Day 746 (Tidbits)

Man, I almost hate it when Blake writes on/brings out topics involving harm to animals. I have a soft spot for animals and actually you might call it more of a "reverence" and awe-filled respect for most of them (Remember my rescue cat? Best pet ever!).

Blake's Day 746 entry on THE 800 DAYS BLOG is about life harmed by man-made catastrophes. I want to quit using the word "CATASTROPHE," too because I have a reverence for NATURE and catastrophes happen in nature. Man Made DISASTERS happen when mankind destroys or makes objects and situations which destroy life. Human life, animal and plant life, spiritual feelings/life... Man (okay, and WOman) is the WORST destroyer of all and, frankly, reading about
manmadedisastersmakesmeveryangrygrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

GRRRRRRRR!

SOMEONE HAS TO BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR DESTROYING LIFE!

*Yikes* I am overheating!

...particularly after looking at the pictures of beautiful animals on The 800 Days blog, reading the stats on how much LIFE has been affected by oil spills - sometimes by "singular" events.

The content is about the possibility of EXTINCTION OF MULTIPLE SPECIES as a result of man made GARBAGE and INDUSTRY... also, human error leading to preventable accidents.

One concept most of the world probably adheres to THAT I WILL NOT is the concept of land ownership and regional boundaries - ie: nationalism and related concepts.

I don't understand how people can believe in the concept of the earth/world as having places where people OWN sections of land, air, sea...

MAPS are TEMPORAL GUIDELINES and navigational tools but authorities use these items to prove OWNERSHIP and authority over spaces that we're supposed to all have reverence and respect for, that we will all benefit much more from by NURTURING AND SHARING TOGETHER...

Consequently OWNERSHIP and POSSESSION of significant spaces and locations on this globe is a TEMPORAL CONCEPT, not a norm, law, fact.

Strangely enough - even when, BY MUTUAL AND MANUFACTURED CONSENT, the world's citizens allow for sections of the globe to be utilized by certain businesses and individuals, when a DISASTER HAPPENS, we find out that, really - NOBODY CAN OWN ANYTHING... we get lack of accountability, and vast areas of polluted, disrespected land, sea and air, that nobody CAN REALLY BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR...because nobody can truly own a place or space to the exclusion of all others, anyway.

I am ranting...

Abrupt cut off on this post - so I can go do some anger management.

BLESS YOU ALL WHO DO NOT OWN OR THINK YOU OWN WHAT IS COLLECTIVELY THE WHOLE WORLDS' SPACES.

Day 746 on The 800 Days blog is associated with pictures of beautiful animals that are in danger of extinction and the article is also associated with Sunday December 5 2010 in the 800 Day Countdown.

Day 754 (Tidbits)

Okay, getting back on track here after some absenteeism from the blog over the past 3 wks. The content is interesting for me regarding the Day 754 post on Blake's THE 800 DAYS blog because it's about UFO Theories.

MORESO, it's about our seeming discomfort (doh! we've been oppressed/suppressed over these matters, haven't we?) over talking about UFO Theories and similar things that I saw a common theme for...

Common Theme: topics whereby certain authorities have no sound explanations for what we observe or experience. Additionally, reasonable explanations not forthcoming, the same authorities generally INSIST that we believe that we observed or experienced NOTHING or that we experienced/observed some phenomena whose origin lies in our own faulty physical body mechanism(s). ie: "you must have heard or saw wrong - there must be something wrong with you and your body."

Well, a whole lot of us must have the same sorts of things wrong with our bodies because UFO sightings, shadow people sightings, people reporting that they see angels - or demons, etc., are all on the rise. Enough people are starting to whisper, then talk louder, then talk out in the open, then talk in large groups - then even talk to/with authorities in numbers... that the whole world is soon going to have to STOP minimizing the strange sightings and current strange events that people are experiencing.

I like the phrase Blake uses in the Day 754 post, "Closed Mind Syndrome," and I think Blake is right... we're going to all have to recover from this Closed Mind Syndrome very soon so we can take a good, hard look at what's around us, what's happening in the world.

