(692,2,'2007-11-02 10:42:05','2007-11-02 10:42:05','<p style=\"font-size: small\"><a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/cliffe_procession.jpg\" title=\"cliffe_procession.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/cliffe_procession.jpg\" title=\"cliffe_procession.jpg\" alt=\"cliffe_procession.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n[photo: Mark Bennett]\n\nAs the UK gears up for bonfire night (here in London it usually means fireworks being fired into or from buses) <a href=\"http://mikejay.net/articles/we-burn-to-remember/\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Jay</a> presents a rollicking history of the wild anti-papist celebrations enacted every 5 November in <a href=\"http://mikejay.net/articles/we-burn-to-remember/\" target=\"_blank\">Lewes</a>, E Sussex. Brass bone and fur-clad vikings bear burning crosses through flame-drenched streets accompanied by zulus, pirates and, my own favourites, the sinister foxes.\n\nMeanwhile, feast your eyes on <a href=\"http://www.cliffebonfire.com/galleryseventeen.html#Top\" target=\"_blank\">Mark Bennett</a>\'s photographs and the flash new <a href=\"http://www.cliffebonfire.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Cliffe Bonfire Society</a> web site.\n\n<a href=\"http://mikejay.net/articles/we-burn-to-remember/\" target=\"_blank\">We Burn to Remember</a>','We burn to remember','','publish','open','open','','we-burn-to-remember','','','2007-11-02 10:42:05','2007-11-02 10:42:05','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=692',0,'post','',0),(694,2,'2007-11-04 23:19:56','2007-11-04 23:19:56','<strong>50 years after his death, supporters promote scientist\'s work</strong>\n<em> By Jerry Harkavy, Associated Press Writer</em>\n\nRANGELEY, Maine --It was 50 years ago that physician-scientist Wilhelm Reich, best known for his discovery of a purported cosmic life force associated with sexual orgasm, died in federal prison, his books burned and his equipment destroyed by the government.\n\nRidiculed at the time, the European-born psychiatrist is today largely forgotten and his work on what he called orgone energy remains outside the scientific mainstream.\n\nBut a small number of scientists and other believers are working to advance his studies -- and resurrect his reputation.\n\n\"Personally, I think it\'s going to be a long time before all of his work is understood and recognized,\" said Reich\'s granddaughter, Renata Reich Moise, a nurse-midwife and artist in the coastal town of Hancock.\n\nReich died on Nov. 3, 1957, in a federal prison in Lewisburg, Pa., where he was sent for ignoring an injunction obtained by the Food and Drug Administration that outlawed his orgone energy accumulator.\n\nThe 50th anniversary of his death is being marked by a major exhibition on Reich and his work that opens Nov. 15 at the <a href=\"http://www.jmw.at/en/exhibitions.html#Reich\" target=\"_blank\">Jewish Museum</a> in Vienna, the city where he attended medical school, began his psychiatric practice and studied under Sigmund Freud.\n\n<em>Full story at <a href=\"http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2007/11/03/50_years_after_his_death_supporters_promote_scientists_work?mode=PF\" target=\"_blank\">Boston.com</a> - and of course St Wilhelm gets an extra long entry in my <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Far-Out-Strange-Tales-Sciences/dp/1932857877/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-8753441-1142357?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1194218255&amp;sr=8-2\" target=\"_blank\">Far Out</a> book.\n</em>','Wilhelm Reich: fifty years on','','publish','open','open','','wilhelm-reich-fifty-years-on','','','2007-11-04 23:19:56','2007-11-04 23:19:56','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=694',0,'post','',0),(695,2,'2007-11-06 12:31:26','2007-11-06 12:31:26','<em>In the winter of 2002 John Kanzius felt soreness in his abdomen. On Good Friday, he went in for a CT scan. Doctors told him he had five to seven years to live.</em>\n\nThe drive home felt like the longest of his life. On the way, he called Marianne. She noted that moment in her journal:\n\n<em>\"I hadn\'t </em><em>heard from him. Then the phone rang. \'Honey, it\'s bad. I have a tumor in my stomach. They\'re not certain, but they think it\'s non-Hodgkin\'s lymphoma.\' The phone went silent</em>.\"\n\nA year after his diagnosis, on Good Friday again, doctors gave him bad news: He had an aggressive type of cancer that had not actually gone into remission. They gave him nine months. Doctors said he needed a bone marrow transplant, and Kanzius traveled to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for a second opinion. During his visit, he noticed the children in the cancer ward. Kanzius went home thinking about them, and soon mapped out his idea.\n\nHe knew that metal would heat when exposed to radio waves. He wanted to focus the waves by inserting metal particles into tumors. The infused cells would be placed in a radiofrequency field. The waves would pass through the human body, and the particles injected into the cancer would heat and kill the cells without harming anything else.\n\nHe built a machine to send the waves, while undergoing his second round of chemotherapy. This time the treatments nearly killed him. He spent three or four days a week at the hospital, sometimes for as long as eight hours. He came home to rest, only to toil over his project...\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-cancer2nov02,0,1721192,full.story?coll=la-tot-topstories\" target=\"_blank\">LA Times</a>','The Kanzius device: a new cancer killer?','','publish','open','open','','the-kanzius-device-a-new-cancer-killer','','','2007-11-06 12:31:26','2007-11-06 12:31:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=695',0,'post','',0),(697,2,'2007-11-06 14:31:57','2007-11-06 14:31:57','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/mval3_sml.jpg\" title=\"mval3_sml.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/mval3_sml.jpg\" title=\"mval3_sml.jpg\" alt=\"mval3_sml.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"253\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"338\" /></a>\nA mixing desk recording of Mount Vernon Arts Lab (above) and Raagnagrok duking it out at Glasgow\'s CCA on 30 October 2007. After each band\'s individual sets we decided to let it all hang out with a very impromptu cosmic collision.\n\nHere\'s <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/mp3/MVALRGKCCA.mp3\" target=\"_blank\">what happened</a>... (17mb mp3: 12mins 16secs)\n\n<em>You can hear: John Cavanagh on EMS VCS3 and theremin; Brad Cunningham on bass and ring modulator; Drew Mulholland on guitar (NB: bass and guitar were *much* louder in the room than on this mixing desk recording); Zali Krishna on electric sitar and MURF; Otto Amon on duophonicised DSI Evolver. </em>','MVAL vs Raagnagrok mp3','','publish','open','open','','mval-vs-raagnagrok','','','2007-11-06 14:31:57','2007-11-06 14:31:57','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=697',0,'post','',0),(698,2,'2007-11-06 16:38:22','2007-11-06 16:38:22','<p class=\"story2\"><em> Aliens were responsible for a series of unexplained fires in fridges, TV’s and mobile phones in an Italian village, according to an Italian government report.</em></p>\n<p class=\"story2\">Canneto di Caronia, in northern Sicily, drew attention three years ago after residents reported everyday household objects bursting into flames...</p>\n<p class=\"story2\">The report was ordered by the Italian government and brought together dozens of experts including a NASA scientist. Their two year investigation has cost an estimated £1 million.</p>\n<p class=\"story2\">According to the report the fires were \"caused by a high power electro magnetic emissions which were not man made and reached a power of between 12 and 15 gigawatts.\"</p>\n<p class=\"story2\">The report also detailed a possible UFO landing close to the village, citing \"burnt imprints which have not been explained were found in a field.\"</p>\n<p class=\"story2\">Francesco Mantegna Venerando, Sicily’s Civil Protection chief who coordinated the report, said: \"This is not the final report. We are still working on our conclusions and this has been leaked.</p>\n<p class=\"story2\"> <em>Full fantastic story at <a href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/26/waliens126.xml\" target=\"_blank\">The Telegraph</a> </em></p>\n<p class=\"story2\"><em> </em></p>','Alien firestarters!','','publish','open','open','','alien-firestarters','','','2007-11-06 16:38:22','2007-11-06 16:38:22','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=698',0,'post','',0),(699,2,'2007-11-10 11:10:09','2007-11-10 11:10:09','\"Amazing British invention creates MORE energy than you put into it - and could soon be warming your home,\" said the <em>Daily Mail</em> \"It violates almost every known law of physics.\"\n\nWell, that\'ll teach those so-called scientists a lesson. The device is a heating element made by a company called Ecowatts, and it is claimed to make more heat energy than you put into it. Has anybody validated this claim?\n\nFind out over at Ben Goldacre\'s <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/nov/10/badscience\" target=\"_blank\">Bad Science.</a>\n\nAnd of course, you can find further tales of free energy that sadly wasn\'t in <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Far-Out-Weird-Facts-Science/dp/1932857877/ref=sr_1_9/202-8936751-5706231?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1194693098&amp;sr=8-9\" target=\"_blank\">Far Out</a>...','Free energy? It&#039;ll cost you','','publish','open','open','','free-energy-itll-cost-you','','','2007-11-10 11:10:09','2007-11-10 11:10:09','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=699',0,'post','',0),(701,2,'2007-11-12 11:54:58','2007-11-12 11:54:58','<a href=\"http://www.tricksterbook.com/truzzi/ZeteticScholars.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"zsno1.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/zsno1.jpg\" title=\"zsno1.jpg\" alt=\"zsno1.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>Serious, scholarly writing and research into anomalous phenomena is a rare thing though, like a daylight UFO, it does still flash across the bows occasionally in journals and magazines like <a href=\"http://www.anomalist.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Anomalist</a>, Magonia (web site currently down), <a href=\"http://www.forteantimes.com\" target=\"_blank\">Fortean Times</a>, <a href=\"http://darklore.dailygrail.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Dark Lore</a> (more on this soon) and of course <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk\">Strange Attractor</a>.\n\nSo kudos and thanks to George Hansen, author of one of the most important fortean books of recent years, <em><a href=\"http://www.tricksterbook.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Trickster and The Paranomal</a></em>, for scanning and uploading several editions of the late Marcello Truzzi\'s <a href=\"http://www.tricksterbook.com/truzzi/ZeteticScholars.html\" target=\"_blank\">Zetetic Scholar.</a>\n\nTruzzi was a sociologist with a fascination for the fringe, and his journal presents a model of how these things should be done: serious, dogma-free thinking and writing of an extremely high standard, flashed through with wry humour and a cheerful sense of the absurd.\n\nThe name comes from the classical school of thought centred around the philosopher Pyrrho (who died in 270BC, though the school didn\'t emerge until a century or so later)  and suggests the approach of a sceptical seeker. Zeteticism leaves us sceptical of being able to fully understand <em>anything</em>: our understanding of the world is always changing, just as the world is always changing around us. Wrote Truzzi:\n\n<em>\"In science, the burden of proof falls upon the claimant; and the more extraordinary a claim, the heavier is the burden of proof demanded. The true skeptic takes an agnostic position, one that says the claim is </em><em>not proved rather than </em><em>disproved.\"  </em>\n\nYou may recognise the beginning of this quote, borrowed from the 19th century French scientist Pierre-Simon Laplace, which was also recycled by the astronomer Carl Sagan.\n\nThere are 13 issues of ZS online in PDF form, dating from 1978-1987, and while they make a fabulous time capsule of rejected knowledge, it\'s also a little disconcerting to note that in most areas, understanding  of  the phenomena in question has advanced very little in the intervening years.\n\n<em><a href=\"http://www.tricksterbook.com/truzzi/ZeteticScholars.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Zetetic Scholar</a></em>','Zetetic Scholar online','','publish','open','open','','zetetic-scholar-online','','','2007-11-12 11:54:58','2007-11-12 11:54:58','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=701',0,'post','',0),(703,2,'2007-11-13 14:58:15','2007-11-13 14:58:15','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/999a.jpg\" title=\"999a.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/999a.jpg\" title=\"999a.jpg\" alt=\"999a.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n\n\"Germany recently announced that they possibly, maybe, might launch a robotic spacecraft to the Moon. That now brings to six the number of countries with spacecraft at the Moon in development to go to the Moon... The others are: China, Japan, India, the United States, and the Russians.\n\n<em>Just what the heck is going on?</em>\n\nThe lay press.. have reached for explanations, and in the process produced several erroneous theories based upon poor understanding both of what is currently happening... These Moon Myths include:\n<ul>\n	<li>These countries are involved in a “space race” to the Moon.</li>\n	<li>China, Japan, and India are engaged in an “Asian space race.”</li>\n	<li>The scientific community is newly interested in the Moon and driving these efforts.</li>\n	<li>There must be something on the Moon that all these countries want—helium-3, other resources, or extraterrestrials.</li>\n	<li>These robotic missions are precursors to something bigger, such as human missions.\"</li>\n</ul>\nFull article at <a href=\"http://www.thespacereview.com/article/999/1\" target=\"_blank\">The Space Review</a>.','Why the new Moon rush?','','publish','open','open','','why-the-new-moon-rush','','','2007-11-13 14:58:15','2007-11-13 14:58:15','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=703',0,'post','',0),(705,2,'2007-11-15 13:59:04','2007-11-15 13:59:04','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe\" title=\"archaeologies-cover.gif\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/archaeologies-cover.gif\" title=\"archaeologies-cover.gif\" alt=\"archaeologies-cover.gif\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"282\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"210\" /></a><em>Gyrus is just one gifted and highly independent Western truth seeker, but I believe him to be one of the very best. For his writing alone, Gyrus is worthy of our trust. But for his superb and enduring research, he is worthy of our deep gratitude.</em> <strong>Julian Cope</strong>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"source\">&nbsp;</p>\n</blockquote>\n<em>Gyrus’ works of alternative archaeology have long been known and admired among Earth Mystics, Psychonauts and Pagans. This book offers the opportunity to engage in a sustained way with a most original and penetrating scholarly mind.</em><strong>\nDr Robert J Wallis</strong>\n\nSpanning ten years of independent research into prehistoric art and monuments, altered states, folklore, mythology and occult practice, this is the first collection of writings by Gyrus, creator of <a href=\"http://dreamflesh.com/projects/2012/\"><em>Towards 2012</em></a> and <a href=\"http://dreamflesh.com/journal/\"><em>Dreamflesh Journal</em></a>.\n\nExclusive to this collection are: a full index; an in-depth new introduction exploring the essays’ relationship to animism and our current ecological crisis; an appendix on the enigma of the “ladder motif” in carvings from Rombald’s Moor in Yorkshire (one of which is the basis for Andy Hemingway’s stunning cover art); new art and photographs, including contributions from <a href=\"http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/\">The Modern Antiquarian</a> online community; and a foreword by Julian Cope.\n\nNow available from <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe\" target=\"_blank\">Strange Attractor Shoppe</a>','Archaeologies of Consciousness','','publish','open','open','','archaeologies-of-consciousness','','','2007-11-15 13:59:04','2007-11-15 13:59:04','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=705',0,'post','',0),(706,2,'2007-11-16 10:22:52','2007-11-16 10:22:52','<p style=\"font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal\"><strong>For the first time in more than 60 years a Colossus computer is cracking codes at Bletchley Park.</strong></p>\nThe machine is being put through its paces to mark the end of a project to rebuild the pioneering computer.\n\nIt is being used to crack messages enciphered using the same system employed by the German high command during World War II.\n\nThe Colossus is pitted against modern PC technology which will also try to read the scrambled messages...\n\nTony Sale, who led the 14-year Colossus re-build project, said it was not clear whether the wartime technology or a modern PC would be faster at cracking the codes.\n\n\"A virtual Colossus written to run on a Pentium 2 laptop takes about the same time to break a cipher as Colossus does,\" he said.\n\nIt was so fast, he said, because it was a single purpose processor rather than one put to many general purposes like modern desktop computers\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7094881.stm\" target=\"_blank\">BBC</a> and an update at <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/secondworldwar/story/0,,2211953,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Guardian</a>\n\nThanks Gavin Semple!','Code wars!','','publish','open','open','','code-wars','','','2007-11-16 10:22:52','2007-11-16 10:22:52','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=706',0,'post','',0),(707,2,'2007-11-17 11:14:19','2007-11-17 11:14:19','<strong> Family of forgers fooled art world with array of finely crafted fakes</strong><!--proximic_content_off-->\nBy Cahal Milmo, <a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article3169642.ece\" target=\"_blank\">The Independent</a>: 17 November 2007\n<p id=\"bodyCopyContent\">                   <!--proximic_content_on-->When curators at the British Museum were approached in 2005 by an elderly man with a broad Lancashire accent asking for their opinion on a fragment of an Assyrian stone frieze that he said had been in his family since 1892, they had every reason to believe he was just the latest genuine enthusiast to seek their expertise.</p>\n<!--proximic_content_off-->                                             <!--proximic_content_on-->Only when George Greenhalgh, an 84-year-old former technical drawing instructor from Bolton, hinted that the family would be willing to part with their prized artefact for £500,000 that the experts\' concerns about the authenticity of 2,700-year-old art turned into full-blown suspicion.\n\nOn closer inspection, they noticed that the carving of a bearded horseman leading two steeds, supposedly part of a documented bas relief presented to the Assyrian monarch Sennacherib for his \"palace without equal\" in what is now Iraq, showed untypical harnesses and, crucially, a spelling mistake in the ancient Mesopotamian script. The frieze was in fact an extremely clever fake.\n\n<!--more--> The museum contacted Scotland Yard\'s art and antiques unit, which in turn began an 18-month investigation into Greenhalgh, his 83-year-old wife, Olive, and their 47-year-old son Shaun, an antiques dealer . Its detectives, who are accustomed to dealing with the wide range of fraud afflicting the global art market, were astonished by what they found at the Greenhalghs\' home. Their end-of-terrace council house contained a collection of phoney treasures, each painstakingly forged in original materials from Egyptian glass to Roman silver, along with detailed \"histories\" culled from obscure archaeological records and historical texts.\n\nFrom a monumental Roman silver tray supposedly dug up in Derbyshire in the 1720s to paintings by L S Lowry to a sculpture by Barbara Hepworth, the family was responsible for a \"cottage industry\" producing at least 120 forged art works which, if they had all been sold at market rates, would have been worth £10m. Some items were so perfectly executed by Shaun Greenhalgh that they fooled experts at leading auction houses and museums.\n\nShaun Greenhalgh, the mastermind of the fraud, was sentenced at Bolton Crown Court yesterday to four years and eight months in prison, and his mother was given a suspended 12-month jail term after they admitted to conspiring to defraud museums and private collectors over 18 years.\n\nGeorge Greenhalgh, who is wheelchair-bound and suffers ill health, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and will be sentenced after a medical report.\n\nDetectives said the family was responsible for the \"biggest and most diverse\" production line of faked artworks the Yard unit has ever come across. The family made at least £850,000, although police believe the total may be nearer £2m.\n\nDetective Constable Halina Racki, who helped co-ordinate the investigation, said: \"They were some of the most unlikely people you would expect to be involved in something like this. They would produce an item, pretend it had been in the family for generations and ask for advice on its value or significance.\n\n\"If an institution or auction house expressed interest it might then suddenly become available for sale. But what is remarkable is the sheer breadth of what was produced. They went to great trouble to source the correct stone for faking Egyptian statues, and bought Roman silver to melt down into the Roman tray. Some of it is extremely well executed.\"\n\nThe son produced the artworks but left the selling to his father and, occasionally, his mother. Peter Cadwallader, for the prosecution, said: \"His father fooled experts from all the great auction houses and other experts from Leeds to Vienna, from London to New York.\"\n\nThe fraud came to light only after British Museum experts spotted the Assyrian fake and began making inquiries about other items offered by the Greenhalghs or under Olive Greenhalgh\'s maiden name of Roscoe.\n\nFive of the Greenhalgh forgeries\n\n* The Amarna Princess\n\nAn alabaster statuette claimed to be from 1,350BC which the family sold to Bolton Museum in 2004 after it was authenticated by experts at the British Museum and Christie\'s. Bolton Council is trying to recover its money.\n\nPrice: £440,000\n\n* The Risley Park Lanx\n\nA heavy Roman silver tray which was dug up in a field in Derbyshire in 1729 and was believed to have been broken up and smelted down by farm workers. Shaun Greenhalgh produced a replica using Roman coins smelted in a small furnace kept on top of his fridge. The British Museum declined to buy it but two benefactors did and donated it to the museum.\n\nPrice: £45,000\n\n* Barbara Hepworth \"Goose\", a clay sculpture, was sold to an offshoot of the Henry Moore Foundation in Leeds after George Greenhalgh pretended that his mother\'s uncle was curator of a prominent Leeds art gallery.\n\nPrice: £3,000\n\n* Sketches by Thomas Moran\n\nShaun Greenhalgh boasted that he was so good at faking the work of the Bolton-born American artist left) that he could produce a forged painting by him in 30 minutes. Twenty-four fake sketches were sold in New York in 1995.\n\nPrice: £17,500\n\n* Busts of Thomas Chatterton and John Adams\n\nBronze busts were made of the two men in a hired Bolton workshop. Shaun Greenhalgh may have been playing a private joke by focusing on Chatterton, who was a forger of pseudo-medieval poetry.\n\nPrice: £58,000','Meet the Forgers','','publish','open','open','','mee-the-forgers','','','2007-11-17 11:14:19','2007-11-17 11:14:19','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=707',0,'post','',0),(708,2,'2007-11-19 10:30:32','2007-11-19 10:30:32','<a href=\"http://www.darklore.dailygrail.com\" title=\"hc-website_small.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/hc-website_small.jpg\" title=\"hc-website_small.jpg\" alt=\"hc-website_small.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"233\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"187\" /></a>Greg Taylor, curator of the excellent <a href=\"http://dailygrail.com\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Grail</a> site and editor of <a href=\"http://subrosa.dailygrail.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Sub Rosa</a> online magazine has produced another manifestation of his broad fortean and esoteric interests – and this time it\'s physical...\n\n<em>\"Darklore, a journal of exceptional observations, hidden history, the paranormal and esoteric science. Bringing together some of the top researchers and writers on topics from outside of mainstream science and history, </em><em>Darklore will challenge your preconceptions by revealing the strange dimensions veiled by consensus reality\". </em><em> </em>\n\nStylishly presented, with a range of articles that should satisfy even the most broad-minded of forteans, <em>Darklore</em> will sit very comfortably between <a href=\"http://www.theanomalist.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Anomalist </a>and <a href=\"http://www.forteantimes.com\">Fortean Studies</a> on a no-doubt heaving bookshelf. Catering to those already fairly well-versed in these subject matters, it presents what Greg calls \"exceptional observations\" on  otherwise familiar themes and material – fresh perspectives and new questions, if not answers (though who expects answers in this world?).\n\nContributors include Daniel Pinchbeck, Mike Jay (with a rerun of his <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/SAJ2_sell.html\" target=\"_blank\">SAJ2</a> piece on ancient Peruvian psychedelic cults), Loren Coleman, Nick Redfern, Robert Schoch, Blair Blake, Michael Grosso, Lynn Picknett &amp; Clive Prince, Greg Taylor and many others.\n\nAnyway, <a href=\"http://darklore.dailygrail.com/\" target=\"_blank\">take a look</a> for yourself, but Darklore comes highly recommended.\n\nSample <a href=\"http://darklore.dailygrail.com/\" target=\"_blank\">PDFs</a> / order from <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0975720015/thedailygrail\">Amazon US</a> or <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/ASIN/0975720015/thedailygrail0c\">Amazon UK</a>.','Darklore journal','','publish','open','open','','darklore-journal','','','2007-11-19 10:30:32','2007-11-19 10:30:32','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=708',0,'post','',0),(710,2,'2007-11-22 11:53:07','2007-11-22 11:53:07','Astrophysicist Paul Davies on the search for microbial life out there, and down here. Is life written into the laws of nature?\n\n<em>The most direct way [to find out] is to seek evidence for life on another planet, such as Mars. If life originated from scratch on two planets in a single solar system, it would decisively confirm the hypothesis of biological determinism. Unfortunately, it may be a long time before missions to the Red Planet are sophisticated enough to hunt for Martian life-forms and, if they indeed exist, to study such extraterrestrial biota in detail.</em>\n\n<em>An easier test of biological determinism may be possible, however. No planet is more Earth-like than Earth itself, so if life does emerge readily under terrestrial conditions, then perhaps it formed many times on our home planet. To pursue this tantalizing possibility, scientists have begun searching deserts, lakes and caverns for evidence of “alien” life-forms—organisms that would differ fundamentally from all known living creatures because they arose independently. Most likely, such organisms would be microscopic, so researchers are devising tests to identify exotic microbes that could be living among us.</em>\n\nGood, long article at <a href=\"http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=are-aliens-among-us\" target=\"_blank\">Scientific American</a>','Aliens among us?','','publish','open','open','','aliens-among-us','','','2007-11-22 11:53:07','2007-11-22 11:53:07','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=710',0,'post','',0),(711,2,'2007-11-23 11:04:16','2007-11-23 11:04:16','India is attempting to protect its history from being patented by foreign corporations:\n\n<em>\'In 1994 an American company was granted a patent for a product based on the seeds of the need tree, an item that had for centuries been used in India as an insecticide. It took the Indian authorities more than 10 years to have the patent overturned. Similar battles were fought over a product based on the spice turmeric – traditionally used to heal wounds – as well as a Texan company\'s attempt to trademark its strain of rice as \"Texmati\". </em>\n\n<em>...Under international guidelines, patents should not be given if it is shown there is \"prior knowledge\" or existing information about the product or item. In the United States – where many of the patent applications have been made – this prior existing knowledge is only recognised if the information has been written down. It does not consider information passed down for centuries by means of oral tradition to be valid.</em>\n\n<em>...One high-profile case involved Los Angeles-based Bikram Choudhury, the self-styled \"yoga teacher to the stars\". Mr Choudhury, who moved to America in the 1970s, first obtained a copyright for a book he wrote. But when other teachers began copying the way he taught yoga – with 26 specific poses performed in a room heated to 41C (105F) – he sought legal advice and was told to obtain a copyright for the moves themselves. It has been recognised by the US courts despite India\'s objections\'</em>\n\nFull story in the <a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article3187089.ece\" target=\"_blank\">Independent</a>','Patenting ancient knowledge','','publish','open','open','','patenting-ancient-knowledge','','','2007-11-23 11:04:16','2007-11-23 11:04:16','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=711',0,'post','',0),(712,2,'2007-11-23 17:05:46','2007-11-23 17:05:46','It\'s universal quantum doom!\n\n<em>\'New Scientist reports a worrying new variant as the cosmologists claim that astronomers may have accidentally nudged the universe closer to its death by observing dark energy...</em>\n\nFull story at the <a href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/11/21/scicosmos121.xml&amp;CMP=ILC-mostviewedbox\" target=\"_blank\">Telegraph</a>.','Don&#039;t look now...','','publish','open','open','','dont-look-now','','','2007-11-23 17:05:46','2007-11-23 17:05:46','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=712',0,'post','',0),(713,2,'2007-11-26 09:41:09','2007-11-26 09:41:09','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/farout.jpg\" title=\"farout.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/farout.jpg\" title=\"farout.jpg\" alt=\"farout.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"292\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"292\" /></a>\n\nSo my first full book hits the shelves this week: <em>FAR OUT: 101 STRANGE TALES FROM SCIENCE\'S OUTER EDGE – </em>published by <a href=\"http://www.disinfo.com/catalog/itemdetail.php?id=271\" target=\"_blank\">Disinformation</a> and available wherever interesting ideas are sold.\n\nA miscellany of 101 short histories from the annals of weird science, it\'s culled from the columns I wrote for the<em> Guardian</em> newspaper\'s now-extinct <em>Life</em> section between about 2003 and 2005.\n\nFrom the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis to Zero Point Energy via the Hieronymous Device and Erototoxin, I\'ve tried to distill complex, often mind-boggling ideas and stories into concise, hopefully pithy and entertaining tinctures that can safley be taken at up to six times a day. I recommend use in the toilet, at bedtime or on short journeys (though not while cycling or operating heavy machinery).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.disinfo.com/catalog/itemdetail.php?id=271\" target=\"_blank\">Disinformation</a> have done a great publishing job. The cover, as you can see above, is fantastic, and the end papers and section divides come in a wild radioactive green – as one friend puts it, the international colour of weird science. The book is a handy CD-size and satisfyingly thick at 236pp, and should fit snugly into the lab coat, or look great in a padded cell.\n\nHopefully this clutch of stories will inspire, confuse, enthrall, appall and entertain the mad scientist in everybody\'s lives.\n\nBy it from your local independent book shop, or if you must, from Amazon <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Far-Out-Weird-Facts-Sciences/dp/1932857877/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1196069739&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\">UK</a> (who have the title wrong!) / <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Far-Out-Strange-Tales-Sciences/dp/1932857877/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1196069789&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\">USA</a>.\n\n<em>You can read the full press release after this break...</em>\n\n<!--more--><strong>FAR OUT: 101 STRANGE TALES FROM SCIENCE\'S OUTER EDGE</strong>\n\n238 pages ￡7.99 paperback\nPublished November 26th 2007\nBy The DisInformation Company Ltd\n\nJourney to the wilder shores of science with this quirky, compulsive, witty and occasionally thrilling new book from the author, broadcaster and science iconoclast Mark Pilkington.\n\nFor author interviews, review copies or further information your media contact is Jeff Scott at PLATYPUS PR ­ phone him on 01273 692215 or email jeff@platypuspr.com - alternatively please email the author Mark Pilkington directly at mark@strangeattractor.co.uk\n\n<strong>AUTHOR’S STATEMENT\n</strong>\nMark Pilkington has released the following statement to coincide with the publication of \'Far Out: 101 Strange Tales from Science\'s Outer Edge\'\n\n\"Whether we view the history of science as a grand teleological narrative or as some tangled information feedback network, the visionaries, dreamers, pioneers and charlatans documented in \'Far Out\' are still very much part of that story. Sadly, too many of them have been forgotten or ignored, but, whether their ideas prove to have been right or wrong, these pioneers remind us that science is no monolithic, free-standing monument to progress. It is instead tightly woven into the fabric of our culture and as susceptible to fads, fashions and falsehoods as any other aspect of human behaviour. Some of these tales serve as warnings. Others, hopefully, may inspire future generations of scientists to dare to dream, theorise and invent. And, perhaps, to one day transform dreams into reality.\"\n\n<strong>ABOUT THE BOOK</strong>\n\nDid you learn about science in school? Did you wonder about the experiments that didn’t work out?  The inventors who crashed and burned? The facts that turned out to be fiction? In this amazing little book, Mark Pilkington charts some of the more curious byways, scenic detours and inspired failures of scientists, inventors and, yes, crackpots, over the past few hundred years.\n\nFrom the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis to Zero Point Energy, via the Hieronymous Machine and Phlogiston, Far Out tells the stories that are all too often ignored, lost or simply forgotten by conventional science books. Some of them are perhaps best left languishing in the margins of history, but others may yet change our future.\n\nCovering physics, chemistry, biology, archaeology, psychology and other areas yet (or never) to be inducted into mainstream science, including Radionics, Keranography, Erototoxin, and Remote Viewing.\n\nFar Out contains 101 tales of science that was, science that might have been, science that never should have been, and science that may yet be.\n\n<strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</strong>\n\nMARK PILKINGTON lives in London and edits the highly praised anthology of cultural marginalia Strange Attractor Journal (see www.strangeattractor.co.uk for more information). Mark is an experienced broadcaster and has also written for the Guardian, Fortean Times, The Wire and The Times.\n\n\n<strong>CONTENTS</strong>\nPART 1 It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time\nPART 2 Amazing Inventions and Spirited Inventors\nPART 3 Natural Marvels\nPART 4 The Human Condition\nPART 5 Far Out!','Far Out: 101 strange tales from science&#039;s outer edge','','publish','open','open','','far-out-101-strange-tales-from-sciences-outer-edge','','','2007-11-26 09:41:09','2007-11-26 09:41:09','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=713',0,'post','',0),(714,2,'2007-11-29 11:39:06','2007-11-29 11:39:06','<p class=\"entry\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\"><em><strong>What is ullage?</strong></em></p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">&nbsp;</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">It has several meanings: deficiency, lack, the air at the top of a bottle, the sediment</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">after the bottle is emptied, the fumes in an engine.  The Ullage Group takes it as an</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">emblem of the other part: the contrarian, paradoxical, lost, unpopular, and forgotten.</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">&nbsp;</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">Our founders, Anthony Matt and Doug Skinner, have been uncorking many bottles</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">in their search for greater ullage.  There are many surprises ahead. Our first public</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">event will take place on a Sunday afternoon, Dec. 2 at 3:00, at Jalopy, in the ullagistic</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">neighborhood of Red Hook, in Brooklyn.  “The Five Sides of a Machine” will be a</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">celebration of projected pictures: lantern slides, filmstrips, stereo images, and</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">whatever else we can drag in there.  The founders will give keynote speeches, and</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">uncork the ceremonial ullage.  Skinner will outline the pros and cons of different</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">machines; Matt will present various stereoscopic systems.  We’ll probably have</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">some guests; and our non-carbon-based pals will include the Astroscope,</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">the Radiopticon, the Balopticon, and other rickety gizmos that may or may not work.</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\"> It’s only $5; it will be more fun than popular culture; you’ll be unhappy if you miss it.</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\">&nbsp;</p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal\"><a href=\"http://ullagegroup.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Ullage Group </a></p>','New York City: The Ullage Group','','publish','open','open','','new-york-city-the-ullage-group','','','2007-11-29 11:39:06','2007-11-29 11:39:06','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=714',0,'post','',0),(715,2,'2007-12-03 09:57:42','2007-12-03 09:57:42','<em>\"Even by conservative estimates, the War on Drugs now costs the United States $50 billion each year and has overcrowded prisons to the breaking point - all with little discernible impact on the drug trade. </em>\n\n<em>A report by the Government Accountability Office released at the end of September estimated that ninety percent of the cocaine moving into the United States now arrives through Mexico, up from sixty-six percent in 2000.</em>\n\n<em>... for all of the efforts the Bush administration has devoted to overseas drug enforcement, the price of cocaine has dropped while its purity has risen. More than forty percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana, yet the government continues to target pot smokers.\"</em>\n\nA solid, sensible analysis of America\'s catastrophic drug war in <a href=\"http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17438347/how_america_lost_the_war_on_drugs\" target=\"_blank\">Rolling Stone</a>.','How America Lost the War on Drugs','','publish','open','open','','how-america-lost-the-war-on-drugs','','','2007-12-03 09:57:42','2007-12-03 09:57:42','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=715',0,'post','',0),(716,2,'2007-12-03 10:54:49','2007-12-03 10:54:49','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/fortean_times_55_13.jpg\" title=\"fortean_times_55_13.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/fortean_times_55_13.jpg\" title=\"fortean_times_55_13.jpg\" alt=\"fortean_times_55_13.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"225\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"150\" /></a> George Hansen, one of the most fascinating living  thinkers about parapsychology and fortean phenomena,  has just recorded a rare radio interview for <a href=\"http://afterlifefm.podbean.com/2007/11/27/return-of-the-trickster\" target=\"_blank\">Afterlife FM</a>.\n\nHansen, who spent many years working in parapsychology labs, has a particular interest in manifestations of the Trickster archetype in fortean phenomena, culture and personalities. Here\'s an <a href=\"http://www.forteantimes.com/features/interviews/43/george_p_hansen.html\" target=\"_blank\">interview</a> I conducted with George for <em>Fortean Times</em> a few years back in which he outlines the ideas in his book <a href=\"http://www.tricksterbook.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Trickster and the Paranormal</a>, a dizzying but deeply sound overview of anomalous phenomena seen through the lens of post-structuralist anthropological theory, sociology, folklore and science.\n\n<a href=\"http://afterlifefm.podbean.com/2007/11/27/return-of-the-trickster\" target=\"_blank\">Afterlife FM interview.\n</a>','Trickster takes to the airwaves','','publish','open','open','','trickster-takes-to-the-airwaves','','','2007-12-03 10:54:49','2007-12-03 10:54:49','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=716',0,'post','',0),(719,2,'2007-12-06 13:33:43','2007-12-06 13:33:43','<a href=\"http://bugartbysteven.com/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"bugart3.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/bugart3.jpg\" title=\"bugart3.jpg\" alt=\"bugart3.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"278\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"370\" /></a>\n\n<em>In the somewhat obscure world of animal art -- where chimps, horses and elephants learn to grip paint-laden brushes and thrash randomly at a canvas to create abstract paintings -- Steven Kutcher\'s \"bug art\" stands out. Commanding a team of animal artists far too small to hold any paintbrush, Kutcher uses insects as living, moving paintbrushes to fashion his art.</em>\n\n<em>\"I\'ll take a bug in my hand and, leg by leg, load the paint onto each leg,\" says Kutcher, 63, from his Los Angeles home. The bugs -- flies, cockroaches and beetles -- are then let loose on a prepared canvas to scratch out their \"masterpieces.\"\'</em>\n\nMore of these beautiful bug paintings at <a href=\"http://bugartbysteven.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Steven Kutcher\'s site</a>\n\nVia the mighty <a href=\"http://boingboing.net/\" target=\"_blank\">BoingBoing</a>','Paintings by insects','','publish','open','open','','paintings-by-insects','','','2007-12-06 13:33:43','2007-12-06 13:33:43','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=719',0,'post','',0),(720,2,'2007-12-07 12:44:27','2007-12-07 12:44:27','<a href=\"http://www.realitysandwich.com/node/696\" target=\"_blank\">Reality Sandwich</a> have published an excellent, comprehensive interview with <a href=\"http://www.dailygrail.net\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Grail</a> and <a href=\"http://darklore.dailygrail.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Darklore</a> Supremo Greg Taylor in which he provides a (largely) very wise overview of the current state of slipstream research, from UFOs to secret societies, mytho-archaeology to paranormal sounds, and all the rest!\n\nHaving long suspected that there must be at least two Gregs to maintain the intense level of <a href=\"http://www.dailygrail.net\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Grail</a> output, my only question is – which Greg was the interviewer speaking to??!\n\nHead over to <a href=\"http://www.realitysandwich.com/node/696\" target=\"_blank\">Reality Sandwich</a> for the full discussion.','Greg Taylor interviewed','','publish','open','open','','greg-taylor-interviewed','','','2007-12-07 12:44:27','2007-12-07 12:44:27','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=720',0,'post','',0),(721,2,'2007-12-07 12:55:08','2007-12-07 12:55:08','<a href=\"http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/12/06/countdown-special-comment-the-nie-reflects-an-unhinged-irrational-chicken-little-of-a-president/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"countdown-sc-chickenthumbnail.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/countdown-sc-chickenthumbnail.jpg\" title=\"countdown-sc-chickenthumbnail.jpg\" alt=\"countdown-sc-chickenthumbnail.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n\n\"I\'m as mad as hell... and I\'m not going to take this anymore!\" [<em><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_(film)\" target=\"_blank\">Network</a></em>]\n\nFurther doesn\'t often stray into mainstream politics, but I was so impressed by this lengthy, sustained and above all else, deeply angry monologue by MSNBC pundit Keith Olbermann that I felt it had to be shared.\n\n<em>\"A pathological presidential liar, or an idiot-in-chief. It is the nightmare scenario of political science fiction: A critical juncture in our history and, contained in either answer, a president manifestly unfit to serve, and behind him in the vice presidency: an unapologetic war-monger who has long been seeing a world visible only to himself.\"</em>\n\nAnd this went out on live TV in the USA! There is still hope for the world.\nI\'ve not seen this gentleman in action before, but his earnest anger, 1950s dress sense and icicle-sharp, reasoned invective have made me an instant fan.\n\nSee for yourself on  <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeXb1oS3OUw\" target=\"_blank\">youtube</a>, or as <a href=\"http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/12/06/countdown-special-comment-the-nie-reflects-an-unhinged-irrational-chicken-little-of-a-president/\" target=\"_blank\">downloads</a> or a <a href=\"http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/12/06/countdown-special-comment-the-nie-reflects-an-unhinged-irrational-chicken-little-of-a-president/\" target=\"_blank\">transcript</a>.','&#039;Pathological presidential liar or idiot-in-chief?&#039;','','publish','open','open','','pathological-presidential-liar-or-idiot-in-chief','','','2007-12-07 12:55:08','2007-12-07 12:55:08','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=721',0,'post','',0),(723,2,'2007-12-10 12:32:19','2007-12-10 12:32:19','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/wtm_cover_test.jpg\" title=\"wtm_cover_test.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/wtm_cover_test.jpg\" title=\"wtm_cover_test.jpg\" alt=\"wtm_cover_test.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"293\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"192\" /></a>\n\nA few emails have asked whether there will be a new <em>Strange Attractor Journal</em> this year and the answer, unfortunately is no. A combination of other work commitments and economic realities has made it impossible to put a new anthology together, though I\'m confident that we\'ll see one in late \'08 or early \'09. But things are far from quiet at Strange Attractor Press...\n\n<!--more-->\n\nSpring \'08 will see the publication of <em>Welcome to Mars: Science and the American Century</em> by <a href=\"http://www.kenhollings.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ken Hollings</a>:\n\n<em>A story of weird science, strange events and even stranger beliefs, set in an age when the possibilities for human development seemed almost limitless, Welcome to Mars offers a fascinating, detailed chronology of where it all went wrong.</em>\n\n<em>Ken Hollings draws upon newspaper accounts, advertising campaigns, declassified government archives, old movies and newsreels from the period to depict an unsettled time in which the layout of suburbia reflected atomic bombing strategies, bankers and movie stars experimented with hallucinogens, brainwashing was just another form of interior decoration and strange lights in the sky were taken very seriously indeed. After </em><em>Welcome to Mars, you’ll never be able to think about the 1950s the same way again.</em>\n\nThe book is a radically revised and expanded version of Ken\'s <a href=\"http://www.resonancefm.com\" target=\"_blank\">Resonance FM</a> radio series of the same name, and we hope that the first hundred or so copies of the book will come with a CD of music specially prepared by Ken\'s regular sonic collaborator Simon James.\n\nFollowing <em>Welcome to Mars</em> comes a major publishing project in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust. We can\'t reveal too much about this at the moment, except to say it\'s a unique history of London, written by Richard Barnett and edited by Mike Jay. SAP are also hoping to publish a book of essays by and about the bio-chemist and LSD discoverer Albert Hoffman; more on this to follow.\n\nOn a personal note,  following the release of <a href=\"http://amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=Far+OUt+pilkington&amp;Go.x=15&amp;Go.y=11&amp;Go=Go\" target=\"_blank\">Far Out</a>, I\'ve signed up to write <em>Mirage Men</em> for Constable Robinson, a book companion to the documentary <a href=\"http://www.miragemen.com/\" target=\"_blank\">film</a> that John Lundberg and I have been working on since 2004. As I\'ve discovered, film making is a slow and expensive process, but John and I are extremely excited about the material we\'ve gathered thus far and I think both the book and the film will be real eye-openers for anyone with an interest in intelligence, deception, contemporary folklore and popular culture (notice how I didn\'t mention UFOs!). Our research continues, but both the book and the film should be ready for the world sometime in 2009.\n\nMeanwhile, the Strange Attractor Shoppe will be closed until the New Year, though I hope to be able to make sporadic updates to this site. Until 2008, have a kule yule y\'all... Mark','Strange Attractor news','','publish','open','open','','strange-attractor-news-2','','','2007-12-10 12:32:19','2007-12-10 12:32:19','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=723',0,'post','',0),(725,2,'2007-12-15 19:03:43','2007-12-15 19:03:43','<em>Two upcoming radio shows: </em>\n\n<strong>Sunday 16 December 10.00pm UT, <a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/sundayfeature/pip/d2um6/\">BBC Radio 3</a>\n</strong>\n\n<em>RAND - All Your Tomorrows Today</em>\n<p id=\"broadcast-instance\">Ken Hollings unravels the origins and achievements of the world\'s ultimate think tank. For over 60 years, the RAND (Research and Development) Corporation has been thinking the unthinkable and dreaming of multiple futures for America and the world.</p>\nIt makes ideas, not machines, but its contribution to the entire information age of satellites, systems analysis, computing and the internet has been crucial. Once labelled a \'malevolent university\', it has been credited by some with near limitless influence since its beginnings in 1945.\n\n<strong><em>Wednesday 19 December, </em><em>8-9pm, </em><em><a href=\"http://www.resonancefm.com\">Resonance 104.4 FM</a></em> </strong>\n\n<em>Strange Attractor Clear Spot: Head Heritage</em>\n\nPhil Baker and Mark Pilkington talk to Edward Meyer of Ripley\'s Believe it or Not about the art of shrinking human heads (tsantsas), as practiced by the Shuar (formerly Jivaro) Indians of Ecuador. Why were the heads made? How was it done? Where can I get one? Can you shrink an entire person? All these questions and more will be answered on tonight\'s show.\n<h4></h4>','Radio daze: RAND and Tsantsas','','publish','open','open','','radio-daze-rand-and-tsantsas','','','2007-12-15 19:03:43','2007-12-15 19:03:43','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=725',0,'post','',0),(726,2,'2007-12-15 20:36:10','2007-12-15 20:36:10','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_mvat.html\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/arthur-900900196-1197684115_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"arthur-900900196-1197684115_thumb.jpg\" border=\"0\" /></a>\n\nA fine survey of  all things  English, spooky, sonic and electronic from <a href=\"http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/\">John Coulthart</a> over at the <a href=\"http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/arthur/44/an-invitation-to-the-electric-seance\">Arthur Blog</a>, featuring Strange Attractor fiends and friends Mount Vernon Arts Lab, Cyclobe, Ghost Box, Coil and Raagnagrok amongst others.<a href=\"http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/arthur/44/an-invitation-to-the-electric-seance\">\n</a>\n\n\"December is a month of gloom particularly suited to ghost stories. Charles Dickens gave <em>A Christmas Carol</em> a ghost theme partly for this reason and the BBC had a tradition throughout the 1970s of screening a special ghost drama each Christmas, one of which was <em>The Stone Tape</em>. If you\'re already tiring of the saccharine inanities of the holiday season then this is the ideal time to explore some stranger attractions. Take your place at the table for the electric seance; switch on the machines, join hands and wait for the ectoplasm to form...\"\n\nSelect discography:\n\nBelbury Poly: <em>The Willows</em>, <em>The Owl\'s Map</em>\nCoil: <em>Astral Disaster</em>, <em>Moon\'s Milk</em>, <em>Musick to Play in the Dark</em> 1 &amp; 2\nCyclobe: <em>The Visitors</em>\nEric Zann: <em>Ouroborindra</em>\nMount Vernon Arts Lab: <em>Warminster</em>, <em>The Seance at Hob\'s Lane</em>\nMount Vernon Astral Temple: <em>Musick that Destroys Itself</em>\nPram: <em>The Moving Frontier</em>\nRaagnagrok: <em>The Purple Cloud</em>\nThe Advisory Circle: <em>Mind how You Go</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/arthur/44/an-invitation-to-the-electric-seance\">Arthur Blog</a>','The Electric Seance','','publish','open','open','','the-electric-seance','','','2007-12-15 20:36:10','2007-12-15 20:36:10','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=726',0,'post','',0),(728,2,'2007-12-24 20:26:13','2007-12-24 20:26:13','\'Following sustained pressure by a small number of UFO researchers during the last 8 years, the British Ministry of Defence have decided to release all of their UFO files.Gary Anthony, Dave Clarke, and Joe McGonagle have been making full use of the Freedom of Information Act and it\'s precursor, the Code of Practice on access to Government information...\n\nThe following is a direct quote from an FoIA response from the MoD explaining the rationale behind the release. Elsewhere in the response, the release was described as \"a major exercise, which I believe is unique in MoD history\".\n\n\"The subject of UFOs is one of the most popular subjects for FOI requests. Answering requests takes a considerable amount of time and resources and can involve officials in days of work, which frequently means trawling through old files to find the information requested. By placing the UFO files on-line at the National Archive in a structured manner, the MoD is able to follow its remit for more open government and, by re-directing applicants to the National Archive site, reduce the amount of time it spends answering requests. By opening our files in this way, we may also help to counter the maze of rumour and frequently ill informed speculation that surrounds the role of the MoD in the UFO phenomena.\"\n\n<em>Via Dave Clarke, Gary Anthony, Joe McGonagle.\nRead their full report <a href=\"http://www.uk-ufo.org/condign/di55docs.html\" target=\"new\">here</a></em>','UFO Xmas gift from the MOD','','publish','open','open','','ufo-xmas-gift-from-the-mod','','','2007-12-24 20:26:13','2007-12-24 20:26:13','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=728',0,'post','',0),(729,2,'2008-01-04 09:27:22','2008-01-04 09:27:22','<em><strong>Artists spliced fake nuclear blast into TV weather news</strong></em>\nKate Connolly in Berlin\nGuardian,  4 January, 2008\n\nA group of radical artists who panicked viewers of a Czech TV station by sneaking a nuclear mushroom cloud into its weather report are to be put on trial, prosecutors confirmed yesterday.Six members of the Ztohoven collective, whose aims include \"penetrating public space\", are to appear in court this month charged with spreading false information. They could face three years each in jail.\n\nThe artists sent shock waves through the Czech Republic in June last year by splicing footage of the atomic explosion into a live panoramic shot of the Krkonose mountains, in north-east Bohemia...\n\nIn the Czech broadcast viewers saw their screens obscured by a flash of bright light after which an orange fiery mushroom cloud ascended on the horizon.\n\nZtohoven said the aim of its project, which it called Media Reality, was not to harm, but to illustrate how the media manipulates reality.\n\nView the footage <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzaN2x8qXcM\">here</a>.','Czech media-jammers face jail','','publish','open','open','','czech-media-jammers-face-jail','','','2008-01-04 09:27:22','2008-01-04 09:27:22','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=729',0,'post','',0),(731,2,'2008-01-05 09:46:34','2008-01-05 09:46:34','<a href=\"http://www.indianpad.com/story/167698\" title=\"994499365_2873a78fc8_o.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/994499365_2873a78fc8_o.jpg\" alt=\"994499365_2873a78fc8_o.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"290\" width=\"221\" /></a>This suited astronaut was spotted amongst the animals and saints decorating the outer wall of Salamanca\'s Ieronimus Cathedral, built in 1102 AD.\n\nAs viewers of the  Indianpad site have pointed out, the stone from which he is carved looks much newer than its surroundings, so rather than being a 1000-year old time traveller, we can guess that his image was added sometime in the past four decades.\n\nMore images at <a href=\"http://www.indianpad.com/story/167698\">Indianpad</a> blog\n\n<em>Thanks Jack Sarfatti!</em>','Salamanca Spaceman','','publish','open','open','','salamanca-spaceman','','','2008-01-05 09:46:34','2008-01-05 09:46:34','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=731',0,'post','',0),(732,2,'2008-01-07 17:02:48','2008-01-07 17:02:48','While looking for quick-soak tips for lentils the other day, Alyssa Joye stumbled upon this collection of vegetarian cooking and general survival tips for a post-apocalyptic landscape. [You have to scroll down a bit for the cooking tips]\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Arial,Helvetica\"><span style=\"color: #d66321\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"></span></span></span><em>You may be able to get vegan food in a disaster, but you can count on NOT getting vegan protein. For that reason your survival kit should focus on protein sources.</em>\n\n<em>My basics for the car and work are canned beans and bean-based soups, tetrapak soup, individual packs of soymilk, vegan energy bars and crackers. SELECT LOW-SODIUM ITEMS, AS YOUR DIET MAY CONSIST ENTIRELY OF THESE FOODS. Since you may not have access to fresh fruit or vegetables for a while, also keep some vitamins or (my choice) Emergen-C packets on hand. I also keep a small bottle of spirits (vodka, brandy, etc.). Sometimes it\'s just what you (or others) need to relax--and it can be used as an antiseptic.</em>\n\n<em>Another item people should store away from home is a can of powdered soy or rice protein. I would assume that for several days, one would have access to bread, crackers, dried and canned fruits etc. from one\'s work cafeteria, local stores, people\'s houses, etc. The difficult thing will be vegan protein--and vitamin C.</em>\n\nLots more <a href=\"http://www.vegparadise.com/survival.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>\n\nThanks Alyssa!','Vegetarian apocalypse','','publish','open','open','','vegetable-apocalypse','','','2008-01-07 17:02:48','2008-01-07 17:02:48','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=732',0,'post','',0),(733,2,'2008-01-08 14:28:55','2008-01-08 14:28:55','<a href=\"http://www.dedalusbooks.com/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"dedalus.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/dedalus.jpg\" title=\"dedalus.jpg\" alt=\"dedalus.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"332\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"297\" /></a>\n\n<strong>UPDATE 06 March 08</strong>\n\n\'Dedalus is proud to announce that Informa plc through its subsidiary company Routledge Books, an imprint of Taylor &amp; Francis, will sponsor Dedalus for the next two years as part of Informa plc’s corporate responsibility programme.\n\nThis sponsorship means that Dedalus will be able to honour the commitments it has undertaken to its authors, translators, cultural institutions and other publishers. We will continue to encourage and support new writing, with special emphasis on the dialogue between cultures brought about by literature in translation\n\nDedalus’s readers can now look forward to translated fiction from Danish, Estonian, Flemish, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish in the next two years as well as more original English language fiction. Dedalus has just bought Made in Yaroslavl, a brilliant first novel by Jeremy Weingard, who lives in the East of England.\n\n“Apart from financial support we hope to benefit from the technical expertise and advice of a large and successful publisher which should be of great benefit to Dedalus. We look forward to working with Routledge Books and making the most of the opportunities this sponsorship programme will provide for Dedalus.”\nEric Lane, M.D of Dedalus Publishers\n\n<em><strong>Calling all gnostic dwarves, flesh eaters, absintheurs, occultists, opium eaters and decadents! </strong></em>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.dedalusbooks.com/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Dedalus</a> is one of the finest independent publishing houses in the UK, if not the world, and publishes great books by SA friends and contributors including Phil Baker, Amelia Hodsdon,  Robert Irwin, Mike Jay, Gary Lachman and Alex Martin, not to mention classics by Huysmans, Beckford, Bruisov, Meyrinck and many others.\n\nDue to absurd government overspending on the colossal folly of the 2012 Olympics, the Arts Council have been  forced to remove their funding from Dedalus. This means that this wonderful institution is in real danger of closing down. The most helpful thing you can do is to buy some books.\n\nThere\'s almost too much good stuff to choose from, but I can unhesitatingly recommend the following (links take you to author pages where you can buy books):\n\n<em>The Dedalus Book of Absinthe</em> by <a href=\"http://www.dedalusbooks.com/catalog.php?authID=54&amp;disp=2\" target=\"_blank\">Phil Baker</a>\n\n<em>The Arabian Nightmare </em>/<em> Satan Wants Me</em> by <a href=\"http://www.dedalusbooks.com/catalog.php?authID=64&amp;disp=2\" target=\"_blank\">Robert Irwin</a>\n\n<em>Emperors of Dreams: Drugs in the 19th Century</em> by <a href=\"http://www.dedalusbooks.com/catalog.php?authID=48&amp;disp=2\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Jay</a>\n\n<em>T</em><em>he Decadent Traveller / Cookbook / Gardener </em>by <a href=\"http://www.dedalusbooks.com/catalog.php?authID=46&amp;disp=2\" target=\"_blank\">Lucan and Grey</a><em>\n</em>\n\n<em>The Dedalus Book of the Occult /</em> <em>Literary Suicides</em> by <a href=\"http://www.dedalusbooks.com/catalog.php?authID=123&amp;disp=2\" target=\"_blank\">Gary Lachman</a>\n\n<em>Memoirs of a Gnostic Dwarf</em>  by <a href=\"http://www.dedalusbooks.com/catalog.php?authID=17&amp;disp=2\" target=\"_blank\">David Madsen</a>\n\nOr go and browse their web site for yourself: <a href=\"http://www.dedalusbooks.com/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Dedalus</a>\n\n<!--more-->\nDON\'T LET DEDALUS DIE CAMPAIGN\n\nAs most of you must know by now Arts Council England East are stopping our funding this month. There are various things you can do to help us.