An article trying to syncretize Zen Buddhism and Christianity. Or rather reinterpret the latter in the light of the former. Impersonal panentheism, anyone? And yeah, I just have to categorize everything, lol.
Monday, September 30, 2024
Den verkliga skrällen
Det känns som att "T.H." missar den *verkliga* skrällen här: väldigt många kvinnor i Österrike röstade faktiskt på FPÖ. Könspolariseringen vänster/höger är alltså mindre stark i Österrike än i många andra länder...
He. Is. The. One.
Note that the prayer is Catholic and associated with Leo XIII. Which may be significant, given the recent trend on the far right to convert to "traditional" Catholicism.
Or maybe he just wants to win the Catholic vote...
The hell of atheism
Are atheists more likely to commit suicide? Controversial content...
Atheism and autism
Could be controversial, I imagine. Btw, my "autism score" or AQ is apparently 16, so I suppose I´m a normal neurotypical guy...and "should" be a theist?
Busting Breitbart
LOL. So Breitbart News are Old Earth creationists, then? Silly remark, I know, but I couldn´t help myself...
Comet visible for the first time in 80,000 years photographed in Chilean desert
Det nya Minos?
Ett "matriarkalt" samhälle på Iberiska halvön under kopparstenåldern? Oklart om detta var indoeuropéer eller en tidigare kultur. Gissningsvis det sistnämnda.
Genetic fallacy
Vox Day´s voluntary manslaughter of Arthur Schopenhauer. Entertaining after a fashion....
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Utestängda
Norge sägs överväga ett stängsel på gränsen till Ryssland. Undrar hur länge det dröjer innan de bygger ett på den svenska gränsen också...?
Homo diluvii testis
An old classic. That time when a fossil of a giant salamander was misinterpreted as the remains of a man who witnessed the Biblical Flood. Note, however, that the final scientific name of the specimen honors both the original discoverer and his mistake! From Wikipedia.
>>>In his book Lithographia Helvetica from 1726, Johann Jakob Scheuchzer described a Miocene fossil found in Öhningen as Homo diluvii testis (Latin: Man, witness of the Deluuge), believing it to be the remains of a human that drowned in the biblical Deluge. The fossil was about 1 m (3 ft) long, lacked its tail and hind legs, and could thus be interpreted as showing some resemblance to the remains of a violently trampled human child.
>>>In 1758, the first to doubt his theory in print was Johannes Gessner, who thought it was a giant catfish (Siluris). In 1787 Petrus Camper thought it was a lizard (Lacerta); at that time, scholars and the scientific community generally did not differentiate between reptiles and amphibians. In 1802 Martin van Marum bought this fossil for Teyler´s Museum in Haarlem from Scheuchzer's grandson in Zürich, along with a fossilized swordfish, for 14 Louis d´or. It can still be seen in Teyler's Museum, in the original showcase.
>>>Seven years later, the fossil again came under scrutiny when the famous Georges Cuvier published an article in which he claimed the fossil was "nothing but a salamander, or rather a proteus of gigantic dimensions and of an unknown species". He proceeded to examine the fossil in Haarlem, by then a part of the French Empire, in 1811. After hacking away gently at the fossil, he uncovered the foremost limbs and the specimen was recognized as a giant salamander. The difference in color of the stone shows what Scheuchzer saw and what Cuvier later could see.
>>>The specimen was renamed Salamandra scheuchzeri by Friedrich Holl in 1831. The genus Andrias was only coined six years later by Johann Jakob von Tschudi. In doing so, both the genus, Andrias (which means image of man), and the specific name, scheuchzeri, ended up honouring Scheuchzer and his beliefs. The Teylers Museum has several other specimens in their collection in addition to this one.
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Jailbreak
"AI whisperers" (many of whom claim to be literally insane) are trying to find weaknesses in AI´s "guard rail" functions, in order to force the system to do unethical, illegal or otherwise crazy things.
Not sure who these guys are working for. The Deep State? Another Matrix-like control program...
Skolval
SD blev störst i de "skolval" som hölls i samband med EU-valet. Från Tobias Hübinettes blogg.
