1.) There is a war between the rich and poor, a war between the man and the woman. There is a war between the ones who say there is a war and the ones who say there isn't. Why don't you come on back to the war, pick up your tiny burden. Why don't you come on back to the war, let's all get even. Why don't you come on back to the war, can't you hear me speaking?
http://finance.sympatico.msn.ca/investing/insight/article.aspx?cp-documentid=6351165
And is this what you wanted, to live in a house that is haunted, by the ghost, of you and me?
(Thanks Jarrad for this link.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/band2008.html
Leonard Cohen's touring band for 2008.
Funny. I didn't find this until after I had posted the LC quotes above.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
1.) I've taken this link from Kerria's blog:
http://little-people.blogspot.com/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) from Aquarius to Pisces:
The constellation resembles two roundish objects, each of which is tied to the same point by a long length of string. Generally the objects have been considered as fish, although since, by including fainter stars visible to the naked eye, the strings themself take on the appearance of stick-figure bodies (with the roundish objects thus becoming heads), some forms of early Greek mythology viewed it as men bound to a point. It is generally thought that in earlier depictions, only thes constellation Piscis Austrinus was considered to be a fish.
According to one version in Greek mythology, this constellation represents fish into which Aphrodite and her son Eros transformed in order to escape the monstrous Typhon. The two fish are often depicted tied together with a cord (on their tails), to make sure they do not lose one another.
According to another version, since the binding point is below the ecliptic, and thus considered to represent being in the underworld, and that one of the figures (the one on the left) appears to escape, but the other (on the right) seems to head back toward the ecliptic, then, together with Cetus (another constellation in the Zodiac sign of Pisces), this may have formed the basis of the myth of the capture of Cerberus, one of The Twelve Labours of Hercules.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisces_%28constellation%29#Mythology
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) and from Pisces to the start of the zodiac, Aries (for Natalie, for Ian):
In mythology Aries is often associated with the Greek myth of the ram which carried Athamas's son Phrixus and daughter Helle to Colchis to escape their stepmother Ino, as well as the mythological figure of Theseus, from the Greek myth of the Minotaur.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aries_%28astrology%29
I remember reading somewhere that Aries is leaping over the part of the sky known as The Sea (see yesterday #6), but I cannot find where I read this.
an alternate way to connect the stars to see the ram running or jumping
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
4.) Well I'm kind of getting sick of this astrological stuff I've been posting, but I guess there are only four left. As a break, have you heard of something called a flash mob?
A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief period of time, then quickly disperse.
The first attempt [in May 2003] was unsuccessful after the targeted retail store was tipped off about the plan for people to gather. ... [S]uch problems [were avoided] during the second flash mob, which occurred in June 3, 2003 at Macy's department store, by sending participants to preliminary staging areas—in four prearranged Manhattan bars—where they received further instructions about the ultimate event and location just before the event began.
More than one hundred people converged upon the ninth floor rug department of the store, gathering around an expensive rug. Anyone approached by a sales assistant was advised to say that the gatherers lived together in a warehouse on the outskirts of New York, that they were shopping for a "love rug", and that they made all their purchase decisions as a group.
Subsequently, 200 people flooded the lobby and mezzanine of the Hyatt hotel in synchronized applause for about fifteen seconds, and a shoe boutique in SoHo was invaded by participants pretending to be tourists on a bus trip.
These (or at least the first one in Macy's) were apparently organized by Bill Wasik, the senior editor of Harper's magazine as a social experiment designed to poke fun at hipsters and to highlight the cultural atmosphere of conformity and of wanting to be an insider or part of "the next big thing." However, to me, these would escape anything Bill thought he was doing.
Silent discos have attracted the largest flash mob gatherings to date. A "silent rave" at Victoria Station, London involved 4,000 participants. On 30 November 2006 another big event took place at Paddington station in the United Kingdom with more than 3,500 people in attendance.
Pillow fight flash mob: Pillows are sometimes hidden and at the exact pre-arranged time or the sound of a whistle, the pillow fighters pull out their pillows and commence pillow fighting. The pillow fights can last from a few minutes to several hours.
There is a 15 min. pillow fight planned to happen in Vancouver soon (March '08). Let me know if you're interested.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_mob
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillow_fight_flash_mob
http://little-people.blogspot.com/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) from Aquarius to Pisces:
The constellation resembles two roundish objects, each of which is tied to the same point by a long length of string. Generally the objects have been considered as fish, although since, by including fainter stars visible to the naked eye, the strings themself take on the appearance of stick-figure bodies (with the roundish objects thus becoming heads), some forms of early Greek mythology viewed it as men bound to a point. It is generally thought that in earlier depictions, only thes constellation Piscis Austrinus was considered to be a fish.
According to one version in Greek mythology, this constellation represents fish into which Aphrodite and her son Eros transformed in order to escape the monstrous Typhon. The two fish are often depicted tied together with a cord (on their tails), to make sure they do not lose one another.
According to another version, since the binding point is below the ecliptic, and thus considered to represent being in the underworld, and that one of the figures (the one on the left) appears to escape, but the other (on the right) seems to head back toward the ecliptic, then, together with Cetus (another constellation in the Zodiac sign of Pisces), this may have formed the basis of the myth of the capture of Cerberus, one of The Twelve Labours of Hercules.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisces_%28constellation%29#Mythology
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) and from Pisces to the start of the zodiac, Aries (for Natalie, for Ian):
In mythology Aries is often associated with the Greek myth of the ram which carried Athamas's son Phrixus and daughter Helle to Colchis to escape their stepmother Ino, as well as the mythological figure of Theseus, from the Greek myth of the Minotaur.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aries_%28astrology%29
I remember reading somewhere that Aries is leaping over the part of the sky known as The Sea (see yesterday #6), but I cannot find where I read this.
an alternate way to connect the stars to see the ram running or jumping
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
4.) Well I'm kind of getting sick of this astrological stuff I've been posting, but I guess there are only four left. As a break, have you heard of something called a flash mob?
A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief period of time, then quickly disperse.
The first attempt [in May 2003] was unsuccessful after the targeted retail store was tipped off about the plan for people to gather. ... [S]uch problems [were avoided] during the second flash mob, which occurred in June 3, 2003 at Macy's department store, by sending participants to preliminary staging areas—in four prearranged Manhattan bars—where they received further instructions about the ultimate event and location just before the event began.
More than one hundred people converged upon the ninth floor rug department of the store, gathering around an expensive rug. Anyone approached by a sales assistant was advised to say that the gatherers lived together in a warehouse on the outskirts of New York, that they were shopping for a "love rug", and that they made all their purchase decisions as a group.
Subsequently, 200 people flooded the lobby and mezzanine of the Hyatt hotel in synchronized applause for about fifteen seconds, and a shoe boutique in SoHo was invaded by participants pretending to be tourists on a bus trip.
These (or at least the first one in Macy's) were apparently organized by Bill Wasik, the senior editor of Harper's magazine as a social experiment designed to poke fun at hipsters and to highlight the cultural atmosphere of conformity and of wanting to be an insider or part of "the next big thing." However, to me, these would escape anything Bill thought he was doing.
Silent discos have attracted the largest flash mob gatherings to date. A "silent rave" at Victoria Station, London involved 4,000 participants. On 30 November 2006 another big event took place at Paddington station in the United Kingdom with more than 3,500 people in attendance.
Pillow fight flash mob: Pillows are sometimes hidden and at the exact pre-arranged time or the sound of a whistle, the pillow fighters pull out their pillows and commence pillow fighting. The pillow fights can last from a few minutes to several hours.
There is a 15 min. pillow fight planned to happen in Vancouver soon (March '08). Let me know if you're interested.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_mob
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillow_fight_flash_mob
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
1.) Naked threesome gives motorists an eyeful
The female passenger was taken to Royal Jubilee Hospital under the Mental Health Act, and it is likely charges, such as driving without due care and attention, will be laid against the man, Rice said.
The Mental Health Act? For having sex in a car? Either this article is missing some details or wow.
from http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=21a94312-6d66-4d97-a356-2870439ae258&k=36410
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) from the Times Colonist website, an ad from Google:
Bear Mountain Resort
Luxury Fractional Ownership
36 Holes of Nicklaus Designed Golf
www.BearMountain.ca
and another treesit article:
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=8d4b3d13-3cd8-45e4-894a-9c6708349f8f&k=77141
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
4.) From Sagittarius to Capricorn (for Kerria):
This constellation is one of the oldest to have been identified, possibly the oldest, despite its dimness. Since it falls in an area of the sky known as the sea, it became considered a sea-goat (in the same sense as a sea-maiden). Depictions of a goat or goat-fish have been found on Babylonian tablets dating back three thousand years. The constellation may owe its antiquity to the fact that at that time, the northern hemisphere's Winter Solstice occurred while the sun was in Capricorn. The concern for the sun's rebirth might have rendered astronomical and astrological observation of this region of space very important.
For the same reason, the sun's most southerly position, which is attained at the northern hemisphere's winter solstice, is now called the Tropic of Capricorn, a term which also applies to the line on earth where the sun is directly overhead at noon on that solstice.
Due to early Greek beliefs that sin accumulated throughout the year, causing the darkness to increase, together with the sun's descent and pause at the Solstice, the ancient Greeks referred to this area of sky as the Augean Stable, where they considered the sun stabled during the year. The cause of the association with the location or name of Augeas is not currently known. Perhaps an association could be made with the Labours of Hercules (or Heracles) who had to clean out the Augean Stables which had never been cleaned out before. The gradually accumulated dung could be synonymous with the gradually accumulated sins. However, during the classical period of Greek history, this name gradually fell out of use.
The constellation of Aquarius, who was said to have poured out a river, then represent the yearly cleaning rains, associating to one of The Twelve Labours of Hercules.
Due to the precession of the equinoxes, the December solstice no longer takes place while the sun is in Capricorn, but the astrological period called Capricorn begins at approximately the same time as the solstice.
Capricorn has been variously associated with the Augean Stable mentioned above, Amalthea (a goat that suckled the infant Zeus once saved by his mother Rhea from his father Cronos), or Pan when he dove into the Nile to escape the monster Typhon (and the part underwater morphed into a fish-like creature).
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capricornus
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
5.) and from Capricorn to Aquarius (for Fiona):
The best-known myth identifies Aquarius with Ganymede, a beautiful youth with whom Zeus fell in love, and whom he (in the disguise of an eagle, represented as the constellation Aquila) carried off to Olympus to be cup bearer to the gods.
Aquarius generally resembles the figure of a man, and when considering fainter humanly visible stars, it takes on the image of a man with a bucket from which is pouring a stream. Aquarius was also identified as the pourer of the waters which flooded the earth in the Great Flood, in the ancient Greek version of the myth. As such, the constellation Eridanus was sometimes identified as being a river poured out by Aquarius.
It may also, together with the constellation Pegasus, be part of the origin of the myth of the Mares of Diomedes, which forms one of The Twelve Labours of Heracles. Its association with pouring out rivers, and the nearby constellation of Capricornus, may be the source of the myth of the Augean stable, which forms another of the labours.
The corresponding month in the Babylonian calendar is Arax Šabaṭu, "the destroying month", also called arax arrat zunne, "month of the curse of rains", associated with the Great Flood. It is dedicated to Ramman, the storm god.
We're in the Age of Aquarius according to New Age mythology. (or are we? see below: #7)
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarius_%28constellation%29#Mythology
alternate way to connect the stars of Aquarius
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
6.) The Sea in astrology, which I've come upon several times, is an area in which various water-related constellations appear.
* Aquarius the Water-bearer
* Capricornus the Sea-goat
* Cetus the Whale
* Delphinus the Dolphin
* Eridanus the Great River
* Hydra the Water serpent
* Pisces the Fishes
* Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish (not named by Ptolemy)
Sometimes included are the Argo Ship and Crater the Water Cup.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_%28astronomy%29
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
7.) The Age of Aquarius is one of the Astrological Ages. How you map it out affects where we are in the great cycles. Briefly (as this seems to be a hole you would forever disappear into), an astrological age roughly corresponds to the time taken for the vernal equinox to move from one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac into the next one.
The Ages in astrology, however, do not correspond directly to actual constellation boundaries where the vernal equinox may be occurring in a given time.
