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I’ma get medieval on your ass: The ‘Galileo Was Wrong’ conference is not a prank
09.20.2010
09:09 pm
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Many of you reading this have probably seen blog posts about the upcoming “Galileo Was Wrong: The Church was Right, First Annual Catholic Conference on Geocentrism” in South Bend, Indiana on November 6th. Geocentrism is the belief that the Earth is in a fixed place in the cosmos and that everything else revolves around us. You can look at a PDF about the conference at their website, but the gist of it is that this event seems to be a symposium trying to gain some attention for an obscure self-published book of theologically compromised physics:

Galileo Was Wrong: The Church Was Right is one of the most unique and penetrating books you will ever read. Now complete in Volumes I and II, authors Robert Sungenis and Robert Bennett take you on a tour of science and history the likes of which you would have never believed possible unless it were told to you in detailed and graphic form. Has modern science led us down the primrose path and convinced us of something that they cannot prove and that is in actuality false? Were the Fathers, the Medievals, our popes and cardinals of the 17th century correct in believing that the Earth, based on a face value reading of Scripture, was standing still in the center of the universe?

Taken at face value, most web commenters—appropriately—rolled their eyes heavenward and expressed exasperation asking “How could anyone be this fucking stupid?” Others said “This is a hoax” or “This has got to be an anti-ignorance parody.”

Apparently, the conference is actually scheduled to take place, and whether or not there will be more attendees than speakers, I can’t say, but I tend to doubt it (unless a lot of people just show to goof on them).

Only a tiny fraction of the blogs reporting on this event seemed to have actually googled the name of the main organizer, Robert Sungenis, because some special things in his background make the story even more interesting. From an article called “Anti-Semitism and the Catholic Right”:

In the early part of 2002 Sungenis had puzzled some of his friends when he began to write about his eccentric scientific views. “Einstein’s theory of Relativity is false ... ol’ Albert’s theory was devised precisely to combat the idea that the earth was standing still in space.” In an article dated 10 August 2002, he asked, “is it really such a stretch of credulity for Robert Sungenis to suggest that the earth may indeed be standing still, especially since he backs it up with evidence from Scripture, the Fathers, Papal decrees, and scientific evidence?” He would later elaborate his views in a book, Galileo Was Wrong!

On 2 September he posted his reaction to Reflections on Covenant and Mission—“Conversion of the Jews Not Necessary?? The Apocalyptic Ramifications of a Novel Teaching,” a 33,861 word diatribe against the Catholic bishops and the role of the Jews through history.

[Sungenis writing] “Well, they’ve finally done it. Its been in the works for a while, edging ever so slowly these past 40 years through the prelature. Now, following a cue from the Vatican, the sub-committee of the USCCB has issued a statement teaching that Jews no longer need to convert to Christianity, since they have their own covenant with God for salvation. ‘Amazing’ you say. You don’t know the half of it. There is only one reason why such assertions are being made—to help Israel acquire the complete land of Palestine, build their new Temple in Jerusalem; and practice Judaism as a divine mandate. Yes, the USCCB statement has apolcalyptic [sic] proportions that are unprecedented in our day.”

Huh? There’s a lot more to this story than originally met the eye. Read more about the views of the Galileo conference organizer’s, um, old fashioned views here, at a website devoted to them, Robert Sungenis and the Jews.

So who in the South Bend area wants to attend this and live blog it for DM? This ought to be a doozy!
 
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Posted by Richard Metzger
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09.20.2010
09:09 pm
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The original Spider-Man musical: Rock Reflections of a Super-Hero
09.20.2010
04:00 pm
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They’ve been gassing the PR machine pretty hard lately around the impending opening this fall of the $25 million-dollar budgeted Broadway musical, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. Directed by the brilliant Julie Taymor and featuring a score from U2, it’ll either be a great night of theater or else the most-embarrassing piece of shit ever. When it comes to a musical sung by a superhero and supervillains, I doubt there is much of a chance for middle ground!

