Russian Submarines

A short while ago i posted some pictures of some strange ice circles in Lake Baikal in Siberia. I can't find my post, but these Nasa images give the story.

Imagine my surprise yesterday while reading Pravda (in english) to come across the following information:

"The expedition to Lake Baikal started in 2008. This summer, researchers sought new species of flora and fauna, and dove down more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) to the deepest point of the lake, near Olkhon Island.

At the beginning of the summer, Mir-1 and Mir-2 worked in the southern part of the lake, and in early August the expedition moved to Baikal's north, where gas hydrates, cristalline solids where large amounts of methane are trapped within a cage of water molecules, were found. Gas hydrates are considered a possible alternative fuel."

The story relates to their next mission in the Atlantic, including the wreck of the Titanic. Very cool submarines i have to admit.

But beteen them, and the neutron telescope, Lake Baikal is a VERY busy place it seems. Pretty place too.

I can't resist :D

1. The roundest knight at king Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
3. She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.
7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, ‘You stay here, I’ll go on a head.’
14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: ‘Keep off the Grass.’
16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, ‘No change yet.’
17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
18. It’s not that the man did not know how to juggle, he just didn’t have the balls to do it.
19. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
20. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
21. A backward poet writes inverse.
22. In democracy it’s your vote that counts. In feudalism it’s your count that votes.
23. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
24. Don’t join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!

4, 15 and 24 .... absolute classics!!!

The Tytler Cycle

The Tytler Cycle is a theory of democracies formulated by the Scottish historian Alexander Tytler that states:

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.

From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.

The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith;

From spiritual faith to great courage;

From courage to liberty;

From liberty to abundance;

From abundance to complacency;

From complacency to apathy;

From apathy to dependence;

From dependence back into bondage.”
___________________________________________________________________

Now i know whats wrong with south africa The average cycle is 200 years. We've burned through this in about 20 years. We are already at "apathy".

The US is due for collapse. Overdue, i should say. But in my reading there seems to be a cut off date for all the BS that side. September 30th. Fiscal year end.

China has given the go-ahead for companies to NOT honour derivatives. Japan and China are siding together against the states, in what can only be described as economic war. It's on. Obama capped trade on a number of chinese items, including steel and rubber. China is pissed off. Really.

And on another front, the state archives of russia were attacked earlier this month. 15 minutes is all it took for whatever special forces troops to reach the centre, and start attacking the vault doors. Oh, did you know that was about 2 weeks after Isreal threatened Russia over the return of information relating to CIA/Mossad activities, including the recent hijack of a ship, and of course activities relating to 9-11, which i want to remind you was a mossad operation.

It's happening.

Betelgeuse Supernova?

Fox News Thursday, June 11, 2009

The nearby, well-known and very bright star may soon explode in a supernova, according to data released by U.C. Berkeley researchers Tuesday.

The red giant Betelgeuse, once so large it would reach out to Jupiter's orbit if placed in our own solar system, has shrunk by 15 percent over the past decade in a half, although it's just as bright as it's ever been.

"To see this change is very striking," said retired Berkeley physics professor Charles Townes, who won the 1964 Nobel Prize for inventing the laser. "We will be watching it carefully over the next few years to see if it will keep contracting or will go back up in size."
__________________________________________________________________________

The red giant ... estimates are, that if it does go supernova, it would be as brightas the full moon ... from 460 light years away. Techically it would already have happened. But of course, 460 years ago, kind of thing. What cannot be ignored is the massive amount of various radiation that is heading our way too.

Another very good soutrce of info:

scienceray.com

Feast of the Cross

Wiki

In the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different feasts known as Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. While Good Friday is dedicated to the Passion of Christ and the Crucifixion, these days celebrate the cross itself, as the instrument of salvation.

The cross ...

Health

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”

Krishnamurti

Toothpaste

So i made my own toothpaste, since shop bought was obviously not doing much. After 1 weekend my teeth are NOTICABLY cleaner, and feel better too. I gave it to my family, without any warnings, just here, try this.

All were surprinsingly enthusiastic about it. Baby took about 2 seconds to pull te toothbrush out her mouth and told me "it's nice".

I'm stunned really. So simple easy and frankly obvious, why haven't i done this years ago?

Simple: Bicarbonate of soa, about 1 teaspoon, mix with a similar amount glycerine. 2 generous pinches of salt, and thats about it. I've added cinammon, which is also a good anti-bacterial, and a drop of honey, because i can, because it adds flavour and well hey why not.

I got some peppermint essence, i'd prefer oil but of course you can't find it in the shops, i'll have to dig. So i am now a toothpaste manufacturer, cool huh?

Try it.

2 little dicky birds ...

Justice

From: IOL

Taxi driver Percyval Matji foresaw the possibility of Bernadine Kruger being killed and persisted in his conduct with indifference to the fatal consequences, a Pretoria Regional Court magistrate yesterday ruled, and convicted Matji of murder.

State witnesses testified that Bernadine was driving in the left lane when the taxi came from behind at high speed, hooting continuously. She looked over her shoulder and in the mirror, put on the indicator, and moved to the right lane.

However, the taxi followed, still driving fast and hooting. Bernadine tried to swerve back to the left lane, but the taxi hit the scooter. She landed in front of the taxi. It drove over her head.
_____________________________________________________________________

It doesn't bring her back, but it does re-inforce the existance of basic law and order. I hope, that this prevents similar incidents in the future, such stupidity and carelessnes HAS to be stopped.

Stone age tribe defends themselves

Against drunk fishermen .....

These guys should have known better, but they got drunk and their boat drifted over to the island. So the islanders did the only smart thing. Killed them and buried them on the beach.

Good for them.

Sydney morning Herald

"The Sentinelese, thought to number between 50 and 200, have rebuffed all contact with the modern world, firing a shower of arrows at anyone who comes within range."

Grace

Hello sun.
Hello bird.
Hello my lady.
Hello breakfast. May I buy you again tomorrow?

Thank you Ian Anderson.

Doggy wisdom

If a dog were your teacher these are some of the lessons you might learn…
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy
When it’s in your best interest practice obedience
Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory
Take naps and stretch before rising
Run romp and play daily
Thrive on attention and let people touch you
Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do
On warm days stop to lie on your back on the grass
On hot days drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree
When you’re happy dance around and wag your entire body
No matter how often you’re scolded don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout
Run right back and make friends
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm
Stop when you have had enough
Be loyal
Never pretend to be something you’re not
If what you want lies buried dig until you find it
When someone is having a bad day
be silent …..
…sit close by.
…and nuzzle them gently.

Thank you to Ara and Spirit for this. Oasis of my Soul

South Africa Medically Speaking

Among other issues highlighted in the The Lancet online on August 25, 2009, are the following (for the full article, click on the link at the end of the article):

Since 1994, average life expectancy in South Africa has dropped by almost 20 years, mainly because of the rise in HIV-related mortality. Average life expectance at birth is only 50 years for men and 54 years for women.

South Africa has 0,7% of the world's population, but carries 17% of the global HIV burden. HIV prevalence seems to have reached a plateau, but there are 5,5 million South Africans living with HIV/Aids.

The overall injury death rate is 157.8 per 100,000, twice the global average. Road carnage plays a significant part: there are about 16,000 road traffic accident deaths every year. Around 7% of all deaths are alcohol-related.

The homicide rate is five times the global average: 38.6 per 100,000 people, with the highest rate among men aged 15 to 29 years. Still, the female homicide rate is six times the global average, and half of these women are killed by their partners.

It is estimated that a woman is killed by her partner every six hours in South Africa.

Although South Africa and the then minister of health, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, were signitories of the Millennium Development Goals, which were particularly focused on child and maternal mortality, our children continue to be victims. Far from reaching goals set then, South Africa has gone backward: it is one of only 12 countries in the world where infant mortality has risen since 1990. Every year, 23,000 babies are stillborn, and almost 75,000 children die in SA – 23 000 in their first four weeks of life. 12% of our children under 5 are underweight. Each year 37 200 children could be saved through improving coverage of the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission and safer infant feeding practices.

There are 4.9 physicians, nurses and midwives per 1,000 South Africans, double the World Health Organisation standard of 2.5, but most South Africans are still under-served: medical staff are clustered in urban areas. Not only that, but 79% of doctors in South Africa work in the private sector, where 60% of health spending happens, but which is accessible to just 14% of SA citizens.

