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~Magnius159

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Non-violent Terrorism, EDIT: 5/19/13

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EDIT: 5/19/13: Stop the destruction of Lhasa


Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet, has stood on the top of the world for 1,500 years but right now faces massive destruction of traditional buildings to make way for a "tourist city". Huge areas of the oldest part of Lhasa, dating back to the 7th century, are under threat of being destroyed irreplaceably to be replaced with a 'shopping mall' and underground car park.

Click the [link] provided to sign the petition.

==========

How the US Turned Three Pacifists into Violent Terrorists


In just ten months, the United States managed to transform an 82 year-old Catholic nun and two pacifists from non-violent anti-nuclear peace protestors accused of misdemeanor trespassing into federal felons convicted of violent crimes of terrorism.  Now in jail awaiting sentencing for their acts at an Oak Ridge, TN nuclear weapons production facility, their story should chill every person concerned about dissent in the US. 


Here is how it happened.



Non-violent terrorism. That's an oxymoron if I ever heard one.


Terrorism is defined in Oxford dictionary as the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.


Yes, I'm pretty sure these three senior citizens are pretty intimidating. Especially a nun. I mean look at her. Pissin my pants, like right now. No, wait, that's just my incontinence. The lady's 82 years old. EIGHTY-TWO.


Terrorism, explained in Wikipedia, refers only to those violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror); are perpetrated for a religious, political or, ideological goal; and deliberately target or disregard the safety of non-combatants (civilians).


Their intent was not to create fear, but to spread their anti-nuclear stand. Their intent was also to reveal to the government how poorly guarded the facility was. There were no civilians or personnel when they breached an area that should have been guarded in the first place. Accountability. That's what grown-ups do.


If we accept this new meaning of non-violent terrorism, then all those who have been exercising their rights to protest (ie: OWS) in the US have been committing terrorism. If you accept this, then you must then accept that the injustices of police brutality against them were justified. Approving of this sort of action, you must also reject the First Amendment. You are then, no more than sheep. Get out.


If we accept this new meaning of terrorism, then those Tibetans  who have been fighting for a free Tibet through self-immolation have been committing terrorism, and thus, you must admit to condoning China's brutal subjugation and oppression of them. You are a monster. Get out.




Before you get hostile, criticizing Israel does not = anti-Semitism.

Walking Dead (Main Theme Remix)  —LDUKMusic


You cannot win freedom on instincts. You can only win freedom on reason. Therefore the unconscious are those who react on instinct. The conscious are those who react on reason.

The job of the conscious is to make the unconscious conscious...Look, you want freedom anyways, let's be serious! Let's sit down, let's plan it, and let's tear down the system...Power comes only from the organized masses.

—Stokely Carmichael

Edit: lol, I lost Watchers because of this journal. Damn you, journal! Damn you to hellll.
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Non-violent Terrorism, EDIT: 5/19/13 May 17 No Comments No Favourites

May Day, CISPA and Monster

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Istanbul


Italy


Turkey


International Workers' Day (May Day) is the commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago. The police were trying to disperse a public assembly during a general strike for the eight-hour workday, when an unidentified person threw a bomb at them. The police reacted by firing on the workers, killing four demonstrators.

Other May Day images from around the world.

In regards to CISPA


It's clear, despite the White House response via We the People, CISPA won't stay dead.

Given that corporate lobbyists have already spent $605 Million on buying support, we can expect that CISPA will be back in some form soon enough. It's likely that the Senate will split the bill up into several smaller bills that will be harder to keep track of and rally around.

There is an infographic to get everyone up to speed about the threat that CISPA still poses to our online privacy and our most basic rights.

Graphics like these are easy to share and super effective at spreading the word, getting people educated and ready to take action.

So, which company has our back?

Related articles:
Panel seeks to fine tech companies for noncompliance with wiretap orders
Justice Department agreed to issue "2511 letters" immunizing AT&T and other companies participating in a cybersecurity program

And finally...



Kenzou Tenma. Neurosurgeon.

Guillermo del Toro is getting an HBO series! Originally pitched for the big screen, the manga series Monster has found a home on HBO. Which means there will be blood, and sex, and supernatural strangeness.

Naoki Urasawa's manga Monster is centered around a disgraced doctor searching for a truly sick criminal.

However, I've been told not to get too excited. del Toro takes on about 100 projects, but only finishes like 2 or something ridiculous. A girl can dream, right?


Song is Sonne by Rammstein. Here are the lyrics.
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May Day, CISPA and Monster May 1 No Comments No Favourites

#CISPABlackout

:iconmagnius159:

EDIT: CISPA 'dead' in Senate, privacy concerns cited

Engaged



reddit
Hackers News Bulletin
Gizmodo
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#CISPABlackout April 21 3 Comments No Favourites

CISPA is back...

:iconmagnius159:

I'm sorry my Watchers, but I just learned that CISPA has been voted by the House behind closed doors and has won by a landslide of 18/2.

Let Congress and the President know that you do not approve of CISPA without an amendment to protect our privacy rights. Sign these, Tweet them and let your friends know. Spread the word. Please. The forms are quick and easy. Do it.

