“In the 1920s O G S Crawford invented aerial archaeology, one of many services this eccentric Marxist misanthrope performed for the study of antiquity.”
- Jonathan Meades: Link

Bloody Old Britain: O G S Crawford and the Archaeology of Modern Life

By Kitty Hauser

Granta Books, 286pp

Amazon: Link

“Future archaeologists will perhaps excavate the ruined factories of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries when the radiation effects of Atom bombs have died away.”
- O. G. S. Crawford, from Archaeology in the Field (1953)

O. G. S. Crawford @ Wikipedia: Link.

~ Karl Jones

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Rome: It’s beautiful and it’s not. Kinda like everything else in life.

“La prossima fermata è Roma Termini.”

I moved to Italy to live at the end of September last year. I lived in Brescia (a medium-sized city in Northern Italy) until March 1, when I moved to Siena.

(I am once again back in Brescia, but that’s a story I’m going to save for another day.)

I picked up some vocabulary during those first five months in Italy, but it wasn’t until I started attending an Italian class for immigrants in Siena that I really started learning the language.

Now, finally!, I understand much of what is being said either to me or around me. The language no longer sounds foreign or like pretty sounds flowing forth from people’s mouths. Although I’m more motivated to learn the language–because it finally seems like an achievable goal to converse fluently–the glossy veneer of the nonsensical musical sounds has dulled. I don’t know, there’s something about understanding when somebody complains about the weather (or conversely, the ease in which I can complain about it) that makes any language sound less romantic.

Shiny glossy veneers are so overrated. Don’t you think? I mean, a veneer is just a thin expensive sheet of wood (or metal) with layers upon layers of unusually toxic clear varnish. If it wasn’t for the common cheap material beneath (like pine or regular mild steel), the veneer would have nothing to attach itself to.

And I’ve always preferred the look of a dull, used or aged finish anyway…and now that I’ve exhausted my analogy I’m finished with this post.

But one more thing before I go to bed on this hot summer night: it is nice to know that you can simply listen to the conductor to know when your next stop is and not have the nervous wondering of whether you’ve missed it or have yet to arrive.

Arrivederci a dopo.

~Janelle Renée

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Natural Touch is a Non Governmental Organisation based in Calabar the Eastern part of Nigeria.The inspiration come from a point of observation of handicapped people and Children roaming the streets of some citites in Nigeria mostly in Calabar begging for alms.
Most of them at the end of the day retired to uncompleted buildings to pass the night,It was a very gory site when a reported case of ritual dehumanising killing of two of such people in a street close to my residence.These two were killed and some part of them remove for rituals activities or some other things not quite known to us.

So touched by such inhuman treament to people because of their inability to defend themselves or provide proper accomodation for themselves,and even a source of livelihood was traumatic,hence,my decision to get the NGO (NATURAL TOUCH) started,with the aim to provide food and shelter for the hanicapped.Make sure there is a future for them and security of life for them.

Upon our inception,we had limited our intention to mostly the young ones and average aged.Although we could not provide accomodation for them but we  provide the basic needs which is food for them atleast once a day.

It is our aim to increase the feeding arrangement to twice a day and also build a home for them.It is our aim to accomodate at least 2000-5000 handicapped people of difiers ages in the home,and Animals too.
With support from other Organisations/Individauls that are touched just as we are.We will establish a school or a handicraft centre for them to study and become independent of their own in future.
Suffice to say here that most of them roam the street with torn cloths and look unkept,We also provide clothing where necessary and affordable to them.
Based on our inability to sustain the financial burden,we are looking forward to Groups or Individuals with similar passion as we have towards uplifting the living standard of these hadicapped and also thinking of ensuring their future.

We are planning of building a home for them in Calabar to accomodate the handicapped and also recruit personnels to take care of their cooking and tranining.
We look forward to support  from passionate groups and individuals.
Thanks,
Dennis

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Technology for human needs:

• The Outquisition
• Engineers Without Borders
• MIT International Design Summit
• Free/Open Appropriate Technology
• Transition Towns
• Technology for Humanity

(...)
Read the rest of Technology for Humanity (735 words)

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Share our support for th Peacevillage San Jose de Apartado !
Help to spread the information !
Thank you !