I am a fan of the late John Keel (d. 2009) and have been reading Keel articles and books for a little while now. His material is never a once-over for me...I refer back to Keel often when looking into anything paranormal, anything to do with legend, hoaxes, unexplained phenomena.

Here's a favourite Keel quote:

"This planet is haunted by us; the other occupants just evade boredom by filling our skies and seas with monsters." (1976, The Mothman Prophecies). Now, I believe that what Keel is getting at here is our human species' propensity for inventing explanations, for associating psychological impositions of meaning on things, and for the propaganda authorities and even just the average joe builds to explain the unexplainable...

My explanation of the Keel statement might seem to be in direct opposition to things said earlier in this post... I know I said something like "It's about time people start talking about things" and then, more recently, I've named the human species as one who propagandizes and makes shyt up...

Well... these things aren't the opposite of one another... it's COMPLICATED... so I return to my original statements - IT'S ABOUT TIME PEOPLE STARTED TALKING and could feel "okay" talking about strange and unexplained (possibly unexplainable) things.

Keel, in his lifetime, saw a lot of things, talked to a lot of people and even had some strange experiences first-hand in paranormal fields but all in all, in his whole lifetime, he didn't manage to come up with a solid explanation or air-tight theory about what the world was about or what objects, beings, entities were being sighted but he did seem to believe that first off, we need to feel that we can have DISCUSSIONS about things without worrying about being "should-ed and don't-ed" by any authorities.

We also need to have reasonable discussions - AND - hear and speak on theories about unexplained things even if some of those ideas sound "funny" or what-not...

On THE 800 DAYS blog Blake has brought forth 10 theories/hypothesis statements:

1. UFOs Do Not Exist
2. Religious/Supernatural Explanations
3. The Wartime Secret Weapon
4. The Hollow Earth
5. The Underwater Civilization
6. The Space Animal
7. The Extraterrestrials
8. Time Travel
9. The Ultraterrestrials
10. Psychic Projections

To my understanding, all of these hypotheses/theories have both plausible and WEIRD components. Let's discuss these details openly - even if some of the statements are "out there."

By now, if you've been following Blake's blog posts and mine, you'll know we can both easily be emailed or found on Facebook for discussion.

Blake on Facebook

Mythbuster2009 on Facebook

Let's talk...

The Day 754 post on The 800 Days blog is associated with Saturday November 27 2010.

Day 763 (Tidbits)

Welcome to the world of "ZEN," brought to you by Blake Hall.

:)

Source

:)

Although there are some quotes and very short stories on Day 763 of The 800 Days blog, do not take them all too lightly, please.

There are some definite light-hearted details on the Day 763 post, however, there are also bits of wisdom embedded in the quotes. If you read each quote then pause, you'll likely find that larger messages reside in the funny details...even messages that are pertinent pieces of wisdom for your life today.

It's a look at Zen worldview without having ZEN placed too harshly in your face.

Day 763 in the 800 Days Countdown is Thursday November 18, 2010.

(this post is short because the quotes on the 800 DAYS blog are important to ponder over rather than focusing on my ramble)

Day 766 (Tidbits)

I really have enjoyed the Day 766 post on Blake Hall's THE 800 DAYS blog , although the information on this particular post, I expect, will be met with more than a few wails and arguments.

Essentially, Blake gives the space for this post to another author, bibi16. Consequently, bibi16 provides a number of interesting but strong arguments AGAINST many of the things it has become easy to believe in within our societies.

Right before bibi16's alloted space, Blake has positioned a video in place which shows the viewpoints of one of the most controversial performers of our age - Marilyn Manson. Now, no matter if you appreciate this performer's materials or not, there are loads of valid points he makes on this video. Intelligent statements, calmly stated...if you hate this performer... that's too bad 'cos you're going to miss some IMPORTANT MESSAGES if you skip this video just based on your prejudices!

