It is amazing that making money from willing believers is still so easy in the 21st century. Religion and fraud always made a great combination – doesn’t matter if it was done by the Holy Mother Church, some Indian pseudo guru or modern day tele-evangelist. The religion itself doesn’t matter – the attitude and willingness to milk your fellow believers does.

More disturbing than anything is that so called true believers are so easily cheated out of their money. Just tell them something they want to hear and swear that God sent you – and they open their wallets. The desire of some people to want to believe can be used and abused for almost anything – spending money on jets, hookers or drugs is the least of this chain of problems. I don’t mind people wasting money for such things – instead of bullets and bombs to kill infidels or exerts political influence.

Rob Hubbard was correct: “If you want to make a little money, write a book. If you want to make a lot of money, create a religion.”

Image: Ralph Alswang

I liked Edwards – but how can he prevail against the possibly first woman or black president?

Hopefully his message to fight poverty won’t be forgotten and ignored after the elections.

Until the great Iconoclasm triggered by Martin Luther – Christian art was to believed to have divine powers – reflecting those depicted. So praying or touching a Madonna statue or altar piece was not just worship – but a physical connection and portal to higher plane. Many pieces of art were meant to have miracle powers.

That is why many processions literally tried to carry the holy person depicted all around town – to bring the saints blessing to every person and house.

Before many artworks of old Masters became JUST great pieces of art they often were important religious objects. It took the bloody days of the reformation and destruction of huge amounts of church art to get religion and idol worshipping ‘out’ of art.

After the Renaissance and the Reformist Iconoclasm there was a huge change in art: the topics, attitudes and perspective of European Art changed completely. And instead of mostly the Holy Mother Church and the feudal class normal (rich) citizens, and companies commissioned artwork.

The lunar new year is a huge festival in most Asian countries – it’s really like western Christmas and new years eve in one big celebration.

For China’s millions of migrating workers it’s often the ONLY chance to see their family ONCE a year altogether. This year around 200 million are on the road trying to get to their loved ones – this is a huge number. That’s bigger then the whole population of Russia or half of Europe traveling. And because China is such a big country many people spend days getting home and back to work again.

That is why the snow catastrophe arouses such fierce response from many Chinese stuck at train stations and airports. They only vacation is currently fucked up and China experiences how fragile it’s transport and energy system really is. Many power lines have been knocked out – and the military is desperately trying to help people stuck in the cold to survive. So far 50 people have died.

More? BBC images & article

Most of the (continental) old Europe was either killed in Word War II or demolished to make way for modern car-based cities.

Even big cities like Paris, Warsaw, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Berlin had many almost medieval city centers and places. Only a few survived – most of those old building are recreations.

But maybe it’s a good thing – if you travel to Switzerland (a country so neutral it doesn’t know what war means – apart from ripping off fugitives) – everything there feels like Disney Land, because most of it’s old buildings are still there. Renewal often means destruction – and destruction of means war or a mad emperor burning down your city.

Adam Curtis / documentary / ca 44 minutes

From Wikipedia:

A modern fable about science and society, focusing on our attitude to nature. Should we let scientists be the prime movers of social or political change when, for instance, DDT made post-war heroes of American scientists only to be put on trial by other scientists in 1968? What kind of in-fighting goes on between rival camps before one scientific truth emerges, and when it does emerge, just how true is it?

More? Pandora’s Box Series

Good thing that science and companies over all the stuff to become a perfect male: bigger penis, harder penis, hair transplants for your head and your chest, getting more muscles either via training or chemicals. Plus many more tricks to get rich and raise your social status.

Hardly anyone cares about males inner life and if they progress as happy human being – as long as their good sperminators and money grabbers.

It’s now the last year of his regency – the Age of the Ape is coming to an end. Aren’t we all happy?!

But how will clean up all the poo left behind? Will anyone be brave enough to maybe impeach the Ape just before the end? I think this Ape is mostly surrounded by chickens …

The whole subprime mortgage mess and the scandal surrounding Jérôme Kerviel’s wasting billions of Euros shows once again that financial institutions and markets need to be watched and regulated.

Like ultimate power – huge amount of money – are to tempting for mere mortals. Waste, fraud, immoral and illegal stuff WILL happen – that is why banks, accounting firms and stock markets have to have mechanisms for self control and government oversight. Open and free markets don’t work here with no limits will only encourage criminal actions.

Financial markets dominate today’s economics – small wobbles and trigger a domino effect – and can ruin the rest of a still well running economy. 

Maybe he should stay in Florida for his political retirement? His fixation on 9-11 and scaring people into voting for him didn’t work. A good thing and speaks for Americans to finally get out of their ‘mental bunkers’ …

The day will come when this will happen for real.

