So tell me: how long do you think you can go before you lose it all?

Before they call your bluff and watch you fall?

I don't know, but I'd like to think I had control

At some point, but I let it go and lost my soul

Sit tight, but the revolution's years away

I'm losing faith and I'm running low on things to say

So, I guess I have no choice but to regurgitate

The tired anthem of a loser and a hypocrite

Oh! To have died that night, I realized it wouldn't last

Our days were numbered and the reaper tipped the hourglass

The final mayday of our sinking ship had come and passed

Oh! To the west, you don't know what it is you're running from

And everybody's laughing loud

Your last chance to make your mother and your father proud

(Streetlight Manifesto - Moment of Silence)

//========================

I have challenged Myself to take 365 days of self portraits, this account is specifically for that purpose.

My main account is todderick42

7/07/08 : PM

www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202208/06/WS62eda03aa310fd2b29e70...

China unveils sanctions on US over visit

Beijing announced on Friday its decision to take eight countermeasures in response to Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, covering areas of bilateral collaboration such as defense, justice and climate change.

According to the list of countermeasures issued by the Foreign Ministry, China decided to cancel three cooperative dialogues or meetings between the two nations' defense authorities or militaries.

In addition, Beijing suspended two-way judicial cooperation in areas such as illegal immigrants, cross-border crimes and narcotics, as well as bilateral consultation on climate change.

On Friday, China also announced its decision to impose sanctions against Pelosi and her immediate family members in accordance with relevant laws of China, in response to Pelosi's provocative moves.

In disregard of China's serious concern and firm opposition, Pelosi insisted on visiting Taiwan, which "constitutes gross interference in China's internal affairs, gravely undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, seriously tramples on the one-China principle, and severely threatens peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits", an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

On Thursday, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of pushing to change the status quo.

The current situation was "entirely prompted" by Pelosi and US politicians, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a news conference on Friday. "The US is the initiator of this crisis", and it has disregarded warnings sent by China and the rest of the international community prior to Pelosi's visit, she added.

Su Hao, a professor of international relations at China Foreign Affairs University, said that what lay behind Washington accusing Beijing of changing the status quo is its hypocrisy and its actions that betrayed its commitments on the Taiwan question and on improving China-US relations.

"In their recent talks with the Chinese side, both US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that the US does not support 'Taiwan independence'. However, it was Pelosi's visit to Taiwan that stirred up tensions in the Taiwan Straits," he said.

As for Washington, it is sheer bullying for it to do whatever it wants at the cost of the region's stability and a country's sovereignty and security just to secure US hegemony, he added.

Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies' Department of American Studies, noted that there have been some dangerous shifts in Washington's attitude recently toward the Taiwan question－from stressing that there is no change in its one-China policy toward a position that says Beijing should be responsible for the situation's escalation.

"Sovereignty and territorial integrity are indispensable parts of a country's core national interests. Washington knows crystal clear that Pelosi's visit was against the one-China principle, but it refused to correct the mistake, and even worse, it tried to shift all of the blame to China," she said.

Observers said it is unlikely that Washington will move away from seeking competition－and sometimes risking confrontation－with Beijing in the long run.

Some US senators are reportedly pushing to pass an act that will bolster Taiwan's "international presence" and further infuriate Beijing.

Zhu Feng, executive dean of the School of International Relations at Nanjing University, warned that "some political figures in the US dare to incite and give rise to confrontations and conflicts in the region just for their own self-interest".

"There may be more cases of confrontation or conflict between China and US in the long run. In response, China should shore up its strategic courage, vision and wisdom, and make full preparations for that," he said.

Pelosi's visit to Taiwan is another example of the hypocritical and two-faced nature of Washington's China policy, he added.

Wang Wen, executive dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University of China, said the two countries may witness further friction and struggles over a number of issues.

"While China has been working hard to steer the relationship away from the Thucydides trap, the US is irresponsibly pushing the two countries into the pitfall of confrontations as it seeks greater strategic interests," he said.

www.politico.com/news/2022/08/05/pentagon-china-calls-tai...

Pentagon chiefs’ calls to China go unanswered amid Taiwan crisis

Officials and experts say Beijing's silence is a dangerous move.

Top Chinese military officials have not returned multiple calls from their American counterparts this week as a crisis erupted in the Pacific over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, according to three people with knowledge of the attempts.

Beijing’s ghosting of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley comes as China continues launching missiles and positioning warships and aircraft in unprecedented military drills around Taiwan. Officials and experts say China’s silence is a shortsighted and reckless move that increases the risk of escalation in an already tense situation.

www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/joe-biden-shows-he-might-...

Joe Biden Shows He Might Be Stuck In The Past With His Latest Slip-Up

Joe Biden is affectionately regarded by some for being gaffe-prone. Of course, others use the President's verbal slip-ups as an opportunity to attack him. Either way, one can't ignore the most recent instance of our commander-in-chief, well, not referring to himself as such.

It was during a call with General Motors to discuss its electric vehicles that Biden bemoaned that he can't try out an environmentally-friendly version of a Corvette. "I'm not going to be able to do it because I can't drive a vehicle while I'm vice president," the leader misspoke (via New York Post). Just a second later you can hear Biden revise his title by noting, "while I'm president."

Although the moment was brief, of course the blunder caught the attention of social media. "You know.....If this was the first slip up I'd laugh. This is like the 5th time he's said he's VP," commented one person.

Many Twitter users joined in to ridicule Biden for referring to himself as second-in-command. But to be fair, he had his defenders as well, with an individual noting that he was VP for eight years.

The Timing Of Joe Biden's Latest Gaffe Is Not Ideal

Vice President, er, President Joe Biden has been known to step in it from time to time with his verbal errors. Who could forget when in January he famously referred to Kamala Harris as president (via Daily Mail)? Then there was the instance in March when the POTUS said that the first lady's husband had contracted COVID, when in fact it was Harris' spouse who was sick, a gaffe that may have left Jill Biden confused.

Unfortunately the timing of this latest Biden brain blip couldn't be worse, with a new poll revealing that more than 70% of Americans do not want to see him on the presidential ticket in 2024 (via CNN). Beyond rising inflation and gas prices that have characterized his term, many people are of the opinion that the soon-to-be 80-year-old is too past his prime to be effective for another four years (via The New York Times).

To that end, someone on Twitter said what was on the minds of many: "Why is it the American people have no faith in Joe Biden or take him serious. Why would we when he keeps telling us he's vice president."

But another observer of the debacle called Biden out for another reason, noting that he seemed "out of touch" talking about electric Corvettes when so many Americans are struggling.

Materialism is the new drug. Why spend money on something disposable like drugs, when you can spend nine hundred bucks on a sweater instead of ninety. Gyeah.

"The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness: only power, pure power.

What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from all the oligarchies of the past, in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just round the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that.

We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power."

1984 - GEORGE ORWELL

A phalanx of D.C. police officers passes the Elite Laundry at 2119 14th Street NW during the second night of disturbances April 5, 1968 following the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The city exploded in anger at the news and experienced among the greatest property damage of the more than 125 cities that erupted April 4-7, 1968 and set a then U.S. record for mass arrests when more than 6,100 were detained.

