Grave Thoughts on Nietzsche

Nietzsche's grave in the churchyard of Rocken, Germany, might have to be moved so that a power company can access a vein of coal running beneath it. Ben MacIntyre of The Times muses that digging up the German philosopher might present an opportunity to save him from his sister ... and the unkind ravages of history. Of Nietzsche's sister Elisabeth, MacIntyre writes that she was "a lifelong anti-Semite who hijacked her brother's writings after his death and used them to serve the cause of Nazism, leaving a stain on his philosophy that has never been fully erased." That stain is very much undeserved, for as MacIntyre explains:

Nietzsche was no Nazi. He vigorously opposed German nationalism, as he rejected all mass movements; he had no time for ideologues, mocked the notion of a Teutonic master race and loathed anti-Semitism in all its forms.

Usually, I am against exhuming remains, particularly when the disturbance serves only to clutch greedily at more mineral rights. But in this case, I stand with MacIntyre and would welcome this action. But only if the philosopher's reburial was performed in accord with his own recorded wishes and, as MacIntyre has suggested, his memory is cleansed as well. Read more: Nietzshe and His Nazi Sister

Very Metal: The Most Complicated Thing Ever Built

Avi Abrams of Dark Roasted Blend has an article about CERN's Large Hadron Collider. The LHC is a 17 mile monstrosity that crosses the border of two countries. Per the article, one superconducting solenoid (CMS) alone contains more iron than the Eiffel Tower (which weighs about 7,300 tons!). The most interesting aspect of this project? How about the suggested possibility of TIME TRAVEL! Granted, it's the particles that traverse time, but it's still a heady concept according to research published by CERN scientists Arefieva and Volovich. The article has several photos, which alone are worth a look. Sheer words do not do justice to the LHC. Abrams has exclusive permission of CERN to use the photos, so I will not post any here. But I strongly urge you to visit Dark Roasted Blend if only to view photos with the article. They help to give a sense of scale to the whole project.

A New Breastplate

The Lorica (or Breastplate) is a prayer written in Irish and Latin that is often attributed to Saint Patrick. There are many variations of it (one can be found here), but I have decided to rewrite it in "honor" of the old saint who is said to have driven out the pagans. Now it has a nice Heathen slant...

A Heathen's Breastplate 

I arise today 

Heir to the strength of Asgard; 

Light of the sun, 

Splendor of fire, 

Swiftness of wind, 

Depth of the sea, 

Stability of earth, 

Firmness of rock. 

I arise today with mine own strength to pilot me; 

Thor's might to uphold me, 

Frigga's wisdom to guide me, 

Odin's hand to guard me, 

Heimdall's watch to shield me, 

Freya's love to bless me. 

Afar and anear, 

Alone or in a multitude. 

The ancestors are with me, 

before me, 

behind me, on my right, on my left. 

As sure as The Earth beneath me, 

The Sky above me, 

The Holy Powers within me. 

I arise today 

Rooted in the mighty traditions of my past. 

And I walk Midgard, 

Sending forth the blessings of this day's deeds to generations yet unborn. 

copyright 2008, BSW

Last Night's Lunar Eclipse

photo credit: Bill Funcheon

I witnessed the lunar eclipse last night. It was amazing. I took a few photos, but I don't think anything compares with the images one of my work colleagues was able to snag. I am sharing one of my favorite views and I'll write more about the experience later.

Urban Sprawl Across the Pond (and to the North)

Throughout much of the United States, folks are familiar with the term urban sprawl. It has even been adapted for regions such as Bucks County, PA, to describe the rampant construction in and around suburban developments: hence the eyesore known as suburban sprawl and the rise of the battle for open space. But I'll bet most of my neighbors and fellow citizens rarely think about sprawl in other nations. Well, the Icelandic Review's feature of the week, Loose Screws and Rusty Nails, shatters any notions of sprawl being just an American phenomenon.

Hillary is PC?

I love the Mac and PC ads. And I think this political cartoon by Bill Mitchell is a great adaptation of that format.

" Inferiority Complex" posted Feb 12, 2008 (CNN.com)

Sailing?

I don't often remember my dreams. 

Let me be more accurate about this: I don't seem to retain my dreams beyond the first 30 minutes of waking. But today is different. I can still see some of last night's images in my mind's eye, still hear something of the voices still echoes. It was about sailing. You probably guessed that after reading this entry's title and the first paragraph. But what might not be clear is what kind of sailing was featured while I engaged in R.E.M. sleep. Actually, it's not really all that clear to me either. But I'll try to get a few notes down before they join my other dream memories in evaporation. 

 It seemed like small boat sailing was in progress. When I say "small boat sailing", I am drawing on some experience from my Scouting days, specifically a week at Camp Mountain Run learning how to sail the one or two man vessels we had at the boating lake. Were the boats in my dream the same as the ones from my past? I would have to say ... yes and no. There were several boats, and many boaters. And a number of the boats resembled the Catman(?) crafts from that distant summer. Other boats appeared to be somewhat larger, but still did not hold more than three or maybe half a dozen passengers. 

Odd? Yes. Now, for the bit I can remember -- or at least remember the most -- I was right next to a two-man craft and I think I had recently made a go of it. And by that I mean the sailing. I'm not sure how it turned out, or even how I got to that current position, which was the shore, but apparently the whole escapade could have gone better. The individual speaking to me gestured to the mass of boats in the distance, pointed out one in particular. I think I was meant to know who was piloting that particular boat, but I cannot recall how that might be or whether a name was mentioned. But the speaker just pointed to that individual and said something like, "Do you see what he [or so-and-so, or whatever] is doing out there?" I nodded, but I really had no clue. "Come on," the speaker insisted, "look!" As I watched the boat attack a small wake, the voice of the speaker trailed on. I don't recall specific words, but the message seemed to be something about intent and direction. He might have even said something like "attack the wake," but I cannot be certain. 

 I awoke from this image around 5:00am (EST). I could not return to the dream, or achieve adequate repose after that. This small snippet from the dream is all I have. And the fact that it has stayed with me this long today indicates that I am meant to do something with it. What that is ... remains to be seen.

Real ID Poses Real Problems for Religious Minorities

If you currently hold a non-photo driver's license or other form of ID, and your objection to the photograph was based on religious conviction, you could be faced with some serious decisions in the next few months -- such as whether your religion is more important than the ability to board an airplane. That's no joke. The deadline for adopting Real ID standards looms large this May 11. And the new rules have uncomfortable ramifications for members of "religious groups including some Amish, Old Order Mennonites, Muslims, members of Native American faiths, and fundamentalist Christians" who "object to identification cards bearing their photographs--or, in some cases, even showing their unshrouded faces in public." And this is only the beginning of privacy and religious freedom issues that plague the National ID debate. Article: Religious minorities face Real ID crackdown

Learning America Smarter: Northern European Geography 101

A friend pointed me to a great post by Xeni Jardin on BoingBoing. It's just too good to not share it here.

Link to larger size, Link to original post on dieselsweeties blog.

Stranger than Fiction

Have you read about the poll that indicates almost a quarter of all Britons believe that Winston Churchill was a fictional character? Did you know that this same poll shows that a majority think Sherlock Holmes was a real detective? UKTV Gold television surveyed 3,000 people and found a disturbing number of people confuse fictional characters with real ones. Go check it out for a few more examples of twisting history with fiction.