Thanks to Edosan for sharing this video.

I just found these clips and remixes from Wonder Woman. Since I didn’t grew up in the US of A I wasn’t ‘blessed’ witch such a highly intellectual TV series.

But I am sure it makes great masturbation fodder if you are twelve years old, male and free porn on from the Internet hasn’t yet been invented.

Documentary / 1 hour 22 minutes / by Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack

Oil is – like so many natural resources – only available in a limited supply. And with all limited resources we will reach an ‘ extraction / production peak’ – which means less of it will be available after that point.

Many scientists and oil people think that we have either reached or soon will reach peak oil. This is of course very bitter, because our global industrial society is just really starting to take off in many big countries like India, Brazil and China.

Watch this documentary to learn more about peak oil and it’s consequences.

More? Official Website

Woman are socially more flexible and adaptable than men. Is that really a good thing? Or does it speak volumes about the females weak will to stand up for her own goals, desires and protect her personal boundaries?

Woman also like to complain about the emotional stiffness of their male counterparts – but when you are willing to bend over backwards to please your stiff male, don’t expect any extra effort from your guy to go soft on you.

Well, once again Italy has lost another government and is maybe facing a new election. Once again the nasty Mr. Berlusconi is waiting in the wings – hoping to overtake (and ruin) Italy once again. I think hardly any other country has such a long list of Prime Ministers like Italy?

But the reason behind the politic indecision behind this situation is not just limited to Italy these days: in many countries the fight between left and right parties produces no longer any majorities for any side. Usually only a few votes decide who runs the country – in the case of Germany this has created a Grand Coalition between left and right.

Voters are disillusioned with political labels and programs – they regard politicians from all parties with equal disgust or ignorance. They vote no longer for political ideas – since all campaign slogans are a remix of the same old promises again and again.

Political, economical and social stability seems to have reached a certain level were we hardly care for pushing for further advancement. And no side has proven to have the right recipe for economic success and social justice for all. So the number of non-voters are steadily rising – while the political cultures in all rich countries look more and more the same – and the left and right have only superficial differences – which are artificially blown up to get voters excited anyway (especially in the US).

I always find it highly amusing when one blurry image sets off another Internet craze. Remember the ‘Face from Mars’ – which turned out as just an unsharpened image from the Viking Orbiter?

I don’t mind being sick – usually I simply sleep my fever and any nasty bugs I have ‘away’. But the one thing I really hate is my brain being ’slimmed’ and made unusable. It just is terrible if you can’t read a book or simply relax – instead your brain runs in circles and can’t think strait.

Very annoying! Can I have please a backup brain for such moments?

I have been knocked out by a nasty flu bug for almost a week. Slowly I am recovering and using my brain again. This has of course fucked up my schedule – so I am way behind my planning and my jobs. I hate that.

There are not many pop songs in my life that I have admired and liked since my childhood. It is a weird sounding arrangements – not the usual 80’s candy pop – the piece has some twists and turns as well. Plus the lyrics raise well above the usual ‘I love you’ moaning of pop music.

The video above was pretty innovative back then – and once again pretty weird. But like I said – pretty much impressed me almost 30 years ago and I think it’s still something worth remembering today.

More? Godley & Creme @ Wikipedia

In the year 1973 in a small theater in London a crazy new play premiered that was destined to change the life of transvestites and normal people alike. The movie come soon afterwards 1975.

I think there has never been anything like it again. The Show immediately become a cult with a huge following with an important twist. Fans of movies usually limit themselves to buying merchandise of their obsession – but Rocky Fans went much further. They dressed up like their crazy idols and went into movie theaters in full gear to sing and dance to the scenes on the screen. It was a hot parallel reenactment with loads of singing, screaming and makeup. If you never been to a Rocky show with such fans you don’t know what you have been missing. (Here are some guidelines what to bring and to do during a show with fans.)

Well, Star Wars and Star Trek fans  also do dress up like their idols – but they sing and dance in the theatres, nor do they get laid as often as raunchy bisexual and transsexual Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

Compared to today’s rather stupid gangster HipHop acts and all these neurotic pop princesses this was really crazy, funny and highly inspiring. It was all about joining the party – and not consuming it.

PS: I pray to the God’s there will NEVER be a remake made by Hollywood.

More? Wikipedia entry and the official Website

The is something square in the state of Denmark – and it’s called LEGO. This fantastic invention celebrates it’s 50th Birthday today. There must be billions of bricks and also billions of happy kids out there who grew up with this inspiring toy.