Depending on what province they live in, only 9% to 28% of South Africans are covered by medical schemes.

Though the state's focus on health is significant, comprising 10,8% of total goverment spend, the price the population pays for mismanagement is dire: if the policy of free antiretroviral therapy provision in public health services had been adopted in 2003, 330,000 lives could have been saved between then and now.

the burden of TB has more than doubled since the year 2001. KwaZulu Natal is the hardest hit with an HIV prevalence of 39,1% and a TB notification rate of 1,066 per 100,000 people.

Find more at the Lancet

Water

We had a child drown in our pool a while ago. After life had moved on a little, i went for a swim. It remains one of the most horrifying experiences i've ever had.

It TOLD me what had happened. I felt the fear, felt the terror, anguish, helplessness and the silence. The immediacy had past, it was, like watching a snuff film. Almost. More real. It was more real.

Water has memory, since then i've never doubted it.

I found this article, origionally russian, of course.

Do Not Offend Water - It Remembers Every Word You Say
By Vladimir Borovoy
Translated by Anastasia Pulich
Pravda.Ru

1-17-6

QUOTE
One day theoretical science will no longer have doubts about water's memory while high tech specialists will be making "water" computers controlled by telepathy


There seemed nothing to be as simple and as well studied in the world of science as water, until recently. The proverbial chemical description, temperature metamorphoses from ice into steam, solvent properties - that is about all. Deeper studies into the Nanoworld are ready to shake faith even in the water's simplicity. Just for one fact that it turns out water has memory and understands human emotions and words.

According to physics that we study at school water does not form any long-lived structures (if there is no other substance taking part in the process). Of course, there is so called hydrogen bond, due to which molecules are joined in chains, but such formations exist a tiny moment of time. Theoretically it means that water is hard to structure: at least all the stories about magnetized water or water that "remembers" substance once dissolved in it have been labeled as asientific for a long time. Nevertheless, it has been several years already since quite serious-minded scientists with the help of ultraprecision instruments began to study the ability of water to form those long-lived structures.

Russian scientists are among the leaders. In 2003 at the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences Russian scientist Stanislav Zenin upheld a thesis on water's memory. The thesis' author owns a laboratory and studied clathrates, stable compounds (that can live up to several hours!) consisting of 912 water molecules of half-micron or micron in size. You can even see them through the phase-contrast microscope. Clathrates are almost electrically neutral in distilled water. However, Zenin found out that their electroconductivity could be changed. Bonds between the clathrates' elements can be broken with the magnetic stirrer and then water becomes dead and unordered mixture.

If a tiny amount (even one molecule) of any other substance is added into water clathrates start "adopting" its electromagnetic properties. In the end Zenin engaged psychics and healers - people who do not enjoy respect in the world of science - in his work on thesis. He found out that some representatives of this dubious occupation can change water's electroconductivity drastically with the power of their thought. Zenin defined water as substance in phase-informative state with a structure suitable for data storage. He called it a biological information tank. He distinguished water's primary and long-term memory.

Primary memory becomes apparent after a single impact. It is a reversible change in water's structure and a reflection of the new electromagnetic picture on clathrates' surface. As for the long-term memory, it is a complete transformation of the matrix clathrates' structural elements as a result of long information influence. This means that you do not have to be a psychic to form a certain structure of water. It is enough to pass a certain emotion to water for some period of time.

The same conclusion was made by Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto. He discovered that water can really form ordered structures that turned out to be crystals. Each of them is unique and reflects the electromagnetic properties of water. Microcrystals are studied with the help of photographs. First of all, water drops placed into Petri dishes are quenched for two hours. Then they are placed into special apparatus that is a sort of refrigerator combined with microscope and camera. Here the newly-formed crystals are examined at temperature of 5C below zero. The most characteristic ones are photographed.

Dr. Emoto and his team study water from different sources of the world and also water that was effected by music, image, television, thoughts of a single person and a group of people, prayers, words typed or pronounced in different languages etc. Emoto discovered that there was a significant difference between crystals that listened to Beethoven and heavy-metal. Words "angel" and "devil" form structures that are similar and completely opposite at the same time.

Of course, Dr. Emoto can be also called a person with vivid imagination who uses equipment for purposes that have nothing to do with science. The Japanese scientist thinks that everything in this world possesses common vibration frequency, resonance wave (hado) that is able to transfer human emotions onto all surrounding objects.

That is why one has to thank food that he/she eats, avoid negative emotions and pray more often. Such conclusions make scientific community laugh. But that is not always the case. Many researchers show interest in the findings of Dr. Emoto. Some are looking for the ways to transform processes that occur in water under the influence of electromagnetic radiation of the human brain into signals that are comprehensible for computer. In other words, they want to invent a computer that would be operated by thoughts.

Others want to teach water storing the binary code. There are also those who try to find out if it is possible to change physical and chemical properties of water for special purposes (for instance, making it viscous in order to cool nuclear reactors with less energy consumption).

Such tendencies can one day result in the situation when theoretical science will no longer have doubts about water's memory while high tech specialists will be making "water" computers controlled by telepathy.

We are ...

Unless we take off the blindfold, toss away the yarmulke, set fire to the veil, and behold ourSelves as we truly are - divine in all our parts.
We are the whore and the holy one, yes.
We are the ground and the depths of space.
We are the wave and the particle, yes.
We are the zero point and the circumference.
We are god - together, making and shaping and creating.
And the moment we really awaken to this, there is no going back.
We hold the internal fires of the stars and the destiny of all life within us, for there is no part of Us that is not of the Gods.

Thanks to Aquila ka Hekate for this reminder.

Happy Spring Day

If you go down in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.

For ev'ry bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Ev'ry teddy bear who's been good
Is sure of a treat today.
There's lots of marvelous things to eat
And wonderful games to play.

Beneath the trees where nobody sees
They'll hide and seek as long as they please
That's the way the teddy bears have their picnic.

Picnic time for teddy bears
The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today
Watch them, catch them unawares
And see them picnic on their holiday.

See them gaily gad about
They love to play and shout;
They never have any cares;

At six o'clock their mummies and daddies,
Will take them home to bed,
Because they're tired little teddy bears.

If you go down in the woods today
You'd better not go alone.
It's lovely down in the woods today
But safer to stay at home.

For ev'ry bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Peace and love

Image from here

Exoplanet WASP-18b

From http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/55066637.html

WASP-18b orbits incredibly close to its host star, circling just 1.4 million miles (2.2 million km) from its surface. From such a ringside seat, the planet's star-facing hemisphere broils at an estimated 3,800°F (2,400K).

What has Hellier's team scratching its collective head is not that WASP-18b is so hot (it's too dense to simply evaporate), but instead why it exists at all!

Here's the conundrum: With roughly 10 times the mass of Jupiter, it's hefty enough and close enough to raise a significant tidal bulge on the star. And because it orbits in just 22½ hours, faster than any other confirmed hot Jupiter and much faster than the star spins, this tidal interaction is likely dragging the planet inward to its doom — and fast.

The Earth-Moon system is a good example of such a tidal yin-yang. The Moon likewise raises tides in Earth's oceans, and their mutual attraction transferring angular momentum between them. However, because the Moon orbits much more slowly than Earth turns, the tradeoff is gradually pushing the Moon away from us (1½ inches, or 38 mm, per year) and our day is ever-so-slightly getting longer (0.2 second per century). But in the WASP-18 tidal dance, it's the other way around — the planet is spiraling inward, and the star's spin is speeding up.

Dead microbiologists, lots of them.

http://www.infowars.com/list-of-dead-scientists/


Been looking for this.

We apologise

For the inconvenience, our lenses are dirty.

more spacey stuff

http://home.exetel.com.au/bmgoau/space/008_1561b2.html

Open it in a new window. The controls are google-earth-ish, you can zoom in and out, and move around ...

I believe it's a composite from the Hubble telescope. Very nice :)

pretty pictures

life

Isn't it just ... hey?

24 Hours later i sit here again. Head and heart full. Little more tired, yet somehow at peace. Baby is getting better, slowly. But i only care that she is indeed healing.

