text:
Challenges Bible Authority
Modern Spiritualism
Acceptance of Spiritualism
Concepts of Spiritualism
Confusing Events
Ancient Spiritualism
"You shall be blameless..."
The Slave Girl in Philippi
The Oracle of Delphi
A True Message
Ventriloquism, Sleight of Hand, etc.
The Woman with a Familiar Spirit
Did She Communicate with Samuel?
Death is Unconsciousness
Two hundred years ago education was almost totally in the hands of the established church. Its message was authoritative and rarely, if ever, challenged. On questions about life and death, the church taught that a man or woman's innermost self survives bodily death, and continues to exist in a spirit world either of blissful reward or eternal punishment.
As the nineteenth century progressed and the age of rationalism opened up, these long cherished beliefs were subjected to intellectual enquiry and scientific testing. Only those things that attracted concrete proof passed these tests. The belief that death is simply the gateway to a new but different conscious experience was a theory that could not be reproduced in the laboratory. Where was the evidence that man's essential being survived death? It only existed by virtue of the authority claimed by the church.
This teaching was not supported by the Bible, as we shall see later in this booklet. But through all the preceding centuries, the scriptures were not available to the greater part of the population. And, from 1859 when Charles Darwin wrote his book The Origin of Species challenging the Bible account of Creation, the Bible itself was rejected by many people who no longer accepted it as the wholly inspired Word of God.
Modern Spiritualism emerged against this background of rational enquiry following some strange happenings in Hydesville, a small town in New York state in America. A family named Fox moved into a house in the town where unexplained noises were reported by previous tenants. When this happened during the Fox's tenancy, the youngest daughter challenged whoever or whatever was making the tapping to repeat the number of times she clicked her fingers. Subsequently, by using a series of codes created by the girl and her elder sisters, answering raps provided the information that the house was inhabited by the spirit of a man who had been murdered there.
As the girls' alleged communication with the spirit world first occurred on March 31, 1848, this date is taken as the birth of Modern Spiritualism. When news of the events in Hydesville began to circulate, the girls' claims were subjected to various tests, and eminent scientists quickly took sides; some claimed that a supernatural event had occurred, and others suggested it was all an elaborate deception. But so much attention was focused on the claims, that many gatherings were held elsewhere in America and then in Europe in an attempt to communicate with the spirits of the dead.
A number of famous mediums were quickly accepted into high society. The two Fox girls were very profitably managed by their elder sister, and other mediums too benefited personally from the exercise of their abilities. Seances, as the spiritualist gatherings were called, grew more and more elaborate. One very well known medium, Daniel Douglas Home, presided over gatherings where tables moved apparently by themselves, where he was able without injury to hold red hot coals in his hand, and even to levitate off the ground and float in and out of windows. He was feted at many of the European royal courts.
A great stimulus to the general acceptance of modern spiritualism was provided by Queen Victoria's interest � an interest generated by the loss of her husband Prince Albert. Shortly afterwards, with the enormous loss of life in the great wars of the twentieth century, men and women bereaved of their loved ones tried to get in touch with those who died in order to obtain messages of comfort and advice, just as they did when their relative or friend was alive. This is perfectly understandable. Human relationships form an important part of each person's life, and when death intervenes, those who are left alone naturally feel the need to continue the communication they previously enjoyed, if at all possible.
Spiritualism offers to answer that need, for it claims that death is not the complete end of consciousness. At the moment of what we call death, spiritualists believe that a person's essential being merely transfers from the material realm to the realm of the spirit. There is, so they claim, no loss of consciousness, just the transition to a higher and better plane of existence. Added to this is the further claim that communication can occur between the material world and the spiritual world, but normally this needs to be facilitated by an intermediary - or medium - who can only assist if the conditions are favourable.
Three basic and interconnected concepts thus underlie Spiritualist beliefs:
That there is personal and conscious survival of bodily death;
Death is the transition from one realm of awareness and life to another that is an advance on our present existence; and
When conditions allow it, communication between this world and the world of spirits is possible with the help of intermediaries.
These concepts were expressed most succinctly during 1948, the centenary year of Modern Spiritualism, when Spiritualists adopted the following brief description of their beliefs:
"The Proof of Survival"
From this it is apparent that great emphasis is placed on the communications that occur through the assistance of mediums. Without these, there would be no proof of survival, and the ability to survive death and unconsciousness would be just an unproven theory. Much rests, therefore, on the nature of the communications that take place, and whether they provide sound, reliable and incontrovertible evidence.
The Hydesville evidence was not accepted universally. For each person who was convinced that communication had occurred with the spirit world, there was another who was equally convinced that some form of deception was involved. Unlike the evidence for gravity or the boiling point of water, the "proof of survival" did not convince everybody.
Various eminent scientists investigated the claims of the Fox family; some finding for and some finding against the existence of spiritual communication. Two further events in that story leave the matter unresolved. About fifty years after the first contact with the alleged spirit of the murdered man, bodily remains were discovered hidden in the walls of the house. Until that time, there was no real evidence of a crime having been committed, there were only rumours.
But at about the same time, two of the Fox sisters confessed to trickery, agreeing with the conclusion of one investigator who discovered that the "spirit's rappings" were silenced when the girls' knee joints were firmly held. Subsequently these confessions were withdrawn, and it is now impossible to know if the girls were involved in a complicated web of deception or if something remarkable actually happened.
How is it possible to know whether Spiritualism is soundly based? If eminent scientists cannot agree on the evidence, where does it leave the ordinary man or woman who wishes to learn the truth? For those who believe that God is the Supreme Being, the Creator of heaven and earth, claims about life and death are resolved by turning to His revealed Word. What then does the Bible have to say about the claims of Spiritualism? How does it describe death? and What does it have to say about life after death?
So far we have only mentioned Modern Spiritualism, but spiritualism has existed for thousands of years. Many ancient societies believed that death is merely a transition to another world, and some of them also believed that communication can occur between this world and the next. The spirit world was also reckoned to be the realm of the gods, with whom a person became associated as death freed them from their earthly existence. God's message was given to men and women who lived among these societies, and we should expect Him to have something to say about their beliefs.
As the children of Israel were being led by Moses out of Egypt towards the land God promised to them, He warned them strongly about the dangers of involvement with other nations: You shalt not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you" (Leviticus 18:3). These are uncompromising words. According to God, both the Egyptian and the Canaanite societies were corrupt in various ways. In this context, God said in the next two chapters: "Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God" (19:31); and: "A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall be put to death; they shall be stoned with stones, their blood shall be upon them" (20:27).
The message is clear. God warned His people in ancient times not to engage in spiritualism: according to His law given through Moses, involvement in spiritualism is personally defiling, and those who promoted it were to be stoned.
This message is confirmed in a later passage, first given to Israel by Moses as the nation stood on the threshold of the land of Canaan:
"When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 18:9-13)
This adds to the information given in Leviticus. Not only does Moses say that involvement in spiritualism is morally defiling, and that its promoters were to be executed, he explains that the practice in all its forms is an abomination to God. He further explained that there is no need to turn to such sources for information about life and death. In a prophecy about the Lord Jesus Christ, Moses spoke these words on God's behalf: "I (God) will raise up for them (Israel) a Prophet like you (Moses) from among their brethren, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him" (verse 18).
If answers to mankind's questions about life and death are answered by God's gift of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no need to turn to those who claim to communicate with the dead.
But there is another reason given in this passage to explain why God did not want His people to involve themselves in spiritualist practices. He told them, "You shall be blameless before the LORD your God" (verse 13). According to the margin of the King James' Version, the word "blameless" means 'upright' or 'sincere'. God declares that spiritualist practices are not 'upright' or sincere'. That is
why involvement with them is morally defiling
why they are an abomination in God's sight, for He is a God of Truth, and
why those who promoted them were to be excluded from Israel.
Now these are strong words. God describes spiritualism as practiced in ancient times as deceptive, and not at all suitable for His people. How did these commands translate into practice? Is there any indication in the Bible of how God's people responded?
We can start by looking at a New Testament example, one that occurred 1,500 years after God spoke through Moses. In the times of the apostles, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, his followers preached in his name. Paul and his friends went to the Roman city of Philippi, and for a time were followed by a slave girl, "possessed with a spirit of divination ... who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling" (Acts 16:16)
We must note two things about this girl. First, as the above passage make clear, this was a lucrative business, if not for the girl, then certainly for her masters. Secondly, she had an unusual gift, a "spirit of divination", and it was claimed that this allowed her to act as an intermediary between this world and the spirit world.
This "spirit of divination" is literally, in the original text of the passage, "a spirit of Python". This takes us back to much earlier times, and one of the wonders of the ancient world, the Oracle of Delphi. This was a shrine in Northern Greece where the gods could be petitioned, and was guarded by Python, a female serpent. Her priestess, called Pythia, was a middle aged woman who descended to an underground chamber and sat on a three-legged stool over a chasm in the earth. After chewing laurel leaves (containing small amounts of an hallucinogenic substance), she entered into a trance-like state, so that the oracle spoke through her. Her voice changed, and the message sometimes had to be interpreted by another medium.
The girl in Philippi was similar. The messages she uttered were alleged to come from another realm � the realm of the dead or of the gods. And like Pythia, she was supposedly controlled by Python the guardian of the oracle.
She followed Paul and his companions as they went about Philippi, crying after them: 'These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17). For a time, nothing happened. The slave masters must have been content, for they did not complain. And Paul and his companions also took no action, presumably hoping that the girl's attention would soon be diverted elsewhere. But she continued for "many days".
What she said about Paul and his friends was true, they were "servants of the Most High God" and they were "proclaiming the way of salvation". But she did not need to be in contact with the spirit world to know this. As Paul himself said on another occasion about his preaching work, "the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner" (Acts 26:26).
Why then was Paul "greatly annoyed" (Acts 16:18)? Why did he take action to ensure that the girl would never again act as a medium? The only answer is that he knew her life was a sham, and that she was being mercilessly exploited by her slave masters.
We noted that these men were content for her to talk about Paul being a servant of God, and took no action to stop her, even though she continued to follow the apostle for "many days". They only took notice when Paul commanded her to stop her spiritualist practices. This was cutting oft a lucrative source of income, so "when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities" (verse 19).
This is an important Bible passage about spiritualism, and it is worth reiterating some of the main points it teaches:
The girl's messages were used to make money for her masters.
Her statements about Paul and his friends contained information that was readily available to anyone. She did not need to be in touch with the spirit world.
Paul did not consider that her skill was useful to aid his preaching.
What was the skill that enabled the girl to convince people that she brought messages from the spirit world? There is a verse in the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah that gives a clue. Speaking of the impending downfall of Jerusalem and its inhabitants, he said: "You shall be brought down, you shall speak out of the ground; your speech shall be low, out of the dust: your voice shall be like a medium's, out of the ground: and your speech shall whisper out of the dust" (Isaiah 29:4). Another passage we have already considered also helps here. In the Septuagint (Greek) translation of Leviticus 19:31, it speaks of "ventriloquists and enchanters". It seems therefore that the slave girl in Philippi, and other mediums too, have used a variety of different techniques.
These methods of seeking answers and information from the spirit world are only successful when the conditions are right. Spiritualists say that they cannot make contact on behalf of anyone who denies that communication is possible. This suggests that a person's mind has to be conditioned to accept the messages it will be given. Seances and consultations are thus often held in darkened rooms, and the minds of those who attend are relaxed by the use of music, chanting and other means to be receptive and compliant. But if Spiritualism can really provide "Proof of Survival", it must do so both for the skeptic, and for the person who firmly believes that such contact is possible.
This not to say that all spiritualists set out to deceive. It is certain that most, if not all, are sincerely convinced that they are able to communicate with the spirits of dead persons. Some of the techniques that are used, like telepathy and hypnotism probably use unexplored parts of the human mind, and this can lead to some strange results that are hard to ignore or dismiss. These must not be confused with sleight of hand, conjuring and other practices. The question to be asked is whether it is possible - whatever means are used - to communicate with those who have died. An Old Testament example will help here.
During the reign of Israel's first king Saul, he felt the need to consult a spiritualist medium. During most of his reign Saul was able to obtain Divine counsel and advice through God's prophet Samuel. But two incidents caused a breach between the king and the prophet. First, Saul refused to obey God and totally destroy Israel's enemies, the Amalekites. Samuel prophesied that this refusal to follow God's command would lead to the kingdom being taken from Saul and given to another king. Samuel refused to counsel Saul again. Then Samuel died, leaving Saul without an advisor from God.
The king felt completely alone, especially when the country was attacked by the Philistine army. Where could he turn for help? He decided to approach "a woman with a familiar spirit", and the night before Israel's army was due to face the enemy he traveled in deep disguise to Endor where his servants told him there was such a woman. She knew her position was precarious, for early in his reign "Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land" (1 Samuel 28:3). Without revealing exactly who he was, Saul told her not to worry, and asked her to "Bring up Samuel".
The woman described "(gods) ascending out of the earth ... an old man coming up, covered with a mantle". From this description, Saul was convinced it was Samuel, and explained, "I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me any more, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do" (verse 15).
He receives the answer that the position is hopeless. The kingdom will be taken from Saul and given to David, because of Saul's faithlessness. And in the battle against the Philistines, Israel will be defeated and Saul and his sons will lose their lives.
Was this really a message from Samuel? Did the woman act as a medium between Saul and the realm of the dead?
We can answer these questions by looking at the message Saul received. Was he told anything that only 'the spirit of Samuel' could reveal? When we examine the incident carefully, we learn how much the woman knew, and how much she was able to discover from Saul himself. It is also apparent that Saul did not see anything, he had to ask the woman what she saw. All he heard was a voice, and he was prepared in a variety of ways to believe it was Samuel's.
The woman knew five things:
Her visitor was Saul - he was the only person in Israel who could guarantee her immunity from prosecution, and his great height would be difficult to conceal.
Saul was receiving no counsel from God - the king said this himself in her hearing (28:15).
Saul disobeyed God when he failed to destroy the Amalekites - this was a well-known incident causing the estrangement between the king and the prophet Samuel.
David would be the next king - even Saul admitted this (1 Samuel 24:20), and David was clearly the people's choice.
Saul was facing certain defeat and probably death.
Each of these items of information occurs in the message the king received through the medium. Like the Philippian slave girl's description of Paul, there did not need to be any communication with the dead for the woman at Endor to tell Saul of the impending disaster. She made skilful use of the information Saul unconsciously revealed, and then deceived the king into thinking he could hear Samuel's voice.
Saul wanted to get in contact with Samuel. He traveled under difficult circumstances to contact the spiritualist medium and obtain her help. He was convinced by her reaction that she could actually see the dead prophet, even though Saul himself saw nothing at all. Everything combined to condition Saul to receive a message from Samuel.
This is the common link in all the cases we have considered. Queen Victoria wanted to get in touch with Prince Albert, the parents of dead soldiers were desperate for some kind of contact. And king Saul had nowhere else to turn. All of these were prepared to interpret favourably any sign they received as the answer they desired.
But if it is really possible to communicate with the dead it should not require special conditions or a prepared atmosphere. Far from confirming the claims about communicating with the dead, the Bible examples we have considered show why God's people were told not to become involved in the practice - it is not upright or sincere. Compared with the clear teaching of the Bible, that is often specific in its detail when it prophesies future events, messages that are claimed to come from the dead are confused, difficult to apply and often ambiguous.
The Bible explanation about death is clear and straight-forward: The dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten" (Ecclesiastes 9:5). To put it simply, death is unconsciousness. Nothing of the person survives, there is no transfer to another realm: "Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun" (verse 6).
Isaiah the prophet, speaking in an age when God's people were turning away from Him to worship other gods, said: "When they say to you, 'Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter', should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:19,20). Why should those who are alive seek information from those who are dead? If the dead are unconscious, they have no information about what is happening to the living. The only source of reliable information about the future is in God's word, like a light in a dark place.
No consciousness ... no communication ... no share in the living. This is God's explanation about death, and it is completely at variance with spiritualist claims. It is also different from the teaching of many churches down through the centuries, who have used the ideas of heaven and hell as places of reward and punishment to instill a religion of fear into the minds of many people. A verse we considered earlier from Deuteronomy now assumes a much greater importance. After telling His people not to get involved in the spiritualist practices of the surrounding nations, God explained that He was providing a Prophet � Jesus � and they must listen to him.
The gospel or good news of Jesus Christ is that, like all other men and women, he lived his life, and then died. In his case, he was put to death for his beliefs, despite having lived a life that was righteous and free from sin. After his crucifixion, his body was placed in a rock-hewn tomb, and Jesus was as unconscious as any other person who has died.
But because he obeyed God faithfully in everything he did, Jesus was raised by God from the unconsciousness of the grave and granted everlasting life. He is the only person who has survived the corruption of death to be raised to immortality. He promises all who faithfully accept him that they too can be released from the grave and have hope of sharing eternity with him. This is the great Christian hope of resurrection, of which the apostle Paul wrote to believers in Corinth:
"As in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at his coming." (1 Corinthians 15:22,23)
God asks us to trust His word. We must have faith in God that what He has promised He is also able to perform. This faith is based on the historical evidence of the resurrection of Christ. Jesus is "the firstfruits". Naturally speaking, the first produce from the ground promises a rich harvest to come. Jesus' resurrection promises the raising to life of many, many more to share the glories of the coming age.
Put aside all the conflicting messages claiming to come from the dead, and listen instead to the message of the living Lord Jesus.
-- MICHAEL ASHTON
Quotations taken from the New King James Version


