Primitivestory

Kurt Wenner's Street Illusions

2011-09-25T22:31:00.000-07:00

Kurt Wenner is a master artist best known for his extremely high quality street painting and chalk murals using a projection called anamorphosis. These 3D chalk drawings on pavement have been featured in many newspapers and on several television shows.
Wenner's work has received global media attention. Newspaper and magazine articles have appeared in Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, the United States, and Mexico. His artwork has been seen on ABC's World News Saturday, Good Morning America, and Pan Am and TWA's in-flight programs.

Amazing Painted Hands - Animal Figures

2011-09-25T21:53:00.001-07:00

Amazing Paint and Hand work!!! Just try to imagine the amount of time that is taken to do this art work! Enjoy this gallerie...

Amazing Bicycle

2011-09-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

Amazing and very interesting bikes. These bikes have unusual shape and unusual seats, steering wheel and wheels. Probably for these bikes is not necessary to turn the pedals.

Amazing Sand Sculptures and Sand Art

2011-09-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

"Sandcastle" redirects here. For other uses, see Sandcastle (disambiguation).

Sand art has progressed well beyond simple sand castles, such as this elaborate sand sculpting display in Australia.

Sand art is the practice of modelling sand into an artistic form, such as a sand brushing, sand sculpture, sandpainting, or sand bottles. A sand castleis a type of sand sculpture resembling a miniature building, often a castle.

The two basic building ingredients, sand and water, are available in abundance on a sandy beach, so most sand play takes place there, or in a sandpit. Tidal beaches generally have sand that limits height and structure because of the shape of the sand grains. Good sand sculpture sand is somewhat dirty, havingsilt and clay that helps lock the irregular shaped sand grains together.

Sand castles are typically made by children, simply for the fun of it, but there are also sand sculpture contests for adults that involve large, complex constructions.

Ukrainian talent contest winner, Kseniya Simonova, gained worldwide fame and became an online phenomenon with her sand painting which depicted World War II and how her family had been separated by the war.

Construction

Sand grains will not stick together unless the sand is reasonably fine. While dry sand is loose, wet sand is adherent if the proper amounts of sand and water are used in the mixture. The reason for this is that water forms little ‘bridges’ between the grains of sand when it is damp due to the forces of surface tension. However if too much water is added the water fills the spaces between the grains, breaking down the bridges and thus lowering the surface tension, resulting in the sand being able to flow more easily and the structure collapsing. According to the BBC TV programme Coast, the ideal ratio is eight parts dry sand to one part water, (though this may depend on the type of sand).

When the sand dries out or gets wet, the shape of a structure may change and "landslides" are common. Furthermore, the mixture of fine (mostly sharper) and coarse sand granules is very important to achieve good "sand construction" results. Fine granules which have been rounded by the natural influences of seas, rivers or fluvials, in turn negatively influence the bonding between the individual granules as they more easily slide past each other. Research is thus necessary to find the most suitable sand to achieve an optimal, landslide-free construction.

Shovels and buckets are the main construction tool used in creating sand castles and sand sculptures, although some people use only their hands. Water from the sea to mix with the sand can be brought to the building site with a bucket or other container. Sometimes other materials, such as pieces of wood, are added to reinforce structures.

Sand sculpting as an art form has become very popular in recent years especially in coastal beach areas. Hundreds of annual competitions are held all over the world. Techniques can be quite sophisticated, and record-breaking achievements have been noted in the Guinness World Records. Sometimes contests are staged as advertising or promotional events.

Some sandcastle artists are purists, using no artificial materials, formwork, coloring, adhesive or heavy machinery. One such purist is G. Augustine Lynas, who has been building public sand sculptures for over 50 years. However, in sand sculpting competitions, the rules often require that the finished sculpture be sprayed with a stabilizing coating that preserves it and allows the work to be properly judged and enjoyed by spectators. Coated sculptures can last for months.

PHOTOS

The Real History of Vimpires

2011-09-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

The Evolution of Vampires

We currently live in a pop culture world that seems obsessed with vampires. From gothic vampire novels, to endless movies, television and art, the vampire archetype continues to grow in popularity and sophistication.

What is behind this seeming obsession with vampires, in our western culture? Why does this archeype endure? What does the vampire have, or do, that makes him/her so attractive and compelling? When did the transformation occur, from foul miscreant to suave tragic hero? Who is the vampire - really?

Vampire culture seems in stark contrast with the current technological age and advances in science. Starting out in the dim and obscure recesses of Eastern European folk tales and legends, the vampire has reached center stage in modern pop culture. From foul revenant of the grave, to super hero status within 100 years of evolution. Why?

Early Vampires

Vampires Fresh from the Grave!

The vampires of folk history were totally repugnant creatures. They were depicted as crude, foul
The vampires of folk history were totally repugnant creatures. They were depicted as crude, foul smelling, reanimated corpses, with a single parasitic-like motivation for blood. They are never actually observed in their vampire state, by the living, but their existence is confirmed by circumstantial evidence within the surrounding community. smelling, reanimated corpses, with a single parasitic-like motivation for blood. They are never actually observed in their vampire state, by the living, but their existence is confirmed by circumstantial evidence within the surrounding community.

The evidence for the existence of a vampire was thought to include such things as the sudden deaths of citizenry and livestock, under unclear or questionable circumstances. Also indicative of vampirism, was the sudden onslought of mysterious disease symptoms, especially those causing pale skin coloration and slow physical wasting (like tuberculosis - which was rampant and contagious during the 19th century in Europe and the U.S.).

Along comes a traveling vampire hunter, often a clergyman or other supposed learned person, with a specific knowlege of vampires and vampirism, and the cure.

The only cure of course, for the wretched, eternally damned vampire and for the welfare of the entire community, was to find the grave of the suspected vampire/corpse, dig it up, cut-off it's head and drive a wooden stake through it's heart.

Now the dug-up vampire/corpse would show certain characteristics that would confirm the vampire identity. These vampire/corpse characteristics included such things as long fingernails (supposed proof of continued life), reddened lips, cheeks and fingers, and finally, blood remaining in the heart, demonstrated when the stake was driven in.

There are actually many historical, documented cases in the U.S. and Europe where vampire hunts were conducted, along with the grisly cures. I will provide one such example from the State of Connecticut in
the late 19th century.

The Bizarre but True Story of a Vampire in 19th Century

Rhode island

Enter the real Vampire!

The story of the last official case of vampirism in the U.S. is that of 19 year old Mercy Brown of Exeter, Rhode Island, who died on January 17,1892.

The Browns were an upstanding farming family and pillars of their community. Mercy died of consumption (tuberculosis), which had previously killed her mother and sister and which now also seriously affected her brother, Edwin.

Mercy's father, George Brown was now faced with losing his entire family to this then misunderstood and incomprehensible disease. He was frantic and there were no answers available from science or medicine to help.

To save his son and only remaining relative, Edwin gave-in to the folklore suggestions of some of his neighbors, who felt the situation was indicative of vampirism in their community. It was asserted that the deaths and illnesses of his family were caused by vampirism. Son Edwin was slowly wasting away and it was necessary to immediately put an end to the vampirism in the Exeter community.

Mercy had been laid to rest in a temporary above ground crypt behind the Baptist Church in Chestnut Hill Cemetery. The ground was frozen in January and she could not be buried until Spring. On March 17,1892, George Brown and a group of neighbors went to the cemetery and inspected Mercy's body. Finding the body suspiciously well preserved, they cut out her heart and burned it on a rock - later mixing the ashes in a liquid concoction which they gave to Edwin to drink (as a cure). Mercy's desecrated remains were then reburied in a plot next to her sister and mother. Mercy's brother Edwin was not cured and died two months later.

Thus ends this tragic, but true tale of vampirism in the U.S. Unfortunately, due to the prevailing folklore and superstitions in the 19th century and the pervasive spread of consumption, these bizarre practices often occurred in Europe and the U.S.

The Victorian Novel Transforms the Vampire

Bram Stoker Creates Count Dracula, a new image is born

In 1897, with the publishing of his novel "Dracula," Bram Stoker succesfully transforms the image and the

conventions of the Vampire from lowly sub-human parasite, to that of an intelligent, but somewhat evil superhero. Count Dracula resides in a castle, has superhuman powers and unlimited material wealth. He is a mysterious and genious intellect, who is (almost) immortal.

The new vampire is fantastically seductive and is almost omnipotent in his knowlege and power over humans.

However, he is a tragic hero who's eternal damnation and demise can be hastened by sunlight, and wooden stakes through the heart. He is also vulnerable to the beauty and innocence of attractive mortal women, who he must pursue, corrupt and discard.

Although impressively handsome and lonely, he can no longer experience the love and true companionship of a mortal woman and is surrounded by shallow creatures he has already corrupted and who once corrupted, can no longer be desired or loved.

The new literary vampire is incredibly popular, as the attractive, evil protagonist of the new Victorian Gothic novel. He becomes an enduring symbol of the anti hero.

Some writers have suggested that the Dracula novel represents the underlying sexual repression of Victorian society and the desire for male domination and the subjugation of women.

Clearly the dark lover representing dangerous and forbidden sex would have been a popular character in a society where open sexual expression was forbidden to women. Vampires embodied both forbidden sexuality and escape from death but their wretched form of existence was punishment for their transgression.

pacquiao—marquez - The 3rd fight

2011-09-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES — Manny Pacquiao says he is through making friends with opponents in the build up to his championship bouts and vows to take a hard-line approach in his next fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.

The 32-year-old Filipino boxing champion has decisively won his last. three fights but failed to score knockouts over Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey.

“If my opponent is nice and friendly to me then that carries over into the fight,” Pacquiao said Wednesday. “Then I am not eager to finish the fight.”

The Filipino southpaw has vowed not to go easy when he puts his World Boxing Organization welterweight title on the line against Mexico’s Marquez on November 12 in Las Vegas.
“Before Marquez was saying bad things about me. Now he is saying good things about me,” said Pacquiao (53-3, 2 draws, 38 KOs).

In a sport that thrives on hype to sell tickets, staredowns and angry exchanges are usually common when two fighters get together to promote the fight. But that’s not been the case with nice-guy Pacquiao.

Mosley and Clottey were able to disarm Pacquiao with plenty of compliments and talk of how grateful they were the champion was giving them an opportunity to fight for a title, not to mention millions of dollars.

Margarito mocked and insulted Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach but stayed away from firing verbal jabs aimed specifically at Pacquiao.

The 144-pound bout will mark the third time Pacquiao and Marquez have tangled.

Both previous fights were close with just one round.separating the two. The judges’ scored the first bout a draw and Pacquiao was awarded a split decision in the rematch. Marquez insists he won both fights.

“I am thinking how can I shut this guy’s mouth,” Pacquiao said at a news conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

One boxer “Pacman” Pacquiao says he would have no trouble getting motivated to knock out is undefeated American Floyd Mayweather.”If that fight happens it would be a fight like there is no tomorrow,” Pacquiao said with a wink.

Previous fight talks between the two broke down over how drug testing would be conducted. Mayweather angered Pacquiao by accusing him of taking performance-enhancing drugs.

“I haven’t taken any drugs in boxing,” Pacquiao said Wednesday. “I don’t even know what he (Mayweather) is talking about. I don’t know what testosterone is. I don’t have any idea what he is talking about. He doesn’t want to fight.”

The Marquez bout will be a change from Pacquiao’s previous fights where he moved up in weight class to fight bigger, stronger boxers.

Pacquiao says this time he will be in his comfort zone and isn’t afraid of getting hit by a smaller fighter.

“For this fight I don’t have to worry about weight and size,” Pacquiao said.