Read Steppenwolf again last night. So forgive me for being a little distracted. Reality is a blunt object sometimes. "Life is only a tragedy because we are so caught up in it, to the gods it is nothing more than a particularly brutal comedy" - dunno who said that, too tired too google it, but it's good.

Humour is the thing, the smile. At oneself primarily, of course. And through that lense the rest of creation. I find it particularly encouraging to find the universe no more twisted and fucked up than my silly self, misery loves company ;-) But the lens is the thing. Somehow that is so. I am suddenly reminded of being a photographer, where you have the ability to take something that other people do not notice, and create a statement, that stands alone for all time. How YOU perceive the universe is more important than the universe.

I'm running off on a tangent, but so be it. The old story of his version, her version, and the truth is commonly repeated, but the truths inherent are pervasive. When people hold beliefs, and u nderstandings, the universe moulds into those. Thought, word, action. Something like that. And when people have in incorrect view they act wrongly. And they will still justify that belief, and take it as the universe because for them it is. Wisdom overcomes these limitations, and understands the role of the self in colouring and changing the world. At this point, a certain clarity is achieved, a view that is shared by men across time.

The crux is this though. Life is sad. That is the truth as i see it. Not terminally, and certainly not always overwhelmingly, but definitively, it is. For us humans at least. I cannot say why it is so. But us humans, who created this sadness, are able to instantly transform it into the most beautiful spectacle. Oh it is so clear how easy to live, to laugh, to love? And yet ...

I read Terri's blogpost this morning, and instantly resonated. For her a small quote from The Steppenwolf. Hermine speaks of how right animals are, more so than men.

"Well, look at an animal, a cat, a dog, or a bird, or one of those beautiful great beasts in the zoo, a Puma or a giraffe. You can't help seeing that all of them are right. They're never in any embarrassment.They always know what to do and how to behave themselves. They don't want to impress you. No play acting. They are as they are, like stones or flowers or stars in the sky. Don't you agree?" I did. "Animals are sad as a rule," she went on. "And when a man is sad - I don't mean because he has a toothache or has lost some money, but because he sees, for once in a way, how it is with life and everything, and is sad in earnest - he always looks a little like an animal. He then looks not only sad, but more right and more beautiful than usual."

I need to log off. My son is waiting to be collected from school, he is feeling unwell. And people ask why i never plan my life, or at least pretend to. Still, it's a good day for a short walk. Last night was a good night to be out, the wind caught my soul and gave it a good view of the surrounds. Stars were bright too.

peace and love

Last Night

I spent in the pediatric ward of a local hospital. Suffice to say i was tired enough to get a short, yet deep sleep. The kid needed drugs. Painkillers. Lots. By 3AM the hospital had finally quietened down, and the nurses looked relieved.

So friday evening she had a sore mouth, this is the three year old girl, Jody-fae. We assumed that she had bitten her mouth, as she had before, and she confirmed this. Bit her lip. *shrug*

Saturday it was still sore, and by sunday we were administering our own first aid, panado, etc. Sunday night there was a visible ulcer, obviously not good, and the pain was becoming more constant. The good daddy, on monday morning took her to the doctor, since no, this cannot be allowed to continue.

He assured us that it was a viral infection aligned with the flu she had recently been suffering with, too. Medication home. Next day even worse, so the good mommy runs off this time. Since by now, Jody-fae is in constant pain, and is now refusing to eat or drink.

Doctor says that she must be admitted to hospital, or else dehydration becomes a factor. The doctor then prescibes the INCORRECT diagnosis code for our medical aid, and when i phone the medaid get told they will not admit.

By lunchtime wifey was in an emergency ward. Child is screaming constantly, is slightly feverish and refuses anything to drink, or even bodily contact, like holding her hand. Trust me, ER was the right place :(

By four o'clock, when i arrived, they had started (!) and by about six we had shoved needles into her, suppositories up her arse (she doesn't like them either) and nothing had changed. She was admitted and taken upstairs to await blood test results. By ten PM we saw the doctor start her rounds in the ward.

Herpes.

From some arbitrary medical site: (http://dermatology.about.com/cs/oralherpes/a/oralherpesbasic.htm)

Fever Blisters and the Herpes Simplex Virus
Fever blisters are caused more often by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) than herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). As a matter of fact, more than 85 percent of the world's population has been infected with HSV-1. These infections follow the usual course of herpes simplex virus infections in that the first outbreak is usually more painful and lasts longer than recurrent infections.

Fever Blisters - Primary Infection
The first time the skin in or around the mouth comes in contact with the herpes simplex virus; the outbreak occurs inside the mouth -- on the gums, tongue, and throat. This is called gingivostomatitis. This first infection occurs most often in childhood, and the highest incidence of infection occurs between 6 months and three years of age. Children get pain, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and may have difficulty swallowing. These symptoms last for about a week and resolve spontaneously. Children with gingivostomatitis are at risk for dehydration if the pain keeps them from drinking fluids. Water-based popsicles are sometimes used to provide hydration and pain relief.

On monday morning the doctor missed this, and by last night (tuesday?) the child was convulsing with pain, screaming constantly, and still with nothing more than a suppository for comfort. The total idiocy is beyond me. I was SO angry, SO fustrated and frankly pissed off.

I'm home now, taking the day off, tomorrow too. Going back later to keep her company. And safe. The fucking hospital swopped her at birth, not the same hospital, but a private one too. So no, she is NEVER alone.

I'm going to curl up in a sunny spot and sleep. They didn't have coffee there, and um just getting over the withdrawal symptoms. Maybe by tonight i can buy her a chocolate :D As i understand her world view, going with daddy to go buy a chocolate at the shops rates as the bestest thing that is possible. I'm good with that. Although i guess the vending machine will be an interesting diversion. By the way, what's with that? Vending machines full of coke (any colour you like) and chocolates. Yay for health, leastways no cigarettes being sold. Chocolate, it's not a DRUG is it? *wicked grin*

Perseid meteor shower

Ok, after the last rant, something to smile for.

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/about/pressreleases/3513246.html

"The Perseid meteor shower, an annual celestial event beloved by millions of skywatchers around the world, returns to the night sky this coming week. But moonlight will interfere somewhat with the view.

Sky & Telescope magazine predicts that the Perseid shower will reach its peak late on Friday and Saturday nights, August 11-12 and 12-13 (for viewers in North America). The rate of activity should pick up after midnight until the first light of dawn.

You'll need no equipment but your eyes. The moonlight in the sky will hide the fainter meteors, and so will artificial light pollution, but the brightest meteors should still show through."

Not visible from SA, and the southern hemisphere. Bt it's happening nonetheless. While we're at work ... *chuckle*

Fuck the USA

News 24

Durban - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with South African President Jacob Zuma on Saturday in a bid to improve strained ties with the country.

So they send the bitch. Local news is full of her doings *spit*

Come to get land for a military base they say. Right. THIS is worth throwing a petrol bomb for. Fuck the US, and it's military, and stay the FUCK off my land.

Touchable holograms

Check this out: http://www.alab.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~siggraph/09/TouchableHolography/SIGGRAPH09-TH.html

Mid-air displays which project floating images in free space have
been seen in SF movies for several decades [Rakkolainen 2007].
Recently, they are attracting a lot of attention as promising tech-
nologies in the field of digital signage and home TV, and many
types of holographic displays are proposed and developed. You can
see a virtual object as if it is really hovering in front of you. But
that amazing experience is broken down the moment you reach for
it, because you feel no sensation on your hand.
Our objective is adding tactile feedback to the hovering image in
3D free space. One of the biggest issues is how to provide tactile
sensation. Although tactile sensation needs contact with objects by
nature, the existence of a stimulator in the work space depresses the
appearance of holographic images. Therefore some kind of remote-
controllable tactile sensation is needed. That is achieved by our
original tactile display [Iwamoto et al. 2008]. The following paper
explains the technologies employed for a “Touchable Holography.”

War crimes charges against SA citizens

News 24

Selected quotes:

" ... The Palestinian Solidarity Alliance (PSA) and the Media Review Network (MRN) are listed as complainants in an affidavit, called the Gaza Docket, handed to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigation..."

" ... "The evidence contained in the Gaza Docket indicates overwhelmingly that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by the Israeli Defence Force during Operation Cast Lead and there is prima facie evidence.... which indicates that South African citizens and/or residents are implicated in the commission of these crimes," a memorandum reads..."