In astrology, each age is led by the Zodiacal sign of the constellation in which the Sun actually appears at the vernal equinox in northern hemisphere. Nevertheless, as it is described above, this may not correspond to the actual constellation in the sky, since each age has a fixed 30-degree length and the constellations have variable lengths. The changes upon Earth are caused and marked by the influences of the given astrological sign, related to the northern hemisphere. However, the Age's influences are also complemented by the sign in which the autumnal equinox occurs (the autumnal equinox occurs in the southern hemisphere at the same time that the vernal equinox is occurring in the northern hemisphere). For example, the Age of Pisces (the Fish), vernal equinox, is complemented by the astrological sign of Virgo (the Virgin), autumnal equinox; for this reason the current Piscean age is called in astrology the "Age of Pisces-Virgo."
Since each sign of the zodiac subtends (on average) 30 degrees, each astrological age might be thought to last about 72 × 30 = about 2150, 2156 or 2160 years (the most common ones). This means the Sun crosses the equator at the vernal equinox moving backwards against the fixed stars from one year to the next at the rate of one degree in seventy-two years, one constellation in about 2156 years, and the whole twelve signs in about 25 800, 25 868 or 25 920 years (the most commonly-adopted periods), sometimes called a Great Sidereal Year. The length of the ages are decreasing with time as the rate of precession is increasing. Therefore no two ages are of equal length.
The Age of Pisces is the current Great Month, and will remain so for approximately another 600 years. At that time, the vernal equinox point will no longer be facing Pisces, but both the Zodical sign of Aquarius and the constellation of Aquarius, thus beginning the Age of Aquarius.
(note that the Astrological Ages or Great Months, as they're called, move backwards through the zodiac. also note that we aren't in the Age of Aquarius yet, according to this article; see here.)
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Aquarius
The female passenger was taken to Royal Jubilee Hospital under the Mental Health Act, and it is likely charges, such as driving without due care and attention, will be laid against the man, Rice said.
The Mental Health Act? For having sex in a car? Either this article is missing some details or wow.
from http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=21a94312-6d66-4d97-a356-2870439ae258&k=36410
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) from the Times Colonist website, an ad from Google:
Bear Mountain Resort
Luxury Fractional Ownership
36 Holes of Nicklaus Designed Golf
www.BearMountain.ca
and another treesit article:
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=8d4b3d13-3cd8-45e4-894a-9c6708349f8f&k=77141
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
4.) From Sagittarius to Capricorn (for Kerria):
This constellation is one of the oldest to have been identified, possibly the oldest, despite its dimness. Since it falls in an area of the sky known as the sea, it became considered a sea-goat (in the same sense as a sea-maiden). Depictions of a goat or goat-fish have been found on Babylonian tablets dating back three thousand years. The constellation may owe its antiquity to the fact that at that time, the northern hemisphere's Winter Solstice occurred while the sun was in Capricorn. The concern for the sun's rebirth might have rendered astronomical and astrological observation of this region of space very important.
For the same reason, the sun's most southerly position, which is attained at the northern hemisphere's winter solstice, is now called the Tropic of Capricorn, a term which also applies to the line on earth where the sun is directly overhead at noon on that solstice.
Due to early Greek beliefs that sin accumulated throughout the year, causing the darkness to increase, together with the sun's descent and pause at the Solstice, the ancient Greeks referred to this area of sky as the Augean Stable, where they considered the sun stabled during the year. The cause of the association with the location or name of Augeas is not currently known. Perhaps an association could be made with the Labours of Hercules (or Heracles) who had to clean out the Augean Stables which had never been cleaned out before. The gradually accumulated dung could be synonymous with the gradually accumulated sins. However, during the classical period of Greek history, this name gradually fell out of use.
The constellation of Aquarius, who was said to have poured out a river, then represent the yearly cleaning rains, associating to one of The Twelve Labours of Hercules.
Due to the precession of the equinoxes, the December solstice no longer takes place while the sun is in Capricorn, but the astrological period called Capricorn begins at approximately the same time as the solstice.
Capricorn has been variously associated with the Augean Stable mentioned above, Amalthea (a goat that suckled the infant Zeus once saved by his mother Rhea from his father Cronos), or Pan when he dove into the Nile to escape the monster Typhon (and the part underwater morphed into a fish-like creature).
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capricornus
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
5.) and from Capricorn to Aquarius (for Fiona):
The best-known myth identifies Aquarius with Ganymede, a beautiful youth with whom Zeus fell in love, and whom he (in the disguise of an eagle, represented as the constellation Aquila) carried off to Olympus to be cup bearer to the gods.
Aquarius generally resembles the figure of a man, and when considering fainter humanly visible stars, it takes on the image of a man with a bucket from which is pouring a stream. Aquarius was also identified as the pourer of the waters which flooded the earth in the Great Flood, in the ancient Greek version of the myth. As such, the constellation Eridanus was sometimes identified as being a river poured out by Aquarius.
It may also, together with the constellation Pegasus, be part of the origin of the myth of the Mares of Diomedes, which forms one of The Twelve Labours of Heracles. Its association with pouring out rivers, and the nearby constellation of Capricornus, may be the source of the myth of the Augean stable, which forms another of the labours.
The corresponding month in the Babylonian calendar is Arax Šabaṭu, "the destroying month", also called arax arrat zunne, "month of the curse of rains", associated with the Great Flood. It is dedicated to Ramman, the storm god.
We're in the Age of Aquarius according to New Age mythology. (or are we? see below: #7)
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarius_%28constellation%29#Mythology
alternate way to connect the stars of Aquarius
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
6.) The Sea in astrology, which I've come upon several times, is an area in which various water-related constellations appear.
* Aquarius the Water-bearer
* Capricornus the Sea-goat
* Cetus the Whale
* Delphinus the Dolphin
* Eridanus the Great River
* Hydra the Water serpent
* Pisces the Fishes
* Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish (not named by Ptolemy)
Sometimes included are the Argo Ship and Crater the Water Cup.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_%28astronomy%29
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
7.) The Age of Aquarius is one of the Astrological Ages. How you map it out affects where we are in the great cycles. Briefly (as this seems to be a hole you would forever disappear into), an astrological age roughly corresponds to the time taken for the vernal equinox to move from one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac into the next one.
The Ages in astrology, however, do not correspond directly to actual constellation boundaries where the vernal equinox may be occurring in a given time.
In astrology, each age is led by the Zodiacal sign of the constellation in which the Sun actually appears at the vernal equinox in northern hemisphere. Nevertheless, as it is described above, this may not correspond to the actual constellation in the sky, since each age has a fixed 30-degree length and the constellations have variable lengths. The changes upon Earth are caused and marked by the influences of the given astrological sign, related to the northern hemisphere. However, the Age's influences are also complemented by the sign in which the autumnal equinox occurs (the autumnal equinox occurs in the southern hemisphere at the same time that the vernal equinox is occurring in the northern hemisphere). For example, the Age of Pisces (the Fish), vernal equinox, is complemented by the astrological sign of Virgo (the Virgin), autumnal equinox; for this reason the current Piscean age is called in astrology the "Age of Pisces-Virgo."
Since each sign of the zodiac subtends (on average) 30 degrees, each astrological age might be thought to last about 72 × 30 = about 2150, 2156 or 2160 years (the most common ones). This means the Sun crosses the equator at the vernal equinox moving backwards against the fixed stars from one year to the next at the rate of one degree in seventy-two years, one constellation in about 2156 years, and the whole twelve signs in about 25 800, 25 868 or 25 920 years (the most commonly-adopted periods), sometimes called a Great Sidereal Year. The length of the ages are decreasing with time as the rate of precession is increasing. Therefore no two ages are of equal length.
The Age of Pisces is the current Great Month, and will remain so for approximately another 600 years. At that time, the vernal equinox point will no longer be facing Pisces, but both the Zodical sign of Aquarius and the constellation of Aquarius, thus beginning the Age of Aquarius.
(note that the Astrological Ages or Great Months, as they're called, move backwards through the zodiac. also note that we aren't in the Age of Aquarius yet, according to this article; see here.)
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Aquarius
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
1.) Spread the love, like butter, like margarine.
Times Colonist: Langford plans to sue highway protesters
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) From The Province's website (on the site, the 'What if' questions are all links to articles):
What if there's a campus shooting?
It's a damp spring morning at the University of B.C. and students have barely had time to uncap their...
* What if there's an earthquake?
* What if there's a plane crash?
* What if there's a pandemic?
* What if there's a major chemical spill?
* What if Mount Baker blows?
* Sound Off: What do you think?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) To continue with the Horae, the hours, mentioned yesterday (the children of Themis and Zeus):
In Greek mythology, the Horae (Ώραι — literally translated as "the hours") were three goddesses controlling orderly life. They were daughters of Zeus and Themis, half-sisters to the Moirae. There were two generations of Horae: (note: this does not refer to generation in the traditional sense of the second group being offspring of the first; earlier writers recognized the first generation and later authors subscribed to the second.)
The first generation consisted of Thallo, Auxo, and Carpo, who were the goddesses of the seasons (the Greeks only recognized spring, summer and autumn). In art, the first generation were usually portrayed as young, attractive women surrounded by colourful flowers and abundant vegetation or other symbols of fertility. They were worshipped primarily amongst rural farmers throughout Greece.
Thallo (Θαλλώ literally translated as the one who brings blossoms) (or Thalatte) was the goddess of spring, buds and blooms, the bringer of flowers, and became a protector of youth.
Auxo (Αυξώ pronounced Afxo) or Auxesia is Greek for increaser (as in "plant growth"), and she was worshipped alongside Hegemone [Hegemone was a Greek goddess of plants, specifically making them bloom and bear fruit as they were supposed to. Her name means "mastery".] in Athens as one of their two Charites.
Carpo (Καρπώ), Carpho or Xarpo (translated as the one who brings food - though Robert Graves in his book The Greek Myths translates this name as "withering") was in charge of autumn, ripening, and harvesting, as well as guarding the way to Mount Olympus and letting back the clouds surrounding the mountain if one of the gods left. She was an attendant to Persephone, Aphrodite and Hera, and was also associated with Dionysus, Apollo and Pan.
The second generation comprised Eunomia, Dike, and Eirene, who were law and order goddesses that maintained the stability of society. They were worshipped primarily in the cities of Athens, Argos and Olympia.
Dike (Δίκη - Greek for justice). See yesterday.
Eunomia (Ευνομία - Greek for good order - governance according to good laws) was the goddess of law and legislation. The same or a different goddess may have been a daughter of Hermes and Aphrodite.
Eirene, or Irene (Ειρήνη -pronounced I-ree-nee; Greek for peace); the Roman equivalent was Pax), was the personification of peace and wealth, and was depicted in art as a beautiful young woman carrying a cornucopia, scepter and a torch or rhyton.
Wikipedia goes on to mention a possible third and forth generation with variations -- I won't get into that here. There are, however, an interesting grouping of goddesses for the times of the day:
* Auge, first light
* Anatole or Anatolia, sunrise
* Mousika or Musica, the morning hour of music and study
* Gymnastika, Gymnastica or Gymnasia, the morning hour of gymnastics/exercise
* Nymphe, the morning hour of ablutions (bathing, washing)
* Mesembria, noon
* Sponde, libations poured after lunch
* Elete, prayer, the first of the afternoon work hours
* Akte, Acte or Cypris, eating and pleasure, the second of the afternoon work hours
* Hesperis, evening
* Dysis, sunset
* The name of the twelfth Hora is missing from the ancient text listing these goddesses.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horae
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegemone
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
4.) The Moirae: the fates.
They controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death (and beyond). Even the gods feared the Moirae. Zeus also was subject to their power, as the Pythian priestess at Delphi once admitted.
The three Moirae were:
* Clotho (..."spinner") spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle....
* Lachesis (..."allotter" or drawer of lots) measured the thread of life with her rod....
* Atropos (..."inexorable" or "inevitable", literally "unturning", sometimes called Aisa) was the cutter of the thread of life. She chose the manner of a person's death. When she cut the thread with "her abhorrèd shears", someone on Earth died....
The Moirae were supposed to appear three nights after a child's birth to determine the course of its life. The Greeks variously claimed that they were the daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Themis (the "Institutor") or of primordial beings like Nyx, the Night, Chaos or Ananke, Necessity.
