On the Verge of 2007: Brief Update

I'm almost 24. Go me.

My grandmother and sister have both been in the hospital in the last three weeks. Both of them are now fine.

I got some Scarpa hiking boots for x-mas/Yule and enough money to invest in a pack. I'm rollin'.

I just moved into a new apartment with three girls and will be living there until the end of May.

My new research project is the history of female attorneys in Alabama, particularly between 1907-1950, mostly because they're almost certainly dead by now and I can access their files from the ABA. As far as my thesis goes, I've got it mostly outlined and am working on the background reading. I'll be going down to the archives in Montgomery in a few Saturdays.

I'm going to Atlanta this weekend for New Years and my birthday. Dave & I will be chillin' at the Masquerade and other fine Atlantan establishments which serve adult beverages.

Wow. This year... there hasn't been any year quite like it, lemme tell ya. There's no quick way to sum up what happened, but what happened needed to happen, and I'm the better for it.

Laguz. It is what it is.

On the Verge of 2007: Brief Update

I'm almost 24. Go me.

My grandmother and sister have both been in the hospital in the last three weeks. Both of them are now fine.

I got some Scarpa hiking boots for x-mas/Yule and enough money to invest in a pack. I'm rollin'.

I just moved into a new apartment with three girls and will be living there until the end of May.

My new research project is the history of female attorneys in Alabama, particularly between 1907-1950, mostly because they're almost certainly dead by now and I can access their files from the ABA. As far as my thesis goes, I've got it mostly outlined and am working on the background reading. I'll be going down to the archives in Montgomery in a few Saturdays.

I'm going to Atlanta this weekend for New Years and my birthday. Dave & I will be chillin' at the Masquerade and other fine Atlantan establishments which serve adult beverages.

Wow. This year... there hasn't been any year quite like it, lemme tell ya. There's no quick way to sum up what happened, but what happened needed to happen, and I'm the better for it.

Laguz. It is what it is.

Disclaimer: I'm about to nerd out a lot

Ok, so there's this thing called Worldcat (worldcat.org) that is a great search for anything and everything housed by academic libraries/archives all over the nation. Archival material, books, articles, thesis/dissertations, etc.

Well I did a quick search for "Alabama women suffrage" just to see if there was anything new or something I had missed...

Well guess what was the 2nd hit on the first page (out of 6 pages)!!!!

My thesis!!! I've been indexed! I have an OCLC #!!! They've sorted my material into Library of Congress subject listings! Yea!!!!!!

Woman suffrage and the 1901 Alabama constitutional convention
by Jamie Elizabeth Smith
Type: English : Book : Thesis/dissertation/manuscript Archival Material
Publisher: 2005.
OCLC: 74269257
Subjects: Alabama. -- Constitutional Convention Women -- Suffrage -- Alabama.

Ok, I'm done. But I rock. *glowing happiness* I'm going to go glow on my coworkers now.

Crap (a poopy story, for you Craig)

From Wiki: Etymology: The word "crap" is old in the English language, one of a group of nouns applied to discarded cast offs, like "residue from renderings" (1490s) or in Shropshire, "dregs of beer or ale", meanings probably extended from Middle English crappe "chaff, or grain that has been trodden underfoot in a barn" (c. 1440), deriving ultimately from Late Latin crappa, "chaff".

The word fell out of use in Britain by the 1600s, but remained prevalent in the North American colonies which would eventually become the United States. The meaning "to defecate" was recorded in the U.S. since 1846 (according to Oxford and Merriam-Webster), but the word did not hold this meaning at all in Victorian England.

The connection to Thomas Crapper is conjectured by Hart-Davis to be an unfortunate coincidence of his surname. The occupational name Crapper is a variant spelling of Cropper. In the US, the word crapper is a dysphemism for "toilet". The term first appeared in print in the 1930s. It has been suggested that US soldiers stationed in England during World War I (some of whom had little experience with indoor plumbing) saw many toilets printed with "T. Crapper" in the glaze and brought the word home as a synonym for "toilet" — a sort of back-formation from "crap." This suggestion, however, overlooks the fact that "crapper" was a well-established word long before that time.

Yet another purported explanation is that Thomas Crapper's flush toilet advertising was so widespread, and the business name "T. Crapper & Sons, Chelsea," was seen on so many toilets, that "crapper" became a synonym for "toilet" and people simply assumed that he was the inventor.

Many people use the word "dung" rather than crap these days. They use it to hide the slang word and subsitute it for another word. Dung is a more understanding subsitute word for crap because the definition of dung is manure or animal droppings.

Derivative words: crapola, crappy, craptacular, craptastic, craptabulous.

From Online Etymology Dictionary: "defecate" 1846 (v.), 1898 (n.), from one of a cluster of words generally applied to things cast off or discarded (e.g. "weeds growing among corn" (1425), "residue from renderings" (1490s), 18c. underworld slang for "money," and in Shropshire, "dregs of beer or ale"), all probably from M.E. crappe "grain that was trodden underfoot in a barn, chaff" (c.1440), from M.Fr. crape "siftings," from O.Fr. crappe, from M.L. crappa, crapinum "chaff." Sense of "rubbish, nonsense" also first recorded 1898. Despite folk etymology insistence, not from Thomas Crapper (1837-1910) who did, however, in 1882 invent the ball and suction device [British Patent # 4,990] found in modern toilets. The name Crapper is a northern form of Cropper (attested from 1221), an occupational surname, obviously, but the exact reference is unclear.

Bottom (teehee) line: Crap and crapper have two different origins, but have become related words over time.

