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December 31, 2017

sing Auld Lang Syne: Happy New Year!





Auld Lang Syne is a song which thrilled the soul of Robert Burns in the 1780s, and today has become an anthem sung the world over at New Year.

First, and to get it out of the way, Robert Burns was a Freemason, but then, what man-of-means back in the 1780's wasn't?   He was initiated into St. David Tarbolton Lodge in Scotland on July 4, 1781.   I won't go into the secret teachings of the Freemason, but I will share their secret handshake with you:

It's a regular handshake, except that you press your forefinger hard into the other's palm.  The thumb presses against the base joints of the second and third fingers.  It looks pretty much like any other handshake; only the persons shaking hands can feel the difference. 

Now, back to Auld Lang Syne:

In 1788, Robert Burns sent the poem 'Auld Lang Syne' to the Scots Musical Museum, indicating that it was an ancient song but that he'd been the first to record on paper.  The phrase 'auld lang syne' roughly translates as 'for old times' sake,' and the song is all about preserving old friendships and looking back over the events of the year.

It has long been a much-loved Scottish tradition to sing the song just before midnight.  Everyone stands in a circle holding hands, then at the beginning of the final verse ('And there's a hand my trusty friend') they cross their arms across their bodies so that their left hand is holding the hand of the person on their right, and their right hand holds that of the person on their left. When the song ends, everyone rushes to the middle, still holding hands, and probably giggling.

Most Scots know the first verse and the chorus but if you don't, here's the full version.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne.


Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne,


And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.


Chorus

We twa hae run about the braes
And pu'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary foot
Sin auld lang syne.


Chorus

We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn,
Frae mornin' sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin auld lang syne.


Chorus

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right guid willy waught,
For auld lang syne.


Chorus

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And long, long ago.


Chorus

And for long, long ago, my dear
For long, long ago,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For long, long ago


And surely youll buy your pint-jug!
And surely I'll buy mine!
And we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For long, long ago.


Chorus

We two have run about the hills
And pulled the daisies fine;
But we've wandered manys the weary foot
Since long, long ago.


Chorus

We two have paddled in the stream,
From morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
Since long, long ago.


Chorus

And there's a hand, my trusty friend!
And give us a hand of yours!
And we'll take a deep draught of good-will
For long, long ago.


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New Year's Eve, so it be. 


The modern custom of ringing bells and blowing horns to usher in the new year at midnight is actually derived from the old Pagan custom of noise-making to scare away the evils of the old year. In certain parts of Japan, young men put on grotesque demon masks and costumes made of straw and go door to door collecting donations of money, rice cakes, and sake. This traditional New Year's Eve custom serves to drive out the demons of misfortune and ensure an abundant harvest for the new year. Another part of this New Year's Eve celebration was called Hogmanay, or "First Footing," and is still celebrated in many parts of England and Scotland, where revelers hold parties, set off fireworks, ring bells, and make New Year's resolutions.  At the stroke of midnight, the front doors of all the homes are opened to permit the entry of good luck in the new year.

Happy New Year's Everyone, let's hope it's a good one!

December 22, 2017

So begins our Esoteric look at John Dee and his diary



22th of Dec: Anno: 1581

John Dee begins his conversation with the spirits.

Yes, John Dee was tired with the routine of his lives studies in mathematics, alchemy, the kabbalah, astrology, and magic (to name a few), and so decided to go straight to the source by scrying through a crystal ball on this day in 1581.


In his article in the Journal of International Philosophy, No.5 2016,  TAKEUCHI Dai, tells us that, "While the first record of the scrying sessions undertaken by Dee was taken on December 22, 1581, he had already employed a scryer in 1579…Dee employed at least four different scryers. Among them, Edward Kelly (1555-1597).... Kelly would kneel down in front of his desk upon which a shew-stone was set and fell to prayer and entreaty while gazing at the stone. During this time, Dee would withdraw to his Oratory and entreat the appearance of angels with prayer. About fifteen minutes later, Kelly would “have sight of one in the stone. He would then proceed to provide a point-for-point oral report on everything he saw and heard. Sitting at a different table, Dee recorded what was reported and posed all sorts of questions to the summoned angel or spirit.