(PP är Piratpartiet, VL är Värdigt Liv som tydligen är en valallians mellan Feministiskt Initiativ och Partiet Vändpunkt. Observera att Folklistan inte syns i valresultatet! Lite anmärkningsvärt att PP fick 3% av ungdomarnas "röster", även om just detta knappast är det viktigaste inslaget i den här undersökningen.)
Ruburt wants out
I have to say that I became even more skeptical to "channeling" after watching this video, featuring the well-known New Age personality Jane Roberts. Or is it *split* personality? Roberts supposedly "channeled" an entity known as Seth. "The Seth Material" became near-foundational both for the New Age scene and later channelers.
However, in the video linked above, Roberts comes across as an almost stereotypical crazy woman. It boggles my mind that anyone could take this BS seriously and that it played such an important role in the emergence of an entire spiritual subculture.
And no, she´s not being entirely fortright about her background (see the Wikipedia on Roberts entry for more info). Roberts had apparently written both science fiction and fantasy before she started channeling Seth, and her writing frequently touched on reincarnation and clairvoyance. And while the New Age might not have existed back in 1963, there would have been Theosophical and Spiritualist groups.
The only mystery here is why on earth this ever became a thing.
Avenging Agincourt
I don´t believe a word of Boris Johnson´s recent claim that he seriously considered an invasion of the Netherlands to grab COVID vaccines he believed were rightfully British.
A *what* of *what* do to *what*..?!
"Boris" is generally regarded as an inveterate liar, madman and perhaps psycho, so why believe him here? Not even the Don is this crazy. Unless, of course, the idea of an armed intervention against a fellow NATO ally was part of Johnson´s utter madness.
Maybe it was a good thing that the British were kept in line by the European Union? I mean, has anything in the UK actually *improved* after Brexit? Perhaps it´s time to avenge Agincourt. The British are our bitches, make England a French backwater, re-activate the Auld Alliance with Scotland, make Hibernia great again!
Or am I saying this at 2:37am just because I munched at a highly potent Dutch tulip?
Friday, September 27, 2024
I don´t think so
- Funko Pops?! I don´t think so, soyboy! This is the Holy Roman Empire! Of the German nation, to boot!!!
Han har rätt om Big Bang
Björn Ranelid förnekar tydligen både Big Bang och evolutionen i sin nyutkomna bok "Låt solen skina över alla barn".
Har inte läst boken, så jag känner inte till hans argumentation i detalj. Eller alls. Men jag lutar också väldigt starkt åt att Big Bang-kosmologin helt enkelt är felaktig. Däremot är evolutionen ett faktum.
Utom inom musikens värld, LOL. Se klippet ovan! Länk till en artikel om Ranelids bråk med en fysikprofessor nedan.
Make America pagan again
"The Wild Hunt" seems to be a Woke Neo-Pagan on-line publication, but on *this* issue, they side with the evil minions of Conspirituality (and the pre-2020 Woke-ish counter-culture). Interesting...
Street shamanism
Another alternative "pagan" belief system among homeless people, this time teenagers and adults in Eugene, Oregon. Note that the author almost sounds like a skeptic, yet the article is clearly published in a Neo-Pagan magazine! A case of real pagans versus pagan LARP-ers?
Myths over Miami
This is both tragic and extremely scary at the same time. Could be used as an argument for atheism. Or Satanism...
Yes, it´s the classical article "Myths Over Miami" from 1997 by Lynda Edwards.
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Soy and Funko Pops
Eastern Orthodox lay theologian and conspiracy theorist Jay Dyer (the party-clad dude in the lower right corner) discusses "deconstruction" with another Orthobro, who goes by COTEL.
I assumed "deconstruction" was simply a pretentious term for "leaving the Christian faith to become an atheist", but it seems the rabbit hole goes deeper. For instance, many of the deconstructionists don´t become atheists at all, but rather emerge (pun intended) as liberal-Woke Christians. There are connections to the good ol´ Emergent Church. More strangely, one of the leading deconstructionists is a Mormon?!
During the conversation, Dyer and COTEL claims that the LDS Church accepts homosexuality and trans-humanism. And, I suppose, Funko Pops. Is this really true?
The term "deconstructionism" itself obviously comes from postmodernism, and it seems there *is* a connection to this particular mind-virus. Dyer (of course) also believes that there is a vast conspiracy going on, involving pretty much everyone from the CIA and the Jesus People to George Soros and Vineyard. Make of *that* what you wish.
