San Francisco Calling_____________________________

☯ Summer 2003 C.E. M

AVALON PILGRIMSA Northern California Weekend

SANTA CRUZ June 11THE AVALON BALLROOM June 12

JENNER June 13

& for the intrepid among you>>>THE MYSTERY SPOT<<<

at your own peril

Taking the stage somewhere between ten and the witchinghour at the near-famous Avalon Ballroon, Sutter at Van Ness,San Francisco, and just returned from the cauldron of the SantaCruz mountains, the ever-so-’fabulous’ Santa Cruz Beach-Boardwalk, and heading for the mysteries of the Russian River atJenner, Jefferson Starship will serve up a repast of blindinglyerotic and fractious rock and roll, and effortlessly transversing tothe wellsprings of early folk musics and the fine art of the banjo,in all of its glory.

Come One Come All You have only your sleep to loseSurprises to be announced soon

¬²¬

The Mystery Spot is an area about 150 feet in diameterlocated in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, California.Within the Mystery Spot you will be baffled as the laws of physicsand gravity cease to exist.

Discovered in 1939 and opened to the public in 1940, the MysterySpot has amazed and perplexed hundreds of thousands of visitorsfrom all over the world. Many return again to experience thepuzzling variations in gravity, perspective, height and more.

Theories: Flying saucer fans speculate that cones of metal weresecretly brought here and buried in our earth as guidance systemsfor their spacecraft. Other theories about what causes the MysterySpot include carbon dioxide seeping out of the earth, the “highestdielectric biocosmic radiation” known anywhere in the world, and

radiesthesia... whatever the cause is, it remains a mystery.

"Originally, we wanted to get the level ground below here for asummer home or mountain cabin, but the gentleman we werebuying it from would not sell the level ground unless we purchaseda strip across the entire south end of his property, including thishillside.

Finally, we bought the entire piece, mainly to get the level ground,and as we were helping the surveyor along the north line, we notedthe compass to vary a small amount on the transit and spoke to himabout it at that time. He said we might get that variation along abarbed wire fence or some mineral in the ground and let it pass atthat.

On thinking it over later, there was no barbed wire fence nearwhere we were at the time, and as far as we knew, no excessivemineral in this ground; so we took our own small hand compass andwent up over the north line to try and check on it. The variationthere was not great enough that we could tell anything about it withthe point of the hill and through the brush.

On returning, we came down the little canyon or draw above here.In so doing felt very light headed or top heavy, felt like somethingtrying to force us right off the hill. We sat down for a while to try andovercome that feeling. While sitting there we happened to look atthe compass again. There, the compass had varied enough that weneeded nothing to compare it with to tell that it was not correct.

We began to check from that, and we found the more checked themore we found, until we found we had this spot of ground here.About one hundred fifty feet in diameter, that so far, we have notfound any instrument absolutely correct over. A portable radio willplay any place over it, but with very little variation, being thenearest correct that we have found."

--Mr. Prather (the original owner and person who discovered theMystery Spot)

Mystery Spot Directions >>> coming in from Highway 17 to scruz

Turn LEFT onto MARKET ST./ BRANCIFORTE DR.Continue to follow BRANCIFORTE DR. 1.82 miles

Turn LEFT onto MYSTERY SPOT RD.

& get a bloomin’ map (see Mystery Spot website map

Ð crude, but somewhat effective)

465 Mystery Spot RdSanta Cruz, CA95065-9658 US

http://www.mysteryspot.com/

you will be testedat some time

at some placein some alternate quantum hoo-hah

enjoy

PLACES TO EAT DINNER

COME ON BYBRING YOUR FRIENDS

JENNERSUNDAY JULY 13

-- Jenner is about a 90-minute drive from the Golden Gate Bridge,following Highway 101 north and exiting at Highway 116 West in

Cotati. Go about 9 miles to Sebastopol and turn left on BodegaHighway to Highway 1; turn north, pass through Bodega Bay and

continue about 10 miles to Jenner.