EFF's TAKE ACTION FORM [link]

Tell Congress that you do NOT support the passage of this atrocious assault on your inalienable right to privacy as guaranteed by the Constitution! [link]

Tell President Barack Obama that you do NOT support the passage of this atrocious assault on your unalienable right to privacy as guaranteed by the Constitution and urge him to VETO this bill should it cross his desk! [link]

Not in the US? Yes, this bill effects you as well when you use American services: [link]



==============================
A couple hours after releasing this statement (Read it, it's pretty epic), Anonymous practically gift wraps a case in the rape of Rehtaeh Parsons for the RCMP, who closed the case due to lack of evidence.

Oh god. I love it.

I said this before (though not here) and I'll say it again, it's pretty sad that we need to appeal to a group of vigilantes to do the work of elected governments, school and law officials.

In other news, there has been 13 oil spills in 30 days spilling a total of 1.185m gallons of oil and toxic chemicals. GG guys. GG.

March 11 – 21: Gwagwalada Town, Nigera
Tuesday, March 19: Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories Canada
Monday, March 25: Fort MacKay, Alberta Canada
Wednesday, March 27: Parker Prairie, Minnesota USA
Friday, March 29: Mayflower, Arkansas
Sunday, March 31: A power plant in Lansing, Michigan USA
Tuesday, April 2: Nembe, Nigeria
Wednesday, April 3: 350KM southeast of Newfoundland, Canada
Wednesday, April 4: Chalmette, Louisiana USA
Monday, April 8: Esmeraldas, Ecuador
Tuesday, April 9: 29KM NE of Nuiqsut, Alaska USA



Also, Vikings on History Channel is good :)



This will never end
'Cause I want more
More, give me more
Give me more

This will never end
Cause I want more
More, give me more
Give me more

If I had a heart I could love you
If I had a voice I would sing
After the night when I wake up
I'll see what tomorrow brings

If I had a voice, I would sing

Dangling feet from window frame
Will I ever ever reach the floor?
More, give me more, give me more

Crushed and filled with all I found
Underneath and inside
Just to come around
More, give me more, give me more

If I had a voice, I would sing
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CISPA is back... April 12 No Comments No Favourites

Manuscripts: Oh, for the love of...

:iconmagnius159:

God. I typed 80% of this journal up and went away for an hour, came back and it's gone. The page reloaded when I woke the laptop up and the page is gone. Oh well, here's the watered down version, cuz like no way in hell I'm retyping all that stuff.

Right. So I ran into several interesting manuscripts. Not what you're thinking. Manuscripts as in papyrus and stuff.

First.



In 1420, a scribe from what is now the Netherlands woke up to realize a cat had pissed on his manuscript. He had to abandon the remaining section of the page, but not until after he made an illustration and writing a short prose about it:
Hic non defectus est, sed cattus minxit desuper nocte quadam. Confundatur pessimus cattus qui minxit super librum ostum in nocte Daventrie, et consimiliter omnes alii propter illum. Et cavendum valde ne permittantur libri aperti per noctem uni cattie venire possunt.
When translated into English, that reads:
Here is nothing missing, but a cat urinated on this during a certain night. Cursed be the pesty cat that urinated over this book during the night in Deventer and because of it many others [other cats] too. And beware well not to leave open books at night where cats can come.
medievalfragments has a blog telling several other funny finds. Check them out, they're teh funneh.


Next.



This sexy baby is a 1,200 year old Egyptian text telling about how Jesus shapeshifted to avoid arrest. Don't believe it? Oh come on now. You believe in him rising from the dead like some cheesy zombie story, but you won't believe that he's a shapeshifter? Get out with that crap. Now why do you think Judas kissed him? I mean, it was his way of telling the Romans that Jesus was actually Jesus.


Finally, a piece that's my personal favorite. Seriousfaceon.



At the time of the Tang Dynasty (June 18, 618 – June 1, 907), the Chinese Emperor Ping officially recognized Yao as an independent people and they were given a charter (Guo Shan Bang) defining that the people could travel freely and live in the mountains where they will not be subject to taxes, chores, or military conscription.

This document also tells their story, from their ancestor dragon-dog, Pan Hu, who married a princess and gave birth to the twelve Yao clans.

Unfortunately, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), government officials relocated the clans and demanded land tax. The people who refused were hung and their homes were burned. This ultimately led to three mass exoduses and the dispersal of the Mien clans.

You ain't seen nothin yet.

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Manuscripts: Oh, for the love of... March 31 1 Comment No Favourites

[Graphic] Rohingya massacre (Edit: Update 3/29/13)

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Update: 3/29/13


Myanmar accused of blocking aid to Rohingyas
NEW YORK - An international human rights watchdog body Thursday accused the Myanmar's government of systematically restricting humanitarian aid and imposing discriminatory policies on Rohingya Muslims in Arakan State.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch asked the government to permit unfettered access to humanitarian agencies to provide assistance to Muslim populations, end segregated areas, and put forward a plan for those displaced to return to their homes.

=============
Millions of Rohingya Muslims have been stripped of citizenship and human rights for generations. Up to 800,000 denied passports, access to health-care, education and work now fight for their lives.

The latest wave of sectarian violence sparked months ago: whole villages were torched, and hundreds of thousands displaced. After 4 months of investigations, Al Jazeera reported evidence of at least 2 mass graves, systematic rape and also murder of minors, allegedly with the support and participation of the military and police forces and local government officials.