Could be of some interest.
A new science of angels
I know that Rupert Sheldrake is a Christian, but his take on angels in this clip may be too daring even for his Christian brethren...not to mention materialists! Both psychedelic experiences and dream-visions of the Hindu god Ganesha are mentioned in the discussion, alongside more "standard" Christian sources such as Pseudo-Dionysius.
Note the family likeness to Patrick Harpur, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, certain forms of Neo-Platonism, and so on.
Note also that Michaelmas is celebrated this Sunday, September 29...
If you block with The Man, The Man will cut you out
France again...
In all fairness, World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) opposed the NPF and their alliance with Macron. If their take on the new Barnier government is true, is perhaps another matter entirely. Sure, Macron "played" the leftists, but perhaps he is trying to "play" the RN with a government that LARPs "far right", while actually being centrist/pro-EU BAU?
But of course, that´s above the head of the WSWS, which regards everyone to the right of themselves as "fascist" or at the very least "fascistic". I mean, these guys accused Justin Trudeau of conspiring with far right terrorists?!
And yeah, I know that the guys behind the WSWS are a minuscule Trotskyist sect...
Barnier government ministers embrace policy of the far right
Neo-fascist RN gives its marching orders to the incoming French government
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Donald Trump: The new Dark Brandon?
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| Not a Teamster, but you get the point! |
A number of surveys suggest that most Teamsters who support Trump originally backed *Biden* and switched to the controversial GOP candidate after the POTUS was replaced on the Dem ticket by Harris.
White male workers was the only category of voters among which Trump lost votes in 2020. Are these angry workers returning to Trump...again?
The two other links are to Trump and Vance trying to sound "left" populist...like Trump campaign in 2016!
Trump calls for higher tariffs
J D Vance: Harris is "candidate of illegal labor"
The fix is in
Sure wonder how Google´s all-knowing algorithm "pegs" me, but the ads in my spam file (!) are getting increasingly weird. I mean, I just got an ad calling on me to obtain a US ballot?!
Or maybe it´s a hoax. As usual. But then, maybe the actual ballots are marked, too, so spot the difference, LOL.
Luminous encounters
“The Self-Immolation of Kalanos and other Luminous Encounters among
Greeks and Indian Buddhists in the Hellenistic World” is a rather short article
by Georgios T Halkias published in 2015 in the scholarly “Journal of the Oxford
Centre for Buddhist Studies”. Or perhaps not so short, since Halkias has
appended a large number of voluminous footnotes! The author further states that
his study is “revisionist”, but not being an expert on Kalanos and other luminous
beings, I can´t really tell what the “revisionism” entails. Perhaps the
identity of the famed gymnosophists, and perhaps…something else. Stay tuned!
During the campaigns of Alexander the Great (here referred to as Alexandros of Macedonia), the Greeks encountered “gymnosophists” or naked wise men, obviously a reference to some kind of Indian ascetics. But what kind? There are many different kinds of ascetics in South Asia, and I suppose the usual guesses are Hindus (or rather what we would call Hindus) or Jains.
Halkias
proposes Buddhists instead. Kalanos accompanied the Greek army of Alexander and
then committed suicide by self-immolation on a pyre. Apparently, Jains oppose
self-immolation, instead preferring suicide by voluntary starvation. They
aren´t even allowed to handle fire, since it can kill flying insects. Nor is
there any archeological or documentary evidence of a Jain presence in Taxila,
where the Greeks encountered the gymnosophists, during the relevant time frame.
But what about the nudity? Halkias believes that nudity was prevalent in many different
Indian contexts, not just among Jains, citing as an example near-nude Indian diplomatic
envoys to the Persian king.
The author further argues that there is evidence that members of some early Buddhist sects only wore rags or were “open air dwellers” rather than building shelters for themselves. That the gymnosophists allowed women to practice or debate with them also points to Buddhism. So does the fact that Kalanos willingly accompanied the Macedonian army when it departed for another part of the conquered Persian Empire. Missionary work directed at non-Indians was standard Buddhist practice. But apparently the “smoking gun” (pun almost intended) is Kalanos´ self-immolation. This may come as a shock to those who think that Buddhism is a strictly non-violent religion which opposes suicide, but there you go.
