Those of us of Irish heritage are familiar with the ancient site of Tara, located near Lienster in Ireland. It is the mythical Hill Fort home of Queen Medb, the Tuatha de Danann, and the location of the seat of power for the Irish High King. It has been the seat of power for Ireland since the megalithic days. It is also threatened with destruction.
Tara Hill is part of a larger complex of hill forts forming a ring around the site. A new motorway bypass, the M3, is under contruction and scheduled to pass within 1 mile of Tara Hill. Further development is planned, and Tara Hill is considered to be in the top 15 of the most endangered world treasures by the Smithsonian Institution.
Please help save Irish Heritage by signing the online petition listed below...
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/UN-Must-Save-Tara
1 Million signatures are needed to spur the UN to take action. The deadline is Dec 31, 2009.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Baby Snatchers
La Belle Dame would be proud...
It seems there are adoption centers set up to separate mothers from new babies as a form of punishment.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090914/joyce
It seems there are adoption centers set up to separate mothers from new babies as a form of punishment.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090914/joyce
So She's Burning a Candle, eh?
For you Trivia Buffs. Found on the web.
Enjoy...
How to Interpret Hoodoo and Santo Candles
The candle explodes.....
There are two different ways to interpret this. If it is a protection or reversing candle it means that the candle protected something from attacking you and/or a lot of negative energy has been directed towards you. If the candle is being used to dominate or cause conflict to someone, it means that the person is being protected spiritually. If this is the case ,you are to light another candle of the same type to break their protection to allow the spell to work correctly.
Candle does not burn.....
If the candle is a prosperity or protection candle, this means that other type of spiritual cleansing must be done before the beginning of this spell to remove the negativity of the environment before proceeding. If the candle is being used for domination of to inflict harm then another type of spell must be used.
The candle has a high flame.....
The spell is going to be effective and work fast. If for prosperity or protection,the environment is clear of negativity. If for domination and harm, you will most likely see quick results as they do not have spiritual protection.
The candle has a low flame.....
In regards to prosperity & luck,cleanse your environment. In regards to domination and harm, they are resisting due to a strong spirit and it will be awhile before you see results. It is suggested that you try another spell in combination with the present one to see faster results.
The candle burns the glass totally black.....
If after the candle burns down the entire glass is black, it is thought to mean that negativity or witchcraft has been directed towards you. Cleansing your environment and lighting a reversing candle should do the trick. If this happens when burning a candle to dominate or harm someone they suggest stopping because it may possibly turned back on you.
The candle burns the top half of the glass black.....
If only the top part of the glass burns black this means that the spell was initially met with negativity before it began to work.
The candle burns the bottom half of the glass back.....
If it is a candle for prosperity or luck,negativity was sent your way and the candle detected it. If used to dominate or harm, the spirit of the person was alerted and reversed the spell.
The candle burns only on one side.....
This means that the spell will only be part way effective. This means that the wrong candle or candle dressing was used.
The glass cracks.....
If being used for self-protection,this means that the candle broke the negativity in the enviroment. This can also mean witchcraft or the presence of secret enemies. If being used to dominate ,it means the protection of the individual was broken.
The candle flame crackles.....
If for self-protection it means that someone is talking about you and has bad intentions directed towards you. If being used to harm, it means the individual is thinking about you.
If the candle has more than one flame.....
The center or main flame represents you. If being used for protection each one other than the center one represents an enemy. If being used to dominate, it means that the person is being helped by other people.
The candle flickers.....
When a candle flame flickers,this signifies the presence of spirits.
The entire top of the candle including the wick is on fire.....
This means that the spell is being fought off by guardian spirits but more than likely,the spell will be successful.
The candle flame goes out during the spell.....
If the spell is for protection this means that while the job was being performed, witchcraft was directed your way and your spirits were unable to fight it off. If directed towards another ,their spirits were able to fight the attack off & have alarmed the individual. Another type of spell must be performed.
Can a candle be extinguished & then lit again later?
Only a candle being used to bring prosperity or success to an individual may be extinguished before it has completely burned. If being used to dominate or harm someone,the candle flame must never be put out or the spell will not work. The guardian spirits of the other individual will then have time to prepare and reverse it back on to you.
How do you put a candle flame out?
Placing a plate over the flame thus allowing the flame to extinguish itself naturally or use a candle snuffer.
What if a candle is extinguished and then relights itself?
This means that your guardian spirits do not want you to turn the candle off because they are detecting something good or bad for you. If the candle is turned off they cannot assist you effectively.
What if a 7 day candle burn out before seven days?
This means that the spell is working fast and another candle must be lit immediately. Money is coming in regards to prosperity spells,a lot of negativity in regards to reversing spells and in spells of harm, that the individuals spirit is fighting it off but it will soon be successful.