Online community…component of a mental health inclusion strategy?
In the ninth installment of our series, Ten Strategies for Promoting Mental Health Inclusion at Church, Steve explores ways in which churches can creatively establish online communities and incorporate strategies to use these communities as part of an overall plan for building relationships with families impacted by mental illness.
The sage advice given to Tom Cruise's character by "the late, great Dicky Fox" in the movie Jerry Maguire is foundational to any intentional strategy to reach out to and include children and teens with mental illness and their families.
If I had it to do over again (and I might), I'd relabel Key Ministry's Front Door initiative as "online community" as opposed to "online church." When we put church services online, we weren't trying to create an alternative experience of church so much as we were trying to create an additional pathway to relationship with the help of some cutting edge technology. The goal of any online ministry effort of ours is to create relationships that move families impacted by disability one step closer to an experience of "church" in the physical presence of other Christ followers.
More and more churches are live streaming services or establishing online campuses. Even more are diving into social media and for good reason…that's where the people are!
It's an easy way to lower the resistance to engaging church attendees and members in evangelism and outreach.
It levels the playing field for persons who struggle with social communication or social anxiety.
Technology allows you to inexpensively target underserved families (such as families impacted by mental illness) and increase the likelihood of connecting them with people in your church who can help them take the next step toward worshiping in the physical presence of their brothers and sisters in Christ.
Worship services: As the cost of live streaming online video content continues to fall, more and more churches are making available online access to worship services in real time. Other churches are archiving the content of sermon messages on video hosting services like Vimeo. Facebook is now seeking to compete with YouTube for viewers (and advertising dollars) and at the time of this post allows page managers to upload videos of up to 45 minutes duration. If your church is producing video content, the mental health inclusion team might ask how that content could be used to help persons with mental illness and their families connect with the members and attendees of your church? How would use your video content to promote conversation and relationship?
Small group experiences: Videoconferencing technology has progressed to the point that interactive, online small groups represent a potentially effective strategy for including teens and adults in small groups when work or school demands or the lack of availability of child care would otherwise present insurmountable obstacles to group participation. We've seen the future and it works. How could you reach and include families your church isn't currently serving (including families impacted by mental illness or trauma) through launching online groups?
Not every group needs to take place in real time. Private/closed online groups hosted on Facebook have been effective for our ministry in creating dialogues around topics of interest. As more churches offer adult education and Bible studies online through Facebook, blogs and other platforms, how would your church seek to engage and include families without a church home, including families impacted by mental illness?
Serving: Online ministry provides ample opportunity for "reverse inclusion." How could your church's volunteer team use people with a background in mental health or personal experience with mental illness through representing your church's ministry online?
Prayer: Does your church have a prayer ministry? How could your inclusion team come alongside your church's prayer ministry to extend themselves into the surrounding mental health community?
Online ministry provides an inexpensive opportunity for churches to overcome the relationship deficits common among many families impacted by mental illness.
Online ministry levels the playing field for persons who struggle with social anxiety or social communication.
Online ministry allows families to connect with church in a sensory environment of their choosing.
Online ministry eliminates the need for individuals and families to self-identify with a mental health disability in order to get the accommodations they might need to participate in a ministry event or activity.
We've developed a resource page on the topic of online ministry that contains several video presentations from Key Ministry including video from two of the church's most prominent thought leaders in online ministry (Nils Smith from Community Bible Church and Jay Kranda from Saddleback Church) and helpful links to just about every resource a church might need to learn more of how technology may be applied to reach families impacted by disability.
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I like squid. A bit of a double meaning there as I not only appreciate watching these intelligent and strange social creatures in the lagoon, I also enjoy eating them. But this sphere image is about the live ones.
I have, ever since I started doing sphere images, always wanted to take a sphere image of a school of squid. Freddy and I have seen them, from time to time, while snorkeling but they have always somehow known that Freddy and I are predators that munch on their tender flesh. So they are exceedingly difficult to get close to and are capable of swimming (jetting really) much faster than me. Anyway, you can't do a sphere image when swimming after something; you need to be stay in one spot and turn around.
We were snorkeling along the face of the fringing reef at Ua when I spotted a shark sleeping in a coral cave. It was a nice bit of reef, very colorful, so I stopped and began taking a sphere image with my trusty little Gopro Hero3. The plan was to do a complete sphere of the coral and then maybe get Freddy to go close enough to the sleeping shark to get it to do a swim-by for the sphere photo. Can you see the shark in the sphere image? He's in one of the caves.
But it was one of those days when coordination was not my best feature. I was thrashing around a bit, there was a little current, I couldn't seem to keep my fins or arms out of the camera's field of view. Whatever, I fiddled around, turned around and around, adjusted the camera, did it again.
One of the more fascinating features of squids - and octopus - is their curiosity. We had seen a big school of squid earlier in the day but they would not (as usual) let us get close to them, swimming off into the blue if I even looked in their direction. But apparently they were close enough to see my bizarre spinning dance. And apparently they found this interesting enough to come closer to see what I was doing.
I was totally absorbed trying to keep the camera in exactly the same spot while turning around and avoiding making splashes so I didn't even notice the squids until I looked up and saw them all around me. Looking at me with those big blue eyes.
Squid actually communicate by changing colors and they change their colors to make themselves harder to see; like a chameleon only much faster; almost instantaneous. Notice that the squid hovering over the darker area of the reef are dark colored, the ones backlit by the sun are much lighter, and the ones in the deeper water fade to almost the same blue as the lagoon water.
Think about that a minute. Because it means that the squid were changing their color to make themselves harder for me to see them but they had to realize what they would look like to ME. Like some of them were thinking, "I'm on the sunny side of that monster so I need to be light-colored." Others were thinking, "From where that monster is I have a dark reef behind me". Which means they were adjusting their colors to MY point of view.
That's pretty perceptive of them. It's hard to think of that as "instinctive" behavior, because they need to realize where my eyes are, where I am actually looking (or might look) and what's behind them from my point of view.
So please enjoy these lovely blue-eyed squids in their idyllic coral reef domain and think of them the next time you see Calamari on the menu.