Crap (a poopy story, for you Craig)

From Wiki: Etymology: The word "crap" is old in the English language, one of a group of nouns applied to discarded cast offs, like "residue from renderings" (1490s) or in Shropshire, "dregs of beer or ale", meanings probably extended from Middle English crappe "chaff, or grain that has been trodden underfoot in a barn" (c. 1440), deriving ultimately from Late Latin crappa, "chaff".

The word fell out of use in Britain by the 1600s, but remained prevalent in the North American colonies which would eventually become the United States. The meaning "to defecate" was recorded in the U.S. since 1846 (according to Oxford and Merriam-Webster), but the word did not hold this meaning at all in Victorian England.

The connection to Thomas Crapper is conjectured by Hart-Davis to be an unfortunate coincidence of his surname. The occupational name Crapper is a variant spelling of Cropper. In the US, the word crapper is a dysphemism for "toilet". The term first appeared in print in the 1930s. It has been suggested that US soldiers stationed in England during World War I (some of whom had little experience with indoor plumbing) saw many toilets printed with "T. Crapper" in the glaze and brought the word home as a synonym for "toilet" — a sort of back-formation from "crap." This suggestion, however, overlooks the fact that "crapper" was a well-established word long before that time.

Yet another purported explanation is that Thomas Crapper's flush toilet advertising was so widespread, and the business name "T. Crapper & Sons, Chelsea," was seen on so many toilets, that "crapper" became a synonym for "toilet" and people simply assumed that he was the inventor.

Many people use the word "dung" rather than crap these days. They use it to hide the slang word and subsitute it for another word. Dung is a more understanding subsitute word for crap because the definition of dung is manure or animal droppings.

Derivative words: crapola, crappy, craptacular, craptastic, craptabulous.

From Online Etymology Dictionary: "defecate" 1846 (v.), 1898 (n.), from one of a cluster of words generally applied to things cast off or discarded (e.g. "weeds growing among corn" (1425), "residue from renderings" (1490s), 18c. underworld slang for "money," and in Shropshire, "dregs of beer or ale"), all probably from M.E. crappe "grain that was trodden underfoot in a barn, chaff" (c.1440), from M.Fr. crape "siftings," from O.Fr. crappe, from M.L. crappa, crapinum "chaff." Sense of "rubbish, nonsense" also first recorded 1898. Despite folk etymology insistence, not from Thomas Crapper (1837-1910) who did, however, in 1882 invent the ball and suction device [British Patent # 4,990] found in modern toilets. The name Crapper is a northern form of Cropper (attested from 1221), an occupational surname, obviously, but the exact reference is unclear.

Bottom (teehee) line: Crap and crapper have two different origins, but have become related words over time.

"he loves me, he loves me not.." (a daisy story)

From Wiki: He/She Loves Me, He/She Loves Me Not is a game in which one person (often a child) seeks to determine whether the object of his or her affection returns that affection or not. It is often spoken while plucking the petals of a flower (especially a daisy) one by one, with the last petal giving the "answer" to whether he or she loves you. It is therefore dependent on whether the flower has an even or odd number of petals. It is traditionally performed by a person infatuated with another, and actually seeking to reaffirm a pre-existing belief.
The full expression of "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not..." in French is: Il / elle m'aime un peu, beaucoup, passionnément, à la folie, pas du tout (He/she loves me a little, a lot, passionately, madly, not at all). This makes the potential outcomes more numerous.

Origins of a Phrase: Unknown exactly, but Goethe's Faust, published in 1808, has the following scene in it:
(translation from the German:)
MARGARET (half aloud): He loves me—loves me not.
FAUST: Sweet angel, with thy face of heavenly bliss!
MARGARET (continues): He loves me—not—he loves me-not—(Plucking off the last leaf with fond joy.) He loves me!"

Also:
"American Children's Folklore" by Simon J. Bronner (August House Inc., Little Rock, 1988) under "Beliefs and Customs" says:
"To find out how a certain person feels about you, repeat the phrase "He loves me, he loves me not" as you pluck the petals of a daisy. If you take the gold center from the daisy and throw it up in the air, the number of pieces that fall on the back of your hand as you hold it out tells the number of children that you will have."

The FTD site online (2/13/00) says loves me/loves me not is a Victorian custom and elaborates further. On the daisy. Origin & History The daisy derived its English name from the Anglo-Saxon term daes eage, or "day's eye," referring to the way this flower opens and closes with the sun.

The daisy has a facinating history, but this just came to mind, and I thought I'd research it a little.... I also suggest Le Language des Fleurs "The Language of Flowers," published in 1818.

"he loves me, he loves me not.." (a daisy story)

From Wiki: He/She Loves Me, He/She Loves Me Not is a game in which one person (often a child) seeks to determine whether the object of his or her affection returns that affection or not. It is often spoken while plucking the petals of a flower (especially a daisy) one by one, with the last petal giving the "answer" to whether he or she loves you. It is therefore dependent on whether the flower has an even or odd number of petals. It is traditionally performed by a person infatuated with another, and actually seeking to reaffirm a pre-existing belief.
The full expression of "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not..." in French is: Il / elle m'aime un peu, beaucoup, passionnément, à la folie, pas du tout (He/she loves me a little, a lot, passionately, madly, not at all). This makes the potential outcomes more numerous.

Origins of a Phrase: Unknown exactly, but Goethe's Faust, published in 1808, has the following scene in it:
(translation from the German:)
MARGARET (half aloud): He loves me—loves me not.
FAUST: Sweet angel, with thy face of heavenly bliss!
MARGARET (continues): He loves me—not—he loves me-not—(Plucking off the last leaf with fond joy.) He loves me!"

Also:
"American Children's Folklore" by Simon J. Bronner (August House Inc., Little Rock, 1988) under "Beliefs and Customs" says:
"To find out how a certain person feels about you, repeat the phrase "He loves me, he loves me not" as you pluck the petals of a daisy. If you take the gold center from the daisy and throw it up in the air, the number of pieces that fall on the back of your hand as you hold it out tells the number of children that you will have."

