Did You Get Yours Yet???

If you didn’t already know, Fresh 2 Def released a downloadable five track promo for their upcoming mixtape “Two Sides To Every Story” set to drop 3.2.10. The download was made available 10.29.09 and only a handful were actually printed for distribution. I don’t know about you but Fresh 2 Def believes that this mixtape will be one of the hottest to drop in 2010!    -Mr. President

Since I haven’t talked about science in a while, I thought that now would be a good time to list some of the more common arguments for a Creator and Designer of the universe and/or intelligent life. I like to use arguments drawn from mainstream science that do not assume the Bible or inerrancy or anything specifically religious. The arguments below all show that the reality we live in exhibits effects in nature that are not explained by particles in motion, chance and the operation of natural laws.

First, here’s the list of a few of the better-known arguments:

• The origin of the universe from nothing
• The fine-tuning of the cosmological constants to permit life
• The fine-tuning of the galaxy, solar system, and planet to permit life
• Origin of the building blocks in the simplest replicating cell
• Origin of biological information in the simplest replicating cell
• Sudden origins of all major body plans in the Cambrian explosion
• Irreducible complexity in molecular machines
• The limits on what natural selection and random mutation can do

The average knuckle-dragging atheist will not be familiar with any of these arguments, will have never seen them used in academic debates, and will not even click through to read about them. That’s atheism these days – it’s non-cognitive. Atheism is all about escaping from moral values and moral obligations, which are not even rationally grounded by atheism.

The point of being familiar with these arguments is to show that religion and science are virtually identical. Both are trying to explain the external world. Both are bound by the laws of logic. Both use evidence to verify and falsify claims. For example, the discovery of the origin of the universe falsifies Hinduism, Buddhism and Mormonism, but it leaves Christianity, Islam and Judaism unscathed. All religions make truth claims and those claims can be tested against what science tells us about the world.

What is the significance of scientific progress for Christians?

Some general points to know when presenting these arguments.

1. You need to emphasize that atheism is in full flight away from the progress of science. Each of these arguments has gotten stronger as the evidence grew and grew. For example, scientists had to be forced to turn away from the eternal universe as new discoveries arrived, such as the cosmic microwave background radiation measurements. Scientists had to turn away from the view that the cosmological constants are nothing special, as more and more fine-tuned quantities were discovered.

2. Christians need to pay attention in school and score top grades in mathematics and experimental sciences. Science is God-friendly, and we need to have Christians doing cutting edge research in the best labs at the universities. Think of the work done by Doug Axe at Cambridge University in which he was able to publish research showing that very few sequences of amino acids have biological function, so getting functional sequences at random is virtually impossible. One of Doug’s papers is here. We need more people like him.

3. Each of these arguments needs to be studied in the context of polemics and debates. The best way to present each of these arguments is by presenting them as a struggle against opposing forces. For example, when talking about the big bang, emphasize how atheists kept trying to come up with eternal universe speculations. When talking about the fine-tuning, talk about the unobservable multiverse. When talking about irreducible complexity, talk about the co-option fallacy. Don’t preach – teach the controversy.

4. Don’t make lazy excuses about how scientific evidence doesn’t persuade non-Christians. Science is absolutely the core of any argument for Christianity, along with the case for the resurrection of Jesus. Christianity is about knowledge. Christians who refuse to subject their faith to science are probably just trying to make sure that Christianity isn’t so true that it dictates how they should live. They like the uncertainty of blind faith, because it preserves their autonomy to disregard Christian moral teachings when it suits them.

5. The purpose of linking your Christian faith to scientific arguments is to demonstrate to non-Christians that Christianity is real. It is not a personal preference. It is not something you grew up with. It is not something you inherited from your parents. When you link your Christian faith with scientific facts in the external world, you are declaring to non-Christians that Christianity is testable and binding on everyone who shares the objective reality we live in. You can’t expect people to act Christianly without showing that Christianity is objectively true.

6. Scientific arguments are tremendously useful even for believing Christians, because sometimes it is difficult to act in a Christian way when your emotions are telling you not to. When your feelings make it hard for you to behave Christianly, that is when scientific evidence can come into play in order to rationally justify acts of self-denial and self-sacrifice. For example, scientific evidence for the existence of God is a helpful counterbalance to the problem of apparently gratuitous evil, which often discourages Christians.

My complete index of arguments for and against Christian theism is here.

UPDATE: I notice that in the popular culture, people are not really aware of these arguments, and are still arguing for religious faith based on pragmatism and personal experience, not on evidence. Using reason and evidence is much better, and it’s what the Bible teaches, too.

Hey folks, come join us at the Bear Creek Music & Art Festival in Live Oak, FL, November 13-15. Read below for all the good stuff that’ll be happening in just a couple of weeks.