Versions of the Moirae also existed on the deepest European mythological level. It is difficult to separate them from the other Indo-European spinning fate goddesses known as the Norns in Norse mythology and the Baltic goddess Laima and her two sisters. Some Greek mythographers went so far as to claim that the Moirae were the daughters of Zeus— paired with either Ananke or, as Hesiod had it in one passage, Themis or Nyx. Whether or not providing a father even for the Moirae was a symptom of how far Greek mythographers were willing to go, in order to modify the old myths to suit the patrilineal Olympic order, the claim was certainly not acceptable to Aeschylus, Herodotus, or Plato.
The Moirae were usually described as cold, remorseless and unfeeling, and depicted as old crones or hags. ... Despite their forbidding reputation, Moirae could be worshipped as goddesses.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirae
The Graeae, to be compared with the Moirae.
The Graeae (..."old women", "gray ones", or "gray witches", alternatively spelled Graiai, Graiae, Graii), were three sisters, one of several trinities of archaic goddesses in Greek mythology. The Graeae were daughters of Phorcys, one aspect of the "old man of the sea," and Ceto.... Hesiod reports their names as Deino ("dread", the dreadful anticipation of horror), Enyo ("horror" the "waster of cities" who had an identity separate from this sisterhood) and Pemphredo ("alarm")... Hyginus adds a fourth, Persis or Perso.
Like another set of crones at the oldest levels of both Germanic and Norse mythology, they had but one eye and one tooth among them. These were shared and the sisters took turns in using them. By stealing their eye while they were passing it between them, the hero Perseus forced them to tell the whereabouts of their sisters, the Gorgons, ransoming the seeing eye for the information. The Graeae can be compared with the three spinners of Destiny (the Moirae), the northern European Norns, or the Baltic goddess Laima and her two sisters.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeae
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
5.) Briefly (as I'm tired of the trios as such), the Charities:
In Greek mythology, a Charis is one of several Charites (Χάριτες; Greek: "Graces"), goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility. They ordinarily numbered three, from youngest to oldest: Aglaea ("Beauty"), Euphrosyne ("Mirth"), and Thalia ("Good Cheer"). In Roman mythology they were known as the Gratiae, the "Three Graces."
The Charites were usually considered the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, though they were also said to be daughters of Dionysus and Aphrodite or of Helios and the naiad Aegle. Homer wrote that they were part of the retinue of Aphrodite. The Charites were also associated with the underworld and the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Again, at Athens, before the entrance to the Acropolis, the Graces are three in number; by their side are celebrated mysteries which must not be divulged to the many.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charites
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
6.) To pick up with yesterday: we have followed Virgo to Libra which brought us to Scorpio:
Scorpius resembles, quite noticeably, a scorpion's tail, and a vague body. According to Greek mythology, it corresponds to the scorpion which was sent by the goddess Hera (or possibly Gaia) to kill the hunter Orion, the scorpion rising out of the ground to attack. Although the scorpion and Orion appear together in this myth, the constellation of Orion is almost opposite to Scorpius in the night sky. It has been suggested that this was a divine precaution to forestall the heavenly continuation of the feud.
In one version however, Apollo sent the scorpion after Orion, having grown jealous of Artemis' attentions to Orion. Later, in contrition for killing her friend, Apollo helped Artemis hang Orion's image in the night sky. However, the scorpion was also placed up there, and every time it appears on the horizon, Orion starts to sink into the other side of the sky, still running from the attacker.
Scorpius also appears in one version of the story of Phaethon, the mortal son of Helios, the sun. Phaethon asked to drive the sun-chariot for a day. Phaethon lost control of the chariot. The horses, already out of control, were scared by the great celestial scorpion with its sting raised to strike, and the inexperienced boy lost control of the chariot, as the sun wildly went about the sky (this is said to have formed the constellation Eridanus). Finally, Zeus struck him down with a thunderbolt to stop the rampage.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpius#Mythology
and:
In mythology Scorpio is often associated with Hades, Lord of the Underworld, who was known in Roman mythology as Pluto, and Orpheus from the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Scorpio is also associated with the Greco-Roman gods Ares/Mars. The constellation is also associated with the scorpion that killed Orion.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpio_%28astrology%29#Mythology
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7.) Zodiac photos
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
8.) From Scorpio to Sagittarius (for Adam).
In mythology Sagittarius is often associated with either a Satyr or a Centaur (in the case of the latter, often the centaur Chiron, who taught and tutored various heroes in Greek myth). In Greek mythology, centaurs were adventurous, brave, and wise, but they were also given to brawling and uncivilized behavior.
The Greek legends tell us that Sagittarius is a centaur, half human, half horse. He was the son of Saturn and Plyilyra and is said to have changed himself into a horse to escape his jealous wife, Rhea.
Sagittarius has the rough appearance of a stick-figure archer drawing its bow, and when including the fainter stars, appears to have a horse-like body. Sometimes it is called the 'Teapot' as it looks like one.
The Sagittarius's dual natures, that of the beast (aggressive, rebellious, sexual, free-roaming, etc.) and the higher nature (philosophical, open-minded, honest etc.) are said to be in constant conflict.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_%28constellation%29
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_%28astrology%29
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
9.) It would be foolish of me to try to explain my interest in astrology but it has to do with some kind of poetry of sorts. Certainly I doubt I'll ever muster enough energy (assuming that's what's needed) to really figure out its "validity" or "accuracy". As follows is a basic guideline for astrological dates (*insert caveats re: systems and methodology here*).
Aries Fire: 21 March - 20 April
Taurus Earth: 21 April - 21 May
Gemini Air: 22 May - 23 June
Cancer Water: 24 June - 22 July
Leo Fire: 23 July - 22 August
Virgo Earth: 23 August - 22 September
Libra Air: 23 September - 23 October
Scorpio Water: 24 October - 21 November
Sagittarius Fire: 22 November - 21 December
Capricorn Earth: 22 December - 20 January
Aquarius Air: 21 January - 18 February
Pisces Water: 19 February - 20 March
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_sign
Ah, I found a caveat of sorts:
The Western tropical astrology starts with the first point of Aries, which is defined as the point at which the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator at the spring equinox. It is important to note that the tropical zodiac signs at this stage no longer bear any relationship to the astronomical constellations after which they were originally named, due to a phenomenon known as the precession of the equinoxes which produces a slow change of the time of year when constellations are visible in the night sky over a 25,000 year cycle.
Western sidereal astrology and Indian astrology use signs which more or less coincide with the stellar constellations of the same name, although this involves adjustments to allow for the precession of the equinoxes.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_sign#The_zodiac
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
10.) Well, after a break, here comes something: I've decided to sort of take notes here, to see if I can get this stuff straight.
equinox: either of the two times each year (as about March 21 and September 23) when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are everywhere on earth of approximately equal length, or: either of the two points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic
ecliptic: the great circle of the celestial sphere that is the apparent path of the sun among the stars or of the earth as seen from the sun : the plane of the earth's orbit extended to meet the celestial sphere
celestial sphere: an imaginary sphere of infinite radius against which the celestial bodies appear to be projected and of which the apparent dome of the visible sky forms half
celestial equator: the great circle on the celestial sphere midway between the celestial poles
celestial pole: either of the two points on the celestial sphere around which the diurnal rotation of the stars appears to take place
Ok, so far so good.
vernal: of, relating to, or occurring in the spring
solstice: either of the two points on the ecliptic at which its distance from the celestial equator is greatest and which is reached by the sun each year about June 22 and December 22, or: the time of the sun's passing a solstice which occurs about June 22 to begin summer in the northern hemisphere and about December 22 to begin winter in the northern hemisphere
zodiac: an imaginary band in the heavens centered on the ecliptic that encompasses the apparent paths of all the planets except Pluto and is divided into 12 constellations or signs each taken for astrological purposes to extend 30 degrees of longitude
precession of the equinoxes: a slow westward motion of the equinoxes along the ecliptic caused by the gravitational action of sun and moon upon the protuberant matter about the earth's equator
The precession of Earth's axis of rotation with respect to inertial space is also called the precession of the equinoxes. Like a wobbling top, the direction of the Earth's axis is changing; while today, the North Pole points roughly to Polaris, over time it will change. Because of this wobble, the position of the earth in its orbit around the sun at the moment of the equinoxes and solstices will also change.
all definitions from www.m-w.com
the last one is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precession_of_the_equinoxes
also see here for a helpful picture
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
11.) So I've looked a bit more into this. Let's see what we've got:
The signs of the zodiac do not necessarily coincide with the actual constellations for which they are named. Because of the division of the zodiac into 12 signs of 30° each; due to various specifications for the boundaries of the constellations; and especially due to the precession of the equinoxes for the tropical system of coordinates, the constellations should not be confused with zodiac signs. ...[as an example:] today, the beginning of the tropical sign of Aries (defined as the position of the Sun on the vernal equinox) lies somewhere within the constellation Pisces.
...consider the motion of the Sun from one vernal equinox to the next; the Earth would complete such a cycle shortly before it completed an entire orbit around the Sun. (24 minutes and 20 seconds before). The difference is very subtle, but as astronomers found archival records to compare their sightings with sightings of previous astronomers, the discrepancy thus became apparent. Some estimates of the rate of precession suggest that over a period of 27,000 tropical years, the Earth will have orbited the Sun only 26,999 times. That Hipparchus in the second century BC could recognize and document such a subtle process which is now known as the precession of the equinoxes could be considered remarkable.
The use of the phrase "first point in Aries" causes some confusion when considering sidereal versus tropical systems of coordinates. The first point in Aries in the sidereal system of coordinates, would be the first star in the Aries sign or perhaps the boundary of that sign. Whereas in tropical coordinates, the vernal equinox defines this point. [the tropical system, a more geocentric system, is based on our seasons: i.e. the name "Aries" is not connected to the actual constellation; whereas the the sidereal system is based on fixed stars: i.e. "Aries" is either the arrival of the first star in the Aries constellation or the boundary (as defined in 1930 by the International Astronomical Union): note that these boundaries also distort over time. Most popular astrology uses the tropical system. In other words, there are many factors. And then the question arises of the interrelation, cause and effect, and what we're really doing here at all.]
for sources, start here and work your way down to the bottom of the article. I would suggest viewing the table to see how different the dates are based on which system you use. for example, Gemini is either May 23 – June 23, June 15 – July 16, or June 21 – July 21, depending on how you delineate it.
Perhaps some musing on what I make of this is called for at some point.
Times Colonist: Langford plans to sue highway protesters
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2.) From The Province's website (on the site, the 'What if' questions are all links to articles):
What if there's a campus shooting?
It's a damp spring morning at the University of B.C. and students have barely had time to uncap their...
* What if there's an earthquake?
* What if there's a plane crash?
* What if there's a pandemic?
* What if there's a major chemical spill?
* What if Mount Baker blows?
* Sound Off: What do you think?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) To continue with the Horae, the hours, mentioned yesterday (the children of Themis and Zeus):
In Greek mythology, the Horae (Ώραι — literally translated as "the hours") were three goddesses controlling orderly life. They were daughters of Zeus and Themis, half-sisters to the Moirae. There were two generations of Horae: (note: this does not refer to generation in the traditional sense of the second group being offspring of the first; earlier writers recognized the first generation and later authors subscribed to the second.)
The first generation consisted of Thallo, Auxo, and Carpo, who were the goddesses of the seasons (the Greeks only recognized spring, summer and autumn). In art, the first generation were usually portrayed as young, attractive women surrounded by colourful flowers and abundant vegetation or other symbols of fertility. They were worshipped primarily amongst rural farmers throughout Greece.
Thallo (Θαλλώ literally translated as the one who brings blossoms) (or Thalatte) was the goddess of spring, buds and blooms, the bringer of flowers, and became a protector of youth.
Auxo (Αυξώ pronounced Afxo) or Auxesia is Greek for increaser (as in "plant growth"), and she was worshipped alongside Hegemone [Hegemone was a Greek goddess of plants, specifically making them bloom and bear fruit as they were supposed to. Her name means "mastery".] in Athens as one of their two Charites.
Carpo (Καρπώ), Carpho or Xarpo (translated as the one who brings food - though Robert Graves in his book The Greek Myths translates this name as "withering") was in charge of autumn, ripening, and harvesting, as well as guarding the way to Mount Olympus and letting back the clouds surrounding the mountain if one of the gods left. She was an attendant to Persephone, Aphrodite and Hera, and was also associated with Dionysus, Apollo and Pan.
