Sunday, September 9, 2012

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Lot and his daughters


Francesco Hayez (1791-1882)
Lot and His Daughters
Oil on canvas, 1833
Public collection

The story of Lot is told in the Book of Genesis. Lot is mentioned in chapters 11-14 and 19.

Lot was the son of Abraham's brother Haran. Lot and his family went with Abraham and his family from Ur of the Chaldees to Egypt. When Abraham traveled to the Land of Canaan at the command of God, Lot accompanied him. (Gen 12:1-5). Abraham had always a great affection for him, and when they could not continue longer together in Canaan because they both had large flocks and their shepherds sometimes quarrelled (Gen 13:6,7) he gave Lot the choice of his abode. Lot went southeast to plains near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, since the land there was well watered. (Gen. 13:10-12).

About eight years after this separation, Chedorlaomer and his allies attacked the kings of Sodom and the neighbouring cities, pillaged Sodom, and took many captives, including Lot. Abraham armed his servants, pursued the confederate kings, and overtook them near the springs of Jordan. He recovered the spoils they had taken and brought back Lot with the other captives. Abraham was offered a reward by the King of Sodom, but refused even a shoelace.

In Gen. 19, when God plans to overturn and destroy the five cities of the plain, he sends angels to the city of Sodom they meet Lot at the city gates. Lot seems greatly concerned that the angels should spend the night in his house but the angels insist they wish to spend the night in the city street. Lot puts a great deal of pressure on them and eventually convinces them. However all the people of Sodom surround Lot's house with intent to meet (in some translations, rape) the angels (19:5). Lot offers the men his daughters instead, whom he says are virgins (19:8), but the men were not interested.

The angels decide to forewarn Lot of the dreadful catastrophe about to happen. Lot, his wife, sons-in-law, and daughters are warned to leave. The sons-in-law, do not take the warning seriously, also, Lot lingers. The angels took Lot, his wife, and his daughters by hand and drew them forcibly out of their house, saying, "Save yourselves with all haste. Look not behind you. Get as fast as you are able to the mountain, unless you be involved in the calamity of the city." Lot entreated the angels, who consented that he might retire to Zoar, which was one of the five doomed cities. His wife, looking back on Sodom, was turned into a pillar of salt.

Lot left Zoar and retired with his two daughters to a cave in an adjacent mountain. In Gen. 19:30-38, Lot's daughters incorrectly believed they were the only people to have survived the devastation. They assumed it was their responsibility to bear children and enable the continuation of the human race [see Gen 19:33–36]. The family had just left Zoar, and the daughters surely would have seen men there [see Hertz, J.H.,"The Pentateuch and Haftorahs" 2 ed. Soncino Press, London, 1972,page 69.] On two subsequent nights, according to the plan of the older daughter, they got their father drunk enough to have sexual intercourse with them. By him each became pregnant. The first son was named Moab (Hebrew, lit., "from the father" ). He was the patriarch of the nation known as Moab. The second son was named Ammon or Ben-Ammi (Hebrew, lit., "Son of my people"). He became the patriarch of the nation of Ammon.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Monday, September 3, 2012

1,324 Fukushima People Filed A Criminal Complaint Against TEPCO and the Government (Jun/11/2012)





Published on Jun 13, 2012 by 
On June 11, 2012, 1324 people from Fukushima Prefecture filed a criminal complaint against Tokyo Electric Power Co. Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata and 32 others, accusing them of professional negligence resulting in death and injury, arguing they were responsible for causing the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant and the exposure of the plaintiffs to radiation.

In the written complaint filed with the Fukushima District Public Prosecutors Office, the complainants said the 33 neglected to take disaster countermeasures, despite the frequency of earthquakes in Japan and indications by experts of the possibility of tsunami. They also argued that the officials failed to release evacuation information appropriately, which led to residents' exposure to radiation.

The 33 include TEPCO Chairman Katsumata, former TEPCO President Masataka Shimizu, 13 other TEPCO officials, Nuclear Safety Commission Chief Haruki Madarame, and 3 Radiation Health Risk Management Advisors of the prefecture including Shunichi Yamashita, Vice President of Fukushima Medical University.

"By holding them accountable, we will carry out our responsibility to the next generation," says Ms. Ruiko Muto, leader of the complainant organization. "I hope our action will lead to reuniting our bonds disrupted by the disaster."

They plan to file the second complaint where people outside Fukushima Prefecture can join the complainant. The dedline for joining is the end of September 2012.