Twelve died, mostly due to becoming entrapped in burning buildings and over 1,100 were injured. Property damage was extensive in a number of corridors: 14th Street NW, 7th Street NW, U Street NW, H Street NE and Nichols Ave SE (later Martin Luther King Jr. Ave) were set afire. 1,200 buildings were burned.

Washington, D.C. had been simmering before King’s assassination.

Clarence J. Brooker was shot in the back on Minnesota Ave. NE May 7, 1967 sparking protests, including a sit-in at the District Building. On May 23, 1967, two youths were shot at a playground by a police officer that sparked another round of demonstrations.

A standoff with police began August 1, 1967 when lines of officers began moving a crowd back from a burning Salas furniture store at 1307 7th Street NW. Dozens threw rocks and bottles at police who responded in turn with billy clubs.

The outbreak occurred at about 12:30 am and lasted until about 3:00 a.m. resulting in 11 fires, 50 store windows broken and 34 arrests.

The disturbance area was confined to 7th Street between K and P NW and on 13th & 14th Streets NW near U Street—two areas that would be hit hard following King’s murder.

Dozens of other cities had already experienced widespread rebellion against authority including New York, Watts and Newark along with dozens of outbreaks in smaller cities..

In the immediate aftermath of King’s assassination, 125 cities across the country experienced a social breakdown.

In Washington, D.C. mainstream black leaders such as the appointed mayor Walter Washington and singer James Brown urged black people to contain their anger and leave the streets.

Some white leaders blamed “agitators” such as Maryland Senator Daniel Brewster who called for former SNCC leader Stokely Carmichael’s arrest after Carmichael held a press conference at SNCC headquarters in D.C. and also gave a speech at Howard University calling on black people to arm themselves.

The full text of Carmichael’s press conference is here: flic.kr/p/Rqtckc

Newspapers were filled quotes from residents both black and white decrying the burning and looting.

But the tens of thousands of black people who took part had a different point of view.

Reginald Booker, a black activist primarily known for his anti-freeway work, gave his thoughts in a May 1, 1968 hearing of the appointed city council at Eastern High School on Rehabilitation of District of Columbia Areas Damaged by Civil Disorders that was later incorporated into congressional testimony on the issue.

Booker started off calling the disturbances a “revolution” and defended the property destruction and looting.

“The burning, the devastation, you can call it riots, you can call it looting. I know what black people call it and I know what I call it.”

“Any time oppressed people are so denied, and so oppressed, and the channels of the so-called usual mechanisms of dealing with these ills, if they cannot solve the problems, then black people and all other people have the right to burn and bring destruction if that alleviates their misery.”

“Does it take burning? Does it take looting? Of course, I know the people who were looting, they were only taking back what was theirs all the time.”

“I know they were taking back what was theirs because when the rebellion broke out, I was right out there in the street with my people.”

“Now, a whole lot of those hypocritical white folks, they said, ‘well, look they even burned down some of their own people so it couldn’t have been racial. They were just out to steal something.’”

“How can you steal from a crook?”

“It was pointed out recently, for example, that Safeway, on the day that welfare recipients receive checks, raise their prices.”

“Recently the Washington Post ran a series of stories on certain credit merchants on 7th Street, on how they exploit black people. How can you buy a TV that is worth $50 and end up paying $300-plus for it, and then if you don’t make all the payments it is repossessed and the man sells it over about 10 times again?”

Press reports indicated that certain businesses were clearly targeted, including Safeway and so-called easy credit businesses.

For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsk4zGPDw

Photo by Bernie Boston. The image is courtesy of the D.C. Public Library Washington Star Collection © Washington Post.

Pribeta, 2003

'Don't eat anything you are not willing to kill yourself!' -said a hypocrite.

It's the 21st century, globalisation is thriving, people go by their highly specialised daily business and to be honest hunting and gathering is not on the top of our to-do list. Luckily, 'the dirty job' has been taken off our hands, but we must remember to treat meat with respect.

11 September 2001 - Arlington, Virginia - A ball of flame erupts as a commercial airliner crashes inton the Pentagon September 11, 2001. PHOTO CREDIT: DARYL DONLEY / SIPA PRESS

Federal troops patrol Washington, D.C. April 5, 1968 on the second night of disturbances following the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr.

The city exploded in anger at the news and experienced among the greatest property damage of the more than 125 cities that erupted April 4-7, 1968 and set a then U.S. record for mass arrests when more than 6,100 were detained.

Twelve died, mostly due to becoming entrapped in burning buildings and over 1,100 were injured. Property damage was extensive in a number of corridors: 14th Street NW, 7th Street NW, U Street NW, H Street NE and Nichols Ave SE (later Martin Luther King Jr. Ave) were set afire. 1,200 buildings were burned.

Washington, D.C. had been simmering before King’s assassination.

Clarence J. Brooker was shot in the back on Minnesota Ave. NE May 7, 1967 sparking protests, including a sit-in at the District Building. On May 23, 1967, two youths were shot at a playground by a police officer that sparked another round of demonstrations.

A standoff with police began August 1, 1967 when lines of officers began moving a crowd back from a burning Salas furniture store at 1307 7th Street NW. Dozens threw rocks and bottles at police who responded in turn with billy clubs.

The outbreak occurred at about 12:30 am and lasted until about 3:00 a.m. resulting in 11 fires, 50 store windows broken and 34 arrests.

The disturbance area was confined to 7th Street between K and P NW and on 13th & 14th Streets NW near U Street—two areas that would be hit hard following King’s murder.

Dozens of other cities had already experienced widespread rebellion against authority including New York, Watts and Newark along with dozens of outbreaks in smaller cities..

In the immediate aftermath of King’s assassination, 125 cities across the country experienced a social breakdown.

In Washington, D.C. mainstream black leaders such as the appointed mayor Walter Washington and singer James Brown urged black people to contain their anger and leave the streets.

Some white leaders blamed “agitators” such as Maryland Senator Daniel Brewster who called for former SNCC leader Stokely Carmichael’s arrest after Carmichael held a press conference at SNCC headquarters in D.C. and also gave a speech at Howard University calling on black people to arm themselves.

The full text of Carmichael’s press conference is here: flic.kr/p/Rqtckc

Newspapers were filled quotes from residents both black and white decrying the burning and looting.

But the tens of thousands of black people who took part had a different point of view.

Reginald Booker, a black activist primarily known for his anti-freeway work, gave his thoughts in a May 1, 1968 hearing of the appointed city council at Eastern High School on Rehabilitation of District of Columbia Areas Damaged by Civil Disorders that was later incorporated into congressional testimony on the issue.

Booker started off calling the disturbances a “revolution” and defended the property destruction and looting.

“The burning, the devastation, you can call it riots, you can call it looting. I know what black people call it and I know what I call it.”

“Any time oppressed people are so denied, and so oppressed, and the channels of the so-called usual mechanisms of dealing with these ills, if they cannot solve the problems, then black people and all other people have the right to burn and bring destruction if that alleviates their misery.”

“Does it take burning? Does it take looting? Of course, I know the people who were looting, they were only taking back what was theirs all the time.”

“I know they were taking back what was theirs because when the rebellion broke out, I was right out there in the street with my people.”