In a recent resolution, the UN expressed concerns about the situation of the Rohingya, and urged the Burmese government to improve their situation and protect all their rights, including the right to a nationality. In response, Thein Sein pledged to consider more rights but he hasn't done it.


Muslim homes and mosques burnt to the ground. Image by Jamila Hanan, founder of Save the Rohingya


Instead, he has committed atrocities comparable only to the Rwanda massacre. These barbarous acts are being carried out by racist groups like the RNDP (Rakhine Nationalities Development Party), ALA (Arakan Liberation Army), NaSaKa border police and 969 monks led by Monk Wirathu, the self proclaimed Bin Laden of Buddhism. The people of Rohingya are imploring the world for help. We cannot allow our governments to sit back and do nothing.






The persecution of the Rohingya people is severe. The Burmese junta considers them to be sub-human and denies them almost all basic human rights. Often they are subject to torture, gang rape, starvation, slave labor, and forced to reside in the most dire camps in the world - some call these refugee camps but they are concentration camps. Over the past few months, thousands of Rohingya have been encouraged onto boats and sent out to sea with not enough food or fuel, and left there to die. Some of the boats were attacked and sunk, with women and children on board.



Please join us to help stop this massacre.

Sign the following petitions:
EndGenocide: [link]
Avaaz: [link]
UK: [link]
Canada: [link]
France: [link]

For a more complete list of things you can do to help, follow this link. At the bottom of the page, you will have access to various phone numbers and email addresses.

You may also stay aware by following on Twitter: @OpRohingya, @JamilaHanan, @Aungaungsittwe and @GeorgieBC for Rohingya updates.

These acts of genocide being committed against the Rohingya people must no longer be ignored.



I had blogged this video last November, but it's gotten so little attention. It took a bit of digging, but with the newly released tragedy involving Rohingya, I had to repost it there and I have posted it here as well.


Related articles:
The Price of Oil
In Burma, violence against Muslim minority
Muslim Massacre In Myanmar
4 Comments
[Graphic] Rohingya massacre (Edit: Update 3/29/13) March 24 4 Comments No Favourites

Hulk smash

:iconmagnius159:

For people "interested in learning more about how not to be labeled as registered sex offenders, a good first step is not to rape unconscious women, no matter how good your grades are. Regardless of the strength of your GPA (weighted or unweighted), if you commit rape, there is a possibility you may someday be convicted of a sex crime. This is because of your decision to commit a sex crime instead of going for a walk, or reading a book" —Gawker.com

Great job society for sending death threats to the victim (and CNN for giving a heartfelt story about these boys, when the VICTIM should be given the support). Your priorities are exactly where it should be, and that should lead you to a fruitful place in your life with a promising life for your children as well. Just as promising as these two boys whose lives are basically over. Congratulations.

Or perhaps your daughter or son will be raped? Has that thought ever crossed your mind? Oh, of course not. You weren't thinking when you typed up death threats over Twitter where it could be handed over to the authorities, you freaking morons. Obviously, NO LESSONS were learned from these boys as these idiots are making the same stupid mistakes these boys have. My GOD.


The fight's out
I'ma 'bout to punch yo...lights out
Get the fuck back, guard ya grill
There's somethin' wrong, we can't stay still
I've been drankin' and bustin' two
and I been thankin' of bustin' you
Upside ya motherfuckin' forehead
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Hulk smash March 18 No Comments No Favourites

Stop CISPA

:iconmagnius159:

Edit: The petition has reached it's 100k goal. Thanks to those who signed.
Here is their response: [link]

Sign this petition. Don't be a douche.






What I'm listening to:
Nyogen's Midnight Town
Don't let me down~
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Stop CISPA March 8 No Comments No Favourites

Because I like you better

Journal Entry: Sat Feb 23, 2013, 9:10 PM

Because I like you better
Than suits a man to say,
It irked you and I promised
I'd throw the thought away.

To put the world between us
We parted stiff and dry:
"Farewell," said you, "forget me."
"Fare well, I will," said I.

If e'er, where clover whitens
The dead man's knoll, you pass,
And no tall flower to meet you
Starts in the trefoiled grass,

Halt by the headstone naming
The heart no longer stirred,
And say the lad that loved you
Was one that kept his word.
—AE Housman, XXXI

Listen to the reading.



AE Housman


Despite the conservative nature of the times, A.E. Housman, as distinct from the prudence of his public life, was quite open in his poetry. Poem XXXI from More Poems, along with many others, reflects his affections for a Moses Jackson, a man he met in Oxford and falls for. After Oxford, they worked and shared lodgings together for 11 years. However, Jackson was not gay. In fact, he called homosexuality beastly and spoony (which I suppose is something really offensive). So for Housman, that meant a lifetime of unfulfilled loneliness. Housman buries his love for Jackson in the very act of commemorating it, as his feelings of love breaks his friendship, and must be carried silently to the grave.



Moses Jackson



The biological advantage of being awestruck.