I´ve
previously reviewed a scholarly article on ritual suicide among Pure Land Buddhists
in China and Japan. If Halkias is correct, acceptance of suicide runs deep within
Buddhism, including its earliest forms. It was acceptable for ascetics (not laity)
to commit suicide if sickness or old age seriously impaired their meditative practice.
Indeed, this seems to have been precisely what Kalanos was doing. Buddhist
monks, but not Brahmins, were cremated at death. Brahmin holy men who committed
suicide usually drowned themselves in sacred rivers. Therefore, suicide by fire
would have been a Buddhist practice.
Halkias references a presumably apocryphal tradition according to which
the Buddhist emperor Ashoka killed himself by self-immolation. From a much
later period, there is a description of Indian ascetics by the Gnostic Bardesanes
which must refer to Buddhist monks, and which also states that they practice
self-immolation. More disturbingly, perhaps, Bardesanes states that the
ascetics take their own lives *not* when they are sickly or elderly, but when
their spiritual practice is most successful! Halkias recounts legends about
Buddha´s former lives or about bodhisattvas, which include self-immolation. The
point of self-immolation is, Halkias believes, to imitate the Buddha´s funeral
pyre and produce holy relics. He even believes that the Buddha himself self-immolated,
but I don´t see how the quoted material bears this out.
Here is another bizarre quote: “A Buddhist narrative from the Mahavastu tells
that at the moment of Shakyamuni´s conception in his mother’s womb five hundred
pratyekabuddhas assembled at the Deer Park in Sarnath (where Shakyamuni would later
deliver his first sermon) and liberated themselves from their bodies in a spectacular
manner. Rising high up in the air to a height of seven palm trees they immolated
themselves, bursting into flames. This pyrotechnic phantasmagoria anticipates
the Buddha’s enlightening teachings at the Deer Park and suggests some ancient
form of sacrifce/offering that marks the birth of a great leader.”
The author ends his study by arguing that the ancient Greeks didn´t
disapprove of the antics of the self-immolating gymnosophists. Quite the contrary,
the suicide by fire motif also existed in Greek mythology and tradition…
I admit that I don´t quite like the implications of this revisionist piece
of scholarship.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
The greatest story ever sold
_(cropped).jpg) |
| Credit: Gage Skidmore |
Some weeks ago, I spotted something peculiar in an otherwise very “serious” and “official” bookstore: an occasional magazine about Donald Trump, with yuge and amazing photos of same. Leafing through it, I even noticed pics of the Q Shaman. And, the strangest thing of all: the text is in Swedish?! At first, I took no action, but on second thoughts, I returned to said bookstore and picked up a copy for 140 kronor.
The magazine-like publication is simply titled “Donald Trump” in the Swedish edition, which is published by a Norwegian outlet and printed in Latvia. The original is British: “Story of Trump” by Future Publishing. The publication year is given as 2024, but I don´t see the exact date. However, on internal evidence, it must have been in May or June. Joe Biden was still the Dem candidate, and neither the RNC nor the DNC are featured. However, the Swedish edition actually states in a photo caption that Biden is no longer running, but without mentioning Harris! There is nothing on the assassination attempts.
I admit that I only read a few pages of this peculiar mag, translated to somewhat artificial Swedish. The text seems remarkably “objective”, suggesting that “Story for Trump” is intended for a very wide audience. If it works is perhaps another matter – surely almost nobody wants an “objective” look on Trump?
The magazine follows Trump´s career, expounds on his celebrity status, and (of
course) his presidential campaigns. The storming of the Capitol is prominently
featured. The photos are good, including some pretty bizarre ones from J6 (the
Q Shaman wasn´t the only weird character present). Almost worth the entire price
of this strange product…
The greatest story ever told? Or at the very least, sold.
Over and out!
Hard shells
This is one of the more peculiar Christian groups I´ve come across: Primitive Baptists. Their theology is an almost bizarre combination of belief in complete predestination and...Inclusivism?!
In other words: many people who have never heard the Gospel, or belong to other churches than the Primitive Baptists, will nevertheless be saved and go to Heaven, since God predestined them to do so before the creation of world.