The angels that communicated through Kelley included the four traditional archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel, plus Annael, who Trithemius listed as the archangel ruling the period in which Dee lived, and Levanael (angel of the Moon). Other spirits or angels included Madimi (and her Mother), Murfridi, Ath, Solgars, Jubanladaece, Galva’h, Ilemese, Mapsama, Ave, Nalvage, Panlacarp, and Aphlafben, and disruptive spirits like Barma, Morvorgran and Ganislay. Frequently the communicant was just identified as ‘a voice’ (or vox).

These angels/spirits often delivered prophecies on Central European politics, as well as providing alchemical advice, and a number of tedious sermons and rants about the wickedness of Dee, Kelley or their several potential patrons.  Dee was particularly interested in the possibility of an immanent Second coming and the setting up of a new Kingdom of God.
 




December 21, 2017

UFO disclosure news and Yule Time Joy.


After having been worked-up again last year by David Wilcock who said UFO Disclosure was going to happen in a few weeks -- I should have learned when the world didn't end December 21, 2012 as he predicted -- I was eventually let down because no governments came out admitting they had been in contact with aliens... until now!   Kind of.   It's still just a tease to get us used to the idea, but yesterday on CNN, A former Pentagon official who oversaw its highly secretive Unidentified Flying Object - yes, UFO - program said on CNN to host Erin Burnett that Americans may have been having visitors from afar for quite some time. And that the government has kept it quite on the hush-and-hush.

What I do find interesting about this is that only two-days ago on December 18th, a retired Navy pilot by the name of Fravor told ABC News: “I’m not crazy, haven’t been drinking. It was — after 18 years of flying, I’ve seen pretty much about everything that I can see in that realm, and this was nothing close.”

Fravor’s recounted a stunning encounter off the California coast in which he says something flying that appeared to be some 40 feet long and wingless, and flying at incredibly high rates of speed.
He was flying his F/A-18 fighter on a training mission off the Southern California coast when he recalls things started to get a little strange. He recalled Navy controllers on one of the ships below him on the water reporting that there were objects dropping from the sky from 80,000 feet and then going “straight back up,” Fravor told ABC News.

So there you have it, oh, plus at a White House Press briefing this week Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she hadn’t heard either way (if Donald Trump believes in UFO's), but she will check in on that and be happy to circle back. 

David Wilcock
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On December 21, 1620 the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock and so this date was celebrated in 1769 in honor of the pilgrims with a holiday called Forefathers' Day which turned out to be an ill-fated holiday that eventually fell into obscurity in favor of Thanksgiving.   Which, by-the-way, happens to fall on the old pagan Harvest celebration which was celebrated as Creator Day.   Yes, another pagan holiday gets stolen from our true history.   In case anyone is keeping counting.


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Image Artwork by Susan Seddon Boulet
 Finally, the Winter Solstice happens tonight, enjoy.   I'll be at a  Pagan Yule Log Burning Solstice Ceremony in honor of it.  I'm sure there is one close to you, be there or be square.

The Wheel has turned once more, and
the earth has gone to sleep.
The leaves are gone, the crops have returned to the ground.
On this darkest of nights, we celebrate the light.
Tomorrow, the sun will return,
its journey continuing as it always does.
Welcome back, warmth.
Welcome back, light.
Welcome back, life.







December 20, 2017

Ghost Flight, planet Clarion, and Winter Solstice!



In 1941 on this day, the Flying Tigers, American pilots of fighting again Japanese in china during World War II, take to the air for the first time in their P-40 fighters, infliction heavy losses on Japanese bombers attacking Kunming.

On the flip side of that same year, a few days earlier (December 7th, 1941), the Japanese had invaded Pearl Harbor and of course you know the story there, of how the U.S. lost a lot of boats and people.   It's kind of bizarre then to realize that on December 8th of 1942, radar picked up an unidentified plane heading straight for Pearl Harbor from the direction of Japan.  Two fighters were instructed to investigate and quickly intercepted the mysterious plane. It would be the first sighting of the P-40 Ghost Plane which continues to appear in the area to unsuspecting flights.