Three Generations of Funk converge at Bear Creek Music & Art Festival
Parliament/Funkadelic’s Bernie Worrell and James Brown’s Fred Wesley added to Southeast’s hottest outdoor party, Nov. 13-15
Funk, Blues, Jazz, Soul & Rock all find a home at Bear Creek
Held at the Beautiful Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL
Legends of Funk Join Galactic, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Perpetual Groove, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Steve Kimock, The New Mastersounds, Papa Mali, Toubab Krewe, Lotus & more than 40 more bands
Three generations of funk are set to converge at this year’s Bear Creek Music & Art Festival Nov.13-15 at the beautiful Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, voted “Florida’s Best Live Music Venue” by readers of Florida Monthly Magazine earlier this year.
World-class music is scheduled from such legendary artists as keyboardist Bernie Worrell (Parliament/Funkadelic, Talking Heads) and trombonist Fred Wesley (James Brown’s Band), to current club favorites Galactic and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, with exciting fresh, new sounds from The New Mastersounds and Toubab Krewe. Just a small cross-section, more than 50 other artists will fill the peak autumn weekend with high-energy, upbeat and danceable music with a dozen performers offering two entire shows.
By bringing together all three generations of artists, the Bear Creek Music & Art Festival features a number of “Artists at Large” who are able to freely collaborate with other artists with a high degree of spontaneity. Among these “Artists at Large” are funk legends, Bernie Worrell, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame perhaps best known for his work with Parliament-Funkadelic and Talking Heads, along with Fred Wesley, a pivotal member of funk poineer James Brown’s band, the Count Basie Orchestra and many more.
Among the featured bands performing two sets at this year’s festival are Galactic, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, The New Mastersounds, Toubab Krewe, Dub Conscious and Lettuce. Other festival highlights include Perpetual Groove, Lotus, Steve Kimock Crazy Engine, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, Hill Country Revue, Benevento Russo Duo, The Slip, Bonerama, Pnuma Trio, Papa Mali Band, Garage A Trois, Yonrico Scott Band and more than two dozen more. The complete artist lineup can be found online at www.bearcreekmusicfestival.com.
In addition to live music, 12 talented painters will create live art during the musical performances, providing their own artistic interpretations of their experience while on stage. These original paintings will be displayed and sold in the Bear Creek Art Tent.
Giving Back & Getting Involved:
Continuing its commitment to community in a variety of displays, Bear Creek once again presents its ‘Green Program’ – the festival’s pursuit for environmental improvement with a pledge to use more biodegradable materials, exhibit water conservation policies, habitat protection efforts, increase recycling and more throughout the park’s environmentally-friendly facility.
Bear Creek also hosts a weekend-long food drive in support of The Food Bank of Suwannee Valley by asking all festival patrons to bring a donation of canned goods and non-perishable food items. These items are placed in one of the Festival’s many receptacle barrels located at the main gate and throughout the venue; in addition, anyone bringing five canned goods or more will receive a complimentary festival poster and sticker for their contribution. The festival is also hosting the second annual Bear Creek Feed the Hungry Disc Golf Tournament happening on the Music Park’s 18-hole disc golf course. Its mission is to raise funds for the Food Bank of Suwannee Valley. This fun, casual and charitable disc golf tournament raised hundreds of dollars as well as hundreds of pounds of food during the 2008 event. Tournament schedule & sign-up details are available online.
Through proceeds and donations from a silent auction at the event, the Bear Creek Music Festival will support The Dreams of Recovery Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)3 charitable organization formed to assist individuals with spinal cord and brain injuries. The funds raised will help these individuals receive the therapy they so desperately need and the necessary equipment that will promote nerve regeneration and muscle mass. Grants of financial support will be offered for individuals to participate in approved therapy programs which are not covered by insurance, grant individuals with equipment to improve their daily life, and grant approved institutions necessary funding to conduct scientific research to find a cure for paralysis.
The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park:
Conveniently located between Jacksonville and Tallahassee, the Bear Creek Music Festival is located just minutes off of I-75 in Northern Florida at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida off US 129 north at the famous Suwannee River.
The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park is a one-of-a-kind outdoor music venue and campground and was recently bestowed the honor of Best Live Music Venue in 2009 by readers of Florida Monthly Magazine.　 The 700+ acre resort overlooks the historic Suwannee River and offers unmatched primitive campsites, water and electric campsites, five shower houses and cabin rentals, as well as a full amenity package including canoeing, an authentic craft village, mini golf and disk golf courses, full service restaurant, natural amphitheater, music, festivals, a general store, golf cart rentals and more.

Cudi, now KID Musky to the mass of Hip Hop fans has been issued 30 Days by G.Will and “Former Manager” Sydney MacDonlad, to in some way correct his wrongs and show respect for helping Cudi’s career. As a result of him not clearing a debt, the funding for classes Cudi took, paid for by Everi Exposure and acknowledging the man resonsible for being THE MOST IMPORTANT MAN IN CUDI’S LIFE. The man Cudi felt was so special that he was willing to give him a gift that no sane man would give away EVER.