" ... It is supported by around 3 500 pages of evidence, including evidence by Human Rights Watch on the "brutal military onslaught on Gaza by the Israeli Defence Force"..."

" ... "We do have damning evidence that there are individuals, South Africans, who are serving in the Israeli defence force and that is a violation of our own internal laws but also a violation of international laws," ... "

" ... He added it was South Africa's duty and responsibility to take actions against the "apartheid state of Israel"..."

*applause*
I'm going to be watching this carefully.

EDIT: News 24

A response from the Jewish Board of deputies in response the the charges against a certain Davd Benjamin:

" ... "This amounts to little more than a clumsy attempt at manipulating the Judiciary for partisan political purposes," the organisations said in a statement..."

But now, most clearly it is illegal for a south african citizen to serve in a foreign military. More so that not only were they serving, but was serving in what has been clearly identified as genocide.

So much as those ex-soldiers were arrested in Zim a while ago for planning some or other coup, these guys need to face up to their actions. And south africa should NOT beome a haven OF ANY SORT to mercanaries or foreign soldiers or criminals.

PS. I noticed Justice Richard Goldstone on the advisory panel for the investigation int the Gaza Genocide, although (apparently) neither Israel nor Gaza fully co-operated with his enquiries.

Date synchronicity

Did you know that on August 7, 2009?

At 12hr 34 minutes and 56 seconds the time and date will be

12:34:56 07/08/09

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Pig on the wing

Damn, it isn't every day i find a column this good. Chris McEvoy is the guys name, and this column was very well said.

From: Channel 24

"... And do I even need to mention alcohol? Booze is such a brainless, poisonous life-fuck of a narcotic that it makes tik, heroin and all the rest seem about as dangerous as a particularly weak cup of Earl Grey tea. More than half of all road deaths and (reported) cases of domestic violence (give or take a percentage or two) are directly linked to alcohol. Dop kills way more people than all the scary illegal narcotics combined. But a good drink (in other words, three or seven drinks, in SA-speak) is an obligatory component of almost any leisure activity. Sports, braais, the festive season, dating and divorce all seem so meaningless without booze that, as a non-drinker, I barely have reason to ever leave my house..."

"... Meanwhile, epidemiologist Tom Jefferson is quoted in Spiegel Online as saying that the scare is nothing more than the result of the pharmaceutical industry licking its lips at the prospect of a profitable pandemic..."

Wild applause from the peanut gallery.

My Biker Code

I ride purely, and only, because it is fun.
I ride because I enjoy the freedom I feel from being exposed to the elements and the vulnerability to the danger that is intrinsic to riding.
I do not ride because it is fashionable to do so.
I ride my machine, not wear it. My machine is not a symbol of status.
It exists simply for me, and me alone. My machine is not a toy. It is an extension of my being, and I will treat it accordingly, with the same respect as I have for myself.
I strive to understand the inner workings of my machine, from the most basic, to the most complex. I will learn everything I can about my machine, so that I am reliant upon no one but myself for it's health and well-being.
I strive to constantly better my skill of control over my machine. I will learn it's limits, and use my skill to become one with my machine so that we may keep each other alive. I am the mistress, it is the servant. Working together in harmony, we will become an invincible team.
I do not fear death. I will however, do all possible to avoid death prematurely.
Fear is the enemy, not death. Fear on the highway leads to death, therefore I will not let fear be my master. I will master it.
My machines will outlive me. Therefore, they are my legacy. I will care for them for future bikers to cherish as I have cherished them, whoever they may be.
I do not ride to gain attention, respect, or fear from those that do not ride, nor do I wish to intimidate or annoy them. For those that do not know me, all I wish is for them to ignore me. For those that desire to know me, I will share with them the truth of myself, so that they might understand me, and not fear others like me.
I will never be the agressor on the highway. However, should others mess with me, their aggression will be dealt with in as severe a manner as I can cast upon them.
I will show respect to other bikers more experienced or knowledgeable than I am.
I will learn from them all I can.
I will not show disrespect to other bikers less experienced or knowledgeable than I am.
I will teach them what I can.
It will be my task to mentor new riders, that so desire, into the lifestyle of the biker, so that the breed shall continue.
I shall instruct, as I have been instructed by those before me. I shall preserve and honour traditions of bikers before me, and I will pass them on unaltered.
I will not judge other bikers on their choice of machine, their appearance or their profession. I will judge them only on their conduct as bikers. I am proud of my acomplishments as a biker, though I will not flaunt them to others. If they ask, I will share them.
I will stand ready to help any other biker that truly needs my help. I will never ask another biker to do for me what I can do for myself.
I am not a part-time biker. I am a biker when and wherever I go. I am proud to be a biker, and I hide my chosen lifestyle from no one.
I ride because I love freedom, independence and the movement of the ground beneath me. But most of all I ride to better understand myself, my machine and the lands in which I ride, and to seek out and know other bikers like myself!

And suddenly ....

... nothing happened .....


... but it happened very suddenly ....

Kite flying world record

IN GAZA!!!!!

Goes to show .... oh God bless those poor folk, and may their children know more happiness than they have.



Go see the whole story at Al Jazeera

Can you pass the Rorschach test?

Today

I'm feeling sort of off .... always hard to describe feelings, part of the fun :)
In my own bubble, completely insulated, i feel like i need to lash out at something. Of course WHAT is something i need to consider BEFORE lashing out .... but all things in their place. Lord, please send me a telemarketer today *grin* ...

SO i'm chatting with my kids last night, as we do. And the question was posed, "Dad, why don't we have a tv?" ... Now this is ground we've covered before, and obviously something made this return to the fore, so i asked why she ask. Teasing was the unexpected answer, she gets teased because she didn't see this, or doesn't watch that. I pointed out something which re-affirms my decision every time.

TV is a simple choice, yes or no. Either you have one or not. Neither answer should be particularly strange.

However, the reaction of someone to hearing that you don't have one is ALWAYS incredulity. They don't believe you. They can't bend their minds to that. THAT, to me, is odd. The kids agree btw.

SO we've identified that there in indeed something odd about TV, especially by people who watch it, and the "blankness" they display. We discussed soap operas, and how sad it is that so many people all over the world are so totally tuned in to these fictional adrenalin highs (it's always so over excited), that when you visit with them, they pay more attention to the fake lives than your own real life. Again, the kids confirmed seeing all this for themselves, it IS self evident.

They added that the kids at school were very violent minded, and swore a lot, and my kids even put forward that sw that it was violence on tv, amongst other things that pushed the other kids to bad behaviour.

Of course my role as parent and teacher came up, and how seeing as tv is as we discussed above, it was my decision to keep that from them. All of this comes together in the role of the parent to protect, and even asking the kids directly whether they agreed with my decision, they did so. Again, this IS self evident.

I make no pretence to be a perfect parent, and i tell my kids this. However, we all know what our roles and duties should be. For me, to provide the healthiest environment for my family. For them, to learn and follow the rules, while having as much freedom to grow as possible. Accepting that it doesn't always work is good, because then when it DOESN'T, you then have a framework of understanding to fall back on.

Teasing is part of that, when the home life conflicts in some way with the outside world. Something that they have had a lot of already, and will have to endure much more of. Another snippet that came out last night hurt.

"Daddy,they called me white cockroach today, because i'm the only white in my class".

Um, verbatim. Fortunately we are better than that, and i explained how all this nonsense was fear based, INDIVIDUALS who are afraid, and become part of a group to allay those fears, and how from within that group, any stupid or hurtful idea takes flight, and becomes reality, usually to the detriment of someone completely innocent.

However, racism in sa is not dead, it's apparently alive and well, just, well politically correct. It hurts, knowing as i do the real history of sa, and how this one problem has haunted every racial group that has ever tried to live peacefully here.

Socrates

"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”

-Socrates

Rest in peace

After Sunday's accident, the outsurance marshalls did not want to return to the streets. No suprises there. Losing a comrade is hard, and from what i saw this morning, this is a very close group of people.

The idea was simple, a wreath laying ceremony at the scene of the crash. So we started at their offices in Kelvin, and escorted them to the crash scene on the M1 highway, under the grayston bridge.

