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You are here: Home Crystals Crystals & Gems Crystal Skulls Origin and Symbolism of the Crystal Skulls
Category: Crystal Skulls Tuesday, 10 August 2010 Views: 6531
The mysterious crystal skulls are likely to have originated in Central America and may have performed an important role in re-enacting the Mayans' creation myth and networking their temple complexes.
Sacred Relics or Alien Artifacts?
Although researchers have written dozens of books and hundreds of articles about crystal skulls, few have attempted to explain the origin and purpose of these sculptures. For some, the crystal skulls are 19th-century "hoaxes"; for others, they are extraterrestrial artifacts, while yet others believe they are remnants of a lost civilization.
Perhaps the most likely explanation is that they are part and parcel of the ancient cultures, particularly the Mayan, that existed in the area of Central America where they were found. Could it be that these skulls were one of the most important relics in the sacred temple complexes? Crystal skulls speak to the imagination, but are some of these skulls and their stories too good to be true?
The English artist Damien Hirst focused his 2007 exposition "Beyond Belief" around a platinum skull completely covered by 8,601 diamonds weighing 1,106 carats. "For the Love of God" is a life-sized cast of a human skull containing a single large diamond in the middle of the forehead, reportedly worth US$4.2 million alone. Hirst financed the project himself, and estimated its cost as between £10 and £15 million (approx. US$20–US$30 million). It is the most expensive piece of contemporary art ever created. He later sold the skull to an unnamed investment group for £100 million (approx. US$200 million).
The fourth installment of the Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, has Indy in a race against Soviet agents to find a crystal skull. In an early episode of the television series Stargate SG-1, a crystal skull was used as an artifact, left behind by an ancient extraterrestrial civilization, which transported people between Earth and the aliens' home world. Crystal skulls have therefore served Hollywood and the entertainment industry well. But Tinseltown's plotlines are very much copied from existing theories about crystal skulls – one of which was insured for US$500,000, and this was 30 years ago. But what are they?
The crystal skulls began their slow climb to fame in the 1980s, largely through researcher Joshua Shapiro's meeting Sandra Bowen and Nick Nocerino, who had a crystal skull named Sha-Na-Ra in their possession. Slowly, Shapiro became exposed to a number of other skulls, with names such as the Mayan Crystal Skull, the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull and the Texas Crystal Skull (also known as Max, supposedly given to the people of Guatemala by a Tibetan healer).
In March 1989, Bowen, Shapiro and Nocerino's Mysteries of the Crystal Skulls Revealed was released. The book created a vehicle through which the authors were able to "meet" several more skulls, with names such as Windsong, Rainbow, Madre, Synergy and even ones named Skully and ET. ET is a smoky quartz skull found in the early 20th century in Central America. It was given its nickname because its pointed cranium and exaggerated overbite resemble those of an alien being (and the skull is somewhat similar to the alien-looking one that Indiana Jones needs to find). ET is part of the private collection of Joke (pronounced "Yo-kay") Van Dieten, who tours with her skulls to share the healing powers she believes they possess.
Today, there are dozens of crystal skulls in circulation. The majority of these are what are perhaps best called "second-generation" skulls – modern fabrications, owned or "worked" by people who use the skulls for healing, meditation, channelling, etc. But there are also a dozen or so skulls that appear to be older and from unknown provenance. These crystal skulls have largely appeared out of nowhere, often going straight into private collections. Only two skulls sit in museums – one in London, the other in Paris.
Controversy over Fabrication Claims
The British Museum Skull is part of the exhibit at the Museum of Mankind in London, where it is one of the most popular items on display. The label on its case reads "originally thought to have been Aztec, but recent research proves it to be European", of late 19th-century fabrication. The museum obtained the skull for £120 in 1897 from Tiffany & Co., the New York-based jewellers. As to how Tiffany's had acquired it, speculation was that it originated from a soldier of fortune in Mexico.
In 2004, Professor Ian Freestone, of the University of Wales at Cardiff, examined the skull and concluded that it was cut and polished with a wheeled instrument, which he said was not used by the Aztecs (see http://hnn.us/roundup/comments/9582.html). Freestone argued that the sculpture was therefore of modern, post- Columbian origin, further noting that the crystal used was common in Brazil but not Mexico – the Aztec homeland – and that "the surface of the skull, which contains tiny bubbles that glint in the light, is more sharply defined than softer-looking Aztec crystal relics with which it has been compared". However, Freestone said that even though there was strong circumstantial evidence suggesting the artefact was 19th-century European in origin, this did not amount to cast-iron proof.
In recent years, the story of how the British Museum acquired the crystal was investigated by Dr Jane MacLaren Walsh of the US Smithsonian Institution. She concluded that the British Museum Skull and the one at Musée de l'Homme (Museum of Man) in Paris were both sold by Eugène Boban. Boban was a controversial collector of pre-Columbian artifacts and an antiques dealer who ran his business in Mexico City between around 1860 and 1880. Though it is indeed likely that Boban placed the skull at Tiffany's for auction, there is no hard evidence. However, such evidence does exist for the Musée de l'Homme Crystal Skull, which in 1878 was donated by collector Alphonse Pinart who had bought it from Boban. Boban's 1881 catalogue does list another crystal skull, "in rock crystal of natural human size", selling for 3,500 French francs – the most expensive item in the catalogue. It is possible it was never sold, and hence was offered to Tiffany's to sell at auction.
Having established these facts, however, Walsh then argued that the skulls are not genuine artifacts but instead were manufactured between 1867 and 1886 in Germany, as German craftsmen were deemed to be the only people with the skills to be able to carve these skulls.
Though Boban was indeed a controversial figure, he was, of course, no different from all the other operators on the antiquities markets in those days – some of whom made deals for treasures such as the Rosetta Stone or the Elgin Marbles that continue to upset entire nations from which they were "exported".
However, there is no evidence – not even circumstantial – that Boban sourced these skulls from Germany. It is logical to conclude that, as Boban operated in Mexico, he may have acquired the skulls in Mexico. It would be completely logical to assume that, if they are Aztec in origin, they were offered on the Mexico City antiques market where Boban picked them up. It is the most logical scenario, yet academics seem to prefer the modern German fabrication theory for which there is no evidence. Why? Perhaps they prefer to label them as fakes so as to evade potential claims from Mexican authorities?
As to the fact that the skulls were polished with a wheeled instrument, Professor Freestone himself argued that this in itself does not mean they are modern fabrications (he examined the Paris as well as the London skull in 2004). Though Freestone, Walsh and others suggested this overturns the likelihood that the skulls are pre-Columbian, other experts like Professor Michael D. Coe of Yale University stated that evidence of wheel markings in no way proves that the skulls are modern. He actually said that although it has long been accepted that no pre-Columbian civilization used the rotary wheel, new evidence contradicts this scientific dogma. Wafer-thin obsidian ear-spools are now known to have been made using some rotary carving equipment and to be dated to the Aztec/Mixtec period. According to Chris Morton and Ceri Louise Thomas in The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls, Coe concluded (p. 226): "People who sit in scientific laboratories don't know the full range of the culture they're dealing with. We really don't know half as much about these early cultures as we think we do. People need to re-examine their beliefs."
Walsh and some of her colleagues have largely presented Boban as a charlatan, but they've failed to report that Boban was known to have owned genuinely ancient artifacts as well as a collection of rare books and early Mexican manuscripts. He had even written a scientific study, "Documents pour server à l'histoire du Mexique" ("Documents to serve the history of Mexico") (1891). Furthermore, he personally crusaded against frauds and fakes, such as in 1881 when he spoke out against forgeries that were being made in the suburbs of Mexico City. Would he shoot himself in the foot that same year by listing a fraudulent crystal skull in his catalogue?
Mentions of the German connection and claims of Boban's dishonesty come from a single letter from one of Boban's competitors, Wilson Wilberforce Blake. He wrote how they should buy from him, not Boban, who was "not honest", and he made accusations that the skull Boban had sold was a forgery, insinuating that the skull had been made in Germany instead. However, no evidence was ever produced for any of these claims, and it is clear that Blake had an obvious motive as to why he wanted to smear Boban's character: he was specifically after Boban's share of the market.
In short, Walsh has uncovered good indications that Boban had skulls and sold them; but as to a German connection, she has relied on the words of a man who almost openly stated that he was out to smudge Boban's ethics. As such, the story of how the crystal skulls have been treated by academics has – alas – all the usual hallmarks of how the scientific establishment treats such anomalous finds and pushes them aside, labeling them fakes. And afficionados of the genre will know that involvement of the Smithsonian Institution and the British Museum in such a controversy is not a unique event.
Archaeological Speculation
Eugène Boban
Could these skulls be genuine archaeological finds? As Morton and Thomas pointed out, Boban's artefacts went on sale at a time when Teotihuacán, just north of Mexico City, was being excavated. Teotihuacán is one of the most important sites in the Americas, with pyramids – and a pyramid layout – on par with the pyramids of the Giza Plateau.
Boban is known to have visited the excavations; in fact, he did so in the company of Leopoldo Batres, the Inspector of Monuments. Interestingly, Blake claimed that Batres, too, was "not only a fraud but a swindler". Even if these allegations were true, did Boban get the skull from Teotihuacán? If so, the finger of guilt should not point to Batres. In those days, half of the finds the excavators made ended up on the black market, while the other half became part of the "archaeological record". It is known that even the great Howard Carter, in his exploration of the Tutankhamun tomb – heralded as the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century – fell victim to this.
Either way, concluding that the skulls are genuine archaeological treasures is more logical – and better documented – than speculating about a theoretical German connection. However, it is a fact that none of the skulls was found during an archaeological excavation – that is, apart from the so-called Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull, named after its discoverer, the adventurer F. A. (Mike) Mitchell-Hedges, if we believe the "official" version of its find. This skull is by far the most beautiful, detailed and complex, and consists of two parts: the skull itself and a separate jawbone which allows for movement, as if the head is speaking. Famed science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke used an image of this skull as the logo for his popular television series Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World.
The official version goes that the skull was found in the ruins of Lubantuun in Belize (then British Honduras) in 1924 during an archaeological survey of the site, though controversy reigns over this conclusion. This "Skull of Doom", as Mitchell-Hedges himself labeled it, was not referenced until 1931 as being in existence.