Inspiring Rapper G.Will CEO/Founder Prolific MG, a self claimed Rap Android felt the need to speak about how the situation made him feel. “As a REAL Struggling Artist Loyalty and Respect are VERY IMPORTANT.” Apparently alot more people in the Hip Hop Community are devastated to know Cudi’s is selling lies. G.Will  has devoted himself to destroying Hip Hop. The  “Ctrl + Alt + Delete” Mixtape will have the EXCLUSIVE TRACKS spilling the secrete behind Kid Musky’s Career. While G.Will verbally attacks Musky on Audio, the birth of a NEW FORM OF RAPPER HAS COME ( RAP ANDROID G.WILL). The buzz is beginning to build up very quick. Will Cudi respond? Will the media ask Cudi the questions that fans want to hear? Is it true that G.Will is the cause of Cudi’s increased falling number of fans? Did Cudi get smack while admitting on air that he was<<<<<<<I GUESS WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL OCT 31st TO FIND OUT.

LISTEN AND DOWNLOAD….A PREVIEW FOR TOMORROW!

30DAYS_2_COME_CLEAN!

PLANET X RECORDS–Founded by Vega X

It sees itself as just a physical body completely separate from God, life and other people. It sees itself at war and in competition with other people. It lives in a reality of being better than everyone else or worse than everyone else; hence it is prone to jealousy, comparison, judgment, attack thoughts and conditional love. It sees you just as a physical body that will die. The Spiritual/ Christ/ Buddha/ Krishna/ Moses/ Mohammed/ Mighty I AM Presence/ God/ Goddess Consciousness is the exact opposite of the negative ego. It sees you as a Son or Daughter of God, incarnating into a physical body for the purpose of Spiritual growth and service in this mystery school called Earth. It recognizes that you are one with God, your brothers and sisters, and all of Creation. It recognizes that you are in a process of evolution, fully realizing this truth at a planetary level now, and then evolving through the solar, galactic, universal, multi-universal and cosmic realities until you fully realize this truth in an ultimate cosmic sense. It recognizes that even though you have not fully realized this oneness yet, it remains an inherent truth of your being. It sees you as an eternal, immortal Spirit living in your current physical body of which you have had many, the current one probably being your last one…. So let it be written. So let it be done.

© 2009 www.IAMUniversity.org

Roxana Ghita – Midnight Erotica, The Survival of the myths

The Survival of the Myths is a photography and digital art project by the photographer Roxana Ghita in collaboration with Sara Lavan.

Entitled The Survival of the Myths, the works are based on Romanian Erotic myths. Life and death, love, creation, religion and rebirth, the myth of the Vampire or of the phantoms are set in a surreal atmosphere of a cosmic new age.

Will eroticism with all its romantic imaginary and myths survive in the distant future, in the year 80.174, lets say? What will we, as humans, be able to still take with us in our voyage to cosmic infinity and, maybe, eternity? Will religion survive? Will love survive? Will sex survive? What will remain of our stories and books? How will man and woman behave towards each other once they have conquered space?

The Project Midnight Erotica was initialised by the photographer Bogdan Ater. It involves several artists, each from another country, portraying the same theme according to their own national identity.

Roxana Ghita is the first artist to have answered the call with the Romanian Mythology series. She found inspiration in the popular myths of Master Manole, of the Flyer and also in the literary erotic stories and poetry of Mihai Eminescu (Mortua Est, Strigoii, Calin File din Poveste, Luceafarul, Cezara), Mircea Eliade (Dra. Christina, Sarpele), and Lucian Blaga (Mesterul Manole).

The second series of the project is Jewish Midnight Erotica by the Israeli photographer Sara Lavan, portraying in a futuristic style the erotic stories of the Bible.

Greek mythology, Eros versus Thanatos, will be rendered by the photographer Bogdan Ater.

At the end of the whole project, there will be published an album with the best photographies and the critical texts they inspired.

All photographers will be able to exhibit their works at Espacio Niram, Madrid.

Live music? I say Amen, and the smaller the venue the better. But not just any band is going to be able to put out a performance that makes my face nearly crack from smiling, makes me laugh and cheer out loud, and leaves me sweating and panting from dancing as hard as I can. Galactic is one of those special bands, and last weekend they played two shows at the Brooklyn Bowl. 

A nice coincidence, since the Brooklyn Bowl is my new favorite venue. Owned and operated by the same guy who ran the Wetlands in Tribeca, Brooklyn Bowl replicates much of what made the Wetlands so special: you can stand right against the stage or watch the show easily from the bar; there are areas away from the stage where you can lounge with friends but still hear the music; and there’s a funky themed decor (bowling alley!) that is a little bit hokey but also just right. Yes, you can bowl at the Brooklyn Bowl. and you can get dinner in the restaurant, all while the band is playing. The Brooklyn Bowl is one of only two reasons I’ll ever go to Brooklyn (the other being visiting my best friend CB is the first). Funny, it’s only a few times I’ve seen shows there but I already feel so at home there, like it’s “my” joint. 

