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Confessions of a Wicked Witch
Host of Radio Free Satan's Confessions of a Wicked Witch, Church of Satan clergy, with expertise in alternative & occult religions specializing in media representation, education, and practical magics for preferred clients. Founder, Producer & Executive Arbiter of the annual Wicked Witch of the Year Award
"Myths About Satanism" By Some Vindictive Bitch
Hey, all. I found this on the blogsite of Witch Hex---who I do not know, but I suspect is a Wiccan of some sort. I have no problem with her, anyway, but she had this "Myths About Satanism--not written by me" thing. I have no idea why she posted something not written by her, or what her position actually is. Nor do i have a clue who actually wrote it, as Witch Hex doesn't say. Anyway, I thought it might be fun to dissect her...I mean it...whoopsie.
Myths About Satanism
(Author Unknown but Sounds Like a Pissy Woman to Me)
Myth 1. Religion and pleasure automatically exclude each other.
LaVey paints a one-dimensional picture of religion as solely being a bleak life of asceticism and denial, with never any happiness or joy. Apparently only people who crave misery become Christians, according to LaVey. Accepting this myth is actually the first step to becoming a Satanist. The truth is, Christians can have very happy productive and fulfilling lives - - because they're Christians, not in spite of it.
I wonder where LaVey ever got that idea?
Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
he who loves wine and oil will not be rich. Proverbs 21:1
Regardless, the statement that Christians are happy because they are Christian, not in spite of it, can't be quantified in any real way. Maybe some are. Maybe the fellowship and commonality of purpose makes them happy.
In any event a life that is lived in pursuit of what will happen after death, ie. ascension to Heaven or descending to Hell is no life for a responsible, reasonable human. It devalues life here and now.
Myth 2. Man is naturally violent, and therefore, being violent is natural.
This advice appeals to juvenile delinquent teens, anti-social misfit types, and psychotics - - all who want to lash out at the world. It's no surprise then that LaVey was a wife beater and part time pimp that abused his own animals! LaVey says Satanists should lash out at anyone who gives them a problem. Rather than see aggression as a result of frustration, LaVey instead encourages readers to act upon it. Frustrated young people learn a dangerous lesson: hostility is normal and should be acted upon. LaVey is teaching people "hostility and helplessness", rather than giving them a reason to work out their problems. If you follow LaVey's advice, you'll eventually wind up in jail. The fact of the matter is, man is not born violent, but learns it. Man enters the world with cooperative tendencies and has to be taught violent ones. Psychologist Anthony Moriarity in his book The Psychology of Adolescent Satanism: A Guide for Parents, Counselors, Clergy, and Teachers sites studies done by anthropologists to back this up, namely Monatgu (1950) Bandura(1973) Baron (1985) It makes sense if you think about it, because children raised in violent homes often grow up to be violent themselves, whereas children from non-violent homes usually do not. Since it's actually unnatural to be violent, Satanism is therefore unnatural too.
Let us begin with facts--something our Christian friend here would do well to try--as in not bearing false witness against her dead and defenseless neighbor. 1. Anton LaVey was never arrested, let alone convicted of any crime involving violence against his wife or anyone or anything (animal) else. 2. These worn out accusations have come solely from those who have started competing religious organizations or wanted money earned by the very philosophy they either wanted to steal or conversely, denigrate. 'just a bit hypocritical, eh? 3. All citations are pre-1985, happily ignoring the FBI's Lanning Report of 1992 disproving every single statement made by this lying bitch. Now, I will attempt to avoid the obvious irony of a Christian denying the violent nature of man--considering that until recently Christians have held the gold standard in violently forcing those who don't believe their way into utter submission. I will however remind all readers that Satanists have not flown planes into packed buildings. Have not allowed Children to burn to death for God's grace. Have not burned people at stakes. Have not beheaded women for being raped. Nope, these were all monotheistic believers in Heaven, Hell, Retribution and Grace. But, man isn't violent, huh? LaVey didn't ENDORSE violence, per se, he called a spade a spade, and directed his members not to get lost in the should be, rather than the is. In fact, in keeping with giving unto Caesar, The Church of Satan demands all members be law-abiding, and terminates the memberships of those found to be guilty of violent crimes against persons. Catholics move pedophiles. Protestants preach forgiveness of criminals, even murderers. ONLY Satanists take swift and complete action against violent law breaking members.
As for Satanism appealing to a) Juvenile Delinquents--We don't accept members under 18.
b) anti-social misfits---By the Christian definition, probably true. By a psychological definition, not even close.
Myth 3. Good and evil are reversed.
This is the way sociopaths and psychopaths think, more or less. LaVey believed religion couldn't meet the needs for today's people, and furthermore what it teaches is wrong. LaVey had a very bigoted and narrow-minded view of religion, and failed to see the many positive aspects religious institutions create (e.g., hospitals, orphanages, universities, disaster relief, great works of art, etc.,). Moriarty notes concerning LaVey's role reversal, "Through the manipulation of psychological factors, LaVey exploits the powerful learning process of negative reinforcement to his advantage. In effect, if the reader is not persuaded by the merits of Satanism, he or she will find in it a consolation from escaping the intolerable alternative - - religion as described by LaVey." LaVey builds up a straw man...bleak religion where everyone is miserable...then tears it down, winning converts to his religion.
This is the most common misconception people have about Satanism--that good and evil are somehow reversed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Satanists love. In fact their love is even more meaningful than the Christian variety because it isn't doled out to every neighbor on the planet. Satanists also hate, but they do not feel that hate is in and of itself evil. Should we not hate the 9/11 terrorists? If not why are we waging war against those we love? Should we not hate those who seek to harm us---is that evil? The point here is that good vs. evil is an antiquated notion with no real meaning.
God/Religion didn't create the natural laws that helped primates climb out of the trees. Early man learned that killing without sound reason only created more killing, likewise stealing, etc...those rules didn't come on stone tablets, but from the early hominid's collective experience allowing them to develop into later hominids. Words like good and evil, when bandied about simplistically, become fodder for relativism.
Law is for the common good and allows the individual the freedom to pursue his goals in relative peace. That is good.
Evil--to the Satanist, would be a lack of law that enables the individual responsible freedom.
As for winning converts, it should seem obvious that had LaVey wished to win them, he wouldn't have claimed that "Satanists are born, not made," he wouldn't have demanded a no proselytizing rule for his religion, and he wouldn't have charged a relatively large membership cost.
Next--on charity. LaVey shunned altruism because he knew it wasn't altruistic. Creating ways to keep suffering people alive only gives them the ability to breed more suffering people. Conversely I don't know a Satanist alive who doesn't have some pet cause or charity that they support. The difference is they aren't doing it for brownie points from god, but out of genuine caring. I often wonder how much good Christians would do if there were no ticket to Heaven attached?
As for sociopaths---talk about denial! Christians give folks a god to thank and a devil to blame. Satanists put the responsibility on the individual. Logic (not to mention experience and statistics) dictates that giving people a constant scapegoat will reduce their awareness of self-responsibility, and that lack of awareness will increase criminal behavior.
Myth 4. Satanism will make one strong.
Young people especially ( and ones who don't fit in with others in particular) are lured by this myth. Young people want to be strong, and since LaVey tells them "white light" religions like Christianity will make them weak, he makes it appear there is no choice but Satanism if they want to be strong. Christianity in fact, gives people inner strength, and bravery. For instance, it takes guts to hide Jews in your house from the Nazis like Corrie Ten Boom and her family did. From the point of physical self-defense, very few Christians think Jesus meant to allow themselves to be beaten and not defend themselves. There are even Christian martial arts associations and Christian strong man groups. Christianity teaches things should be done in balance and in proper perspective. Like proverbs says, there's a time to sow, a time to reap, a time to gather stones, and a time not to, a time to make war, a time to make peace. Even Jesus chased the money changers out of the Temple with a cat-o-nine tails on two separate occasions, showing there was a time to use physical violence if for the right reason. The money changers were crooks who cheated people. What Jesus meant when he said to turn the other cheek was to not hold grudges and feel a need to strike back at every offense, but to forgive. Furthermore, Satanists are not strong individuals who "stand on their own two feet" anyway. They all belong to a personality cult centered around Anton LaVey, and are actually quite weak from that stand point. Labeling themselves as Satanists only makes people not take them seriously, rather than have an actual advantage, and only weakening their overall personal image.
Satanism does not make you anything. It never says that it does. In fact, a Satanic adage is about reality--The strong rule the weak, and the cunning rule over all. Again, this is how the world IS, not how it should be.
However, I will live and die secure in the knowledge that FAITH is a weakness. It serves only those who lack the courage to face reality and KNOW something. I am standing on my own two feet, not kneeling before some imaginary papa figure, begging for forgiveness. My strength comes from inner divinity, that no matter what else, I alone am responsible for my achievements and my mistakes. I can thank no god, and I can blame no devil.
And while I owe a debt of gratitude to Anton LaVey for putting my inherent feelings into the written word, for codifying it and giving it a name, for creating a religious organization that allows me fellowship with others who think the same, I do not worship him.
Evidently I need to worship a lot less than the bitch who wrote this clap trap needs to vilify.
Moreover, if Satanism could claim to make someone something it would seem counter-productive for it to say that Satanists are born, not made.
And here we see what all Christians do when faced with a dichotomy in their precious Bible---they simply re-interpret it:
From the point of physical self-defense, very few Christians think Jesus meant to allow themselves to be beaten and not defend themselves---then what is that whole offering the other cheek thing about? What Jesus meant when he said to turn the other cheek was to not hold grudges and feel a need to strike back at every offense, but to forgive--Before or after I defend myself? Fucksakes! You'd think the Messiah could be a tad less cryptic, huh?
I am starting to believe that the Holy Bible is the ultimate book on hedging one's bets and that the contradictory nature of it may just be intentional.
Myth 5. "Live for the here and now". This one is such a clusterfuck that it needs to be dealt with from concept to concept:
LaVey mocks Christianity's belief in an afterlife, and said people should only live for the here and now. This is another myth that hooks young people, since many of them act on impulses and have little concern for life in the years ahead.
Which concept is more likely to make someone act on impulse:
A) There is only one life so make the best of it, or
B) This life is only dress rehearsal for the afterlife. Provided you ask for forgiveness and believe in Jesus Heaven awaits, regardless of your actions?
hmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........................
All the world's religions, not just Christianity, have rules which benefit people in the here and now by transcending the individual and benefiting the group as a whole. Rules such as not murdering, not stealing, not committing sexual immorality, lying, etc., benefit everyone.
I touched on this above. It galls me the way Christians, in fact most religions, take credit for natural laws that predate their sorry churches by thousands of years! I don't need a fucking scroll or a threat of eternal damnation to tell me not to kill my neighbor! I worry about the people who do!
Religion isn't simply about what happens after one dies, as LaVey thought.
No, it is more about relinquishing personal responsibility for the way one lives.
By making people feel as though they should act on every impulse, LaVey is teaching those young readers who might not deal constructively with their problems (and are most likely to act on impulsive behavior) a dangerous thing, and could lead them into trouble.
I have never read a single Satanic work by LaVey that tells anyone to act on every impulse. This is the problem with Christian propaganda--either they lie, or they can't read.
Furthermore, in the next decade after LaVey wrote the Satanic Bible, there were numerous cases of people who were clinically dead that experienced glimpses of life after death, many of which could not simply be written off as hallucination. There are both cases of people who saw Heaven and those who saw Hell. Such things should be investigated thoroughly before leaving it up to a high school dropout like LaVey to decide if there's no afterlife.
OMIFUCKINGGOSHDARN! Are you kidding? There are equal amounts of people who'll tell you they didn't see jackshit. I'm rooting for the people who weren't brain-washed by years in the pews. Imagine the poor Christian who dies for 5 minutes and saw or felt nothing....do you think for a nanosecond he'll want to admit that? Even to himself?
'seems to me this would be the one thing that God would do well to clarify.
Myth 6. Satanism will make one powerful.
This myth appeals to people who feel powerless in their own lives. For some people, dressing in black and wearing a Baphomet pendant when they go to the mall can scare people, perhaps giving them a false sense of power from the fear they generate. All they're really doing is participating in anti-social behavior. Some Satanists do believe the spells in the Satanic Bible work...at least at first until they try them enough times to realize they don't. While LaVey claims his occult system is unique, the promise of quick and undeserved power is something every occult system promises. What Satanists don't realize is this appeal for power is a symptom of masking the helplessness in their own lives. Satanism is simply a way of running away from their problems instead of trying to solve them.
Once more, with feeling, Satanism is unique in that makes no promises at all. It doesn't make you powerful, only you can do that.