text:
Ntuko v Mbango (APPEAL 263 of 2014) [2014] NAHCMD 322 (02 October 2014);
APPEAL 263 of 2014
[2014] NAHCMD 322
Smuts J
OF NAMIBIA
COURT OF NAMIBIA MAIN DIVISION, WINDHOEK
no: A 263/2014
the matter between:
NTUKO...........................................................APPLICANT
MBANGO.....................................................1ST
OMUTHIYA
TOWN COUNCIL....................................2ND
citation: Ntuko v Omuthiya Town Council (A 263/2014) [2014] NAHCMD
322 (2 October 2014)
SMUTS, J
Heard:
Delivered:
Spoliation application. Requisites
restated. Applicant failing to establish possession. Application
dismissed.
the application is dismissed with costs.
TEMPORE JUDGMENT
SMUTS,
This is a spoliation application brought by the applicant on an
urgent basis to this court.
The applicant seeks an order restoring possession of a number of
items set out in paragraph C of the notice of motion which I do not
intend to fully set out for current purposes. These items
include fencing, building materials as well as bedding and clothes.
The applicant also seeks an order directing the 2nd
respondent to re-erect what is termed his house and to re-erect a
perimeter fence and to restore the status quo ante, and that
these orders should apply with immediate effect pending the outcome
of the rule nisi. The application was launched on Friday
26 September 2014 and set down for Monday 29 September. When it was
called, Ms Feris appeared for the respondents and sought time for
them to be able to answer to the allegations. The respondents were
then put on terms to do so by 1 October and the matter was set down
for the next day, today.
The respondents filed answering affidavits on 1 October and the
applicant replied in the short time available to him.
The applicant did not apply for further time to supplement that
reply. Nor did he apply for a referral of the matter for evidence.
Mr Namandje who appeared for the respondents submitted that a final
order should be granted if the court were to find that the applicant
had met the requisites for spoliation relief and that it would not
thus serve any purpose to issue a rule nisi in the
circumstances as the respondents had answered to the allegations.
I now turn to the facts set out in the papers.
The applicant is the headman for the Onaanda village in the area of
Omuthiya. The 1st respondent is the Chief Executive
Officer of the Omuthiya Town Council which is cited as the 2nd
Respondent. It is the local authority for that area, duly constituted
under the Local Authorities Act, 23 of 1992.
The applicant's case is that he permanently occupies premises
which comprise what he terms as "my house and property",
referred to as his premises in his papers. He says that he has
done so since his mother has passed away in 2013. He further states
that he regards the house as his permanent residence. He states
that on 19 September 2014, while he was away at work, the respondents
demolished his house and removed the perimeter fence and took away
the movable property contained in the structure (including its
components) on those premises, as well as removing his water
infrastructure. He further states that the respondents stole the
property listed in the notice of motion and in his affidavit.
As I have indicated, he stated that this happened on 19 September
while he was away at work in Rundu. The respondents admit removing
certain of the items but in far smaller quantities then those set out
in notice of motion. They deny the removal of most of the movable
property. The respondents however in their answering affidavits
squarely place in issue that the applicant was in peaceful and
undisturbed possession of those items and the premises.
In the answering affidavit, the respondents first give some
background with reference to their dealings with the applicant. In
setting out that background, the respondents state that the applicant
erected a house on a different piece of land which also belongs to
the local authority namely the Omuthiya Town Council.
The respondents state that the applicant, having erected that house
on the local authority property, the 2nd respondent
decided to compensate the applicant in a sum exceeding N$ 167 000 in
2012 for that structure and for him to remove it within a reasonable
time. They state that he however continued staying there and
residing at that house to date. In the replying affidavit it is
stated that these allegations are irrelevant. It is of course correct
that the title to be present on premises is irrelevant in spoliation
proceedings and that it would be clearly irrelevant whether or not
the applicant was occupying other land of the local authority where
the local authority disputed his title to do so.
What is however in my view highly relevant is the allegation that the
applicant resided and stayed in that structure on that other piece of
property. The applicant in his replying affidavit however
denies residing there and went on to state
would appear that the respondents cannot positively state where I
reside, because they also alleged that I permanently reside on plot
48 which is purportedly also the property of the 2nd
respondent".
(The
reference to plot 48 concerned an allegation raised by the
respondents that his mother had illegally occupied plot 48 and had
erected a structure there which the applicant also occupied.) But in
this statement, the applicant would appear to misapprehend the nature
of the burden of proof in matters of this nature. It is not for
the respondents to show where the applicant resides. It is for the
applicant to establish on a balance of probabilities peaceful and
undisturbed possession of the property from which the applicant
alleges he was spoliated. Ms Van Wyk for the applicant correctly
accepted in argument that the applicant has the burden to establish
the requisites of spoliation.
The respondents further stated in their answering affidavit that
photographs were taken of the premises before the removal of the
structure. It was stated that this occurs as a matter of course
before removals take place. The dates reflected on the photographs
support that contention, because they are all dated 19 September
The respondent's answering affidavit provides a description of
the premises as a 'shack'
and denies that the applicant permanently resided
in it.
The first respondent goes on to state:
'The
shack was in the process of being built and was at all times
unoccupied. The Applicant in fact moved into one of his late
mother's houses after she had passed on and still resides there
and sometimes at his alleged dwelling in respect of which he was
compensated.
is also evident from the photographs that the area in which he
erected the illegal shack was just recently debushed. The bushes are
still laying around and have not yet been removed.'
The photographs support the description which the respondents give of
the premises. It clearly looks like there has been recent excavation.
The item referred to as a shack I would describe as a shed. Its
natural floor inside is of the ground, where there is some grass.
Mr Namandje, who appeared for the respondents, referred me to that
grass. The grass itself on the colour photographs is green in
colour. That would not be consistent with a structure having been
there for some time, and on the applicant's version since the
previous year. The photographs also depict plastic on the
ground on which cement is placed. There are also pieces of cut
corrugated iron which Mr Namandje submitted with some force supported
the contention of the erection of a recent structure. But what
is compelling to me from the photographs is that there is simply no
evidence whatsoever of any human habitation.
In the replying affidavit, it is not disputed that the photographs
depict the structure, but it is stated that they have been selected
to support the respondent's version. It is not however stated
in what respects they are either selective and do not properly depict
what was there, except with reference to bedding and other items
which the respondents deny removing.
The applicant in paragraph 17 of the replying affidavit reiterates
that he resided in the shack 'and
most of the time when I was not present and when I was working away,
my employees Martin and Shikongo occupied the premises".
He further states that, 'I admit that
I was in the process of building a more permanent home on the
premises'. But he denies that the
structure was used to store building and fencing material.
There is no statement by the applicant that the employees in question
were in occupation at the time of the removal and that they did so on
behalf of the applicant. There is on the other hand the
unequivocal statement made by the respondents that the premises were
entirely unoccupied. There were also no affidavits from these
I turn now to the test in matters of this nature and to the
applicable legal principles. As was stressed recently in a
judgement of this court with reference to authority in Junias and
Another –v- the Municipal Council of the Municipality of
Windhoek of 12 March 2014, this remedy is a possessory remedy to
address spoliation which is the wrongful deprivation of the right to
possession whether with regard to movable or immovable property.
In this instance the applicant only seeks a restoration of possession
of movable property as I understand the notice of motion.
The underlying rationale for the remedy as I also stressed during
argument is that no one should resort to self-help or taking the law
into their own hands to obtain or regain possession. Once an
order is given, it is in the form of a final order which determines
the right to immediate occupation once an applicant can establish the
requisites for that relief, being peaceful and undisturbed possession
and the wrongful deprivation of that possession.
Now in these proceedings it has not been contested that there was a
form of deprivation in the sense that some items had been removed.
But what has been placed in issue throughout, as I have already
stressed, is the element of possession which needs to be
established. As both sides correctly accepted, the causa
of possession is irrelevant in proceedings of this nature. Even an
illegal occupant's possession is protected if that possession
was peaceful and undisturbed. As I pointed out to Mr Namandje
in argument, the authorities make it clear that it would be
sufficient for an applicant to establish factually holding a thing,
in other words the concept of detentio, with the intention of
securing some benefit for himself. But what must be established
is that, even though possession need not be physical or personal as
Ms Van Wyk correctly submitted, it needs to be effective. That is
what the authorities have clearly established. (The Law of South
Africa, Volume 11 (2nd ed) at 438 and the authorities
collected in footnotes 7, 8 and 9 on p438.)
Turning to the facts of this case, the applicant has not in my
opinion established that the shed or the structure was possessed to
the exclusion of everyone else. This could have been established if
it had been locked. But there is no allegation to that effect.
Furthermore, the applicant himself was not there at the time the
deprivation occurred. Nor were his employees. There is no evidence of
any detentio to the exclusion of others by locking or some way
of preventing access or physical possession by others.
There is also an unexplained aspect relating to the applicant's
work and where in fact he works. The only allegation was that he was
working in Rundu at the time this occurred. In view of the challenge
to his possession and to residing there, I would have expected this
issue to be further explained in reply.
In applying the test in Plascon
Evans[1]
with regard to disputed facts in motion proceedings and having regard
to the photographs of the area, and in the absence of any application
to refer to oral evidence the respondent's version of the
structure being unoccupied at the time of its removal is to be
accepted. The photographs are also consistent with that version.
Applying the test in Plascon
Evans,
it would follow that the applicant has in my view not established
possession in the sense required by this remedy in the form of
detentio
to the exclusion of others.
Whilst it is clearly not permissible for local authorities to take
the law into their own hands by forcibly removing structures and
especially those where there is human habitation without first
obtaining a court order, I must also point out that the court cannot
condone the illegal invasion or occupation of land belonging to local
authorities, because the latter is equally inimical to rule of law
which is at the very heart of the constitutional dispensation in this
country.
In all of these circumstances and applying the Plascon Evans
test, I conclude that the applicant has not met the requisite of
establishing peaceful and undisturbed possession for the purpose of
spoliation. It would follow that the application should be dismissed.
The respondents seek costs. I see no reason why costs should not
follow the event. The dismissal of this application is accompanied by
a party and party cost order. I also note that Mr Namandje has
on behalf of the respondents tendered the returned to the applicant
against proof of ownership the items which are currently in
possession of the respondents.
It follows that the order which I make is:
application is dismissed with costs.