Approximately 400 people will go on a Peace Pilgrimage from October 1st to October 5th, 2008.Peace workers from Israel, Palestine and many more countries - including representatives of the “new South American spirit of resurrection” from Mexico, Ecuador and other countries - will be led by Sabine Lichtenfels and Padre Javier Giraldo, together with experienced regional guides. The idea for this pilgrimage grew out of the long standing cooperation between the Peace Research Centre Tamera, Portugal, and the Peace Village San José de Apartadó. Together with the inhabitants of other Colombian Peace Villages, they will show with this peace action their commitment to build up a global peace force which no longer stops at national borders.The pilgrimage will pass through villages and hamlets surrounding San José, where, due to their remoteness, people live near military posts, police headquarters and other significant locations of the rebellion, totally unprotected between the fronts of the civil war. The goal of the pilgrimage is to become familiar with the threat to which Colombian peasants are exposed, to develop peace strategies, and to strengthen the Ring of Power – a confraternity for a future without war!

every donation has an effect :
http://de.betterplace.org/projects/458

Peter Koll
TameraTeam

Update on CFLs…

CFL Light Bulbs? Had a CFL energy efficient light bulb break the other day. Luckily it broke inside a glass fixture cover, everything was contained except a bit of the gas. None the less I did get a headache and begin to sweat as a result of breathing it. Went online to find out more about them.

Like all florescent bulbs CFLs contain small amounts of mercury and require special hazardous waste handling when they burnout or break. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and is especially dangerous for children and fetuses. Some states require that CFLs be taken to a recycling center and not thrown into the trash. EPA states, ‘If you improperly dispose of products with mercury in them, they may break and release mercury vapors which are harmful to human and ecological health.’ When they break there are very specific instructions for cleanup which I didn’t know about. Here they are…

EPA’s recommendations for broken CFL bulb clean up  

Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room

• Have people and pets leave the room, and don’t let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
• Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
• Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

• Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug

• Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials

• If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
• You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
• If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.

Disposal of Clean-up Materials

• Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
• Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
• Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.

Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming

• The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
• Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

This is frightening, especially since I’d imagine most folks don’t know about it. I didn’t! Mercury is extremely toxic! What doesn’t make sense to me is why? Knowing the toxicity of mercury, why make bulbs utilizing even a little bit for sale on such a large scale? A lot of little bits add up to… well, a big toxic mess. It got me really wondering does the end justify the means?

My conclusion… NO! I replaced all of my CFLs with incandescent bulbs again, because I don’t want the potential contamination of myself, my family, my pets or the earth. I’d rather keep the lights turned off as much as possible and use candles.

After reading all of this I sure won’t recommend using CFL bulbs again. Yes, they help reduce mercury from coal burning power plants which is good. But potentially poisoning myself in the process isn’t a good trade off. Maybe I’m over reacting here… but the way I see it ‘forewarned is forearmed’.

Perhaps a better use for all the money spent on CFLs (advertising and sales) would have been to upgrade the electric power plants to solar, wind, water or other eco-friendly methods. Then there wouldn’t be mercury from either coal or florescent bulbs poisoning us and our beautiful earth.

A thought… according to the U.S Census Bureau Population Clocks as of August 20, 2008 there are 304,922,151 people in the U.S. If every person bought 1 CFL at roughly $6.00 each that comes to $1,829,532,906. That is almost 2 billion dollars and that’s a conservative figure. If that money were spent on upgrading power plants we would be much further along in the process of our environmental stewardship.

Plus, there’s got to be a safer, more eco-friendly, cheaper lighting solution! I’ll let you know what I find.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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Practical seminar Series for Holzer Permaculture

(postponed/deleted) - please stay in contact !

First Seminar: October (?)

Ecology is the central theme in a model for a global Peace Research Village (PRV) especially at a time when destruction of the landscape, hunger and desertization are rampant. In close cooperation with the permaculture expert, Sepp Holzer, we want to find answers to these issues. Therefore in Tamera (134 ha) a permaculture and water landscape has been developed to offer answers to the following social and ecological questions:
How does a non-violent and ecologically compatible village model look for the human being to live on planet earth?
How can one heal the water situation so that there is enough water for everyone and the fertility of the soil can be improved?
How do human beings, animals and plants co-exist in cooperation and harmony?
How does one develop a regionally self-sufficient food supply?

In October of this year a continuous series of seminars for Holzer permaculture begins. It will be practical learning based on current projects. Interested and experienced people are warmly welcomed to co-create and mutually brain-storm.

First seminar:
“Development of retention space, mixed seeds, and the symbiosis of interaction”
October (?)
Presentation: Sepp Holzer and the Tamera Ecology Team

During the seminar the following core issues will concern us:
How does one build water retention spaces?
How does one build high beds and terraces which form the basis of the Holzer permaculture?
How can one develop and continually increase the fertility of the soil and the entire biotope?
How does one best use the symbiosis of interaction between the various mixed cultures of fruit, vegetable and helper plants?
Which type of green fertilizers and mixed seeds are beneficial to this process?