What will make a candle spell work more effectively?
Using the appropriate incense,oils, herbal bath, salts,powders etc....
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Consumerism as a Religion
I found this interesting little blurb on Axis of Logic...
Consumerism as a Religion
In the United States, materialism is the religion and shopping malls are the churches - all 46,000 of them. Consumerism is the liturgy and the prayer is the longing for more things. The worshippers earn the money and pay the bills when they come due. Finance capital makes the whole enterprise possible.
As a religion, consumerism teaches the gospel of material value, individual freedom and personal anonymity in our cities and towns. In the countryside, the holy writ teaches us that agrarian traditions, customs and cultural norms are heresy. Everywhere, it discourages intra-familial relationships, social cohesion, support systems and community. It teaches the righteousness of competition with one another and that working together, dependence on others, meeting one another's needs, and sharing our possessions are sins to be overcome. Skeptics are shunned and their heresies condemned. Marketing strategies and advertising techniques are employed to bring unbelievers into the fold - even the little ones.
Marketing Strategies: Consumerism lies at the heart of capitalism, both for its own survival and also as an instrument that targets traditional values in any culture. The capitalist system depends upon an ever expanding market for an increasing number of products in the global corporate empire. It relies on production of new products, no matter how trivial and on sophisticated marketing machinery necessary to penetrate new markets.
The capitalist machine develops methods to sell people what they do not need and often do not really want. An old fashioned maxim in invention, production and sales marketing was once "meet a need, don't create one". Over the years, marketing techniques have been developed to convert "wants" into "must have" and desires into essentials. Cellular telephones serve as an example. Everyone in the family, including children "need" a cellular telephone and if parents object the phone is sold as a security item for keeping contact with the child who may have an emergency. A cheap cell phone gave way to one with a camera and an MP3 player which now gives way to a "Blackberry" with enhanced computer capabilities. A myriad of other products come to mind, burdening family incomes, creating family conflicts and undermining cultural norms and values. If it were not for this power to corrupt, strong non-material values would reverse an expanding market.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
God is on Trial in Philadelphia
He is apparently on trial for fleeing the scene of an accident, or something like it. And he seems to have been found guilty.
Read on at CityPaper.net
Read on at CityPaper.net
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Huge Pre-Stonehenge Complex Found
This news is a bit dated, but it bears repeating. A huge complex far older than Stonehenge (which is nearby), has been spotted from the air. It is said these are the oldest structures ever found in Britain. Until now, it was assumed every large archeological site in Britain had been found. This new find shatters that assumption.
The site is estimated to be at least 6000 years old, and consists of large Barrows or burial mounds. The last time a complete Barrow was excavated by science was in the 1950's.
Here is what National Geographic says about it...
The site is estimated to be at least 6000 years old, and consists of large Barrows or burial mounds. The last time a complete Barrow was excavated by science was in the 1950's.
Here is what National Geographic says about it...
Antichrist Superstar
For those of you who still believe in ancient religions and prophecies, we have entered a new era. The Antichrist has been identified and it is this man...
At least he and 2 million other people think so. He is Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda. And he is quite popular in Latin America. Hmmm, Do we believe him or not?
He really needs a pitchfork or a big tail. He looks like a used car salesman to me.
Here is a page about him...
At least he and 2 million other people think so. He is Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda. And he is quite popular in Latin America. Hmmm, Do we believe him or not?
He really needs a pitchfork or a big tail. He looks like a used car salesman to me.
Here is a page about him...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Punching Through the F Ring...
This was seen by the Cassini spacecraft as it imaged the rings of Saturn. Not sure what it is, but it seems to be moving very fast and making quite a wake. Any guesses?
KFC Goes for the Gold!
In the midst of our ever burgeoning waistlines, KFC has decided that more is better. They are test marketing a burger which replaces bread with two pieces of fried chicken. It is rumored to have more fat, salt, and calories than most other burgers offered by the competition. It is called the "Double Down".
Read more here...
Read more here...
Monday, August 24, 2009
Malaysian Model Faces Caning for Drinking a Beer
A 32 year old Fashion Model in Singapore faces six strokes of the cane for drinking a beer. In the continuing Intolerancy Show perpetuated by the Islamic Fundamentalists (seconded only by the Christians), the Sharia law of Malaysia require her to be caned for consuming alcohol. The funny thing is that for Infidels, the law does not apply. They can drink all the beer they want in Singapore.
Read more here...
Read more here...
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Soviets Attempted Human/Chimp Hybrid
I found this little gem off of Poor Mojo's Newswire...
Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov was the first to actually attempt to create a human-ape hybrid. As early as 1910 he had given a presentation to the World Congress of Zoologists in Graz, Austria in which he described the possibility of obtaining such a hybrid through artificial insemination.