\n\n1.Sign our online petition at http://www.gopetition.co.uk/online/16111.html\nFor online petition novices like me the security code is the letters next to the box.\n\n2.Please write to The Arts Council on behalf of Dedalus. January 15 is the day when The Arts Council starts its deliberation, which ends on 23/1 so please start emailing soon. Something along the lines of\nDON\'T LET DEDALUS DIE\n\nThe Arts Council priorities for Literature include translation, new writing and international partnerships and supporting publishers and other arts organisations, which deliver these objectives. Dedalus translates fiction from 14 Modern European languages and publishes original English language fiction, which it has sold into 23 different languages, 28 territories. It has won many prizes and accolades.\n\n19 European cultural institutions have formed partnerships with Dedalus to help it put British publishing at the heart of Europe.  Why won\'t The Arts Council join them in funding Dedalus?\n\nEngland does not possess many independent literary publishers so we can\'t afford to destroy one that will celebrate 25 years of literary publishing on 30 November 2008.\n\nSend to the following people at The Arts Council and include info@dedalusbooks.com\n\nHierarchy\nSir Christopher Frayling at The Arts Council via his PA: maria.hampton@artscouncil.org.uk\nPeter Hewitt, Chief Executive of The Arts Council: peter.hewitt@artscouncil.org.uk\nAndrea Stark, Chief Executive of The Arts Council, East: andrea.stark@artscouncil.org.uk\n\nLiterature\nAntonia.Byatt@artscouncil.org.uk\nJohn.Hampson@artscouncil.org.uk\nNiki.Braithwaite@artscouncil.org.uk\nLucy.Sheerman@artscounci.org.uk\n\n3. Please send to arrive around 15/1 a postcard, a sheet of paper or if you are feeling! extravagant a Dedalus book with the words written on it in big letters Don\'t Let Dedalus Die, and sign it.\n\nSend to:\nSir Christopher Frayling( Chairman)           Andrea Stark( Chief Executive)\nThe Arts Council England,                         The Arts Council England, East\n14,Great Peter Street,                                  Eden House\nLondon,SW1P 3NQ                                     48/49, Bateman Street,  Cambridge, CB2 1LR\n\n4.Buy our books! We have £24,958 to find to replace The Arts Council money. It would be good if we could turn January and February into bumper months.\n\nBooks about death on our list are particularly appropriate. Bruges-la-Morte-Rodenbach ( The Guardian paperback of the week) and Exquisite Corpse-Robert Irwin spring to mind.\n\nNew titles in January\nThe Dedalus Book of Literary Suicides-Lachman\nThe Dream Maker –Haugaard\n\nNew titles in February\nMagnus –Sylvie Germain\nPleading Guilty- Paul Genney returns, a good book for lawyers and ACE employees.\n\n5. Bookshops display our books and advertise our petition\n\n6. Reviewers please review our new titles. Make us visible so we won\'t become invisible and die.\n\nPLEASE SEND THIS EMAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW.','Dedalus Books needs you!','','publish','open','open','','dedalus-books-needs-you','','','2008-01-08 14:28:55','2008-01-08 14:28:55','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=733',0,'post','',0),(736,2,'2008-01-09 14:39:19','2008-01-09 14:39:19','<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/deadlyphoto/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"2175485982_776582c8ea.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/2175485982_776582c8ea.jpg\" title=\"2175485982_776582c8ea.jpg\" alt=\"2175485982_776582c8ea.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"257\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"385\" /></a> <em>\n</em>\n\n<em>This just in from Dave Walsh, our man in the Antarctic - it seems that this is the whales\' way of expressing their appreciation for the efforts of the Esperanza team!\n</em>\n\n\"Two days, ago, just after breakfast, the Esperanza was surrounded by around 50 feeding humpback whales, that spent the morning ducking under the ship, and circling us. We launched two inflatables, dropped a hydrophone in the water, and recorded the sounds of humpback whales feeding. The humpies were very curious - swimming right up to our boats and checking us out. To give you some idea of size, an adult humpback is around 15-17m long (50ft) and 40 tonnes in weight. Yet they\'re remarkably gentle animals - everyone on the boats agreed that they never felt endangered at any time.\n\nIt occurred to us that if the Japanese whalers hadn\'t dropped their quota of 50 humpbacks for this season, and had happened into the area that we were in on Monday morning, then they could have filled their quota in one day!\"\n\nHere\'s some <a href=\"http://weblog.greenpeace.org/whales/2008/01/video_the_sound_of_humpback_wh.html\" target=\"_blank\">amazing video</a> including underwater footage and sound recordings.\n\n<em><strong>Follow up from Dave 12.01.08:</strong></em>\n\nGot em. I\'m sitting in the campaign office of the Esperanza at the moment. It\'s morning, and I\'ve not slept a wink.  It\'s another cold beautiful morning in the icy Southern Ocean. We\'re steaming at over 15 knots right now - just ahead of us, four miles away, is the Japanese Factory Whaling ship the Nisshin Maru. We found the Nisshin Maru and its three catcher boats last night - they immediately turned and ran, and we\'ve been chasing them all night, slowly drawing closer to the Nisshin Maru. One of the catcher boats, the Yushin Maru, is astern of us.\n\nThis is, obviously, great news. The fleet are running from us - therefore, they\'re not hunting whales. As they long as they keep running, we\'ll keep following. If they stop running and start whaling,  we\'ll be launching our boats, and taking non-violent, direct action to defend the whales.\n\nMore as it happens, on the <a href=\"http://weblog.greenpeace.org/whales/\" target=\"_blank\">blog</a>:','Humpback thanks','','publish','open','open','','humpback-thanks','','','2008-01-09 14:39:19','2008-01-09 14:39:19','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=736',0,'post','',0),(738,2,'2008-01-10 19:52:42','2008-01-10 19:52:42','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/img_3598.jpg\" title=\"img_3598.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/img_3598.jpg\" title=\"img_3598.jpg\" alt=\"img_3598.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" vspace=\"0\" /></a>\n<p style=\"font-size: x small\">[traffic warden buggy spotted outside San Francisco\'s MOMA on 31 December 2007]</p>\n<strong>666 church motion doomed</strong>\n<em> By Chris Moncrieff, PA\n<a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"> The Independent</a>, 10 January 2008</em>\n\nA motion calling for the disestablishment of the Church of England appeared    on the House of Commons order paper today - bizarrely numbered 666, the    number associated with the Antichrist.\n\nBob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester, one of the signatories,    said: \"It is is incredible that a motion like this should have, by chance,    acquired this significant number.\n\n\"This number is supposed to be the mark of the Devil. It looks as though God    or the Devil have been moving in mysterious ways.\n\n\"What is even stranger is that this motion was tabled last night when MPs    were debating blasphemy.\"\n\nThis is referred to in the Book of Revelations: \"Here is wisdom. Let him    that hath understanding count the number of the beast for it is the number    of a man; and his number is six hundred, three score and six.\"\n\n* House of Commons motions tabled by backbenchers very rarely get debated.    They are normally tabled simply to gain publicity for a cause.\n\n<em>Thanks <a href=\"http://mikejay.net\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Jay</a>! </em>','The Church vs 666','','publish','open','open','','738','','','2008-01-10 19:52:42','2008-01-10 19:52:42','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=738',0,'post','',0),(740,2,'2008-01-11 10:45:11','2008-01-11 10:45:11','<a href=\"http://www.grandguignol.com/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"dscf0032_full.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/dscf0032_full.jpg\" title=\"dscf0032_full.jpg\" alt=\"dscf0032_full.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"414\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"312\" /></a>\n\nBack in the days before HG Lewis and Lucio Fulci there was <a href=\"http://www.grandguignol.com\" target=\"_blank\">Grand Guignol</a>!\n\nA fantastic <a href=\"http://www.grandguignol.com\" target=\"_blank\">archive</a> of material from <a href=\"http://thrillpeddlers.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Thrillpeddlars</a>, a San Francisco-based troupe who recreate the GG experience using genuine plays of the period.\n\nHere you\'ll find detailed historical information, articles from writers who witnessed the theatre\'s twilight years, a list of plays and a wonderful poster archive. Definitely a key stop for the time machine I\'m building at Further towers.','Grand Guignol lives','','publish','open','open','','grand-guignol-lives','','','2008-01-11 10:45:11','2008-01-11 10:45:11','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=740',0,'post','',0),(741,2,'2008-01-16 14:23:24','2008-01-16 14:23:24','<em><strong>Continuing our cetacean <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=736\" target=\"_blank\">theme</a>, a piece on whale brains:</strong></em>\n\nThey\'re bigger than ours, so <a href=\"http://science-community.sciam.com/thread.jspa?threadID=300006091\" target=\"_blank\">are they smarter?</a>\n\n<em>\'We humans pride ourselves on our big brains. We never seem to tire of bragging about how our supreme intelligence empowers us to lord over all other animals on the planet. Yet the biological facts don\'t quite square with Homo sapiens\' arrogance. The fact is, people do not have the largest brains on the planet, either in absolute size or in proportion to body size. Whales, not people, have the biggest brains of any animal on earth.</em>\n\n<em>Just how smart are whales? Why do they have such big brains? Bigger is not always better; maybe the inflated whale brain is not very sophisticated on a cellular level. We\'re closer to answering such questions now, for a couple of recent papers address them squarely. What they find is helping separate fact from fiction.\'</em>\n\nMore cetacean speculation at <a href=\"http://science-community.sciam.com/thread.jspa?threadID=300006091\" target=\"_blank\">Scientific American.</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://science-community.sciam.com/thread.jspa?threadID=300006091\" target=\"_blank\"></a><em><strong>Elsewhere in the cosmos: </strong></em>\n\n<em>you yourself reading this article are more likely to be some momentary fluctuation in a field of matter and energy out in space than a person with a real past born through billions of years of evolution in an orderly star-spangled cosmos. Your memories and the world you think you see around you are illusions...</em>\n\n...in the last couple of years there has been a growing stream of debate and dueling papers, replete with references to such esoteric subjects as reincarnation, multiple universes and even the death of spacetime, as cosmologists try to square the predictions of their cherished theories with their convictions that we and the universe are real. The basic problem is that across the eons of time, the standard theories suggest, the universe can recur over and over again in an endless cycle of big bangs, but it’s hard for nature to make a whole universe. It’s much easier to make fragments of one, like planets, yourself maybe in a spacesuit or even — in the most absurd and troubling example — a naked brain floating in space.\n\n<strong><em>Big brain theory over at the <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/science/15brain.html\" target=\"_blank\">NYT</a> </em></strong>\n\n<em>And, at the water\'s edge, a musical interlude from SA pal <a href=\"http://youtube.com/watch?v=ILPzkze3RHw&amp;feature=related\" target=\"_blank\">David Rothenberg</a>... </em>','Welcome to the Big Brain','','publish','open','open','','welcome-to-the-big-brain','','','2008-01-16 14:23:24','2008-01-16 14:23:24','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=741',0,'post','',0),(742,2,'2008-01-17 09:53:54','2008-01-17 09:53:54','<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/deadlyphoto/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"2189094359_0c7e061660.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/2189094359_0c7e061660.jpg\" alt=\"2189094359_0c7e061660.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"292\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"439\" /></a>\n<pre><strong>[Nisshin Maru, on the run from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza. Dave Walsh]</strong></pre>\n<strong>High drama on the high seas as Greenpeace\'s Esperanza and Sea Shepherd\'s Steve Irwin close in on the \'cetacean Death Star\'.</strong>\n\n<em>\'We are obsessed with stopping the cetacean Death Star, that vicious, cruel killing machine otherwise known as the Nisshin Maru, and her fleet of boats armed with explosive harpoons. We know that if we kill the whales, the sharks, the seals and the sea turtles, we will destroy the very foundation of life in the oceans,\" [Paul Watson] says. </em>\n\n<em>\'The Japanese whalers are a disgrace to civilised society and the government of Japan should be ashamed of its subsidies and support for these bloody-minded cetacean serial killers. The Japanese are targeting endangered whales in a whale sanctuary in blatant violation of a global moratorium.\'</em>\n\nFull story over at <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/17/whaling.japan\" target=\"_blank\">the Guardian</a>\n\n<strong>Plus this comment from Greenpeace\'s Dave Walsh:</strong>\n\n<em>\'I\'m sure some of you have already seen reports in the media about a bizarre standoff in the Southern Ocean between whalers and activists.  Two guys boarded a harpoon boat two days ago, and are being held prisoner.</em>\n\n<em>Neither Greenpeace or the Esperanza are connected to this situation - it involves an organisation called Sea Shepherd, which Greenpeace doesn\'t work with, over fundamental differences in tactics. Greenpeace, as you may know, while a risk-taking, confrontational organisation, bases its tactics on the principles of non-violent direction and action, and bearing witness. \'</em>\n\n<strong>Elsewhere, in the Pacific, very bad news for cetaceans:</strong>\n\n<em>President Bush on Wednesday moved to exempt Navy sonar training missions off Southern California from complying with key environmental laws, an effort designed to free the military from court-ordered restrictions aimed at protecting whales and dolphins.</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-sonar17jan17,1,2954015.story?coll=la-news-environment&amp;ctrack=1&amp;cset=true\" target=\"_blank\">Bush sides with Navy in sonar Battle</a>','Hunt for the Death Star','','publish','open','open','','hunt-for-the-death-star','','','2008-01-17 09:53:54','2008-01-17 09:53:54','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=742',0,'post','',0),(744,2,'2008-01-18 10:07:43','2008-01-18 10:07:43','<a href=\"http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1033/1\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"1033e.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/1033e.jpg\" alt=\"1033e.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n\nSome great high-end geekery over at <a href=\"http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1033/2\" target=\"_blank\">The Space Review</a>: a lengthy piece deconstructing the meanings of various US military satellite launch patches. Owls, eyes, dragons, ships and stars adorn these patches, made to commemorate both the launches and the teams who worked on them – but what do they mean?\n\n<em>...the patch depicted four wing-shaped symbols circling the Earth in two different orbits—analogous to the 57 and 68 degree orbits occupied by previous Lacrosse satellites. Of those four symbols, three were white and one was red. Molczan knew that of the four Lacrosse satellites launched to date, the first spacecraft, launched aboard the Space Shuttle in 1988, had been deorbited.</em>\n\n<em>[Another] third patch developed for the launch was the “all-seeing eye” patch mentioned earlier. Although the eye over the pyramid symbol is often attributed to Freemasons, the symbolic eye itself can be traced back to ancient Egypt, and in the United States it was first included on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States in 1782. Clearly whoever developed the design for the patch took the symbol from the dollar bill and adapted it, intending it to symbolize the same thing as the owl eyes on the other two patches—the ability of the satellite to see regardless of day or night. The logo also contains the launch number B-28 written out in Roman numerals, and letters representing the NRO, the 2nd Space Launch Squadron, and Lockheed Martin Aerospace.</em>\n\nVia <a href=\"http://www.dailygrail.net\" target=\"_blank\">The Daily Grail</a>','Decoding satellite patches','','publish','open','open','','decoding-satellite-patches','','','2008-01-18 10:07:43','2008-01-18 10:07:43','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=744',0,'post','',0),(747,2,'2008-01-18 10:51:08','2008-01-18 10:51:08','<a href=\"http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/heliocentric-pantheon-interview-with.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"450px-oculus1.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/450px-oculus1.jpg\" alt=\"450px-oculus1.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"347\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"262\" /></a>A fascinating <a href=\"http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/heliocentric-pantheon-interview-with.html\" target=\"_blank\">interview</a> with famed film and sound editor Walter Murch (<em>Apocalypse Now</em>, <em>The Conversation</em>, <em>The Godfather</em>, er <em>Return to Oz</em>) in which he outlines, amongst many other things, his theory that Copernicus\' 16th century ideas about the heliocentric solar system were inspired by those of the 3rd century BC astronomer Astriarchus<sup>*</sup>,  encoded in the roof of Rome\'s Pantheon (c 125 AD).\n\nRead the interview – it\'s not as crazy an idea as you might think!\n\n<em>* Interestingly the lunar crater Astriarchus is the most common site for the mysterious <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transient_lunar_phenomenon\" target=\"_blank\">transient light phenomenon</a>.</em>\n\nThanks to <a href=\"http://www.techgnosis.com\" target=\"_blank\">Erik Davis</a> for first telling me about Murch\'s cosmic outlook.','Walter Murch &amp; the heliocentric Pantheon','','publish','open','open','','walter-murch-the-heliocentric-pantheon','','','2008-01-18 10:51:08','2008-01-18 10:51:08','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=747',0,'post','',0),(749,2,'2008-01-23 12:29:44','2008-01-23 12:29:44','<span style=\"font-style: italic\">Accounts of out-of-body experiences -- in which a conscious person sees his or her own body from a location outside the physical body -- have been reported in clinical conditions that disturb brain function, such as near-death experiences, epileptic seizures, drug abuse, stroke, and certain psychiatric and neurological disorders. Last year, two research groups induced out-of-body experiences in healthy participants with virtual reality techniques. The experiments, described last August in studies by </span><span style=\"font-style: italic\">H. Henri Ehrsson</span><span style=\"font-style: italic\"> and </span><span style=\"font-style: italic\">Olaf Blanke and colleagues</span><span style=\"font-style: italic\"> in </span><em>Science</em><span style=\"font-style: italic\">, demonstrate that out-of-body experiences, previously confined to the realms of psychiatry, fiction and the occult, occur when the normal processing of sensory information is disrupted. This research provides an important tool to understand how the feeling of self is generated by the brain.</span>\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://science-community.sciam.com/blog-entry/Mind-Matters/Lab-Route-Body-Experiences/300006228\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-style: italic\">Scientific American</span></a> – when can we buy OBE-generators for recreational use?','Laboratory OBEs','','publish','open','open','','laboratory-obes','','','2008-01-23 12:29:44','2008-01-23 12:29:44','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=749',0,'post','',0),(751,2,'2008-01-24 10:21:59','2008-01-24 10:21:59','<a href=\"http://www.mnmuseumofthems.org/Faces/intro.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"1062l.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/1062l.jpg\" alt=\"1062l.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"418\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"265\" /></a>\n\nNot a new psych-stoner outfit but a romantic visual essay on anthropomorphic simulacra in stone, such as this fine fellow.\n\n<em>\'Stones have life, they can suffer illness, old age, and death. When cut, stones can grow. Stones cover themselves with figures. According to Alberti, nature had carved Solomon\'s seal on a stone found in a field near Verona, as if with a ruler. At Freiburg, a stone \'of alabandite\' bore the image of monkeys...</em><em> Similarly, in Lake Alsatia, near the Misnesis Mountains, figures of frogs and fish, in copper, have been found drawn upon the surface of stones.</em>\' Jurgis Baltrusaitis<em>, Aberrations</em>\n<a href=\"http://www.mnmuseumofthems.org/Faces/intro.html\" target=\"_blank\"></a>\n\n<em><a href=\"http://www.mnmuseumofthems.org/Faces/intro.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Stone Face: Fragments of an Earlier World</a></em>','Stone Faces','','publish','open','open','','stone-faces','','','2008-01-24 10:21:59','2008-01-24 10:21:59','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=751',0,'post','',0),(752,2,'2008-01-24 15:32:09','2008-01-24 15:32:09','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/1201116421097ig4.jpg\" title=\"1201116421097ig4.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/1201116421097ig4-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"1201116421097ig4.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"149\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"66\" /></a>\n\nI\'ve no idea who is behind this (honest!), or even what it\'s in aid of, but I\'m intrigued enough to go down there with a camera and see what\'s going on. That said it could be messy. And by \'FAGS\' do they mean homosexuals? Is it an acronym? Or some Scientological term? I suppose we\'ll have to wait until the 10th to find out...\n\n<em>Update: </em>SA pal Gnat Ward points out that this is most probably a reference to Tom Cruise\'s recently exposed \'<a href=\"http://gawker.com/5002269/the-cruise-indoctrination-video-scientology-tried-to-suppress?autoplay=true\" target=\"_blank\">pep talk</a>\' promotional Scientology video. So where can you get Tom Cruise masks?\n\n<em>Update II:</em> OK, looks like I\'ve been slow off the mark on this one, at least in Internet time anyway. There\'s a <a href=\"http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/%22Anonymous%22_releases_statements_outlining_%22War_on_Scientology%22\">war</a> going on...\n[click on the image for a larger view]\n\nMeanwhile a curious piece about Scientology\'s <a href=\"http://ufocon.blogspot.com/2008/01/ufos-and-scientology.html\" target=\"_blank\">fascination with UFOs</a>. Got me wondering if some of the legendary MIBs might have been related to Elron\'s family...','London anti-Scientology flashmob','','publish','open','open','','london-anti-scientology-demo','','','2008-01-24 15:32:09','2008-01-24 15:32:09','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=752',0,'post','',0),(754,2,'2008-01-28 10:01:26','2008-01-28 10:01:26','SA pal and parapsychologist Dr David Luke discusses the ontological status of entities encountered during dreams, visions and psychedelic experiences. Should be a good one!\n\n<em> Wednesday January 30 2008, 7.30 for 8pm. The Moot With No Name.</em> Upstairs, Devereux pub near Temple tube station. £2. (Unless otherwise stated.) The Devereux pub in Devereux Court WC2R 3JJ. Opposite the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand (near Aldwych). The Devereux is down the alley next to this.<strong> </strong><a href=\"http://www.multimap.com/maps/?&amp;hloc=GB|WC2R%203JJ\" target=\"_blank\">Map</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.multimap.com/maps/?&amp;hloc=GB|WC2R%203JJ\" target=\"_blank\"></a><em>An investigation of the evidence for the reality of discarnate beings. Parapsychologist David Luke examines a commonly occurring demonic/angelic encounter experience naively induced through the ingestion of psychoactive compounds, dreams and near-death states. Speculations about the origins of the entity are considered in the light of transcultural myths, magical folklore, neurochemistry and David\'s simple bewilderment.</em>','Discarnate Entities invade London','','publish','open','open','','discarnate-entities-invade-london','','','2008-01-28 10:01:26','2008-01-28 10:01:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=754',0,'post','',0),(755,2,'2008-01-30 10:05:00','2008-01-30 10:05:00','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/images.jpg\" title=\"images.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/images.jpg\" alt=\"images.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n\nWell covered on the web is <a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientists-discover-way-to-reverse-loss-of-memory-775586.html\" target=\"_blank\">this story</a> of how a man undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation with electrodes was suddenly able to recall long-lost memories:\n\n<em>The accidental breakthrough came during an experiment originally intended to suppress the obese man\'s appetite, using the increasingly successful technique of deep-brain stimulation. Electrodes were pushed into the man\'s brain and stimulated with an electric current. Instead of losing appetite, the patient instead had an intense experience of déjà vu. He recalled, in intricate detail, a scene from 30 years earlier. More tests showed his ability to learn was dramatically improved when the current was switched on and his brain stimulated. </em>\n\n<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Delgado\" target=\"_blank\">Dr Delgado</a> would be proud.\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"><em>\"The individual may think that the most important reality is his own existence, but this is only his personal point of view. This lacks historical perspective. Man does not have the right to develop his own mind... We must electronically control the brain. Someday armies and generals will be controlled by electric stimulation of the brain.\"  </em></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Verdana\"> Dr José Delgado, Yale University Medical School Congressional Record, February 24, 1974</span>','I remember... Deglado','','publish','open','open','','i-remember-deglado','','','2008-01-30 10:05:00','2008-01-30 10:05:00','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=755',0,'post','',0),(758,2,'2008-02-01 11:25:47','2008-02-01 11:25:47','<a href=\"http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/31/624367.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"080130-coslog-explorer-466-12p.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/080130-coslog-explorer-466-12p.jpg\" alt=\"080130-coslog-explorer-466-12p.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"271\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"361\" /></a><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-family: Verdana\" align=\"left\"></span>\n\n<em>Jan. 31, 1958. Explorer 1 was circling Earth for the first time, proving that America could match the Soviets on the Cold War\'s orbital frontier. </em>\n\n<em>\"We have firmly established our foothold in space,\" Wernher von Braun declared. \"We will never give it up again.\"...</em>\n\nFull article at<a href=\"http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/31/624367.aspx\" target=\"_blank\"> MSNBC</a>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-family: Verdana\" align=\"left\">[T</span><span style=\"font-size: 8pt; font-family: Verdana\" align=\"left\">he Jet Propulsion Laboratory\'s William Pickering, University of Iowa physicist James Van Allen and rocket scientist Wernher von Braun hold up a model of Explorer 1 at a news conference after hearing the satellite had reached orbit on Jan. 31, 1958.]</span>','America&#039;s 50 years in space','','publish','open','open','','americas-50-years-in-space','','','2008-02-01 11:25:47','2008-02-01 11:25:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=758',0,'post','',0),(760,2,'2008-02-08 09:41:28','2008-02-08 09:41:28','<a href=\"http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2008/02/trevor-paglen-works-at-the.php\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"00aacodenames6.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/00aacodenames6.jpg\" alt=\"00aacodenames6.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"235\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"353\" /></a>\n\nA <a href=\"http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2008/02/trevor-paglen-works-at-the.php\" target=\"_blank\">report</a> from the Berlin <a href=\"http://www.transmediale.de/site/programm/overview/\" target=\"_blank\">Transmediale</a> art fair on the work of Trevor Paglen, who blurs the line between parapolitical research, art and paranoid anthropology – sounds quite amazing. He also has a book out on the symbolism of flight patches: <em>I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to be Destroyed by Me</em> (Amazon <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FCould-Tell-Then-Would-Destroyed%2Fdp%2F1933633328%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1202284669%26sr%3D1-1&amp;tag=nearnearfutur-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325\">USA</a> and <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2FCould-Tell-Then-Would-Destroyed%2Fdp%2F1933633328%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1202284669%26sr%3D1-1&amp;tag=nearnearfutur-21&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=6738\">UK</a>).\n\n<em>\'Paglen works at the border of art and research and is currently completing a PhD in the <a href=\"http://geography.berkeley.edu/\">Department of Geography at the University of California at Berkeley</a>. His artistic work deliberately blurs the lines between social science, contemporary art, and other more obscure disciplines in order to construct unfamiliar, yet meticulously researched ways to interpret the world around us.\n</em>\n\n<em>\'Paglen then showed us pages from the Department of Defense <a href=\"http://www.defenselink.mil/comptroller/defbudget/fy2008/\">Budget</a> Fiscal Year 2008. The document is publicly available but presents some puzzling numbers. For example, a whopping $ 12.3 million is allocated to toilets which, the document states, must provide soldiers with equipment 2 enhance their efficiency and efficacy.\"</em>\n\n<em>Paglen showed more images from a documents of classified strategic RDT&amp;E programs. Some projects with mysterious names such as \"Pilot Fish\", \"Retract Juniper,\" \"Chalk Coral\", etc. receive huge budget but, unlike the toilets do not present any justification. Sometimes the sum allocated to a project does not appear at all, leaving blank spots in the budget. The National Security Agency has mostly blanks in its budget.\'</em>\n\nOver at <a href=\"http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2008/02/trevor-paglen-works-at-the.php\" target=\"_blank\">We make art not money</a>, via <a href=\"http://www.kenhollings.com\" target=\"_blank\">Ken Hollings</a>.','Black Arts','','publish','open','open','','black-arts','','','2008-02-08 09:41:28','2008-02-08 09:41:28','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=760',0,'post','',0),(761,2,'2008-02-10 12:09:18','2008-02-10 12:09:18','On the day of a series of worldwide protests, the collective entity known as <a href=\"http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/%22Anonymous%22_releases_statements_outlining_%22War_on_Scientology%22\" target=\"_blank\">Anonymous</a> spells out its issues with Scientology. The video raises genuine questions about Scientology\'s tax exemption status in relation to other recognised religions, and also refers casually to much darker deeds.\n\n<a href=\"http://youtube.com/watch?v=SQKbHBqDwSI\" target=\"_blank\">Watch it now - 5 mins</a>  / More on <a href=\"http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/%22Anonymous%22_releases_statements_outlining_%22War_on_Scientology%22\" target=\"_blank\">Anonymous</a>','The war on Scientology explained','','publish','open','open','','the-war-on-scientology-explained','','','2008-02-10 12:09:18','2008-02-10 12:09:18','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=761',0,'post','',0),(762,2,'2008-02-15 09:45:06','2008-02-15 09:45:06','An interesting interview from <a href=\"http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=why-teleporting-is-nothing-like-star-trek\" target=\"_blank\">Scientific American</a> which lays out the current state of play on teleportation. It\'s a little more tangled than we\'d like to hope:\n\n<strong>\'What\'s the biggest misconception about teleportation?</strong>\nJeff Kimble: That the object itself is being sent. We\'re not sending around material stuff. If I wanted to send you a Boeing 757, I could send you all the parts, or I could send you a blueprint showing all the parts, and it\'s much easier to send a blueprint. Teleportation is a protocol about how to send a quantum state—a wave function—from one place to another.\'\n\n<a href=\"http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=why-teleporting-is-nothing-like-star-trek\" target=\"_blank\">Scientific American</a> via <a href=\"http://dailygrail.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Daily Grail </a>','&#039;Just don&#039;t talk about teleporting people&#039;','','publish','open','open','','teleportation-explained-sort-of','','','2008-02-15 09:45:06','2008-02-15 09:45:06','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=762',0,'post','',0),(763,2,'2008-02-18 11:55:00','2008-02-18 11:55:00','<em><span id=\"innercontent\"><span class=\"newsitembody\"><span>\'We\'ve devised a recipe for an acoustic material that would essentially open up a hole in space and make something inside that hole disappear from sound waves.\'</span></span></span></em>\n\n<em><span id=\"innercontent\"><span class=\"newsitembody\"><span>In 2006, researchers at Duke and the Imperial College London used a new design theory to create a blueprint for an electromagnetic invisibility cloak. Only a few months later, the team demonstrated the first such cloak, designed to operate at microwave frequencies.</span></span></span><span></span></em>\n\n<em><span></span><span id=\"innercontent\"><span class=\"newsitembody\"><span>\'In my mind, waves are waves. It was hard for me to imagine that something you could do with electromagnetic waves would be completely undoable for sound waves.\'</span>\n\n</span></span></em>\n\n<span id=\"innercontent\"><span class=\"newsitembody\"><span>Steven Cummer, Jeffrey N. Vinik Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke\'s Pratt School of Engineerin.</span></span></span>\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://news.duke.edu/2008/01/3dsoundcloak1.html\" target=\"_blank\">Duke News</a>','Audio invisibility','','publish','open','open','','audio-invisibility','','','2008-02-18 11:55:00','2008-02-18 11:55:00','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=763',0,'post','',0),(764,2,'2008-02-19 09:20:50','2008-02-19 09:20:50','Short notice I\'m afraid, but SA contributor and underground literary legend Stewart Home has two live appearances in London this week:\n\n<strong>20 FEBRUARY 2008</strong>\nNorth Kensington Library 108 Ladbroke Grove, London W11 1PZ. 6pm. Free.\nStewart Home reads from and talks about his novels Memphis Underground, Tainted Love and 69 Things To Do With A Dead Princess. Advance ticket required: collect from <a href=\"http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/libraries/\" target=\"_blank\">Kensington and Chelsea libraries</a>.\n\n<strong>21 FEBRUARY 2008</strong>\n176 Gallery, 176 Prince of Wales Road, London NW5 3PT. 7pm.\n\nStewart Home lecture: \"Mondo Mythopoesis: Psychogeography after situationism. A talk emphasising the non-literary aspects of psychogeographic practice with a few asides about writer Iain Sinclair\'s role in popularising the term.\" <a href=\"http://www.projectspace176.com/events-calendar/ \" target=\"_blank\">More info</a>\n\n<strong>\n</strong>','Stewart Home events in London','','publish','open','open','','stewart-home-events-in-london','','','2008-02-19 09:20:50','2008-02-19 09:20:50','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=764',0,'post','',0),(765,2,'2008-02-20 09:27:46','2008-02-20 09:27:46','Anyone who\'s ever watched a zombie film knows that psychics can\'t stop zombies - only a bullet to the head will do the trick. But we are talking the <a href=\"http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=514685&amp;in_page_id=1770\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Mail </a>here...\n\n<em><span class=\"artDate\">15th February 2008</span></em>\n\n<em>Staff at a sewage works have called in a ghostbuster because they are being stalked by a zombie-like figure who roams the underground tunnels. </em>\n\n<em>Workers at Southern Water\'s treatment plant in Eastbourne, East Sussex, said they have been scared to enter tunnels after being followed about by a \"humanoid figure\" as they went about their jobs.</em>\n\n<em>...the figure, which followed workers about often laughed at them and staff could hear \"muffled conversations\" coming from behind the tunnel walls. </em>\n\nSomebody\'s suffereing some serious genre confusion.\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.badscience.net\" target=\"_blank\">Ben Goldacre</a>!','Sussex sewer zombie!','','publish','open','open','','sussex-sewer-zombie','','','2008-02-20 09:27:46','2008-02-20 09:27:46','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=765',0,'post','',0),(767,2,'2008-02-20 09:34:21','2008-02-20 09:34:21','<a href=\"http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/4974829.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"panel-04.png\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/panel-04.png\" alt=\"panel-04.png\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"246\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"510\" /></a>\n\nYou\'d better <a href=\"http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/4974829.html\" target=\"_blank\">believe it</a>... Written and illustrated by Alexey Lipatov.\n\nThanks Adi Tantimedh!','Clash of the titans: Stalin vs Hitler','','publish','open','open','','clash-of-the-titans-stalin-vs-hitler','','','2008-02-20 09:34:21','2008-02-20 09:34:21','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=767',0,'post','',0),(769,2,'2008-02-22 09:25:03','2008-02-22 09:25:03','<a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/dn13355-music-special-five-great-auditory-illusions-.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"dn13355-1_250.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/dn13355-1_250.jpg\" alt=\"dn13355-1_250.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\nAs part of a music special, New Scientist has a great selection of <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/dn13355-music-special-five-great-auditory-illusions-.html\" target=\"_blank\">audio illusions</a> on its web site, including Diana Deutsch\'s <a href=\"http://philomel.com/phantom_words/wav/Track_06.wav\" target=\"_blank\">phantom words</a> as featured in Joe Banks\' Rorschach Audio piece in the first volume of SAJ.\n\nPictured here is the scale illusion:\n\n<em> Another effect first demonstrated by <a href=\"http://deutsch.ucsd.edu/\" target=\"ns\">Diana Deutsch</a>, this is an example of our brains \"grouping\" similar notes together. Two major scales are played: one ascending, one descending. However, the notes alternate from ear to ear – for instance, the right ear hears the first note of one scale, and then the second note of the other.</em>\n\nPop over to <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/dn13355-music-special-five-great-auditory-illusions-.html\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a> for more.\nvia <a href=\"http://dailygrail.net\">Daily Grail</a>','Audio illusions','','publish','open','open','','audio-illusions','','','2008-02-22 09:25:03','2008-02-22 09:25:03','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=769',0,'post','',0),(771,2,'2008-02-22 09:42:53','2008-02-22 09:42:53','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_disinformation.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"circuitblastingcdart.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/circuitblastingcdart.jpg\" alt=\"circuitblastingcdart.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\nThat dynamic sonic duo SAVD will perform both National Grid – utilising live mains electricity and antique laboratory equipment – and Circuit Blasting – in which we attack cheap electronic keyboards with high voltage electrical devices – at Newcastle\'s <a href=\"http://www.life.org.uk/articles/100\" target=\"_blank\">Centre for Life</a> on 5 March 2008 as part of the city\'s AV festival.\n\nFor those who have no idea what I\'m talking about, here are Youtube clips of <a href=\"http://youtube.com/watch?v=B13-09K-Ubc\" target=\"_blank\">National Grid</a> at London\'s Corsica Studios in 2004 and <a href=\"http://youtube.com/watch?v=uPfbha-w1Dc\" target=\"_blank\">Circuit Blasting</a> at the Unitarian Church in Cambridge in 2006. And a real treat – <a href=\"http://youtube.com/watch?v=v8rgHNL5ztE\" target=\"_blank\">rare film</a> of the boys at <span>the Stoke Newington Literary and Scientific Society \"Xmas Conversatione\" in 1893</span>.\n\nTickets for the Newcastle event are £5.00 each. To book your place ring the box office on 0191 232 8289 or pay on the night.','Disinformation vs Strange Attractor in Newcastle','','publish','open','open','','disinformation-vs-strange-attractor-in-newcastle','','','2008-02-22 09:42:53','2008-02-22 09:42:53','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=771',0,'post','',0),(772,2,'2008-02-28 10:10:06','2008-02-28 10:10:06','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/180px-steve_fossett_in_globalflyer_cockpit_1.jpg\" title=\"180px-steve_fossett_in_globalflyer_cockpit_1.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/180px-steve_fossett_in_globalflyer_cockpit_1.jpg\" alt=\"180px-steve_fossett_in_globalflyer_cockpit_1.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a><a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/200px-lt_com_byrd_and_aircraft.jpg\" title=\"200px-lt_com_byrd_and_aircraft.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/200px-lt_com_byrd_and_aircraft.jpg\" alt=\"200px-lt_com_byrd_and_aircraft.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"130\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"177\" /></a>\n\n<strong>With clear echoes of Admiral Byrd\'s (right) fabled </strong><a href=\"http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/byrdiar.html\" target=\"_blank\">voyage to the inner world</a>,<strong> </strong>word is spreading through internet paraculture groups that Steve Fossett (left), the millionaire adventurer who vanished in September 2007 while flying solo over the Nevada desert, has reported back... <em>from another world</em>.\n\nIt began when an anonymous friend of Fossett\'s announced that he had received emails from the explorer shortly before his disappearance, describing a mysterious white light deep in the Nevada desert:\n\n<em>As he approached, he could see that the light was in fact a large “hole”, and there were several blue-ish humanoids moving inside. Nobody seemed to notice him as he walked closer, and he was beginning to see what was like a whole new society in there, half-underground, half-exposed to sun light, right there in the middle of the desert.</em>\n\n<em>He told me he went back several times over the course of the next couple days, and each time the “white hole” had moved.</em>\n\n<em>I asked him why he didn’t take any specialists there, like UFO experts, and he said that he did, but neither he nor them dared to step in and interact with the humanoid figures...</em>\n\n<strong>According to the mysterious Simon, who is documenting event on a <a href=\"http://www.elementworld.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=49&amp;Itemid=1\" target=\"_blank\">web page</a>, Fossett reappeared to his wife recently, but he was somehow <em>different</em>:</strong>\n\n<em>She hadn’t heard him coming. She said he wasn’t like a ghost or anything weird, he looked rather normal, except that he was wearing a white shirt with a strange collar she’d never seen and white pants.</em>\n\n<em>He said in his normal voice that he didn’t want to wake her downstairs. He told her not to be afraid or mad. During this whole time he stood a few feet away and never got closer.</em>\n\n<em>He said he had been in a whole new place where money and war didn’t exist. He calmly said that they should stop looking for him, that they would never find him or his plane. He told her that he loved her dearly and that he couldn’t explain, but that we would all know in due time. He asked her to be patient and trust him. He said that he had come just so she could find closure, and know that they will be together again soon. He asked her not to tell anyone about this, that he would explain everything to the whole world in due time, and he left, just as quietly as he had arrived.</em>\n\nI imagine that, barring the unlikely event that the story is true, these tales must be quite upsetting for Fossett\'s widow, who has had him declared legally dead.\n\nYou can follow the story as it evolves <a href=\"http://www.elementworld.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=49&amp;Itemid=1\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\n\nVia Jack Sarfatti.','Steve Fossett: communiqué from another world','','publish','open','open','','steve-fossett-report-from-another-world','','','2008-02-28 10:10:06','2008-02-28 10:10:06','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=772',0,'post','',0),(775,2,'2008-03-03 09:39:45','2008-03-03 09:39:45','<a href=\"http://www.realitysandwich.com/urban_dreamscape\" title=\"nightcity2.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/nightcity2.jpg\" alt=\"nightcity2.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n\n<em>The best way to live in a sacred place is to make the place where you live sacred...</em>\n\nAnd so began the practice. I placed dreams using imagination and visualization to imprint images, sensations, and stories onto notable architectural features of the East Village, mostly buildings but also cracked sidewalks, soot covered sculptures, and wall murals. My method for weaving my dreams into the city borrowed heavily from ancient Art of Memory practices and traditions of Australian aboriginal Dreamtime traditions.\n\nSA pal <strong>Jennifer Dumpert</strong> talks about her <strong>Urban Dreamscape </strong><a href=\"http://www.urbandreamscape.com\" target=\"_blank\">work and web site</a> over at <a href=\"http://www.realitysandwich.com/urban_dreamscape\" target=\"_blank\">Reality Sandwich</a>.<strong> </strong>','Urban Dreamscape','','publish','open','open','','urban-dreamscape','','','2008-03-03 09:39:45','2008-03-03 09:39:45','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=775',0,'post','',0),(777,2,'2008-03-04 09:27:17','2008-03-04 09:27:17','<em>\"The system, according to which Hitler is advised, is universal, and, being mathematical, has nothing whatsoever to do with clairvoyance or mystic matters... Checking up on the events of the past, I found that all major enterprises of Hitler since he came to power, have been undertaken under \'good aspects\'. Hitler\'s famous \'divine intuition\' is in reality simply knowledge about planetary tendencies.\"</em>\n\nDuring WWII, German Ludwig von Wohl, who masqueraded as Hungarian nobleman \'Louis De Wohl\', attempted to persuade British intelligence to let him deceive Hitler using false astrological data. The plan was never realised.\n\nFull story in <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/mar/04/nationalarchives.secondworldwar\" target=\"_blank\">The Guardian</a>','Zodiac and the swastika?','','publish','open','open','','zodiac-and-the-swastika','','','2008-03-04 09:27:17','2008-03-04 09:27:17','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=777',0,'post','',0),(778,2,'2008-03-07 09:45:16','2008-03-07 09:45:16','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/125px-flag_of_the_united_nationssvg.png\" title=\"125px-flag_of_the_united_nationssvg.png\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/125px-flag_of_the_united_nationssvg.png\" alt=\"125px-flag_of_the_united_nationssvg.png\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"115\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"173\" /></a>\n\nFor the past couple of weeks the Internet UFO community has been abuzz with rumours of a secret meeting held at the UN building in New York City in mid-February. The meeting, alleged to have been attended by representatives from most UN member nations, as well as \'three US senators\', was called to discuss the increased rate of UFO sightings and how best to deal with their impact on the <em>staus quo</em>. Also at stake was how best inform the public of the ongoing presence of our \'neighbours\', as the \'leaked\' statement referred to non-human extraterrestrial visitors.\n\nThe story was distributed via members of the  <a href=\"http://www.exopolitics.org\" target=\"_blank\">Exopolitics</a> and <a href=\"http://www.disclosureproject.org/\">Disclosure</a> movements. Both these groups seek to force Earth governments into open admission of their alleged contacts with advanced ET civilisations, the hope being that they possess both the technology and the inclination to save humankind from inevitable and imminent environmental and geopolitical disaster.\n\nHere\'s the <a href=\"http://www.exopolitics.org/Exo-Comment-65.htm\" target=\"_blank\">outline  of the story so far </a>and a somewhat confusing <a href=\"http://www.upload.mn/view/nmgb0hwscxm6x7jdjc1c.png\" target=\"_blank\">graphical</a><a href=\"http://www.upload.mn/view/nmgb0hwscxm6x7jdjc1c.png\" target=\"_blank\"> representation</a> of what little information is out there.\n\nWhat follows is my initial take on the material, and further along, an excellent dissection from veteran UFOlogist and thinker Jacques Vallee:\n\n<!--more-->Beyond the fact that the sources for this leak were flimsy at best (and quite possibly non existent), and that the story was being promoted by groups with clear spiritual/political agendas, my own suspicions were aroused by the preconditions for \'disclosure\'. Effectively these are global economic, environmental and political stability by 2009. Given the current state of world affairs (or the perpetual state of world affairs) none of these conditions are the least bit likely to be met before 2900, let alone 2009.\n\nFrom the original <a href=\"http://www.exopolitics.org/Exo-Comment-65.htm\" target=\"_blank\">information release</a>:\n\n<em>2009 was raised as the year when an important change in official attitudes concerning the UFO phenomenon could be made...</em>\n\n<em>This indicated an important policy shift were the study of UFO’s would be officially encouraged. However, certain global conditions would have to be met for the official opening. Most important appeared to be social stability in G-8 countries and the maintenance of liberal democratic systems in developing nations...</em>\n\n<em>The meetings were very concerned about social upheaval from continued UFO sightings and the testimonies of individuals claiming to have first hand knowledge about UFO’s, extraterrestrial life, and future global events. It was reported that adverse public reactions to UFO sightings could have a dramatic economic impact that could lead to recessions in some countries.</em>\n\nFor the intended subjects of this information, the UFO/conspiracy enthusiast, this suggests not only that geopolitical power and the potential for peace on Earth lie in the hands of what is generally perceived as a foreign body – the UN, already viewed with some suspicion by many Americans, especially those in the UFO/conspiracy field – but that eventual communion with the ETs, being the only force capable, within the secular mythic imagination of the 20th and 21st centuries, of enforcing peace on Earth (see <em>The Day the Earth Stood Still</em>, <em>CE3K</em> etc), will also be dictated by the UN.\n\nSo, by preventing ordinary citizen believers from meeting and greeting ET, the UN, or more likely another shadowy body that controls the UN, are effectively perpetuating global instability and appear not to have our best interests at heart. Whether or not this was the intention of the story, this may actually prove quite helpful for the American government and their military, as it turns the heat surrounding UFO disclosure away from them and onto the UN.\n\nNone of this is stated explicitly in the material being distributed at the moment, but it is there in the discussions on Internet forums such as <a href=\"http://www.openmindsforum.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Open Minds.</a> One poster was already bringing that old bugbear the Trilateral Commission into play, raising the undying spectre of the sinister global power elite, a distorted and greatly simplified reflection of international politics that is as at least as old as John Robisons\' <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Robison_(physicist)\"><em>Proofs of a Conspiracy</em></a> (1797) and the better known <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocols_of_the_elders_of_zion\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Protocols of the Elders of Zion</em></a> (1903). This episode looks like it is shaping up as a reprise of the conspiracy theories promoted by <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_William_Cooper\" target=\"_blank\">William Cooper</a>, John Lear et al in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, whose fusion with the UFO mythology brought us both the <em>X Files </em>and David Icke. It\'s probably more accurate to say that these ideas never left us, they\'ve just been fermenting in a vat stored in an underground alien base and are ready to be released once more, more potent than ever before...\n\nOf course, it\'s entirely possible that there was a UFO-related meeting in the UN building. It may have been small and privately organised or it may have been something larger and more official. But at this point in time all we have to work on are rumours.\n\n<strong>Veteran ufologist and advanced thinker <a href=\"http://www.jacquesvallee.com\" target=\"_blank\">Jacques Vallee</a> provides this excellent (and far more succinct) breakdown of the rumours:</strong>\n\nI would not get too excited yet about this information: In our follow-up in France we could not verify that Gilles Lorant (<em>the alleged original source for the leak</em> MP) worked at the places he claims (CNRS has no record of him) and we cannot get any clear answers to the basic questions about this meeting.\n\nAt this point it sounds very suspect: another series of claims with no support behind it, which can only contribute to make it more difficult to get scientists to become seriously involved in this field.\n\nIt seems to me this story is falling apart but the structure is very interesting -- along the lines of a psywar rumor process:\n\n1. You make up a really intriguing story that seems very legitimate by including respected names: UN, French Ambassador, DSK etc. and precise dates.\n\n2. You leave it full of holes so that people will come up with questions, thus revealing who is interested and why.\n\n3. You imply great secrecy, thus dangling new bits of mystery.\n\n4. You slowly retract the story (since a lot of it was made up in the first place out of pure imagination) but you point to a legitimate-looking person (Lorant) who was there.\n\n5. The legitimate-looking person (whose credentials don\'t check out) \"reveals\" more details but does not confirm the earlier story, thus gaining additional credibility and \"dangling\" new information.\n\n6. Legitimate journalists reinforce the apparent story by trying to follow this new trail.\n\n7. You throw in new intriguing names like Ted Kennedy and John McCain through new anonymous sources \"who could be in danger if they revealed their names...\" thus seducing more recognizable researchers into revealing their interest...\n\n8. You use the Internet to circulate the whole mess to an increasing circle of people, hoping to create a mass effect.\n\n9. At that point, any official denial of the story (or part of it) sounds like a cover-up or skeptical reaction, enabling you to claim that you are the victim of disinformation, etc. etc.\n\nAll very clever...  It is much easier to program human beings than to program computers!\n\n<em>Jacques\' essential trilogy examining the UFO phenomenon has recently been republished by <a href=\"http://www.anomalistbooks.com/news/2008/01/22/now-available-dimensions-confrontations-and-revelations\" target=\"_blank\">Anomalist Books</a> and come with the highest recommendation. </em>\n\n<em>I plan to explore this story and others further in my own forthcoming book, </em>Mirage Men<em>, due Autumn 2009 from Constable. Also watch out for the <a href=\"http://www.miragemen.com/\" target=\"_blank\">documentary film</a> of the same name, made with John Lundberg.</em>\n\nDisclaimer: given the often emotional climate surrounding discussion of UFOs, I feel it necessary to state the obvious and point out that my scepticism of the above rumours is not to be seen as a rejection of the wide range of personal experiences encompassed by the UFO and its attendant phenomena.\n\n====================\n\n<strong>10 March update:</strong>\n\n<em>From Robert Morningstar, one of the original disseminators of information about the alleged UN briefing and editor of the <a href=\"http://www.ufodigest.com/\" target=\"_blank\">UFO Digest</a> site.</em>\n\nHi, Everyone...\n\nSince I am one of the sources of the information on the UN Meeting, I reiterate that I have met with the source, a military liaison diplomat, 3 times and I reaffirm that he has presented me with official credentials/documentation that have satisfied my own criteria for credibility, (which are very high).\n\nI am not a liar nor am I a hoaxer and I would ask that all interested parties, instead of arguing with each other over the merits of the story, in which so much time and energy has already been invested, simply call or write to your congressmen/women and Senators in the US and your parlimentary represenatives in Canada and Europe (UK/EU) and tell them, don\'t ask them, TELL them, ORDER them to FORCE Disclosure.  After all, you are their \"bosses\", they are not your \"bosses.\"  They work for you, you put them in office and you pay their salaries.\n\nThanks to all the people at Open Mind Forum for their civility and intelligence in discussing this affair, pro and con, and especially those who have taken the time to do some excellent investigation and detective work on it.  You have my gratitude and my respect.\n\nThank you,\n\nRobert Morningstar\nEditor, <a href=\"http://www.ufodigest.com/\" target=\"_blank\">UFO Digest</a>\n\np.s. I have given my word not to disclose the identity of the source and I\'ll keep my promise to him.  I would add, looking back on history, particularly in the case of the Watergate leaks, if Woodward and Bernstein had caved in to popular pressure to reveal the name of their source, he would not have been called \"Deep Throat\" but \"Slit Throat\".\n\nSo, let\'s do something more productive together and put the pressure on the politicians to get of their scared asses off their seats and get some action going in Washington, DC.\n\n========================\n\n<strong>11 March Update</strong>\n\nGreetings from the UN Public Inquiries Team.\n\nAs far as we are aware of there was no meeting concerning UFO\'s at the United Nations. Attached below are the Journals for those days which lists all the meetings that took place:\n\nBest regards,\n\nPublic Inquiries Unit\nPublic Relations Section\nDepartment of Public Information\nUnited Nations','Dissecting UN UFO rumours','','publish','open','open','','dissecting-un-ufo-rumours','','','2008-03-07 09:45:16','2008-03-07 09:45:16','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=778',0,'post','',0),(780,2,'2008-03-10 10:36:24','2008-03-10 10:36:24','<a href=\"http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/berg/tmdj/2008/00000001/00000001\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"tmdj.gif\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/tmdj.gif\" alt=\"tmdj.gif\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>SAJ pal and contributor Neil Mortimer, formerly editor of the mighty <em>Third Stone</em> magazine, and veteran author-researcher Paul Devereux have joined forces as editors of <em>Time and Mind</em>, a new \'Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture\'.\n\nAs you would hope with such a high pedigree, the first issue is packed with thought-provoking material. The opening paper by David Whitley perfectly encapsulates the journal\'s themes: looking at North American rock art depictions of big horn sheep ranging from 11,000 to 150 years old, Whitley asks whether evidence exists for a continuity of meaning in the engravings. i.e., was a Numic artist-shaman working 11,000 years ago – at the end of the Pleistocene period when mammoths stomped the lands – thinking the same thing as their 19th century counterpart, and even more strikingly, their own counterparts painting cave interiors 35,000 years ago? You\'ll have to read the piece to find out.\n\nElsewhere Israeli psychedelic psychologist Benny Shanon considers an entheogenic reading of the Old Testament (picked up last week by the <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/05/religion.israelandthepalestinians?gusrc=rss&amp;feed=networkfront\" target=\"_blank\">Guardian</a>); the redoubtable Jeremy Harte stalks the Devil on Dartmoor; Neil Mortimer interviews British archaeologist and painter Peter Fowler and we get an update on the fast developing findings in the field of archaeo-acoustics.\n\nMind expanding stuff presented in a sober and sophisticated academic journal format, <em>Time and Mind</em> will be published thrice annually. I already can\'t wait for issue two.\n\n<em>The entire first issue is available to download as part of a free trial<strong> <a href=\"http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/berg/tmdj/2008/00000001/00000001\" target=\"_blank\">here</a></strong>, where you can also subscribe. </em>','Time and Mind','','publish','open','open','','time-and-mind','','','2008-03-10 10:36:24','2008-03-10 10:36:24','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=780',0,'post','',0),(782,2,'2008-03-17 12:27:14','2008-03-17 12:27:14','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/tauroctony-small-1.jpg\" title=\"tauroctony-small-1.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/tauroctony-small-1.jpg\" alt=\"tauroctony-small-1.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"407\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"289\" /></a>\n\nSA Pals John Cussans and <a href=\"http://english-heretic.org.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">The English Heretic</a> are part of a Spring Equinox event this Thursday 20 March. from 6-9pm:\n\n<em>Join </em><em>us on the Spring Equinox to celebrate the dawning of a New Dark Age</em>\n\n<em>With a live outdoor performance by Natsuki Uruma &amp; Phillipa Horan and ritual electronics by English Heretic: \'The London Tauroctony\' at The Carpenters Arms. A celebration of the Mithraic festival of the Taurobolium, the order of service is (provisionally):</em>\n\n<em>*Kings Cross Black Magick Night\n*Black Venus In Furs (A setting to ritual electronic rock of The Tuba Veneris)\n*The Mystic Art, Anthem of English Heretic\n*Prise Open The Mithraic Sarcophagus (A rendering of the Mithraic Liturgy)\n*Taurobolium AD 2008</em>\n\n<em>English Heretic for this ceremony will be:\nDr. Alain Champagne - guitar, electronics, gong and vocals\nSebastian Copely-Syle - guitar,flute,singing bowl and vocals</em>\n\n<strong>NEW DARK AGE</strong><em>\n</em>\n\n<em>BEAGLES &amp; RAMSAY, JOHN CUSSANS, ANTOINE CATALLA, ENGLISH HERETIC, DEAN KENNING, DAN MITCHELL, PAUL SAKOILSKY, SARAH SPARKES, NATSUKI URUMA, MARC VAULBERT DE CHANTILLY\nat </em>Hats Plus, 101B Kings Cross Rd, London WC1X 9LP. Tel. 07814 682 439\n\n<em>21 MARCH - 13 APRIL, Fri - Sun 12 - 6pm</em>\n\n<em>\'Free School in a New Dark Age\' organised by John Cussans will take place every Saturday throughout the duration of the show, with a different guest speaker. 