“Now, a whole lot of those hypocritical white folks, they said, ‘well, look they even burned down some of their own people so it couldn’t have been racial. They were just out to steal something.’”

“How can you steal from a crook?”

“It was pointed out recently, for example, that Safeway, on the day that welfare recipients receive checks, raise their prices.”

“Recently the Washington Post ran a series of stories on certain credit merchants on 7th Street, on how they exploit black people. How can you buy a TV that is worth $50 and end up paying $300-plus for it, and then if you don’t make all the payments it is repossessed and the man sells it over about 10 times again?”

Press reports indicated that certain businesses were clearly targeted, including Safeway and so-called easy credit businesses.

For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsk4zGPDw

The photographer is unknown. The image is a United Press International photograph housed in the D.C. Library Washington Star Collection.

THE DOCTRINE OF JIHAD TAKEN FROM REZA ASLAN’S BOOK “NO GOD BUT GOD”

The doctrine of Jihad, as it slowly developed in the Quran, was specifically meant to differentiate between pre-Islamic and Islamic notions of war, and to infuse the later with what Mustansir Mir calls an ideological-cum-ethical dimension” that, until that point, did not exist in the Arabian Peninsula. At the heart of doctrine of Jihad was the heretofore unrecognized distinction between combatant and noncombatant. Thus, the killing of women, children, monks, rabbis, the elderly, or any other noncombatant was absolutely forbidden under any circumstances. Muslim law eventually expanded on these prohibitions to outlaw the torture of prisoners of war; the mutilation of the dead, rape, molestation, or any kind of sexual violence during combat; the killing of diplomats, the wanton destruction of property; and the demolition of religious or medical institutions-regulations that, many centuries later would be incorporated into the modern international laws of war.

But perhaps THE MOST IMPORTANT innovation in the doctrine of Jihad was its outright prohibition of all but strictly defensive wars. “Fight in the way of God those who fight you,” the Quran says, “but do not begin hostilities; God does not like the aggressor” (2:190). Elsewhere the Quran is more explicit: “Permission to fight is given only to those who have been oppressed … who have been driven from their homes for saying, ‘God is our Lord’” (22:3; emphasis added).

Call me a hypocrite but we just depend too much on technology these days...

Theme: Materialism

Model: May Narbonne

Reinaldo Arenas (1943-1990)

Cuban revolutionary poet & author,

exiled in NYC under Castro

MY LOVER THE SEA

I am that child with the round, dirty face

who on every corner bothers you with his

“can you spare a quarter?”

I am that child with the dirty face

no doubt unwanted

that from far away contemplates coaches

where other children

emit laughter and jump up and down considerably

I am that unlikeable child

definitely unwanted

with the round dirty face

who before the giant street lights or

under the grandames also illuminated

or in front of the little girls that seem to levitate

projects the insult of his dirty face

I am that angry and lonely child of always,

that throws you the insult of that angry child of always

and warns you:

if hypocritically you pat me on the head

I would take that opportunity to steal your wallet.

I am that child of always

before the panorama of imminent terror,

imminent leprosy, imminent fleas,

of offenses and the imminent crime.

I am that repulsive child that improvises a bed

out of an old cardboard box and waits,

certain that you will accompany me.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

IUBITA MEA MAREA

Reinaldo Arenas (1943-1990)

Poet, autor si revolutionar Cuban,

exilat la New York

Sunt copilul acela cu faţa rotundă si murdară.

Care la orice colţ de stradă te plictiseşte cerşind:

“dă-mi un leu, domnule!”

Sunt copilul acela cu faţa murdară,

nedorit de nimeni

care dela distanţă priveşte autocarele

in care alţi copii

sunt plini de viaţă şi joacă sărind într-una în sus şi-n jos.

Sunt acel copil neiubit

mai mult chiar nedorit

cu faţa rotundă şi murdară

care sub felinarele străzilor sau

sub privirea matroanelor sub reflectoare

sau în faţa fetiţelor care par că dansează

îşi arată faţa murdară ca o insultă.

Sunt copilul mânios şi siguratic dintotdeauna

care îţi aruncă insulta lui de copil mânios dintotdeauna

care te pune în gardă

dacă mă vei mângâia pe cap, ca un ipocrit,

o sa profit să-ţi şterpelesc portofelul.

Sunt acel copil din totdeauna

în faţa panoramei iminentei terori,

iminentei lepre, iminenţilor purici,

a delicvenţei şi crimei iminente.

Sunt acel copil respingător care-şi improvizează un culcuş

făcut dintr-o cutie de carton, care te aşteaptă

convins că îl vei însoţi.

Versiune în limba Română

de Constantin Roman

Londra, 20 September 2011,

© 2012, Copyright Constantin Roman

Matt 16:2-3

2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

Crocodile tears is false or insincere weeping, a hypocritical display of emotions. The expression comes from an ancient anecdote that crocodiles weep in order to lure their prey, or that they cry for the victims they are eating.

Or so they say

While hiking and diving throughout the state I have been fortunate to find a few remnants from Florida's first inhabitants.

Some of the finely crafted implements they created from the state's flint-like chert material and from ancient fossilzed corals are truly works of art.

Spear and arrow points are able to be imprecisely dated by the style of their manufacture, much like the differences in automobile styling over the years. The points in these photos date from appx. 7,000 - 1,000 B. P. The tools in the upper right weren't found this way. I simply took a couple of points that had broken bases and hid the damage behind the bone "handles".

Disclaimer:

All items were legally surface collected from private properties with permission of the owners, from out-of-context locations on river bottoms (pre-abolishment of the State's "Isolated Finds Policy" ), or rescued from construction sites. Nothing has been removed from mounds, burials, or cave locations. Items of significance, such as the Hall Carbine from the Second Seminole War shown in the following link, are reported, and upon request, donated to the Division of Historical Resources.

www.flickr.com/photos/brcfla/2599682108/in/album-72157613...

Editorial Rantings:

Because the State of Florida has disbanded it's "Isolated Finds Policy" the State is missing out on a vast resource of knowledge held by the amateur collector. The majority of sites that have been investigated by the State were first reported by the public sector.

As it now stands, if you, your son, daughter, grandkids, etc. were to find an arrowhead lying exposed upon "State" land, or in one of our rivers or streams, you / they would be breaking the law to posess it. It is now illegal in the State of Florida to remove ANY "cultural" item from a Florida waterway if said item is deemed to be more than 50 years old. Yes, finding and keeping a 1966 penny, nickel, dime, or quarter from upon State land COULD technically and legally result in a substantial penalty.

Would someone be ticketed and/or arrested for retrieving the coin? Likely no.

On the other hand, the finding and keeping of a piece of stone that was re-shaped by early man? The recent arrests of numerous folks appear to indicate likely so. www.flickr.com/photos/myfwcmedia/albums/72157632872560173

The law as written leaves its interpretation woefully wide open in its enforcement. Had the currency-collecting "perp" been utilizing a metal detector to locate and retrieve the aforementioned coin, I suspect the outcome would be a bit more judicially involved.

I've reported stratigraphically-intact, multi-componant occupational sites spanning 10,000 years of history to the State to be met with "We don't have the time or money to investigate" yet apparently an arrowhead on a sandbar is important ? Another law potentially making unwitting criminals of it's citizens. I confess that I am a little jaded over the State's seemingly hypocritical stance on what is deemed important.