In 1924, while working at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, Ivanov obtained permission from the Institute's directors to use its experimental primate station in Kindia, French Guinea, for such an experiment. Ivanov attempted to gain backing for his project from the Soviet government.
... Ivanov's proposal finally sparked the interest of Nikolai Petrovich Gorbunov, the head of the Department of Scientific Institutions. In September 1925 Gorbunov helped allocate US$10,000 to the Academy of Sciences for Ivanov's human-ape hybridization experiments in Africa.
In March 1926 Ivanov arrived at the Kindia facility, but stayed only a month without success. The Kindia site, it turned out, had no sexually mature chimpanzees. He returned to France where he arranged through correspondence with French Guinea's colonial governor to set up experiments at the botanical gardens in Conakry.
... On February 28, 1927, Ivanov artificially inseminated two female chimpanzees with human sperm. On June 25, he injected a third chimpanzee with human sperm. The Ivanovs left Africa in July with thirteen chimps, including the three used in his experiments. They already knew before leaving that the first two chimpanzees had failed to become pregnant. The third died in France, and was also found not to have been pregnant. The remaining chimps were sent to a new primate station at Sukhumi.
Although Ivanov attempted to organize the insemination of human females with chimpanzee sperm in Guinea, these plans met with resistance from the French colonial government and there is no evidence such an experiment was arranged there.
Upon his return to the Soviet Union in 1927, Ivanov began an effort to organize hybridization experiments at Sukhumi using ape sperm and human females. Eventually in 1929, through the help of Gorbunov, he obtained the support of the Society of Materialist Biologists, a group associated with the Communist Academy. In the spring of 1929 the Society set up a commission to plan Ivanov's experiments at Sukhumi. They decided that at least five volunteer women would be needed for the project. However, in June 1929, before any inseminations had taken place, Ivanov learned that the only postpubescent male ape remaining at Sukhumi (an orangutan) had died. A new set of chimps would not arrive at Sukhumi until the summer of 1930.
These rumored Russian experiments are not the only ones. There have been many rumored instances of human/ape interbreeding. The most famous of these was Oliver, the man/ape who could speak sign language and preferred human females over female chimpanzees. He was never scientifically proven to be an ape hybrid, but he was not like the other chimpanzees.
The whole basis of hyridizing humans and chimps is because we share over 95% of our DNA sequence, and 99% of gene coding with them. It is technically feasible to create chimeras such as Chumans, or Humanzees. It would seem mankind has not learned the lessons taught us by the Planet of the Apes movie series. I guess we will have to learn the hard way.
Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov was the first to actually attempt to create a human-ape hybrid. As early as 1910 he had given a presentation to the World Congress of Zoologists in Graz, Austria in which he described the possibility of obtaining such a hybrid through artificial insemination.
In 1924, while working at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, Ivanov obtained permission from the Institute's directors to use its experimental primate station in Kindia, French Guinea, for such an experiment. Ivanov attempted to gain backing for his project from the Soviet government.
... Ivanov's proposal finally sparked the interest of Nikolai Petrovich Gorbunov, the head of the Department of Scientific Institutions. In September 1925 Gorbunov helped allocate US$10,000 to the Academy of Sciences for Ivanov's human-ape hybridization experiments in Africa.
In March 1926 Ivanov arrived at the Kindia facility, but stayed only a month without success. The Kindia site, it turned out, had no sexually mature chimpanzees. He returned to France where he arranged through correspondence with French Guinea's colonial governor to set up experiments at the botanical gardens in Conakry.
... On February 28, 1927, Ivanov artificially inseminated two female chimpanzees with human sperm. On June 25, he injected a third chimpanzee with human sperm. The Ivanovs left Africa in July with thirteen chimps, including the three used in his experiments. They already knew before leaving that the first two chimpanzees had failed to become pregnant. The third died in France, and was also found not to have been pregnant. The remaining chimps were sent to a new primate station at Sukhumi.
Although Ivanov attempted to organize the insemination of human females with chimpanzee sperm in Guinea, these plans met with resistance from the French colonial government and there is no evidence such an experiment was arranged there.
Upon his return to the Soviet Union in 1927, Ivanov began an effort to organize hybridization experiments at Sukhumi using ape sperm and human females. Eventually in 1929, through the help of Gorbunov, he obtained the support of the Society of Materialist Biologists, a group associated with the Communist Academy. In the spring of 1929 the Society set up a commission to plan Ivanov's experiments at Sukhumi. They decided that at least five volunteer women would be needed for the project. However, in June 1929, before any inseminations had taken place, Ivanov learned that the only postpubescent male ape remaining at Sukhumi (an orangutan) had died. A new set of chimps would not arrive at Sukhumi until the summer of 1930.