The FTD site online (2/13/00) says loves me/loves me not is a Victorian custom and elaborates further. On the daisy. Origin & History The daisy derived its English name from the Anglo-Saxon term daes eage, or "day's eye," referring to the way this flower opens and closes with the sun.

The daisy has a facinating history, but this just came to mind, and I thought I'd research it a little.... I also suggest Le Language des Fleurs "The Language of Flowers," published in 1818.

Paganism [Asatru] gaining popularity in prison

My comments on the below story: I'm sorry if you've had a tough break or know someone that's had a tough break. If they end up in prison and they're heathen, I would not ask them to deny their faith. *However*, this was on the front page of Yahoo when I woke up this morning, and it is also in a Minneapolis newspaper and on ABCnews.com. If this is the only press the heathen community gets in mainstream media, it's bad news for us in general. This line in particular: ""It's a theology that celebrates raw physical power and domination." This is the outside view of our faith? Should we care? Yes. Our names *do* matter outside the heathen community. They matter to our non-heathen family members, our employers, the teachers at our children's schools. We need to *change* this perception. Back to work, hope y'all's myspace's are settling.

Paganism gaining popularity in prison By KRISTEN GELINEAU

A pagan religion that some experts say can be interpreted as encouraging violence is gaining popularity among prison inmates, one of whom is scheduled to be executed this week for killing a fellow prisoner at the foot of an altar.

Michael Lenz is scheduled to die Thursday for the death of Brent Parker, who was stabbed dozens of times at Augusta Correctional Center during a gathering of inmates devoted to Asatru, whose followers worship Norse gods. At his trial, Lenz testified that Parker had not been taking the religion seriously and had to die to protect the honor of the gods.

Other followers call the religion misunderstood and say most adherent inmates do not use it to further violent agendas.

Asatru has been gaining popularity among inmates, say religious leaders and prison experts who believe its roots in Viking mythology attract prisoners seeking power, protection and unity.

The gang culture in prison also contributes, said theologian Britt Minshall, a former police officer and Baltimore pastor who ministers to inmates. Some white inmates who felt threatened by black prison gangs formed their own gangs and sought out a belief system they felt would provide additional security, he said.

"It's a way of grouping together for safety," he said. "And you have to have a god in the middle of that to really keep you safe."

Asatru is often referred to as Odinism, although some followers believe the two are separate religions. It is a polytheistic, pre-Christian faith native to Scandinavia whose adherents worship gods including Thor and Odin.

It emphasizes a connection with one's ancestors and values honor, loyalty, generosity and truth.

An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people in the United States consider themselves Asatruars or Odinists, said Stephen McNallen, director of the Asatru Folk Assembly, a leading Asatru group.

No national statistics are kept on how many inmates follow Asatru. But experts say its popularity enjoyed a boost from the Supreme Court, which last year sided with an Asatru inmate by upholding a federal law requiring state prisons to accommodate prisoners' religious affiliations.

Asatru is often associated with white supremacy, although most Asatru leaders bristle at suggestions of such a relationship.

A 1999 FBI report on domestic terrorism described Odinism as a "white supremacist ideology that lends itself to violence."

"What makes Odinists dangerous is the fact that many believe in the necessity of becoming martyrs for their cause," the report said.

Such comments are typical of those who don't understand Asatru, said Jane Ruck, who runs the National Prison Kindred Alliance and ministers to Asatru inmates. White supremacists make up only a small portion of Asatruars, and most inmates who follow the religion do not use it to push hate-filled, violent agendas, she said.

"There might be some white supremacists who consider themselves Asatruars, but they're not (Asatruars) because they're not following our beliefs," Ruck said. "We don't hate anybody; we just want to take pride in our heritage."

Lenz and another inmate, fellow Asatruar Jeffrey Remington, stabbed Parker a combined 68 times with makeshift knives. Remington was also sentenced to death but committed suicide in 2004.

According to Art Jipson, who studies white racial extremism and directs the University of Dayton's criminal justice studies program, Lenz's belief that fatal force was warranted is not surprising.

"If he believes the fight was necessary, whether or not it was legal is the least of his concerns," Jipson said. "If he's a truly devout practicing Odinist or Asatruist, he's doing what he must do. And it would be a shame it would be a black mark on his soul, his spirit ... for him to be cowardly and not to fight."

That kind of warrior mentality can exacerbate the tense environment behind bars, said Mark Potok, a leader at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., which monitors hate groups.

"It's a theology that celebrates raw physical power and domination, and that is why I think it is so popular among prison inmates," Potok said. "The kind of inmate who might be attracted to this is a white man who is looking for justification for extreme violence, who is looking for an ideology which explains why he should be the boss."

[Edit:

7/24-Comment from Craig: Lentz is a homicidal killer, a prisoner and an outlaw. The Gods do not recognize such people. They are "Nithing". I have never had anything to do with "prison ministries" because of the outlawry of people in prison. Our society has declared them outlaw and that is why they are in prison in the first place. I think that Asatru should as a group condem unlawful acts of all sorts. And abide by the desisions of judges when it comes to these outlaws. They have been banished from our people for a reason. Those that go hanging out with them are misguided. After a prisoners banishment has ended they should be welcomed back into society. But not before hand. I know that prison is not at all like the banishment of the past. And that prisoners should have some contact with the outside world so not to become compleatly consumed by "prison life". I have sat and talked man to man with Mark Potok from the SPLC about this several years ago. He and others realize that not all asatru are like these outlaws. He knows that many of us are normal healthy law abideing citizens. They know that many of us just want to practice our beliefs and be pretty much left alone. But that story doesn't sell toothpaste and chevrolets! Personally I think that the actions of such criminals as Lenz should be loudly, publicly, and unilateraly condemed by the greater Asatru community. But they won't do it. It might mean actually standing up for something that makes a difference. Most would like to play at being the big shot of their little fifedom of their own imagination. Michael lenz should be exicuted and buried with out a marker. All records of his existance should be sealed and his name should never be spoken again, for his nithingness.