F Smuts
APPLICANTS:
C Van Wyk
Instructed
by Legal Assistance Centre
RESPONDENT:
S Namandje
by Sisa Namandje & Co. Inc.
Plascon-Evans Paints Ltd v Van Riebeek Paints (Pty) Ltd 1984 (3) SA
623 (A).
Download as rtf Download as pdf
QE Construction CC v Air Cool CC (APPEAL 155 of 2014) [2014] NAHCMD 208 (02 July 2014);
Jansen v Kathrin Schaefer-Stiege Okakambe Riding Centre CC and Others (APPEAL 57 of 2014) [2014] NAHCMD 92 (02 April 2014);
Nguvauva v Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing Rural Development and Others (APPEAL 254 of 2010) [2014] NAHCMD 290 (02 October 2014);
Pienaar v Prosecutor-General and Others (4) (APPEAL 261 of 2014) [2014] NAHCMD 320 (29 October 2014);
Van Rooi v Town Council of Rehoboth and Others (APPEAL 133 of 2014) [2014] NAHCMD 317 (30 October 2014);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The mountains around Glen Nevis are ideal for those dreaming of big days in the Scottish Mountains.
In June 1964 Philip Tranter son of the author Nigel Tranter was the first to cover all of these mountains in a single trip, taking in the Mamores 11 munros, Grey Corries 4 munros, the Aonachs 2 munros, Carn Mor Dearg 1 munro culminating on Ben Nevis 1 munro.Tranters Round involves a journey of 36 miles with 20,600 feet of ascent; it has been successfully completed many times in recent years. No details are retained of successful round completion. 1 Helen Bonsor of Carnethy H R C established a new Ladies' record of 12 hours 25 minutes in July 2017. 2 Finlay Wild of Lochaber A C established a new round record of 10 hours 15 minutes in October 2016.
Ladies: On 22 02 2018 Helen Rennard from Lochaber 23h 29m.
Gents: On 26 02 2018 Finlay Wild from Lochaber 14h 24m.
Blyth Wright and Philip Tranter collectively planned and put together what is now known as Tranters Round.
Blyth also accompanied Philip for most of the journey before returning to their rendezvous point in Glen Nevis.
After over 30 years of sporadic phone calls, letters and e-mail communication Charlie finally caught up with Blyth at his home in Aviemore in November 2008, where they shared an interesting, informative and enjoyable afternoon reflecting on big days in the Scottish mountains.
Sadly after a long illness Blyth passed away on Sunday 24th May 2009. He will be remembered for his invaluable knowledge and expertise in avalanche forecasting and relentless work towards safety in the Scottish mountains.
Many including myself have followed Tranter's footsteps and successfully completed his circuit within the 24 hour time scale. Whilst on the round one day I wondered if one could extend the round by including the 5 munros that surround Loch Treig: Beinn na Lap, Chino Dearg, Stob Coire Sgriodain, Stob a Choire Mheadhoin, and Stob Coire Easain, making it into a journey that would involve 24 munros within 24 hours, a distance of 56 miles with 28,000 feet of ascent.
With the assistance of many friends from Lochaber and Edinburgh I put together a package of training and planning in order to attempt the round, adopting the fell running style of the Lakeland runners. Would this be possible in the Scottish mountains?
Details of preparation and planning can be seen on a separate page under these headings.
I also decided to raise money for Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team (£500.00).
With all of the training complete and support in place, I was ready to go at 12 noon on Friday 8th July 1978, I left Glen Nevis Youth Hostel and proceeded anticlockwise heading onto the Mamores.
I returned to the Youth Hostel having completed the circuit at 11 58 on Saturday 9th July with only 2 minutes to spare.
Ramsay's Round was a reality.
Until 1986 when Chris Brasher called into my office during a business trip to Edinburgh, seeking more detail and information about Ramsay's Round.
I assisted in supporting Chris, Paddy Buckley and George Rhodes during their Bob Graham attempt in 1977.
Following that meeting Chris returned south where using his many networking skills within fell running circles, he increased awareness, interest and enthusiasm about the round resulting in a steady flow of successful attempts each year from both north and south of the border.
To date, there have been 134 successful contenders for Ramsay's Round, including 9 ladies who have completed the round. 95 have gone clockwise starting with Ben Nevis and 39 have gone anticlockwise finishing with Ben Nevis.
The fastest men's completion time of 16h 59m was recorded in 2015 by Jon Ascroft.
The fastest lady's and overall fastest completion time of 16h 13m was recorded in June 2016 by Jasmin Paris.
At The Dark Peak Fell Runners Annual Dinner held in Sheffield on 15th Nov 2014, Charlie was invited to present Nicky Spinks with a picture, taken from the Mamore's, selected by all of those both North and South of the Border who assisted her during her successful Ladies record achievement set in June 2014.
She broke the previous Ladies record set by Helene Diamantides which had stood for 25 years.
In 1987 by travelling eastwards Martin Stone from Exeter added a further 2 munros to the round.
In 1991 Adrian Belton extended the round even further to 28 munros. His target was 30 but snow in June denied him that goal, such is the weather in the Scottish mountains.
Nicky Spinks was recently awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen's Birthday honours 2018, for her services to Sport and Charity.
Starting on 30: 06: 2018 Nicky, from Yorkshire and a member of Dark Peak Fell Runners, was the 1st person to attempt a Double Ramsay's Round with a variation: 46 Munros within 48 hours = 112m/188km – 57,000ft/17,380m.
Nicky set off from Glen Nevis Youth Hostel, aided by a carefully selected support team, for all elements of the challenge.
She headed in an A/C direction, and climbed all of the Mamores and Loch Treig munros (15 munros: in total) to her 1st turning point at Stob Coire Easain.
Sadly, during the 3rd section on the second day, the heat and ambient temperatures throughout the journey, were extremely high and energy sapping for both Nicky and her support runners, resulting in her losing time and falling behind schedule, resulting in a decision being made, that although the target time of within 48 hours had gone, she would continue to the finish line at a much lesser pace drawing on all her strengths, experience and endurance to complete the challenge.
Her completion time for the entire journey was 56 hours and 45 minutes.
Whilst Nicky's finish time was well outside the challenge time, she has indeed laid down a benchmark line in the sand for others to aim for and improve upon, in due course.
Whilst I only retain record details of those who have completed the round starting and finishing at Glen Nevis Youth Hostel within 24 hours. It is noteworthy that the round has been completed in both directions in winter (1st December / 28th (29th) February) as shown.
In February 2013 Jon Gay from Lochaber A C, travelling clockwise was the first successful contender to complete the round in winter within 24 hours, returning in a time of 23 hours 18 minutes.
we may not necessarily, within that period, experience winter conditions as invariably experienced on the Lochaber mountain ranges. Thus leaving the contender with little or no opportunity to pit their winter skills, experience and equipment against the elements and challenges that could potentially be out there.Winter conditions are difficult to specifically define as there are so many personal views and opinions as to what constitutes "Winter Conditions" e.g. We have examples of "Classic, Arctic, Horrendous, Fantastic, Brilliant and Awful", to quote a few.Additionally, does this mean Winter conditions at high or low level? Are we confined to G M T, as winter conditions can often extend well into B S T and onwards into Spring?Being mindful of the above and without a clear definition of what constitutes Winter Conditions, provided a contender completes the round within 24 hours, all that will be recorded on the finishers page of this website will be their finishing number, finishing date, name, finishing time and direction C or AC.Any additional text they wish to use to support their achievement, can be reflected in their own Summary Report, their Facebook or Blog.
Pictured together following a celebratory lunch with their wives at Swanston Brasserie in Edinburgh are Charlie Ramsay, Pete Fettes and Bobby Shields celebrating 40 years on the 8th / 9th of July 2018 since Ramsay's Round was attempted and completed.
Swanston was their chosen venue for their celebrations as many of their training sessions and preparation for the round started by accessing the Pentland Hills via the Regional Park parking area at Swanston.
Charlie and Bobby were both round contenders and Pete was one of many support runners. Pete accompanied the team from the start, completing all of the Mamore's and the 3 munros east of Loch Treig before finishing at the second transition area at Fersit.
Sadly, Bobby sustained a leg injury and had to retire shortly after 15 munros, having completed approx. 2/3rds of the journey.
Charlie Pete and Bobby still keep in touch with each other on a regular basis and get out onto the hills as often as they can.
In the summer of 2010 Rhonda Claridge, an ultra-runner from Colorado in the U.S.A., spotted the round on an international ultra-runner's website. With plans for a family holiday to the U.K., Rhonda contacted me about the possibility of her having an attempt in August as she would be in Lochaber for about 4 days.
Rhonda made contact with Mark Hartell, president of the Bob Graham club, who has successfully completed Ramsay's Round (No 16). He has also competed in the 100-mile Hardrock footrace in 2007, where he met Rhonda whilst she was pacing a friend. Mark was able to provide some background of the round and thus a challenge for Rhonda to have a go.
On arrival in Edinburgh Rhonda visited us and together we drew up a provisional plan. This was supported by excellent assistance from Lochaber Athletic Club, in particular John Hepburn, Peter Duggan, Jon Gay and Neil Arnott.
Under time constraints, Rhonda set off at 0900 on the 12th of August on an anti-clockwise journey. All plans and schedules were unfolding well until the night section, when the weather deteriorated, and Rhonda began to slip back a bit. Encouraged by Jon in the later stages she completed the round in 25 hours and 24 minutes, a remarkable achievement given her travel, limited preparation, time scale, and Lochaber's unpredictable weather.
One hopes that this tremendous effort will inspire others from the international scene to visit Scotland, Lochaber and perhaps have a go at Ramsay's Round.
HLP+Partners is a film and television company, based in Toronto, Canada, currently working on an exciting TV series on ultra-racing entitled "Boundless". This August they will be travelling to Scotland for the purpose of producing an hour-long documentary episode of the Ramsay's Round.
The show currently airs across Canada on Travel + Escape Network, and is launching across the USA this summer on Esquire, for a total of 65 million homes.
They successfully produced ten episodes of Boundless in 2012, covering such epic races as "The Sahara Race" in Egypt, "Fire and Ice Ultra" in Iceland, "Molokai 2 Oahu SUP Race" in Hawaii, and "The Amazing Maasai Ultra" in Kenya, the "Ancient Khmer Path" in Cambodia and the "Ironman 70.3" in Thailand, and others. What they look for are races that are incredibly challenging, unique and surrounded with local culture. Their two competitors, Simon Donato and Paul "Turbo" Trebilcock, are extremely well-trained and have been competing, and performing well, in ultra-racing (running, biking, paddling) for many years. Included in their team will be a producer, a director and two cameramen.
While recently they've competed in a lot of large-scale, annually scheduled races, what excited them about the Ramsay's Round is its ability to take on a whole new challenge in unforgettable landscapes and culture within Lochaber in Scotland. It will be a very unique venture for their show as they haven't seen anything like it on TV before. Combined with local culture and joined by other willing participants from Lochaber and hill running within Scotland, it should make for an unforgettable episode.
The proposed dates for their challenge are the week commencing Aug 26, 2013 with the attempt being made either Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday.
At 12 noon on Saturday 31st August, following an extensive period of on location preparation and planning, both Simon and Paul set off on the Ramsays Round Challenge from the Youth Hostel in Glen Nevis.
For results and full coverage, please watch out for the Boundless series to be shown early 2014 on Travel + Escape (Canada) and Esquire Network (USA).
Mike Hartley (No 10) completed all three rounds consecutively in 3 days 14 hours and 20 minutes in July 1990, covering a distance of 187 miles with 83,000 feet of ascent to include 113 tops.
In May 2011, Keri Wallace (Nee Page) from Lochaber A C Walked all three rounds (omitting the last 2 summits on Ramsay's Round Carn Mor Dearg and Ben Nevis. Due to absolute foul weather, and in the interest of her own safety she abandoned the challenge after Aonach Mor). She still however raised in excess of £2000 for local charities.
How did Keri get on?