“I won’t have to worry so much about the punches that I am taking in the ring because bigger guys punch harder.”

BACK TO BACK. Boxers Manny Pacquiao, left, and Juan Manuel Marquez pose for pictures during a news conference in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011. The pair are promoting their upcoming WBO welterweighttitle fight on Nov. 12, 2011, in Las Vegas. AP

Marquez is no shrinking violet. He captured his first world title in 2003 and has won belts in three different weight classes. He has recorded victories over Marco Antonio Barrera and Joel Casamayor but lost a 12-round decision to Mayweather in September 2009 in Las Vegas.

“This is the biggest fight for me because Pacquiao is the best pound-for-pound fighter,” Marquez said. “Clottey didn’t want to fight and Mosley was the same. But if Pacquiao wants to fight I will give him a fight.”

Pacquiao and Marquez have been on a whirlwind tour across the ocean to promote the fight. They were in New York on Tuesday and the Philippines before that where 100,000 people came out to cheer Filipino congressman Pacquiao.

The tour finishes in Mexico City Thursday where thousands of Marquez fans will get a chance to see their hero.

“The Philippines, New York and now here. I don’t even know what time it is,” said Marquez (53-5, 1 draw, 39 KOs).

Marquez is another in a long line of current and former Mexican champions Pacquiao has defeated in recent years. Pacquiao said he doesn’t have a scorched-earth policy against Mexican fighters but is just trying to find the best opponents out there.

“I am just doing my job in the ring. It is not my intention to fight all the Mexican fighters.”

Angola’s Leila Lopes crowned Miss Universe 2011; Philippines’ Supsup is 3rd runner-up

2011-09-13T20:56:00.001-07:00

Lopes, Angola’s first winner, beat out 88 other competitors to win the title during the 60th anniversary of the

Miss Angola Leila Lopes, left, is crowned Miss Universe 2011 by Miss Universe 2010 XimenaNavarrete, of Mexico, in Sao

world’s biggest beauty pageant. She replaces last year’s winner, Ximena Navarrete of Mexico.

Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup was third-runner up in the pageant that was watched by an estimated one billion people around the world. The first runner-up was 23-year-old Olesia Stefanko of Ukraine, second runner-up was Priscila Machado of Brazil and the fourth Miss China.

“Thank God I’m very satisfied with the way God created me and I wouldn’t change a thing,” Lopes said when asked her interview question. “I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty. I have acquired many wonderful principals from my family and I intend to follow these for the rest of my life.”

For her part, Supsup answered her question without the benefit of a translator: “Would you change your religious belief to marry the person that you love?”

“I would not marry the person I love because the first person I love is my God and the person loves me, he should also love my God,” said Supsup who ranked first among the fans in the vote for the top 5 candidates and second in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions.

Contestants from 89 nations on six continents spent the past three weeks in Sao Paulo, trying to learn samba dance steps, visiting impoverished children and kicking a football around for cameras as the globe’s biggest beauty contest is held in Brazil for the first time.

Before the contest began, judges offered little insight into who they thought might win.

“I know my job and I’ll be tough, but fair,” said pageant judge and journalist Connie Chung. “You have to keep in mind that these women are not objects just to be looked at. They’re to be taken seriously. I want to choose somebody I take seriously and the world takes seriously, too.”

Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe organization, was hyped for the night.

“It’s our 60th anniversary, it’s a very big show,” she said. “We’re anticipating close to a billion viewers from around the world.”

Shugart said it was fitting the globe’s biggest beauty pageant be held in Brazil at this time, as the nation prepares to host some major events in the coming years.

“I don’t think there is any doubt in the rest of the world’s mind that Brazil is the place, between hosting the Olympics and hosting the World Cup,” she said. “I love the fact we’re going to kick it off. I always say we’re the ‘World Cup’ of beauty.”

The contestants must never have been married or had children and who must be at least 18 years of age and under 27 years of age by February 1 of the competition year.

The pageant, hosted by NBC “Today” anchor Natalie Morales and the Bravo network’s Andy Cohen, will air live on NBC and be distributed to about 170 countries. The contest is co-owned by Donald Trump and NBC, and will be judged by celebrities including Connie Chung, supermodel Isabeli Fontana, Indy race car driver Helio Castroneves, and Broadway star Lea Salonga of the Philippines.

Morales, who is half Brazilian, said that “what’s most important is for the women to be beautiful inside and out.”

For Cohen, the task of hosting is an easy one.

“It’s a fun job. All I have to do is stand there, smile and scream the names of countries,” he said.

Cohen said after the big event he would be taking advantage of Sao Paulo’s noted nightlife.

“I’m going to party hard tonight. That’s what you do in Sao Paulo. We’re going to see the sunrise tonight,” he said. “I’m going to samba … and then I’m going to samba some more.”

Sharply dressed women and men were jostling for chances to have their photos taken with stars on the red carpet. Some travelled from across the globe to support contestants.

Jehona Dreshaj, 17, arrived from Kosovo to cheer on her sister, Aferdita Dreshaj, who is representing the European country.

“It doesn’t really matter the outcome, she is already a winner in our eye and we are so proud of her,” she said. “This has been an incredible experience for her and for all of us. It’s great for her to be representing our country in an event like this.”

There have been no headline-grabbing gaffes going into this year’s competition, as opposed to past years that have seen controversies of various stripes. The show itself went off without a hitch.

Some of the contestants have complained to the local news media about the size of bikinis used in some photo shoots, with Miss Mexico Karin Ontiveros saying they were “very small.”

That was enough to draw chuckles in Brazil, where women from all walks of life, not just beauty queens, sport barely there swimwear on beaches throughout the country.

Miss USA Alyssa Campanella, from California, will be trying to end a long losing spell for the US in the competition. An American has not been named Miss Universe since Brook Lee won the title in 1997.

The pageant started as a local bathing revue in Long Beach, California, organized by a swimwear company.

PNoy asks SC to consider graft, injustice in ARMM

2011-09-13T20:24:00.001-07:00

President Benigno Aquino III urged the Supreme Court to consider widespread graft, corruption and injustice in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) that temporary appointees can address when they replace incumbent officials of the region.

His appeal on Tuesday came hours after the high court issued an order effectively stopping President Aquino from replacing the elected incumbents with appointees chosen by a committee.

The SC, voting 8-4, issued a temporary restraining order to keep Aquino from appointing 26 temporary ARMM officials, including the region's governor, vice governor, and 24 representatives of the Regional Legislative Assembly.

“Natutuwa ba tayo sa sitwasyon sa ARMM? Natutuwa ba tayo sa report ng COA(Commission on Audit) tungkol sa pagkawala ng 80 porsyento ng pondo na dapat sana ay napunta sa taumbayan? Ganoon po ba kadaling malimot ang 57 taong walang awang pinaslang sa Maguindanao," Aquino said in a statement Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda read Tuesday.

The committee tasked to screen nominees for temporary appointment to ARMM posts has until September 30 to submit its recommendations to Aquino.

Court Administrator and SC spokesman Midas Marquez said the magistrates' actual intention in issuing its latest order was to prevent any appointment of temporary officials in ARMM.

Despite the TRO, Marquez said the government can still proceed with its screening process for the 300 applications for the 26 available ARMM OIC posts.

Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, who heads the screening process, has yet to respond to GMA News Online's questions regarding his take on the SC order.

Marquez also clarified that the ruling would not affect the regular national elections in 2013 and that the Commission on Elections could still carry on with its preparations for it.

Culture of violence

President Aquino said reform in the ARMM would have little chance of surviving if the incumbent officials are allowed to stay in power.

“Kailangan nating putulin ang sistema ng pang-aabuso na tila naging kultura na sa ARMM. Kaya naman reporma ang tanging magiging tuon ng ating mga OIC: totoong ospital, totoong paaralan, totoong mga serbisyo, at hindi mga multong pinagkakakitaan,"he said.

Aquino assured that the problems in the ARMM will be addressed with the appointment of OICs who will remain faithful to their duty.

“Sinisiguro naming sa loob ng 21 buwan na panunungkulan ng mga OIC, magkakaroon ng radikal na pagbabago na magbibigay ng tunay na serbisyo sa mga mamamayan ng ARMM," he said.

The chief executive still has hope his government’s case will prosper in the SC and his advisers said they can formally ask the SC majority to reconsider their ruiling.

Lacierda said they are coordinating with the Office of the Solicitor-General to decide on the next move the government should take to overcome the TRO.

“But we have options available to us, including MR (motion for reconsideration). We will have to live with it," Eduardo de Mesa, chief presidential legal counsel, said in an interview.

Observe judicial courtesy

Meanwhile, at the House of Representatives, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman welcomed the SC decision and described it as a “great possibility" for another victory.

“As the principal petitioner assailing the constitutionality of the cancellation of the ARMM elections… I laud the Supreme Court for restraining the appointments of OICs pending final adjudication of the petition," he said.

The decision means that Malacañang should observe judicial courtesy and “not to pre-empt the final decision of the Supreme Court by extending precipitate appointment to OICs," Lagman added.

The lawmaker said the high court decision will not create a leadership vacuum in the ARMM, since incumbent officials can stay on in “hold-over" capacity pending the election and qualification of successors.

Last year, the SC favored Lagman’s petition to declare the Truth Commission formed by Aquino as unconstitutional.

Dissenting opinions

Those who voted for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) were Chief Justice Renato Corona, Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Arturo Brion, Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Roberto Abad, Jose Perez, Jose Mendoza, and Martin Villarama.

Those who wanted the ARMM polls to push through in 2013 were Justices Antonio Carpio, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin and Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Justice Mariano del Castillo did not vote because he was on leave.

Marquez said the TRO will be out by Wednesday, along with the four justices' dissenting opinions.

"For the majority, it would be better that the TRO be issued now, at this time prior to the appointment of the OICs should the court not be able to decide these cases on the merits prior to September 30," Marquez explained.

Marquez said incumbent ARMM officials will have to remain in their posts if the SC justices do not come up with a final ruling on the petitions against the poll deferment.

Assailing the law

The SC has consolidated the seven petitions assailing the law, which was signed by President Aquino last June 30.

The direct petitioners and respondents in the consolidated cases are:

The group led by Datu Michael Abas Kida versus the Senate of the Philippines, et al.,
Basari D. Mapupunta versus Commission on Elections chair Sixto Brillantes, et al.,
House Minority Leader and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman versus Executive Sec. Paquito Ochoa Jr., et al.,
Almarin Centi Tillah versus Comele, et al.,
Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal versus the Comelec, et al.,
Louis Biraogo versus Comelec, et al., and
Jacinto Paras versus Ochoa, et al.

Earlier, Paras asserted that appointing OICs in ARMM was a usurpation of the region's autonomy.

"It is not in accordance with the mandate by people under autonomy to choose their own officials," Paras said.

Supporters of poll postponement however told the court, "appointing is not contrary to the President's supervisory powers."

Egyptian Architecture

2011-09-12T05:07:00.000-07:00

Pyramids

Probably the most famous structure in all of Egypt, the Pyramids are still on of the worlds best architectural achievement, even though they were built many centuries ago. These structures can be as tall as 482 feet (147 m) high. The Pyramid towers over many other famous landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty.

The first true pyramid was build at saqqara for the king Zoser. It was called a step pyramid because of its step shape. The later pyramids were smooth sided, like the Great Pyramid at Giza, built for the king Khufu about 4,500 years ago.

