The third annual Artefact and Relics Conference (ARC) is to be held this year in Kingston, England. We are privileged to have many delegates from around the world this year who promise some interesting seminars and breakout sessions. As with previous years, we shall be holding our keynote address in the morning with a light lunch and optional breakout sessions in the afternoon on different aspects of world culture. Continue Reading →
A deadly strain of bird flu with the potential to infect and kill millions of people has been created in a laboratory by European scientists – who now want to publish full details of how they did it.
The discovery has prompted fears within the US Government that the knowledge will fall into the hands of terrorists wanting to use it as a bio-weapon of mass destruction. Some scientists are questioning whether the research should ever have been undertaken in a university laboratory, instead of at a military facility. The US Government is now taking advice on whether the information is too dangerous to be published.
If we digress from the bounds of pure fact and traditional journalism for a moment and venture into the fantastic realms and obscure literature which seems to be making its prevalent appearance in the media today, this reminds us of a passage from “The Illuminatus!” Trilogy (“The Golden Apple”) published by Bantam in 1975 and written by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson:
I have blogged about this in the past with mentions back to a report I read in the mid-80s from the WHO. Despite trying to track this down (for my own sake more than anything), it’s very clear that we are beyond this point. In fact, this year’s Living Planet Report from the WWF states:
Our global footprint now exceeds the world’s capacity to regenerate by about 30 per cent.
Those studying the Prophecies of Nostradamus say that he has indicated the possibility of a Third World War. Indeed, in some of his quatrains he mentions terrifying battles and events occurring in and around Europe, Asia and Africa which do not seem to have happened till date.
November 17, 2011 – MOSCOW - A chilling warning of nuclear war erupting along Russia’s borders – including in Europe – came today from the Kremlin’s top military commander. General Nikolai Makarov said there could be a string of small-scale conflicts breaking out in the country. He said: ‘The possibility of local armed conflicts along nearly the whole border has increased dramatically. ‘In certain conditions, I do not rule out local and regional armed conflicts developing into a large-scale war, including using nuclear weapons.’ Continue Reading →
Compromise is the death of Self
Intolerance is the Father of conflict
Understanding is the Mother of peace
Today, we take for granted that we will have full Internet access and connectivity to the world 24/7/365 on our smartphones, tablets and notebooks. We expect to be able to check a sports score or connect with a loved one in 10 seconds or less.
However, we don’t really consider that our smartphones and wireless device are connected to cell sites and cell towers. Which in turn are connected to the wireless operator’s main switching facility. All that needs lots of power, which after a blackout is provided by backup systems. If and when those systems run out of juice, at about 96 hours, we have a big problem.
Judging by the run of successful natural disaster films in the past few years, people are fascinated by the idea of the end of the world. In Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, a virus ravaged the UK and beyond; an asteroid was the world-ending threat in Deep Impact and Armageddon; and climate change got a starring role in The Day After Tomorrow.
In the real world, we don’t know how the Earth (or humanity) might meet its end or when that will happen. Pondering and predicting the event has usually been a job for the world’s great religions: all of them have some idea about how humans will meet their maker. Indeed, “the end” (or judgement day) is usually a deity’s way of cleansing our planet, to allow a fresh race of people who are morally purer to repopulate the resulting clean slate. Usually, there is too much sin or debauchery and the time has come to start again.
