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Share this Story: Putting ball in ministry's court
Putting ball in ministry's court
Details of a plan to purchase the old Cornwall General Hospital were made public last night, with the support of those concerned citizens in attendance.
About 25 gathered at the RCAFA Wing 424 to hear the coalition's plan to purchase the building — for $1.
The 190,000 square foot building has a price tag of $2 million.
"(The Cornwall Community Hospital board) are relying on that money from the sale," explained Mark MacDonald.
So he is asking the Ministry of Health to fork over the $2 million to the Cornwall Community Hospital board.
"It is important we have the hospital board on our side," said MacDonald.
"And they will be getting the full price for the sale."
MacDonald needs more than just the board on his side — he needs a full community outpouring to persuade the Ministry of Health to intervene and get involved in the long-term care issue locally.
Which is why he has approached municipal, provincial and federal politicians — as well as the health board and local health integration network — to push for a task force.
"The only way this thing is going to happen is if the Ministry of Health designates someone to come down here and form the task force," said Coun. Andre Rivette, who has been a strong proponent of the plan to convert the hospital building into long-term care beds.
"They're putting the ball in the ministry's court."
Local MPP Jim McDonell has stood up in support as well, with a petition on his website calling for a study into the need for long-term care in the community, as well as a halt to the sale.
MacDonald, however, said he'd like to see the sale process go through — with a local not-for-profit getting the building.
The not-for-profit is the coalition's next step, as it will be needed to manage the sale.
Time to form this group is the first of the five points on their "unique and community-based" conditional offer.
The offer of $1, conditional on the ministry compensating the hospital board, and the approval of the task force are also conditions.
As is that the local municipal governments provide administrative support — staff resources and technical assistance — for the development of site plans.
"It makes sense," said Coun. David Murphy, who appreciated that the group wasn't asking for municipal funding.
The final condition of the offer is that the group be allowed to sell sections of the building to interested investors, such as health care professional services.
That would be part of their plan to create a space "used for the common good and social benefit of the area, with the focus on seniors."
All proposals for purchasing the building will be presented to the hospital board on March 7, said Re/Max agent Jamie Cameron, who was at the meeting.
Putting ball in ministry's court Back to video

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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A Coffee Shop Promotes Reconciliation and Chuck Colson Explains How Abortion Will End
Jim Denison | Denison Forum on Truth and Culture | Tuesday, October 27, 2020
#reconciliation
#Forgiveness
#civility
If you and someone with whom you disagree politically are willing to discuss your disputes over a cup of coffee, you're in luck.
The owners of Pax & Beneficia Coffee in Irving, Texas, are concerned that in our politically divisive days, "we are quick to demonize and dehumanize the other side." So they have a solution: anyone who buys a cup of coffee with someone of an opposing view will get a free cup.
One of the owners notes, "Regardless of the outcome of the election and which side of the aisle you're on, the nation still needs to heal, now more than ever."
A cell network on the moon
You and I live in amazing times.
I learned recently that the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world for forty years; now it doesn't make the top forty. Starman, the dummy riding a cherry-red Tesla Roadster through space, has just zipped past Mars.
A NASA spacecraft touched the surface of an asteroid some two hundred million miles from Earth. Scientists engineered the spacecraft to bring samples with it when it returns to our planet in 2023.
And the space agency has chosen Nokia to build the first-ever cellular network on the moon. Putting 4G connectivity there could support lunar communications at greater distances and is part of NASA's plan to establish a long-term human presence on the moon by 2030.
The six stages of world empires
Despite the remarkable scientific advances of our day, human nature has not changed. Novelist Franz Kafka testified, "I am free, and that is why I am lost." Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer observed, "You are free to do what you want, but you are not free to want what you want."
All our technological progress has not and cannot change the fact that you and I are fallen people living in a fallen world.
Cal Thomas' new book, America's Expiration Date, is subtitled The Fall of Empires and Superpowers ... and the Future of the United States. Thomas builds his narrative on an argument advanced by Sir John Glubb (1897–1986), an English officer who served in the newly independent countries of Iraq and Jordan. As Thomas reports, Glubb "found patterns, or stages, in the rise and fall of great nations. He called them the age of pioneers, the age of conquests, the age of commerce, the age of affluence, the age of intellect, and finally the age of decadence."Thomas explains: "In general, each great nation or empire begins with some type of pioneer activity, gains territory through battle, and then settles into remarkable commercial activity, which in turn brings great wealth, and with it increased literacy and learning. All begin their final slide when a sense of shared morality and common virtue is abandoned."
Has America's "final slide" begun?
In light of this pattern, Thomas warns: "If America doesn't learn from history—our own and the world's—we are likely to suffer the fate of other great nations, rotting from within before either being conquered from without by an invading army or collapsing under the weight of self-indulgence, decadence, debt, a sense of entitlement, greed, and envy."
If we think this cannot be our future, our complacency makes it more likely.
Three ways to share transforming peace
Yesterday, we focused on our need for transformational peace with God and with each other.
Today, let's identify some practical ways to "let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts" (Colossians 3:15) as we "strive for peace with everyone" (Hebrews 12:14).
First, offer others the peace of salvation in Christ. God's word states, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Frederick Buechner describes salvation as "an experience first and a doctrine second." Then he asks, "How about the person you know who as far as you can possibly tell has never had such a moment—one of those soreheads and slobs of the world, the ones the world has hopelessly crippled? Maybe for that person, the moment that has to happen is you."
Second, meet practical needs with practical help. God's word is clear: "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace" (1 Peter 4:10).
Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, is one of the oldest and largest African American churches in America. Its senior pastor announced recently that the church has donated more than $1 million in surplus tithes to help a variety of community-based organizations since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
What has your church done to help people during the pandemic? What can you do?
Third, offer peace and grace to all, whether they respond in kind or not. We can never know when the next Saul of Tarsus will become the next Paul the Apostle (Acts 9).
Colson Center President John Stonestreet recounts the time Chuck Colson witnessed the baptism of Bernard Nathanson in the chapel of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. Colson describes Nathanson as "one of the abortion industry's greatest leaders, a man who personally presided over some seventy-five thousand abortions, including the abortion of his own child." Now this man stood at the altar "joyfully accepting forgiveness in Christ."
Colson noted: "This is the way the abortion war will ultimately be won: through Jesus Christ changing hearts, one by one. No amount of political force, no government, no laws, no army of Planned Parenthood workers, can ever stop that. It is the one thing absolutely invincible."
The King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16) is also the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Are you at peace with him?
With whom will you share his peace today?
Photo courtesy: Ingrid Hall/Unsplash
The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Christian Headlines.
For more from the Denison Forum, please visit www.denisonforum.org.
The Daily Article Podcast is Here!


As previously said by Kevin Feige, despite Disney's successful purchase of Fox and its assets, he won't let it dictate or change any of the plans Marvel Studios has for the MCU. In fact, we won't see the X-Men for at least five years.
When asked about their inclusion in any of the currently announced movies, Kevin Feige said for people not to get too excited about that prospect.
So, don't expect Wolverine to cameo in the upcoming Shang-Chi movie or Omega Red to show up fighting Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow. It makes sense for Kevin Feige not to rush their inclusion or alter any of their current plans for the universe. I assume we could maybe get a passing implication to the existence of mutants on Earth in The Eternals, but that's it. At most, we'll have to wait until at least 2024 to have a proper introduction to the X-Men in this movie universe.
We've already waited ten years, so what's another five?


Take a balcony seat and survey all Rome below from this privileged vantage point. Refreshments and delicacies are always there for your pleasure, with bite sized Waldorf salads, cascades of chocolate and iced cocktails.
Stroll through the lobby, past 18th Century Venetian masterpieces and an historic armoire that belonged to the King of Poland; step into the lift, where a tap of your key gives you exclusive access to the Imperial Club floor.
Hold your breath for the extraordinary sight of Nureyev's bejeweled costumes on private display here, and the extravagant creativity of the Imperial tea tasting, jewellery counter of cakes and homemade gelato ceremony.