From this follows than neither faith nor the gospel are necessary for salvation. *Only* the grace of God through predestination saves. They actually say this explicitly! For this reason, Primitive Baptists usually don´t do missionary work, for what´s the point?
Another unusual trait is the claim that Primitive Baptism has always existed since the time of Jesus, hence this group denies being "Protestants" but intstead claims an unbroken (but hidden?) continuity with the apostles.
In reality, of course, they are very much Protestants!
Under tiden, norr om polcirkeln...
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| - Har du hört om guldschakalen? Den har etablerat sig i lappmarkerna! - Ja, det stämmer. Dyrkar Kali också, ack, ack... |
Har de sett guldschakaler också? Eller nej? LOL.
"The world´s most peaceful religion" (LOL)
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| Me, reflecting on the absurdity of existence |
The Indian religion of Jainism is often said to be the most peaceful religion in the world, and is associated with "ahimsa" (non-violence). So let´s see how peaceful Jainism *really* was during its history. Info coined from Wikipedia, which as we all know is *completely unreliable*. Right?
Bimbisara (558 - 491 BC):
>>>He was the son of Bhattiya. His expansion of the kingdom, especially his annexation of the kingdom of Anga to the east, is considered to have laid the foundations for the later expansion of the Mauryan Empire.
>>>He led a military campaign against Anga, perhaps to avenge his father's earlier defeat at the hands of its king, Brahmadatta. The campaign was successful, Anga was annexed, and prince Kunika (Ajatashatru) was appointed governor at Champa. His conquest of Anga gave Magadha control over the routes to the Ganges Delta, which had important ports that gave access to the eastern coast of India. Pukkasati, the king of Gandhara, sent Bimbisara an embassy.
Ajatashatru (492-460 BC)
>>>He forcefully took over the kingdom of Magadha from his father and imprisoned him. He fought a war against the Vajjika League, led by the Licchavis, and conquered the republic of Vaishali. The city of Pataliputra was formed by fortification of a village by Ajatashatru.
>>>Ajatashatru followed policies of conquest and expansion. He defeated his neighbouring rivals including the king of Kosala; his brothers, at odds with him, went to Kashi, which had been given to Bimbisara as dowry and led to a war between Magadha and Kosala.
>>>Ajatashatru occupied Kashi and captured the smaller kingdoms. Magadha under Ajatashatru became the most powerful kingdom in North India.
The war between Ajatashatru and Chetaka (both being Jains, apparently).
>>>The war began. King Chetaka was a devout follower of Mahavira and had a vow to not shoot more than one arrow per day in a war. It was known to all that Chetaka's aim was perfect and his arrows were infallible. His first arrow killed one Kalakumara, commander of Ajatashatru. On the consecutive nine days the rest of the nine Kalakumaras were killed by Cheta. Deeply sorrowed by the death of their sons, the Kali queens were initiated as nuns in the holy order of Mahavira.
>>>As Ajatashatru was moving towards defeat, he practised penance for three days and offered prayers to Sakrendra and Charmendra (Indra of different heavens), who then helped him in the war. They protected him from the infallible arrow of Chetaka. The war became very severe and by the divine influence of the Indras even the pebbles, straws, leaves hurled by Ajatashatru's men were said to have fell like rocks on the army of Chetaka.
>>>This weapon was thus named Mahasilakantaka, i.e. the weapon through which more than a lakh (100,000) people died. Next, the Indras granted a huge, automatically moving chariot with swinging spiked maces on each side, and said to have been driven by Charmendra himself, to Ajatashatru. The chariot moved about in the battlefield crushing lakhs of soldiers. This war-chariot was named Ratha-Musala.
>>>In this battle, Chetaka was defeated. But, Chetaka and others immediately took shelter inside the city walls of Vaishali and closed the main gate. The walls around Vaishali were so strong that Ajatashatru was unable to break through them. Many days passed, Ajatashatru became furious and again prayed to Indra, but this time Indra refused to help him. But Ajatashatru was informed by an oracle of a demi-goddess "Vaishali can be conquered if Sramana (monk) Kulvalaka gets married to a courtesan."
>>>Ajatashatru inquired about the monk Kulvalaka and sent for the prostitute Magadhika disguised as a devout follower. The fallen woman attracted the monk towards herself and finally, the monk gave up his monkhood and married her. Later Magadhika on Ajatashatru's orders brainwashed Kulvalaka to enter Vaishali disguised as an astrologer.