In his autobiography Danger My Ally (1954), Mitchell-Hedges stated that "the Skull of Doom is made of pure rock crystal and according to scientists it must have taken 150 years, generation after generation working all days of their lives, patiently rubbing down with sand an immense block of rock crystal until the perfect skull emerged". He continued: "It is at least 3,600 years old and according to legend was used by the High Priest of the Maya when performing esoteric rites. It is said that when he willed death with the help of the skull, death invariably followed. It has been described as the embodiment of all evil." For a man who had "danger" as his "ally", he obviously tried to frighten his readers with the power of this object.
So, Mitchell-Hedges associated the crystal skull with the Maya in 1600 BC – when the Maya were not yet around. Noting Mitchell-Hedges's interest in finding evidence for Atlantis, many people have argued that the skull is therefore a relic of this earlier civilization. What the skeptics have made of this can be easily divined...
A Crystal Legacy
Today, three main theories exist about what crystal skulls are and where they come from. One argument states that they are an extraterrestrial legacy; another that they are remnants of a lost civilization (often to be read as Atlantis), both of which are favoured on the New Age circuit. For the skeptics, they are "obviously" late-19th-century fabrications from Germany. A fourth theory, however, might be closer to the truth.
The problem of the crystal skulls is that they are made of crystal. Quartz crystal does not age; it does not corrode, erode, decay or change in any way with time. It cannot be carbon dated. A skull could be hundreds if not thousands of years old, yet still look as if it was made yesterday – and vice versa. Hence, other means of dating had to be devised, and so evidence of skulls having been polished with wheels has become the key determinant of whether they are modern/post-Columbian or "genuine" archaeological artifacts.
As mentioned, Michael Coe has scorned those laboratory scientists who have preached against the authenticity of the skulls. And rightfully so, as one skull, owned by Mexican Norma Redo, is mostly notorious, at least for some, as the skull that supports a large crucifix on its top. The skull shows similar "evidence" of wheelwork, but from his analysis archaeologist Dr Andrew Rankin argued that the skull was sculpted from the same crystal as that of the crystal goblet from tomb no. 7 at Monte Albán, which is an uncontested archaeological find. Furthermore, the 1571 hallmark on the crucifix is also deemed to be genuine, thus in general excluding the likelihood that this skull is of 19th century European fabrication. In short, this hard evidence confirms what Michael Coe has argued: that the Maya apparently do seem to have been able to work with crystal... and thus may have made the crystal skulls after all.
However, the Maya would not have been the only ancient civilization to have mastered working with crystal. Robert Temple's The Crystal Sun (2000), subtitled Rediscovering a lost technology of the ancient world, was promoted thus: "Based upon 33 years of research all over the world, in museums from Stockholm to Shanghai, from Athens to Cairo, and in thousands of books in several languages, Robert Temple has reconstructed a wholly forgotten story: the story of light technology in ancient civilization. It goes back at least to 2600 BC in Old Kingdom Egypt, and continues throughout Western antiquity."
Temple's quest began when he spoke to Arthur C. Clarke about the Mitchell-Hedges Skull, whereby British science historian Derek Price, who is most famous for his study of the Antikythera device (another anomalous archaeological discovery that only recently has received serious academic attention), then spoke to him about the Layard Lens as another example of our forefathers having worked with crystal.
In the mid-19th century, English archaeologist Sir John Layard excavated the remains of Babylon and Nineveh. In 1850, during the excavation of the throne room of the Assyrian King Sargon II's palace, he discovered a lens. It is dated to 721–705 BC and is currently – also – in the British Museum. It is considered to be the first used (or found) plano-convex lens.
Temple notes on his website: "...this rock crystal lens, now cracked and considerably damaged, was originally a perfect convex lens with a flat ('plane') base, which was ground in a special way known to opticians as 'toroidal' – a technique only available for the public since about 1900. Such grinding produces lenses to correct for individual cases of astigmatism. It would be possible to go out into the street today and find someone whose astigmatism was perfectly corrected by the Layard Lens... It is most extraordinary that such a high technology existed in the 8th century BC. And not a single Assyriologist has acknowledged the publication of my study of this important object except for the one who encouraged me in the first place; he was curious as to what the results would be. So it appears that the community of Assyriologists find it convenient not to 'see' my book."
Why? Largely because, as with the crystal skulls, the establishment believes – for that is what it is – that only from the 19th century were "we" able to do such things.
However, archaeologists are not totally denying the existence of lenses in antiquity, as evidenced in a study by George Sines and Yannis A. Sakellarakis (American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 91, no. 2, April 1987), reporting how "...a recent find in the Idaean Cave in Crete of two rock crystal lenses of unusually good optical quality led to this investigation of other lenses from antiquity. The evidence indicates that the use of lenses was widespread throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin over several millennia." They added: "The use of lenses as burning glasses in Classical Greece is noted, as is the need for magnifying lenses to authenticate seal impressions."
Scientific Scrutiny of the "Skull of Doom"
Mike Mitchell-Hedges
In 1936, eminent anthropologist G. M. Morant and Adrian Digby, a future Keeper of the Department of Ethnology at the British Museum, analyzed the Mitchell-Hedges Skull and argued that it is not of modern workmanship. Digby wrote: "...in neither case [they analyzed the British Museum Skull as well] is there any trace of identifiable tool marks, and it is certain that neither specimen was made with steel tools. On the teeth there is no trace of a lapidary's wheel which would betray one or both specimens as being of comparatively recent origin." Writing in the journal Man in July 1936 (vol. 36), they both commented that the skull's detachable lower jaw would have taken the creator – whoever he was – many hundreds if not thousands of hours of extra work, and that thus there would have to have been an important reason why the jaw had to be detached – more so than for purely artistic reasons. In 1964, Anna "Sammy" Mitchell-Hedges – the adventurer's adopted daughter and custodian of the Skull of Doom – lent the skull to Frank and Mabel Dorland, famous art experts and restorers. Dorland commenced his study by taking many photographs from various angles. He also used a binocular microscope to create a three-dimensional image of the skull.
During this scientific analysis, the skull also seemed to reveal a magical dimension. One evening, Dorland finished his work too late for the skull to be returned to its vault in the Mill Valley Bank. So he took the skull home, placing it next to the fire he had lit for the evening. He then noticed how the light of the fire was reflected through the eyes of the skull. This made him realize that the skull allowed certain optical effects to be produced – though other stories state that throughout the entire evening the house was also a hive of poltergeist activity.
Dorland discovered that the optical effects were the result of how the skull had been carved, which gave him even further insights into the precision of the workmanship. He observed that there was a type of "layering" on top of the skull, which made the skull behave like an amplifying glass. The back of the skull channelled the light through the eye sockets at the front of the head. While no one would be able to see what was happening from behind the skull, anyone looking at the face would perceive a spectacular series of images that would appear to come from within the skull itself.
Finally, Dorland discovered two holes at the bottom of the skull that are invisible when the skull is positioned upright. The holes can be used so that the skull can be swung without falling over. Together with the detachable jaw, this was a further indication that this skull was not a mere display object but had been created to perform certain functions: to move, if not pretend to speak (via the detachable jaw), and to "project" certain images to the observer standing in front of it.
In December 1970, Dorland took the skull to the laboratories of Hewlett-Packard in Santa Clara, California, at the time one of the world's most advanced centres for computers and electronics. The lab technicians were specialists in the production of precision quartz crystals, which were used in various high-tech instruments. It meant that they were perfectly suited for trying to figure out how the skull could have been made.
One test revealed that the skull was made out of one piece of quartz, with the separate jawbone coming from the same piece. The lab technicians stated that they were unable to create a skull like that with the technology available to them in 1970. Their analysis showed that the skull exhibited three different types of workmanship, and hence they suggested that work on it was carried out over three generations, or a period of 60 to 70 years – about half the time Mitchell-Hedges argued it would have taken to make: 70 versus 150 years, a small difference nevertheless.
That three generations would have worked, day in, day out, on creating one skull was an unlikely scenario, and thus the skull was proposed to have been created with "unknown technology" – which soon became interpreted as being of alien origin or from a previous civilization that was technologically superior to ours, which quickly got linked with Atlantis. This was, of course, what Mitchell-Hedges had always claimed: that this skull was physical evidence of a lost, advanced civilization.
Larry LaBarre was one of the testers at Hewlett-Packard and a decade after the 1970 tests he added to his previous observations: namely, that the quartz is very hard, measuring nine out of a possible 10 on Moh's scale, meaning that only a diamond would be able to cut it. The quartz, though of one piece, was furthermore composed of three or four growth phases, each with a different axis. Cutting it would have been extremely difficult, as hitting upon a new axis might shatter the crystal if the cutter was not careful. (This is one of the main reasons why larger diamonds are more valuable; it is not solely the stone but the workmanship involved that makes large diamonds expensive.)
As for the origin of the quartz, LaBarre suggested Calaveras County in California. However, gem expert Allan Jobbins, who researched the skulls for the Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World TV program, thought the likely origin of the crystal was Brazil.
Skull Visions and Mayan Symbolism
Mike Mitchell-Hedges on one of his expeditions into the Mayan heartland
In recent years, controversy has raged around the creation of the skulls. With unknown provenances for them all, there are legitimate questions to pose. One of the problems is that if they are archaeological treasures, their purpose seems difficult to ascertain. Indeed, archaeologists have failed to look towards the crystal skulls as items of archaeological interest, and hence this blank canvas has been used by many people to put forward their own speculations, some more outlandish than others.
As noted, Mitchell-Hedges believed that if a Mayan priest held the "Skull of Doom" while killing someone in his thoughts, that person would die. He also believed that, equally, those not convinced of the power of the skull would die. Anna Mitchell- Hedges said that the skull "spoke" to her.
In recent times, many people have used the skulls for scrying, or visual meditation sessions. Many have reported visions, often scenes from an ancient or foreign civilization. The scenes witnessed vary strikingly, however. Some people have reported observing scenes from Mayan history, while others have reported receiving knowledge from Atlantis.
Such landscapes might actually be due to the technological aptitude of its creator(s). Frank Dorland noted the presence of two prisms within the crystal. He argued that the artist made full use of this and that the skull was therefore perfectly suited for oracular utterances. He made a series of photographs looking into the skull; these were able to capture the series of "visions" that others have had. In some, he distinguished truncated pyramids; in others, a structure like the US Capitol Building, which has a contemporary equivalent in Chichén Itzá in the Caracol; while in still other images, several little skull shapes manifested themselves. Dorland added that these images only materialized when looking through the right eye socket and that no such shapes could be seen when staring into the left eye socket.
