Congraduations Austra!
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Austra just graduated from high school and she was almost salutatorian! Really she should have been valedictorian but I won’t go into that. But she did great and she’s going to a great college!
Austra uses the Discordian name of Sister Lorraine of Fairy Tree. She contributed to Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia: The Tales of Shamlicht.
Congratulations graduate!
Congraduations Mindy!
Mindy just graduated from college with a Music Major and a Chemistry Minor. She’s not as good as me in English because she doesn’t know how to get any letter other than A’s! lol
You might know Mindy by her Discordian name of Fairy Princess Yoshikyoko. She contributed to Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia: The Tales of Shamlicht.
Congratulations graduate!
Nude or Lewd: TSA Still Fighting
The court has decided more than once that stripping in protest of TSA’s naked scans is protected by freedom of speech. If they force you to expose your naked body to complete strangers, how can you be prosecuted for doing it voluntarily?
But a court decision hasn’t stopped America’s Transportation Security System from trying the same action twice.
John E. Brennan stripped in protest in Portland, Oregon, and the court decided his action was legal. But TSA hasn’t given up, and is now accusing him of having broken their rules that passengers cannot “interfere with, assault, threaten, or intimidate” TSA screeners.
He and his attorney plan to appeal the sanction on Tuesday.
I Have a New Niece
Yes, I have a new niece which I think is terrific. She was born Saturday night, May 4, several days later than expected, and weighed in at over 8 lbs. Mama (who is also my niece) and baby are doing fine.
I have well over a dozen “official” nieces and nephews and a handful of others who call me uncle. It’s a family thing, I suppose–my father had a great number of people, most of them not related, who called him “Grandpa.”
Happy Happy Joy Joy!
Boston Bombing or Texas Heroism: Choose One
Most people choose a terrorist bombing over people facing death to save others. As least that’s the conclusion of Margaret Rose Dominado writing for AlterNet.org. She said she found a billion hits on Google for the bombing in Boston compared to a little over a hundred thousand for the explosion in West, Texas.
To be fair, we don’t know what search terms she used. It’s highly unlikely she checked to see if every one of those links was actually related to the April 18th fertilizer plant explosion or to the April 15th explosions at the Boston Marathon. And certainly Boston is much better known nationally than the small town of West.
But reports do say 15 people died in Texas, five of them firefighters, while 3 people were killed in Boston. The number of injured was about the same. But the West explosion and fire damaged or destroyed about 150 buildings including a school, a nursing home, and a 50-unit apartment complex. Buildings as far as seven miles away had their windows blown out. From over 20 miles away, Alden Loveshade heard a metal barn rattle.
Something they don’t have in common is that the cause of the fire that led to the West explosion is not yet known. It’s also not know if Texnas’ Governor Perry-proclaimed low regulations are partially to blame for the explosion as referenced in a highly controversial Sacramento Bee cartoon by John Ohman.
Another critical thing they don’t have in common is that several of the people killed in West were first responders. They came to put out a fire in a facility known to house highly explosive chemicals. They risked their lives to save others. Shouldn’t that be the bigger story?
Read Dominado’s opinion at http://www.alternet.org/have-we-lost-our-minds-why-boston-bombing-got-so-much-more-attention-west-texas-explosion
See the cartoon and Ohman’s response to criticism at http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/25/5372555/rick-perry-explosion-cartoon-published.html
Thanks to Herr Bookmonger for bringing Dominado’s story to our attention.
Nearby Explosion and Rabid Skunk
Explosion photo (not the fertilizer plant in West, Texas) by Jon Sullivan. Photo released into the public domain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Explosions.jpg
First off I and my family are OK. I was outside when it happened, about 10 to 8 p.m. local time. We were expecting a rain storm when I heard a sound like thunder. But unlike usual thunder it seemed to be coming from in front of me to the left and to the right. Also unusual was that I heard the metal of the barn I was standing next to rattle. I’ve heard windows rattle to a close lightning strike, but not a rattle when the thunder sounded far away. The animals acted like nothing had happened. That in itself was somewhat odd as they can react to a coming storm.
My mom who was inside her house heard it and things in the house rattled. She said it seemed to her like an explosion.
I checked the Internet and the news, and saw nothing about it. I thought it must just have been thunder. I was wrong as you’ve probably learned already. As of the last report of the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, hundreds may have been injured, four blocks of homes were flattened, and the death count so far is estimated at 60 to 70. I felt and heard the explosion from more than 20 miles away.
They need blood donations. For Texans, you can find blood donation sites at http://bloodbanker.com/banks/state.php?state=TX. For others in America, check your state on that site.
Strangely enough, earlier in the day I had something else odd happen. I saw a skunk in the barn, the same barn I heard rattle later. I was standing outside, and the skunk came out right near me which is odd for a wild skunk, especially during daytime (skunks are nocturnal). Then it walked right up to me and started to put its front feet on my leg like it was a pet skunk.
I looked it up. Being active during the day and acting tame and unafraid of humans are both possible signs of rabies.
Explosion http://news.yahoo.com/police-report-fertilizer-plant-explosion-near-waco-texas-015859240.html
Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia: Out of Print
Does Goddess Eris give es faithful followers immunity to the real world? Apparently not.
Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia: The Tales of Shamlicht is currently out of print. ‘What?’ you say. ‘Didn’t it just get published in October of last year (or March of last year depending upon whom you ask)? What happened? Was it:’
1) Because of death threats made against Reverend Loveshade? No. The latest threats were apparently someone’s idea of a joke.