7/26-Comment from Bodi: Ok....done. Here is the email that I just sent off to Ms. Gelineau:
Dear Ms. Gelineau,

I would like to correspond with you about the article that you wrote on Asatru in American prisons, in connection with this Lenz person that has once again dragged our collective good name through the mud of the media. I would like to reiterate some of the positive things said in the article:

"It emphasizes a connection with one's ancestors and values honor, loyalty, generosity and truth."

**This is absolutely true, and this is how we present ourselves to the general public. How can one possibly come to the conclusion that one should do drugs, murder people, and wind up in prison from that?

"There might be some white supremacists who consider themselves Asatruars, but they're not (Asatruars) because they're not following our beliefs," Ruck said. "We don't hate anybody; we just want to take pride in our heritage."

**This is also an accurate statement, but I'd like to delve a little deeper on the subject. These sick individuals who co-opt our faith in order to further their own socio-political agendas, be they in prison or not, ARE NOT MEMBERS OF OUR FAITH, no matter what they claim or profess. Members of white supremacist groups seek to place the blame for their own shortcomings and what they perceive to be the shortcomings of all European Americans on other peoples, be they black, hispanic, jewish, etc., but the fact of the matter for us is this: We do not have to hate others to love ourselves, our heritage, and our Faith. In fact, it is an imperative within the greater Asatru community that hate has no place in our Faith. None at all. We simply seek to live our lives in peace and continue to rebuild the rich, vibrant faith that our European ancestors bequeathed to us.

**And now for the misinformation and outright lies:

"If he believes the fight was necessary, whether or not it was legal is the least of his concerns," Jipson said. "If he's a truly devout practicing Odinist or Asatruist, he's doing what he must do. And it would be a shame it would be a black mark on his soul, his spirit ... for him to be cowardly and not to fight."

**If I might be candid for a moment...I question Mr. Jipson's research and basis for this entire statement. No where in the teachings of our Faith will you find any reference or mandate stating that when one is faced with a decision to fight or not, that failure to fight will cause a black mark on one's spirit or soul. This is absurd and would be laughable, had Mr. Jipson's misguided and unfounded statements not been posted on the internet for the entire world to be misled by them. Unless Mr. Jipson is himself a devout practicing Odinist/Asaturar(correct conjugation, not Asatruist), or personally knows a broad cross section of the Asatru community, I respectfully suggest that he refrain from making such statements in public, and that you, the Associated Press, or any other news agency do better research on the matter.

"A 1999 FBI report on domestic terrorism described Odinism as a "white supremacist ideology that lends itself to violence."
"What makes Odinists dangerous is the fact that many believe in the necessity of becoming martyrs for their cause," the report said."

** Again, where are the facts and solid research to back these statements? Asatru itself has had no ties, nor will it have, to white supremacist ideology, and our faith does not lend itself to violence. Would I personally be willing to die for my faith? Yes, I would. However, I do not believe it to be a necessity that I must put forth as a main tenet of our faith, because it is not one of them.

In the interest of not making this a fifteen page email, I will sum this up by saying that you have been fed gross amounts of misinformation about Asatru and it's adherants, and I respectfully ask that you take the initiative to seek the truth and post it for the world to see. I would like to assist you in that endeavour, and look forward to your reply.

-Bodi Mayo-
Savannah, Georgia]

Reply to a NineWorlds question re: use of ochre

Question on NineWorlds from Vedis was:

Anyone know the significance of Ochre, and why it was placed in the graves of our ancestors? Also, anyone know of a good place to purchase the stuff?


My research/response:

I'm not sure if the ochre material itself was significance or it was the color/pigment of the ochre that was important. In theory, ochre could've have just been the easiet material early man found it could use for such a purpose. The 'ochre burial ritual' is quite possibly over 100,000 years old. It was one of the oldest pigments/materials used by human beings (and before that by Neanderthals) in burial rituals or cave paintings. Evidence of its use is found on several continents during a variety of eras and has not necessarily been native to all of the areas.

Two articles re: 100k yr old ochre use:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3310233.stm

--"The red ochre meant something to them, exactly what we do not know, but it is not inconceivable that they painted their dead with red ochre," says Erella Hovers. "It is an example of symbolic thought, the ochre symbolised death. The humans at this time behaved in a way that was not just functional but symbolic as well," she added. [My note: I've also heard it speculated that ochre use symbolized life or the afterlife]

More recently, in Denmark 6500 yrs ago, a man was found with red ochre scattered around his head. http://museums.ncl.ac.uk/flint/archrit.html

I would love to get my hands on this article: M. Porr and K.W. Alt, The burial of Bad Dürrenberg, Central Germany: osteopathology and osteoarchaeology of a Late Mesolithic shaman's grave, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2006.

----The abstract mentions that within the grave was a piece of red ochre and split roe deer metatarsus that was probably used to apply the pigment. On various other websites found through googling, there were multiple mentions of deer bones or antlers being covered in ochre and placed in graves. http://www.spoilheap.co.uk/burintr.htm also mentions the specific use of red ochre on the face or around the skull. It seems to be used on both adults and children in the Paleolithic age. (Also see: http://www.athenapub.com/8zilhao1.htm). Red ochre has also been used in ritual animal burial ( http://home.entouch.net/dmd/religion.htm ).