Such information, however interesting, does not provide any firm evidence of the crystal skull's true purpose. For this, we need a clear frame of reference – and this has to be the Mayan civilization, which existed until a mere four centuries before these skulls were discovered in Mexico.
One proposition came from American archaeologist Professor Sylvanus G. Morley, who argued that within the Mayan world the skull was the symbol for the number 10: "the head-variant for 10 is the death's head, or skull, and in forming the head-variants for the numbers from 14 to 19 inclusive, the fleshless lower jaw of the death's head was the part used to represent the value of 10 in these composite heads for the six higher numbers".
Though once again interesting, this proposition does not bring us any closer to an understanding as to the skull's real purpose. However, it does show that in the Mayan world the symbology of the skull was indeed important. There are stone skulls throughout the ancient Mayan kingdom. One such skull stands at the Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque and another in Tikal. Both skulls are carved at the top of a row of steps leading into a room that seems to have been a shrine. A stone skull is also found at the entrance to the cave beneath the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacán. But most skulls are to be found on the Tzompantli ("Platform/Place of Skulls"), one of the most famous of which is at Chichén Itzá.
The Skull in Mayan Creation Mythology
Platform of the Skull, Chichen Itza
That the skulls were discovered in the Mayan heartland is evidence which accords with the few facts that we know of their provenance. The Mayan Skull and the Amethyst Skull were allegedly found in Guatemala early in the 20th century. The Amethyst Skull is made of purple quartz and the Mayan Skull is clear, but the two are otherwise very alike. Like the Mitchell- Hedges Skull, both were studied at Hewlett-Packard and they, too, were found to be cut against the axis of the crystal, making the craftsmanship all the more difficult and the crystal all the more likely to crack or shatter during the fashioning process.
Of more direct relevance is that Nick Nocerino claims that he met a shaman in 1949 while travelling in Mexico. The shaman led him to a Mayan priest who said he was authorized to sell crystal skulls because the village needed money for food. Nocerino didn't buy them, but he did study them. However, it was clear that someone was putting these skulls on sale in Central America. What happened then had happened before, and entire Mayan villages are known to have been "financially supported" by the sale of archaeological goods that at one point they had placed on the black market. With all that on offer, why would Boban need to source a German crystal skull, pay for it and then actually have great difficulty selling it?
Thus there is one likely and logical conclusion, which is that the skulls came from somewhere in Central America. It suggests that these skulls were acquired by certain people through "some" means that did not see the light of day, and that some time later they ended up at auction, the traceability of their origin largely erased.
But if they are of Central American origin, what purpose did the skulls serve, assuming they are archaeological treasures? It is a fact that all the sacred centres, including Lubantuun where Mitchell-Hedges allegedly discovered his crystal skull, had a Tzompantli which formed part of the sacred layout of the temple complex, which itself was a three-dimensional rendering of the Mayan creation myth.
This myth states that when playing ball, the twin maize gods disturbed the lords of Xibalba, the Mayan underworld. The Xibalbans summoned the two maize gods to the underworld to answer for their disrespectful behaviour, where they were subjected to a series of trials. When they failed these tests, they were killed and buried in the ball court of Xibalba. The elder twin was decapitated, and his head was hung in the tree next to the ball court as a warning to anyone who might repeat their offence. Later, and despite this warning, the daughter of a Xibalban lord went to visit the skull, which spoke to her, spitting in her hand and thus making her pregnant.
The site where the skull was hung was the Tzompantli, and in sites such as Chichén Itzá it is still a clearly identifiable part of the temple complex.
One of the tasks of the Mayan high priests was, of course, to "perform" the creation myth. The skull in Mayan mythology was linked with the hero's death, but also with rebirth. It is therefore intriguing to note that the explanation of the crystal skull serving as part of the Mayan creation myth does conform roughly with Mitchell-Hedges's interpretation of the skull's use.
This creation story has clear parallels with the technical capabilities of the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull. A skull made of crystal would indeed leave the impression that this was the skull of a deity, not of a mere mortal. It should be noted that the Mitchell-Hedges Skull has no suture marks on the pate. Though experts agree that adding such an effect to the skull would have been very easy to do, the absence of such marks has several connotations. It suggests the skull, though human looking, is not that of an ordinary being. It suggests that the skull's "owner" either was born as an adult or/and was somehow a divinity, a perfect being. Furthermore, the detachable jaw would have allowed the skull to "speak", as the hero's skull is known to have done in the creation myth. Noting that the skull in this myth spat, the Mayans might have engineered that effect, too, through the use of the movable jaw that the Mitchell-Hedges Skull possesses.
Dorland demonstrated that, in order to give it the illusion of speaking, the skull could be moved by using the two holes in its base. A rod, thrust up through another hole in the altar and into the larger hole in the base of the skull, would provide the means whereby motion could be given to the crystal. The smaller hole in the skull's base would serve as the receiver for a pivot point on which the skull would move. The skull's ability to portray images would furthermore have helped the person standing in front of it to have visions or at least be able to dream away...
A New Era and the "Gathering of the Skulls"
This brings us to another often overlooked question which few people have asked: why crystal? As already mentioned, crystal skulls are now frequently used for scrying, and the use of crystal balls in mediaeval Europe was very similar to the modern use of crystal skulls in the New Age community. However, within a Mayan framework, we can go much further.
Part of the Mayan creation myth was the lighting of a New Fire, in a so-called New Fire Ceremony which also signaled the start of a new era. The New Fire, made by the gods, was a key aspect of the "esoteric rites" – to quote Mitchell-Hedges.
Today, this type of ceremony is best known in the lighting of the Olympic Flame which occurs in the run-up to a new era – the Olympiad – in the Greek temple of Olympia. Here, 11 women, playing the roles of the priestesses who were originally responsible for keeping the temple's sacred fires alight, perform a ceremony in which the torch is kindled by the light of the Sun, its rays concentrated by a parabolic mirror. As already noted, lenses were used in antiquity to concentrate light. In Greece, fire had divine connotations, and legends state that it had been stolen from the god Zeus by Prometheus. But Greece was but one of dozens of civilizations, whether in the Old or the New World, in which fire played an important and sacred role. The Mayan civilization was another.
It is therefore of great interest to know that the Mitchell-Hedges Skull is able to start a fire if the Sun's rays fall at a particular angle on the back of the skull. Visually, it would mean that the bright sunlight coming out of the nose, mouth and eyes would start a fire, very much like the sacred fire in Olympia. Rather than use a parabolic mirror, did the ancient Mayans use a crystal skull to light the New Fire, the core ingredient that marked the start of a new era?
If this interpretation is the correct one, then there would have been one skull per religious site. This would make them very rare – but we already know that these skulls are indeed extremely rare. Though at present there is no hard evidence to prove it, this theory has the advantage of fitting with all the available evidence – unlike some more "academic" theories. If correct, it does make the crystal skulls powerful symbols: the residence of gods. And it is perhaps not a coincidence that the crystal from which the Mitchell-Hedges Skull was made is the same material used in modern technological appliances to store information.
It is clear that some of the "psychic communications" between some people and the skulls make for "extravagant" and at best unlikely claims. Sceptics have had a field day with tales of how the skulls are of alien origin, perhaps from such star systems as the Pleiades or Orion, and claims that they may be hundreds of thousands of years old.
But someone listening to a record with a broken needle will hear a very distorted communication. He is likely to conclude that the needle needs replacing and that this will thus allow him to hear the record correctly. In the case of the crystal skulls – made out of a material that is known to be able to store information and to be an electrical conduit – could it be that we have the record but we are still in search of the correct record-player?
For their book, Morton and Thomas interviewed several North, Central and South American Indians. Time and again, the authors were confronted with stories of how these crystal skulls are important. They were told that the Maya had a total of 13 such skulls – 13 being an important number for them and, interestingly, derived from the number of joints in the human body (ankles, knees, hips, wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck). We can only speculate on whether there were 13 primary temple complexes in the Mayan world, that each had a crystal skull, and that somehow these skulls formed a network. Either way, the Native Americans argue that these 13 skulls should be reunited, with 12 skulls in a circle and a 13th in the centre. Though this imagery has become very popular within the New Age community as a "Gathering of the Skulls", believed to signal a New Age of Enlightenment, it may be nothing more – or less – than the Native Americans remembering their common heritage and what the crystal skulls originally represented.
This article appeared in Nexus Magazine, Volume 15, Number 3 (April - May 2008). An earlier version of this article, with many differences, appeared in Frontier Magazine 1.3 (1995).
5 Ways to Work with Crystals and Stones Healing Properties
Beliefs About Quartz Crystal
Cleansing Crystals With The Full Moon
Creating a Gemstone Elixir
Crystal Caution List For Gem Elixirs
Crystal Gem: Grids and Gridding
Crystal Properties : Where Do They Come From?
Crystals in the Home
Fundamental basics about quartz crystals discovered by Dr. Marcel Vogel
Gem Elixir Properties
Gemstones For Your Light Being
General Guide to the Healing Properties of Crystals
Grading & Pricing Crystal
Guide To Making Gem Elixirs
How Do I Choose A Crystal?
How to Charge Your Gemstones
How To Clean Raw Mined Quartz
How to Clean, Cleanse, Charge, Activate and Program Your Crystals
How to Detect Messages in Your Crystals
How to Forge a Telepathic Connection Using a Crystal
How To Meditate With Crystals
Is that Citrine of Yours Any Good?
Prosperity With Crystals
Quick Reference List of Crystal's and Their Energy Signature
Stones / Crystal Chakra Association
The Power of Crystals: The Legacy of Marcel Vogel
The Vogel® Crystal Healing Process
Top 10 Healing Crystals From Judy Hall
Top Crystal Books (Reference)
Why Crystals Have Healing and Ascension Properties
5 Ways to Heal Your Body with Crystals
7 Ways Healing Crystals Improve Your Health
Best 5 Crystals To Reduce Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR)
Crystal Healing 101: 5 Crystals to Start Your Journey
Crystal Healing Bed (+Video)
Crystal Healing Questionnaire
Crystal Therapy and How To Do It
Crystal Therapy: The Healing Properties of Quartz Crystals
Guide To Crystals And Gemstones For Healing
How to Find and Use the Right Healing Crystal For You
How to Open, Clear, and Balance the Chakras with Crystals
Metaphysical, Spiritual, Healing Uses Of Crystals And Stones
Reiki Grid ( Using Crystals)
Three Steps to Crystal Healing