In one case a gentleman here in Florida was set-up in a Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission sting operation simply because he was willing to help a "school teacher" learn more about Florida's pre-history. Showing, retrieving and giving her an arrowhead on the bank of an area river led to his arrest, time in jail, attorney fees, the raiding of his house and the confiscation of his artifact collection, kayak, and other personal possessions.

I understand and can even agree with some aspects of the intent of the law, just not the way it was implemented and some of the methods, such as the case above, in how it has been enforced. The State of Florida and the FWC wasted untold hours of manpower and an unknown amount of taxpayer dollars pursuing this, IN MY OPINION, frivolous case over an arrowhead. Yes... an arrowhead.

The law as written has alienated many of the Division of Historical Resources biggest supporters; the vast majority of the law-abiding, artifact-collecting general public.

I'll go out on a limb and state that after more than 150 years of archaeological investigations here in the State of Florida there is absolutely no new "important" information to be gleaned from out-of-context artifacts recovered from turbulent river bottoms or, for that matter, shipwrecks located upon our coasts. The "knowledge" gained from the discovery of a river-tumbled stone tool, or from the scattered debris field of an 18th century shipwreck will have no bearing upon the issues that face our world today.

I welcome any archaeologist or anthropologist, armchair or accredited, to explain to me otherwise. I predict it will be a lengthy wait.

I acknowledge that there are likely a number of undisturbed archaeological sites upon land, out in the Gulf, in ancient sinkholes and solution features and in calm rivers and backwaters that if methodically investigated could glean "interesting" information on our past. Though, as stated earlier, I have reported such sites to the State to less-than-enthusiastic response.

We know the first Americans were here for 14,000 plus years. We know how they lived and what they ate.

We know that the early European explorers and pillagers had their ships sunk along our coasts by hurricanes. We also know how they lived, and yes, what they ate. Their brutal conquest of the Americas is very well documented.

Curiously (or not) the State is willing to lease out State (the publics) land to shipwreck treasure hunters for a hefty sum, to have these treasure hunters invest considerable time and money to locate and salvage said wrecks, the State then happily stepping in and confiscating half or more of anything recovered, those artifacts never seeing the light of day to the publics eye.

Though, if you wish to plunk down $629.75 (as of this writing), you can go on Amazon and purchase a (seemingly-thin-at-that-kind-of-price), 128 page hard-cover book and look at some of "the State's (your, my, our) collection".

www.amazon.com/Spanish-Colonial-Florida-Collection-Herita...

Heaven help the SCUBA diver who is caught while inadvertently (or not) recovering an artifact from one of these unmarked "lease sites" or any State waters. I ask again, what is to be learned from a crusty cannon, or, for the truly fortunate, a small pocket of gold or silver coins left behind from the Spanish treasure fleets as they were dashed upon the coastal reefs. If there were no fear of reprisal, that lucky diver might even report their find, the State then "benefitting" from this newly gained "knowledge". This leads me to conclude that it's not so much about the learning, but more about the money.

Certainly no caring individual wants to see State land or their own private land turned into a moonscape by the unscrupulous, and most certainly there are those that would do just that. THEY SHOULD BE PROSECUTED IN THE FULLEST.

It has been my experience that fanning away the sediment on the bottom of a flowing river will not leave a lasting "moonscape", and that any sign of someone having been there will often be gone in a matter of days, and in many instances, mere minutes. There is no archaeological context in most of these locations; beer and soda cans, bottles, newspaper machines, shopping carts and the occasional fossil or arrowhead all sadly mixed together in a junkyard-like jumble. The only information to be gleaned here is that many in the human race are uncaring, self-centered slobs.

I'll also venture that the vast majority of the population likely has no desire to see the bottom of our "snake and alligator-infested" blackwater rivers, this perhaps one of the factors leading to the sickeningly prevalent "out of sight, out of mind" trash dumping.

While I can't speak for other former river divers (and using this as an opportunity to toot my / our own horn), back before we were judicially intimidated from our hobby, at the end of every dive we would retrieve and fill the back of the boat with LOTS of those bottles, cans, and other assorted nasty junk as something of an "offering" to the ancients for the privilege of retrieving, preserving and promoting their heritage; and it just seemed like the right thing to do. We always left the river cleaner than when we arrived. AKA - Good Karma.

For those old enough to remember the television commercial featuring the Native American standing at the side of the litter strewn highway with a tear in his eye, you'll understand.

And what do you know, you can find most anything on YouTube...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=epCKjaStFu0

Lastly, I offer these two links. One to an article from the Tampa Bay Times, the other to a page from the Tri-State Archaeological Society's website discussing how the State of Florida's "Operation Timucua" ruined the lives of more than a dozen folks (one to commit suicide) over the collection of arrowheads from such river bottoms.

From the "Times".

www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/north-florida-arr...

And from the TSAS.

tristateas.com/?p=355

As it would appear that they have no real pressing matters to deal with, I suggest taking the positions and salaries from those paid to enact such, IMO, asinine laws, in this case the disbanding of an effective policy (a disbanding that the state's own citizens had no input on) and put that money towards MORE, yes, more FWC enforcement on our lands and waterways addressing the real problems; gill-netters, wildlife poachers, trash dumpers, and off-roaders (whos "hobby" is destroying others property), along with reckless, clueless, and / or drunken boaters and jet-skiers.

While I'm not a hunter, and have no desire to kill anything - short of a life or death situation, I considered leaving the "mammal poachers" off the list; the "needs", or perhaps more precisely, the "wants" of our ever expanding population is having a far more detrimental effect on Florida's wildlife than some random folks taking a deer or turkey (not for so-called "sport", but for food) out of "season".

The person with an expired, or even w/o a fishing license, and possessing what has been deemed an oversized or undersized fish isn't the problem. The guys dragging 1,500 feet or more of monofilament gill-net in the middle of the night scooping up entire schools of fish are.

The individual or family that excitedly found an arrowhead or piece of pottery on an outing isn't the problem. Rampant, rubber-stamped development destroying and covering entire Native American occupational / village sites w/o adequate, or any, State investigation is.

Law enforcement's time, resources, and extremely limited manpower could be put to much better use. Apparently it is much more profitable for the State to have folks arrested and charged with multiple felonies in the "trafficking" of arrowheads than to invest in enough officers to adequately protect the State's "real" resources. If the gill-netters, wildlife poachers, trash dumpers and off-roaders had a concern that there may be more than one or two FWC officers within a fifty mile radius these offenders might be a bit more wary about committing these acts.

.

Over the years many THOUSANDS of artifacts have been generously donated in good faith by the public to the state's universities and museums. You will be lucky to see more than a handful on display at ANY of them. The rest...? I don't think you'd have to dig too deep (pun intended) to figure where those have wound up. THAT is the real crime!

Detail of miniature of Dante and Virgil encountering three couples of hypocrites, clad in gilt hoods, while on the ground are stretched Caiaphas and Annas, in illustration of Canto XXIII.

London BL Yates Thompson 36 fol-42b Hypocrites

...Or I'll just eat you alive!

Want a piece of me?