However, the one place where I feel all religions, even Satanism, meet up, is in the magic department. For the Christians it is called prayer--but really, reading out of a book while wishing for a desired result, I dunno, sounds like magic to me.
*Every spell works.. It doesn't matter who wrote it, or where it came from.. All that matters is the belief that it wll work. -Witch Hex
The above line shows the Wiccan viewpoint, using self-psychology to enable personal change.
For the Satanist, the only difference is the honest acceptance that there is no spirit or god or external to do the bidding. Ritual psychodrama allows the Satanist to re-set or re-boot the mind to shift its energies and get on with the task at hand.
Myth 7. A person has to chose between sex or religion. (No, just GOOD sex and religion...ok, just kidding)
There's no way to have both. Another straw man LaVey builds is that it is impossible to be a Christian and enjoy sex. What LaVey is doing is forcing young readers (who don't know as much about life or sex as they would like to think) to choose sex over religion, when they can actually have both. LaVey's bull is very effective on adolescents, because they're coming into their sexual identity, and when they read sexual feelings, emotions and angst, are part of being a Satanist (as though no one else had such feelings!) they feel therefore they too must be Satanists. Christians enjoy sex just as much as anyone else does. Like all religions, Christians believe sex is sacred and should be between a man and wife, and monogamous relationships prove to be better in an era of STDs. Simply thinking you can sleep with whomever and whenever you want, doesn't actually happen in reality. LaVey claims that Christianity forbids masturbation, but this is not what the Bible actually says. Some people think that Genesis 38 prohibits masturbation, but it does not. God's displeasure with Onan in Genesis 38 is based on Onan's disobedience to the old law which required him to father a child by his dead brother's wife. It has nothing to do with masturbation. Emission of semen, however, was unclean under the law, and a man needed to make an offering for it. (See Leviticus 15.) It was a minor offense, comparable to accidentally soiling your undergarments. However, the law regarding clean and unclean things was repealed by God in Peter's vision, as described in Acts 10. So emission of semen became clean theoretically, just as eating of pork became clean. This idea is confirmed by Romans 14:14, where Paul says, "I know and am persuaded in the Lord that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it is unclean." Masturbation isn't listed anywhere as an "abomination," or anywhere among the various lists of prohibited sexual practices. (See Leviticus 18.) Adultery is prohibited; rape is prohibited; incest is prohibited; homosexual sex is prohibited; sex with animals is prohibited, (and all these acts are banned in all the other religions of the world as well). But masturbation is not even mentioned.
But whoring your daughters out to an angry mob to save some angels is alrighty.
Impregnating 15 year old girls is ok, too.
Polygamy is more than ok.
And, if incest is forbidden, who were Cain & Abel fucking?
Marrying is better than having dirty thoughts....
I could go on and on.
The Bible is dirty book, and I am not talking about the fun Songs of Soloman parts, either.
This recent Christian phenomena to reduce the Bible's anti-sex stance in order to finally accept the human need for intimacy is probably a good thing, but it is a lie, nonetheless.
LaVey's stance on sex was simple and needs little explanation. What goes on between consenting adults is all good.
If Christianity is so worried about the carnal nature of man luring them into Satanism because of that, they can blame their god for creating such horny people.
Myth 8. Satanism embraces science.
Obviously, science is at odds with magic, and The Satanic Bible clearly states that magic can work, even though some Satanists are now trying to pretend it doesn't say it. The Satanic Bible is based on the idea that magic can effect people's minds if done at the time of the night when they are in their "dream state", indicating the idea was derived from the theory of ESP. ESP has never actually been proven in any laboratory at any time. The military even invested millions of dollars in "remote viewing" experiments in the 80's (supposedly Michael Aquino was involved in the project) and discovered it didn't work. LaVey also believed heavily in the ideas of Dr. Wilhelm Reich, who is dismissed by all Psychiatrists as a fraud and a quack. Even if you define Satanism as some kind of "applied psychology" (which it isn't), it could only be considered quackery. Plenty of Christians believe in Evolution and The Big Bang, and several Christian denominations have issued formal statements endorsing them (The Roman Catholic Church, The Anglican Church, The Lutheran Church, etc.). The idea that the Creation account in Genesis had to be taken literally was not the original view(click here). Luther for instance, criticized St. Augustine because he thought the Creation account was a metaphor.
Satanism embraces science.
Satanism embraces applied psychology.
The same bitch arguing the point just tried to pass off an afterlife, and is about to validate demonic possession.
Myth 9. The Christian Church invented the idea of the Devil just to frighten people into joining the Church because it couldn't exist without him.
Every religion on earth believes in the existence of evil spirits and devils. Pre-Christian religions teach a belief in demons (e.g., Hinduism, Shintosm, & Zoroastrianism to name just 3). Even The Satanic Bible mentions the names of pre-Christian Pagan devils such as Loki, Lilith, and Kali. LaVey claimed a Voodoo cult in New Orleans was part of the lineage of the Church of Satan. Voodooists believe in evil spirits as well as good spirits, and know there is a distinct difference between the two. The idea that Christians re-named Pagan deities as devils is an outdated theory that arose out of bad scholarship in the 19th century. One of the biggest proponents of that idea was Margaret Murray, the grandmother of Wicca...the very kind of person Satanism is supposed to balk at. Her books were discredited by her peers practically as soon as the ink dried in them. There have been documented cases of demonic possession which can not be explained as mental illness. The case of a Maryland boy in 1949 that the novel The Exorcist was based on is just one example. Human tradition in every culture on earth believes demons are evil beings that wish us harm. It isn't simply a "Christian thing."
*The statement that Loki, Lilith, and Kali are pagans devils is incorrect..-Witch Hex
Yeah--but none of them made quite the sack of money on the concept than the Christians did.
And, truthfully, we're dealing with primarily Western Culture, here, but regardless, today's Satanist finds a belief in ANY literal external entity equally bullshit.
Myth 10. Everything new, different, and innovative is "Satanic" and original thinkers are "Natural Satanists".
What LaVey did was try to change the definition of the terms "Satanic" and "Satanism". This is the same thing Wiccans do when they try to claim "witchcraft" is an ancient pagan religion and the word "witch" meant "wise one". In reality, these two things have nefarious meanings in every culture. LaVey, ironically, used to chide the "white witches" for doing this, when he was basically doing the same thing. For instance, he claimed Duisenberg automobiles were "Satanic" in their design. Just because something is eye-catching or different doesn't make it Satanic. A grisly slaying is Satanic, not a cherry car. LaVey simply tried to change the meaning of a word. Likewise, people who think outside the box aren't Satanists. LaVey thought Tiny Tim was a natural Satanist because he was had the only vaudeville act in the 1960's. Tiny Tim was in fact a Christian! He read the Bible everyday, made public confessions of his faith in his later years (such as on the WTMV Richard Shanks Show in the late 80's as just one example), was polite to everyone, and friends say he was quite serious about his religion. He would have been offended for being called a Satanist,
Just to demonstrate that we are not a LaVey cult will it surprise the writer of this twaddle that I've never gotten the Tiny Tim thing?
The writer just keeps ignoring the most pertinent fact about Satanism: It is a religion of INDIVIDUALS, with differents tastes and dislikes, with a shared dogma, but a variety of ways of expressing it. However, she is making the appropriate point about Satanists/Satanism while attempting to discredit it--that throughout history those who were different in their sense of self, in their independent spirit and were continually villified by the culture's status quo. They were demonized for being unique, and for standing up on their own two feet while others cowered on their knees begging to a non-existant god for salvation.
Myth 11. People will take you seriously as a Satanist.
People are going to think you're a nut, weirdo, and loser when you tell them you're a Satanist. Don't expect to ever have a good paying job, be elected to office, or have normal people think you're not a flake when you tell them you're a Satanist. They're no different from wiccans who insist on being called witches who then act hurt and claim "persecution" when people get scared of them. If negative attention is all you want, being a Satanist will do it. If you seriously think you're going to be the "Alien Elite" you'd better do a reality
Wow. It is rare to see someone so proud of being a prejudiced bigot and attempting to validate ignoring the First Amendment with such glee. Thumbs up!
Here is a little clue--each and every one knows a Satanist. Oh, yes--they really do. The 80's taught us a thing or two about keeping our mouths shut. I know Satanic doctors, lawyers, nurses, mechanics, computer programmers, teachers, etc.....they many not tell you, because telling would allow people like this snarling cunt prevent them from enjoying this one life, but everyone does know one or maybe two. They probably like them.
You see, the days of dressing all in black are over. It became passe and dull once all the silly goth kids got a hold of it.
The days of screaming protests and demanding equal rights went away, too, when, on the whole, we discovered we could get what we want by becoming what we were accused of---secretive.
Me? I am an anomaly--a holdover from the past. I did too much media and stuff to pretend to be anything than what I am, so I am the public side of Satanism. I exist so that thousands of others of my kind can quietly enjoy all this wonderful world has to offer, without fear and discriminiation.
The fact is that Christians need not fear sacrifices, or murders or any of that silly bullshit Satanists have been accused of for years. It wasn't true before and it isn't true now. What they should fear is what we really are---responsible people who will never relinquish that power to a god. We are the polar opposite of faith and belief, and as we quietly grow, our influence grows without even trying.
So don't worry about the black wearing malcontent coming from our religion to shoot up your schools---we've rejected him. He has gotten all his info on Satanism from the pews and people like this writer. The one absolute truth in the Holy Bible is you reap what you sow, and Christianity has created the kind of heretic they claimed we are.
Labels: Christianity, Satanism. Church of Satan, SRA
Crazy Blond YouTube Chick:Proof there is no devil, or this bitch would be dead
*Please note that I may have confused two different people and amalgamated them into one prior to the first posting of this blog. For my mistake I am completely to blame and completely sorry. I deserve to be trashed for not doing all the proper research prior to posting this. However, any vitriol is explained by these parasites living off the LaVeyan name and allowing people to think The Satanic Bible encourages any sort of spirituality. My confusion simply proves the point of all these rants---If I, who has read the works and lives by them, can be confused, imagine what a newcomer to Satanism would think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnupfN7vpSg&eurl=http://www.satannet.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=352116
*****Note: Venus Satanas link has been removed as she was NOT the offensive blonde crazy I was writing about. I had promised I would remove it and forgot and that makes me DEAD WRONG, and despite our religious disagreements, I had no right to forget her fair request. I am sorry, Venus.
Why am I so against theistic horseshit?
You mean aside from the validation of sacrifices, murder, irresponsibility, and just plain old being an embarrassment to real Satanists? Check out these links. Don't do it before you eat or you'll lose your appetite. Don't do it after you eat or you'll puke. In fact, plan this for when you're fasting, or attempting bulimia or something.
This disgusting cunt, this advertisement for mandatory abortion has the fucking nerve to label her insane youTube videos as Anton LaVey: From the Grave. Aside from the sheer craziness of that, and the manipulation she is attempting by using the name of a someone to get people to watch a nobody--I think of his son, his longtime companion, and his many friends that are friends of mine who do not deserve to have LaVey's name bandied about by this bus station skank! To paraphrase Lloyd Bentson, "I knew Anton LaVey, you inept whore, and you're no Anton LaVey!"
Check out this schitzoid's website---she actually spells magic with a "k." Apparently the reincarnation of our beloved founder forgot his own position---although I have no doubt that were he still alive he would again remind us that "Those who spell magic with a k, aren't," while using her picture to explain why.
Look folks, and I am sorry for the maybe 3 theistics I have known who weren't total pieces of shit, this has got to stop. When I guested on my dear friend David's Satanism Today show last week we discussed the problems in South Africa, Russia, and right here in our backyard. I am sorry if folks can't see the logical conclusion that worshiping, that even believing in such nonsense is not only absurd and un-Satanic, but genuinely dangerous.
Let's examine the logic.
What does belief in an external deity do?
1. It means that someone other than self has the ultimate control.
2. It means your actions will either please or anger said deity.
3. It means there is a reward/punishment motif throughout life that determines behavior.
What does having an external deity having ultimate control mean to people?
1. It means that the self can take no pride, not take any blame for their actions.
2. It means that irresponsibility can be happily utilized by the lazy and the criminal because if a deity is present and all powerful, surely he can stop or change human action to suit his needs, and the human becomes blameless.
3. It means life is cheap, as the deity has a gazillion little toys (humans) to play with and the individual is nothing more than another doll.
What about reward/punishment?
1. Either "karma" comes into play, and deity becomes a cosmic scorekeeper, cheerfully waiting for the individual to fuck up to thrash him while alive, or.....
2. There is a Heaven and Hell, or some other afterlife making, again, life cheap and meaningless as those who follow the deity are waiting to die to earn their reward, or accept that they are shit, figure they are going to Hell anyway, and continue to sin, or.....
3. They believe in reincarnation, whereby the individual either gets a new life (so why bother with the previous one?,) or regresses to whatever lesser life form the deity wants---like a mosquito or something.
The point, obviously, is that the Satanist KNOWS this is their one life. It is beautiful and valuable because it is unique and there is no more!
