I am still engulfed in loads of work. So blogging will be slow. Hope the rest of the universe is happy and enjoys itself?

Fuck Christmas - celebrate Winter Solstice! The longest night of the year is a real event, the return of the Sun is a really important event. No Sun - no warmth!  No sunshine - no plants! No plants no food! No food - no humans. No humans - no fucking consumerist xmas …

Make sure to read the Wikipedia entry and learn that almost all cultures and many religions celebrate this day. The religions always give it their ‘own’ holy meaning - but they are all based on one of the oldest scientific discoveries of ancient humans: that the sun follows a pattern and exact timing. That seasons come and go and that they can be calculated. The earliest farming communities learned that rhythm pretty fast, because it is of the utmost importance to know WHEN to plant your seeds, so they come out at the right time.

So this very Saturday - December the 22th of 2007 @ 18:06 UTC / GMT marks the solstice—the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Happy Winter Solstice my friends and readers!

Here is a great description of this painting taken from Euroweb.hu:

Bruegel painted this picture when he was still living in Antwerp and supplying drawings to the engraver Hieronymus Cock. Turning his back on the then-dominant Italian models, he plunges into the then old-fashioned tradition of Hieronymus Bosch’s world. An apparently inextricable mixture of persons and shapes offers itself to our bewildered gaze. Emerging from distant depths in a halo of light, monsters are thrown to earth as from a breaking wave. Angels combat them, led by St Michael, thin as a rake in his golden armour, striking with his sword at the dragon with the seven crowned heads on which he has his foothold.

The combat of the archangel with the fallen angels is described in the Book of Revelation (12, 3-9) and was frequently illustrated from the Middle Ages onwards. In Bruegel’s rendering, the violence is expressed not in the bitter nature of the battle - indeed St Michael and his sparse troops do not appear particularly threatened by the demons - but by the intensity of the fall - infernal and endless - of this crawling, hideous multitude that invades the entire surface of the picture, in a remarkable unity of action which increases its impact. By borrowing minutiously observed elements from the plant, animal, mineral and human worlds and combining them to form hybrid, deformed beings, Bruegel invents creatures that are the most repulsive, but also the most curious and fantastic imaginable. Mussel shells grafted onto a gigantic shrimp, a human head with butterfly wings attached to a shapeless, bloated body, a puffy gnome carrying a sundial and with a plumed helmet on his head, viscous fish with arms, lizard scales, crustacean paws… a seemingly endless list. Within the "mêlée", every element is differentiated by the scrupulous rendering of the textures. With their long, refined silhouettes, St Michael’s allies, elegantly garbed in delicate, luminously coloured albs, are automatically on the side of the Good, in a state of grace that enables them to dominate effortlessly the monstrous hordes, moving around in a clear and azure sky which is in profound contrast with the darkness reserved for the rebels.

Bruegel reveals himself here to be a marvellous colourist, dexterously distributing accents of red, green, blue and white and alternating the dark browns and lighter beige ochres with brio.

Too bad I only have such a small copy of this great painting. For years now I have been looking for a better image to zoom into details. No luck so far. Someone out there who has a larger and better file?

The way we produce food is simply stupid. We ship our calories back and forth across the globe - often several times, because one industrial food processing service might be cheaper at the other end of the world. But all this shipping costs huge amounts of energy and causes lots of pollution.

Produce locally, ship locally, eat locally. That would be sustainable. Today be can grow almost all exotic foods even in cold countries - and off season.

The plate is a strange technology. It’s not a practical bowl to hold liquids. It’s also not as practical as a cutting board for … uh … cutting stuff.

But it’s a great hybrid of both ideas. The higher borders hold back liquids from running from the flat surface like a bowl - and you actually can cut stuff on a plate, which is unpractical in a bowl.

Battleships used to rule the world. The British Empire relied on it’s ability to ‘project power’ with it’s mighty fleet to almost any corner of this planet.

But the floating fortresses became endangered with the invention of the Submarine, Torpedo, and the Airplane. Much cheaper and smaller technologies that could kill such a huge metal beast with a single blow.

Today guided missiles are the ultimate menace to ships. That is why some countries resort to building much smaller and cheaper ships. Big guns are still there, but they are replaced by more and more missiles.

If you society only imports technology it lacks the experience of reinventing the wheel and the progress of adapting this new idea.

Many inventors were far ahead of their societies, but because nor the public or the elite could understand the invention and it’s glory they got forgotten.

Improving society by invention is also about communication, education and integration. That is why progress takes time - ideas, change and technology needs time to take roots.

So the wheel has to be reinvented again and again, so we understand the process, learn from it and appreciate it.

Distrust any religious establishment that doesn’t enjoy the ultimate power of the universe and life: to have sex and procreate.

Unless you fuck yourself how can you explain and share the creative God’s blessings of sexuality? Life = Sex = Universe … and therefore must be godly …

Scott Johnson has created this great series of the 56 Geek types. it’s just brilliant and such a homage on modern day geeky lifestyle.

So here are all 56 geeks - check out which subculture you belong too - I have listed mine above (as much as I can find myself in there).

What is seriously missing is: porn geek, websurf geek, google geek, notebook geek, blog geek, art geek, green geek, nature geek and office geek.

Click image for a bigger stone.

If you click the image and feel small by what you see - you are correct. Compared to nature’s awesome monuments we are small and short lived. That’s why our admiration should be huge and timeless.

Click image for a bit larger version.

In Maestro Chagall’s little village there is always a story to tell about what happened recently … especially about floating goats and herders in the sky … or that funny neighbor who was almost blown away by the last rain storm …

There are such things as reactions time, habits and a learning curve. Our minds are (sometimes) great to react quickly to something physical - but in social, political, personal, emotional or technical situations we are rather slow.