wwwww

RED ALERTNew songs a-bornin'

(photo: Tim Silven)

PK... at your service

In response to your many inquiries

An album of new & other musiks is in the furnace;

as well, plans for The Cuba Project, an album of old songs fromextant & other arcane sources, as well, a few surprises...hopefullyrecorded in Havana, per the Fates

New Album tentative title:

"ON THE THRESHOLD OF FIRE"release date: When it's done!

songs a-borning >>>

Free As A BirdThe House Of TauraSanty AnnoTeaching The Computers To DreamMercy Of The MoonViva La VidaBeautiful SongTime For Every SeasonIrelandYou Take My Breath AwayThe KissThe NextWavesDance Dance Dance You Out Of My MindI'm A DreamerGirl In The WoodThe Sky Is Full Of Ships Tonight

. . . more possibles to come

H H H H H

THE CUBA PROJECT

tentative title:

"FLORES DE LA NOCHE"

POSSIBLE SONG CHOICES >>>

Carlos Fonseca (Tomas Borge/Carlos Mejia-Godoy)Banks Of Marble (by Les Rice)Chimes Of Freedom (B. Dylan)Frenario (trad.)Springhill Mine Disaster (Peggy Seeger)Pretty Boy Floyd (trad.)Whack Fall The Daddy-O Whiskey In The Jar (trad.)The Risin' Of The Moon (trad.)Tear Down The Walls (Fred Neil)Well, Well, Well (Bob Gibson, Bob Camp)Civil War Trilogy (Bob Gibson, Bob Camp)In A Crisis (World Entertainment War)Dark Ages (World Entertainment War)What About Me (Quicksilver)Pride Of Man (Bob Gibson/Bob Camp)Cowboy On The Run (Quicksilver Messenger Service/Dino Valenti)Tape From California (Phil Ochs)

perhaps a Fairport/Richard Thompson song or twoGenesis HallJohn The Gun (Sandy Denny)Lincoln's Funeral Train (Norman Blake)Simple song Of freedom (Tim Hardin)

&, as well, exploring from The Weavers' and Pete Seeger's songbookperhaps . . .

Follow The Drinking GourdSanty Anno

Wasn't That A TimePastures Of PlentyTurn, Turn, TurnWhich Side Are You OnDarlin' CoryKisses Sweeter Than Wine12 Gates To The City

Alternate Paradigms, should Cuba or the State Department fail us:

IrelandNicaraguaChicago (!?)and when I spun the globe and dropped my finger down on it>>> Mississippi or Alabama more or lessI tended to ignore that omen/portent ...

That's all for now

Now is the time to make your own request and considerations forthis Cuba project;songs that we might have forgotten about or overlookedGentlewomen & men, start you brains

Over & OutCarry The Fire

PaulSan Francisco

__________________

NOTAS DESDE Y A CUBA 5/03

Dear Michael.

After being in Venezuela for 11 days, I had lots of things to dohere, including some time out of Havana. Then, it seems that avirus blocked my computer in such a way that I have lost all theinformation I had in a 40 giga hard disk drive, and it made meimpossible to communicate with my email server since WednesdayApr. 23th.

Willy told me you were in Italy, so I was not preoccupied about thelong silence between us. We have continued working along withWilly in having you here in a good and useful stay.

In terms of concerts, we have the possibility of making a hugeconcert in one of the most beautiful places in Havana, La Cabaña,in Morro Castle, which is a Havana symbol. It is a castle built bySpanish colonial government in XVII century to defend theentrance of Havana Bay, so it has the most exciting view ofHavana you can imagine. It could be very good also for TVshooting. The other concert could be in Santa Clara, a city just inthe center of Cuba. The concert could be held in Plaza MausoleoChe Guevara, exactly where Che Guevara rests. It is a place thatonly can be opened to very very very special events. You can askWilly about it.