I found this thread:http://forum.skadi.net/showthread.php?t=20963 to which someone has posted an introduction to a book _Cities of Dreams: When Women Ruled the Earth_ by Stan Gooch. It was some interesting points on the use/mining of red ochre, but I don't know how good the research is because there is no bibliography/footnotes.

http://www.iconofile.com/storefront.asp?page=Ochre

is an online catalog where you can purchase various colors of ochre.

http://www.mccallisters.com/index.php/cPath/202 is another

http://web2.jns.fi/punamult/english/redtext.htm is a recipe for ochre paint.

So maybe it's the red pigment that meant something to them, maybe it was somehow connected to the ritual use of beer bones/antlers, maybe the actual ochre material coming from the earth as it did symbolized something to them...

Reply to a NineWorlds question re: use of ochre

Question on NineWorlds from Vedis was:

Anyone know the significance of Ochre, and why it was placed in the graves of our ancestors? Also, anyone know of a good place to purchase the stuff?

My research/response:

I'm not sure if the ochre material itself was significance or it was the color/pigment of the ochre that was important. In theory, ochre could've have just been the easiet material early man found it could use for such a purpose. The 'ochre burial ritual' is quite possibly over 100,000 years old. It was one of the oldest pigments/materials used by human beings (and before that by Neanderthals) in burial rituals or cave paintings. Evidence of its use is found on several continents during a variety of eras and has not necessarily been native to all of the areas.

Two articles re: 100k yr old ochre use:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3310233.stm

--"The red ochre meant something to them, exactly what we do not know, but it is not inconceivable that they painted their dead with red ochre," says Erella Hovers. "It is an example of symbolic thought, the ochre symbolised death. The humans at this time behaved in a way that was not just functional but symbolic as well," she added. [My note: I've also heard it speculated that ochre use symbolized life or the afterlife]

More recently, in Denmark 6500 yrs ago, a man was found with red ochre scattered around his head. http://museums.ncl.ac.uk/flint/archrit.html

I would love to get my hands on this article: M. Porr and K.W. Alt, The burial of Bad Dürrenberg, Central Germany: osteopathology and osteoarchaeology of a Late Mesolithic shaman's grave, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2006.

----The abstract mentions that within the grave was a piece of red ochre and split roe deer metatarsus that was probably used to apply the pigment. On various other websites found through googling, there were multiple mentions of deer bones or antlers being covered in ochre and placed in graves. http://www.spoilheap.co.uk/burintr.htm also mentions the specific use of red ochre on the face or around the skull. It seems to be used on both adults and children in the Paleolithic age. (Also see: http://www.athenapub.com/8zilhao1.htm). Red ochre has also been used in ritual animal burial ( http://home.entouch.net/dmd/religion.htm ).

I found this thread:http://forum.skadi.net/showthread.php?t=20963 to which someone has posted an introduction to a book _Cities of Dreams: When Women Ruled the Earth_ by Stan Gooch. It was some interesting points on the use/mining of red ochre, but I don't know how good the research is because there is no bibliography/footnotes.

http://www.iconofile.com/storefront.asp?page=Ochre

is an online catalog where you can purchase various colors of ochre.

http://www.mccallisters.com/index.php/cPath/202 is another

http://web2.jns.fi/punamult/english/redtext.htm is a recipe for ochre paint.

So maybe it's the red pigment that meant something to them, maybe it was somehow connected to the ritual use of beer bones/antlers, maybe the actual ochre material coming from the earth as it did symbolized something to them...

The music I've been listenin' to:

Long Ride Home, Patty Griffin... I really like Patty Griffin...

Long, black limousine
Shiniest car I've ever seen
The back seat is nice and clean
She rides as quiet as a dream

Someone dug a hole six long feet in the ground
I said good-bye to you and I threw my roses down
Ain't nothin' left at all in the end of bein' proud
With me ridin' in this car and you flyin' through them clouds

I've had some time to think about it
And watch the sun sink like a stone
I've had some time to think about you
On the long, ride home

One day I took your tiny hand
Put your finger in the wedding band
Your daddy gave the piece of land
We made ourselves the best of plans

Forty years go by with someone layin' in your bed
Forty years of things you say, you wish you'd never said
How hard would it have been to say some kinder words instead
I wonder as I stare up at the sky a turnin' red

I've had some time to think about it
And watch the sun sink like a stone
I've had some time to think about you
On the long, ride home

Headlights searchin' down the driveway
The house is dark as it can be
I go inside and all is silent
And seems as empty as the inside of me

I've had some time to think about it
And watch the sun sink like a stone
I've had some time to think about you
On the long, on the long, on the long, ride home

Space Magazine

Thought this was neat looking :) Not much else to say. Just neat.

[Edit: Okay I lied. I'm adding quotes.]

``It turns out that an eerie type of chaos can lurk just behind a facade of order---and yet, deep inside the chaos lurks an even eerier type of order.''
---Douglas Hofstadter

In terms of the game theory, we might say the universe is so constituted as to maximize play. The best games are not those in which all goes smoothly and steadily toward a certain conclusion, but those in which the outcome is always in doubt. Similarly, the geometry of life is designed to keep us at the point of maximum tension between certainty and uncertainty, order and chaos. Every important call is a close one. We survive and evolve by the skin of our teeth. We really wouldn't want it any other way.

---George Leonard

``The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.''
---Eden Phillpots

``Chaos is the score upon which reality is written.''
---Henry Miller

``Big whorls have little whorls,
Which feed on their velocity;
And little whorls have lesser whorls,
And so on to viscosity.''
---L. F. Richardson

``To see a World in a grain of Sand,
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an hour.''
---William Blake

National Women's History Month

Ok, so some of you guys know what I study in school and it won't be a surprise that I support National Women's History Month, a project sponsored by the National Women's History project.

