Reuters report today on a museum in Vienna which has courted controversy by staging a retrospective of the works of Alfred Hrdlicka, which include homoerotic paintings of religious subjects. Amazingly, the exhibition is at the Roman Catholic Cathedral museum in Vienna.
According to Reuters, the images on offer include a picture of Jesus being beaten and having his genitals held at the same time, as well as a orgiastic version of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, where the naked disciples are pictured cavorting on the table and masturbating each other.
Read the Full Story Here
Friday, 11 April 2008
Monday, 24 March 2008
Neil Aspinall dies, aged 66
Neil Aspinall is famous to many as the long time aide and 'tour manager' of the Beatles. He was originally asked to come and assist when Mal Evans was unable to help the boys way back in Liverpool, and soon became one of their most trusted confidantes. After the collapse of the band, Neil devoted himself to their legacy and was long time head of Apple, the company that the Beatles founded to look after their own interests, and further the interests of artists worldwide.
Because of his long time proximity to the band, he is one of those with a claim to the title 'the fifth Beatle', others including his colleague Mal Evans, George Martin and Pete Best. Neil will be remembered.
Because of his long time proximity to the band, he is one of those with a claim to the title 'the fifth Beatle', others including his colleague Mal Evans, George Martin and Pete Best. Neil will be remembered.
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Gotta get me one of those hand carved keyboards...
2 posts in one day is maybe a little obscene, but this one is really worth it.
Are you sick of self-important* idiots losing money to Nigerian scammers?
Well, now you can help put a stop to it.**
Fox News reports that scambaiters are finally getting the better of the scammers at 419eaters.com, a website devoting to showing off the trophies acquired through the manipulation of (usually) Nigerian scam artists, who seem to be more than happy to go to ludicrous lengths to achieve that ludicrous cash.
* The first clue I had that my very first one of those emails was a scam was how obsequious the greeting was, suggesting that my name had been passed as the best person to assist in this poor man's attempt to claim his rightful inheritance.
** Alternative methods include education, community involvement and assassination of the defective.
Are you sick of self-important* idiots losing money to Nigerian scammers?
Well, now you can help put a stop to it.**
Fox News reports that scambaiters are finally getting the better of the scammers at 419eaters.com, a website devoting to showing off the trophies acquired through the manipulation of (usually) Nigerian scam artists, who seem to be more than happy to go to ludicrous lengths to achieve that ludicrous cash.
* The first clue I had that my very first one of those emails was a scam was how obsequious the greeting was, suggesting that my name had been passed as the best person to assist in this poor man's attempt to claim his rightful inheritance.
** Alternative methods include education, community involvement and assassination of the defective.
Visitor Information
On Saturday I attended a course at St Giles Cathedral as one of their new Visitor Information guides. St Giles Cathedral is a large church, right in the centre of town, and is still technically the High Kirk of St Giles, since there are no cathedrals in the Presbyterian church.
The training day was interesting and well-prepared by the Visitor Services Manager, a Bavarian woman who has the unenviable task of organising 100 volunteers for the 25 weekly shifts which are undertaken by volunteer guides. The premise of the role is simple - be polite and friendly to all visitors, and as far as possible ensure that they obey church rules, which are unfortunately fuzzy.
As you may know, I have little truck with the trappings of religion, and therefore was able to miss the lunchtime service. That said, I am intending to go to a service soon, but something about this experience did not speak to me. It has been a long time since I attended any religious service, and at least the Christians will let you in, no questions asked. I suppose in many ways this is a vanity of the Christian Church, which is happy to believe that everyone is, or could be, a devotee.
My first visitor guide day was on Monday, and it went relatively well, although it was a little slow at first. Still, it was nice to be part of the early morning movements and work in a church which I have witnessed so many times in my adventures. In the end, it got rather hectic, as several groups of tourists entered, cameras a-flash. There is the opportunity for me to do some photography, and of course this is very exciting. I look forward to returning next week.
The training day was interesting and well-prepared by the Visitor Services Manager, a Bavarian woman who has the unenviable task of organising 100 volunteers for the 25 weekly shifts which are undertaken by volunteer guides. The premise of the role is simple - be polite and friendly to all visitors, and as far as possible ensure that they obey church rules, which are unfortunately fuzzy.
As you may know, I have little truck with the trappings of religion, and therefore was able to miss the lunchtime service. That said, I am intending to go to a service soon, but something about this experience did not speak to me. It has been a long time since I attended any religious service, and at least the Christians will let you in, no questions asked. I suppose in many ways this is a vanity of the Christian Church, which is happy to believe that everyone is, or could be, a devotee.
My first visitor guide day was on Monday, and it went relatively well, although it was a little slow at first. Still, it was nice to be part of the early morning movements and work in a church which I have witnessed so many times in my adventures. In the end, it got rather hectic, as several groups of tourists entered, cameras a-flash. There is the opportunity for me to do some photography, and of course this is very exciting. I look forward to returning next week.
Thursday, 13 March 2008
The Malefactor's Register
I'm sorry to say that I've completed the mammoth task of reading Mark Gribben's excellent site The Malefactor's Register.
For those of you who haven't yet visited his website, I highly recommend it as one of the most balanced and detailed explorations of true crime, mostly in the United States. It is marked out from other crime sites by the user comments, which decry the criminals, support the victims and even provide a meeting place for those affected by crimes, be they friends of the victims, or even family of the killers.
Check it out, now.
For those of you who haven't yet visited his website, I highly recommend it as one of the most balanced and detailed explorations of true crime, mostly in the United States. It is marked out from other crime sites by the user comments, which decry the criminals, support the victims and even provide a meeting place for those affected by crimes, be they friends of the victims, or even family of the killers.
Check it out, now.
Black Madonnas
A couple of interesting articles here about the cult of Black Madonna, who some say is represented on the coat of arms of Leith.
From Majesty to Mystery
Mary as Goddess:Mary Magdalene
From Majesty to Mystery
Mary as Goddess:Mary Magdalene
Monday, 10 March 2008
We all know Ob-la-Di B'la-Da
A study in America has found low levels of varied medications, from over the counter drugs such as ibuprofen, to anti-convulsants and moodstabilisers, in water sources across the country. No testing for pharmaceuticals in the water supply is currently required in the US, and lack of research has meant that little is known about the consequences of long-term exposure to small quantities of these drugs in humans, although research has shown that it can be disastrous to human and other life.
Read the full story here...
Prescription Drugs Found in Drinking Water - CNN
Read the full story here...
Prescription Drugs Found in Drinking Water - CNN
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