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Why automation is critical to meeting customer goals and thriving in the post-COVID world
by Richard Carufel | Jul 13, 2020 | Covid-19, Public Relations
Long before the upheaval of the COVID crisis, digital transformation was a fast-emerging critical need for brands and businesses to embrace—but in the "new normal," new research from intelligent process automation firm K2 finds that transformation could be a sink-or-swim necessity when it comes to business continuity.
The firm's latest report, Accelerating Automation: How Businesses are Adapting to a Post-COVID World, in conjunction with Harris Poll, reveals how business leaders are adapting to COVID-19, how they are preparing for continuity in the future, and the value of automation technology to meet customer expectations.
"Even before COVID-19, companies recognized the need to accelerate the pace of digital transformation. The impact of the pandemic has made it even more challenging as we are seeing close to fifty-percent of companies still using manual and paper-based processes, which puts them at a competitive disadvantage," said Carlos Carvajal, chief marketing officer at K2, in a news release. "In this new work environment, there is a renewed sense of urgency for companies to accelerate the automation of their business processes to drive operational efficiency and improve their customer experience."
According to the survey results, 92 percent of business leaders agree that to survive and flourish, companies must enable digital channels and process automation in the workplace. Across industries and countries, it is clear that process automation and digitization are viewed as critical to long-term organizational success. However, it is equally apparent that achieving the desired end state is no easy task. Eighty-six percent of businesses say they face one or more key barriers to process automation. The complexity of process automation is the top challenge. However, limited budgets are also a common roadblock.
Top COVID-19 related priorities and business preparedness:
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken most businesses to their core – forcing a complete departure from 'status quo'. Businesses are prioritizing the development of new, automated processes to address COVID-19 realities, but only seven percent are prepared to deal with the breadth of issues COVID-19 brings. The survey also found that:
80 percent of businesses are facing new challenges related to COVID-19
60 percent need to develop new processes to address COVID realities
59 percent are having challenges maintaining operational efficiencies in a distributed environment and enabling remote employees
The disconnect between C-suite and their directs
C-level executives and their teams agree on the top COVID-driven priorities but disagree in many cases about how prepared companies are to actually address new process needs. For example, 53 percent of C-level execs believe their companies are very prepared for outbreak response planning versus only 40 percent of lower-level leaders. A similar disconnect is seen for many other COVID needs, such as safety equipment and resource tracking, employee self-screening and visitor screening.
Adoption of automation
Many organizations are still in very early stages of process automation and still rely heavily on manual processes. On average, only about half (51 percent) of business processes are automated. However, businesses are expecting to significantly increase the number of processes that are digitized or automated over the next 12 months.
Across regions, only 1 in 5 are embracing process automation in its most advanced forms, and nearly 1 in 10 are at the beginning, having only taken initial steps toward automation.
Businesses in the United States are further along the adoption curve than are those in the United Kingdom and Germany.
And in all countries, enterprise organizations (1000+ employees) have embraced more sophisticated forms of automation than their mid-market (250-999 employees) counterparts.
Automation is key to customer satisfaction
Thirty-six percent of companies across regions are having difficulty meeting customer satisfaction goals. Nearly all of those companies (92 percent) acknowledge that effective use of process automation and digital transformational is key to addressing this aspect of their business.
Download the full report here.
This research was conducted online in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany by The Harris Poll from May 22–May 30, 2020 among Business Leaders (VP, SVP or C-level roles) within organizations of 250+ employees and who have decision making authority as it relates to automating business processes.


Question: Which ultrasound code applies for examining a mass on the back?
Answer: The answer depends on whether the physician documents the mass as being on the upper back or the lower back.
Lower back: 76705, Ultrasound, abdominal, real time with image documentation; limited (e.g., single organ, quadrant, follow-up).
Got similar questions? Just shoot your questions to SuperCoder's 'Ask an Expert' forum and our experts will get back to you with the answers within 24 business hours. Click here to buy.


text:
Коралехо има више значења:

 Коралехо (Пихихијапан), насеље у савезној држави Чијапас у Мексику
 Коралехо (Виља Комалтитлан), насеље у савезној држави Чијапас у Мексику
 Коралехо (Кортазар), насеље у савезној држави Гванахуато у Мексику
 Коралехо (Таско де Аларкон), насеље у савезној држави Гереро у Мексику
 Коралехо (Грал. Теран), насеље у савезној држави Нови Леон у Мексику
 Коралехо (Каборка), насеље у савезној држави Сонора у Мексику
 Коралехо (Алдама), насеље у савезној држави Тамаулипас у Мексику
 Коралехо (Сан Карлос), насеље у савезној држави Тамаулипас у Мексику

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Why did Arjuna kill Takshak's wife?
Takshaka was king of Nagas and at the time of Mahabharata was fighting against Pandava, but why and how did Arjuna killed the innocent wife of Takshaka. How is it righteous to kill a woman according to Dharmashastras?
mahabharata dharma arjuna naga
Keshav Srinivasan♦
YogiYogi
How Arjuna can kill Takshak? Takshak was the cause of death of Parikshit as stated in Mahabharata. sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01042.htm – Triyugi Narayan Mani Jun 3 '16 at 18:15
As I discuss in this answer, a king named Shwetaki once conducted a Yagna (fire-ritual) for twelve years, and having consumed all the ghee (clarified butter) that was offered into the fire, Agni the fire god felt lethargic. So he consulted Brahma, who told him to consume the Khandava forest and all its inhabitants, as described in this chapter of the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata:
O exalted one, thou hast eaten, for twelve years, a continuous stream of sacrificial butter poured into thy mouth! It is for this that illness hath seized thee. But, O Agni, grieve not for it. Thou shalt soon regain thy own nature. I shall dispel this surfeit of thine and the time for it is even come. The dreadful forest Khandava, that abode of the enemies of the gods, which thou hadst of old once consumed to ashes at the request of the gods, hath now become the home of numerous creatures. When thou will have eaten the fat of those creatures, thou shalt regain thy own nature. Proceed thither in haste to consume that forest with its living population. Thou wilt then be cured of thy malady.
Agni was initially unsuccessful in destroying the forest, but then Brahma informed him that the ancient sages Nara and Narayana, whom I discuss here, had reincarnated on the earth as Arjuna and Krishna. Now Arjuna and Krishna happened to be in the Khandava forest at the time, so Agni asked them for their help:
Then that Brahmana addressed Arjuna and Vasudeva of the Satwata race, saying, 'Ye who are now staying so near unto Khandava are the two foremost of heroes on earth. I am a voracious Brahmana that always eateth much. O thou of the Vrishni race, and O Partha, I solicit you to gratify me by giving me sufficient food.' Thus addressed by the Brahmana, Krishna and the son of Pandu answered him, saying, 'O, tell us what kind of food will gratify thee so that we may endeavour to give it thee.' The illustrious Brahmana, thus replied to, said unto those heroes who were enquiring after the kind of food he sought, 'I do not desire to eat ordinary food. Know that I am Agni! Give me that food which suiteth me. This forest of Khandava is always protected by Indra. And as it is protected by the illustrious one, I always fail to consume it. In that forest dwelleth, with his followers and family, a Naga, called Takshaka, who is the friend of Indra. It is for him that the wielder of the thunderbolt protecteth this forest. Many other creatures also are thus protected here for the sake of Takshaka. Desiring to consume the forest I succeed not in my attempts in consequence of Indra's prowess. Beholding me blazing forth, he always poureth upon me water from the clouds. Therefore, I succeed not in consuming the forest of Khandava, although I desire very much to do so. I have now come to you--you who are both skilled in weapons! If you help me I will surely consume this forest: for even this is the food that is desired by me! As ye are conversant with excellent weapons, I pray you to prevent those showers from descending and any of the creatures from escaping, when I begin to consume this forest!