The smooth sided pyramid was built from the Dynasty IV and on. They were built by first having men chisel the block of granite the way that they wanted it. The stonemasons used special rods to check that a stone block was cut accurately. Next, the blocks stayed in the quarry until the flood season. They did this so they could use barges to haul over the heavy granite blocks. Once the boast had arrived near the pyramid and unloaded the blocks, they were hauled up a ramp. Then, ropes and levers were used to maneuver the huge blocks into position. The overseer checked that every block was laid correctly. Once all of the granite blocks were placed in place, laborers rubbed the casing blocks with polishing stones until they would shine in the sun. The overseers used plump lines to check that the angle of the slope was correct.

As for the finishing touches, workers placed hieroglyphics around the pyramid as well as many statues. There were also a lot of bright and vibrant colored columns. There were also one or two large boats buried near the tomb so the king to have a peaceful sail over to the Next World.

As for the path that leads up to the pyramid, there was first the Valley Temple. When the king died, his body was first rowed across the Nile to the Valley Temple to be mummified. Next, there was the causeway. This was a covered processional way which came from the Valley Temple. The walls on the inside were decorated many times, and there were holes in the roof to provide light. At the end of the Causeway, there was the Mortuary Temple. This was built against the side of the pyramid. The Mortuary Temple was the place where priests made offerings to the king's spirit every day for eternity. To the left of the Mortuary Temple, can be found the queen's pyramid. Much smaller than the kings pyramid, this was where the king would bury his wife.

The number of granite blocks were enormous. There had to be a huge quarry to supply the huge demand. And of course, there were many accidents at the construction site. There were doctors on the site, but little helped for sprained or broken body parts. Eventually, the whole pyramid was built, and all of the sweat and toil payed off. To learn more about the Ancient Egyptian pyramids, seeThe Evolution of the Pyramid

Tombs

Before the pyramid, the kings used to be buried inside of tombs. The tomb itself was usually composed of two distinct parts: the chapel and crypt. The highly decorated walls of the funerary chapel accommodated a false door. This was the symbol linking the living with the dead, and there was a carved image of the tomb owner. The halls were flanked by several smaller rooms housing the deceased's provisions such as furniture, offerings, sacred text, victuals, etc.

In the rear , there was a burial shaft below ground which led to the actual crypt. Although it was walled in or dissimulated by all sorts of subterfuges-fits, snares, booby traps, and false galleries- the storerooms and chapel were devoted to the cult which remained accessible to the deceased's family and friends and to the priests who continued rituals. The crypt was highly decorated with carved reliefs and wall paintings which described the truths expected to exist for eternity and depicting the figures of priests and servants. They would accompany the deceased and his retinue to his afterlife.

Temples

Scattered throughout Egypt, you may see some large brown columns. These structures are made of granite and they all have some hieroglyphics on it. You may see some sort of design on the top of the columns. Well, these designs are all based on things that are in Egypt. You may see the lotus flower, papyrus, palm, eight-sided column, and a proto-Dorix or sixteen-sided column. Each of these are all very interesting and fun to look at.

These columns were built to support buildings, obviously. However, many times, you see only the column standing. The reason being, is that the building which it was supporting was either torn down, fell down, or was destroyed because of vandalism. Lets hope that the columns that are left today will still be here tomorrow.

Statues and Monuments

Also scattered throughout Egypt are stone figures. These figures could look like a tiger, a king, and eagle, or maybe even a mixture of both. Perhaps the best know stone figure of them all is the Sphinx. It is a figure of a kings head who is wearing the striped headcloth (nemes). His body is that of a lion.

Like many of the old figures found throughout the world, many of theserelics have either been destroyed, vandalized, or stolen. This is especially true about the Egyptian sculptures. You could see a lion figure with no nose, an eagle with no head, or, an empty stand where a figure once stood. You may even see a granite obelisk with 1/4 of their hieroglyphic rubbed out beyond recognition.

However, not all destruction is because of vandalism and such. Pollution is also a big factor. The pollution may stain or break down the structure of the figure. However, the pollution levels should be getting lower, thus helping to preserve these priceless figures.

Afghanistan Economic Update, June 2011

2011-09-12T04:53:00.000-07:00

RECENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Preliminary estimates suggest that Afghanistan’s GDP growth rate has dropped from 20.4% in FY2009/10 (SY1388) to 8.2 percent in FY2010/11 (SY1389). While last year’s GDP growth was exceptionally high due to a record harvest and large increase in donor grants, preliminary data suggest that this year’s return to a lower, but still strong figure was the results of an expansion of the services sector and a solid harvest.

Afghanistan’s fiscal position is strengthening. In the last three years, fiscal revenues have grown by an average of 20% per annum, due to improvements in customs and tax collection. Higher revenue collection is expected once mining operations begin and with the introduction of value-added tax in FY2014/15. However, Government operating expenditures will grow even faster in the coming years due to higher security spending, pay and grading reforms for the civil service, rising recurrent obligations from donor-supported projects, and the fiscal costs of the Kabul Bank bail-out.

OUTLOOK

In the medium term, the outlook is good, with real GDP growth rate of 7.9-8.2% and moderate inflation. However, the prospects will depend on the government’s ability to successfully manage the transfer of security control from international to national forces, and ensure political stability and fiscal sustainability. Longer-term growth prospects will depend on the extent to which mining can be used to foster development in agriculture and services, which are crucial to food security, employment and poverty-reduction, and export revenue.

Food Security

Despite the rising global prices of food and oil, Afghanistan is reasonably well-placed to meet its cereal needs in the event of another food crisis. The Afghan government has available 70,000Mt of strategic grain reserves. Moreover, the private sector and government are increasingly sourcing oil from Russia, which should help to bring down costs of transportation and irrigation and could relieve the pressure on prices. However, if the increased food prices of August 2010 are sustained, many Afghan households would be at risk of falling into poverty.

The Philippines - An Independent Nation

2011-09-12T04:40:00.000-07:00

An Independent Nation: Not Without Corruption

The Philippines achieved full independence on July 4, 1946. Manuel A. Roxas y Acuña was elected its first president, succeeded by Elpidio Quirino (1948–1953), Ramón Magsaysay (1953–1957), Carlos P. García (1957–1961), Diosdado Macapagal (1961–1965), and Ferdinand E. Marcos (1965–1986).

Under Marcos, civil unrest broke out in opposition to the leader's despotic rule. Martial law was declared on Sept. 21, 1972, and Marcos proclaimed a new constitution that ensured his role as president. Martial law was officially lifted on Jan. 17, 1981, but Marcos and his wife, Imelda, retained broad powers.

In an attempt to resecure American support, Marcos set presidential elections for Feb. 7, 1986. With the support of the Catholic Church, Corazon Aquino declared her candidacy. Marcos was declared the official winner, but independent observers reported widespread election fraud and vote rigging. Anti-Marcos protests exploded in Manila, Defense Minister Juan Enrile and Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos defected to the opposition, and Marcos lost virtually all support; he was forced to flee and entered the U.S. on Feb. 25, 1986.

The End of U.S. Presence and Rebel Fighting Continues

The Aquino government survived coup attempts by Marcos supporters and other right-wing elements. Legislative elections on May 11, 1987, gave pro-Aquino candidates a large majority. Negotiations on renewal of leases for U.S. military bases threatened to sour relations between the two countries. Volcanic eruptions from Mount Pinatubo, however, severely damaged Clark Air Base, and in July 1991, the U.S. decided to abandon it.

In elections in May 1992, Gen. Fidel Ramos, who had the support of the outgoing Aquino, won the presidency in a seven-way race. In Sept. 1992, the U.S. Navy turned over the Subic Bay naval base to the Philippines, marking the end of U.S. military presence.

Meanwhile, the separatist Moro National Liberation Front was fighting a protracted war for an Islamic homeland on Mindanao, the southernmost of the two main islands. The Philippine army also battled another rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. In Aug. 2001, both rebel groups signed unity agreements with the Philippine government. Frequent and violent clashes with these and other terrorist groups have continued, however. Abu Sayyaf, a small group of guerrillas that has been fighting since the 1970s for an independent Islamic state and reportedly has links to Osama bin Laden, gained international notoriety throughout 2000 and 2001 with its spree of kidnappings and murders. Two leaders of Abu Sayyaf were killed in late 2006 and early 2007, dealing a serious blow to the group. The Philippine military has also battled the New People's Army, a group of Communist guerrillas that have targeted Philippine security forces since 1969. International officials reported in June 2003 that Jemaah Islamiyah, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, was training recruits in Mindanao, in the southern Philippines. About 120,000 people have died in the conflicts with rebel groups, and more than 3 million have been displaced.

In May 1998, 61-year-old former action-film star Joseph Estrada was elected president of the Philippines. Within two years, however, the Philippine Senate began proceedings to impeach Estrada on corruption charges. Massive street demonstrations and the loss of political support eventually forced Estrada from office. Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, daughter of former president Diosdado Macapagal, became president in Jan. 2001. In May 2004 presidential elections, President Arroyo narrowly defeated film star Fernando Poe.

Arroyo faced a political crisis in the summer of 2005, after admitting to calling an election official during 2004's presidential race. A taped phone conversation between Arroyo and the official seemed to suggest that she had tried to use her power to influence the outcome. She survived an impeachment motion in July.

Arroyo declared a state of emergency in February, saying the government had foiled an attempted coup by the military. She also banned rallies commemorating the 20th anniversary of the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos. Some observers dismissed the report of the coup attempt as political maneuvering to gain support and weaken the opposition. On June 24, President Arroyo met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, where she announced that the Philippines was abolishing the death penalty.

In Sept. 2007, former president Joseph Estrada was convicted of corruption and sentenced to life in prison.

The government said in Nov. 2007 that it had reached a deal with the separatist Moro National Liberation Front that set boundaries for a Muslim homeland on the southern island of Mindanao. The deal fell apart in Aug. 2008 when fighting broke out between the rebels and government troops following a ruling by the Supreme Court that blocked the agreement. More than 160,000 Filipinos fled their homes and sought refuge from the violence. Peace talks resumed in Dec. 2009.

Local Government Leader and Ally of President Accused of Organizing Massacre

The government declared a state of emergency in November 2009 in the southern province of Maguindanao on the island of Mindanao following the massacre of a group of 57 people who about to fill out election nomination forms for a local leader who was challenging rival Andal Ampatuan, Jr., in the race for provincial governor. Officials and relatives of the victims blame Ampatuan's father, Andal Ampatuan, Sr., for organizing the attack. Ampatuan, himself a a former provincial governor, is an ally of President Arroyo. In February 2010, police arrested nearly 200 people, including both Ampatuans, in connection with the attack.

In elections in May 2010, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, a senator and the son of former president, Corazon Aquino, was elected president. He won about 40% of the vote. Former president Joseph Estrada placed second in the race, with about 25%. Aquino campaigned on a promise to crack down on corruption, which he said would help to reduce poverty.

Source: Infoplease.com

Peter Negron 10 years later: ‘I miss you so much, Dad

2011-09-11T19:36:00.001-07:00

When Peter Negron's father, a Port Authority project manager, died in his office at the World Trade Center, the boy was only 11.Immediately after the attacks, he was one of more than a thousand children left suddenly without a parent. His dad, Pete Negron, 34, worked on the 88th floor of WTC 1 on environmental issues. Living in Bergenfield, N.J., with his mother Leila, and 2-year-old brother, he spent that first Father's Day of 2002 angry.

"I don't want to talk to nobody, see nobody, do nothing," he told a news reporter then. "I just want to go to the cemetery and say that I love him..."

Two years later, the thin 13-year-old stood in a dark suit, steeped with grief, to shakily read a poem in front of the whole nation. It was "Stars," written by children's author Deborah Chandra:

"I like the way they looked down from the sky / And didn't seem to mind the way I cried / And didn't say, 'Now wipe away those tears,' / Or, 'Tell us, tell us what's the matter here!' / But shining through the dark they calmly stayed / And gently held me in their quiet way. / I felt them watching over me, each one / And let me cry and cry till I was done."