But did you know that there already was a Spider-Man musical? Yup. In 1975, a Spidey rock opera, Rock Reflections of a Super-Hero was released. One day when I was 9-years old my dad brought it home for me. It had a cool album cover which was a painting of Spidey/Peter Parker by John Romita and narration by—who else—Stan Lee. It’s gloriously awful, basically the Peter Parker story set to song (“Square Boy” is about his nerdy high school years. “Gwendolyn” is of course about the death of his girlfriend Gwen Stacy).

The best/worst song is the Doctor Octopus song. In it he threatens to turn the Black Panther and Thor into go-go dancers. If the whole things were a Doctor Octopus album, it would have been way better. It begins in the second half of the clip below:
 

 
And dig the back cover: The Hulk on drums, Silver Surfer on synth, Luke Cage on bass, Thor on trumpet, the Fantastic Four on backing vocals (Ben Grimm has a certain Mama Cass-like quality to his voice, don’t you think?) and Captain America on… tambourine?
 
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Posted by Richard Metzger
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09.20.2010
04:00 pm
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Sigmund Freud’s ‘thinking cap’
09.20.2010
03:30 pm
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Hand-sculpted illustration by artist Jessica Fortner.

Freud Puts On His Thinking Cap

(via EPICponyz)

Posted by Tara McGinley
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09.20.2010
03:30 pm
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The warm and pleasant thump of Junip
09.20.2010
03:02 pm
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José González is a fairly popular Swedish singer/songwriter that I’ve always found to be so mellow as to almost be non-existent, however his newly re-formed pre-fame trio, Junip has just released an album that I’m finding myself drawn to repeatedly as of late. Mind you, it’s still José‘s delicate nylon string guitar and whispered vocals routine but now framed by deeply krautrocky playing by the drummer and keyboardist. It’s pretty bewitching stuff that really evokes Can and Neu and In A Silent Way era Miles in a most pleasant way. Have a listen.

 
Buy Junip-Fields LP

Posted by Brad Laner
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09.20.2010
03:02 pm
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The Kinks ‘You Really Got Me’: kinky Barbie version
09.20.2010
02:56 pm
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This bizarre video was found in the vaults of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” enacted by plastic dolls. Whoever put this together had a very kinky mind.

Posted by Marc Campbell
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09.20.2010
02:56 pm
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Joy Division: divorce attorneys
09.20.2010
01:55 pm
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Probably not an actual firm, but still clever.

 
Thanks Michael Perry Goodman !

 

Posted by Brad Laner
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09.20.2010
01:55 pm
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Oscar Wilde’s letters on the auction block
09.20.2010
01:52 pm
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From BBC News:

Letters written by the late playwright Oscar Wilde are to be auctioned off later this month.

The letters appear to reveal Wilde “propositioning” a magazine editor at a time when homosexuality was illegal.

Alan Judd from Bamfords auction house said they are important as they “help to fill in pieces of Oscar Wilde’s tempestuous jigsaw”.

The collection of five letters is expected to sell for £10,000 on 24 September.

The letters were written to magazine editor Alsager Vian and are being sold off by his descendants.

Posted by Richard Metzger
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09.20.2010
01:52 pm
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Michael Caine doesn’t blink and just keeps going
09.20.2010
12:11 pm
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“And if I keep blinking, it weakens me.”

Posted by Tara McGinley
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09.20.2010
12:11 pm
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Grindhouse, Rocksteady & Andean Women Wrestlers: Oakland Underground Film Fest opens this week
09.20.2010
10:20 am
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The crew that hooked up the Bay Area premiere of the fantastic blaxploitation spoof Black Dynamite returns to put on another wildly diverse Oakland Underground Film Festival for 2010. Screenings run from Sept. 23 through Sept. 26 at the Grand Lake Theater on 3200 Grand Ave. and the Linden Street Brewery on 95 Linden St. Check the Oakland UFF site for details.

The Fest features indie and DIY film, video, and projection-art based in the O, with special emphasis on local filmmakers, social justice, urban life, the environment and non-traditional filmmaking. Films on tap in the 2010 fest include Elijah Drenner’s survey of exploitation film American Grindhouse and Stascha Bader’s Jamaican music doc Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae.