Those who see the P-40 Ghost Flight all same the same thing: A pilot covered in blood and slumped over his instrument panel, briefly pops up and waves before his bullet-ridden fighter plane nosedives directly to the ground and crashes.

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Lake City will be destroyed by a flood from the great lake just before dawn, Dec, 21, according to a suburban housewife.  Mrs. Dorothy Martin who says the prophesy is not her own.  It is the purport of many messages she has received by automatic writing, she says….  The messages, according to Mrs. Martin, are sent to her by superior beings from a planet called “Clarion.” These beings have been visiting the earth, she says, in what we call flying saucers.  During their visits, she says, they have observed fault lines in the earth’s crust that foretoken the deluge.    Mrs. Martin reports she was told the flood will spread to form an  inland sea stretching from the Arctic Circle to the Gulf of Mexico.  At the same time, she says, a cataclysm will submerge the West Coast from Seattle, Wash. to Chile in South America…
(Above excerpt from the book book, When Prophecy Fails)


 ON December 20th, in 1954, Dorothy Martin had her house filled with friends who had joined her to meet the Aliens from planet Clarion who had promised to come save them at midnight, because the world would be destroyed by a flood that night.   The group decided not to buy Christmas gifts or make New Year party plans that year.   They just waiting.  

When the clock hit 12:01am, December 21, and there weren't no aliens, Keech got another message: since they had joined together with so much love, the aliens had called off the flood.   The world was saved!

The next week, Dorothy Martin was placed under psychiatric care to prevent the Oak Park police of charging her with “inciting to riot,” after a “boisterous crowd… blocked traffic on Christmas Eve outside the Martin home at 707 S. Cuyler Av., Oak Park.

“I felt a kind of tingling or numbness in my arm, and my whole arm felt warm right up to the shoulder,” Dorothy Martin had said, describing the way she would receive the messages. “Without knowing why, I picked up a pencil and a pad that were lying on the table near my bed. My hand began to write in another handwriting. I looked at the handwriting and it was strangely familiar, but I knew it was not my own. I realized that somebody else was using my hand.”  

After-the-fallout:

Dorothy Martin fled to Peru.  She lived there for several years, and spent time with the group “The Brotherhood of the Seven Rays”, founded by another channel and contactee, George Hunt Williamson.   

She returned to the United States in 1961, and settled in Arizona. She had undergone a great amount of learning and transformation while in South America.  Her mentor Sananda was now no longer considered merely a member of an extra-terrestrial race from the planet Clarion.  Now known as Esu Sananda Kumara, or more specifically, Jesus Christ.
 
Dorothy Martin now called herself Sister Thedra, and in 1965 she founded “Association of Sananda and Sanat Kumara.”  She relocated to Mount Shasta in California, and continued to spread the messages that she was receiving from what she now called “the masters.” 


In 1988, she moved the group once again to Sedona, Arizona.  They existed as a group of devotees awaiting messages from “masters” via the channel of Sister Thedra.  In 1992, Dorothy Martin passed away.  While no one has stepped up to replace her as channel,  the Association of Sananda and Sanat Kumara yet exists.  They can be contacted at the following address to receive their newsletter, Call to Arms.
2675 W. Highway 89-A
#454,
Sedona, AZ 86336




Truman Bethurum

... But wait, there's more!

Dorothy Martin wasn't the only person in the 50's being contacted by the planet Clarion, so was a man by the name of Truman Bethurum.  He was visited eleven times by the visitors and   repeatedly conversed with its female captain, Aura Rhanes.  He recounted this experience in his book
Messages from the People of the Planet Clarion: The True Experiences of Truman Bethurum.


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Today is the Druid festival of Alban Arthuan, or Arthur's Light.  It's the traditional birthday of King Arthur, and money and gifts are bestowed on the poor.  The Winter Solstice, or first day of winter (also known as Yule, Winter Rite, and Midwinter), is the time of new beginnings when pagans reflect on the past and formulate future plans. 