Am a pretty simple, easy going person in every day life... But don't mess with me. I've had my share of douches in life to smell one miles away. So no BS, no low life unproductive comment and no hypocrites either, it just makes me sick.

Perfect mood music for this shot Killing in the name of, Rage against the machine

wow im such a hypocrite

photoshop is the new black.

look at me suck in my guts!

Man! this doesn't match with the rest of the series :P

June 30th 1998

Now I don't know but I was told

In the heat of the sun a man died of cold

Do we keep on coming or stand and wait

With the sun so dark and the hour so late?

The last day of June…who would have ever dreamt that I would be leaving Las Vegas, Nevada on this day. I can say one thing for certain – Las Vegas is unique! I can’t really say whether I love or hate this place. One moment I’m ready to stay another day, the next I wish it would be nuked! On the one hand its fun yet on the other its hypocritical and trashy. Actually I can’t call it hypocritical. It’s not like I’ve ever seen an advertisement stating Vegas’ moral, ethical and physical cleanliness. It still sickens me though. I mean conveyor belt sidewalks carrying people into the gambling rooms? Like lambs to the slaughter. Free drinks to those who gamble? Reality doesn’t hurt as much when your drunk I guess. Not to mention the gambling machines located in the bar tops, on the street corners, etc… I am surprised they’re not in bathroom stalls! And the pornography, prostitution and blatant selling of bodies and souls – it really is appalling. Does there really have to be call girl advertisement books in newspaper machines on every street corner? And I mean every one. Drive through chapels. People who can’t even pay their rent sitting like zombies pouring quarters into slots. And all the while the homeless starve and beg just out of sight and mind – separated from the frigid air conditioned casinos by one way glass. We can watch you starve while we bet $100 on a hand of poker. It would be cruel to make you watch. Now that I get to writing I guess it is clear – I hate that city and all it stands for.

Some of the people I met were amazing. Especially this one guy. He reminded me of the Preacher from the “Grapes of Wrath.” Anyway, he had an interesting way of looking at life. Everything has an opposite; life and death, night and day, young and old, the haves and the have not’s. He was a man who saw in black and whites. He said that he has a well off daughter, money in the bank – he even showed me his military pension check, neatly folded in his back pocket. Despite all of this he has chosen to be a tramp. He’s not homeless, in fact he despises that term and never uses it, but he likes to go out and walk among the people. Sort of a modern day Socrates. He told me stories of his childhood back in Alabama and how his daddy told the chief of police aka the “Grand Wizard” that if he ever set foot on his farm that he would take his shotgun and “kill every last one of you sons of a bitch” – and he was dead serious. All in all this man’s philosophy in life was to keep everyone at arm’s length and don’t take nothing from nobody…and if their going to take you out, you take out as many of them with you as you can. He was one intense individual with an amazing life story. It is too bad that he wouldn’t allow me to shoot his portrait. In fact this 70 year old man said if he ever saw his photo in a book of mine that he would 1) sue the pants off of me and 2) find out where I lived and come get me! And I believed him. Most intense eyes I have ever seen. We parted ways and I watched him wander into the crowd somewhere off of Fremont.

As I was walking back towards the hotel parking lot where my truck was parked, somewhere along the wasteland between Fremont, the Stratosphere and the rest of the strip I came across a guy who I bought dinner for. He said he was “starving to death” and I believed him. He was curled up beneath a bench at the bus stop trying to find shelter from the blistering sun. We got to talking and he actually broke down into tears talking about his wife and how she had passed away, how he went to the penitentiary back in North Carolina for stealing guns, is addicted to alcohol and to top it all off he is now stuck in Vegas sleeping under a 109* sun. It honestly was one of the saddest conversations that I have ever had. Yet, as I sat and had dinner with this man on Las Vegas Boulevard at a bus stop, throngs of people and tourists kept walking right on by staring, snickering and taking snapshots – like we were part of the show. We could even hear the jackpot bells of Circus Circus in the background. And that was the most depressing sound of all, the sound of joy, of happiness and wealth – but it was also the death knell.

In the Heat of the Sun a Man Died of Cold.

I asked the man if he needed help finding a shelter. He answered no. He thanked me for the food and curled up beneath the bench again.

_____________________

If your wondering what the heck this is all about, go here.

To keep track of progress on a map - here.

____________________

I'm not saying that Priti Patel is a Nazi, but many of her anti-immigration comments and her polices remind me of Nazi Germany. And ironically how she is refusing the rights to immigrants that her parents enjoyed when they moved to the UK. Hypocrite?

Part of the most corrupt government we've ever had in the UK with the worst Prime Minister in history, Boris Johnson.

Luv this X100V for grabbing snaps out 4wheeling...this classic 1995 Red Jeep Wrangler 2.5l is so photogenic! When I bought this from the original owner a couple of months back, I was just going to drive it AS IS. I did not realize with Jeeps you are in this continuous "farkle" mode. So, I put on custom bumpers front and back, running boards, LED tail lights (the LED headlights are on backorder) and sort of hypocritical tire cover I have since removed. I bought this to tow my jetski and I need some perceived security to stow gear while out riding with the hard top.

There are a handful of these rusty men all over the small piazzas of the old medieval town of San Gimignano. Are all these people purposefully looking the other way? :-) Well, any other way but at the statue?

Ancient male, classic nudes are available in abundance, especially in Italy, but modern nudes are hard to find because most of the western world can't "cope" with it. They are hypocritical and afraid to have to explain about its how ad why to their children :-)

These modern, iron sculptures are by Antony Gormley, who'se most famous work is probably the Angel of the North which is to be found in the north of England. For more information please look up his Wiki page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antony_Gormley [with thanks to flickr member Racklever]

Response to Article:

"Village that towers above China" by

Jonathan Watts

November 14, 2011

www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/4623-Village...

Comment by Philip McMaster:

People favourably respond to Change

Generally speaking, people don't change for the better when criticized. But they do respond favourably to praise.

Huaxi Cun is not the worst place in China, and it has been following and sometimes leading the objectives and trends of the government and Chinese people - first it was to get rich - and clean up the mess later. We did this in the West on our own schedule, some Chinese are doing it now under the generally hypocritical pressure of the global community.

人们对改变的有利反应

总体上，当人们受到批评的时候，不会变得更好。但他们受到表扬的时候，总是积极反应。华西村不是中国最差 的地方，它跟从着-有时也领导着中国政府与人民的目标与潮流。这个目标首先是变富，然后再处理垃圾。西方按照自己的日程表也这样做过。现在有些中国人也这 么做，就面临虚伪的国际压力。

An aspirational monument - if you choose to see it that way..

When I was invited to Huaxi Cun for the inauguration of the “Village in the Sky”, (www.tudou.com/programs/view/05XpJXkiNwI/ ) I spoke of the new tower as a beacon for all to see, not in terms of opulence and excess, but as a towering 3 element "Symbol of Sustainability" - an aspirational symbol rising above all else - including the cookie-cutter villas, the grubby factories, the money focus and the faux world landmarks - to shock and awe viewers into realizing that all monuments have a message – and this one should inspire people to make the connection between Heaven, Earth and the People (Tian, Di, Ren 天地人) and that to achieve Wu Renbao’s “Heaven on Earth”… the Triple-Bottom-Line balance between Society, Environment and Economy （社会,环境,经济）must become Huaxi’s new ethic.