One of the intriguing docs in this year’s lineup is Betty M. Park’s Mamachas Del Ring. It depicts the pressures of hustling in Bolivia’s lucha libre circuit on indigenous champion female wrestler Carmen Rosa and her crew of petticoat-and-bowler-hat-bedecked maulers.
 

 
After the jump: trailers for Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae and American Grindhouse
 

READ ON
Posted by Ron Nachmann
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09.20.2010
10:20 am
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Richard Dawkins at the “Protest The Pope” rally, 18th September 2010
09.20.2010
04:56 am
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Richard Dawkins at the “Protest The Pope” rally, 18th September 2010. London.
 

“I say quite deliberately that the Christian religion, as organized in its churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world.”  Bertrand Russell

 

 

Posted by Marc Campbell
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09.20.2010
04:56 am
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Bad Brains, Suicide, Mink DeVille, Johnny Thunders and more at CBGB and Max’s 1978-80
09.20.2010
02:15 am
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Rare Japanese documentary footage of The Dictators, Suicide, Bad Brains, Mink DeVille, James Chance, The Ramones and The Dead Boys at CBGB, 1978. The Plasmatics at Cbs 1980 from NYC cable show ‘Innertube’.  Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers, also from Innertube, 1979, at Max’s.
 

Posted by Marc Campbell
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09.20.2010
02:15 am
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‘God has to be rescued from religion’: Sinead O’Connor speaks truth to the power of the Priesthood
09.20.2010
01:47 am
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Sinead has taken alot of shit over the years for being fearlessly outspoken. Her uncompromising stance on Catholicism, the Pope and the Priesthood pretty much ruined her career as an artist.  I respect and admire her.  Were she not a woman, would she have been treated so brutally by the press? Tell it like it is, sister!
 

Posted by Marc Campbell
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09.20.2010
01:47 am
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The Year of the Diamond Dogs: David Bowie TV commercial from 1974
09.19.2010
08:57 pm
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Found randomly on YouTube: An actual television advertisement for David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs album circa 1974. I wonder if this ever aired anywhere?
 

Posted by Richard Metzger
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09.19.2010
08:57 pm
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Tron: Lebowski
09.19.2010
03:56 pm
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Of the Tron/Lebowski mashups on the interweb, this new one by elektronique is the best…so far. Skillfully done and quite amusing.

Posted by Marc Campbell
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09.19.2010
03:56 pm
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Rumbling 1965 drum symphony with Ginger Baker and eight session men
09.19.2010
03:44 pm
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Here’s an excellent short rhythm session featuring some of the best British drummers of the ‘60s.

It’s a scene from Gonks Go Beat, a dorky British sci-fi/musical fantasy film from 1965, featuring furry little puppets called Gonks and directed by Robert Hartford-Davis. It basically retells Romeo & Juliet on an Earth that’s been split into the freak-populated Beatland and the more straightlaced Ballad Isle. Shot on chintzy cardboard sets, the film is mostly a showcase for the all-star R&B band the Graham Bond Organisation, which featured the undersung keyboardist/singer Bond backed by a pre-Cream Ginger Baker on drums and Jack Bruce on bass, along with guitarist John McLaughlin.

Here Baker joins Bobby Graham, Alan Grindley, John Kearns, Bobby Richards, Ronnie Verrell, Andy White, Ronnie Stephenson and Arthur Mullard to pound out the jams.

YouTube ‘60s obsessive Alquit4 notes:
 

The late Bobby Graham was a top English session man. He played on thousands of records including early Kinks and Pretty Things hits. The late Ronnie Verrell was the drummer for Animal in the Muppets.
The late Ronnie Stephenson played with many top jazz stars and was also did many pop sessions.
Andy White is best known for playing on the Beatles first single ‘Love Me Do’.

 

 
Get: Gonks Go Beat (1965) [DVD]

 

Posted by Ron Nachmann
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09.19.2010
03:44 pm
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