Krishna and Arjuna agreed to help him, so as I discuss in this answer Agni got Varuna the ocean god to give them divine weapons including the Sudarshana Chakra and the Gandiva bow. Then Agni got down to the business of destroying the forest and its inhabitants, while Krishna and Arjuna helped make sure nobody put out the fire or escaped. As Agni mentioned, the Naga king Takshaka who lived in the Khandava forest was a friend of Indra, so Krishna and Arjuna single-handedly fought against the gods.
In any case, it was during this great battle that Takshaka's wife was killed. Takshaka was away at the time, but his wife and son were there. Takshaka's wife tried to take her son and escape, but she was killed by Arjuna, as described in this chapter of the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata.
When the sky above that forest was thus covered with the arrows of Arjuna no living creature could then escape from below. And it so happened that while that forest was burning, Takshaka, the chief of the Nagas, was not there, having gone at that time to the field of Kurukshetra. But Aswasena, the mighty son of Takshaka, was there. He made great efforts to escape from that fire; but confined by Arjuna's shafts he succeeded not in finding a way. It was then that his mother, the daughter of a snake, determined to save him by swallowing him first. His mother first swallowed his head and then was swallowing his tail. And desirous of saving her son, the sea-snake rose (up from the earth) while still employed in swallowing her son's tail. But Arjuna as soon as he beheld her escaping, severed her head from her body by means of a sharp and keen-edged arrow. Indra saw all this, and desiring to save his friend's son, the wielder of the thunderbolt, by raising a violent wind, deprived Arjuna of consciousness. During those few moments, Aswasena succeeded in effecting his escape.
By the way, Takshaka's son Ashvasena later tried to avenge his mother's death by helping Karna in his fight against Arjuna, as described in this chapter of the Karna Parva of the Mahabharata. And Takshaka himself killed Arjuna's grandson Parikshit, as described in this chapter of the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata.
In any case, Arjuna's justification for killing Takshaka's wife is the same as his justification for killing the other inhabitants of the Khandava forest, namely that he had promised to help Agni and that the inhabitants of the forest posed a threat to the gods. In fact that is why Brahma selected the Khandava forest in the first place. See my answer here for how evil the Nagas were.
Now as to your question about killing women, in this chapter of the Bala Kanda of the Ramayana, Vishwamitra explains to Rama that a Kshatriya is allowed to kill a woman if she is engaging in evil:
Compassion regarding the elimination of a female is ungermane, oh, best one among men, since a prince has to effectuate it intending the welfare of four categories of society.... To the nominee who bears the burden of kingdom this is the age-old duty, and hence oh, Rama, the legatee of Kakutstha, eliminate this infamy, as goodness is inevident in her, isn't it? Oh, Rama, the protector of people, we have heard that Indra once eliminated Manthara, the daughter of Virochana, when she wished to annihilate earth, haven't we? And Rama, once Vishnu wiped out even the wife of sage Bhrigu and sage Shukracarya's mother when she wished the world to become one without a governing factor, namely Indra.
I posted questions about these two stories here and here.
By the way, it is because of the Khandava forest battle that Maya, architect of the Asuras, agreed to build the city of Indraprastha. So it's interesting to note that if Krishna and Arjuna had not helped Agni, Delhi would be a swamp today!
answered Jun 4 '16 at 0:56
Keshav Srinivasan♦Keshav Srinivasan
Like this answer for the last comment. – Surya Jun 4 '16 at 2:02
I don't think the correlation b/w Takshaka's wife and Tataka is a correct one, it's like saying Mandodari has to be killed because she too lives in Lanka and she's the wife of Ravana. Hanuman spares Vibhishana's house when he sets Lanka on fire. – sv. Jun 4 '16 at 2:02
Btw just because some Nagas did all those things how is it fair to call the whole race "evil"? – Surya Jun 4 '16 at 2:02
@sv. Well, Takshaka's wife wasn't bad because she was married to Takshaka, she was just bad by herself. I think Brahma was saying that all the inhabitants of the Khandava forest were evil. – Keshav Srinivasan♦ Jun 4 '16 at 2:07
Not sure about Takshaka's wife but Takshaka seems like a good guy - he went against his mother, Kadru's, wish to be on the side of dharma. See this. – sv. Jun 4 '16 at 2:12
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You can get full lives in Jungle Mania app at anytime. You can get this cheat by changing your phone's time setting.
Close your Jungle Mania app by either restarting your phone or by killing it on your task manager.
Open Jungle Mania app and you will get your full Lives.
Open Jungle Mania app but do not play a single game.
Open Jungle Mania app just to make sure that there is no problem.


Torre dell'Ovo is located along the Ionian coast of Salento in Puglia, near the town of Maruggio.
It's a typical seaside village located on a cliff 15 meters high above the sea and takes its name from the coastal tower built in 1473.
In the sea below the tower there are some ancient megalithic blocks engraved with Greek writings and, in the same area of water, some monoliths called Prateria Pietrificata (Petrified Prairie). They are the result of erosion which created a lawn of rods that give the impression of a prairie, from which they are named.
Torre dell'ovo can be reached from the SP122 that runs along the Ionian coast of this part of Salento.


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A Chicago mural artist grapples with Kanye West's antisemitism
by AryanArtnews January 10, 2023
by AryanArtnews January 10, 2023 0 comment
CHICAGO – Black for the pack. White for the pocket square. Silver for the Rolex. The street artist was halfway through spray painting his 14-foot mural in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood last August when people began to recognize the subject.
"Kanye West!" Chris Devins recalled one woman screaming. "I love Kanye!"
Devins, 48, an urban planner who has sketched celebrities on buildings for years, thought this one would be a hit. Ye — the rapper formerly known as Kanye West — grew up here, chanting "Chi-town" in his songs and naming his 4-year-old daughter after the Windy City.
And at first, Devins was right: Passersby that morning stopped to take selfies with his portrait of Ye before the paint was dry. One man recorded an Instagram video of his wife admiring it: #Beautiful.
Devins set out to turn a defunct catering company's wall into a tribute to the superstar that, with regular repairs, could last decades. He added his Instagram handle so fans could tag him in their photos. Another Ye mural in Chicago was so popular that the creator sold an NFT version of it for around $200,000.
Then Ye began a weeks-long tirade against Jews, and attention suddenly shifted from his creative legacy to his anti-Semitic outburst.
"I'm going to die 3 over JEWISH PEOPLE," Ye tweeted in October, apparently referring to Defcon, the US military's defense readiness system. He blamed Jews for the community's ills on podcasts and live streams. He refused to back down after losing a $1.5 billion sneaker deal with Adidas, among other lucrative partnerships. "I like Hitler," Ye said in a December interview with Infowars founder Alex Jones. "Hitler has many redeeming qualities."
The antisemitism reverberates. A group of men raised their arms in Nazi salutes as they draped a banner over a Los Angeles freeway that read: "Kanye is right about the Jews." A similar proclamation was projected onto the side of a stadium during a college football game in Jacksonville, Fla. Another appeared in red paint on a Jewish grave about 30 miles north of Devins' mural: "Kanye was rite."
Now when people viewed the street artist's work, they saw something else. Friends and strangers flooded his inbox asking if he planned to remove it. One wrote: "You have to take responsibility for immortalizing an idiot."
Ever since he got involved in graffiti art as a teenager, the Chicago native has bristled at the idea of censorship. He hoped Ye would apologize. The rapper has fueled controversy in the past, attributing some erratic outbursts to episodes of bipolar disorder.
Devins told People, "I think we should leave it as a commentary on modern-day celebrity and the need to handle it responsibly."
But quietly he wavered. His mother is Black, and his father is Irish. His Irish grandfather disapproved of their union. "I've dealt with racism basically from birth," Devins said.
He did not want to broadcast acceptance of any discrimination. He reminded critics that his wife is Jewish. She also erred on the side of the First Amendment. Ye's insults upset them both, he said, but neither felt right to erase the mural. A protective instinct flared up instead. When someone sprayed "TRASH" over Ye's suit, Devins rushed to restore his portrait.