I also loved to play with LEGO – it was an universal toy – only limited by your imagination and your parents wallet. Most of all it inspired you to do something yourself and literally ‘built’ upon your imagination – and improve your dreams with your growing skills. It’s one of the few toys that grows with your understanding of the world and your own capabilities. You may start as a toddler with the huge bricks, because you are yet too unskilled to handle the smaller ones. Then you get into ‘normal’ mechanical LEGO – and later into electrical or even electronic LEGO.

Meet your giant LEGO overlord …

LEGO appeals stronger to boys than girls – but since LEGO introduced it’s small figures, themes and TV & movie merchandise it has a stronger social component – that its more for the little ladies.

Today I feel a bit that LEGO has lost it’s way a bit – because there is too much based on ‘themes‘ licensed from Movies and TV shows. There are too many ‘fixed’ or ‘limited’ parts that are no longer universally usable. Also programmable LEGO and now LEGO computer games are heading into a totally different direction. But the good old bricks are still there and won’t disappear any day.

One of the oldest and best known LEGO images.

I have one more complaint: LEGO is still bloody expensive. Buying a small city sets you back a fortune (like 149 Euros!!!). Very pricey for a few pieces of plastic – even for today’s high oil prices. So LEGO made itself a rich kids toys – because you only parents with a lot of money could afford big or more rare sets for their offspring.

Sooner or later LEGO’s copyright will diminish – and other companies are allowed to produce the bricks much cheaper and bring new ideas into the game.

One thing I also like to mention are Brickfilms or LEGO movies. There are many LEGO stop motion movies on YouTube and other sites.

Adult LEGO fans have produced an entire subculture of videos, nasty imagery and other crazy stuff for us grownups.

Is that a brick in your pants – or are you just happy to play with me?

Groups on Flickr show that LEGO has developed into a new symbolic language and tool to create scenes and messages that range from funny to absurd and totally extreme.

So LEGO has evolved into a cultural vehicle that allows adults to use them like hand puppets to tell their stories that are understood by the whole LEGO generation. Like Sesame Street or Star Trek LEGO has become a cultural icon and language that can be easily used and understood by almost everyone. These are our modern caveman drawings and stick figures. The LEGO figures are primitive and simple representations of ourselves – but extremely flexible and potent as actors.

LEGO as an universal image language for nasty social and political messages. A cultural icon to comment on other icons.

I am pretty sure that back in 1958 Ole Kirk Christiansen never expect such a global and cultural impact of his little bricks.

More? LEGO @ Wikipedia, Psycho Lego clip and Spiderman Lego clip

Veracifier – aka Joshua Micah Marshall – is a brilliant political blogger / journalist. His analyses and videos on YouTube usually are the best extracts and insight into the current American political events. Highly recommended for anyone who is into more minute details of American politics …

I am currently fighting a nasty flu – so my blogging is currently stopped because of slime, fever and general unpleasantness in my brain. Will continue after my chemical surge has eradicated the virus extremists and their sympathizers!

I used to love Frank Dicksee – but today he is a bit too much Kitsch for me. But maybe I am denying myself the romance, hope, love and chivalry he so perfectly portrays in his work?

If Maestro Dicksee would have been born just a few decades later he would have become a Hollywood director and made such great classics like “The Adventure of Robin Hood” with Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone.

More? Frank Dicksee @ Art Renewal Center

Adam Curtis / documentary / ca 44 minutes

From Wikipedia:

Thirty years ago, a group of economists managed to convince British politicians that they had foolproof technical means to make Britain great again. Pandora’s Box tells the saga of how their experiments have led the country deeper into economic decline, and asks – is their game finally up?

More? Pandora’s Box Series

… and it all depends how you define affordable? But I think $200,000 is doable for a person from an industrial country – if that is your life’s dream. Compared to 20 Million Dollars for a flight with the Russians it’s really cheap. 

And I am sure once the industry gets off the ground – it will start a competition and prices will come down.

Walls do work. The Iron Curtain did it’s job for over 50 years, the Chinese Wall is still here and the US is building it’s homeland protection wall against those nasty Mexicans.

But in the long run all walls will fail.

I perfectly understand Israel’s idea and desire for the wall. It certainly stopped many suicide bombers and land based attacks. But the Palestinians are now shelling or shooting low tech rockets into Israel. Walls don’t stop hate and innovation.

Maybe negotiations will some day?

More? BBC has some pictures and reports

December the 17th 1903 – the first real airplane took off with Orville Wright as the pilot. The rest is history as they say. These two brothers were great engineering pioneers and brave souls to try their own ideas. Their planes crashed several times before that historic few seconds – and they had many crashes after that as well.