text:
/*
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except
 * in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License
 * is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express
 * or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under
 * the License.
 */
/*
 * This code was generated by https://github.com/googleapis/google-api-java-client-services/
 * Modify at your own risk.
 */

package com.google.api.services.run.v1alpha1.model;

/**
 * Model definition for Storage.
 *
 *
 This is the Java data model class that specifies how to parse/serialize into the JSON that is
 * transmitted over HTTP when working with the Cloud Run API. For a detailed explanation see:
 * https://developers.google.com/api-client-library/java/google-http-java-client/json
 *

 *
 * @author Google, Inc.
 */
@SuppressWarnings("javadoc")
public final class Storage extends com.google.api.client.json.GenericJson {

  /**
   * The API version for this call such as "events.cloud.google.com/v1alpha1".
   * The value may be {@code null}.
   */
  @com.google.api.client.util.Key
  private java.lang.String apiVersion;

  /**
   * The kind of resource, in this case "Storage".
   * The value may be {@code null}.
   */
  @com.google.api.client.util.Key
  private java.lang.String kind;

  /**
   * Metadata associated with this Storage.
   * The value may be {@code null}.
   */
  @com.google.api.client.util.Key
  private ObjectMeta metadata;

  /**
   * Spec defines the desired state of the Storage.
   * The value may be {@code null}.
   */
  @com.google.api.client.util.Key
  private StorageSpec spec;

  /**
   * Status represents the current state of the Storage. This data may be out of date. +optional
   * The value may be {@code null}.
   */
  @com.google.api.client.util.Key
  private StorageStatus status;

  /**
   * The API version for this call such as "events.cloud.google.com/v1alpha1".
   * @return value or {@code null} for none
   */
  public java.lang.String getApiVersion() {
    return apiVersion;
  }

  /**
   * The API version for this call such as "events.cloud.google.com/v1alpha1".
   * @param apiVersion apiVersion or {@code null} for none
   */
  public Storage setApiVersion(java.lang.String apiVersion) {
    this.apiVersion = apiVersion;
    return this;
  }

  /**
   * The kind of resource, in this case "Storage".
   * @return value or {@code null} for none
   */
  public java.lang.String getKind() {
    return kind;
  }

  /**
   * The kind of resource, in this case "Storage".
   * @param kind kind or {@code null} for none
   */
  public Storage setKind(java.lang.String kind) {
    this.kind = kind;
    return this;
  }

  /**
   * Metadata associated with this Storage.
   * @return value or {@code null} for none
   */
  public ObjectMeta getMetadata() {
    return metadata;
  }

  /**
   * Metadata associated with this Storage.
   * @param metadata metadata or {@code null} for none
   */
  public Storage setMetadata(ObjectMeta metadata) {
    this.metadata = metadata;
    return this;
  }

  /**
   * Spec defines the desired state of the Storage.
   * @return value or {@code null} for none
   */
  public StorageSpec getSpec() {
    return spec;
  }

  /**
   * Spec defines the desired state of the Storage.
   * @param spec spec or {@code null} for none
   */
  public Storage setSpec(StorageSpec spec) {
    this.spec = spec;
    return this;
  }

  /**
   * Status represents the current state of the Storage. This data may be out of date. +optional
   * @return value or {@code null} for none
   */
  public StorageStatus getStatus() {
    return status;
  }

  /**
   * Status represents the current state of the Storage. This data may be out of date. +optional
   * @param status status or {@code null} for none
   */
  public Storage setStatus(StorageStatus status) {
    this.status = status;
    return this;
  }

  @Override
  public Storage set(String fieldName, Object value) {
    return (Storage) super.set(fieldName, value);
  }

  @Override
  public Storage clone() {
    return (Storage) super.clone();
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