Once bibi16's space is created, there are 5 major topics covered here:

• evolution vs creationism OR evolution AND creationism (can't they exist side by side?)
• religion versus science OR religion AND science (again, can't these two things exist side by side?)
• hypocritical judgements people make in all sorts of topics
• mankind's ego and tunnel vision about the universe and about life
• people are people - genders are gendered but all genders are people

As already stated - I have really enjoyed the Day 766 post. I've taken care to ponder over what bibi16 has written and I believe that if many more of us consider these viewpoints, we can know ourselves better, treat others with more fairness and - mostly - stop our egos from getting the better of us - and others...

I'm going to stop writing now because what is on The 800 Days blog for Day 766 is worth real consideration - so I'll get quiet now.... time for thinking, not expressing...

Day 766 is associated with Monday November 15 2010 in the overall 800 Days Countdown.

Day 767 (Tidbits)

The topic of the Day 767 post on THE 800 DAYS blog is "Cyberpunk...As a Religion?"

Basically, Cyberpunk is a sort of lifestyle or a sub-culture...and it's also a science fiction media genre (lit, film, art) but on THE 800 DAYS blog, Cyberpunk is talked about in terms of religion. It's a lifestyle full of computers, gadgets, computer lingo, etc.

In the Cyberpunk science fiction genre, Cyberpunk is generally a blend of "cybernetics" with "punk," and as such, incorporates a mix of information technology and advanced science (cybernetics) with at least some marked degree of breakdown in (punk) in the social order, possibly a radical change in social hierarchy and social controls.

Artificial Intelligence, Hackers and Mega-Corporations tend to be subjects/themes in Cyberbunk culture and in the plot of cyberculture novels and film, generally a power struggle is acted out, usually between an extreme underdog versus (cyberpunk) a mega-corporation or the extreme whole of society itself. Sometimes the actions is with the cyberpunk group versus the authorities which uphold a certain, rigid dominant ideology of the society. The underdogs rely largely on outwitting the authorities with monumentally outstanding displays of technological know how - fantastic, speedy knowledge and work with or via computers, gadgets, etc., and usually the underdogs use the megacorporation's or the society's most highly acclaimed tech gadgets against the megacorp' or society...sort of a "using their own weapons against them" deal.

Much of the cyberpunk lit out there is definite and impressive social commentary against power, oppression and control and there are rarely any ambiguous statements made when cyberpunk is the genre used to embed social commentary messages in text or film. The message is clear "you megacorps and corrupt societies will NOT gain control of everything."

So, Blake asserts, on The 800 Days blog, that Cyberpunk can actually be thought of in terms of a religion. I keep preferring to say "lifestyle," however, points made on the 800 Days blog are pretty strong, so I have to concede that maybe "lifestyle" isn't the best descriptor for those who are extreme cyberpunks. Not to mention the fact that Blake mentions:

"The technology has a spirit of its own, as valid as the spirit of any creature of the goddess. This is the spiritual force we, those who are called technopagan, feel and must express. Not surprisingly, we find ways of bringing technology into our worship."

I suppose that in much of the cyberpunk literature - especially lit and film that is "future-based" the technologies, items, computers, etc., are shown as transforming society and cyberpunks are shown as "doing the impossible" through sheer human effort of mind, along with extreme expertise and knowledge of how to make gadgets perform in ways nobody would expect or assume gadgets could ever perform... essentially, the cyberpunks are extraordinary and they make machines do surprising, extraordinary tasks.

In all of this, we can definitely see a parallel between the cyberpunk and "the faithful" of many religions - who all intend to persevere through what ails in this world. There are parallels between the cyberpunk making a machine/gadget do the impossible - and the pagan working his/her magic which is either forbidden in society or said to be impossible in soceity.

Reading the Day 767 post lead me to do some searching for examples of "cyberpunk-ness" and I turned up the short story called "Cyberpunk" in my searches. It's an interesting little short story and the author, Bruce Bethke, is credited with having coined the term "Cyberpunk" via his short story title of the same name. The story is entertaining and is available all over the place online.