4 - 6 pm. All welcome. </em>','A New Dark Age','','publish','open','open','','a-new-dark-age','','','2008-03-17 12:27:14','2008-03-17 12:27:14','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=782',0,'post','',0),(784,2,'2008-03-31 16:40:19','2008-03-31 16:40:19','<em>After a short break, </em>Further <em>returns with long overdue notice of CDs from </em>The Advisory Circle<em>, </em>Urthona<em> and Fluorescent Grey that have come my way recently. Another roundup of audio and printed materials should follow soon.\n</em>\n<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/cd-otherfront180.gif\" title=\"cd-otherfront180.gif\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/cd-otherfront180.gif\" alt=\"cd-otherfront180.gif\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n\n<strong>The Advisory Circle - <em>Other Channels</em>\n</strong><a href=\"http://www.ghostbox.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">Ghost Box</a>\n\nIt\'s 1974. You\'re drifting through the Phoenix Nebula in search of the lost patrol, or what\'s left of them. Lights blink and flutter on the command console as you scour the heat signature monitors for signs of life. Mellifluous tones, produced back home using the latest synthesiser technology, warble through the onboard quadraphonic sound system. It\'s a lonely existence, but it has its rewards. Suddenly you hear something – an unfamiliar sound, like wooden percussion. Then, voices... A man is discussing civil defence... there are women, their voices phasing in and out of meaning... strange rhythms... cheering and flames... Unfamiliar call signs fizz in and out focus on your video receiver. A hideous cowled face... a sinister, beautiful young woman bares all before an appalled cleric. They had warned you about this at the academy – stray transmissions from another culture... another Earth.\n\nIt\'s hard not to get swept up in revery while listening to this latest offering from the Ghost Box label. The Advisory Circle\'s rich brew of analogue library melodies and half-remembered film and television dialogue bubbles with humour, eeriness and nostalgia for a past that seems so familiar, yet never really existed. At least, not like this. The CD comes illustrated in visionary-banal style by Julian House, with suitably cautionary liner notes from Ken Hollings.\n\n<!--more--> <a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/urthona.jpg\" title=\"urthona.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/urthona.jpg\" alt=\"urthona.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"240\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"244\" /></a>\n<strong>Urthona - <em>I Refute it Thus</em></strong>\n<a href=\"http://headheritage.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">Head Heritage</a>\n\nIn case you\'re getting too cosy in front of the ghost box, here comes Urthona, all heather, moss and grimpen mire, to drag you out onto the moor and clobber you with screeching guitars and some seriously heathen attitude.  Unashamedly raw and processed only to the point of reaching out to turn up the volume dial, this is the sound of one man, his Les Paul guitars and enough fuzz to warm a naked ox during a wet night on Bald Mountain.\n\nUrthona lurks deep within Neil Mortimer, editor of <em>Third Stone</em> and <em>Time and Mind</em>, author of two fine tomes on the original modern antiquarian, William Stukeley, and now moor-dwelling guitar hero. So it\'s no surprise to find that there\'s much more than just hairy-handed amp-bashing at work on these three, lengthy tracks. <em>Urthona Cannot be Destroyed</em> emerges like Dub Syndicate playing the Dr Who theme (which of course they did) in a skirmish with My Bloody Valentine; then <em>The Bright Burst of Morning</em> and <em>Sun and Moon so Heavy</em> take MBV out onto Dartmoor, load them with Kendall Mint Cake and introduce them to Neil Young, who\'s been left to stew overnight on Hound Tor. After some serious guitar waving, the Mint Cake is cracked open, a granite amphitheatre is located and our heroes carve out great crackling larva floes that light up the horizon for miles.\n\nUrthona now available via <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/urthona.html\">Strange Attractor Shoppe</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/cover_rlr07.gif\" title=\"cover_rlr07.gif\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/cover_rlr07.gif\" alt=\"cover_rlr07.gif\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"199\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"199\" /></a>\n\n<strong>\nFlourescent Grey - <em>Gaseous Opal Orbs</em></strong>\n<a href=\"http://www.recordlabelrecords.org/rlr07.html\" target=\"_blank\">Record Label Records</a>\n\nThese days my electronic music tastes generally swing between the 1920s and the mid-1970s, but I\'ve always got an ear out for Something Else. On paper Flourescent Grey\'s new album promises to open up just such fresh sonic vistas – sounds materialising out of stretched sine waves, digitally modelled synthesis and reverse-engineered video game consoles. But to my cloth ears these potentially intriguing sound sources have been undervalued, chopped and squeezed into all-too-familiar electronic musical tropes – jittery-glitch rhythms and skittery clicks whirs and spurts – that have littered the electronic landscape for over a decade. It\'s clear that much thought and late night monitor burn has gone into assembling this disc, and there are some sublime moments to be found buried within the 11 minutes of <em>Are you Aware of the Pink Light Emanating from your Naval?</em> (sic), and the nine-minute <em>Teleological Attractor</em>, but not enough to keep this listener\'s attention for its full hour\'s duration.\n\n<em>I\'m always very happy to receive goodies, and will always endeavour to give them a mention here. But be warned, it can take a while... </em>\n\n<strong>Urthona and The Advisory Circle featured in my <a href=\"http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&amp;friendID=70115915&amp;blogID=366932344\" target=\"_blank\">Kosmische</a> playlist, broadcast 14 March 2008 on <a href=\"http://www.resonancefm.com\" target=\"_blank\">Resonance FM</a>. </strong>','Some Spring sounds','','publish','open','open','','spring-sounds','','','2008-03-31 16:40:19','2008-03-31 16:40:19','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=784',0,'post','',0),(789,2,'2008-04-01 08:37:47','2008-04-01 08:37:47','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/06cda45a-f938-9de3-0581432855dffb9a.jpg\" title=\"06cda45a-f938-9de3-0581432855dffb9a.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/06cda45a-f938-9de3-0581432855dffb9a.jpg\" alt=\"06cda45a-f938-9de3-0581432855dffb9a.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"222\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"299\" /></a>You\'re looking at the beak of the fearsome Humboldt squid, <em>Dosidicus gigas</em> – up to 14 feet of cephalopodic bad attitude known for its <a href=\"http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/archives/2005/2005-Mar-10/Article.cover_story/1/@@index\" target=\"_blank\">attacks</a> on human divers in the Pacific. This can chop its way through a fishy spinal cord in moments.\n\nWe can always trust scientists to ask, and even sometimes answer, the important questions in life. Such as: how does a squid manage to keep its beak in place when wrestling with its prey? A team at UC Santa Barbara has <a href=\"http://www.sciam.com/gallery_directory.cfm?photo_id=06CDA45A-F938-9DE3-0581432855DFFB9A&amp;sc=rss\" target=\"_blank\">the answer</a> and is looking for human-world applications for their research. So, any one else want a beak?\n\nFrom <a href=\"http://www.sciam.com/gallery_directory.cfm?photo_id=06CDA45A-F938-9DE3-0581432855DFFB9A&amp;sc=rss\">Scientific American</a>','From squid to squawk','','publish','open','open','','from-squid-to-squawk','','','2008-04-01 08:37:47','2008-04-01 08:37:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=789',0,'post','',0),(790,2,'2008-04-01 09:11:46','2008-04-01 09:11:46','Now here\'s a researcher after our own heart: Cecile Dubois has made her 2004 MA dissertation <a href=\"http://www.morbidfrog.co.uk/01_diss1.html\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Libraries &amp; the Occult</em></a> available for download:\n\n<em>The occult seems to be one of the least considered subjects when it comes to classification. This can often result in materials being divided among other subjects such as philosophy, psychology and religion. This can make it difficult to find occult materials. In such cases, a further difficulty can arise for the user; that of asking for help in locating “occult books”.  ...reactions may not always be negative or judgemental but it does depend somewhat on the beliefs and opinions of the library staff concerned. Particularly those who eschew the subject from a standpoint of little or no personal knowledge.\n</em>\nOuch! Dubois looks at classification systems and access issues at several London collections including the Harry Price Collection, the Freemasons Library, the SPR Library, the Warburg and the Theosophical Library in London, plus the Ferguson Collection in Glasgow, Glastonbury\'s Library of Avalon and others.\n\n<em>Whilst the meaning of the word “occult” has come to be known as hidden or concealed, the historical material on the subject does not have to be shrouded in mystery yet the location of some collections remains unknown even though it is no longer a crime to hold such interests...</em>\n\n<em>This subject is ambiguous and marginal in virtually all ways: socially, intellectually, academically, religiously, scientifically, and conceptually. It does not fit in the rational world but this is also what makes it so fascinating and interesting. The imbalance between the amount of interest in the field and the stock within the library system is a result of such dilemmas. </em>\n\n<em>Grab it here: </em><a href=\"http://www.morbidfrog.co.uk/01_diss1.html\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Libraries &amp; the Occult</em></a>\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.techgnosis.com\" target=\"_blank\">Erik Davis</a>!','Libraries and the occult','','publish','open','open','','libraries-and-the-occult','','','2008-04-01 09:11:46','2008-04-01 09:11:46','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=790',0,'post','',0),(793,2,'2008-04-02 07:46:48','2008-04-02 07:46:48','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/blackworld.jpg\" title=\"blackworld.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/blackworld.jpg\" alt=\"blackworld.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"258\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"385\" /></a>\n\nMore on the US military\'s multi-billion dollar \'black ops\' world, from the <em>New York Times, with comment from Trevor Paglen and <a href=\"http://www.fas.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Steven Aftergood</a>:</em>\n\n<em>The classified budget of the Defense Department, concealed from the public in all but outline, has nearly doubled in the Bush years, to $32 billion. That is more than the combined budgets of the Food and Drug Administration, the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.</em>\n\n<em>...Budget documents tell little. This year, for instance, the Pentagon says Program Element 0603891c is receiving $196 million but will disclose nothing about what the project does. Private analysts say it apparently aims at developing space weapons. </em>\n\nFull story at the <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/science/01patc.html?em&amp;ex=1207195200&amp;en=c0866049d4ab6fb5&amp;ei=5087%0A\" target=\"_blank\">New York Times</a>','Black Ops Superstars','','publish','open','open','','black-ops-superstars','','','2008-04-02 07:46:48','2008-04-02 07:46:48','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=793',0,'post','',0),(794,2,'2008-04-04 10:31:29','2008-04-04 10:31:29','Bizarre news from Santa Fe, New Mexico, where maverick British biologist <a href=\"http://www.sheldrake.org/homepage.html\" target=\"_blank\">Rupert Sheldrake</a> narrowly avoided a potentially fatal attack while presenting at the 10th International Conference on Science and Consciousness.\n\nFrom the<a href=\"http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Man-accused-of-stabbing-speaker-at-La-Fonda\" target=\"_blank\"> Santa Fe New Mexican</a>\n\n<em>R</em><em>upert Sheldrake of London was sitting up and alert as medics took him on a gurney to an ambulance outside Santa Fe\'s historic hotel at the southeast corner of the Plaza. Asked if he was OK, Sheldrake smiled and responded, \"I hope so.\"</em>\n\n<em>Hirano Kazuki, 33, of Yokohama, Japan, spent Wednesday night in jail after he was arrested on charges of aggravated battery and assault with intent to commit a violent felony. He provided no resistance as officers led him in handcuffs from the hotel.</em>\n\n<em>Hirano had been attending the 10th International Conference on Science and Consciousness. Other attendees said he had been acting oddly. They said he confronted Sheldrake earlier this week, telling him he heard voices and saw demons. Another featured speaker at the conference told the man he was \"full of negative energy\" and counseled him to \"calm down,\" said Evan Mecham, an attendee from Broomfield, Colo.</em>\n\nI\'m sure many of us have had to fight hard to resist the urge to attack a speaker at fortean or parascientific gatherings, but this must really be a first and we wish Dr Sheldrake a speedy recovery.\n\n<strong>UPDATE 10 April 08 from <a href=\"http://www.dailygrail.com/news/sheldrake-survives-stabbing\" target=\"_blank\">The Daily Grail</a></strong>\n\n<em>I thought you might like to know that Rupert Sheldrake is recovering well from his wound and is currently out of the hospital.</em>\n\n<em>Pamela Smart, a fellow researcher and collaborator of Sheldrake, sent me this via e-mail:</em>\n<blockquote>Rupert is recovering really well and is now out of hospital. It didn’t take him long to walk with a stick and he has no pain. The doctors are astonished at his speedy recovery. Many people have been sending him healing and saying prayers for his speedy recovery, which appears to have been very successful indeed. He is very cheery and said he’s enjoyed his time in hospital where he’s received many messages of love and warmth giving him lots of strength. He will be fulfilling his commitments in Tucson at the next conference this week.</blockquote>\n<em>I really thin</em><em>k this is great news; and I also suspect that Rupert might later want to undergo a study on the effects of prayer and good wishes in the recovery of patients, don\'t you think? :-)</em>\n\nvia <a href=\"http://www.dailygrail.com/news/sheldrake-survives-stabbing\" target=\"_blank\">The Daily Grail</a>\n<blockquote></blockquote>','Rupert Sheldrake stabbed','','publish','open','open','','rupert-sheldrake-stabbed','','','2008-04-04 10:31:29','2008-04-04 10:31:29','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=794',0,'post','',0),(795,2,'2008-04-07 09:54:42','2008-04-07 09:54:42','Susan Mokelke, Executive Director of Michael Harner\'s <a href=\"http://www.shamanism.org/index.php\">Foundation for Shamanic Studies (FSS)</a> writes about her experiences as a born again shaman in leftish politico magazine <a href=\"http://www.newstatesman.com/200803100004\" target=\"_blank\">The New Statesman</a>:\n\n<em>For experienced shamanic practitioners, shamanism is not a matter of faith. You no more believe that there are spirits than you believe that the sun rises in the east. You know there are spirits because you see, talk, and interact with them, both in journeys and in your daily life – and because they help you to help others.</em>\n\n<em>When you journey to the realms of the benevolent spirits, you discover that in these worlds wholeness, compassion and unity are the norms. This ecstatic experience changes you and you become more than you imagined – and you realize that this world, too, is much more than we imagined.</em>\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.newstatesman.com/200803100004\" target=\"_blank\">The New Statesman</a>\n\nVia <a href=\"http://www.anomalist.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Anomalist</a>','Shamans and the New Statesman','','publish','open','open','','shamans-and-the-new-statesman','','','2008-04-07 09:54:42','2008-04-07 09:54:42','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=795',0,'post','',0),(796,2,'2008-04-08 10:03:52','2008-04-08 10:03:52','How do monkeys hear each other? Are there voices in their heads?\n\nPascal Belin of the University of Glasgow discusses the implications of \'A Voice Area in the Monkey Brain\':\n\n<em>The use of vocalizations, such as grunts, songs or barks, is extremely common throughout the animal kingdom. Nevertheless, humans are the only species in which these vocalizations have attained the sophistication and communicative effectiveness of speech. How did our ancestors become the only speaking animals, some tens of thousand years ago? Did this change happen abruptly, involving the sudden appearance of a new cerebral region or pattern of cerebral connections? Or did it happen through a more gradual evolutionary process, in which brain structures already present to some extent in other animals were put to a different and more complex use in the human brain?</em>\n\nFull paper at <a href=\"http://science-community.sciam.com/blog-entry/Mind-Matters/Monkeys-Hear-Voices/5700000564\" target=\"_blank\">Scientific American </a>','Monkey talk','','publish','open','open','','monkey-talk','','','2008-04-08 10:03:52','2008-04-08 10:03:52','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=796',0,'post','',0),(797,2,'2008-04-09 09:06:29','2008-04-09 09:06:29','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/buchla.jpg\" title=\"buchla.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/buchla.jpg\" alt=\"buchla.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"302\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"244\" /></a>\nA lengthy and often fascinating <a href=\"http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/TUTORS.9.0.html?act_session=450\" target=\"_blank\">interview </a>with electronics genius Don Buchla, who in 1963 developed one of the <a href=\"http://www.buchla.com/historical/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">first synthesiser </a>systems on America\'s west coast, just as Robert Moog was developing his own, soon to be more famous system on the east coast. Buchla\'s own creations were used by pioneering composers Morton Subotnik (on <em>Silver Apples of the Moon</em>), Ramon Sender and others.\n\nBuchla\'s Box, as it was known, became a part of Ken Kesey\'s \'Acid Test\' setup, squawking and skronking away as test subjects lost their minds and found them again, and he has a cameo in Tom Wolfe\'s  <em>The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test</em>. Meanwhile, to earn a living, Buchla worked on a number of projects for NASA , developing life support systems for rabbits in space, amongst other things.\n\nAs well as his own life, Buchla discusses the historical development of electronic musical instruments since the 19th century, and ponders their future.\n\nThe <a href=\"http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/TUTORS.9.0.html?act_session=450\" target=\"_blank\">interview</a> appears to be under the promotional auspices of a foul-tasting energy drink, but don\'t let that put you off - it\'s good stuff.','Don Buchla interview','','publish','open','open','','don-buchla-interview','','','2008-04-09 09:06:29','2008-04-09 09:06:29','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=797',0,'post','',0),(801,2,'2008-04-10 12:47:21','2008-04-10 12:47:21','Over 10 programmes, artist/musician Helliwell delves into his archive to look at the development of electronic music right across the world in the classic era of analogue technology. Starting in Europe and finishing up in the Southern Hemisphere, he will be playing vintage tracks - some celebrated, many obscure and overlooked - to give an overview of electronic music progress as a global phenomenon, advanced by inventors, composers, institutions and maverick electronic pathfinders.\nEvery Friday at 19.30 GMT from 11 April.\n\nOn <a href=\"http://www.resonancefm.com\" target=\"_blank\">Resonance 104.4fm</a> in London, UK or via <a href=\"http://www.resonancefm.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.resonancefm.com</a>\n\nVia <a href=\"http://www.simonsound.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">Simon James</a>, programme producer.','The Tone Generation on Resonance FM','','publish','open','open','','the-tone-generation-on-resonance-fm','','','2008-04-10 12:47:21','2008-04-10 12:47:21','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=801',0,'post','',0),(802,2,'2008-04-11 10:56:31','2008-04-11 10:56:31','<a href=\"http://www.dreamflesh.com\" target=\"_blank\">Gyrus</a> has set up a <a href=\"http://www.google.com/calendar/\">Google Calendar</a> to keep track of \'cultural weirdness and stimulating events\' that will be maintained by him, myself and Stephen Grasso.  It\'ll predominantly cover talks and other mindfood, with a geographical bias towards London UK, seeing as that\'s where we all live, but I expect it will extend into other activities and localities as we see fit.\n\nIf you’re a Google user, search Public Calendars for \'Liminal Dream Attractor\' and you’ll be able to subscribe to it. If not, you can find it (along with other useful ways of accessing it like RSS) <a href=\"http://dreamflesh.com/calendar/\">on the Dreamflesh site</a>.\n\nFeel free to send us suggestions for inclusion, though we can\'t guarantee that we\'ll use \'em.','Liminal Dream Attractor calendar','','publish','open','open','','liminal-dream-attractor-calendar','','','2008-04-11 10:56:31','2008-04-11 10:56:31','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=802',0,'post','',0),(803,2,'2008-04-15 09:59:36','2008-04-15 09:59:36','<strong>Stalin\'s space monkeys</strong>\n\n<!--proximic_content_on--><em>It looks like a neglected zoo. But the Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy has its own macabre chapter in the history of the Soviet Union. Shaun Walker reports from Sukhumi, Abkhazia.</em>\n\n<em>Tuesday, 15 April 200, </em>the <a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stalins-space-monkeys-808978.html\" target=\"_blank\">Independent</a>\n\n\'The first thing that registers is the putrid smell of animal faeces, then from inside one building comes a primeval squawking that sounds like a child being tortured. Cage after cage of distraught-looking monkeys come into view, nearly 300 in all, gnawing at mandarins and scampering around their enclosures.\n\nThis is what remains of the Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy, the first primate testing centre in the world, and possibly the site of a macabre Stalinist experiment to breed a human-ape hybrid. Set amid palm trees and lush greenery on a hill just outside the centre of Sukhumi, it was once the envy of the West. Its behavioural and medical experiments set it at the forefront of groundbreaking medical discoveries, and trained monkeys for space travel.\n\nLegend has it that the institute, which opened in 1927, was born of a secret Soviet plan to create a man-ape hybrid that would become a Soviet superman and propel the Soviet Union ahead of the West. The Soviet elite, goes the apocryphal tale that has appeared widely in Russian media, wanted to create a prototype worker that would be inhumanly strong and mentally dulled, to carry out the gruelling work of industrialising the vast expanses of newly Sovietised territory.\n\nScientists at the institute today admit that these experiments did go on at the institute, though they deny it was part of any overarching plan for the creation of a new race. The tests were performed by Ilya Ivanov, an eminent Russian biologist who had also collaborated with the Pasteur Institute in Paris. About the turn of the century he had perfected the technique of artificially inseminating mares, and had also produced cross-breeds between various different species. Then, Europe was alive with ideas of eugenics, and the Soviets were out to prove once and for all that Darwinism had superseded religion.\n\n\"Professor Ivanov started these experiments in Africa and continued them here in Sukhumi,\" says Vladimir Barkaya, who started at the institute in 1961 and is now scientific director. \"He took sperm from human males and injected it into female chimpanzees, although nothing came of it.\" Professor Barkaya denies monkey sperm was used on human females, although letters were apparently received by the institution by people of both sexes offering to participate in the experiments.\'\n\nFull story at the <a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stalins-space-monkeys-808978.html\" target=\"_blank\">Independent</a>','Sukhumi: home of Stalin&#039;s super-ape','','publish','open','open','','sukhumi-home-of-stalins-super-ape','','','2008-04-15 09:59:36','2008-04-15 09:59:36','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=803',0,'post','',0),(804,2,'2008-04-16 08:01:58','2008-04-16 08:01:58','In 2004 Dmitriy Plaks and several of his fellow students at the University of West Georgia tested whether sound waves can douse fires in hopes of using sound to extinguish flames in a spacecraft.<strong> </strong><a href=\"http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=video-fire-and-soundwaves\"></a>They placed a candle in a large topless chamber with three bass speakers attached to the walls. The candle was lit and the Canadian rock band Nickelback\'s \"How you remind me\" was pumped through the subwoofers. Within roughly 10 seconds, once the song hit a low note, the flame was out, according to results published in 2005 in <em>The Journal of the Acoustical Society of</em> <em>America</em>...\n\n\"There\'s some special frequency at which a candle flame extinguishes,\" Espinosa notes. The students tested a range of frequencies from five to several hundred hertz. They found that the effective range was between 40 and 50 hertz, within the range of human hearing.\n\nSound travels in waves, which are simply variations of pressure in a medium—whether solid, liquid or gas. The energy from vibrating objects, such as speaker membranes, moves from particle to particle in the air in a repeating pattern of high- and low-pressure zones that we perceive as sound. According to the ideal gas law, temperature, pressure and volume are related; therefore, a decrease in pressure can lead to a corresponding decrease in temperature, which may explain how sound can extinguish a flame.\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=when-fire-strikes-stop-drop-and-sing\" target=\"_blank\">Scientific American</a>\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://knut.klingt.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Knut Aufermann</a>, who suggested this as a new dimension to the <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B13-09K-Ubc\" target=\"_blank\">Disinformation vs Strange Attractor</a> performance.','Acoustic fire extinguishers','','publish','open','open','','acoustic-fire-extinguishers','','','2008-04-16 08:01:58','2008-04-16 08:01:58','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=804',0,'post','',0),(805,2,'2008-04-17 09:04:21','2008-04-17 09:04:21','<em>Expelled</em> is a new American documentary championing the cause of the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_design\" target=\"_blank\">Intelligent Design</a> movement. It is already making waves in the blogosphere and could repeat the success of the <em>What the bleep</em> series of inspirational newage science docs.\n\nWith a presumptious arrogance that might be misread either as stupidity or (more probably given the amount of space the magazine has subsequently dedicated to it) canny marketing <em>nous, </em>the film\'s producers held a special screening for <a href=\"http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=six-things-ben-stein-doesnt-want-you-to-know\" target=\"_blank\">Scientific American</a>, who here do a fine job of pulling its wings off, and then drive a stake through its heart for good measure.\n\nWhile <em>Sci-Am</em>\'s points are valid and revealing, I would suggest that the set-ups, misdirections and highly selective deployments of facts are accusations that could be levelled at any number of documentaries. This is not to diminish the importance of <em>Sci-Am</em>\'s criticisms, only to point out that the deceptions they reveal are merely business as usual for the format and the medium.\n\n<em>From <a href=\"http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=six-things-ben-stein-doesnt-want-you-to-know\" target=\"_blank\">Six Things</a> </em>Expelled<em>\'s producers don\'t want you to know about their film. </em>\n\n<strong>1) <em>Expelled</em></strong><strong> quotes Charles Darwin selectively to connect his ideas to eugenics and the Holocaust.</strong>\n<strong>2) Ben Stein\'s speech to a crowded auditorium in the film was a setup.</strong>\n\n<strong>3) Scientists in the film thought they were being interviewed for a different movie.</strong>\n\n<strong>4) The ID-sympathetic researcher whom the film paints as having lost his job at the Smithsonian Institution was never an employee there.</strong>\n\n<strong>5) Science does not reject religious or \"design-based\" explanations because of dogmatic atheism.</strong>\n\n<strong>6) Many evolutionary biologists are religious and many religious people accept evolution.</strong>\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=sciam-reviews-expelled\" target=\"_blank\">Scientific American.</a>\n\nVia <a href=\"http://dailygrail.net\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Grail </a>','&#039;Expelled&#039; eviscerated','','publish','open','open','','expelled-eviscerated','','','2008-04-17 09:04:21','2008-04-17 09:04:21','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=805',0,'post','',0),(806,2,'2008-04-21 09:20:51','2008-04-21 09:20:51','Some very weird connections coming to light through the news that the Bush family have bought up a great swathe of forest in the Paraguayan jungles, right alongside another patch owned by the Moonies. Oh and did I mention the secret US airbase? And Jenna Bush\'s \'diplomatic\' mission...? No subterranean Nazi UFO bases yet, but that can only be a matter of time.\n\nGood starting points for this one - <a href=\"http://wonkette.com/politics/george-w.-bush/we-hate-to-bring-up-the-nazis-but-they-fled-to-south-america-too-208549.php\" target=\"_blank\">here </a>and <a href=\"http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/03/02/bush-family-and-rev-moons-weird-dealings-in-paraguay/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://mikejay.net\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Jay</a>!','Bush, Moon and a Paraguayan enigma','','publish','open','open','','bush-moon-and-a-paraguayan-enigma','','','2008-04-21 09:20:51','2008-04-21 09:20:51','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=806',0,'post','',0),(809,2,'2008-04-21 10:42:00','2008-04-21 10:42:00','<a href=\"http://www.blather.net/blather/2008/04/a_load_of_blather_book.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"load_of_blather_500.gif\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/load_of_blather_500.gif\" alt=\"load_of_blather_500.gif\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"344\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"216\" /></a>Long time SA pals the <a href=\"http://www.blather.net\" target=\"_blank\">Blather</a> gang have their first book, <a href=\"http://www.blather.net/blather/2008/04/a_load_of_blather_book.html\" target=\"_blank\"><em>A Load of Blather</em></a>, out any time now. A list of our various misadventures would occupy at least another book, if not a long running TV series – but I think it\'s safe to assume that this will be a blast. And there\'s a bomb on the cover.\n\nFrom the blatherskites themselves:\n<blockquote><em>When blather.net was spawned back in 1997, Dave Walsh, Damien DeBarra and Barry Kavanagh exhumed the lofty manifesto of the original Blather, founded in 1934 by Flann O’Brien. It would also be a “publication of the gutter” achieving “entirely new levels in everything which is contemptible, despicable and unspeakable in contemporary journalism”. Blather.net would have no principles, no honour, no shame. It would support the “fostering of graft and corruption in public life”, the “encouragement of humbug and hysteria”, and the “glorification of greed and gombeenism”. </em></blockquote>\n<em>Over ten years later comes A Load of Blather, gathering together the best of the best reports on paranormal events, superstitions, mysterious happenings, conspiracy theories, the hordes of rampaging kangaroos in the Dublin hills, and the previously untold story of General Michael Collins\' forays into outer space. There\'s even a bit about talking cows in there. If the lawyers haven\'t cut it out.Look no further - this is Blather.</em>\n\nYou can buy it direct from <em><a href=\"http://www.blather.net/blather/2008/04/a_load_of_blather_book.html\" target=\"_blank\">Blather</a></em> – the smart option if you want to support the authors – or via the usual suspects.','A Load of Blather','','publish','open','open','','a-load-of-blather','','','2008-04-21 10:42:00','2008-04-21 10:42:00','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=809',0,'post','',0),(811,2,'2008-04-23 08:47:39','2008-04-23 08:47:39','<a href=\"http://www.techgnosis.com/chunks.php?sec=journal&amp;cat=experiencing&amp;file=chunkfrom-2008-04-22-0256-0.txt\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"cata.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/cata.jpg\" alt=\"cata.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" height=\"207\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"276\" /></a>\n\nErik Davis has posted a nice <a href=\"http://www.techgnosis.com/chunks.php?sec=journal&amp;cat=experiencing&amp;file=chunkfrom-2008-04-22-0256-0.txt\" target=\"_blank\">account</a> of our recent excursion into the labyrinthine tunnel system beneath the streets of Paris. It was a wild, disorientating, mucky and often extremely gruelling night, but an experience I would recommend to anyone who gets a chance.\n\nThere\'s an excellent map on <a href=\"http://www.catacombs.explographies.com/\" target=\"_blank\">this site</a>, but I would strongly advise going with someone who knows what they\'re doing, as it\'s no exaggeration to  say that you might never see the light of day again if you get lost down there. As well as a seemingly endless fractal network of tunnels there are large, deep holes in the ground that lead to... hell knows where, but I wouldn\'t want to be there. In an eight hour foray we only saw one small section of this city beneath the city – it even once had its own <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/sep/08/filmnews.france\" target=\"_blank\">cinema</a> – there are centuries of history down there, and I can\'t wait to go back.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.techgnosis.com/chunks.php?sec=journal&amp;cat=experiencing&amp;file=chunkfrom-2008-04-22-0256-0.txt\" target=\"_blank\">Paris By Eternal Night</a>','Paris sous Paris','','publish','open','open','','paris-sous-paris','','','2008-04-23 08:47:39','2008-04-23 08:47:39','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=811',0,'post','',0),(812,2,'2008-04-25 08:48:03','2008-04-25 08:48:03','<em>Many animals can sense the Earth\'s magnetic field, so why not people, asks Oleg Shumilov of the Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems in Russia.</em>\n\n<em>Shumilov looked at activity in the Earth\'s geomagnetic field from 1948 to 1997 and found that it grouped into three seasonal peaks every year: one from March to May, another in July and the last in October.</em>\n\n<em>Surprisingly, he also found that the geomagnetism peaks matched up with peaks in the number of suicides in the northern Russian city of Kirovsk over the same period.</em>\n\n<em>Shumilov acknowledges that a correlation like this does not necessarily mean there is a causal link, but he points out that there have been several other studies suggesting a link between human health and geomagnetism.</em>\n\nSomething else to worry about, over at <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/dn13769-does-the-earths-magnetic-field-cause-suicides.html?feedId=online-news_rss20\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a>','Geomagnetism and depression','','publish','open','open','','geomagnetism-and-depression','','','2008-04-25 08:48:03','2008-04-25 08:48:03','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=812',0,'post','',0),(813,2,'2008-04-25 10:15:25','2008-04-25 10:15:25','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/tristam-cary.jpg\" title=\"tristam-cary.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/tristam-cary.jpg\" alt=\"tristam-cary.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>British electronic music pioneer Tristram Cary has died aged 83 in Australia, where he moved in the 1970s.\n\nResponsible for designing the legendary <a href=\"http://www.vintagesynth.com/index2.html\" target=\"_blank\">EMS VCS3</a> synth, Cary produced the soundtrack to Hammer\'s <em>Quatermass and the Pit</em> (1967), and numerous other film and TV programmes, including <em>Dr Who.</em> Many young ears that grew up listening to Cary\'s alien soundscapes will have gone on to make electronic music of their own. He also wrote and recorded some mesmerising electronic and music concrete scores, some of which are available on the <em>Soundings</em> <a href=\"http://members.iinet.net.au/~tallpoppies/index.cgi?tp=cd&amp;val=139\" target=\"_blank\">compilation CD</a>.\n\n<em>Cary was born in Oxford on 14th May 1925. He served in the Royal Navy from 1943-6, specialising in radar and thereby receiving training in electronics. During his war service he independently developed the idea of what was to become tape music, and began experimenting as soon as he was released from the Navy in late 1946. From 1954 he found himself able to live by score commissions, and from that time produced a large variety of concert works and scores for theatre, radio, film, TV, public exhibitions etc. </em>\n\nMore at <a href=\"http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2008/04/24/electroacoutic-pioneer-tristram-cary-dead/\" target=\"_blank\">Synthtopia</a>\n\nLast week also saw the passing of another electronic music pioneer, the American <a href=\"http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2008/04/20/electronic-music-pioneer-bebe-barron-dead-at-82/\" target=\"_blank\">Bebe Barron</a>, who created the groundbreaking soundtrack to <em>Forbidden Planet</em> with her then husband Louis Barron. She was 82.','Tristram Cary RIP','','publish','open','open','','tristram-cary','','','2008-04-25 10:15:25','2008-04-25 10:15:25','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=813',0,'post','',0),(816,2,'2008-04-28 08:47:59','2008-04-28 08:47:59','<a href=\"http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/pc/brain-universe.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"neuron-galaxy21.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/neuron-galaxy21.jpg\" alt=\"neuron-galaxy21.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n\n<em><strong>Left: </strong></em>Neurons in a (mouse) brain. <em></em>\n\n<em><strong>Right:</strong></em> The universe with illuminated galaxies, simulated  by a team of astrophysicists.\n\nFrom Clifford Pickover\'s <a href=\"http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/pc/brain-universe.html\" target=\"_blank\">Reality Carnival</a>\n\n<em>The universe is a mouse?</em>','The Universe as colossal brain','','publish','open','open','','the-universe-as-colossal-brain','','','2008-04-28 08:47:59','2008-04-28 08:47:59','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=816',0,'post','',0),(819,2,'2008-04-29 23:40:57','2008-04-29 23:40:57','<a href=\"http://www.dosenation.com/listing.php?id=4624\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"amazingdrx_dancingalbert_06528_sm.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/amazingdrx_dancingalbert_06528_sm.jpg\" alt=\"amazingdrx_dancingalbert_06528_sm.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n\n<em>\'Any scientist who is not a mystic is not a scientist\'</em>\n\nWord is circulating that Dr Albert Hofmann has died, aged 102. The good doctor didn\'t make it to the conference held in his honour in Basel last month - quite understandably - though I went under the auspices of the <a href=\"http://www.beckleyfoundation.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Beckley Foundation</a>, with whom SAP are publishing a book of essays by and about Dr Hofmann in a few weeks\' time.\n\nYou can read all about the Basel con at Gyrus\' <a href=\"http://dreamflesh.com/blog/2008/04/basel-round-up/\" target=\"_blank\">Dreamflesh</a> site.\n\nThose who met Albert in recent years described him as being remarkably clear-headed, a blessing he attributed to time spent hanging upside down each day for many years. I don\'t think there\'s much I can say that won\'t be said more eloquently elsewhere, other than that, without Dr Hofmann\'s serendipitous discovery, you most likely wouldn\'t be reading this now.\n\nSo long Dr Albert. And thanks...\n\nFrom <a href=\"http://www.dosenation.com/listing.php?id=4624\" target=\"_blank\">Doesenation</a>\n\n<em>Albert died at home at 9 AM Basel time from a myocardial infarction, quick and relatively painless. Two caretakers were there with him at the time. The only people who were told were people from Burg, the village where he lived, and Peter and others were surprised the word of his death had gotten out so quickly. It\'s the age of the internet...</em>\n\n<em> Albert had been increasingly thinking of death these last few months. He had stopped leaving his home, where he said he could feel the spirit of Anita, his wife who died December 20, 2007. He didn\'t come to the World Psychedelic Forum a month ago, but did entertain some visitors at his home. We spoke on the phone the day after the Basel conference and he was happy and fulfilled. He\'d seen the renewal of LSD psychotherapy research with his own eyes, as had Anita. I said that I looked forward to discussing the results of the study with him in about a year and a half and he laughed and said he\'d try to help the research however he could, either from this side or \"the other side\".</em>\n\n<em> Now it even more falls on younger generations to transform LSD into a legal medicine and beyond that into a tool for personal growth legally available to all.</em>','RIP Dr Albert Hofmann','','publish','open','open','','rip-dr-albert-hofmann','','','2008-04-29 23:40:57','2008-04-29 23:40:57','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=819',0,'post','',0),(822,2,'2008-05-01 08:38:13','2008-05-01 08:38:13','<a href=\"http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"top-view2.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/top-view2.jpg\" alt=\"top-view2.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n\nA fantastic blog from the Te Papa museum in NZ, home to the recently defrosted colossal squid, with a beachball-sized <a href=\"http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2008/04/30/the-eye/\" target=\"_blank\">eye</a> (all the better for seeing you with) and a 4cm <a href=\"http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2008/04/30/whats-all-this-beak-business/\" target=\"_blank\">beak</a> that will reduce you to calamari in seconds.\n\nWhy do we so love monster  squid?\n<em> Answers on a postcard to the comment box please.</em>','Up from the depths','','publish','open','open','','up-from-the-depths','','','2008-05-01 08:38:13','2008-05-01 08:38:13','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=822',0,'post','',0),(799,2,'2008-05-06 11:25:06','2008-05-06 11:25:06','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/un1.jpg\" title=\"un1.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/un1.jpg\" alt=\"un1.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n\n<em>Ken Hollings and Mark Pilkington have been asked to co-curate an event for arts org <a href=\"http://rationalrec.russellmartin.org.uk/nextshow.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Rational Rec</a>, and we\'re excited to present an evening that explores the common grounds between our numerous and divergent interests.</em>\n\n<strong>Unnatural Histories </strong>\n<em>An evening of experiment and worship, invoking the anomalous and the uncanny.</em>\n\nTuesday 6 May 2008\nAt The Bethnal Green Working Men\'s Club, 44 Pollard Row, London E2 6NB (<a href=\"http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=&amp;q=44+Pollard+Row+E2+6NB&amp;sll=53.804844,-1.730268&amp;sspn=0.006843,0.014462&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=51.527302,-0.063579&amp;spn=0.007209,0.014462&amp;z=16&amp;iwloc=cent\" target=\"_blank\">map</a>)\nFrom 8pm. £5 door.\n\n* <a href=\"http://www.kenhollings.com\" target=\"_blank\">Ken Hollings </a>and Oort perform <em>A Prayer to Gojira</em>:\nKen will read a specially prepared text to appease the god lizard, backed by deep space resonance and Monster Island exotica from Oort (guitars, synths, theremin and electronics from Otto Amon, Richard Guest, Zali Krishna, <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Woolley\" target=\"_blank\">Bruce Woolley</a>).\n\n*Chronicler of the esoteric <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Valentine_Lachman\" target=\"_blank\">Gary Lachman</a> discusses the homonculus and the golem as mediaeval precursors to artificial life.\n\n* Film screenings:\n- <em>Hibernator</em> by<a href=\"http://www.londonfieldworks.com/\" target=\"_blank\"> London Fieldworks</a>\n- <em>An Insidious Intrusion</em> by <a href=\"http://www.parabolatrust.org/residencies/littlesavages.html\" target=\"_blank\">Tessa Farmer</a> and Sean Daniels\n- Audiovisual archaeology from <a href=\"http://www.ghostbox.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">Ghost Box </a>recordings.\n- <em>The Sound of Microclimates</em> by <a href=\"http://www.semiconductorfilms.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Semiconductor</a>\n\n* Panel discussion on the evening\'s themes with all our contributors.\n\n* Stalls from <a href=\"http://www.dreamflesh.com\" target=\"_blank\">Dreamflesh</a>, <a href=\"http://www.english-heretic.org.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">English Heretic</a>, <a href=\"http://www.ghostbox.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">Ghost Box</a>, <a href=\"http://www.fandmpublications.co.uk/pages/oneeyegrey.htm\" target=\"_blank\">One Eye Grey</a>, Strange Attractor and more\nSee you there!','Tonight! 6 May: Unnatural Histories','','publish','open','open','','6-may-unnatural-histories','','','2008-05-06 11:25:06','2008-05-06 11:25:06','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=799',0,'post','',0),(826,2,'2008-05-06 13:16:19','2008-05-06 13:16:19','The CIA has made available its guide to the <a href=\"http://tinyurl.com/2fwje7\" target=\"_blank\">psychology of intelligence data analysis</a>. The cover features a tasteful Rorschach blot of an eagle... no, wait, it\'s a skull... or an elephant.\n\nOr could it be... oh my god...\n\n<em> Intelligence analysts, in seeking to make sound judgments, are always under challenge from the complexities of the issues they address and from the demands made on them for timeliness and volume of production...</em>\n\n<em>How many times have we encountered situations in which completely plausible premises, based on solid expertise, have been used to construct a logically valid forecast--with virtually unanimous agreement--that turned out to be dead wrong?</em>\n\n<em>A central focus of this book is to illuminate the role of the observer in determining what is observed and how it is interpreted. People construct their own version of \"reality\" on the basis of information provided by the senses, but this sensory input is mediated by complex mental processes that determine which information is attended to, how it is organized, and the meaning attributed to it. What people perceive, how readily they perceive it, and how they process this information after receiving it are all strongly influenced by past experience, education, cultural values, role requirements, and organizational norms, as well as by the specifics of the information received. </em>\n\nGrab it <a href=\"https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/psychology-of-intelligence-analysis/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>\n\nvia <a href=\"http://badscience.net\" target=\"_blank\">Ben Goldacre</a>','CIA: telling us how to think','','publish','open','open','','cia-telling-us-how-to-think','','','2008-05-06 13:16:19','2008-05-06 13:16:19','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=826',0,'post','',0),(827,2,'2008-05-08 09:22:39','2008-05-08 09:22:39','<span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Monday 12th May</span>\n12:00 - 18:00 - SYMPOSIUM\nHauntology Now\n<span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\"><strong> <span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"></span></strong></span>\n\nAt the <a href=\"http://www.museumgardenhistory.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Museum of Garden History</a>, Lambeth, London SE1 7LB\n£8\n\n<em>[For an introduction to musical hauntology, see <a href=\"http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/arthur/44/an-invitation-to-the-electric-seance\" target=\"_blank\">The Electric Seance</a> by John Coulthart] </em>\n\n<em><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"></span></strong></span></em><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"></span></strong></em>In the past two years, the concept of                            ‘hauntology’ has emerged as a name for the                            zeitgeist. The shades of the past become more vivid                            than anything turned up by the present.</span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\">The                            spirit of the times is itself spectral. Faced with the                            apparent triumph of global Capital and the collapse                            of cultural innovation, artists and critics impatient                            with postmodern culture’s ‘nostalgia mode’                            are forced back to a time before the End of History.                            They engage in mourning and melancholia for what has                            disappeared and what never came to be. Everyday life                            becomes ghostly… a saturated culture is unable                            to forget that things were not always like this.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\"></span><!--more--><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\">Coined                            by Derrida in his Spectres Of Marx, ‘hauntology’                            now has an unlife of its own. It is in relation to sound,                            in particular, that ‘hauntology’ has gained                            its second – or should that be third life.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\">Recent                            releases by Burial, the Ghost Box label, Mordant Music,                            The Caretaker, Philip Jeck, Gavin Bryars and Chris Watson                            have in their different ways exemplified a hauntological                            sensibility. The revival of attention upon the post-vinyl                            status of groups like Joy Division, The Gang of Four,                            The Fall etc. presents a parallel narrative that conditions                            development in the present. </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\">This                            May 12 event will be the first to deal with the relation                            between sound and hauntology, and will focus in particular                            on the role of space in generating hauntological effects.                            Why do certain places retain the traces of past sonic                            events? Why is so much hauntological music tied up with                            particular spaces? What has the disappearance of the                            concept of public space to do with hauntology? </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif\">The                            day will be divided into afternoon and evening sessions.                            The afternoon will be devoted to theoretical explorations                            of sonic hauntology, with presentations by Mark Fisher                            (The Wire, k-punk weblog), Jon Wozencroft (Touch, Royal                            College of Art), Paul Devereux (author, researcher into                            Archaeoacoustics, Royal College of Art), Christopher                            Woodward (Director of the Museum of Garden History)                            and Steve Goodman, better known as Kode9 (University                            of East London). The evening will be given over to performances                            and interventions, with The Caretaker, Kode9 and The                            Spaceape and Philip Jeck headlining. <strong>£8</strong></span>','Hauntology now','','publish','open','open','','hauntology-now-may-12th','','','2008-05-08 09:22:39','2008-05-08 09:22:39','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=827',0,'post','',0),(818,2,'2008-05-08 11:13:25','2008-05-08 11:13:25','<p style=\"font-size: x-small\"><a title=\"461522761_521d3e5ab3.jpg\" href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/461522761_521d3e5ab3.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/461522761_521d3e5ab3.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"461522761_521d3e5ab3.jpg\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"4\" width=\"454\" height=\"304\" align=\"top\" /></a>\nDieter Moebius &amp; Hans Joachim Roedelius, London 2007 [photo: Mark Pilkington]\n\n<em>With the reformed Harmonia playing their first live gigs in over thirty years, it seemed like a good time to online this piece I wrote for </em><a href=\"http://www.planbmag.com\" target=\"_blank\">Plan B</a><em> magazine.\nIt appeared in their 30th issue, Feb 2008.</em>\n\n<em><strong>Cosmic Outriders: The Living Music of Cluster and Harmonia\n</strong></em>by Mark Pilkington\n<em>\nFrom immense kosmische dronescapes to sugar-rush rhythms and merry electromelodies, it\'s almost impossible not to find traces of their unique sound in contemporary electronic music, whether you\'re listening to the fairground ditties of Plaid and Boards of Canada, or the wilful experimentation of Autechre, Nurse With Wound or Matmos. Yet almost 40 years after their first performances, there are still far too many people out there who haven\'t heard the music of </em>Kluster, Cluster<em> and </em>Harmonia<em>. </em>\n\n<!--more-->\n\n<a title=\"cluster3.jpg\" href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/cluster3.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/cluster3.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"cluster3.jpg\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"335\" height=\"223\" /></a>\n<p style=\"font-size: xx-small\">Dieter Moebius and Hans Joachim Roedelius: London 2007 [photo: Mark Pilkington]</p>\n\n<strong>April 2007</strong>\nSeated across a functional tabletop, their faces betraying calm but deeply focused intensity, their bodies still save the occasional movement of their hands, which make small deliberate gestures, the two men, older if not old, might be playing chess at a pavement café in Vienna or Berlin.\n\nInstead they are onstage at a Metal-stained London rock venue, bathed in red light before a rapt audience of two hundred geeks and gawkers. The table is neatly strewn with cables, CD players, mixers and a small synthesiser whose combined outputs fill the room with squelches, squawks, womms and wibble; warm, fluid pulsations that might be bathospheric recordings from within a vast, bio-mechanical whale.\n\nAt the helm are Hans Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius, tonight they are Cluster, and together they form a critical axis of the unspoken history of late 20th century experimental music.\n\n<em>Rewind</em> 39 years to a back room of the Schaubühne theatre-bar in West Berlin. Here Roedelius, a 35-year-old masseur who has drifted into the city\'s burgeoning experimental music community, and Conrad Schnitzler, 32, a student of the artist-visonary Joseph Beuys and the scene\'s maestro, run the Zodiak Free Arts Lab. The Zodiak is a haven for freaks and avant-gardists to enjoy psychedelia, free-jazz, free performance and freakout; a venue and practice space and, as the birthing ground for Tangerine Dream (of which Schnitzler was also a founder member) as well as Kluster, a galactic centre for Kosmische Musik.\n\nThe Zodiak was the centre of a musical revolution in a country teetering on the edge of a political revolution, but for Roedelius, now a kind, dome-headed, twinkly-eyed but still imposing 70-something-year-old, the politics of the Zodiak were purely the politics of the imagination, a place to channel the madness outside into performance and sound. It\'s an attitude that is quite understandable from one who had survived being press-ganged into the Hitler Jugend at 11, getting caught up on the Russian front in WWII, spending two years in a Stasi labour camp and, later, babysitting for the Baader-Meinhof crowd. Having seen the tumultous effects of political revolution at first hand, something that most of his Zodiak contemporaries had experienced only through its aftermath, Roedelius wasn\'t sure if West Germany needed another one.\n\nSchnitzler, however, was a very different animal. Known as something of a wild man even in the anarchic foment of late \'60s Berlin, Con was had for some time been creating obtuse and abstract \'chamber\' music as Noises and Plus/Minus, drawing in accomplices including Roedelius, who also performed with the eight-piece gestalt-rockers Human Being, and solo, with \'a microphone, a handmade flute and an alarm clock\'. Amongst those digging the Zodiak sounds was another young student of Beuys (and then a steakhouse chef), Dieter Moebius. \'One day in 1969, Achim and Conny asked if I wanted to join a group called Kluster,\' says Moebius, a spry, wiry and impish 63-year-old; \'a few days later, on 17 July 1969, we were performing a 12 hour concert in an art gallery above a Berlin shopping centre.\'\n\nEarly performances, which were – and still are – always improvised, had the trio operating in dense but open-ended cacophanous driftspace, employing modified cellos, guitars, flutes, microphones, tape machines, organs, percussion and whatever else they could find to open aural doorways into otherness. For Schnitzler it was art and performance, for Moebius it was \'some kind of music,\' but for Roedelius it was something more complex and personal: \'after the horrors of my childhood, it was all about coming back to normal, a process of becoming aware of myself. So it was art and music, but first a sort of self-finding.\' It wasn\'t a pretty sound, or even a pleasant one, and it was certainly a world away from the already-traditional r\'n\'b-based psychedelic music of the imported British and American rock groups, which would be aped by many of the German bands that were later dubbed \'krautrock\'. Yet Kluster had it\'s own captivating structure, beauty and undeniable majesty and, in the spirit of a difficult age, the small audiences to their twelve gigs were largely enthusiastic.\n\nA few months later, having relocated themselves, their equipment and their girlfriends to Dusseldorff, where Schnitzler was able to fix them up with more gallery and artspace shows, Kluster were ready to record. Funding for the studio session that produced their first two albums <em>Klopfzeichen</em> (\'tapping\' or \'knocking\' signals) and <em>Zwei-Osterei</em> (\'Two Easter Eggs\') came from Oskar Gottlieb Blarr, a church organist with a passion for avant garde music. The records were released on the religious Schwann label, with the proviso that they contained Christian content. Hence the first sides of both albums are accompanied by dramatically-declaimed agit-poetry and spiritual admonition. It\'s a strange way to start an avant garde musical career, though what comes around goes around and Roedelius would convert to Catholicism in 1984.\n\nKeeping with the religious metaphor, it might be fair to describe the initial Kluster albums as an LSD-dipped tour through the circles of post-war hell: car batteries buzz, oil barrels clang and marbles roll around in a bowl, accompanied by cello, flute, guitar feedback and organ drones, to create a seething topographic dissonance that stretches from Edgar Varese on one horizon to the Velvet Underground on the other. This potential audio catastrophe was given shape and form by the young studio engineer Conrad \'Conny\' Plank, who had previously worked with Varese and would later produce many seminal Kosmische bands, including Neu!, Kraftwerk, Ash Ra Tempel and Guru Guru, then avant-pop acts like Devo, Eurythmics and Ultravox until his death in 1987, aged 47. Moebius and Roedelius both refer to Plank as a third member of Cluster, and a dear friend.<a title=\"thumbnail.jpg\" href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/thumbnail.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/thumbnail.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"thumbnail.jpg\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"218\" height=\"218\" align=\"left\" /></a>\n\nBy 1971 Kluster were beginning to make a name for themselves on the underground, but Schnitzler was ready to pursue life as a solo musician and artist. Moebius and Roedelius, however, were just getting started. The change in line-up required a new name, but their attitude, and their sound, remained much the same.\n\nSo, Kluster became Cluster and, along with their now-friend Conny and a mongrel dog named Stinky, they continued in their mission. Their first album, <em>Cluster</em>, was released by Philips, who were quick to get hip to West Germany\'s newly evolving \'kosmische\' (cosmic) sound, and presents the trio (Plank produced once again) evolving at a glacial pace. Cluster is, if anything, even darker than its predecessors, with a harsher, more abrasive and electronic sound evoking colossal forges and tectonic shifts. <em>Cluster II</em>, recorded for the then-trendy Brain label, transfers the field of operation from the bowels of the Earth into the cold, dark eternity of outer space.\n\nAll Cluster\'s work has the feel of something alive being channelled and shaped by human hands rather than being created, and with these two albums, devoid of voice and language, the sense of human origins is almost entirely absent. This wan\'t necessarily their intention, nor was there any plan, recalls Roedelius, \'we were just experimenting all the time to find out in which way the music would develop itself.\'\n\nLiving out of a van and gigging intensely and extensively – including an unlikely, uncomfortable night at Germany\'s first open air rock festival, Fehmarn, where Jimi Hendrix gave his final performance –  was beginning to take its toll on the dissonant duo, with drugs and alchohol becoming a regular part of their line up. Relief came in 1973, when Roedelius and Moebius were invited to join an intentional community that had taken over a village, Forst, in the wooded idyll of Lower Saxony. Here, free from the industrial confines of the city, Cluster was to undergo a dramatic, entirely unexpected mutation and sonic hell was to become sonic heaven.\n\n<strong>November 2007</strong>\n\n<a title=\"harmonia1.jpg\" href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/harmonia1.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/harmonia1.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"harmonia1.jpg\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" align=\"middle\" /></a>\n<p style=\"font-size: x-small\">Dieter Moebius, Hans Joachim Roedelius, Michael Rother: Berlin 2007 [photo: Mark Pilkington]</p>\n\nIn the grandiose, elegant surroundings of Berlin\'s Haus der Weltkulturen, whose collapse is said to have given Einsturzende Neubauten their name, Roedelius and Moebius appear small on the huge open stage, where they are joined by a third mind. Looking like a dapper, suntanned cross between David Hasselhoff and Roger Waters is the man who changed their muscial world – Michael Rother.