The second generation comprised Eunomia, Dike, and Eirene, who were law and order goddesses that maintained the stability of society. They were worshipped primarily in the cities of Athens, Argos and Olympia.
Dike (Δίκη - Greek for justice). See yesterday.
Eunomia (Ευνομία - Greek for good order - governance according to good laws) was the goddess of law and legislation. The same or a different goddess may have been a daughter of Hermes and Aphrodite.
Eirene, or Irene (Ειρήνη -pronounced I-ree-nee; Greek for peace); the Roman equivalent was Pax), was the personification of peace and wealth, and was depicted in art as a beautiful young woman carrying a cornucopia, scepter and a torch or rhyton.
Wikipedia goes on to mention a possible third and forth generation with variations -- I won't get into that here. There are, however, an interesting grouping of goddesses for the times of the day:
* Auge, first light
* Anatole or Anatolia, sunrise
* Mousika or Musica, the morning hour of music and study
* Gymnastika, Gymnastica or Gymnasia, the morning hour of gymnastics/exercise
* Nymphe, the morning hour of ablutions (bathing, washing)
* Mesembria, noon
* Sponde, libations poured after lunch
* Elete, prayer, the first of the afternoon work hours
* Akte, Acte or Cypris, eating and pleasure, the second of the afternoon work hours
* Hesperis, evening
* Dysis, sunset
* The name of the twelfth Hora is missing from the ancient text listing these goddesses.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horae
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegemone
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
4.) The Moirae: the fates.
They controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death (and beyond). Even the gods feared the Moirae. Zeus also was subject to their power, as the Pythian priestess at Delphi once admitted.
The three Moirae were:
* Clotho (..."spinner") spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle....
* Lachesis (..."allotter" or drawer of lots) measured the thread of life with her rod....
* Atropos (..."inexorable" or "inevitable", literally "unturning", sometimes called Aisa) was the cutter of the thread of life. She chose the manner of a person's death. When she cut the thread with "her abhorrèd shears", someone on Earth died....
The Moirae were supposed to appear three nights after a child's birth to determine the course of its life. The Greeks variously claimed that they were the daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Themis (the "Institutor") or of primordial beings like Nyx, the Night, Chaos or Ananke, Necessity.
Versions of the Moirae also existed on the deepest European mythological level. It is difficult to separate them from the other Indo-European spinning fate goddesses known as the Norns in Norse mythology and the Baltic goddess Laima and her two sisters. Some Greek mythographers went so far as to claim that the Moirae were the daughters of Zeus— paired with either Ananke or, as Hesiod had it in one passage, Themis or Nyx. Whether or not providing a father even for the Moirae was a symptom of how far Greek mythographers were willing to go, in order to modify the old myths to suit the patrilineal Olympic order, the claim was certainly not acceptable to Aeschylus, Herodotus, or Plato.
The Moirae were usually described as cold, remorseless and unfeeling, and depicted as old crones or hags. ... Despite their forbidding reputation, Moirae could be worshipped as goddesses.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirae
The Graeae, to be compared with the Moirae.
The Graeae (..."old women", "gray ones", or "gray witches", alternatively spelled Graiai, Graiae, Graii), were three sisters, one of several trinities of archaic goddesses in Greek mythology. The Graeae were daughters of Phorcys, one aspect of the "old man of the sea," and Ceto.... Hesiod reports their names as Deino ("dread", the dreadful anticipation of horror), Enyo ("horror" the "waster of cities" who had an identity separate from this sisterhood) and Pemphredo ("alarm")... Hyginus adds a fourth, Persis or Perso.
Like another set of crones at the oldest levels of both Germanic and Norse mythology, they had but one eye and one tooth among them. These were shared and the sisters took turns in using them. By stealing their eye while they were passing it between them, the hero Perseus forced them to tell the whereabouts of their sisters, the Gorgons, ransoming the seeing eye for the information. The Graeae can be compared with the three spinners of Destiny (the Moirae), the northern European Norns, or the Baltic goddess Laima and her two sisters.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeae
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
5.) Briefly (as I'm tired of the trios as such), the Charities:
In Greek mythology, a Charis is one of several Charites (Χάριτες; Greek: "Graces"), goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility. They ordinarily numbered three, from youngest to oldest: Aglaea ("Beauty"), Euphrosyne ("Mirth"), and Thalia ("Good Cheer"). In Roman mythology they were known as the Gratiae, the "Three Graces."
The Charites were usually considered the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, though they were also said to be daughters of Dionysus and Aphrodite or of Helios and the naiad Aegle. Homer wrote that they were part of the retinue of Aphrodite. The Charites were also associated with the underworld and the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Again, at Athens, before the entrance to the Acropolis, the Graces are three in number; by their side are celebrated mysteries which must not be divulged to the many.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charites
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
6.) To pick up with yesterday: we have followed Virgo to Libra which brought us to Scorpio:
Scorpius resembles, quite noticeably, a scorpion's tail, and a vague body. According to Greek mythology, it corresponds to the scorpion which was sent by the goddess Hera (or possibly Gaia) to kill the hunter Orion, the scorpion rising out of the ground to attack. Although the scorpion and Orion appear together in this myth, the constellation of Orion is almost opposite to Scorpius in the night sky. It has been suggested that this was a divine precaution to forestall the heavenly continuation of the feud.
In one version however, Apollo sent the scorpion after Orion, having grown jealous of Artemis' attentions to Orion. Later, in contrition for killing her friend, Apollo helped Artemis hang Orion's image in the night sky. However, the scorpion was also placed up there, and every time it appears on the horizon, Orion starts to sink into the other side of the sky, still running from the attacker.
Scorpius also appears in one version of the story of Phaethon, the mortal son of Helios, the sun. Phaethon asked to drive the sun-chariot for a day. Phaethon lost control of the chariot. The horses, already out of control, were scared by the great celestial scorpion with its sting raised to strike, and the inexperienced boy lost control of the chariot, as the sun wildly went about the sky (this is said to have formed the constellation Eridanus). Finally, Zeus struck him down with a thunderbolt to stop the rampage.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpius#Mythology
and:
In mythology Scorpio is often associated with Hades, Lord of the Underworld, who was known in Roman mythology as Pluto, and Orpheus from the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Scorpio is also associated with the Greco-Roman gods Ares/Mars. The constellation is also associated with the scorpion that killed Orion.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpio_%28astrology%29#Mythology
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7.) Zodiac photos
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
8.) From Scorpio to Sagittarius (for Adam).
In mythology Sagittarius is often associated with either a Satyr or a Centaur (in the case of the latter, often the centaur Chiron, who taught and tutored various heroes in Greek myth). In Greek mythology, centaurs were adventurous, brave, and wise, but they were also given to brawling and uncivilized behavior.
The Greek legends tell us that Sagittarius is a centaur, half human, half horse. He was the son of Saturn and Plyilyra and is said to have changed himself into a horse to escape his jealous wife, Rhea.
Sagittarius has the rough appearance of a stick-figure archer drawing its bow, and when including the fainter stars, appears to have a horse-like body. Sometimes it is called the 'Teapot' as it looks like one.
The Sagittarius's dual natures, that of the beast (aggressive, rebellious, sexual, free-roaming, etc.) and the higher nature (philosophical, open-minded, honest etc.) are said to be in constant conflict.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_%28constellation%29
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_%28astrology%29
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
9.) It would be foolish of me to try to explain my interest in astrology but it has to do with some kind of poetry of sorts. Certainly I doubt I'll ever muster enough energy (assuming that's what's needed) to really figure out its "validity" or "accuracy". As follows is a basic guideline for astrological dates (*insert caveats re: systems and methodology here*).
Aries Fire: 21 March - 20 April
Taurus Earth: 21 April - 21 May
Gemini Air: 22 May - 23 June
Cancer Water: 24 June - 22 July
Leo Fire: 23 July - 22 August
Virgo Earth: 23 August - 22 September
Libra Air: 23 September - 23 October
Scorpio Water: 24 October - 21 November
Sagittarius Fire: 22 November - 21 December
Capricorn Earth: 22 December - 20 January
Aquarius Air: 21 January - 18 February
Pisces Water: 19 February - 20 March
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_sign
Ah, I found a caveat of sorts:
The Western tropical astrology starts with the first point of Aries, which is defined as the point at which the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator at the spring equinox. It is important to note that the tropical zodiac signs at this stage no longer bear any relationship to the astronomical constellations after which they were originally named, due to a phenomenon known as the precession of the equinoxes which produces a slow change of the time of year when constellations are visible in the night sky over a 25,000 year cycle.
Western sidereal astrology and Indian astrology use signs which more or less coincide with the stellar constellations of the same name, although this involves adjustments to allow for the precession of the equinoxes.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_sign#The_zodiac
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
10.) Well, after a break, here comes something: I've decided to sort of take notes here, to see if I can get this stuff straight.
equinox: either of the two times each year (as about March 21 and September 23) when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are everywhere on earth of approximately equal length, or: either of the two points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic
ecliptic: the great circle of the celestial sphere that is the apparent path of the sun among the stars or of the earth as seen from the sun : the plane of the earth's orbit extended to meet the celestial sphere
celestial sphere: an imaginary sphere of infinite radius against which the celestial bodies appear to be projected and of which the apparent dome of the visible sky forms half
celestial equator: the great circle on the celestial sphere midway between the celestial poles
celestial pole: either of the two points on the celestial sphere around which the diurnal rotation of the stars appears to take place
Ok, so far so good.
vernal: of, relating to, or occurring in the spring
solstice: either of the two points on the ecliptic at which its distance from the celestial equator is greatest and which is reached by the sun each year about June 22 and December 22, or: the time of the sun's passing a solstice which occurs about June 22 to begin summer in the northern hemisphere and about December 22 to begin winter in the northern hemisphere
zodiac: an imaginary band in the heavens centered on the ecliptic that encompasses the apparent paths of all the planets except Pluto and is divided into 12 constellations or signs each taken for astrological purposes to extend 30 degrees of longitude
precession of the equinoxes: a slow westward motion of the equinoxes along the ecliptic caused by the gravitational action of sun and moon upon the protuberant matter about the earth's equator
The precession of Earth's axis of rotation with respect to inertial space is also called the precession of the equinoxes. Like a wobbling top, the direction of the Earth's axis is changing; while today, the North Pole points roughly to Polaris, over time it will change. Because of this wobble, the position of the earth in its orbit around the sun at the moment of the equinoxes and solstices will also change.
all definitions from www.m-w.com
the last one is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precession_of_the_equinoxes
also see here for a helpful picture
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
11.) So I've looked a bit more into this. Let's see what we've got:
The signs of the zodiac do not necessarily coincide with the actual constellations for which they are named. Because of the division of the zodiac into 12 signs of 30° each; due to various specifications for the boundaries of the constellations; and especially due to the precession of the equinoxes for the tropical system of coordinates, the constellations should not be confused with zodiac signs. ...[as an example:] today, the beginning of the tropical sign of Aries (defined as the position of the Sun on the vernal equinox) lies somewhere within the constellation Pisces.
...consider the motion of the Sun from one vernal equinox to the next; the Earth would complete such a cycle shortly before it completed an entire orbit around the Sun. (24 minutes and 20 seconds before). The difference is very subtle, but as astronomers found archival records to compare their sightings with sightings of previous astronomers, the discrepancy thus became apparent. Some estimates of the rate of precession suggest that over a period of 27,000 tropical years, the Earth will have orbited the Sun only 26,999 times. That Hipparchus in the second century BC could recognize and document such a subtle process which is now known as the precession of the equinoxes could be considered remarkable.
The use of the phrase "first point in Aries" causes some confusion when considering sidereal versus tropical systems of coordinates. The first point in Aries in the sidereal system of coordinates, would be the first star in the Aries sign or perhaps the boundary of that sign. Whereas in tropical coordinates, the vernal equinox defines this point. [the tropical system, a more geocentric system, is based on our seasons: i.e. the name "Aries" is not connected to the actual constellation; whereas the the sidereal system is based on fixed stars: i.e. "Aries" is either the arrival of the first star in the Aries constellation or the boundary (as defined in 1930 by the International Astronomical Union): note that these boundaries also distort over time. Most popular astrology uses the tropical system. In other words, there are many factors. And then the question arises of the interrelation, cause and effect, and what we're really doing here at all.]
for sources, start here and work your way down to the bottom of the article. I would suggest viewing the table to see how different the dates are based on which system you use. for example, Gemini is either May 23 – June 23, June 15 – July 16, or June 21 – July 21, depending on how you delineate it.