Here's a handy link: http://www.brucebethke.com/articles/shortstories.html  it's from Bethke's own site and you'll find a free pdf of the Cyberpunk story that is readily downloadable.

Well this is all for now... I actually want to read that Cyberpunk story one more time - it's got some sub-culture lingo that gave me a little trouble during the last read-through...

The Day 767 post is associated with Sunday November 14 2010 in the 800 Day Countdown.

Day 768 (Tidbits)

Crash course happenin' now on THE 800 DAYS blog for a wonderful Day 768 post!

Wait a sec' - let me announce this in a more official way so people sit up and NOTICE!

HEY!!! It's the Official Pagan Mini-Crash Course Happening RIGHT NOW on THE 800 DAYS BLOG!

Okay but seriously...

There's some decent information for people who want to know just a smidgen about Paganism and it's on the Day 768 post of The 800 Days blog...

What you'll find:

• touch of historial background (and not enough to even get boring...)
• four broad classifications of Pagan "traditions"
• tidbits on Classic Paganism
• tidbits on Neo-Paganism/New Age tradition
• tidbits on Technopaganism
• tidbits on Discordianism/Nihilism
• totally cool quote from Aleister Crowley
• fantastic photo of what could be a 2012 crowd

I became interested IMMEDIATELY in the picture of the natural elements plus crowd on this post. There's something mystical about that picture, with its visible electrical activity in the sky. People crowded around a body of water...the colours of purple, browns, salmon and - of course - darkness and blackness interspersed throughout the whole piece. Interesting. I can't tell what all these people are really doing here but I can imagine this is how many people envision December 21, 2012.

Perhaps people who believe the world is going to go through a transition in December 2012 will gather together in open spaces and around significant bodies of water...and wait for the whole darn transition to unfold. If those electrical bits of nature touch down - MAN, I would get the heck away from that water!

As you can probably tell, my knowledge of visual art is pretty sketchy and my ability to put visual aspects into similarly effective words is lacking flair... I don't know what it is about that picture that catches my eye so much but - IT ROCKS!

Obviously, in reviewing the post, I should just stick to words and leave off the commentary about visual stuff. The main content of the post is about Modern Pagan Movements and Blake has done a nice job of outlining what four main movements/traditions can be considered as such today. I like the brief explanation of Discordianism/Nihilism but admit these terms/the traditions are something I need to look more closely at. The only thing I understand well about discordianism is the concept of dissent...but I hope (I know) Blake will be offering more details on Discordianism in the days to come so that I can have a more rounded picture of this Pagan tradition.

The Day 768 material coincides with Saturday November 13 2010 in the 800 Days Countdown.

Day 769 (Tidbits)

Do you like Coffee or Tea? You'll want to take some time for yourself in reading about what's on THE 800 DAYS blog. Surely, if you've read some consecutive articles or done some reading of back to back posts, it's time to get in "artsy" head space for just a few moments. For the Day 769 post, what you'll find is poetry. If you usually drink coffee...try a tea as you sit down to read some poetry. If you normally drink tea - try some coffee. Try something different - DO something different than you normally do today... it helps - as poetry surely does - to build different ways of perceiving of the world.

Enjoy!

You'll still require a THINKING CAP, of course, but Blake's material for Day 769 is significant without being something that will hit you like a sack of hammers. I know, I know - sometimes the content for the 800 Day Countdown has been nothing short of DIFFICULT to wrap a head around so far - but Blake's piece, "Nameless The Goddess" is a nice change of pace for everyone.

Now, I wasn't joking about the thinking cap. If you want to know how to make a thinking cap:

 Free Thinking Cap (paper construction directions here)

I tried making a paper thinking cap... ended up with a conical sort of funnel thing that made me look quite stoopid while reading Blake's Nameless The Goddess poem... but I didn't/don't care. It's what's inside the cap that's important.