\n\nWhile Rother and Moebius have been performing live together for a few years now, it\'s the first time that Harmonia have played as a trio in 31 years and their collaboration, improvised as ever, is a world away from the organic machine room groove of Cluster\'s earlier 2007 performance. As images of their youthful selves are projected behind them, the tidy trio, along with a choir conducted by diva-electronica Barbera Morgenstein, generate a sparse, warm and very human atmosphere of Zen flow. Sampled chimes, gongs and bells ring out between the pads, plips and pulses: Moebius and Roedelius pore over samplers and CDs while Rother drops in simple but ectstatic digital rhythms and, ever so sparingly, taunts us with gliding, beautific but never saccarine guitar.\n\nIt\'s a long performance, filled with bold silences and not-quite-empty space, providing ample room for contemplation. As the men they were thirty years ago drift and swirl overhead, we consider the impermanence of all things and the problems with keeping up with oneself. No body, and no band, can ever compete with the heights of their own creative life, the moments when chance, time and chemistry give rise to brilliance. But, a couple of karaoke moments aside, when the band are literally playing with themselves over greatest hits, Harmonia don\'t try. Why should they? In a quieter moment someone from the audience yells \'ambient!\' – as if it were a bad thing. And as if Harmonia hadn\'t invented Brian Eno...\n\n<strong>Forst, 1973</strong>\n<strong> </strong>\n\n<a title=\"musikvonharmonia.jpg\" href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/musikvonharmonia.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/musikvonharmonia.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"musikvonharmonia.jpg\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"218\" height=\"218\" align=\"left\" /></a>\n\nSeeking respite from the intensity of being one half of Neu! and a key player in the first incarnation of Kraftwerk , after recording the troubled second Neu! album Rother took himself and his instruments out to the pastoral idyll of Forst. Here life was as much about cooking, strolling and chopping wood as it was about music, and the trio discussed the potential of a new sound, one that would take the Cluster hallmarks of unearthliness and improvisation and meld them into something that was, well, pop music, at least compared to anything heard from Cluster thus far.\n\nWhat followed are three of the most wonderful albums in the entire krautrock canon.\n\n\'Watussi,\' the opening number from 1974\'s <em>Musik Von Harmonia</em>, with its absurdist pop-art cover depicting a colossal bottle of detergent (the new name Harmonia combined harmony and ammonia), sets the tone with Roedelius\' relentless contra-rotating arpeggiations played out against tidal guitar drones and Moebius\' controlled detonations of electronic scatter, all layered over Rother\'s primitive, stomping drum machine rhythms. The album presents a beautiful, alien world awash with colours and sounds unseen and unheard on our own planet. Breezes blow inverted rainbows across azure leaves, dark shapes glide through cyan shimmering waters, maddening rubber melodies flow like swarming caterpillars. Later, on \'Ahoi!\', the track which would become at least one Eno album, a delicate stillness takes hold, shaped only by gently plucked guitars and distant organ swells. Recorded at Cluster\'s Forst studio and only modestly tweaked by Conny Plank in Colgone, <em>Musik Von Harmonia</em> remains fresh, exciting and extremely daft, with a strange, laid back charm that is rarely matched by today\'s clean and quantized electronicists.\n\nA recently uneathed live recording of Harmonia in 1974 captures a more unruly, though no less engaging, picture of the band, with Rother soloing his way into the stratosphere over the unending crunch and thud of drum machines and ever-spinning organ ditties. It was around this time that Brian Eno would seek out the group, joining them for sessions some time later that resulted in the album <em>Harmonia 76: Tracks and Traces </em>as well as <em>Cluster &amp; Eno</em>, <em>After The Heat</em> and the track \'By This River\' on Eno\'s <em>Before And After Science</em>. The Eno and Cluster/Harmonia collaborations make for intriguing avant-rock history, and contain many serene and haunting moments. They may not have resulted in any of the team\'s best work, but it\'s quite clear to hear that each influenced the other, particularly listening to Eno\'s later \'70s music.\n\nWithin months of recording as Harmonia, entranced by the rhythmic and melodic vistas opened up to them by Rother (who gets co-production credit on the album), Moebius and Roedelius got back to work as Cluster to produce <em>Zuckerzeit</em> (Sugartime). What for many is their masterpiece is worlds away from the darkness of their previous records. Retaining the glistening plasticity of <em>Musick Von Harmonia</em>, <em>Zuckerzeit</em> once again reflects the duo\'s new country existence in an album rippling with melodic beauty, uninhibitedly draped over endearing, ungainly rhythms and occasional dissonant morasses that hark back to the earlier Kluster sound. As the name suggests, <em>Zuckerzeit</em> is almost all sweetness and light, never more so than in the fluid, ecstatic melodies of \'Rosa\', named for the birth of family Roedlius\' first daughter. The wonky groove of \'Caramel\' could be the soundtrack to a far corner of Willy Wonka\'s chocolate factory, while \'Rote Riki\' sounds like exercise time at a Clanger nudist colony. With hindsight, the seeds of myriad future electronic musics burst free from these two records, yet between them they sound not just unlike any other albums produced by the team, but unlike any other albums ever made.\n\n<a title=\"harmonia_deluxe_101b.jpg\" href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/harmonia_deluxe_101b.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/harmonia_deluxe_101b.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"harmonia_deluxe_101b.jpg\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"218\" height=\"218\" align=\"left\" /></a> Having completed contractual duties with the ever-stressful Neu!, Rother returned to Forst and, as Harmonia, the team produced another miracle of an album, 1975\'s <em>De Luxe</em>. After the DIY-kronkiness of <em>Musick Von</em> and <em>Zuckerzeit</em>,  the sheer majesty of <em>De Luxe</em> is astounding. If those albums are gingerbread houses then <em>De Luxe</em> is a country manor – one that is infinitely larger on the inside than it could ever be on the outside. The eponymous nine-minute opening track alone rages with incandescent, cosmic glory while still sounding like a goofily anthemic German drinking song. \'Walky Talky\' brings Guru Guru\'s wildman drummer Mani Neumauer into the mix for a rolling surfboard ride through the ionosphere, and then they pull off seven minutes of absurd parallel universe stadium rock with \'Monza\'. Three tracks later, the album touches down gently with the lilting, frogs\'n\'ivories closer  \'Kekse\' and you\'re left wondering why the hell it took 30 years for <em>De Luxe</em> to get a CD release.\n\nEven within the wildly unpredictable krautrock universe, and the narrow social confines of the music scene of the time (Roedelius went out with Florian Schneider from Kraftwerk\'s sister for a while) Cluster and Harmonia were just, well, different. Says Roedelius: \'we didn\'t fit into the category Krautrock at all, because we weren\'t part of it, even though it was said that we were. We didn\'t care, we belonged to the artscene as well as to the popular music-scene, Cluster was always special.\'\n\nAnd they still are.\n\n<a title=\"sowiesoso.jpg\" href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/sowiesoso.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/sowiesoso.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"sowiesoso.jpg\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"218\" height=\"218\" align=\"left\" /></a>\n\nHarmonia recorded one more album, <em>Harmonia 76: Tracks and Traces</em>, this time with Brian Eno, though Rother left half way through the session and the album, more a collection of sketches, didn\'t see the light of day until 1997. Despite a couple of standout tracks, like the chuggingly intense motorik \'Vamos Campaneros\' and the synth-and-guitar-at-play field recordings of By the Riverside, the title mostly reflects the contents, being either a half-finished Harmonia record, or a half-finished Eno record – it\'s hard to tell which.\n\nThis fertile period did produce one more classic Cluster record, <em>Sowiesoso </em>(1976). Allegedly recorded in two days, it comes across as if Forst\'s woodland entities had taken over the studio entirely; devas on the drum machines, lambs gamboling on synthesisers (probably used here for the first time, though when asked, Moebius replied \'if only I knew\') and fauns geting frisky with effects boxes. The rhythms are more subtle and dynamic while its pacing is provided by water flowing over rocks and wind through trees. If the album isn\'t as immediately captivating as the previous Forst recordings, it will slowly change your mind for you until you realise that it\'s as beautiful as a misty woodland morning in Spring.\n\nTogether and separately, Dieter and Hans Joachim\'s musical journeys continued through the \'80s, \'90s and \'00s, with Roedelius still producing new work at a formidable rate, but here, backlit by sunshine amongst the trees and the breeze, we must leave them and return, heads and hearts thrumming with earth and electricity, to the present day...\n\nIf a band could feed off namechecks and tributes alone, then Moebius, Roedelius and Rother would sport bellywheels by now, but commercial success was never on the cards for such timeless music. Roedelius admits that without his wife\'s income as a teacher, he would not have been able to support himself while, when not making music; Moebius worked on film and TV props for his wife\'s company.Moebius is honest about seeing contemporaries like Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream hitting the international bigtime, \'I was quite jealous!\' Roedelius, ever the artist, remains circumspect: \'There\'s not much I have to say about it, after all that I had to go through myself. Each of us has his own personal domain in life,  his obligations and his limits.\'\n\nTo listen to Cluster and Harmonia is to undertake a strange adventure through times, sounds and spaces that can, by their very improvised, instantaneous nature, never exist again. Their best music  seems to be composed entirely of juxtapositions – bold simplicity and fiendish complexity, atonal dissonance and harmonius beauty, elegant sophistication and pratfall foolishness – contrasts personified in Roedelius and Moebius themselves. It\'s a magic that can never be undone.\n\n\'We had to learn to become aware of what we did while doing it,\' muses Roedelius, \'but there was always a special chemistry between Moebius and me from the beginning. We\'ve been friends for almost 40 years now. We\'ve been through bad periods of course as well, but our friendship has never broken. We just loved to do what we did, we never were after success.\' Having witnessed the horrors or war, the chaos of its aftermath and the incredible rebirth of culture that took place in his native land, Roedelius is a man who has lived through the very worst and the very best that humanity has to offer. Seeing him now, performing two hour concerts in his seventies and DJing \'til the wee hours at his own afterparty, it\'s easy to believe him when he says \'I\'m just in love with life itself.\'\n\nAnd it really could be as simple as that.\n\nPerhaps it\'s the humanity, warmth and, yes, love – in even their darkest hours – that makes the music of Roedelius, Moebius and Rother stand out. And now, almost 40 years on, faced with adulatory crowds, many of whom weren\'t born when the music they adore was made, some of that love is paying off. \'It really is very astonishing to me,\' says Moebius, \'it makes me happy in a way, but also a little proud.\'\n\n<em>Cluster and Harmonia albums are available wherever interesting music can be found.\nIn 2008, Harmonia are playing festivals the world over.</em> Painting with Sound<em>, a biography of Roedelius by Stephen Iliffe, is available from <a href=\"http://www.meridianguides.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Meridan Music Guides</a>.</em>','Cosmic Outriders: the music of Cluster &amp; Harmonia','','publish','open','open','','cosmic-outriders-the-music-of-cluster-harmonia','','','2008-05-08 11:13:25','2008-05-08 11:13:25','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=818',0,'post','',0),(836,2,'2008-05-13 08:08:56','2008-05-13 08:08:56','<a href=\"http://www.ullagegroup.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Ullage Group</a> presents its second afternoon of oddities, at Jalopy Theatre, Sunday 18 May at 3:00.  This one is called \"Microlithomania,\" and is devoted to strange stones smaller than megaliths.\n\nWe will have mini-talks on ringing rocks, stone stars, archeological hoaxes, toads-in-holes, pseudo-roads, and other curiosities; from Doug Skinner, Anthony Matt, and Lisa Hirschfield.  There will be slides, specimens, a video of the unusual Dr. Cabrera, and examples of Richard Shaver\'s rock art.  Admission is only $5, and well worth $6.\n\nJalopy is at 315 Columbia St., Red Hook, Brooklyn; directions can be found at <a href=\"http://www.jalopy.biz\" target=\"_blank\">www.jalopy.biz</a>.\nMore on the Ullage Group can be found at <a href=\"http://www.ullagegroup.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Ullage Group</a> .','Microlithomania: New York City','','publish','open','open','','microlithomania-new-york-city','','','2008-05-13 08:08:56','2008-05-13 08:08:56','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=836',0,'post','',0),(838,2,'2008-05-14 08:07:18','2008-05-14 08:07:18','<a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7398108.stm\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"_44652691_saucer_.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/44652691_saucer_.jpg\" alt=\"_44652691_saucer_.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"272\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"423\" /></a>\n\nThe British Ministry of Defence has made public the first eight of about 200 previously secret UFO files. You can get them <a href=\"http://ufos.nationalarchives.gov.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>, along with an accompanying research guide by Dr David Clarke, whose team are primarily responsible for convincing the MOD to declassify the material.\n\nThere\'s some fascinating stuff here, including observation of an apparently structured object by three police officers in Stanmore, London in 1984, official documentation of the hotly contested <a href=\"http://rendlesham-incident.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">Rendlesham Incident</a> in December 1980, and some entertaining discussion from the early days of the crop circle craze. A 1985 formation (by Doug Bower and Dave Chorley) is described as looking \"as if a plank had been put with one end at the centre and then swept round in a complete circle.\" So they got that right!\n\nThe above image is from the wonderful 1983 encounter of <a href=\"http://www.ufocasebook.com/burtoo.html\" target=\"_blank\">Albert Burtoo</a>, 77, who was fishing on the Basingstoke, Hampshire, canal in the early hours when a flying saucer landed nearby. Burtoo entered the craft only to be told by the occupants that he was too old to be of any use to them. \"The first thing I did... (on leaving the craft) was to pick up my cold cup of tea and drink it,\" he recalled. \"And then I heard this whining noise, just as if an electric generator was starting up, and this thing lifted up then took off at a very high speed.\"\n\nThe MOD files won\'t provide many answers but they do reveal that, as many UFO researchers had always suspected, the Ministry, despite repeated denials, did take an active, low-key interest in UFO reports and was, and probably still is, just as puzzled and intrigued by the phenomenon as the rest of us.\n\nThe <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7398108.stm\" target=\"_blank\">BBC</a> has a good story on the release, including a Newsnight piece featuring original <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_fieldguide.html\" target=\"_blank\">crop circle maker</a> Doug Bower.\n\nAnd this just in from <a href=\"http://www.drdavidclarke.co.uk/news2.htm\" target=\"_blank\">David Clarke</a>.','MOD UFO files released','','publish','open','open','','mod-ufo-files-released','','','2008-05-14 08:07:18','2008-05-14 08:07:18','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=838',0,'post','',0),(840,2,'2008-05-21 10:47:10','2008-05-21 10:47:10','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/44674459_adrt_card_shadow226.jpg\" title=\"_44674459_adrt_card_shadow226.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/44674459_adrt_card_shadow226.jpg\" alt=\"_44674459_adrt_card_shadow226.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>From the <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7399073.stm\" target=\"_blank\">BBC</a>\n\n\'Available in pubs, banks, libraries, GP surgeries, even some churches, the Advanced Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT) card sits snugly in a wallet or purse and instructs a doctor to withhold treatment should the carrier lose the capacity to make decisions, because of an accident or illness.\n\nDubbed the \"right-to-die card\", it\'s being seen by some as a short-cut to euthanasia. But its backers say it is a practical way of implementing the Mental Capacity Act, which came into force in 2007.\n\nThe act allows adults to draw up \"advance directives\" stating what sort of treatment they don\'t want should they lose capacity. They build on the principle of \"living wills\" but, crucially, mean that doctors are legally bound to abide by a patient\'s wish to refuse life-sustaining treatment.\'\n\n<a href=\"http://www.stewarthomesociety.org/neoism/necro.htm\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"necrofnt.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/necrofnt.jpg\" alt=\"necrofnt.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" vspace=\"8\" /></a><em>Hmm, think I\'ll keep mine next to Stewart Home\'s <a href=\"http://www.stewarthomesociety.org/neoism/necro.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Necrocard</a> </em>\n\nThanks Alyssa Joye!','Choose Death','','publish','open','open','','choose-death','','','2008-05-21 10:47:10','2008-05-21 10:47:10','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=840',0,'post','',0),(842,2,'2008-05-22 10:22:12','2008-05-22 10:22:12','<em>Incense is psychoactive: Scientists identify the biology behind the ceremony</em>\nReligious leaders have contended for millennia that burning incense is good for the soul. Now, biologists have learned that it is good for our brains too. In a new study appearing online in The FASEB Journal, an international team of scientists, including researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, describe how burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression. This suggests that an entirely new class of depression and anxiety drugs might be right under our noses.\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.physorg.com/news130511055.html\" target=\"_blank\">Physorg</a>\nvia <em><a href=\"http://www.alienworldsmag.com\" target=\"_blank\">Stuart Miller</a></em>\n\nBut before you get too busy burning – this: <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1467409.stm\" target=\"_blank\">Incense cancer link</a>','Incense and peppermints','','publish','open','open','','incense-and-peppermints','','','2008-05-22 10:22:12','2008-05-22 10:22:12','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=842',0,'post','',0),(843,2,'2008-05-26 15:57:47','2008-05-26 15:57:47','Earlier this week, Yoshiaki Arata, a retired physics professor at Osaka University, Japan, gave a successful demonstration of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_fusion\" target=\"_blank\">cold fusion</a> to an audience of physicists:\n\nFrom a Japanese eyewitness writing on the <a href=\"http://physicsworld.com/blog/2008/05/coldfusion_demonstration_a_suc_1.html\" target=\"_blank\">Physicsworld</a> blog:\n\n<em>\"Arata\'s demonstration...was successfully done. There came about 60 people from universities and companies in Japan and few foreign people. Six major newspapers and two TV [stations] (Asahi, Nikkei, Mainichi, NHK, et al.) were there...Demonstrated live data looked just similar to the data they reported in [the] papers...This showed the method highly reproducible. Arata\'s lecture and Q&amp;A were also attractive and active.</em>\n\n<em>... after Arata had started the injection of gas, the temperature rose to about 70 °C, which according to Arata was due to both chemical and nuclear reactions. When the gas was shut off, the temperature in the centre of the cell remained significantly warmer than the cell wall for 50 hours. This, according to Arata, was due solely to nuclear fusion.</em>\n\nMore news is promised soon, but this could be big...','Cold Fusion is back!','','publish','open','open','','cold-fusion-is-back','','','2008-05-26 15:57:47','2008-05-26 15:57:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=843',0,'post','',0),(844,2,'2008-05-27 16:08:15','2008-05-27 16:08:15','<a href=\"http://www.paulgravett.com/articles/133_china/133_china.htm\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"quake1.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/quake1.jpg\" alt=\"quake1.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n\nTales of death and survival from the Chinese Earthquake of 12 May \'08, written and illustrated by <a href=\"http://www.paulgravett.com/articles/133_china/133_china.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Coco Wang</a>.\n\n<em>The amount of incredibly moving stories of victims, rescuers, volunteers         is simply shocking at the moment. I have been collecting newspapers of         all the stories, and telling them in the form of comic strips. I hope         these stories could show the UK readers the love, warmth and courage         of the Chinese people, also the sad and cruel reality of the horrible         5.12 Earthquake.</em>\n\nRead them <a href=\"http://www.paulgravett.com/articles/133_china/133_china.htm\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\n\nThanks Adi Tantimedh, who has <a href=\"http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&amp;id=16587\" target=\"_blank\">interviewed</a> Coco Wang <a href=\"http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&amp;id=16587\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>','Chinese Quake Comics','','publish','open','open','','chinese-quake-comics','','','2008-05-27 16:08:15','2008-05-27 16:08:15','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=844',0,'post','',0),(846,2,'2008-05-30 08:17:21','2008-05-30 08:17:21','<table style=\"border-width: 0px; width: 0px; height: 0px\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"648\">\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"http://www.thehorsehospital.com/archives/000550.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"wright_behold_he_is_in_thy_handsm-thumb.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/wright_behold_he_is_in_thy_handsm-thumb.jpg\" alt=\"wright_behold_he_is_in_thy_handsm-thumb.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a></td>\n<td><a href=\"http://www.thehorsehospital.com/archives/000550.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"kox_chariots_of_the_godssm-thumb.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/kox_chariots_of_the_godssm-thumb.jpg\" alt=\"kox_chariots_of_the_godssm-thumb.jpg\" border=\"0\" /></a></td>\n<td><a href=\"http://www.thehorsehospital.com/archives/000550.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"ward_sonafeldsm-thumb.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/ward_sonafeldsm-thumb.jpg\" alt=\"ward_sonafeldsm-thumb.jpg\" align=\"absmiddle\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a></td>\n</tr>\n</table>\nVisionary artists and SA pals Cathy Ward and Eric Wright are joined by American apocalypticist Norbert Kox for <em>Sacred Pastures</em>, an exhibition at London\'s <a href=\"http://www.thehorsehospital.com/archives/000550.html\" target=\"_blank\">Horse Hospital</a>. This will be a stunning show and a rare chance to see Kox\'s work at first hand in the UK.\n\n<strong>Exhibition:</strong> 7th June - 28th June, Mon-Sat 12-6pm\n\n<strong>Private view:</strong> Friday 6th June 7:30pm\n\n<em>Sacred Pastures highlights each artists\' dedication to revelatory and pietistic concepts within their work. While producing a highly distinctive range of imagery drawn from diverse sources of inspiration, the artists share a canon of practice that emphasizes the work as a means by which inner discoveries can be made manifest. Each has staked out a territory within the realm created by the intersection of intuition and the objective world. The exhibition highlights the diverse manner in which a bold romantic spirit is returning to contemporary artistic practice. Here are artists that eschew irony in favour of conviction and do not shrink from self-portrayal. Together presenting the antithesis to nihilistic self-referenced output while avoiding sentimentality.</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.thehorsehospital.com/archives/000550.html\" target=\"_blank\">More info </a>','Sacred Pastures: Kox, Ward &amp; Wright','','publish','open','open','','sacred-pastures-kox-ward-wright','','','2008-05-30 08:17:21','2008-05-30 08:17:21','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=846',0,'post','',0),(851,2,'2008-06-05 08:28:14','2008-06-05 08:28:14','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/sjff_01_img0355.jpg\" title=\"sjff_01_img0355.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/sjff_01_img0355.jpg\" alt=\"sjff_01_img0355.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"202\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"267\" /></a>\n<em>Monday, 9 June, 8.45pm, Cinema 1, the <a href=\"http://ica.org.uk/Jesse%20Jones+16849.twl\" target=\"_blank\">ICA</a>, the Mall, London.</em>\n\nOort will be performing an improvised electronic soundtrack to <em>Novyy Vavilon</em>, <a href=\"http://www.newbabylon.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">The New Babylon</a>, a legendary, visually striking Russian film from 1929 that rewrites the history of the 1871 Paris Commune as, you guessed it, a vision of Marxist-Leninist class struggle.\n\nThe evening is part of the ICA\'s <a href=\"http://ica.org.uk/16980.twl\" target=\"_blank\">Nought to Sixty</a> season and is curated by Jesse Jones, who is also screening her own short film <em>The Spectre and the Sphere</em>, featuring famed thereminist Lydia Kavina.\n\nOort are:\n\nRichard Guest (keyboard, effects)\nRachel Hamilton (theremin, flute)\nZali Krishna (Q Chord)\nMark Pilkington (synth &amp; electronics)\n\n<em>Tickets are free but you need to book ahead on 020 7930 3647.</em>','Oort and The New Babylon','','publish','open','open','','oort-and-the-new-babylon','','','2008-06-05 08:28:14','2008-06-05 08:28:14','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=851',0,'post','',0),(853,2,'2008-06-11 08:40:41','2008-06-11 08:40:41','Please excuse the reduced posting rate. Things are extremely hectic at Strange Attractor HQ, with some major publishing announcements due in the next week or two.\n\nIn the meantime, please enjoy the sound of Oort, accompanying Grigori Kozintsev and  Leonid Trauberg<em>\'s The New Babylon</em> (1929) at London\'s ICA on Monday 9 June,\n\nOort: <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/mp3/oort_ICA.mp3\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The New Babylon</em></a> (excerpt) (MP3, 10MB approx)\n\nRichard Guest (Synth, effects)\nRachel Hamilton (Theremin)\nZali Krishna (Q Chord)\nMark Pilkington (Electronics)','An earful of Oort','','publish','open','open','','a-taste-of-oort','','','2008-06-11 08:40:41','2008-06-11 08:40:41','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=853',0,'post','',0),(855,2,'2008-06-12 14:00:38','2008-06-12 14:00:38','<a href=\"http://andgodmadelight.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"hypcken1.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/hypcken1.jpg\" alt=\"hypcken1.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>No, we\'re not sure what this is about either, though Dr David Luke who passed it to us, summed it up quite nicely:\n\n\'pro-black fascist esoteric shananigans and perverse use of the pineal gland... is someone yanking my chain?\'\n\nTake a look for yourself: <a href=\"http://andgodmadelight.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">And God Made Light</a>\n\nRemember, just because you can smile, it doesn\'t mean God loves you.\n\nAnd for God\'s sake, stay out of the sun!\n\n<a href=\"http://andgodmadelight.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">\n</a>','Beware the hypigcken','','publish','open','open','','beare-the-hypigcken','','','2008-06-12 14:00:38','2008-06-12 14:00:38','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=855',0,'post','',0),(857,2,'2008-06-19 07:32:40','2008-06-19 07:32:40',' <a href=\"http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/16jun_moonillusion.htm\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"kasaitis1_strip.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/kasaitis1_strip1.jpg\" alt=\"kasaitis1_strip.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"221\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"372\" /></a>\n\nThis weekend sees Summer solstice and an almost full Moon. But why does it look so big?\n\nNASA have a good <a href=\"http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/16jun_moonillusion.htm\" target=\"_blank\">page</a> discussing this illusion, which is still keeping scientists guessing.\n\nIs it a trick of perspective - akin to the <a href=\"http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/exmoon.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Ponzo illusion</a>? - perhaps, but then why do pilots report seeing it when there\'s nothing between them and the moon to generate false perspective?\n\nIs it something to do with atmospheric magnification? Or perhaps the shape of the sky itself?\n\nA big and ancient question, and one not best considered while staring at a screen – so get out there and watch the skies!\n\n<a href=\"http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/16jun_moonillusion.htm\" target=\"_blank\">NASA</a>','Solstice Moon','','publish','open','open','','solstice-moon','','','2008-06-19 07:32:40','2008-06-19 07:32:40','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=857',0,'post','',0),(860,2,'2008-06-25 09:01:09','2008-06-25 09:01:09','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/mod-a9.jpg\" title=\"mod-a9.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/mod-a9.jpg\" alt=\"mod-a9.jpg\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" /></a>\n\nExciting news from Greg Taylor of <a href=\"http://www.dailygrail.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Daily Grail</a> – a new edition of Jacques Vallee\'s 1979 classic of paranoid ufology, <a href=\"http://www.dailygrail.com/news/messengers-of-deception\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Messengers of Deception</em></a>. This re-issue has been lightly revised by the good Dr Vallee and is part of a series of classic fortean reprints planned by Greg.\n\nThe picture shows \'John Shepherd, who has established this UFO-detecting station in his grandparent\'s home... His equipment includes radar, sonar, scanners, and homing devices which attempt to track the \"Aliens\" he believes are studying the earth.\'\n\n<em>MOD</em> is a fascinating examination of the UFO subculture\'s sinister underbelly. Vallee considers the ways that the UFO mystery can be manipulated by those seeking to exert psychological and psychosocial control over marginal elements of society, and falls prey himself to the kind of controlled paranoia experienced by Robert Anton Wilson in his own<em> Cosmic Trigger</em>. Thirty years down the line we can see that Vallee was absolutely spot on with some of the concerns he expressed in <em>MOD</em>: amongst the groups he investigated were Bo and Peep, the \'Mysterious Two\' who went on to lead the Heaven\'s Gate suicides two decades later.\n\n<em>Messengers of Deception</em> and the work of Dr Vallee have had a profound influence on my own ufological explorations, and I\'m sure this will be evident in the forthcoming <em>Mirage Men</em>. I\'m also very happy to announce that late 2009 should see the publication of <em>Prodigies</em>, a new book by Dr Vallee and Chris Aubeck from Strange Attractor Press.\n\nMore on that in due course, but for the time being you can buy <em>Messengers of Deception</em> <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/097572004X/thedailygrail0c\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.','Messengers of Deception','','publish','open','open','','messengers-of-deception','','','2008-06-25 09:01:09','2008-06-25 09:01:09','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=860',0,'post','',0),(861,2,'2008-06-25 09:46:05','2008-06-25 09:46:05',' <a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/2597838627_9465013e80.jpg\" title=\"2597838627_9465013e80.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/2597838627_9465013e80.jpg\" alt=\"2597838627_9465013e80.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"7\" /></a>\n\nSimon James has just posted <a href=\"http://www.mynoisymatchbox.co.uk/blog/2008/06/22/welcome-to-mars-interesting-2008-recording/\" target=\"_blank\">this live recording</a> from Interesting \'08, of he and brother Curtis (seen above) performing alongside Ken Hollings. Ken was reading from <em>Welcome to Mars</em>, his forthcoming book from Strange Attractor Press. The book is now finished and ready to go to press, but won\'t be available until October. The first 200 copies sold via the Strange Attractor site will contain a special CD of music by Simon.\n\nHear it <a href=\"http://www.mynoisymatchbox.co.uk/blog/2008/06/22/welcome-to-mars-interesting-2008-recording/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.','Welcome to Mars at Interesting 08','','publish','open','open','','welcome-to-mars-at-interesting-08','','','2008-06-25 09:46:05','2008-06-25 09:46:05','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=861',0,'post','',0),(864,2,'2008-06-26 11:43:16','2008-06-26 11:43:16',' <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0QtwqL994g\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"avebury.jpg\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/avebury.jpg\" alt=\"avebury.jpg\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" height=\"321\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"435\" /></a>\n\nA beautiful, psychedelic 8mm film montage shot by Ric Kemp around Avebury, Wiltshire.\nGlorious cosmic soundtrack by Neil Mortimer, with additional tweaking by Mark Pilkington.\nWatch it <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0QtwqL994g\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\n\n<em>(This is an edited version of the full film, cut down for youtube). </em>','Avebury: a film by Ric Kemp','','publish','open','open','','avebury-a-film-by-ric-kemp','','','2008-06-26 11:43:16','2008-06-26 11:43:16','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=864',0,'post','',0),(866,2,'2008-06-27 15:57:09','2008-06-27 15:57:09','<a title=\"orion.jpg\" href=\"http://www.theorionconspiracy.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/orion.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"orion.jpg\" vspace=\"8\" align=\"top\" /></a>\n\nA very cleverly-assembled Grand Unified Mystico-Technological Conspiracy of Everything from French film-maker<a href=\"http://www.sebjaniak.com/\" target=\"_blank\"> Seb Janiak</a>.\n\nFrom vedic vimanas to space weaponry and global mind control in just under 20 minutes - phew!\nI\'d say it\'s about 6.66% accurate... <em>(NB: decimal point shifted since first posting!)</em>\n\nA 270MB download, but well worth the wait: <a href=\"http://www.theorionconspiracy.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Orion Conspiracy</a>\n\nThanks Mary Burke!','The Orion Conspiracy','','publish','open','open','','the-orion-conspiracy','','','2008-06-27 15:57:09','2008-06-27 15:57:09','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=866',0,'post','',0),(867,2,'2008-06-27 16:32:19','2008-06-27 16:32:19','<iframe title=\"magazine\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"460\" height=\"469\" style=\"border:none;\" src=\"http://www.arthurmag.com/index.donate.php\"></iframe>\n\nHuzzah!<a href=\"http://www.arthurmag.com\" target=\"_blank\"> Arthur</a> survived another long dark night and will return.\n\nWe\'ll keep you posted here on Further.','Arthur needs you!','','publish','open','open','','arthur-needs-you','','','2008-06-27 16:32:19','2008-06-27 16:32:19','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=867',0,'post','',0),(869,2,'2008-06-30 22:48:08','2008-06-30 22:48:08','<a href=\"http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/30jun_tunguska.htm\" title=\"tunguska_kulik_strip.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/tunguska_kulik_strip.jpg\" alt=\"tunguska_kulik_strip.jpg\" /></a><span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: Arial\"> </span><p style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif\"><strong>June 30, 2008:</strong> The year is 1908, and it\'s just after seven in the morning. A man is sitting on the front porch of a trading post at Vanavara in Siberia. Little does he know, in a few moments, he will be hurled from his chair and the heat will be so intense he will feel as though his shirt is on fire.</span></p><p style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif\">That\'s how the Tunguska event felt <em>40 miles</em> from ground zero.</span></p><span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 13px; line-height: normal\">Today, June 30, 2008, is the 100th anniversary of that ferocious impact near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in remote Siberia--and after 100 years, scientists are still talking about it.</span> <span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-style: italic\">Celebrate the centenary of humanity\'s closest shave with total annihilation via this nice article at </span><a href=\"http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/30jun_tunguska.htm\"><span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-style: italic\">NASA!</span></a><span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-style: italic\"> </span> ','Tunguska&#039;s Century!','','publish','open','open','','tunguskas-century','','','2008-06-30 22:48:08','2008-06-30 22:48:08','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=869',0,'post','',0),(870,2,'2008-07-01 08:28:56','2008-07-01 08:28:56','<img style=\"width: 220px; height: 405px; border-width: 0px; margin: 8px;\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/chum2.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"chum2.jpg\" hspace=\"8\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"294\" height=\"350\" align=\"left\" />A short piece from SA buddy<a href=\"http://techgnosis.com/chunkshow-single.php?chunk=chunkfrom-2008-06-26-1751-0.txt\" target=\"_blank\"> </a><a href=\"http://techgnosis.com/chunkshow-single.php?chunk=chunkfrom-2008-06-26-1751-0.txt\" target=\"_blank\">Erik Davis</a> about his recent trip to a Chumash rock art site in sunny California. Some great observations, as ever, from Erik:\n\n<span style=\"font-size: 15px; line-height: 25px; font-family: \'Times New Roman\'\"><span style=\"font-style: italic\">One of the things I particularly like about Chumash images is that some of them have a compressed, almost cartoonish quality that reminds me of the pop culture logos and characters of contemporary graphic design.</span></span><span style=\"font-style: italic\"> </span> \n\n<span style=\"font-size: 15px; line-height: 25px; font-family: \'Times New Roman\'\"><span style=\"font-style: italic\">Other images seem to imply that alien visitation has definitely taken place. Some rock art fans don’t like to emphasize this alien quality, because they think it implies that the ancient people couldn’t come up with these amazing images themselves. But that’s not the point. The point is that whatever aliens may be in our cultural consciousness, the Chumash seemed to have had access to something similar in theirs.</span></span><span style=\"font-style: italic\"> </span>\n\n Read it at <a href=\"http://techgnosis.com/chunkshow-single.php?chunk=chunkfrom-2008-06-26-1751-0.txt\" target=\"_blank\">Techgnosis</a> ','Chumash rock art','','publish','open','open','','chumash-rock-art','','','2008-07-01 08:28:56','2008-07-01 08:28:56','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=870',0,'post','',0),(872,2,'2008-07-01 11:26:40','2008-07-01 11:26:40','<div style=\"font-size:1pt; line-height:2pt; height:auto; position: absolute; z-index:99999999;\"><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://game-1win.com/\">1 win casino</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://pin-up-ozbekiston.com/\">pin up casino</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://mostbet-site.in/\">mosbet india</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://mostbet-slot.kz/\">mosbet</a><a 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href=\"https://aviator-mobile.com/\">aviator</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://aviator-guide.com/\">aviator mostbet</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://mostbet-cazino.kz/\">mostbet kz</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://1-win-azn.com/\">1 win</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://az-most-bet.com/\">mostbet az</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://luckyjet-games.ru/\">lucky jet online</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://mostbet24.com/\">mostbet casino</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://mostbet-pro.com/\">mostbet az</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://pin-up-aze.com/\">pin up az</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://pin-up-bets.kz/\">pin up kz</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://snai-slots.it/\">snai</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://pin-up-guru.in/\">pin-up</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://mostbet-slot.in/\">mostbet</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://slot-1win.com/\">1win aposta</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://ru-pinup.ru/\">pinup</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://1-win-casino.kz/\">1win slot</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://pin-up-casino-bet.in/\">pin up bet</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://1win-casino777.com/\">1win</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://rupinup.com/\">pin up</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://4abet.in/\">4era bet</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://1-win-casino.in/\">1 win india</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://parimatch-casino-apk.com/\">parimatch</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://mostbet-kazino.kz/\">mostbet</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://mostbet-game.kz/\">mostbet kz</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://1-win-aviator.com/\">1win aviator</a><a style=\"color:#ffffff00\" href=\"https://1-win-lucky-jet.com/\">1 win</a></div>\r\nDo not edit this page','Archives','Do not edit this page','publish','closed','closed','','archivepage','','','2024-07-22 15:29:05','2024-07-22 15:29:05','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?page_id=872',0,'page','',0),(2020,2,'2010-07-20 19:51:02','2010-07-20 19:51:02','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ft-cover2651.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-21 alignleft\" title=\"ft-cover265[1]\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ft-cover2651.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"286\" height=\"400\" /></a>Issue  265 of <a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(\'/outbound/article/www.forteantimes.com\');\" href=\"http://www.forteantimes.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Fortean Times</a> magazine features a cover article  adapted from <em><a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(\'/outbound/article/www.amazon.co.uk\');\" href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1845298578?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=stranattra-21&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=19450&amp;creativeASIN=1845298578\" target=\"_blank\">Mirage Men</a></em><em>.</em> <em>‘</em>Weapons  of Mass Deception’ looks at the events leading to and surrounding the  great Washington DC UFO flap of July 1952, a turning point in America’s  UFO history.  Drawing  on political and cultural history, declassified government  documents, emerging military technologies and the writings of Leon  Davidson and Edward J Ruppelt, the piece asks whether the epoch-making  sightings were deliberately engineered and, if so, why, and by who?  <em>FT  265 is available in the UK on 22 July. You can also win copies of the  book over at </em><em><a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(\'/outbound/article/www.forteantimes.com\');\" href=\"http://www.forteantimes.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Fortean Times.com</a></em>','Fortean Times 265: Weapons of Mass Deception','','inherit','open','open','','20-revision-7','','','2010-07-20 19:51:02','2010-07-20 19:51:02','',20,'http://strangeattractor.co.uk/further/20-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(873,2,'2008-07-08 09:53:48','2008-07-08 09:53:48','<em>From </em><a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/do-octopuses-have-a-favourite-tentacle-861263.html\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Independent</em></a><em>, 8 July 08</em>\n\n\'Twenty-five octopuses will today begin twiddling a Rubik\'s Cube in the name of scientific research.\n\n..the month-long project at 23 Sea Life Centres across Britain and Europe will examine octopus intelligence in an attempt to discover if they have a favourite tentacle for picking things up – much as humans are right or left-handed.\n\nOctopuses belong to the same family as slugs and snails, but scientists believe they are far more intelligent than their relatives. The researchers will give the 25 assorted creatures food and toys to play with, and record which limbs the animals use.\n\nClaire Little, a marine expert at the Weymouth Sea Life Centre, explained: \"Uniquely, octopuses have more than half their nerves in their arms and have been shown to partially think with their arms... Many animals have been shown to favour a certain arm so we will see if octopuses can be added to that list.\"\n\nIf the experiment indicates a preference it could shed new light on the structure of octopus brains. What\'s more, octopuses are susceptible to stress, so finding if they have a favoured side on which to be fed could improve their well-being in captivity.\'\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/do-octopuses-have-a-favourite-tentacle-861263.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Independent</a>','My favourite tentacle','','publish','open','open','','my-favourite-tentacle','','','2008-07-08 09:53:48','2008-07-08 09:53:48','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=873',0,'post','',0),(874,2,'2008-07-09 19:11:04','2008-07-09 19:11:04','<span style=\"color: #0000ee; text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http://gizmodo.com/5023275/artist-treats-gdansk-to-real-fake-flashing-ufo-encounter\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-875\" title=\"medium_2652034811_36367ab347_o\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/medium_2652034811_36367ab347_o.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"251\" /></a></span>\n\n\"Dominic Harris of Cinimod Studio, has a huge, flashing, LED-litUFO. And it flies. Ok... it\'s slung 160 feet beneath a Mil Mi2 helicopter, but that doesn\'t detract from a clever piece of flying art. \"\nFrom <a href=\"http://gizmodo.com/5023275/artist-treats-gdansk-to-real-fake-flashing-ufo-encounter\" target=\"_blank\">Gizmodo</a>, where there\'s also video of the UFO in action\n\n<em>If only it played disco music too...</em>','Amazing UFO art','','publish','open','open','','amazing-ufo-art','','','2008-07-09 19:11:04','2008-07-09 19:11:04','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=874',0,'post','',0),(876,2,'2008-07-10 08:46:20','2008-07-10 08:46:20',' \n\n<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/loveisthelaw.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-877\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"loveisthelaw\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/loveisthelaw.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"320\" height=\"314\" /></a>\n\nA little late in the day I\'m afraid - but this Saturday at 5.15pm, I\'ll be giving a presentation on 20th century occultism and witchcraft, and their influence on British pop music. It\'s part of the<a href=\"http://www.capsule.org.uk/supersonic/\" target=\"_blank\"> Supersonic festival</a> at the Custard Factory in Birmingham, UK. It\'s only a 40 minute slot and I want to play some tunes and show some films, so it\'s going to be a whistlestop tour, but it should be interesting and fun. I\'ve also written a more personal piece about magic and music for their programme.\n\nLast year\'s Supersonic was a triumph of good taste and deft organisation and this year looks to be no different.\n\nYou can see the full line up <a href=\"http://www.capsule.org.uk/supersonic/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>:\n\n<a href=\"http://www.planbmag.com\" target=\"_self\">Plan B</a> magazine asked me to compile a few favourite occult tunes for their mailout a few weeks back, so here it is again after the break..\n\n<!--more-->\n\n<strong>From Heretics to Headbangers: a brief history of magic and popular music in 20th Century Britain. </strong><strong>(Part I)</strong>\n\nTrying to condense a history of magic – even 20th century magic –into a half hour talk is a bit like trying to outline a history of pop music in the same length of time. It would take longer than that to define magic itself, though like The Fool I\'m probably going to try it. \n\nWhile there is at least one book on Satanism in rock, very little has been written about witchcraft and the western magical traditions in pop music, probably because most people see them as one and the same thing. This couldn\'t be further from the truth, but to keep things manageable I\'m (mostly) keeping Satan out of the picture – he always leaves a mess behind his big purple arse anyway. For similar reasons I\'m also restricting my micro-history to the UK – I have half an hour, not half a lifetime.\n\nA recent survey of music used in actual magical practice was heavy on the Enya and light on the Black Sabbath: remember, occultists are people too, and songs about magic aren\'t necessarily what magicians like to listen to, especially when they\'re \'working.\' Two of the most active sorcerers I know prefer Funkadelic and Northern Soul to Black Metal, though there are undoubtedly groups out there who like something a little stronger inside the magic circle. \n\nAs a taster for the talk, here I present an entirely partial, triumphantly uncomprehensive list of some of my favourite British occult recordings. They\'ve been selected for both their music and their content, though not always at the same time. \n\n<strong>I Hear a New World : <em>Joe Meek 1960</em></strong>\n\n\"I hear a new world...calling me... so strange and so real... haunting me... how can I tell her, what\'s in store for me?\" Although this is presented as an Outer Space record, the tragic Joe Meek was just as obsessed with inner space, conducting seances in graveyards and claiming to have divined the death of his hero Buddy Holly during one of them. Recorded in Meek\'s bathroom and kitchen, this is a triumph of magical imagination over drab reality.\n\n<strong>Austin Osman Spare</strong> / <em>Bulldog Breed 1969</em>\n\nBulldog Breed made one pretty decent acid rock record, Made in England, before disappearing into an obscurity that is profound even by occult standards. This whimsical, very Floydian number was inspired by Austin Spare, a remarkably talented, gnomic South London artist and occultist who has acquired something of a mythic status in esoteric and outsider art circles. Since his death in 1956, Spare\'s work has been collected and admired by Jimmy Page, the late John Balance of Coil and Barry Humphreys amongst others, but during his lifetime he preferred to exhibit in the pub and give pictures to friends, including the grandmother of Bulldog Breed\'s guitarist.\n\n<strong>Come to the Sabbat</strong> / <em>Black Widow 1970</em>\n\nCursed forever to be confused with their contemporaries Black \'we are not an occult group\' Sabbath, Leicester\'s Black Widow caused quite a stir with their racy Black Magic stage show and explicitly witchy lyrics. The band were endorsed by self-proclaimed \'King of the Witches\', Alex Sanders, who also lent them his wife and High Priestess, Maxine, though only after he\'d told them off for invoking Satan and Astaroth in the same song, Come to the Sabbat, which sounds more like an elvish tea party than a Satanic mass. \n\n<strong>Great Silkie </strong>/ <em>Trees 1970</em>\n\nMagic hit folk rock hard and while some purists consider Trees to be just a daimonic shadow of Fairport Convention, their first album, The Garden of Jane Delawney, positively glows with raw and fragile energy. Great Silkie is a haunting traditional Orkney ballad about love and shape-shifting, two perennial themes of folklore and witchcraft, here rocked up with soaring guitar solos and tumbling drums.\n\n<strong>Holy Magick</strong> / <em>Graham Bond 1971</em>\n\nA wild and free jazz and gospel-tinged blast of enochian blues rock from the godfather of British r\'n\'b. Graham Bond was always known as something of a wildman and his regular depressions, coupled with heavy-duty drug and alcohol use, kept him closer to the true bluesmen than the pop charts. Bond had a keen interest in witchcraft and magic, eventually coming to believe that he was Aleister Crowley\'s son. His life ended abruptly at age 36, beneath a tube train at London\'s Finsbury Park station in 1974.\n\n<strong>United</strong> / <em>Throbbing Gristle 1978</em>\n\nA sweetly simple, incantatory electronic pop single from the wreckers of civilisation. Deeply hallucinatory, the song seems to be about love (both shared and unrequited), football and telepathy amongst other things, while Genesis P Orridge gently interrupts proceedings with a chant of \'Love is the Law\' a line channelled via his wife Rose Kelly, to Britain\'s grand magus Aleister Crowley in 1904. \n\n...........\n\nThrobbing Gristle and its later offshoots Coil, Psychic TV and Current 93 mark the end of this first era of magical music, at which point it became something of a genre itself. Magic became less of an inspiration and more of a stylistic obligation, at the expense of the music in my opinion, so it\'s here that I\'ll leave you for now. I do believe that the past few years have seen things get a whole lot more interesting with the new psychedelic folk groups and the heathen rock diaspora taking things in new directions, so perhaps at some point I\'ll get to do a part II...\n\n...........\n\n<em>PS please do chip in with your own entries to the list - this is entirely subjective and intentionally brief!</em>\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n ','Supersonic Sabbat!','','publish','open','open','','supersonic-sabbat','','','2008-07-10 08:46:20','2008-07-10 08:46:20','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=876',0,'post','',0),(878,2,'2008-07-18 11:36:14','2008-07-18 11:36:14','<img class=\"alignleft\" style=\"border: 0; float: left; margin: 8px;\" src=\"http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44841000/jpg/_44841605_delia_226.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Delia Derbyshire \" hspace=\"0\" vspace=\"0\" width=\"226\" height=\"170\" />\n\nFrom the <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7512072.stm\" target=\"_blank\">BBC</a>:\n\n\"A hidden hoard of recordings made by the electronic music pioneer behind the Doctor Who theme has been revealed - including a dance track 20 years ahead of its time.\n\nNow David Butler, of Manchester University\'s School of Arts, Histories and Cultures has revealed for the first time the existence of 267 tapes found in Ms Derbyshire\'s attic when she died in 2001.\n\nThey were, until last March, in the safekeeping of Mark Ayres, archivist for the Radiophonic Workshop - and have lain unheard for more than 30 years.\n\nAmongst the recordings is some ethereal whooshing from a 1969 production of Hamlet at the Roundhouse in London; an extraordinary kit of parts for one of her most-admired pieces; and the theme for a documentary set in the Sahara which shows how she used her voice as an instrument.\n\n\"The next thing that we want to do is make the archive available to everyone who wants to hear it,\" says David Butler.\n\n\"But also this has to be a living, breathing archive so we are going to commission new works as well.\n\n\"We hope to be able to commission works from contemporary electronic musicians and also those who worked with her - surviving members of the Radiophonic Workshop.\"\n\n\"\n\n<em>The BBC page has a collection of audio samples from this new batch of recordings.</em>\n\n<em>For more early English electronic treasures check out SA pal Clive Graham\'s collection from the archives of Radiophionic Workshop founder Daphne Oram - <a href=\"http://www.stalk.net/paradigm/pd21.html\" target=\"_blank\">Oramics</a>.</em>\n\nThanks to David Evans for the heads up!<em> </em>','New Delia Derbyshire recordings unearthed','','publish','open','open','','new-delia-derbyshire-recordings-unearthed','','','2008-07-18 11:36:14','2008-07-18 11:36:14','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=878',0,'post','',0),(879,2,'2008-07-21 14:05:45','2008-07-21 14:05:45','Recollections of Dr. James S. Ketchum, a retired U.S. Army colonel, who worked on non-lethal chemical weapons at  Edgewood Arsenal, headquarters of the U.S. Army Chemical Corps, in the 1960s.\n\nOne drug was known as Red Oil – i.e. hash oil - and was tested on dogs and monkeys:\n\n<em>Army scientists found that this concentrated cannabis derivative produced effects unlike anything they had previously seen. \"The dog gets a peculiar reaction. He crawls under the table, stays away from the dark, leaps out at imaginary objects and, as far as one can interpret, may be having hallucinations,\" one report stated. \"It would appear even to the untrained observer that this dog is not normal. He suddenly jumps out, even without any stimulus, and barks, and then crawls back under the table.\"</em>\n\nFull story <a href=\"http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/92049/?page=entire&amp;ses=b23e5fa716e3a7f0437a4b642ee73c67\" target=\"_blank\">here</a> at Alternet.\n\nThanks <a href=\"p://allumination.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Al Robertson</a>!','&quot;I Just Feel Like Laughing&quot;','','publish','open','open','','i-just-feel-like-laughing','','','2008-07-21 14:05:45','2008-07-21 14:05:45','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=879',0,'post','',0),(880,2,'2008-07-23 09:42:06','2008-07-23 09:42:06','<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz7k00544PA\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-881\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;\" title=\"onestep\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/onestep.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"298\" /></a>\n\n<em>\'We\'ve brought television cameras to a people who have never even heard of radio\'.</em>\n\nA quite remarkable (recorded) live TV <em>cubensis</em> trip cum ESP experiment from 1961, in three parts. A wonderful mixture of innocence and prurience of the sort you just don\'t get on TV anymore, or anywhere else for that matter.\n\nAmong multiple treats it features a rare, and strangely stilted, appearance from psychical researcher and international man of mystery Andrija Puharich, who would later go on to \'discover\' Uri Geller and be implicated in many of the 20th century\'s great conspiracy theories. \n\nDo psychedelic mushrooms heighten psychic abilities? Find out by watching One Step Beyond!\n\nSee it <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz7k00544PA\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>\n\n<em>Via </em><a href=\"http://www.dailygrail.net\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Daily Grail</em></a><em> (via <a href=\"http://www.ufomystic.com\" target=\"_blank\">UFO Mystic</a></em><em>!)</em>\n\n<span style=\"color: #0000ee; text-decoration: underline;\">\n</span>','One Step Beyond - shrooms!','','publish','open','open','','one-step-beyond-shrooms','','','2008-07-23 09:42:06','2008-07-23 09:42:06','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=880',0,'post','',0),(882,2,'2008-07-29 14:22:51','2008-07-29 14:22:51','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_disinformation.html\" target=\"_blank\">Strange Attractor and Disinformation</a> demonstrate the gentle art of<a href=\"http://youtube.com/watch?v=uPfbha-w1Dc\" target=\"_blank\"> Circuit Blasting</a> at the <a href=\"http://www.theydid.org.uk/2008/escape/\" target=\"_blank\">Escape Club</a> in Herne Hill this Thursday, Thurs 31 July.\n\nThe Event also features Bunty, Meat Darling, One Million Houses, Urlaubshits, Glitch-a-Sketch, Ad Hoc. 8pm to 1 am.  Admission is free and there\'s Free Ray and Nephew Rum from 8 to 10pm!\n\nEscape Club\n216 Railton Road\nHerne Hill\nLondon SE21 0JT','SAVD blast Herne Hill this Thursday!','','publish','open','open','','savd-blast-herne-hill-this-thursday','','','2008-07-29 14:22:51','2008-07-29 14:22:51','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=882',0,'post','',0),(883,2,'2008-07-30 09:05:49','2008-07-30 09:05:49','Nottingham-based SA pals <a href=\"http://viavaudeville.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Via Vaudeville</a> present a day of folly-related talks and activities this coming Saturday, 2nd August. Click on the image below for more info.\n\n<a href=\"http://viavaudeville.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-884\" title=\"email_poster\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/email_poster.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"542\" /></a>\n<em><strong>\'Via Vaudeville\'s Folly</strong></em><em>, as many follies before it, embraces the concept of a \'fake ruin\' which has been crafted and deliberated upon to posses an air of charged memory. </em><em>Via Vaudeville!</em><em> invite an audience to embrace the mythical narrative of these misunderstood creations and the artificial kingdom, which is Hinterland.\'</em>','The Folly Project, this weekend','','publish','open','open','','the-folly-project-in-nottingham-uk-this-weekend','','','2008-07-30 09:05:49','2008-07-30 09:05:49','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=883',0,'post','',0),(886,2,'2008-08-04 11:36:36','2008-08-04 11:36:36','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/1192106032_de6342ee1c.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-887\" style=\"vertical-align: top; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;\" title=\"1192106032_de6342ee1c\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/1192106032_de6342ee1c.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" />\n</a><em>[Green Man \'07 photo by <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/al_robertson/sets/72157601579202960/\" target=\"_blank\">Al Robertson</a>]</em>\n\nOnce again, Strange Attractor will be taking over the cinema tent at the <a href=\"http://www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">Green Man Festival</a> at Glanusk Park, South Wales, between 11pm and 2am on Saturday 16 August.\n\nWe\'ll have a packed programme of talks and discussion, followed by a live performance from the Strange Attractor Allstar Constellation.\n\nSpeakers for the night are:\n\n* Dr David Luke - Parapsychology and psychedelic experience.\n\n* Gyrus - Exploring British Petroglyphs.\n\n* Stephen Grasso - A Sorcerer\'s Tale.  \n\n* Dr Robert Wallis - Mugwort, a lost heathen power plant.\n\n* Followed by music from The Strange Attractor Allstars:\n\nDuke Garwood &amp; Paul May (Little Wet Horse), Allison Brice (18th Day of May), Mark Pilkington (Raagnagrok) and special guests (depending on who\'s at the festival!).