In terms of recording, we have talked with the best recordingstudios here. They are Estudios Abdala. They are very interestedin talking with you about the recording. They are widely open todifferent kinds of negotiation. Those are pretty new studios with avery updated technology, very good engineers and a great prestigein Latin sound. Some of the Cuban Grammy Awards nominatedand winners in the last four years has been recorded in thosestudios. They have also a prestigious record label here, Unicornio.If you want, we have also some propositions for you in terms ofsongs, poetry, etc.

In terms of event, we have another bold idea, as you said in yourlast message. We think that it would be beautiful if we can makean exchange of experiences in terms of what a certain kind ofmusic has meant for American and Cuban people, mostly young

people, from the Sixties to now. Of course, I am talking aboutwhat the protest song was, and Dylan and Joan Baez, and whatthe psychedelic rock, and all that movement that includedMonterrey and Woodstock, and Jefferson Airplane and GratefulDead, and… and… and what its contemporary Cuban nueva trovamovement meant, and Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés andMoncada meant, and the meanings that all those Cubans andAmericans have today not only for Cubans and Americans, butalso for Latin Americans. We have been talking with some peoplehere, including University Rector, the one that sent the invitationfor your visit. They could prepare a place to have a gooddiscussion and experience exchange that could be even aninternational news. There are at least two journalists here thatcould make conferences about all that stuff in Cuba. Somemusicologists and/or sociologists from Casa de las Americas couldtalk about the Latin American Sixties and Seventies. I know thatMr. Kantner have written some books. I myself have written somethings and have been a well known music critic here for the last23 years. Maybe you, or some other American friend, could makesome other collaboration to the discussion. A memory of that eventcould be a good document to be published.

Let me know how are you, how was your Italian tour and what dothink about this bold idea.

We are looking forward to knowing from you and to having youhere.

Best wishes.

Jorge Gomez.____________________________

Dear Jorge, I hope this finds you well! Please accept my sincerest apologyfor this very late reply to your wonderful email of May 3. Ireceived it on my laptop, while touring Italy with JeffersonStarship. When I got back to the office May 6, the laptop harddrive crashed & I was unable to retrieve any emails from the road,until last week. I know you are also well acquainted with harddrive crashes, and how these infernal machines seem to 'run ourlives.' Fortunately, other worthwhile endeavors, such as music &academic symposiums. still require that we humans interact. I am

pleased that Willy has kept you abreast of my movements. He isvital to the process. Your email contained so many wonderful ideas, anddemonstrated your vast knowledge ability & expertise with &about the music, I don't know where to begin - but I shall try. First, as regards the concerts, your suggestions are beyond ourhopes & dreams. I leave it to you, Willy & the kindness of MinisterPrieto & Minister Acosta (both of whom previously communicatedwarm emails to me) to make the venue arrangements you bestdeem fit. Morro Castle & Plaza Mausaleo Che Guevara sound sospiritual & historic to me, I can only hope our music is worthy ofsuch places & the inspiration they afford. Second, as regards recording, your studio suggestion soundsfantastic & I welcome the submission of any & all songs & poetryespecially from your own Silvio Rodriguez, for potential use in ourproject.

The working title is "Flores de la Noche," which is also thetitle of a song written by Paul Kantner's longtime friend JackTraylor. We have already compiled such a large list of potentialmaterial ... drawing from the work of Paul Kantner, Bob Dylan,Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger, Dino Valenti, Thomas Borges/ CarlosMejia-Godoy and others, that no final decisions have yet beenmade. As for Unicornio & matters relating to the record business, Ishall leave that to a future discussion with Willy David/Costaest,who I trust in such matters. Last & most interesting perhaps refers to your 'bold idea.' It issaid that "great minds think alike," & though I am no 'great mind,'I have also pondered for some time, the academic & historicopportunity we have presented ourselves with. Through ourmutual love of music, the people of our two nations (& people theworld over) desire for peace, harmony, & prosperity, where allchildren share the birthright of education, nutrition & health care(as is the case in your country) may be furthered & realized ...even a little bit. As a parent, I must confess that the images ofstarving children in Ethiopia, breaks my heart, as I am all buthelpless to do anything. If I thought that giving up the musicbusiness & volunteering my time in Africa would help, I would goin an instant. But there is another way: Through the diplomacyof music & cultural exchange as you have suggested. Accordingly,I am prepared to bear the expense of inviting other luminaries offolk music, to attend a University symposium, to be hosted in Cuba... to share their dreams, visions & hopes for a true Aquarian Ageof Peace ... if not in our lifetime, then for our children & for