一个振奋人心的里程碑——如果你从另一个角度解读

我应邀了参加华西村“空中新农村大楼”授牌仪式(www.tudou.com /programs/view/05XpJXkiNwI/ )，当时我谈到这栋大楼并不是炫富和挥霍，而是华西村的一个新地标。比起那些千篇一律的别墅，脏乱差的工厂，一切向钱看的态度和人造世界景观，这栋摩天大 楼是一个振奋人心 里程碑，它作为可持续发展的标志建筑让人感到震撼和心生敬畏，它能让人们感到天地人和谐发展的信息，体现了吴仁宝“人间天堂”的理念。以社会，环境和经济 作为三条支柱，寻求三者的平衡发展是华西村的新理念。

菲利普•麦克马斯特

麦克马斯特商务可持续发展研究所首席研究员，世界可持续发展组织创始人。

"Now that Huaxi village is rich, what's next?"

Following my presentation, the new building’s architect Ma Xusheng, in turn praised my interpretation of his building’s design, saying that no one had thought of it before, but that “with your new ‘Society, Environment, Economy ‘meaning attached, our building is even richer”.

At a private dinner with village leaders the evening before, I had shamelessly asked: “Now that Huaxi village is rich, what’s next?” – hoping to encourage them to expound on how they were going to share Huaxi’s wealth and expertise with other communities and to build sustainable enterprises based on a model ecological civilisation… however the response was understandable, as a bit more thinking is required; and considering most people’s focus was still on showing off and celebrating what they have achieved so far, the answer was a simple “Gambei!”

Philip McMaster,

Principal Researcher, McMaster Institute for Sustainable Development in Commerce

Founder, World Sustainability Organization

“现在华西村富了，接下来呢？”

我的演讲结束后，这栋新大楼的建筑师马旭升（音）反过来称赞了我对他的建筑设计的诠释，说以前从未有人想到这个方面，“加上您说的‘社会、环境、经济’意义后，我们的摩天大楼更加富裕了”。

前一天晚上和华西村领导的聚餐上，我厚着脸皮问了一句：“现在华西村富裕了，接下来呢？”我当时希望他们能够详细阐述下怎样和其他地区分享华西村的 财富和技术，以及在生态文明模型的基础上建立起可持续发展的企业。但是，他们的回答很简单，就是：“干杯！”当然，这是可以理解的，因为回答这个问题需要 一些思考，而且当时大多数人的注意力仍然在炫耀和庆祝他们至今已取得的成就上。

菲利普•麦克马斯特

麦克马斯特商务可持续发展研究所首席研究员，世界可持续发展组织创始人。

...Huaxi must have liked 3 Fingers - we're invited back_\!/

Our “Peace Plus One -World Sustainability Project” (www.SustainabilitySymbol.com ) and the 3 Finger Sustainability Symbol is about promoting LOHHAS – a Lifestyle Of Health, Happiness And Sustainability, first for the 1/5th of the world in China, then to be exported as a sustainable philosophy for the entire planet. The Leaders of Huaxi must have liked something about our discussions, as they wholeheartedly embraced the3 Finger Sustainability Symbol and invited us back to share more_\!/

Philip McMaster,

Principal Researcher, McMaster Institute for Sustainable Development in Commerce

Founder, World Sustainability Organization

...华西村一定喜欢“三指禅” —— 我们又被邀请了_\!/

我们的“和平 + 1 - 世界可持续发展项目” （www.SustainabilitySymbol.com）和“三指禅”可持续发展符号旨在促进“乐活”——一种健康、快乐、可持续的生活方式。起初 是为了中国占世界五分之一的人口而提出，后来作为一个可持续发展的理念被推广到全世界。华西村的领导们肯定是欣赏我们的一些讨论成果，因为他们热烈欢迎了 我们的“三根手指可持续发展符号”并且再次邀请我们去分享更多信息。

Philip McMaster（大龙），

商务可持续发展麦克马斯特学院，首席研究员

世界可持续发展组织创始人

I worked with Bob Randall to get a bill passed at the federal level to make marijuana available for medicinal purposes. We obviously failed. It was a bitter lesson in the hypocrisy of government. We had more than 300 co-sponsors in the House -- including Newt Gingrich as one of the two primary co-sponsors -- but Henry Waxman's staffer (good liberal) told us he would make sure the bill never got out of commiteee and he was right. Another low point was an FDA official telling me that there were no studies showing the medical efficacy of marijuana and then just weeks later forcing him to turn over the 7 studies that he was personally aware of that showed marijuana was effective in treating the nausea caused by chemotherapy.

The hypocrisy and lying I encountered while working on this matter was a big push toward my politics becoming libertarian.

As thanks for my work on this matter and some related litigation, Bob gave me an empty tin and a pill bottle in which his joints had been shipped. Unfortunately, Bob passed away a few years ago.

Photocredit: unknown.

Do you ever wonder that people used to make shirts of a decent length, for a reason?

The purpose of this upload is not to bring disgrace to someone (anymore than they bring it to themselves!) but to point out how some people should smarten up, and clean-up their act, so as to not contribute to making the whole society look hypocritical.

TRUE! --nervous --very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses --not destroyed --not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily --how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture --a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees --very gradually --I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded --with what caution --with what foresight --with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it --oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly --very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this, And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously --cautiously (for the hinges creaked) --I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights --every night just at midnight --but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he has passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.

Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch's minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers --of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back --but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers,) and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.

I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out --"Who's there?"

I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening; --just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.

Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief --oh, no! --it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself --"It is nothing but the wind in the chimney --it is only a mouse crossing the floor," or "It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp." Yes, he had been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions: but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel --although he neither saw nor heard --to feel the presence of my head within the room.

When I had waited a long time, very patiently, without hearing him lie down, I resolved to open a little --a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So I opened it --you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily --until, at length a simple dim ray, like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell full upon the vulture eye.

It was open --wide, wide open --and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness --all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man's face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot.

And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense? --now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.

But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eve. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The old man's terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment! --do you mark me well I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me --the sound would be heard by a neighbour! The old man's hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once --once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eve would trouble me no more.

If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs.

I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye --not even his --could have detected any thing wrong. There was nothing to wash out --no stain of any kind --no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all --ha! ha!

When I had made an end of these labors, it was four o'clock --still dark as midnight. As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street door. I went down to open it with a light heart, --for what had I now to fear? There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek had been heard by a neighbour during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed to search the premises.

I smiled, --for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I mentioned, was absent in the country. I took my visitors all over the house. I bade them search --search well. I led them, at length, to his chamber. I showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of my confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desired them here to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim.

The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly at ease. They sat, and while I answered cheerily, they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct: --It continued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definiteness --until, at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears.

No doubt I now grew very pale; --but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased --and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound --much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath --and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly --more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men --but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed --I raved --I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder --louder --louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! --no, no! They heard! --they suspected! --they knew! --they were making a mockery of my horror!-this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now --again! --hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!

"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! --tear up the planks! here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!"