\n\n<a href=\"http://www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">Green Man info and booking</a>\n\n \n\n ','Strange Attractor Salon at Green Man &#039;08','','publish','open','open','','strange-attractor-salon-at-green-man-08','','','2008-08-04 11:36:36','2008-08-04 11:36:36','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=886',0,'post','',0),(888,2,'2008-08-05 09:47:09','2008-08-05 09:47:09','<a href=\"http://www.guernsey.uk-ufo.org/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-889\" style=\"vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"guernsey\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/guernsey.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"394\" height=\"400\" /></a>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: auto;\" align=\"left\"><strong>Report on Aerial Phenomena Observed near the Channel Islands, UK, April 23 2007\n<em>by Jean-Francois Baure, David Clarke, Paul Fuller &amp; Martin Shough</em></strong></p>\n<p align=\"left\">This year\'s Chinese lantern, sorry UFO, flap has revealed the phenomenon – and by that I mean the entire phenomenal feedback loop from the event itself through to its dissemination and amplification via the media – at its most revealing and least inspiring.</p>\n<p align=\"left\">So it\'s a great relief to see this fantastic piece of <a href=\"http://www.guernsey.uk-ufo.org/\" target=\"_blank\">investigative work</a> starting to make its way around the web.</p>\n<p align=\"left\">The sighting last April of <em>something</em> by pilot Ray Bowyer near Guernsey spawned a rash of speculation about \'mile-long\' spacecraft, though the reality of the situation was best reflected by the attitude of the UK MOD to this apparent intrusion into European airspace. The MOD declined to investigate, stating that the incident technically took place in French airspace and was, effectively, France\'s problem.</p>\n<p align=\"left\">Clearly not too worried about an imminent alien invasion then.</p>\n<p align=\"left\">This report demonstrates a very good reason why they might have wanted to pass the buck. An immense amount of time-consuming research and tedious data crunching has gone into it, while the authors\' conclusions are nothing short of, well, ambiguous, with barely a hint of a physical object to be seen. As such the report is sure to be of little or no interest to the majority of the mainstream UFO community.</p>\n<p align=\"left\">The investigators conclude:</p>\n<p align=\"left\"><!--more--><em>\"We are unable to explain the UAP sightings satisfactorily without either a) discounting at least some significant features of the reports, or b) doing violence to at least some conventional meteorological optics or conventional EQL phenomenology. We hope that readers of this report will find it helpful in deciding which (if either) of those courses of action seems the more  reasonable and economical. </em></p>\n\n<div><em>We have undeniably found some evidence suggestive of an atmospheric-optical explanation. In general “atmospheric-optical” means some effects on the propagation of light either by airborne particles (haze, mist or ice crystals) or by refractive index anomalies (unusual temperature gradients, causing mirage).  </em></div>\n<div><em> </em></div>\n<div><em>Unusual ice-halo effects are ruled out by the absence of ice in the line of sight. But there was a haze layer below the aircraft, probably associated with a weak temperature inversion in the CI area. That inversion would be the remnant of a much stronger advection inversion near the Breton coast, beyond the normal horizon, which was probably strong enough to form a localised optical duct.  </em></div>\n<div></div>\n<div><em>...we have tried our hardest to explain the observations but none of the theories we have explored sits comfortably with all significant features reported.  </em></div>\n<div> </div>\n<div><em>An unusual mock-mirage of brilliant sun-glitter reflections from the sea near the French coast was considered, and might be worth the cost of discounting Capt Patterson’s sighting were it not for Capt Bowyer’s explicit description of lateral image motions. This feature is effectively impossible for mirage; even so, we put the theory in the category of “barely plausible” to acknowledge its other attractions.  </em></div>\n<div><em> </em></div>\n<div><em>We score two other theories as “somewhat plausible” because they seem to have potential to explain the lateral apparent motion as well as at least some, perhaps a majority, of the other significant features. These are: </em></div>\n<div><em>    * Secondary scattering, by a haze layer, of specular sunray reflections from greenhouse glass on Guernsey </em></div>\n<div><em>    * Earthquake lights </em></div>\n<div><em> </em></div>\n<div><em>But a potential to explain is not an explanation. It may prove possible for other investigators to adapt these theories and so improve the fit with observation, or further work might thoroughly rule out one or both of them...</em></div>\n<div></div>\n<div><em>Moreover, the complexity of the radar and software environment does mean that, in this case, absence of evidence would not necessarily be sufficient evidence of absence, so it may not be straightforward to exclude other theories solely on this basis.</em><em>\"   </em></div>\n<div></div>\n<div>So no mile-long spacecraft then, but what we do have is an outstanding benchmark for serious UFO/UAP research. It will be interesting to hear Ray Bowyer\'s response to the report and I hope that it will be made public on the web site.</div>\nGet the full report <a href=\"http://www.guernsey.uk-ufo.org/\" target=\"_self\">here</a>.','April 2007 Guernsey UFO Report','','publish','open','open','','april-2007-guernsey-ufo-report','','','2008-08-05 09:47:09','2008-08-05 09:47:09','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=888',0,'post','',0),(891,2,'2008-08-06 09:59:09','2008-08-06 09:59:09','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/minimorphine.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-892\" style=\"border: 0; float: left; margin: 8px;\" title=\"minimorphine\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/minimorphine.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"400\" /></a>SAJ3 contributor Catherine Eisner\'s new novel <a href=\"http://www.saltpublishing.com/books/smf/9781844712991.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Sister Morphine</a> has just been published. Catherine has this to say about it:\n\n<em>The number of prescriptions for anti-depressants hit a record high of more than 31 million in England in the last recorded national estimate - even though official guidance stresses they should not be a first line treatment for mild depression. </em>\n\n<em>There were 16.2m prescriptions for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors alone. Researchers focused on drugs which work by increasing levels of the mood controlling chemical serotonin in the brain. These included fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Seroxat), from the class known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs).</em>\n\n<em>Drug dependency is no respecter of age. The baby boomer generation who were young in the Summer of Love will be of pensionable age in 2010 when it is estimated that a significant proportion of an ageing population will be addicted to drugs (2.2 percent). Like the 4,500 NHS patients suffering from \'flashbacks\' due to LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) clinically administered (treatment of alcoholism, etc.) in the 1950s and 1960s, many of the future elderly \'acidheads\' will continue to experience psychotic responses resulting from self-administration of hallucinatory agents in their youth. The experiences of Marianne E. in Sister Morphine are not untypical.\n</em>\n\nMore, <a href=\"http://www.saltpublishing.com/books/smf/9781844712991.htm\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>','Sister Morphine','','publish','open','open','','sister-morphine','','','2008-08-06 09:59:09','2008-08-06 09:59:09','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=891',0,'post','',0),(893,2,'2008-08-07 09:16:40','2008-08-07 09:16:40','<a href=\"http://www.realitysandwich.com/what_gorilla\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-894\" style=\"border: 0; float: left; margin: 8px;\" title=\"gorilla\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/gorilla.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"270\" height=\"320\" /></a>\n\nActually this piece at <a href=\"http://www.realitysandwich.com/what_gorilla\" target=\"_blank\">Reality Sandwich</a> from parapsychologist Dean Radin <em>is</em> about psi phenomena, and gorillas, though the psi phenomena are real (according to Radin) and the gorilla isn\'t. \n\nRadin outlines recent scenarios in which the mainstream media and establishment science appear to have conveniently overlooked intriguing results from psi experiments.\n\nAn increasingly exasperated Radin raises some important points about the relationship between hard science and frustratingly mercurial psi phenomena, eventually asking:\n\n<em>\"...will mainstream science ever be prepared to admit that psychic phenomena warrants serious investigation? I believe the answer is yes. Acceptance someday is inevitable. We are dealing with human experiences reported since the dawn of human history, experiences that do not go away in tightly controlled laboratory tests using the most sophisticated experimental tools and designs. So </em><em>some</em><em> of these phenomena will eventually become integrated into the mainstream. Exactly when I cannot say. Perhaps one to five decades.</em>\n\n<em>Will this happen because the accumulated data will overwhelm skepticism? Probably not. As Max Planck, the physicist who dreamt up the idea of the \"quantum\" in quantum mechanics, once wrote, \"A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.\"</em>\n\n<em><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">Part of the problem, and perhaps the solution, involves managing expectations. The fantasies of psi phenomena are so far removed from their almost imperceptibly subtle reality that non-believers are never going to be satisfied, because parapsychologists are never going to get the telepathic gorilla to jump through flaming hoops*. </span></em>\n\nWhile I don\'t deny that \'these things happen\' I think it may prove impossible to extract the phenomena that we perceive as \'psi\' – which are, by their very nature, almost always fleeting and acausal – from the weft and weave of everyday sensory experience. They are epiphenomena of our participation in the world around us. Are they glitches in our perceptual processing, or perhaps glitches in the way the world perceives and processes us? The answer, most likely, lies caught inexorably, inseparably, between the two.\n\nAnyway, read the full article at <a href=\"http://www.realitysandwich.com/what_gorilla\" target=\"_blank\">Reality Sandwich</a>\n\nvia <a href=\"http://www.dailygrail.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Grail</a>\n\n<em>*Except for the </em><a href=\"http://phoenix.about.com/od/sportsandrecreation/ss/mascots_4.htm\" target=\"_blank\"><em>instance</em></a><em> pictured above during a pyrokinetic experiment conducted in Czechoslovakia in 1963.</em>','The Telepathic Gorilla in the Room','','publish','open','open','','the-telepathic-gorilla-in-the-room','','','2008-08-07 09:16:40','2008-08-07 09:16:40','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=893',0,'post','',0),(915,2,'2008-08-07 16:21:46','2008-08-07 16:21:46','<div>\n\nSETI\'s Senior Astronomer and gentleman sceptic Seth Shostak has had enough abuse from the pro-ET lobby. In this piece over at <a href=\"http://www.space.com/searchforlife/080807-seti-flying-emotions.html\" target=\"_blank\">Space.com</a> he lays out his grievances on the matter, airing concerns that all of us who sit out on the sidelines of the UFO field run into at some time or other.\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><em>\"Somehow, the fact that I didn\'t share their convictions must mean that I\'m an \"evil, terrible person.\" This sort of automatic excoriation seemed to come with the territory. Talking about UFOs was like moonlighting as a metal duck in a shooting gallery...\n</em></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span><em>Why is it that so many members of the UFO community feel that they need to be bullies? Yes, I\'ll freely admit that many scientists are dismissive of the UFO hypothesis — often to the point of ridicule. I can understand the frustration occasioned by that. \"I don\'t get no respect\" can be a legitimate plaint, and I\'m sure that some UFO proponents feel that pain.</em></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span><em>Nonetheless, if after 60 years of claims, the only way that those who believe we\'re hosting extraterrestrials can make their point is by wielding the blunt weapon of personal attack, then the whole issue has gone off the rails. I\'m willing to listen, and — believe it or not — you could convince me with decent evidence. After all, I happen to think that extraterrestrial intelligence is a frequent occurrence in a universe of ten thousand million million million stars. But when you resort to threats, vitriol and scorn, I think you\'ve lost more than the argument. You\'ve lost your cred.\"</em></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The answer to Seth\'s question of course is that for many people belief in ET visitation is a matter of faith - it\'s a religion. And as we\'ve seen, unfortunately all too often over the past few millennia, religious disputes can get very nasty indeed.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">We can only hope that the ET lobby don\'t become militant, though this <em>has</em> happened before...</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">In 1968 Aladino Félix, aka Brazilian contactee Dino Kraspedon, author of <em>Meu Contato com os discos voadores</em> (My Contact with Flying Saucers, 1952/8), began to predict a wave of terror attacks across Brazil. Sure enough a series of bombings, murders and robberies followed. When the gang\'s ringleader was apprehended it turned out to be none other than – you guessed it – Aladino Félix!</p>\n\n</div>','ET turf wars','','publish','open','open','','et-turf-wars','','','2008-08-07 16:21:46','2008-08-07 16:21:46','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=896',0,'post','',0),(916,2,'2008-08-08 09:34:16','2008-08-08 09:34:16','<a href=\"http://gizmodo.com/5034458/slow-motion-lightning-video-is-mindblowing-will-sell-a-thousand-slo+mo-cameras\" target=\"_blank\"></a><a href=\"http://gizmodo.com/5034458/slow-motion-lightning-video-is-mindblowing-will-sell-a-thousand-slo+mo-cameras\" target=\"_blank\"></a><a href=\"http://gizmodo.com/5034458/slow-motion-lightning-video-is-mindblowing-will-sell-a-thousand-slo+mo-cameras\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-898\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"slomolightning\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/slomolightning.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nAn incredible, slow-motion lightning strike filmed at an estimated 5-10,000 frames per second.\n\nNotice how the first tendrils reach the ground looking for a good discharge point and then - wham – 40,000+ amps at 10,000+ degrees travelling at about 27,000 miles per second!\n\nWatch it here at <a href=\"http://gizmodo.com/5034458/slow-motion-lightning-video-is-mindblowing-will-sell-a-thousand-slo+mo-cameras\" target=\"_blank\">Gizmodo.</a>\n\nAnd here\'s everything you ever wanted to know about <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning#Properties_of_lightning\" target=\"_blank\">lightning</a> with some great links for further exploration.','Liiiiighhhhtniiiiiiiiingggggg!!!','','publish','open','open','','liiiiighhhhtniiiiiiiiingggggg','','','2008-08-08 09:34:16','2008-08-08 09:34:16','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=897',0,'post','',0),(917,2,'2008-08-19 10:41:02','2008-08-19 10:41:02','<a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/magpies-reflect-on-a-newly-discovered-intellectual-prowess-901857.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-900\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"magpie_46972t\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/magpie_46972t.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"197\" /></a>\n\nWe thought that only humans, apes, elephants and dolphins were self-conscious enough to recognise themselves in mirrored surfaces, but it should come as no surprise that magpies – and perhaps other members of their extended crow family – should be able to do so too. Now, what about those cephalopods?\n\n<em>\"Dr Prior and colleagues from Ruhr-University Bochum tested the magpie\'s self-discriminatory powers in experiments involving five magpies marked with coloured dots on their throats, which could only be seen by looking at their own reflection.</em>\n\n<em>Two of the magpies – named Gertie and Goldie – quickly learnt that the image they could see in a mirror placed in their cages was of themselves and tried to dislodge the coloured dots they could see on their throat feathers.</em>\n\n<em>The \"mark test\" is frequently used as an indicator of self-recognition in animals and young children as, if done properly, there is only one way the individual can see that the mark is on themselves rather than someone else.\"</em>\n\nFull story over at the <a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/magpies-reflect-on-a-newly-discovered-intellectual-prowess-901857.html\" target=\"_blank\">Independent</a>','Magpies join the reflective set','','publish','open','open','','magpies-join-the-reflective-set','','','2008-08-19 10:41:02','2008-08-19 10:41:02','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=899',0,'post','',0),(918,2,'2008-08-19 12:56:29','2008-08-19 12:56:29','SAJ pal and contributor Gary Lachman has posted an article over at <a href=\"http://www.realitysandwich.com/an_american_fascism\" target=\"_blank\">Reality Sandwich</a> as a prelude to his forthcoming book <em>Politics and the Occult: The Left, the Right, and the Radically Unseen. </em>\n\n<em></em>Writes Gary:\n\n<em>\"contrary to popular belief, occult politics does not always mean far-right or fascist politics, and I devote some time to dispelling the myths surrounding the \"occult roots\" of National Socialism. I argue that there has been a \"progressive,\" enlightened occult politics too, perhaps most clearly seen in Annie Besant\'s key role in Indian independence, but also in the efforts of figures like Rudolf Steiner to introduce a more spiritually oriented current into early 20th century European politics.</em>\n\n<em>Nevertheless, following WWI, occult politics takes a decidedly right turn, with important figures like du Lubicz and Evola espousing an outright fascist sensibility, and Guenon and Eliade joining in. Modernity itself becomes the central issue, and in this, far-right occultists, and far-left neo-Marxists become comrades in arms, both deriding the irredeemable wasteland of the modern world. This theme, of the retreat from modernity, seems to me a central challenge of our time.\"</em>\n\nAs always with <em>Reality Sandwich</em>, the discussion in the comments section following Gary\'s piece is very lively, this time with to-and-fro between Gary and Daniel Pinchbeck about the meaning and interpretation of the date 2012, so make sure you scroll down.\n\nRead <a href=\"http://www.realitysandwich.com/an_american_fascism\" target=\"_blank\">An American Fascism</a>','An American Fascism','','publish','open','open','','an-american-fascism','','','2008-08-19 12:56:29','2008-08-19 12:56:29','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=901',0,'post','',0),(919,2,'2008-08-26 08:04:21','2008-08-26 08:04:21','A profile in <a href=\"http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/body_and_soul/article4582490.ece\" target=\"_blank\">The Times</a> of Amanda Feilding and the Beckley Foundation, with whom SAP are publishing<em> Hofmann\'s Elixir: LSD and the New Eleusis</em> later this year:\n\n<em>Feilding\'s fascination with consciousness started at an early age. Interested in spirituality through her Roman Catholic upbringing, she was sent aged 16 to India to visit her godfather, a Buddhist monk. She went on to study mysticism and comparative religion at Oxford University and dabbled with drugs throughout the Sixties. But her interest in the medical applications of such substances sprung from a friendship with Albert Hofmann, the Swiss scientist who invented LSD, and who pushed for the medical benefits of the drug to be investigated. Hofmann died this year aged 102, shortly before the foundation published his last book, </em>Hofmann\'s Elixir: LSD and the New Eleusis<em>, a collection of his essays and lectures.</em>\n\n<em>Feilding realised that there was no research at UK universities into hallucinogens, so she started her own. “The best way to go was to set up a foundation, get an impressive board of top scientists to see if we can get some research going,” she says. “We are very tunnel-visioned in our view of consciousness. We tend to direct our vision to technical advances, like things that have got us to the Moon,” she says. It would be easy to label her as merely a well-heeled old hippy, but for some years she has been networking with scientists, ministers, drug czars, and other academic intelligentsia.</em>\n\n<em>The Beckley Foundation is now showing signs of success. Last year it scored a serious hit: the first permission to use LSD with human subjects in a scientific context in 35 years. The study - at a secret institution in the US - is investigating the effects of LSD on the brain chemistry underpinning consciousness and how it might modulate the creative process. “The study of consciousness is so central to our happiness, survival and creativity, it\'s a mistake not to explore scientifically the potential benefits this compound might yield,” says Feilding.</em>\n\nFull article at <a href=\"http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/body_and_soul/article4582490.ece\" target=\"_blank\">The Times</a>','Your brain on drugs: smarter, happier?','','publish','open','open','','your-brain-on-drugs-smarter-happier','','','2008-08-26 08:04:21','2008-08-26 08:04:21','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=902',0,'post','',0),(920,2,'2008-08-26 08:13:32','2008-08-26 08:13:32','<a href=\"http://chaotopia.co.uk/coloursofchaos.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-904\" style=\"float: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"iot\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/iot.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"354\" height=\"500\" /></a>\n\nThis magickal conference presented by the Illuminates of Thanateros looks interesting.\n\nWe certainly like the psychedelic dayglo presentation!\n\nHere\'s the <a href=\"http://chaotopia.co.uk/coloursofchaos.html\" target=\"_blank\">full lineup</a> of speakers and events','The Colours of Chaos: 6 September, London UK','','publish','open','open','','the-colours-of-chaos-6-september-london-uk','','','2008-08-26 08:13:32','2008-08-26 08:13:32','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=903',0,'post','',0),(921,2,'2008-08-29 09:51:21','2008-08-29 09:51:21','<a href=\"http://highmountaintempel.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-906\" style=\"float: left; margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px;\" title=\"hmt3\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/hmt3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nBeaming in from Southern California comes <em>The Glass Bead Game</em> a new album of high sonic wyrdness from the monks at <a href=\"http://highmountaintempel.com/\" target=\"_blank\">High Mountain Tempel</a>. <strong><span style=\"font-weight: normal;\">For this third release, full-time monks Ras Al H’nout and </span></strong><strong><span style=\"font-weight: normal;\">Eric Nielsen are joined via sentient satellite transmission on two long tracks by The Asterism. The album comes in a beautiful, numbered edition of 250, available now in very limited quantities from the <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/\" target=\"_blank\">Strange Attractor Shoppe</a>.</span></strong>\n\n<em>\"Cloaked in robes, floating in white clouds off the coast of California, High Mountain Tempel collide across oceans with eight beautiful cuts called The Glass Bead Game. This abstract homage merges cells of Father Yod, far fair Abion, as well meetings in shrouded rooms, hills and gardens of Mt. Washington, Ocean Beach San Diego, Vista East, and Topanga Canyon.</em>\n<p class=\"style9\" align=\"left\"><span class=\"style9\"><em>From darkness to light, these songs represent High Mountain Tempel\'s version of Hesse’s novel, \"The Glass Bead Game\", through sound. From node to node, the music shifts on a dark sea of layered sounds, vibrating in a resonant relationship of souls. Ripped, trapped, torn and connected, this shrouded duo lay out long inspired sounds of Terry Riley, Father Yod in the enlightened heightened time, dark SunnO))) Oracle blackness, and incantations of Pink Floyd synths,</em></span><em> in these most spiritually darkened, yet thrilling times.\"</em></p>\n<p class=\"style9\" align=\"left\">From a review at <a href=\"http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/1927\" target=\"_blank\">Head Heritage</a></p>\n<p class=\"style9\" align=\"left\"><em>Beautiful and utterly terrifying... a truly tremendous effort from HMT. The main tracks are played with just the right amount of intensity giving the songs time to unfold, allowing them to twist and mutate into eerie landscsapes.  There are not many musicians that can make this music and give it their own mark. THE GLASS BEAD GAME is a remarkable album of ambient music and one of the best albums of 2008.</em></p>\nA few copies available now from <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/\" target=\"_blank\">Strange Attractor Shoppe</a>','The Glass Bead Game: High Mountain Tempel','','publish','open','open','','the-glass-bead-game-high-mountain-tempel','','','2008-08-29 09:51:21','2008-08-29 09:51:21','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=905',0,'post','',0),(922,2,'2008-09-01 08:50:48','2008-09-01 08:50:48','Sorry, not yet. But SA pal Ben Goldacre does have a new book out and there\'s an excellent extract about the medicalisation of society online <a href=\"http://www.badscience.net/2008/09/the-medicalisation-of-everyday-life/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>:\n\n<em>Before 1935 doctors were basically useless. We had insulin, morphine for pain relief - a drug with superficial charm, at least - and we could do operations fairly cleanly, although with huge doses of anaesthetics, because we hadn\'t yet sorted out well-targeted muscle-relaxant drugs. Then suddenly, between the 1930s and the 1970s, science poured out an almost constant stream of miracle cures...</em>\n\n<em>Times have changed. The pharmaceutical industry is in trouble: the golden age of medicine has creaked to a halt, the low-hanging fruit of medical research has all been harvested, and the industry is rapidly running out of new drugs. Fifty \"novel molecular entities\" a year were registered in the 1990s, but now it\'s down to 20, and many of those are just copies of other companies\' products, changed only enough to justify a new patent. So the story of \"disease mongering\" goes like this: because they cannot find new treatments for the diseases we already have, the pill companies have instead had to invent new diseases for the treatments they already have.</em>\n\n<em>Recent favourites include social anxiety disorder (a new use for SSRI antidepressant drugs), female sexual dysfunction (a new use for Viagra in women), the widening diagnostic boundaries of \"restless leg syndrome\", and of course \"night eating syndrome\" (another attempt to sell SSRI medication, bordering on self-parody) to name just a few: all problems, in a very real sense, but perhaps not necessarily the stuff of pills, and perhaps not all best viewed in reductionist biomedical terms. In fact, you might consider that reframing intelligence, loss of libido, shyness and tiredness as medical pill problems is a crass, exploitative, and frankly disempowering act...</em>\n\nRead the extract <a href=\"http://www.badscience.net/2008/09/the-medicalisation-of-everyday-life/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>','Bad Science: The Movie','','publish','open','open','','bad-science-the-movie','','','2008-09-01 08:50:48','2008-09-01 08:50:48','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=907',0,'post','',0),(923,2,'2008-09-01 18:16:30','2008-09-01 18:16:30','<a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2008/sep/01/obituary.ken.campbell?gusrc=rss&amp;feed=stage\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-909\" style=\"margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; vertical-align: top;\" title=\"campbell5460\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/campbell5460.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"276\" /></a>\n\nThe great fortean surrealist, performer, actor and theatre director Ken Campbell has died suddenly aged 66. There are obituaries on the Guardian web site <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2008/sep/01/obituary.ken.campbell?gusrc=rss&amp;feed=stage\" target=\"_blank\">here</a> and <a href=\"http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/theatre/2008/09/farewell_ken_campbell.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\n\nThanks Paul Sieveking and David Evans \n\n ','RIP Ken Campbell','','publish','open','open','','rip-ken-campbell','','','2008-09-01 18:16:30','2008-09-01 18:16:30','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=908',0,'post','',0),(924,2,'2008-09-08 11:42:03','2008-09-08 11:42:03','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/wtm_cover1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-912\" title=\"wtm_cover1\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/wtm_cover1.jpg\" alt=\"\" hspace=\"8\" width=\"276\" height=\"400\" /></a>We\'re very happy to announce that <em>Welcome to Mars</em> by Ken Hollings will be with us by the end of October 2008.\n\nYou can download a PDF of the cover, complete with advanced praise from Adam Curtis, Erik Davis and Jacques Vallee, <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/pdf/WTM_cover_promo.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\n\nThe first 200 orders of the book will receive a free hour-long CD of classy analogue Outer Space exotica by Simon James. A small run of postcards have also been produced using images from the book and these are being sent out with any orders from <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe\">Strange Attractor Shoppe</a>.\n\nLondoners can get a taste of the book on 2 October when Ken Hollings will be reading with a live accompaniment by Oort at the Shunt Vaults. More info on this will be forthcoming.\n\nWe won\'t be taking advanced orders for the book until mid-October, but watch this space for announcements as we have more Strange Attractor publications and events coming throughout the Autumn. \n\n ','Welcome to Mars','','publish','open','open','','welcome-to-mars','','','2008-09-08 11:42:03','2008-09-08 11:42:03','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=910',0,'post','',0),(925,2,'2008-09-09 13:03:38','2008-09-09 13:03:38','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/tardigrade.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-915\" style=\"border: 0; float: left; margin: 8px;\" title=\"tardigrade\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/tardigrade.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"271\" /></a>The mighty-in-miniature tardigrade has become the first animal to enjoy free flight in open space. Launched in a satellite from Kazakhstan a year ago, two species of tardigrade spent 10 days exposed to the freezing, sun-blasted conditions of open space. \n\nSadly most of those who weren\'t shielded from the Sun\'s UV light radiation came a cropper, but nearly 3/4 of the rest of the crew were unphased by the experience and some even hatched eggs afterwards.\n\nLet\'s hope that all of the crew made it back home, or one day Earth may have to face the consequences.\n\nStay tuned for <em>Planet of the Tardigrades</em>...\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14690-water-bears-are-first-animal-to-survive-space-vacuum.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&amp;nsref=news8_head_dn14690\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a> ','Tardigrades in Spaaaace!!','','publish','open','open','','tardigrades-in-spaaaace','','','2008-09-09 13:03:38','2008-09-09 13:03:38','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=913',0,'post','',0),(926,2,'2008-09-10 09:17:04','2008-09-10 09:17:04','\"Four out of 10 people have false memories of the 7/7 London bombings, according to researchers who questioned students about what they remembered seeing on news reports of the events.\n\nSome people claimed to have seen non-existent CCTV footage of the bus exploding in Tavistock Square in July 2005, while others gave detailed descriptions of footage which did not exist...\n\nSome of the students embellished their accounts with details they could not have witnessed. One wrote: \"The bus has stopped at a traffic light. There was a bright light and a loud bang and the top of the bus flew off.\"\n\nThe study backs up previous research by [Dr James Ost, a psychologist at the University of Portsmouth] in which people claimed to have seen non-existent footage of the crash in Paris that killed Princess Diana.\"\n\n<em>And also </em><a href=\"http://www.unisci.com/stories/20012/0613011.htm\" target=\"_blank\"><em>this experiment</em></a><em>, in which people remembered meeting Bugs Bunny at Disneyland. What are your favourite false memories?</em>\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/sep/10/humanbehaviour.july7\" target=\"_blank\">the Guardian</a>','False memories of disaster','','publish','open','open','','false-memories-of-disaster','','','2008-09-10 09:17:04','2008-09-10 09:17:04','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=916',0,'post','',0),(927,2,'2008-09-12 11:14:11','2008-09-12 11:14:11','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/ml_cover_sml.jpg\">\n<img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-918\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"ml_cover_sml\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/ml_cover_sml.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"282\" height=\"400\" /></a>10 November 2008 sees the publication of <em>Medical London: City of Diseases, City of Cures,</em> a major new undertaking from Strange Attractor Press, in association with <a href=\"http://www.wellcomecollection.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Wellcome Collection</a>.\n\nWritten by Richard Barnett and edited by SAJ contributor <a href=\"http://mikejay.net\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Jay</a>,<em> Medical London</em> comprises three distinct parts, all enclosed in a hardback cloth slipcase: <em>Sick City,</em> a book of essays outlining aspects of London\'s medical history; <em>Anatomy of the City,</em> a beautifully illustrated full-colour gazetteer featuring London sites of medical interest; and six full-colour maps of suggested walking routes for those who wish to explore the city\'s history for themselves.\n\nHelmed by the acclaimed historian and author Mike Jay, the collection presents a unique melding of minds and talents. Richard Barnett\'s essays and texts – wry, lucid and deeply informative – are already being compared to the work of Roy Porter and Peter Ackroyd, and are perfectly complimented by elegant presentation from the SAP team of Alison Hutchinson, Nadia Katz-Wise and Mark Pilkington.\n\nAs you\'d expect from SAP, the collection is overflowing with fascinating tales and curious detail and of course, this being a medical history, plenty of blood and guts. We\'ll have more information about <em>Medical London</em>, including guided walks and launch events, in the coming weeks.','Medical London: City of Diseases, City of Cures','','publish','open','open','','medical-london-city-of-diseases-city-of-cures','','','2008-09-12 11:14:11','2008-09-12 11:14:11','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=917',0,'post','',0),(928,2,'2008-09-15 09:18:25','2008-09-15 09:18:25','<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18mRj79gjgc\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-921\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"yahweh\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/yahweh.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"295\" /></a>\n\nI sincerely believe that this video clip could bring peace to planet Earth. Please share and do the dance every morning.<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> </span><a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18mRj79gjgc\" target=\"_blank\">Praise Yawheh!</a>\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.fabpress.com/vsearch.php?CO=FAB097\" target=\"_blank\">Steve Thrower</a>!','An end to all wars: praise Yahweh!','','publish','open','open','','an-end-to-all-wars-praise-yahweh','','','2008-09-15 09:18:25','2008-09-15 09:18:25','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=920',0,'post','',0),(929,2,'2008-09-15 09:26:14','2008-09-15 09:26:14','SA pal Greg Bishop has been playing with a cutup generator over at his excellent blog <a href=\"http://www.ufomystic.com/wake-up-down-there/ufos-aliens-cut-ups-burroughs/\" target=\"_self\">UFOmystic</a>. \n\nThis piece of text I think is particularly telling:\n\n<em>The phenomenon appears to have perfectly human. In fact, I thought a copy of old the US Military has released little? Images floating around the internet made up. Later in the same month, worldwide political perfectly isolated location control and political unrest. In consecutive evenings, June 26-27, 1959. About twenty-five Earth.</em>\n\nI entered some UFO writing of my own and got this:\n\n<em>we may never even have noticed. This plausibility provides the bedrock of other technologically advanced civilizations... UFO mystery did not begin with Kenneth of silly season journalism. And some of them may yet connected only by belief and a tool for psychological warfare and deception. The want or believe them to be, secret documents in the US, the the past two millennia. These incidents are all too come from a god. </em>\n\nHere\'s the cutup <a href=\"http://vispo.com/cgi-bin/wonder/cutup/cutup.cgi\" target=\"_blank\">generator</a>\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.ufomystic.com/wake-up-down-there/ufos-aliens-cut-ups-burroughs/\" target=\"_blank\">Greg Bishop</a>!\n\nMore on <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=555\" target=\"_blank\">William Burroughs and the visitors</a>','These incidents are all too come from a god','','publish','open','open','','these-incidents-are-all-too-come-from-a-god','','','2008-09-15 09:26:14','2008-09-15 09:26:14','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=923',0,'post','',0),(930,2,'2008-09-15 16:26:48','2008-09-15 16:26:48','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/wsept26.jpg\" target=\"_self\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-931\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"wsept26small\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/wsept26small.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" />\n</a><em>[click for bigger picture]</em>\n\n<em><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">Three dynamic experimental musick acts converge for this once-off night of sound and ritual. And then there\'s Raagnagrok, who will be debuting a new misdirection...</span></em>\n\n∞ <a href=\"http://www.myspace.com/arktaueos\" target=\"_blank\">Arktau Eos</a> (Finland)\n∞ Orryelle (Australia) with This Too Shall Pass (UK),\n∞ <a href=\"http://www.raagnagrok.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">Raagnagrok</a> (UK), featuring Zali Krishna, Frances Morgan, Otto Amon\n\nplus improvisational collaborations...\n\nPresented by Theatre of Ophidia.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.thecavendisharmsstockwell.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\"> The Cavendish Arms</a>, 128 Hartington Rd, SW8 2HJ, Stockwell from 7:30pm\n\nTickets	£8.00 in advance [<a href=\"http://www.etickets.to/buy/?e=1548\" target=\"_blank\">get em here</a>]','26 Sept: Arktau Eos, Raagnagrok, Orryelle &amp; more','','publish','open','open','','26-sept-arktau-eos-raagnagrok-more','','','2008-09-15 16:26:48','2008-09-15 16:26:48','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=930',0,'post','',0),(938,2,'2008-09-18 08:05:27','2008-09-18 08:05:27','<em>Crows seem to be able to use causal reasoning to solve a problem, a feat </em><em>previously undocumented in any other non-human animal</em><em>, including chimps...\n</em>\n\n<em>A choice morsel of food was placed in a horizontal Perspex tube, which also featured two round holes in the underside, with Perspex traps below.</em>\n\n<em>For most of the tests, one of the holes was sealed, so the food could be dragged across it with a stick and out of the tube to be eaten. The other hole was left open, trapping the food if the crows moved it the wrong way.</em>\n\n<em>Three of the crows solved the task consistently, even after the team modified the appearance of the equipment. This suggested that these crows weren\'t using arbitrary features – such as the colour of the rim of a hole – to guide their behaviour. Instead they seemed to understand that if they dragged food across a hole, they would lose it....</em>\n\n<em>A recent study of great apes found they could not transfer success at the trap-tube to success at the trap-table. The three crows could, however.</em>\n\nvia <em><a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14745-crows-make-monkeys-out-of-chimps-in-mental-test.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&amp;nsref=news9_head_dn14745\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a></em>','Crows vs apes','','publish','open','open','','crows-vs-apes','','','2008-09-18 08:05:27','2008-09-18 08:05:27','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=938',0,'post','',0),(940,2,'2008-09-18 10:26:37','2008-09-18 10:26:37','The <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7621608.stm\" target=\"_blank\">BBC</a> reports on a new study into NDEs to take place at 25 hospitals, co-ordinated by Southampton University. An interesting part of the project will involve placing objects in positions whereby they can only be seen from a vantage point above the body.\n\n<em>Dr Sam Parnia, who is heading the study, said: \"If you can demonstrate that consciousness continues after the brain switches off, it allows for the possibility that the consciousness is a separate entity.\"</em>\n\nThe experiments may shed some light on accounts such as <a href=\"http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_n4_v20/ai_18535414/pg_4?tag=artBody;col1\" target=\"_blank\">this famous story</a> of a tennis shoe on a window ledge observed by a heart-patient undergoing a near death out-of-body experience. It also partly recreates Stanley Krippner\'s famous 1966 dream experiments from the Maimonides Sleep Labs [read Krippner\'s account <a href=\"http://www.uri-geller.com/content/research/dreams.htm\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>].\n\nDr Parnia hopes to use 1500 heart-patients in the study and we look forward to hearing the results.\n\nFrom the <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7621608.stm\" target=\"_blank\">BBC</a>','New Near Death Experience study','','publish','open','open','','new-near-death-experience-study','','','2008-09-18 10:26:37','2008-09-18 10:26:37','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=940',0,'post','',0),(943,2,'2008-09-23 14:37:47','2008-09-23 14:37:47','<a href=\"http://www.cerysmaticfactory.info/mondo_mancunia.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-944\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"mondo_mancunia_small\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/mondo_mancunia_small.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"400\" /></a>\n\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">SADLY, DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH THE VENUE, THE WHOLE MONDO MANCUNIA EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. BAH!</span>\n\nOn Thursday 2 October Ken Hollings will be reading from \'Welcome to Mars\' with live space music backing from Oort, featuring Bruce Woolley, Richard Guest, Simon James, Mark Pilkington and Zali Krishna.\n\nThe reading will take place at <a href=\"http://www.shunt.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">Shunt Vaults</a>, beneath London Bridge Station, and will be followed by a performance from the mighty Toolshed, featuring Graham Massey and friends.\n\nThe night is part of Mr Massey\'s 4-day <a href=\"http://www.cerysmaticfactory.info/mondo_mancunia.html\" target=\"_blank\">Mondo Mancunia</a> festival which also features Biting Tongues, Sister of Transisters, Homelife and more!','Ken Hollings &amp; Oort perform &#039;Welcome to Mars&#039;','','publish','open','open','','ken-hollings-oort-perform-welcome-to-mars','','','2008-09-23 14:37:47','2008-09-23 14:37:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=943',0,'post','',0),(946,2,'2008-09-24 09:09:12','2008-09-24 09:09:12','<img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-947\" style=\"border: 0; float: left; margin: 8px;\" title=\"_images__images__images__images_outside_cover_blog-tm\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/images__images__images__images_outside_cover_blog-tm.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"279\" height=\"360\" />\n\nThe American illustration journal <a href=\"http://www.faesthetic.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Faesthetic</a> has a new UFO-themed issue out, in which several artists depict their own UFO experiences.\n\nAs a \'noted UFO expert\' (ahem!!) I have contributed a contemporary \'estimate of the situation\' entitled<em> Liminal Vehicles and Trickster Technologies: on the UFO</em>, a short piece in which I try to sum up my current thinking on the UFO subject. Yes I said it was short.\n\nI haven\'t seen a copy yet but the photos look quite spectacular. \n\nTake a look and order a copy at <a href=\"http://www.faesthetic.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Faesthetic</a>.','Faesthetic #9 : UFOs','','publish','open','open','','faesthetic-9-ufos','','','2008-09-24 09:09:12','2008-09-24 09:09:12','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=946',0,'post','',0),(951,2,'2008-09-29 16:32:20','2008-09-29 16:32:20','<a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/gallery/2008/aug/04/electronic.music?picture=336194103\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-952\" title=\"do6-2266\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/do6-2266.jpg\" alt=\"\" /></a>\n\nA wonderful set of archive photographs of the amazing Daphne Oram over at the <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/gallery/2008/aug/04/electronic.music?picture=336194103\" target=\"_blank\">Guardian</a>\n\nIf you want to hear what Daphne\'s work sounded like, you can\'t go wrong with Paradigm\'s <a href=\"http://www.stalk.net/paradigm/pd21.html\" target=\"_blank\">Oramics</a> double CD compilation.','Daphne Oram: first lady of electronic music','','publish','open','open','','daphne-oram-first-lady-of-electronic-music','','','2008-09-29 16:32:20','2008-09-29 16:32:20','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=951',0,'post','',0),(956,2,'2008-10-02 09:14:43','2008-10-02 09:14:43','<em>\'The real shape-shifting force we need to be talking about in this tale is not witchcraft and Satan, but Christianity...</em>\n\n<em>Once, a rational Europe believed that Christianity could be assimilated to modern knowledge and a modern worldview. This has not happened: that Christianity has lost its blood, its life. In order to gain power today, at least in Africa, Christianity must acknowledge the power, or at least the reality, of the devils.\'</em>\n\nErik Davis on Sarah Palin\'s peculiarly magickal brand of Christianity.\n\n<a href=\"http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/arthur/377/with-magick-on-her-side\" target=\"_blank\">Arthur Blog</a>','Sarah Palin, Christians and witches','','publish','open','open','','sarah-palin-christians-and-witches','','','2008-10-02 09:14:43','2008-10-02 09:14:43','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=956',0,'post','',0),(960,2,'2008-10-06 13:31:19','2008-10-06 13:31:19','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/boilerplate.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-961\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"boilerplate\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/boilerplate.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"239\" /></a>\n\nAn interesting piece from the Independent about how the web is making doubting Thomas\'s of us all. Of course, this is a good thing! The issue is particularly relevant to those of us interested in anomalous phenomena - <em>e.g. </em>the Alien Autopsy film and the more recent \'drone\' <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=563\" target=\"_blank\">UFO videos</a>.\n\n<em>There\'s a hilarious video doing the rounds on the internet at the moment. ... </em>\n\n<em>It features a well-groomed eight-piece band called Sonseed, all wearing their Sunday best, performing a ditsy little ska tune called \"Jesus Is My Friend\" on an early Eighties religious show on American TV ... It has many of the ingredients of a copper-bottomed viral hit: dated haircuts, dubious fashion sense, questionable musical value and, above all, mind-boggling peculiarity.</em>\n\n<em> But there\'s an equally strange phenomenon occurring on the web these days: a profound disbelief that things are what they claim to be. Wary of being seen as gullible, people simply assume that everything is fake. Within a very short time of the Sonseed video appearing, many had decided that this religious rock band was the brainchild of bloggers hellbent on duping people.</em>\n\nFull story at the <a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/nothing-but-the-truth-internet-hoaxes-952197.html\" target=\"_blank\">Independent</a>\n\nAnd check out the marvellous <a href=\"http://bigredhair.com/boilerplate/\" target=\"_blank\">Boilerplate</a> (pictured above)','Doubt and the web','','publish','open','open','','doubt-and-the-web','','','2008-10-06 13:31:19','2008-10-06 13:31:19','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=960',0,'post','',0),(966,2,'2008-10-07 08:28:12','2008-10-07 08:28:12','<em>Sufferers of chronic CH, however, enjoy no respite at all. They are plagued by up to nine attacks per day, every day; untreated, each attack can last up to two hours.</em>\n\n<em>CH is characterised by a pain so severe that it makes the most debilitating migraine look like a mild hangover. Many chronic CH sufferers eventually take their own lives – earning CH the gruesome moniker \"suicide headaches\". Flash says the pain is virtually indescribable. \"You go through a point when it\'s too sore to scream and all you can do is whimper, begging God over and over and over again. I\'ve fantasised about blowing my brains out so many times you wouldn\'t believe it.\"</em>\n\n<em>...Turning on, tuning in, and dropping out (of university),Flash experimented with the powerful hallucinogenic drug LSD (\"The best and worst eight hours of my life\"). His next cluster attack, due in January 1992, never materialised. \"In my naivety, I thought, \'It\'s just gone away.\' But cluster headache doesn\'t just go away.\" Not stopping to question his good fortune, Flash finished his degree, got a new girlfriend and started his own business. Free of the headaches for more than two years, life was good.</em>\n\n<em>...Psilocybin and LSD are chemicals called tryptamines, like neurotransmitters such as serotonin; they bind to nerves in the same way. Indeed, arguably the most effective migraine drug, sumatriptan (Imitrex, or Imigran), which can also abort CH attacks, is chemically very similar to DMT, a hallucinogen found in plants native to South America. Similarly, the anti-migraine drug methysergide is based on the LSD molecule, but with virtually no hallucinogenic properties, though it can cause severe fibrosis.</em>\n\n<em>...A handful of CH sufferers thought there was truth in Flash\'s unorthodox solution. One man, Bob Wold, decided to start clusterbusters.com, a website devoted to campaigning for research and disseminating information about how to safely use hallucinogenics.</em>\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/features/lsd-cured-my-headache-953406.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Independent</a>','&#039;LSD cured my cluster headaches&#039;','','publish','open','open','','lsd-cured-my-cluster-headaches','','','2008-10-07 08:28:12','2008-10-07 08:28:12','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=966',0,'post','',0),(968,2,'2008-10-07 15:37:54','2008-10-07 15:37:54','<a href=\"http://wagontrain.org/site/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-969\" style=\"margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px; border: 0; vertical-align: top;\" title=\"cathy\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/cathy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"533\" /></a>\n\nSA pal and contributor <a href=\"http://wagontrain.org/site/\" target=\"_blank\">Cathy Ward</a> has a selection of her Wagon Train photographs of mobile food stalls on display later this month. From 23-27 October at Gillet Square, Dalston, London E8.','Wagon Train Dalston','','publish','open','open','','wagon-train-dalston','','','2008-10-07 15:37:54','2008-10-07 15:37:54','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=968',0,'post','',0),(974,2,'2008-10-07 15:47:33','2008-10-07 15:47:33','<a href=\"http://www.english-heretic.org.uk/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-973\" title=\"eh\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/eh.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"566\" /></a>\n\nWyrd sounds and hidden lore from SA pals <a href=\"http://www.english-heretic.org.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">English Heretic</a>.\nWe\'re talking about future collaborations, so tune into the akashic jukebox for news of all possible futures (though expect more tasteful flyers!).','Your Passport to Qlipoth! Leeds, 19 October','','publish','open','open','','your-passport-to-qlipoth-leeds-19-october','','','2008-10-07 15:47:33','2008-10-07 15:47:33','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=974',0,'post','',0),(977,2,'2008-10-07 16:46:49','2008-10-07 16:46:49','<span style=\"color: #0000ee; text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/081101-flyer.gif\"></a><a href=\"http://dreamflesh.com/calendar/day-of-the-dead-2008/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-980\" title=\"081101-flyer1\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/081101-flyer1.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"708\" /></a></span>\n\nA collaborative seasonal event from Strange Attractor, Dreamflesh and Liminal Nation at the wonderful <a href=\"http://www.thehorsehospital.com\" target=\"_blank\">Horse Hospital</a>. Come celebrate with us for a night of focussed high strangeness with talks, music and remembrance.\n\nThree initial presentations will consider the ayahuasca art of Pablo Amaringo (Donal Ruane), encounters with death on DMT (David Luke) and a visionary exploration of Northern England\'s rock art (Gyrus), followed by a Q &amp; A. South London sorcerer Stephen Grasso will then guide us over the crossroads and through the veil of night, carried by the transcendental sounds of the Raagnagrok All-Stars (every man and every woman is an all-star) featuring Allison Brice (electric dulcimer), Zali Krishna (guitar/effects), Paul May (drums) and Mark Pilkington (synth and electronics). \n\nA key focus for the night will be an altar of our lost cultural icons and inspirations - please bring images and offerings of the lost people, animals and places who have guided and informed you through your life thus far.  \n\nThere will be talks, discussion, performance, music, magic, stalls and fun late into the night. We expect the event to be quite busy, so reserving a place in advance is advised – you can do this via the <a href=\"http://dreamflesh.com/calendar/day-of-the-dead-2008/\" target=\"_blank\">DOTD web site</a>.','1 November: Day of the Dead at The Horse Hospital','','publish','open','open','','1-november-day-of-the-dead-at-the-horse-hospital','','','2008-10-07 16:46:49','2008-10-07 16:46:49','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=977',0,'post','',0),(986,2,'2008-10-10 07:58:29','2008-10-10 07:58:29','<a href=\"http://kosmische.org/upcoming.html\" target=\"_blank\">Kosmische</a> On Air  2230 UT, 10 October 2008\n\n<a href=\"http://www.resonancefm.com\" target=\"_self\">Resonance 104.4FM</a>\n\n<em>Mink Pelican\'s Hour of Need</em>\n\n<em>Bebey</em> - Gang Gang Dance\n<em>Boundary Waters</em> - Palms [Gavin Russom mix]\n<em>Welcome to Mars theme</em> - Simon James\n<em>Necronomicon</em> - Les Baxter\n<em>People\'s Park</em> - Beaver &amp; Krause\n<em>Syncopation</em> - Tom Dissevelt\n<em>The Motherhouse</em> (extract) - High Mountain Temple\n<em>Metatron(ic)</em> <em>Rock</em> - Richard Pinhaus\n<em>Bolotu</em> - The Asterism\n<em>Pulse Persephone</em> - Daphne Oram\n<em>The Ritual at Centrepoint</em> - English Heretic\n<em>Astronautas a Mercurio</em> - Sonara Casino\n<em>Opus 777</em> - Fifty Foot Hose\n<em>Galaktigle</em> - Ring\n\n[All membranes by MISTY]\n[Kosmische sting by Pete Woodhead]','Kosmische on Air, Friday 10 October 2008','','publish','open','open','','kosmische-on-air-friday-10-october-2008','','','2008-10-10 07:58:29','2008-10-10 07:58:29','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=986',0,'post','',0),(989,2,'2008-10-10 09:54:47','2008-10-10 09:54:47','<a href=\"http://www.medicallondon.org\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-990\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"ml\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/ml.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"372\" height=\"542\" /></a>\n\nThe <a href=\"http://www.medicallondon.org\" target=\"_blank\">official site</a> for the Strange Attractor Press / Wellcome Collection book <a href=\"http://www.medicallondon.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Medical London</a> is now online.\n\nYou can get a taste of the contents, see some of Ali Hutchison\'s beautiful design work and watch short videos of author Richard Barnett, editor Mike Jay, myself the publisher and others at sites from our <a href=\"http://www.medicallondon.org/related_events.html\" target=\"_blank\">medical history tours</a> of the city.','Medical London site now alive','','publish','open','open','','medical-london-web-site','','','2008-10-10 09:54:47','2008-10-10 09:54:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=989',0,'post','',0),(993,2,'2008-10-10 16:41:29','2008-10-10 16:41:29','<a href=\"http://www.siriusufo.org/tr/?fx=sayfa_ac&amp;url=html/english/kumburgaz_2008.asp\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-994\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"turkufo1\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/turkufo1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"427\" height=\"347\" /></a>\n\nThe past few year has seen a rash of <a href=\"http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IJ31Ak02.html\" target=\"_blank\">spectacular UFO sightings over Turkey</a>, and now, highlights from the video footage shot by witnesses have appeared on Turkey\'s <a href=\"http://www.siriusufo.org/tr/?fx=sayfa_ac&amp;url=html/english/kumburgaz_2008.asp\" target=\"_blank\">SIRIUS UFO</a> web site. Ah, just in time to distract the world\'s UFO researchers from the US presidential elections. [Do they vote Democrat or Republican? – I hope to find out at <a href=\"http://www.ufoconference.com/\" target=\"_blank\">this conference</a> in Las Vegas in November].\n\nThe still above is from night-time video shot this year by Yalcin Yalman in Istanbul. It\'s early days yet, but the footage is quite striking, though it\'s tempting to file it away with the California drones and others as too good to be true. It\'s one of the strange paradoxes of the UFO field that the clearer an image is, the less convincing it appears to be.\n\nMy initial thoughts follow after the break:\n\n<!--more-->\n\n<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/seaufo.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-999\" title=\"seaufo\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/seaufo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"398\" height=\"322\" /></a>\n\nThe daylight footage over the ocean is classic UFO material, with the added functionality of birds and fishermen in the foreground to provide scale and perspective. The string of orange lights doesn\'t necessarily imply a structured object, but it\'s certainly curious and in keeping with many other unexplained sightings. Initially I thought about oil rigs, but I would hope that SIRIUS UFO looked into that possibility before making the video public.\n\nI do have a couple of problems with the \'hardcore\' night time footage, though:\n\n* we don\'t really get any spatial or geographic reference points to anchor us in reality. This isn\'t a creative criticism, but a practical one - a mysterious object against a blank, black background could be hanging anywhere - like in a cupboard. However if the footage is of a genuine high-flying object shot in the dead of night then there is only a black background. Zooming out to give us some ground features would have been helpful, if less dramatic.\n\n* it\'s shot by the same night security guard, Yalcin Yalman, who caught UFOs on tape from the same location in a year ago. To counter this, after the first sighting he may of course have kept his eyes peeled and a video camera handy. You\'ve got to do *something* to occupy yourself on those long nights).\n\nWhatever it is, the object has incredible presence, with the mechanorganic feel of something from HR Giger\'s workshop, or the revived <em>Battlestar Galactica</em>. The lighting effect about half way through is spectacular and tallies with \'genuine\' UFO reports from as far back as the 1950s. So if it is a scale model, full marks to whoever built it. And if it\'s not... brrrr... we are property.\n\nGiven that Turkey is more or less slap bang between the former Soviet Union and the Middle East, we might also consider whether these are military reconnaissance platforms of some kind. If so, they\'re not doing a great job of maintaining a stealthy presence in the region. \"Roger, we left the running lights on again... D\'oh!\"\n\nThe excerpt is quite long at 20 minutes, but well worth persevering with. Regular moments of levity are provided by the english subtitles, which feel like they might have been written by Sacha Baron Cohen at times, though don\'t let that distract you from the UFOs!\n\nThere\'s sure to be a lot of fallout from the footage, so watch this space for updates...\n\nView the <a href=\"http://www.siriusufo.org/tr/?fx=sayfa_ac&amp;url=html/english/kumburgaz_2008.asp\" target=\"_blank\">footage</a> and let us know your thoughts via the comments feature.','&#039;Zoom in my friend&#039;: Turkish UFOs on tape','','publish','open','open','','zoom-in-my-friend-turkish-ufos-on-tape','','','2008-10-10 16:41:29','2008-10-10 16:41:29','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=993',0,'post','',0),(1016,2,'2008-10-14 10:06:00','2008-10-14 10:06:00','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/WTM.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-912\" style=\"vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"wtm_cover1\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/wtm_cover1-207x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"207\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/WTM.html\" target=\"_blank\">Welcome to Mars</a> by Ken Hollings should hopefully be with us towards the end of the month, with publication projected publication for mid-November. A press release is available <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/pdf/wtmpr.pdf\">here</a>. Anyone wanting a review copy can contact me via the site, stating who you will be reviewing for. Thanks!','Welcome to Mars press release','','publish','open','open','','welcome-to-mars-press-release','','','2008-10-14 10:06:00','2008-10-14 10:06:00','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1016',0,'post','',0),(1020,2,'2008-10-15 13:02:26','2008-10-15 13:02:26','<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Here\'s a sneak preview of <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/medical_london.html\" target=\"_self\"><em>Medical London</em></a>, the handsome collaborative publishing project from Strange Attractor Press and Wellcome Collection. Copies will be available this week from Blackwell\'s at the Wellcome Building, 183 Euston Rd, London, but won\'t be available anywhere else until mid-November.