generations to come. It is this hope that inspired the folk singers &continues to do so. In our song "Volunteers," we sing "Love isrevolutionary," and those words ring true. Our symposium maynot move governments, but it shall move people, and it is peoplethat move governments. The majority of Americans do not support the embargo andcuriosity about the culture, music & cuisine of Cuba is at an alltime high. The current administration's most recent attempt toisolate your country has only made us more curious about you. Iam certain that this project shall be a major & historic step tobreaking down walls. We share a common heritage in TheAmericas, a common geography in The Americas, a commonlanguage (Spanish is the second most spoken tongue here) acommon love of music, art, literature, cinema and food. I have suggested a working title, inspired by your email Jorge:

"The Symposium of Folk Music & its History in The Americas."

Except for some concerns on our end regarding the 'hurricaneseason,' I propose we look at late Sept./ early Oct. to realize thisproject. Now, I wish you all the best & look forward to hearingyour thoughts, as I look forward to working closely with you,Minister Prieto & Minister Acosta, whom I also convey kindregards.

Sincerely- Michael S. Gaiman

{ EMBED Word.Picture.6 }

gggggggg

"OLD FOLK SONGS ARE SPIRITS

They live in the silence of the mountains and deserts, inthe thick mud along our rivers, in the dirt beneath endlessmiles of tract homes and shopping malls, in the darknessbeyond the bright lights of interstate highways, truckstops and office towers, in abandoned buildings, closedfactories, deserted farms, lost battlefields, forgotten

graveyards, empty prairies, in blues bars, honky tonks,railyards, barnyards, backyards, church choirs andbedrooms. Like ancient redwoods and giant sequoias, ourfolk songs endure beyond (and despite of) the whims ofcurrent popular taste and the quick gratifications of ourdisposable culture.

Our folk songs live in the wild land of our heart. Theyaren’t relics from an idealized, sentimental past. Our folksongs are about love, jealousy, anger, longing, revenge,despair, survival and hope for the future. They’re hard,sad, rowdy, tender and joyous images of who we were,where we come from, who we've become and who we stillare. A lot of what is good, and, about us is in these songs.

They are in the public domain. They belong to nobody.They belong to all of us. "

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PERRO NEWS

Thru the artful manipulations and patience of ourvebmeisters, Rick & Suzanne, the PERRO novel/CD will soon beavailable free to ALL OF THE JS3C MEMBERS in an all-computer-compatible format.

It has been a long, hard trail because I transferred the wholething to Microsoft Word and Photoshop, which, I’m told, makesthings much more difficult than they need to be. I am working tobecome ‘one’ with the tao of computer writing. Dog only knows howlong THAT will take . . .

Life is a Path. . . So is a path

Shortly thereafter, we will put the novel up for sale atjeffersonstarshipsf.com, with the music CD being provided free to allbuyers. Watch our site for details soon.

And thank you for you infinite patienceI trust you will enjoy the outcome

H H H H H

___________

EDITORIAL ________________

In the words of the song:

"I propose that WEtake the matter in handTOGETHERand that WEtake a very firm hold of our FUTURE ... togetherAnd that WEcross over the lineTOGETHERAND THAT WESEEK A RECKONINGTOGETHER" The House Of Taura

Just please tell meHow much more “stupid” are we gonna takebeforeWEDOSOMETHINGCREDIBLE?!