The point is there is no time to beg some external deity for favors, because the Satanist is too busy making things happen giving their individual life meaningful for them, to get on their knees and beg!
The point is the Satanist cannot murder or sacrifice, because their is nothing to sacrifice to, no deity to judge them, and life is too valuable to chance running afoul of the laws of man and losing freedom.
We Satanists are a stoic bunch. It is against our nature to give too much credence to these theists because we don't like to waste our personal precious energy on them. BUT we're going to have to.
Their existence is an affront to our philosophy, and by not challenging them, by pretending they don't exist, we are allowing them to use our name, and the name of our beloved and DEAD founder--legitimizing them to the casual human viewer. If you think I am over-estimating their danger to us, think of the stories I have linked on this blog. Every one of these crimes is attributed to "Satanists," and now, with the internet, and freaks and assholes like this walking venereal disease Venus Satanas, the herd can type in that word and find hundreds of these theistic pseudo-Satanic organizations , and only ONE of ours--the ONLY real Satanic church, The Church of Satan
Challenge them at every opportunity. Show them, especially this Marshall Appelwhite in drag, what a little real Satanic magic can do. Self-divinity is our strength and our power. Crush them all with it!
Y~
Labels: Anton LaVey, devil worship, heresy, magic, Satanism. Church of Satan, spirituality, The Satanic Bible, theistic satanism, traditional satanism
Satanism Getting the Blame for Stupid Christian Heretics, Again!
I am getting just a wee bit tired of checking out the news and seeing more and more stories of Satanism being blamed for garden variety stupidity. You'd think it was 1989 again, what with the stories listed below as just a random sampling of what pops up when Satanism is the search term in Google News.
I may be tired, but sad to say, I am not all that surprised. The original Satanic Panic happened when the economy was in the crapper, billions were being spent on ineffective military pursuits*, and people were more and more being forced to choose between a divisive demonstration of left vs. right politically. Under these same circumstances, today, the herd once again is looking for a convenient scapegoat for all the ills of the world. Enter Satanism.
The surprising part, however, is that in 20 years, no lessons were learned. Oh sure, the intelligent and informed know all about false memories and evangelical con-men. They know that there was no verifiable baby sacrifices or breeders. They know that a cottage industry was created--books, revivals, lectures and good old fashioned Christian greed, that allowed many innocent people to have their lives destroyed, in the name of stamping out something that essentially didn't exist.
Yet they never bothered to check out what DID exist. The never bothered to read The Satanic Bible and learn why baby killing and sacrifices were un-Satanic. Very few colleges, while open to lectures and classes in Wicca and neo-Paganism, decided to teach the philosophy of Satanism. Outside of some cable-access, no shows were created to demonstrate the Satanic way of life--a highly MORAL and undeniably psychologically profound life-affirming philosophy! It was like the world tucked Satanism away like an old gun, ready in an instant to be drawn out again, if times got too rough and a scapegoat was needed in a hurry.
And now we are seeing the result of that voluntary ignorance.
A new generation has been infected with "theistic satanism," courtesy of weak willed occultists, the pervasive nature of the Internet, and bored sexually repressed Christians still begging for a literal devil to blames life's miseries on, while they get a vicarious thrill by making up stories of blood and sex. Unsupervised teens are hearing bullshit in the pews and intrigued, they search "Satanism" online and instead of finding only the legal, cohesive, moral and ethical religion of Satanism, they are being inundated with lies, imaginary demons and devils, and the wishful thinking of irresponsible Christians who refuse to accept their own part in the creation of the very stereotype they claim to fear.
I really can't get all that upset at what happens in South Africa. While I am not usually a big adherent of letting people suffer, in order to prevent the creation of more people to suffer, I am ready to allow Darwin to have his way with these people. Truly, if you are that stupid, why bother living at all? I guess it may be more interesting to die by sacrifice than of HIV, but who knows? I, again, blame Christian missionaries for the suffering there. The lack of sexual responsibility in the form of condoms and education, in order to appease a vicious and hypocritical god, is the same irresponsibility that blames devils for what people do. It comes as little surprise that with Christianity comes heresy.
I am a bit more concerned by what has happened in Russia, and this I do blame on the theistics/traditionalists. Why is it so hard to grasp that if you believe in a literal entity you'll want to impress/appease/sacrifice to said entity? In fact, what is the point of worshiping something if not to get some promised bounty that comes with that adoration? ONLY atheistic Satanism, real Satanism (I hate the term, but LaVeyan Satanism) guarantees that there is no requirement to sacrifice anything to anyone for any reason! The only "type" of Satanism that demands self-responsibility, in fact, the only religion on Earth, that demands complete human accountability is Satanism as per The Church of Satan and The Satanic Bible.
And yet, thanks to these reverse Christians, co-opting our name, Satanists are forced to fight on two fronts. It is a given that Christians will hate us. Our name strikes fear in their hearts, and it should, but not for the reasons they think. They may want to believe in baby killing and orgies, but in their heart of hearts they feel our real power against them: No God to thank, no Devil to blame--you and you alone are responsible for you. They don't want to get off their knees and face up to the challenges of this one life on Earth. Our power, our magic, is our self-divinity, and deep down that sort of true self accountability is terrifying to them, so they make up lies and stories to justify their fear.
But now we have to deal with these theistic devil worshipers who call themselves Satanists, and there are thousands of them. Unlike real Satanists, they do proselytize and recruit. Unlike the ten to twenty genuine Satanic websites run by Church of Satan members there are hundreds of these internet fan clubs, all blood drenched and gothy, all stereotype and designed to truly piss off a parent. They are Christians in blackface, talking about the dark Lord and developing lame-ass rituals to gain his favor. Again, they abandon personal responsibility in the hopes of gaining favor from some external entity that is just plain evil..........bwahahahaha......
'makes this witch hope she never hears Carmina Burana again.
We Satanists can handle the Christians. Between our 5 Point Pentagonal Revisionism, our Rules of the Earth and good old common sense we have learned to utilize the masses for what they are---sheep. They are the infrastructure that allows day to day living. We have adapted to their imaginary rule, and we appreciate their predictability . Every now and then we are forced to correct their misconceptions, but on the whole we have had a decade or two of detente.
Smashing the theistics to bits is going to take some time and careful manipulation. Their histrionics and crimes effect us negatively, and they hurt those who do not deserve it. We must find a way to prevent them from using our name to commit their crimes and damage our reputation. It shouldn't be that difficult, though, because the one thing all true Satanists know--there is nothing weaker than one who believes in any deity above the self.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1692637.ece
http://www.nbc10.com/news/17452192/detail.html
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=139&art_id=vn20080830090132803C149540
*Ineffective military pursuits as opposed to EFFECTIVE ones. I support a kick ass, cutting edge fighting force. I do not support the deaths of loyal soldiers, the billions wasted on inoperative hardware, etc....
Labels: Christianity, devil worship, Satanism. Church of Satan
And now for something completely different.......
Tomorrow would be my grandfather's 107th birthday.
One would hope that many people have fond memories of their grandfathers, but I was particularly lucky in that department. My grandpa was "America's Chekhov." the playwright and screen-writer, Paul Osborn.
I am not usually one for undue sentiment, and normally this date would pass without much in the way of nostalgia, but Grandpa's chair broke--a seeming non-sequitor, but beyond meaningful for me. The chair I speak of is a substantial part of my memories of him. Back when he bought it, perhaps the early 50's, it would have been considered modern. A horrible gray color of unknown material that spun about on a metal base, I cannot conjure up a memory that doesn't involve running into his den in the Park Avenue apartment and seeing him sitting in it, at the typewriter, a freakishly huge cat sitting on his lap.
Anyway, when Grandpa died in 1988 I wanted just a few things. Not the Picassos or Bemelmans, not the Hirshfelds or the coin collection he had started as a child. The heavy wooden furniture would have demanded a more stable life than I had at that point. The photographs of Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller hiding out at the Connecticut summer house, or the snapshots of my mom swimming before she could walk had not, as yet, made their value, sentimental and financial, known to me. I had no need for the gazillion books (although, in retrospect....,) or his clothes and the cufflinks he wore on his dinner jacket, that he allowed me to put on him as a little girl before going to some soiree---I, regret now, fell to some other family member.
I wanted two things. His awards and his chair.
The awards are prized possessions. I have his two Oscar Nominations, his Screenwriter's Guild Box Office Awards, his Laurel Award--there are more than a dozen of these tributes to a quiet mid-westerner who's love of words he shared with the world.
I have his Tony Award, which is even more meaningful because Tony herself, Antionette Perry, was Grandpa's patron who paid him to stop being an engineer on the Long Island Railroad, and allowed him to write full time. I wish she could have been alive to have seen her namesake award given to someone who's talent she obviously believed in. That is the sort of magic I have come to have complete faith in.
But his chair---It isn't irrevocably broken. I am confident that a trip to Home Depot will do it, but the sadness I feel at looking at it, laying on the floor so no one actually sits on it by accident and ends up having it fall and kill a dog (little dogs, chihuahuas and chins,) has brought me to tears. This year, probably for the first time since his death, I won't be sitting in his chair on Grandpa's birthday.
I sit on that silly chair every time I am at the computer, be it ranting on about some religious injustice or slight, or to type up a note to excuse an absence for one of my kids in school. I sit in that chair and feel secure, and strong, and ever so special because that great man loved me.
I can't suddenly forget who I am and pretend that Grandpa is looking down on me from Heaven. I owe him too much to be that dishonest. I can't abandon all I know to be true about this being the only life I'll ever have, and that when Grandpa died he was completely over and out.
What I can do, what I try to do, is make my life as meaningful and eternal as he did. As of now, when I am gone, my children will carry parts of me with them, but beyond that there isn't much for the ages.
Yet a day doesn't pass when South Pacific or East of Eden isn't on cable. A month doesn't pass when I don't get a check for some little town's production of On Borrowed Time or, the play that is my family's history, Morning's At Seven. Grandpa will never be forgotten because his work lives on.
So, I will repair that chair, and I will sit on it, and I will do everything in my power to channel that magic, and find my own way to live forever--just like Grandpa.
Labels: Oscar, Paul Osborn, Playwright, Tony Award
Satanic Panic: Redux
"Ritual" Crime? Below is the letter I sent to the Lake County Sherriff's office regarding a local grave robbery. It was way ...
From examiner.com
Ygraine on examiner.com The Holidays for non-Christians or How I Keep From Shoving a Bell up the Salvation Army Dudes A..... Deaf yet fr...
* Please note that I may have confused two different people and amalgamated them into one prior to the first posting of this blog. For my m...
The Worst of the Worst: Joy Of Satan
Five minutes ago as I was finishing up the research to write this blog, my beloved Magister Mitchell asked me what was wrong with Joy o...
Magistra_Y
Church of Satan Magistra. 35+ years of experience in the Occult field as a teacher, lecturer, bookstore owner, and official expert as per law enforcement.
Crazy Blond YouTube Chick:Proof there is no devil,...
Satanism Getting the Blame for Stupid Christian He...
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Ygraine's bio from the upcoming Wicked Witch For Hire site
Ygraine was only 17 in 1980 when she discovered the world of the Occult and alternative religion. By 22 she was running multiple witches covens and had amassed initiations in over 8 traditions of modern witchcraft ("Wicca.) Over the years she has owned 3 Occult bookstores including the infamous Dragon's Lair in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, made notable by the national coverage garnered when a protester drove a car through it! Ygraine's work in civil rights for neo-Pagans and occultists won her acclaim from such organizations as The Witches League for Public Awareness and Circle Sanctuary.
In the early 1990's, however, Ygraine began noticing a distressing trend in the witchcraft community. It seemed that no longer were the gods and goddesses of myth and legend merely metaphorical archetypes to embrace and assist in self-empowerment, but instead many Wiccans and Pagans were viewing these characters as literal deities to be prayed to and to be worshiped. When Ygraine published "Jesus With Tits," she found herself on the receiving end of a dismissal from the very community she had helped establish
Luckily, at about the same time, Ygraine went to California and had the privilege of meeting with Dr. Anton Szandor LaVey and his remarkable companion, Blanche Barton. The story of that meeting can be viewed on A & E's The Unexplained: 666: The Sign of Evil
Since that time Ygraine has been named an expert in the Occult by the Attorney General of the state of Florida, lectured and taught at both universities and police academies, been named in The Encyclopedia of American Religion, and interviewed hundreds of times in the news and on television.
As a proud Satanic Witch, Ygraine is a loyal representative for The Church of Satan. Her writings and appearances continue to enlighten those capable of understanding the truth about Satanism, and her individualized approach to practical magic.
Ygraine is the mother of five, as well as a grandmother, who lives in Florida with Church of Satan Magister and professional wrestling manager, James "Sinister Minister" Mitchell
ehizogie
Magistra Ygraine's Weblog
U.V.Ray
Magister Svengali
Authentic Satanic Sites
Church of Satan Official Site
http://radiofreesatan.com
Letters to the Devil
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Ygraine at Associated Content