December 19, 2017

Emma Goldman must be laughing in her grave!



At the end of 1919, two hundred and fifty "foreign undesirable" left the port of New York, forbidden ever to return to the United States.

Among those heading off into exile was the "highly dangerous foreigner" Emma Goldman, who had been arrested several times for opposing the draft, for promoting contraceptives, for organizing strikes and for other attacks on national security.

Some of Emma's sayings:

"Prostitution is the greatest triumph of Puritanism."

"Is there anything indeed more terrible, more criminal, than our glorified sacred function of motherhood?"

"Heaven must be an awfully dull place if the poor in spirit live there."

"If voting changed anything, it would be illegal."

"Every society has the criminals it deserves."

"All wars are wars among thieves who are too cowardly to fight, and therefor induce the young manhood of the whole world to do the fighting for them."



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Men Accused of Sexual
Misconduct in 2017 (so far)


Morgan Spurlock Documentary filmmaker

Accusation Mr. Spurlock made public previous accusations of sexual harassment and rape against him. 
Fallout Stepped down from his production company. 
Response“You see, I’ve come to understand after months of these revelations, that I am not some innocent bystander, I am also a part of the problem.” 

Mario Batali Chef, restaurant owner and co-host of ABC show, “The Chew"

Accusation Sexual misconduct, including inappropriate touching, with four women. 
Fallout Fired by ABC and stepped away from his businesses. 
Response“I take full responsibility and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation or discomfort I have caused to my peers, employees, customers, friends and family.” 

Ryan Lizza Writer for The New Yorker and political analyst for CNN

Accusation Improper sexual conduct. 
Fallout Fired from The New Yorker. 
Response“I am dismayed that The New Yorker has decided to characterize a respectful relationship with a woman I dated as somehow inappropriate.” 

Alex Kozinski Federal appeals court judge

Accusation Sexual misconduct or inappropriate comments with six female subordinates. 
Fallout Retired. 
Response“It grieves me to learn that I caused any of my clerks to feel uncomfortable; this was never my intent.” 

Trent Franks U.S. representative for Arizona

Accusation Asked two female staff members to be surrogates to bear his child. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“I clearly became insensitive as to how the discussion of such an intensely personal topic might affect others.” 

Lorin Stein Editor of The Paris Review

Accusation Sexually inappropriate behavior, including unwanted touching. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“I blurred the personal and the professional in ways that were, I now recognize, disrespectful of my colleagues and our contributors, and that made them feel uncomfortable or demeaned.” 

Danny Masterson Actor

Accusation Raping four women. 
Fallout Fired from a Netflix show, “The Ranch.” 
Response“From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one.” 

Matt Dababneh California state assemblyman

Accusation Sexual harassment of a lobbyist. 
Fallout Will resign. 
Response“My stepping down isn't out of guilt or out of fear. It’s out of an idea that I think it’s time for me to move on to new opportunities.” 

Ruben Kihuen U.S. representative for Nevada

Accusation Unwanted sexual propositions. 
Fallout Will not seek re-election. 
Response“I want to state clearly again that I deny the allegations in question.” 

Israel Horovitz Playwright and founding artistic director of the Gloucester Stage theater

Accusation Sexual abuse of nine women, some of whom were teenagers at the time. 
Fallout Theater has cut ties, and two plays were canceled. 
Response“To hear that I have caused pain is profoundly upsetting, as is the idea that I might have crossed a line with anyone who considered me a mentor.” 

Justin Huff Broadway casting director

Accusation Sexual misconduct. 
Fallout Fired by his employer, Telsey + Company. 
ResponseDid not respond to requests for comment. 

Garrison Keillor Creator and former host of “A Prairie Home Companion”

Accusation Inappropriate behavior with a co-worker. 
Fallout Dropped by Minnesota Public Radio. 
Response“I’ve been fired over a story that I think is more interesting and more complicated than the version MPR heard. Most stories are.” 

Matt Lauer Co-host of “Today"

Accusation Sexually inappropriate behavior with at least one woman. 
Fallout Fired by NBC. 
Response“Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.” 

