right against a number of artists (such as Karen Finley) in the 1990's. Well, it seems like old times as an outcry over an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution has resulted in the artwork being pulled from display:
...A provocative video depicting ants crawling over a likeness of Jesus on a crucifix has been pulled from the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery...The video drew sharp criticism from conservative groups following publication of a CNS news service article Monday with the headline: "Smithsonian Christmas-Season Exhibit Features Ant-Covered Jesus, Naked Brothers Kissing, Genitalia, and Ellen DeGeneres Grabbing Her Breasts."
Wow, they sure saved the best for last! But is Ellen grabbing her own breasts, or those of her S/O's? But anyway:
...Several Republican leaders, including incoming House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, have said they will examine taxpayer funding for the Smithsonian in the wake of the controversial display.
People have been wondering how the new Republican majority in the House will be flexing its muscles. I think this is a good indication.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Pompeii being destroyed AGAIN!
Latest Pompeii collapse: Garden wall gives way
This is so sad. It seems Italy is having real difficulty conserving its remarkable history:
...A stretch of garden wall ringing an ancient house in Pompeii gave way Tuesday after days of torrential rain, the latest structure to collapse at the popular archaeological site...
This is the third in a string of recent collapses.
More pics here.
This is so sad. It seems Italy is having real difficulty conserving its remarkable history:
...A stretch of garden wall ringing an ancient house in Pompeii gave way Tuesday after days of torrential rain, the latest structure to collapse at the popular archaeological site...
This is the third in a string of recent collapses.
More pics here.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
All Hail the good people of Maple Ridge
Council has moment to reflect
Many have taken issue with prayers of invocation at the start of town council meetings. For those who cherish the concept of the "Separation of Church and State", this becomes even more troublesome when just prayers of mainstream faiths (dominated by Christian ones) are welcome. In the USA, debates in small towns often degenerate into shouting matches, egged on by outside agitators. But a town in British Columbia CA has come up with a reasoned solution to this problem:
...Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Muslims and Sikhs could all offer their thoughts and blessings to Maple Ridge council, as politicians continued their plan to invite all groups to start council meetings on a spiritual note.
The town is granting a period of time "and reflection" for a list to be generated documenting the varied faiths around their community. Not only that, the invoking prayer has now been modified, to become a "moment of reflection" to allow readings and other expressions which don't quite fit in the definition of "prayer". What's quite exceptional about the town council of Maple Ridge, is that they are even extending a hand to less established faiths:
...The invitation would include groups that don’t have established locations to practice their faith...
That seems wonderfully inclusive of the non-mainstream!
Many have taken issue with prayers of invocation at the start of town council meetings. For those who cherish the concept of the "Separation of Church and State", this becomes even more troublesome when just prayers of mainstream faiths (dominated by Christian ones) are welcome. In the USA, debates in small towns often degenerate into shouting matches, egged on by outside agitators. But a town in British Columbia CA has come up with a reasoned solution to this problem:
...Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Muslims and Sikhs could all offer their thoughts and blessings to Maple Ridge council, as politicians continued their plan to invite all groups to start council meetings on a spiritual note.
The town is granting a period of time "and reflection" for a list to be generated documenting the varied faiths around their community. Not only that, the invoking prayer has now been modified, to become a "moment of reflection" to allow readings and other expressions which don't quite fit in the definition of "prayer". What's quite exceptional about the town council of Maple Ridge, is that they are even extending a hand to less established faiths:
...The invitation would include groups that don’t have established locations to practice their faith...
That seems wonderfully inclusive of the non-mainstream!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Rest forever in SummerIsle, dear Ingrid Pitt
Ingrid Pitt, star of many Hammer Horror films, and a small but significant roll in the original Wicker Man, died the other day shortly after a collapse.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Is Hutton Wrong?
Ron Hutton's landmark book "Triumph of the Moon" is on the bookshelf of many Wiccans and Pagans. In it, Hutton asserts there is little connection between modern Paganism and the Paganism of old. For years, Hutton's pronouncements about the history of our religion have influenced many of the movers and shakers of modern Paganism and Wicca. A number of popular Pagan authors rely heavily on Hutton and basically treat it as 'gospel'. Currently there's a budding controversy concerning Hutton's book and the conclusions he reached. For some time, there's been occasional objections raised to Hutton's conclusions. Frequently, these objections have been rapidly silenced by those same movers and shakers. Finally, someone has come forward to more fully flesh-out those criticisms and provide something of a 'take down' of Hutton.
I first read of this at Wildhunt, down in a longer post:
But the discussion really heats up at Fr. Barrabas blog, here:
The comments sections includes posts by some of those directly involved in the recent analysis.
I first read of this at Wildhunt, down in a longer post:
But the discussion really heats up at Fr. Barrabas blog, here:
The comments sections includes posts by some of those directly involved in the recent analysis.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
2012 Mayan Calendar scam
Few things piss me off more than charlatans hawking end-of-days crap. As I've said before, I feel the fact certain people in the New Age and Pagan/Wiccan world support this nonsense is something to be ashamed of. Dark Star has a great post over at DailyKos, "Apocalypse Soonish", about a true villain in this hoax--which happens to be The History Channel:
...Having a channel called the History Channel running a nearly non-stop stream of this lunacy is a true disaster, and one for which we don't even have to wait till 2012. By mixing in these fear fests with actual bits of history, they are doing more make it impossible for people to distinguish between fact and fiction than all the gibbering pundits of AM radio combined. They are, quite simply, the purveyors of the most harmful bullshit on television. If someone does harm themselves out of fear about impending disaster in 2012, I hope that their friends and family look very closely at where they got such ideas....
Good suggestion. But I wonder if family and friends of the whole Hale-Bopp/Heaven's Gate suicide cult (here, and my post here) held some of the radio and Internet conspiracy spinners accountable?
...Having a channel called the History Channel running a nearly non-stop stream of this lunacy is a true disaster, and one for which we don't even have to wait till 2012. By mixing in these fear fests with actual bits of history, they are doing more make it impossible for people to distinguish between fact and fiction than all the gibbering pundits of AM radio combined. They are, quite simply, the purveyors of the most harmful bullshit on television. If someone does harm themselves out of fear about impending disaster in 2012, I hope that their friends and family look very closely at where they got such ideas....
Good suggestion. But I wonder if family and friends of the whole Hale-Bopp/Heaven's Gate suicide cult (here, and my post here) held some of the radio and Internet conspiracy spinners accountable?
Monday, May 31, 2010
Jason VS The Oil Spill
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)
...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)
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