About 20 bikes, plus the staff van and 2 or 3 cars, including 702 eyewitness news. We did what we do best, we stopped traffic. Each intersection in turn in morning peak hour. The pointsmen rode through Sandton like the kings they are.

The memorial was as memorials are. On the side of the highway, i couldn't even hear what was said, drowned out by the constant roar of traffic. But the emotion were real. The loss and grief mixing wih the dirt and broken bike still lying scattered around. The team held hands while they prayed, a long line of support for each other.

It was a very ... poignant moment. Full of meaning and things unsaid. It was fitting on the side of the road. I have always loved the road. In the words of Jethro Tull "... and the motorway stretches, right up to us all, isn't just, too damn real?"

But this love is two edged. It's mankinds answer to the river. Except instead of bringing life and calm, it brings death, noise, dirt and decay. Rivers of death. I have spent much time on these rivers. Walking, cycling, cars, trucks, bikes, and some others too. To become too close to this river is to invite disaster, with sceaming death flying past every second, be sure to have your wits about you. This is their office, their trade, their workbench. In the dust streets full of metal madness, their duty is to remain calm, and to save these mad men-machines from destrying each other.

And again, even during a "funeral procession" you feel the arrogance, annoyance, impatience of the drivrs. HURRY UP! GET OUT MY WAY! is the mantra they chant in petrol fumes and spinning metal. I gave one guy the finger. Leaned over his bonnet and shoved it in his face. He deserved it too.

I sincerely hope those i met today continue for many years, avoiding the death their work space brings. And if you see one on the road, be nice to them. They deserve our respect, for their bravery and tenacity in doing what needs to be done.

peace

R.I.P. Outsurance Pointsmen

IOL

July 26 2009 at 03:35PM

Two pointsmen driving scooters were killed on the N1 near the Grayston offramp while travelling to the 702 Walk the Talk on Sunday, Johannesburg emergency services said.

"They were on their way to the 702 Walk the Talk starting point in Marks Park when they were hit by a car from behind," said spokesperson Percy Morokane.

A Toyota Yaris driving in the fast lane had moved into the left lane and allegedly crashed into them at 4am Sunday. The two, aged 26 and 35, were part of a convey of 11 pointsmen travelling to the fun walk.

Both men died on the scene. The driver of the Yaris and his passenger escaped with minor bruises.

Police spokesperson Constable Neria Malefetse said the 26-year-old driver had his blood alcohol level tested at the scene and was allegedly four times over the legal limit.
______________________________________________________________________

R.I.P. to both. In the line of duty.

Michael and Stanly

I'm devastated. 11 bikes in convoy, with high vis vests, and some worthless piece of shit killed 2 of them. When are we as a nation going to start taking acvtion against drunk drivers. This judge fucking motata, lynch him! People who behave in such a way have no place in our society.

If you know someone who drives when drunk, break his car! Give him punctures!! Fuckit, slap him with a baseball bat i don't give a fuck.
ENOUGH OF THIS SENSELESSNESS!!!!!!!

Have you ever ...

Have you ever stood
On the edge
Of nothing?
Vast emptiness
Pulling you in
Vacuum in space
Hole in time
Light behind
Close your eyes
Jump
No scream
No end
Falling, tumbling
Awake?
No…dream?
Terror inside
Try to rise
Thick black darkness
Covers the mind
Tranquil whispers
Call your name
Willing, lulling
You to sleep
Not yet
Fear forbids
Floating, sideways
Upside down
Where where
Everywhere
Not at all
I ask
Implore
Teasing answers
Caress and stroke
Eluding touch
But sigh
Felt within
Forever without
Where is light?
Air to breathe
Songs to hear
Another place
Long ago
Forever far
Further than thought
Closer than ever
Out of reach
Tempting teasing
Fate will out
Where to now?
Away away away
From this …
Place?
Animal passion
Enfolds
Surrounds
Consumes
Me.

Charlie

I broke no laws, not god's laws, not man's law. What I preached is beyond the court's understanding.

I am my own god, I am my own government, I am my own court, I am my own world.

The gist is stick your parole. I'm not interested. I could have your parole, and have no soul, but i will shirk your parole and keep my soul.

I'm a con man. I don't need money. Sure I'm rich, I've got resources, and they're all within my heart.

Charlie Manson

Mensa wordplay

In case you missed it. Here is the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

The winners are:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.
3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
10. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.
11. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
12. Karmageddon: It's when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, and then the Earth explodes, and it's a serious bummer.
13. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you
14. Glibido: All talk and no action.
15. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
16. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
17. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
18. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.
The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.
And the winners are:
1. coffee, n. the person upon whom one coughs.
2. flabbergasted, adj. appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. abdicate, v. to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. esplanade, v. to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. willy-nilly, adj. impotent.
6. negligent, adj. absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.
7. lymph, v. to walk with a lisp.
8. gargoyle, n. olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. flatulence, n. emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. balderdash, n. a rapidly receding hairline.
11. testicle, n. a humorous question on an exam.
12. rectitude, n. the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. pokemon, n. a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. oyster, n. a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism, n. the belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. circumvent, n. an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

Eclipse

The minaret of a mosque is silhouetted against the solar eclipse in Yinchuan, China. Photo: Xinhua

Respect

R = Respect yourself, Respect others, Respect the rules of the road.

E = Expect the unexpected, it will happen.

S = See everything that is happening around you.

P = Patience, Patience, Patience, you gonna need lots of it.

E = Examine, your bike, examine road conditions, examine drivers actions.

C = Caution, always ride with caution, you never know what is around that bend.

T = Think, just think

Mandela asked for 67 minutes

In a society where corruption is rife, Mandela has no meaning! In a society where leaders have no moral integrity, Mandela means nothing! In a society where the love of material wealth takes precedence over social progress, the celebration of Mandela is nothing more than good or bad performance in a theatre. Are these ills not ubiquitous in South Africa today?

Prince Mashele

Mashele is Head of Crime, Justice and Politics Programme at the Institute for Security Studies. He writes in his personal capacity.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Simple Twist of Fate

Bob Dylan

They sat together in the park
As the evening sky grew dark
She looked at him and he felt a spark tingle to his bones
It was then he felt alone and wished that he'd gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate.

They walked alone by the old canal
A little confused I remember well
And stopped into a strange hotel with a neon burning bright
He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train
Moving with a simple twist of fate.

A saxophone someplace far off played
As she was walking on by the arcade
As the light bust through a-beat-up shade where he was waking up
She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate
And forgot about a simple twist of fate.

He woke up the room was bare
He didn't see her anywhere
He told himself he didn't care pushed the window open wide
Felt an emptiness inside to which he just could not relate
Brought on by a simple twist of fate.

He hears the ticking of the clocks
And walks along with a parrot that talks
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks where the sailers all come in
Maybe she'll pick him out again how long must he wait
One more time for a simple twist of fate.

People tell me it's a sin
To know and feel too much within
I still believe she was my twin but I lost the ring
She was born in spring but I was born too late
Blame it on a simple twist of fate.

Bread and circuses

iam pridem, ex quo suffragia nulli uendimus, effudit curas; nam qui dabat olim imperium, fasces, legiones, omnia, nunc se continet atque duas tantum res anxius optat, panem et circenses.

translation:

Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses (Juvenal, Satire 10.77–8)


What does it mean?

"Bread and circuses" (or Bread and games) (from Latin: panem et circenses) is a metaphor for handouts and petty amusements that politicians use to gain popular support, instead of gaining it through sound policy. The phrase is invoked not only to criticize politicians, but also to criticize their supporters for giving up their civic duty.

The sentinel

Protesters disrupt illegal sale

Fuck them, no really. Whoever came up with the retarded idea to flog the heritage of south africa to the highest bidder should be left for vultures and wild dogs.

I have memories of the Sentinel fom childhood. It IS a sentinel, guarding the Hout Bay harbour It's beautiful, pristene, proud and immensely reassuring.

Good for whoever threw stones and faced the police ... oh and fuck the pigs too.

But hey, they won. Nobody bought it. Most likely scared of being lynched the moment they left the building. Good. Let that be notice.

What is wrong with another wildlife park where they can leave it the fuck alone please? I think they think that too. :D

Pablo

Who is the Maitreya?