Beginning with the rigged Florida election debacle, the Supremecourt embarrassment, the collapse of school budgets ("teachersgetting fired, jailers getting hired"), HMO abuses of the poor, thesick, the elderly, Civil rights abrogation, business world corruption

(S & Ls to Enron to Halliburton to Bechtel Ð all with no proper and justRECKONING), Big Timber Business's RAPE of the redwoods and theHeadwaters, insurance company abuses, billions for fake war todistract you from the fact that NO, we haven't even located, muchless arrested, Osama OR Saddam..., the medical marijuana debacle(another one), unjust taxesRED ALERTRED FUCKING ALERTTHIS IS NOT WHAT JEFFERSON MEANT!

All our institutions are falling apart >>>CNNThe New York TimesChurchesPoliticiansBig BusinessPoliceMilitary...

And it's a good year for civil disobedience

Don't Tread On Me

X X X X X

"Our days on earth are as a shadowBefore & After none of our businessIs that we ... WE! are drawn towards SpaceTo escape the boundaries of this place

Boundaries both of time and gravityGravity gets you down and time gets you oldThe mystery of going Beyond Can penetrate the soul." Book Of The House Of Taura

"On the threshold of FireAt the dawn of the Century

Let' go twice as fastMake it last twice as longMake it shine twice as brightlySounds like a love songTo the edge To the pale To the pale beyond the pale

I dare you to careI dare you to come to the EdgeI dare you to risk your life& I dare you to believe in ALL the thingsthat you learned in Childhoodthat were RIGHT..."

Into the Oceanic WestInto Homeric AtmospheresIt's then that I possess the SkyBy the Dawn's early Light" Teaching The Computers To Dream

“What's Farther than All The Way?!How fast can you really go?How far can you really see?How bright can you really burn?”

The House Of Taura

LETTERS FROM FAR AND NEAR

GRAPES

From: "List Reader" <I80toM31@AOL.COM>

Come on! The last time I was at City Lights Allen Ginsberg was trying to grope my grapes - Jim ("list reader") Connell

David Rahall wrote:

You were probably asking for it, wearing a tight little pair of shorts,etc.

David

RE:Jorma, Leonard Bernstein and the gun?

No, I have not heard that story! Tell it. Was Lenny being a lech? Didhe try to grope Jorma's grapes? Was Jorma wearing tight littleshorts?

David

----- Original Message -----From: "paul kantner" <sunfighter@EARTHLINK.NET>To: <2400FULTON@LISTS.NETSPACE.ORG>Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2003 8:51 PMSubject: PK Jorma, Leonard Bernstein and the gun>>>Re: PKBACK>HOMOPHOBIA>>>Re: FOR A START>>>Re: The obvious!

> in a similar vein...> So have you heard that story?> Maybe in my “Tales From The Mothership”> ... or elsewhere?>> PK> SF

[Clue: from "Tales From The Mothership"]

Q. Lenny: Is that a pistol in your pocket or are you happy to see me?A. Jorma: It's a pistol!

PKSF

GOD & HIS WAYS

Diana wrote:

<<god creature wantonly destroys humans beings or orders hisbelievers to do so repeatedly throughout this violence-filled tome.(THE BIBLE) LarsMan.>>

PK wrote:FKN BABY KILLER

Just a thought, If there's a God and creator, then as creator has hethe right to do as he pleases with the things "he " created?

NO! HE/SHE/IT DOESN'T !!! (under this archaic, backwards, feudal(lord, serve, etc. etc. etc.) system another has the right to drown herchildren??? Or Abraham has the 'right' to stick a fucking knife into hisown child because he hears the voice(s) of god in his head...fuckingloonie, is what I'd call him???