Today the 21-year-old appeared again in front of the nation, and this time shared a message of strength, growth and reflection.

Peter Negron, 13, reads the poem 'Stars' on Sept. 11, 2003, at the second anniversary of the WTC attac …

He spoke about how he's tried to fill his father's shoes for his brother Austin, who turned 12 on September 1.

"I try to teach him all the things my father taught me. How to catch a baseball, how to ride a bike," and to work hard in school, he said.

He never stops missing his father in the important moments of life.

"I wish my dad had been there to teach me how to drive, ask a girl on a date, and see me graduate from high school," he said, choking up. "And a hundred other things I can't even begin to name."

He said he's learned more about his father since his death. "He cared about the earth, and our future. I know he wanted to make a difference," he said. He wants to do the same.

"I have decided to become a forensic scientist," he said. "I hope I can make my father proud of the young men that my brother and I have become. I miss you so much, Dad."

Contact Jess Wisloski, NYC editor

The History of Sexuality

2011-09-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

The History of Sexuality – About Foucault

Michel Foucault's "The History of Sexuality" pioneered queer theory. In it he builds an argument grounded in a historical analysis of the word "sexuality" against the common thesis that sexuality always has been repressed in Western society. Quite the contrary: since the 17th century, there has been a fixation with sexuality creating a discourse around sexuality. It is this discourse that has created sexual minorities.

This page only covers the views he presents in "The History of Sexuality".

In "The History of Sexuality", Foucault attempts to disprove the thesis that Western society has seen a repression of sexuality since the 17th century and that sexuality has been unmentionable, something impossible to speak about. In the 70s, when the book was written, the sexual revolution was a fact. The ideas of the psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, saying that to conserve your mental health you needed to liberate your sexual energy, were popular. The past was seen as a dark age where sexuality had been something forbidden.

Foucault, on the other hand, states that Western culture has long been fixated on sexuality. We call it a repression. Rather, the social convention, not to mention sexuality, has created a discourse around it, thereby making sexuality ubiquitous. This would not have been the case, had it been thought of as something quite natural. The concept "sexuality" itself is a result of this discourse. And the interdictions also have constructive power: they have created sexual identities and a multiplicity of sexualities that would not have existed otherwise.

Confession is the basis of sexuality

Historically, there have been two ways of viewing sexuality, according to Foucault. In China, Japan, India and the Roman Empire have seen it as an "Ars erotica", "erotic art", where sex is seen as an art and a special experience and not something dirty and shameful. It is something to be kept secret, but only because of the view that it would lose its power and its pleasure if spoken about.

In Western society, on the other hand, something completely different has been created, what Foucault calls "scientia sexualis", the science of sexuality. It is originally (17th century) based on a phenomenon diametrically opposed to Ars erotica: the confession. It is not just a question of the Christian confession, but more generally the urge to talk about it. A fixation with finding out the "truth" about sexuality arises, a truth that is to be confessed. It is as if sexuality did not exist unless it is confessed. Foucault writes:

"We have since become an extraordinarily confessing society. Confession has spread its effects far and wide: in the judicial system, in medicine, in pedagogy, in familial relations, in amorous relationships, in everyday life and in the most solemn rituals; crimes are confessed, sins are confessed, thoughts and desires are confessed, one's past and one's dreams are confessed, one's childhood is confessed; one's diseases and problems are confessed;..."

This forms a strong criticism of psychoanalysis, representing the modern, scientific form of confession. Foucault sees psychoanalysis as a legitimization of sexual confession. In it, everything is explained in terms of repressed sexuality and the psychologist becomes the sole interpreter of it. Sexuality is no longer just something people hide, but it is also hidden from themselves, which gives the theological, minute confession a new life.

"Coming out" as a concept did not exist when Foucault wrote "The History of Sexuality", but this process of confessing homosexuality can surely be interpreted as an expression of this urge to confess. There seems to be a compulsion to reveal one's sexuality to confirm its existence in our society. In Ars erotica, a very different view is held, and people are content to let it remain a secret in the positive sense of the word.

The reason sexuality should be confessed is to be found in the Christian view of it. It was not, as it is today, seen as a strong, obvious force, but as something treacherous, something only to be found by careful introspection.

Therefore every detail had to be laid forth in confession; every trace of pleasure experienced had to be examined to find the traces of sin.

In this attention to details the reason sexuality is given such importance in our society is to be found. Making sexuality something sinful did not make it disappear. Quite the contrary: it was reinforced and became something to be noticed everywhere.

Power relations

There was also an element of social control in this. A power relation was created between the preacher and the confessant, between the psychoanalyst and his patient. Power relations are to Foucault central to any analysis of society, and this is especially true for sexuality. Power relations are formed in all relations where differences exist.

What Foucault means by power is not necessarily what is ordinarily meant by the word. It is something ubiquitous and cannot be thought of as dual, as creating a division between those dominating and those being dominated. Power in Foucault's meaning of the word is not an exclusively negative force. He claims that we have had a juridical view of power in our society; we tend to see it as something negative, oppressing, defining what is not to be done. Instead, power is the basis of Foucault's analysis of society. Common power relations related to sexuality are, in addition to the ones mentioned between the one who confesses and the one that receives the confession, those between teacher and pupil, between parent and child, and between doctor and patient.

Sexuality in the 19th century

Thomas Kuhn is a philosopher of the history of science, who claims we should understand how what is now seen as prejudice could be accepted as science.

With enlightenment, the view of sexuality as something sinful to be confessed mutated. It was adapted to modern demands of rationality by turning itself into a science. Foucault makes a strong distinction between what we would still today call science and a prejudicial doctrine on human procreation.

"Comparing these discourses on human sexuality to those from the same epoch on animal and vegetal reproduction, the difference is surprising. Their weak tenability - I won't even say in scientificity, but in elementary logic, places them apart in the history of knowledge."

The doctrines on sexuality postulated several "unnatural" sexual behaviors. In the 16th century, the focus was on regulating the sexuality of the married couple, ignoring other forms of sexual relations, but now other groups were identified: the sexuality of children, criminals, mentally ill and gays.

"The perverse" became a group, instead of an attribute. Sexuality became seen as the core of some peoples' identity. Homosexual relations had been seen as a sin that could be committed from time to time, but now a group of "homosexuals" emerged. Foucault writes: "The sodomite was a recidivist, but the homosexual is now a species."

"The homosexual of the 19th century became a person: a"past, a history and an adolescence, a personality, a life style; also a morphology, with an indiscreet anatomy and possibly a mystical physiology. Nothing of his full personality escapes his sexuality."

Seeing gays as a group is now taken for granted, but before the 18th century the idea would never had occurred to ask the question whether homosexuality is a function of heredity or of upbringing. It was simply not seen as being a fundamental part of the person, but instead as an action, something s/he did.

But homosexuality was not the only object of study for the medical "science". Foucault identifies four reoccurring themes:

	The body of women became sexualized because of its role as a child bearer. The concept "hysteria" was invented and seen as a result of sexual problems.
	The pedagogization of the sexuality of children. Children should at all costs be protected from the dangers inherent in masturbation and other sexuality.
	The socialization of reproduction. The importance of sexuality for reproduction is recognized and put into context in the study of population growth.
	The sexuality of adults becomes an object of study and all forms of "perverse" aberrations are seen as dangers.

Foucault emphasizes that the aim of these new moral codes was not to abolish all forms of sexuality, but instead to preserve health and procreation. Many forms of sexuality were seen as harmful and they wanted to protect health and the purity of the race. A mixture of ideas on population growth, venereal diseases and heredity ("degeneration" was to be avoided) created the idea that many forms of sexual conduct where dangerous.

Constructivism

Now that sexual actions were being identified and their naturalness and healthiness was analyzed, the concept of "sexuality" was created. Foucault comments on the four phenomena mentioned above:

"What are these strategies about? A struggle against sexuality? Or an attempt to control it? ... Actually, it is rather the production of sexuality. It should not be conceived of as a distinction founded in nature that power attempts to subdue, or as a dark domain that knowledge attempts to gradually uncover. It is the name that can be given to a historical measure...

This view makes Foucault one of the first constructivists" in this area, claiming that sexuality and sexual conduct is not a natural category, having a foundation in reality. Instead it is a question of social constructions, categories only having an existence in a society, and that probably are not applicable to other societies than our own.

This is why we should not speak of "homosexuality" in, for example, antique Greece. What we now call homosexuality cannot exist outside our specific cultural context. The same goes for all sexuality. Sexual intercourse is necessary for procreation, but that does not mean that sexuality, comprising and theorizing about all erotic behavior, is a natural or necessary category. Sexuality is more than sexual behavior. The largest part of its meaning lies in its cultural connotations.

It is this view that has given "The History of Sexuality" its significance. For the first time, sexuality is analyzed as a social construction, a perspective making it possible to study the origins and the development of our view of sexuality in a totally new way.

Source:ipce

Latest Gadget 2011 - Italy gets two new Android tablets from Olivetti

2011-09-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Italian manufacturer Olivetti, has announced two new Android tablets to add to the ever growing tablet market. The Olipad 110 is a 10 inch slate that runs on Honeycomb and the Olipad Smart will have Android 2.2 Froyo on board. Set to release on September 12th and 15th respectively, you can order the 10 inch right now from MediaWorld outlets. Looking over the specs, I don’t really see anything groundbreaking here, but it’s nice to have another Android tablet option with a reasonable price tag.

Olipad 110 has been priced at at €449 including VAT, while the Olipad Smart will be sold for €299. Hit the break for the full press release.

Full Press release:
Olivetti announces the launch of two new tablets, the Olipad 110 and Olipad Smart, featuring leading-edge technology at particularly competitive price points. The company is also broadening its distribution channel to include major retail electronics chains and the web.
The new models go on sale at Italy’s largest retail electronics chains, joining the traditional Olivetti and Telecom Italia sales channels. From 12 September, they will be on sale via an innovative Facebook shop accessible from the Olivetti fan page.
The Olipad 110 and Olipad Smart, respectively 10 and 7 inches in size, cater to consumer and business customer needs. The devices offer access to the Android Market’s countless applications and, via its Application Warehouse, Olivetti’s business-dedicated store, making it possible to customize the devices with a wide range of software and services to support different business requirements.
The Olipad 110 runs on the Android Honeycomb operating system, and comes equipped with a 1 GHz Dual Cortex A9 Nvidia processor, 1 GB RAM, and 16GB of storage, as well as supporting memory cards of up to 32 GB to offer high-speed processing and graphics and optimized multitasking. The backlit multitouch IPS display boasts an HD resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and a viewing angle in excess of 85°; its 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity provides ideal viewing conditions in all situations for multimedia content such as HD video, images and music. The device may be used to read digital books using pre-installed e-reading software, and comes with a 5 Megapixel camera, a 2 megapixel front-facing videocamera, MicroUSB and MicroSD ports, and a docking station providing HDMI-out capability.
The Olipad 110 is already on sale at MediaWorld outlets, priced at €449 (including VAT).
Thanks to its limited size and weight, Olipad Smart – Olivetti’s first 7 inch tablet – is particularly well-suited for use on the move. It boasts an 800×480 pixel capacitive multitouch display and a full complement of 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, making it perfect for websurfing indoors or out, and for managing multimedia content from music to video and photos. The Olipad Smart deploys the Android Froyo operating system on a 1GHz ARM TI OMAP Cortex A8 processor, using 512 MB RAM and 8 GB of storage, along with memory card support for up to 32 GB, MicroUSB and MicroSD ports, and two cameras.
The Olipad Smart goes on sale from 15 September at a price of €299 (including VAT).
The launch of these new tablets is the next step in Olivetti’s strategy to reposition the company as a solution provider offering hardware products integrated with advanced IT services and applications. Now available through mass retail outlets and on the web, Olivetti is consolidating its presence in the high-growth tablet market.