1,324 Fukushima People Filed A Criminal Complaint Against TEPCO and the Government (Jun/11/2012) - YouTube
no nukes! blog: whats up ^ 

slack - off


Church of the SubGenius

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Maja


La maja desnuda (known in English as The Nude Maja or sometimes The Naked Maja) is an oil on canvas painting by the Spanish painter Francisco Goya (1746–1828), portraying a nude woman reclining on a bed of pillows. It was executed some time between 1797 and 1800, and is among the first clear depictions of female pubic hair in a large Western painting. The painting has been in the Museo del Prado in Madrid since 1910.


The Clothed Maja (Spanish: La maja vestida) is a painting by the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya between 1798 and 1805. It is a clothed version of La maja desnuda and is exhibited next to it in the same room at the Prado Museum in Madrid. The painting, which was first owned by Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy, who was known as an avid womanizer, was originally hung in his home in front of the naked maja in a way that the naked maja could be revealed at any time with the help of a pulley mechanism. It was held twice at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, and is now held in the Museo del Prado, since 1901.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Thursday, August 30, 2012

the bell


May the sound of this bell penetrate deep into the cosmos

Even in the darkest spots living beings are able to hear it clearly

So that all suffering in them ceases,

understanding comes to their heart

And they transcend the path of sorrow and death.

The universal dharma door is already open

The sound of the rising tide is heard clearly

The miracle happens

A beautiful child appears in the heart of the lotus flower

One single drop of this compassionate water is enough to bring back

the refreshing spring to our mountains and rivers.

Listening to the bell I feel the afflictions in me begin to dissolve

My mind calm, my body relaxed

A smile is born on my lips

Following the sound of the bell,

my breath brings me back to the safe island of mindfulness

In the garden of my heart, the flowers of peace bloom beautifully.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Monday, August 27, 2012

Occupy the NRC Solidarity Action w/Coalition Against Nukes



for friends in the US -
CALL TODAY - Urge Your Rep to Attend the NUCLEAR BRIEFING

OCCUPY THE NRC SOLIDARITY ACTION - CALL DRIVE #3: TODAY MONDAY AUGUST 27- LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!! - See picture for #. Script below. Your voice + the voice of those you know = A VERY BIG IMPACT. Stand together!! CALL and SHARE TODAY!

9.20 #CANRallyDC Congressional Briefing http://coalitionagainstnukes.org/ai1ec_event/congressional-briefing/?instance_id=230




SOLIDARITY ACTION CALL DRIVE #3: TODAY MONDAY AUGUST 27- LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!! - See picture for #. Script below. Your voice + the voice of those you know = A VERY BIG IMPACT. Stand together!! CALL and SHARE TODAY!

**The switchboard will connect you with the correct office after you give your zip code.**

IF YOU HAVE CALLED BEFORE (if you have never called before scroll down for that script.)

Hello ___(Aide’s name)___,

My name is _________, I am a constituent of Rep ___________.

I called last Monday and I’m calling now to follow up to see if Congressman/Congresswoman ________________ is planning on attending the briefing on nuclear dangers scheduled for Sept 20th from 2 – 4 pm in the Cannon Building, Room 121. As a constituent, I would really appreciate it if he/she would attend. It is an extremely important issue. Is Congressman/Congresswoman _________________ attending?

(If he/she says yes, let us know. We want to publicly thank your Rep!)

IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME CALLING

Follow the script below or say what it is you want to say.

Hello ___(Aide’s name)___,

My name is ___, I am a constituent of Rep ___________.

I am calling because of my concerns over the dangers of nuclear power in our country. In Japan, the ongoing disaster includes three core meltdowns, hydrogen gas explosions, and the venting of radiation-contaminated steam. The Japanese nuclear industry had assured everyone that something like this could never happen. Our nuclear industry tells our citizens the same thing.

Japanese people, including children, are sick. Many families have moved out of the area or even left the country because they know the contamination in the water, air, soil, and food supply is harmful to them. The nuclear disaster also devastated the local economy.

Nuclear power clearly has the power to destroy lives and economies. Would we want the same thing for our children and our economy? It could happen if we don’t start paying close attention to this potentially dangerous industry with aging power plants.

A briefing on nuclear dangers in our country will be held on Capitol Hill, on Thurs, Sept. 20th, from 2 – 4 pm in the Cannon Building, Room 121. Rep Dennis Kucinich (ku-sin-itch) has sponsored the event and will attend. I would really appreciate if (name of Rep you are calling) ______________ or at least a senior staff member would join Rep. Kucinich (ku-sin-itch) at this important event. The information provided at this briefing will help (name of Rep) __________make decisions that protect the safety of (his/her) constituents.


END OF SCRIPT

------------------------------

DETAILS OF THE CALL DRIVE—EVERY MONDAY FROM AUG 13-SEPT 17, the last Monday before the Nuke Free Rally in Washington D.C.