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>Medical London</em> has also been selected as Radio 4\'s \'Book of the Week\' for 01-05 December, where you can hear extracts each day from 9.45-10am and 00.30-00.45am.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Meanwhile, don\'t forget to check out the <a href=\"http://www.medicallondon.org\" target=\"_self\">web site</a> set up for the book and this weekend\'s events.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1021\" style=\"border: 0; float: left; margin: 8px;\" title=\"ml2\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/ml2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"161\" height=\"400\" /><a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/ml3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1022\" style=\"float: left; margin: 8px;\" title=\"ml3\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/ml3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"286\" /></a></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> </p>','Medical London: first look','','publish','open','open','','medical-london-first-look','','','2008-10-15 13:02:26','2008-10-15 13:02:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1020',0,'post','',0),(1027,2,'2008-10-17 08:33:54','2008-10-17 08:33:54','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/spiderspinsml.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1028\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"spiderspinsml\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/spiderspinsml.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"165\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/spiderspinsml.jpg\"></a><em>Spider spinning machine 2002, Eleanor Morgan (etching, 2008)</em>\n\n<strong>Seducing Spiders  7.00pm, Tuesday 28th October 2008\nArt Workers Guild, 6 Queen Square, Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 3AT </strong>\n\n\'He began anew to give a concert to these animals, who seemed to come every day in greater numbers, as though they had invited others, so that in the course of time he found a hundred gather about him\'. Histoire de la Musique et de ses Effect, p321\n\nAn evening of talks, experiments and music exploring methods of seducing spiders, hosted by artist <a href=\"http://www.eleanormorgan.com\" target=\"_blank\">Eleanor Morgan</a> in collaboration with Entomologist Peter Smithers and experimental musicians Oort (Richard Guest, Zali Krishna, Ellen McGee and Mark Pilkington).\n\nWe will investigate spider courtship and mating, spiders\' attraction to music, and the history of spider silk spinning machines.  The evening will include a rare screening of the 1966 spider documentary \'Walk into the Parlour\', directed by Gerald Thompson.\n\nEveryone is welcome, but places are limited, so please email <em>e@eleanormorgan.com</em> if you would like to attend.  There will be a charge of £3 at the door.  Nearest tubes: Holborn and Russell Square.  Buses: 59, 68, 91, 168,188.\n<!--more-->\'Seducing Spiders\' is in conjunction with Eleanor Morgan\'s exhibition \'A Natural History of Desire\' at Camberwell College of Art, 29th September - 30th October.','Seducing Spiders','','publish','open','open','','seducing-spiders','','','2008-10-17 08:33:54','2008-10-17 08:33:54','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1027',0,'post','',0),(1040,2,'2008-10-21 15:15:12','2008-10-21 15:15:12','While you will of course be asking Santa for copies of <em>Welcome to Mars</em> and <em>Medical London</em> this Winter, you might also consider picking up these other items that have shown up at SAP HQ of late – <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Albion-Dreaming-Popular-History-Britain/dp/1905736274/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1224580868&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\">Albion Dreaming</a></em> by Andy Roberts and <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Werewolf-Pack-Mystery-Supernatural-Tales/dp/1840220872/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b\" target=\"_blank\">two collections of supernatural horror</a> from author and anthologist Mark Valentine.\n  \n\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Other-Tales-Mystery-Supernatural/dp/1840220880/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1045\" style=\"border: 0;\" title=\"517aydid32l_ss500_\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/517aydid32l_ss500_-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"240\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Werewolf-Pack-Mystery-Supernatural-Tales/dp/1840220872/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1043\" style=\"border: 0; float: right;\" title=\"51v6p1xhtxl_ss500_1\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/51v6p1xhtxl_ss500_1-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"240\" /></a>\n\nSAJ contributor Mark Valentine has curated two wonderful collections of horror gems for the Wordsworth Editions series. As you might expect from one of the gentlemen behind <a href=\"http://www.tartaruspress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Tartarus Press</a>, both books feature authors obscure and celebrated, old and new. The Werewolf Pack includes amongst others European folk tales, luminous high strangeness from Stenbock, the deadly wit of Saki, and contemporary gothic from Gail Nina Anderson and RB Russell, while The Black Veil makes room for William Hope Hodgson, Arthur Machen, and lesser known but then popular characters like Allen Upward and Donald Campbell.  Both books feature obscure items culled from popular magazines of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras and are introduced with essays by the erudite Mr Valentine. If I have one gripe it\'s that neither book\'s contents include the authors\' names or the dates of the stories, making navigation difficult, but if that\'s the worst I can offer then you really have no choice but to <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Werewolf-Pack-Mystery-Supernatural-Tales/dp/1840220872/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b\" target=\"_blank\">buy them both</a> at a terrifyingly low price of £2.99 each. More please!\n\n<!--more-->\n\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Albion-Dreaming-Popular-History-Britain/dp/1905736274/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1224580868&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-1041\" style=\"border: 0; float: left;\" title=\"5151qnmujsl_ss500_\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/5151qnmujsl_ss500_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" /></a>\n\n<em><strong>Albion Dreaming:\nA Popular History of LSD in Britain</strong>\n<span style=\"font-style: normal;\">by Andy Roberts</span> </em>\n\nAndy is perhaps best known for his studies of folklore and British UFO history but here he turns his attentions to a surprisingly under-explored facet of British popular culture - the history of LSD. I\'ll be honest and admit that I haven\'t had a chance to dive into this, but from a quick dip it looks thorough and fascinating, covering military experiments at Porton Down, Michael Hollingshead, Operation Julie, the free festival scene etc. I was pleased to see things brought right up to date with mention of the appalling story of Casey Hardison who received a 20-year (!!) sentence in 2004 for manufacturing LSD at his home in Ovingdean.  Andy suggests that the absurdly long sentence was as much in recognition of Hardison\'s defiantly ideological stance as it was for the lab operation he was running.  Andy\'s writing is always lively and I look forward to getting properly dosed up with this one. \n<em>Buy it at </em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Albion-Dreaming-Popular-History-Britain/dp/1905736274/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1224580868&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Amazon</em></a><em>.\n</em>','Winter reading: werewolves, ghost sleuths and LSD','','publish','open','open','','winter-reading-werewolves-ghost-sleuths-and-lsd','','','2008-10-21 15:15:12','2008-10-21 15:15:12','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1040',0,'post','',0),(1059,2,'2008-10-23 09:14:49','2008-10-23 09:14:49','After a two-year absence, FT\'s <a href=\"http://www.forteantimes.com/front_website/uncon08/opening.html\" target=\"_blank\">Unconvention</a> is back with a vengeance. This year\'s shindig takes place on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 November, at the University of Westminster.\n\nAs in previous years we can expect two continuous strands of talks, film screenings, book stalls, workshops and plenty of surprises.\n\nConfirmed on the billing are: Gail-Nina Anderson, Jan Bondeson, David Clarke, Mike Dash, Jon Downes, Patrick Huyghe, Kittie Klaw, Theo Paijmans Mark Pilkington &amp; John Lundberg, Andy Roberts, Ian Simmons. And there are sure to be plenty more.\n\nAnd if you\'re at a loss for something to do n the Saturday evening afterwards, why not come to our <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=977\" target=\"_blank\">Day of the Dead</a> event at the Horse Hospital?!\n\nMore info and ticket reservations:<a href=\"http://www.forteantimes.com/front_website/uncon08/opening.html\" target=\"_blank\">Unconvention</a>','Fortean Times Unconvention 2008','','publish','open','open','','fortean-times-unconvention-2008','','','2008-10-23 09:14:49','2008-10-23 09:14:49','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1059',0,'post','',0),(1062,2,'2008-10-27 11:43:55','2008-10-27 11:43:55','<img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-1063\" style=\"border: 00px solid black; float: left; margin: 8px;\" title=\"Layout 1\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/oeg_sm.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"189\" height=\"300\" />\n\n<a href=\"http://www.fandmpublications.co.uk/pages/oneeyegrey.htm\" target=\"_blank\">One Eye Grey</a>, London\'s wonderful and regular collection of penny dreadful fictions, celebrates the arrival of its latest issue this Wednesday 29 October with a Hallowe\'en party inside the dissenter\'s chapel at Kensal Green Cemetery.\n\nThere will be complimentary booze and entertainment including El Dread playing Horror Hits on 45 on the chapel organ and Gypsy Finta with her baffling messages from the other side.\n\nEntrance to graveyard on evening will be via the Ladbroke Grove entrance only (see map at <a href=\"http://www.kensalgreen.co.uk/)\">www.kensalgreen.co.uk</a>).\n\nPlease come but do let us know in advance by emailing: <a href=\"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/selfs_news/post?postID=m0OcFK7w-m2YTMtuFoFkFaE8OgmD7b8K4Gdu2vzRoPz6Dy7XYlcws04ztW72Kh4HJQ0-njNFQwwjqCLWeujFBe0b11Ef7g\"><span style=\"color: #247cd4;\">penny@fandmpublications.co.uk</span></a>\n\nWe don\'t want to end up locking people in there overnight if we miscalculate the numbers. Some of the vaults are a little unstable.\nDress for the weather as those dissenters didn\'t really go in for heating much. The wearing of masks will be encouraged.','One Eye Grey launch Wednesday','','publish','open','open','','one-eye-grey-launch-wednesday','','','2008-10-27 11:43:55','2008-10-27 11:43:55','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1062',0,'post','',0),(1070,2,'2008-10-28 09:24:19','2008-10-28 09:24:19',' \n\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/strangeattractor/2655388410/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1071\" title=\"2655388410_5973bcfaa3\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/2655388410_5973bcfaa3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"263\" /></a>\n\n<em>\"No civilisation lasts for ever. Most go for between 200 and 600 years.\" The Maya, Romans and Angkor of Cambodia lasted 600.</em>\n\n<em>And us? \"Western civilisation began with the Renaissance, so we\'re hitting 600 years,\" says Michael Coe. \"The difference is we have a choice whether to let things get worse or fix them. That\'s what science is about. But it takes will on the part of those who govern and those who are being governed.\" Coe, one of the world\'s leading experts on civilisation collapse, pauses. \"To tell you the truth, I don\'t know if we have that.\"</em>\n\nA sensible piece about the possibilities of total societal collapse, over at <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/28/climatechange-population\" target=\"_blank\">The Guardian</a>','When Civilisation Fails','','publish','open','open','','when-civilisation-fails','','','2008-10-28 09:24:19','2008-10-28 09:24:19','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1070',0,'post','',0),(1074,2,'2008-10-30 11:10:39','2008-10-30 11:10:39','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/081022-drug-mummies_big.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-1075\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"081022-drug-mummies_big\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/081022-drug-mummies_big.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"221\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n<em>\'The first hard evidence of psychoactive drug use in the ancient Andes has been discovered in mummies\' hair, a new study says. </em>\n\n<em>The finding confirms that predecessors of the Inca known as the Tiwanaku used mind-altering substances, and hints that the civilization relied on far-reaching trade networks to obtain the drugs.</em>\n\n<em>Scientists recently analyzed 32 naturally mummified Tiwanaku bodies discovered in northern Chile\'s Azapa Valley, which lies in the Atacama Desert.</em>\n\n<em>The researchers discovered a compound called harmine in hairs from an adult male and a one-year-old baby, who both date to sometime between A.D. 800 and 1200. Harmine can help humans absorb hallucinogens and may be a powerful antidepressant.\'  </em>Full story at <a href=\"http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081022-drug-mummies.html\" target=\"_blank\">National Geographic\n</a>via the mighty <a href=\"http://www.boingboing.net/2008/10/28/ancient-mummy-hair-s.html\" target=\"_blank\">Boing Boing</a>\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.kosmische.org\">Leon Muraglia</a>!','Harmine hair','','publish','open','open','','harmine-hair','','','2008-10-30 11:10:39','2008-10-30 11:10:39','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1074',0,'post','',0),(1080,2,'2008-10-31 11:12:27','2008-10-31 11:12:27','<a href=\"http://mikejay.net/articles/darkness-over-all/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1079\" style=\"border: 0; float: left; margin: 8px;\" title=\"john_robison_portait\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/john_robison_portait.jpg\" alt=\"\" /></a>This <a href=\"http://mikejay.net/articles/darkness-over-all/\" target=\"_blank\">unpublished essay</a> by historian and SAJ contributor Mike Jay examines the origins of the Illuminati mythos in the imagination of establishment scientist and mathematician John Robison.\n\nThe unrestrained outpourings of a once brilliant mind, Robison\'s paranoid epic seems to have been fuelled by physical torment – eased only by heavy-duty opium use – and the fear that the brutal horrors of Revolution would expand from France to overrun all of Europe. \n\nRobison\'s <em>Proofs of a Conspiracy</em> was a runaway best seller in the tense climate of the late 18th century and would become the blueprint for all future conspiracy literature.\n\nFascinating stuff as always, from Mr Jay. \n\n<a href=\"http://mikejay.net/articles/darkness-over-all/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>\'Darkness Over All:\nJohn Robison and the birth of the Illuminati Conspiracy</em></a>\n\nread Robison\'s <a href=\"http://www.sacred-texts.com/sro/pc/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Proofs of a Conspiracy</a>','Darkness over all: the birth of the conspiracy','','publish','open','open','','darkness-over-all-the-birth-of-the-conspiracy','','','2008-10-31 11:12:27','2008-10-31 11:12:27','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1080',0,'post','',0),(1083,2,'2008-11-03 12:15:59','2008-11-03 12:15:59','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_WTM.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-912\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"wtm_cover1\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/wtm_cover1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"276\" height=\"400\" /></a>\n\n<em>Welcome to Mars</em> is now with us and we are taking advanced orders via the <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_WTM.html\" target=\"_blank\">Strange Attractor Shoppe</a>. Order now to get a free copy of the accompanying 70-minute audio CD from <a href=\"http://www.simonsound.co.uk/sound\" target=\"_blank\">Simon James</a>. Copies will start being dispatched from 14 November.\n\nWe\'re also thrilled to announce a launch party for the book, on Tuesday 18 November at the <a href=\"http://www.thehorsehospital.com\">Horse Hospital</a>. Simon will be playing live analogue electronics and Ken will do a short reading. Entry is free. Bring robot friends.\n\nAnd don\'t forget that on 20 November, Ken Hollings, Bruce Woolley, Simon James and Mark Pilkington will be performing a live audio-visual spectacular based on WTM at the <a href=\"http://www.shunt.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">Shunt Vaults,</a> as part of Graham Massey\'s Mondo Mancunia festival.\n\nPhew!','Welcome to Mars is go!','','publish','open','open','','1083','','','2008-11-03 12:15:59','2008-11-03 12:15:59','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1083',0,'post','',0),(1088,2,'2008-11-04 14:55:08','2008-11-04 14:55:08','Further and Strange Attractor Press will be laying low for a week while I head over to the<a href=\"http://www.ufoconference.com/\" target=\"_blank\"> Crash Retrieval UFO Conference</a> in Las Vegas. I\'ll be covering it for Fortean Times and doing some follow up research for Mirage Men with John Lundberg.\n\nIt should be a wild weekend, especially as the next US President ought to have been chosen just as we land. Will Vegas be crowned with fireworks or aflame and under martial law? Watch this space!','All quiet until 13 November','','publish','open','open','','all-quiet-until-13-november','','','2008-11-04 14:55:08','2008-11-04 14:55:08','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1088',0,'post','',0),(1096,2,'2008-11-13 09:33:31','2008-11-13 09:33:31','\"Dennis Combs, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Tyler, has been studying paranoia for about a decade. When he first started conducting paranoia studies, mostly in college students, he found that about 5 percent of them had paranoid thoughts. In recent years, that has tripled to about 15 percent, he said.\n\nIn a small experiment in London, Freeman concluded that a quarter of people riding the subway in the capital probably have regular thoughts that qualify as paranoia. In the study, 200 randomly selected people (those with a history of mental problems were excluded) took a virtual reality train ride. They recorded their reactions to computerized passengers programmed to be neutral.\n\nMore than 40 percent of study participants had at least some paranoid thoughts. Some felt intimidated by the computer passengers, claiming they were aggressive, had made obscene gestures, or tried to start a fight.\n\n...\"We are now starting to discover that madness is human and that we need to look at normal people to understand it,\" said Dr. Jim van Os, a professor of psychiatry at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.\" \n\n<em>Full story at </em><a href=\"http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/nov/12/paranoia-on-the-rise-experts-say/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Las Vegas Sun</em></a>','Paranoia rising','','publish','open','open','','paranoia-rising','','','2008-11-13 09:33:31','2008-11-13 09:33:31','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1096',0,'post','',0),(1100,2,'2008-11-13 09:47:00','2008-11-13 09:47:00','<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fgpDvoFcwM\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1101\" style=\"border: 0; margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: top;\" title=\"gyac1\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gyac1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"280\" /></a>\n\nJulian Doyle, director of the recent Aleister Crowley flick <em>Chemical Wedding</em>, talks to the family of AC\'s friend and some time acolyte Gerald Yorke about their collection of Crowleyana.\nFascinating, drool-inducing stuff over at <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fgpDvoFcwM\" target=\"_blank\">youtube</a>.\n\nVia <a href=\"http://dailygrail.com\" target=\"_blank\">Dailygrail</a> &amp; <a href=\"http://boingboing.net\">Boing Boing</a>','Crowleyana unveiled','','publish','open','open','','crowleyana-unveiled','','','2008-11-13 09:47:00','2008-11-13 09:47:00','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1100',0,'post','',0),(1107,2,'2008-11-16 12:40:27','2008-11-16 12:40:27','<span style=\"color: #551a8b; text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1493&amp;category=Environment\"></a><a href=\"http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1493&amp;category=Environment\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1108\" title=\"levittownfallingtriangle\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/levittownfallingtriangle.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"294\" /></a></span>\n\n<span><em>U</em></span><span><em>pper pink-colored disc with three oval lights, estimated by eyewitness to be about 60 to 100 feet above her apartment (in Levittown, PA). The grey pencil lines in triangular pattern represent the many little squares of sparkling light (about 1-inch square) that fell in air around the privet bush and  silver maple 65 feet away on June 12, 2008, for an estimated twenty minutes.</em></span><em>  </em><span><em>Sketch by Robert Gardner, MUFON, on July 18, 2008, not drawn to scale.</em></span><em>\n</em>\n\nClearly, news of <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_WTM.html\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Welcome to Mars</em></a> has reached the further reaches of the universe, or at least Lemuria... And in a strange wrinkle in time, the events described took place some months before WTM was even published!* <em>From Linda Moulton Howe\'s </em><a href=\"http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1493&amp;category=Environment\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Earthfiles</em></a><em> site.</em>\n\n[As an aside, while in Las Vegas earlier this month John Lundberg and myself were finally able, after nearly 3 years of trying, to interview the amazing Linda Howe for our <em>Mirage Men</em> documentary. Her segment will certainly be one of the film\'s highlights.]\n\n*for those who are wondering what the heck this post is about, the construction of Levittown and the first waves of UFO sightings are key themes of Ken Hollings\' new book.','Lights over Levittown','','publish','open','open','','lights-over-levittown-%e2%80%93-wtm-celebrations-worldwide','','','2008-11-16 12:40:27','2008-11-16 12:40:27','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1107',0,'post','',0),(1113,2,'2008-11-20 10:51:49','2008-11-20 10:51:49','Apologies to anyone who is still waiting for their mail order copies of <em>Welcome to Mars</em>. A sudden relocation of the SAP secret laboratory has held things up, but I will be posting copies out at the start of next week.\n\nOn another note, I\'ve just been informed that all three editions of Strange Attractor Journal are now out of print, so hang on to yours! More on this to follow.\n\nThanks, Mark.','WTM mailout blues','','publish','open','open','','wtm-mailout-blues','','','2008-11-20 10:51:49','2008-11-20 10:51:49','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1113',0,'post','',0),(1116,2,'2008-11-25 13:42:06','2008-11-25 13:42:06','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/medlonspread.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1117\" title=\"medlonspread\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/medlonspread.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nA lovely review of Medical London by Matt Brown over at <a href=\"http://network.nature.com/hubs/london/blog/2008/11/24/medical-london-the-best-book-about-london-in-years\" target=\"_blank\">Nature net</a>:\n\n<em>I read a lot of books about London. I have shelves full of them. My personal London library is now approaching 200 books, and my wife despairs.</em>\n\n<em> The newest addition to my collection is called Medical London. It’s also one of the finest histories of the city I’ve ever read. This is the debut from author Richard Barnett, and marks the emergence of an impressive talent. The writing flows like <del>a freshly severed artery</del> the eternal Thames, bringing a poetic touch to the realm of corpses, vomit and quackery.</em>\n\nThe good news is that Medical London will be flowing into shops as of today, so <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medical-London-City-Diseases-Cures/dp/0955876109/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1227620476&amp;sr=8-2\" target=\"_blank\">get yours</a> before it\'s too late.','Medical London: &#039;The Best Book About London For Years&#039;','','publish','open','open','','medical-london-the-best-book-about-london-for-years','','','2008-11-25 13:42:06','2008-11-25 13:42:06','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1116',0,'post','',0),(1119,2,'2008-12-02 17:10:08','2008-12-02 17:10:08','Sorry folks for the continued lack of activity here but a full, normal service will return with gusto next week. I\'ve spent the past two weeks with extremely limited Internet access and this has of course made running a web site somewhat difficult.\n\nThere are glad tidings from the frontline however:\n\n* <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/medical_london.html\" target=\"_blank\">Medical London</a> *really is* now wending its way into bookshops, as of today. Thanks to everyone who has waited patiently for their copies. Readings from <em>Sick City</em>, the collection of essays by Richard Barnett, can be heard all of this week on BBC Radio 4\'s <a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/book_week.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">Book of the Week</a>.\n\n* After my recent announcement that all three Journals are out of print I\'ve found a few boxes of <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/SAJ2_sell.html\" target=\"_blank\">SAJ2</a> behind the sofa (well, in somebody else\'s attic actually) so <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/SAJ2_sell.html\" target=\"_blank\">grab them</a> while you still can!\n\n* <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_WTM.html\" target=\"_blank\">Welcome to Mars</a> is selling well and initial reports are extremely favourable. The Wire magazine will be previewing Simon Jame\'s music on their own web site shortly and running a small feature on the book in their January issue. CD copies are <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_WTM.html\" target=\"_blank\">still available</a> for the time being.\n\nMark','Strange Attractor service update','','publish','open','open','','strange-attractor-service-update','','','2008-12-02 17:10:08','2008-12-02 17:10:08','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1119',0,'post','',0),(1121,2,'2008-12-09 10:24:22','2008-12-09 10:24:22','<a href=\"http://dalependell.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1122\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"2655384184_f5e2f2236e\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/2655384184_f5e2f2236e.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" /></a>\n\nGyrus has just launched a <a href=\"http://dalependell.com/\" target=\"_blank\">new web site</a> for the visionary ethnobotanist and poet <a href=\"http://dalependell.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Dale Pendell</a>.\n\nHere\'s an <a href=\"http://dreamflesh.com/interviews/dale-pendell/\" target=\"_blank\">interview</a> Gyrus conducted with Dale at this year\'s World Psychedelic Forum, complete with a terribly out of focus photograph by yours truly. Must have been something in the air. The one above is more like it!','Dale Pendell dot com','','publish','open','open','','dale-pendell-dot-com','','','2008-12-09 10:24:22','2008-12-09 10:24:22','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1121',0,'post','',0),(1124,2,'2008-12-10 11:10:24','2008-12-10 11:10:24','<a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/blackhole1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1125\" title=\"blackhole1\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/blackhole1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"475\" height=\"184\" /></a>\n\nThere\'s a super-massive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, and it\'s four million times heavier than our Sun.\n\n<em>\"Although we think of black holes as somehow threatening, in the sense that if you get too close to one you are in trouble, they may have had a role in helping galaxies to form - not just our own, but all galaxies.\" They had a role in bringing matter together and if you had a high enough density of matter then you have the conditions in which stars could form.Thus the first generation of stars and galaxies could have come into existence\".</em>\n\nMore super-massive thoughts over at the <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7774287.stm\" target=\"_blank\">BBC</a>','Galactic sinkhole','','publish','open','open','','galactic-sinkhole','','','2008-12-10 11:10:24','2008-12-10 11:10:24','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1124',0,'post','',0),(1129,2,'2008-12-17 11:38:00','2008-12-17 11:38:00','A combination of biblical flu and horrendous Post Office queues in the lead up to Xmas means that I will be shutting up the SA Shoppe until Monday 5 January 2009. Feel free to place orders between now and then, but they won\'t be posted out. Thanks!\n\nHere are Amazon links for our books - you\'ve still got a few days to get them this way:\n\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medical-London-City-Diseases-Cures/dp/0955876109/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1229514314&amp;sr=1-1\">Medical London</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Welcome-Mars-Fantasies-American-1947-1959/dp/0954805488/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1229514333&amp;sr=1-1\">Welcome to Mars</a> (without CD)\n\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Guide-History-Philosophy-Circle/dp/0954805429/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1229514362&amp;sr=1-1\">The Field Guide</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Far-Out-Strange-Tales-Sciences/dp/1932857877/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1229514291&amp;sr=8-1\">Far Out</a>','Shutting up Shoppe for holidays','','publish','open','open','','shutting-up-shoppe-for-holidays','','','2008-12-17 11:38:00','2008-12-17 11:38:00','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1129',0,'post','',0),(1133,2,'2008-12-24 11:58:04','2008-12-24 11:58:04','<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1134\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"hh\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/hh.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"275\" />\n\n<em>3am</em> magazine have just published an in-depth <a href=\"http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/everyone-should-have-their-own-factory-catalogue-number/\" target=\"_blank\">interview</a> with <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_WTM.html\" target=\"_blank\">Welcome to Mars</a> author Ken Hollings in which he shares his thoughts about WTM and talks about his work in words, music and performance.\n\n<em>The Flying Saucer, like the effects of LSD and the dangers of atomic radiation are all phenomena whose real power exists outside the human sensory spectrum: each in its own way defies detection and categorization in any conventional sense. They are, in the words of former RAND president Donald Rumsfeld, ‘known unknowns’. One way of studying them is to examine how large organizations, such as RAND and the Pentagon, respond to their existence; another is to examine them obliquely through popular culture, to see how the public imagination responds to it. Reactions to the Flying Saucer were conditioned to an appreciable extent by the spread of the new electronic media and the interdisciplinary approach to mass communication that accompanied them during the period covered in my book. It’s not an accident that 1957, the year which sees Sputnik launched into Earth orbit is also the year when Marshall McLuhan first publicly states that the medium is the message.</em>\n\nRead it <a href=\"http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/everyone-should-have-their-own-factory-catalogue-number/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>','Ken Hollings at 3am','','publish','open','open','','ken-hollings-at-3am','','','2008-12-24 11:58:04','2008-12-24 11:58:04','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1133',0,'post','',0),(1136,2,'2008-12-24 13:16:44','2008-12-24 13:16:44','How the art of the illusionists is contributing to neurology:\n\n<em>Magicians are so adept at manipulating attention that cognitive scientists have started bringing them into their labs to learn more. Susana Martinez-Conde of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, is one. \"My hope is that the cognitive illusions of magicians can help scientists understand awareness, just as visual illusions have helped us to understand sight,\" she says....  \"For years, scientists have been reinventing wheels that magicians have known about for ages.\"</em>\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026872.900-magicology-casting-a-spell-on-the-mind.html?page=1\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a>','Magicology: the science of illusion','','publish','open','open','','magicology-the-science-of-illusion','','','2008-12-24 13:16:44','2008-12-24 13:16:44','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1136',0,'post','',0),(1138,2,'2008-12-31 10:10:36','2008-12-31 10:10:36','<img style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" src=\"http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/461512570_4a929dec36.jpg?v=0\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"299\" />\n\nAnd enjoy your <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/30/leap-second-new-year\" target=\"_blank\">extra second</a> tonight, wherever you may be...\n\n<em>British physicists and official timekeepers around the world will insert an extra second or \"leap second\" into the new year countdown to bring the most accurate atomic clocks in line with the astronomical day.</em>\n\n<em>\"The difference between atomic time and Earth time has now built up to the point where it needs to be corrected, so this New Year\'s Eve we will experience a rare 61-second minute at the very end of 2008 and revellers all over the UK will have an extra second to celebrate,\" said Peter Whibberley, a senior research scientist at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington who is helping to coordinate the time update.</em>\n\n<em><a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/30/leap-second-new-year\" target=\"_blank\">The Guardian</a></em>','Happy New Year!','','publish','open','open','','happy-new-year','','','2008-12-31 10:10:36','2008-12-31 10:10:36','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1138',0,'post','',0),(1141,2,'2009-01-05 09:40:30','2009-01-05 09:40:30','The headline promises more than it could possibly offer, but interesting nonetheless...\n\n<em>STONE circles on Mars are prompting a rethink about the planet\'s ancient climate.\n</em>\n\n<em>Using cameras on NASA\'s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, </em><em>Matt Balme</em><em> of the Open University in Milton Keynes, UK, and his colleagues mapped the Elysium Planitia, a region near the equator. They saw rings up to 23 metres across made up of stones sorted by size into concentric bands.</em>\n\n<em>On Earth, similar structures form via repeated freezing and thawing of ice, but with the stones sorted into layers. Water in soil under stones freezes faster than in surrounding soil, and the expanding ice pushes the stones upwards. Larger stones rise faster, and so layers sorted by size form.</em>\n\n<em>What sorts the material concentrically is a mystery, but if a freeze-thaw mechanism was responsible, there must have been liquid water near the surface recently. This would mean that the climate was once 40 to 60 °C warmer than conventional estimates suggest.</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126883.600-mystery-stone-circles-may-point-to-water-on-mars.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&amp;nsref=online-news\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a>','Stone Circles of Mars','','publish','open','open','','stone-circles-of-mars','','','2009-01-05 09:40:30','2009-01-05 09:40:30','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1141',0,'post','',0),(1144,2,'2009-01-05 09:58:24','2009-01-05 09:58:24','The U.S. Air Force are attempting to make Nikola Tesla\'s dream of power transmission from the atmosphere to the Earth a reality.\n\nIlluminating a lightbulb isn\'t quite as dramatic as <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_energy_transfer\" target=\"_blank\">what Tesla envisaged</a> over a century ago, but it\'s a start...  \n\n<em>The project as now blueprinted involves the building of two satellite systems concurrently, one “heavy” and one “light.” Each satellite would weigh some 400 pounds or less, with the desired launch dates in 2010.</em>\n\n<em>The “heavy” satellite mission represents a more complicated set of tasks and greater expense than its counterpart. It involves placing on orbit a satellite that will collect power and broadcast it to Earth via laser, broadcasting it to a special ground receiving station where a lightbulb would be illuminated.</em>\n\n<em>The “light” satellite mission would receive laser energy from the ground, lighting up a lightbulb. Visual observation of the light on the satellite being illuminated during the laser broadcast will indicate success.</em>\n\nMore info at the project\'s <a href=\"http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_self\">web site</a>\n\nVia <a href=\"http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/10/20/power-beaming-satellite-one-lightbulb-experiment/\" target=\"_blank\">Live Science</a>','Power transmission via satellite','','publish','open','open','','power-transmission-via-satellite','','','2009-01-05 09:58:24','2009-01-05 09:58:24','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1144',0,'post','',0),(1148,2,'2009-01-06 08:50:21','2009-01-06 08:50:21','<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1sF7E422yM\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1149\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"criswell\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/criswell.jpg\" alt=\"criswell\" width=\"427\" height=\"324\" /></a>\n\n\"Greetings my friends, we are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives, whether we want to or not\".\n\nWe all love <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Criswell\" target=\"_blank\">Jeron Criswell</a>, the LA psychic and TV and radio personality, now best known for his appearance in Ed Wood\'s <em>Plan 9 From Outer Space</em> and, as it happens, a key player in Ken Hollings\'<em> <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_WTM.html\" target=\"_blank\">Welcome to Mars</a>.</em>\n\nNow<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1sF7E422yM\" target=\"_blank\"> here he is</a> on the Johnny Carson show (and not for the first time) on New Year\'s Eve 1965, which was about as much exposure as one could gain for yourself at the time. He prognosticates on the year ahead, talking about Moon landings, nude ranches and the discovery of the Hollow Earth.\n\n<em>Via Greg Bishop at the fantastic </em><a href=\"http://www.ufomystic.com/wake-up-down-there/criswell-predicts-1966/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>UFO Mystic</em></a>','Criswell Predicts 1966','','publish','open','open','','criswell-predicts-1966','','','2009-01-06 08:50:21','2009-01-06 08:50:21','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1148',0,'post','',0),(1152,2,'2009-01-06 09:24:49','2009-01-06 09:24:49','<em>\"The car skidded to a halt like something out of Starsky &amp; Hutch and this officer jumped out very dramatically and said \'what are you doing?\' I told him I was photographing the building and he said he was going to search me under the Anti-Terrorism Act,\" he recalled.</em>\n\n<em>For Reuben Powell, this brush with the law resulted in five hours in a cell after police seized the lock-blade knife he uses to sharpen his pencils. His release only came after the intervention of the local MP, Simon Hughes, but not before he was handcuffed and his genetic material stored permanently on the DNA database.</em>\n\n<em>Every week photographers wielding their cameras in public find themselves on the receiving end of warnings either by police, who stop them under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, or from over-eager officials who believe that photography in a public area is somehow against the law.</em>\n\nFull story at the <a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/photographers-criminalised-as-police-abuse-antiterror-laws-1228149.html\" target=\"_blank\">Independent</a>','UK photographers facing harassment','','publish','open','open','','uk-photographers-facing-harassment','','','2009-01-06 09:24:49','2009-01-06 09:24:49','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1152',0,'post','',0),(1154,2,'2009-01-06 12:09:16','2009-01-06 12:09:16','<a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00gd7hr/Sunday_Feature_Vril/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1155\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"51uwrjeluhl_ss500_\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/51uwrjeluhl_ss500_.jpg\" alt=\"51uwrjeluhl_ss500_\" width=\"240\" height=\"240\" /></a>\n\nSAJ contributors Mike Jay and Gary Lachman are amongst the disembodied voices discussing the joys of Edward Bulwer Lytton\'s Vril in this recent <a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00gd7hr/Sunday_Feature_Vril/\" target=\"_blank\">BBC Radio 3 documentary</a> presented by Matthew Sweet.\n\n<em>Matthew Sweet finds out about Vril, the infinitely powerful energy source of the species of superhumans which featured in Victorian author and politician Edward Bulwer Lytton\'s pioneering science fiction novel The Coming Race. Although it was completely fictional, many people were desperate to believe it really existed and had the power to transform their lives. With a visit to Knebworth House, Lytton\'s vast, grandiloquent Gothic mansion, where Matthew meets Lytton\'s great-great-great-grandson, and hears how his book was meant to be a warning about technology, soulless materialism and utopian dreams. At London\'s Royal Albert Hall, he discovers how a doctor, Herbert Tibbits, along with a handful of aristocrats, tried to promote the notion of electrical cures and the possibility of a \'coming race\'. Along the way, Matthew and his contributors consider why so many English people have been so desperate to see the fantasy of regeneration transformed into fact.</em>\n\nAvailable <a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00gd7hr/Sunday_Feature_Vril/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a> until 11 January 2009.','Vril power at the BBC!','','publish','open','open','','vril-power','','','2009-01-06 12:09:16','2009-01-06 12:09:16','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1154',0,'post','',0),(1158,2,'2009-01-07 08:30:21','2009-01-07 08:30:21','Might what Einstein mocked as \'spooky action at a distance\', or quantum entanglement, be occurring at the deepest genetic levels? A puzzling new discovery about DNA behaviours might seem to suggest so.\n\n<em>Scientists are reporting evidence that contrary to our current beliefs about what is possible, intact double-stranded DNA has the “amazing” ability to recognize similarities in other DNA strands from a distance. Somehow they are able to identify one another, and the tiny bits of genetic material tend to congregate with similar DNA. The recognition of similar sequences in DNA’s chemical subunits, occurs in a way unrecognized by science. There is no known reason why the DNA is able to combine the way it does, and from a current theoretical standpoint this feat should be chemically impossible.</em>\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2008/12/does-dna-have-t.html\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Galaxy</a>','DNA and quantum entanglement?','','publish','open','open','','dna-and-quantum-entanglement','','','2009-01-07 08:30:21','2009-01-07 08:30:21','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1158',0,'post','',0),(1162,2,'2009-01-07 10:07:02','2009-01-07 10:07:02','Perhaps time traveller <a href=\"http://www.johntitor.com/\" target=\"_blank\">John Titor</a> was right, he\'d just got his dates wrong.\nThis from the Wall St Journal...\n\n<em>For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010. For most of that time, he admits, few took his argument -- that an economic and moral collapse will trigger a civil war and the eventual breakup of the U.S. -- very seriously. Now he\'s found an eager audience: Russian state media.</em>\n\n<em>Mr. Panarin posits, in brief, that mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar. Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the U.S. will break into six pieces -- with Alaska reverting to Russian control...</em>\n\n<em>He based the forecast on classified data supplied to him by FAPSI analysts, he says. He predicts that economic, financial and demographic trends will provoke a political and social crisis in the U.S. When the going gets tough, he says, wealthier states will withhold funds from the federal government and effectively secede from the union. Social unrest up to and including a civil war will follow. The U.S. will then split along ethnic lines, and foreign powers will move in.\n\nCalifornia will form the nucleus of what he calls \"The Californian Republic,\" and will be part of China or under Chinese influence. Texas will be the heart of \"The Texas Republic,\" a cluster of states that will go to Mexico or fall under Mexican influence. Washington, D.C., and New York will be part of an \"Atlantic America\" that may join the European Union. Canada will grab a group of Northern states Prof. Panarin calls \"The Central North American Republic.\" Hawaii, he suggests, will be a protectorate of Japan or China, and Alaska will be subsumed into Russia.\n\n</em>\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html#articleTabs=article\" target=\"_blank\">WSJ</a>, via the <a href=\"http://www.anomalist.com\" target=\"_blank\">Anomalist</a> \n\n<em>\n</em>','2010: America&#039;s End?','','publish','open','open','','2010-the-end-of-america','','','2009-01-07 10:07:02','2009-01-07 10:07:02','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1162',0,'post','',0),(1166,2,'2009-01-08 09:23:04','2009-01-08 09:23:04','This could prove very interesting...\n\n<em>A Vietnam veterans group is suing the CIA for \"thousands of secret experiments to test toxic chemical and biological substances under code names such as MKULTRA.,\" its attorneys said today.<span style=\"font-style: normal;\"> </span>According to the veterans, the experiments, conducted over a 25 year period, included:</em>\n\n<em>·    the use of troops to test nerve gas, psychochemicals, and thousands of other toxic chemical or biological substances, and ... the insertion of septal implants in the brains of subjects in ... mind control experiments that went awry, leaving many civilian and military subjects with permanent disabilities;\n\n·    the failure to secure informed consent and other widespread failures to follow the precepts of U.S. and international law regarding the use of human subjects, including the 1953 Wilson Directive and the Nuremberg Code;\n\n·    a ... refusal by the DoD, the CIA, and the Army to ... locate the victims of their ... experiments or to provide health care or compensation to them;\n\n·    the  destruction by the CIA of evidence and files</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/spytalk/2009/01/vietnam-vets-sue-cia-for-secre.html\" target=\"_blank\">Full story</a>\n\nvia Wired\'s <a href=\"http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/01/mkultra-lawsuit.html\" target=\"_blank\">Danger Room</a>\n\n<em>\n</em>','New CIA Mind Control court case','','publish','open','open','','new-cia-mind-control-court-case','','','2009-01-08 09:23:04','2009-01-08 09:23:04','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1166',0,'post','',0),(1168,2,'2009-01-12 09:41:14','2009-01-12 09:41:14','Strange Attractor Press will be at <a href=\"http://bookcamp.pbwiki.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Bookcamp 09</a> this Saturday, 17 January 2009. Come and say hello if you make it along.\n\n<em>Bookcamp will consider the future of the Book as an object and examine its ongoing role as a delivery mechanism for stories, information and entertainment. Participants and self-selected guests will choose the agenda for the day, forming breakup groups to discuss and potentially create future book technologies.</em>\n\n<em>Our plan is for this to be a day of talking and doing - examining the role of the book as an object and as a delivery mechanism for content. We\'re inviting authors, typographers, cover designers, printers, technologists, retailers, literary agents, publishers and geeks to come along and consider if and how technology can transform and perhaps improve on The Book. Will print on demand mean the end of the bookshop? Will ebook technology allow everyone to be their own publisher? Will printed books go the way of vinyl and become collectors objects? Are games the new novels? And does format matter or, to paraphrase Berry Gordy, is it what in the groove that counts?</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://bookcamp.pbwiki.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Bookcamp</a>\n\n<strong>The Hub,  </strong>34b York Way,London, N1 9AB  [<a href=\"http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34b%20York%20Way,+London,++N1%209AB+United%20Kingdom&amp;hl=en\" target=\"_blank\">map</a>]','Bookcamp 09','','publish','open','open','','bookcamp-09','','','2009-01-12 09:41:14','2009-01-12 09:41:14','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1168',0,'post','',0),(1170,2,'2009-01-14 09:21:51','2009-01-14 09:21:51','<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1171\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"mg20126905600-1_300\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/mg20126905600-1_300.jpg\" alt=\"mg20126905600-1_300\" width=\"300\" height=\"306\" />\n\nAre these flights of fantasy predecessors of the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_airship\" target=\"_blank\">mystery airships</a> that haunted the US and Europe in the late 19th century?\n\n<em>In 1844, Parisians with an extra franc in their pocket could wander to the outskirts of the city and buy entry to a mysterious building on Impasse du Maine, a narrow dead-end street just behind the new railway station at Montparnasse. Inside a cavernous hangar, proprietor Edmond Marey-Monge and his team of workmen laboured away, soldering together long sheets of metal to make a giant sphere. Just what this contraption was for only became clear after examining the blueprints: valves for introducing hydrogen and attachments for a passenger gondola hinted at a new mode of transport. The gleaming sphere, Marey-Monge announced, was a \"ballon de cuivre\" - a brass balloon.</em>\n\n<em>METAL airships are one of the oldest notions in aeronautics. As early as 1670, Italian mathematician Francesco Lana published his <span style=\"font-style: normal;\">Demonstration of the Feasibility of Constructing a Ship With Rudder and Sails, Which Will Sail Through the Air</span>. Lana proposed evacuating the air from a set of copper spheres, which he reasoned would weigh less than the surrounding air and would ascend until the weight of the sphere reached equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere. He calculated that four vacuum spheres, each with a diameter of 7.5 metres, could lift a boat carrying six passengers.</em>\n\nFull story by Paul Collins in <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126905.600-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-metal-airship.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&amp;nsref=online-news\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a>.','Brass balloons and metal airships','','publish','open','open','','brass-balloons-and-metal-airships','','','2009-01-14 09:21:51','2009-01-14 09:21:51','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1170',0,'post','',0),(1174,2,'2009-01-15 09:56:26','2009-01-15 09:56:26','<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1180\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"mars\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/mars.jpg\" alt=\"mars\" width=\"304\" height=\"307\" />\n\nAfter all the hooplah yesterday about this new Mars announcement, including my own over-excited meanderings - preserved for posterity below - here\'s a sober account of the methane plumes of Mars from <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16429-martian-methane-traced-to-three-hotspots.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&amp;nsref=online-news\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist\n</a><em>Methane gas in the Martian atmosphere is concentrated in three specific regions, according to the most sensitive measurements yet made. The discovery will likely stoke further debate on the source of the gas, which could be created through geological processes but might be tantalising evidence of life below the Martian surface.</em>\n\n<em>Since methane was first discovered on Mars in 2003, three teams have found signatures of the gas using ground-based telescopes as well as Europe\'s Mars Express orbiter.</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16429-martian-methane-traced-to-three-hotspots.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&amp;nsref=online-news\" target=\"_blank\"></a><!--more-->[my original over-excited posting follows] \n\n<a href=\"http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2133475.ece\" target=\"_blank\">The Sun</a>, of all places, seems to be the first international newspaper to be breaking this news... perhaps they got a healthy sales spike with the  UFO vs wind turbine story last week.\n\nApparently NASA will today make an announcement about the discovery of methane in the Mars atmosphere. I\'ll post up more news as it appears, though I expect this will be everywhere if it happens.\n\nOne member of the original 1976 Viking Lander team, Gilbert Levin, has always insisted that their experiments detected microbial life on the Red Planet, and publically <a href=\"http://www.space.com/news/spacehistory/viking_life_010728-1.html\" target=\"_blank\">restated it in 2001</a>, though nobody paid him much attention. \n\nAnd this just in from our correspondent in Deep Space, well Halifax, Tim Chapman:\n\n\" I’ve a strong feeling of ‘Hmmm…’ about this, if only because<a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3577551.stm\" target=\"_blank\"> we’ve known about the methane for nearly five years</a> and the rest seems extremely hypothetical. It’ll be ‘Wind turbine felled by farting aliens’ next…\"\n\nSo why is NASA making a big newsday out of this one? Is it because <a href=\"http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&amp;sid=aGMy_XFWN_VY&amp;refer=home\" target=\"_blank\">major changes are being threatened</a> by the new Obama administration?\n\n<em>ALIEN microbes living just below the Martian soil are responsible for a haze of methane around the Red Planet, Nasa scientists believe. The gas, belched in vast quantities in our world by cows, was detected by orbiting spacecraft and from Earth using giant telescopes.</em>\n\n<em></em>\n\n<em></em>\n\n<em></em>\n\n<em></em>\n\n<em> </em>\n<p class=\"article\"><em>Nasa are today expected to confirm its presence during a briefing at their Washington HQ. And the find is seen as exciting new evidence that Martian microbes are still alive today.</em></p>\n<p class=\"article\"><em>Some scientists reckon methane is also produced by volcanic processes. But there are </em><strong><em>NO known active volcanoes on Mars.</em></strong></p>\n<p class=\"article\"> </p>\n<p class=\"article\"> </p>','Swamp Gas on Mars! v2...','','publish','open','open','','swamp-gas-on-mars','','','2009-01-15 09:56:26','2009-01-15 09:56:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1174',0,'post','',0),(1191,2,'2009-01-16 09:11:37','2009-01-16 09:11:37','Those of us who have thrilled to Michael Talbot\'s classic of meta-fortean speculation, <em><a href=\"http://twm.co.nz/hologram.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Holographic Universe</a> </em>or the denser work of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bohm#The_holonomic_model_of_the_brain\" target=\"_blank\">David Bohm</a> will be happy to hear that the idea is rippling its way back into focus. This from <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126911.300-our-world-may-be-a-giant-hologram.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&amp;nsref=online-news\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a>:\n\n<em>Craig Hogan, a physicist at the Fermilab particle physics lab in Batavia, Illinois, GEO600 has stumbled upon the fundamental limit of space-time - the point where space-time stops behaving like the smooth continuum Einstein described and instead dissolves into \"grains\", just as a newspaper photograph dissolves into dots as you zoom in...\n</em>\n\n<em>Hogan, who has </em><em>just been appointed </em><em>director of Fermilab\'s Center for Particle Astrophysics, has an even bigger shock in store: \"If the GEO600 result is what I suspect it is, then we are all living in a giant cosmic hologram.\"</em>\n\n<em>The idea that we live in a hologram probably sounds absurd, but it is a natural extension of our best understanding of black holes, and something with a pretty firm theoretical footing. It has also been surprisingly helpful for physicists wrestling with theories of how the universe works at its most fundamental level.</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126911.300-our-world-may-be-a-giant-hologram.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&amp;nsref=online-news\" target=\"_blank\">Full story</a>','The Holographic Universe v2','','publish','open','open','','the-holographic-universe-v2','','','2009-01-16 09:11:37','2009-01-16 09:11:37','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1191',0,'post','',0),(1198,2,'2009-01-20 09:24:38','2009-01-20 09:24:38','<a href=\"http://www.ubu.com/film/michaux_images.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1197\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"michaux\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/micheaux.jpg\" alt=\"michaux\" width=\"400\" height=\"298\" /></a>\n\n<em>\'An educational film produced in 1963 by the film department of Swiss pharmaceutical company Sandoz (best known for synthesizing LSD in 1938) in order to demonstrate the hallucinogenic effects of mescaline and hashish. Still it shares many traits with some of the more interesting efforts in avant-garde film making of its time. Maybe the most remarkable about it is that it is the only venture in film of notable French writer and painter </em><em>Henri Michaux </em><em>who wrote several accounts of his experiments with drugs. In charge with the filmic translation of Michaux’ prescriptions was director Eric Duvivier (a nephew of </em><em>Julien Duvivier</em><em>) whose other films include an adaptation of Max Ernst’s collage novel </em><em>La femme 100 têtes</em><em>. Sceptical from the start about the success of such an undertaking Michaux was said to be quite disappointed by the result.\' (text <a href=\"http://ombresblanches.wordpress.com/2007/05/13/most-vivid-images/\">Ombres Blanches)</a></em>\n\n<em>Now showing at <a href=\"http://www.ubu.com/film/michaux_images.html\" target=\"_self\">Ubuweb</a> \n<span style=\"font-style: normal;\">[note, somebody\'s computer screen makes an unwelcome cameo for a couple of minutes half way through, spoiling the otherwise intense mood]</span></em>','Images du monde visionnaire (1964)','','publish','open','open','','images-du-monde-visionnaire-1964','','','2009-01-20 09:24:38','2009-01-20 09:24:38','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1198',0,'post','',0),(1205,2,'2009-01-23 09:33:02','2009-01-23 09:33:02','This is starting to sound like the premise for an updated version of Nigel Kneale\'s <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stone_Tape\" target=\"_blank\">The Stone Tape</a> (1972).\n\n<em>“Spooky action at a distance” is how Albert Einstein famously derided the concept of quantum entanglement—where objects can become linked and instantaneously influence one another regardless of distance. Now researchers suggest that this spooky action in a way might work even beyond the grave, with its effects felt after the link between objects is broken.</em>\n\n<em>In experiments with quantum entanglement, which is an essential basis for quantum computing and cryptography, physicists rely on pairs of photons. Measuring one of an entangled pair immediately affects its counterpart, no matter how far apart they are theoretically. The current record distance is 144 kilometers, from La Palma to Tenerife in the Canary Islands.</em>\n\n<em>In practice, entanglement is an extremely delicate condition. Background disturbances readily destroy the state—a bane for quantum computing in particular, because calculations are done only as long as the entanglement lasts. But for the first time, quantum physicist Seth Lloyd of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests that memories of entanglement can survive its destruction. He compares the effect to Emily Brontë’s novel </em><em>Wuthering Heights</em><em>: “the spectral Catherine communicates with her quantum Heathcliff as a flash of light from beyond the grave.”</em>\n\nFull story <a href=\"http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=quantum-entanglement\" target=\"_blank\">Scientific American</a>','Haunting the quantum field','','publish','open','open','','haunting-the-quantum-field','','','2009-01-23 09:33:02','2009-01-23 09:33:02','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1205',0,'post','',0),(1210,2,'2009-01-25 23:17:47','2009-01-25 23:17:47','<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1212\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;\" title=\"urthona_ada\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/urthona_ada.jpg\" alt=\"urthona_ada\" width=\"320\" height=\"321\" />\n\nStrange Attractor is thrilled and a little surprised to announce a new stage in the evolution of Further Recordings. What began as a small protuberance is now a full grown, wriggling tentacle. And are those baby teeth growing inside its suckers?...ahhhh.\n\nThe cause for celebration is the release of Further 004 – <em>Amid Devonia\'s Alps</em> by Urthona – almost 60 minutes of soaring, unrelenting guitar worship and field recordings from deepest Dartmoor.\n\nUrthona\'s first release, <em><a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/urthona.html\" target=\"_blank\">I Refute it Thus</a></em> (Head Heritage 2008) caused something of a minor sensation on its release, hailed as  \'<em>one of THE greatest Drone albums ever made\'. \'Three enormous tracks populate this debut, commencing with an Ur-garage racket that conjures up visions of the Barrett Floyd hammering T. Dream\'s early 45 \'Ultima Thule\', before plateauing out into two exceedingly beautiful and enormously vast eternities of axe overload, ernie-ernieing seagull dives, digital distortion and microphonic feedback somewhere along the lines of Nadja, To Blacken The Pages and the Angelic Process, but even better and even more useful.\'</em>\n\n<em></em>\n\nSnippets - 2.5 mins each, taken from 20 minute tracks but should provide some flavour.\n\n/ <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/mp3/barbaricyawp.mp3\">barbaricyawp.mp3</a> (3.2 MB)\n/ <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/mp3/watersofthefen.mp3\">watersofthefen.mp3</a> (2.2 MB)\n/ <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/mp3/bornpsychedelic.mp3\">bornpsychedelic.mp3</a> (2.4 MB)\n\n \n\nBoth Albums are available now from the <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/urthona.html\" target=\"_blank\">Strange Attractor Shoppe.