HANGER 19

HANGER 19



This guy (Bert) has a pretty cool job flying around Canada.

In his spare time he drives Jeeps, goes salmon fishing and does the appropriate amount of Bush bashing!

Just the facts ma'am.

Good article from Laura Knight Jadczyk as Cassiopaea. org here:

http://signs-of-the-times.org/signs/signs20041031.htm

It includes the following

"The great Sufi Shaykh Ibn al-'Arabi explains that "imperfection" exists in Creation because "were there no imperfection, the perfection of existence would be imperfect." From the point of view of Sheer Being, there is nothing but good.

But Infinite Potential to BE includes - by definition of the word "infinite" - the potential to Not Be. And so, Infinite Potential - The ALL - "splits" into Thought Centers of Creation/BEing and Thought Centers of Entropy/Non-being. It can be said that Infinite Potential is fundamentally Binary - on or off - to be or not to be. That is the first "division."

Since absolute non-being is an impossible paradox in terms of the source of Infinite Potential to BE, the half of the consciousness of Infinite Potential that constitute the IDEAS of non-being - for every idea of manifestation, there is a corresponding idea for that item of creation to NOT manifest - "falls asleep" for lack of a better term. Its "self observation" is predicated upon consciousness that can only "mimic" death. Consciousness that mimics death then "falls" and becomes Primal Matter. [...]

It has been represented for millennia in the yin-yang symbol, which, even on the black half that represents "sleeping consciousness that is matter," you can see the small white dot of "being" that represents to us that absolute non-existence is not possible. There is only "relative" non-existence. [...]"

When I designed the logo on this site, I thought infinity within a circle would present a little bit of a paradox. You see if everything is within a circle then nothing should remain outside of the circle.



But this is not the case, our mind tells us that actually everything else is outside of the circle; and infinity in itself is unable to be grasped by our feeble human minds. So we have a quandry a symbol representing everything, encapsulated within a circle.... which actually has "everything else" outside of it.

Due to some sort of quirk as I was designing this, the circle has a gap in it..... so actually there is a way for the infinity symbol to be both inside and outside. Much like our minds. There is a way out.

You see, we seem to be trapped in a state of semi-consciousness letting our sub-conscious in part take control of our day to day activities. Try to be 100% fully conscious and you will find your mind drifting off; the exercise of being conscious will have been lost in the stream of sub-conscious.

Trying to back track the stream of thought and you will realise how you got there.

We are in a sense in a state of somnambulistic "non-being" most of the time, as we sleep walk through life following the whims and desires of our subconscious.

We THINK we are awake and can SEE everything as it largely is, but this is not the case. We're only seeing part of a very small picture. And this picture can be clouded by our perception and processing of data.

Every policeman will tell you that after the scene of an accident there will be varying versions of the event. Every observor will see something different although parts of the story will match up. It is the policeman's job to collate the objective facts of witnesses so that there will be a future record of as close as objectively possible, what actually happened.

As the copper in Dragnet said "Just the facts ma'am."

So what our minds picture as "everthing" in our own little world, it really only see a part of the picture. It sees what it wants to see, and sees everything (it thinks) possible there is to see. It experiences consciousness as best as it able to this is sometimes subjectively clouded by past conditioning, predjudices, pride, ego, feelings and the like. It then DOES applying creativity as best it can to the world it exists in.

Nevertheless, we do what we can, stumbling along leeting chance take us on our journey. Most people are not aware that they are able to break out of the circle and in fact that a gap actually exists. They are unaware that their concept of "everything" is infinitesimally small.

Much like the infinity in the circle.

Paypal in Australian Dollars.... Woohoo

Paypal has gone to Australian dollars which is a good thing. No more screwing around listing e-bay items on US ebay, attaching the paypal details later on, then losing a fair chunk of the profit in international currency fees.

Anyway they've given me a "Premier" account with a rating of (1), that equate to only 1 transaction! All my past paypal transactions apparently don't count :-)

Their start up fees at the launch of Payapal.au are good to start with at the "honeymoon" rate. Of course time will see them slowly creep up.

Nevertheless they have a good service for transferring money overseas, although I do have friends whose Paypal account was suspended for "objectionable" material to do with the current Iraqi mess. This cost them dearly and they had to go with another service.

Zebra

zebra 

Song by The John Butler Trio from Western Australia.

I could be loud man, I could be silent
I could be young man or I could be old
I could be a gentleman, or I could be violent
I could turn hot man or I could be cold
I could be just like the calm before the storm boy waitin' for all hell yeah to break loose
I could be innocent or I could be guilty
Doesn't mean that I won't believe in the news
So I'm singing ...

I could be rich like a wondering gypsy
I could be poor like a fat wallet lost
I could be the first man or I could come last
It's not who breaks the ribbon boy it's how you get across
I could be red, blue, black or white sunset
As dark as a day boy or bright as a night
I could be the sun boy or I could be the moon
I made it from the stars boy I'm shining so bright
So I'm singing...