Support the effort to end nuclear power in the US
http://coalitionagainstnukes.org/event-calendar/

It has come to our attention that we all have a unique opportunity to shift the thinking of Members of Congress about nuclear power. Currently the leaders in Washington are influenced in their thinking primarily by the lobbyists for the nuclear industry. With your help, this unbalanced view can be changed on Sept. 20, 2012.

On that day, there will be a briefing on Capitol Hill regarding the concerns about nuclear dangers. Rep Dennis Kucinich (ku-sin-itch) has sponsored the event and will attend. The success of this briefing depends on how many other Members of Congress--or at least senior staffers—attend. That’s where you come in.

As we all know, when it comes to grabbing the attention of the leaders of our country, numbers matter. If the members of our respective communities join together to stress the importance of this briefing, our representatives will be more likely to attend.

This joint effort across all our communities is part of the overall effort to break the stranglehold that special interest lobbyists have on Washington, D.C. We need to put power back in the hands of the people. Your voice will help ensure the success of this effort.



***** COALITION AGAINST NUKES 

9.20-22 #CANRallyDC - Rally For A Nuclear Free Future Coalitionagainstnukes.org/no-nukes-rally-in-d-c < #OccupyNuclear #AntiNuclear #occupy #environment #occupywallst

The demonstrations against nuclear power that CAN is organizing in September are powerful and imperative. I want every person – mothers, fathers, children, grandmothers and grandfathers, to make a major effort to attend one or all of these gatherings as the time for the “peaceful” atom is over. We must end it now before it ends us. – Helen Caldicott

Converge with us in our nation’s capital
to show our legislators how democracy works!

Why should you join us?

Through the entire fuel cycle from the mining and milling of uranium to energy production, nuclear waste and nuclear weaponry contaminate the earth and all forms of life on it
for many generations.
It causes cancer, thyroid abnormalities, heart disease, miscarriage, birth defects and
genetic damage.

Did you know…?

  • 1/3 of Americans live within 50 miles of a nuclear reactor. 23 of them have the same flawed designs as those that melted down in Fukushima, Japan.
  • There are regular and allowable releases of radiation from nuclear power reactors despite the fact that there is no “safe” dose of radiation, only “acceptable” thresholds that our government keeps raising arbitrarily.
  • Nuclear bombs are made from fuel created from waste products in nuclear reactors. That’s why every nuclear reactor is a potential bomb factory and why the US is now threatening war with Iran because of its “peaceful” nuclear power.
  • The U.S and other countries are illegally using nuclear weapons in the form of depleted uranium reprocessed from nuclear power plants in conflicts around the world harming our own troops and innocent civilians while disproportionately impacting the health of women, infants and children.
  • There is nothing “peaceful” about nuclear energy, which creates tons of toxic nuclear waste that is radioactive for 240,000 years. The waste cannot be safely stored…yet private industry lobbies to keep making more of it, while taxpayer dollars continue to subsidize it.
  • Uranium mining poisons miners and families while contaminating land, scarce water supplies and air downwind of mining.
  • We are vulnerable to uninsured catastrophic meltdowns right here in our own backyards… yet our safety watchdog, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has yet to mandate any changes from lessons learned!

We demand a nuclear free world without reactors or bombs!
Join Us in DC for 3 days of peaceful demonstrations
and events Sept. 20-22, 2012.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Saturday, August 25, 2012

rest in peace sky pilot


Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor and United States Naval Aviator. He was the first person to walk on the Moon. Before becoming an astronaut, Armstrong was a United States Navy officer and had served in the Korean War. After the war, he served as a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics High-Speed Flight Station, now known as the Dryden Flight Research Center, where he logged over 900 flights. He graduated from Purdue University and the University of Southern California.

A participant in the U.S. Air Force's Man In Space Soonest and X-20 Dyna-Soar human spaceflight programs, Armstrong joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1962. His first spaceflight was the NASA Gemini 8 mission in 1966, for which he was the command pilot, becoming one of the first U.S. civilians in space. On this mission, he performed the first manned docking of two spacecraft with pilot David Scott.

Armstrong's second and last spaceflight was as mission commander of the Apollo 11 moon landing in July 1969. On this mission, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface and spent 2½ hours exploring, while Michael Collins remained in orbit in the Command Module. Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon along with Collins and Aldrin, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009.

On August 25, 2012, Armstrong died in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the age of 82 due to complications from blocked coronary arteries.
(read more)

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Monday, August 20, 2012

Phyllis Diller - rest in peace


Phyllis Diller (July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American actress and comedienne. She created a stage persona of a wild-haired, eccentrically dressed housewife who makes self-deprecating jokes about her age and appearance, her terrible cooking, and a husband named "Fang", while pretending to smoke from a long cigarette holder. Diller's signature was her unusual laugh.