Johnny Iuzzini Chef and judge on ABC's “The Great American Baking Show”

Accusation Sexual harassment of four employees. 
Fallout Fired by ABC. 
Response“I am shattered and heartbroken at the thought that any of my actions left members of my team feeling hurt or degraded.” 

Charlie Rose Television host

Accusation Sexual harassment of at least eight women, including groping and lewd phone calls. 
Fallout Fired by CBS. Bloomberg and PBS canceled distribution of his interview show, “Charlie Rose.” 
Response“I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate.” 

John Conyers Jr. U.S. representative for Michigan

Accusation Sexual harassment of employees. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“They are not true. I cannot explain where they came from.” 

Russell Simmons Co-founder of Def Jam Records and other businesses

Accusation Sexual assault of two women. Later, four women accused him of violent sexual behavior, including raping three of them. 
Fallout Stepped down from his businesses. 
ResponseIn response to one of the earlier accusations, he said he had been “thoughtless and insensitive in some of my relationships over many decades” and apologized. Of later accusations of violent sexual behavior, he said “I vehemently deny all these allegations. These horrific accusations have shocked me to my core and all of my relations have been consensual.” 

Al Franken U.S. senator for Minnesota

Accusation Sexual harassment of several women, including forcibly kissing and groping. 
Fallout Will resign. 
Response“I know in my heart, nothing that I have done as a senator, nothing, has brought dishonor on this institution, and I am confident that the Ethics Committee would agree.” 

David Sweeney Chief news editor at NPR

Accusation Sexual harassment of at least three female colleagues. 
Fallout Left NPR. 
ResponseDid not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Stephen Bittel Florida Democratic Party chairman

Accusation Sexually inappropriate comments and behavior. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“I have much to learn, but my goal is and has always been to make sure every member of our party has a safe environment in which to succeed. It seems I’ve not been successful in that goal, and I will do better.” 

Wes Goodman Ohio state representative

Accusation Inappropriate behavior. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“I sincerely regret that my actions and choices have kept me from serving my constituents and our state in a way that reflects the best ideals of public service.” 

Steve Jurvetson Co-founder of a venture capital firm and a board member of Tesla and SpaceX

Accusation Sexual misconduct. 
Fallout Resigned from firm and taking leave of absence from boards. 
Response“Let me be perfectly clear: No such allegations are true.” 

Tony Cornish Minnesota state representative

Accusation Sexual harassment. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“I sincerely apologize for my unwelcome behavior.”

Eddie Berganza Editor at DC Comics

Accusation Sexual harassment, including groping and forcibly kissing women. 
Fallout Fired. 
ResponseMr. Berganza did not respond to a message on Facebook from The Times seeking comment. 

Andrew Kreisberg Executive producer of “Arrow,” “Supergirl,” “The Flash"

Accusation Sexual harassment of more than a dozen people. 
Fallout Fired by Warner Bros. TV Group. 
Response“I have made comments on women’s appearances and clothes in my capacity as an executive producer, but they were not sexualized.” 

Louis C.K. Comedian and producer

Accusation Sexual misconduct with five women, including exposing himself and masturbating in front of them. 
Fallout FX and other media companies cut ties. Movie release and comedy special were canceled. 
Response“These stories are true. … I have been remorseful of my actions.” 

Dan Schoen Minnesota state senator

Accusation Sexual harrassment, including sending a sexually explicit photograph. 
Fallout Resigned. 
ResponseThe allegations are “either completely false or have been taken far out of context,” Mr. Schoen told MinnPost. 

Benjamin Genocchio Executive director of the Armory Show art fair

Accusation Sexual harassment, including unwelcome touching of five women. 
Fallout Replaced. 
Response“To the extent my behavior was perceived as disrespectful, I deeply and sincerely apologize and will ensure it does not happen again.” 

David Guillod Co-chief executive of Primary Wave Entertainment agency

Accusation Sexual assault of four women. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“Mr. Guillod denies any allegations of nonconsensual sex,” his lawyer told TheWrap. 