text:
Home > Reference > Indian Administration > Government of India > Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Union Government Autonomous Bodies
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India monitors the production, storage and distribution of food in keeping with certain food safety standards in order to ensure that they are healthy and fit for human consumption.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been established under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which consolidates various acts and orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries and Departments. FSSAI has been created for laying down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
Among the various acts which form part of the Food and Safety Act of 2006 are the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 , Fruit Products Order , 1955, Meat Food Products Order , 1973 etc. The Act also aims to establish a single reference point for all matters relating to food safety and standards, by moving from multi-level, multi- departmental control to a single line of command. To this effect, the Act establishes an independent statutory Authority - the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India with head office at Delhi. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the State Food Safety Authorities shall enforce various provisions of the Act.
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the Administrative Ministry for the implementation of FSSAI. The Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have been appointed by Government of India. The Chairperson is in the rank of Secretary to Government of India.
Functions of FSSAI
FSSAI has been mandated by the FSS Act, 2006 for performing the following functions:
Framing of Regulations to lay down the Standards and guidelines in relation to articles of food and specifying appropriate system of enforcing various standards thus notified;
Laying down mechanisms and guidelines for accreditation of certification bodies engaged in certification of food safety management system for food businesses;
Laying down procedure and guidelines for accreditation of laboratories and notification of the accredited laboratories;
To provide scientific advice and technical support to Central Government and State Governments in the matters of framing the policy and rules in areas which have a direct or indirect bearing of food safety and nutrition.
Collect and collate data regarding food consumption, incidence and prevalence of biological risk, contaminants in food, residues of various, contaminants in foods products, identification of emerging risks and introduction of rapid alert system;
Creates an information network across the country so that the public, consumers and panchayats receive rapid, reliable and objective information about food safety and issues of concern.
Provide training programmes for persons who are involved or intend to get involved in food businesses.
Contributes to the development of international technical standards for food, sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards.
Promote general awareness about food safety and food standards.