2) Because of plagarism as accused on Amazon.com? No. The accusations were apparently someone’s idea of a joke.
3) Because the book is obscene/pornographic/illegal? No. The concerns were apparently someone’s paranoia. The book’s contents really were inspected before publication by Government Agents.
4) Because Reverend Loveshade started a retro-hippie-anarchist-Kerista-Koresh-inspired-freelove-family-nudist commune invaded by government agents? No. The commune-in-progress was never invaded but quietly moved to another and better location and is alive, doing well, and slowly growing.
5) Because The Agents of Greyface, The Illuminati, and Adam Weishaupt are still out there? Now you may be on to something. But remember, it’s not over til it’s over….
Lowest listed price on Amazon.com for Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia: The Tales of Shamlicht is now $527.72 + $3.99 shipping. Seriously. Want one a whole lot cheaper? We still have a few copies left. Contact us at the address at discordia.loveshade.org.
Views and opinions of an individual member of The Loveshade Family do not necessarily reflect those of the entire family.
Timbuktu’s Rescued Ancient Manuscripts Are Still in Danger
Ancient Timbuktu manuscript
Locals saved Timbuktu’s ancient libraries, but now the works may be threatened by government.
According to TIME magazine, a year ago .preservationists secretly reported that they had hidden most of the manuscripts of the public Ahmed Baba Institute and other collections. TIME promised not to report that fact until after the jihadists were defeated. Now that militants know they survived, the government-operationed institute in the ancient capital of Mali has to figure out how to keep them safe from any future attack. Many works are also old and brittle, and any future moving could damage them.
Al-Qaeda backed militants recently burned the Ahmed Baba Institute which housed from 20,000 to 100,000 manuscripts dating to the 1200s. These covered an incredible amount of subjects. Among the collection were science, astrology, astronomy, sophisticated mathematics (comparable to modern algebra and geometry), medicine, theology (including commentaries on the prophet), geography, grammar, anatomy, women’s rights, and music. Some were illustrated in gold. The majority were written in Arabic, but other African languages were represented.
The mayor of Timbuktu, Halle Ousmane Cissé, may have been unaware of the preservation effort when he was forced to leave the city. He said, “This is a cultural crime perpetuated against world heritage.” However, some believe he knew both of the preservation and that only a relatively small number of books were destroyed.
Timbuktu was considered one of the highest learning centers in the world. Its library was virtually priceless, and many people had their own personal libraries. Perhaps from 100,000 to 200,000 manuscripts are privately owned.
TIME Magazine report by Vivienne Walt at http://world.time.com/2013/02/04/timbuktus-ancient-libraries-saved-by-locals-endangered-by-a-government/
Commentary by Lila Azam Zanganeh for The New Yorker at http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/01/the-libraries-of-timbuktu.html
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Copy of Manuscript of Nasir al-Din Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn al-Hajj al-Amin al-Tawathi al-Ghalawi’s Kashf al-Ghummah fi Nafa al-Ummah. From Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library, Timbuktu; copy made in 1733 is from the U.S. Library of Congress.
Opinions or statements by a member or associate of The Loveshade Family do not necessarily reflect the views of any other member or associate.
Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia: Illegal Again?
Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia: in trouble all over again
Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia: The Tales of Shamlicht is in trouble all over again.
The latest challenge to the book’s legality comes not from a small town Texas police department. It doesn’t come from a big city Texas police department either, and it’s not from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This time, it’s an entirely new group that’s making the challenge: Discordians.
“Discordians?” Yes. “Plagiarism” has now been added to the list of charges against the book. But the charges are vague.
“This book contains work that was plagiarized….”
“This book contains works penned by several of my personal friends….’
“You can read a lot of this free on the internet. That’s where Loveshade got it. Without permission.”
Interestingly, none of them mention any actual names of pieces or people. Also interesting, none of them have “Amazon Verified Purchase” under their names, meaning they might–or might not–have seen the book.
Now if only this tempest in a teapot would explode to the point the general public would see it. That would be something.
But are the claims true? Get the book and see for yourself: http://www.amazon.com/Ek-sen-trik-kuh-Discordia-The-Tales-Shamlicht/product-reviews/1937536181/
BISAC Says Wicca is a Religion
pentagram or pentacle
The Book Industry Study Group has finally moved Wicca into the Religion category! Before it was in the category Body, Mind & Spirituality/Witchcraft.
So what’s the big deal? It’s a major step in recognizing Wicca as a genuine religion! The BISC makes the BISAC listing which is the standard for book publishers. It’s like the Library of Congress or Dewey Decimal Systems except it only identifies categories instead of individual books.
This is another big step for Freedom of Religion in America. After Wiccan Patrick Stewart was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2005, the Veteran’s Administration refused to let a pentagram put on his gravesite. Legal action was filed. Finally on April 23, 2007 the VA allowed pentacles.
Why should you care if you aren’t Wiccan or Pagan? Freedom of Religion doesn’t work if it’s only for a few people. Even if the government was Christian, would it be Roman Catholic or Protestant or Greek Orthodox? And if it was Protestant, would it be Baptist or Assembly of God or Seventh Day Adventist?
This is a big step forward for America and the First Amendent!
BISAC for Wiccan as a Religion is at www.bisg.org/what-we-do-0-126-bisac-subject-headings-list-religion.php
Want to learn more about Wicca? Check out my site at lorien.loveshade.org/wicca/
| REL118000 | RELIGION / Wicca |
Any opinion by a member or associate of The Loveshade Family does not necessarily represent the views of the entire family.