These rumored Russian experiments are not the only ones. There have been many rumored instances of human/ape interbreeding. The most famous of these was Oliver, the man/ape who could speak sign language and preferred human females over female chimpanzees. He was never scientifically proven to be an ape hybrid, but he was not like the other chimpanzees.
The whole basis of hyridizing humans and chimps is because we share over 95% of our DNA sequence, and 99% of gene coding with them. It is technically feasible to create chimeras such as Chumans, or Humanzees. It would seem mankind has not learned the lessons taught us by the Planet of the Apes movie series. I guess we will have to learn the hard way.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Humans Might Have Triggered Climate Change Earlier Than Previously Thought...
Some new findings concerning climate change are making the rounds in Science-Land. It seems humanity cannot stop making the same mistakes of the past. It has always been assumed that early man could not have influenced his environment on a large scale, this is now known to be false. Early man's ventures into agriculture permanently changed the environment, with such practices as large scale slash and burn farming, and decimation of entire forested regions.
It is now becoming increasingly accepted by the scientific community that these early farming practices produced enough Carbon Monoxide to tip the climate scale into the current warming trend we are now experiencing.
Read more about this at The Examiner...
It is now becoming increasingly accepted by the scientific community that these early farming practices produced enough Carbon Monoxide to tip the climate scale into the current warming trend we are now experiencing.
Read more about this at The Examiner...
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Fundamentalization of Our Military
Here is a very scary article about an ongoing trend within our US Military Forces. I have worked for the Government in the past, and can affirm it does seem to be the case in some branches. If this is true, it could be extremely dangerous for our future..
An Officer' Experience in our Christian Military...
An Officer' Experience in our Christian Military...
Thursday, August 13, 2009
John Mackey - Master Greenwasher
Whole Foods Market is a grocery chain that caters to customers who want natural and organic foods. Usually this customers are concerned very much about people and the environment. These people are people who would never set foot in a Wal-Mart, simply because they disagree with the whole premise behind the chain. Whole Foods has always been portrayed as being particularly progressive and environmentally friendly. It is quite shocking that the CEO and Co-Founder of this enterprise, John Mackey, could be classified as a right wing extremist.
Recently, Mr. Mackey came out publicly against any public option in the health care debate, and is actively working to legally restrict any type of union organization. He is also actively working to eliminate any government mandate for an employer to provide benefits to their workers. No public option, no employer mandate -- no effective health reform. No unions to bargain benefits. That's Whole Foods' position. Now that he is out in the open, let's hope enough people hear about this and boycott his chain enough for it to affect his business. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it is raining.
Whole Foods - Not a very Whole company. We need to get the word out about this Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. This is the very thing that is destroying and gentrifying our world.
Here is a link to their web forums (though they seem to have taken it down, probably because of Mr. Mackey and bad PR).
Recently, Mr. Mackey came out publicly against any public option in the health care debate, and is actively working to legally restrict any type of union organization. He is also actively working to eliminate any government mandate for an employer to provide benefits to their workers. No public option, no employer mandate -- no effective health reform. No unions to bargain benefits. That's Whole Foods' position. Now that he is out in the open, let's hope enough people hear about this and boycott his chain enough for it to affect his business. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it is raining.
Whole Foods - Not a very Whole company. We need to get the word out about this Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. This is the very thing that is destroying and gentrifying our world.
Here is a link to their web forums (though they seem to have taken it down, probably because of Mr. Mackey and bad PR).
RIP - Wizard of Waukesha
For those of you, like me, who play guitar. Today is a sad day in history. The great guitar innovator Les Paul has died. His solid body and semi-hollow body style guitars changed the world of 20th century music and remained highly sought after musical instruments. This is a great loss for the world of music. He died at 94 in White Plains, NY of pneumonia.
The full story is here...
The Moaning Sisters
Another ghost story for your amusement...
Above Georgetown, on the Potomac River, are three rocks, known as the Three Sisters, not merely because of their resemblance to each other—for they are parts of a submerged reef—but because of a tradition that, more than a hundred years ago, a boat in which three sisters had gone out for a row was swung against one of these rocks. The day was gusty and the boat was upset. All three of the girls were drowned. Either the sisters remain about this perilous spot or the rocks have prescience; at least, those who live near them on the shore hold one view or the other, for they declare that before every death on the river the sisters moan, the sound being heard above the lapping of the waves. It is different from any other sound in nature. Besides, it is an unquestioned fact that more accidents happen here than at any other point on the river.
Many are the upsets that have occurred and many are the swimmers who have gone down, the dark forms of the sisters being the last shapes that their water-blurred eyes have seen. It is only before a human life is to be yielded that this low wailing comes from the rocks, and when, on a night in May, 1889, the sound floated shoreward, just as the clock in Georgetown struck twelve, good people who were awake sighed and uttered a prayer for the one whose doom was so near at hand. Twelve hours later, at noon, a shell came speeding down the Potomac, with a young athlete jauntily pulling at the oars. As he neared the Three Sisters his boat appeared to be caught in an eddy; it swerved suddenly, as if struck; then it upset and the rower sank to his death.