"I don't think we should censor anything just because someone is behaving ridiculously," he said.
"I'm sensitive to people's feelings," Devins said. "If someone came up to me and said, 'Hey, I'm hurt by this' – that would be different."
Then he heard from a rabbi.
Across town, another artist struggled with the same dilemma.
Jason Peterson, 53, worked with Ye for nearly two decades: first on a Boost Mobile flip-phone ad featuring the rapper's lyrics ("I'm Chi-town's finest"), then on ad campaigns for his Yeezy sneakers .
Peterson, a photographer and creative director who runs a marketing agency in Chicago, once took a portrait of Ye against a brick wall on the West Loop's trendy Lake Street. As artists worldwide repackaged their work in the form of unique digital copies called NFTs, an idea struck him in 2020: What if he blew up the portrait into a 22-foot mural and auctioned off a cyberspace version?
"Don't miss the opportunity to be linked to this NFT and the mural forever," read one cryptocurrency website's announcement before the roughly $200,000 sale.
Peterson didn't think he'd ever want to break his own link.
"I loved it," he said. "I drove there every day and thought: There is my contribution to the city of Chicago. I loved it because I love Kanye. His music. Him as a person."
When a photo of the men doing Nazi salutes across LA's 405 Freeway started making waves on social media, Peterson flashed back to his youth as a skateboarder in Phoenix's punk rock scene. He and his friends, he said, would fight with "racist skinheads". One guy broke his partner's arm with a baseball bat.
"The skinheads, the bridge in Los Angeles — it was deeply messed up," he said. "The effect of what Kanye said … it was to give freedom to a bunch of idiots."
The owner of the Lake Street building, a Jewish man, wanted the mural gone. One October afternoon, Peterson grabbed a ladder and a bucket of black paint and over the course of an hour darkened his portrait of Ye into a silhouette. (Days later, the owner completely repainted it.)
"When I did, I was almost a little tearful," Peterson said. "It felt like it was the hard thing to do, but it was the right thing to do."
He posted a photo of it on his Instagram story and wrote: We need better role models. The image — along with cellphone video someone shot of Peterson on his ladder — went viral.
Down the street, Rabbi Avraham Kagan, co-founder of Chabad River North and Fulton Market in the neighborhood, pondered how to address it all.
Ye's antisemitic spiral disturbed him. Here was a powerful figure with more Instagram followers than the estimated number of Jews on the planet, saying things like, "Hitler has many redeeming qualities." Bias attacks are already on the rise: The Anti-Defamation League counted a record 2,717 incidents in 2021, according to its latest audit.
Peterson's painting over his mural was a welcome development, a sign that people have rejected hate speech. Kagan hesitated to call for anything that could be interpreted as censorship or derided as "cancellation culture." His strategy against antisemitism? Talk back. Speak better.
"A little light dispels a lot of darkness," he liked to tell people, quoting a Jewish proverb.
As Hanukkah approached, Kagan encouraged members of a young Jewish professional group to give menorahs to bars, restaurants and apartment buildings across Chicago. The goal was not to back down when anti-Semitism dominated the headlines. He encouraged everyone to light the candles with pride.
Some of the menorahs ended up in tall buildings overlooking Devins' mural. Towards the end of December, when the rabbi read that the tribute to Ye was still standing, he looked up the street artist's phone number.
Devins has faced controversy before.
After he was commissioned two years ago to paint a mural of King Von, a Chicago rapper who died in a 2020 shooting, people labeled the work a glorification of gang violence. (He disagreed.) When he painted Michelle Obama in an Egyptian headdress in 2017, basing the portrait on an illustration he found on Pinterest, Devins caught flak for not initially crediting the image's creator not credited. (He apologized and said he didn't know who made it — then pushed back: "In retrospect, I consider it collaboration.")
Both murals remain up. Defending his work usually came naturally, Devins said, but when Kagan called just before New Year's Eve, he had no desire to argue.
They met for coffee in a posh West Loop hotel lobby. The rabbi spoke about the responsible use of influence, and Devins readily agreed. He thought about it for months. He could no longer stand by the mural of Ye.
"He crossed the free speech line into extremism," Devins said.
Now another dilemma: Should he take it off? Or add something fresh to the conversation?
Kagan proposed responding to the vitriol by amending Sec. He shared some teachings that a religious mentor often repeated.
"One must see the world as balanced between good and evil – between positivity and negativity," he said. "One good deed can tip the scale and bring salvation."
Nine days later, on a cold January morning, the rabbi and the street artist agreed to meet again at the mural.
Kagan brought his eight-year-old daughter, Chaya. and one of the young professionals handing out menorahs on the block, 23-year-old Jeremy Kopelman. The street artist arrived with his wife, Jody. They all stared up at the brick wall that Devins had transformed over the weekend.
"What I like about this is — you made a point," Kagan said. "You say: We don't stand for negativity, and you did it with a positive message."
"It really adds something positive to the conversation," Jody said.
"It's not about fighting hate with hate," Kopelman said.
"I feel good about it," Devins said.
He had no control over how superstars used their platforms, but he could do something about this piece of Chicago.
One quote from the rabbi stuck with him, Devins explained. It was short and sweet and perfect for the moment, he said, "considering the darkness these comments have dragged us all into."
He painted a lone candle by the rapper's mouth – "where the words come from," he said – and added a message in yellow: A little light dispels a lot of darkness.
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Tag: South African Reserve Bank
Posted on 16 January 2020 17 January 2020
Leave the Reserve Bank alone, ANC!
The ANC's internecine battle over the nationalisation of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is economically destructive, alienating to investors, and does nothing to solve South Africa's current crises.
There should be no debate about the nationalisation of the Reserve Bank. The Democratic Alliance's (DA) call to the ANC is to leave the Reserve Bank alone, and instead focus on any number of economic crises which are a direct result of bad government policy.
The proposal to nationalise the Reserve Bank is based on economic lunacy. It will bring no benefit, and only increased hardship, to South Africa. If President Ramaphosa has any desire to prove he actually leads his own government, he should end this discussion immediately by reinforcing the independence of the Reserve Bank. Instead, he is kneeling to populists in his party and allowing this debate to continue.
The Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni, is correct – the nationalisation of the Reserve Bank is a bad idea, and should never be pursued.
A DA government would guarantee the absolute, inviolable independence of the Reserve Bank.
While the conditions for South Africa's economic collapse accelerate, the ANC would do well to listen to its Minister of Finance on this catastrophic move for our ailing economy. This would also ensure the ANC provides less mixed messaging and more concrete plans for South Africa's economic prosperity.
GDP contraction requires razor-sharp focus on economic growth and job creation
The DA notes with concern the announcement by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) that it has reduced South Africa's growth expectation for 2019, from 1.3% to 1%.
This 'growth' for 2019 cannot hope to effectively address the unacceptably high level of unemployment in South Africa.
While we welcome the fact that the SARB will keep interest rates unchanged, the new Cabinet must put all of their energy into stimulating economic growth and in turn, job creation.
With more South Africans, especially the youth, joining the ranks of the close to 10-million jobless South Africans, pro-active, innovative and workable solutions are urgently needed.
The DA, therefore, urges President Cyril Ramaphosa to make economic growth and job creation his top priority. This means the people he picks for his Economics Cluster must be the best of the best. South Africa is in desperate need of a clean and efficient Cabinet that will be put the economy and job creation at the forefront of their efforts.
In building a working economy for all, it is vital that the incoming Ramaphosa administration actively works to stop corruption in both the public and private sector.
The DA is committed to working with President Ramaphosa to ensure that we get South Africa's economy growing so that there is a job in every home. It is for this reason that we will be tabling a 'Jobs Act' in the National Assembly. In the spirit of cooperation and putting the people first, we trust that the ANC caucus will lend their support to the Act.
The Act advocates for the protection and support of SMMEs by ensuring greater flexibility in the labour market through minimum wage exemption for businesses that fall into certain classifications. This will guarantee that doors of thousands of small businesses remain open and protect thousands of jobs.