(p.s. all these founders of religion were desert born, culturallystarved, backward, illiterate morons; and the buddha was somespoiled rich kid who couldn't get a clue...so he invented one

and now, today, Canadian buddhist are having territorial fistfightsover this that or the other thingand you want me to 'believe'?I could believe more in some backwoods hillbilly brewing upmoonshine in the hollers of West Virginia)

AS WELL, THERE WAS NO HE/SHE BEFORE THE 'ADAM' MYTH

ALL SOUNDS VERY FEUDAL TO MEBACKWARDSHILL-PEOPLE THINKINGJESUSMARY&JOSEPHINTHEFKNDONKEYCART !!!

There's a parable about the potter and the clay, in Jeremiah 18, andI think this applies to God and creation (Israel in particular, but Ithink it can apply to whatever God creates). Also if there is a beingall powerful, then "he" must necessarily he just and fair in all "his"ways. We don't see or know everything or what waits on the otherside. People either choose to believe or not,

"I DON'T BELIEVE IN BELIEVE'." JOHN LENNON, THE POOR DEAR

and some just have a wait and see attitude.Also Jesus took warfare to the spiritual level bringing humanity intothe age of grace, though many still live outside of it, it's available toall. Jesus asked his followers to love their enemies, and to pray forthem (speaking of us having human enemies). But also I believe hetaught us what our true enemy is/was, and it is not other people.what does the New testament mean when it says to fight the goodfight? Like I said just something to think about, if you want to, ofcourse.

Diana

PK wrote:

BOTH THE OLD TESTAMENT & THE NEW WERE WRITTEN BY PATRIARCHAL

ASSHOLES/DELIVERANCE TYPES WHO BITTERLY TRASHED THE ENTIREMATRIARCHAL BALANCE OF THE WORLD IN PURSUIT OF THEIR OWNONANISTIC RELIGIO/PRE-FEUDAL AIMSAND ST. PAUL, MY NAMESAKE, WAS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST JERK-OFF OFTHEM ALLFIGHTING AMONGST ONE ANOTHERAS DO JEWS AND CHRISTIANS AND ARABS TODAY

LEAVE THEM TO THEIR MISERIES AND GET ON WITH YOUR OWN REAL LIFEDOGSPEED

PAULSF

" I'd like to see Jesus and MohammedOn the road to DamascusWhat did you think they would sayWould they fight with knives clenched in their teethLike Jews and Arabs todayOr would they walk and speakLike philosophers and thinkersAmused at each other's insightsRelishing the brain waves thereRound the warmth of the hunting fireEager for, hungry forThey got to haveYou know they love

ConnectionContactCommunion‘And let our two great religionsCease their senseless struggleIt only hurts the children’ConnectionConnection!!!"

“CONNECTION,” (PK 1980-SOMETHING)

(NUCLEAR FURNITURE / JEFFERSON STARSHIP)

Interstellar Exploration : : Evolution

PKSF

A Reader wrote:

Paul writes:<< PERHAPS THIS NUCLEAR THREAT COULD - AND SHOULD - BE A PROPER ANDAPPROPRIATE IMPETUS TO SPUR US ON TO EVEN GREATER ACHIEVEMENT IMPURSUING THE GOAL OF INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL >>

Or as William S. Burroughs used to phrase it: "We are here to go."(into space)

This reminds me of a counter view, one that the minister's husbandat my church (Unitarian, in case it matters to you) likes to put forthto me whenever he has the opportunity.

When I start referring to literature from the more mysticaltheologists (i.e.: Eckhart) -- people who tend to look outside of thisworld for spiritual insights -- I get a response like this: "Everythingwe need is right here. The answers are not in some ultimatelyunattainable spiritual ether. The problems are right here on Earth,and so are the answers."

I tend to think he sounds like the guy at the end of the Wizard of Oz:"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" But I also think hiswords have some ring of truth to them.