Source:Talkandroid

Bulldogs end season with win over UST

2011-09-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - Despite not qualifying for the post-season, the National University (NU) Bulldogs still ended their Season 74 campaign on a high note, routing the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers 73-49 to finish with a 6-8 record.
The Bulldogs controlled the game from start to finish, never letting the Tigers get into their offensive rhythm.
The Tigers were clearly out of sorts as they played without big man Karim Abdul, who was suspended after incurring 2 unsportsmanlike fouls in the season.

Without Abdul protecting the paint, the Bulldogs were able to waltz their way inside. NU's Emmanuel Mbe was especially effective in the early goings of the game as he scored 10 first half points, mostly on lay-ups.
The clear star of the game was Bobby Ray Parks, who displayed his considerable scoring skills on his way to 22 points. He added 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks.
Parks also made one of the best highlight plays of the season: toward the end of the game, he saved the ball from going out of bounds and it somehow found its way to the bottom of the net.
Mbe finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs.
With the loss, UST slides to the fourth seed and will face defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles in the semi-finals.
The Tigers were able to keep the game close in the 2nd period after back-to-back 3 pointers by Louie Vigil and Jeric Fortuna.
The physical UST defense also held the Bulldogs down to only 6 points in the 2nd quarter, allowing them to go into halftime down only by 4, 29-25.
The Bulldogs then got their offense going once more in the 2nd half, especially in the 4th period wherein their 3-pointers started falling.
The Tigers, for their part, had to bleed for their points and were unable to penetrate the strong defense put up by the Bulldogs.
Jeric Teng topscored for the Tigers with 19 markers.

The Strange Japanese Sea Creatures - National Geographic

2011-09-10T22:49:00.000-07:00

The Strange Japanese Sea Creatures

The Alien Artifacts

2011-09-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

Although it was a fictional television show, a line delivered by one of the characters from “The X-Files”, when asked if there really were aliens among us, stated “Oh, they’ve been here for a long time”. While strange flying craft have been witnessed for millennium, these are still just sightings; they offer no concrete proof or even an artifact to speculate upon. But have there been objects found on our planet that could possibly be identified as being of an extraterrestrial nature?

In the early 1920′s a copper coin-like artifact was dredged up from a well digging at Lawn Ridge, Illinois. The strata this object came from was about 114 feet underground and the Illinois State Geological Survey confirmed that the surrounding deposits were from between 200,000 to 400,000 years old. A drawing of the “coin” was made before the actual artifact was sent to the Smithsonian Institute for safekeeping. Regrettably this object, as well as many other objects that do not fit the “official” version of history, has since vanished from the Smithsonian’s care and all that is left is the drawing made of it.

Depicted on the coin was the design of a large two legged figure with what appears to be a feathered headdress like attachment on its head holding a club of some sort over a prostrate figure at its feet. Around the edges were a number of markings that might pass for an alphabet of sorts. It is this “lettering” we wish to pay attention to.

Now we look at an incident from November of 1967 in which around 11:30 p.m. a pulsing light was seen to descend onto the Riverside Municipal Golf Course of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The witness to the event stated that he saw this from his residence about 1,500 feet from the golf course. He watched as the light descended and resolved itself into a “squashed globe”. The object at first radiated a reddish light but that the lights changed to a soft violet color and he heard it giving off a buzzing sound like an electrical transformer. He witnessed the craft fly over the Saskatchewan River and land. Then the lights from the craft went out and he saw that it shone a silverish color in the moonlight. After about five minutes the lights came back on and the craft leapt into the sky and was gone.

The next day, the gentleman went over to the course to see if he could find where the craft had landed. After a brief search he discovered a circle of mashed down grass in a circle about fifteen foot across. About 6 foot out from the circle of mashed grass were a number of holes about 4 inches in diameter each. As he was looking over the area he caught a glint of light off an object that, when he picked it up, was a piece of copper colored metal about 7 inches by 5 inches along the sides and about 1 millimeter thick.

On one side of this metallic plate were etched a number of lines of unidentifiable characters and a drawing that could be interpreted as possibly a small topographical map. A number of the symbols on this copper plate match some of the symbols on the coin unearthed in Illinois.

The third piece of this written puzzle comes from recent sightings of some extraordinarily bizarre shaped craft that have been spotted over the Appalachian hills. While there are not a lot of the characters that show in the photographs of this floating anomaly that are large enough to make out, all those that do show in this photograph of one of the “wings” can be identified as matching characters found on the ancient coin and the mysterious metal plate as well.

If this truly is the same script, written by the same beings in the same language, then these “extraterrestrials” have most definitely been here for a long, long time.

Adamson dumps Ateneo, foils Blue Eagles sweep

2011-09-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ateneo's Kirk Long (right) challenges the defense of Adamson's John Brondial in their game on Saturday at the Big Dome. Photo by KC Cruz

A lot of firsts were at stake in Saturday's Ateneo-Adamson match in the 74th UAAP men's basketball tournament.
Ateneo was gunning for the first outright finals berth and on the verge of completing the school's first 14-game elimination round sweep. Adamson, on the other hand, yearned for its first win against the Blue Eagles since 1997 while coach Leo Austria eyed his first victory against Norman Black.

In the end, it was the Falcons who managed to secure their firsts in their highly-anticipated match opposite the three-time defending champion Blue Eagles.

Adamson thwarted Ateneo's bid for an elimination sweep as the Falcons led from start to finish to beat the Blue Eagles black and blue with 62-46 margin, at the Araneta Coliseum.

Ateneo never led—the only time it happened this season—as Adamson put the clamps on the Blue Eagles to arrange a Final Four instead of a step-ladder playoff where Ateneo could have enjoyed a thrice-to-beat advantage in the finals.

Adamson won for the first time in almost 14 years—29 games to be exact—after a Gherome Ejercito-led Falcons defeated Ateneo, 54-52, on September 18, 1997 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

"I don't know what to say. It's overwhelming," said Adamson coach Leo Austria, whose Falcons improved to 10-4 while Ateneo dropped its first loss after 13 straight wins.

"A lot was at stake here. We arranged a Final Four and we got the twice-to-beat advantage but more importantly, we now believe that we are capable of winning a championship. It's more than a championship for us because the drought, all of sudden, vanished," Austria said.

Adamson came back in a big way after a crucial loss to University of Santo Tomas, 74-58, last week with its victory over Ateneo secured for the Falcons a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.

"I told the boys to enjoy the game, relax and don't be eager to win. After the loss to UST, it was really a blessing in disguise. All the doubts are gone," said Austria.

Alex Nuyles exploded with 21 points including 13 in the third quarter where the Falcons used a closing 11-0 run to pull away for a 50-31 advantage.

The Adamson crowd erupted even more after Austin Manyara scored on a putback dunk over Greg Slaughter to make it a 52-32 count in the fourth.

Adamson took a 5-0 lead on Lester Alvarez' lone three and a Nuyles jumper.

Kirk Long and Kiefer Ravena scored at the others end but the Falcons answered with a 7-0 spurt as the first period ended, 16-8, the first time Ateneo was held to single digits this season.

That record was quickly erased in the third period when Ateneo only scored seven points after a 27-24 Adamson halftimes lead.

9/11 Anti terrorism laws should be scrapped

2011-09-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

PARIS - Security laws passed after the September 11 attacks that have undermined fundamental freedoms should be repealed, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said.
The attacks marked "the beginning of a downward spiral in rights and freedoms," the group said in a statement.
"Many countries, including the democratic ones, starting with the United States and the United Kingdom, immediately reacted to the attacks in New York by adopting special laws that roundly ignored human freedoms," it added.
Many authoritarian states also used the international effort to combat terrorism as a pretext to crack down on legitimate protest, FIDH said.
"Propaganda that legitimated violations of the right to freedom, on the pretext of fighting terrorism and conveyed through a reflex of well-stoked and manipulated fear, led to the gradual abandonment of the essential values of humanity," FIDH Honorary President Patrick Baudouin.
The statement cited detaining people for undetermined periods of time without proferring specific charges as one of many worrying international trends.
The group welcomed the change in "public discourse" following Barack Obama's election, but criticised his failure so far to reverse the policies of his predecessor George W. Bush, specifically noting an unkept promise to close the Guantanamo prison.
"In this situation, FIDH calls for the abrogation of all liberticidal legislation adopted or reinforced after 11 September on the pretext of the fight against terrorism," the statement said.
"FIDH also calls upon the states to give greater consideration to human rights in their fight against terrorism."

15 Unique and Creative USB Flash drive

2011-09-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Mechanical USB Flash Drive
When in use, this handmade 16GB USB flash drive glows green from underneath the gears giving the key a good sense of movement

Canon 5D Mark II USB Flash Drive
4GB USB flash drive in the shape of EOS 5D Mark II digital camera.

Cereal Spoon USB Flash Drive
Unusual flash drive created from Bran Flakes cereal, a silver spoon, and lots of glue

Wooden Clamp USB Flash Drive
USB flash drive designed to look like an ordinary wooden clamp.

Taco Bell Border Sauce USB Flash Drive
USB flash drive inspired by Taco Bell Border Sauce packets.

Transforming USB Flash Drive
This flash drive will make a great gift for any Transformers fan.

Ninja Star USB Flash Drive
Awaken the inner Ninja in yourself with this Shuriken shaped USB Thumb Drive.

Bacon USB Flash Drive
Creative flash drive design inspired by bacon. Mmmmm, bacon!

Gold Brick USB Flash Drive
This gold brick USB flash drive will surely impress your coworkers.

Lipstick USB Flash Drive
Custom USB flash drive created from a real lipstick.

Surfboard USB Flash Drive
USB flash drive with creative surfboard design and colorful graphics.

Wooden Cross USB Flash Drive
Custom made USB flash drive shaped like a wooden cross.

Nailed USB Flash Drive
The USB Nail is a 2GB flash drive shaped like a giant nail. It costs about $46 and is sure to get a rise out of the IT department.

Sushi USB Flash Drives
Do you like Sushi? Then you will love these Sushi USB flash drives.

Wristband USB Flash Drive
Fashionable mass storage device that you can wear wherever you go and your data and information will be there whenever you need.

The Worlds Scariest River Creatures or The River Monster

2011-09-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

Vampire Piranha

A close relative of the piranha, the payara is often called the “vampire fish” because of its long fangs, which can grow to 6 inches in length. This little-known but frightening-looking fish is found in the Orinoco River in Venezuela.

Goliath Tigerfish

When your name is “Goliath,” you’d better be one humongous, ferocious creature, and the goliath tigerfish definitely lives up to its moniker. A native of the Congo River basin, the Lualaba River, Lake Upemba and Lake Tanganyika in Africa, it’s the largest member of the tigerfish clan, a genus of fierce predators with protruding, daggerlike teeth. The biggest one on record was nearly 5 feet long and weighed 154 pounds, the equivalent of a super-welterweight prizefighter. And it outclasses other African game fish in speed and power.

African lungfish

Not a pretty fish, the African lungfish is a harmless but truly frightening-looking river monster. The largest specimens can reach about 6.6 feet in length. African lungfish are periodically exposed to water with low oxygen content or situations in which their aquatic environment dries up. Their adaptation for dealing with these conditions is an outpocketing of the gut that serves as a lung.

