TIGblogs - Meghan Ward

“In the 1920s O G S Crawford invented aerial archaeology, one of many services this eccentric Marxist misanthrope performed for the study of antiquity.”
- Jonathan Meades: Link

O. G. S. Crawford Bloody Old Britain: O G S Crawford and the Archaeology of Modern Life

By Kitty Hauser

Granta Books, 286pp

Amazon: Link

“Future archaeologists will perhaps excavate the ruined factories of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries when the radiation effects of Atom bombs have died away.”
- O. G. S. Crawford, from Archaeology in the Field (1953)

O. G. S. Crawford @ Wikipedia: Link.

~ Karl Jones

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Foreskin success

Despite a flap over penis reconstruction, an Australian conference concludes that doctors can rebuild them.
By Jack Boulware

After much debate, and no doubt the viewing of many slides projected against a screen, an Australian medical conference concluded last week that the male foreskin can be repaired. The flap of skin around the penis can be rebuilt, reconstructed and improved cosmetically, with few complications.

The crux of the conference's debate centered around international medical reports claiming that up to one-third of foreskin reconstructions led to complications. In the experience of Australia's penis surgeons, this was not the case.

Over a two-year period at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, 23 patients had successful operations, and 22 of them ended up with a handy-dandy retractable foreskin, as the good Lord intended.

If your baby needs a new foreskin, apparently you'd do well to fly the tyke to the land down under. They seem to know what they're up to, foreskin-wise. Foreskin restoration in Australia comes about in a variety of ways. Sometimes a baby boy is born with an incomplete foreskin, which affects one in 300 births. Occasionally a boy is born with the opening to the urethra located on the underside of the penis, preventing a normal erection. And then there's the parents expressing concern over the cosmetic appearance of their little boy's penis. What if you don't want the "circumcised look"?

Melbourne pediatric surgeon Professor Paddy Dewan assured the assembled group of penis doctors that there is a solution. "In situations where a circumcised appearance is considered undesirable, foreskin reconstruction offers an appropriate choice to parents," Professor Dewan said.

Circumcision is still a hot topic of discussion in Australia, with the nation's percentage of foreskin removal hovering somewhere between 25 and 40 percent, and on the decline. Medical arguments in favor of the operation claim that it reduces infection and disease, but pediatric doctor policy on the subject goes back and forth.

Professor Dewan added that parents tend to have very strong views about the procedure, both for and against. "It's a small piece of skin that creates a lot of emotion," he said.
-- By Jack Boulware

Kissed by Snow (Sedona, Arizona, 2000) photo by Light

Kissed by Snow is a moment of magnificent Creation seen through the eyes of Light Traveler. Majestic red rocks, caressed by clouds and kissed by snow with dancing light and soft dark shadows. Sedona is a beautiful pallet, a visual feast and an energetic hotspot. Wonderland….

Lovely photos of Sedona and festive trimmings by Light to begin December’s Holiday Season.

Everyday throughout December I will post a new inspirational blog dedicated to Spirit and the Holidays… music, art, photos, videos and customs from many traditions.

Come by for a visit everyday if you like and fill your cup with some Holiday Cheer.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Light Traveler (August 1946 - July 2003) photographer, Reiki Master/Teacher, spiritual seeker and beautiful loving Spirit. He filled my life with awe and wonder. Here’s to you Light!!! You can see more and purchase his beautiful photography at Light Traveler’s gallery.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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Foxknot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law (2002) watercolor 16 x 18

Movement, strength, mystery, nature, earth and a little whimsy too. Could this be an Animal Ally knot with Fox-faeries? As such the knot would impart wisdom of fox with a fae influence. The circular knot is a symbol of interconnection, unity and eternity. Fox imparts the ability to watch the motivations and movements of others while remaining unobserved. Faery is otherworldly, magical and mysterious; not of this world, nor influenced by it. This knot would be a spiritual tool to help the person become a silent watcher who moves easily between worlds. I love this wonderful, whimsical interpretation of a Celtic Knot.

A deeper understanding of Celtic knots and Animal Allies:

The Celtic knot symbolizes the Thread of Life. To the Celts, the human soul was thought to be a fragment of the divine, which will ultimately return to its divine source. Through successive rebirths the soul rids itself of its accumulated, inherited impurities until it finally achieves the goal of perfection.