So this word keeps popping up: Maitreya. Who or what? And i find the following site, which has all the info you could wish for:

http://share-international.org/maitreya/Ma_main.htm

"He has been expected for generations by all of the major religions. Christians know him as the Christ, and expect his imminent return. Jews await him as the Messiah; Hindus look for the coming of Krishna; Buddhists expect him as Maitreya Buddha; and Muslims anticipate the Imam Mahdi or Messiah.
Although the names are different, many believe that they all refer to the same individual: the World Teacher, whose personal name is Maitreya (pronounced my-tray-ah)."

Oh really?

"The Great Invocation, used by the Christ for the first time in June 1945, "

So he's old right?
No.

The June 1945 invocation was by Alice Bailey, of the Luciferian Press ... yo know, the UN officail printing press? (now renamed to Lucis Trust, for obvious reasons)

And thanks to wiki we have this:

"Maitreya’s overshadowing of Jesus

The followers of Benjamin Creme and Alice A. Bailey believe in the Nestorian/Gnostic Christology promulgated by C.W. Leadbeater which asserts that Maitreya overshadowed the Master Jesus during the Ministry of Jesus, such that there were two beings (two souls) in one body--Maitreya was Christ and the Master Jesus was Jesus of Nazareth; the combination of the two beings--two entities in one body--functioned as Jesus Christ. [8][9]Those adherent to the Ascended Master Teachings, a group of religions based on Theosophy, believe in the existence of the Maitreya; however, they believe that although he encouraged the mission of Jesus, he did not actually overshadow Jesus. [10]"

SO we have: Theosophy, a new messiah, (who is the old one only better) and peace and love a happiness to all the good children of the world.

As per his handler "benjamin creme":

"Maitreya materialized a physical body for himself in early 1977 in the Himalayas and then on Friday, 8 July 1977 he booked an airplane flight from Pakistan to London.[16] When he landed in London, this was the esoteric Second Coming of Christ (since Maitreya had not yet revealed himself to the world). He then took up residence in secret in the Brick Lane neighborhood of that city."

So not only is all that, he's just a regular guy. Here is something else that pokes my "wtf" buttons: (wrt the great invocation)

"It can be made even more potent. Used in triangular formation it becomes very potent. If you wish to work this way, arrange with two friends to use the Invocation, aloud, daily. You need not be in the same town, or country, or say it at the same time of day. Simply say it when convenient for each one, and, linking-up mentally with the two other members, visualize a triangle of white light circulating above your heads and see it linked to a network of such triangles covering the world."

Jesus Christ said, "I am come in my father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." (John 5:43).

This maitreya is coming in his own name, can also guess he'll produce miracles and wonders on demand. All very happy new age and all that, saying the right things. The warning bell comes from a few things, most notably the "forecasting" of his appearance. Whatever you or i think, there are people who both believe in lucifer's supremacy, and this blokes necessity.

Fortunately, he's not the only, there are by my count 4 people so claim messianity, that have material assistance to back up that claim, these aren't crazy men, the have the backing of the UN, and other influential organisations.

And the fact that the bible said so. I'm not following the "bible script", they are. Even if you wish to trash the entire bible as fiction, THESE PEOPLE believe very much in it. They also believe they're right and it's wrong. That's what scares me the most. Self fulfilling prophecy anyone?

A pill a day ... kills you

From: The BBC

Taking a pill to treat depression is widely believed to work by reversing a chemical imbalance.

If you've seen a doctor with emotional problems some time over the last 20 years, you may have been told that you had a chemical imbalance, and that you needed tablets to correct it.

It's not just doctors that think this way, either.

Magazines, newspapers, patients' organisations and internet sites have all publicised the idea that conditions like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be treated by drugs that help to rectify an underlying brain problem.

People with schizophrenia and other conditions are frequently told that they need to take psychiatric medication for the rest of their lives to stabilise their brain chemicals, just like a diabetic needs to take insulin.

The trouble is there is little justification for this view of psychiatric drugs.

If you've seen a doctor with emotional problems some time over the last 20 years, you may have been told that you had a chemical imbalance, and that you needed tablets to correct it.

It's not just doctors that think this way, either.

Magazines, newspapers, patients' organisations and internet sites have all publicised the idea that conditions like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be treated by drugs that help to rectify an underlying brain problem.

People with schizophrenia and other conditions are frequently told that they need to take psychiatric medication for the rest of their lives to stabilise their brain chemicals, just like a diabetic needs to take insulin.

...

The trouble is there is little justification for this view of psychiatric drugs.

And then quite by cincidence, i found this post: objectivereality.wordpress

Licenses

And they still cannot get it right!

See the bit in bold. This is after having installed millions worth of cameras and other special technology to fraud proof the system.

What is never accurately portrayed are the innocent people, who paid for and earned the licenses, who will now have to re-apply.

As per NEWS24:

Driver licence papers seized
2009-07-13 22:05

Johannesburg - Documents of driver and learner licences issued between January and April by the Meyerton Testing Centre have been confiscated by the Gauteng department of community safety.

Department spokesperson Thapelo Moiloa said on Monday the documents were confiscated by the department's anti-fraud and corruption unit.

They would be taken for forensic audit as part of rooting out fraud and corruption.

"This exercise should not be seen as an isolated case but will be rolled-out to other centres [in Gauteng] in due course."

Moiloa said the public was urged to report any fraudulent and corrupt activities linked to issuing of drivers and learner licences on the 24-hour toll-free line 0800-701701. - SAPA

Swine Flu URGENT

OK, so maybe i'm a bit of a fearmonger ... but this is real, and coming to a UN country near you.
See on my blogroll BIRDFLU666 ... go there, read. Jane Burgemeister, who has filed charges against WHO.
For my local friends: See point 4.
For everyone else a simple question. AIDS has been prevalent for several years now, and frankly, we're expected to behave as if nothing is wrong. (people get sued for everything for firing a HIV pos child minder, for exmple).
Yet a handful of people die from flu, which happens every year, and PANIC!!! We my get sick? These vaccines are moving in the millions, it's all public record.
Holland just bought 2 for every person in the country!! Plus, this epidemic is about to hit code 6, the highest WHO threat code. Which means that TAMIFLU, which has been PROVEN dangerous, and past it's sell by, is now able to be "brought out" and used on the population, by gunpoint.
This is africa, they won't get far, except for kids.

DO NOT LET THEM VACCINATE YOUR CHILDREN.

If you want to know any more,look into the 196 flu outbreak in america, and the subsequant fuck up.

DATA SET 1 1. An “informal” [e.g., illegal] clinical trial of the Avian Flu vaccine on about 200 Polish vagrants resulted in 11 immediate deaths and an additional set of 20 later deaths (approximately 15% of the test population). The doctors and nurses involved were charged with murder. (Fact. 2008)

2. Approximately 3500 Chinese children died in an Avian Flu vaccine experiment. (Rumor, 2008)

3. The Philippine High Court convicted WHO (The World Health Organization) of involuntarily sterilizing over 3 million Philippina women through the use of vaccines. (Fact)

4. The WHO in 1985 documented that one of its’ primary goals for the use of a sterility vaccine disguised as a smallpox vaccine was to “eliminate 150 million excess Sub Saharan Africans”. (Fact, 1985-ongoing)

5. The WHO 5-shot vaccine programs for tetanus in third world countries in South and Central America caused the involuntary sterilization of millions of women. (Fact, ongoing)

6. Monsanto’s MON 810 corn causes sterility according to studies published by the Austrian Government. (Fact, 2009)

7. Monsanto’s MON 810 corn contains the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus which, when ingested, lowers the bodies CD 4 cells to a point which, on immune tests, indicate that a person has HIV/AIDS. The lowered CD 4 cells results from eating GMO corn, the staple of the diet in many parts of Black Africa. MON 810 is grown in Europe for animal feed and in many places, including the US, around the world for human food. (Fact, ongoing)

8. Merck’s Gardasil vaccine causes death, collapse and chronic illness in young woman and girls, including a new, never-before described “disease” called Juvenile ALS, a fatal condition in which the nervous system is slowly destroyed while consciousness remains unimpaired. This vaccine increases cervical cancer by 44.7% in women and girls who already have Human Papilloma Virus. Cervical Cancer is easily detected and cured in early stages and is not a major killer of women. Gardasil contains substances which may cause sterility in women receiving it and any protection lasts only a few years, so 9 year olds will probably not be sexually active by the time this protection has worn off. (Fact, ongoing)