Samprati (224-215 BC)
>>>According to a Jain text, the provinces of Saurashtra, Maharashtra, Andhra and Mysore broke away from the empire shortly after Ashoka's death (i.e., during Dasharatha's reign), but were reconquered by Samprati, who later deployed soldiers disguised as Jain monks.
Ahimsa my ass.
Monday, September 23, 2024
Liu Shaoqi: Hippie of ancient China?
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| - You have to love one another indiscriminately... and build larger fortifications! |
Not sure why everyone thinks the Mohists were "the hippies of ancient China". From the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
>>>Central elements of Mohist thought include advocacy of a unified ethical and political order grounded in a consequentialist ethic emphasizing impartial concern for all; active opposition to military aggression and injury to others; devotion to utility and frugality and condemnation of waste and luxury; support for a centralized, authoritarian state led by a virtuous, benevolent sovereign and managed by a hierarchical, merit-based bureaucracy; and reverence for and obedience to Heaven (Tian, literally the sky) and the ghosts worshiped in traditional folk religion.
>>>Mohist ethics and epistemology are characterized by a concern with finding objective standards that will guide judgment and action reliably and impartially so as to produce beneficial, morally right consequences.
Sounds like the Liu Shaoqi wing of the Chinese Communist Party. Minus the ghosts, I suppose!
Reading this entry as I write this:
UPDATE. OK, that was freakin´ boring, probably won´t read all of it. But see this shorter entry:
Världens största diktatur
"Fria Tider" är knappast en vederhäftig källa, men här refererar de Affärsvärlden och Aftonbladet, så jag antar att det ligger något i detta.
Det verkar som att det börjar dra ihop sig till en av de största skandalerna i svensk industrihistoria! Och apropå ingenting: vad händer om/när USA trappar upp sina sanktioner mot Kina? Då kommer ju projekt som Northvolt automatiskt att gå i konkurs...
Var det ingen som tog med *det* i beräkningarna?
The biggest scheme the Jesuits ever pulled
Is Confucianism a religion? And if it isn´t, why is it included in virtually all basic text books on world religions? (A staggering 0.2% of the world´s population identify as Confucian.) The very short story is that Confucianism "shouldn´t" be a religion on standard modern Western definitions of that term.
Rather, it´s a social and political philosophy set in a matrix of traditional Chinese religion, including the ubiquitous ancestor worship. Specifically Confucian rituals were carried out by imperial officials for the benefit of the state, and only a certain class of people who worked for the government were considered "Confucians". There was no Confucian clergy. The great mass of people might not even have been aware of the special Confucian rituals! Today, the government of China doesn´t consider Confucianism to be a religion, and its historical sites are administered by the ministry of culture rather than the ministry of religious affairs.
The Jesuits considered Confucianism to be a philosophy rather than a religion, and apparently dressed as Confucian scholars during their missionary activities in China. However, they also believed that Confucianism was in some sense a survival of a primordial monotheist religion, while Taoism and Buddhism were condemned as "idolatry". When the papacy condemned Confucian ancestor worship as equally idolatrous, Christian Europeans began to look upon Confucianism as a "Chinese pagan religion".
Apparently, some Protestant missionaries in China during the 19th century also appealed to the primordial monotheism concept, and tried to cast Confucianism in a "Christian" mold to make conversion easier. Meanwhile, Max Müller and other pioneers of comparative religion included Confucianism in their studies. In this way, Confucianism became enshrined - pun intended - as a "real" religion, at least in the minds of Western barbarians.
And there, it´s probably set to stay for some time to come.
Called it
The Yemeni Muslim mayor of Hamtramck in Michigan has endorsed Trump for president. When the voters of the small town elected a Muslim-majority council in 2015, liberals were initially excited...only to be disappointed when the Muslims banned LGBTQ flags and tried to stop marijuana sales.
When I commented this in 2023, I ironically wondered when the Alt Right would endorse the Muslim council.
Be careful what you wish for, citizen!
