November 2005 | Page 2 of 2

Mysterious case of death on the Nile, 4,000 years ago

November 11, 2005 / Klint Finley

The Guardian reports:

Donald Redford of Pennsylvania State University had begun to excavate the foundations of a huge temple linked to Rameses II, the pharaoh traditionally linked to the biblical story of Moses, when he found an earlier structure destroyed by fire, and evidence of a grisly episode of death on the Nile, he told a Bloomsbury Academy conference in London on Saturday. […]

Under the fire-scorched rubble, the scientists discovered the first of at least 36 bodies, victims of some brutal event 40 centuries ago. “We thought they had died where they were. But it has now become apparent that they were killed elsewhere and thrown in front of the podium. The mud brick of the burning temple cascaded over them. They were covered up and never retrieved. So there is a certain amount of foul play here.”

Guardian: Mysterious case of death on the Nile, 4,000 years ago

Seven riddles suggest a secret city beneath Tokyo

November 10, 2005 / Klint Finley

Japan Times reports:

He has a great story — evidence of a network of tunnels and possibly an underground city beneath Tokyo that the public is totally unaware of. “Why am I ignored? Can I be on to something, and there is a conspiracy to silence me? I believe so.”

Full Story: Japan Times: Seven riddles suggest a secret city beneath Tokyo

Make your own Holy, Holy, Holy Handgrenades

November 10, 2005 / Klint Finley

Orgone powered love grenades:

If you want to clear out the unpleasant entities from your immediate environment, expel parasitic/predatory ET?s from your auric field, neutralize the energetic effects of chemtrails, etc., just make one or more of these and put it on the ground or in your house, according to your intuitive promptings.

My partner, Carol, and I have found them very effective for minimizing the deadly orgone fields around nuke plants, even the ones built on natural vortices (sick puppies, they did that intentionally). They also heal and strengthen all natural vortices and man-made ones, like the Caribbean Blue Holes. Life doesn?t have to be difficult and years of training and discipline are no longer necessary if you want to do big magic, to which I can bear witness. In the new (present) paradigm, one?s character and intention count more than training and institutional acclaim.

Holy, Holy, Holy Handgrenades construction.

(via Wes).

Pagan Rituals Help Some Recover from Katrina

November 8, 2005 / Klint Finley

ABC News reports:

But ever since Hurricane Katrina, Johnson’s shop has been bustling.

“The divination tools have flown out of here,” Johnson said. “Tarot, pendulums, runes — anything that people consider fortune telling.”

Johnson has expanded her selection of stones, stocked over 75 herbs, and now offers products such as Raven Flight Dragon’s Blood, a line of oils and potions. She’s found that people who come into her shop are looking for things that will help them heal after the storm, and are willing to try methods they may never have considered before — even magic.

ABC News: Witches Work Their Magic in Hurricane Zone.

(via LVX23)

Evolution in the bible, says Vatican

November 8, 2005 / Klint Finley

News.com.au reports:

THE Vatican has issued a stout defence of Charles Darwin, voicing strong criticism of Christian fundamentalists who reject his theory of evolution and interpret the biblical account of creation literally.

Cardinal Paul Poupard, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said the Genesis description of how God created the universe and Darwin’s theory of evolution were “perfectly compatible” if the Bible were read correctly.

Full Story: News.com.au: Evolution in the bible, says Vatican

Proving it

November 7, 2005 / Klint Finley

Last night I finished writing a short story I’d been slowly working on for over a year (wrote the first bit of it right after I got back from Chicago). I added a short epilogue today, and typed the whole thing up. It’s about 7,000 words – 17 single spaced pages. I’m pretty sure it’s the longest thing I’ve ever written. It’s also the first piece of fiction I’ve finished in years.

It’s still incredibly rough. Far too rough for me to share even the smallest of excerpts here. And I need to write a couple extra scenes yet. But it feels really good to have written a story from beginning to end.

In the end of Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch adaptation, Bill Lee gets stopped by the border patrol as he’s leaving Interzone and they ask him what his business is in the next country, and he tells them he’s a writer. And the cops ask him to prove it by writing something.

I haven’t much felt like a writer recently. But finally having even the roughest of drafts of a story proves it again, if only to myself.

Miracle Mongers and Their Methods by Harry Houdini

November 4, 2005 / Klint Finley

Wow, this looks pretty interesting. Harry Houdini explains fireeaters, heat resistors, strong men and sword swallowers.

Full book online.

Peyote is good for you

November 4, 2005 / Klint Finley

The AP reports:

A study of the effects of peyote on American Indians found no evidence that the hallucinogenic cactus caused brain damage or psychological problems among people who used it frequently in religious ceremonies.

In fact, researchers from Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital found that members of the Native American Church performed better on some psychological tests than other Navajos who did not regularly use peyote.

Full Story: AP: Peyote Not Linked To Brain Damage