... meanwhile, in Austria: SEIDÄ PASS @ Dun Aengus Rattenberg (Visit Tirol / Austria) | #random

update ::: NEW VIDEOS FOR 2107 NOW ONLINE – Facebook

5.12.2016 - SEIDÄ PASS @ Dun Aengus Rattenberg (Visit Tirol / Austria) More "Perchten" Videos: facebook.com/seidaepass 👍

SEIDÄ PASS - Facebook

ABOUT
(German below)
☛ SEIDÄ PASS - Tankcore from Tirol – Austria ☚
As one of dozens traditional "Perchten" groups in our region we're on the roads in Brixlegg, Kramsach, Rattenberg and its surroundings to chase the evil "winter ghosts" within the so called "Perchtenlauf" each year on the 5th and 6th of December since 1999!

The name of this tradition most likely derives from the legend figure "Perchta". Our group consists of 25 people: a "Hex" (=witch), multiple "Läufer" (=runners) and plenty of "Tamperer" (=drummers) who are smashing on old gas canisters of cars.

Tradition, creative rythms, fun and show are important elements of our yearly "Hexentanz" (=dancing witch) events as shown in the video!


GERMAN:
☛ SEIDÄ PASS - Tankcore aus dem Tiroler Unterland ☚
Seit 1999 sind wir als eine von zig Perchtengruppen im Tiroler Unterland (Österreich) am 5. und 6. Dezember auf den Straßen von Brixlegg, Kramsach, Rattenberg und Umgebung unterwegs um im Rahmen eines alten Brauchtums - den sogenannten "Perchtenlauf" - die bösen Wintergeister zu vertreiben.

Der Name leitet sich am ehesten von der Sagengestalt "Perchta" ab. Unsere 25-köpfige Gruppe besteht aus einer "Hexe", mehreren "Läufern" in Fellgewändern und einer Vielzahl von "Tamperern", welche auf alten Autokanistern lautstarke Trommelklänge erzeugen. Tradition, kreative Rythmen, Spaß und ein gewisser Showfaktor werden bei unseren "Hexentänzen" jedes Jahr erneut zum Ausdruck gebracht!

(Facebook) ... meanwhile, in Austria: 5.12.2016 - SEIDÄ PASS @ Dun Aengus Rattenberg (Visit Tirol / Austria)

SEIDÄ PASS - Facebook

crossposted to WHATS MORE ART & STUDIES BLOG

Samhain

Samhain is believed to have Celtic pagan origins and there is evidence it has been an important date since ancient times. Some Neolithic passage tombs in Ireland are aligned with the sunrise around the time of Samhain. It is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and many important events in Irish mythology happen or begin on Samhain. It was the time when cattle were brought back down from the summer pastures and when livestock were slaughtered for the winter. As at Bealtaine, special bonfires were lit. These were deemed to have protective and cleansing powers and there were rituals involving them. Like Bealtaine, Samhain was seen as a liminal time, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld could more easily be crossed. This meant the Aos Sí, the 'spirits' or 'fairies', could more easily come into our world. Most scholars see the Aos Sí as remnants of the pagan gods and nature spirits. At Samhain, it was believed that the Aos Sí needed to be propitiated to ensure that the people and their livestock survived the winter. Offerings of food and drink were left outside for them. The souls of the dead were also thought to revisit their homes seeking hospitality. Feasts were had, at which the souls of dead kin were beckoned to attend and a place set at the table for them. Mumming and guising were part of the festival, and involved people going door-to-door in costume (or in disguise), often reciting verses in exchange for food. The costumes may have been a way of imitating, and disguising oneself from, the Aos Sí. Divination rituals and games were also a big part of the festival and often involved nuts and apples. In the late 19th century, Sir John Rhys and Sir James Frazer suggested that it was the "Celtic New Year", and this view has been repeated by some other scholars.

In the 9th century AD, Western Christianity shifted the date of All Saints' Day to 1 November, while 2 November later became All Souls' Day. Over time, Samhain and All Saints'/All Souls' merged to create the modern Halloween. Historians have used the name 'Samhain' to refer to Gaelic 'Halloween' customs up until the 19th century.