In the spirit of non-political correctness, some of y'all are probably thinking "well, what about white male history month, har har har."

Newsflash, guys, that's the only thing that's been taught in school, since oh, the beginning of public education system in America. It's only in the last twenty years that women's history has even been considered a "valid field." It's only in the last 20-25 years that women have been included in American history books regarding their contributions to this nation.

Newsflash! My grandmother, who is still living, was born before women had the right to vote in America. In fact, all of my grandparents were. There have only been 2-3 generations American women that have been able to vote. It's only been within the last 80-120 years that women in this country have had the right to divorce, to retain property on their own, have custody of their own children.

Prior to this period, women had the same legal rights as children, which weren't very many. Despite this, they campaigned for child labor reforms, temperance laws, prison reform laws, property rights, etc. They had no legal recourse but they still fought for changes. Declaration of Sentiments

Newsflash! The only women that were mentioned in American history books were married to rich and powerful white men! Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt. Nice chicks, but what about some women that mattered just because of what they did?

So I celebrate the lives of these American women. I celebrate their lives because they are the reason I have a say in this country. They are the reason I am able to seek higher education and am eligible for the same grants, fellowships, and scholarships that men are. They are the reason I am not accused of renouncing my womanhood just because I seek knowlege, that I will not be denied tenure in a university simply because I am a woman, that I can serve on a jury or buy property on the beach, that I will never be owned by my husband.

They may not have died on a battlefield, but that does not mean they did not give their lives for the sake of their daughters.

Susan B. Anthony Center of Women's Leadership

National Museum of Women's History

"Votes for Women:" Suffrage Pictures, 1850-1920

Alabama Women's Hall of Fame

NAWSA Collection at the Library of Congress

National Women's History Month

Ok, so some of you guys know what I study in school and it won't be a surprise that I support National Women's History Month, a project sponsored by the National Women's History project.

In the spirit of non-political correctness, some of y'all are probably thinking "well, what about white male history month, har har har."

Newsflash, guys, that's the only thing that's been taught in school, since oh, the beginning of public education system in America. It's only in the last twenty years that women's history has even been considered a "valid field." It's only in the last 20-25 years that women have been included in American history books regarding their contributions to this nation.

Newsflash! My grandmother, who is still living, was born before women had the right to vote in America. In fact, all of my grandparents were. There have only been 2-3 generations American women that have been able to vote. It's only been within the last 80-120 years that women in this country have had the right to divorce, to retain property on their own, have custody of their own children.

Prior to this period, women had the same legal rights as children, which weren't very many. Despite this, they campaigned for child labor reforms, temperance laws, prison reform laws, property rights, etc. They had no legal recourse but they still fought for changes. Declaration of Sentiments

Newsflash! The only women that were mentioned in American history books were married to rich and powerful white men! Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt. Nice chicks, but what about some women that mattered just because of what they did?

So I celebrate the lives of these American women. I celebrate their lives because they are the reason I have a say in this country. They are the reason I am able to seek higher education and am eligible for the same grants, fellowships, and scholarships that men are. They are the reason I am not accused of renouncing my womanhood just because I seek knowlege, that I will not be denied tenure in a university simply because I am a woman, that I can serve on a jury or buy property on the beach, that I will never be owned by my husband.

They may not have died on a battlefield, but that does not mean they did not give their lives for the sake of their daughters.

Susan B. Anthony Center of Women's Leadership

National Museum of Women's History

"Votes for Women:" Suffrage Pictures, 1850-1920

Alabama Women's Hall of Fame

NAWSA Collection at the Library of Congress

First Amendment

Just for the record. This is the first amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Only 1 in 4 Americans Know the First Amendment
Only one in four Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment (freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition for redress of grievances.) <.....> It also showed that people misidentified First Amendment rights. About one in five people thought the right to own a pet was protected, and 38 percent said they believed the right against self-incrimination contained in the Fifth Amendment was a First Amendment right, the survey found.

Interesting Links:

McCormick Tribune-Freedom Museum

First Amendment Center

97.5 doesn't usually play Bon Jovi or why I like words that sound funny

Synchronicity-coined by Carl Jung, it describes "'temporally coincident occurences of acausal events'...it is the experience of having two (or more) things happen simultaneously in a manner that is meaningful to the person or people experiencing them, where that meaning suggests an underlying pattern. It differs from coincidence in that synchronicity implies not just a happenstance, but an underlying pattern or dynamic that is being expressed through meaningful relationships or events."

Apophenia-coined by Klaus Conrad, it is the "'unmotivated seeing of connections' accompanied by a 'specific experience of an abnormal meaningfulness'". Basically seeing something in nothing.

Very well, it is likely that I am just crazy. But aren't those just the neatest words?

"Freyja": a pro-suffrage journal published in 1898

I think it's interesting that Icelandic speaking women were identifying with Freyja as a symbol of liberation and choice back in 1898. They were giving her a role in their fight for equal suffrage with men. Hmm.