Piraiba Catfish

Jeremy Wade holds a 72-pound, 5-foot-long piraiba catfish. These formidable fish can grow to over 10 feet in length and 600 pounds in weight. This powerful fish can drown a wrestling fisherman by dragging him to the bottom of the river. One story tells of a fisherman diving down to untangle a fishing net and vanishing, only to reappear hours later over halfway down the gullet of a giant piraiba.

Nile Perch

The Nile perch is considered one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species, though Jeremy caught this one in its native habitat. This species can grow to 6 feet in length and weigh over 500 pounds. This river monster has caused catastrophic declines among native fish populations in areas where it’s been introduced.

Source:Zevs.net

The World Biggest Bugs on Earth

2011-09-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

Belostomatidae

Belostomatidae is a family of insects better known as "giant water bugs" or "toe-biters." Most species in the Belostomatidae family are relatively large (2 cm or more) with some of the largest, such as Lethocerus, exceeding 12 cm, and nearly reaching the dimensions (length and mass) of some of the larger beetles in the world.

All bugs in the Belostomatidae family are fierce predators which stalk, capture and feed on aquatic crustaceans, fish and amphibians. They often lie motionless at the bottom of a body of water, attached to various objects, where they wait for prey to come near. They then strike, injecting a powerful digestive saliva and suck out the liquefied remains. Yum!

Their bite is considered one of the most painful that can be inflicted by any insect. The saliva liquefies muscle tissue. In rare instances, their bite can do permanent damage to humans. So don't get drunk and pass out with your face near one of these guys.

Occasionally when encountered by a larger predator, such as a human, they have been known to "play dead" and emit a fluid from their anus to make them look less appetizing. Giant water bugs are a popular food in Thailand.

Atlas Moth

(Attacus Atlas)

Atlas moths are...

...considered to be the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area. Their wingspan is often up to a foot long.
...are said to be named after either the Titan of Greek mythology, or their map-like wing patterns.
...unsteady fliers and the female does not stray far from the location of her discarded chrysalis.
...found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia.

Giant Camel Spider

When American soldiers aren't worrying about insurgents and IEDs, they have to keep an eye out for Giant Camel Spiders. Iraq's Giant Camel Spiders have even been found hiding in sleeping bags. Fortunately, the giant desert camel spiders native to Iraq aren't venomous. But they are FAST. Giant Camel Spiders have been known to run around 10 MPH. Although most Camel Spiders are about the size of a credit card, they have been know to grow larger than 10 inches, especially in the deserts of the Middle East.

The above photo was taken in the desert area outside of Baghdad. The 2 camel spiders were in a fight to the death. The spider on the bottom has his fangs locked on the torso of the spider above.

The image below is of a U.S. solider stationed outside of Kuwait. He was bitten by a Camel Spider in his sleep. The infected wound was so bad doctors couldn't stitch it up. They had to leave it open to drain and heal from the inside out. The bitten soldier now has a scar the size of a penny on his elbow.

Camel Spiders are common in the Middle East, but they can also be found in the southwest U.S. and Mexico. The Mexican's call Camel Spiders matevenados, which translates to"deer killers" in English.

Giant Walking Stick

Many stick insects are easy to care for, and believe it or not make good tropical pets.

Indian stick insects are all female and reproduce by themselves (parthenogenesis) and seem content living without mates or kin. Occasionally part-male part-female individuals are reared in captivity, but never true males.

The stick insects molt and may eat their own shed skin. By the 6th molt, the stick insect will lay eggs. Yum!

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing

(Ornithoptera alexandrae)

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is the largest butterfly in the world. The species was named by Lord Walter Rothschild in 1907, in honor of Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Female Birdwings can reach a wingspan of about 14 inches, a body length of 3-4 inches and a body mass of up to 1/2 ounce. These are all enormous measurements for a butterfly and actually much more common for small birds.

Goliath Beetle

The Goliath beetles are among the heaviest insects on Earth. They are found in Africa. The heavily armored adults are so large that when flying, they produce a sound akin to a toy helicopter in flight. They are scavengers and eat rotting fruit, vegetables and animal feces off the jungle floor. Jungle poop. It's what's for dinner.

Giant Weta

Weta are extremely large by insect standards. They can weigh more than 70g, making them one of the heaviest documented insects in the known world. The Giant Weta can't even jump because it's so heavy. Giant Weta and are classified in the genus Deinacrida, which is Greek for terrible grasshopper. They are found primarily on small islands off the coast of the main islands, and are examples of island gigantism. Wetas like to hide under rocks or plant debris.

Giant Isopod

The Giant Isopod isn't technically an insect. Believe it or not, it falls under the Crustacean class along with crab, shrimp and lobster. That's right kids, it's aquatic. Like a giant sea roach.

Although rarely found on food menus in most of the world, it's not uncommon in some Eastern Asian countries to find seaside restaurants serving boiled Giant Isopods.

Even though the Giant Isopod is a deep sea dwelling creature, it might look strangely familiar to you. A close cousin of the Giant Isopod is the much smaller terrestrial Woodlouse (3-30 mm). But you might know the Woodlouse by one of its more common nicknames like pill bug or roly-poly. Woodlice are usually found in damp, dark places, rotting logs and typically eat decaying plant material.

Genetically, Woodlice and Giant Isopods have been unchanged for over 160 million years.

Source:wahoha

The Great Pyramid of Giza or Pyramid of Khufu

2011-09-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

The Great Pyramid of Giza (also called the Pyramid of Khufu and thePyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in theGiza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of theSeven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact. Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was built as a tomb for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops in Greek) over an approximately 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC. Initially at 146.5 metres (480.6 ft), the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years, the longest period of time ever held for such a record. Originally, the Great Pyramid was covered by casing stones that formed a smooth outer surface; what is seen today is the underlying core structure. Some of the casing stones that once covered the structure can still be seen around the base. There have been varying scientific and alternative theories about the Great Pyramid's construction techniques. Most accepted construction hypotheses are based on the idea that it was built by moving huge stones from a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place.

There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest chamber is cut into the bedrock upon which the pyramid was built and was unfinished. The so-called Queen's Chamber and King's Chamber are higher up within the pyramid structure. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only pyramid in Egypt known to contain both ascending and descending passages. The main part of the Giza complex is a setting of buildings that included two mortuary temples in honor of Khufu (one close to the pyramid and one near the Nile), three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives, an even smaller "satellite" pyramid, a raised causeway connecting the two temples, and small mastaba tombs surrounding the pyramid for nobles.

History and description

It is believed the pyramid was built as a tomb for fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu and was constructed over a 20 year period. Khufu's vizier, Hemon, or Hemiunu, is believed by some to be the architect of the Great Pyramid. It is thought that, at construction, the Great Pyramid was originally 280 Egyptian cubits tall, 146.5 metres (480.6 ft) but with erosion and absence of its pyramidion, its present height is 138.8 metres (455.4 ft). Each base side was 440 royal cubits, 230.4 metres (755.9 ft) long. A royal cubit measures 0.524 metres. The mass of the pyramid is estimated at 5.9 million tonnes. The volume, including an internal hillock, is roughly 2,500,000 cubic metres. Based on these estimates, building this in 20 years would involve installing approximately 800 tonnes of stone every day. Similarly, since it consists of an estimated 2.3 million blocks, completing the building in 20 years would involve moving an average of more than 12 of the blocks into place each hour, day and night. The first precision measurements of the pyramid were done by Egyptologist Sir Flinders Petrie in 1880–82 and published as The Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh. Almost all reports are based on his measurements. Many of the casing stones and inner chamber blocks of the Great Pyramid were fit together with extremely high precision. Based on measurements taken on the north eastern casing stones, the mean opening of the joints is only 0.5 millimetres wide (1/50th of an inch).

Great Pyramid of Giza from a 19th century stereopticon card photo

The pyramid remained the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years,unsurpassed until the 160-metre-tall spire of Lincoln Cathedral was completed c. 1300. The accuracy of the pyramid's workmanship is such that the four sides of the base have an average error of only 58 millimetres in length.The base is horizontal and flat to within 21 mm.The sides of the square base are closely aligned to the four cardinal compass points (within 4 minutes of arc) based on true north, not magnetic north, and the finished base was squared to a mean corner error of only 12 seconds of arc. The completed design dimensions, as suggested by Petrie's survey and subsequent studies, are estimated to have originally been 280 cubits high by 440 cubits long at each of the four sides of its base. The ratio of the perimeter to height of 1760/280 cubits equates to 2π to an accuracy of better than 0.05% (corresponding to the well-known approximation of π as 22/7). Some Egyptologists consider this to have been the result of deliberate design proportion. Verner wrote, "We can conclude that although the ancient Egyptians could not precisely define the value of π, in practice they used it".Petrie, author of Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh concluded: "but these relations of areas and of circular ratio are so systematic that we should grant that they were in the builder's design". Others have argued that the Ancient Egyptians had no concept of pi and would not have thought to encode it in their monuments. The creation of the pyramid may instead be based on simple ratios of the sides of right angled triangles (the seked).

Materials

The Great Pyramid consists of an estimated 2.3 million limestone blocks with most believed to have been transported from nearby quarries. The Tura limestone used for the casing was quarried across the river. The largest granite stones in the pyramid, found in the "King's" chamber, weigh 25 to 80 tonnes and were transported from Aswan, more than 500 miles away. Traditionally, ancient Egyptians cut stone blocks by hammering wooden wedges into the stone which were then soaked with water. As the water was absorbed, the wedges expanded, causing the rock to crack. Once they were cut, they were carried by boat either up or down the Nile River to the pyramid.It is estimated that 5.5 million tons of limestone, 8,000 tons of granite (imported from Aswan), and 500,000 tons of mortar were used in the construction of the Great Pyramid

Casing Stone

casing stone

At completion, the Great Pyramid was surfaced by white "casing stones" – slant-faced, but flat-topped, blocks of highly polished white limestone. These were carefully cut to what is approximately a face slope with a seked of 5½ palms to give the required dimensions. Visibly, all that remains is the underlying stepped core structure seen today. In AD 1300, a massive earthquake loosened many of the outer casing stones, which were then carted away by Bahri Sultan An-Nasir Nasir-ad-Din al-Hasan in 1356 to build mosques and fortresses in nearby Cairo. The stones can still be seen as parts of these structures. Later explorers reported massive piles of rubble at the base of the pyramids left over from the continuing collapse of the casing stones, which were subsequently cleared away during continuing excavations of the site. Nevertheless, a few of the casing stones from the lowest course can be seen to this day in situ around the base of the Great Pyramid, and display the same workmanship and precision as has been reported for centuries. Petrie also found a different orientation in the core and in the casing measuring 193 centimetres ± 25 centimetres. He suggested a redetermination of north was made after the construction of the core, but a mistake was made, and the casing was built with a different orientation. Petrie related the precision of the casing stones as to being "equal to opticians' work of the present day, but on a scale of acres" and "to place such stones in exact contact would be careful work; but to do so with cement in the joints seems almost impossible".^[19] It has been suggested it was the mortar (Petrie's "cement") that made this seemingly impossible task possible, providing a level bed which enabled the masons to set the stones exactly.

Construction theories

Main article: Egyptian pyramid construction techniques

Many alternative, often contradictory, theories have been proposed regarding the pyramid's construction techniques. Many disagree on whether the blocks were dragged, lifted, or even rolled into place. The Greeks believed that slave labour was used, but modern discoveries made at nearby worker's camps associated with construction at Giza suggest it was built instead by tens of thousands of skilled workers. Verner posited that the labor was organized into a hierarchy, consisting of two gangs of 100,000 men, divided into five zaa or phyle of 20,000 men each, which may have been further divided according to the skills of the workers.