text:
How the CIA Used LSD to Destroy the New Left
Posted on September 8, 2016 by stuartbramhall
Drugs as Weapons Against Us: The CIA's Murderous Targeting of SDS, Panthers, Hendrix, Lennon, Cobain, Tupac and Other Activists
by John L Potash
Trine Day LLC (2015)
Drugs as Weapons Against Us is a virtual encyclopedia of the global drug trade. Author John L Potash devotes special attention to the long involvement of the British and US government in illegal trafficking – for the political and financial benefit of the elite families who control these governments. Most of the book focuses on MKUltra, the top secret CIA program devoted to developing and experimenting with mind altering drugs such as LSD, MDA (an ecstasy precursor), STP, PCP and scopolamine.
Although CIA Director Richard Helms ordered all MK-Ultra records destroyed in the mid-seventies, 30,000 pages of documents were preserved in the CIA Finance Department. Meticulously researched and footnoted, Drugs as Weapons relies on an extensive variety of sources, including the 30,000 pages, FOIA releases, police files, whistleblower statements, media and alternative media investigations and other prominent researchers such as Peter Dale Scott, Alfred, McCoy, Alex Constantine, Catherine Austin Fitts, and the late Gary Webb and Michael Rupert.
Using MKUltra to Target Leftists and Radical Pop Stars
As the title suggests, Potash is mainly interested in the CIA's use of LSD (with the help of British intelligence, which ran a parallel MKUltra program at the Tavistock Clinic) to "neutralize" leftists and activist pop stars, such as Paul Robeson, Mick Jagger, Abbie Hoffman, Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix.*
Like many activists, I am well aware of the CIA's historic role in heroin trafficking in Southeast Asia and in cocaine trafficking in Latin America. However prior to reading Drugs as Weapons, I was totally unaware they were also responsible for most of the LSD produced between 1955 and 1973 – for the specific purpose of "neutralizing" the New Left in Berkeley, at Columbia University and elsewhere. This particular MKUltra project was conceived in response to a 1962 Rand Corporation study recommending that getting left wing leaders hooked on LSD could "cause them to resign or become inactive."
The Haight Ashbury was a CIA Invention
I was particularly horrified to learn about the LSD distribution network MKUltra agents set up in the Haight Ashbury to lure Berkeley students away from the nationally influential Free Speech movement. The latter, originally formed in 1957 to protest the anti-democratic activities of Senator Joseph McCarthy's House on Un-American Activities Committee, went on to inspire the national anti-Vietnam War Movement.
In addition to various MKUltra scientists and agents, the CIA also relied on a number of high profile personalities – LSD guru Timothy Leary (an admitted CIA asset), author Ken Kesey (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), and Grateful Dead band members – to promote and distribute LSD as an alternative to organizing against the Vietnam War.
How the Opium Trade Created America's First Millionaires
Potash begins his book with important historical background on the origins of the global drug trade, which he traces back to 1500 and which European elites relied on heavily to finance imperial expansion and colonization. He also recounts the history of important Wall Street families – the Cabots, Cushings, Bushes, Astors, Russells, Pierponts (JP Morgan's family) – who all owe their immense wealth to the opium trade the British involuntarily forced on China via the Opium Wars. The investment of these families in illegal drug trafficking continues to the present day, as evidenced by the involvement of all major US banks in multibillion dollar drug money laundering.
The Russell family, who would go on to found Yale and the Skull and Bones Society, openly used a skull and bones pirate flag on their opium trading ships.
The Vietnam War: Protecting Wall Street Drug Interests
Potash also carefully details the special relationship between these Wall Street families and the intelligence agency they founded during World War II (the OSS, which became the CIA in 1947) to protect their special interests. This comes out really clearly in the chapter in which Potash traces the origins of the Vietnam War. He makes a really strong case that this war (which began in the late fifties as a CIA intervention) stemmed directly from CIA determination to protect Golden Triangle opium production from efforts by nationalist leaders in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to eradicate it.
One of Mao's first acts after winning control of China was to destroy the country's vast opium network. With the support of the CIA, the nationalist Chinese generals who had controlled it moved their networks into Burma, Laos and Thailand.
The Link Between CIA-backed Nazi War Criminals and Colombian Cocaine
In a similar vein, the CIA assisted Klaus Barbie and other Nazi war criminals it smuggled out of Germany in setting up a cocaine production and distribution network in Colombia and later the Afghan Mujaheddin in turning their country into the world's largest producer of heroin.
Potash makes a compelling case that the proximate cause for the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan in October 2001 was the Taliban's successful eradication of opium production earlier that year.
*The cases of radical pop stars and activists targeted with LSD and other drugs (in many cases along with witnesses and key investigators) Potash examines include
Paul Robeson – African American singer whose career was destroyed when he was involuntarily dosed with LSD and committed for two years to a psychiatric hospital, where he received 54 electroconvulsive treatments,
Richard Wright – African American writer involuntarily dosed with LSD who later died under extremely suspicious circumstances.
Elvis Presley – became addicted to amphetamines and narcotics after covert intelligence officer became his manager.
Mama Cass Elliott – died under mysterious circumstances at age 32 after starting to date an international drug smuggler with suspected intelligence links.
Abbie Hoffman –introduced to LSD by roommate who worked for Army Intelligence research LSD effects on unconsenting GIs.
Mick Jagger – involuntarily dosed with LSD and subject to numerous drug frame-ups and two unsuccessful Hell's Angels (working closely with US intelligence) assassination attempts.
Brian Jones – subject to numerous drug frame-ups and intense phone harassment and stalking prior to 1969 murder (which police covered up as "accidental" drowning).
Jimi Hendrix – intelligence-linked manager strongly implicated in death related to involuntary drugging.
Janis Joplin – introduced to amphetamines and heroine via intelligence-linked boyfriend, died after "friend" slipped her a bolus of pure CIA heroin.
John Lennon – involuntarily dosed with LSD and framed on bogus cannabis charge. Lennon's alleged assassin Mark Chapman had strong intelligence links and appeared to be under influence of scopolamine.
Bob Marley – involuntarily injected with the cancer-causing chemical methlychoanthine (via a copper wire hidden in boots gifted to him by CIA asset Carl Colby) and subsequently died of fibrosarcoma.
Kurt Cobain – involved in heavy drug use by his wife Courtney Love, who had shadowy underworld and intelligence connections. Cobain allegedly shot himself in the head with a shotgun after consuming so much heroin he would have lost consciousness before he could pull the trigger.
Huey Newton – initiated into heavy cocaine use by girlfriend/undercover agent. Witnesses maintain he was shot after a failed attempt to kidnap him, discrediting police disinformation about "a drug deal gone bad."
Tupac Shakur – multiple assassination attempts and police frame ups. Coerced, as part of a bail agreement, into signing with Death Row records (see The FBI War on Rap). The latter was run by Los Angeles police intelligence unit and heavily involved in drug and gun trafficking. Killed in drive-by shooting instigated by US intelligence.
Eminem – initiated into heavy drug use via undercover intelligence "friends" after helping Afeni Shakur (following Tupac's assassination) to record many of Tupac's songs.
This entry was posted in Hidden history and tagged abbie hoffman, afghanistan, berkeley, bob marley, brian jones, cambodia, cia, cocaine, courtney love, death row records, ecstasy, elvis presley, eminem, golden triangle, grateful dead, heroin, Huey Newton, janis joplin, jimi hendrix, john lennon, ken kesey, klaus barbie, kurt cobain, laow, lsd, mama cass elliott, methylchoanthine, mick jagger, MKULTRA, opium, opium wars, paul robeson, rand corporation, richard helms, richard wright, scopolamine, Skull and Bones, tavistock clinic, thailand, timothy leary, tupac shakur, vietnam, yale by stuartbramhall. Bookmark the permalink.
15 thoughts on "How the CIA Used LSD to Destroy the New Left"
auntyuta on September 8, 2016 at 8:51 pm said:
Now , look what it says here in Google:
https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=John+L+Potash
Anybody who drugs opponents or earns money from drug trafficking is in my opinion a threat to humanity!
stuartbramhall on September 9, 2016 at 7:52 pm said:
Hear, hear Aunty. As far as I can see, the fastest way to abolish international narcotics trafficking is to abolish the CIA. This would also have the side benefit of ending the war in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Philippines and a number of countries in Africa.
Margus Waffa on February 21, 2017 at 2:08 am said:
Lucky taht LSD is not a drug
stuartbramhall on February 21, 2017 at 6:45 pm said:
Interesting viewpoint, Margus. Would you care to elaborate?
sojourner on September 8, 2016 at 9:58 pm said:
There is no way to come up with the right word or phrase to describe how insanely evil this government is and always has been. Is it any wonder that Americans are as fucked up as they are?
My only peace is that I am almost through with this existence!
I have many of the same feelings, sojourner, though I must admit to being extremely optimistic about the throngs of young people flocking to end this pernicious evil. I've started folk dancing again this year – for the first time in 30 years.
When I first learned about CIA involvement in cocaine trafficking in 1987, it's like my experience of life shifted from color to black and white.
Good for you! We all need something to be renewed by, especially during these difficult days.
I am hopeful for the young as well, or at least most of the time. I sway back and forth.
For a while I was composing again. I actually wrote a three movement symphony, but I haven't completely finished the percussion yet.
I need to find something that I can be refreshed by, and I am having a hard time finding it. I'm tired of the color black as well, I need some variety!
Pingback: How the CIA Used LSD to Destroy the New Left | The Most Revolutionary Act | AGR Daily News Service
sojourner on September 9, 2016 at 12:49 pm said:
Reblogged this on An Outsider's Sojourn II.
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text:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
       xmlns:security="http://www.springframework.org/schema/security"
       xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
       xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
                           http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-3.0.xsd
                           http://www.springframework.org/schema/security
                           http://www.springframework.org/schema/security/spring-security-3.0.xsd">