Donald Trump on Muslim mayor endorsement
First Christmas reference spotted
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| - Is this where we´re supposed to meet Krishna? - Nah, I´m waiting for Santa Claus! |
It´s only September 23, but yesterday (hence September 22), I spotted the first Christmas reference on a Swedish newspaper site. And yes, it was about "the hottest Christmas gifts this year"...
Dude.
I mean, we haven´t even celebrated Halloween yet?!
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Dark Skies
I vaguely remember this TV series, "Dark Skies", which was cancelled even before the first season was completed, apparently due to low ratings.
I also remember CSICOP (?) melting down over the series´ portrayal of Carl Sagan. Yes, according to "Dark Skies", the UFO skeptic Sagan was employed by Majestic-12 and knew the truth about the aliens (they are real, horrid and will arrive in a voluminous space ship around the year 2000). In other words, Dr Carl Sagan was part of the Conspiracy!
Ahem, it´s fiction, guys. Besides, it *was* cancelled. And we´re still here. So wazza prob, dude?
Carl Sagan´s wager
Gotta admire Carl Sagan´s rhetoric. "Pascal´s wager run backwards" is a keeper. I believe his son Dorion actually is a pantheist!
Lose an election, form a government anyway
The losers form the new government in France. As expected. New French revolution to follow? Or another Vendée, perchance?
At least Macron was clever enough to appoint a Prime Minister from the centrist wing of the Republican party, rather than from his own alliance. If that gives him plausible deniability is perhaps another matter entirely...
Meet the new boss: Macron-loyal government announced in France
Consider it art
Eh? Thomas Sheridan is really out on a limb here, which says a lot! Not sure what he is trying to accomplish, and somebody in the commentary section even wonders whether the whole thing is parody. An Erich von Däniken parody, to be more exact. Or was it Velikovsky? Or maybe both.
My man Sheridan believes that the Victorian era is far too short. It must have been much longer in real time, perhaps two centuries or more. There is no way so much progress and population growth could have happened within so short a time span. These musings *do* sound like the "arguments" true believers in ancient aliens use when dissing, say, the Egyptians: "Surely, they can´t have moved so many bricks in so short a time to build the pyramids". Sheridan´s fanboys concur and believe that the Victorians were simply restoring stuff from the Roman Empire (which in this scenario must have been super-advanced).
Sherdian also wonders whether the population of Britain really is 68 million. He believes it must be much smaller, while the fans in the commentary section rather hold that it´s much larger, perhaps 80 million, which makes more sense (think illegal immigration).
And yes, Sheridan´s camera is malfunctioning. Perhaps this peculiar episode of his never-ending out-put really should be seen as art...
Agent 666
The first half of a conversation between conspiracy theorist Jay Dyer and scholar Richard Spence (the second half is behind a paywall and as usual, I aint payin´). The discussion centers on Aleister Crowley, the somewhat notorious British occultist. Spence believes there is good evidence that Crowley really did work for British intelligence in the United States during World War I. His main target was German intelligence, rather than the Irish-American community. He apparently presented himself as an Irish nationalist to the unsuspecting Germans. Spence suspects that Crowley continued to be an "asset" after the war, as well.
A more speculative proposal that comes up in the discussion is that Kim Philby was a "triple agent", who was really working for the British even as he "betrayed" the UK and defected to the Soviet side. Conversely, Spence believes that anti-Soviet spy Sidney Reilly (one of the supposed inspirations for James Bond) actually *did* work for the Communists! In general, Spence paints a very unflattering picture of the intelligence community. Most spies don´t really care about their fatherland, and are mostly taking care of their own personal interests. Crowley was different, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. He was loyal to Britain according to the principle "Right or wrong, my country".
So Swedenborg was a French agent, Blavatsky may have been a Russian agent, Crowley was a British agent, Roerich was an (involuntary) double agent...
Spence doesn´t think its strange that an occultist is a secret agent. There are three kinds of people who are of considerable interest to intelligence agencies: missionaries, explorers and reporters. They meet a lot of people in far away lands, and have seemingly legitimate reasons for actually being there. An occultist can pose as the two former. Occultists presumably have the additional benefit of not being taken absolutely seriously. The perfect spy! I assume that at least some occultists have a long experience of dissimulation and secrecy (Swedenborg was also interested in ciphers and mnemonics).
Could be of some interest.