The Deeply Co is an entity that exists to celebrate beauty. Through our intimate gatherings of music + art, online retail space, and blog - the heart of Deeply quickens at every opportunity to revel in loveliness. You can find us on the road partnering with creatives of all kinds, hosting one of a kind evenings to celebrate one of a kind people. Our shop collection is an extension of our mission - encapsulated in effortless, simple, chic pieces designed by brands we are proud to stand alongside. We value the art of a beautiful life, and we believe that it's luster shines not with career titles, roles, or life chapters - but rather that it softly glows within the unending choice to extend love, ever and always, deeply.
Browse our backstory, soak up interviews, and swoon with us as we recap collaborative evenings.
Shop our collection of purposeful + beautiful clothing pieces to live in, designed by brands we love.
Creatives of all kinds coming together. Our gatherings are the collision of music + art + beautiful people, just like you.
Our spring collection is full of relaxed favorites that can be dressed up or styled down. Whether its easy tank dresses for lazy spring days or timeless tees for any occasion, we've got you covered with well-made, ethical classics.


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Поважска-Бистрица:

 Поважска-Бистрица — город в северо-западной Словакии на реке Ваг.
 Поважска-Бистрица — район Тренчинского края Словакии.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Lavazza, Chapter 4's client in CEE had a great event in the new Lavazza Training Center in Bulgaria on 15th of February. Ms. Paola Autiero - Head of Marketing Eastern Europe - welcomed the guests and outlined the TC in Sofia. Ms. Autiero continued with a presentation of the company, its heritage and history in connection to the TC, as well as Lavazza's presence in Eastern Europe and Bulgaria. Following, Francesco Viarizzo - Training Center Manager - presented the details of the Training Center. Francesco, together with Mirko Giordano made a coffee design session with different coffee specialties like coffee tonic, coffee caviar and coffee tail, coffee popcorn and coffee amber.
At the end of the event, the media received a goodie bag containing a Qualita Oro package, along with Lavazza branded cups and a special message.