Psychologist Nicholas Humphrey has written of the biological advantage of being awe-struck. How fortuitous, he says, for a species to find its own ability to contemplate, to marvel at its own existence has been evolutionary advantageous. In other words, it has been biologically selected for, because it informs our life with sense of cosmic significance, that makes us work harder, to persist, and to survive.

This Journal Skin was designed by ~Night-Beast
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Because I like you better February 23 No Comments No Favourites

Vikings

:iconmagnius159:


Photo from the Ribe VikingeCenter. Follow the link to see other images.


New Vikings exhibition opens at National Museum of Scotland:

When we think of Vikings, the first image that springs to mind is of ferocious, bearded warriors rampaging across Europe, leaving burning buildings and weeping villagers in their wake. But now a new exhibition aims to shed light on the lives of this fascinating people, dispelling more than a few myths and stereotypes along the way – and revealing how women had a far more significant role in the Viking world than most of us will have been aware of until now.

There are no horned helmets in the exhibition, though, as this was an item the Vikings never actually wore. Similarly, the term 'Viking' was actually an activity rather than a term for the people themselves. Men and perhaps even women and adolescents, would go out 'on a Viking', which could be the sort of pillaging raids that we commonly think of, but could also refer to a more peaceful trading expedition.


Reconstructions of various items of Anglo-Saxon and Viking bonework.
Buckles, strap-ends, combs, cloak pins, needles and needle case.

The majority of Vikings were mainly farmers and traders, who, far from their bloodthirsty image, valued their appearance and personal hygiene. The discovery of fine-tooth combs designed to be hung from a belt, ear spoons, glass mirrors and even tweezers suggests that the Vikings were an image-conscious lot. The Vikings were, it seems, a far more innovative and developed society than we've been previously led to believe.

"[It] wasn't just male warriors travelling around conquering new land," says Maria Jansén, Director of the Swedish History Museum. "It was much more trade-based, and not everyone was a Viking. The word 'Viking' was more like something you did once in your life, or someone you called a Viking when he was doing something in particular. You can see here that most of the men during the Viking age were actually farmers, and the farm and the home was a central point of life in the Viking age."


"At the farm the woman had a very important role to play. For example, the aristocratic females would wear keys as brooches to symbolise the power of opening the farm. You couldn't use them, they were merely symbols of the power that she ran the farm." Recent archaeological finds show that these women ruled the households, were able to become extremely rich and powerful in their own right, and were buried with their jewellery and finery to join the afterlife.


Lindholm Høje (Lindholm Hills, from Old Norse haugr, hill or mound) is a major Viking burial site and former settlement situated to the north of and overlooking the city of Aalborg in Denmark.

The life and times of Viking children revealed that they had "a really tough life" (Maria Jansén, Director of the Swedish History Museum). A large sword was discovered alongside a skeleton in a grave. Scientists initially thought it was a warrior, but tests revealed the body belonged to a boy between the ages of eight and 13, suggesting children trained in combat from an early age.

How Vikings killed time.

History Channel's Viking series is coming on 3/3/13



Also, the sky is falling.

What I'm listening to:
5 Comments
  • Listening to: Too Much Fighting —Another Soundscape
Vikings February 15 5 Comments 1 Favourite

Boraraigh, Alba

Mon Feb 4, 2013, 12:02 PM
Top Bird



Gallery

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Boreray, St Kilda, Scotland—Jim Richardson Photography


Though it is generally uninhabited, it still houses the ruins of Taigh Stallar (the steward's house) surrounded by five druidic altars, and the Cleitean MacPhàidein (a "cleit village") of three small bothies used on a regular basis during fowling expeditions [To read more about cleitean]. The island is also home to over 45,000 pairs of birds and a sheep called the Boreray, the most endangered breed of sheep in the United Kingdom.


Settlement dating from as far back as the iron Age has been discovered on the inhospitable St Kilda.

Though the island has very steep slopes, [Archaeologists] found remnants of an agricultural field system and crop terraces.

Three possible settlement mounds were also uncovered. One of these contained the intact remains of a stone building with a 'corbelled' roof, sealed by soil over the centuries.


Geiris Geo, in the north-west, is a long, narrow gorge with vertical sides.



In the mid-18th century, Boreray sheep displayed two pairs of horns, but they are no longer found.
The Boreray is a small primitive breed of sheep weighing little more than 66lbs when fully grown. It is a very intelligent, hardy and agile breed and is capable of surviving on marginal pasture. Rams have large spiralled horns; ewes are generally horned although polled animals do occasionally occur.

The fleece colour is mainly pale grey, tan or creamy white, often with a dark collar around the neck and a dark rump patch. A few dark animals occur. There is no wool on the face and legs - here the colouring is black, tan or grey with frequent speckled markings. The fleece is shed naturally under normal breeding conditions.

The meat is full flavoured and very low in cholesterol.

The Boreray is currently classified as 'Critical' on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Watchlist - i.e. less than 300 breeding ewes.


This is the Manx Loaghtan, a small primitive sheep, and it is one of the rare breeds of sheep on the watch list of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. The breed originates from the prehistoric short-tailed breeds of sheep found in isolated parts of North West Europe where they survived because they were not replaced by more developed breeds. Other breeds in this same group are Soay, Hebridean, Shetland, Boreray and North Ronaldsay.