Second seminar:
“Water Landscape and Aqua Culture”
January 28 – February 3, 2009
Presentation: Sepp Holzer and the Tamera Ecology Team

General information:
- Content is liable to change due to weather conditions.
- The third seminar will take place from April 13-19, 2009. Content not yet determined.
- The seminars can also be attended individually.
- The cost of each seminar in the series, including board (vegan) and lodging
(in visitors’ huts with participant’s own sleeping bag), is EUR 850.—;
additional charge for single and double rooms at the Guesthouse.
- Enrolment: e-mail office@tamera.org, Tel. +351 283 635 306

http://www.tamera.org/index.php?id=479

Finding myself in Rome, Paris, Florence, Venice, New York….

by David Arthur-Simons

Part One

It all began in Rome, in the center of Rome, in the Piazza Venezia, right in front of the “Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II” (National Monument of Victor Emmanuel II) or “Altare della Patria” (Altar of the Homeland).

David Arthur-Simons

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by: James Schwartz

4.2.07 marked the 6th month anniversary of the Nickle Mines, PA. school shootings. On 10.2.06 Charles Carl Roberts IV, shot ten little girls (age 7-13), killing five in the rural schoolhouse. The tragedy made international headlines including the Old Order Amish community reaching out to the killer’s family, bringing food and uniting in their shared grief. 50,000 voters via Beliefnet.com named the Amish community “the most inspiring person of 2006″ for their “incredible Christian forgiveness, charity and love” USA Today reported 12.14.06. What the OOA cannot forgive: homosexuality.

There are no “gay Amish / Mennonite” on record…except me, as least as far as I can Google.  Even after every United State offers full marriage equality they will never condone homosexuality as anything other than sinful. Biblical Scriptures are not open for debate or questioning. I was a mincing contradiction since birth although my flame would burn out in ten years.  When I was nine, my beloved mother Wilma Schwartz passed away after a battle with cancer. I was traumatized with grief, overnight becoming a robotic shell that operated to only get through the day, night and year. I was not encouraged to discuss her death or my feelings in any way. The Amish way of life is not an affectionate one. Cue a repressed, isolated childhood. I saw a therapist wrapping up my teenage years, giving my pain and sorrow an outlet. I could move on…and come out as accepting of my sexual orientation.

When an Amish youth reaches sixteen or so (s)he will begin “rumspringa” [rough translation: run around], attending parties and given freedoms. The parties take place in barns or garages with beer, country-western music and hetero socialzing. That all changed when I made the scene– DJing techno, luring jocks in the cornfields for hook ups and generally behaving as if from another planet. Planet Gay!

I laughed through the docu Devil’s Playground, which depicts rumspringa in LaGrange, IN. about twenty miles from where I was raised…I even spotted ex trade in the big party scene!

A gay Amish teen coming out will lose their faith community (all they know), their family and friends. If they would have joined the church they would be ex-communicated and shunned.  I formally came out in my 20s although I was never “in”– just repressed. Had any of the slain Amish girls been a family member I would not be welcomed to mourn with them, publicly or otherwise.

I had an Amish friend in the 8th grade I’ll call Melvin (not his real name).  I was allowed to stay the night at his house which, like mine, was scrubbed clean, plain and boasted a library of old National Geographic magazines and German hymnals. Alone in Melvin’s room we fell into the throes of twink passion and were overheard. My in-laws-not-to-be forbid him from even speaking to me. Weeks later I cornered Melvin and he confessed he was afraid of “hell fire” and that “what we did was wrong”. These days Melvin has the farm, wife (rather frumpy thing) and litters of children whom will be taught homosexuality is a sin. Scriptures will be quoted. This too is a tragedy.

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“Wordle is a toy for generating ‘word clouds’ from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.”

Link to Wordle.

Via Design Observer.

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Finding myself in Rome, Paris, Florence, Venice, New York….

(A story in pictures and some words).

Armed only with a spiral or two and a few spheres, over the next few days, I will visit some of Europe’s greatest monuments and transform them.   Are you ready?

David Arthur-Simons

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Finding myself in Rome, Paris, Florence, Venice, New York….

by David Arthur-Simons

(A story in pictures and some words).

Armed only with a spiral or two and a few spheres, over the next few days, I will visit some of Europe’s greatest monuments and transform them.   Are you ready?

David Arthur-Simons

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A beautiful, creative and inspirational tribute to Buddha created by  K. KRISHNA DAS. This video is a colorful work of art. I sat in awe and wonder as I watched it unfold before me. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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by: James Schwartz

Among his most favored night-time toys
Absinthe, liquor and phosphoresce hair frost
Of all my dream lovers and phantom boys
In reality I’m easily lost
Laughing, intoxicated he will baste
Brown bottles of luminous fire-fly
Anointing his head with celestial paste
Of stars liquidated into hair dye
He is always reckless in his passion
Blithely flinging raver clothes on my bed
As if he’s going out of fashion
A passing diversion until he’s dead
Taking, embracing me until we glow
The colorless mornings drift by so slow.

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I came across Lara Shepitko, a Soviet director who died in an auto accident at the age of 39 in 1979, due to finding her work being released on The Criterion Collection. Slant Magazine has a tribute to Shepitko and her husband and fellow director Elem Klimov.

- Rudy Carrera.

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