Galactic has got to be my all-time favorite band to see live. I love these guys. They jam, they funk, they rock, jazz and dance. The swirl it all together until it feels like Stanton Moore’s drumbeats are aimed directly at my chest and Robert Mercurio’s bass licks have possessed me by the hips and are shaking me left and right. Is the music within me, or without? Last Thursday night, they were barely three songs into their set and the lines were already blurred. I wiggled and jumped, I swayed and shimmied, I reached for the sky and closed my eyes. We–me, the band, the audience–did this for nearly three hours. Talk about an endurance event. I watched Stanton bang away, and the saxophonist wail away, and the trumpeter blow and rap and stage-dive (yes! twice!) and I thought–surely you guys are athletes like me. Stamina for elation. And look! Mercurio is performing in Nike running shoes! I checked him out all night long trying to sort out if he is an actual runner or not. (Could be–he’s trim and has a cute butt.) 

The first night’s show wasn’t sold out, so I was able to dance right next to the stage the whole show. Once I circled back to Husband and our friends and said, “This crowd is great! I don’t feel like punching anyone!” I wore my blue sequined tank top; this is my post-race celebration top. I only wear it right after a big race or the Green Mountain Relay. Saturday the Brooklyn Bowl was mobbed–I walked in and immediately felt the heat of a thousand bodies ready to groove. I wore jeans, an old pair of running shoes, and my little white tank top that says “La Petite Coquette.” (Get the joke?) Galactic’s first set was as energetic as ever, but I spent most of my time either swaying in the back next to where Husband had his mike stand and DAT recorder set up or waiting at the bar for a glass of wine. (No comments from the peanut gallery about how I am now officially an old woman for drinking wine at a rock concert.–PF) I couldn’t deal with the crowds up front, and was offended on behalf of the band that the venue was airing the Yankees vs Angels game, and everyone kept cheering for the team instead of the band. Manners, people! They aren’t a fucking wedding band! 

But once the game was over and the second set started up, inexplicably the crowd cleared out and I was able to elbow my way up all the way to the front, on Mercurio’s side of the stage, again. Oh yeah, it’s Jazzercise time! I danced so hard that it felt like I was in the middle of a long run or a race. I know you know that feeling–when everything else slips away and it’s just you, your heart, your lungs and the rhythm. That feeling is your body and your mind, conspiring to transport you and to elate you; to lift all your troubles until you cross the finish line, until the music stops, until you arrive home…

The all-free, all-day Just Because You’re Asheville concert returns

by Lydia See in Vol. 16 / Iss. 13 on 10/21/2009

Mountain Xpress

“Something about this town drew us here as musicians; now we’re going to be part of the soundtrack to this town,” says singer/songwriter Oso Rey. It’s true that Asheville grooves to its own beat, like the snippets of buskers and the drum circle and music flowing from bars as you walk by. If a musician is lucky enough, those sound bites stay with people, and help govern the ever-changing face of the Asheville musicscape.

Just because you're Galactic: The New Orleans funksters headline the day-long free festival. Get ready to get down.

Rey, who now fronts roots-rock outfit Soulgrass Rebellion, said that what originally attracted him and his family to Asheville was that “The music & art scene seemed to be thriving, and had good community support around it.” After living here and playing music for a few years, Rey found his opportunity to contribute, “What I’ve realized that matters the most in this scene is that you’ve gotta put something into the community. I arrived three years ago thinking I could just show up and that would be enough. I’m glad it didn’t work out that way. That would’ve been all about hype. And hype fades, and gets shifted somewhere else. This town has taught me to slow my roll.”

But Rey won’t slow his roll too much this Saturday when he joins a heady roster of local (Thunderdrums), regional (DubConscious, Jamie McLean Band), and nationally-touring (Galactic with Corey Henry, Larry Keel with Bryon McMurry) bands. The event? The Just Because You’re Asheville (JBYA) downtown street festival: part adieu to summer, part why-the-heck-not opportunity to rock out, part thank you to and from area musicians.

Organized by Mountain Roots Management, the day-long event teams a supergroup of local businesses to pull off the day-long six-band fete. “We are blessed in this area with wonderful free events like Asheville Earth Day, Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Fest and Blue Ridge Pride, to name a very few,” says Bob Robertson partnering company AMJam Productions. “Just Because You’re Asheville tries to bring a little of all those events together, for an end-of-year celebration. As the winter months grow near, we just wanted to throw an appreciation event to all the folks of Asheville who support live music, local businesses and help make Asheville what it is.”

Roberts adds that AMJam and Mountain Roots Management also organize Asheville Earth Day — the start of the festival season which JBYA (now in its second year) bookends.

Last year’s JBYA featured Keller Williams with EOTO and Josh Phillips Folk Festival supporting. An estimated 4,000 people patronized the event, also showing support for the event sponsors’ chosen non-profit, the Dogwood Alliance. This year’s non-profit beneficiary, LEAF in Schools and Streets, is an educational program dedicated to providing world influenced music and arts education to the youth of communities both locally and internationally.