Andy Dick Actor

Accusation Sexual harassment, including groping. 
Fallout Fired from film. 
Response“I didn’t grope anybody. I might have kissed somebody on the cheek to say goodbye and then licked them. ... I’m not trying to sexually harass people.”

Michael Oreskes Head of news at NPR and former New York Times editor

Accusation Sexual harassment of three women. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“I am deeply sorry to the people I hurt. My behavior was wrong and inexcusable, and I accept full responsibility.” 

Hamilton Fish President and publisher of The New Republic

Accusation Complaints by female employees. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“Women have longstanding and profound concerns with respect to their treatment in the workplace. Many men have a lot to learn in this regard. I know I do, and I hope for and encourage that new direction.” 

Kevin Spacey Actor

Accusation Sexual assault of multiple men and sexual misconduct with a minor. 
Fallout Fired from "House of Cards" and cut from other projects. 
Response“Kevin Spacey is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment,” said his representative in a statement. 

Raul Bocanegra California state assemblyman

Accusation Sexual harassment of at least six women. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“While I am not guilty of any such crimes, I am admittedly not perfect.” 

Mark Halperin NBC News and MSNBC contributor, co-author of “Game Change"

Accusation Sexual harassment of at least five women. 
Fallout Dismissed from MSNBC and NBC News and had upcoming book and HBO adaptation canceled. 
Response“I am profoundly sorry for the pain and anguish I have caused by my past actions. I apologize sincerely to the women I mistreated.” 

Rick Najera Director of CBS's Diversity Showcase

Accusation Sexual harassment, including inappropriate comments to performers. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“We are heartbroken and confounded by deliberate and cruel defamations,” said his family in a statement. 

Knight Landesman Publisher of Artforum

Accusation Sexual harassment of at least nine women, including groping. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“I fully recognize that I have tested certain boundaries, which I am working hard to correct.” 

Leon Wieseltier A former editor at The New Republic

Accusation Sexual harassment of several women, including inappropriate advances. 
Fallout Fired from Emerson Collective, which canceled publication of a magazine he was editing. 
Response“For my offenses against some of my colleagues in the past I offer a shaken apology and ask for their forgiveness.” 

Terry Richardson Fashion photographer

Accusation Sexual harassment of models. 
Fallout Banned from working with Condé Nast. 
Response“Many of his professional interactions with subjects were sexual and explicit in nature but all of the subjects of his work participated consensually,” a spokeswoman said. 

John Besh Chief executive of the Besh Restaurant Group

Accusation Sexual harassment. 
Fallout Stepped down. 
Response“I alone am entirely responsible for my moral failings. This is not the way the head of a company like ours should have acted.” 

Lockhart Steele Editorial director of Vox Media

Accusation Sexual harassment of at least one person, including unwanted kissing. 
Fallout Fired. 
ResponseVox Media's chief executive said Steele had admitted to “engaging in conduct that is inconsistent with our core values and will not be tolerated.”

Robert Scoble Tech blogger and co-founder of the Transformation Group

Accusation Sexual assault of at least two women. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“Each of the women who have come forward used grains of truth to sell false narrative.”

Cliff Hite Ohio state senator

Accusation Repeatedly propositioning a female state employee. 
Fallout Resigned. 
Response“I recognize that this was inappropriate behavior. … I apologize completely.” 

Chris Savino Creator and showrunner of “The Loud House”

Accusation Sexual harassment, including unwanted sexual advances, of as many as 12 women. 
Fallout Fired. 
Response“I am deeply sorry and I am ashamed.” 

Roy Price Head of Amazon Studios

Accusation Sexual harassment of one woman. 
Fallout Resigned. 
ResponseCould not be reached for comment. 

Andy Signore Senior vice president of content for Defy Media

Accusation Sexual assault of one woman and harassment of several others. 
Fallout Fired. 
Response“Mr. Signore unequivocally denies allegations of sexual assault, harassment or retaliation of any kind,” his lawyer said in a statement.