I couldn't create a web reference in my C# project due to some really weird problem... In the "Add web reference" wizard, I entered my URL, and was surprised by a pop-up titled "Discovery Credential", asking me for credentials for the site.
Since I was on the local domain and had "owner" permissions to the site, I thought I would just waltz in and get the WSDL.
Ok, so it wants creds... I gave it my own.
After a few attempts and access denied errors, I hit Cancel, and was rewarded by, of all things, the WSDL display... but I still couldn't add the reference.
One way to resolve the problem was to set the authentication provider to NTLM, but in my case, I didn't have, (and wasn't likely to get) that configuration changed in the site (a SharePoint Web Application) I really needed access to.
In order to make it work, I had to initially create my reference to a similar, accessible site.
So by having all the other authentication managers disabled in the client, the server would negotiate and agree on Ntlm authentication, which succeeds.
Nice Code sharing, knowledge from the content of your article.
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There's no question that group lessons work. With busy schedules these days, and lack of free time, we all sense a need to be more efficient. From experience, I have seen over fifty Skateboarding-lessons.com to ride off of curbs in their first private lesson.
When you begin write essay, very important, before you start need understand what type of essay you are required to write! If you after a while understand, that you not handle with it, you can visit here http://essay-professors.com and order it on this site!


Elegant Solid bowl designed by Danish brand House Doctor. The perfect eyecatcher in the dining room. Made off stoneware with a nice finish which creates a unique look.
Mix and match it with the small and the large plate.


I want to angular motion for this 2 parts in assembly, Any One know solution for this, Pls Solve this problem?
To the best of my knowledge, the way how the forum work is you should at least do some effort/research on your work, specially simulation, then, ask for help or guidance from the experts here. It is not like placing an ORDER and say I want this!
Re: I want to angular motion for this 2 parts in assembly, Any One know solution for this, Pls Solve this problem?
Can you elaborate more on this motion simulation. What are you exactly looking to do? Can you post those YouTube videos?
If you are merely wanting rotation within the assembly you can use the hinge joint. If you are looking for Kinematics or motion studies then you will need to use that add-in along with appropriate set-up. For either one I'd recommend that you study the related sections of the help files.


Should this law be a reality, or get tossed into the kitty litter box?
I've always had cats, house cats if you will. My kitties never went out and roamed around, but I still always got all the required shots for my cats. I've had dogs as well, and they were always licensed. Not many people would even consider the idea of licensing a house cat. But it may be a valid idea.
In a story from nhregister.com a Connecticut state lawmaker is proposing that house cats be licensed by the state. State Representative Kelly Luxenberg reasons that licensing would be a good way to remind people to have their cat spayed or neutered. That alone would be a plus for all those poor homeless, feral cats out on the streets.
Luxenberg believes that licensing would go a long way in helping owners to find lost cats. If the license was the same eight-dollars it costs to license a dog, the measure would raise over six-million dollars for the state of Connecticut.
As I researched this story I came across information from njaudubon.com hosted by the American Bird Conservatory, that offers an entire fact sheet for anyone proposing legislation. We're talking serious stuff here people, that includes cat control and restraint, enforcement of laws and more. Very interesting read. So I wish State Rep Luxenberg luck in getting this one through the system.
And because I couldn't resist the lighter side of this. Sit back and enjoy this classic Monty Pythons Flying Circus sketch that moves from fish, to cats, to bees in one hilarious bit.


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Stittsville United Church celebrates historical 175 years in the community
Lesley McKay October 16, 2020 October 17, 2020
(The Stittsville United Church located at the corner of Stittsville Main Street and Fernbank Road.)
This year marks the 175 anniversity of the Stittsville United Church. The church that stands with its graveyard at the corner of Stittsville Main Street and Fernbank Road has a history that takes you back to 1819. This is the year when Ezra Healey, a faithful Methodist saddle-bag preacher began to establish twenty member classes in the forests and wilderness between the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers. In 1824, George and Mary Argue, along with their four sons, resided in the Township of Goulbourn on lot 21, concession 11. When the construction of the family home was completed, the neighbours gathered to give thanks to God. Goulbourn Township saw its first Methodist service ever held.
(George and Mary Argue)
When Ezra Healey arrived in Stittsville he placed the Methodist adherents under the leadership of George Argue, James Wilson and Archibald Magee. In 1845, William Magee donated to the trustees, one acre of land where today you find the current church. The first church was made of logs hewn off the land and was known as the Magee Chapel. At one time, James Stitt lived above the Magee Chapel – with local preacher and farmer, James Cherry, and Joseph Magee living near the chapel.
In 1847, a stone building replaced the original and became known as the Argue Chapel then was transformed to become the Wesley Methodist Church. This new church was built about 100 yards east of the existing log building. In the church cemetery, you can still see the remains of the stone foundation.
(The 1847 original stone Methodist church. From the photo album of Anne Healey Cuthbert)
In 1883, the stone building was replaced by a much larger brick structured church, often referred to as the 'Brick Church'. The brick Wesley Methodist Church stood for 70 years and forms a significant component of the current sanctuary.
(The 1883 'brick church' also known as the Wesley Methodist Church. Source unknown.)
In 1925, with the union of Methodist Congregationalist and former Presbyterian members added to the congregation, The Wesley Methodist became the United Church of Canada. In 1975 the name was again changed to Stittsville United Church.
The beginning of changes at Stittsville United began in 1952 with the town growing which added to the congregation. The church require more space and for the related activities. Over the next 30 or so years, the old 'brick church' underwent many changes inside and out. The sanctuary was enlarged, offices and activity room were added. The grandest of all changes were both the arrival of the new organ and the addition of a tower and spire being built. The entire church was also covered in a white stucco finish.
In 1964 stained-glass memorial windows in the narthex and sanctuary, and many of the pews and other church furnishings were donated in memory of loved ones. The two panels at the front of the sanctuary were dedicated in 1975 and the four remaining windows in the narthex were dedicated in 1980. In 1976, a memorial fund was inaugurated. Contributions to the fund were sufficient to purchase a Baldwin organ, to replace the failing Hammond which had served the congregation so well, and to install a sound system in the sanctuary. In 1979 an electric carillon with external speakers was installed and in 1998 the Baldwin organ was replaced by a more modern version.
In 2004, it agreed by the Revitalization and Long-Range Planning Commitee for the church, that five goals should be focused on – hiring a part-time youth worker; a part-time music director; and, an addition to the building was needed with the growing congregation.
(Stittsville United Church. Drawing by Lloyd C. Morrison)
The official sod turning for the new addition was held in April 2006 and on November 20, 2006 a grand opening of the addition was celebrated. The church became totally accessible for all. The entire roof was replaced. It is most appropriate to note that the latest addition to the proud history of the Methodist/United Church presence in the Goulbourn/Stittsville area is partially made possible by a bequest from the estate of the late Gerald Cathcart, a descendent of the same George Argue who held the first Methodist service in Goulbourn Township in 1824. Additional funds from the Hodgins estate and a Trillium Grant from the Province of Ontario, made it all possible.
From the time of church union in 1925, the church has seen twenty-seven ministers pass through the doors of Stittsville United. During time, from 1925 until 1990, the ministers also led the congregation at St. Paul's United Church in Richmond, Ontario – as part of a two-point pastoral charge. Here is a link to the list of ministers who served the church from 1868 to present.
The church celebrates 175 years in Stittsville with a Virtual Celebration that takes place on Sunday, October 18 at 10:00 am. Join Reverend Grant Dillenbeck and the church congregation in celebration at Facebook live – where all are welcome!
Posted inCommunity Heritage News
Tagged Archibald MageeEzra HealeyGeorge and Mary ArgueJames CherryJames WilsonJoseph MageeStittsville United ChurchWesley Methodist ChurchWilliam Magee
Stittsville United Church congregation contributes to construction of Veterans' House
Brightening Stittsville, one mural at a time
March 11 brings liberation to the residents of Wildpine Residence
Cheerful murals lift spirit of community at Stittsville United Church

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Denny ran the most laps out of anybody in final practice. Denny should have a good feel what the cars like on the long run with 81 laps. He knows what to look for in a short track car, and we often see him behind in practice but always has the car well balanced for race day.