Loaghtans and their relatives covered the hills of the Isle of Man until the 18th century but by the 1950s numbers had declined to only a handful.

To read more about the Manx Loaghtan.


Taobh cuil an doruis cha bhi grian
Suidh aig bord
Cha bhi biadh 's cha bhi fion
Taobh cuil an doruis cha bhi grian
Cha bhi biadh 's cha bhi fion
On the other side of the door there will be no sun
Sitting at the table
There will be no food and no wine
On the other side of the door there will be no sun
There will be no food and no wine

Le eiginn ar n-eirigh as ar suain
Le eiginn ar n-eirigh as ar suain
An Gaidheal 'sa leabaidh
An Gaidheal 'na shuain
Le eiginn ar n-eirigh as ar suain
It is with difficulty that we will rise from our slumber
It is with difficulty that we will rise from our slumber
The Gael has gone to bed
The Gael is asleep
It is with difficulty that we will rise from our slumber

Thainig e a Sasainn ann
Thainig e
Le eachaibh luath is iuchair throm
Thainig e a Sasainn ann
Le eachaibh luath is iuchair throm
He came from the south
He came
On a fast horse and with a heavy key
He came from the south
On a fast horse and with a heavy key

Air lar 'san toll-dhubh cha bhi grian
Cha bhi gealach
'S dubh an oidhche chaidleas sinn
Air lar 'san toll-dhubh cha bhi grian
'S dubh an oidhche chaidleas sinn
On the dungeon floor there will be no sun
There will be no moon
Dark will be the night as we sleep
On the dungeon floor there will be no sun
Dark will be the night as we sleep

Skin made by =fantasy-alive
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Boraraigh, Alba February 4 6 Comments No Favourites

Israel and Eugenics

Journal Entry: Mon Jan 28, 2013, 9:17 AM


Israel Admits To Giving Ethiopian Women Birth Control Shots

A government official has for the first time acknowledged the practice of injecting women of Ethiopian origin with the long-acting contraceptive Depo-Provera.

Health Ministry Director General Prof. Ron Gamzu has instructed the four health maintenance organizations to stop the practice as a matter of course. The ministry and other state agencies had previously denied knowledge or responsibility for the practice, which was first reported five years ago. Gamzu's letter instructed "all gynecologists in the HMOs not to renew prescriptions for Depo-Provera for women of Ethiopian origin if for any reason there is concern that they might not understand the ramifications of the treatment." Gamzu also instructed physicians to avail themselves of translators if need be.

Gamzu's letter came in response to a letter from Sharona Eliahu-Chai of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel, representing several women's rights and Ethiopian immigrants' groups. The letter demanded the injections cease immediately and that an investigation be launched into the practice.

About six weeks ago, on an Educational Television program journalist Gal Gabbay revealed the results of interviews with 35 Ethiopian immigrants. The women's testimony could help explain the almost 50-percent decline over the past 10 years in the birth rate of Israel's Ethiopian community. According to the program, while the women were still in transit camps in Ethiopia they were sometimes intimidated or threatened into taking the injection. "They told us they are inoculations," said one of the women interviewed. "They told us people who frequently give birth suffer. We took it every three months. We said we didn't want to."


Part deux


I've made it a habit to add a video to each journal. Today, it'll be Rage.

It didn't take me long to locate the origins of part of the lyrics Zack speaks.



"He [King] could be a real contender for this position [ of 'black messiah'] should he abandon his supposed 'obedience' to 'white liberal doctrines' (non-violence) and embrace black nationalism...Through counter-intelligence it should be possible to pinpoint potential trouble-makers and neutralize them…"


Counterintelligence Program – Black Nationalist-Hate Groups – Racial Intelligence: [link]

This Journal Skin was designed by ~Night-Beast
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  • Listening to: Wake up - Rage Against The Machine
Israel and Eugenics January 28 No Comments No Favourites

2013: Dawning of the Drones

:iconmagnius159:



Drones have already been deployed across several US states, but thousands of UAVs could soon be flying all across the country for surveillance purposes that some privacy advocates consider unconstitutional.

The Federal Aviation Administration has received at least 60 applications for drone employment in the US and this month approved 348 drones for domestic use. Most of the currently employed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being used along the Mexican border to help law enforcement officers crack down on illegal immigration, but some drones will soon be used to monitor civilians.

The sheriff's office in Orange County, Fl., has already experimented with two domestic surveillance drones that it plans to use over metro Orlando starting this summer, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The drones would not be armed, but would be used to track down criminals, terrorists and illegal immigrants, as well as be used for environmental monitoring and wildfire surveillance, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

The FAA predicts that 30,000 UAVs will fly over the US in less than 20 years, which has alarmed privacy advocates who claim the drones are a violation of the Fourth Amendment, which protects against 'unreasonable searches'.

"This is unwise and unnecessary. … Sheriffs are supposed to be sheriffs, not the US Army," said Doug Head, a Democratic activist who closely follows Orange County politics.

"It's really easy to increase public surveillance. But when the inevitable problems arise, it's much harder to bring them back," said Baylor Johnson, a Miami-based spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union.