Next time you get on your cheap flight to Ibiza or Tichuana remember these brave men (and many others) who made this possible just 100 years ago.

More? Excellent Wikipedia entry

Those where the times – when your new gigantic 10 MByte hard drive came with it’s own rig and technician – and a huge invoice …

I am always suspicious about people who tell me they are overworked in their jobs. It usually means that they either can’t organize their jobs or their try to make themselves irreplaceable by sucking up every bit of work and responsibility they can lay their hands on.

The motivation is fear – fear of being replaceable and not important. But instead of being a useful coworker these people become bottlenecks, because they turn into control freaks.

And nobody like bottlenecks – not matter how ‘important’ or overworked they are …

Business magazines like the great Economist already talked about a weak economy last year – and also about the chance for a recession. Sure, some indicators in the US showing signs of weakness, but overall the global economy is running quite nice.

The burst of the credit bubble was a nasty event, but still not big enough to bring the whole economic system down.

But the real  ‘panic’ started once the presidential candidates used the ‘R’ fear to get votes. Now everybody started talking and most of all worrying about a ‘Recession’.

Stock Brokers are like sheep in any other profession- they easily panic and follow the herd. Although the economy didn’t really crash or some nasty event like 9/11 happened they panicked.

The American economy might be a bit wobbly, bit it’s not bad. The rest of the world is running quite nicely – so can we please stop that panic and WORK on a better economy instead of crashing it?

Click image for a deeper look.

Why is looking ‘deep’ into another persons eyes such an intensive experience? Why is such an exchange such an intimate moment? Why is it so hard to look a stranger for longer periods directly ‘into’ the eyes?

And why can ‘excited’ eyes make us so horny and a cold look kill our desire to live?

The eyes have it – looks can kill.

We are often prisoners of our own minds. Limited vision and limited imagination keep us from achieving often simple things. The simple thought “I can’t do that!” can stop you before you even tried.

Our minds can ‘think’ about reality and possibilities. To a certain extend we can envision the future and personal limits – but not everything our ‘common sense’ tells us is ‘real’ and the true limit of our abilities.

So free yourself and experiment with your limits. You can surprise yourself, you can grow and learn new stuff. Only false limits can really stop you more than anything!

Here are some of NASA’s design sketches for the next moon landing – as commanded by George W. Bush. The whole mission, the proposed systems and attitude is so 1960’s.

Once again it’s a race – with the Chinese – to be the first to establish a base. All systems like the crew capsule, the lander and the final landing (with parachute) are just a remix of old technologies. It’s almost like some old man at NASA and in politics try to recreate the golden age of space exploration – and America’s greatness.

More? The Constellation Program @ NASA

Life is still behind schedule. Now I have a cold and almost broke my toes hitting the door frame last night. No fun, no fun at all. So blogging will be at a reduced speed.

Since Mr King is currently dragged into the presidential race in the US – it’s good to look back and hear for yourself how great he was. And maybe you watch an Obama speech to see if he really is another King?

You know that you hard drive will die some day and all the data on it will be lost. Maybe you loose your data by mistake, a system crash or virus? But day X is coming and you should be prepared!

This is a LONG rant – so skip this if you are not interested.

Read the rest of this entry »

Adam Curtis / documentary / ca 44 minutes

From Wikipedia:

Focusing on the men of the Cold War on whom Dr Strangelove was based. These were people who believed that the world could be controlled by the scientific manipulation of fear – mathematical geniuses employed by the Rand Corporation. In the end, their visions were the stuff of science fiction fantasy.

Curtis most recent documentary ‘The Trap’ also comes back to these think tanks featured in this documentary.

More? Pandora’s Box Series

After Knut now Flocke (Flake) – another Polar Bear Mania sweeps the country. So many shops sell stuffed bears, the news and magazines can’t get enough of this cuddly something (image gallery here). Flocke even has her own official YouTube channel.

Madness.

The Security Council was and still is a good idea – but it no longer reflects the global status. After WW2 the US, Soviet Union, France, Britain and China  reflected the world’s powers at that time.

But not today.

India und Brazil have been lobbying hard for a permanent seat – so did Germany and Japan as big spenders for the UN.

Europe is already over represented by France and Britain. I think ONE seat for the whole of the EU would be enough. Africa should also get it’s own permanent seat. Since India and China represented such a huge slice of the population – they also should get a seat each. Although I must say that neither China nor India have been big supporters of international progress – they have been too busy to get their own countries ahead. Although India has sent many troops to international missions.

It would be great progress if this important international forum would reflect the realities of 2008 and not 1950.

More? Wikipedia entry and a BBC discussion if India should get a permanent seat – some nice comments in there.