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Q: How do I check a remote file systems mount permissions? I'm mounting a test server to a shared filesystem at work. It's a cifs mount so im looking at this reference page: https://linux.die.net/man/8/mount.cifs
I want to try and mount in a "know as little as possible" manner to keep people from fudging with the shared filesystem from a test server. So in the docs I see:

uid=arg
sets the uid that will own all files or directories on the mounted filesystem when the server does not provide ownership information. It may be specified as either a username or a numeric uid. When not specified, the default is uid 0. The mount.cifs helper must be at version 1.10 or higher to support specifying the uid in non-numeric form. See the section on FILE AND DIRECTORY OWNERSHIP AND PERMISSIONS below for more information.

Sounds good. But here's my question:

*

*How do I check if the server provides ownership information, and if so, how do I found what it actually is?

Bonus question:

*

*Whats the point of offering permissions when you can just override them to file_mode=0777,dir_mode=0777?

A: You are looking at CIFS, not NFS. I have never run across a method to extract ownership information from a windows cifs share with linux tools (If anybody knows how - prove me wrong!). This is how it works:

*

*On the server, the credentials you provide determine your access. You cannot "overrule" a readonly access with file_mode=0777, you would get an access denied when trying to write a file in such a case.

*Since a default CIFS share does not export any ownership information, the uid, gid, umask, file_mode, dir_mode options provide a way to put a linux file security on top of the mounted share. This way, you can say that only a specific local linux user / group is able to read from / write  to your mounted share. If you do not provide these options during mount, default values are used (most likely uid=0, gid=0, umask=0 for all directories and files inside that share)

*Looking at the official documentation, it can be read that there are "unix extensions for CIFS" which allows exporting uid / gid ownership information. But I do not know if there is a way to determine whether the server supports these extensions.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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How Will Food Banks Meet Pandemic-Fueled Demand During the Holiday Season?
Food banks across the Bay Area are preparing to feed a record number of hungry families this holiday season
By Melissa Colorado	• Published November 11, 2020 • Updated on November 13, 2020 at 12:10 pm
The Alameda County Community Food Bank this holiday season is preparing to feed thousands of families still struggling to put food on the table.
But the food bank said it is doing much more with less. The coronavirus emergency food it was receiving from the USDA stopped coming.
"In September and October we had USDA boxes," said Matthew Merzbacher, a food bank volunteer. "They were heavy, they had a gallon of milk (and) usually some frozen meat."
Merzbacher, who is now retired, spends his Wednesday mornings loading up hundreds of strangers' trunks with boxes of food. Strangers like Mark Andresen from San Leandro, who said he can usually put together a one pot stew of whatever the food bank is able to give him.
"I think if I was trying to live off it, I'd go pretty hungry," Andresen said.
The Alameda County Community Food Bank said over the summer the boxes were stuffed with hundreds of pounds of food from the federal coronavirus food assistance program, also known as CFAP.
"We were getting six truckloads a week for this program in July, but starting in November, the program is not available to any food banks in the Bay Area because there aren't any food vendors for us," said Michael Altfest with the Alameda County Community Food Bank.
In the meantime, the food bank is filling the gap by spending millions of their own money on food.
"The only way we're able to do this work is by getting donations," Altfest said. "Right now we can fill the gap, but we need continuous support."
The USDA provided the following statement to NBC Bay Area:
"Through a competitive bidding process, USDA has awarded contracts to 31 companies for deliveries of food boxes which began on Nov. 1 and will run through Dec. 31, 2020. The program will continue the purchase of combination boxes to include fresh produce, dairy products, fluid milk and meat products. In the fourth round, as in the third round, states have been allocated boxes based on the internal need of the state. To estimate the volume of contracts per state we used a 5 year average of The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) distribution allocations. In their proposals, vendors were required to identify nonprofits they partnered with to distribute "last mile" but they also have the ability to add nonprofits to ensure delivery of boxes according to their contract.
"Also, beginning in the third round, USDA modified the program to ensure that all areas of the country had access to food boxes. With these modifications, some non-profits that did not receive food boxes previously are receiving them now. Likewise, some that received food boxes previously, may not be receiving them now. However, USDA has made painstaking efforts to ensure comprehensive coverage for the states, with the goal of covering every county in the country. A list of approved contractors that shows the states for which they are contracted to supply is available at www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/farmers-to-families-food-box/approved-contractors-round-four.
"In addition, USDA continues to support families in need by supplying food for The Emergency Food Assistance Program through regular Section 32 purchases and through trade mitigation purchases under the Food Purchase and Distribution Program."
food bankcoronavirusholiday food boxAlameda County Community Food Bank


How do you pick the next stock to invest in? One way would be to spend hours of research browsing through thousands of publicly traded companies. However, an easier way is to look at the stocks that smart money investors are collectively bullish on. Hedge funds and other institutional investors usually invest large amounts of capital and have to conduct due diligence while choosing their next pick. They don't always get it right, but, on average, their stock picks historically generated strong returns after adjusting for known risk factors. With this in mind, let's take a look at the recent hedge fund activity surrounding CoStar Group Inc (NASDAQ:CSGP) .
Is CoStar Group Inc (NASDAQ:CSGP) the right investment to pursue these days? Investors who are in the know seem to be in a bullish mood as the number of bullish hedge fund positions went up by three to 20 between July and September. The level and the change in hedge fund popularity aren't the only variables you need to analyze to decipher hedge funds' perspectives. A stock may witness a boost in popularity but it may still be less popular than similarly priced stocks. That's why at the end of this article we will examine companies such as Yandex NV (NASDAQ:YNDX), Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SPB), and Crown Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CCK) to gather more data points.
With all of this in mind, we're going to take a look at the latest action regarding CoStar Group Inc (NASDAQ:CSGP).
How are hedge funds trading CoStar Group Inc (NASDAQ:CSGP)?
At the end of the third quarter, 20 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held long positions in this stock, which represents an increase of 18% from one quarter earlier. The graph below displays the number of hedge funds with bullish position in CSGP over the last five quarters. With the smart money's capital changing hands, there exists a select group of notable hedge fund managers who were upping their holdings substantially (or already accumulated large positions).
According to Insider Monkey's hedge fund database, Bares Capital Management, led by Brian Bares, holds the largest position in CoStar Group Inc (NASDAQ:CSGP). Bares Capital Management has a $67.7 million position in the stock, comprising 4% of its 13F portfolio. The second most bullish fund manager is Daruma Asset Management, led by Mariko Gordon, which holds a $58.6 million position; 3.6% of its 13F portfolio is allocated to the company. Some other peers with similar optimism comprise Leonard A. Potter's Wildcat Capital Management, Christian Leone's Luxor Capital Group, and Christopher Lyle's SCGE Management. We should note that none of these hedge funds are among our list of the 100 best performing hedge funds which is based on the performance of their 13F long positions in non-microcap stocks.
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What you need to know about the church and faith movement in the US
September 1, 2021 by admin Exercise & Fitness
What you need to know about the church and faith movement in the US September 1, 2021 September 1, 2021 admin
By The New York Times StaffThe New York City Catholic diocese, with the help of a group of local clergy, has set up a task force to investigate the Church of Scientology.
The effort is led by the diocese's archbishop, Fr.
Robert Bellarmine.
The group will meet on Saturday to address the issue of how the church has handled allegations of abuse against its clergy.
The church, which has about 30,000 members, has been in crisis for several years, and its leaders have admitted that some of its leaders abused children, including children who were taken from their parents to the church.
The diocese has been under scrutiny since last year after it was revealed that a former parishioner, David Miscavige, abused children for years.
In a letter to members last year, the archbishop acknowledged that Miscavigo "continues to have the opportunity to exercise his position of trust and influence in the church" and that he "does so on a very large scale."
In recent years, the church's leaders have been under increased scrutiny for the abuse of children.
Last year, Miscaviges ex-wife, Katie Holmes, revealed in a new book that Miscavaiges former church attorney was a convicted child molester.
Miscavages own children have also come forward.
The archbishop announced on Friday that the church had formed a taskforce to investigate abuse allegations against its own priests and bishops.
Bellarmina says that "in order to address any issues that may arise in the future," the diocesan bishops will conduct an internal investigation.
The investigation will take place within the church itself.
The new investigation is being led by two senior officers, Frs.
Andrew Colangelo and Michael Gagnon, both former members of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
According to the Times, Bellarmines letter announcing the task force noted that he and Gagnons "are not affiliated with the church, but have served in positions of responsibility in the archdiocese."
The archdiocesan leaders have not released a full list of those named to the taskforce, which will also include a former bishop, Monsignor Michael Piazza, who has since resigned.
According.
the diocaustion, the task group will report to the archbishops office, which in turn will oversee the internal investigation by the bishops office.
The task force will be led by Frs Colangelo, who is now an associate professor at the Georgetown University Law Center.
"We are very excited to have this team join the Church," Bellarmino told the Times.
The New Jersey diocese also announced that it had formed an oversight committee that would investigate allegations against the diacesan clergy.
"The church has an obligation to address allegations of clergy abuse and to act with integrity in protecting the children who are victims of these crimes," said the diarocese's statement.
"There is no room for any other position of authority within the clergy or the church in New Jersey."
The Vatican has been working to address abuse allegations in the Church for decades.
Last fall, Pope Francis launched a task to address sexual abuse within the Church, with a focus on the hierarchy and senior church officials.
Tags:keeping faith


THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL — Ecstatic about her engagement, Nicole showed off her ring to Maya and Vivienne. In a loving moment, Nicole asked her big sister to be her matron of honor. Zende made a big request of his grandfather regarding the location of the nuptials. Sasha showed up and passionately apologized to Nicole begging to be invited to the wedding. Sally discovered online that Nicole and Zende are engaged. The Spectra gang discussed their upcoming fashion show, but Sally was distracted by thoughts of Thomas. Separately, Thomas and Sally thought about their shared kiss. Zende greeted his parents, Kristen and Tony, who had flown to Los Angeles to attend their son's wedding. Nicole shared a tender moment with her parents before the wedding began. Sasha expressed her gratitude to Nicole for allowing her to attend the wedding. Pam tended to the caterers, bragging that she made the cake. Shirley entered the Spectra office with a couple of cakes, which gave Sally an idea about how to garner more publicity for Spectra. The sexual tension between Ridge and Quinn before the ceremony was palpable. The wedding began as Nicole appeared at the top of the staircase. Nicole noticed the amazing gift that Zende had made for her. Carter was the Justice of the Peace at the wedding and began the ceremony with a beautiful speech. Not at the wedding, Bill refused to accept Brooke and Ridge's engagement and became emotional thinking about his previous weddings with Brooke. Family members made heartfelt speeches before Zende and Nicole began reciting their vows. The attendants at the wedding all congratulated the newlyweds and the reception began! Family members toasted Nicole and Zende. Before the reception was even over, Quinn had Nicole's portrait taken down and her own put back up. Ridge returned to the mansion having forgotten his keys. He and Quinn had a sexual-filled conversation. Bill surprised Brooke in her kitchen checking in on how she's feeling; as he learned from Liam that she was under the weather and did not attend the wedding. Bill questioned Brooke on why Ridge wasn't home by now and who he might be with. Ridge told Quinn that he noticed her looking at him at the wedding and instructed her that she could not look that way at him again; they continued to flirt. Bill attempted to kiss Brooke, but she stopped him. He assured her that they're destined to be together.
THIS WEEK: Zende and Nicole discussed how they're leaving the following day for their exotic honeymoon. Bill and Wyatt commiserated on their failed relationships.
DAYS OF OUR LIVES — Hope questioned Eric about his feelings for Jennifer. Shane and Steve made a surprising discovery. Dario made a confession to Abigail. Jennifer called Adrienne for help. Chad and Gabi's dire situation went from bad to worse. Eduardo, Kate, Dario and Abigail brainstormed on how to rescue Chad and Gabi. Victor learned of Deimos' actions and told him that he needs to clean it all up quickly. Adrienne, Jennifer and Anne worked together to destroy the Orwell device. It's Valentine's Day and Steve and Kayla's wedding day. Stephanie arrived home to join in the festivities. Hope received news about her fate. Austin and Carrie reunited with Kate. Steve and Kayla remarried in front of family and friends. Valerie informed disappointed Abe that she's leaving town. Julie received devastating news. Anna confronted Andre. Chloe and Nicole's custody hearing for Holly began. Belle dropped a bomb that stunned Nicole.
THIS WEEK: Adrienne found Paul unconscious in the alley and learned startling news about Sonny. When Deimos continued to stonewall, motherbear Adrienne attacked him.
GENERAL HOSPITAL — Anna was being watched. Felicia got closer to the truth. Julian feared the PCPD is on to him. Lulu was at the mercy of Valentin. Olivia was one step ahead. Franco struggled with his dark side. Nelle pushed her luck. Finn's behavior became erratic. Michael was tasked with a tough decision. Julian felt powerless. Anna demanded answers. Nathan played peacemaker. Curtis flirted with danger. Dillon surprised Kiki. Scott tried to calm Ava. Anna's symptoms grew increasingly worse. Nina grew suspicious. Liz took a stand. Franco was caught off guard. Kiki and Dillon reconnected. Liz looked to Sam for support. Ned defended Olivia. Julian made a deal with the devil.
THIS WEEK: Griffin grew suspicious of Finn. Anna got help from an unlikely source.
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS — Nick mentioned to Chelsea that Faith was trying to get him back together with Sharon. Nick informed her that he and Sharon would never get back together. Chelsea reminded him that reconciling with your ex is a Newman family tradition. Billy hired a hot shot photographer named Jordan Wilde to do a photo shoot for Brash & Sassy. Cane was stunned to discover that Jordan and Lily know each other. Sharon asked Victor to call in a favor and help her find Dylan. Cane revealed to Jill that Victoria plans to buy Brash & Sassy on her own. He asked Jill to give her more time to raise the funds to purchase B&S on his own. Jill agreed to give Cane until the end of the day. Lauren told Michael that she's determined to find out what Gloria used against Jack in order for him to give her at position at Jabot. Jack was surprised to learn that Ashley intends to give the keynote speech at annual buyers' luncheon. Ashley reminded Jack that he's letting his personal life and vendetta against Phyllis get in the way of running Jabot. Later, Ashley discovered Ravi's Valentine's gift for her.
THIS WEEK: Jill offered to buy Jack's stake in Fenmore's, but he refused. Jack relented and came back with a counter that left her stunned. Later, Jill met with David Sherman and told him that she's willing to do anything to buy Jack's stake in Fenmore's.


On the 5th floor of SFMOMA there is a hallway just off the elevators which houses several Lichtenstein prints. The prints are beautiful and colorful and hung in thick glass frames. Across the narrow hallway is a padded bench. I stand facing down the hallway with a headset cradled in my hands asking people passing by, "Would you like to see an invisible sculpture?" That question works better than all the other versions I have tried. It piques the imagination just enough to get people to wait in line and patiently stand while I arrange a heavy and slightly fussy bit of hardware on their heads. But it also sets the scene: audience members are not trying out a fancy new bit of technology but having a viewing experience.
Once their interest is piqued I indicate the person currently wearing the headset and then stand watching intently until they return to me. I remove the headset for them then help the waiting visitor fit it properly. Once it's on I say "You can walk around, but also inside of the sculpture." Sometimes I also need to add "To go inside you have to walk straight through the surface." Many people are physically averse to passing through the exterior skin without encouragement. I took that as a good sign. They were interacting the sculpture with the same schema they would use with any other piece in the museum. I did answer questions about the hardware and the process of making the project when they come up but tried to keep it simple. I want to keep people focused on the performance of whoever can currently see the invisible sculpture.
As the crowd grows, which if I go on a Thursday, the day SFMOMA stays open late, it inevitably will, the space where the sculpture is placed clears of people and the crowd gathers behind me to watch the watcher. And that is why "Would you like to see an invisible sculpture?" is performance sculpture. The movements and gaze of the person wearing the HoloLens becomes part of the piece. The crowd begins to understand that there is something in the space with them even though they can't see it. Its really effective. I was amazed at the excited buzz that grew behind me at one point as people pointed to it, approximated it size and shape, commented on the current watchers hand gestures, and tried to figure out who was in line to try next. I love you San Francisco, you people really know how to organize a line.
The hallway has cleared of people and become a stage. Onlookers have all gathered behind me to watch.
I am a skilled performer both on stage and in video but this more bare performance relationship with an audience feels very different. I have to touch every person who participates to get the HoloLens seated. I have to speak to every person individually. The timbre of my presence and attention and tone of voice all changed the energy of the people gathered. It has been really fun to watch little changes I make deepen the experience. I am looking forward to developing more performance structures for the Hololens.
But let me talk about the failures for a minute because there were many. I attempted this same performance sculpture 10 times in total and had only 3 resounding successes: all on Thursdays in the late afternoon or evening. Do everything the same way but be in the museum on a Tuesday morning and suddenly every single person I engaged said no thanks or made a face or ignored me completely. Set up in a gallery instead of a hallway and you get mass congestion and upset people just trying to look at paintings. Sit on a bench instead of stand and no one will talk about the art but instead focus exclusively on the technology. Just happen to pick a place with less forgiving guards and get shooed before any energy can build around the performance. Performance art is hard people! The distance between it going fantastically well and a total flop is tiny.
If you are in San Francisco and are interested in participating in a future performance of "Would you like to see an invisible sculpture?" contact me on twitter @blinkpopshift and I will let you know when and where in the museum I'll be.