</a>\n\nRead on for more about Further Recordings past and present...<!--more-->Initially we expect Further CDs to be available only via the <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/urthona.html\" target=\"_blank\">Shoppe</a>, though we hope to make arrangements with a few other online suppliers and possibly select record shoppes. Watch this space for Further developments. \n\nAll Further CDs will come in elaborate card gatefold packaging designed and produced especially for the label by Kennet Print in Devizes, Wiltshire. The packaging, including inserts, is 100% post-consumer recycled card and uses vegetable-based inks.\n\nFurther Recordings will be sporadic affairs, produced in small editions, so don\'t expect a flood of material, though we can see a few more eggs in the hatchery already. Future releases from will include a forthcoming collaboration between Urthona and The Asterism plus albums from Spectral, Raagnagrok, Oort, The Asterism and others.\n\nPlease do get in touch (further.recordings_@_googlemail.com) if you would like to know more, if you would like to stock our wares or think your sounds might fit our stable.\n\n<em><strong>Further back...</strong></em>\n\n<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1213\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;\" title=\"mvat_bscd\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/mvat_bscd.jpg\" alt=\"mvat_bscd\" width=\"320\" height=\"253\" />\n\nFurther 001 was Mount Vernon Astral Temple\'s <em>Bent Sinister by Sound</em>, an edition of 33 copies in a hand-packaged edition. Released in 2005 and immediately out of print.\n\nFurther 002 is the as-yet-unreleased <em>or...</em> by Spectral, a double CD of deep microtonal drift and gently curling sonic incense, due to emerge sometime in 2009 in another microscopic edition.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_WTM.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1214\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;\" title=\"wtm_simonjames\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/wtm_simonjames.jpg\" alt=\"wtm_simonjames\" width=\"320\" height=\"330\" /></a>\n\nFurther 003 is Simon James\'  soundtrack to Ken Hollings <em><a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_WTM.html\" target=\"_blank\">Welcome to Mars</a></em>, given free to those who have bought the book direct from the Shoppe.\n\nAnd that brings us neatly to Further 004 and the present...','Urthona: Amid Devonia&#039;s Alps','','publish','open','open','','urthona-amid-devonias-alps','','','2009-01-25 23:17:47','2009-01-25 23:17:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1210',0,'post','',0),(1224,2,'2009-01-26 08:16:16','2009-01-26 08:16:16','<em>What comes across in accounts of Jung’s involvement with the Nazis is that, like anyone else, the great man was capable of damaging mistakes and misjudgments, a charge made against Jung by one of his closest collaborators, the Jewish psychoanalyst Jolande Jacobi. Jung’s misjudgments included commenting on the differences between the German and Jewish psyches at a time when such remarks, no matter how “objective” or “scientific,” would be used for odious purposes by the Nazi racial hacks. Pronouncements on the “old” Jewish psyche and the “youthful” German one were bound to be misread in the dark days of the 1930s, notwithstanding that Jung made these comments in the context of others about the “western” and “eastern” psyches, and wasn’t singling the Jews out for criticism. Likewise, Jung’s remark that the Jews seem “never to have created a cultural form of their own,” but require a “host nation,” would have been read in 1934 (when it was made) in one way only, that the Jew was a parasite, feeding off its Aryan host, no matter that Jewish philosophers like Otto Weininger and Ludwig Wittgenstein made similar remarks (and clearly, that they said it doesn’t make it true).</em>\n\nA lengthy excerpt from SA pal Gary Lachman\'s excellent new book, <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/ASIN/0835608573/\" target=\"_blank\">Politics and the Occult</a></em>, over at the <a href=\"http://www.dailygrail.com/features/gary-lachman-occult-nazis-the-jung-case\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Grail</a>.','Gary Lachman on Jung the fascist','','publish','open','open','','gary-lachman-on-jung-the-fascist','','','2009-01-26 08:16:16','2009-01-26 08:16:16','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1224',0,'post','',0),(1227,2,'2009-01-27 08:52:53','2009-01-27 08:52:53','<a href=\"http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr08/articles/radiophonic.htm\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1230\" style=\"border: 0; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;\" title=\"2113331_radiophonic_pic_6_oram\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/2113331_radiophonic_pic_6_oram.jpg\" alt=\"2113331_radiophonic_pic_6_oram\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n<em>Britain in the 1950s was a bleak place, as the nation struggled to rebuild itself after the devastation of war. Food rationing had continued right up until 1954, when bananas finally came back on sale; anything worth having was still in short supply. We now think of the \'50s as the rock &amp; roll years, but the UK charts for 1958 tell quite a different story. Elvis was there for a few weeks; so was Jerry Lee Lewis — but the chart is mostly dominated by the likes of Perry Como, Connie Francis and Vick Damone. It was a dull time for music, but things were about to get more interesting...</em>\n\nIf you grew up in the UK and are aged between about 25 and 80, then chances are your first exposure to experimental electronic music came via the sounds of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. \n\nHere, in superb detail, is their story, courtesy of <em><a href=\"http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr08/articles/radiophonic.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Sound on Sound</a></em>.\n\n[You can also watch this <a href=\"http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cKPGzX5kZd0\" target=\"_blank\">BBC documentary</a> on Youtube, in six parts.]','The BBC Radiophonic Workshop','','publish','open','open','','the-bbc-radiophonic-workshop','','','2009-01-27 08:52:53','2009-01-27 08:52:53','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1227',0,'post','',0),(1235,2,'2009-01-30 09:06:26','2009-01-30 09:06:26','While this is probably good news for the people of Linha São Pedro, we must confess to a tiny sense of disappointment that the <em>Boys from Brazil</em> was just fiction after all.\n\n<em>Brazilian scientists have rejected claims that the Nazi doctor Josef Mengele – notorious for his experiments at </em><em>Auschwitz</em><em> – was responsible for creating a tribe of twins in a small town near the border with Argentina.</em>\n\n<em>In his book, Mengele: The Angel Of Death In South America, Argentine historian Jorge Camarasa claims that Mengele made regular trips to Linha São Pedro, a small and predominantly German settlement near the city of Cândido Godói in Brazil, during the 1960s. Shortly afterwards, the birth rate of twins began to spiral, he says.</em>\n\n<em>However, Ursula Matte of the medical genetics unit at Porto Alegre Hospital in Brazil and her colleagues reject any notion that Mengele was responsible for the phenomenon. Her team was invited to Linha São Pedro during 1994 to investigate reports of a higher than average number of twin births in the town.</em>\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16492-nazi-angel-of-death-not-responsible-for-town-of-twins.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&amp;nsref=online-news\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a>','Twins not Mengele&#039;s children','','publish','open','open','','twins-not-mengeles-children','','','2009-01-30 09:06:26','2009-01-30 09:06:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1235',0,'post','',0),(1237,2,'2009-02-03 11:18:39','2009-02-03 11:18:39','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/strangeattractor/sets/72157613204963059/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1238\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"3245267236_5fc2156b35\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/3245267236_5fc2156b35.jpg\" alt=\"3245267236_5fc2156b35\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" /></a>\n\n<em>A Charlotte, N.C., man was charged with first-degree murder of a 79-year-old woman whom police said he scared to death. In an attempt to elude cops after a botched bank robbery, the Associated Press reportsthat 20-year-old Larry Whitfield broke into and hid out in the home of Mary Parnell. Police say he didn\'t touch Parnell but that she died after suffering a heart attack that was triggered by terror. </em>\n\n<em>Can the fugitive be held responsible for the woman\'s death?</em>\n\nA neurologist answers, over at <a href=\"http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=scared-to-death-heart-attack\" target=\"_blank\">Scientific American</a>\n\n[photo: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/strangeattractor/sets/72157613204963059/\" target=\"_blank\">nightmare #3</a> by Mark Pilkington]','Scared to Death?','','publish','open','open','','scared-to-death','','','2009-02-03 11:18:39','2009-02-03 11:18:39','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1237',0,'post','',0),(1242,2,'2009-02-04 11:10:15','2009-02-04 11:10:15','Not as elaborate or elegant as Walter Murch\'s notion of the Pantheon as a repository for ancient <a href=\"http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/heliocentric-pantheon-interview-with.html\" target=\"_blank\">heliocentric astronomical knowledge</a>, but still plenty interesting:\n\n<em>During the six months of winter, the light of the noon sun traces a path across the inside of the Pantheon\'s domed roof. During summer, with the sun higher in the sky, the shaft shines onto the lower walls and floor. At the two equinoxes, in March and September, the sunlight coming in through the hole strikes the junction between the roof and wall, above the Pantheon\'s grand northern doorway (pictured). A grille above the door allows a sliver of light through to the front courtyard - the only moment in the year that it sees sunlight if its main doors are closed </em><em>(see diagram)</em><em>.</em>\n\n<em>Robert Hannah reckons this is no coincidence. A hollowed-out hemisphere with a hole in the top was a type of sundial used in Roman times, albeit on a much smaller scale, to show the time of year. While the Pantheon\'s dome is quite flat on the outside, it forms a perfect hemisphere inside. \"This is quite a deliberate design feature,\" says Hannah.</em>\n\nFull story at <a href=\"During the six months of winter, the light of the noon sun traces a path across the inside of the domed roof. During summer, with the sun higher in the sky, the shaft shines onto the lower walls and floor. At the two equinoxes, in March and September, the sunlight coming in through the hole strikes the junction between the roof and wall, above the Pantheon\'s grand northern doorway (pictured). A grille above the door allows a sliver of light through to the front courtyard - the only moment in the year that it sees sunlight if its main doors are closed (see diagram).\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a>','The Pantheon as a sundial','','publish','open','open','','pantheon-as-sundial','','','2009-02-04 11:10:15','2009-02-04 11:10:15','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1242',0,'post','',0),(1246,2,'2009-02-04 15:56:35','2009-02-04 15:56:35','<a href=\"http://www.scrapclub.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1247\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"scrap1\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/scrap1.jpg\" alt=\"scrap1\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nStrange Attractor and Disinformation will perform \'Circuit Blasting\' at a special St Valentine\'s Day <a href=\"http://www.scrapclub.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">Scrap Club</a> event on Saturday 14 February.\n\nThis will be our first time at SC, but if taking sledgehammers to vehicles, machines and household objects to the sound of loud music is your idea of romance, then you should probably <a href=\"http://www.scrapclub.co.uk/nextevent.html\" target=\"_blank\">book a ticket</a>  for yourself and a date now, as there are only 100 to be had.\n\n|| Scrap Club at Area 10, Peckham, London SE15 [<a href=\"http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=d&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=&amp;saddr=Unknown%2Broad%2B%4051.474190,%2B-0.069150&amp;daddr=&amp;mra=pr&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=112221264498433681015.0004350f9696867d6e807&amp;ll=51.474447,-0.069394&amp;spn=0.008073,0.014763&amp;z=16&amp;om=1\" target=\"_blank\">map</a>], 6pm - 11pm\n|| Tickets £8 <a href=\"http://www.scrapclub.co.uk/nextevent.html\" target=\"_blank\">advance</a>','Circuit Blasting at Scrap Club, 14 Feb','','publish','open','open','','circuit-blasting-at-scrap-club-14-feb','','','2009-02-04 15:56:35','2009-02-04 15:56:35','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1246',0,'post','',0),(1250,2,'2009-02-04 16:06:26','2009-02-04 16:06:26','<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-576\" style=\"border: 00px solid black; margin: 8px;\" title=\"rgkwindill.jpg\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/rgkwindill.jpg\" alt=\"rgkwindill.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" />\n\n<a href=\"http://www.raagnagrok.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">Raagnagrok</a> bring their patent(ly ridiculous) synth and electric sitar sound to Club Integral\'s benefit day for <a href=\"http://www.resonancefm.com\" target=\"_blank\">Resonance FM</a>. We\'ll probably be on in the afternoon, giving us time to enjoy the many other fantastic sounds to be heard from: Jowe Head (Swell Maps), Tetine, Proxy Music, Oscillatorial Binnage, The Temperatures, Superstrings, Steve Greekshire, Raagnagrok, No Frills Band, Frank Bagay and The Topsy Turvy Band.  \n\n\'Club Integral presents an all-day (4.00 PM - 11.00 PM) Resonance Radio Benefit Gala, featuring music from an dazzling array of musical talent including. Come and support the legendary community/arts radio station, and catch some of the best music in town. Global filmic magic from Jaime Rory Lucy of Rucksack Cinema and music from the ineffable DJ Chris Cornetto. Vegan food will be available.\'\n\n4-11pm at The Grosvenor Arms, 17 Sidney Road, Stockwell, London, SW9 0TP [<a href=\"http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&amp;source=s_q&amp;hl=en&amp;q=17+Sidney+Rd,+Lambeth,+London+SW9,+United+Kingdom&amp;sll=53.800651,-4.064941&amp;sspn=12.844022,22.939453&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;cd=4&amp;geocode=FbReEQMdojX-_w&amp;split=0&amp;ll=51.470063,-0.117073&amp;spn=0.006603,0.011201&amp;z=16&amp;iwloc=addr\" target=\"_blank\">map</a>].\nTickets a mere £5. Grok you there!\n\nRaagnagrok are also on the bill at A Music Club on Thursday 12 Feb, alongside the mighty <a href=\"http://www.manfromuranus.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Man From Uranus</a>, and the indefatigable <a href=\"http://www.nowtheband.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Now</a>.\n\nAt the Others, 6-8, manor rd, stoke Newington, london N16 5SA [<a href=\"http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&amp;source=s_q&amp;hl=en&amp;q=Manor+Rd,+Hackney,+London+N16,+United+Kingdom&amp;sll=53.800651,-4.064941&amp;sspn=11.279519,24.697266&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;cd=1&amp;geocode=FTjXEgMdT8n-_w&amp;split=0&amp;ll=51.566987,-0.079522&amp;spn=0.011577,0.024118&amp;z=15&amp;iwloc=addr\" target=\"_blank\">map</a>].\nFrom 7pm until midnight, £4','Raagnagrok in London, 12 &amp; 15 February','','publish','open','open','','raagnagrok-at-resonance-fm-benefit-15-feb','','','2009-02-04 16:06:26','2009-02-04 16:06:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1250',0,'post','',0),(1256,2,'2009-02-05 08:58:41','2009-02-05 08:58:41',' \n\n<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1257\" title=\"102482604_3b51925b28_o\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/102482604_3b51925b28_o.jpg\" alt=\"102482604_3b51925b28_o\" width=\"400\" height=\"272\" />\n\n<em>Very sad news from California. </em>\n\n<em><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">For Immediate Release: February 4, 2009</span></em>\n\nLux Interior, lead singer of The Cramps, passed away this morning due to an existing heart condition at Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, California at 4:30 AM PST today. Lux has been an inspiration and influence to millions of artists and fans around the world. He and wife Poison Ivy’s contributions with The Cramps have had an immeasurable impact on modern music.\n\nThe Cramps emerged from the original New York punk scene of CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, with a singular sound and iconography. Their distinct take on rockabilly and surf along with their midnight movie imagery reminded us all just how exciting, dangerous, vital and sexy rock and roll should be and has spawned entire subcultures. Lux was a fearless frontman who transformed every stage he stepped on into a place of passion, abandon, and true freedom. He is a rare icon who will be missed dearly.\n\nThe family requests that you respect their privacy during this difficult time.\n\nvia <a href=\"http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2009/02/lux-interior-rip.html\" target=\"_blank\">WFMU</a>','Lux Interior RIP','','publish','open','open','','lux-interior-rip','','','2009-02-05 08:58:41','2009-02-05 08:58:41','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1256',0,'post','',0),(1260,2,'2009-02-09 09:27:04','2009-02-09 09:27:04','Or even a step towards a concept analogous to Rupert Sheldrake\'s morphic fields?\n\n<em>WHAT was your mother up to before you were even a twinkle in her eye? You might not think it matters, but it seems that in mice at least, mothers that receive mental training before they become pregnant can pass on its cognitive benefits to their young.</em>\n\n<em>Previous studies in both people and animals have shown that a mother\'s experiences while pregnant can affect her offspring\'s gene expression and health, even years later. However, it was not known if experiences prior to pregnancy had an effect...\n\n \"The mother [mouse] can modulate the intellectual capacity of her young,\" he says. \"If it happens in humans it has immense implications.\" But he wishes Feig had pinned down exactly how the cognitive effects are inherited. \"It smells like epigenetics, but there\'s no proof.\"\n\n<span style=\"font-style: normal;\">Full story at </span><a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126945.100-can-experiences-be-passed-on-to-offspring.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&amp;nsref=online-news\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">New Scientist</span></a>\n\n</em>','Gestationary imprinting?','','publish','open','open','','gestationary-imprinting','','','2009-02-09 09:27:04','2009-02-09 09:27:04','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1260',0,'post','',0),(1265,2,'2009-02-11 09:36:58','2009-02-11 09:36:58','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/12687061@N05/3266727590/\"><img class=\"alignnone\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" src=\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3463/3266727590_491142c85f.jpg?v=0\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nCouldn\'t resist this photograph from the recent lunchtime concert at Glasgow University put together by Drew Mulholland of Mount Vernon Arts Lab <em>et al</em>.\n\nOn the left MISTY, my own <a href=\"http://www.analoguesystems.co.uk/index2.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Analogue Systems </a>case, on the right John Cavanagh of Phosphene\'s <a href=\"http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/vcs3.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">EMS VCS3</a>. Oh and there\'s a Steinway grand piano - the world\'s largest reverb unit - lurking in the background. Phwoar!\n\nJohn and I improvised in a highly satisfying Kluster-esque vein. A recording of the entire concert was made and may become available in some format.\n\n[photo by <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/12687061@N05/3266727590/\">John Cavanagh</a>]','Synth p*rn (adults only)','','publish','open','open','','synth-prn-adults-only','','','2009-02-11 09:36:58','2009-02-11 09:36:58','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1265',0,'post','',0),(1273,2,'2009-02-18 09:27:51','2009-02-18 09:27:51','<em>Synaesthesia seems to underpin some savants\' enhanced memory and numerical skills. The hope is that a better understanding of its origins could help to explain savant abilities - and perhaps even shine some light on whether we are all capable of attaining them.\n</em>\n\n<em>The condition is thought to arise when extra connections in the brain cross between regions responsible for separate senses. </em>\n\n<em>...if we are genetically disposed to develop synaesthesia, does that rule out the possibility of inducing the experience? To find out, Roi Cohen Kadosh from Imperial College London and colleagues hypnotised four volunteers so that they viewed numbers as having innate colours, known as grapheme-colour synaesthesia. The volunteers then looked at a series of coloured slides, some with a black digit in the centre and some without.</em>\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126955.200-hypnosis-used-to-induce-synaesthesia.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&amp;nsref=online-news\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a>','DIY Synaesthesia','','publish','open','open','','diy-synaesthesia','','','2009-02-18 09:27:51','2009-02-18 09:27:51','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1273',0,'post','',0),(1276,2,'2009-02-19 10:41:43','2009-02-19 10:41:43','<a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/dn16578-anatomy-specimens-as-art/1\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1277\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"turk\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/turk.jpg\" alt=\"turk\" width=\"343\" height=\"500\" /></a>\n\nFantastic photographs from continental anatomical collections by James Mundie.\nOver at <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/dn16578-anatomy-specimens-as-art/1\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a>.\n\nThanks Gnat Ward!','The Turk and other curiosities','','publish','open','open','','the-turk-and-other-curiosities','','','2009-02-19 10:41:43','2009-02-19 10:41:43','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1276',0,'post','',0),(1281,2,'2009-02-19 12:19:08','2009-02-19 12:19:08','A few weeks ago <a href=\"http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page18339\" target=\"_blank\">a petition request </a> was circulated around the extremely broad London live music community protesting government plans to force live music venues to introduce noise limiters. These rather annoying devices cut all the power to a PA if a certain decibel limit is reached. Needless to say <a href=\"http://www.raagnagrok.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">Raagnagrok</a> have more than once suffered traumatic <em>grokus interruptus</em> thanks to over-zealous limiters.\n\nNow the UK govt has made an official response to the petition, stating:\n\n<span dir=\"ltr\"><em>We are pleased to tell you that there is no truth in claims that the Government is planning to introduce a requirement for entertainment venues to fit noise control devices. </em></span>\n\n<span dir=\"ltr\"><em>Each Local Authority Licensing Authority considers every live music application on its merits, and decisions are made entirely by them.   However, the Licensing Act 2003 does not allow mandatory conditions for live music to be imposed across the board.  It would not be possible to impose such a condition without a change in the law and such a change is not, and never has been, on the Government’s agenda.</em></span>\n\n<span dir=\"ltr\"><em>There is also no legal requirement under health and safety legislation for entertainment venues to have noise control devices fitted, nor is there any proposal.</em></span>\n\n<em>The Government is acutely aware of the contribution that music makes to our culture and we remain committed to a vibrant and flourishing creative sector, of which live music plays an essential part. </em>\n\nSo how did this rumour get started? It would be interesting to trace it back to its origin and show how this urban legend spread like wildfire within the confines of the musical community.\n\nWe also have to wonder how many other thousands of signatures and email addresses have been reaped on the back of such panics.','London noise control an urban legend?','','publish','open','open','','london-noise-control-an-urban-legend','','','2009-02-19 12:19:08','2009-02-19 12:19:08','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1281',0,'post','',0),(1283,2,'2009-02-24 12:08:49','2009-02-24 12:08:49','<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1284\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 00px solid black; margin: 8px;\" title=\"goldsabbat_savagepencil\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/goldsabbat_savagepencil.jpg\" alt=\"goldsabbat_savagepencil\" width=\"358\" height=\"500\" />\n\nIllustrator and artist Savage Pencil has a stunning exhibition of new work on display in the basement of the Atlantis Bookshop. \n\nGold Sabbat features new automatic works on paper depicting dreams inspired by the Hexen ceremony and Montague Summers, amongst others. Most of the images are monoprints in bold colour, a first for the artist, while others incorporate collage and pen and ink work that is at times reminiscent of Max Ernst, Austin Osman Spare and Henri Michaux.\n\nFrom Tuesday 24 February to Monday 23 March at <a href=\"http://www.theatlantisbookshopevents.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Atlantis Bookshop,</a> 49 Museum St, London. Open Monday to Saturday 11am till 6pm','Savage Pencil: Gold Sabbat','','publish','open','open','','savage-pencil-gold-sabbat','','','2009-02-24 12:08:49','2009-02-24 12:08:49','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1283',0,'post','',0),(1287,2,'2009-03-02 18:10:46','2009-03-02 18:10:46','<img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-1289\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"menger1\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/menger1.jpg\" alt=\"menger1\" width=\"200\" height=\"258\" />\n\nHoward Menger, one of the most charming and colourful of the golden era UFO contactees, died on 25 February at his Florida home. He was 87.\n\nReports Greg Bishop:\n\n<em>...in 1956, [Menger] appeared on the Long John Nebel radio show, along with contactee George Van Tassel. He talked about contacts with space brothers (and more specifically -sisters) who appeared to him beginning when he was ten years old. Some of his later published descriptions sound distinctly sexual in nature, although he carefully couched them in language that could be construed as platonic.\n</em>\n\n<em>He also started taking pictures of the space people and their ships, although most who saw the photos say that they are quite indistinct. On August 4th of 1956, Menger said he was invited on board one of the flying saucers. The next month he said that the space people took him for a joyride where he saw alien civilizations on other planets and structures on the Moon.</em>\n\n<em>Later that year, an attractive young woman named Connie Weber appeared at one of Menger’s gatherings. He thought that she was the reincarnation of a blond spacewoman that he had known (in the biblical sense) in a previous life on Venus. He soon left his first wife an family to begin a new life of lectures and touring on the Contactee circuit. Many investigators visited the Menger home and interviewed witnesses whose stories varied with the telling or did not match each other...</em>\n\n<em>In 1960, Menger appeared on a TV show with Nebel and basically recanted his entire story. He later said that he was involved in some sort of Army test of public reaction to possible alien contact. </em>\n\nGreg has a lengthy obit at his <a href=\"http://www.ufomystic.com/wake-up-down-there/howard-menger-passes/\" target=\"_blank\">UFO Mystic</a> site.\n\nIn 1957 Howard and his then wife Marla made an LP, \'Authentic Music from Another Planet\'. To honour his passing I present a piece I assembled back in 2002, which mixes some of Menger\'s narration from that album with \'Babyfood\' by <a href=\"http://thresholdhouse.greedbag.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Coil</a>.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/mp3/saturnsuite.mp3\">saturnsuite.mp3</a>','Howard Menger&#039;s Final Journey','','publish','open','open','','howard-mengers-final-journey','','','2009-03-02 18:10:46','2009-03-02 18:10:46','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1287',0,'post','',0),(1293,2,'2009-03-04 12:57:37','2009-03-04 12:57:37','<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://ghostbox.co.uk/boxes/flyer12.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1294 aligncenter\" style=\"vertical-align: top; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; border: 0px initial initial;\" title=\"bycsmall\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/bycsmall.jpg\" alt=\"bycsmall\" width=\"283\" height=\"400\" /></a></p>\n\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Belbury Youth Club Night \n</span></strong><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">11th March</span></span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">at </span></span><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: x-small;\"><a href=\"http://www.shunt.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Shunt Lounge</span></a></span><span style=\"color: #ffffff; font-size: x-small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, 20 Stainer St, SE1 9RL (tube: London Bridge)</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"http://ghostbox.co.uk/news.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Ghost Box</a> in association with Trunk Records present:</span></span>\n\n<span>Live electronics from James Cargill &amp; Trish Keenan of Broadcast with animation by Julian House.\n\nThroughout the evening we\'ll be screening a programme of rare, unsettling and forgotten TV drama and public information.\n\nDJs:  Julian House &amp; Jim Jupp (Ghost Box), Woebot, Mark Pilkington (Strange Attractor), and Jonny Trunk\n\n</span>\n\nEntry: £5, doors from 6pm (first come first serve - no advance sales)','Belbury Youth Club Night: Shunt, 11 March','','publish','open','open','','belbury-youth-club-night-shunt-11-march','','','2009-03-04 12:57:37','2009-03-04 12:57:37','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1293',0,'post','',0),(1298,2,'2009-03-05 13:00:20','2009-03-05 13:00:20','<img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1300\" style=\"border: 0; float: left; margin: 8px;\" title=\"1716\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/1716.jpg\" alt=\"1716\" width=\"113\" height=\"151\" />\n\nI\'m excited to be speaking at this inaugural <em>London Lore</em> conference, alongside <em>Medical London</em> author Richard Barnett, <em>The Folklore of</em> <em>London </em>author Anthony Clayton, Ross McFarlane from the Wellcome Library, amongst others. Tickets are selling fast, so <a href=\"http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/events_details.asp?EventsID=343\" target=\"_blank\">book yours</a> now.\n\n<em>The London Lore conference: exploring London’s traditions, customs and folklore, old and new.</em>\n\n<em><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">Leaf-covered men striding the streets of south </span><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">London</span><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">, a time machine in West Brompton, strange goings on in the city’s public houses, a shrine to the ‘outcast dead’ down a Borough side street, magical talismans gathered in early twentieth century </span><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">London</span><span style=\"font-style: normal;\"> and much more. </span><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">London</span><span style=\"font-style: normal;\"> rituals and some of the people behind them are brought to light at the London Lore conference.</span>\n</em>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The Folklore Society &amp; South East London Folklore Society presents ‘London Lore’, a one-day conference on London Folklore to be held at the Bishopsgate Institute, Bishopsgate, EC2M.</p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">25<sup>th</sup> April 2009, 9.30am – 5.30pm, £10 / £8 concessions.(Buy tickets <a href=\"http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/events_details.asp?EventsID=343\">online</a>).</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">More <a href=\"http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/events_details.asp?EventsID=343\" target=\"_blank\">info here. </a></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Full lineup after the break.</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\"><!--more--> The complete line-up for the London Lore Conference is:</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\"> Sarah Crofts:<span>               </span>The Deptford Jack-in-the-Green</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Sonia Ritter: <span>               </span>‘The Lions Part’ Bankside festivals: the old in the new</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Doc Rowe:<span>                  </span>London seasonal celebrations</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Paul Cowdell:<span>              </span>Rats, redstarts, and ravens: animal-identified London</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Noel Rooney:<span>              </span>London fox lore</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Richard Barnett:<span>          </span>Folklore, medicine and the body in London\'s history</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Scott Wood:<span>                </span>The Helpful Terrorist: An Urban Legend</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Ross MacFarlane:<span>       </span>Edward Lovett and the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Neil Gordon Orr &amp; Steve Roud:<span>             </span>Urban Magic: Edward Lovett and the Lovett Collection</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Mark Pilkington:<span>          </span>The Brompton Cemetery time machine</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">John Constable:<span>          </span>The Southwark Mysteries and the Crossbones Shrine</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Antony</span><span lang=\"EN-GB\"> Clayton:<span>           </span>Strange brew – the folklore of London pubs</span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\"> <span lang=\"EN-GB\">Line-up can be subject to change. All speakers are available for an individual interview: please do not hesitate to contact Scott Wood on </span><span lang=\"EN-GB\"><a href=\"mailto:scott@selfs.org.uk\">scott@selfs.org.uk</a></span><span lang=\"EN-GB\"> / </span></span></p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span><a href=\"http://www.selfs.org.uk\" target=\"_blank\">The South East London Folklore Society</a> (SELFS) is a voluntary group that has been running for a number of years creating events based around folklore, magic and mystery.<a href=\"http://www.selfs.org.uk/\"><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: none;\"> </span></a></span></p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span> <a href=\"http://www.folklore-society.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Folklore Society</a> (FLS) is a learned society devoted to the study of traditional culture in all its forms. It was founded in London in 1878 and was one of the first organisations established in the world for the study of folklore. </span></p>\n\n</span></span>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\"> </span></p>','London Lore Conference: 25 April','','publish','open','open','','london-lore-conference-25-april','','','2009-03-05 13:00:20','2009-03-05 13:00:20','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1298',0,'post','',0),(1302,2,'2009-03-09 17:48:45','2009-03-09 17:48:45','<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1303\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"monster_mummy_2\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/monster_mummy_2.jpg\" alt=\"monster_mummy_2\" width=\"400\" height=\"308\" />\n\nOver at <a href=\"http://www.pinktentacle.com/2009/03/monster-mummies-of-japan/\" target=\"_self\">Pink Tentacle</a>','Monster Mummies of Japan','','publish','open','open','','monster-mummies-of-japan','','','2009-03-09 17:48:45','2009-03-09 17:48:45','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1302',0,'post','',0),(1305,2,'2009-03-10 23:18:24','2009-03-10 23:18:24','<a href=\"http://raagnagrok.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1306\" style=\"border: 00px solid black; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"rgk_gm\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/rgk_gm.jpg\" alt=\"rgk_gm\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nMesopotamian astral grokkers Raagnagrok have finally updated their website with two new MP3s:\n\n<em><a href=\"http://raagnagrok.co.uk/sturm.mp3\" target=\"_blank\">Riders on the Sturm</a> (10MB)\n</em><em><a href=\"http://raagnagrok.co.uk/pelee.mp3\" target=\"_blank\">Mount Pelee, 25 April 1902</a> </em>(10MB)\n\nplus new photos, an updated gig list (fascinating) and quite possibly more to come.\n\nEnter<span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: none;\"> </span><span style=\"color: #551a8b; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http://raagnagrok.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">Raagnagrok</a></span>','Raagnagrok site overhaul','','publish','open','open','','raagnagrok-site-overhaul','','','2009-03-10 23:18:24','2009-03-10 23:18:24','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1305',0,'post','',0),(1309,2,'2009-03-11 11:55:01','2009-03-11 11:55:01','<a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article5877764.ece\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1310\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"chimpanzee_2__500558a\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/chimpanzee_2__500558a.jpg\" alt=\"chimpanzee_2__500558a\" width=\"385\" height=\"185\" /></a>\n\n[some of the rocks stockpiled by Santino]\n\n<em>When Santino the chimpanzee started pelting zoo visitors with stones, his keepers were mystified.</em>\n\n<em>Not that they were surprised by his displays of aggression — the 31-year-old chimp is, after all, a dominant male. But there was no obvious source of stones in his enclosure; so where was he finding all the missiles?</em>\n\n<em>All became clear when they carried out a search and found his stockpiles of rocks. Santino had been fishing stones from the moat surrounding his enclosure - and, even more impressively, he had been shaping odd pieces of concrete into aerodynamic disc-shaped missiles. Then he had been stashing them away for future use.</em>\n\n<em>...It seems chimpanzees, too, are capable of forward planning, and have a sophisticated understanding of past and future. The chimp is also furtive about his behaviour, almost as if he knows he is being sneaky.</em>\n\n<em>“I\'ve never been able to get a good picture of him collecting the stones,” said Mathias Osvath, of Lund University, who has made a study of Santino. “As soon as he sees you he stops.”</em>\n\n<em>...“These observations convincingly show that our fellow apes do consider the future in a very complex way,” Dr Osvath said.</em>\n\n<em>“It implies that they have a highly developed consciousness, including life-like mental simulations of potential events.</em>\n\nFull story at the <a href=\"http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article5877764.ece\" target=\"_blank\">Times</a>','Strategic warfare in chimps','','publish','open','open','','thinking-chimp-stockpiles-weapons','','','2009-03-11 11:55:01','2009-03-11 11:55:01','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1309',0,'post','',0),(1315,2,'2009-03-18 11:46:58','2009-03-18 11:46:58','<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1316\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;\" title=\"ufo_s_1367994c\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/ufo_s_1367994c.jpg\" alt=\"ufo_s_1367994c\" width=\"460\" height=\"288\" />\n\nFrom the <a href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/5007735/UFOs-photographed-over-London.html\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Telegraph</a>:\n\n<em>Derek Burdon was left stunned when he took a scenic pictures [sic] of the UK capital then noticed four flying saucers on the far right of the picture.</em>\n\n<em>Mr Burdon took the photographs 16 floors up on the roof top of Orion House in Covent Garden in the morning.</em>\n\n<em>Although invisible to the naked eye, the shapes can be clearly seen on the picture.</em>\n\nHmm, I love the retro-style saucer styling. My initial knee-jerk reaction would be that these might be reflections on the glass inside the building that Mr Burdon was taking the photos from. But as always the only smart thing to do is watch and see how this pans out. \n\nSomehow the image reminds me of the famous photo taken in 1962 by <a href=\"http://www.topfoto.co.uk/gallery/UFOs/ppages/ppage1.html\" target=\"_blank\">Alex Birch</a> in Sheffield, a <a href=\"http://www.uk-ufo.org/condign/casehoax6.htm\" target=\"_blank\">complex story</a> in itself.\n\nThis is not necessarily to suggest I suspect a hoax in the current instance btw... \n\n<em>Thanks <a href=\"http://wellcomelibrary.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ross McFarlane</a>!</em>','UFOs over London!','','publish','open','open','','ufos-over-london','','','2009-03-18 11:46:58','2009-03-18 11:46:58','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1315',0,'post','',0),(1324,2,'2009-03-24 22:18:57','2009-03-24 22:18:57','<em>Researchers at a US Navy laboratory have unveiled what they say is \"significant\" evidence of cold fusion, a potential energy source that has many skeptics in the scientific community.</em>\n\n<em>The scientists on Monday described what they called the first clear visual evidence that low-energy nuclear reaction (LENR), or cold fusion devices can produce neutrons, subatomic particles that scientists say are indicative of nuclear reactions.</em>\n<div class=\"ad-instory\"></div>\n<em>\"Our finding is very significant,\" said analytical chemist Pamela Mosier-Boss of the US Navy\'s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR) in San Diego, California.</em>\n\n<em>\"To our knowledge, this is the first scientific report of the production of highly energetic neutrons from a LENR device,\" added the study\'s co-author in a statement.</em>\n\n<em>The study\'s results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Salt Lake City, Utah.</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.a67cf72fe27770f9ec992da18169937d.a1&amp;show_article=1\" target=\"_blank\">Full story</a>','Navy cold fusion?','','publish','open','open','','naval-cold-fusion','','','2009-03-24 22:18:57','2009-03-24 22:18:57','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1324',0,'post','',0),(1328,2,'2009-03-26 14:05:09','2009-03-26 14:05:09','<a href=\"http://www.equinoxfestival.org/news.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1332\" style=\"float: left; margin: 8px;\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/equinoxfest.jpg\" alt=\"equinoxfest\" width=\"220\" height=\"220\" /></a>Strange Attractor is excited to be involved with the first <a href=\"http://www.equinoxfestival.org/news.html\" target=\"_blank\">Equinox Festival</a>, to be held in London\'s <a href=\"http://www.conwayhall.org.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">Conway Hall</a> (site of our own <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/megalithomania.html\" target=\"_blank\">Megalithomania</a> event in 2002) on June 12-14 2009.\n\nEquinox is currently hosting 13 bands, 12 speakers and 10 films, all drawn together by their diverse but dedicated explorations of esoteric themes, traditions and ideas.\n\nThere\'s too much good material to list it all here, but highlights include:\n\n* The first UK performance in 35 years of acid-folk legends <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comus_(band)\" target=\"_blank\">Comus</a>. The original band will perform their bizarre and beguiling album <em>First Utterance </em>in full, in what is sure to become a sell-out concert.\n\nOther musics include performances from SA faves <a href=\"http://aethenor.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Aethenor</a> and <a href=\"http://www.helixes.org/arktau-eos/index02.html\" target=\"_blank\">Arktau Eos</a>, John Zorn, Ze\'v, The Anti Group and Yan-gant-y-tan (featuring Andy Sharp of <a href=\"http://www.english-heretic.org.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">English Heretic</a>, Leila Badriya, Frances Morgan and Mark Pilkington).\n\n* Amongst the speakers are Erik Davis, Edwin Pouncey, Ralph Metzner, Philip Farber and David Beth.\n\n* Films to be screened include work about Maya Deren, Alan Moore and Harry Smith and by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Craig Baldwin.\n\nStrange Attractor has been acting as a consultant on the festival, and will publish an accompanying book of essays and artwork that doubles as a festival programme. More details on this are to follow, but a special edition will be made available.\n\nTickets for what is sure to be an exhausting and enlightening 48+ hours are a mere £80 and are available <a href=\"http://www.equinoxfestival.org/tickets.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>\n\nFull festival details <a href=\"http://www.equinoxfestival.org\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>\n\nWe\'ll have further updates on the Equinox as they come in. Watch this space and see you there!','Equinox Festival: London, June 09','','publish','open','open','','equinox-festival-london-june-09','','','2009-03-26 14:05:09','2009-03-26 14:05:09','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1328',0,'post','',0),(1335,2,'2009-04-05 10:37:56','2009-04-05 10:37:56','<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1336\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"spare_front_z1\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/spare_front_z1.jpg\" alt=\"spare_front_z1\" width=\"312\" height=\"450\" />\n\nEnterprising absinthiste Oliver Matter has concocted a special brew dedicated to the English artist and occultist <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Osman_Spare\" target=\"_blank\">Austin Osman Spare</a>. \n\n\'The first batch was distilled on Spare\'s birthday, 30 December. The formula is taken from J. De Brevans 1897 manual <em> La fabrication des liqueurs, </em>with slight modifications to achieve a balanced<em> </em>taste. The result is a complex yet smooth, harmonic and mellow Absinthe. \n\nOliver Matter uses only organic the highest quality botanicals, locally cultivated wherever possible. Herbs such as small wormwood and hyssop are added for colouring. No sugar or artificial substances are added to the mix. \'\n\nThe bottle is decorated with a beautiful Spare pastel from 1946, <em>Astral Body and Ghost,</em> from the collection of SA pal <a href=\"http://www.cyclobe.com\" target=\"_blank\">Ossian Brown</a>.\n\nYou can buy a bottle or two <a href=\"http://www.absinthe.de/en/shop/authentic-absinthe/article/absinthe-brevans-spare/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\n\nThose curious to know more about the history of Absinthe should pick up a copy of SA pal Phil Baker\'s <a href=\"http://www.dedalusbooks.com/top.php?id=00000127&amp;s=1\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Dedalus Book of Asinthe</em></a>. Meanwhile, watch this space for major Spare-related news in the near future.','Austin Spare absinthe','','publish','open','open','','austin-spare-absinthe','','','2009-04-05 10:37:56','2009-04-05 10:37:56','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1335',0,'post','',0),(1339,2,'2009-04-06 20:36:28','2009-04-06 20:36:28','<img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1342\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"pg11_1\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/pg11_1.jpg\" alt=\"pg11_1\" width=\"150\" height=\"220\" />A BBC Radio documentary about William Sargant, respected psychiatrist and author of <em>Battle for the Mind </em>(1957), one of the first books about mind control, the dangers of which the author was a firm believer in. In 1976 Sargant would be called as an expert witness at the Patty Hearst trial.\n\nThere was another aspect to Sargant, which the Scientology anti-psychiatry site <a href=\"http://www.freedommag.org/english/vol36I2/page11.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Freedom</a> helpfully describes: \n\n<em>And there was another dark, secret side to William Sargant. He had a voracious sexual appetite that could not be satisfied by a normal relationship. Even though he had married a delightful woman named Peggy, he had made it clear he wanted no children. Whatever Peggy may have suspected, she never challenged him about the way he regularly disappeared for a weekend. His destinations were mansions in the depths of the English countryside where those recovering from the dull gray years of World War II had found a new way to satisfy themselves at “swinger” parties. Many were out-and-out orgies—often attended by doctors, lawyers and pillars of their churches.</em>\n\nListen or download the documentary via the excellent <a href=\"http://speechification.com/2009/04/06/revealing-the-mind-bender-general/\">Speechification</a>','Mindbender General','','publish','open','open','','mindbender-general','','','2009-04-06 20:36:28','2009-04-06 20:36:28','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1339',0,'post','',0),(1344,2,'2009-04-08 11:26:51','2009-04-08 11:26:51','<img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1345\" style=\"border: 0; float: left; margin: 8px;\" title=\"grimoires\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/grimoires.jpeg\" alt=\"grimoires\" width=\"200\" height=\"302\" />\n\n \n\nHistorian of witchcraft Owen Davies, author of an excellent new history of Grimoires, has provided his top ten magical books to the <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/apr/08/history\" target=\"_blank\">Guardian</a>.\n\nDavies\' own magic tome, which covers Akashic Library records from the <em>Clavicule</em><em> of Solomon</em> to the <em>Necronomicon, </em>will inform budding magi and delight haunted bibliophiles on every aetheric plane. \n\nRead about it <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/apr/08/history\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.','Top Ten Grimoires','','publish','open','open','','top-ten-grimoires','','','2009-04-08 11:26:51','2009-04-08 11:26:51','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1344',0,'post','',0),(1353,2,'2009-04-09 10:35:47','2009-04-09 10:35:47','<img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1354\" style=\"border: 0; float: left; margin: 8px;\" title=\"48526-haeckel-kunstformen-kl-15\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/48526-haeckel-kunstformen-kl-15.jpg\" alt=\"48526-haeckel-kunstformen-kl-15\" width=\"240\" height=\"320\" />Ohh,  the <a href=\"http://wellcomelibrary.blogspot.com/2009/04/art-forms-in-nature.html\" target=\"_blank\">Wellcome Library</a> blog announces that they\'ve acquired a full set of Haeckel\'s beautiful <em>Kunstformen der Natur </em>(artforms in nature).\n\n<em>It consists of one hundred colour plates which are intended to justify Haeckel\'s adaptation of Goethe\'s \"typological\" biology. The \"typologies\" which they publicise are analogous forms in different domains, such as the antlers of the African antelope, the scales of fish and the sense-organs of bats.</em>\n\nSA pal Ross Mcfarlane at the Wellcome also notes that the library has copies of all the grimoires listed in Owen Davies\' <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/apr/08/history\" target=\"_blank\">top ten</a>, though their copy of the <em>Necronomicon</em> is missing.\n\nSee for yourself at the magnificent <a href=\"http://wellcomelibrary.blogspot.com/2009/04/art-forms-in-nature.html\" target=\"_blank\">Wellcome Library</a>','Kunstformen der Natur','','publish','open','open','','kunstformen-der-natur','','','2009-04-09 10:35:47','2009-04-09 10:35:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1353',0,'post','',0),(1358,2,'2009-04-13 18:24:44','2009-04-13 18:24:44','<img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1359\" title=\"arithmetic\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/arithmetic.jpg\" alt=\"arithmetic\" width=\"361\" height=\"500\" />','SAVD at INIVA','','publish','open','open','','savd-at-iniva','','','2009-04-13 18:24:44','2009-04-13 18:24:44','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1358',0,'post','',0),(1362,2,'2009-04-15 12:14:13','2009-04-15 12:14:13','<a href=\"http://www.abramsbooks.com/Books/Mushroom_Magick-9780810996311.html\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1363\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"c\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/c.jpg\" alt=\"c\" width=\"237\" height=\"358\" /></a>\n\nSA pal and Journal illustrator Arik Roper\'s first book is about to hit the shelves in the US. <em><a href=\"http://www.abramsbooks.com/Books/Mushroom_Magick-9780810996311.html\" target=\"_blank\">Mushroom Magick</a></em> features beautiful paintings of over 90 species of psilocybine-containing fungi from all over the world. It\'s stunningly produced and Arik\'s images are often breathtaking.\n\nThe book also features essays by Erik Davis, Daniel Pinchbeck and mycologist Gary Lincoff.\n\nYou can get a sneak preview of the book <a href=\"http://www.abramsbooks.com/Books/Mushroom_Magick-9780810996311.html\" target=\"_self\">here</a>, while Erik has posted part of his introduction <a href=\"http://techgnosis.com/chunkshow-single.php?chunk=chunkfrom-2009-04-02-0921-0.txt\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.','Arik Roper&#039;s Mushroom Magick','','publish','open','open','','arik-ropers-mushroom-magick','','','2009-04-15 12:14:13','2009-04-15 12:14:13','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1362',0,'post','',0),(1365,2,'2009-04-17 14:21:53','2009-04-17 14:21:53','<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbh17h24Tj8\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1366\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"savdu\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/savdu.jpg\" alt=\"savdu\" width=\"400\" height=\"316\" /></a>\n\nA great <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbh17h24Tj8\" target=\"_blank\">video</a> of Strange Attractor Vs Disinformation vs USURP (aka Missinformation) at the Iniva gallery, Rivington Place, London on 17 April 2009. Thanks to everyone who came!','Circuit Blasting video, Live at Iniva London','','publish','open','open','','circuit-blasting-video-live-at-iniva-london','','','2009-04-17 14:21:53','2009-04-17 14:21:53','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1365',0,'post','',0),(1370,2,'2009-04-17 14:28:00','2009-04-17 14:28:00','<img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1371\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"medi-vaudville_mailer\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/medi-vaudville_mailer.jpg\" alt=\"medi-vaudville_mailer\" width=\"235\" height=\"320\" />\n\nThe Ullage Group offers its fourth afternoon of cultural curiosities, “Medi-Vaudeville.”  The title refers to the book that Charles Fort planned to write, during his final days in the hospital; for, this time around, it’s all medical. \n\nDoug Skinner and Dr. Mamie Caton will talk about alternative medicine, evidence-based medicine, and the difficulty of applying scientific methodology to medical procedures.  Lisa Hirschfield will present a selection of medically-themed ditties, ranging from 18th century satirical broadside ballads to 20th century patent medicine jingles. \n\nAnthony Matt will speak about turn of the century non-invasive medical technologies, which claimed to cure everything from hair loss to cancer by projecting various spectrums of light onto an ailing patient.  His talk will explore the medical pursuits of Nikola Tesla, Royal Rife, and Dr. Dinshah Ghadiali.  He will also demonstrate a working vintage violet ray generator.\n\nAll of this will take place on Sunday, April 19th, at 5 pm, at Jalopy Theatre, 315 Columbia St., Red Hook, Brooklyn.  We charge a pittance, $5, to cover our expenses.  We would like to point out that you may also hobnob with fellow ullage fanciers, and purchase stimulating beverages; and that the benefit to your overall health and happiness cannot be quantified.  And you don’t need to make an appointment!','The Ullage Group: Medi-Vaudeville, NYC','','publish','open','open','','the-ullage-group-medi-vaudeville-nyc','','','2009-04-17 14:28:00','2009-04-17 14:28:00','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1370',0,'post','',0),(1375,2,'2009-04-20 10:22:12','2009-04-20 10:22:12','SA pal Jennifer Dumpert\'s <a href=\"http://www.urbandreamscape.com/Oneironauticum/\" target=\"_blank\">Oneironauticum</a> dreamscape project is featured over at <a href=\"http://www.realitysandwich.com/meeting_dream_world\" target=\"_blank\">Reality Sandwich</a>:\n\n<em>On the last Saturday of every month, Oneironauticum participants worldwide enter dream space together. We do this by sharing an oneirogen. Derived from the Greek </em><em>oneiro</em><em>, or dream, and </em><em>gen</em><em>, to create, an oneirogen is anything that induces vivid dreams. Our oneirogens are often substances but sometimes they’re practices or sensory triggers. Whether it’s garlic, Galantamine, or Tibetan Buddhist lucid dream practices, if it promotes dreams and dream recall, we’ll try it.</em>\n\n<em>Everyone dreams. Across cultures and throughout history, we all visit bizarre, visionary worlds on a nightly basis. There is a lot to be learned in this place. Your mind creates objective “reality” and the subjective experience of moving through that reality. Think of it as a different mode of cognition. Your dream mode is a way of being that you inhabit a fair percentage of the time. The point of Oneironauticum is to provide a vehicle to help us all explore this universally shared yet deeply individual lost continent. </em>\n\nRead the full article <a href=\"http://www.realitysandwich.com/meeting_dream_world\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>','Oneironauticum at Reality Sandwich','','publish','open','open','','oneironauticum-at-reality-sandwich','','','2009-04-20 10:22:12','2009-04-20 10:22:12','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1375',0,'post','',0),(1377,2,'2009-04-24 22:10:47','2009-04-24 22:10:47','<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1378\" title=\"fortean_times_3442_12\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/fortean_times_3442_12.jpg\" alt=\"fortean_times_3442_12\" width=\"280\" height=\"420\" /></p>\n\n<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Michell_(writer)\" target=\"_blank\">John Michell</a>, the visionary author of <em>The View Over Atlantis</em>, <em>The Flying Saucer Vision</em>, <em>City of Revelation</em> and many more died early this morning, 24 April 2009, aged 76.\n\nJohn was central in introducing ancient notions of the sacred into the English counter-culture of the 1960s, and in shaping both the Earth Mysteries movement and much of what we would today recognise as contemporary paganism and modern antiquarianism.\n\nI met John on a handful of occasions and we tended towards good-natured disagreement on the crop circle phenomenon, which he felt was ultimately mysterious, even divine in origin.\n\nThe current issue of <a href=\"http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/1653/the_man_from_atlantis.html\" target=\"_blank\">Fortean Times</a> features a lengthy tribute to one of its earliest supporters, who  was also a good friend of its founding editors. \n\nCuriously, I am convinced that I saw John – a very distinctive character – on Charing Cross Road in London twice in the past two weeks, looking very frail and walking with a stick, on one occasion supported by a friend. When I mentioned this to David Sutton at Fortean Times yesterday, he informed me that John had left the city a few weeks ago to die peacefully in the countryside.\n\nJohn Michell\'s <a href=\"http://www.johnmichell.com/\" target=\"_blank\">official site</a>\n\nFT\'s <a href=\"http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/1653/the_man_from_atlantis.html\" target=\"_blank\">tribute</a> by Bob Rickard','John Michell RIP','','publish','open','open','','john-michell-rip','','','2009-04-24 22:10:47','2009-04-24 22:10:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1377',0,'post','',0),(1383,2,'2009-05-06 12:21:31','2009-05-06 12:21:31','<a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/science/05tesla.html?_r=1&amp;hp\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1384\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"wardenclyffe-tower\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/wardenclyffe-tower.jpg\" alt=\"wardenclyffe-tower\" width=\"278\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nThe <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/science/05tesla.html?_r=1&amp;hp\" target=\"_blank\">New York Times</a> reports on a fight to preserve the site of Nikola Tesla\'s wondrous dream... and his great undoing.\n\n<em>In 1901, Nikola Tesla began work on a global system of giant towers meant to relay through the air not only news, stock reports and even pictures but also, unbeknown to investors such as J. Pierpont Morgan, free electricity for one and all.</em>\n\n<em>The first tower rose on rural Long Island and, by 1903, stood more than 18 stories tall. One midsummer night, it emitted a dull rumble and proceeded to hurl bolts of electricity into the sky. The blinding flashes, </em><a title=\"The article as quoted at the Tesla Memorial Society of New York Web site.\" href=\"http://www.teslasociety.com/warden.htm\"><em>The New York Sun reported</em></a><em>, “seemed to shoot off into the darkness on some mysterious errand.”</em>\n\n<em>But the system failed for want of money, and at least partly for scientific viability. Tesla never finished his prototype tower and was forced to abandon its adjoining laboratory.</em>\n\n<em>Today, a fight is looming over the ghostly remains of that site, called Wardenclyffe...A science group on Long Island wants to turn the 16-acre site into a Tesla museum and education center, and hopes to get the land donated to that end. But the owner, the Agfa Corporation, says it must sell the property to raise money in hard economic times. The company’s real estate broker says the land, listed at $1.6 million, can “be delivered fully cleared and level,” a statement that has thrown the preservationists into action.</em>\n\nI for one shall be recalibrating my influencing machine and aiming it directly at the HQ of Agfa corp...\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://ullagegroup.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Anthony Matt</a>!','The Battle for Wardenclyffe','','publish','open','open','','the-battle-for-wardenclyffe','','','2009-05-06 12:21:31','2009-05-06 12:21:31','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1383',0,'post','',0),(1386,2,'2009-05-11 14:43:37','2009-05-11 14:43:37','<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1387\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"image001\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/image001.jpg\" alt=\"image001\" width=\"334\" height=\"258\" />\n\nSAJ3 contributor and pal parapsychologist Dr David Luke has been declared Graham Hancock\'s author of the month at his web site, thanks to this <a href=\"http://www.grahamhancock.com/forum/LukeD1.php\" target=\"_blank\">article</a>.\n\n<em>I woke up this morning with a psychic advert left lingering in my dreaming mind. It was some kind of oneiric flyer for a new type of yoga, it even had a telephone number on it to call. This fanciful hypnopompic intrusion brought me back to the idea that if science can identify techniques for reliably producing psychic abilities (termed \'psi\') then PR executives will soon be pumping millions into pumping adverts directly into our minds. Forget the television, tube trains and pub toilets, we\'ll have adverts (or perhaps \'psiverts\') sneaking rudely into our subconscious and marauding around our dreamscapes at all times of night and day. We won\'t even have to open our ears or eyes to be lured in by the latest product we probably don\'t need. </em>\n\nDave is also currently programming a monthly series of talks at London\'s October Gallery. Full details <a href=\"http://www.octobergallery.co.uk/events/index.