    <!-- SECURITY -->

    <!-- HTTP restrictions -->

    <security:http access-decision-manager-ref="decisionManager" path-type="regex"
                   lowercase-comparisons="false">
        <security:http-basic/>
        <security:anonymous username="anonymous" granted-authority="ROLE_ANONYMOUS"/>
        <security:intercept-url pattern="^.*/public/.*$" method="POST" access="IS_AUTHENTICATED_FULLY"/>
        <security:intercept-url pattern="^.*/public/.*$" method="DELETE" access="IS_AUTHENTICATED_FULLY"/>
        <security:intercept-url pattern="^.*/private/.*$" method="GET" access="IS_AUTHENTICATED_FULLY"/>
        <security:intercept-url pattern="^.*/private/.*$" method="POST" access="IS_AUTHENTICATED_FULLY"/>
        <security:intercept-url pattern="^.*/private/.*$" method="DELETE" access="IS_AUTHENTICATED_FULLY"/>
        <security:intercept-url pattern="^.*/secured/.*$" method="GET" access="IS_AUTHENTICATED_FULLY"/>
        <security:intercept-url pattern=".*" method="GET" access="IS_AUTHENTICATED_ANONYMOUSLY"/>
    </security:http>

    <!-- default authentication provider -->

    <security:authentication-manager>
        <security:authentication-provider>
            <security:user-service>
                <security:user name="mike" password="potato" authorities="ROLE_USER"/>
                <security:user name="damian" password="carrot" authorities="ROLE_USER"/>
                <security:user name="jasper" password="turnip" authorities="ROLE_USER"/>
                <security:user name="nikki" password="pea" authorities="ROLE_USER"/>
                <security:user name="simon" password="radish" authorities="ROLE_USER"/>
                <security:user name="admin" password="boss" authorities="ROLE_USER,ROLE_ADMIN"/>
            </security:user-service>
        </security:authentication-provider>

    </security:authentication-manager>

    <!-- voter for resources -->

    <bean id="resourceVoter" class="org.caboto.security.spring.ResourceAccessDecisionVoter">
        <constructor-arg index="0" ref="gatekeeper"/>
        <constructor-arg index="1" value="annotation"/>
    </bean>

    <bean id="roleVoter" class="org.springframework.security.access.vote.RoleVoter"/>

    <bean id="authenticatedVoter" class="org.springframework.security.access.vote.AuthenticatedVoter"/>

    <!-- custom decision manager -->

    <bean id="decisionManager" class="org.springframework.security.access.vote.UnanimousBased">
        <property name="allowIfAllAbstainDecisions" value="true"/>
        <property name="decisionVoters">
            <list>
                <ref local="roleVoter"/>
                <ref local="authenticatedVoter"/>
                <ref local="resourceVoter"/>
            </list>
        </property>
    </bean>

</beans>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Retrieve rows with highest value with condition I have a dataframe that looks like this:
| Id | Label | Width |
|----|-------| ------|
| 0  |   A   |   5   |
| 0  |   A   |   3   |
| 0  |   B   |   4   |
| 1  |   A   |   7   |
| 1  |   A   |   9   |

I want to write a function that takes the rows with same id and label A and filter it based on the highest width
so the after applying the function the dataframe would be:
| Id | Label | Width |
|----|-------| ------|
| 0  |   A   |   5   |
| 0  |   B   |   4   |
| 1  |   A   |   9   |

A: Let us try:
m = df['Label'].eq('A')
df_a = df.loc[df[m].groupby(['Id', 'Label'])['Width'].idxmax()]

df_out = pd.concat([df[~m], df_a]).sort_index()

Details:
Create a boolean mask with .eq specifying the condition where Label equals A:
>>> m

0     True
1     True
2    False
3     True
4     True
Name: Label, dtype: bool

filter the rows using the above mask and group this dataframe on Id and Label and aggregate Width using idxmax to get the indices on max values:
>>> df[m].groupby(['Id', 'Label'])['Width'].idxmax().tolist()
[0, 4]

>>> df_a

   Id Label  Width
0   0     A      5
4   1     A      9

finally concat the above dataframe with the dataframe containing labels other that A and sort the index to maintain the order:
>>> df_out

   Id Label  Width
0   0     A      5
2   0     B      4
4   1     A      9

A: You can use groupby to get your desired outcome:
df.groupby(['Id','Label'],as_index=False)['Width'].max()

   Id Label  Width
0   0     A      5
1   0     B      4
2   1     A      9

And combine it with set_index() and loc, to get more specific results:
label = 'A'
df.groupby(['Id','Label'],as_index=False)['Width'].max().set_index('Label').loc[label]

       Id  Width
Label
A       0      5
A       1      9

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


(Photos) Nicki Minaj Misses ScaffBeezy On Their Anniversary?
Now see you #TeaSippers and sappy people of love are probably thinking she really misses him, he might believe that too, but I don't think so, I think it's a play to make Safari stop touching on K. Michelle's Wagon!! It's a set up yo….
Or she misses him, whatever, see this BS in the gallery above.