Photo by Jon C. Hancock

One change from 2008’s JBYA: A $25 VIP upgrade that includes a T-shirt and poster, private restrooms, discounted beverages and refreshments and a reserved viewing area. VIP options like these at large free events are an affordable luxury which contribute to the longevity of the event, though the festival seems to be designed to be enjoyed thoroughly as a general admission patron. Which is to say, even the port-a-potty using, sidewalk-occupying masses are in for a good time, not to mention a serious dose of the evolving Asheville soundtrack.

It’s the wide-appeal lineup that rounds out the fun-filled day. Soulgrass Rebellion culls influences of roots, reggae and bluegrass and band members from Laura Reed and Deep Pocket, The Fly Brothers and Afromotive. Thunderdrums is a world-beat electronica project that lives up to its name.  Athens, Ga.-based DubConscious bolsters deep reggae grooves with pulsing Afrobeat. Guitarist Jamie McLean, who fronts his namesake group, gained notoriety in the new Orleans-bases Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Also from New Orleans, funk outfit Galactic fotifies its hip-shaking instrumentals with the jazz-tinged trombone of Corey Henry. And, no stranger to the Asheville area, Virginia bluegrass picker Larry Keel teams up with Acoustic Syndicate banjo player Bryon McMurry. (Need hip-hop in the mix? Keep rocking at the GFE after-party at Stella Blue, 9 p.m.)

Now that’s a soundtrack.

who: Just Because You’re Asheville
what: Free downtown Asheville street festival featuring Galactic, DubConscious, Larry Keel with Bryon McMurry, Soulgrass Rebellion, Jamie McLean Band and Thunderdrums
where: Lexington Ave. between the I-240 overpass and Woodfin Street
when: Saturday, Oct. 24 (1 p.m. to 9 p.m., free. http://www.jbya.org)

2012?  There are a lot of things… and various opinions… you will hear on this.  I have even had school children ask me what I think!  It’s affecting everyone, and not necessarily for the better.  Many are downright scared, and this saddens me.  The time coming is an exciting time for humanity… but there is so much fear of the unknown, all we can see is one potential outcome.  Doom, despair, and agony on everyone.  I do not agree.

Now this is just my opinion. Opinions are like bellybuttons… we’ve all got ‘em!   I realize that there may be a shift coming, physically, that we need to prepare for… but I don’t necessarily think movies like the upcoming “2012″ may be depicting that time accurately. After all… right now, it’s just anybody’s guess. It might be nothing… it might be something. It’s always wise to prepare for the unknown, 2012 or otherwise – but don’t get too upset about worrying over things that might not even happen. Live your life right… treat others the way you know you should… make your preparations… but take each day as it comes. One day at a time is all any of us can handle, anyway! Whatever will be will be… it can’t be changed… so live your life joyfully and let’s hope for the best. I personally believe the changes coming are more of a spiritual thing. I don’t feel fear, if I did I would be saying so. But I don’t. I feel a hopefulness! And that is what I want to share with you.

Here is a portion of an article from this site: http://indospiritual.com/blogs/others/december-21-2012-mayan-year-of-destiny You can click the link to read the entire article. I have focused on the rebirth section for this blog post.

Rebirth on December 21, 2012

On August 11, 3114 BC, a new Solar Age began and the Sun Lord was reborn. Creation Lord deities are often portrayed attending the rebirth of the world, including one called Bolon Yokte K’u, who is closely associated with war, conflict, and the Underworld. Despite these associations, Bolon Yokte is a god that is often present during Creation events. He is portrayed on a ceramic called Vessel of the Seven Lords, which contains the date 3114 BC, the beginning of our present 13-Baktun cycle. Of course, the date that interests us is the beginning of the next 13- Baktun cycle, which occurs on December 21, 2012, the end of the Mayan Calendar.

A recent translation of a text from Tortuguero, a Classic Maya site north of Palenque, explicitly points to the date December 21, 2012. Translated by Mayan epigrapher David Stuart, the legible part of the text reads: “At the end of 13 Baktuns, on 4 Ahau 3 Kankin, 13.0.0.0.0; something occurs when Bolon Yokte descends.” The verb glyph describing what happens is effaced, so it is replaced with the word something, but the creation lord Bolon Yokte is depicted, meaning that 2012 was thought of by the Maya as a creation or recreation of the world, possibly during a time of war, conflict, and dominance of the Underworld and the Lords of the Underworld.

As we can see, the end of the Mayan Calendar is simply the end of the present World Age. And, important to us, it simply marks the beginning of the next cycle of rebirth, renewal. (my note:  I take this to mean as similar to how we have been in the age of Pisces, ready for the age of Aquarius, etc.  The world is still here regardless of the different ages we have been in.)

There are no specific markings or statements about the year 2012 on the archaeological artifacts at Izapa, but there are numerous images at Izapa that portray a rare celestial alignment that appears in the skies in the years around 2012. This galactic alignment marks the rebirth of the December solstice and the rebirth of the Sun Lord over Seven Macaw’s attempts to replace him. The Sun Lord rises through the Dark Rift in the Milky Way, located between Sagittarius and Scorpio. Scorpio is depicted near the base of the Tree of Life in Mayan illustrations. Souls on Earth experience a change of galactic seasons, a celestial time-cycle shift, with our Sun moving into rebirth at the “Black Hole” at the celestial base of the Tree of Life (a location in the great Milky Way). December 21, 2012, signals the end of this 5,125-year age that we’ve been living in and the commencement of a new Earth Age.