Above Georgetown, on the Potomac River, are three rocks, known as the Three Sisters, not merely because of their resemblance to each other—for they are parts of a submerged reef—but because of a tradition that, more than a hundred years ago, a boat in which three sisters had gone out for a row was swung against one of these rocks. The day was gusty and the boat was upset. All three of the girls were drowned. Either the sisters remain about this perilous spot or the rocks have prescience; at least, those who live near them on the shore hold one view or the other, for they declare that before every death on the river the sisters moan, the sound being heard above the lapping of the waves. It is different from any other sound in nature. Besides, it is an unquestioned fact that more accidents happen here than at any other point on the river.
Many are the upsets that have occurred and many are the swimmers who have gone down, the dark forms of the sisters being the last shapes that their water-blurred eyes have seen. It is only before a human life is to be yielded that this low wailing comes from the rocks, and when, on a night in May, 1889, the sound floated shoreward, just as the clock in Georgetown struck twelve, good people who were awake sighed and uttered a prayer for the one whose doom was so near at hand. Twelve hours later, at noon, a shell came speeding down the Potomac, with a young athlete jauntily pulling at the oars. As he neared the Three Sisters his boat appeared to be caught in an eddy; it swerved suddenly, as if struck; then it upset and the rower sank to his death.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Christian World Control Group Paid for Congress Members Trips to Hawaii
I don't normally like to link to political sites, but this is far too strange not to...
It appears that an X-tian group, bent on world domination and control, has paid for a series of congressional junkets to Hawaii. This group is particularly scary, as they openly advocate Christian theocratic rule and control of non-christian people and attitudes. They consider it a mission from God. It is actually made up of two groups - Youth with a Mission, and "the Family", both dominionist Christian groups. These groups adhere to a "7 Mountains" mandate, a plan for control of 7 key elements of our political structure and society. These mandates were recently promoted by none other than Sarah Palin at her Wasilla Assembly of God.
This group is also scary in how ingrained it has become into the American government. Unknown to most people, they have been the sponsor for the National Prayer Breakfast for many, many years. Several key senators have openly lobbied for this group's agenda. It claims to be interested in a shadow government to run the goings on of the real government, for it knows it would never be accepted by the masses at large.
Read more here...
Here is a book about the subject...
It appears that an X-tian group, bent on world domination and control, has paid for a series of congressional junkets to Hawaii. This group is particularly scary, as they openly advocate Christian theocratic rule and control of non-christian people and attitudes. They consider it a mission from God. It is actually made up of two groups - Youth with a Mission, and "the Family", both dominionist Christian groups. These groups adhere to a "7 Mountains" mandate, a plan for control of 7 key elements of our political structure and society. These mandates were recently promoted by none other than Sarah Palin at her Wasilla Assembly of God.
This group is also scary in how ingrained it has become into the American government. Unknown to most people, they have been the sponsor for the National Prayer Breakfast for many, many years. Several key senators have openly lobbied for this group's agenda. It claims to be interested in a shadow government to run the goings on of the real government, for it knows it would never be accepted by the masses at large.
Read more here...
Here is a book about the subject...
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The Tenuous Web We Weave...
Here is my take on a particularly interesting bit of dark science...
Our modern world has given us a great many conveniences. All manner of electronic wizardry is at our fingertips. This alternate electronic reality has come with a cost. With every step we take on the plank of electronic convenience, we run the risk of falling into the deep void of societal collapse.
How can something as simple as a cell phone lead to the end of our civilization?
Simple. For those of us who grew up in the cold war days, we were shown that there are some very nasty side effects to things like a nuclear blast. One of those effects is a nasty little bugger called EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse). Back in the old days, the only way to generate one of these was with a nuclear device. This is no longer the case.
In these modern times, EMP weapons, while relatively unknown by the public, are an accepted fact. These weapons (or even a simple nuke detonated in the right location), will send a burst of electromagnetic energy through all electrical equipment in the affected region, frying and burning up all electronics making them totally unusable. This energy is particularly insidious, as it travels fast enough to bypass surge protectors and circuit breakers and affects the most modern solid state electronics much worse than the older analog circuitry. The modern solid state electronics and our existing power grid, will actually amplify these effects, making the resulting energy cascade far worse than it would have been with older technology.
It does not take much imagination to figure out what happens next. Consider that if a group of militants decides to detonate a small strategically placed nuke, or activate an EMP device, the resulting network overload will render EVERYTHING electronic in the region totally unusable. This includes all telephones, radio, vehicles, and anything that makes our modern society what it is. We will literally be returned to the Stone Age in milliseconds.
