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News Briefs 26-07-2010

By Katon

Remind me… why did we all move to the city? Oh yeah… to get jobs so we could buy iPhones that don’t work, spend all our free time staring at and poking little screens and monitors, and paying more for that dubious privilege than we pay for our monthly utility bills. But, hey, at least we’re no longer bugged by all those conniving nature spirits.

The stupid — it burns!

Quote of the Day:

The two most common things in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.

Attributed to science-fiction writer Harlan Ellison.

Kat
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7 Comments

  1. Nature spirits
    Hi Kat

    Your comment about why we move to the cities and are no longer bugged by nature spirits hits home quite a lot and I wonder at our madness.

    Having recently moved to Somerset; I am currently reading “Somerset Faeries and Pixies – Exploring Their Hidden World: Real Life Encounters with Somerset Faeries” by Jon Dathen. This is a fascinating book, written by a folklorist who has spoken to real people regarding their encounters with the Fey. The whole thing is very believable and all of the accounts are fascinating. We currently live on the edge of town and I for one would love more opportunity to move deeper into the wilds and attempt to build up a rapport with these beings.

    Maybe telecommuting technology will one day make this possible. I live in hope

    Best Wishes

    Paolo

    1. Nature spirits
      I haven’t read that one — sounds like an interesting book.

      Very early this morning, I tried to leave a comment defending the reality of nature spirits under this Wild Britain article, but it had been so long since I signed in at the Independent, they’d discarded my info – and so had Yahoo. So I didn’t get to post it.

      I don’t know about telecommuting, but just as soon as it’s invented, I sure wouldn’t mind teleporting to my favorite woods. It’s been a long time since I last communed with those trees and all the life around them. But I can’t afford a round-trip flight, and it would take about 30 hours to get there by car — if I were to drive like the proverbial bat-out-of-hell. 😉

      Nah, nowhere near here would do it for me. Those woods back home are special!

      1. being there
        [quote]
        I don’t know about telecommuting, but just as soon as it’s invented, I sure wouldn’t mind teleporting to my favorite woods. It’s been a long time since I last communed with those trees and all the life around them. But I can’t afford a round-trip flight, and it would take about 30 hours to get there by car — if I were to drive like the proverbial bat-out-of-hell. 😉
        [/quote]
        I think visiting the nice places doesn’t work in the way that living there does. I was complaining to someone the other day that I miss my life on the beach, and he recommended that I go on vacation once a year.

        It’s not the immediate effect of being there. It’s the continued presence of the woods or the ocean.

        1. Thanks for stirring my soul, Kat
          Thanks Kat for stirring my soul. It’s been drugged by my city life, knocked out by the concrete and steel. Rarely do I walk on grass and earth, or pass beneath trees and listen to the wind in the leaves and smell the hint of rain in the air. It’s all mechanical noise and toxic smells and an artificial world of deadlines and dollar signs.

          I ache for nature, and like Earthling, getting out of the big smoke for a week once a year isn’t enough. Unfortunately, I need to work to live, and until I figure out a way to make a living in the country, my ears will be ringing with tinnitus from traffic noise for a while yet.

  2. Tres and swamps
    I too miss the woods around my childhood home, it was surrounded by swamps, trees, streams, and trails. What is funny about it now is that taking a walk a hike or bike through down a trail where I live now is much more of an occasion than a playful weekend. Almost like setting aside an entire day just to take a trip to my local woodsy area. Although I would never claim to be “intouch” with nature, but rather aware of it’s nature 😀 I read a post earlier about someone talking about Fairies, I need to look into this more, sounds interesting.

  3. What a party it was!
    Re: Evidence of spectacular Stone Age party found in Wiltshire.

    There’s something perhaps both a bit instinctive and inherited to this because… I have no problem seeing a hundred hairy horsemen riding up to the ancient throwdown, guided in by a massive bonfire and the succulent aroma of roasting pig.

    Off to one side, a pen holds the guests of honor that will be culled and slaughtered as needed to keep the food coming.

    To the other side, a massive pile of firewood that is piece-by-piece applied to the center… to then later fall and feed the blaze’s ember peripheries where the meat is cooking.

    At various locations, ale is poured to the thirsty celebrants as is wine and other spirits.

    Children run about, some mixing it up with small wooden swords as their fathers look on proudly encouraging the play and mothers warn of splinters and bruises.

    Surrounding the site, off in the distance, riders race their prize horses and bets are wagered on the winner.

    Towards evening, storm clouds appear on the horizon and the crowd slowly makes their way to the thousand tents that dot the hills around the gathering. Those that have already had too much wine and song will soon get an unexpected wake-up when the rains come to give them a needed bath.

    I really miss all that…

  4. Why we were moved into cities
    In The Cryptoterrestrials, Mac speculates that the ancient Oannes myth is suggestive that our civilization was kick-started by direct external intervention.

    Now, to reconcile this gift from our ‘benefactors’ with Fort’s assertion that we are someone else’s property, Mac imagines that influencing humans to embrace urban life —hence having population density in smaller areas— allows our proprietors to have an easier surveillance on us :-/

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