… In parts of southern Ireland during the 19th century, the guisers included a hobby horse known as the Láir Bhán (white mare). A man covered in a white sheet and carrying a decorated horse skull (representing the Láir Bhán) would lead a group of youths, blowing on cow horns, from farm to farm. At each they recited verses, some of which "savoured strongly of paganism", and the farmer was expected to donate food. If the farmer donated food he could expect good fortune from the 'Muck Olla'; not doing so would bring misfortune. This is akin to the Mari Lwyd (grey mare) procession in Wales, which takes place at Midwinter. In Wales the white horse is often seen as an omen of death. In some places, young people cross-dressed In Scotland, young men went house-to-house with masked, veiled, painted or blackened faces, often threatening to do mischief if they were not welcomed. This was common in the 16th century in the Scottish countryside and persisted into the 20th. It is suggested that the blackened faces comes from using the bonfire's ashes for protection Elsewhere in Europe, costumes, mumming and hobby horses were part of other yearly festivals. However, in the Celtic-speaking regions they were "particularly appropriate to a night upon which supernatural beings were said to be abroad and could be imitated or warded off by human wanderers".

Samhain - Wikipedia

photo: A Mari Lwyd, the Welsh equivalent of the Láir Bhán
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain#/media/File:Mari_Lwyd_(wiki).jpg


see also: what next: BBC Archive - #OnThisDay 1948: The villagers of Abbots Bromley | the weird and wonderful world of English folk customs

BBC Archive - #OnThisDay 1948: The villagers of Abbots Bromley | the weird and wonderful world of English folk customs

BBC Archive - #OnThisDay 1948: The villagers of Abbots Bromley...:
1948: "The villagers of Abbots Bromley performed their annual traditional dance. Warning: contains some horny imagery."

Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, Staffordshire, c. 1938 | English Folk dance and song society

SEE ALSO: Let us introduce you to the weird and wonderful world of English folk customs – Museum Crush

Hooden Horse, Beckenham, Kent, 1950 (Photographer: Unknown) | English Folk dance and song society

English Folk Dance and Song Society: The National Organisation for the Development of the Folk ArtsCecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park RoadLondon

i am particularly intrigued by hobby horses... and, ended up starting a playlist:

hobby horse playlist on Youtube

mostly offline following surgery on infected finger

I was in the hospital for a few days for surgery on and treatment of an infected finger - amazingly bad stuff from a simple blister... and I still have all my fingers!

"I should be back in a few days"

Rob 

warning: graphic images below!

>>> about 1/2 of the skin has been removed from my middle right-hand finger due to a serious infection. it started out as a simple blister, but in 2 days i was seeing a doctor; at 3 days i was at the ER with red streaks up onto to my bicep; transferred to hospital in Napa for assessment by hand surgeon; 18 hours of IV antibiotics then surgery (not sure how long since i was totally sedated). 2 more days of IV antibiotics; sent home yesterday; now just laying low…. one-handed typing! (what is the sound of one hand typing? ;) ) … anyway, see the doc tomorrow and am supposed to get hooked up with local wound care clinic. 

i am curious to see how long to grow back skin. fortunately the bottom layer of skin was able to be saved so no grafts needed (so far) - hopefully smooth sailing.

i am home now, laying low

UPDATE
the following pics are at 4 days after surgery, and it looks like some skin is starting to grow!

you can still see some of the ink from when they outlined the red streaks going up my arm

at 6 days after surgery – growing new skin! –––

special thanks to RoseAdjoa for the excellent wound care!

this... is VERY ... strange!

When Pixels Collide

Last weekend, a fascinating act in the history of humanity played out on Reddit... WATCH THIS!

For April Fool's Day, Reddit launched a little experiment. It gave its users, who are all anonymous, a blank canvas called Place.

The rules were simple. Each user could choose one pixel from 16 colors to place anywhere on the canvas. They could place as many pixels of as many colors as they wanted, but they had to wait a few minutes between placing each one.

Over the following 72 hours, what emerged was nothing short of miraculous. A collaborative artwork that shocked even its inventors.

From a single blank canvas, a couple simple rules and no plan, came this!

When Pixels Collide

Sometimes a wild god comes to the table...

Sometimes a wild god comes to the table.
He is awkward and does not know the ways
Of porcelain, of fork and mustard and silver.
His voice makes vinegar from wine.
When the wild god arrives at the door,
You will probably fear him.
He reminds you of something dark
That you might have dreamt,
Or the secret you do not wish to be shared.