When asked what the New Age means to humanity, Edgar Cayce replied: “by the full consciousness of the ability to communicate with the Creative Forces and be aware of the relationships to the Creative Forces and the uses of same in material environs. This awareness during the era or age in the Age of Atlantis and Lemuria or Mu brought what? Destruction to man, and his beginning of the needs of the journey up through that of selfishness.” (1602-3)

Cayce is informing us that in a previous time cycle, humanity had a level of consciousness and relationship with the Creative Forces that allowed us to live at higher levels of material, mental, and spiritual activity in the Earth and beyond. Unfortunately, we misused this consciousness and the power that came with the close relationship to the Forces. This misuse brought on the destruction of our great cultures and a long, karmic soul journey through the pain and confusion that resulted from our selfishness and self-centered focus on our will without regard for the will of the Creator and others. Now, as the cycles come around again, we are nearing a time when the level of consciousness and relationship with the Creative Forces will allow us once again to regain these powers. How will we use them this time?

Before we despair that humankind is going to misuse these again, let’s remember that many, many souls and even the Logos, the Word, have come and continue to come into materiality to help prepare the way for this rebirth. We overestimate the power of the world and its leaders. The unseen, heavenly forces have greater power and will overcome the world’s darkness and selfishness, breaking through with a light that will transform this realm for a thousand years, when all evil and temptation will be bound and a golden age will reign. The biblical book of the Revelation conveys this prophecy: “I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He seized the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:2)

Is December 21, 2012 the beginning of the fulfillment of these wonderful prophecies by Edgar Cayce and the Revelation, or just another step on the long journey toward such fulfillment?

Wow. Just, WOW. I unexpectedly saw Galactic at Nectars last night. I went to the show ready to dance, but I really had no idea just how grooooovvvvyyyy it would be! They had trombone player Corey Henry from the Rebirth Brass Band sitting in, and the dynamic between Henry and Galactic sax player Ben Ellman was unstoppable! The first set was filled with funk, funk and more funk. Just when I needed a change, the second set brought some rock and R&B flavor to the room. What a night! One highlight was when Corey Henry JAMMED out on the slide trombone while jumping offstage and walking through the crowd…jumping up on the bar and just playing his heart out! My ears are buzzin’ and my body is still feeling the funkadelic New Orleans vibe. These guys are currently touring…definitely check them out live if you get the chance!

Galactic

This is almost too bad-ass. From Missoula, MT 2000.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival is this weekend, October 2-4 in Golden Gate Park.  Free!

Just some of the awesome that will be there:  Old Crow Medicine Show, Neco Case, Galactic, Tom Morello’s Nightwatchmen, Billy Bragg, Dr. Dog, the Old 97’s, Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, and.. Hammer!

Full line up, stage listing and performance times here.

-bex

The Bear Creek Music and Art Festival will take place at the amazing Spirit Of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL, November 13-15. I attended a festival at the park in April of 2003 and must say it was the most picturesque venue I’ve attended in the Southeast. The campsites are excellent and the site brims with good vibes. This year Bear Creek will offer Galactic (2x), Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe (2x), Dumpstaphunk (2x), Lettuce (2x), Perpetual Groove, Steve Kimock, the Benenvento/Russo Duo, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, Garage-a-Trois, The New Mastersounds (2x), The Heavy Pets, The Ryan Montbleau Band (2x), Lotus, Toubab Krewe, etc., etc. Artists at large will be: Bernie Worrell, Skerik, Mike Dillon, Kofi Burbridge and many more.

Needless to say, this festival is chock full of talent and one not to be missed. This will be an epic assemblage of musicians, visual artists and good people. We are truly looking forward to attending this year and would love to see you there too!

Here’s Lettuce performing at Bear Creek last year:

Information Courtesy of Knowwheretorun1984

Part One.

Part Two.

References:
The Sun’s motion perpendicular to the galactic plane
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/…

Earth’s Inconstant Magnetic Field
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/look…

The Planet X Saga: The Scientific Arguments in a Nutshell
http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/…

Response to Counterarguments Appendix 5 to Maya Cosmogenesis 2012 by John Major Jenkins
http://www.alignment2012.com/app5.htm

Texas A&M Oceanographer Challenges Plate Tectonics As Reason For Poles’ Shift
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/…

What is that pole shift thing?
http://www.dailycommonsense.com/what-…

The Myth of a 12th Planet:
A Brief Analysis of Cylinder Seal VA 243
www.sitchiniswrong.com/VA243seal.pdf

precession of the equinoxes
http://www.answers.com/topic/precessi…

Our Galactic Plane
http://hypography.com/forums/astronom…

MEANING OF THE BALL GAME IN MAYAN MYTHOLOGY
http://www.siloam.net/jenkins/5thsun4…