The Act will also do away with all unnecessary red tape that small businesses still have to comply with, this will make it easier for entrepreneurs to set up shop. In addition to this, the DA's Jobs Act will ensure the creation of a special forum for dispute resolution specifically for SMMEs.
This is just the start and more can be done to ensure that we do away with unacceptably high levels of poverty and unemployment
Deputy President Mabuza confirms ANC's policy incoherence on Reserve Bank mandate
The Deputy President, David Mabuza, in a reply to a Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary question confirmed that the ANC government is planning on changing the South African Reserve Bank's (SARB) mandate and to reduce its independence.
This once again underscores the ANC's policy incoherence on the Reserve Bank.
Since the ANC declared in their 2019 election manifesto, their intention to change the Bank's mandate, there has been several contradictions from the ANC on this matter. This is creating a great deal of policy uncertainty and adversely impacting investor confidence in South Africa.
In the lead up to the World Economic Forum and during their time in Davos, President Cyril Ramaphosa and Finance Minister Tito Mboweni tried to convince investors and stakeholders that the ANC does not want to change SARB's mandate and that the Bank's independence is "sacrosanct". Yet at the same time, on home soil, their ANC comrades, Ace Magashule, Enoch Godongwana and Deputy President Mabuza are contradicting this message.
The ANC's internal factional battles are now posing a serious threat to the SARB's independence. Changing the mandate of SARB will not only have devasting consequences but is possibly a trojan horse to capture the Bank, enabling large scale looting, which will result in greater job losses and possibly hyperinflation.
The DA has already written to Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, for clarification on the future, mandate and independence of the SARB, to no avail.
The SARB is considered internationally as one of the best in the world. This tinkering with the mandate of the bank is not only disastrous for investor confidence but will also deal the country a blow domestically. With 10 million unemployed South Africans, we cannot afford to allow the ANC's policy uncertainty threaten more job losses and possibly hyperinflation.
The DA will fight to keep the SARB independent and to ensure that its constitutional mandate is not violated.
ANC intent on driving investment away
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to the Minister of Finance to obtain details of the ANC election manifesto statements that the party intends to change the mandate of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) as well as to prescribe to financial institutions where they must invest the money they hold in trust on behalf of bank depositors, pension and retirement fund contributors, pensioners and insurance policyholders.
The imposition of prescribed assets is exactly what the apartheid regime resorted to in desperation when they could not raise capital in the international markets. Now the ANC is to resort to the same annexation of private funds as international markets hold back on making capital available to South Africa.
Instead of announcing bold new initiatives to stimulate economic growth and job creation, the ANC has decided to simply "expropriate" ordinary South Africans' savings to try to save bloated and corrupt State-Owned Entities such as SAA and ESKOM.
Clearly President Cyril Ramaphosa has not had the backbone to stand up to the SACP/COSATU and has capitulated to their demands for these changes to the SARB mandate and to imposing a prescribed asset regime.
What these changes will undoubtedly bring about will be to:
Make the South African Reserve Bank a battleground as the destructive forces in the ANC and its ally the EFF push the agenda to change the SARB mandate. We urge the SARB Governor to withstand the coming onslaught and to continue to focus on the existing SARB mandate.
Result in further downgrades by international ratings agencies no matter how much charm and spin President Cyril Ramaphosa puts on these economically destructive changes.
Drive away foreign direct investment,
The losers as a result of these very foolish moves by the ANC is the will be to create more unemployment and misery for the majority of South Africans. There can be little doubt that unemployment numbers in 2019 will sky rocket way beyond the 10 million mark.
#VBSHeist: Ethics Committee confirms investigation of Shivambu
Please find attached a soundbite by the DA Team One South Africa Spokesperson on Corruption, Phumzile Van Damme MP.
The DA, yesterday, received confirmation that Parliament's Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interest will be investigating Floyd Shivambu's possible conflict of interest regarding payments received from his brother, Brian Shivambu.
On Tuesday, the leader of the EFF confirmed that as brothers, there were numerous transactions between Floyd and Brian Shivambu.
In the South African Reserve Bank's VBS Mutual Bank Heist report Brian is said to have received R16 million from the bank "without an apparent cause" and it was further alleged in media reports that evidence existed of Floyd receiving R10 million of that money.
In his letter to the DA, the Acting Registrar of Members' Interests Adv. X Gordon confirms that "the matter is being attended to and you will be notified of the outcome of the investigation once the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interests has decided on the matter."
We welcome the speed in which the Ethics Committee responded to our complaint, and trust that the same expeditiousness will be applied to the investigation.
We call on the Ethics Committee to conduct a hearing and it be open to the public given the public interest in the matter, and to as per the Code of Conduct:
Call witnesses;
Summon any person to appear before it to give evidence on oath or affirmation; and
Summon any person to produce any relevant documents.
We look forward to the investigation, and if any wrongdoing found, the harshest sanction be meted out against Shivambu on behalf of the thousands of poor people whose money was stolen in the VBS Heist.
Posted on 9 October 2018 9 October 2018
Congratulations to Tito Mboweni on his appointment as new Finance Minister
We congratulate the former Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Tito Mboweni, who has been plucked from political obscurity and appointed as the new Finance Minister in South Africa.
With his experience, the new Finance Minister will have the advantage of being able to hit the ground running and is, at least, known to market participants, ratings agencies and international financial institutions, who closely follow events in South Africa.
However, we are concerned that during the years that he was out in the political cold, he often came over on social media, at least, as a little looney posting content that seemed to be at odds with government policy like this:
We hope that the minister will clarify his view in the run up to the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement which is scheduled to take place in two weeks time in Parliament.
DA plans to fight hostile takeover of the Reserve Bank
The nationalising of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB)is a hostile move in a long game of EFF political maneuvers to influence the mandate and operations of the Reserve Bank and ultimately South Africa's banking system as a whole.
This is also an electoral game for the EFF. Whether or not the Bill is passed, the EFF hopes to dominate the ANC's radical agenda, and position itself as the authentic party of the left.
In a statement released on the 6th of March 2018, the EFF is unreserved about its ambitious plans for the SARB, including: influencing prudential oversight, deconcentrating bank ownership, expediting the licensing of state owned banks, and using the SARB to create a preferential environment for certain banks including state-owned development finance institutions.
At present, private shareholders are limited to holding 10 000 shares and to electing a minority of the non-executive Board members. The provision of a fixed dividend means that shareholders do not invest with the motive of making profits. In addition, shareholders play no role in the formulation and implementation of monetary policy and are excluded from core functions.
There can be no meaningful public interest motive in nationalising the Reserve Bank, only the furtherance of private political interests.
Nationalisation will mean that Finance Minister will have the ability to appoint every board member from a list of nominees that are confirmed by a panel also largely appointed by the Minister. The conflict of interests doesn't stop there; this Bill has to be interpreted in conjunction with the EFF's Bank's Amendment Bill enabling the state to own banks. Coupled with greater ministerial involvement in the Reserve Bank, this will give the government enhanced ability to influence the rules in a market in which it also competes.
As South Africa confronts the public losses due to state capture, another likely avenue for corruption should not be opened up.
Financial prudence and stability do not go in hand with the EFF's tendency towards recklessness. The memorandum to the Bill is meant to provide detail about its financial implications. In the relevant section Julius Malema has indicated 'none'. This Bill has recklessly been submitted without the necessary due diligence. The shares cannot just be written out of existence.
The EFF will need to propose a mechanism of expropriation, compensation and determination of the shares' value. In addition, the potential impact on investor sentiment must be considered. The DA opposes threats to Reserve Bank independence and will ensure that the true costs of the Bill are tabled and debated.
Posted on 9 July 2018 18 July 2018
DA cautiously welcomes SARB's announcement to guarantee up to R100 000 for VBS clients
The DA welcomes the South African Reserve Bank's announcement that VBS Mutual Bank's clients (individuals, burial societies and stokvels) will, from Friday, be able to withdraw up to R100 000 over a period of three years through a process that will be facilitated by Nedbank.