Edgar Allan Poe

1843

The heart is like a fort and Satan the advancing enemy, who is intent on infiltrating and occupying it. Hence, only by guarding the gates, entrances and vulnerable positions, will it be impenetrable. Yet, a person who is unacquainted with the structure of the fortress, particularly its access points, cannot adequately defend it. By the same token, the obligation of guarding the heart from the whispers of Satan cannot be fulfilled and he cannot be warded off, unless a person knows the gates to the heart that Satan may take.

These gateways are, generally, personal characteristics, of which there are many, but, here, we will only refer to the ones that are so wide so as to accommodate all the numerous soldiers of Satan. These include:

- Anger and desire: Anger is the ghoul of the psyche; when it weakens the guards of one's mind, Satan's soldiers immediately seize the opportunity to attack. Furthermore, when a person becomes enraged, Satan toys with him in the same way children play with a ball.

- Envy and greed: No matter how careful man is, his covetousness makes him deaf and dumb. The light of insight reveals the gates of Satan; when envy and greediness mask this light, man becomes at risk. Hence, Satan seizes that opportunity and adorns for an acquisitive person whatever leads to his or her desires, even if it is heinous and evil. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, spoke of avarice: "If two starving wolves were left in a flock of sheep, they would not be as harmful [to them] as a person’s hunger for money and status is to his [or her] faith." [At-Tirmithi, Hasan Saheeh]

- Satiating oneself: This is one of Satan's gateways to the heart; although lawful, eating in excess strengthens one's desires, which, in turn, are his weapons.

- Impetuosity: Haste and recklessness are among the widest gates of Satan to one's heart, as the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Hastiness is from Satan and deliberateness is from Allaah the Almighty." [At-Tirmithi]

- Miserliness and fear of poverty: They prevent a person from giving in charity, instead justifying hoarding, which only leads to a painful punishment.

- Bigotry toward a specific school of thought or an inclination toward a desire, bearing grudges against opponents or treating them with contempt: This destroys the immoral and pious alike. Defaming people and calling attention to their faults is one of the predatory characteristics inherent in human nature.

- Thinking ill of Muslims: Allaah the Almighty Says (what means): {O you who have believed! Avoid much suspicion, indeed some suspicions are sins.} [Quran 49: 12]. Indeed, only hypocrites seek out flaws in others, whereas believers seek excuses for them.

A person may now ask: “How can one ward Satan off? Is it enough to be in constant remembrance of Allaah the Almighty or to utter [phrases like] ‘Laa hawla wala quwwata illaa billaah (There is no power or strength except in Allaah)’?” The answer is that you must know that the course of treatment to save one's heart from the whispers of Satan is to block the gateways [he takes] and to purify the heart from the aforementioned bad characteristics.

This needs to be further elaborated. The remembrance of Allaah the Almighty should indeed suffice in stopping Satan from passing by or whispering in one’s heart. However, that cannot happen unless the heart itself is already of a pious nature and purified from evil characteristics. If not, words of His remembrance will be no more than mere thoughts without any impact on the heart or substance to deflect Satan. Allaah the Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, those who are pious - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.} [Quran 7: 201]. Therefore, since this is only confined to the pious, once a person manages to uproot evil traits from within, Satan may pass by or whisper, but will never be able to reside in the heart.

You see, Satan is like an approaching starved dog; if a person has neither bread nor meat, it will move away just by your voice which commands it to “go away”. However, if you have meat in your hands and the dog is hungry, it will attack the flesh and your mere words will not be enough to keep the animal at bay.

Similarly, if the heart is free from anything Satan can feed on, Thikr (remembrance of Allaah The Almighty) will be enough to fend it off. On the other hand, if a person’s desires dominate his or her heart, the influence of Thikr is restricted to the outer edges of the heart and instead, its core becomes a residence for Satan. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "The heart is touched twice: [one of it is] a touch by the angel [which constitutes] a command of goodness and an acceptance of the truth. So, if a man experiences this, he should know that it is from Allaah the Almighty and he should consequently thank Him. On the other hand, [there is] a touch from the enemy [Satan, and that constitutes an] insinuation of evil, disbelief in truth and being barred from good. So, if a person experiences this, he should seek refuge with Allaah from the accursed Satan.” Then, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, recited the Saying of Allaah the Almighty (which means): {Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality.}.[Quran 2:268].”[An-Nasaa’i and At-Tirmithi]

Expounding on this, Al-Hasan, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: "They [i.e., the two touches] are actually two concerns that occur to the heart: one from Allaah the Almighty and the other from the enemy [Satan]. May Allaah have mercy upon a slave who examines his concerns and lets that affect him which is from Allaah The Almighty, and strives against whatever he deems from the enemy.”

By nature, the heart equally accepts both the inspiration of an angel and the incitement of Satan, such that there is a balance. However, the latter aspect dominates when a person acts ravenously and indulges in desires, whereas the former overrules it if a person turns away from wants and whims, and resists them.

When man becomes subservient to his desires and his actions become driven by rage, the influence of Satan will prevail via whims, which are his haven, and the heart will become Satan’s nest and pasture. On the other hand, if a person strives against his or her desires, barring them from impacting him or her and adopts some angelic traits, his or her heart will become the dwelling and station of angels. Thus, the soldiers of angels and of Satan are in an epic struggle, until the heart opens to one of them, allowing them to reside within and dominate; the other party, then, will only be able to pass with stealth.

Unfortunately, most hearts are conquered by the soldiers of Satan, sustained by obedience to desires and whims, and, therefore, the organs are riddled with base notions that give preference to this temporary life, with clear disregard of the Hereafter. The heart cannot be recaptured except when it is purified from the nutrition of Satan and is supported with the remembrance of Allaah the Almighty, which is the haven of angels.

Responses of the heart to temptation

Huthayfah ibn Al-Yamaan, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:"Temptations are presented to hearts in the same way as a reed mat is woven, stick by stick. Any heart which is saturated by them will receive a black mark, whereas any heart that rejects them will have a white mark put on it. The result is that there will be two types of hearts: a black and dusty heart, which is like an uneven vessel that neither recognizes good nor rejects evil, except what is impregnated into it of desires; and a white heart that will never be harmed by any temptation, as long as there are heavens and the earth." [Muslim]

When the lure of desire and doubts are presented to the heart, it transforms into either of two types:

- The first is a heart that absorbs temptation in the same way a sponge soaks up water. This one will get a black stain every time it gives in to a temptation, until it becomes wholly dark and uneven. When this happens, the heart will be susceptible to two dangerous diseases: firstly, it will be unable to differentiate between good and evil, to the extent that it will not recognize either of them. Thereafter, the illness will pervade the organ until a person believes that good is evil and evil is good, the Prophetic Sunnah is a religious innovation and vice versa, and that truth is falsehood and the opposite holds true as well. Secondly, the heart will begin to be subservient to its whims, making them a criterion for judging the teachings of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sallam.

- The second is the white heart that is illuminated by the light of faith. When temptations are presented to it, it will immediately deny and reject them, thereby increasing in brightness and radiance.

As for the temptations themselves, they are categorized into two: desires and doubts. While the first leads to the corruption of both intentions and one’s will, the second taints a person’s knowledge and belief.