Nationwide, about a dozen law enforcement agencies have or are using a drone for surveillance purposes already. Some legislators have attempted to place restrictions on the UAVs to protect their constituents' privacy.  Florida state Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, introduced a bill to limit the use of drones and allow their employment only when the federal government predicts a terrorist attack, to collect evidence in criminal cases where a search warrant has been approved, and during hostage-taking situations.

As drones become less expensive, our fear is that police and other agencies could use them for fishing expeditions that infringe on individual's right to privacy," Gary Brunk, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri, told the Kansas City Star.

Employing drones in Orange County would cost $22,000 to $25,000 per vehicle, which County Sheriff Jerry Demings believes is well worth the money "to help keep our community safe."

But Negron calls domestic drones an "intrusion of privacy". The FAA is currently coming up with a set of rules that would regulate how drones can be used and how they can share the airspace with other commercial and private vehicles. Once these guidelines have been established in 2015, thousands of unmanned aircrafts will be brought into the American skies to search for criminal activity and monitor US citizens every questionable move.

Source


Abby Martin talks to Amie Stepanovich, legal counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, about the rise of surveillance drones in the US, the capabilities of these robots, and the implications they have on the privacy of Americans.

In other drone related news. It's probably well-known by now, but if you have been living under a rock, the US will not be building the Death Star as the People have petitioned for. Read the petition response from the White House.


Straight To Video —Mindless Self Indulgence

PS: Thank you to those who took part in my poll. I'll leave it up for a couple weeks.
No Comments
  • Listening to: Straight to Video —Mindless Self Indulgence
2013: Dawning of the Drones January 20 No Comments No Favourites

To my Watchers

Journal Entry: Thu Jan 10, 2013, 10:12 PM




The Half-Beast —DJPlaeskool

I don't know what happened to the sound on this, but here's the Original downloadable version.

Music and images used under CC.

Note: The video's 5:43 long. I played it for myself and it randomly stops mid-song. Reloading helps. It might be a Youtube glitch. No idea.

This Journal Skin was designed by ~Night-Beast
6 Comments
To my Watchers January 10 6 Comments 2 Favourites

The Fairy Folk

Journal Entry: Sat Dec 29, 2012, 6:56 PM
The fairies only left Orkney when folk stopped seekin' them
—Anonymous Orcadian


Jürgen Heckel


The term "fairy folk" was simply a blanket term used to refer to a wide range of supernatural creatures. Of these, the trows were the most common, and the terms were used interchangeably.

The Orcadian fairy was not the benign gossamer-winged nymph of popular tradition. Far from it. The Orcadian fairy folk, like the trows, were feared immensely.


Draugr


For years, the accepted explanation for the word "trow" has been that it is simply a corruption of "troll"—a version of Norway's lumbering trolls. However, this does not apply to the Orcadian pronunciation of "trow". It is closer to the word "drow" than "troll". For the real predecessor of the trow, look to the mound-dwelling creature in Norse tradition referred to as the "draugr". An Icelandic Dictionary defines "draugr" as being a ghost or spirit; especially the dead inhabitant of a cairn. But this gives a false impression of the creature because the Norse believed that a body placed in its grave continued to live on. So the term we would use today would be "undead".

The root of Orkney's fairy folklore is not clear. It undoubtedly has elements from a number of different traditions - such as pre-Christian beliefs in gods, goddesses and the spirits of nature, which inhabited Orkney's streams, lochs and hills.

Years ago, a common belief was that fairy folklore evolved from the memories of a prehistoric Pygmy race. According to David MacRitchie, they were probably Mongolians who inhabited many parts of Continental Europe. Newcomers or the Celtic nations ousted the original inhabitants of the isles—driven into the mountains and into the most inaccessible places, and the memories of the defeated lived on through oral tradition.


Jürgen Heckel


Rev. Dr. Cririe and Rev. Dr. Graham have suggested it was the folk-memory of the Druids. However, this does not explain why there were stories about fairy women emerging from Otherworld as Druids, rather than Druidesses, had the chief influence on the community.

The folkloric origin of the fairies undoubtedly shows a later Christian influence with a nudge towards Satan. Christians called the fairy folk fallen angels and stated the fairy folk's hated and feared the Bible.

A suspicious piece of church propaganda stated that a fairy woman asked whether there was any way that her soul might be saved.

The man replied: "Yes indeed, but only if you can say 'Our father which art in Heaven.'"

The fairy woman tried to answer, but was only able to say: "Our father which wert in heaven" - i.e. "Our father who was in heaven".

Her loyalty to Satan, the Fallen Angel, proven she went away crying in despair.

To most Orcadians, the fairy folk were invisible so few supposed descriptions were recorded. Again, one common element was that the Orcadian fairy was not a gossamer-winged nymph.

A 19th century Shetland writer describes a creature that could easily be a trow:

"Fairies are said to be short in stature, with small faces and yellow complexion. They have red eyes and green teeth. They dress uniformly in dark grey, and both sexes wear murat [natural brown wool] mittens."


Fairy Folk lewstudio flickr


Reverend John Brand, who published a description of Orkney in 1701, adds one further, surprising, element to the fairy's appearance:

"Evil spirits also called Fairies are frequently seen in several of the isles, dancing and making merry, and sometimes seen in Armour."

The reference to fairy "armour" is intriguing and are found more than once. Apparently, there were fights between rival groups recorded. One such account was written by one David Spence.