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\n\nvia <a href=\"http://www.dailygrail.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Daily Grail</a>','Psi-verts and psychic piracy','','publish','open','open','','psi-verts-and-psychic-piracy','','','2009-05-11 14:43:37','2009-05-11 14:43:37','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1386',0,'post','',0),(1389,2,'2009-05-13 13:11:39','2009-05-13 13:11:39','<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1391\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"salpa\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/salpa.jpg\" alt=\"salpa\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" />\n\n<em>A fish that has been reported to cause LSD-like hallucinations when eaten has been found in the English Channel, many hundreds of miles away from its normal habitat.</em>\n\n<em>The fish, Sarpa salpa, is commonly caught off the coast of South Africa and in the Mediterranean but turned up in the nets of Cornish fisherman Andy Giles.</em>\n\n<em>Sarpa salpa is a popular dish in Mediterranean restaurants but cases of it supposedly causing hallucinations have been reported.</em>\n\nFull story at the <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/may/13/hallucination-fish-cornwall\" target=\"_blank\">Guardian</a>','Gone Fishing','','publish','open','open','','gone-fishing','','','2009-05-13 13:11:39','2009-05-13 13:11:39','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1389',0,'post','',0),(1394,2,'2009-05-13 15:17:40','2009-05-13 15:17:40','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/SAJ3_sell.html\"><img class=\"alignnone\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0;\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/saj3/saj3coverbig.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"241\" /></a>\n\nThanks to a quantum burp at our distribution warehouse, a number of copies of <em><a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/SAJ3_sell.html\" target=\"_self\">Strange Attractor Journal Three</a></em> have reappeared for sale. Until now the book was thought to be out of  print. \n\nHere\'s a reminder of the <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/saj3contents.html\">contents</a>.\n\nLimited quantities of <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/SAJ2_sell.html\">SAJ2</a> are also still available.\n\nGrab \'em both while you can.','Journal Three back in stock','','publish','open','open','','journal-three-back-in-stock','','','2009-05-13 15:17:40','2009-05-13 15:17:40','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1394',0,'post','',0),(1397,2,'2009-05-19 11:48:19','2009-05-19 11:48:19','<em>One of the newest energy lobbyists claims he has the answer to climate change: spaceships.</em>\n\n<em>The government has in its possession \"extraterrestrial vehicles,\" lobbyist Stephen Bassett said. As in flying saucers.</em>\n\n<em>Imagine the power source, he said, behind a 30-foot wide saucer that weighs the same as a tractor-trailer yet hurtles through galaxies at 20,000 miles per hour.</em>\n\n<em>\"What is the energy system operating that craft?\" Bassett said. \"They\'re not burning kerosene.\"</em>\n\n<em>He added, \"It eliminates oil. It eliminates coal. If it\'s as good as we think it is, it transforms everything.\"</em>\n\n<em>No more ozone hole or melting polar ice caps, Bassett said. And the price of electricity would drop to almost nothing.</em>\n\n<em>Bassett believes this. Fervently.</em>\n\nFull story at the <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/05/14/14greenwire-a-climate-solution-thats-out-of-this-world-19116.html\" target=\"_blank\">New York Times</a>','UFOs: The Climate Solution?','','publish','open','open','','ufos-the-climate-solution','','','2009-05-19 11:48:19','2009-05-19 11:48:19','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1397',0,'post','',0),(1399,2,'2009-05-19 11:55:43','2009-05-19 11:55:43','<img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1400\" title=\"film-screenings_cameron\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/film-screenings_cameron.jpg\" alt=\"film-screenings_cameron\" width=\"285\" height=\"159\" />\n\nSA pal and contributor Gary Lachman hosts <a href=\"http://occulture-festivals.com\" target=\"_blank\">Occulture 2009</a>, a one day festival of occult talks, films and performance. Also on the bill are Iain Sinclair, Stephen Skinner, Ralph Harvey and Orryelle Defenestrate, along with films, stalls and more.\n\nSaturday 23rd May 2009 at:\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-weight: normal;\">The Courtyard Theatre</span></strong>\nBowling Green Walk\n40 Pitfield Street, Hoxton\nLondon, N1 6EU\n\nFull details <a href=\"http://occulture-festivals.com\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>\n\n<em>Meanwhile, the summer\'s other esoteric jamboree, the </em><a href=\"http://equinoxfestival.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Equinox Festival</em></a><em>, takes place on 13, 14, 15 June at Conway Hall. SAP is putting the finishing touches to the companion book and catalogue, about which full disclosure will follow shortly.</em>','Occulture 2009','','publish','open','open','','occulture-2009','','','2009-05-19 11:55:43','2009-05-19 11:55:43','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1399',0,'post','',0),(1402,2,'2009-05-28 11:24:34','2009-05-28 11:24:34','Written by Glen Neath.\nDirected by Boz Temple Morris\nMusic by Howard Jacques \n\nFriday 14.15pm BBC Radio 4\n\n<em>The true story of Italian radio enthusiasts who intercept transmissions from early Russian space missions and listen in as the earliest men and women in space call in vain for help.</em>\n\n<em>It is 1964 and the Americans are losing the space race. The Soviets are way ahead and the Americans have failed utterly in gaining any intelligence on their rivals\' space programme. So it seems fairly outrageous when two young Italian brothers turn up at NASA claiming to have successfully recorded almost every Russian space mission over the previous seven years. NASA has to take notice when they realise that the brothers have also intercepted American missions and have tapes of classified transmissions by John Glenn, the first American in space.</em>\n\n<em>As it happens they have been sending these recordings to NASA since the outset, but no one has believed them. No one except Carla Pettigrew, an audio analyst who is now trying to persuade Major Will Spencer, NASA\'s technical director, that he should believe what they have to say.</em>\n\n<em>Featuring some of the actual recordings made by the Judica-Cordiglia brothers, including the sound of a woman dying in space as her craft burns up on re-entry.</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kk4cc\" target=\"_blank\">More info</a>','Listen Up: Friday 29 may, BBC Radio 4','','publish','open','open','','listen-up-friday-29-may-bbc-radio-4','','','2009-05-28 11:24:34','2009-05-28 11:24:34','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1402',0,'post','',0),(1405,2,'2009-05-28 11:41:20','2009-05-28 11:41:20','<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1404\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"misty-vcs3-small\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/misty-vcs3-small-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"misty-vcs3-small\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" />\n\nJohn Cavanagh (Phosphene) and Mark Pilkington (The Asterism) will be duking it out on an EMS VCS3 and MISTY (both pictured above, photo by John Cavanagh) at <a href=\"http://www.leweekendfestival.com\" target=\"_blank\">Le Weekend</a> festival in Stirling, Scotland, this Sunday 31 May.\n\nTheir improvised performance, titled <em>Let the Machines Sing, </em>follows on from their debut at the Glasgow University music hall earlier this year, as part of a concert arranged by Drew Mulholland  of Mount Vernon Arts Lab.\n\nDrew will also be performing at Le Weekend with Adrian Utley of Portishead.\n\nFull lineup and info <a href=\"http://www.leweekendfestival.com\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.','Let the Machines Sing: Le Weekend','','publish','open','open','','let-the-machines-sing-le-weekend','','','2009-05-28 11:41:20','2009-05-28 11:41:20','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1405',0,'post','',0),(1413,2,'2009-05-28 14:01:51','2009-05-28 14:01:51','<img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1410\" title=\"it_1970-10-08_b-it-volume-1_iss-89_001\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/it_1970-10-08_b-it-volume-1_iss-89_001.jpg\" alt=\"it_1970-10-08_b-it-volume-1_iss-89_001\" width=\"140\" height=\"210\" /><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-1412\" title=\"it_1970-12-03_b-it-volume-1_iss-93_001\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/it_1970-12-03_b-it-volume-1_iss-93_001.jpg\" alt=\"it_1970-12-03_b-it-volume-1_iss-93_001\" width=\"142\" height=\"210\" />\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nNow this is just amazing – the entire run of <a href=\"http://www.internationaltimes.it\" target=\"_blank\">International Times</a>, the UK counter-cultural newspaper, has been made available online for free! \n\nA random click through pulled up articles on Flying Saucer Cookery, telephone tapping, London\'s decay, a 1972 review of a Zappa and Hawkwind gig at the Oval Gas Works, a 1969 head\'s passage to India, Buckminster Fuller...  This will provide you with months, if not years of happy browsing.\n\nVia<a href=\"http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton\" target=\"_blank\"> John Coulthart</a>\n\nJohn C also has also linked to this online archive of <a href=\"http://web.archive.org/web/20060822120343/www.oztrading.net/Library.htm\" target=\"_blank\">OZ</a>, the other key underground rag of the period.','International Times online!','','publish','open','open','','international-times-online','','','2009-05-28 14:01:51','2009-05-28 14:01:51','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1413',0,'post','',0),(1415,2,'2009-06-02 13:31:56','2009-06-02 13:31:56','<a href=\"http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/biology/electric_fish/electric_fish.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1416\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"small_elephant_nose\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/small_elephant_nose.jpg\" alt=\"small_elephant_nose\" width=\"400\" height=\"128\" /></a>\n\nNo, not a new synth band, but the Elephant Nose fish, <em>Gnathonemus petersii.</em>\n\nThe article at <em><a href=\"http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/biology/electric_fish/electric_fish.html\" target=\"_blank\">Sci-toys</a></em> describes the electrical organs in the fish\'s tail and how to mic one up to create uber-minimalist <a href=\"http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/biology/electric_fish/fish9.wav\" target=\"_blank\">electronic rhythms</a>. Just add reverb and echo to taste!\n\nvia <a href=\"http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Matrix Synth</a>','Listening to Electric Fish','','publish','open','open','','listening-to-electric-fish','','','2009-06-02 13:31:56','2009-06-02 13:31:56','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1415',0,'post','',0),(1418,2,'2009-06-02 13:46:03','2009-06-02 13:46:03','<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1419\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"jellyfish1_1414867c\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/jellyfish1_1414867c.jpg\" alt=\"jellyfish1_1414867c\" width=\"460\" height=\"288\" />\n\n[photo: Mike Walker]\n\nA very impressive 600ft jellyfish crop formation landed in Oxfordshire last week – for comparison most formations are around the 300ft mark. I would imagine that two or more teams joined forces for this monster. I\'m hoping we\'ll get a giant squid before the summer is out...\n\nWant to know how it\'s done? Well I can\'t guarantee that you\'ll be producing 600ft monsterpieces without a little practice, but everything you need to know to get yourself started is laid out in SAP\'s <a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/fieldguide/\" target=\"_self\">The Field Guide</a>...\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://allumination.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Al Robertson</a>','Humungous jellyfish crop circle','','publish','open','open','','humungous-jellyfish-crop-circle','','','2009-06-02 13:46:03','2009-06-02 13:46:03','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1418',0,'post','',0),(1426,2,'2009-06-10 11:31:09','2009-06-10 11:31:09','<a href=\"http://cathiunsworth.weebly.com/transmission-1.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1427\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"7485355\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/7485355.jpg\" alt=\"7485355\" width=\"250\" height=\"246\" /></a>\n\n<em>Her body was found on 8 November 1963, buried in a shallow grave, in wasteland being cleared for a building site in Mortlake. No one had seen her in months. No one had reported her missing. She was 22 years old…</em>\n\nSA pal <a href=\"http://www.cathiunsworth.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">Cathi Unsworth</a>, author of such noir greats as <em>T</em><em>he Not Knowing</em>, <em>The Singer</em> and the forthcoming<em> Bad Penny Blues </em>has teamed up with another SA pal, musician Pete Woodhead (O Yuki Conjugate and The Sons of Silence, Kosmische club), to produce a series of beautiful and haunting soundtracks to her writing. \n\nThe first two entries in the <em>Transmissions</em> series, accompanying extracts from <em>Bad Penny Blues</em>, are available now from Cathi\'s <a href=\"http://cathiunsworth.weebly.com/transmission-1.html\" target=\"_blank\">web site</a>.','Cathi Unsworth &amp; Pete Woodhead: Transmissions','','publish','open','open','','cathi-unsworth-pete-woodhead-transmissions','','','2009-06-10 11:31:09','2009-06-10 11:31:09','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1426',0,'post','',0),(1432,2,'2009-06-15 09:03:03','2009-06-15 09:03:03','Further is taking a week off for travel in Western Lands and solstice revels, but when we return we\'ll be making the <em>Equinox Festival Catalogue</em> available for mail order.\n\nA document of and companion to the <a href=\"http://www.equinoxfestival.com\">Equinox Festival</a> held in London\'s Conway Hall between the 12th and 14th June, it features essays and images from Alan Moore, Erik Davis, Ralph Metzner, Paul Devereux, Peter Christopherson, Stephen Grasso, Robert Wallis and many more.\n\nWatch this space....','Equinox Festival Catalogue','','publish','open','open','','equinox-festival-catalogue','','','2009-06-15 09:03:03','2009-06-15 09:03:03','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1432',0,'post','',0),(1434,2,'2009-06-25 12:02:54','2009-06-25 12:02:54','The Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness lecture series presents:\nIMAGINATION IS WHAT YOU ARE\nby Erik Davis\n\nTuesday 30 June at the <a href=\"http://www.octobergallery.co.uk/homepage.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">October Gallery</a>,\n\n24 Old Gloucester Street\nLondon, WC1N 3AL, United Kingdom\n+44 20 7242 7367\n\nOne of the most vital aspects of human consciousness is the dimension of the imagination, a broad domain that can be said to include the overlapping worlds of dream, fantasy, creative visualization, hallucination, and the spectres and phantasms of the paranormal. Any genuine engagement with spirituality and religious experience must take the imagination seriously. This is also true of any attempt to engage nature on a holistic level, for it is through the imagination that nature speaks, and the wilderness without can touch the wildness within. In this talk, Erik Davis will explore different theories and practices of the imagination, and will relate them to visionary experience, magic, dreams, and our ordinary engagement with “reality.”\n\nEntry £7 /£5 Concessions, Arrive 6pm for a 6:30pm Start - Wine available\n\nPlease reserve your place as space is limited.\nEmail <a href=\"mailto:rentals@octobergallery.co.uk?subject=lecture%20series\">rentals@octobergallery.co.uk</a> or call 44 (0)20 7831 1618','Erik Davis at The October Gallery','','publish','open','open','','erik-davis-at-the-october-gallery','','','2009-06-25 12:02:54','2009-06-25 12:02:54','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1434',0,'post','',0),(1437,2,'2009-06-25 12:13:57','2009-06-25 12:13:57','<div><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1438\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"horror-hospital-dvd-cover\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/horror-hospital-dvd-cover.jpg\" alt=\"horror-hospital-dvd-cover\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\" /></div>\n<div><em>Excuse the short notice but some SA favourites are screening at London\'s National Film Theatre tonight as part of the excellent Flipside series:</em></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> </span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\"><strong>THE ART OF EXPLOITATION: ANTONY BALCH NIGHT</strong></span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\"> </span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\"><strong>BFI Southbank <span style=\"font-weight: normal;\"><strong>Thursday 25th June</strong><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> - TONIGHT</span></span></strong></span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\"><strong>NFT1 at 8.15pm</strong></span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\"> </span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\">As a director, distributor of lurid European horror movies, collaborator with William Burroughs, and cinema manager, Antony Balch distinctively straddled the divide between film art and exploitation. Tonight we celebrate the diverse talents of this key figure in the alternative film scene of the 1960s and 1970s.</span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"> </span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>HORROR HOSPITAL</strong></span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>UK 1973. Dir. Antony Balch. 91 mins.</strong></span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\">Groovy pop songster Jason Jones – chirpily played by Britain’s first man of saucy sex comedy, Robin Askwith – gets a whole lot more than he bargained for when he books a stay at a strange ‘health hotel’ in the country. Manhandled by leather-clad biker boys, and subjected to Frederick the dwarf’s cruel taunts, Jason – accompanied by the beautiful Julie - slowly learns the awful plan of sinister Dr Storm (Michael Gough, in his finest mad-scientist mode). Intelligent and rich with cinematic parody, this blood-spattered black comedy somehow works both as genre horror film and experimental spoof. </span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"> </span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>TOWERS OPEN FIRE</strong></span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>UK 1963 Dir Antony Balch 11mins</strong></span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\">This vibrant mix of exotic symbols and playful violence vividly illustrates William Burroughs’ cut-up novels - and features the resonantly-voiced beat author in a starring role, too.</span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"> </span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>KRONHAUSEN’S PSYCHOMONTAGE</strong></span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>UK 1963 Dir Eberhardt and Phylis Kronhausen 9mins</strong></span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\">Balch contributed footage to this bizarre, extremely rare psychiatric test film. Strange noises – many emanating from agitated monkeys - mesh with images of women frolicking with dogs, probing insects and a human tongue to increasingly uncanny effect. </span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"> </span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\">TICKETS</span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">Tickets £9.00 (£6.65 concessions)</span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\">EASY ONLINE BOOKING</span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"><a href=\"https://tickets.bfi.org.uk/selectseat.asp?Venue=BFI&amp;PerIndex=47975\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">https://tickets.bfi.org.uk/selectseat.asp?Venue=BFI&amp;PerIndex=47975</span></span></a></span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"> </span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\">BOX OFFICE</span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\"> </span></div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;\">020 7928 3232</span></div>','Anthony Balch rarities at NFT tonight','','publish','open','open','','anthony-balch-rarities-at-nft-tonight','','','2009-06-25 12:13:57','2009-06-25 12:13:57','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1437',0,'post','',0),(1440,2,'2009-06-25 15:02:31','2009-06-25 15:02:31','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/equinox_sell.html\" target=\"_self\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1441\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"equinoxcover_small\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/equinoxcover_small-216x300.jpg\" alt=\"equinoxcover_small\" width=\"216\" height=\"300\" /></a>Available now from <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/equinox_sell.html\" target=\"_blank\">Strange Attractor Shoppe</a>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular; font-size: small;\"><strong>Equinox Festival 2009 Catalogue</strong>, 208 pages, A5, paperback anthology.</span> <span class=\"style1\">Edited by Raymond Salvatore Harmon and Mark Pilkington</span>.\n\n<em>A book companion to the three-day </em><a href=\"http://www.equinoxfestival.org/\"><em>festival of scientific illuminism</em></a><em> held at London\'s Conway Hall on 12-14 June 2009.</em><span class=\"style3\"><em> Featuring full length essays and artworks from:</em></span>\n<p class=\"style1\">Carl Abrahamsonn, Aethenor, David Beth, Peter Christopherson, Comus, Erik Davis, Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule, Paul Devereux, Phil Farber, Stephen Grasso, Andrew Hartwell, Barry Hale, Raymond Salvatore Harmon, Paola Igliori, Alan Moore, Ralph Metzner, Mark Pilkington, Jack Sargeant, Robert Wallis, Matthew Wiley, Z’EV, John Zorn.</p>\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong>Limited to a run of 777 copies.</strong></p>\n\n<span class=\"style1\"><em>\'a substantial 200-plus page book of essays by the speakers, beautiful artwork, pieces about the intent of the Festival from the organizers, background and interviews on the artists at the Festival, and more. This book is a wonderful take-away which supports what happened and will allow it to take root much more effectively for those who were there. I\'ve read the essays of several presenters and the interview with the re-united band Comus after their performance and it really helped deepen my experience. ... It stands well on its own as something of a snapshot/ad hoc manifesto of the current “occult revival” (if, in fact, such a thing is happening)\'.</em> Gareth Branwyn, <a href=\"http://www.boingboing.net/2009/06/17/gareth-branwyn-3-day.html\">Boing Boing</a></span>','Equinox 2009 Catalogue now available','','publish','open','open','','equinox-2009-catalogue-now-available','','','2009-06-25 15:02:31','2009-06-25 15:02:31','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1440',0,'post','',0),(1448,2,'2009-07-02 09:34:35','2009-07-02 09:34:35','<img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1449\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"voodoo-record\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/voodoo-record-294x300.jpg\" alt=\"voodoo-record\" width=\"294\" height=\"300\" />\n\nSA pal and <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/equinox_sell.html\" target=\"_blank\">Equinox</a> contributor Stephen Grasso has started an excellent new blog about his many passions, including voodoo, music (mainly, but not only, northern soul) and magic  – <a href=\"http://cleanlivingindifficultcircumstances.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Clean living in difficult circumstances</a>. Writes Stephen:\n\n<em>It will predominantly feature writing about Voodoo, magic, music, obscure records, psychogeography, and whatever else I get up to and feel like writing about.</em>\n\n<em>It’s essentially a way for me to get regular new material out while I work on finishing my book, so I don’t feel quite so much like one of those guys who secretly makes a throne for the Archangel Metatron out of lightbulbs and toilet rolls in his garage, that nobody else ever gets to see or hear about.</em>\n\n<em><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">Stephen has sensibly kicked started it with a number of posts, including a breakdown of this 1950s voodoo exotica record by Emy de Pradines and the Haiti Dance Chorus and Orchestra.</span></em>\n\n<a href=\"http://cleanlivingindifficultcircumstances.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Get down!</a>','Clean living in difficult circumstances','','publish','open','open','','clean-living-in-difficult-circumstances','','','2009-07-02 09:34:35','2009-07-02 09:34:35','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1448',0,'post','',0),(1451,2,'2009-07-06 17:33:49','2009-07-06 17:33:49','<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1452\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"keel\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/keel.jpg\" alt=\"keel\" width=\"192\" height=\"225\" />\n\nLegendary fortean author <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keel\" target=\"_blank\">John Keel</a> died in New York City last Friday, 3 July, aged 79.\n\nAs a journalist Keel wrote on a wide range of subjects, but he will be best remembered for his non-fiction travel memoirs, <em>Jadoo</em> 1957, a literary equivalent of a Les Baxter or Martin Denny album, and his fortean books <em>Operation Trojan Horse</em> and the classic <em>The Mothman Prophecies</em>. The slyly baroque <em>Mothman</em> popularised the Men In Black and arguably created a new genre of fantastic writing that was neither entirely fact nor entirely fiction. An infallibly peculiar and entertaining read,  it remains a benchmark for writing successfully about anomalies and contemporary folklore.\n\nSadly Keel never benefitted financially from his work, even though <em>Mothman </em>was made into a curious film starring Richard Gere and the <em>Men in Black</em> films paid tribute to Keel in the central characters\' names J and K.\n\nI was lucky enough to meet John on each of my infrequent visits to New York over the past decade, usually with his close friend the writer and performer Doug Skinner, who was helping to care for Keel in his final years. I have many fond memories of our conversations about UFOs, stage magic and archaeological curiosities and remember in particular a visit to see a giant squid briefly displayed at the city\'s Natural History Museum. Now Keel has unravelled life\'s final mystery, we can only hope he\'ll find a way to write a book about it.\n\nHere\'s a great obit from <a href=\"http://drdavidclarke.blogspot.com/2009/07/john-keel-1930-2009.html\" target=\"_blank\">Dr David Clarke</a> and another from <a href=\"http://www.ufomystic.com/wake-up-down-there/john-keel-1930-2009/\" target=\"_blank\">Greg Bishop</a>, who was on the Natural History Museum trip too.','John Keel RIP','','publish','open','open','','john-keel-rip','','','2009-07-06 17:33:49','2009-07-06 17:33:49','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1451',0,'post','',0),(1459,2,'2009-07-13 09:48:29','2009-07-13 09:48:29','It\'s Robert E Howard meets Edgar Rice Burroughs. Only on a much smaller scale...\n\n<em>Scientists have picked the first crew of Earthlings to fly to another planet. Those chosen for a Mars mission to be launched in October include specimens of thale cress and brewer\'s yeast, and a microbe known as Conan the Bacterium.</em>\n\n<em>Together with several other microscopic organisms, these representatives of earthly life will be carried in a package that will be flown on a Russian robot spacecraft and are scheduled to be returned to Earth in 2012. The experiment - Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment, or Life - is designed to show if living organisms can survive unprotected in space for long periods and thus support the theory of panspermia, which argues that simple organisms can survive for years as they float through space and that life on Earth could have been wafted here from another world.</em>\n\nFull story at the <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jul/12/mars-mission-conan-bacterium-russian\" target=\"_blank\">Guardian</a>\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.kenhollings.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ken Hollings</a>!','Conan on Mars','','publish','open','open','','conan-on-mars','','','2009-07-13 09:48:29','2009-07-13 09:48:29','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1459',0,'post','',0),(1461,2,'2009-07-13 09:52:53','2009-07-13 09:52:53','<span class=\"style561\"><strong>Expanding Mind\nwith Erik Davis</strong></span>\n<p class=\"style48\">For those who appreciate ahead of the curve entertainment…</p>\n<p class=\"style57\">This weekly hour-long radio show hosted by award winning author, lecturer and San Francisco native Erik Davis explores the many dimensions of mind and consciousness. From meditation to parapsychology, from the effects of art and technology on our souls to the abiding mysteries of religion and spirituality, the show’s discussions are designed to expand our understanding and experience of ourselves while casting a critical and often humorous eye on the twists and turns that consciousness takes as it tries to make sense of itself and the world.</p>\n<p class=\"style57\">Every week, starting this Thursday 16 July on <a href=\"http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com\">Progressive Radio Network</a>, at 2pm EST and 11am Pacific. The show will stream live and be archived.</p>','Erik Davis on air: Expanding Mind','','publish','open','open','','erik-davis-on-air-expanding-mind','','','2009-07-13 09:52:53','2009-07-13 09:52:53','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1461',0,'post','',0),(1465,2,'2009-07-14 08:45:31','2009-07-14 08:45:31','<a href=\"http://vimeo.com/5374101\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1466\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"castleproj\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/castleproj.jpg\" alt=\"castleproj\" width=\"400\" height=\"289\" /></a>\n\n\'Tetragram for Enlargement\', an incredible architectural installation by Apparati Effimeri at the <a href=\"http://www.itinerariofestival.it/Itinerario/Homepage.html\" target=\"_blank\">Itinerario Festival</a> in Cesena, Italy.\n\n<a href=\"http://vimeo.com/5374101\" target=\"_blank\">Watch</a> the medieval castle warp, pulsate and mutate before your very eyes!\n\n[Via <a href=\"http://www.fastcompany.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Fast Company</a>.] Thanks Louise Burton!','Astounding castle transformation','','publish','open','open','','astounding-castle-transformation','','','2009-07-14 08:45:31','2009-07-14 08:45:31','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1465',0,'post','',0),(1470,2,'2009-07-20 09:10:20','2009-07-20 09:10:20','<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1471\" title=\"lunarcity\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/lunarcity.jpg\" alt=\"lunarcity\" width=\"400\" height=\"301\" />\n\n<em>In honour of mankind\'s first moonwalk 40 years ago I\'m reposting this wonderful footage. ..</em>\n\n<em><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">This film shows the remains of ancient alien structures on our Moon, filmed by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on mankind’s first visit there in 1969. Perhaps this is why <a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(\'/outbound/article/www.washingtonpost.com\');\" href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013002065.html\" target=\"_blank\">NASA ‘lost’ the original footage</a> from this trip.</span></em>\n\nWhatever it actually shows, the film is quite beautiful, like a German expressionist cross between HP Lovecraft’s <em>At the Mountains of Madness</em> and HG Wells’ <em>First Men in the Moon</em>. In the above shot, the overwhelmed astronaut just hangs there aghast at the wonders that surround him.\n\nTo my mind the final shots are a little disappointing – they look a little too much like a front room window in an adobe-style New Mexico home! – but this is great stuff. Allegedly there are ten more minutes of it out there… let’s see the rest.\n\n<a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(\'/outbound/article/www.youtube.com\');\" href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWkGTJEK0Mc\" target=\"_blank\">Full film over at Youtube</a>','Lunar City film (repost)','','publish','open','open','','lunar-city-film-repost','','','2009-07-20 09:10:20','2009-07-20 09:10:20','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1470',0,'post','',0),(1473,2,'2009-07-22 08:01:42','2009-07-22 08:01:42','<a href=\"http://www.museumofbritishfolklore.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1474\" title=\"minihorse\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/minihorse.jpg\" alt=\"minihorse\" width=\"400\" height=\"268\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.museumofbritishfolklore.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">The Museum of British Folklore</a> is an ambitious new travelling folklore collection and display from Simon Costin, who also happens to be a theatre set designer. The museum is housed in a beautifully painted caravan and is slowly winding its way around the country. Here\'s what its creator has to say:\n\n<em>In Britain in the 21st century, there exists a rich, living tradition of annual folk festivals and traditional rituals, many of which have existed for hundreds of years while others are relatively new. It is therefore a surprising fact that there exists no properly funded centre in Britain to research and celebrate our native traditions and vernacular arts. It is my aim, that over the next few years, such an institution will exist, which will address this situation. Visitors will be able to view a collection of artifacts, ephemera, costumes and images that document not only the history but the living tradition of Britain’s annual and seasonal customs in all their archaic glory. The range is extraordinary: at this point, over 700 annual customs are still in practice across the country.</em>\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.andyletcher.co.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">Andy Letcher</a>!','Museum of British Folklore','','publish','open','open','','museum-of-british-folklore','','','2009-07-22 08:01:42','2009-07-22 08:01:42','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1473',0,'post','',0),(1476,2,'2009-07-27 08:23:01','2009-07-27 08:23:01','<img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-1477\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"robert_wallis\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/robert_wallis.jpg\" alt=\"robert_wallis\" width=\"156\" height=\"207\" />\n\nLondon\'s <a href=\"http://www.octobergallery.co.uk/events/index.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">October Gallery</a> continues its excellent series of presentations this Tuesday 28 July, with an appearance by Dr Robert Wallis, SA contributor and pal.\n\nANIMISM, ANCESTORS AND ADJUSTED STYLES OF COMMUNICATION:\nHIDDEN ART IN IRISH PASSAGE TOMBS\n\n<em>This talk will draw on the theorising of ‘new animism’ in anthropology and religious studies which moves beyond the problematic attribution of spirit to matter and anthropomorphism to consider animist ontologies as those which conceive of a world which is filled with persons, only some of whom are human. Wallis argues that this relational approach enables new, re-enchanting insights into Neolithic art in the passage tombs of the Boyne Valley in Ireland, the study of which has tended towards an anthropocentric concept of ‘the social’ and neurotheological analysis of altered states of consciousness. Animist ontologies effectively disrupt the subject/object dichotomy of Western thought, challenge reductionist neurotheology, and offer an extended understanding of agency and personhood. The talk  focusses particularly on ‘hidden art’ to demonstrate how a variety of animist ontologies (from animist-totemist to totemist-animist) may have operated at the Neolithic/Bronze Age transition.</em>\n\nTuesday, 28th July 2009\n<em>Entry £7 /£5 Concessions, Arrive 6pm for a 6:30pm Start - Wine available</em>\n\n<em> Please reserve your place as space is limited.\nEmail <a href=\"mailto:rentals@octobergallery.co.uk?subject=lecture%20series\">rentals@octobergallery.co.uk</a> or call 44 (0)20 7831 1618</em>','Shamans, Animism and Rock Art: October Gallery','','publish','open','open','','shamans-animism-and-rock-art-october-gallery','','','2009-07-27 08:23:01','2009-07-27 08:23:01','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1476',0,'post','',0),(1481,2,'2009-08-05 11:34:49','2009-08-05 11:34:49','<img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-1482\" style=\"border: 0; float: left; margin: 8px;\" title=\"magritte-voice-of-space\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/magritte-voice-of-space.jpg\" alt=\"magritte-voice-of-space\" width=\"252\" height=\"344\" />\n\nA few kind souls have asked after me having noticed the somewhat reduced posting rate on Further, for which I apologise.\n\nIt\'s all for a good reason, however. After many months of giddy peaks and lightless troughs I\'m finally approaching the end of an initial draft of <em>Mirage Me</em>n, my book about intelligence, disinformation and the creation of the UFO mythology.\n\nPartly a historical overview of intelligence manipulations of the UFO subject and partly an account of mine and John Lundberg\'s attempt to stagger through the saucer-shaped labyrinth in search of answers, I hope it will be a ripping read whose ramifications extend far beyond the domed confines of the UFO phenomenon. It\'ll need <em>at least</em> one more run through before it\'s fully finished, but the initial slog is soon to be over – praise be to our extraterrestrial overlords!\n\nThere\'ll be much more news to come about <em>Mirage Men, </em>which is also a documentary film by John and myself, but the book will be published in the first half of next year by a very patient Constable Robinson.\n\nAnd for those of you who have been looking forward to <em>Strange Attractor Journal Four</em>, rest assured, we should see it emerge towards the end of this year.\n\nAs ever, watch this space... and keep watching the skies!\n\n<em>Image: La voix de l\'espace by Rene Magritte</em>','Slow postings: blame the Mirage Men','','publish','open','open','','slow-postings-blame-the-mirage-men','','','2009-08-05 11:34:49','2009-08-05 11:34:49','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1481',0,'post','',0),(1487,2,'2009-08-26 09:39:28','2009-08-26 09:39:28','<a href=\"http://pestival.org\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1486\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"sipping\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/sipping.jpg\" alt=\"sipping\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://pestival.org\" target=\"_blank\">Pestival</a> is back. And this time it\'s... BIG (and Strange Attractor is not directly involved!)\n\nPestival gets off to a flying start with its opening event <em>How Insect Are We?</em>, hosted by ZSL London Zoo, on 3rd September 2009.\n\nFour leading thinkers from four different disciplines discuss how close to insects mankind really is and what contributions they make in all our lives. From swarm theory to architecture to extending life and political thinking to insect as muse, great minds get to grips with the insect contributions of everything from social insects to solitary wasps.\n\nJoin Stanford University biologist <a href=\"http://pestival.org/collaborators/#deborah-m-gordon-38\">Deborah Gordon</a>, the world’s leading ant specialists and TED speaker; the engineer and designer <a href=\"http://pestival.org/collaborators/#natalie-jeremijenko-44\">Natalie Jeremijenko</a>, who has been described as one of the most original creative minds of the 21st century; and the cultural theorist and literary critic <a href=\"http://pestival.org/collaborators/#steve-conner-43\">Professor Steve Connor</a> in an evening that promises to build a hive of ideas and a buzz of questions for when you join in the discussion too.\n\nThe Symposium will be chaired by <a href=\"http://pestival.org/collaborators/#roger-highfield-46\">Roger Highfield</a>, the editor of New Scientist magazine.\n\nFull <a href=\"http://pestival.org\" target=\"_blank\">Pestival</a> line up','Pestival 2009: How Insect Are we?','','publish','open','open','','pestival-2009-how-insect-are-we','','','2009-08-26 09:39:28','2009-08-26 09:39:28','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1487',0,'post','',0),(1492,2,'2009-08-27 15:53:47','2009-08-27 15:53:47','<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1491\" style=\"border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"coachhouseandstreetsign\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/coachhouseandstreetsign.jpg\" alt=\"coachhouseandstreetsign\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" />\n\n[Photo by Tony of <a href=\"http://www.killyourpetpuppy.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">Kill Your Pet Puppy</a> on a visit to the deathplace of master magus Aleister Crowley, or what\'s left of it.]\n\nA<a href=\"http://www.21stcenturyradio.com/articles/03/1001231.html\" target=\"_blank\"> memoir</a> by Rodney Davis, THE LAST DAYS OF ALEISTER CROWLEY, THE GREAT BEAST, AT HASTINGS, in which he recalls meeting Kathleen \'Johnny\' Symonds, the Great Beast\'s landlady in his final years.\n\n<em>Despite his unenviable reputation and the fact that he insisted on greeting everyone with injunction \'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law\', the Great Beast proved a popular addition to the Netherwood household. He had considerable charm, a pleasing personality and was very erudite, which helped make him a good companion and a stimulating talker. He had many long conversations about all manner of subjects with Vernon Symonds.</em>\n\n<em>Crowley joined Hastings Chess Club, where \'nobody ever beat him\', and he also took the time to tutor the Symonds\'s nephew Roland, who later became a priest, in Latin. He sometimes went for walks along The Ridge, where on sunny days he would often stop and lean against a lamp post and hold his hands palms upwards to the sun, and he patronised a health hydro there named Riposo...</em>\n\n<em>[Johnny] poignantly recalled that \'there was a film in Hastings called The Wizard of Oz, and he told me he would very much like to see it. But I said, \"It wouldn\'t interest you at all, it\'s a children\'s thing.\" So he didn\'t go!\'</em>\n\nRead the full piece <a href=\"http://www.21stcenturyradio.com/articles/03/1001231.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>','Netherwood memories','','publish','open','open','','netherwood-memories','','','2009-08-27 15:53:47','2009-08-27 15:53:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1492',0,'post','',0),(1495,2,'2009-09-01 07:58:50','2009-09-01 07:58:50','<a href=\"http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=28776\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1493\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;\" title=\"bumps\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/bumps.jpg\" alt=\"bumps\" width=\"341\" height=\"221\" /></a>\n\nA glorious phrenology<a href=\"http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=28776\" target=\"_blank\"> masterclass</a> by the \"the well-known astrologer and psychologist\" Miss Gabriel Dee, captured by Pathe in 1932 (and here\'s more <a href=\"http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=28991\" target=\"_blank\">Mrs Dee</a>, for those of you who can\'t get enough!).\n\n<img class=\"alignleft alignnone size-full wp-image-1494\" style=\"float: left; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"_psycograph_psyco-0\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/psycograph_psyco-0.jpg\" alt=\"_psycograph_psyco-0\" width=\"269\" height=\"425\" />\n\nAnd, curiously, more phrenology, this time the history of the Psychograph, an automated phrenologiser. Miss Gabriel, I\'m sorry to report that you\'re fired!\n\n<a href=\"http://www.yorku.ca/christo/podcasts/TWITHOP.AHAP.mp3\" target=\"_blank\">Listen to David Baker</a> on the Psychograph\n\n<em>Thanks </em><a href=\"http://www.catharyneward.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Cathy Ward</em></a><em>, </em><a href=\"http://wellcomelibrary.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Ross Macfarlane</em></a><em> and </em><a href=\"http://www.boingboing.net/2009/08/31/audio-history-of-the.html\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Boing Boing</em></a>','Everybody is interested in bumps','','publish','open','open','','everybody-is-interested-in-bumps','','','2009-09-01 07:58:50','2009-09-01 07:58:50','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1495',0,'post','',0),(1497,2,'2009-09-02 09:27:16','2009-09-02 09:27:16','In research that recalls 1920s experiments with <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muzak\" target=\"_blank\">muzak</a>, primate specialists have discovered what sounds make monkeys happy... Metallicaaaa!!!!  I think I\'d have been pretty irritated myself listening to what the tamarins were presented with.\n\nFrom the <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/sep/23/monkey-music-tamarins\" target=\"_blank\">Guardian</a>:\n\n<em>In the study, 14 cotton-top tamarins were played 30-second blasts of music while the researchers noted any changes in their behaviour. The animals were played Samuel Barber\'s Adagio for Strings and a soft piano piece from The Fragile by rock band Nine Inch Nails, followed by Metallica\'s Of Wolf and Man and an excerpt from The Grudge by rock band Tool.</em>\n\n<em>They then heard the specially composed monkey music.</em>\n\n<em>The only human music that elicited any response was the heavy metal band Metallica, whose music had the unexpected effect of calming the monkeys.</em>\n\n<em>The research could lead to a rethink of animal husbandry guidelines, as it showed that monkeys rarely respond positively to human music. \"Lots of primate research laboratories use radios to provide what is called \'enrichment\' for their animals, but you can\'t expect another species to be interested in our music just because we are human,\" Snowdon said. \"Why should a tamarin find our music comforting? I find the monkey music quite irritating\"</em>\n\n<em>\n</em>','Monkey Muzak','','publish','open','open','','monkey-muzak','','','2009-09-02 09:27:16','2009-09-02 09:27:16','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1497',0,'post','',0),(1499,2,'2009-09-07 08:38:37','2009-09-07 08:38:37','From <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327246.400-13-more-things-morgellons-disease.html\" target=\"_blank\">Morgellon\'s disease</a> (thought by some to be <a href=\"http://www.rense.com/general72/profile.htm\" target=\"_blank\">ET in origin</a>) to <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327246.500-13-more-things-the-bloop.html\" target=\"_blank\">the bloop</a> and  \'<a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327247.100-13-more-things-the-nocebo-effect.html\" target=\"_blank\">nocebo</a>\' effect (i.e. the power of curses), <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/special/13-more-things\" target=\"_blank\">New Scientist</a> rounds up <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/special/13-more-things\" target=\"_blank\">13 more things</a> that science can\'t explain. Yet.\n(And here are the <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18524911.600-13-things-that-do-not-make-sense.html\" target=\"_blank\">first thirteen</a>).\n\nVia <a href=\"http://www.anomalist.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Anomalist</a> (a.k.a. several <em>thousand</em> things that don\'t make sense!)','13 more things that don&#039;t make sense','','publish','open','open','','13-more-things-that-dont-make-sense','','','2009-09-07 08:38:37','2009-09-07 08:38:37','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1499',0,'post','',0),(1503,2,'2009-09-07 08:49:17','2009-09-07 08:49:17','<a href=\"http://inexplicata.blogspot.com/2009/09/argentina-man-photographs-aerial-engima.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1501\" style=\"margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px; border: 0;\" title=\"ovnicoll1\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ovnicoll1.jpg\" alt=\"ovnicoll1\" width=\"595\" height=\"144\" /></a>\n\nBack in<a href=\"http://inexplicata.blogspot.com/2009/09/argentina-man-photographs-aerial-engima.html\" target=\"_blank\"> 2007</a> the online UFO community became transfixed by  videos of strange, spindly craft allegedly filmed flying over parts of California. The videos were followed by a document pertaining to a project called CARET, claiming to describe the back-engineering of extraterrestrial technologies.\n\nHere\'s a <a href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/185622/Drone-Sightings-History\" target=\"_blank\">full report</a> that includes the CARET material and Here\'s a roundup of <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjmG0uU4lWQ&amp;feature=related\" target=\"_blank\">the original films</a>.\n\n<img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1502\" style=\"margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; border: 0;\" title=\"tahoe_ufo\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/tahoe_ufo-300x196.jpg\" alt=\"tahoe_ufo\" width=\"300\" height=\"196\" />\n\nLike many others, <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=563\" target=\"_blank\">I declared a hoax</a>, although no clean solution to the story ever emerged. Were they viral marketing for a new film or video game? Animators showing off their CGI prowess? A government disinformation exercise? We never really found out.\n\nBut now <a href=\"http://inexplicata.blogspot.com/2009/09/argentina-man-photographs-aerial-engima.html\" target=\"_blank\">they may be back</a> – see the images above and this <a href=\"http://inexplicata.blogspot.com/2009/09/argentina-man-photographs-aerial-engima.html\" target=\"_blank\">account</a>. And this time they\'re in Argentina.\n\nSee the story over at <a href=\"http://inexplicata.blogspot.com/2009/09/argentina-man-photographs-aerial-engima.html\" target=\"_blank\">Inexplicata</a>\n\nVia the <a href=\"http://www.anomalist.com\">Anomalist</a>','Are the drones back?','','publish','open','open','','are-the-drones-back','','','2009-09-07 08:49:17','2009-09-07 08:49:17','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1503',0,'post','',0),(1506,2,'2009-09-14 20:44:07','2009-09-14 20:44:07','<p style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1505\" title=\"UNICAZURN_PHOTO-thumb\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/UNICAZURN_PHOTO-thumb-300x251.jpg\" alt=\"UNICAZURN_PHOTO-thumb\" width=\"300\" height=\"251\" /></p>\n\n<p style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Wednesday 16th September </span></span>\nDoors: 7:30\n\n<p style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"><strong>UnicaZürn - debut album: Temporal Bends - Album Launch</strong>\nUnicaZürn celebrate the release of their debut CD album \'Temporal Bends\' with a launch event at <a href=\"http://thehorsehospital.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Horse Hospital</a>. Unicazürn will perform a short set and copies of \'Temporal Bends\' will be available for purchase on the night.\n<p style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;\">UnicaZürn are:</p>\n\n<p style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;\">Stephen Thrower (Cyclobe; Coil)\nDavid Knight (Arkkon; Shock Headed Peters; Danielle Dax; Lydia Lunch)\n<p style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;\">Both are also members of the improvisation group The Amal Gamal Ensemble.</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;\">UnicaZürn\'s core musical instrumentation is processed electric guitar, clarinet and saxophone. Knight is renowned for his pulverising fretwork in Shock Headed Peters, and his cavernous guitar treatments in Arkkon; Thrower\'s reed playing provided a distinctive \'free-melancholy\' in Coil and emerges as electro-acoustic texture in Cyclobe. To this duophonic arrangement, UnicaZürn add copious analogue synthesizer, mellotron and piano, with influences echoing back through Tangerine Dream\'s early albums to the VCS3 days of Roxy Music.</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"><!--more-->Composed from recordings and improvisations made between 2004-2009 (with guest vocals by Danielle Dax), by the banks of the Thames and the East Sussex coast, Temporal Bends is a journey through time, and a dive into the depths. Recording sessions throughout have been accompanied by the spectre of water; slow currents or lapping waves, windows of streaming rain, seashore horizons. Temporal Bends is aquatic, coastal music, connecting UnicaZürn\'s experience of the rivers and seas of England with the micro-waterways of memory and the mind, through decompression and dehydration to full flood and saturation. The oceans and estuaries of late evenings past and yet to come.</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;\">UnicaZürn offer a deeply immersive music which hovers at the brink of abstraction, seeking to conjure at that threshold fantastical coastlines and subterranean narratives in the mind\'s eye.</p>','Unicazürn at the Horse Hospital','','publish','open','open','','unicazurn-at-the-horse-hospital','','','2009-09-14 20:44:07','2009-09-14 20:44:07','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1506',0,'post','',0),(1507,2,'2009-09-17 08:27:41','2009-09-17 08:27:41','Via Techgnosis.com\n\n<em>This is the first of eight lectures recorded last spring for a <a href=\"http://www.maybelogic.net/\" target=\"_top\">Maybe Logic Academy</a> course called </em>Gnosis Now!<em> I will post one a week for the next eight weeks, along with the readings for the week. On October 26, I will be starting a six-week online course for MLA on the work and influence of H.P. Lovecraft.</em>\n\n<em>The first few recordings are kinda crappy; they improve by week three but the completist in me urged posting nonetheless.</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://techgnosis.com/mp3/Gnosis1.mp3\" target=\"_parent\">DavisGnosis1.2.20.09</a>\n\nWeek 1 readings:\n\n(Unless otherwise mentioned, all readings from W. Barnstone\'s necessary collection <em>The Other Bible</em>, now known as <em>The Gnostic Bible</em>.\n\n• Excerpts from “The Gospel of Thomas” (verses 1, 2, 3, 7, 11, 13, 19, 24, 28, 29, 37, 39, 42, 49, 50, 51, 55, 56, 61, 62, 70, 777, 89, 91, 108, 113);\n\n• Richard Smoley: “Who Were the Gnostics?”, from his great survey <em>Forbidden Faith.</em>\n\n• Excerpts from “The Gospel of Philip” (“Names,” “Rulers,” “Jesus Tricked Everyone,” “The Lost,” “Seeing,” “God is a Man-Eater,” “Leaving the World,” “Joseph and the Wooden Cross,” “Superiority of Chrism to Baptism,” “Laughing Christ,” “Knowledge of Self,” “Slaves and Freedom,” “Root of Evil,” “The Perfect Light”)','Gnosis Now! with Erik Davis','','publish','open','open','','gnosis-now-with-erik-davis','','','2009-09-17 08:27:41','2009-09-17 08:27:41','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1507',0,'post','',0),(1508,2,'2009-09-18 08:29:55','2009-09-18 08:29:55','A welcome return for <a href=\"http://kenhollings.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ken Holling</a>s\' radio doc about Philip K Dick:\n\nGrab the MP3 <a href=\"http://s3.amazonaws.com/speechification-russell/ConfessionsOfACrapArtist.mp3\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>\n\nVia<a href=\"http://speechification.com/2009/09/17/confessions-of-a-crap-artist/\" target=\"_blank\"> Speechification</a>','Confessions of a Crap Artist','','publish','open','open','','confessions-of-a-crap-artist','','','2009-09-18 08:29:55','2009-09-18 08:29:55','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1508',0,'post','',0),(1510,2,'2009-09-24 11:38:38','2009-09-24 11:38:38','<img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1509\" style=\"border: 0; vertical-align: top; margin: 8px;\" title=\"mime-attachment\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/mime-attachment.jpeg\" alt=\"mime-attachment\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" />\n\nMonday 28 September at <a href=\"http://www.thehorsehospital.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Horse Hospital</a>,\n1 Colonnade,\nLondon, Wc1X\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Doors 7:30pm</span><span> </span><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">£5</span>\n<span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Mark Boswell: Subversion Agency</span>\n\n\'Nine years in the making, shot on location in Miami, Florida and Havana, Cuba, The Subversion Agency relates the exploits of an American arms dealer (Pierre Kozlov) who is invited to the K-Zone -- \"a communist country somewhere in the Caribbean\" -- to participate in a one-on-one golf match for one million dollars (winner take all). A self-confirmed nihilist, Kozlov becomes embedded in a morass of international politics when he discovers the prize in store for the loser, which he appears destined to become. Boswell\'s K-Zone Republic, \"formed circa 1960 during a staged soccer riot in the K-Zone capital,\" is awash with two-bit politicians, American black panthers on the lam, anarcho-pranksters on the underground airwaves, double agent feminists, and a golf champion formally convicted of \"cultural parasitism.\" Threatening the narrative of the film, a Brechtian blitzkrieg of missives take form through experimental montage, double jump cuts, over edits, and aural asides that crackle with political satire and hard boiled sarcasm. Combined with Boswell\'s on location footage, the film\'s recontextualized archival images of Miami and Cuba work to create a fictional netherworld reminiscent of the twilight zone.\'\n\nPlus Ken Hollings reads from <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/shop_WTM.html\" target=\"_self\">Welcome to Mars</a>','Subversion Agency &amp; Welcome to Mars','','publish','open','open','','subversion-agency-welcome-to-mars','','','2009-09-24 11:38:38','2009-09-24 11:38:38','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1510',0,'post','',0),(1512,2,'2009-09-25 09:10:19','2009-09-25 09:10:19','<a href=\"http://ufocon.blogspot.com/2009/09/socorro-hoax-exposed-famous-1964.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1511\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"socorroNM\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/socorroNM.jpg\" alt=\"socorroNM\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\nWas one of the most celebrated UFO incidents of the 1960s a college prank on a policeman who hounded students from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology? The answer is a conclusive maybe...\n\nThe April 1964 Socorro New Mexico encounter between cop Lonnie Zamora and an ovular UFO is considered one of the most solid cases on record; but evidence is now surfacing that it was an elaborate prank staged by disgruntled psychology and engineering students. And what does <a href=\"http://ufos.homestead.com/colgate-letter.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Dr Linus Pauling</a> have to do with it?\n\n<a href=\"http://ufocon.blogspot.com/2009/09/socorro-hoax-exposed-famous-1964.html\" target=\"_blank\">Read on</a> at the UFO Iconoclasts.\n\nVia Nick Redfern at <a href=\"http://www.ufomystic.com/author/nick/\" target=\"_blank\">UFO Mystic</a>','Socorro UFO: Another one bites the dust?','','publish','open','open','','socorro-ufo-another-one-bites-the-dust','','','2009-09-25 09:10:19','2009-09-25 09:10:19','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1512',0,'post','',0),(1515,2,'2009-09-25 09:19:43','2009-09-25 09:19:43','<object classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" width=\"425\" height=\"344\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" /><param name=\"src\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/PAeV96bTRiI&amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;hl=en&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;fs=1\" /><param name=\"allowfullscreen\" value=\"true\" /><embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"344\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/PAeV96bTRiI&amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;hl=en&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;fs=1\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"></embed></object>\n\nThe Pentagon\'s  Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency unveils its latest tool in the battle against boredom. A cyborg beetle – it looks like a rhinocerous or stag beetle to me, but can anyone else ID it?\n\n\'We demonstrated the remote control of insects in free flight via an implantable radio-equipped miniature neural stimulating system. The pronotum mounted system consisted of neural stimulators, muscular stimulators, a radio transceiver-equipped microcontroller and a microbattery. Flight initiation, cessation and elevation control were accomplished through neural stimulus of the brain which elicited, suppressed or modulated wing oscillation. Turns were triggered through the direct muscular stimulus of either of the basalar muscles. We characterized the response times, success rates, and free-flight trajectories elicited by our neural control systems in remotely-controlled beetles. We believe this type of technology will open the door to in-flight perturbation and recording of insect flight responses.\'\n\nVia <a href=\"http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/09/video-cyborg-beetle-takes-flight/\" target=\"_blank\">Danger Room</a>','Cybeetle','','publish','open','open','','cybeetle','','','2009-09-25 09:19:43','2009-09-25 09:19:43','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1515',0,'post','',0),(1517,2,'2009-09-30 12:28:32','2009-09-30 12:28:32','<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px;\">\'An experiment by British researchers has found that even though subliminal messages are shown so briefly that the human eye cannot consciously read them, the brain is particularly good at picking up on the emotional meaning of a word if it is negative.</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Scientists at University College London believe the results of the study, in which participants correctly identified when a subliminally transmitted word had negative connotations more than seven times out of 10, shows that humans are programmed at a sub-conscious level to respond to any stimulus that contains a potential threat...</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Volunteers were shown a series of positive, negative and neutral words, such as \"cheerful\", \"despair\" or \"box\", for as little as 17 milliseconds – far too quick for the mind to perceive conventionally – and asked to decide whether or not each word had an emotional value.</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Where the volunteers correctly identified a word as emotional – for example \"flower\", \"peace\", \"agony\" or \"murder\" – they were more efficient at picking out those with a negative meaning. In one test, where participants were shown each word for just 33 milliseconds, negative words were correctly spotted 77 per cent of the time, as opposed to 59 per cent for positive terms.\'</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Full story at <a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/power-of-the-hidden-message-revealed-1794256.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Independent</a>, via <a href=\"http://anomalist.com/\">The Anomalist</a></p>','Subliminal threats','','publish','open','open','','subliminal-threats','','','2009-09-30 12:28:32','2009-09-30 12:28:32','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=1517',0,'post','',0),