The interlaced, or latticed, knotwork patterns, with their unbroken lines, symbolize the process of humankind’s eternal spiritual evolution. When the cord is unravelled, it leads us on. A knot lattice can be used as an aid to concentration by occupying the conscious mind with a demanding repetitive task.

Our Animal Allies or helpers choose us to help us with our growth and understanding. A detailed description of Celtic Animal Allies.

Stephanie Pui-Mun Law is a 31 year old artist/programmer. She began painting otherworlds in early childhood. Graduated from a program of Computer Science in 1998. After working in programming for three years, She left the world logic for the world of fae; painting full time. You can read news, learn about watercolor painting, browse her galleries and purchase paintings at www.shadowscapes.com.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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a roma

Rome: It’s beautiful and it’s not. Kinda like everything else in life.

“La prossima fermata è Roma Termini.”

I moved to Italy to live at the end of September last year. I lived in Brescia (a medium-sized city in Northern Italy) until March 1, when I moved to Siena.

(I am once again back in Brescia, but that’s a story I’m going to save for another day.)

I picked up some vocabulary during those first five months in Italy, but it wasn’t until I started attending an Italian class for immigrants in Siena that I really started learning the language.

Now, finally!, I understand much of what is being said either to me or around me. The language no longer sounds foreign or like pretty sounds flowing forth from people’s mouths. Although I’m more motivated to learn the language–because it finally seems like an achievable goal to converse fluently–the glossy veneer of the nonsensical musical sounds has dulled. I don’t know, there’s something about understanding when somebody complains about the weather (or conversely, the ease in which I can complain about it) that makes any language sound less romantic.

Shiny glossy veneers are so overrated. Don’t you think? I mean, a veneer is just a thin expensive sheet of wood (or metal) with layers upon layers of unusually toxic clear varnish. If it wasn’t for the common cheap material beneath (like pine or regular mild steel), the veneer would have nothing to attach itself to.

And I’ve always preferred the look of a dull, used or aged finish anyway…and now that I’ve exhausted my analogy I’m finished with this post.

But one more thing before I go to bed on this hot summer night: it is nice to know that you can simply listen to the conductor to know when your next stop is and not have the nervous wondering of whether you’ve missed it or have yet to arrive.

Arrivederci a dopo.

~Janelle Renée

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Natural Touch is a Non Governmental Organisation based in Calabar the Eastern part of Nigeria.The inspiration come from a point of observation of handicapped people and Children roaming the streets of some citites in Nigeria mostly in Calabar begging for alms.
Most of them at the end of the day retired to uncompleted buildings to pass the night,It was a very gory site when a reported case of ritual dehumanising killing of two of such people in a street close to my residence.These two were killed and some part of them remove for rituals activities or some other things not quite known to us.

So touched by such inhuman treament to people because of their inability to defend themselves or provide proper accomodation for themselves,and even a source of livelihood was traumatic,hence,my decision to get the NGO (NATURAL TOUCH) started,with the aim to provide food and shelter for the hanicapped.Make sure there is a future for them and security of life for them.

Upon our inception,we had limited our intention to mostly the young ones and average aged.Although we could not provide accomodation for them but we provide the basic needs which is food for them atleast once a day.

It is our aim to increase the feeding arrangement to twice a day and also build a home for them.It is our aim to accomodate at least 2000-5000 handicapped people of difiers ages in the home,and Animals too.
With support from other Organisations/Individauls that are touched just as we are.We will establish a school or a handicraft centre for them to study and become independent of their own in future.
Suffice to say here that most of them roam the street with torn cloths and look unkept,We also provide clothing where necessary and affordable to them.
Based on our inability to sustain the financial burden,we are looking forward to Groups or Individuals with similar passion as we have towards uplifting the living standard of these hadicapped and also thinking of ensuring their future.

We are planning of building a home for them in Calabar to accomodate the handicapped and also recruit personnels to take care of their cooking and tranining.
We look forward to support from passionate groups and individuals.
Thanks,
Dennis

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Technology for human needs:

The Outquisition
Engineers Without Borders
MIT International Design Summit
Free/Open Appropriate Technology
Transition Towns
Technology for Humanity

(...)
Read the rest of Technology for Humanity (735 words)

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‘The Prayer’ - live duet by Céline Dion and Josh Groban

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! A wondrous remembrance of thankfulness for this day and everyday.