Diller's fame grew when she co-starred with Bob Hope in 23 television specials and three films in the 1960s: Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!, Eight on the Lam, and The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell. Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! performed well at the box office and Diller accompanied Hope to Vietnam in 1966 with his USO troupe during the height of the Vietnam War.

face


Cydonia is a region on the planet Mars, and has attracted both scientific and popular interest. The name originally referred to the albedo feature (distinctively coloured area) that was visible from Earthbound telescopes. The area borders plains of Acidalia Planitia and the Arabia Terra highlands.

The area includes the Mars regions: "Cydonia Mensae", an area of flat-topped mesa-like features, "Cydonia Colles", a region of small hills or knobs, and "Cydonia Labyrinthus", a complex of intersecting valleys. As with other albedo features on Mars, the name Cydonia was drawn from classical antiquity, in this case from Kydonia, a historic polis (or "city-state") on the island of Crete.

Cydonia contains the "Face on Mars" feature—located about half-way between Arandas Crater and Bamberg Crater. The ESA "skull" formation is a few kilometres south of the "face".
(read more) (the face)


Sunday, August 19, 2012

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Pussy Riot


Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk-rock musical collective in Moscow, who stage politically provocative impromptu performances about Russian political life in unusual locations, such as on top of a trolleybus or on a scaffold in the Moscow Metro.

On February 21, 2012, four members of the group staged a performance on the soleas of Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, motivated by their opposition to Vladimir Putin and the politics of the Russian Orthodox Church. Their performance was interrupted by church security officials. On March 3, after the video of the performance appeared online, three of the group members were arrested and charged with hooliganism aimed at inciting religious hatred.

Their trial began in late July and raised much controversy in Russia and globally. According to a poll by the Levada Center, 44% of Russians supported the trial and believed in its fairness, while 17% did not. According to another poll by Levada, only 6% sympathised with Pussy Riot, while 51% "felt antipathy or had nothing good to say about them"; only 4% believed group members should be acquitted. On the other hand, the band members gained the noticeable support of many in Russia and internationally because of allegations of harsh treatment while in custody and the risk of a possible seven-year jail sentence.

On August 17, 2012, the three members were convicted of hooliganism (article 213.2 of the Criminal Code) and each sentenced to two years imprisonment. The Russian Orthodox Church issued a statement appealing to the authorities to show clemency, within the law, and urging the court to "divide the sin from sinner and reprimand the first while hoping the latter will improve". The Church, however, condemned the "rude hostility to millions of people and their feelings" and cast no doubt on the legitimacy of the court’s decision. The trial and conviction have attracted international criticism. The foreign ministries of Germany and Sweden, together with representatives of the European Union and the United States, called the sentence "disproportionate". (read more)

Punk Prayer

Huffington post

Topless Warriors

Thursday, August 16, 2012

time will tell


Julian Paul Assange (born 3 July 1971) is an editor, activist, political talk show host, computer programmer, publisher, and journalist from Australia, currently granted asylum in Ecuador. He is best known as the editor-in-chief and founder of WikiLeaks, a media website which has published information from whistleblowers.

Assange has received numerous awards and nominations, including the 2009 Amnesty International Media Award, Readers' Choice for Time magazine's 2010 Person of the Year, the 2011 Sydney Peace Foundation gold medal and the 2011 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. Snorre Valen, a Norwegian parliamentarian, nominated him for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2010, a European Arrest Warrant was issued for Assange in relation to allegations of rape and sexual assault by two women in Sweden. Assange was arrested and after ten days in Wandsworth prison was freed on bail. On 30 May 2012 Assange lost his Supreme Court appeal in England to avoid extradition to Sweden though the court gave Assange a stay of 14 days on the extradition order. This final appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected and, barring any appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, extradition was to have taken place over a ten day period commencing on 28 June 2012. On 19 June Assange entered the Ecuadorian embassy in London, asserted he was being persecuted and requested political asylum, which was granted on 16 August. However, the British government has said he will be arrested if he tries to leave the embassy. (read more)

(why the world needs wikileaks) (collateral murder)

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

hijack


At 5:10 PM on 26 November 1977 the Southern Television broadcast was hijacked through the Hannington transmitter of the Independent Broadcasting Authority in the United Kingdom. The transmission itself claimed to be from an extraterrestrial being. The broadcast took over the sound only, leaving the video signal unaltered. The IBA stated that to carry out the hoax would take "a considerable amount of technical know-how".

(complete text here) (friend-ship)

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

there is no way

Smiling Buddha, Angkor Wat


No matter where you are or what you're doing,

you have only two choices in life,

to be happy or not to be happy.

Which one do you choose?

There is no way to happiness,

happiness is the way.

Sunday, August 12, 2012