Great Celestial Conjunction Crosses
http://www.soulsofdistortion.nl/great…

The World Age cosmology of the Maya calendar end-date in A.D.2012 and its basis in a rare astronomical alignment of the solstice sun with the Milky Way Galaxy
http://www.grahamhancock.com/forum/Je…

Planetary Alignments: Fact or Fiction?
http://www.etsu.edu/physics/etsuobs/s…

The Platonic Year & the
Maya Long Count: Fractal
http://www.earthmatrix.com/platonic/e…

Confused about 2012 (yes, another one!)
http://www.bautforum.com/conspiracy-t…

Planet X? Nope, an admitted hoax!
http://www.zetatalk.com/teams/rogue/n…

positon on galactic plane
http://hypography.com/forums/members/…

Galactic North

TYPE: Science Fiction

RATING:    6/10

REVIEW:

Alright, I am a big fan of SF but this one just didn’t live upto my expectations. Maybe this is actually a great book and I’m just a skeptic or perhaps I’ve read too many Asimov’s books to comprehend the “complexity” of the sci-fi space. In either case, other than hi-fi weaponry there wasn’t much to absorb in this set of novellas.

The only brilliant thing for me in this one was the phase of “Transenlightenment”. However that also seemed like something that Asimov had mentioned in his Foundation universe.

Read it if you are a fan. I’m not too keen for a re-read.

DESCRIPTION:

Centuries from now, humanity, as factional and fractious as ever, has spread throughout the solar system and beyond, to the worlds around the nearest stars. Technology means powerful new tools, but with those advances come lethal risks. The Demarchists and the Conjoiners fight wars over the basic right to augment human intelligence beyond its natural limits. The nervous, paranoid Ultras crew the vast lighthugger starships that bind these squabbling colonies together. The hyperpigs try to keep their heads down. The rich get richer … and everyone tries not to think about the worrying number of extinct alien civilizations that the explorers keep finding out beyond the margins of settled space … because who’s to say that humanity won’t be next?

Galactic North, a collection of eight novellas and short stories, three brand-new for this volume: eight harrowing glimpses into the dark and turbulnt universe of Revelation Space.

Alastair Reynolds, space opera’s current Janacek. — Telegraph

He has a genius for big-concept SF. — Publishers Weekly

Gothic SF with gore as Reynolds ensures his taut narratives grip from the first sentence. — SFX

Dark, gothic and graphic, with tightly composed narratives full of shocks and jaw-dropping moments. — BBC Focus

…these CDs right now.

I admit, I got burnt out on reviewing a ton of CDs every month, and I know my reviews probably reflected that sentiment. So instead of reviewing everything I receive (which, in the past, would result in a lot of “eh” reviews) I’ve decided to just publish reviews of music that I’m honestly enjoying.

If you know me, if you love me, if you trust me, check out this music for yourself.

Each artist’s name is linked to their website, so click on it to learn more.

Right now, I’m diggin’:

Luke Winslow-King “Old/New Baby” – This New Orleans-based singer/songwriter gives us Preservation Hall-recorded jazz reminiscent of Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire years.

Moby “Wait For Me” – Moby finally returns to his “Play” roots with this darkly lush, almost David Lynch-ian collection of tracks.

Willie Nelson “American Classics” – Willie hits up the great American songbook, featuring his take on classics like “Fly Me To The Moon,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”

The Budos Band “The Budos Band EP” – This six-song EP of unreleased tracks was recorded after their debut release (“The Budos Band”), but before their sophomore follow-up (“The Budos Band II”), fitting perfectly in between the two.

Lyrics Born “The Lyrics Born Variety Show: Season Pho (4!)” – A mixtape of mash-ups and remixes, and you get it all for less than five bucks! Hot!

Pax Nicholas & The Nettey Family “Na Teef Know The Road Of Teef” – Afrobeat perfection from a man who played with the Godfather of the genre: Pax Nicholas, drummer of Fela Kuti’s Africa 70, gets a solo release.

General Elektriks “Good City For Dreamers” – So far, the best album of 2009. Seriously.

KingHellBastard “Y’all Got Excuses, We Got Reasons” – What’s the best part of this rap-and-rhyme-heavy six-song EP from the Brew City Bastards? IT’S FREE! Click here to download your copy.

Codebreaker “Follow Me” – A new single from the Milwaukee-based electro-funk duo, with three remixes from The Juan Maclean, Bottin, and The Outrunners thrown in for added enjoyment!

Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens “What Have You Done, My Brother?” – The Alabama-bred soul chanteuse finally gets a solo album, showcasing her gruff gospel sound over a Daptone background.

Marianne Kesler “Pear In The Pink Thing” – Clearly influenced by singer/songwriter Aimee Mann, Kesler manages to offer her own unique twist to the genre.

Tom Morello & Boots Riley “Street Sweeper Social Club” – It took a little bit of time for it to grow on me, but this marriage of Rage Against the Machine and The Coup is now a welcomed addition to my library. Besides, it features Stanton Moore (Galactic) on drums!