Perhaps some musing on what I make of this is called for at some point.
Monday, February 25, 2008
1.) Justice, of sorts.
Themis is one of the six sons and six daughters of Gaia and Uranus, that is, of Earth with Sky.
Themis (meaning "law of nature" rather than "human ordinance"), she "of good counsel," was the embodiment of divine order, law and custom. When Themis is disregarded, Nemesis brings just and wrathful retribution.... Themis is not wrathful: she, "of the lovely cheeks"...
She built the Oracle at Delphi and was herself oracular. According to another legend, Themis received the Oracle at Delphi from Gaia and later gave it to Phoebe.
Children with Zeus: Horae: the Hours.
1. First Generation (other names are also known): Auxo (the Grower); Carpo (the Fruit-bringer); Thallo (the Plant-raiser).
2. Second Generation: Dike (Trial), known as Astraea in Roman mythology, the constellation Virgo; Eirene (Peace); Eunomia (Rule of Law).
A Roman equivalent of one aspect of Hellenic Themis, as the personification of the divine rightness of law, was Iustitia (Anglicized as Justitia). Her origins are in civic abstractions of a Roman mindset, rather than archaic mythology, so drawing comparisons is not fruitful. Portrayed as an impassive woman, blindfolded and holding scales and a cornucopia, the sculpted figure outside a county courthouse is Iustitia or Lady Justice, not Themis.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Themis
For you, Jarrad:
Who exactly Virgo was considered to represent is uncertain; in history, it has been associated with nearly every prominent goddess, including Ishtar, Isis, Cybele, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and Athena. Virgo may also feature, along with Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor, as part of the source of the myth of Callisto, either as Callisto herself, or as Hera. Persephone (who in some mythologies, notably the Eleusinian Mysteries, was considered to be a form of Demeter) is often mentioned as well, Virgo being visible mainly in the spring months when she was believed to have risen from the underworld.
According to one interpretation, the constellation depicts Astraea [aka Dike], the virgin daughter of the god Zeus and the goddess Themis. Astraea was known as the goddess of justice, and was identified as this constellation due to the presence of the scales of justice Libra nearby, and supposedly ruled the world at one point with her wise ways until mankind became so callous she returned to the skies disgusted.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgo_%28constellation%29#Mythology
And for you, Noah, Kait, and Kyle:
The best picture I could find in which Libra actually looks like something:
http://www.skyguide.org.uk/constellations/libra/libra.gif
Or, for Noah, (scroll down to see Libra):
http://illusionsetc.blogspot.com/2004/01/scales.html
The constellation, which had originally formed part of the claws of the scorpion (Scorpio), is the youngest of the Zodiac and the only one not to represent a living creature. In later Greek mythology, the constellation, which when considered on its own looks vaguely like a set of scales, was considered to depict the scales held by Astraea (identified as Virgo), the goddess of justice.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libra_%28constellation%29#Mythology
I'll look into Scorpio at a later point.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) When Themis is disregarded, Nemesis brings just and wrathful retribution. Nemesis.
From later, of course (1837)
Nemesis...also called Rhamnousia/Rhamnusia ("the goddess of Rhamnous"), at her sanctuary at Rhamnous, north of Marathon, in Greek mythology was the spirit of divine retribution against those who succumb to hubris...
Inexorable divine retribution is a major theme in the Hellenic world view, providing the unifying theme of the tragedies of Sophocles and many other literary works. In some metaphysical mythology, Nemesis produced the egg from which hatched two sets of twins [i.e. from Zeus and Leda]: Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, and the Dioscuri, Castor (Kástor) and Polydeukes (Polydeúkes).
The word Nemesis originally meant the distributor of fortune, neither good nor bad, simply in due proportion to each according to his deserts; then, nemesis came to suggest the resentment caused by any disturbance of this right proportion, the sense of justice which could not allow it to pass unpunished. O. Gruppe (1906) and others connect the name with "to feel just resentment". From the fourth century onwards, Nemesis, as the just balancer of Fortune's chance, could be associated with Tyche.
And then, the Romans (it certainly feels like something is lost here):
In Roman mythology, Invidia was the sense of envy or jealousy, who might be personified for strictly literary purposes, as a goddess, a Roman equivalent to Nemesis in Greek mythology. The Romans used one word, invidia to cover the range of two Greek words, Nemesis and Phthonos. Invidia is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and becomes more concrete, invariably depicted as a woman, in Late Gothic and Renaissance iconography.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemesis_%28mythology%29
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invidia
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) Nemesis would 'punish' those who succumb to hubris. Hubris.
In Ancient Greece, "hubris" referred to actions taken in order to shame and humiliate the victim, thereby making oneself seem superior.
Hubris was a crime in classical Athens. It was considered the greatest sin of the ancient Greek world. The category of acts constituting hubris for the ancient Greeks apparently broadened from the original specific reference to molestation of a corpse, or a humiliation of a defeated foe, to molestation, or irreverent, "outrageous treatment", in general. The meaning was further generalized in its modern English usage to apply to any outrageous act or exhibition of pride or disregard for basic moral law.
...it is now generally agreed that the Greeks did not generally think of hubris as a religious matter, still less that it was normally punished by the gods.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubris
Themis is one of the six sons and six daughters of Gaia and Uranus, that is, of Earth with Sky.
Themis (meaning "law of nature" rather than "human ordinance"), she "of good counsel," was the embodiment of divine order, law and custom. When Themis is disregarded, Nemesis brings just and wrathful retribution.... Themis is not wrathful: she, "of the lovely cheeks"...
She built the Oracle at Delphi and was herself oracular. According to another legend, Themis received the Oracle at Delphi from Gaia and later gave it to Phoebe.
Children with Zeus: Horae: the Hours.
1. First Generation (other names are also known): Auxo (the Grower); Carpo (the Fruit-bringer); Thallo (the Plant-raiser).
2. Second Generation: Dike (Trial), known as Astraea in Roman mythology, the constellation Virgo; Eirene (Peace); Eunomia (Rule of Law).
A Roman equivalent of one aspect of Hellenic Themis, as the personification of the divine rightness of law, was Iustitia (Anglicized as Justitia). Her origins are in civic abstractions of a Roman mindset, rather than archaic mythology, so drawing comparisons is not fruitful. Portrayed as an impassive woman, blindfolded and holding scales and a cornucopia, the sculpted figure outside a county courthouse is Iustitia or Lady Justice, not Themis.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Themis
For you, Jarrad:
Who exactly Virgo was considered to represent is uncertain; in history, it has been associated with nearly every prominent goddess, including Ishtar, Isis, Cybele, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and Athena. Virgo may also feature, along with Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor, as part of the source of the myth of Callisto, either as Callisto herself, or as Hera. Persephone (who in some mythologies, notably the Eleusinian Mysteries, was considered to be a form of Demeter) is often mentioned as well, Virgo being visible mainly in the spring months when she was believed to have risen from the underworld.
According to one interpretation, the constellation depicts Astraea [aka Dike], the virgin daughter of the god Zeus and the goddess Themis. Astraea was known as the goddess of justice, and was identified as this constellation due to the presence of the scales of justice Libra nearby, and supposedly ruled the world at one point with her wise ways until mankind became so callous she returned to the skies disgusted.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgo_%28constellation%29#Mythology
And for you, Noah, Kait, and Kyle:
The best picture I could find in which Libra actually looks like something:
http://www.skyguide.org.uk/constellations/libra/libra.gif
Or, for Noah, (scroll down to see Libra):
http://illusionsetc.blogspot.com/2004/01/scales.html
The constellation, which had originally formed part of the claws of the scorpion (Scorpio), is the youngest of the Zodiac and the only one not to represent a living creature. In later Greek mythology, the constellation, which when considered on its own looks vaguely like a set of scales, was considered to depict the scales held by Astraea (identified as Virgo), the goddess of justice.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libra_%28constellation%29#Mythology
I'll look into Scorpio at a later point.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) When Themis is disregarded, Nemesis brings just and wrathful retribution. Nemesis.
From later, of course (1837)
Nemesis...also called Rhamnousia/Rhamnusia ("the goddess of Rhamnous"), at her sanctuary at Rhamnous, north of Marathon, in Greek mythology was the spirit of divine retribution against those who succumb to hubris...
Inexorable divine retribution is a major theme in the Hellenic world view, providing the unifying theme of the tragedies of Sophocles and many other literary works. In some metaphysical mythology, Nemesis produced the egg from which hatched two sets of twins [i.e. from Zeus and Leda]: Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, and the Dioscuri, Castor (Kástor) and Polydeukes (Polydeúkes).
The word Nemesis originally meant the distributor of fortune, neither good nor bad, simply in due proportion to each according to his deserts; then, nemesis came to suggest the resentment caused by any disturbance of this right proportion, the sense of justice which could not allow it to pass unpunished. O. Gruppe (1906) and others connect the name with "to feel just resentment". From the fourth century onwards, Nemesis, as the just balancer of Fortune's chance, could be associated with Tyche.
And then, the Romans (it certainly feels like something is lost here):
In Roman mythology, Invidia was the sense of envy or jealousy, who might be personified for strictly literary purposes, as a goddess, a Roman equivalent to Nemesis in Greek mythology. The Romans used one word, invidia to cover the range of two Greek words, Nemesis and Phthonos. Invidia is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and becomes more concrete, invariably depicted as a woman, in Late Gothic and Renaissance iconography.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemesis_%28mythology%29
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invidia
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) Nemesis would 'punish' those who succumb to hubris. Hubris.
In Ancient Greece, "hubris" referred to actions taken in order to shame and humiliate the victim, thereby making oneself seem superior.
Hubris was a crime in classical Athens. It was considered the greatest sin of the ancient Greek world. The category of acts constituting hubris for the ancient Greeks apparently broadened from the original specific reference to molestation of a corpse, or a humiliation of a defeated foe, to molestation, or irreverent, "outrageous treatment", in general. The meaning was further generalized in its modern English usage to apply to any outrageous act or exhibition of pride or disregard for basic moral law.
...it is now generally agreed that the Greeks did not generally think of hubris as a religious matter, still less that it was normally punished by the gods.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubris
Sunday, February 24, 2008
1.) I have included this whole part (on Anaxagoras, ca. 500 BC–428 BC, a pre-Socratic philosopher) as a backdrop to the part that really interests me: the last line of the passage, which I have bolded for fun.
All things have existed from the beginning. But originally they existed in infinitesimally small fragments of themselves, endless in number and inextricably combined. All things existed in this mass, but in a confused and indistinguishable form. There were the seeds (spermata) or miniatures of wheat and flesh and gold in the primitive mixture; but these parts, of like nature with their wholes (the homoiomereiai of Aristotle), had to be eliminated from the complex mass before they could receive a definite name and character. Mind arranged the segregation of like from unlike; panta chremata en omou eita nous elthon auta diekosmese. This peculiar thing, called Mind (Nous), was no less illimitable than the chaotic mass, but, unlike the logos of Heraclitus, it stood pure and independent (mounos ef eoutou), a thing of finer texture, alike in all its manifestations and everywhere the same. This subtle agent, possessed of all knowledge and power, is especially seen ruling in all the forms of life.
Mind causes motion. It rotated the primitive mixture, starting in one corner or point, and gradually extended until it gave distinctness and reality to the aggregates of like parts, working something like a centrifuge, and eventually creating the known cosmos. But even after it had done its best, the original intermixture of things was not wholly overcome. No one thing in the world is ever abruptly separated, as by the blow of an axe, from the rest of things.
Anaxagoras proceeded to give some account of the stages in the process from original chaos to present arrangements. The division into cold mist and warm ether first broke the spell of confusion. With increasing cold, the former gave rise to water, earth and stones. The seeds of life which continued floating in the air were carried down with the rains and produced vegetation. Animals, including man, sprang from the warm and moist clay. If these things be so, then the evidence of the senses must be held in slight esteem. We seem to see things coming into being and passing from it; but reflection tells us that decease and growth only mean a new aggregation (sugkrisis) and disruption (diakrisis). Thus Anaxagoras distrusted the senses, and gave the preference to the conclusions of reflection. Thus he maintained that there must be blackness as well as whiteness in snow; how otherwise could it be turned into dark water?