In the FAQ section it says we can restore to original Linksys firmware by refreshing the firmware download area and selecting the appropriate Linksys firmware etc. Now that I'll be upgrading my mesh ambitions to Ubiquity, it would be nice to return these WRT's to their original purpose but the firmware downloads don't include the advertised packages.
I guess I should have looked into this a bit further... it appears that others have addressed this issue on the firmware page.


text:
PREVIEW | Yeovil Town v Coventry City
The Glovers host Sky Blues in second fixture at home
Town players celebrate a goal at Forest Green Rovers
Lewis Hancock
L_Hancock6
Looking to take the positives from Town's defeat at Forest Green Rovers, all three starting forwards found themselves on the scoresheet.
Southampton loanee Olufela Olomola continued his fine form of the previous week against Accrington Stanley with an early goal to take his tally in Green and White to three, before Otis Khan netted from the spot – his second of the season.
Forward Francois Zoko added a third for the Glovers, and now sits seventh on Yeovil's all-time EFL goalscorers list, one behind Dean Bowditch and Andy Williams.
Manager Darren Way stated his intention to bring in reinforcements to strengthen his backline after the game, and brought in defender Sid Nelson from Millwall on Monday.
The 21-year-old, who boasts a healthy amount of Championship action on his CV, is in line to make his debut against Coventry City this weekend.
Mark Robins' side began the campaign in fine fashion with two wins from two and no goals conceded.
That sequence concluded at home to Newport County last week.
Before that, youngster Jodi Jones had showed off his talents – especially in the season opener by scoring a hat-trick – while Michael Doyle and Stuart Beavon offer great experience.
Last year's Checktrade Trophy winners are expected to win promotion back to League One at the first time of asking.
All three of Town's meetings with Coventry in Somerset have ended in draws.
The Sky Blues first visited Huish Park in 2012, where a 21st-minute Richard Hinds strike cancelled out an early Cody McDonald goal.
Yeovil's last two matches against the Warwickshire outfit have finished 0-0.
Martin Coy will be the man in the middle this weekend.
Both of Mr. Coy's league matches this season have been in League Two.
The Durham-born official refereed 25 games last season, the majority in the National League, dishing out 84 yellows and one red.
Coy has never officiated a Yeovil match.
He will be assisted by Steven Plane (Worcestershire) and Robert Dabbs (Dorset) with Christopher Kidd (Oxfordshire) acting as fourth official.
Darren Way and Sid Nelson's pre-match interviews can be watched in full for free on iFollow Glovers.
On matchday, minute-by-minute updates will be provided on YTFC's official Twitter account and live matchday centre.
If you're unable to attend the game, live audio commentary is available via the iFollow Glovers service, with the monthly and season subscriptions offering full-match replays from Sunday.
A full match report will follow on YTFC.net at full-time with post-match reaction from the manager and a member of the playing staff following soon after.
Supporters can purchase tickets in advance online, by phone on 01935 847888 or in person at the ticket office. The match will be pay on the day but ticket prices increase so buy in advance to save time and money.
Yeovil Town vs Coventry City on 26 Aug 17