9. Baxter International Inc. was in the process of applying for a contract to provide Avian Flu vaccines to European countries in the event of an Avian Flu epidemic. Its Austrian laboratory shipped Seasonal Flu vaccines to 18 countries in Europe. A laboratory technician tested the Baxter Seasonal Flu vaccines sent to the Czech Republic and discovered that they were contaminated with a highly pathogenic version of the Avian Flu, 72 Kilograms of it, although Level 3 precautions were in place and such contamination “could not have happened accidentally” according to experts in the field. No documentation of the destruction of this highly infective material has been provided although the Austrian Health Ministry insists that the deadly viral material was destroyed. (Fact, 2008, 2009)

10. A WHO investigation into the Baxter contaminated vaccine issue resulted in NO findings and in NO disciplinary actions. An Austrian investigation into the same events yielded the same results. (Fact, 2009)

11. Baxter has been rewarded with a lead role in developing, producing and disseminating the Swine Flu vaccine for the upcoming pandemic. (Fact, 2009)

12. Swine Flu was first identified to the public as a serious problem in April/May 2009 when 168 persons in Mexico were confirmed by CDC and WHO to have died from the Swine Flu. This number was later revised downward to only 16 deaths. (Fact, 2009)

13. It normally takes a minimum of 12 to 18 months to create a vaccine after a specific virus has been identified. (Fact)

14. The US Government has spent more than a billion dollars to develop and to make available the Swine flu vaccine for a disease which poses no significant health threat. (Fact, 2009)

15. The “Seed Culture” for the Swine Flu virus was provided to vaccine companies in May, 2009. Baxter International Inc. announced in June, 2009 that they would have their vaccine ready in July, 2009 . (Fact, 2009)

16. A WHO container of Swine Flu virus from Mexico City exploded on a passenger train in Luzon, Switzerland. All of the current Swiss cases of Swine Flu are from the area where the explosion took place. It is illegal to ship pathogenic viruses in this way. (Fact, 2009)

17. A significant number of virologists and other scientists are on record stating that the Swine Flu was created in a laboratory and could not evolve naturally. (Fact, 2009)

Digital TV ... 1984

http://educate-yourself.org/cn/soundsofsilence11dec08.shtml

The sounds of silence.

Does anyone recall the first Gulf War? When the US were driving into Iraq the battle hardened soldiers were surrendering en masse. It was very odd, in every way, but i believed it was choice (?).

Not so. It would seem that it was the first test of Accoustic Weaponry. Now i've been playing with mood enhancing tone generators, linked to various effects listed on a sepea compilation from a number of soures. From musical tones, to planetary frequncies, to various oils, the alleged effects on the human body has been pretty well catalogued. Not really gospel, but cle enough to have an idea of how frequencies affect us.

So this is exactly the same thing. Almost. Worse. Since it would appear that they have a very good idea of what frequency does what, and also how to deliver the message. This is not subtly enhancing moods. This is breaking into your brain with dynamite. They have it and know how to use it.

Which brings us to how. I have for a long time feared cell phone towers. I believe wholeheartedly that they have the ability to resonate at set frequencies, that can be controlled from a central point, and made to interact. IE setting 2 towers at 2 different frequencies to obtain a new wave pattern.

I certainly don't trust the sheer VOLUME of towers, look, count them. Within 1 km of my house there are about 4. Including a HUGE array at the local shopping centre. So powerful that when you are in a shop you fel the buzz. Yup, cancer causing, cell killing buzz. Almost as good as a nicotene rush, except without the pleasantness.

Anyhow, they have used this, but its a very general, almost vague tool. It affects whole suburbs, but only secondarily. It's been useful for creating anger, notice how many cell towers are in townships (!) like alexandria with last years xenophobia.

However, how much better would it be, if they had a unit in every house. Not a vague buzz, but a direct, peer to peer communication device, almost certainly always on and accepted, allowing broadcast of anything, subliminal or as in your face as wrestling .... now there is something whose time to die has come.

Not only would this unit be accepted, along with anything else beemed, but it would be a video camera too. Sci fi perhaps, but it' already been legislated. South Africa is to go DIGITAL ...yay. The reason is of course the world cup, as has been the reason for every travesty for the last 5 years. (as an aside, people ask me why i don't "support" the world cup in SA, and the reason, simply, is that it's rape. It's raping SA of badly needed resources, and pissing it away on a bunch of stupid soccer hooligans. Our children will be most upset when they work this out).

Anyhow. So the US is given away billions to there people. SA is doing the same (!) giving away money so that poor people can have a nice picture. For the international audience: the SABC is bankrupt, in debt to something like 860 million rands. Scandal after scandal, what was another prize possesin in the state's crown has become a sickly white elephant, that threatens to destroy everything around it. With this background, where the SABC is asserting it's RIGHT to charge people as much as they want, and are suiing pensioners for their pint of flesh, they cannot pay bills, cannot even keep on screen continuity, they're going to mount this massive campaign to shove these things into every house in the country.

Everyhouse. How many people do not have tv? I am 1. I am the only one i know. And when i tell people i have no tv, their first reaction is disbelief. THAT is when something tells me something is miss.

If i ask you if you smoke, or drink wine, your answer may be yay or nay, and i'll accept it gladly. Your CHOICE. Yet with tv, it's almost like there isn't a choice, you have it. Most people i know have several. Even my maid has more than 1.

Once this is in, they can listen to your every conversation. They know what you're watching. How you are reactingto it. And even worse, when you switch offthe set, they could still monitor you.

This is so bizarre, sick, freaked, wierd, crazy, and everything else, but it's hat they are doing. Now. To us. And our families.

Seriously chuck your tv. Out. You don't want it. No really. You think you want it. But you don't.

Follow the money

An old(ish) story ... but one that keeps popping up, and is very significant.

2 (allegedly) Japanese men arrested in Italy with $134 billion in bonds.

Nobody has been arrested, those 2 had diplomatic passports and were released, "goods" confiscated and absolutely nothing said. wtf?

So aside from the news reports, there are many, i found the story below that dissects the incident quite well.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/143462-strange-inconsistencies-in-the-134-5-billion-bearer-bond-mystery

My Kinda Crop Circles

See more at: MailonSunday

Oasis of my Soul

http://theoasisofmysoul.com/


http://theoasisofmysoul.com/

Go see, there is always beauty and inspiration, and if you can support his goods. Man, dog and motorbike living the dream, a rolling stone fostering humananity on all levels.

Sunspot Cycle 24

The sun is awakening, with sunspot 1024 of cycle 24, we finally have a normal sunspot. It has been a very quiet period so far, with almost nothing in the last 2 years.

This suggests that there has been nothing wrong, and even the very quiet which will probably continue, is not alarming in any way.

Although, many people believe a major solar storm is on the way, hey, who knows?

Circle makers

So everyone who knows me knows my fascination with crop circles. This interest is sparked PRIMARILY because it seems like a bit of a stretch that they are man made. So imagine my surprise whe i found this site: http://www.circlemakers.org/

Thy claim to have created most of the crop circles currently being noticed. Curious.

Hidden in plain site, they have their website etc, and claim big money is being paid on producing these artworks. If they are indeed genuine, BLOODY HELL, that would be IMHO master craftsmanship of the highest order. Crop circles rely are well done, even the poorer examples, produced over night, in a field of crops.

But something doesn't seem right. Maybe i'm TOO paranoid, or maybe .... i don't know. The designs, and manner of production, as well many other anomolies, like frequently high radiation, and the manner of the "bending" of the crop has led me to believe it's an electromagnetically produced resonance. Using hidden technology (not public) yet the science for such technology does exist.

Another "fact" regarding crop circles is that they are almost always on fields where there is a high water content, and usually iron too. Ley lines are often guides to finding these too. The last is easy enough to adhere to, but why only specific crops?

It's still a mystery, and unfortunately, as much as i think these guys have something, it doesn't answer the qestion for me. Theoretically possiblewith rope and boards, yes, but likely? In the dark? Without leaving footprints?