An amazing, moving performance. Beautiful voices coming together in perfect harmony. Could feel Spirit moving through them both. Gave me chills and brought tears. Very touching!

Live duet by Céline Dion and Josh Groban at Concert for World Children’s Day in 2000 singing The Prayer. First included on the album: These Are Special Times 1997 (promo), won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song 1999; Soundtrack from the movie Quest for Camelot 1998.

Céline Dion and Josh Groban also preformed ‘The Prayer’ live during her CBS TV special, aired February 15, 2008. This live duet was released as a digital single.

Céline Marie Claudette Dion born March 30, 1968 in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada is a singer/songwriter/actress. She is the youngest of 14 children of a highly musical family. She began singing at age 5 and regularly preformed with her siblings at a nightclub her parents owned. Céline began to receive recognition for her talent in 1982, winning the Gold Medal at the Yamaha World Song Festival in Tokyo, along with the coveted Musician’s Award for Top Performer. In 1983, she became the first Canadian ever to receive a Gold Record in France. In 2004, after becoming the best selling female artist of all time, she was presented with the Chopard Diamond Award at the World Music Awards. You can read news, listen to music, and watch videos at her website www.celinedion.com.

Josh Groban singer/songwriter was born February 27, 1981 in Los Angeles, California. In 1997 and 1998 he attended Interlochen Arts Camp, majoring in musical theater and voice. He graduated in 1999 with a major in theater from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Soon after graduation he was offered a recording contract at Warner Brothers Records. His recording debut was singing “For Always” with Lara Fabian on the soundtrack to A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001). Read news, listen his wonderful music, watch videos, see photos and read his blog at www.joshgroban.com.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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Manresa - Rose Faerie by Bonnee Klein Gilligan, (1998) pastel drawing 9″ x 12″

Manresa is of and responsible for the red rose. She can help in all aspects of love and fertility. She is luminescent with a rainbow-like shimmer on the surface of her being. She has wings like a dragonfly and hair of white light. Often she appears like a ball of bluish-white light. If you enjoy Manresa and would like to own a copy you can purchase prints at my Spirit Art Gallery.

Definition of Fairies from one of my favorite metaphysical reference books: ‘The Donning International Encyclopedic Psychic Dictionary’ by June G. Bletzer, Ph.D.

Faerie (Latin fata; Archaic fay, means “enchanted”) a small, ethereal replica of a human in appearance and mannerisms. Desires a rapport with humans but lives in its own invisible culture. A collective word used to mean the whole lower-half of the angel being kingdom of over 1,000 varieties. Work with and have charge of the four elements of air, fire, water and earth under the supervision of the angels. Pure elemental vortexes of energy. Light energy field capable of forming an etheric body of substance drawn from the etheric double of earth to carry out its function. Live in the rhythm of nature. Synchronizes its heartbeat to that of the work at hand. Concerned with the process of nature’s evolution and its service to humanity. At times fairy gives off a luminous reflection and at times it takes on the shape of a human form, altered in size. Human form changes with locale. Appears in either gender but most often prefers male gender. Body appears loosely knit and felt to have a dense body inside the light body. Can be perceived clairvoyantly and seen with physical eyes. Cannot be touched. Materializes and dematerializes itself going from dimension to dimension very quickly. An energetic vapor-like ethereal substance using the same material that feelings are made of; responds quickly to human emotions. Has a sensation consciousness similar to the plant kingdom. Posesses the ability of sending an electric charge to stimulate the human intellect and emotions in order to communicate with them. Actions and thoughts influence mankind’s ethereal bodies. Neither an angel nor a devil put mediate space between mankind and angels.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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Von den Elben - QNTAL, music video by Brian Froud

Von den Elben means From the Elfin. A haunting magical video about Elfs and Faerie. The images are otherworldly, captivating and mysterious. They speak of things unknown, places in-between visited only by a few. Von den Elben is an intensely moving work of art!

Band: QNTAL, Song: Von Den Elben, Album: Silver Swan (2006). Music video created by Brian and Toby Froud. First seen at the 2006 Faerieworlds Festival.

Brian Froud says, “How do you see Faeries? You can’t see them with your eyes, you see them with your heart.”