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaxagoras#Cosmological_theory
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) Harmony, I think this is very exciting.
In Greek mythology, Harmonia is the immortal goddess of harmony and concord. ...she is the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite.
note: love and war
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonia_%28mythology%29
Click this image (Harmonia statue in Pennsylvania's Harmony Society gardens)
(Alternatively, and also interesting, is that Harmonia was the daughter of Zeus and Electra: the same one whom the Electra Complex is named after. In short: Electra's father Agamemnon returns from the Trojan War to be killed by Aegisthus, Clytemnestra's lover, or by Clytemnestra herself -- Clytemnestra being Electra's mother. Electra will later go to kill Aegisthus and Clytemnestra for revenge (i.e. she will murder her mother).)
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) Sometimes these things just carry on with a life of their own...
The Necklace of Harmonia:
The Necklace of Harmonia was a fabled object in Greek mythology that, according to legend, brought great misfortune to all of its wearers or owners, who were primarily queens and princesses of the ill-fated House of Thebes.
Hephaestus, blacksmith of the Olympian gods, discovered his wife, Aphrodite, goddess of love, having a sexual affair with Ares, the god of war. He became enraged and vowed to avenge himself for Aphrodite's infidelity by cursing any lineage of children resulting from the affair. Aphrodite bore a daughter, Harmonia, from Ares' seed. Harmonia grew up and was later betrothed to Cadmus of Thebes. Upon hearing of the royal engagement, Hephaestus presented Harmonia with an exquisite necklace...wrought by Hephaestus' own hand and was cursed to bring disaster to any who wore it.
The magical necklace, referred to simply as the Necklace of Harmonia, allowed any woman wearing it to remain eternally young and beautiful.
Harmonia and Cadmus were both later transformed into serpents (dragons in some versions of the myth). The extent of their suffering as a result of Harmonia wearing the Necklace is debatable because Cadmus and Harmonia are usually described as ascending to the paradise of the Elysian Fields after their transformation. The Necklace then went to Harmonia's daughter Semele (see below). She wore it the very day that Hera visited her and insinuated that her husband was not really Zeus. This led to Semele being destroyed when she foolishly demanded that Zeus prove his identity by displaying himself in all his glory as the lord of heaven.
Several generations later, Queen Jocasta wore the legendary Necklace. It allowed her to retain her youth and beauty. Thus, after the death of her husband King Laius, she was able to marry her own son, Oedipus. When the truth about Oedipus was discovered, Jocasta committed suicide, and Oedipus tore out his own eyes. The descendants and relations of Oedipus all suffered various personal tragedies, as described in Sophocles' "Three Theban Plays": Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone.
Polynices then inherited the Necklace. He gave it to Eriphyle, so that she might use it to persuade her husband, Amphiaraus, to undertake the expedition against Thebes. This led to the death of Eriphyle, Alcmaeon, Phegeus, and the latter's sons. Through Alcmaeon, the son of Eriphyle, the Necklace then came into the hands of Arsinoë, then to the sons of Phegeus, Pronous and Agenor, and lastly to the sons of Alcmaeon, Amphoterus and Acarnan. Amphoterus and Acarnan dedicated the Necklace to the Temple of Athena at Delphi, to prevent further disaster amongst human wearers.
The tyrant Phayllus, one of the Phocian leaders in the Third Sacred War (356 BC-346 BC), then stole it from the Temple and gave it to his mistress. After she had worn it for a time, her son was seized with madness and set fire to the house, and she perished in the flames along with all her worldly treasures. No additional myths about the cursed Necklace of Harmonia exist after the story of Phayllus's mistress. So it is generally assumed that after laying waste to generations of Harmonia's descendants, the dreaded Necklace was either destroyed in the fire or was otherwise removed from the human world by divine means.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necklace_of_Harmonia
Now I didn't know the story of Semele so I looked it up briefly and what do we have but:
In one version of the myth, Semele was a priestess of Zeus, and on one occasion was observed by Zeus as she slaughtered a bull at his altar and afterwards swam in the river Asopus to cleanse herself of the blood. Flying over the scene in the guise of an eagle, Zeus fell in love with Semele and afterwards repeatedly visited her secretly.
Zeus' consort, Hera, a goddess jealous of usurpers, discovered his affair with Semele when the latter became pregnant. Appearing as an old crone, Hera befriended Semele, who confided in her that her lover was actually Zeus. Hera pretended not to believe her, and planted seeds of doubt in Semele's mind. Curious, Semele demanded of Zeus that he reveal himself in all his glory as proof of his godhood. Though Zeus begged her not to ask this, she persisted and he agreed. Mortals, however, cannot look upon Zeus without dying, and she perished, consumed in lightning-ignited flame.
Zeus rescued the fetal Dionysus, however, by sewing him into his thigh (whence the epithet Eiraphiotes, "insewn", of the Homeric Hymn). A few months later, Dionysus was born. This leads to his being called "the twice-born".
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semele#Seduction_by_Zeus_and_birth_of_Dionysus
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
4.) This has gotten out of hand, but Cadmus is also an interesting read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadmus
Cows, dragons, Thebes, Harmonia, and snakes!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
5.) As I am about to start reading Prometheus Bound, a play by Aeschylus, from approximately 500 B.C.E., I have been entering somewhat the realms of Greek 'thought'. One speculation in the introductory commentary regarding some kind of reconciliation between Zeus and Prometheus is that Prometheus, bound, had knowledge that a potential liaison between Zeus and a female could lead to Zeus' downfall: a son that would overpower his father (ala Zeus and Cronos). Perhaps he informed Zeus and perhaps this was Thetis, a sea nymph who was subsequently introduced to a mortal Peleus by Poseidon and Zeus.
Thetis initially refused Peleus. However, Chiron, the wise centaur, who would later be tutor to Peleus' son Achilles, advised Peleus to find the sea nymph when she was asleep and bind her tightly to keep her from escaping by changing form. She did shift shapes, becoming flame and then a raging lion (compare the sea-god Proteus). But Peleus held fast. She then consented to marry him.
The wedding of Thetis and Peleus was celebrated on Mount Pelion and attended by all the deities...[h]owever, Eris, the goddess of discord, had not been invited. In spite, she threw a golden apple into the midst of the goddesses that was to be awarded only "to the fairest." (The award was effected by the Judgement of Paris and eventually occasioned the Trojan War).
Thetis and Peleus have a son: Achilles. Prophecy said that the son of Thetis would have either a long but dull life or a glorious but brief life. When the Trojan War broke out, Thetis was anxious and concealed Achilles at the court of Lycomedes, disguised as a girl. When Odysseus found that one of the girls at court was not a girl, but actually Achilles, he dressed as a merchant, and set up a table of vanity items and jewellery and called to the group. Only Achilles picked up the golden sword that lay to one side, and Odysseus quickly revealed him to be the warrior. Seeing that she could no longer prevent her son from realizing his destiny, Thetis then had Hephaestus make a shield and armor.
Peleus was also involved with Antigone (she was his first wife). Such fascinating plunges! It feels very much like Hindu 'thought'.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thetis
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peleus
All things have existed from the beginning. But originally they existed in infinitesimally small fragments of themselves, endless in number and inextricably combined. All things existed in this mass, but in a confused and indistinguishable form. There were the seeds (spermata) or miniatures of wheat and flesh and gold in the primitive mixture; but these parts, of like nature with their wholes (the homoiomereiai of Aristotle), had to be eliminated from the complex mass before they could receive a definite name and character. Mind arranged the segregation of like from unlike; panta chremata en omou eita nous elthon auta diekosmese. This peculiar thing, called Mind (Nous), was no less illimitable than the chaotic mass, but, unlike the logos of Heraclitus, it stood pure and independent (mounos ef eoutou), a thing of finer texture, alike in all its manifestations and everywhere the same. This subtle agent, possessed of all knowledge and power, is especially seen ruling in all the forms of life.
Mind causes motion. It rotated the primitive mixture, starting in one corner or point, and gradually extended until it gave distinctness and reality to the aggregates of like parts, working something like a centrifuge, and eventually creating the known cosmos. But even after it had done its best, the original intermixture of things was not wholly overcome. No one thing in the world is ever abruptly separated, as by the blow of an axe, from the rest of things.
Anaxagoras proceeded to give some account of the stages in the process from original chaos to present arrangements. The division into cold mist and warm ether first broke the spell of confusion. With increasing cold, the former gave rise to water, earth and stones. The seeds of life which continued floating in the air were carried down with the rains and produced vegetation. Animals, including man, sprang from the warm and moist clay. If these things be so, then the evidence of the senses must be held in slight esteem. We seem to see things coming into being and passing from it; but reflection tells us that decease and growth only mean a new aggregation (sugkrisis) and disruption (diakrisis). Thus Anaxagoras distrusted the senses, and gave the preference to the conclusions of reflection. Thus he maintained that there must be blackness as well as whiteness in snow; how otherwise could it be turned into dark water?
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaxagoras#Cosmological_theory
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) Harmony, I think this is very exciting.
In Greek mythology, Harmonia is the immortal goddess of harmony and concord. ...she is the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite.
note: love and war
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonia_%28mythology%29
Click this image (Harmonia statue in Pennsylvania's Harmony Society gardens)
(Alternatively, and also interesting, is that Harmonia was the daughter of Zeus and Electra: the same one whom the Electra Complex is named after. In short: Electra's father Agamemnon returns from the Trojan War to be killed by Aegisthus, Clytemnestra's lover, or by Clytemnestra herself -- Clytemnestra being Electra's mother. Electra will later go to kill Aegisthus and Clytemnestra for revenge (i.e. she will murder her mother).)
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) Sometimes these things just carry on with a life of their own...
The Necklace of Harmonia:
The Necklace of Harmonia was a fabled object in Greek mythology that, according to legend, brought great misfortune to all of its wearers or owners, who were primarily queens and princesses of the ill-fated House of Thebes.
Hephaestus, blacksmith of the Olympian gods, discovered his wife, Aphrodite, goddess of love, having a sexual affair with Ares, the god of war. He became enraged and vowed to avenge himself for Aphrodite's infidelity by cursing any lineage of children resulting from the affair. Aphrodite bore a daughter, Harmonia, from Ares' seed. Harmonia grew up and was later betrothed to Cadmus of Thebes. Upon hearing of the royal engagement, Hephaestus presented Harmonia with an exquisite necklace...wrought by Hephaestus' own hand and was cursed to bring disaster to any who wore it.
The magical necklace, referred to simply as the Necklace of Harmonia, allowed any woman wearing it to remain eternally young and beautiful.
Harmonia and Cadmus were both later transformed into serpents (dragons in some versions of the myth). The extent of their suffering as a result of Harmonia wearing the Necklace is debatable because Cadmus and Harmonia are usually described as ascending to the paradise of the Elysian Fields after their transformation. The Necklace then went to Harmonia's daughter Semele (see below). She wore it the very day that Hera visited her and insinuated that her husband was not really Zeus. This led to Semele being destroyed when she foolishly demanded that Zeus prove his identity by displaying himself in all his glory as the lord of heaven.
Several generations later, Queen Jocasta wore the legendary Necklace. It allowed her to retain her youth and beauty. Thus, after the death of her husband King Laius, she was able to marry her own son, Oedipus. When the truth about Oedipus was discovered, Jocasta committed suicide, and Oedipus tore out his own eyes. The descendants and relations of Oedipus all suffered various personal tragedies, as described in Sophocles' "Three Theban Plays": Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone.
Polynices then inherited the Necklace. He gave it to Eriphyle, so that she might use it to persuade her husband, Amphiaraus, to undertake the expedition against Thebes. This led to the death of Eriphyle, Alcmaeon, Phegeus, and the latter's sons. Through Alcmaeon, the son of Eriphyle, the Necklace then came into the hands of Arsinoë, then to the sons of Phegeus, Pronous and Agenor, and lastly to the sons of Alcmaeon, Amphoterus and Acarnan. Amphoterus and Acarnan dedicated the Necklace to the Temple of Athena at Delphi, to prevent further disaster amongst human wearers.