Bill Hicks

“The world is like a ride in an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it's very brightly coloured and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time and they begin to question: "Is this real, or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, "Hey, don't worry, don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride." And we kill those people.”

“I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are.”

You know all that money we spend on the military ever year - trillions of dollars? Instead, if we use this money to feed and clothe the poor of this world, which it would do many times over, then we can explore space, inner and outer, together, as one race.

I was told when I grew up I could be anything I wanted: a fireman, a policeman, a doctor - even president, it seemed. And for the first time in the history of mankind, something new, called an astronaut. But like so many kids brought up on a steady diet of westerns, I always wanted to be the avenging cowboy hero - that lone voice in the wilderness, fighting corruption and evil wherever I fount it, and standing for freedom, truth, and justice. And in my heart of hearts I still track the remnants of that dream wherever I go, in my endless ride into the setting sun.

Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is mearly energy condensed through a slow vibration, we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, life is only a dream and we are the imaginations of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather.

US Government CHARGED.

American Grand Jury Presentments Filed in DC!

by Carl Swensson State of Georgia Grand Jury Foreman

After 172 Grand Jury members worked around the clock for 10 days, on Monday, June 29, 2009, the Grand Jury handed down Super American Grand Jury presentments to the following government entities and individuals, charging Barack Hussein Obama with fraud and treason for being ineligible to be president:

Barack Hussein Obama II via the White House Secret Service - SERVED
FBI - SERVED
US District Court - SERVED
United States Supreme Court - SERVED
Pentagon – SERVED
The following members of Congress - SERVED
Lamar Alexander
Michele Bachmann
Marsha Blackburn
Michael C. Burgess
Tom Coburn
John Cornyn
Louie Gohmert
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kenny Marchant
John McCain
Mitch McConnell
Patrick McHenry
Randy Neugebauer
Ron Paul
Nancy Pelosi

All of the above members of Congress can be subject to future Citizen’s Grand Jury charges because they knowingly participated in certifying the fraudulent and treasonous electoral votes on January 8, 2009.

This action is entirely in accordance with citizens' rights enshrined in the Constitution, and it is intended to clarify to all that the Constitution is the inviolable, sacrosanct, and supreme law of the land, from which every federal office-holder, including the president, derives authority and legitimacy.

Any federal office-holder who denies the supremacy of the Constitution destroys the legitimacy of his own authority.

Crime of the Century

The Spirit of Humanity Hijacked

No really, the boat, Spirit of Humanity" was hijacked. This boat, carrying humanitarian goods, such as olive trees and toys, and medical supplies, was hijacked forcefully in international waters. Those aboard the ship have been kidnapped, and the boat and contents stolen.

Why is this not seen as the crime it is? Somalians are pirates, and get shot in the head. The israelis are too, but they get given money.
Except i feel for the somalis, the isrealis, they'll get theirs.

From: Information Clearing House

On June 30, the government of Israel committed an act of piracy when the Israeli Navy in international waters illegally boarded the “Spirit of Humanity,” kidnapped its 21-person crew from 11 countries, including former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and Nobel Laureate Mairead MaGuire, and confiscated the cargo of medical supplies, olive trees, reconstruction materials, and children’s toys that were on the way to the Mediterranean coast of Gaza. The “Spirit of Humanity,” along with the kidnapped 21 persons, is being towed to Israel as I write.

Gaza has been described as the “world’s largest concentration camp.” It is home to 1.5 million Palestinians who were driven by force of American-supplied Israeli arms out of their homes, off their farms, and out of their villages so that Israel could steal their land and make the Palestinian land available to Israeli settlers.

...

I wouldn’t be surprised if a Nobel Laureate and a former member of the US House of Representatives, along with the rest of the crew, are handed over to the Americans for indefinite detention and for torturing and waterboarding in the American torture facility at Bagram. I am certain that “Homeland Security” and the US Government are desperate to be rid of all of critics, and knocking off a Nobel Laureate and a member of the House sets a precedent for getting rid of the rest of us.

...

The same week that “our” government in Washington told the Governor of California “not one red cent,” President Barak Obama handed over $2.775 billion to Israel.

Frost

From Session magazine

There's been a lot of it recently. Beautiful.

I had a leaking tap, so i put a hose nozzle attachment on it. Figuring that i had saved water, it would be ok to let it drip, just a little. So i have a constantly dripping water flow into th birdbath. About a drop every second or two. Keeps adding fresh water, the dogs like that water. I also noticed that when the birdbath froze over, where it kept dripping was stilnot frozen over, allowing the birds to have their morning drink. The arum lilies love the dampness, and have really grown, and the negative ion flow is noticeable in that part of the garden. So it all works out :)

The cars and trampoline were covered this morning, yet the birdbath as ice free. The structure on the tarpaulin of the trapoline was phenomenal. For the first time i saw the ice crystals standing, and understood how fractal they were. Infinity on my doorstep.

Money rant

Bit of a personal tangent here, but feel i need to share. Just point and look really. I'm an average IT guy, good job, and am fortunate in having all the basics, house food etc.
But i'm losing. Month after month it's just getting too much to live. I do it for my kids. They need: security, education, love, food, shelter, playtime and all else besides. This means that i have to provide as best i can, and in my mind, doing the 7-4 daily grind is the only way.
If i were alone i can assure you i would live very differently. For starters i wouldn't ever come to the big city, except to maybe visit family. Tried that though, living in a rural town, and i couldn't hardly provide for myself, never mind a family.
So i go to work everyday. A round trip of 60 km. Despite having bought a bike, for petrol and maintenance saving. It still costs me over a quarter of my salary to get to work and back. About R2500 per month, including insurance, although NOT including maintenance, like tyres, brakes, etc.
Medical aid is somwhere around R2000 a month. Also a NECESSITY. You cannot allow a loved one to descend the hell of the public health system. I've seen enough people walk in and die through neglect.
School fees are high, around R1500 for 2 kids in primary shool, again, not negatiable, despite it being a government school, and the closest to us. This excludes uniforms, stationary, and other stuff.
Elecricity is the killer, and honestly i can no longer afford to use heaters. So i have heaters i cannot afford to use, security lights i cannot afford to use, a pool i never run. Despite this, electricity is to increase a staggering 31%.
Taxes, all shapes and sizes.
Through the high petrol price, i cannot really travel. Seldom can i visit friends in the evenings, as it's a calculable cost, which tends to sober any "spur of the moment" decisions.
I don't do breakfast runs on the bike. And never eat out. And never go to bars.
Despite this, the pressure is incereasing exponentially. Soon i will be required to pay 50cents per kilometre on my route to work, something that will immediately add R30 PER DAY. Or R600 per month. For something that i, as citizen have already paid for. It currently costs more in toll fees than petrol to travel to durban.

This is not going away. I cannot DO anything, and even simple hobbies seem like too much money. Daily life keeps me in debt. Any time we have ever broken even with our accounts, we are beset with repairs, car, bike, house or medical. Or receive a stupidly large electricity bill, say R5000, which must be paid or else. You query, get messed around, get angry, depressed, and poor.

So i stay home mostly, tinker with whatever i can, read books on my c, because even buying books is out of my range. Look, i read, i read well, but isn't it alarming when BOOKS are too expensive?

And then comes christmas, and SERIOUSLY fucks everyting up again. An annual fuck you from society. When i suggest that we drop the solar festival that has FUCKALL to do with JESUS CHRIST, or GOD, or us even, i get told: "but the children, you can't do that". Why not? My kids break anything you give them. Within hours usually. Even, ESPECIALLY the expensive stuff. They become the most horrid caricatures of greedy, thoughtless, selfish children. ANd i must smile and sell my soul for THAT?

I have my son "opportunistically taking" money to prove to his schoolmates that he isn't poor. It's all wrong. I have been mulling a post called: I am the problem.

I am. My life, my habits, needs and wants are what is killing society. And i am someone who is aware, and actively works towards creating a better now.

I believe in changing your world by starting at home. But i am so limited in choices that free will seems absurd.

Ok, i'm done, i think. Please hear me, this isn't a pity party. My life is not bad, nor unusual, and i know i'm better off than most. It's not enough. you fight all your life, and still get nowhere. This blog, and the window on the web is a life saver, for my mind. It's my soul that concerns me.