Kinnear, Mary. "The Icelandic Connection: "Freya" and the Manitoba Woman Suffrage Movement." Canadian Woman Studies: An Introductory Reader. Edited by Nuzhat Amin, Frances Beer, Kathryn McPherson, Andrea Medovarski, Angela Miles, and Goli Rezai-Rashti. "In 1898, Margret and Sigfus together began publishing Freyja ('woman'), a Icelandic-language pro-suffrage paper. Its first issue in 1898 stated that "matters pertaining to the progress and rights of all women will always be our first and foremost concern." http://www.gov.mb.ca/wd/publications/whm2004.pdf

Ennegram quiz-just two questions, pretty accurate

Asserter Test finished!

you chose AY - your Enneagram type is EIGHT. "I must be strong" Asserters are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective. How to Get Along with Me Stand up for yourself... and me. Be confident, strong, and direct. Don't gossip about me or betray my trust. Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side. Give me space to be alone. Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me. I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack. When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am. What I Like About Being a Eight being independent and self-reliant being able to take charge and meet challenges head on being courageous, straightforward, and honest getting all the enjoyment I can out of life supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me upholding just causes What's Hard About Being a Eight overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to being restless and impatient with others' incompetence sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it never forgetting injuries or injustices putting too much pressure on myself getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right Eights as Children Often are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit are sometimes loners seize control so they won't be controlled fugure out others' weaknesses attack verbally or physically when provoked take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings Eights as Parents are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted are sometimes overprotective can be demanding, controlling, and rigid Renee Baron & Elizabeth Wagele The Enneagram Made Easy Discover the 9 Types of People HarperSanFrancisco, 1994, 161 pages You are not completely happy with the result?! You chose AY Would you rather have chosen: BY (FOUR) CY (SIX) AX (SEVEN) AZ (THREE)

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 70% on ABC You scored higher than 57% on XYZ

Link: The Quick and Painless ENNEAGRAM Test written by felk on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Drengskapr-Definition and Bibliography

dreng-skapr (gen. -skapar), m. highmindedness, courage; falla með skap, to fall fighting bravely; með litlum skap, cowardly; þínum skap (manliness) skal ek við bregða. From Zoega Icelandic Dictionary

from Runestone #11

Andersson, Theodore M. . "The Displacement of the Heroic Ideal in the Family Sagas." Speculum, Vol. 45, No. 4 (Oct., 1970) , pp. 575-593

Bauman, Richard. "Performance and Honor in 13th-Century Iceland." Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 99, No. 392 (Apr. - Jun., 1986) , pp. 131-150.

Borovsky, Zoe. "Never in Public: Women and Performance in Old Norse Literature." Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 112, No. 443 (Winter, 1999) , pp. 6-39

Clover, Carol J. "Regardless of Sex: Men, Women, and Power in Early Northern Europe." Representations, No. 44 (Autumn, 1993) , pp. 1-28

Related words also from Zoega Icelandic Dictionary

drengr (-s, pl. -ir, gen. -ja), m. (1) a bold, valiant, chivalrous man; d. góðr, a goodhearted, nobleminded man (auðigr at fé ok d. góðr); ekki þykki mér þú sterkr, en d. ertu g., but thou art a good fellow; drengir, en eigi dáðleysingjar, gallant men, and no fainthearts; at þú mættir drengrinn af verða sem beztr, that you might get the greatest credit from it; hafa dreng í serk, to have a stout heart in one's breast; (2) a young unmarried man (drengir heita ungir menn búlausir, meðan þeir afla sér fjár eða orðstírs); (3) attendant (þeir heita konungs drengir, er höfðingjum þjóna); (4) fellow (lætr síðan sverðit ríða á hálsinn á þeim leiða dreng); (5) pole cf. 'ásdrengr'.

drengs-aðal, n. the nature of a drengr; -bót, f. what makes a man the better drengr; -bragð, n. a brave or gallant deed.

drengskapar-fall, n. failure in drengskapr; -raun, f. test, trial of one's drengskapr.

drengsverk, n. a noble need.

Höðr-the blind son of Odin

I had a curious thought about the meaning of the name Höðr and so I sought some answers via google.

Apparently, there's also a word höð, which means "battle" and in its form mean something like "killer." Since Höðr killed Baldr, though accidently, the name fits in a literal sense. I got these answers through Wikipedia, one of the best online encyclopedias I've found.

Snorri, in his Prose Edda, mentions him. "One of the Aesir is named Hödr: he is blind. He is of sufficient strength, but the gods would that no occasion should rise of naming this god, for the work of his hands shall long be held in memory among gods and men."

Váli, born of Odin and Rindr, slew him to avenge Baldr. Hödr finds his way to Hel and at some point after Ragnarok, Baldr and Hödr will sit and speak together about "their secret wisdom".

There's not a whole lot else on him that I've found. I think it's interesting that Baldr holds no ill will towards him after Ragnarok, after Hödr was slain by Váli as an act of vengence. When I find more information about him, perhaps flesh out the story a little, I'll post it. Off to read more on Tyr.

Interactive Johari Window-Try it

My Johari Window

Try this, it might be fun, then you pick five words and I'll fill in some for you.

A Johari window is a metaphorical tool intended to help people better understand their interpersonal communication and relationships. It is used primarily in self-help groups and corporate settings as a heuristic device to encourage people to open up to another in self-disclosure. The concept was invented by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingram, who combined their first names to create the name of the tool and has led to the spinoff Nohari window.

The test consists of a list of terms, each of which is an adjective relating to a personality trait. (For example, the list might begin with "accepting", "adaptable", "bold", "brave", "calm", "cheerful", and "complex".) A subject will select a few of these terms which he feels describes himself best. Each of his peers will then select a few terms which that person feels describes the subject best. From Wikipedia

Nohari

My Nohari Window

It's like the same thing as my Johari window, only this one has all my bad qualities, so be cruel, be mean! And then make sure you do the Johari window too. :)

The Sentence-Anna Akhmatova

In celebration of my productivity today and rebelling against any future drive to bust my ass for the next 30 minutes.

And the stone word fell
On my still-living breast.
Never mind, I was ready.
I will manage somehow.

Today I have so much to do:
I must kill memory once and for all,
I must turn my soul to stone,
I must learn to live again

Unless . . . Summer's ardent rustling
Is like a festival outside my window.
For a long time I've foreseen this
Brilliant day, deserted house.