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
You Talking Trek to Me? (Best of Voyager) – "Live Fast and Prosper"
"Live Fast and Prosper"
Star Trek: Voyager – Season 6, Episode 21
Star Trek is usually a pretty Serious Property about Serious Things. It does dip its toes into comedy, either in brief doses or episode-length capers. "Live Fast and Prosper" is a light-hearted comedic escapade that manages to be funny and startlingly meta in a way Trek had never been up to this point. The predilection to be introspective and even self-effacing was a unique aspect that Voyager explored a few times. This was, after all the fifth Star Trek series, and thus it leaned on that multi-decade continuity in successful and not-so-successful ways. It's not surprising that a little bit of meta-contextual self-reference began to creep in as the series approached its end.
Of all the episodes I've covered in this "Best of Voyager" series, this one is probably, objectively speaking, the most inessential entry. It's not a perfect episode or even a top 10 of Voyager, but hot damn do I fucking love it and I'm just gonna go for it, everyone. Recalling the pit in my stomach I had when I first saw the previews for the episode featuring The Rock, I had an absolute inverse reaction of pure giddiness when the promos for this aired. Aliens posing as Janeway and Tuvok in crappy knock-off uniforms grifting other unsuspecting aliens? Just the sight of them had me beaming like an idiot.
It's a nice episode because it's a low-stakes romp that's pretty easy-going. Like "Trials and Tribble-ations," it captures a fun sense of whimsy to match its very silly story. The episode begins with a couple of alien miners getting ready for an important meeting, and down beams… Captain Faneway and Lieutenant Fuvok!
"May the Prosper be with you."
"Look at me, I'm the Janeway now."
Their uniforms are hilariously off-spec – at first glance they look close enough, but to any fan they're clearly mediocre facsimiles. The collars aren't right, and the rank pips and comm badges are almost childishly oversized. Fans of Star Trek pioneered the practice of large public conventions and cosplaying, and I have to believe these two are a winking reference to those passionate followers (I'm in this image and I like it).
"I received ninth place ranking in the costume competition and attended several informative panels. I also experienced a diverse array of body odors from the throngs of attendees, some of which may necessitate medical intervention. However, they were not pleased when I communicated this information, Captain."
They generally look the part of the real Janeway and Tuvok and even act like it, too. Faneway is diplomatic and even speaks wistfully of Indiana, and Fuvok displays intelligence and dispassionate logic. They arrange a trade with the miners for some mineral ore, and once they beam it up the two imposters make an excuse to high tail it out of there, revealing themselves to be common thieves and con artists. This is a villain type that Trek has featured often (since The Original Series on), but the posing as our heroes is certainly a novel approach. The aliens don't even have hair – the imposter Janeway (Dala) rips her wig off as soon as they're aboard the "Delta Flyer," a beat-up bucket of bolts that's the base of their operations.
On the real Voyager, a bevvy of ship malfunctions annoys Janeway enough to track down the source of the problem herself – a faulty power thingie Neelix acquired and installed in the mess hall. Neelix got it from Sister Dala, a religious cleric he met who was supposedly helping some orphans. A likely story!
"Neelix, how many toolbars did you install in this browser?"
However, the aliens in charge of the cheated mining colony have caught up with Voyager and demand recompense for their stolen ore. Orek, the chief of the colony shows Janeway "her" transmission promising to return with what she owed them. "That woman isn't me," Janeway says incredulously, but Orek isn't having it (I couldn't help but recall the Futurama episode where they fool some aliens by switching Leela with an orangutan – uncanny!). Orek goes on to mention some orphans, and Janeway's ears perk up. Normally when an episode stars the captain, it tends to be a weightier and more dramatic story, so it's a delightful change of pace to have Janeway untangling this relatively low-stakes mess.
"That woman had none of my commanding gravitas! She probably can't even do a decent Russian accent, either!"
She goes back to Neelix to get the story on this Sister Dala and her orphans. He ran into her on a mission with Paris – while exploring some caves they come across two robed religious monks – the con artists. They grease Neelix's gears by comparing him to one of their deities and he fills their ears with all sorts of info about Voyager. They do a bullshit blessing ceremony during which they download the Delta Flyer's database and get all the info they need about Voyager. The embarrassed look on Paris and Neelix's faces when Janeway informs them they've been had is pretty funny.
"Hey, have you heard the good subspace news?"
"Wait, why would a pair of wealthy Nausican princes want our bank account info?"
It leads into the subplot of the episode, which is Neelix and Paris' crisis over their own apparently diminished street cred. Six seasons in, it's almost hard to remember how much of an outcast bad boy Tom Paris originally was, as well as Neelix's initial conception as a devious, nomadic alien junker. These were both interesting and novel character directions, but as is the style of Voyager all those compelling corners and edges were quickly sanded down to fit a more standard, boring Trek template. Which was a shame. So in this way, the episode adds on another curious facet of meta-ness with these two basically asking themselves, "Hey, remember when we were interesting characters? What happened to that?" Probably not the intended direction on the part of the writers, but yeah.
It doesn't go much deeper than that and the episode explores it in probably the dumbest way possible – they try to do the ol' cup grift game with The Doctor (of all people, you choose a hologram programmed with the best visual acuity, flawless memory and maximum dexterity possible? Smart!). It reveals a lot about the writers – namely, their incredibly dorky idea of how a bad boy/huckster/ne're do well would act. Why don't you have Tom roll up his sleeve and put a pack of space cigarettes in there for maximum effect, you nerds? LOL. Shockingly, the Doctor easily sees through the trick and makes the two dopes feel even worse.
Mothers, lock up your daughters! Tom and Neelix have their cups out and are staying up past 10 pm!
Meanwhile, Dala and her co-conspirators Mobar and Zar (hilariously dressed up as Chakotay) are busily hustling another alien. This time they're selling Federation memberships and all the supposed protection and technology that (doesn't) go along with it. It eventually blows up in their face when the angry alien captain returns demanding his money back – the weapons he bought from them were useless and the enemy he was fighting also paid for Federation membership. Oops. Fortuitously, the real Voyager swoops in, distracts the angry alien, and is able to beam Dala off her ship before they slip away.
"My vaguely-defined SPIRITUAL beliefs have never steered me wrong, whatever the hell they are. Don't ask me about them though, it's a HIPAA violation."
A very not amused Janeway confronts her imposter in the ship's brig. "Nice hair," Janeway deadpans. "It's not really my taste," Dala shoots back defiantly. Unintimidated and unrepentant, Dala matches Janeway's steely gaze and seems unconcerned with her threats. Because she's defrauded many aliens under the guise of Voyager, any fallout isn't going to be on her, but on Janeway and her crew. Dick! It recalls an ongoing plot point of the first season, where the rocky reputation of Voyager sometimes preceded them and made their journey (and gaining allies) that much more difficult. Privately, Janeway expresses dismay that the name of Voyager is being sullied by these con artists. So as silly as it all is, it's potentially a serious problem and there are some actual stakes here.
"Oh, what a tangled, janky-looking web we weave."
Janeway threatens to turn Dala over to one of the many alien races she has cheated and gives her some time to think about it. Neelix later enters with some food for her, and engages her in a little chat. He doesn't show a trace of bitterness over having been fooled by her, and tries to convince her to cooperate and maybe try trusting people for once. He draws a comparison to the way he used to be and how much more fulfilling his life is since joining Voyager and living a (mostly) honest life. It's some decent character work and is certainly better and more thoughtful than that cup grifting stuff. Neelix's unassailable sincerity is endemic of Star Trek's unassailable sincerity – always yearning to give people another chance and to allow redemption for anybody if they're willing. Neelix seems to feel sorry for Dala more than anything, since what she has isn't much of a life. She mentions that her father taught her that most people are going to cheat you, so you might as well do it to them first. It might be the only honest thing she says in the entire episode, and it's a sad detail.
"As my grandmother once said, being interesting is overrated."
BUT! Dala spills her tea (literally) and uses the distraction to knock Neelix down, steal his phaser, break out of the brig, board the (real) Delta Flyer, and escape Voyager. All as Janeway watches from the bridge…
Dala catches up to her crew as Tom Paris comes out of hiding in the Flyer's aft section and activates the Doctor. The game is afoot! She beams over, and he fires on them, ordering them to surrender. They escape and make their way to where they have their stolen cargo hidden away, intending to blow this pop stand, get a new ship, and start over. But Dala betrays them and seems to be allied with Tuvok. While chasing her, Mobar comes face to face with said Tuvok.
Oh man, this guy. He fucking makes this episode, he's so great. Unlike the other two con artists, Mobar remains in character as Tuvok throughout the entire episode, even when it's just them. He acts as if he's sincerely internalized the morals and philosophies of Starfleet… except for, you know, the lying and cheating. There's something dorky and hilarious about that, and again, so very meta. As a gigantic dork who has also internalized Star Trek's philosophy and lessons, I just absolutely love this guy and what he represents. Reading way too much into it, we can surmise that something about Starfleet and the Federation appealed to him so much that he's thrown himself into that world (as well as his own role). He's not just cosplaying it, but living it, man. He's a literal, actual Trekkie existing in the world of Star Trek! And if that doesn't make you smile, then, well… you need smiling lessons, buddy.
😀 🖖
Having confronted the real Tuvok, Mobar is visibly in awe of his role model. "Commander Tuvok…!" he almost gasps in the single funniest moment of the episode. Phasers pointed at each other, he says coolly, "Logic would suggest neither of us has the advantage." "Your logic… is flawed," Tuvok replies before shining his wrist flashlight in his face and phasering him. It's awesome.
Dala reveals herself to actually be The Doctor, and the real Dala wakes up aboard the Delta Flyer, having been incapacitated by Tom earlier. It's always satisfying to see grifters get grifted, and the Voyager crew show themselves to be smarter and craftier than the con artists. Trek is fond of showing how stronger cooperation and teamwork make us, and conversely how weaker selfishness and greed are.
"Easy, that pipe wrench to the head's gonna take a while to wear off."
Later on, Neelix and Paris are somehow able to fool the Doctor with the cup game. Which proves something, I guess. You still got it, yous scamps! The End.
Depicting alternative versions of the crew is a recurring theme Star Trek explored in a multitude of ways – be they alternate future/timelines, imaginary/holographic scenarios, or in this case, cheating con artists crappily disguised as our heroes. It's extremely silly and it works so well here. I think the episode could have gotten a lot more mileage out of the self-reference it dabbles in, but that may have tipped the balance into cloying territory. I just love self-effacing meta stuff like this. As it is, it's a great episode that like all the best ones, leaves me wanting more.
Star Trek is such a large and expansive property and has given rise to its own unique mythology and ecosystem of tropes and recurring themes. It's one of the things I like most about it and is part of the fun of its fandom. With the advent of the Lower Decks series, the franchise appears to be fully embracing its legacy though meta storytelling and a more humorous outlook. But before all that, there was "Live Fast and Prosper," a fun episode that captured the whimsical energy of that fandom in some subtle and clever ways. It's a fourth wall-busting adventure that is not afraid to laugh at itself and let us in on the joke, too.
Stray Observations:
Dala is played by Kaitlin Hopkins, who previously portrayed the Vorta Kilana in Deep Space Nine's "The Ship." She, uh, looks different!
"Oh, ignore the 'POISON' that's written on the cup. That's just what I tell the Starbucks people when they ask for a name. It's like, actually really funny. Ha ha."
Speaking of DS9, the con artists' ship is a pretty obvious redressing of the Defiant bridge.
Kudos to Tim Russ for a couple of funny Tuvok scenes. In the mess hall, he confronts Kim and Paris over their meddling of his Vulcan holodeck program. The look on his face is priceless, a combination of murderous rage and even bemusement. Later, Janeway forces him to improvise a litany of fictitious cruel punishments to sway Dala into cooperating. He hilariously bumbles his way through and Janeway can't help but laugh about it immediately after ("Psoriasis?!").
"For my next holodeck program, I'll be strangling you two yutzes."
"…make that three."
In the aforementioned holodeck prank, Harry and Tom redress the Vulcan oracle so that they're wearing pajamas. It's an incredibly silly visual that we don't actually see, which I think makes it funnier since we can just imagine it. Harry then wonders how they would look in a sombrero, which also makes for a funny (non) visual.
August 19, 2021 November 1, 2021 ZniviZalochinBest of Voyager, Classic Coverage, Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager, You Talking Trek to Me?
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text:
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BIG UPDATE! Because of the very high chance of rain this weekend the Rubbermaid Sale location has CHANGED!
The sale will be held at the normal time of 8:00am-12:00pm, but at The Kids Clubs of Northern Shenandoah Valley! Join us at 2400 Roosevelt Blvd, Winchester, VA 22601, inside the Kids Club gymnasium!


You do not need to know sports to be able to participate and be successful. Its called March Madness for a reason.
I'm a little late getting this going.
We have 20 hours before the first game. If you want to fill out a bracket and post a screenshot on here before then that is great! DO NOT EDIT YOUR POSTS AFTER THE START TIME OR YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. If your timestamp is after a game has played you will count as a loss for that game.
Play in game winners are not counted before round 1.
I'm thinking a pay in price of 5m. We might have some poorer "memebers of our clan" who want to play so maybe 1m is better.
With your screenshot, post the buy in amount you think is best and we will do w/e the consensus is.
Please write your name on the bracket as well.
I'm kicking in 10m of my own gp to the winner.
ALL FUNDS WILL BE HELD ON MY ALT, EDEM DEAD.
Tie goes to the closest winners score, if they are the same then closest losers score.
Lol, I wouldn't mind doing this at all.
can we all shame @Cam L into making a bracket???
Purdue won't make it out of the first round unless he does.
This thread is so much fun to follow. I'm bummed I was late to the post, but enjoying every bit of it.
None of us can make enough points to beat her lmao.