It takes for our psyche or so called egos VERY long to understand new situations, figure out new people in our life’s or even our own selfish desires.

Then we are blinded by our life’s - looking daft or simply continue to behave like nothing has changed. But we are often ‘behind’ our own situation - slowly adopting to change …

Don’t be startled. Don’t be ignorant. Don’t be a creature of habits.

Change is natural. Surprises are normal. Go deal with them. Go and experiment. It’s fun!

Climate Change, reduced consumerism, no more cheap flights to your favorite party location, less cheap petrol, more expensive food, responsible consumerism, less convenience food, less lead and cheap toys, more reusing things - less shopping for new stuff …

Sure all that complicated and a serious effort for humans.

But how would you explain to those two chaps why we fucked up the whole planet. Most animals will simply be destroyed by more and extreme climate change. Sure nature will survive and produce some new amazing species after we have killed ourselves and the rest of the inhabitants of planet earth.

We need change - but not at a snails pace and with much more brains. Aren’t we always saying we are the smartest life form on earth? Time to prove it.

If sex doesn’t do it for you anymore - you can simply go for good old fashioned madness or weird outfits.

Folks we are almost there and then it is over. No more presents, no more mad shopper and no more clients who want stuff done before xmas. Happy days to you - and don’t get insane.

Time Magaine’s choices for the person of the year haven’t always been ‘nice’ ones. People like Hitler made the list. But this is not about being nice, but about being influential.

Vladimir Putin has changed Russia and put it back on the world stage - after that drunken and chaotic Boris Jelzin a big change. (See also this BBC News video)

He certainly was one of the most dominating characters of 2007. See also Time Magazine’s other choices …

Afghanistan - he is 40, she is 11. She was sold by her parents, because they needed the money. Still girls are treated like a commodity in many countries or simply sold as sex slaves. (Photo by Stephanie Sinclair)

Chechnya - the world seems to have forgotten Putin’s terrible war on these people? War is terrible for adults, for kids is sheer hell. (Ohoto by Musa Sadulayev)

America - even living in a rich country can’t save you from serious illness. Still most kids all over the world don’t have universal health care. This little guy is already dead - he died 2006. (Photo by Renée C. Bayer)

Bangladesh - many kids have to work hard to survive. Although child labor has decreased in recent years it’s still there and needs to be abolished. It my sound cynical: but I think it’s  better when kids have work and can feed themselves - instead of starving to death. (Photo by Akash)

Philippines - every place can be a playground, even this landfill outside Manilla where the poorest of the poor scavenge for food. Hunger and starvation are still with us - even in developing nations or economic superstars like China or the USA. (Photo by Hartmut Schwarzbach)

Rich Nations - while kids in poor countries struggle to get education, food and healthcare in high-tech nations they are slowly turned into brain washed zombies. This is the typical brain dead TV stare. (Photo by Wolfram Hahn)

All the images are taken from here: unicef.org. Go there and read more in detail about the stories behind each kid.

After watching all that pain porn you should be ready to give some money and not just a sentimental sigh in front of your computer. Do something!

I highly recommend SPONSORING a kid all year long - and not just for that special Christmas feel good moment. How about five Euros or Dollars each month? That’s not much - but already some REAL money in many poor countries. Have a look at the video on this page for some insight or more motivation: www.plan-uk.org

There are many charities for kids out there: www.children.org, www.sos-childrensvillages.org, www.worldvision.org and www.unicef.org.

Thank you!

If you can believe in enlightened pink elephants - you can believe in anything. Spirituality starts in your mind - if you mind can cope with incredible thoughts it can’t cope with incredible truths either.

Open your mind, expand your mind, cultivate your ability to think and imagine new possibilities … maybe then you get enlightened or trampled by an elephant on the way …

I applaud the current writer’s strike in the US. The creative people should be paid for their stuff! But I don’t think I can cope for much longer without Stephen, John, Dr. House, Boston Legal …

But especially American political satire is needed these days with all the weird presidential election stuff going on. Bring some insanity back to explain all the political madness going on …

Even after millions of wrecked knees, broken ankles and harsh downfalls the female of our species refuses to wear normal and safe footwear.

Instead they spent huge amounts of their income for these contraptions - just to be a little bit sexier, just to be a little bit higher and just to feel a bit better about themselves.

Just as guys try to improve their penis by buying huge cars and guns, female try to expand their alluring sexual qualities by huge amounts of leather objects in their closets.

Hot summer nights on xmas eve, hanging out with sharks and kangaroos on the beach, even more exotic animals in the outback, no snow and no freezing your ass off, a new socialist government … some people have all the luck!

Damn you Australia!

We only get grumpy when we are sick, because we want be by ourselves. Overly protective and motherly females can be very annoying when one is trying to die in peace …

Oh, I love these cute SciFi chicks who are already dressed up as a sperm. Makes the evening go much smoother …

There is only a certain amount of Kitsch and cuteness I can take in such miserable times as winter. Although I wouldn’t mind celebrating Holy Kittiness for the next 2000 years …

It is amazing how much effort people put into visiting fish and water mammals like dolphins and whales. If we continue to eat, pollute and destroy their habit as effective as in the last 200 years there won’t be much to see in a short time.

Click stone to see a larger version.

First of all: it’s such an irony that our key to the ancient languages was falsely named. It was found in the Egyptian town of Rashid - the French had renamed the city to Rosetta.

What was so special about this stone was it’s identical text in three ancient languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic and demotic scripts - and in classical Greek. By comparing these fragments it was only a matter of time until the code of the old Egyptian writings was cracked.

A Frenchman found the stone, but it was later taken by the British and brought to London (where it is still on display in the British Museum). The Egyptians want it back - like so many artifacts - still in the hands of former colonial powers.

More? Wikipedia