Limes with Orange

Having been raised by a conspiracy theorist, I admit to being interested in some of the various theories that I read about. (And I am fully aware that my brain has become wired to look for conspiracies, even if I'm not a full-fledged conspiracy theorist.) So I was intrigued by this press release:

Atlantis Was a Real Place, the Americas

The kingdom of Atlantis included North, South, and Central America. It was divided into ten countries or kingdoms and each country had its own King. One of the kingdoms was also called Atlantis. The King of Atlantis was the ruler over the other nine Kingdoms. The first ruler of the Kingdom was called Atlas. This is how Atlantis got its name.

The royal city of the kingdom was located within the country of Atlantis. Within the royal city there was a royal palace. Originally, three different moats surrounded the royal palace. Plato referred to the moat formation as three zones of water and two zones of land.

As time went by they covered over the moats and cut three canals through the peninsula on which the royal palace was located. The construction of the canals divided the peninsula and formed two triangular shaped islands. The island that held the royal palace was called Atlantis. That is why Atlantis is referred to as a continent, and city, and an island.

Read the short version of Plato’s story at www.atlantiskingdom.com to learn more about Atlantis and the Americas. Then read Plato’s Timaeus and Critias to get the complete story.

I have matched the terrain features that Plato wrote about with present terrain features found in the Tampa Bay area. Research shows that Plato described Harbour Island as the small island of Atlantis. You will find that Plato recorded and published the story just as it was told. He even recorded the discussions leading up to the story. You will also notice several obvious mistakes made in translating the story from Egyptian to Greek and from Greek to English. The biggest mistake occurred when travelers came upon a shoal of mud and thought it was left over from the sunken island. They were wrong. The continent of Atlantis did not sink.

You are invited to review the facts to see for yourself that the Americas, from South America to Alaska were once the kingdom of Atlantis, a single nation. The land formation is still laid out the same as it was over 11,000 years ago. It is best viewed from the air. See image.

Source: Dennis Brooks
www.atlantiskingdom.com

The website is quite thorough. This is no casual speculation; rather it's a fully formed hypothesis. For example, if Atlantis was actually the Americas, why did everyone assume Atlantis had sunk? The author of this theory suggests that a tsunami hit as the Atlantis army was driven back into the ocean. Then, when sailors tried to find Atlantis after the tsunami, they came across a shoal of mud and thought it was the debris from Atlantis and assumed the continent had sunk. They did not go around the shoal of mud to investigate further. Okay, that explanation seems like a sound speculation to me.

I admit, however, that the idea of a war between Athens and Atlantis seems far-fetched to me if Atlantis was actually the Americas; heck of a long way to go for war (in those days). And I'm not sure how the people of Atlantis would be connected to Native American tribes, but perhaps I just need to read more to find that explanation. So, as usual, I am sceptical but intrigued. Check out the website and let me know what you think about this one.

Labels: education, philosophy, weird stuff

That rats have diarthroidal joints that allow their skeletons to almost "collapse" letting them to fit through holes as small as a quarter (or however big their head is). Okay, on CSI they just said "flexible joints," but I opted for the scientific term, thank you very much.


You'd think I might have known that already, having been to vet school and all, but we didn’t spend a heck of a lot of time on "pocket pets"… that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Labels: animals, weird stuff

In honour of today being Friday the 13th, I've included 13 links to sites that reference Friday the 13th in one form or another.

1. Friday the 13th, 2029
Exactly 22 years from today, Friday the 13th will be a lucky day... when asteroid 2004 MN4 does NOT hit the Earth.

2. Greenpeace: Friday the 13th is here
Watch your worst nightmare unfold.

3. Urban Legends at Snopes.com: Friday the 13th
Why do some people believe that Friday the 13th is a day fraught with peril?

4. Care2 eCards for Friday the Thirteenth
Celebrate the day... from the safety of your own home.

5. Friday the 13th Quiz
How much do you know about this superstition? I only got 3 out of 8 and was told I would have 7 years of bad luck.

6. Is the 13th of the month more likely to fall on a Friday than on any other day of the week?
Enquiring minds want to know.

7. Friday the 13th Horoscope: Scorpio
Just follow the links to find your own horoscope for this "unlucky" day.

8. PsyBlog: Is Friday the Thirteenth Unlucky?
A bit of scientific research leading to no solid conclusions whatsoever.

9. Friday the 13th History & Cartoon Fun
The lighter side of this day.

10. Friday the 13th Special: Debunking the Myths of Bad Luck
Black cats and broken mirrors... what do you believe?

11. Friday the 13th: Film Theory Essays
You knew I had to start heading in this direction, didn't you?

12. Friday the 13th - From Crystal Lake to Manhattan (8 Movies)
Sometimes you just gotta go with the obvious. I'm actually not much of a Jason fan, though, give me Freddy over Jason any day of the week (pun intended... in hindsight).

13. The Gematriculator
And finally... How evil is your website? (Okay, not directly a Friday the 13th reference, but as far as I'm concerned it fits the general theme... and it's my blog so that's all that matters. )

Labels: film, fun, odds and ends, quizzes, special days, weird stuff

I just found this on You Tube: "Mind Control Made Easy." (The Stewie reference in the title just seemed like a natural fit, dontcha think?) It's a brilliant "instructional video" about how to start a cult. Cuz you never know when you might need one.

Labels: humour, videos, weird stuff

At the open mike night a couple of weeks ago, one of the artists that caught my attention was Marsha Meidow, director of the Vagina Monologues. She read one of the monologues from the show and, having never seen the show and not really knowing what to expect, it blew me away. So beautiful and yet so disturbing at the same time. Delivered in Marsha's breathy girlish voice... it was haunting.

Marsha also works with Safe Haven, a program for young girls at risk of prostitution and exploitation. So Marsha and Monologues producer, Shone Abet, decided to put on this carnival to raise money for the program. I think it's a great idea. And I wish like anything that I could be there, but I start my IN:Camera Film Production Workshop the following day, so I think I need to take care of myself and take a quiet night at home. Otherwise I would be at the Femme Fatale Carnivale in a heartbeat. There are going to be burlesque acts, fire eaters, belly dancers and all things strange and sexy (strange meant in the best possible way, of course)! Oh what crazy adult fun!

For those of you who want to go (please, please go!), it's this Valentine's Day (as in tomorrow) at The Twisted Element Nightclub, 1006 11th Ave SW. Tickets are $25 at the door and $20 in advance at Blame Betty, 829 17th Ave SW. Have fun! And don't do anything I wouldn't do...

Labels: cool stuff, fun, politics, pop culture, weird stuff

Get a load of some of the latest Japanese footwear trends. Um, so... the Chinese have footbinding and now this is how Japanese women torture their feet?



Not to say that I've never worn shoes (or clothing or hairstyles) that others have considered crazy, but they didn't even come close to comparing to these boots. How do you even walk in them?

And now I am reminded of a Buffy quote, from "Earshot" the episode where she can hear people's thoughts. And she hears Giles think: "Look at her shoes. If a fashion magazine told her to, she'd wear cats strapped to her feet."

Yep, I think that pretty much sums up the shoes shown here.

Labels: buffy, fashion, pop culture, weird stuff