Neolithic flint arrowhead, called 'elf-shot' c3500 BC archaeology.co.uk


When not fighting among themselves, the fairies and trows, were renowned, disliked, and particularly feared, for of their habit of attacking livestock and humans. When an animal became thin and ill, it was said to have been elf-shot or trow-shot.  A fairy's weapon was usually a stone or flint arrowhead, but sometimes the projectile was a sharp splinter of wood.

—orkneyjar
—WY Evans Wentz, The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries
—www.behance.net/sogar_heckel

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The Fairy Folk December 29, 2012 No Comments No Favourites

Devious Journal Entry

:iconmagnius159:

Today's word, boys and girls, is colonialism. What is it, you say? Wikipedia defines it as the establishment, exploitation, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony, and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by colonizers from the metropole. Colonialism is a set of unequal relationships between the metropole and the colony and between the colonists and the indigenous population [link]

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines colonialism is a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another [link]  Frequently, colonialism and imperialism are treated as synonyms.

Examples of this are the Crusades, Britain and the thirteen colonies, France and the Haiti, and Spain and Latin America to name a very few. How is this even relevant? Colonialism is not a thing of the past.

See this woman?

Well, she was fired for voicing her stand against the standards of a "European grade" society [link]

On Oct. 1, a viewer identified as Emmitt Vascocu wrote, "the black lady that does the news is a very nice lady.the only thing is she needs to wear a wig or grow some more hair. im not sure if she is a cancer patient. but still its not something myself that i think looks good on tv. what about letting someone a male have waist long hair do the news.what about that (cq)."

Lee replied the same day, "Hello Emmitt–I am the 'black lady' to which you are referring. I'm sorry you don't like my ethnic hair. And no I don't have cancer. I'm a non-smoking, 5'3, 121 lbs, 25 mile a week running, 37.5 year old woman, and I'm in perfectly healthy physical condition.

"I am very proud of my African-American ancestry which includes my hair. For your edification: traditionally our hair doesn't grow downward. It grows upward. Many Black women use strong straightening agents in order to achieve a more European grade of hair and that is their choice. However in my case I don't find it necessary. I'm very proud of who I am and the standard of beauty I display. Women come in all shapes, sizes, nationalities, and levels of beauty. Showing little girls that being comfortable in the skin and HAIR God gave me is my contribution to society. Little girls (and boys for that matter) need to see that what you look like isn't a reason to not achieve their goals.

"Conforming to one standard isn't what being American is about and I hope you can embrace that.

"Thank you for your comment and have a great weekend and thank for watching."


Thank you for reading.

Edit: Our thoughts to those 30 victims and their families in Connecticut. Such a tragic event and so close to the Holidays.
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Devious Journal Entry December 14, 2012 6 Comments No Favourites

Druim Shionnach

Tue Dec 11, 2012, 2:34 PM
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Druim Shionnach —chimpaction
I'm slowly learning Scottish Gaelic or Ghàidhlig. [Irish Gaelic is Gaeilge.] Some of the things I Iove to read are the poetry, then just the names of the various towns, cities and of course mountains.

Druim Shionnach—Ridge of the Fox
Shionnach: fox
Druim: ridge
Druimean: mountain saddle or pass
Druim le gaoir: goose bumps, goose flesh; gaoir: cry
Gaoir chatha: battle cry

A plausible source of the rebel yell, advanced by the historian Grady McWhiney, is that it derived from the screams traditionally made by Scottish Highlanders when making a Highland charge during battle. At the Battle of Killiecrankie, "Dundee and the Chiefs chose to employ perhaps the most effective pre-battle weapon in the traditional (highland) arsenal – the eerie and disconcerting howl" (Hill J.M.,1986), also "The terror was heightened by their wild plaided appearance and the distinctive war-cry of the Gael - a high, savage whooping sound…." (MacLeod J., 1996 pp 140).

The notion that the rebel yell was Celtic in origin is further supported by James Hill (1986 pp 173) "The first United States census in 1790 revealed a well defined ethnic division between the Northern and Southern states. In new England (sic) 75 percent of the people were Anglo-Saxons in origin, while Celts outnumbered Anglo-Saxons in the South two to one." "A decade before the American Civil War the South – from Virginia to Texas was probably three-quarters Celtic." This evidence is also supported by McDonald & McWhiney's research into the Celtic nature of the Southern States, (McDonald, F., 1978) & (Mcdonald, F., & McDonald, E.S. 1980).

There is also linguistic evidence from Scottish Gaelic, where there is significant support to link a high pitched scream or cry with Highland Scots battle tactics – "Goir – shriek, or cry with a shrill piercing voice" (Dwelly E., 1973: 515); forms the syllable of "goiream – let me shout" – cry, shout in Goiream a' Chogaidh – battle Cry. Also "Gaoir – cry of pain or alarm, cry of woe, derisive cheering, wailing" and "Gaoir Chatha – battle cry" (Dwelly E., 1973: 475).
—Laurie J. White

Not this Rebel Yell


This Rebel Yell:

Rebel yell .wav: [link]
Often times, I go into tangents. Or what my friend and I call "the rabbit hole".
If you're interesting in what I'm listening to atm:


Skin by =fantasy-alive
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  • Listening to: Selbina —Naoshi Mizuta
  • Watching: time burn
Druim Shionnach December 11, 2012 8 Comments No Favourites

Unicorn's Lair discovered

Journal Entry: Sat Dec 1, 2012, 7:53 AM

Yongmyong Temple, Pyongyang Korea. Photo by Moravius Flickr

200 meters from this site is where archaeologists have claimed to have discovered a unicorn's lair. I kid you not.