One mystery of the pyramid's construction is its planning. John Romer suggests that they used the same method that had been used for earlier and later constructions, laying out parts of the plan on the ground at a 1 to 1 scale. He writes that "such a working diagram would also serve to generate the architecture of the pyramid with precision unmatched by any other means.^] He also argues for a 14 year time span for its construction.

The History of Persia or Iran

2011-09-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

Persia

The first mention we have of the Persians is on a tablet recording the expedition of Shalmanesser III into a country called Parsua, in the mountains of Kurdistan around 837 BC. There, it seems that twenty-seven chieftain-kings ruled over twenty-seven states thinly populated by a people called Amadai, Madai, or Medes. They were Indo-European and had probably come from around the Caspian Sea into Western Asia about 1000 BC. The Zend-Avesta, the sacred scriptures of the Persains, idealized the racial memory of their ancient homeland and described it as a paradise. Not likely, since if it was so nice, why would they have ever left? In any case, scenes of our youth and the past are often wonderful and pleasant -- if we don't have to live in them again.

The Persians seem to have wandered south until they reached Persia. At Ecbatana "a meeting place of many ways", which is located in a picturesque valley made fertile by the melting snows of the highlands, Deioces (also their first recorded king) founded their first capital. It was dominated by his royal palace which covered an area of nearly a square mile. Royalty has always gone in for the grandiose and resplendant.

According to a passage in Herodotus, Deioces achieved power by acquiring a reputation for justice. Unfortunately, once he got the position, he turned into a despot. But, that's the way of politics: promise the moon, and then when you get what you want, do whatever you darn well please.

Deioces issued a decree, that "no man should be admitted to the King's presence, but everyone should consult him by means of messengers; moreover, that it should be accounted indecency for any one to laugh or spit before him. He established such ceremony about his person for this reason,...that he might appear to be a different nature to them who did not see him." So wrote Herodotus.

Under the leadership of Deioces, the Medes became a threat to the power of Assyria, so the Assyrians repeatedly invaded him. Each time, they imagined the Medes subdued, only to be surprised by their persistance in rebelling and fighting.

The greatest of the Median kings was one Cyaxares, and he finally demonstrated to the Assyrians their mistake in imagining the Medes were subdued: he invaded Assyria and destroyed its capital Ninevah. Thus, the Assyrian empire was ended.

Inspired by his victory, Cyaxares swept though western Asia to the very gates of Sardis, only to be turned back by an eclipse of the sun. Cyaxares was on the superstitious side. However, Cyaxares' enemies were equally superstious, and taking the eclipse as a warning from the sky, they quickly signed a peace treaty and sealed it by drinking one another's blood.

Cyaxares died the next year, having, during the course of his reign, expanded his kingdom from a subject province into an empire embracing Assyria, Media, and Persia. As is the nature of empires, his creation was unstable, and within a generation of his death, it had fallen apart. Thus, the tenure of this Median Empire was too brief to lead to much in the way of contribution to the civilization of the world, except in that it prepared or laid the ground work for the culture of Persia.

To Persia, the Medes did give something: their Aryan language, their alphabet of thirty-six characters, their replacement of clay with parchment and the use of a pen as a writing tool; the Medes also gave the Persians the use of the column in architecture, their Zoroastrian religion of Ahura-Mazda (which had nothing at all to do with later Japanese auto manufacturers), and Ahriman. They also gave them their patriarchal family structure and polygamous marriages.

In any case, the degeneration of the Medes proceded much more quickly than their rise. Astyages, the successor of Cyaxares, proved once again that monarchy is a crapshoot (cf. Ecclesiastes 2:18-19: "I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me, and who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?"). Astyages inherited the kingdom cheerfully, and settled down to enjoy it. His behavior, and that of his countrymen, was not unlike so often happens to those who gain riches to quickly and too easily. The stern and stoic philosophy of their forebears was forgotten; the upper classes became slaves of fashion and luxury; the men wore embroidered pants, the women covered themselves with cosmetics and jewlry, and even the horses were decked with gold. A formerly pastoral people, who had been glad to be borne by crude wagons, now rode in expensive chariots from party to party.

While the early kings of the Medes had prided themselves on justice, Astyages was of another mind. Being displeased with an individual by the name of Harpagus (so the story goes), Astyages served up the dismemebered and headless body of his own son and forced him to eat it. Harpagus ate, commenting that whatever the king did was agreeable to him.

Unsurprisingly, Harpagus harbored a bit of a grudge and was instrumental in helping Cyrus later depose Astyages. In fact, when Cyrus, who had come from the Median dependancy of Ansham, in Persia, rebelled against Astyages (c. 549 BC), the Medes welcomed Cyrus' victory and accepted him, almost without protest, as their new king.

Thus, in a single engagement, Media ceased to be the master of Persia, and Persia became the master of Media; soon, it would become the master of the entire Near Eastern world, as well.

An alliance was formed against Cyrus by Croesus, the king of Lydia (which is in Asia minor. Croesus is significant, if for no other reason than the fact that he is credited with the invention of coinage), Nabonidus of Babylon, and Amasis, the Pharoah of Egypt (569-525 BC). So, in 546 Cyrus attacked the forces of Croesus and defeated him, thus gaining control of the whole of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). His next thrust was at Babylon itself, and the Cyrus Cylinder records the way he believed (or at least this is what he told the Babylonians) that Marduk, the patron deity of Babylon, assisted his subsequent victory:

Marduk...to his city Babylon he caused [Cyrus] to go, he made him take the road to Babylon, going as a friend and companion at his side...without battle and conflict he permitted him to enter Babylon. He spared his city Babylon a calamity....

Cyrus is said to have diverted the course of the Euphrates River during his assault of Babylon. Since the river passed under the city walls and through the city, when the water was diverted, his army was able to enter the city easily by simply walking along the now dry riverbed. Thus, Babylon fell to Cyrus about 538 BC.

With the conquest of Babylon, Cyrus became the ruler of the largest empire the world had known till that time. During the reign of his jerk of a son, the influence of Persia would extend all the way to Egypt as well.

Under Cyrus, the fall of Babylon was an answer to prayer and prophecy. It would signal the beginning of their restoration to the promissed land.

The first principle of Cyrus' policy was that the various people of his empire should be left free in their religious worshi and beliefs. Cyrus was one of the first rulers to recognize a basic principle of statesmanship: religion is stronger than the state.

Instead of sacking cities and wrecking temples, he showed a courteous respect for the deities of the conquered and contributed to the maintance of their shrines. This is seen in the wording of his decree to the Jewish people in permitting them to return to their land. His positive statements about Yahweh and the Jews, should thus be taken in the context of his attitude toward other deities, rather than being taken as proof that he had become a convert to Judaism.

Cyrus died of ambition. He was killed in a battle with Massagetae, an obscure tribe that peopled the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. His son, the jerk, was called Cambyses. He was half crazy. He took the throne upon his father's untimely demise, and immediately put to death his own brother and potential rival, Smerdis. Attracted to the wealth of Egypt like a moth to a flame, he captured Memphis easily enough, but an army of fifty thousand Persians sent to anex the Oasis of Amon was lost in the desert without a trace. An expedition to Carthage failed because the Phoenician crews that manned the Persian fleet refused to attack a Phoenician city. Duh!

Next, Cambyses publically scoffed at the Egyptian religion, plunged a dagger into the bull revered by the Egyptians as the god Apis, exhumed mummies, and pried into royal tombs, heedless of ancient curses. He profaned temples and ordered idols burned. He thought that by doing these things he would succeed in freeing the Egyptians of their superstitions. Unfortunately, he was stricken ill -- apparently epileptic seizures -- and the Egyptians became convinced that it was the gods themselves punishing him.

To demonstrate beyond question his questionable grip on reality, Cambyses killed his wife (and sister) Roxana with a kick in the stomach. He dispatched his son Prexaspes with an arrow. Twelve Persians of noble birth he burried alive. And then he condemned Croesus, king of Lydia, to death. A little while later, he changed his mind, and rejoiced at the news that the execution had not yet been carried out. To celebrate, he punished the officers who had delayed in executing the Lydian king.

On his way back to Persia from Egypt, he learned that an usurper had taken the throne, supported by a massive revolution. Nothing more is heard of Cambyses, though the rumor is, he committed suicide. In any case, everyone was just glad he was gone.

The usurper had pretended to be Cambyses, though in reality he was a religious fanatic bent on destroying Zoroastrianism, the official religion of Persia. This idea did not go over well, and so another revolution soon got rid of him. The seven aristocrats who had organized this rebellion raised one of their own to the throne. His name was Darius, he was the son of Hystaspes. It should be noted that this is not the Darius mentioned in the book of Daniel.

Darius' succession to the throne was marked by uprisings in the various subject regions, as is always the case when an empire shifts hands. Thus, the governors of Egypt and Lydia refused submission, and the provinces of Susiana, Babylonia, Media, Assyria, Armenia, Sacia, and others rose in simultaneous revolt.

Darius, needless to say, suddenly had his hands full. Amazingly, he managed to prevail.

Taking Babylon after a long seize he crucified three thousand of its leading citizens as an inducement to the rest that obedience was a wise choice. In a series of swift campaigns, he pacified one rebellious region after another.

With the empire whole again, and this lesson firmly in mind, that vast empires in crisis could quickly fall to pieces, he put asside the battle gear and became one of the wisest administrators in history, seeking a way to bind the empire together so that it would not so easily fall apart in the future. What he did became a model of imperial organization. The result was a generation of peace, order and prosperity that western asia had never known before.

Still, all was not conflict free. The Scythians kept invading distant regions of his empire from the north, necessitating action on his part. So he marched his army into southern Russia, across the Bosphorus and the Danube, all the way to the Volga. He marched across Afganistan and into Indus Valley. Thus, he added millions of people and vast wealth to his empire.

Greece. Herodotus, the Greek historian, would have us believe that Darius entered upon his war with Greece -- what ended up being his greatest mistake -- because one of his wives, Atossa, teased him into it while they were in bed. It seemse more likely that he simply saw the Greek city states and their colonies as a potential danger to him, should they ever manage to unite. Thus, when Ionia revoltd and received aid from Sparta and Athens, Darius went to war.

Darius was defeated at the battle of Marathon and returned gloomily to Persia. There, amidst preparations for a second war against Greece, he suddenly weakened and died.

Languages of Persia. Many languages have been used in the long history of Persia. The speech of the court and nobility in the days of Darius I was Old Persian, a tongue so closely related to Sanskrit that evidently they are both dialects of some language older still.

Old Persian developed on the one hand into Zend, the language of the Zend-Avesta and on the other hand into Pahlavi -- a Hindu language from which has come the Persian language of today, Farsi (spoken in modern Iran).

When the Persians took to writing, they adopted the Babylonian cuneiform for their monumental inscriptions and the Aramaic alphabet for their other documents.

They proceeded to symplify the unwieldy syllabary of the Babylonians from six hundred plus characters down to thirty-six signs which gradually became letters instead of syllables, thus becoming a cuneiform alphabet.

We are able to read Babylonian and the earlier Sumerian today because of the Persians. Had they not used Babylonian cuneiform to write their inscriptions, together with the same inscription in Aramaic script, we would never have been able to decipher the older writings.