QNTAL is a German “electro-medieval” band founded in 1991 by Michael Popp. Band members: Syrah vocals; Michael Popp vocals, Fidel, Saz, Shalmei, Ud, Tar; and Fil Keyboards, Vocals, Guitars, Programming; plus Markus Köstner (live) Drums, Percussion. You can listen to more of their music, read latest news and find out more at www.qntal.net.

Brian Froud born 1947 in Winchester, England is a world renown fantasy artist who was the conceptual designer on the fantasy-film-classics ‘The Dark Crystal’ and ‘The Labyrinth’. His wife Wendy Froud also a fantasy artist is credited with the design of the characters The Gelflings, Jen and Kira in the Dark Crystal and Yoda in Star Wars. You can see more of Brian and Wendy’s art, watch videos, and read news at the World of Froud.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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Max and the Fairies by Michael Orwick - Oil on Canvas, 16″ x 20″

Whimsical, sweet and beautiful. I really relate to this painting. Poor Max is being tormented and cajoled by the fairies. They want him to play and he looks like he is saying, “Just leave me alone, not again.” I’ve seen my cat often playing with or being poked by fairies. But he usually doesn’t look forlorn like Max. Sometimes he turns around and swats at them, sometimes he runs and every once in a while he looks surprised and jumps. The dreaded fairy poke. Got ya! The photo right is the ‘Naah aw’ look before he pounces or runs after them. It’s a great good game. Max and the Fairies is in Michael’s Whimsical collection. Lovely work!

Michael says, “There is a reason we are drawn toward beauty, it is the language of God and nature. To me there is nothing more provocative than beauty, it inspires deep reflection and motivates me to create.”

Michael Orwick born 1975 in Astoria, Oregon. Traveled to Australia where he began drawing. Graduated with a major in Illustration from Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. You can see more of Michael’s beautiful work, buy paintings or prints, and read his light hearted ramblings at his website michaelorwick.com.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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‘Angel’ - Sarah McLachlan and Josh Groban, live duet

Absolutely beautiful! This lovely song about being held with love in the arms of angels gave me chills and brought tears. I love Sarah and Josh separately, but together, here, now… Wow!

Live duet by Sarah McLachlan and Josh Groban at Live8 in Philadelphia, PA singing Sarah McLachlan’s song: Angel. From the album: Surfacing 1997, which won three Grammy Awards and eight Juno Awards; Soundtrack movie: City of Angels 1998.

Sarah McLachlan singer/songwriter was born January 28, 1968 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Growing up she took voice lessons, and studied classical piano and guitar. At 17 she fronted for the band The October Game, following their first concert she was offered a recording contract by Nettwerk. Listen to her amazing music, read news, buy CDs and learn more at www.sarahmclachlan.com.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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Celestial Apparition by Jonathon Earl Bowser
Oil on Canvas - 35″ x 24″ (1998)

Soft, touching an angel of the Dove. The Dove represents life spirit; the soul; the passing from one state or world to another; the spirit of light; gentleness and peace. They are sacred to all Great Mothers and Queens of Heaven. Three represents forward movement overcoming duality; expression; synthesis. Also ‘all’ or ‘All That is”. Celestial Apparition is a lovely work which captures the beauty and love of Divine Spirit. Prints are available.

Jonathon Earl Bowser was born in Canada in 1962. He began drawing at age 8, painting at age 18, and graduated from the Alberta College of Art in 1984. You can see more of his wonderful Goddess art at: jonathonart.com.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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Through the Eyes of an Angel performed by Miten

Beautiful song filled with love and appreciation. Listening to this lovely song I feel the love emanating, swirling around me and filling every ounce of my being. Ummm, nice! The video with Miten, Deva Premal and Manose reflects the song’s essence… softness, peace and the power of the ocean waves. Wonder full.

Music video by Manose shot during Deva & Miten’s holiday in Malibu, California. Album: Soul in Wonder (2007), Song: Through the Eyes of an Angel.

Miten born in London, was a rock and roll singer/songwriter in the 70s and 80s. Deva Premal singer, instrumentalist born 1970 in Germany was brought up in an atmosphere of mantra and spiritual discipline. Manose Singh, born 1979 in Boudha, Nepal is a Bansuri flautist and composer. Photo is Miten, Manose and Deva in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil November 2008.

Deva Premal and Miten’s website has a collection of songs you can listen to with a Flash player, read news and articles, see photos and purchase CDs. Enjoy!

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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