:)

Favourite lines of Nameless The Goddess:

Shield your eyes with my kind sighs

Cover your heart and its flutters

The silence will tame the beast

The dark will tame the beast

I don't know whose eyes and sighs are whose but this hasn't kept me from enjoying the blending of sense perception that we are asked to endure, imagine, accept in these lines.

ie: sighs are abstract - sounds - not material, physical things like a hand which might cover someone's eyes.

I enjoyed creating that sense/stretch or sense/mixup in my mind as I read what Blake's poetics demanded of the reader.

I went on to assume (but you don't have to) that the heart-covering and the covering of heart-flutters was also the domain/management of the abstract sighs - and THIS created a lot of physical sensation...I ended up sighing to "invoke," in a way, the ability to take this sense/blend far enough to use it to cover my heart.

I like that the silence and darkness are mentioned with beast...that's not "typical" in many poems where "beast" is mentioned. I like the new association I was just able to make with "beast" - with "beast" as being calmed in darkness and silence.

Normally, when I see "beast" in any literature or art, it is with the associations of:

• crashing noise
• loud roars
• some darkness but with the beast surrounded by flame, fire, sparks, etc
• the beast in semi-darkness but with the darkness in the background
• agitation (an agitated beast)
• violent movements
• agitated, forceful movements which create noise

With the newer associations, however, the beast is uncharacteristically attached to "calm" and "darkness." The beast no longer roars, nor comes from some moody, darkened landscape to leap noisily and violently into view...

Well - that's by my interpretation and via my imagination, anyway.  I hope you enjoy Nameless The Goddess by Blake4d as much as I did...with or without the thinking cap!

Day 769 is associated with Friday November 12, 2010 in the 800 Day Countdown.

(If you read this poem a couple of times in a row and find it "speaks to you," perhaps then you'll know - if you didn't before - why it is that arts and literature have so often been banned and put off limits in the past... Powerful...moving. Enjoy!)

Day 772 (Tidbits)

If you've been reading and have been wondering a lot about the person who launched this project...  Here's your chance to know a little more about Blake Hall. It is a very personal post as far as content goes is on THE 800 DAYS blog for the date of Tuesday November 9, 2010 as the Day 772 posting.

I'll not provide too much commentary here as the content for Day 772 is too personal, in my opinion, and should be left in Blake's own words.

I'm just here to say, "Hey, I'm following... keep leading."

And

"R.I.P. Joe Mattingly and Robert Hall, Blake4d's biological father and first step-father, respectively."

Day 772 of the 800 Day Countdown: Tuesday November 9, 2010.

Day 773 (Tidbits)

It's a good thing Blake offers some mixed kinds of points for pondering because several of the posts so far have been BIG ITEMS - controversial topics, important discussions and themes to think about. The Day 773 post on Blake Hall's 800 Days blog contains slightly lighter fare - although you should still put on your thinking cap before reading...

There are some fun things to think about on this post - is your dog an alien? I have a cat and I KNOW he's some sort of angel or better-than-human entity. Is the earth "alive"? Is there life out in "outer space"?

Interesting things to think about, for sure - or even study up on.

After more than a dozen blog entries with very serious content, Day 773's post is kind of refreshing without being boring or insignificant. Obviously I'm not going to repeat all the questions here that Blake asks within the Day 773 post on The 800 days blog. I'm just following along, adding a "thumbsup" here and - as always - asking readers from here to go visit the work that Blake is committed to over on The 800 Days blog.

Blake has been adding content diligently already for over a month - and I have been tuned in as a "follower" for the same length of time. Let me tell you one thing - this blog here HAS TO BE much easier to manage than Blake's 800 Days one. All I have to do is follow, read and comment... Blake has to decide what topics are pertinent for particular days, what content is going to be acceptable (we're using google space here - google doesn't always like controversy, eh?), how to make a countdown "flow..." Mostly - it's a HUGE time committment for making big decisions on content and also - for just showing up all the time...

*Hat's off*

SOURCE

Whooooops WTF? Lost my head!

The Day 773 post is associated with the date of Monday November 8 2010.