Although we are pleased that ordinary citizens who deposited money with VBS will get their money back, this will not be enough to reverse the problems that were caused by the apparent looting of money at the bank.
Clients will be able to withdraw all their funds or leave them with Nedbank, but will need to have withdrawn all the money within three years.
However, we are concerned that monies deposited by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) and several municipalities with VBS may not be recovered.
If these public monies are not recovered, state employees and citizens of various municipalities will be the hardest hit. The PIC manages the pension funds of millions of state employees and their savings have now been placed at risk.
Citizens of the affected municipalities will also be deprived of basic services should this money not be retrieved and this shows once more that corruption is not a victimless crime.
The DA will continue to hold those who loot public funds accountable and will not tolerate corruption.
DA welcomes the withdrawal of mad motion on the South African Reserve Bank
We welcome the news that the mad motion on the "nationalisation" of the South African Reserve Bank has been withdrawn and will not be debated today in Parliament.
We have been told by Moody's, who are currently in the country conducting a review ahead of a possible sovereign credit rating downgrade to "junk status", that:
"…any developments which cast further doubt over the independence and credibility of core institutions including the National Treasury and Reserve Bank would be strongly credit negative."
What this means is that the mere whiff of an attack on the South African Reserve Bank risks making a sovereign credit rating downgrade to "junk status" more likely in South Africa.
Despite this the ANC submitted a mad motion for debate on the "nationalisation" of the South African Reserve Bank as follows:
"Acknowledging the role, mandate and independence of the South African Reserve Bank, in line with international practice, to ensure full public ownership of the Bank".
The fact is that the debate would have been a disaster risking an attack on the South African Reserve Bank from the ill-informed, nutters and thugs inside Parliament.
This would have panicked investors and made a sovereign credit rating downgrade to "junk status" more likely in South Africa.
DA to begin removal proceedings against Public Protector
The revelations that Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, first consulted President Jacob Zuma's legal advisors and discussed further recommendations not included in her initial report into the ABSA/Bankorp bailout, casts serious doubt as to her independence.
This information has been revealed in annexures to the supplementary affidavit filed by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and clearly demonstrates that Mkhwebane does not operate in an impartial manner but rather seems to take her orders from the Union Buildings.
The DA will, therefore, write to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, to request that this matter is dealt with by the relevant Portfolio Committee, in terms of Rule 337 and 338 of the National Assembly Rules.
Specifically, the DA in the Committee will call for removal proceedings to be initiated urgently. In terms of Section 194 of the Constitution, the Portfolio Committee has the power to make a finding of "misconduct, incapacity, or incompetence" against the Public Protector. Thereafter, the National Assembly must adopt a resolution calling for removal, which requires a two-thirds majority.
The DA has, from the get go, had serious doubts as to Mkhwebane's suitability for the vital role of Public Protector. She has confirmed these doubts numerous times, including:
When she failed to act when President Jacob Zuma was trying to interdict the release of the State Capture report last year, which gave the first inkling of her bias;
When she jumped to the defence of the President by laying criminal charges against former Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, for releasing the transcript of her interview with the President;
When she has been sitting on key Gupta-related investigations for months; and
When she admitted to stepping outside of her mandate by recommending changing the Constitution regarding the mandate of the SARB, showing that she has very poor understanding of her own powers and the limits thereof.
The Public Protector is Constitutionally mandated to investigate misconduct by government departments and entities and to protect the public's interest. Clearly, Mkhwebane is acting in the interest of the already captured Number 1 and must be removed before she is allowed to compromise the once proud office any further.


We received a lot of positive feedback from our community on social media when it was announced. Truly, it is our community that makes Halifax Yoga so amazing. We look forward to continuing to be one of the best yoga studios in Canada. Be sure to check out Stylight's entire article on the best studios in Canada here.
Yoga has become an important part of Raechelle's life, and her practice has helped her grow stronger, more flexible and fearless, both on and off the mat. Raechelle is passionate about her family, writing, being active, reading and adventure. She started out part of Halifax Yoga's Energy Exchange, then joined HY's Yoga Teacher Training in the Fall of 2017. She is now the assistant manager at Halifax Yoga and is excited to share her passions and inspirations.


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Board index ‹ (Defunct) Electric Universe - Origins of Myth
The Crowns of Sages and Warrior-Kings (Part 1)
Plasma formations in the ancient sky. The role of planets as charged bodies in these formations. Ground-rules for drawing reliable conclusions. A new approach to the mythic archetypes: is a unified theory of world mythology possible?
by David Talbott » Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:38 pm
Is it possible that the historic theme of "the crown" has a unified explanation?
I believe it does and that this explanation can be confirmed by simply comparing our model to the recurring symbolic patterns discussed earlier in this thread. For an argument to really add up, the one requirement is that you continually compare layers of factual evidence to the hypothesized formations that "predict" them.
Identifiable phases or aspects of an evolving "Polar Configuration" will account for a full spectrum of crown-like forms. And no more than three phases will account for the vast majority of crowns and headdresses in antiquity:
1. The radial discharge of Venus
2. This discharge in its off-axis appearance
3. Material stretching between Mars and Venus, seen off axis.
In the radial discharge phases briefly noted in the opening thread, the red sphere of Mars stands in front of the star of Venus, so that Mars is surrounded by the streamers radiating from Venus. Both the number and the shape of the streamers change over time.
Below are two of the many variations in the radial discharge as its intensity changed, maintaining a general equilibrium in distance between the separate discharge streamers. The stylized images present two variations of many, consistent with the theme of the great sage or warrior-hero wearing a radiate crown that turns out to be a goddess (Venus).
VenusFullFlower(b).jpg
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The 8-pointed star is, of course a well-established symbol of Venus, though more abundant "rays" will often be apparent. The pic below is a Babylonian image of "the star of Ishtar," whom all experts identify as Venus.
Another interesting image of Venus shows the planetary "star" resting inside a giant crescent--which is the context in which the crescent almost always appears in ancient Mesopotamia. (Please forgive the type over the image--it's from a slide presentation.)
I've never seen any specialist wonder about the ring around the depicted sphere. As I'll try to make clear, the ring is a vital clue as to what is going on in the famous "conjunction of Mars and Venus." The star and foreground sphere signify Mars, wearing the rays of Venus as his crown of glory, while the great crescent (the Babylonian god Sin) is the illuminated portion of Saturn, the primeval sun. Nothing in the early data on the crescent is consistent with the popular notion that it signifies the moon.
By simply tracing the theme of the warrior's radiate crown back to it's most archaic expressions, we should be able to confirm all of the integrated meanings that must be there if the model is fundamentally correct. We can start with the wide-ranging images of the mother goddess implied by the model. The goddess who serves as the hero's crown is the "great star" Venus. But that star is also:
The eye, heart and soul of the primeval sun (Saturn)
The animating life, power, and glory, of the primeval sun
The hub and spokes of the cosmic wheel
The plant of life
The warrior's shield
And this is, of course, a greatly abbreviated list of the mythical interpretations provoked by the form.
The model therefore requires numerous outrageous identifications--which is not a disadvantage, but an advantage. The crown must be the radiant eye, heart and soul of the primeval sun. It must be hub and spokes of the cosmic wheel. And it must be, simultaneously, the warrior's shield. When seen as things in themselves, the diverse cultural symbols could hardly suggest the underlying unity that is demanded by the model. Therefore, not only the crowns of sages and warriors, but the entire complex of symbols inspired by the celestial reference (the discharging Venus), must be added to the uncompromising tests of the model.
Here is a quick example, one of hundreds that could be given, to illustrate the underlying coherence once you step into the model:
In both images the head of the Greek god Apollo is placed within a radiant sphere. Of course, popular modern day myths say that Apollo was the Sun, an identification that evaporate the moment you begin to examine the figure with any seriousness. The cult of Apollo is already acknowledged to be a precise counterpart to the cult of the Latin Mars. But quite apart from this undeniable correspondence, no stretch is needed to identify the god as the axle of the cosmic wheel, since his name Aegeius, makes the identity explicit: the Greek word means "axle." The god's radiate crown is thus constituted of the spokes of a cosmic wheel.