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The King Of Golf Has Died; Arnold Palmer Was 87
Arnold Palmer died on Sunday in Pittsburgh, near his hometown of Latrobe (PA), at the age 87, due to complications of the heart.
Golf Channel reported the news late Sunday night.
"We are deeply saddened by the death of Arnold Palmer, golf's greatest ambassador, at age 87," the USGA said Sunday night.
We are deeply saddened by the death of Arnold Palmer, golf's greatest ambassador, at age 87. pic.twitter.com/iQmGtseNN1
— USGA (@USGA) September 26, 2016
Palmer is considered one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. He is credited with growing the game beyond the country club-set.
With rugged good looks, and an accessible persona, he became the face of golf as the sport made its move into the TV age during the late 50s and early 60s. His star shown so bright that he became simply known as 'The King' who led his own army.
"Arnold meant everything to golf," Tiger Woods said. "I mean, without his charisma, without his personality in conjunction with TV — it was just the perfect symbiotic growth. You finally had someone who had this charisma, and they're capturing it on TV for the very first time. Everyone got hooked to the game of golf via TV because of Arnold."
Thanks Arnie for 25 years of friendship. Can't talk golf without thinking about the King. Happy 87th.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) September 10, 2016
Jack Nicklaus, who along with Palmer and Gary Player, formed the Big Three, which helped globalize the game in the late 60s and 70s, noted that Palmer was always a fighter, right to the end.
I just got the news at about 8:45 that Arnold had passed. I was shocked to hear that we lost a great friend (continued) pic.twitter.com/skehUsQgww
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) September 26, 2016
Palmer was born in 1929 in Latrobe, PA – a working class city just outside of Pittsburgh – to Doris and Milfred Jerome "Deacon" Palmer. His father was the head pro and greenskeeper at Latrobe Country Club.
He attended Wake Forest on a golf scholarship, but after a close friend died, Palmer left school and enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. After serving three years in the Coast Guard, he returned to Wake Forest and won the U.S. Amateur Open in 1954.
Palmer married "the love of his life" Winfred 'Winnie' Walzer that same year (1954). Winnie once said, "I met him on Tuesday; he asked me to marry him on Saturday." (They were married for 45 years, until her death from cancer at the age 65 in 1999.)
Palmer would turn pro shortly thereafter. His first PGA Tour win was at the 1955 Canadian Open where he won $2,400.
Palmer won his first major championship at the 1958 Masters, which cemented his status as the leading star in golf. He would go on to become one of the most marketable personalities in all of America.
His longtime agent, Mark McCormack, listed five attributes that made Palmer especially marketable: his good looks; his relatively modest background; the way he played golf – taking risks and wearing his emotions on his sleeve; his involvement in a string of exciting finishes in early televised tournaments; and his affability.
Palmer's most prolific years were from 1960 to 1963, when he won 29 PGA Tour events, including five major tournament victories, in four PGA Tour seasons. In 1960, he won the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award.
Palmer won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average four times: 1961, 1962, 1964, and 1967. He played on six Ryder Cup teams: 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, and 1973. He was the last playing captain in 1963, and captained the team again in 1975.
In 1967 he became the first player to reach one million dollars in career earnings on the PGA Tour. Palmer won a PGA Tour event every year from 1955 to 1971.
Palmer had the unique ability to connect to the common man as well as the most powerful.
Palmer was reportedly best friends with Dwight Eisenhower, and regularly played golf with U.S. presidents. He was the awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 by President George W. Bush.
For all who love the game of golf and love to see it played, there has never been a sight quite like Arnold Palmer walking down the fairway toward the 18th green. The great Vin Scully once said, "In a sport that was high society, Arnold Palmer made it 'High Noon.'" Laura and I are saddened by Arnie's death and send our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and fellow fans. He was a great American whose friendship – and swing thoughts – will be missed.
A photo posted by George W. Bush (@georgewbush) on Sep 25, 2016 at 6:56pm PDT
He was the first golfer to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jack Nicklaus (2005 via Bush) and Charlie Sifford (2009 via Obama) followed Palmer, and remain the only three.
Here's to The King who was as extraordinary on the links as he was generous to others. Thanks for the memories, Arnold. pic.twitter.com/UlyfpIBOL2
— President Obama (@POTUS44) September 26, 2016
He also had a successful business career – as a product pitchman, golf course designer, and all-around ambassador of the game. Arnold Palmer was a true American icon, whose name transcended golf, and sports in general.
A tribute to The King: Arnold Palmer's influence on golf. #ArniesArmy pic.twitter.com/5l9byOuClm
SOURCES: USGA, WIKIPEDIA, NBC NEWS, CBS SPORTS, USA TODAY
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LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY
Loeb Classical Library 94
Epigrams, Volume I
Spectacles, Books 1-5
Edited and translated by D. R. Shackleton Bailey
Loeb Classical Library > Epigrams
LITERARY CRITICISM: Ancient & Classical
See all: Loeb Classical Library
The digital Loeb Classical Library extends the founding mission of James Loeb with an interconnected, fully searchable, perpetually growing virtual library of all that is important in Greek and Latin literature. Read more about the site's features »
Written to celebrate the 80 CE opening of the Roman Colosseum, Martial's first book of poems, "On the Spectacles," tells of the shows in the new arena. The great Latin epigrammist's twelve subsequent books capture the spirit of Roman life in vivid detail. Fortune hunters and busybodies, orators and lawyers, schoolmasters and acrobats, doctors and plagiarists, beautiful slaves and generous hosts populate his witty verses. We glimpse here the theater, public games, life in the countryside, banquets, lions in the amphitheater, the eruption of Vesuvius. Martial's epigrams are sometimes obscene, sometimes affectionate and amusing, and always pointed. Like his contemporary Statius, though, Martial shamelessly flatters his patron Domitian, one of Rome's worst-reputed emperors.
Shackleton Bailey's translation of Martial's often difficult Latin eliminates many misunderstandings in previous versions. The text is mainly that of his highly praised Teubner edition of 1990 ("greatly superior to its predecessors," R. G. M. Nisbet wrote in Classical Review).
These volumes replace the earlier Loeb edition with translation by Walter C. A. Ker (1919).
More Classics & Ancient World from Harvard University Press


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criticism ▶ Film/Music/Performance
Leonardo on Park Avenue, Courtesy of Peter Greenaway
by Henry McMahon
Leonardo's Last Supper: A Vision by Peter Greenaway at the Park Avenue Armory
December 3, 2010 – January 6, 2011
New York City, (212) 616-3930
installation shot of Leonardo's Last Supper: A Vision by Peter Greenaway at the Park Avenue Armory
If ever the art-going public needed a reminder of the wisdom of the dictum "show, don't tell," it needs look no further than Leonardo's Last Supper: A Vision by Peter Greenaway, on view now at the Park Avenue Armory.
Greenaway, a filmmaker long fascinated with the visual arts, is well known for films (The Draughtsman's Contract, 1982; Nightwatching, 2007) in which artists and their creations are central figures. With his series "Nine Classical Paintings Revisited," begun in 2006, Greenaway has gone directly to the source, selecting acknowledged masterpieces from the canon as the objects of a digital-age reappraisal. Greenaway's vision is presented to us in three acts played out in two adjoining spaces that are set off by giant digital screens massive enough not to be dwarfed by the Amory's cavernous unlit drill hall.
The first act sets the scene of Renaissance Italy through Greenaway's awesome command of the technological landscape, like the opening orientation at the IMAX Theatre where all the audio/visual bells and whistles are explained so that one doesn't faint midway through the show. Tremendously vivid digital and animated images are presented in 360-degrees on four massive screens surrounding the audience and a fifth screen on the floor (it can be walked on), all backed by a powerful, violin-fueled audio track. Act two includes a full-scale replica of the original chapel for which The Last Supper was commissioned in Milan. Here Greenaway presents his interpretation of Leonardo's masterpiece, before returning to the first room for Act Three, an exploration of the Paolo Veronese's painting The Wedding at Cana.
Greenaway uses his vast technological vocabulary to give a virtuosic audio-visual tour of these two great paintings as he re-imagines and re-presents them chiefly by altering lighting conditions to explore their space.
At one point in The Last Supper, the light emerges from Jesus' figure alone, casting shadows over the entire tableaux as if it existed in the round. Later, a point of light dances through the space, leaving a vapor trail, that traces the path it has traveled.
Composition, too, is explored through the illumination of various aspects of the painting against a dark ground. The apostles' heads alone are lit, then their feet. Their hands—gesturing, pointing, clutching—are bathed in a warm light, a rhythm of abstract shapes playing across the surface of the painting. In this way Greenaway literally gives each aspect of the painting its moment in the sun.
In one compelling contrast, diagonal shafts of light emerge from the grid in the ceiling in the painting, filtering over Jesus and his apostles from behind and presenting them as solid sculptural masses. This is followed by a similar movement of light from a window in the chapel, which moves flatly over the painting, revealing it as a two-dimensional surface. Although the painted surface is flat, somehow for a moment one expects the figures again to be sculpted volumes. It is this kind of set-up that delights Greenaway. Look what can be done with light and space! In these moments the experience is truly magnificent.
To go from The Last Supper to The Wedding at Cana, as presented here, is to go from looking at a painting with a friend to looking through the eyes of a literal-minded museum docent. A didactic audio track picks apart the painting's composition, effectively killing the mood. Not only is the delight of mutual discovery gone, the content of the lecture is a major disappointment. To hear Greenaway tell it, Veronese's chief accomplishment as a painter is to put the figure of Jesus smack-dab in the middle of his composition.
installation shot of installation shot of Leonardo's Last Supper: A Vision by Peter Greenaway as installed in Milan in 2008
The most magical moment of the entire experience is in the final scene. The 120-plus figures that make up the composition of Wedding at Cana are reduced to bright white contour lines against a black ground. For a moment they are held there, in their actual relationship on the surface of the painting. But then something marvelous happens, as we go from seeing this world head-on to seeing it from a partial bird's-eye view, as if lifted twenty feet above the wedding party. Looking on from above, one can't help but smile in wonder at the vast three-dimensional space Veronese compressed into his painting.
To levitate above a painting and for a moment to experience the world of that panting in three dimensions is Greenaway's great gift to us. In showing us his exploration of light, space, volume and composition, Greenaway succeeds because he trusts us to make discoveries alongside him. It is only in the telling, when this essential process of discovery is undermined, that Greenaway's vision fails.
At its best, Greenaway's work remains a tremendous homage to painting. In all its technological wizardry, it never loses sight of the greatest wizardry of all: the painter's depiction of a three-dimensional world on an unapologetically two-dimensional surface.
Gentling The Savage Enormity Of Gargantuan Space: Ann Hamilton at the Armory
Back Door Man: Martin Creed at the Park Avenue Armory
Upstairs Downstairs: Frederick Wiseman's National Gallery
The Painter Sam Francis, a film by Jeffrey Perkins
Vulnerable Visionary: Eva Hesse, A Film By Marcie Begleiter
More articles by Henry McMahon
Not Dotty About Damien: Hirst's Spot Paintings Go Global The Canon is Under Fire: What Press Releases Tell You, and What They Don't
Back Door Man: Martin Creed at the Park Avenue ArmoryGentling The Savage Enormity Of Gargantuan Space: Ann Hamilton at the Armory
Ralph Lemon at BAM
Other articles in "Film/Music/Performance"
God-Given to Create: "Quilting The Sun" at Theater for the New City Gerhard Richter: The Movie What "The Price of Everything" Says About The Value of Art Films by Stephanie Barber and Amy Jenkins Premiere in New York