Fine you say. How will it kill millions and make our world fall apart? It does not. At first.
Over the course of time, it is said 9 out of 10 Americans could die. Within a week, large masses of our urban population will begin to starve, as nearly all our vehicles will not be drivable. The only usable vehicles will be the very, very old ones which have no computer circuitry. No planes will be flyable either, and large numbers will crash when the EMP is set off. In short, our food supply network will simply vaporize. Poof!
Nor will we have any means to call for help, as all landlines, radios, cellphones, and communications networks will be totally burned out with no hope of repair. Where there is no call for help, there will be no help to come. Large masses will be forced to sit and starve with no help on the way and no hope for rescue. Rescue services, police, and fire departments will be incapacitated as well. Our military will probably still be mobile, but there will be too few of them to make much difference and they will be fighting to control the migrating, starving mobs.
As we spin our web of technology, we go further out from the safety net we once had as short as two generations ago. Not enough of our population knows simple survival skills, or has the capacity to provide their own basic needs, such as food. They rely upon a vast global web of technologically dependent supply lines, leaving them vulnerable to disruptions, even on a small scale. As a society, we have lost the ability to be self-sufficient on a personal level. This has the potential to be disastrous. As our populations fill the cities, and pave over farmland in the name of urban sprawl, we could be sealing our fate in the grand order of things. With the death of the small family farm, so dies our capacity to survive in the global age.
The scary thing is that this could happen strictly to the US and not affect the rest of the world. In fact, there may be plans just for this event to take place. A few years ago, it was determined that a lot of our electronic infra-structure might have hard wired "off-switches" built into them at the time of manufacture, put in place by foriegn agencies who wish to flick off our switch in times of war. The total extent of the problem remains unknown.
As usual for America, no contingency plans are currently in place for us for when this event does occur.
Pretty scary stuff, eh?
Our modern world has given us a great many conveniences. All manner of electronic wizardry is at our fingertips. This alternate electronic reality has come with a cost. With every step we take on the plank of electronic convenience, we run the risk of falling into the deep void of societal collapse.
How can something as simple as a cell phone lead to the end of our civilization?
Simple. For those of us who grew up in the cold war days, we were shown that there are some very nasty side effects to things like a nuclear blast. One of those effects is a nasty little bugger called EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse). Back in the old days, the only way to generate one of these was with a nuclear device. This is no longer the case.
In these modern times, EMP weapons, while relatively unknown by the public, are an accepted fact. These weapons (or even a simple nuke detonated in the right location), will send a burst of electromagnetic energy through all electrical equipment in the affected region, frying and burning up all electronics making them totally unusable. This energy is particularly insidious, as it travels fast enough to bypass surge protectors and circuit breakers and affects the most modern solid state electronics much worse than the older analog circuitry. The modern solid state electronics and our existing power grid, will actually amplify these effects, making the resulting energy cascade far worse than it would have been with older technology.
It does not take much imagination to figure out what happens next. Consider that if a group of militants decides to detonate a small strategically placed nuke, or activate an EMP device, the resulting network overload will render EVERYTHING electronic in the region totally unusable. This includes all telephones, radio, vehicles, and anything that makes our modern society what it is. We will literally be returned to the Stone Age in milliseconds.
Fine you say. How will it kill millions and make our world fall apart? It does not. At first.
Over the course of time, it is said 9 out of 10 Americans could die. Within a week, large masses of our urban population will begin to starve, as nearly all our vehicles will not be drivable. The only usable vehicles will be the very, very old ones which have no computer circuitry. No planes will be flyable either, and large numbers will crash when the EMP is set off. In short, our food supply network will simply vaporize. Poof!
Nor will we have any means to call for help, as all landlines, radios, cellphones, and communications networks will be totally burned out with no hope of repair. Where there is no call for help, there will be no help to come. Large masses will be forced to sit and starve with no help on the way and no hope for rescue. Rescue services, police, and fire departments will be incapacitated as well. Our military will probably still be mobile, but there will be too few of them to make much difference and they will be fighting to control the migrating, starving mobs.
As we spin our web of technology, we go further out from the safety net we once had as short as two generations ago. Not enough of our population knows simple survival skills, or has the capacity to provide their own basic needs, such as food. They rely upon a vast global web of technologically dependent supply lines, leaving them vulnerable to disruptions, even on a small scale. As a society, we have lost the ability to be self-sufficient on a personal level. This has the potential to be disastrous. As our populations fill the cities, and pave over farmland in the name of urban sprawl, we could be sealing our fate in the grand order of things. With the death of the small family farm, so dies our capacity to survive in the global age.
The scary thing is that this could happen strictly to the US and not affect the rest of the world. In fact, there may be plans just for this event to take place. A few years ago, it was determined that a lot of our electronic infra-structure might have hard wired "off-switches" built into them at the time of manufacture, put in place by foriegn agencies who wish to flick off our switch in times of war. The total extent of the problem remains unknown.