A good counterpart here would be the Persian god Mithra seen below:
Mithra.jpg
... to which we might add the Roman version (Mithras):
If you want to follow the concrete implications of the model for yourself, don't stop with Apollo or Mithra. You can apply the same reasoning to images of the eye goddess or any other mythic image implicated in the list above. If the goddess is an Eye with radial streams (hub of the wheel, with radial spokes), who is the heroic "pupil of the eye," or the "little man in the eye," or "the child in the eye," or the "apple of his mother's eye"? Perhaps you thought that latter expression had no intelligible meaning . In all of these instances the radiance of the goddess as discharging star will be inseparable from the hero's crown: the goddess is the discharging star; the goddess is the crown of glory; the goddess is the radiant eye; the goddess is the hub of the wheel with radiant spokes, and all mean precisely the same thing.
Similarly, the hero is the child in the womb of the goddess; the small sphere inside or in front of the discharging star; the god crowned in his glory; the pupil of the eye; and the axle of the wheel. The symbols differ, but the meanings and spatial relationships are the same in all cases, all requiring alignment, all taking us back to the conjunction of goddess and hero.
In other words, there's a lot of ground to cover here, and more than sufficient opportunity for the model to fail early on if we're on the wrong track. So rather than elaborate on the warrior-hero's radiate crown, I'll next post a few comments on the second item listed above, the discharge seen off-axis due to fundamental movements (librations) of the celestial bodies.
Questions and suggestions will be welcome, particularly anything that will help to make these posts as direct and understandable as possible.
David Talbott
Re: The Crowns of Sages and Warrior-Kings
by Plasmatic » Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:47 pm
Ive posted some corresponding motifs in the Japanese Myth thread.
"Logic is the art of non-contradictory identification"......" I am therefore Ill think"
Plasmatic
Re: The Crowns of Sages and Warrior-Kings (Part 1)
by David Talbott » Sun May 04, 2008 9:53 am
In the past couple of days, as time has allowed, I've been doing some re-arranging of the "Crowns" threads to enable me to add material without it being too out of sequence. The notes below were originally in Part 2, but the present thread is more appropriate, and I'll be elaborating on the points here in coming days (Actually, I've already started.)
Crown and Throne
I'm trusting that many readers will already realize that, if we're on the right track, the warrior's crown and the warrior's throne will (in terms of cosmic origins) be the same thing. At the archetypal level, the warrior king must be "crowned" by the same discharge formation that provides his celestial seat. But the symbolic, man-made forms, in their practical and more specialized functions, are irreconcilable.
This is why it's so crucial to work with visualization. In the images of the radial discharge we've given, there is nothing incongruous in seeing the small dark, reddish sphere as simultaneously "crowned" by the discharge streamers, and resting safely within them as on a "throne." The principle is impossible to miss in these archaic images from Ireland, corresponding to a global pattern:
And you see the same relationship in these prehistoric pictographs from California:
The innermost sphere is "crowned" by the discharge streamers. And notice in both instances the gap between the innermost sphere and the steamers, which would be the brightest portion of the discharge. The limbs of the discharging body behind the innermost sphere are not visible.
Below is a prehistoric design from Mexico consistent with our interpretation of the mythic warrior-hero crowned by the radial discharge.
These two are from the American southwest after the European arrival, but still carrying forward the more archaic tradition--
The concept is universal. While the Buddha is crowned by the spokes of a radiant wheel, he is also the owner of a wheel-throne:
He is called the "axle," here a close counterpart to the classical Apollo, who was aegeius, the "axle." Many lines of evidence will suggest that before there was a sage, there was a warrior transmuted by later philosophy and insight into a sage. In the Dhammapada, Buddha is "the warrior in shining armor." (As I intend to demonstrate the warrior-hero's "armor" is nothing else than the discharge streamers or "spokes" of the cosmic wheel.) Thus, the great warrior Indra of Hindu myth also carries the epithet "axle," confirming that within the archaic symbolism there is no contradiction between the spoked crown and spoked throne.
In the earliest symbolic systems, the original identity shines through, even as the artistic representations depart from the root form. Though the Egyptian Isis, along with her many counterparts, takes the form of the warrior's crown, she is also the "lap" or "throne" on which the warrior king rests. Thus, the hieroglyphic determinative in the name of Isis is simply a throne, and every pharaoh was brought into conjunction with the goddess simultaneously as child on the lap and crowned warrior-king. (See image of Isis on the right below, with the King in the role of the warrior-child Horus.)
Another example, from Babylon:
It's also interesting to observe how, as artists attempted to express the concept of human form, various contradictions could not be avoided, as in this illustration of Krishna on his mother's lap:
Since the mother is the discharging Venus of the prehistoric pictographs, and the child is the innermost orb in the same images, one way the artists could preserve the surrounding aura, while placing the child on the lap of the goddess, was to duplicate it.
In the absence of the celestial referent, interpretive concepts increasingly came to dominate, progressively fragmenting the original unity of the archetypes, as cultures elaborated their own artistic, poetic, and magical variations.
Radiate vs. Radiant
by Lloyd » Tue May 06, 2008 5:34 pm
- I think Radiate is only a verb, whereas you initially used it as an adjective a few times. It looks like you switched to the appropriate adjective-form, Radiant, eventually.
- I don't think I heard anyone discuss the crown motif before. Or maybe it just makes more of an impression now, because of the images that you added to the discussion.
Re: Radiate vs. Radiant
by David Talbott » Wed May 07, 2008 7:29 am
Lloyd wrote: - I think Radiate is only a verb, whereas you initially used it as an adjective a few times. It looks like you switched to the appropriate adjective-form, Radiant, eventually.
Lloyd, if you Google "radiate crown" (i.e., in quotes), you'll get over 5,000 web pages, in which "radiate" is an adjective. Radiate crown means a crown with radial spikes or "rays."
You're definitely right that the pictures are a key to visualizing the planetary configuration and its impact on human imagination. I've got at least a thousand or more to add to these threads as time allows. One key is to note how the innermost sphere of the archetypal "nimbus" appears when it is presented directly, free from its mythical interpretation as a (human) warrior king:
But when envisioning the warrior king in human form (essential to the identification of the regional king with the celestial prototype), the artists did not limit themselves to placing the nimbus on the head of the figure. As seen in the Assyrian cylinder seal impressions below, depicting the nimbus around the entire human form was also quite acceptable:
Such images are best understood as illustrations of the celestial "wheel-throne," the model for various wheel-thrones of Near Eastern kings. Wheel-throne and radiate crown are just two of many mythic variations on the same underlying form.
Pictures will also underscore the progressive elaboration of originally pristine forms. In the Yezidis image of Murugan below you can see how the simple nimbus worn as a crown is juxtaposed with the "radiance" of the peacock throne, which I've addressed briefly in Part 2, though I'll have a good deal more to add.
Murugan (Hindu Murukan) is a local counterpart to the popular Hindu "warrior gods" Kartikeya and Skanda (whose connection to Shiva is often stated in scholarly expositions). Astronomical identification with the planet Mars is relevant here as well.
by Plasmatic » Sat May 10, 2008 3:41 pm
Say Dave how about this comparison from Japan. Theres the swirled rope , the peacock feathers and the orb in the middle with radiant strands coming out.
Return to (Defunct) Electric Universe - Origins of Myth


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March 4, 2018 Jonty
Water Games – 2: China's intransigent hold over Asian rivers
The Tsangpo-Brahmaputra Grand Canyon in Tibet, near India's Arunachal Pradesh. (Photo: Tibet News/Twitter)
China's expansionism is well known. Today it has land and maritime territorial disputes with as many as 23 countries, although it shares land boundaries with only 14. At times, it grabs land through brazen invasion and annexation, as in the case of Xinjiang to its northwest and Tibet to its south. At other times, it resorts to salami-slicing, as in the Himalayas with India. The world seems to have largely forgotten the annexation of Xinjiang and given up hope for a free Tibet.