September surprise
What happened to "Nude Africa"? That scandal (?) seems to have disappeared just as fast as it appeared. LOL.
One minute
How are you going to get your sins forgiven? All it takes, apparently, is to surrender to Krishna. That´s all. And that takes one minute tops! At least according to Prabhupada.
The clip shows him during a visit to Australia. Many of his followers look like teenagers. Sure wonder what happened to them...
Were their sins ever forgiven?
Whoa
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| President-elect Anura Dissayanaka Credit: Mevindu Moonasigha |
Look who won the recent presidential elections in Sri Lanka. I´m old enough to remember when these guys were considered the worst of the worst terrorists, up there with Sendero or Abu Nidal! Or even the LTTE...
Communists don´t usually take power by winning democratic elections. The second link goes to a Marxist blog (which I don´t think supports the JVP) explaining the crisis in Sri Lanka.
Friday, September 20, 2024
Porphyrion: Apocalypse or cradle?
Scientists have spotted a "black hole jet" that is 23 million light-years in length, erupting from a super-massive black hole God knows where. It´s been nicknamed Porphyrion, after a titan in Greek mythology.
A powerful argument for atheism and the pitiless indifference of the cosmos? Maybe. But interestingly enough, black hole jets may have been instrumental in spreading magnetism throughout the universe. And without magnetism, ultimately no life.
So perhaps a bizarre phenomenon like Porphyrion is really the cradle of our existence...
Fill in alternative scene speculations about pillars of light, axis mundi, plasma and the Shiva lingam here.
Just blame it on Bolsonaro
What a pity Bolsonaro isn´t president, then we could blame this on him somehow. But I´m sure the international media have reported this anyway, constantly for 20 days straight.
Or no?
Pygmy cryptids
OK, another one. There is apparently a "pygmy" subspecies of the blue whale, which "only" reaches 24 meters in length. LOL. So apparently some kind of early warning system á la Dr Strangelove detected two previously unknown populations of said pygmies in the Indian Ocean, one around the ill-reputed Chagos Archipelago, the other in the vicinity of Oman.
I admit this little story made me somewhat more optimistic about the prospects of cryptozoology...
Nuclear bomb detectors uncover secret population of blue whales hiding in the Indian Ocean
Dark Brandon´s whale
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| Credit: National Park Service |
Newfound whale species found in US waters may already be on the brink of extinction
The alien whale
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| Credit: Jolene Bertoldi |
So it wasn´t aliens, but baleen whales. A population of Bryde´s whales, to be more exact. But then, cetaceans are kind of "alien" anyhow, so maybe it doesn´t really change much...
Mysterious sound from the Mariana Trench has finally been explained
Or maybe he was just insane
So a madman was better at science than the actual scientists, while the dreamy Romantics and Impressionists were simply painting air pollution?!
Everything falls apart, can the center hold...
A new look at Easter Island...or maybe not
DNA studies supposedly confirms the new take on Easter Island, a kind of best blend of post-colonial political correctness and crypto-Hancockite pre-Columbian contact.
Or maybe not.
Note the critical remarks hidden away in the two last paragraphs! Did they test the wrong skeletons (all 15 of them)? Something tells me this controversy will continue for another seven decades or so...
Easter Island population never collapsed, but it did have contacts with Native Americans
Thursday, September 19, 2024
For so Amitabha loved the world
Our mysterious friend the Chinese Buddhist nun explains the difference between Christianity and Pure Land Buddhism. Still sounds a bit "Christian", though.
Will the real Nirmanakaya please stand up?
Good luck with this material. The expositions are based on Mahayana and its sub-sect Pure Land Buddhism (which in turn is divided into further groups - not sure which one this is supposed to be).
The Buddha is eternal, apparently. So is his collegue Amitabha. Although I suppose he might have a beginning, at least. Note the weird story of a bodhisattva who reincarnated as a pig to save other pigs from samsara!
Note also the similarities to Hinduism. Dharmakaya = Brahman? Sambhogakaya = Bhagavan? Nirmanakaya = avatara? The Buddha´s nirvana is just a "performance", i.e. his divine play (lila). His incarnations are endless and so are his skilfull means.
Thank you...I think. Of course, I kind of knew all this before, so these are mine "skilfull means" to tell you the good news, LOL.
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