The tyrant Phayllus, one of the Phocian leaders in the Third Sacred War (356 BC-346 BC), then stole it from the Temple and gave it to his mistress. After she had worn it for a time, her son was seized with madness and set fire to the house, and she perished in the flames along with all her worldly treasures. No additional myths about the cursed Necklace of Harmonia exist after the story of Phayllus's mistress. So it is generally assumed that after laying waste to generations of Harmonia's descendants, the dreaded Necklace was either destroyed in the fire or was otherwise removed from the human world by divine means.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necklace_of_Harmonia
Now I didn't know the story of Semele so I looked it up briefly and what do we have but:
In one version of the myth, Semele was a priestess of Zeus, and on one occasion was observed by Zeus as she slaughtered a bull at his altar and afterwards swam in the river Asopus to cleanse herself of the blood. Flying over the scene in the guise of an eagle, Zeus fell in love with Semele and afterwards repeatedly visited her secretly.
Zeus' consort, Hera, a goddess jealous of usurpers, discovered his affair with Semele when the latter became pregnant. Appearing as an old crone, Hera befriended Semele, who confided in her that her lover was actually Zeus. Hera pretended not to believe her, and planted seeds of doubt in Semele's mind. Curious, Semele demanded of Zeus that he reveal himself in all his glory as proof of his godhood. Though Zeus begged her not to ask this, she persisted and he agreed. Mortals, however, cannot look upon Zeus without dying, and she perished, consumed in lightning-ignited flame.
Zeus rescued the fetal Dionysus, however, by sewing him into his thigh (whence the epithet Eiraphiotes, "insewn", of the Homeric Hymn). A few months later, Dionysus was born. This leads to his being called "the twice-born".
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semele#Seduction_by_Zeus_and_birth_of_Dionysus
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
4.) This has gotten out of hand, but Cadmus is also an interesting read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadmus
Cows, dragons, Thebes, Harmonia, and snakes!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
5.) As I am about to start reading Prometheus Bound, a play by Aeschylus, from approximately 500 B.C.E., I have been entering somewhat the realms of Greek 'thought'. One speculation in the introductory commentary regarding some kind of reconciliation between Zeus and Prometheus is that Prometheus, bound, had knowledge that a potential liaison between Zeus and a female could lead to Zeus' downfall: a son that would overpower his father (ala Zeus and Cronos). Perhaps he informed Zeus and perhaps this was Thetis, a sea nymph who was subsequently introduced to a mortal Peleus by Poseidon and Zeus.
Thetis initially refused Peleus. However, Chiron, the wise centaur, who would later be tutor to Peleus' son Achilles, advised Peleus to find the sea nymph when she was asleep and bind her tightly to keep her from escaping by changing form. She did shift shapes, becoming flame and then a raging lion (compare the sea-god Proteus). But Peleus held fast. She then consented to marry him.
The wedding of Thetis and Peleus was celebrated on Mount Pelion and attended by all the deities...[h]owever, Eris, the goddess of discord, had not been invited. In spite, she threw a golden apple into the midst of the goddesses that was to be awarded only "to the fairest." (The award was effected by the Judgement of Paris and eventually occasioned the Trojan War).
Thetis and Peleus have a son: Achilles. Prophecy said that the son of Thetis would have either a long but dull life or a glorious but brief life. When the Trojan War broke out, Thetis was anxious and concealed Achilles at the court of Lycomedes, disguised as a girl. When Odysseus found that one of the girls at court was not a girl, but actually Achilles, he dressed as a merchant, and set up a table of vanity items and jewellery and called to the group. Only Achilles picked up the golden sword that lay to one side, and Odysseus quickly revealed him to be the warrior. Seeing that she could no longer prevent her son from realizing his destiny, Thetis then had Hephaestus make a shield and armor.
Peleus was also involved with Antigone (she was his first wife). Such fascinating plunges! It feels very much like Hindu 'thought'.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thetis
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peleus
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
1.) I might spend some time in this street light:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expressionism_%28film%29
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) Tower of Silence:
Zoroastrian tradition considers a dead body - in addition to cut hair and nail-parings - to be nasu, unclean, i.e. potential pollutants. Specifically, the corpse demon (Avestan: nasu.daeva) was believed to rush into the body and contaminate everything it came into contact with, hence the Vendidad (an ecclesiastical code "given against the demons") has rules for disposing of the dead as "safely" as possible.
To preclude the pollution of earth or fire ([...]Zam and Atar respectively), the bodies of the dead are placed atop a tower - a tower of silence - and so exposed to the sun and to birds of prey. Thus, "putrefaction with all its concomitant evils" "is most effectually prevented."
The towers, which are fairly uniform in their construction, have an almost flat roof, with the perimeter being slightly higher than the center. The roof is divided into three concentric rings: The bodies of men are arranged around the outer ring, women in the second circle, and children in the innermost ring. Once the bones have been bleached by the sun and wind, which can take as long as a year, they are collected in an ossuary pit at the center of the tower, where - assisted by lime - they gradually disintegrate and the remaining material - with run-off rainwater - runs through multiple coal and sand filters before being eventually washed out to sea. The ritual precinct may only be entered by a special class of pallbearers, called nasellars, a contraction of nasa.salar, caretaker (-salar) of potential pollutants (nasa-).
In India:
In Parsi Zoroastrian tradition, exposure of the dead is additionally considered to be an individual's final act of charity, providing the birds with what would otherwise be destroyed.
Due to the dying off of the necessary birds of prey Parsi communities in India are currently evaluating captive breeding of vultures and the use of "solar concentrators" (which are essentially large mirrors) to accelerate decomposition.
In addition, the anjumans (the predominantly conservative local Zoroastrian associations) frequently prohibit the use (of the Tower of Silences) by the offspring of a "mixed marriage", that is where one parent is a Parsi and the other is not.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_silence
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) Songlines:
By singing the songs in the appropriate sequence, indigenous peoples could navigate vast distances (often travelling through the deserts of Australia's interiority). The continent of Australia is a system-reticulum of songlines, some of which are of a few kilometres, whilst others traverse hundreds of kilometres through disparate terrain and lands of many different indigenous peoples ~ peoples who may speak markedly different languages and champion significantly different cultural traditions.
An interesting feature of the paths is that, as they span the lands of several different language groups, different parts of the song are said to be in those different languages. Thus the whole song can only be fully understood by a person speaking all the relevant languages.
"...the labyrinth of invisible pathways which meander all over Australia and are known to Europeans as 'Dreaming-tracks' or 'Songlines'; to the Aboriginals as the 'Footprints of the Ancestors' or the 'Way of the Law'.
Aboriginal Creation myths tell of the legendary totemic being who wandered over the continent in the Dreamtime, singing out the name of everything that crossed their path- birds, animals, plants, rocks, waterholes- and so singing the world into existence."
Indigenous Australian peoples conceive of all things beginning with The Dreaming or Altjeringa (also called the Dreamtime), a sacred 'once upon a time' time out of time in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.
The term was made popular by anthropologist W.E.H. Stanner, after an Aboriginal man had told him "white man got no Dreaming", which Stanner subsequently entitled one of his books. However, many argue it is an inadequate translation of the concept – from the Arrernte word, "Altyerre" – a concept largely unrelated to the European notion of dreams. Even Stanner preferred the term "everywhen", while T.G.H. Strehlow favoured "Eternal, Uncreated".
During the creation period, the ancestral beings made journeys and performed deeds; they fought, loved, hunted, behaved badly or well, rather like the Greek gods, and where they camped or hurled spears or gave birth, tell-tale marks were left in the earth. While creating this topography, they were morphing constantly from animal to human and back to animal, again rather like the Greeks.
They made separate countries, but interlaced them (related them) with their story tracks. They created frameworks for kin relations. Many different ancestors created a country, by travelling across it and meeting each other. In that way, a particular country is shared by all creatures who live there, their essences arising from the Dreaming, and returning to it. Some Dreamings crossed many countries, interacting with local ones as they went, and connecting places far from each other. Thus the pulse of life spreads, blood-like, through the body of the continent – node/pathway, node/pathway – as far as, and sometimes into, the sea.
At the end of that epoch, exhausted by their work, they sank back into the ground at sacred sites, where their power remains in condensed forms.
It is not quite right, however, to say that the creation period is in the past, because it is a past that is eternal and therefore also present. Ancestors sink back into, but also emerge from and pass through, sites. In other words, an ancestor's journey, or story, became a place, and that place holds past, present and future simultaneously.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songline
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamtime
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_%28story%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expressionism_%28film%29
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) Tower of Silence:
Zoroastrian tradition considers a dead body - in addition to cut hair and nail-parings - to be nasu, unclean, i.e. potential pollutants. Specifically, the corpse demon (Avestan: nasu.daeva) was believed to rush into the body and contaminate everything it came into contact with, hence the Vendidad (an ecclesiastical code "given against the demons") has rules for disposing of the dead as "safely" as possible.
To preclude the pollution of earth or fire ([...]Zam and Atar respectively), the bodies of the dead are placed atop a tower - a tower of silence - and so exposed to the sun and to birds of prey. Thus, "putrefaction with all its concomitant evils" "is most effectually prevented."
The towers, which are fairly uniform in their construction, have an almost flat roof, with the perimeter being slightly higher than the center. The roof is divided into three concentric rings: The bodies of men are arranged around the outer ring, women in the second circle, and children in the innermost ring. Once the bones have been bleached by the sun and wind, which can take as long as a year, they are collected in an ossuary pit at the center of the tower, where - assisted by lime - they gradually disintegrate and the remaining material - with run-off rainwater - runs through multiple coal and sand filters before being eventually washed out to sea. The ritual precinct may only be entered by a special class of pallbearers, called nasellars, a contraction of nasa.salar, caretaker (-salar) of potential pollutants (nasa-).
In India:
In Parsi Zoroastrian tradition, exposure of the dead is additionally considered to be an individual's final act of charity, providing the birds with what would otherwise be destroyed.
Due to the dying off of the necessary birds of prey Parsi communities in India are currently evaluating captive breeding of vultures and the use of "solar concentrators" (which are essentially large mirrors) to accelerate decomposition.
In addition, the anjumans (the predominantly conservative local Zoroastrian associations) frequently prohibit the use (of the Tower of Silences) by the offspring of a "mixed marriage", that is where one parent is a Parsi and the other is not.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_silence
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) Songlines:
By singing the songs in the appropriate sequence, indigenous peoples could navigate vast distances (often travelling through the deserts of Australia's interiority). The continent of Australia is a system-reticulum of songlines, some of which are of a few kilometres, whilst others traverse hundreds of kilometres through disparate terrain and lands of many different indigenous peoples ~ peoples who may speak markedly different languages and champion significantly different cultural traditions.
An interesting feature of the paths is that, as they span the lands of several different language groups, different parts of the song are said to be in those different languages. Thus the whole song can only be fully understood by a person speaking all the relevant languages.
"...the labyrinth of invisible pathways which meander all over Australia and are known to Europeans as 'Dreaming-tracks' or 'Songlines'; to the Aboriginals as the 'Footprints of the Ancestors' or the 'Way of the Law'.
Aboriginal Creation myths tell of the legendary totemic being who wandered over the continent in the Dreamtime, singing out the name of everything that crossed their path- birds, animals, plants, rocks, waterholes- and so singing the world into existence."
Indigenous Australian peoples conceive of all things beginning with The Dreaming or Altjeringa (also called the Dreamtime), a sacred 'once upon a time' time out of time in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.
The term was made popular by anthropologist W.E.H. Stanner, after an Aboriginal man had told him "white man got no Dreaming", which Stanner subsequently entitled one of his books. However, many argue it is an inadequate translation of the concept – from the Arrernte word, "Altyerre" – a concept largely unrelated to the European notion of dreams. Even Stanner preferred the term "everywhen", while T.G.H. Strehlow favoured "Eternal, Uncreated".
During the creation period, the ancestral beings made journeys and performed deeds; they fought, loved, hunted, behaved badly or well, rather like the Greek gods, and where they camped or hurled spears or gave birth, tell-tale marks were left in the earth. While creating this topography, they were morphing constantly from animal to human and back to animal, again rather like the Greeks.
They made separate countries, but interlaced them (related them) with their story tracks. They created frameworks for kin relations. Many different ancestors created a country, by travelling across it and meeting each other. In that way, a particular country is shared by all creatures who live there, their essences arising from the Dreaming, and returning to it. Some Dreamings crossed many countries, interacting with local ones as they went, and connecting places far from each other. Thus the pulse of life spreads, blood-like, through the body of the continent – node/pathway, node/pathway – as far as, and sometimes into, the sea.