As usual for America, no contingency plans are currently in place for us for when this event does occur.
Pretty scary stuff, eh?
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
This Really Pisses Me Off!
Warning...Political Rant...
A former Blackwater employee and an ex-US Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn statements filed on August 3 in federal court in Virginia. The two men claim that the company's owner, Erik Prince, may have murdered or facilitated the murder of individuals who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. The former employee also alleges that Prince "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe," and that Prince's companies "encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life."
In their testimony, both men also allege that Blackwater was smuggling weapons into Iraq. One of the men alleges that Prince turned a profit by transporting "illegal" or "unlawful" weapons into the country on Prince's private planes. They also charge that Prince and other Blackwater executives destroyed incriminating videos, emails and other documents and have intentionally deceived the US State Department and other federal agencies. The identities of the two individuals were sealed out of concerns for their safety.
Praise Jesus! All perpetrated by supposed moral and loving Xtians.
In Jesus' Name We Kill...
Elvis would never allow this, and the FSM would throw meatballs at them.
The Headless Skeleton of Swamptown
I find this story interesting. It is from a very old book, long out of print called Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, printed in it's 8th edition in 1898...
The boggy portion of North Kingston, Rhode Island, known as Swamptown, is of queer repute in its neighborhood, for Hell Hollow, Pork Hill, Indian Corner, and Kettle Hole have their stories of Indian crimes and witch-meetings. Here the headless figure of a negro boy was seen by a belated traveller on a path that leads over the hills. It was a dark night and the figure was revealed in a blaze of blue light. It swayed to and fro for a time, then rose from the ground with a lurch and shot into space, leaving a trail of illumination behind it. Here, too, is Goose-Nest Spring, where the witches dance at night. It dries up every winter and flows through the summer, gushing forth on the same day of every year, except once, when a goose took possession of the empty bed and hatched her brood there. That time the water did not flow until she got away with her progeny.
But the most grewsome story of the place is that of the Indian whose skull was found by a roadmender. This unsuspecting person took it home, and, as the women would not allow him to carry it into the house, he hung it on a pole outside. Just as the people were starting for bed, there came a rattling at the door, and, looking out of the windows, they saw a skeleton stalking around in quick and angry strides, like those of a person looking for something. But how could that be when the skeleton had neither eyes nor a place to carry them? It thrashed its bony arms impatiently and its ribs rattled like a xylophone. The spectators were transfixed with fear, all except the culprit, who said, through the window, in a matter-of-fact way, "I left your head on the pole at the back door." The skeleton started in that direction, seized the skull, clapped it into the place where a head should have grown on its own shoulders, and, after shaking its fists in a threatening way at the house, disappeared in the darkness. It is said that he acts as a kind of guard in the neighborhood, to see that none of the other Indians buried there shall be disturbed, as he was. His principal lounging place is Indian Corner, where there is a rock from which blood flows when the moon shines—a memento, doubtless, of some tragedy that occurred there in times before the white men knew the place. There is iron in the soil, and visitors say that the red color is due to that, and that the spring would flow just as freely on dark nights as on bright ones, if any were there to see it, but the natives, who have given some thought to these matters, know better.
The boggy portion of North Kingston, Rhode Island, known as Swamptown, is of queer repute in its neighborhood, for Hell Hollow, Pork Hill, Indian Corner, and Kettle Hole have their stories of Indian crimes and witch-meetings. Here the headless figure of a negro boy was seen by a belated traveller on a path that leads over the hills. It was a dark night and the figure was revealed in a blaze of blue light. It swayed to and fro for a time, then rose from the ground with a lurch and shot into space, leaving a trail of illumination behind it. Here, too, is Goose-Nest Spring, where the witches dance at night. It dries up every winter and flows through the summer, gushing forth on the same day of every year, except once, when a goose took possession of the empty bed and hatched her brood there. That time the water did not flow until she got away with her progeny.
But the most grewsome story of the place is that of the Indian whose skull was found by a roadmender. This unsuspecting person took it home, and, as the women would not allow him to carry it into the house, he hung it on a pole outside. Just as the people were starting for bed, there came a rattling at the door, and, looking out of the windows, they saw a skeleton stalking around in quick and angry strides, like those of a person looking for something. But how could that be when the skeleton had neither eyes nor a place to carry them? It thrashed its bony arms impatiently and its ribs rattled like a xylophone. The spectators were transfixed with fear, all except the culprit, who said, through the window, in a matter-of-fact way, "I left your head on the pole at the back door." The skeleton started in that direction, seized the skull, clapped it into the place where a head should have grown on its own shoulders, and, after shaking its fists in a threatening way at the house, disappeared in the darkness. It is said that he acts as a kind of guard in the neighborhood, to see that none of the other Indians buried there shall be disturbed, as he was. His principal lounging place is Indian Corner, where there is a rock from which blood flows when the moon shines—a memento, doubtless, of some tragedy that occurred there in times before the white men knew the place. There is iron in the soil, and visitors say that the red color is due to that, and that the spring would flow just as freely on dark nights as on bright ones, if any were there to see it, but the natives, who have given some thought to these matters, know better.