English is related to the Persian and Sanskrit languages, as the following chart can illustrate:

Old Persian	Sanskrit	German	English
pitar	pitar	Vater	father
nama	nama	Nahme	name
bar	bhri	Fuhren	bear
matar	matar	Mutter	mother
bratar	bhratar	Bruder	brother

The History Of Tatoos

2011-09-08T19:42:00.000-07:00


	A	brief history of tattoos the word tattoo is said to has two major derivations- from the polynesian word ‘ta’ which means striking something and the tahitian word ‘tatau’ which means ‘to mark something’. the history of tattoo began over 5000 years ago and is as diverse as the people who wear them. tattoos are created by inserting colored materials beneath the skins surface. the first tattoos probably were created by accident. someone had a small wound, and rubbed it with a hand that was dirty with soot and ashes from the fire. once the wound had healed, they saw that a mark stayed permanently. despite the social sciences' growing fascination with tattooing, and the immense popularity of tattoos themselves, the practice has not left much of a historical record. --- bronze age in 1991, a five thousand year old tattooed man ‘ötzi the ice man’ made the headlines of newspapers all over the world when his frozen body was discovered on a mountain between austria and italy. this is the best preserved corpse of that period ever found. the skin bears 57 tattoos: a cross on the inside of the left knee, six straight lines 15 centimeters long above the kidneys and numerous parallel lines on the ankles. the position of the tattoo marks suggests that they were probably applied for therapeutic reasons (treatment of arthritis). --- pazyryk culture in 1948, 120 miles north of the border between russia and china, russian archeologist sergei rudenko began excavating a group of tombs, or kurgans, in the high altai mountains of western and southern siberia. mummies were found that date from around 2400 years ago. the tattoos on their bodies represent a variety of animals. the griffins and monsters are thought to have a magical significance but some elements are believed to be purely decorative. altogether the tattoos are believed to reflect the status of the individual. --- egypt written records, physical remains, and works of art relevant to egyptian tattoo have virtually been ignored by earlier egyptologists influenced by prevailing social attitudes toward the medium. today however, we know that there have been bodies recovered dating to as early XI dynasty exhibiting the art form of tattoo. in 1891, archaeologists discovered the mummified remains of amunet, a priestess of the goddess hathor, at thebes who lived some time between 2160 BC and 1994 BC. this female mummy displayed several lines and dots tattooed about her body - grouping dots and/or dashes were aligned into abstract geometric patterns. this art form was restricted to women only, and usually these women were associated with ritualistic practice. the egyptians spread the practice of tattooing throughout the world. the pyramid-building third and fourth dynasties of egypt developed international nations with crete, greece, persia, and arabia. by 2,000 BC the art of tattooing had stretched out all the way to southeast asia . the ainu (western asian nomads) then brought it with them as they moved to japan. --- japan the earliest evidence of tattooing in japan is found in the form of clay figurines which have faces painted or engraved to represent tattoo marks. the oldest figurines of this kind have been recovered from tombs dated 3,000 BC or older, and many other such figurines have been found in tombs dating from the second and third millennia BC. these figurines served as stand-ins for living individuals who symbolically accompanied the dead on their journey into the unknown, and it is believed that the tattoo marks had religious or magical significance. the first written record of japanese tattooing is found in a chinese dynastic history compiled in 297 AD. the japanese were interested in the art mostly for its decorative attributes, as opposed to magical ones. the horis - the japanese tattoo artists - were the undisputed masters. their use of colors, perspective, and imaginative designs gave the practice a whole new angle. the classic japanese tattoo, is a full body suit. --- china from southern china the practice spread along the silk route. --- polynesia in pacific cultures tattooing has a huge historic significance. polynesian tattooing is considered the most intricate and skillful tattooing of the ancient world. polynesian peoples, believe that a person's mana, their spiritual power or life force, is displayed through their tattoo. the vast majority of what we know today about these ancient arts has been passed down through legends, songs, and ritual ceremonies. elaborate geometrical designs which were often added to, renewed, and embellished throughout the life of the individual until they covered the entire body. in samoa, the tradition of applying tattoo, or ‘tatau’, by hand, has long been defined by rank and title, with chiefs and their assistants, descending from notable families in the proper birth order. the tattooing ceremonies for young chiefs, typically conducted at the onset of puberty, were elaborate affairs and were a key part of their ascendance to a leadership role. the permanent marks left by the tattoo artists would forever celebrate their endurance and dedication to cultural traditions. the first europeans who set foot on samoan soil were members of a 1787 french expedition. they got a closer look at the natives and reported that ‘the men have their thighs painted or tattooed in such a way that one would think them clothed, although they are almost naked’. the mythological origins of samoan tattooing and the extraordinary cross-cultural history of tatau has been transported to the migrant communities of new zealand, and later disseminated into various international subcultures from auckland to the netherlands. the hawaiian people had their traditional tattoo art, known as ‘kakau’. it served them not only for ornamentation and distinction, but to guard their health and spiritual well-being. intricate patterns, mimicking woven reeds or other natural forms, graced men's arms, legs, torso and face. women were generally tattooed on the hand, fingers, wrists and sometimes on their tongue. the arrival of western missionaries forced this unique art form into decline as tattooing has been discouraged or forbidden by most christian churches throughout history. --- new zealand the maori of new zealand had created one of the most impressive cultures of all polynesia. their tattoo, called ‘moko’, reflected their refined artistry - using their woodcarving skills to carve skin. the full-face moko was a mark of distinction, which communicated their status, lines of descent and tribal affiliations. it recalled their wearer's exploits in war and other great events of their life. --- indonesia borneo is one of the few places in the world where traditional tribal tattooing is still practiced today just as it has been for thousands of years. until recently many of the inland tribes had little contact with the outside world. as a result, they have preserved many aspects of their traditional way of life, including tattooing. borneo designs have gone all around the world to form the basis of what the western people call ‘tribal’. --- india / thailand hanuman in india was a popular symbol of strength on arms and legs. the mythical monk is still today one of the most popular creations in thailand and myanmar. they are put on the human body by monks who incorporate magical powers to the design while tattooing. women are excluded because monks are not allowed to be touched by them and because thais believe women do not need the extra boost as they are already strong enough on their own. --- africa in africa, where people have dark skin, it is difficult to make coloured tattoos as we know them. but they want to be tattooed anyway, so they have developed another technique - they make scarifications (this is not really tattooing, but it is related to tattooing). made by lifting the skin a little, and making a cut with a knife or some other sharp thing special sands or ashes were rubbed in to make raised scars in patterns on the body, it can be felt like braille lettering... these patterns often follow local traditions. --- ancient greece and rome the greeks learnt tattooing from the persians. their woman were fascinated by the idea of tattoos as exotic beauty marks. the romans adopted tattooing from the greeks. roman writers such as virgil, seneca, and galenus reported that many slaves and criminals were tattooed. a legal inscription from ephesus indicates that during the early roman empire all slaves exported to asia were tattooed with the words ‘tax paid’. greeks and romans also used tattooing as a punishment. early in the fourth century, when constantine became roman emperor and rescinded the prohibition on christianity, he also banned tattooing on face, which was common for convicts, soldiers, and gladiators. constantine believed that the human face was a representation of the image of god and should not be disfigured or defiled. --- the celts were a tribal people who moved across western europe in times around 1200 and 700 B.C. they reached the british Isles around 400 B.C. and most of what has survived from their culture is in the areas now known as ireland, wales and scotland. celtic culture was full of body art. permanent body painting was done with woad, which left a blue design on the skin. spirals are very common, and they can be single, doubled or tripled. knotwork is probably the most recognized form of celtic art, with lines forming complex braids which then weave across themselves. these symbolise the connection of all life. step or key patterns, like those found in early labyrinth designs, are seen both in simple borders and full complex mazes. much in the way that labyrinths are walked, these designs are symbolic of the various paths that life’s journey can take. --- central and south america in peru, tattooed inca mummies dating to the 11th century have been found. 16th century spanish accounts of mayan tattooing in mexico and central americareveal tattoos to be a sign of courage. when cortez and his conquistadors arrived on the coast of mexico in 1519 they were horrified to discover that the natives not only worshipped devils in the form of statues and idols, but had somehow managed to imprint indelible images of these idols on their skin. the spaniards, who had never heard of tattooing, recognized it at once as the work of satan. the sixteenth century spanish historians who chronicled the adventures of cortez and his conquistadors reported that tattooing was widely practiced by the natives of central america. --- north america early jesuit accounts testify to the widespread practice of tattooing among native americans. among the chickasaw, outstanding warriors were recognised by their tattoos. among the ontario iroquoians, elaborate tattoos reflected high status. in north-west america, inuit women's chins were tattooed to indicate marital status and group identity. the first permanent tattoo shop in new york city was settled up in 1846 and began a tradition by tattooing military servicemen from both sides of the civil war. samuel o'reilly invented the electric tattooing machine in 1891. --- middle-east during the time of the old testament, much of the pagan world was practicing the art of tattooing as a means of deity worship. a passage in leviticus reads: ‘ye shall not make any cuttings on your flesh for the dead nor print any marks upon you’. (19:28) this has been cited as biblical authority to support the church's position. biblical scholar m.w. thomson suggests, however, that moses favored tattoos. moses introduced tattoos as a way to commemorate the deliverance of the jews from slavery in egypt. --- vikings it is very likely that the vikings were tattooed. at around year 1100 the arab ibn fadlan described a meeting with some vikings. he thought them very rude, dirty - and covered with pictures. --- england explorers returned home with tattooed polynesians to exhibit at fairs, in lecture halls and in dime museums, to demonstrate the height of european civilization compared to the ‘primitive natives’. after captain cook returned from his voyage to polynesia tattooing became a tradition in the british navy. by the middle of the 18th century most british ports had at least one professional tattoo artist in residence. in 1862, the prince of wales, later to become king edward VII, received his first tattoo - a jerusalem cross - on his arm. he started a tattoo fad among the aristocracy when he was tattooed before ascending to the throne. in 1882, his sons, the duke of clarence and the duke of york were tattooed by the japanese master tattooist, hori chiyo. --- france in the 18th century, many french sailors returning from voyages in the south pacific had been tattooed. in 1861, french naval surgeon, maurice berchon, published a study on the medical complications of tattooing. after this, the navy and army banned tattooing within their ranks. stereotypical and sensationalised association of tattoo design ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- sailor sailors on their ships returned home with their own tattoos... usually of a very basic style that only uses a minimum amount of details making the tattoos look quite two dimensional and flat. this often gives a cartoonish feeling and typical motifs would be flowers, hearts, mermaids, ships, anchors, snakes, birds, and names. criminality for a long time, tattooing was the preserve of sailors and... criminals! in prison, the tattoo - professionally done and homemade- indelibly imprint on their bodies what these men desire in their souls: autonomy and identity. the ultimate symbol for gang members are their gang tattoos, getting a permanent mark is a sign of showing total commitment to the gang. these tattoos can reveal lots of things, like, who you are/what gang you're in/ what your beliefs are (racist etc..), what you have done, where you have been, how many years you have been in jail (also referred to as ‘dead time’) and even things like how many you have killed. known symbols include teardrops under the eye as well as spider webs on the elbows to symbolize people killed. circus the popularity of tattooing during the latter part of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century owed much to the circus. when circuses prospered, tattooing prospered. for over 70 years every major circus employed several completely tattooed people. some were exhibited in sideshows; others performed traditional circus acts such as juggling and sword swallowing. --------------- tattoo flash as with other artistic mediums and cultural developments, vocabulary continually evolves, reflecting the depth and potential of body marking and of the contemporary imagination. in recent years tattooing has emerged to the forefront of popular consciousness. today a tattoo ‘flash’, is a folder of tattoo-artwork by tattoo artists. styles range from the traditional and vernacular to the sacred and innovative.