He will not ring the doorbell;
Instead he scrapes with his fingers
Leaving blood on the paintwork,
Though primroses grow
In circles round his feet.

You do not want to let him in.
You are very busy.
It is late, or early, and besides…
You cannot look at him straight
Because he makes you want to cry.

The dog barks.
The wild god smiles,
Holds out his hand.
The dog licks his wounds
And leads him inside.

The wild god stands in your kitchen.
Ivy is taking over your sideboard;
Mistletoe has moved into the lampshades
And wrens have begun to sing
An old song in the mouth of your kettle.

‘I haven’t much,’ you say
And give him the worst of your food.
He sits at the table, bleeding.
He coughs up foxes.
There are otters in his eyes.

When your wife calls down,
You close the door and
Tell her it’s fine.
You will not let her see
The strange guest at your table.

The wild god asks for whiskey
And you pour a glass for him,
Then a glass for yourself.
Three snakes are beginning to nest
In your voicebox. You cough.

Oh, limitless space.
Oh, eternal mystery.
Oh, endless cycles of death and birth.
Oh, miracle of life.
Oh, the wondrous dance of it all.

You cough again,
Expectorate the snakes and
Water down the whiskey,
Wondering how you got so old
And where your passion went.

The wild god reaches into a bag
Made of moles and nightingale-skin.
He pulls out a two-reeded pipe,
Raises an eyebrow
And all the birds begin to sing.

The fox leaps into your eyes.
Otters rush from the darkness.
The snakes pour through your body.
Your dog howls and upstairs
Your wife both exults and weeps at once.

The wild god dances with your dog.
You dance with the sparrows.
A white stag pulls up a stool
And bellows hymns to enchantments.
A pelican leaps from chair to chair.

In the distance, warriors pour from their tombs.
Ancient gold grows like grass in the fields.
Everyone dreams the words to long-forgotten songs.
The hills echo and the grey stones ring
With laughter and madness and pain.

In the middle of the dance,
The house takes off from the ground.
Clouds climb through the windows;
Lightning pounds its fists on the table.
The moon leans in through the window.

The wild god points to your side.
You are bleeding heavily.
You have been bleeding for a long time,
Possibly since you were born.
There is a bear in the wound.

‘Why did you leave me to die?’
Asks the wild god and you say:
‘I was busy surviving.
The shops were all closed;
I didn’t know how. I’m sorry.’

Listen to them:

The fox in your neck and
The snakes in your arms and
The wren and the sparrow and the deer…
The great un-nameable beasts
In your liver and your kidneys and your heart…

There is a symphony of howling.
A cacophony of dissent.
The wild god nods his head and
You wake on the floor holding a knife,
A bottle and a handful of black fur.

Your dog is asleep on the table.
Your wife is stirring, far above.
Your cheeks are wet with tears;
Your mouth aches from laughter or shouting.
A black bear is sitting by the fire.

Sometimes a wild god comes to the table.
He is awkward and does not know the ways
Of porcelain, of fork and mustard and silver.
His voice makes vinegar from wine
And brings the dead to life.


Words: Tom Hirons at Coyopa - Tom's book, Sometimes a Wild God, which contains this and many other FINE examples of his wordsmithing is available via this link ---> http://shop.hedgespoken.org/products/sometimes-a-wild-god Please support artists & their work!

Art: Illustration by Janne Pitkanen & concept & photography by Harri Halme (from the album cover The Spirit of Ukko by Finnish band Kiuas)

10,000 Year Clock | The Long Now Foundation - Fostering Long-Term Thinking

Clock One: Winder & Main Differential from The Long Now Foundation

The Long Now Foundation was established in 01996 to foster long-term thinking and responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years

Designed by Danny Hillis, the Clock is designed to run for ten millennia with minimal maintenance and interruption. The Clock is powered by mechanical energy harvested from sunlight as well as the people that visit it. The primary materials used in the Clock are marine grade 316 stainless steel, titanium and dry running ceramic ball bearings. The entire mechanism will be installed in an underground facility in west Texas.