I could be asleep boy, or I could be awake
I could be alive and a be the walking dead
I could be ignorant or I could be informed
I could lead my life man or I could be lead
I could be anything I put my mind to boy all I gotta do is give myself a half a chance
I could bring love back into my life
And share it with the world if I had some balance

I am Not a Number

I am Not a Number

Interesting blog I chanced upon using the *NEXT BLOG* button.

Australians let us all rejoice, for we are young and free!

The title of this blog entry is the first two lines of the Australian national anthem. The following are some photos which don't make it to the Australian tourist brochures.


Port Hedland Detention Centre riot control prepare for a good beating. 

Woomera Detention Centre water cannon in action against some refugees. Note the plume of diesel fumes, they're really cranking up the pressure on the water pump.  

Some refugee seeker's children behind bar at Port Hedland. Some have been there as long as 3 years. 

Redfern riots, Redfern has a large indigineous population in Sydney. A young aboriginal kid was killed when riding his bike, at the time he was thought to be running from police. Kid was impaled on a fence and the pressure cooker that is Redfern soon erupted. 

Another shot from Redfern. I believe this is one taken in the infamous "Block" which is a crumbling housing area soon to be bulldozed. 

For the Irishman..... may he eat CAKE!

Sunny Australia.....Bah Humbug 

Rain, more rain and dumb laws.

Rain, Rain, more rain 

There's more rain today in Sunny Australia!

There's also ongoing thunder rolling overhead, which woke me up at 9am this morning.

According to the powers that be we are on water restrictions due to rainfall shortages in the state. However, where I live is fairly mountainous and has had something like 20 inches of rain over the past 12 months. An ABOVE average year. BUT...... because I'm in the "Sydney footprint" apparently we're all in the same boat.

Now due to above mentioned water restrictions...... I'm not able to wash my car using a hose. But I CAN use a bucket and sponge. It's a $200 fine if I use just the hose. And get this.....I can use a hose to fill up the bucket!!!!

I worked it out, I'd use more water using the bucket and sponge and it takes longer.
It's kind of silly, I have a hose with a stop/start valve at the nozzle so I fill up the bucket with the hose. And then wash and rinse the car with said bucket. And rinsing with a bucket is sooooooo ineffective.

I think the idea is to stop people from using a bucket to the sheer hassle of it. There are roving Sydney Water "Inspectors" fining those "wasting water", slapping $200 fines left right and centre.

Anyway, I'm was reading another Manly Palmer Hall book which describes different sorts of ineffective laws . He says:

"The Greek law giver, Solon, declared that in the ideal State, laws are few and simple, because they have been derived from certainties. In the corrupt state, laws are many and confused, because they have been derived from uncertainties. These corrupt laws are like the web of a spider which catches small insects but permits the stronger creatures to break through and escape."

"Where there are many laws there is much lawlessness, and men come to despise and ridicule the restraints that are imposed upon freedom of action. Corrupt laws, resulting from the efforts to amend inadequate legislation by further inadequate legislation, reveal a general ignorance of right and wrong. Where such ignorance exists, the ideal function of democracy is impossible, and liberty denigrates into license."

Seems to descibe my car-washing with a bucket situation perfectly!

A view from the balconey

Views from the Balconey 

I just had a smallish storm come through a moment ago that you sometimes get in Sydney. It was mainly all noise and bluster, a few spots of rain & not much else. Much like one of those big dogs that wimp out when you bark at them back!

It was a strange day in Sydney, there were thre storms converging into one. One from the south, another from the nor-west and another westerly. I'm not sure if they did finally meet although I heard the southerly brought hail the size of golf balls.

The above photo is the view I get from my sliding glass door when it's opened, which I took a few moments ago, post storm. A couple of big Eucalypts in the background. The crickets and frogs are coming out as it is night time. Their sounds are taking place of the birds who are going to bed and are no doubt relieved that the storm petered out. The mosquitos are also in force, so better close the insect screen!

Beatles or Elvis?

In his movie Pulp Fiction Mia says, "You are either a Beatles or Elvis fan, you can't like each one equally." Or words to that effect.

I'm in the Beatles camp. Although I find in this group there are those who like the earlier material better and those who like the later stuff. I'm more into the later material from Rubber Soul & Revolver on. They really began experimenting in the studio and on their minds.

One of the reasons I like the Beatles is that they tended to write most iof their material and their melodies are always great. Fantastic musicians too, rarely relying on session musicians, although on occasions they did get the likes of Eric Claption to do some work.

Anyway I've been combing second hand recored stores for Beatles CD's for some time and pretty well have the stuff from later on. Have re-formatted to my computer so I can now play them juke box style.