text:
His Dark Materials Season 1 Episode 1
Orphan Lyra Belacqua's world is turned upside-down by her long-absent uncle's return from the north, while the glamorous Mrs Coulter visits Jordan College with a proposition.
Serie: His Dark Materials
Episode Title: Lyra's Jordan
Eps116
A remake of Zee Sarthak's Sindura Bindu. Despite her efforts to provide for her family, Meets disregard for societal gender norms and her nonconformist job as a delivery agent make…
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses
Wizarding World fans put their Harry Potter knowledge to the test for the ultimate honor to be named House Cup champion.
Genre: Game-Show, Reality-TV
Ten years after signing off of one of TV's most iconic shows, Carly, Spencer, and Freddie are back, navigating the next chapter of their lives, facing the uncertainties of life…
An ex-con becomes the traveling partner of a conman who turns out to be one of the older gods trying to recruit troops to battle the upstart deities. Based on…
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest…
A young surgeon with Savant syndrome is recruited into the surgical unit of a prestigious hospital. The question will arise: can a person who doesn't have the ability to relate…
An epic adventure begins when a massive sinkhole opens in the middle of Los Angeles, pulling hundreds of people and buildings into its depths. Those who fell in find themselves…
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A dysfunctional family of superheroes comes together to solve the mystery of their father's death, the threat of the apocalypse and more.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
The Snitch Cartel: Origins
In Cali during the '60s and '70s, two brothers juggle family, romance and the joint pursuit of a burning ambition: to rule Colombia's drug industry.


text:
Internships and Vacation Programs in South Australia
63 jobs in South Australia available from 76 employers
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South Australia is home to 6.2% of Australia and New Zealand's vacation programs, according to the 2014 AAGE Employer Survey. The number of internships recorded as being on permanent offer is lower as a proportion of the nation's total however it's important to remember that the SME market for internships is impossible to measure accurately and that there are more internships overall than vacation programs, Australia-wide.
Accounting Internships in South Australia (8)
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text:
Cory Gardner Cory Gardner signals support for Supreme Court candidate Barrett
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner indicated Tuesday that he supports Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump's conservative candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court.
" I am confident that Judge Barrett is a highly certified jurist who has thought deeply about the Constitution, the role of precedent in judicial analysis, and the importance of judges following the law as written rather than legislating from the bench," stated the senator, who faces a difficult re-election in five weeks.
Gardner, a Yuma Republican politician, met the judge Tuesday afternoon. He supported her nomination to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017 and spoke extremely of her in numerous interviews today, so his vote in support is widely expected.
" I elected Judge Barrett in2017 I would imagine voting for her once again," Gardner told the Durango Herald on Tuesday. He added, "Right now … I plan to choose her."
Gardner's decision to support a Supreme Court candidate so close to the election– after declining to consider Democratic nominee Merrick Garland in 2016 since it was an election year– has actually ended up being a project problem in Gardner's race versus John Hickenlooper, a previous Democratic guv.
" Well, that didn't take long," Hickenlooper stated on Twitter of Gardner's support for Barrett. "However we always knew Cory Gardner would agree Trump– 100%."
" Donald Trump and Cory Gardner are jamming through a life time visit to the Supreme Court as people are currently voting, instead of allowing the voters to make our voices heard," he included a declaration sent out by his project.
Sen. Michael Bennet, a Denver Democrat, voted against Barrett's nomination in 2017 and is anticipated to do so once again this year. He has stated he is opposed to filling the Supreme Court job prior to the November election.
Cory Gardner Advocacy Groups Spend Millions In Emerging Fight Over Supreme Court Vacancy
Cory Gardner Republicans hope Supreme Court battle boosts President's reelection bid …


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What is a visit to Barcelona without a delicious tapas dinner, in the company of your schema therapy friends and colleagues? Visitors and locals search for their favorite new tapas, exploring an endless selection of drinks and small portions of fish, cheese, sausage, peppers, wild mushrooms, or tortilla. Tapas are small snacks, and the term now covers a wide assortment of specialties. You first receive a plate for staging your tapas, collecting them on toothpicks, followed by ordering dishes that come in rapid succession. Make sure to include our tapas event in your cart, and join in on this enjoyable tradition.


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text:
Wealth and sexual behaviour among men in Cameroon
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1472-698X-6-11
The 2004 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in Cameroon revealed a higher prevalence of HIV in richest and most educated people than their poorest and least educated compatriots. It is not certain whether the higher prevalence results partly or wholly from wealthier people adopting more unsafe sexual behaviours, surviving longer due to greater access to treatment and care, or being exposed to unsafe injections or other HIV risk factors. As unsafe sex is currently believed to be the main driver of the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, we designed this study to examine the association between wealth and sexual behaviour in Cameroon. METHODS: We analysed data from 4409 sexually active men aged 15-59 years who participated in the Cameroon DHS using logistic regression models, and have reported odds ratios (OR) with confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: When we controlled for the potential confounding effects of marital status, place of residence, religion and age, men in the richest third of the population were less likely to have used a condom in the last sex with a non-spousal non-cohabiting partner (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.32-0.56) and more likely to have had at least two concurrent sex partners in the last 12 months (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.12-1.19) and more than five lifetime sex partners (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.60-2.43). However, there was no difference between the richest and poorest men in the purchase of sexual services. Regarding education, men with secondary or higher education were less likely to have used a condom in the last sex with a non-spousal non-cohabiting partner (OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.16-0.38) and more likely to have started sexual activity at age 17 years or less (OR 2.73, 95% CI 2.10-3.56) and had more than five lifetime sexual partners (OR 2.59, 95% CI 2.02-3.31). There was no significant association between education and multiple concurrent sexual partnerships in the last 12 months or purchase of sexual services. CONCLUSION: Wealthy men in Cameroon are more likely to start sexual activity early and have both multiple concurrent and lifetime sex partners, and are less likely to (consistently) use a condom in sex with a non-spousal non-cohabiting partner. These unsafe sexual behaviours may explain the higher HIV prevalence among wealthier men in the country. While these findings do not suggest a redirection of HIV prevention efforts from the poor to the wealthy, they do call for efforts to ensure that HIV prevention messages get across all strata of society.
Kongnyuy, E. J., Wiysonge, C. S., Mbu, R. E., Nana, P., & Kouam, L. (2006). Wealth and sexual behaviour among men in Cameroon. BMC international health and human rights, 6(1), 11.
Kongnyuy, Eugene
Wiysonge, Charles
Mbu, Robinson
Nana, Philip
Kouam, Luc
Kongnyuy_Wealth_sexual_behaviour_Cameroon_2006.pdf
BMC International Health and Human Rights
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License