More Bad News About Genetically Altered Food...
It seems the government has decided to approved a closer geographical separation between Genetically Engineered crops and regular crops. This could be bad because it will allow cross-pollination between crops, spreading GE traits into regular style non-GE food crops.
It is estimated that nearly 75% of the crops grown in the US are Genetically Altered in some manner. For example, the corn now grown in most regions has been altered to contain a toxin that kills certain insects, so it has it's own insecticide. In the process, most of the micro-nutrients have been removed making it a less capable food source. If this were to get out and breed with the older heritage strains of corn, the effects would be disastrous. The old breed would quickly become the newer breed or worse, something totally un-researched by science.
This also occurs with animals; the Cornish Rock chicken is a prime example. They have been modified to gain weight so fast they only have a reasonable life span of about 12 weeks before they get congestive heart failure and start to die. They are a commercial product. It is nearly impossible to raise one of them to grow and have a normal chicken life. I know, for I keep a flock of chickens and am well acquainted with this monstrous breed (I will have nothing to do with them.) Nor do they possess survival instincts or even instincts of any kind really. They are simply foul tempered eating machines. Breeding them with other chickens simply passes horrible problems to the heritage breed.
At any rate, here is the link to the news about the government altering the rules for Monsanto and their GE crops...
It is estimated that nearly 75% of the crops grown in the US are Genetically Altered in some manner. For example, the corn now grown in most regions has been altered to contain a toxin that kills certain insects, so it has it's own insecticide. In the process, most of the micro-nutrients have been removed making it a less capable food source. If this were to get out and breed with the older heritage strains of corn, the effects would be disastrous. The old breed would quickly become the newer breed or worse, something totally un-researched by science.
This also occurs with animals; the Cornish Rock chicken is a prime example. They have been modified to gain weight so fast they only have a reasonable life span of about 12 weeks before they get congestive heart failure and start to die. They are a commercial product. It is nearly impossible to raise one of them to grow and have a normal chicken life. I know, for I keep a flock of chickens and am well acquainted with this monstrous breed (I will have nothing to do with them.) Nor do they possess survival instincts or even instincts of any kind really. They are simply foul tempered eating machines. Breeding them with other chickens simply passes horrible problems to the heritage breed.
At any rate, here is the link to the news about the government altering the rules for Monsanto and their GE crops...
Monday, August 3, 2009
Soylent Moo?
With the global rise in population and the possibilities of food shortages, we are starting to see some interesting tidbits from the bioengineering world. Interesting is probably not the word, scary is probably better. A research group recently announced that artificially grown beef will be readily available within ten years. This beef will be grown from cloned cells, in a vat. Yum! Growing this meat has meat has already been accomplished, it is just a matter of economics to bring the costs down to a marketable level.
We are already consuming cloned cattle. Is just another step in the process of removing mankind from the natural world, or will it provide a benefit for bleak future where food is scarce?
You can find out more about this mystery meat here...
We are already consuming cloned cattle. Is just another step in the process of removing mankind from the natural world, or will it provide a benefit for bleak future where food is scarce?
You can find out more about this mystery meat here...
Dumpsters Into Swimming Pools...
A group in New York City is taking the phrase "Dumpster Diving" literally. They are trying to overcome NYC's lack of pools by using old garbage dumpsters and converting them to neighborhood pools. It is all an effort to promote community and recycling of common everyday waste objects into something infinitely different and useful.
Read about it here, at ReadyMade.com...
Read about it here, at ReadyMade.com...
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Ten Worst Evolutionary Designs
I thought this was interesting, so here is a summary...
- Blowholes - Why not gills?
- Hyena Clitoris - It gets so hard and big it sometimes kills the babies during birth.
- Kangaroo Teats - Yeah, let's crawl across the body from birth to get to this.
- Giraffe Birth Canal - 5 feet up. Really?
- Bird eating Spider Exoskeleton - A very fragile skeleton for a spider who cannot spin web.
- Shark Fetus Teeth - Babies with teeth in the womb is just a bad idea.
- Human Stomach - Why can't we digest plant matter?
- Slug Genitals - Genitals that get stuck together and sometimes have to be chewed off!
- Quadrupeds - Makes scratching your back very hard to do.
- Narwhal Tusk - Indeed. A 9 foot useless tooth?
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