Harvey Weinstein Producer and co-founder of the Weinstein Company

Accusation Raping three women. Sexual assault and harassment of dozens of others — including masturbating, exposing himself and unwelcome touching. 
Fallout Fired from his company and expelled from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. 
Response“I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it.” He denied the accusations of nonconsensual sex. 


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In 1971 on this day,  Stanley Kubrick's X-rated film "A Clockwork Orange" based on the book by Anthony Burgess and starring Malcolm McDowell premieres.

What's Jay have to say about Kubrick's film:


....Alex has an affinity for Beethoven, despite his predominate brutishness, which often plays over scenes of violence or sex, including rape. Alex and his "droogs" engage in "ultra-violence," and end up raping the wife of a liberal activist who opposes the state's draconian control measures.  Later, Alex attempts to rape a wealthy woman who lives in a country estate and is caught.  What we see here is a prophetic view of the future of man's world.  A globalized, 1984-style slum, where a few elites and intelligentsia live outside the urban areas. The intelligentsia like the writer and the behaviorist therapist seeking to cure Alex have a faulty view of human nature, and this is the key.  The film is full of sexual (and other bodily function elements) images which display the fact that most men are led about by their bodily desires, and contribute nothing to society.  The liberal activists and therapists continually try to make Alex a "productive" member of society and seek to influence him with religion and other salves.   However, the crucial point of the film is that Alex remains Alex.

(Read Jay's full article here.)

December 18, 2017

Love is in the air, well, after the divorce.



I go every morning to the Armenian Convent to study the language -- I mean the Armenian language -- (for as you perhaps know -- I am versed in the Italian which I speak with fluency rather than accuracy --) and if you ask me my reason for studying this out-of-the-way language --  can only answer that it is Oriental and difficult -- and employs me -- which are -- as you know my Eastern and difficult way of thinking -- reasons sufficient.  Then I have fallen in love with a very pretty Venetian of two and twenty (Marianna Segati) with great black eyes -- she is married -- and so am I -- which is very much to the purpose -- we have found and sworn an eternal attachment -- which has already lasted a lunar month -- and I am more in love than ever -- and so is the lady -- at least she says so -- and seems so -- she does not plague me (which is a wonder--) and I verily believe we are one of the happiest-unlawful couples on this side of the Alps.

                                               Lord Byron to his half-sister, Augusta Leigh, from Venice, 1816


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Marriage and divorce entered the political arena on this day in 1915 when U.S. President Woodrow Wilson married Edith Bolling Gale.  A widower, the president married this jeweler's widow in the bride's Washington, D.C., home.

Conversely, on this day in 1970, Italy's first divorce law went into effect even though the Roman Catholic Church objected vehemently.  Fortunately the church eventually came around just as it has to such modern day things as Global Warming and possible visitors from other planets, (they should know, they hold all the books in the basement of the Vatican per the hit television series Ancient Aliens); and just as the church has come around to these past issues, it will most certainly come around to acknowledging a woman's right to the abortion and instead of politicizing the issue to win elections, fund social programs to help these poor people with this terrible decision they have to make either for health or financial reasons.  Maybe hand out a few condoms along the way too.

I'M JUST SAYING....

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 Today, International Migrants Day, is not a bad moment to recall that the first ones in human history obliged to emigrate were Adam and Eve.

According to the official version, Eve tempted Adam: she offered him the forbidden fruit and it was her fault that both of the were banished from Paradise.

But is that how it happend?  Or did Adam do what he did of his own accord?

Maybe Eve offered him nothing and asked nothing of him.

Maybe Adam chose to bite the forbidden fruit when he learned that Eve had already done so.

Maybe she had already lost the privilege of immortality and Adam opted to share her damnation.

so he became mortal.  But not alone. 

Eduard Galeano; Children of the Days pg 384


      
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The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves. You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her. Never underestimate the power of love. The way to love anything is to realize it may be lost. The heart has its reasons that reason does not know at all. Music is love in search of a word. There is pleasure in the pathless woods; there is a rapture on the lonely shore; There is society, where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar.
                                                                                                                       Lord Byron

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Thanks For Being!

Thanks For Being!