text:
Commercial Real Estate News Residential Real Estate
Long-awaited Cavaliers redevelopment moving forward
The former Cavaliers Country Club near the Christiana Mall is set to become a residential community of more than 700 units. | MAP COURTESY OF GOGGLE
UPDATE: The New Castle County Council voted 12-0, with Councilwoman Janet Kilpatrick present but not voting, to sign off on the final plan on July 28.
CHRISTIANA – When the long-awaited redevelopment of the former Cavaliers Country Club breaks ground in coming months, it will bring hundreds of new residential units to a northern New Castle County market that rarely sees such growth anymore.
The latest plans, which will be considered by the New Castle County Council for its final stamp of approval next week, no longer feature the commercial space that developer Carlino Commercial Development first proposed six years ago.
The 18-hole private golf course and country club opened in 1959 but agreed to sell the property to Pennsylvania-based Carlino in 2013 amid a decline in its membership. According to county land records, the property hasn't changed hands yet.
The current plan calls for the building of 196 single-family homes, 130 townhouses, 100 twin homes and 288 apartment units, or a total 714 dwellings, on the 146-acre property. It will also feature an age-restricted portion of that housing for those 55 or older, including 62 townhouses, 40 single-family homes and 100 twin homes on the eastern side of the community.
Plans for the The Reserves at Cavaliers Country Club | PHOTO C/O CARLINO COMMERCIAL
While a builder for the community to be named The Reserves at Cavaliers Country Club has not been selected, many of the images shared with the public for visioning purposes come from Virginia-based Ryan Homes, which is building many communities in Delaware. According to its website, Wilmington-based Capano Management will oversee the apartment complexes. Carlino envisions many of the workers in the Route 273 and Route 4 corridor, including those at ChristianaCare, JPMorgan Chase, Delaware Technical Community College, and more, to be targets for the housing.
Several years ago, Carlino dropped its original plan to construct more than 375,000 square feet of commercial space that was opposed by residents of neighboring communities. It had called for a mix of retail, restaurant, office space, and even a multistory hotel next to the Christiana Mall, a destination for shoppers all over the region.
The former Cavaliers clubhouse will become a restaurant. | PHOTO COURTESY OF CARLINO
There will be a small portion of commercial mixed into the community, as the 27,800-square-foot, former clubhouse is anticipated to be turned into a restaurant. If successful, Carlino is proposing to expand the clubhouse with a 15,000-square-foot addition to potentially add in some additional retail business.
The proposed redevelopment on the northeastern border of the Christiana Mall had faced an uphill climb after many residents turned out to oppose its county rezoning application in 2018. A 10-2 vote by the county council allowed the move from suburban (S) to suburban transition (ST) zoning, however, clearing the way for higher density that added hundreds of additional homes.
To its credit, Carlino has worked hard to gain acceptance for the project from its neighbors, convening more than a dozen public meetings over the past few years to talk though concerns over traffic, landscaping, and building. The plan also calls for leaving more than 48 acres as open space, or about a third of the overall site.
During a review of the project during the council's July 21 Land Use Committee meeting, councilmen Bill Bell and Ken Woods, who voted against the rezoning two years ago, said that they were pleased with where the plan stands today and thanked the developer for soliciting input from the site's neighbors over many years.
"I think that is the benchmark of a successful development," Bell said of those efforts.
With no opposition voiced during the land use meeting, it is anticipated that Carlino will receive final approval on the project July 28.
One of the biggest missing pieces from the development right now is a connection between the community and the neighboring mall property.
Shawn Tucker, the local legal counsel for Carlino on the project, told the county council during its land use meeting that there will be no road or pedestrian access linking the two. He explained that the mall's owner, Brookfield Properties, did not approve of a road interconnection between Churchmans Road and the mall that many had wanted, and terms could not be reached to enable a pedestrian path either. Brookfield sought to have open-ended rights to move the pathway into the future should it choose to, with the community bearing the cost of doing so.
"We certainly objected to that kind of provision. Developers don't typically continue a financial obligation for an undisclosed period of time," Tucker said.
The community will benefit, however, from the future addition of a connector road between Churchmans Road and Center Boulevard, near the Christiana Fashion Center adjoining the mall. Carlino will invest $1 million into building the road through its property while the Delaware Department of Transportation has committed to picking it up at the edge of its property and running it to the Route 1 interchange road.
Tucker told Delaware Business Times that, if approved by council, the Cavaliers project could break ground as early as this year, depending on the progress to remediate some environmental issues left over from the former golf course.
By Jacob Owens
Bill Bell
Capano Management
Carlino Commercial Development
Cavaliers Country Club
Christiana Mall
delaware technical community college
Ken Woods
Shawn Tucker
Battaglia Associates in Top 5 fast-growing U.S. women-owned businesses
People on the Move: July 21
Flu shots safeguard workforces from losses
Katie Tabeling November 9, 2020
Jacob Owens March 16, 2020
Ways to Support the Delaware Community During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Editorial March 31, 2020
ChristianaCare to launch Delaware Medicaid Quality Partners ACO
Mike Rocheleau September 25, 2020
Brand New: The Power of Rebranding by Maria Stearns
WasteMaster Solutions is Offering Free Waste Audit by Steve Masterson
New Castle County wins Sheraton South auction for $19.5M
Commercial Real Estate, Government, Hospitality, News
NCC Council OKs septic subdivision ban extension with sunset
Delaware launches job retraining program
Bose to close Christiana Mall store amid new online focus
Del Tech receives grant from Bank of America for workforce training in Delaware


text:
Milk Allergy Alert - Joseph Seviroli Beef Revioli Products | Kids With Food Allergies
Milk Allergy Alert - Joseph Seviroli Beef Revioli Products
KFA Food Alerts 6/14/179:44 AM
Joseph Seviroli Inc. Recalls Beef Products Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens
Class I Recall
Release: 071-2017
Health Risk: High
Congressional and Public Affairs
Gabrielle N. Johnston
Press@fsis.usda.gov
WASHINGTON, June 13, 2017 – Joseph Seviroli Inc., a Garden City, N.Y. establishment, is recalling approximately 114,409 pounds of beef ravioli products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The products contain, milk, a known allergen which is not declared on the products labels.
The beef ravioli items were produced on Jan. 9, 2017 to May 10, 2017. The following products are subject to recall: [View Labels(PDF Only)]
25-oz. bag of "LOWES foods beef ravioli square shaped," with lot code 7040 and a sell by date of 2/9/2018.
30-oz. bag of "Big Y SQUARE Beef Ravioli," with lot code 7009 and 7130, and sell by dates of 1/9/18 and 5/10/2018.
13-oz. bag of "Seviroli Beef Ravioli," with lot codes 7041, 7042, 7107, 7109, 7118, 7130, and 7079, and sell by dates of 2/10/18, 2/11/18, 4/17/18, 4/19/18, 4/28/17, 5/10/18, and 3/20/18.
24-oz. bag of "BEST YET beef ravioli," with lot code 7065 and a sell by date of 3/6/18.
20-lb bulk bag of "SEV MINI HEX BEEF RAVIOLI PAR-COOKED," with lot codes 7034, 7065 and 7100 and package codes of 7034, 7065, and 7100
20-oz bag of "V's PRE-COOKED SQUARE BEEF RAVIOLI," with lot codes 7034, 7040, 7065 and 7100 and sell by dates of 2/3/18, 2/9/18, 3/6/18, and 4/10/18.
The products subject to recall bear establishment number "EST. 5342" inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to distribution locations in Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, and Rhode Island.
The problem was discovered on June 6, 2017, when the company received notification from an ingredient supplier that the cracker meal the company received and used in the recalled products potentially contained undeclared milk.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.
Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.
Consumers and media with questions about the recall can contact Lauren Eickhoff, Customer Service Representative, at (516) 222-6220 Ext 159.
Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem.
It is important to stay up-to-date on news and food allergy recalls. By joining our community and following our blog, you will receive breaking news about research and treatments.
Tags: Allergy, Joseph, Recall, Beef, Milk


In this HTML5 tutorial we're going to answer the question of what are HTML and the CSS. I'm going to give you a very high level view of them first, and then we're going to talk about each on independently and how they work together, including a small demo at the end so that you can see how vital both of them are.
What are HTML and CSS? Well, technically they're just tools that you can use, and they're syntaxes you can use that allow you to write code that can be interpreted by browsers. By default, a browser can only interpret and then render on the screen so many different types of code. For example, if you were to take an Excel spreadsheet or a Word doc and you try to open it up in Google Chrome or in Firefox, it is not going to work. That's because the browser is not capable of taking a file like that and interpreting it into something that it can show on the screen. HTML and CSS are capable of that. That is their goal is they provide a syntax so that when the browser see it, when it sees a document that has HTML and CSS code in it, it can interpret it and then it can show exactly what you're wanting on the screen. Literally every web page in the entire world has HTML, and pretty much all of them also have CSS. We're going to talk about the different types of roles that each one of them support in this web development tutorial.
What HTML allows you to do is to wrap a structure around content. If you imagine having some type of blog page, HTML allows for you to designate where the content is, where the title is, where a video or an ad might be. Then you're able to then organize it and later on style it. That's where CSS comes in.
CSS stands for cascading style sheets. The style word in there may indicate it's main primary objective. What CSS is in charge of doing is giving style to websites. You're able to take all of that HTML code that you organize and you put on the page. CSS then goes in, and it adds all of the style elements. This can be anything from colors to fonts to animations. Anything that you look at on the page that has a type of style associated with it mostly likely is coming from CSS.
Let's walk through a real world analogy that will hopefully help you understand the differences and the specific roles that HTML have compared with CSS. Imagine that you're building a house. If you're building a house, the HTML is kind of like the foundation and the wood framing and the roof and the sheet rock. The CSS on the other hand is more like the paint and the carpet and any kind of design accent that isn't really associated with the structure, but it is what allows a house to look good.
Now let's take a look at a website and see what happens when you have a website that has HTML and CSS compared with a website that only has HTML. Right here you can see a fully built out website. This has everything from a navigation bar, it has a parallax feature with background images, it has animations, it has a map, and all of the different elements you'd expect in a website. This website has HTML and CSS. Now, I duplicated this website, and if you want to take a look at it, what I did is I removed the CSS. I didn't make a single change to the HTML. All I did was I removed the calls that brought in the CSS styles, and this is what you would get.
Now, if you scroll through it, it still has all the same content, and it even kept a few elements like the embedded map and some things like that. Because of the CSS's role, because CSS is in charge of adding styles, what we're left with here is just plain HTML. It has all of the same structure, but because it doesn't have the CSS, it doesn't have any kind of alignment. It doesn't have the colors. It doesn't bring in the background images, and it doesn't align the items in the proper way.