ALERT: Possible spoilers ahead! If you have not read The Da Vinci Code please go out and read it! If anyone would like to borrow a copy, let me know I have one that I am more than happy to loan out.
Warning: My belief system is very odd. Anything I express herein is not necessarily the way I believe, it may be thrown out there simply for conversation....and it could change tomorrow ;)
So, as I'm sure a few of you are aware of, I spent time in Europe this last month. I enjoyed myself and it was a wonderful trip, but I really would not want to live there. While I was on vacation I read two of my favorite novels, The Da Vinci Code, and Angels and Demons . Both of these take place in various parts of Europe and include a few of the cities I visited.
My main intrigue with these novels is my questioning of the Catholic church. When I was in middle school I was reprimanded for refusing to agree with a teacher about Dinosaurs being a conspiracy theory put in the ground by scientists.
I won't go to deeply into the plot, but toward the end it is revealed that Jesus was in fact (this is a novel btw, fiction) married to Mary Magdelane. Not only were they married, but Jesus intended Mary to be the head of the church. Some of the disciples, not fond of this idea, intend to not let this fall to her. Instead it falls to Peter (or he took it, depends on your imagination) and thus Peter became "The Rock" from which the Catholic church is/was built. ie St. Peters Basillica, Vatican City as history dictates he was crucified upside down in rome.
As stated in the book, Constantine held the Council of Nicaea and (I can't find specifics for this part) decided which holidays to celebrate and when to celebrate them. This converted Roman empire to it's first official religion. Within the book (remember, fiction) it is explained that in order for Christian holidays to be celebrated on the same day as Pagan ones it was decided that Jesus would have to be divine. Apparently, up until this point he was regarded simply as a mortal, and a prophet. Someone to build a church after, but not the son of God. Married to Mary Magdelane, AND had a child with her. The author continues by saying that Rome, the center of Catholicism/Christianity, went on a smear campaign and turned Mary Magdalene into a whore. In the process they decided to smear women in general, hence women not being allowed to be priests.....or much of anything important....until recently. They were considered only to be important as far as being a good wife, having children, keeping the house running, etc.
Response to title: I don't see any reason to doubt the complete literalness of this title.
Response to curbside poster: This doesn't even look like somebody tried.
Response post-credits:
The Saviour: There need to be more comedies about door-to-door evangelists. Bringing new meaning to the idiom "God works in mysterious ways", this short shows a deft touch with cynicism and comedic timing.
Helmer and Son: A witty commentary on the father-son dynamic involving a closet as its prime conceit.
Eramos Pocos: Nobody wants to feel abandoned. Despite the seriousness of the subject the short is highly comical.
Binta and the Great Idea: This is absolutely my favorite short of the bunch. How much do tribal cultures have to learn from modernized societies, and how much do modernized societies have to learn from tribal cultures?
All-in-all I found these shorts to be very enjoyable. While not mind blowing in its totality, there are definite moments of consciousness expansion (Binta and the Great Idea). With three of the five having English subtitles I would caution subtitle adverse folk from seeing this compilation.
Submitted by White Rabbit on Tue, 04/24/2007 - 7:25pm.
"Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one’s thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. It is the right which they first of all strike down. They know its power. Thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, founded in injustice and wrong, are sure to tremble, if men are allowed to reason…
There can be no right of speech where any man…[is] compelled to suppress his honest sentiments.
Equally clear is the right to hear. To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker."
- Frederick DOUGLASS,
"plea for free speech in Boston" 1860
"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want rain without thunder and lightning."
- Frederick DOUGLASS
"Freedom to speak... can be maintained only by promoting debate."
- Walter LIPPMANN
"Freedom of expression must be considered sacred and thought can only be corrected by counter thought."
- Naguib MAHFOUZ
"Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties."
- John MILTON
"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."
- George ORWELL
"Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself."
- Salman RUSHDIE
"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist."
- Salman RUSHDIE
"In America - as elsewhere - free speech is confined to the dead."
- Mark TWAIN
Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too. - Voltaire
The dirtiest book of all is the expurgated book. - Walt Whitman
If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.
WASHINGTON (AP) - For the first time astronomers have discovered a planet outside our solar system that is potentially habitable, with Earth-like temperatures, a find researchers described Tuesday as a big step in the search for "life in the universe."
Equitable Steps towards a Community Wireless Network:
Develop interest group and a division of labor amongst volunteers between project Economics & Logistics, the goal being to provide a local community-owned wireless network.
Identified Tasks:
Detail locations amongst volunteers and evaluate public & private sites for coverage potential; work with local groups to plan coverage & interoperability
Sum Equipment costs for backbone technology & customer premise equipment.
Acquire & Install Equipment at various locations (may include assembly).
Test network.
Start Internet Pricing working group to “cost-out” Internet access.
Submitted by agathafrye on Tue, 04/24/2007 - 4:04pm.
Apr 26 2007 - 7:00pm
Apr 26 2007 - 8:30pm
If you are a worker in the state of Washington you have workplace rights. Come learn about it! En esta presentación hablaremos sobre derechos laborales en el estado de Washington. Si usted es un trabajador en el estado de Washington, usted tiene derechos laborales. ¡Venga y entérese! This is a bilingual presentation. Esta presentación será bilingüe.
OlyBlog is devoted to citizen journalism, including hyperlocal news and discussion specifically about Olympia, Washington. If you care about this community and are tired of corporate media, then this is the place for you.
If you'd like to contribute, please register for an account. Here is a list of local news beats that need to be covered. You can post your news as a personal blog entry, and it will be reviewed (and possibly edited) for promotion to the front page. Once you've established a record of responsible blogging, you can become an autonomous user. You can also send news via email. All members of OlyBlog agree to abide by our comment and fair use policies. If you are frustrated about something said in a comment thread, go here.