text:
Elliott Colla's Translation of 'The Lady from Tel Aviv' Wins PEN Support
English PEN Writers in Translation announced yesterday that four books had garnered supporting awards for the first half of 2012.
Ryszard Kapuścinśki: The Biography, by Artur Domosławski, translated from the Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.
The World Record, various poets and translators.
The Last of the Vostyaks, by Diego Marani, translated from the Italian by Judith Landry.
And (dramatic pause) The Lady from Tel Aviv, by Rabai al-Madhoun, translated from the Arabic by Elliott Colla.
The acclaimed The Lady from Tel Aviv by Palestinian author Rabai al-Madhoun was on the International Prize for Arabic Fiction shortlist in 2010. The excerpt that Colla translated for the prize announcement begins:
The question surprises me. From the moment I sat down in my seat until the moment she asks the question, it bothers me. From scenes of war, the question pulls me right up to the edge an answer. At first I am nervous, too unsettled to choose an answer. I might have said, for instance, that I was Greek or Cypriot or Lebanese or anything. I might have picked any other nationality – anything but Palestinian – in my fear that someone might overhear us and shout out to all the other passengers: "Palestinian! This man's a Palestinian!" It's possible. What if one of them got up and made the announcement? "Ladies and gentlemen: there's a Palestinian on board this airplane!"
The novel, according to PEN, will be published by Telegram Books in 2012. PEN summarizes the novel's action and aspirations as:
In the economy class of a plane bound for Tel Aviv, the lives of two passengers intersect: Waleed Dahman, a Palestinian novelist returning to Gaza for the first time in thirty-eight years; and Dana Ahova, a famous Israeli actress seeking the comforts of home after the disappearance of her boyfriend. Desperate for consolation, Dana confides in Waleed. Soon, forgotten fears resurface – Dana's paranoid fear for her own life and Waleed's suspicions about Mossad. As the night sky hurtles past, the course of both their lives begins to change, and so too does the novel that Waleed is working on. By the time Waleed arrives in Gaza, he seems no more real – and no less imaginary – than his fictional character. The Lady from Tel Aviv is one of the great achievements of modern Arabic literature. At times a literary thriller, an exploration about lost family history and a meditation on the nature of fiction itself, it is, above all, a reflection on Palestinian identity and exile.
Mabrouk, ya Ustaz Elliott.
Al Sharq Al Awsat (English)
GoodReads (Arabic), reviewed bilingually by our friend Nile Daughter.
Finding Al-Madhoun
Twitter: @rmadhoun
Website: www.almadhoun-novel.com
In: On Translation
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text:
World Health Organization Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework Review
March 29, 2016 by Tom Leave a Comment
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of State invites submission of comments from the public and relevant industries on influenza surveillance and response, related to the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework (PIP-FW) (http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA64/A64_8-en.pdf). Comments are specifically requested on the PIP-FW Review areas of virus sharing and benefits sharing, and on governance and linkages with other international programs or instruments.<<<Consider the Possibilities – Read More>>>
Filed Under: Health, National/World Tagged With: flu, health, influenza, pandemic, world health organization
Is IDFG Placating Idaho Sportsmen?
September 9, 2014 by Tom 1 Comment
It's disgusting that I even need to ask such a question, but how are sportsmen supposed to feel and react when they've been lied to, abused verbally, demonized, ignored, laughed at, had tax money stolen from them and basically treated like a piece of worm-infested porcupine scat?
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) is sending out "kits" to moose hunters and asking them to:
1. Take a blood sample,
2. Saw off a slab of moose liver, and
3. Pluck some hair.
BTW – In looking at this letter (posted below), I don't see anywhere in that letter any instructions on safety precautions needed for when hunters do IDFG's dirty work. Perhaps it is contained in the kit itself somewhere. If there are readers privy to this information, could you please let me and readers know? It is very important.)
Each hunter then must make a mandatory stop at an IDFG office where each hunter will complete a "MANDATORY" check of the moose. This in addition to the request sent out recently to Idaho sportsmen asking that they report wolf and grizzly bear activity. Really? Why not report polar bear movements or those of penguins? Why now? Why are fish and game officials all of a sudden interested, or seemingly so, in what sportsmen think, see or do?
According to what is written on a letter sent to moose hunters by IDFG, the reason for this action is to: "improve moose management through a better understanding of disease in wildlife populations."
Isn't it just a little bit too late? Where were these concerned wildlife managers when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) were lying to the American people telling them that wolves would have no significant impact on game herds or the spread of disease? (Please find this in the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the (re)introduction of wolves to the Northern Rockies.)
The wolf recovery team decided that it would not even bother to offer any kind of investigation into diseases that are carried and spread by wolves because any existing information was: "limited," "poorly documented" and "can never be scientifically confirmed or denied." These claims came at a time when there existed no fewer than 300 scientific studies worldwide just about the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus.
And today the World Health Organization includes on the "Fact Page" that: "More than 1 million people are affected with echinococcosis at any one time."
When an individual, at least one who has the capacity to think independently, considers how government officials lied to them, and then how they have been treated before, during and after this crime of wolf (re)introduction was forced down their throats, why would they be eager to help these isolated by choice from the global scientific community elites with their fake task of "improve[ing] moose management through a better understanding of disease in wildlife populations"? It sure stinks of mollification to me.
For years these clowns were offered technical and scientific evident to help them "better understand wildlife diseases" and they plugged their ears, closed their eyes and shouted out loud, like a small child.
For crying out loud, back in 1971 wildlife biologists in Minnesota didn't "discover" that Echinococcus granulosus tapeworms existed. They were out LOOKING FOR IT in moose.
That 1971 study result showed some of us, but evidently nobody at IDFG or USFWS, two distinct things:
1. "The incidence of E. granulosus and Taenia spp. in the northeast is evidence of a higher timber wolf (Canis lupus) population in this part of the state."
2. "Data from the aerial census and classification counts indicate a net productivity of 30-35% in the northwest and 9-15% in the northeast. This indicates a difference is occurring in the survival rate of calves in their first six months of life between the two areas. Area differences in nutrition, predation and parasitism may be responsible for these observed differences in net productivity."
Patrick Karns, in 1971, had a "better understanding" of wildlife diseases. It's 2014, time for some TRUTH for a change!
This and the 600-plus studies in existence in 2001, when the World Health Organization published their latest scientific data on Echinococcus granulosis and Echinococcus multilocularis, evidently isn't good enough for Idaho wildlife officials, or any others in this here United States of America. But NOW they want to ask Idaho moose hunters for help in better understanding wildlife diseases.
I'm not a resident of Idaho, nor do I buy a hunting license there, but if I did, my inclination would be to tell IDFG to STICK IT! You didn't listen then and you won't listen now. You are just trying to pacify the hunters and cover your own asses. No thanks!
A tip of the hat to reader "Chandie" for sending me a copy of the letter.
Filed Under: Featured Article, Idaho Hunting News, Predators, Wildlife Diseases Tagged With: department of fish and game, echinococcus granulosus, echinococcus multilocularis, idaho, minnesota, moose, Moose Hunting, partick karns, Wildlife Diseases, wolf diseases, wolves, world health organization
WHO Describes Echinococcosis as "Considerable Public Health Problem"
June 27, 2014 by Tom 36 Comments
*Note* – It has been through the difficult and persistent hard work of Scott Rockholm in his research that he found and has shared, "WHO/OIE Manual on Echinococcosis in Humans and Animals: a Public Health Problem of Global Concern." For this all of us are grateful.
Even though, as is described in this "Manual" that human Echinococcosis(Hydatidosis) has been around since nearly forever, it wasn't until the introduction of wolves into the Greater Yellowstone Area that some humans became aware of the fact that these wolves and other canines, wild and domestic, can be carriers of untold numbers of diseases and parasites, including the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus.
When it was discovered in 2009 that over 60% of wolves tested in the Northern Rocky Mountains Distinct Population Segment of gray wolves were infected with the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, for many of us seeking truth, we wanted to know the whats, whys and wherefores of this parasite and how it would affect humans. For others, seemingly those whose bent is to protect the wolves that carry and spread this disease, any discussion of the topic usually resulted in the passing on of bad and irresponsible information and a playing down of the seriousness of this disease.
For those readers perhaps not familiar with this website, I have collected much information and studies on this disease and have really only scratched the surface. This information can be found through a link in the top menu bar of the home page. Click this link for more information.
Below is a portion of the "Preface" of the World Health Organization's Manual. This disease is important enough to WHO and to the World Organization for Animal Health that even the title describes it as a "Public Health Problem of Global Concern."
This "Manual" relates information about the disease, much of it in areas away from the United States, but the concern grows in this country as more and more wolves disburse throughout other areas of the country increasing the threat of the spread of infectious diseases and harmful parasites. Please bear in mind that over the past near 100 years there have been insignificant populations of wild wolves in America and thus the threat of the spread of E.g, from wolves, has been minimal, but grows as the number of wolves grows. Places around the globe that have always had wolves have dealt with human Echinococcusis for centuries. Because the United States has not, I suppose this has been reason for many, including the professionals we are told will protect us and those that are in charge of overseeing the management of wild canines, such as the wolf, to downplay the real and serious threat of human hydatidosis.
As is pointed out in this report, this threat is not something that should be downplayed as irresponsibly as it has been to date here in the United States. Education should be the first step in understanding how to effectively deal with this disease. For those interested, a copy of this report can be downloaded by clicking on this link.
"The second edition of the WHO Guidelines for Surveillance, Prevention and Control of Echinococcosis/Hydatidosis, published in 1984, was focused on diagnostic methods and control measures available to combat this disease in humans and animals. These guidelines were very well received throughout the world and represented a valuable source of information for medical and Veterinary Services of many countries. Since then the understanding of the epidemiology of echinococcosis has been greatly improved, new diagnostic techniques for both humans and animals have been developed, progress has been made in the treatment of human echinococcosis, and new prevention strategies have emerged with the development of a vaccine against Echinococcus granulosus in intermediate hosts.
In spite of significant progress achieved in the field of research and control, human cystic echinococcosis, caused by Echinococcus granulosus, remains a considerable public health problem in many regions of the world. Ultrasound surveys of populations at risk have shown that cystic echinococcosis is more prevalent than previously anticipated in many endemic regions. To date, disease transmission has been reduced or interrupted in some limited areas only, especially on islands, such as Cyprus, New Zealand and Tasmania. In continental situations, however, E. granulosus control is more difficult, often less effective, is costly and requires sustained efforts over many decades.
Recent studies in Europe, Asia (i.e. People's Republic of China and Japan) and North America have shown that E. multilocularis, the causative agent of human alveolar echinococcosis, is more widely distributed in the northern hemisphere than previously understood. Alveolar echinococcosis, althrough rare, represents a considerable public health burden as the infection is lethal in most untreated patients and treatment is very costly. In addition, in Central and South America, cases of polycystic echinococcosis in humans, caused by E. vogeli and E. oligarthrus, occur in apparently increasing numbers."
Filed Under: Featured Article, Predators, Wildlife Diseases Tagged With: canines, diseases, echinococcus granulosus, echinococcusis, hydatid disease, hydatidosis, parasites, public health threats, tapeworms, wolves, world health organization, world organization for animal health


I am looking forward to Jaunty Thor making his debut for the yard this afternoon in the 2 mile 4 furlong handicap hurdle. His work and schooling at home has been promising and i am hopeful of a good run and that he can give us something to build on throughout the winter.
Click here to view the race card.