Squirrel Nut Zippers “Lost At Sea” – In preparation for their first full-length release in nearly a decade, the Zippers offer up this, their first-ever live album, as an appetizer. If you dug ‘em fifteen years ago, you’ll still dig ‘em today.

More diggin’ to come,

-Shady

What are we to do?

There are those who are manipulating people by escalating fear. There are those who are using deceit to spin truths. There are those who have convinced many that war is peace, that money is success, that compassion is weakness and as a result our world is ablaze. The California fires have nothing over the fires of fear and manipulation that are consuming humanity.

I have heard from many that the answer is to pour Light and Love into the inferno. I do not dispute the value of filling the world with the harmonics of Light. However, that is like fiddling while Rome burns.

Not that fiddling is wrong. Not that fiddling does not add a beautiful sound to the scene. But fiddling in the face of a raging inferno that does not respond to Light will never stop the blaze. Yes. It is time that we acknowledged that there are forms on this planet who do not respond to Light.

What do you propose, you ask?

While those with fiddles fill space with harmonics, those of us with blankets to smother flames must step up. Those with shovels to dig boundaries, those with voices to declare a halt, those with power to call down rain must come forward.

In other words, awaken the original female mission.

Those whose gifts can identify and shift energy must come forward to reclaim and restore our space.  Identifying energy was the Divine assignment for women. They were to discern the dark, consuming flames destroying life. They were to step in, dig trenches, hold boundaries and say, “All darkness must be removed from our world”.

What is that? you question.

The Eves of the world were given the task of discerning what is good and what is evil. It is the Eves who must now step forward to declare an end to the energy of all evil, of all darkness, of all lies that have destroyed life. Eves must break the silence of denial imposed eons ago and eliminate the fires.

Life begins in energy and energy workers with corrected vision can see and declare, “These fire have arsonists”. Energy workers can independently and collectively remove those who start the fire and eliminate what feeds the fire. Not bounded by time and space, energy workers can impact any point of this globe. Energy workers on female mission can reveal our Divine foundations and demand any agenda contrary to its agenda must be removed from our planet

As the fiddlers stabilize our fields with their strains of love, peace and light, women can surgically removal the cancerous fires. No battles need be fought. Recognition exposes that there are naked emperors, elephants under the rug and secrets hidden among families. Then the fiddlers can watch a new world emerge within their symphony.

Those with eyes to sense the unseen, with courage to enter the flames knowing there is no harm and with the commitment to remove the cause that fuels the flames area being called.

Unless those who work in the fields of the fire step up, the fiddlers will watch Rome burn.

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein, Ap Science Writer – Wed Aug 26,

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090826/ap_on_sc/us_sci_suicidal_planet

This artist's impression depicts an exoplanet similar to the newly discovered WASP-18b. As seen from the planet, the host star spans an angle of more than 30° and hovers menacingly at a fixed position in the sky. C. CARREAU/ESA/Nature

 WASHINGTON – Astronomers have found what appears to be a gigantic suicidal planet.

The odd, fiery planet is so close to its star and so large that it is triggering tremendous plasma tides on the star. Those powerful tides are in turn warping the planet’s zippy less-than-a-day orbit around its star.

The result: an ever-closer tango of death, with the planet eventually spiraling into the star.

It’s a slow death. The planet WASP-18b has maybe a million years to live, said planet discoverer Coel Hellier, a professor of astrophysics at the Keele University in England. Hellier’s report on the suicidal planet is in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature.

“It’s causing its own destruction by creating these tides,” Hellier said.

The star is called WASP-18 and the planet is WASP-18b because of the Wide Angle Search for Planets team that found them.

The planet circles a star that is in the constellation Phoenix and is about 325 light-years away from Earth, which means it is in our galactic neighborhood. A light-year is about 5.8 trillion miles.

The planet is 1.9 million miles from its star, 1/50th of the distance between Earth and the sun, our star. And because of that the temperature is about 3,800 degrees.

Its size — 10 times bigger than Jupiter — and its proximity to its star make it likely to die, Hellier said.

Think of how the distant moon pulls Earth’s oceans to form twice-daily tides. The effect the odd planet has on its star is thousands of times stronger, Hellier said. The star’s tidal bulge of plasma may extend hundreds of miles, he said.

Like most planets outside our solar system, this planet was not seen directly by a telescope. Astronomers found it by seeing dips in light from the star every time the planet came between the star and Earth.

So far astronomers have found more than 370 planets outside the solar system. This one is “yet another weird one in the exoplanet menagerie,” said planet specialist Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

It’s so unusual to find a suicidal planet that University of Maryland astronomer Douglas Hamilton questioned whether there was another explanation. While it is likely that this is a suicidal planet, Hamilton said it is also possible that some basic physics calculations that all astronomers rely on could be dead wrong.

The answer will become apparent in less than a decade if the planet seems to be further in a death spiral, he said.

___

On the Net

Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature

WASP group: http://www.superwasp.org/