My "Beatles 5 star" autopicker has about 20 songs in it.... and my favourite is either "A Day in the Life", "Dear Prudence" or the trippy "Tomorrow never Knows" complete with backwards guitars.

There's a great review of all the Beatles albums at

http://www.warr.org/beatles.html

Like me they like the later stuff better!

A couple of visitors

Here are a couple of Rainbow Lorikeets which visit me from time to time. One time I counted 12 of them. They enjoy feeding on Sunflower seeds I leave out now and then.

I live in the middle of a National Park and the wildlife here is magnificent, possums, lots of parrots I've heard a kangaroo or two bouncing around in the undergrowth and have heard some lyre-birds in early spring.

Of course living in the National Park also means lots of insects and spiders, big ones too!. Here's a photo of a giant Bogong Moth that decided to stop by near my door one day.

My Great Grandfathers Tobacco cutter

This is my Great Grandfathers Tobacco cutter. circa 1930

It was in a sad and sorry state sitting in my bookshelf, so I decided to take it to work and clean it up during a lunch break. It's solid cast iron and had some flaking black enamel which I buffed off using a rotary wire brush in the workshop.

Four woodscrews held the frame to the timber base, I buffed these discovering they were hand made with the turning marks from the lathe still present on the heads. I also had to remove the cutting blade, buffed this..... as well as two more handmade metal screws holding it in.

I then oiled it to stop corrosion and used some lanolin grease to treat the timber base. I'm thinking about powdercoating it again in black, but I think it looks wonderful the way it is!

It really isn't that good as a tobacco cutter as the blade has worn away over time, the adjustable grooves need milling out about 1mm so the blade can make contact with the base.

If you look at the design it is really one of those old "scraping" planes with one handle removed and rivetted to a cutting frame.

I can imagine Great Grandpa getting reams of tobacco and chopping them up before stuffing them in his pipe. I also have his pipe stand complete with a Scottish Grenadier Guard

Secret Teachings Of All Ages- Manly Palmer Hall

I've collected some information about this book over time. In particular the first five printings in 1928.

There were five printings in 1928 of this Manly Hall Palmers Secret Teachings of all Ages (also known as: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosiccucian Symbolical Philosophy) .

The book is HUGE (about 12.5" x 19") with 49 full colour plates, hand painted (blue) roman page numbers and orange rubrics (large initial leters), watermarked paper that reads "Alexandra Japan Made in U.S.A." and a lovely elephant hide like paper cover and slipcase. Some were signed by Manly Palmer Hall.

I recall reading that the initial editions cost around $100.... to put this in perspective a base model Model T Ford in 1927 cost $360!

Here's a snippet from the introduction written by Hall.

The pre-publication sale of this book has been without known precedent in book history. The subscription list for the first edition of 550 copies was entirely closed a year before the manuscript was placed in the printer's hands. The second, or King Solomon, edition, consisting of 550 copies, and the third, or Theosophical, edition, consisting of 200 copies, were sold before the finished volume was received from the printer. For so ambitious a production, this constitutes a unique achievement. The credit for this extraordinary sales program belongs to Mrs. Maud F. Galigher, who had as her ideal not to sell the book in the commercial sense of the word but to place it in the hands of those particularly interested in the subject matter it contains. Valuable assistance in this respect was also rendered by numerous friends who had attended my lectures and who without compensation undertook and successfully accomplished the distribution of the book.

Two later editions "The Rosicrucian Edition" (100 copies) and the " Fifth Edition" (800 copies) were published in 1928.

This gives us a total of

First (Subscriber's) Edition 550
King Solomon Edition 550
Theosophical Rdition 200
Rosicrucian Edition 100
Fifth Edition 800
Total 2200 Copies

The next printing (Sixth edition) was in 1936 with black and white plates instead of the marvellous coloured illustrations by J. Augustus Knapp. Nevertheless it was still an impressive volume.

An on-line version of this book is available here

The Ethical Checklist

This is a useful list that I sometimes use to help others with personal problems. It is courtesy of the St James Ethics centre in Sydney Australia. There's a good article by the General Manager Simon Longstaff here.

Ethical Issues and Decision-Making

1. Would I be happy for this to be on the public record? ...

2. What would happen if everybody did this? ...

3. How would I like it if someone did this to me? ...

4. Will the proposed course of action bring about a good result? ...

5. What will the proposed course of action do to my character or my organisation's character? ...

6. Is the proposed course of action consistent with my espoused values and principles? ...

The former prison guards at Abu Ghraib prison could have well done with the above checklist. I note one former brother in arms giving testimony at Spc. Charles Graner's trial described the following.....

He [The witness] also quoted Graner, a one-time civilian prison guard, as saying: "The Christian in me says it's wrong, but the corrections officer in me says I love to make a grown man piss himself."

Even Christians can fall way short on ethics from time to time.

The Open Mind

The Open Mind

I have no idea the advantages over this form of publishing over other. But I'll give it a try!!! :-)

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