Translated from the Russian by Judith Hemschemeyer

Tonight I can write by Paul Neruda

And maybe just because I like Neruda. He is one of the few reasons that make me want to learn Spanish.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

Write, for example, 'The night is starry
and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance.'

The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.

Through nights like this one I held her in my arms.
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.

She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.

To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.

What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
The night is starry and she is not with me.

This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

My sight tries to find her as though to bring her closer.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.

The same night whitening the same trees.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.

Another's. She will be another's. As she was before my kisses.
Her voice, her bright body. Her infinite eyes.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but maybe I love her.
Love is so short, forgetting is so long.

Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
and these the last verses that I write for her.

Pablo Neruda, "Tonight I Can Write," translated by W.S. Merwin, from Twenty Love Poems: And a Song of Despair (New York: Penguin Books, 1993). Copyright © 1993 by W.S. Merwin.

Bit of a rant

Something that really bothers me about the Southeastern heathen community is the fact that we're such a small group but there are so many divisions. I think they're unnecessary. I think if people made the choice to put aside personal differences and work toward the common goal of furthering heathenry, it would be a much larger and stronger community.

I know several people that have been involved with the heathen community that have some really great ideas about developing more Vinlandic heathenry thought. Some of them also happen to be white supremacists/ nationalist. This is a major problem with me. #1 The history of those groups is filled with violence, crime, and deceit. #2 The science they use is inconclusive and outdated. #3 My culture is not synonymous with the color of my skin. Nobody whose family is from the South can say their culture is without 'color'. #4 The other platforms that most of these groups run are counter to what I believe. IF ONLY they disposed of this outdated rhetoric and fought for something that's true and has a future in this world, then they would be good allies.

Also, I understand that symbel can be a place to laugh and joke. It is also one of our most sacred rites. A good symbel will end after much laughing, crying, and bonding. Using language that is unfriendly to the majority of the people present, like cuss words, sexual remarks, etc is inappropriate. If you are too drunk to mind your manners during symbel, then you should excuse yourself. Im afraid this situation was one catalyst in splitting part of the southeastern heathen community. Im not saying symbel should be stuffy and formal, but the horn should be held with a certain reverence.

The power structures in the heathen community, in general, are still forming. Other than the major organizations in the United States: the Troth, the AA, the AFA, etc., individual kindreds and small state and regional organizations are forming. Most of them have informal by-laws and are still in their first generation. Many have not survived, many are quite different than their original form. Have we changed that much as individuals? That we enjoyed each others company so much two or three years ago seems ancient history now. That I supped and drank with friends who have broken bonds of kinship makes me wonder who will not be speaking to each other in five more years.

It seems that many are paranoid at those who hold power. Power in any official or unofficial sense. People in power are often uneasy about relinquishing that power once there are others capable of handling it. Instead of resolving these issues, a break seems more likely. Instead of addressing the real issues at hand, personal issues become the reason for the break. Power hungry bitches and racist bastards. Childish men and bad mothers.

We should be careful about whom we align ourselves with and they should be equally as careful whose counsel they follow. For it seems that the last few years have been fraught with unnecessary conflict. We are family and that should not be forgotten. Individual choices should not automatically be seen as personal attacks. Communication should be paramount. For a few years we can get away with so-called growing pains. But theres a point when our growing faith will be held to a higher standard and demand cooperation to survive.

Bit of a rant

Something that really bothers me about the Southeastern heathen community is the fact that we're such a small group but there are so many divisions. I think they're unnecessary. I think if people made the choice to put aside personal differences and work toward the common goal of furthering heathenry, it would be a much larger and stronger community.

I know several people that have been involved with the heathen community that have some really great ideas about developing more Vinlandic heathenry thought. Some of them also happen to be white supremacists/ nationalist. This is a major problem with me. #1 The history of those groups is filled with violence, crime, and deceit. #2 The science they use is inconclusive and outdated. #3 My culture is not synonymous with the color of my skin. Nobody whose family is from the South can say their culture is without 'color'. #4 The other platforms that most of these groups run are counter to what I believe. IF ONLY they disposed of this outdated rhetoric and fought for something that's true and has a future in this world, then they would be good allies.

Also, I understand that symbel can be a place to laugh and joke. It is also one of our most sacred rites. A good symbel will end after much laughing, crying, and bonding. Using language that is unfriendly to the majority of the people present, like cuss words, sexual remarks, etc is inappropriate. If you are too drunk to mind your manners during symbel, then you should excuse yourself. Im afraid this situation was one catalyst in splitting part of the southeastern heathen community. Im not saying symbel should be stuffy and formal, but the horn should be held with a certain reverence.

The power structures in the heathen community, in general, are still forming. Other than the major organizations in the United States: the Troth, the AA, the AFA, etc., individual kindreds and small state and regional organizations are forming. Most of them have informal by-laws and are still in their first generation. Many have not survived, many are quite different than their original form. Have we changed that much as individuals? That we enjoyed each others company so much two or three years ago seems ancient history now. That I supped and drank with friends who have broken bonds of kinship makes me wonder who will not be speaking to each other in five more years.

It seems that many are paranoid at those who hold power. Power in any official or unofficial sense. People in power are often uneasy about relinquishing that power once there are others capable of handling it. Instead of resolving these issues, a break seems more likely. Instead of addressing the real issues at hand, personal issues become the reason for the break. Power hungry bitches and racist bastards. Childish men and bad mothers.

We should be careful about whom we align ourselves with and they should be equally as careful whose counsel they follow. For it seems that the last few years have been fraught with unnecessary conflict. We are family and that should not be forgotten. Individual choices should not automatically be seen as personal attacks. Communication should be paramount. For a few years we can get away with so-called growing pains. But theres a point when our growing faith will be held to a higher standard and demand cooperation to survive.