Until the Doklam stand-off, the world barely took notice of China's land-grabbing manoeuvres in the Himalayas. What was noticed was its territorial grab of the South China Sea, where it has built artificial islands and militarized them. The world vociferously opposes it and sometimes indulges in symbolic acts of defiance.
However, China's most ambitious and far-reaching manoeuvre to force Asia on its knees and become its overlord – the gradual control and manipulation of the continent's fresh water – still appears to be going on virtually unnoticed.
It began with the "peaceful takeover" of Xinjiang by the People's Liberation Army – the militia of Mao Zedong's Chinese Communist Party – from the Republic of China's coalition government comprising the Chinese Nationalist Party and representatives of the-then Second East Turkestan Republic during the waning days of the Chinese Civil War, in 1949. This gave China access to two big transboundary freshwater sources – the Ili and Irtysh rivers, which flow to the thirsty Central Asian region of what is now Kazakhstan.
In the following year, 1950, the PLA invaded and annexed Tibet – an independent country with a landmass of 2.5 million square kilometres. (Beijing set up the Tibet Autonomous Region for administrative purposes in 1965, which is much smaller than the original size of Tibet.)
The annexation of Tibet, which is also called the "Water Tower of Asia", gave China control of some of the most important freshwater sources in Asia – mighty rivers, like the Brahmaputra, Indus, Mekong, Salween and Yangtze; their arterial tributaries; and major lakes from which some of these rivers and tributaries originate. More than 1.5 billion people downstream depend upon the rivers, many of which flow into other countries. China's policies on Tibetan rivers affect nine countries [pdf] to its south – Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
During China's so-called "peaceful rise" from the late 1970s through the 1990s, the communist country adopted a unique model of market economy, in which it allowed and helped private players to build industries and infrastructure. The pace of development was such that China, which was one of the poorest nations on earth, is the world's second-largest economy today. This required water and lots of it – for power generation and other uses for the rapidly expanding industries, industrial townships and cities.
To meet this colossal requirement of water, it turned to the rivers originating in Tibet.
Today China has 87,000 dams, including some of the biggest and most environment-threatening ones, like the "Three Gorges Dam". The country accounts for over 20 per cent of the largest dams in the world, and is building more dams than ever before. This has affected tens of millions of people within China itself who continue to suffer the impact of displacement and dislocation. Coupled with damming rivers, China is also diverting their waters.
A recent study revealed that China has, until now, developed a total reservoir capacity of 794 cubic kilometres, which is by far the largest on earth. Because of this, a total of 26,870 square kilometres of water-surface area has appeared. However, 350 lakes with more than 1 square kilometre of surface area have disappeared, amounting to the disappearance of a total of 18,151 square kilometres of water-surface area. One of the most remarkable achievements of China's damming spree is that 20 per cent of the accessed river basins in its north and northeast can store more water than the entire annual flow of the rivers.
At this moment, China is working on the "South-North Water Transfer Project", which seeks to channel 45 billion cubic metres of fresh water annually from the Yangtze river and its tributaries in the country's south to the arid and more industrialized north. Already, China has spent nearly $80 billion on the project, making it one of the most expensive engineering projects on earth. However, the most contentious part of the project, which has probably started now, is the western route called the "Big Western Line".
In addition to diverting water from the headwaters of the Yangtze to the headwaters of the Yellow river by building huge dams and long tunnels to cross the Qinghai-Tibetan and Western Yunnan plateaus, China aims to divert about 200 billion cubic metres of water annually from the upstream sections of six rivers in its southwest. Three of these rivers – the Brahmaputra, Mekong and Salween – flow into other countries. This is bound to affect India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.
Apart from this, China's reckless industrialization and mining activities have polluted most of the rivers in its territory, including the headwaters of transboundary rivers. This has become a grave health hazard for not only the Chinese but also the people of downstream countries.
China lies at the centre of an array of disputes arising from the abuse and exploitation of transboundary rivers by it. As discussed in the previous article, Water games – 1: Rising thirst in Asia, there are three broad categories of disputes – over the Mekong (involving Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam), over the Brahmaputra (involving India), and over the Ili and Irtysh (involving Kazakhstan). The number of affected counties is expected to grow: Bangladesh and Myanmar will start feeling the heat soon. Besides, the number of rivers in such disputes is bound to increase when transboundary tributaries are disturbed or abused.
For example, in 2016, China blocked the Xiabuqu river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra. The impact on the Brahmaputra, called Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, is still not known. Recently, India witnessed the pristine Siang river, an arterial tributary of the Brahmaputra, turn black. Indian officials blamed the Chinese for it.
China is not just damming, diverting and polluting the transboundary rivers in the territories it controls, it is also changing their courses and reshaping them for its ambitions Silk Road push. In 2017, alarmed Thai officials protested against China's plan to widen and deepen parts of the Mekong by blasting sections of the river to enable the navigation of heavy cargo ships for its trade. They said the move would sound the death knell of the Mekong, which China has already dammed heavily.
Problems the downstream countries face while dealing with China are many. To begin with, China doesn't have a water-sharing agreement with any country or group of countries. It refuses to become a full member of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) because that would put it under some kind of legal obligation. China doesn't believe in any such treaty and asserts absolute sovereignty over the water on the territories it controls and claims the right to use it in whatever manner it deems fit. In line with its hegemonic policy, it has rejected the UN Convention on Non-Navigable Use of International Watercourses [pdf].
Apart from this, China, which has border disputes with almost all its neighbours, seeks to use water as a weapon. Although there is an agreement between India and China to share hydrological data, which would help India predict and manage the floods caused by the water coming from Chinese-controlled territory to India, China withheld this data after the military stand-off between the two countries in Doklam last year. After the unprecedented flash floods in India's northeast in late 2017, Indian officials blamed China and called its refusal "mischief". For its part, China gave an unconvincing reason for not sharing the data with India.
In 2016, Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, warned Pakistan that New Delhi might modify its unfairly generous water-sharing pact – Indus Water Treaty – with Islamabad if it continued to aid and abet terrorist strikes in India. Pakistani commentators reminded India that Pakistan's all-weather friend, China, could take countermeasures against India with the Brahmaputra. China has been using Pakistan as a strategic asset to keep India busy on its western front so that New Delhi remains stretched and less focused on Beijing's military and land-grabbing activities along the line of actual control (LAC) in the north and northeast.
As China cannot be forced to enter into water-sharing treaties, the best bet for smaller countries is to partner other countries and mount a joint opposition to it. The four MRC countries have failed to speak in one voice against China so far. Together, they have a significant trade leverage with China, although Beijing is rapidly chipping away at that leverage with "debt-trap diplomacy". Similarly, Kazakhstan, through which Xi Jinping's ambitious OBOR project runs, can partner Russia as the latter's Ob river is affected by Chinese diversion and pollution of the Irtysh. Russia also has major issues with China over the pollution of the Amur river from the Chinese side of the border. India has trade and other leverages against China that it can use should Chinese activities threaten the Brahmaputra and/or other rivers originating in territories under Chinese control.
Tension has been building up across Asia due to China's intransigence over water. Already, there are warnings that hostilities over water may rapidly get mixed up with other disputes and escalate into armed conflicts in the continent.
To counter China and bring it to the table for effective negotiations on river-water sharing, the affected countries will have to display a strong political will. Time is running out. They must act now.
Water Games – 1: Rising thirst in Asia
Water Games – 3: India's self-defeating generosity
Water Games – 4: India's do-or-die moment
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Asia Water CrisisAsia Water SharingAsian GeopoliticsAsian Transboundary RiversBrahmaputra Water DisputeChina Control of Asian RiversChina Water DisputesChina-Asean Water DisputeChina-Kazakhstan Water DisputeChina's Water HegemonyIndia-China Water DisputeMekong Water Dispute
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