Accordingly, diseases of the heart are also of base desires and doubts; the former can be interpreted by the verse in which Allaah the Almighty Says (what means): {Do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet.} [Quran 33: 32] Unlike a healthy person, a patient is more sensitive to the slightest changes in heat, cold or movement; likewise, when the heart suffers from an illness, even a small amount of whims or doubts harms it and it is unable to ward them off. On the other hand, a sound heart powerfully fends off these temptations, even in the face of more attacks.

As for the other kind, Allaah the Almighty referred to the disease of doubt, when He Said (what means): {In their hearts is disease, so Allaah has increased their disease.} [Quran 2: 10] Commenting on this verse, Qataadah and Mujaahid, may Allaah have mercy upon them, stated that “disease” here refers to misgivings.

Although illnesses of the heart come in these two forms, the Glorious Quran is a remedy for both. It includes decisive proofs that distinguish between truth and falsehood; with them, the disease of doubt, which corrupts a person’s knowledge and intellect, is removed, and a person can perceive things in their real form. Thus, the Quran is the true cure for malicious allegations and doubts. Yet, its effectiveness is contingent on understanding the Quran and comprehending its essence. And, if Allaah the Almighty grants that to a person, his or her heart will as clearly distinguish between truth and falsehood, as it does between night and day.

Additionally, the Quran heals the other of the two diseases: desire; for, it includes wisdom, admonition and encouragement. It also contains verses warning people against indulging in the worldly life and instead urging them to work for the Hereafter. Furthermore, it has parables and stories that illustrate various lessons and warnings. Contemplating all this, a sound heart will surely incline towards what benefits it in both worlds and turn away from what will be of harm. The heart will then love guidance and detest vice.

Thus, the Glorious Quran removes diseases that result in corrupt yearnings; it reforms the heart, and so, reforms its wants, thus restoring it to the natural, pure state that it was created in. Referring to this, Allaah the Almighty Says (what means):

· {And We send down of the Quran that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.} [Quran 17: 82]

· {O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers.} [Quran 10: 57]

The heart feeds on faith and the Quran, taking from it what purifies and strengthens it. Both the heart and body require growth and development until they become perfect and sound. Hence, just as the body needs nutrients that build it and a healthy diet that protects it from harm, so does the heart. But, it can only obtain its nourishment from the Quran; and if it attempts to get something similar from another source, it would be provided with very little and not be able to reach its potential. Similarly, plants do not grow or become ripe without nutrients and proper environment; only when those are available, can we say they do.

Therefore, a person should study the signs of an ill and a sound heart, so he or she is able to discern which type he or she possesses. If the heart is sick, a slave of Allaah The Almighty must do his or her best to treat it before he or she meets Him with a sick heart, which will deprive him or her from entering Paradise. If the heart is sound, then he or she must nonetheless continue to safeguard its soundness until he or she dies in this state. If, however, the heart is dead, he or she can take solace in the fact that Allaah the Almighty gives life to the dead, as He Says (what means): {Know that Allaah gives life to the earth after its lifelessness. We have made clear to you the signs; perhaps you will understand.} [Quran 57: 17]

George Honey (25 May 1822 – 28 May 1880) was a British actor, comedian and singer. He was in the original productions of Caste by T. W. Robertson, and Engaged by W. S. Gilbert.

His acting career began in November 1848 at the Princess's Theatre, London, in the role of Pan in Midas. He was not regarded as a comedian in his early career, but as a singer; he joined the Pyne & Harrison Opera Company and appeared in several operas. One of these was The Rose of Castille, in which he appeared in the original production in 1857 at the Lyceum Theatre, London. Another was Martha in 1858 at the Drury Lane theatre, in an English translation; a reviewer in The Musical World wrote, "Mr. George Honey made an amusing caricature of Lord Tristan, but was not always to be praised for his extravagances."

From the early 1860s he concentrated on the dramatic stage, mainly in comic roles playing dissipated characters, for which he became popular.

In 1865 he appeared in William Brough's burlesque Prince Amabel; in 1866 he was in Watts Phillips's The Huguenot Captain.

In 1867 he appeared at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the original production of Caste by T. W. Robertson, which opened on 6 April; he played the part of Eccles. In the Daily News on 8 April, a critic wrote about this production:

Instead of the conventional clowns who are put in by slop-work dramatists to lighten the serious interest of their work, we have real characters who think, speak, and act like human beings, and yet are intensely amusing and interesting. The drunken father, evidently made up from Mr. George Cruikshank's pictures of The Bottle, is admirably played by Mr. George Honey, who made his first appearance at this theatre, and who never acted better.... The make-up, the voice, the manner, the savagery in one part, the hypocritical maudlin grief in another, the toadying to wealth in another, the disgust and abuse when wealth refuses to deposit even a sovereign, the exits and entrances of this character, are things to be gratefully remembered....

He was in the original production, which opened on 16 April 1870 at the Vaudeville Theatre, of For Love or Money by Andrew Haliday.

He appeared in the play Money by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, playing the part of Graves. He first took this role in 1869; the play was revived at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1872 and 1875, where it made a greater impression on audiences. In the Standard on 31 May 1875, a critic wrote:

A noticeable and welcome feature in the revival is the return of Mr. George Honey, who resumes his part of Graves, one of the most genuine and unexaggerated examples of pure humour the modern stage has witnessed. Before Mr. Honey has uttered three sentences the character of Graves is distinctly placed before the spectator. The manner in which the sigh of grief for the memory of "sainted Maria" gives place to the approving criticism on the glass of sherry, and the aspect of bereavement changes to a look of gratification as his eye lights on the pleasant face of Lady Franklin, is irresistibly amusing; and the subsequent scene between the two is the perfection of comedy acting....

He was successful in the original cast of W.S.Gilbert's comedy Engaged, which opened on 3 October 1877 at the Haymarket Theatre; he played the part of Cheviot Hill. He returned to the role of Eccles in Caste, from January to May 1879 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

He retired due to ill-health in 1879; he died in London in 1880

Highgate Cemetery, Swaine's Lane, London.

President Meles Zenawi is cuddling Somalia's different factions. His favorite faction, the TFG, represented by President Sharif, is being put on the chest. The rest of them on different positions.

Up to now, the world is still letting Meles Zenawi take the lead of solving Somali problem. Was there ever a nation that has been let to hijack another nation's reconciliation process and keep it while it is causing more destruction to that nation for the last twenty years of peace process? What a hypocritical world are we living today! How long it will take for the world leaders to realize that Meles Zenawi is not there to solve Somali civil war problem but to prolong it?

Month 34 - Swan calling the Tessa white.

Everything wrong with humanity, yet American liberals still cling to the idealism promoted by these dictators, communists and thugs.

Momus: "Lucky Like Saint Sebastian"

Once upon a time there was a man called Saul

Who persecuted Christians until he saw

The work was bearing fruit for the Christians

So the man changed his opinions and his Christian name to Paul

He says "Tell me, Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?"

My good ol' friend Mira tagged me and has asked to share 16 random facts about me

A bit late in collating the facts but nevertheless here they are -

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1 - I'm a man of few words

(how I wish I could stop here!)

ending with my fav. quote - "I could've been anybody, thankfully I'm me!"

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So these were some uncanny facts about me which you wished you never knew!

Thanks for reading and be nice to me if you don't want to be tagged too! ;-)