The Long Now Foundation - Fostering Long-Term Thinking

#Earth :: Surface Winds, Ocean Currents & Waves, Temperatures via earth.nullschool.net

via https://earth.nullschool.net (12 jan 2017)


Pacific Winds...
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-132.71,2.75,349

Atlantic Winds...
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-23.37,0.34,349

Pacific Currents...
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/ocean/surface/currents/orthographic=-132.71,2.75,349

Atlantic Currents...
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/ocean/surface/currents/orthographic=-23.37,0.34,349

Pacific Ocean Waves...
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/ocean/primary/waves/overlay=significant_wave_height/orthographic=-132.71,2.75,349

Atlantic Ocean Waves...
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/ocean/primary/waves/overlay=significant_wave_height/orthographic=-23.37,0.34,349

Pacific Temperatures...
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/overlay=temp/orthographic

Atlantic Temperatures...
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/overlay=temp/orthographic=-23.37,0.34,349


(on Facebook) #Earth :: Surface Winds, Ocean Currents & Waves, Temperatures via https://earth.nullschool.net/ (12 jan 2017)

watch this youtube playlist – in mostly #RANDOM order: #eco #video #watchingnow #environment #humanrights #nature #music #various

watch this - YouTube

one of my youtube playlists – "watch this" (227 videos and counting)

there's another one called "watch this too" (another 217) –

;
watch this too - YouTube

Imagine Being Stuck In Traffic For 5 Days! True... | Times of India

If insanity had a limit, it doesn't anymore. This is simply unbelievable. 

Imagine Being Stuck In Traffic For 5 Days! True...
via Times of India

GalicianTunes: Artist - Furious Monkey House

GalicianTunes: Artist - Furious Monkey House
– Furious Monkey House was born in March 2014 in Pontevedra as a result of the union of 5 students of 5th and 4th grade that guided by a Monkey and under the influence of bands of the 90's as Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Cardigans or Foo Fighters, decide to complete their training in September 2014 and take a stronger project. After a few months working on a pre-production model, they embark on the adventure of recording their first album: 'Run' at Abbey Road Studios in London between February and March 2015. 'Run' contains 11 new songs published by Esmerarte . Furious Monkey House are Carlota on drums, Amaya keys and synths, Manu and Irene on guitar, Marina on voice, and a furious Mono on bass.

Medicinal Plants - old US map

"Medicinal Plant Map of the United States of America." Edwin Newcomb and the National Wholesale Druggists' Association, 1932.

This map of medicinal plants depicts one or two important species that grew in each state in 1932, identifying the plant as native or cultivated and describing its medical uses. A few species of seaweeds float in the map's Atlantic Ocean, and the border identifies important medicinal plants from around the world... 


History of medicinal plants: Map of the plants in the United States from 1932.

Leonard Nimoy's last tweet (@TheRealNimoy) | Twitter

Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) | Twitter:

A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP

— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 23, 2015

Leonard Simon Nimoy

March 26, 1931  February 27, 2015

RIP

photos via wikipedia

Why the calls of the wild may be more complex than zoologists first thought | Science | The Guardian

Why the calls of the wild may be more complex than zoologists first thought | Science | The Guardian

Benny Zable - activist performance artist [FOTOS]

photo by Wanagi Zable-Andrews, who posts: "I'm honoured to have been accepted into the semi finals of the #moranprize with this photo of #bennyzable at the #bentleyblockade"

from Australia to New York City...

  

...and cheers to Kezia Geddes, who came up with the idea and got this exhibition Protest Songs: Artful Actions together. — at Lismore Regional Gallery.

photos are from Benny's facebook

facebook.com/benny.zable

• photos by/via Indigo Bay Photography, Wanagi Zable-Andrews, Megan Jack, Harsha Prabhu, D'un Renard, Sandra Nilsen, Scott Vidler, Hisashi Isogai, Kate Ausburn, Carly Woodstock, Tedi Davis, Greg Wilson, Andrea Kalkstein Lieberman, Diane Beeny

• with OWLS, Ena Okino, Pete Seeger 

• at Nimbin Enviro Center, People's Climate March (NYC), first anniversary of the Fukushima disaster via The Greens NSW, Lizard's Revenge, shut indian point (NRC?), #floodwallstreet, Woodstock Museum, #BentleyBlockade, Lismore Regional Gallery