At the end of that epoch, exhausted by their work, they sank back into the ground at sacred sites, where their power remains in condensed forms.
It is not quite right, however, to say that the creation period is in the past, because it is a past that is eternal and therefore also present. Ancestors sink back into, but also emerge from and pass through, sites. In other words, an ancestor's journey, or story, became a place, and that place holds past, present and future simultaneously.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songline
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamtime
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_%28story%29
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
In preparation for tonight's total lunar eclipse.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_phase
In the northern hemisphere, if the left side of the Moon is dark then the light part is growing, and the Moon is referred to as waxing (moving towards a full moon). If the right side of the Moon is dark then the light part is shrinking, and the Moon is referred to as waning (moving towards a new moon). Assuming that one is in the northern hemisphere, the right portion of the Moon is the part that is always growing. The acronym mnemonic "DOC" represents this: "D" is the waxing moon; "O" the full moon; and "C" the waning moon. (One phrase that can be used to remember this is "Dog comes; Cat goes".) In the Southern hemisphere, this order is reversed, and the mnemonic is "COD". Near the Equator both waxing and waning moon look like a bottom-up crescent.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
1.) Employment equity refers to Canadian policies that require or encourage preferential treatment in employment practices for certain designated groups: women, people with disabilities, Aboriginal peoples, and visible minorities.
... - Aboriginal people, a category consisting of Status Indians, Non-status Indians, Métis (people of mixed French-Aboriginal ancestry in western Canada), and Inuit (the Aboriginal people of the Arctic).
- Visible minorities, a category defined as the following (using the nomenclature of the Canadian government): Blacks, Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, Latin Americans, Pacific Islanders, South Asians, and West Asians/Arabs.
The Canadian Human Rights Act has long prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, and certain other grounds. The Canadian Human Rights Act continues to be in force alongside the Employment Equity Act. The key distinction between the two laws is that the Canadian Human Rights Act merely prohibits discrimination, whereas the Employment Equity Act requires employers to engage in proactive measures to improve the employment opportunities of the four specific groups listed above.
hmmm
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_contractors_program
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) I mentioned the other day that I did not like collages.
Obviously, that was a lie.
... - Aboriginal people, a category consisting of Status Indians, Non-status Indians, Métis (people of mixed French-Aboriginal ancestry in western Canada), and Inuit (the Aboriginal people of the Arctic).
- Visible minorities, a category defined as the following (using the nomenclature of the Canadian government): Blacks, Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, Latin Americans, Pacific Islanders, South Asians, and West Asians/Arabs.
The Canadian Human Rights Act has long prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, and certain other grounds. The Canadian Human Rights Act continues to be in force alongside the Employment Equity Act. The key distinction between the two laws is that the Canadian Human Rights Act merely prohibits discrimination, whereas the Employment Equity Act requires employers to engage in proactive measures to improve the employment opportunities of the four specific groups listed above.
hmmm
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_contractors_program
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) I mentioned the other day that I did not like collages.
Obviously, that was a lie.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Chills! Chills!, I do declare!
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom."
"If the fool would persist with his folly he would become wise."
"You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough."
"As the caterpiller chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys."
all from William Blake.
~
"The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, & breeds reptiles of the mind."
"For everything that lives is Holy."
William Blake from "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell".
~
"The Woman that does not love your Frowns
Will never embrace your smiles."
William Blake from "Notebook Poems: Felpham and after"
"There is a place where Contrarieties are equally True..."
William Blake (1757-1827)
Advice for Geraldine on her Miscellaneous Birthday
stay in line. stay in step. people
are afraid of someone who is not
in step with them. it makes them
look foolish t' themselves for
being in step. it might even
cross their minds that they themselves
are in the wrong step. do not run
nor cross the red line. if you go
too far out in any direction, they
will lose sight of you. they'll feel
threatened. thinking that they are
not a part of something that they
saw go past them, they'll feel
something's going on up there that
they don't know about. revenge
will set in. they will start thinking
of how t' get rid of you. act
mannerly towards them. if you don't,
they will take it personal. as you
come directly in contact face t' face
do not make it a secret of how
much you need them. if they sense
that you have no need for them,
the first thing they will do is
try t' make you need them. if
this doesn't work, they will tell
you of how much they don't need
you. if you do not show any sadness
at a remark such as this, they
will immediately tell other people
of how much they don't need you.
your name will begin t' come up
in circles where people gather
to tell about all the people they
don't need. you will begin t' get
famous this way. this, though, will
only get the people who you don't need
in the first place
all the more madder.
you will become
a whole topic of conversation.
needless t' say, these people
who don't need you will start
hating themselves for needing t' talk
about you. then you yourself will
start hating yourself for causing so
much hate. as you can see, it will
all end in one great gunburst.
never trust a cop in a raincoat.
when asked t' define yourself exactly,
say you are an exact mathematician.
do not say or do anything that
he who standing in front of you
watching cannot understand, he will
feel you know something he
doesn't. he will react with blinding
speed and write your name down.
talk on his terms. if his terms
are old-fashioned an' you've
passed that stage all the more easier
t' get back there. say what he
can understand clearly. say it simple
t' keep your tongue out of your
cheek. after he hears you, he can
label you good or bad. anyone will
do. t' some people, there is only
good an' bad. in any case, it will
make him feel somewhat important.
it is better t' stay away from
these people. be careful of
enthusiasm...it is all temporary
an' don't let it sway you. when asked
if you go t' church, always answer
yes, never look at your shoes. when
asked you you think of gene autrey
singing of hard rains gonna fall say
that nobody can sing it as good as
peter, paul and mary. at the mention
of the president's name, eat a pint of
yogurt an' go t' sleep early...when
asked if you're a communist, sing
america the beautiful in an
italian accent. beat up nearest
street cleaner. if by any
chance you're caught naked in a
parked car, quick turn the radio on
full blast an' pretend
that you're driving. never leave
the house without a jar of peanut
butter. do not wear
matched socks. when asked to do 100
pushups always smoke a pound
of deodorant beforehand.
when asked if you're a capitalist, rip
open your shirt, sing buddy can
you spare a dime with your
right foot forward an' proceed t'
chew up a dollar bill.
do not sign any dotted line. do not
fall in trap of criticizing people
who do nothing else but criticize.
do Not create anything. it will be
misinterpreted. it will not change.
it will follow you the
rest of your life. when asked what you
do for a living say you laugh for
a living. be suspicious of people
who say that if you are not nice
t' them, they will commit suicide.
when asked if you care about
the world's problems, look deeply
into the eyes of he that asks
you, he will not ask you again. when
asked if you've spent time in jail,
announce proudly that some of your
best friends've asked you that.
beware of bathroom walls that've not
been written on. when told t' look at
yourself...never look. when asked
t' give your real name...never give it.
Bob Dylan.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3.) http://www.geocities.com/ehensby/Doc2.doc
A strange way to do it, but I've done this before (see #2 from Nov 9: a great read! same source, too). Open this with Microsoft Word. It's part of a page (p.100) from No Direction Home, a book on Bob Dylan. I've still never read this book. This quote, here attributed to Dave Van Ronk, was spoken from Bob's mouth in Todd Haynes's movie I'm Not There: it's interesting to see it wasn't Bob who said it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
4.) “To say 'cause of peace' is just like saying 'hunk of butter.' I mean, how can you listen to anybody who wants you to believe he’s dedicated to the hunk and not to the butter?”
“Burning draft cards isn’t going to end the war. It’s not even going to save any lives. If someone can feel more honest with himself by burning his draft card, then that’s great; but if he’s just going to feel more important because he does it, then that’s a drag.”
Bob Dylan.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
This is ridiculous and ugly!
And this is hilarious.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) Tree-Sit Shut Down
GVPL Library Lock-Out
Taser story
Spielberg out of Olympics in protest of China
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Click me.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2.) In Canada, one can receive a message from the Governor General beginning at the 50th wedding anniversary and every five years until the 60th, where then one can to petition Queen Elizabeth II as in other Commonwealth countries.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_anniversary
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Here comes the blue, painting the corners.
Ancient Greek lacked a word for colour blue and Homer called the colour of the sea "wine dark", except that the word kyanos was used for dark blue enamel.
Blue derives from *bhel- meaning "to shine, flash or burn", (more specifically the word bhle-was, which meant light coloured, blue, blond, or yellow). Other words which derive from bhel- include: burnt (black), bleach, bleak, blind, blink, blank, blush, blaze, flame, fulminate, flagrant and phlegm
Psychics who claim to be able to observe the aura with their third eye report that someone with a blue aura is a person who is oriented toward spirituality. People with blue auras are said to be in interested in social service work and to be in occupations such as social worker, counselor, teacher, writer, and psychologist.
According to several rabbinic sages, blue is the colour of God’s Glory. Staring at this colour aids in mediation, bringing us a glimpse of the “pavement of sapphire, like the very sky for purity”, which is a likeness of the Throne of God. ... Many items in the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary in the wilderness, such as the menorah, many of the vessels, and the Ark of the Covenant, were covered with blue cloth when transported from place to place.
~
According to Brent Berlin and Paul Kay's 1969 study Basic Color Terms: Their Universality and Evolution, distinct terms for brown, purple, pink, orange and grey will not emerge in a language until the language has made a distinction between green and blue. In their account of the development of color terms the first terms to emerge are those for white/black (or light/dark), red and green/yellow.
Russian does not have a single word referring to the whole range of colors denoted by the English term "blue." Instead, it traditionally treats light blue (голубой, goluboy) as a separate color independent from plain or dark blue (синий, siniy), with all 7 "basic" colors of the spectrum (red - orange - yellow - green - (ru:голубой / goluboy / light blue, not equal cyan) - (ru:синий / siniy / dark blue) - violet) while in English the light blues like azure and cyan are considered mere shades of "blue" and not different colors. To better understand this, consider that English makes a similar distinction between "red" and light red (pink, which is considered a different color and not merely a kind of red), but such a distinction is unknown in several other languages; for example, both "red" (红 / 紅, hóng) and "pink" (粉红, fěn hóng, lit. "powder red") have traditionally been considered varieties of a single color in Chinese.
Educational materials [in Japan] distinguishing green and blue only came into use after World War II, during the Occupation.
~
The blues is a style of music originated by African Americans. Contrary to popular belief it is not called Blues because its lyrics are depressing but because its scale is inclusive of the "dark notes" or blue notes.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguishing_blue_from_green_in_language
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_notes
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
1.) Perpetual bonds/perpetuities: sometimes a bond can last centuries: West Shore Railroad issued a bond which matures in (the year) 2361.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_%28finance%29#Types_of_bonds
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_%28finance%29#Types_of_bonds
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
1.) The estrous cycle is also known as when an animal is "in heat":
Estrus is derived via Latin oestrus (frenzy, gadfly), from Greek οιστρος (gadfly, breeze, sting, mad impulse). Specifically, this refers to the gadfly that Hera sent to torment Io, who had been won in her heifer form by Zeus. Euripides used "oestrus" to indicate "frenzy", and to describe madness. Homer uses the word to describe panic [footnote: of the suitors in Odyssey book 22]. Plato also uses it to refer to an irrational drive and to describe the soul "driven and drawn by the gadfly of desire". Somewhat more closely aligned to current meaning and usage of "estrus", Herodotus (Histories ch.93.1) uses oistros to describe the desire of fish to spawn.
The earliest use in English is of "frenzied passion". In 1900 it was first used to describe "rut in animals, heat".
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estrous_cycle#Etymology_and_nomenclature
Estrus is derived via Latin oestrus (frenzy, gadfly), from Greek οιστρος (gadfly, breeze, sting, mad impulse). Specifically, this refers to the gadfly that Hera sent to torment Io, who had been won in her heifer form by Zeus. Euripides used "oestrus" to indicate "frenzy", and to describe madness. Homer uses the word to describe panic [footnote: of the suitors in Odyssey book 22]. Plato also uses it to refer to an irrational drive and to describe the soul "driven and drawn by the gadfly of desire". Somewhat more closely aligned to current meaning and usage of "estrus", Herodotus (Histories ch.93.1) uses oistros to describe the desire of fish to spawn.
The earliest use in English is of "frenzied passion". In 1900 it was first used to describe "rut in animals, heat".
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estrous_cycle#Etymology_and_nomenclature
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