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  • Listening to: Roar of the Battle Drums —Naoshi Mizuta
  • Watching: you
Unicorn's Lair discovered December 1, 2012 8 Comments No Favourites

Waulking the tweed

Journal Entry: Thu Nov 29, 2012, 7:31 AM

Waulking is a finishing process that is applied to woven wool tweed. In Gaelic language, the process of waulking is called luadh ("loo-ugh") and the songs of waulking are known as orain luaidh ("or-ine loo-ie"). There were four parts to the waulking process. The first, similar to the fulling process, entails shrinking the fabric so it thickens to give a degree of wind and waterproofing. Then cleansing the cloth, folding the cloth, the process of giving it tension, after which came a rite of consecration. Waulking was a daylong project and once begun it had to be finished in one session.

When cloth had been woven and removed from the loom, a session was planned. The waulking women assembled at the house of the owner of the cloth after breakfast. The tweed, up to 70 yards long, was sewn together at the ends to make a continuous loop and then it was soaked in human urine, fualor graith, which was saved in each house for this sole purpose. The ammonia served to deepen and intensify the dye colors but also to remove residual oils used to dress the wool.

Waulking of cloth was done by pounding the material against a board. Women would sit around the waulking board and the cloth would be pulled towards you and beaten on the board then passed slightly to your left before pushing it back, moving it in a four-time clockwise direction. Cloth would be inches narrower when the process was complete in addition to being softer, thicker, and more tightly woven.

Accompanying this work were waulking songs, òrain luiadh, a musical form unknown elsewhere in Western Europe. Waulking was measured by song - not time - it was never said, "it will take another half-hour" but rather "it will take another song". The songs, which have common themes of love, war, hunting and sewing, are very rhythmic and were composed to keep the beat as the cloth was being waulked. The best singer, the ban dhuan, would sing out the verse and then everyone would join in the chorus. The verses and choruses (sometimes there are up to 4 choruses) are very short, sometimes only a few syllables.
—barnhills.tumblr.com

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  • Listening to: Roar of the Battle Drums —Naoshi Mizuta
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Waulking the tweed November 29, 2012 No Comments No Favourites

Selkie-Folk

Journal Entry: Thu Nov 8, 2012, 9:57 PM
When angels fell, some fell on the land, some on the sea.
The former are the faeries and the latter were often said to be the seals.
—Anonymous Orcadian


Selkie is simply the Orcadian dialect word for "seal".

Some of the old folk claimed that the selkie-folk were, like fairies, fallen angels, condemned to live as animals until the Biblical Day of Judgement. Others insisted that the selkie-folk were once human beings who, for some grave misdemeanour, were doomed to assume the form of a seal and live out the rest of their days in the sea. The third possibility discussed by the Orcadian storytellers of yesteryear was that the selkie-folk were actually the souls of those who had drowned. One night each year these lost souls were permitted to leave the sea and return to their original human form.

There is no agreement as to how often the selkie-folk were able to carry out the transformation. Some tales say it was once a year, usually Midsummer's Eve, while others state it could be "every ninth night" or "every seventh stream". Regardless of how often they were able to transform, the folklore tells us that once in human form, the selkie-folk would dance on lonely stretches of moonlit shore, or bask in the sun on outlying skerries.

If this sealskin was lost, or stolen, the creature was doomed to remain in human form until it could be recovered. Because of this, if disturbed while on shore, the selkie-folk would hastily snatch up their skins before rushing back to the safety of the sea.


"As soon as the seal was clear of the water, it reared up and its skin slipped down to the sand. What had been a seal was a white-skinned boy" —George Mackay Brown - Pictures in the Cave

The selkie-men were renowned for their many encounters with human females — married and unmarried.

A selkie-man in human form was said to be a handsome creature, with almost magical seductive powers over mortal women. According to tradition, they had no qualms about casting off their sealskins, stashing them carefully, and heading inland to seek out "unsatisfied women".

Should a mortal woman wish to make contact with a selkie-man, there was a specific rite she had to follow. At high tide, she should make her way to the shore, where she had to shed seven tears into the sea.

The selkie-man would then come ashore and, after removing his magical sealskin, seek out "unlawful love".


Selkie Color by zirofax deviantART


But while the males of the selkie race were irresistible to the island women, selkie-women were no less alluring to the eyes of earth-born men. The most common theme in selkie folklore is one in which a cunning young man acquires, either by trickery or theft, a selkie-girl's sealskin.

This prevents her from returning to the sea, leaving the seal-maiden with no option but to marry her "captor".

—orkneyjar

A traditional Scottish melody used to call the seals: [link]



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  • Listening to: Roar of the Battle Drums —Naoshi Mizuta
  • Watching: you
Selkie-Folk November 8, 2012 No Comments 1 Favourite

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