I'm not sure that "interstellar travel" points to a better life, or is ananswer to any problem... Other than how to escape this mess, andleave someone else to wrestle with the problems.

It would be a neat way to reinvent civilization, though -- whateverthe hell that means.

PK wrote:

Check out Rosslyn (The Rose Line)the home / burial ground of several Knight’s Templarsthe repository or the grailthe as yet unopened underground vault

good luck

PKSF

Diana wrote:

I really don't want to argue with you, I do have a real life. I will bechecking out info on Mary Magdalene too. Which is funny that yousay on one hand that you are agnostic and then speak of MaryMagdalene, who is more highly spoken of the Gnostic texts. I justhaven't studied those texts and actually didn't know about themuntil joining Fulton Street.Also when you speak against the Hebrews/Irsaelites, like you did, Itall sounded like what God was saying to Jeremiah in the chapter(18) I, mentioned in my post. Besides that was all just somethoughts I was having, that post. about the moonshiners, Itprobably about like in that song Copperhead Road. No need to hideout and make shine, but there's other stuff..... have a good one,

Diana

PK wrote:

starting with the exclusion of the Magdalene, thru the christianmurder and slaying of the heretical sects Ð Gnostics, Cathars, andsuch, the Albigensian Crusade and the beginning of theInquisition...& on up to Opus Deithis writer has no use whatsoever for the christian ethic asexpostulated by most of its sad and deluded adherentsReligion kills more people yearly than all the wars, auto accidents,diseases, famines, etc...

a true horseman of the Apocalypse

"The last true christian died on the cross."Gospel of the Magdalene

Kali, Kali Kali (to Bushboy, et al.)

PKSF

larsman wrote:

'scuse me?? This is NOT a CHRISTIAN LIST. It's a Jefferson Airplanelist!!! If somebody wants to take solace in fellow religious people,let them go to the appropriate place... What a shame that weatheists and agnostics actually want to express our opinions andare allowed to do so... LarsMan.

PAPA STRETCH wrote:

Cynthia, when a terminally ill person says a prayer asking the dearLord foranother day before they go to sleep, and check their emails onemore time,because they are lonely, only to find some atheist yapping awayslammingtheir faith. It’s very disheartening. Is this behavior expectable inyourbook?

PK wrote:

“And God loved the bastard son of Jesus ... the daughter too”

time for the resurgence of the Magdalene,Check out the Rose Line, the Essenes, the Gnostic Gospels and theDead Sea Scrolls (perhaps a bit of a 'truer' gospel than thecounterfeit that presently exists)

and finally ... the gospel of Mary Magdalene

PKSF

_____

________________________________________________________________________

"I can believe things that are true and I can believe thingsthat aren't true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they'retrue or not. I can believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny andMarilyn Monroe and the Beatles and Elvis and Mr. Ed. Listen -- Ibelieve that people are perfectible, that knowledge is infinite, that theworld is run by secret banking cartels and is visited by aliens on aregular basis, nice ones that look like wrinkledy lemurs and bad oneswho mutilate cattle and want our water and our women. I believe thatthe future sucks and I believe that the future rocks and I believe thatone day White Buffalo Woman is going to come back and kickeveryone's ass. I believe that all men are overgrown boys with deepproblems communicating and that the decline in good sex in Americais coincident with the decline in drive-in movie theaters from state tostate. I believe that all politicians are unprincipled crooks and I stillbelieve that they are better than the alternative. I believe thatCalifornia is going to sink into the sea when the big one comes, whileFlorida is going to dissolve into madness and alligators and toxic waste.I believe that antibacterial soap is destroying our resistance to dirt and

disease so that one day we'll all be wiped out by the common cold likethe Martians in 'War Of The Worlds'. I believe that the greatest poetsof the last century were Edith Sitwell and Don Marquis, that jade isdried dragon sperm, and that thousands of years ago in a former life Iwas a one-armed Siberian shaman. I believe that mankind's destiny liesin the stars. I believe that candy really did taste better when I was akid, that it's aerodynamically impossible for a bumblebee to fly, thatlight is a wave and a particle, that there's a cat in a box somewherewho's alive and dead at the same time ( although if they don't everopen the box to feed it it'll eventual just be two different kinds ofdead ), and that there are stars in the universe billions of years olderthan the universe itself. I believe in a personal god who cares about meand worries and oversees everything I do. I believe in an impersonalgod who set the universe in motion and went off to hang out with hergirlfriends and doesn't even know that I'm alive. I believe in an emptyand godless universe of casual chaos, background noise, and sheer blindluck. I believe that anyone who says that sex is overrated just hasn'tdone it properly. I believe that anyone who claims to know what'sgoing on will lie about the little things too. I believe in absolute honestyand sensible social lies. I believe in a woman's right to choose, a baby'sright to live, that while all human life is sacred there's nothing wrongwith the death penalty if you can trust the legal system implicitly, andthat no one but a moron would ever trust the legal system. I believethat life is a game, that life is a cruel joke, and that life is whathappens when you're alive and that you might as well lie back andenjoy it."

_____ Neil Gaiman (Michael’s 3rd cousin)

u u u u u

From MSNBC:

May 8 Ñ The City by the Bay is now turning to that body of water as apotential source of electricity for its entire population. SanFrancisco this week decided to spend $2 million on a pilot projectthat uses the energy from tides to generate electricity. Expandingfrom a test to an underwater grid powering the entire city wouldtake years Ñ and would need to pass environmental hurdles Ñ butthe idea has generated a wave of interest. “MORE THAN 40 million cars travel over the Golden Gate Bridgeevery year, but what really gives us something to talk about iswhat’s happening beneath the bridge,” Jared Blumenfeld, directorof San Francisco’s Environment Department, wrote last year as helobbied for the project. “Each day, nearly 400 billion gallons of waterrush through the mouth of San Francisco Bay. If harnessed, theenergy from this water could be an answer to the city’s powerneeds.” San Francisco believes it’d be the first project in the UnitedStates to test tidal power at a commercial level, adding that it’sconfident the system would not impact shipping since it would befar below the surface, probably on the sea floor itself. “Tidal power is a clean energy resource we definitely want toconsider for adding to our electricity system,” said Mark Westlund,a spokesman for the department. The project, approved unanimously by the city’s Board ofSupervisors, is part of San Francisco’s push for nonpolluting energy,which includes solar and wind projects. That push, in turn, stemsfrom California’s recent energy shortages and the city’s plan todecommission an aging power plant in 2005.

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Arabic TV Guide:

Date: Week of 22 JULY 2003 14:06:02 EST

SUNDAY: 8:00 - My 33 Sons 8:30 - Osama Knows Best 9:00 - I Dream ofMohammed 9:30 - Let's Mecca Deal 10:00 - The Kabul Hillbillies

MONDAY: 8:00 - Husseinfeld 9:00 - Mad About Everything 9:30 -Monday Night Stoning 10:00 - Win Bin Laden's Money 10:30 - AllahMcBeal

TUESDAY: 8:00 - Wheel of Terror 8:30 - The Price is Right if Osama Saysit's Right 9:00 - Children are Forbidden from Saying the DarndestThings 9:30 - Taliban's Wackiest Public Execution Bloopers 10:00 -Buffy the Yankee Slayer

WEDNESDAY: 8:00 - Beat the Press 8:30 - When Kurds Attack 9:00 - TwoGuys, a Girl, and Pita Bread 9:30 - Just Shoot Everyone 10:00 -Veilwatch

THURSDAY: 8:00 - Fatima Loves Chachi 8:30 - M*U*S*T*A*S*H 9:00 -Veronica's ! Closet Full of Long, Black, Shapeless Dresses and Veils9:30 - Married with 139 Children 10:00 - Eye for an Eye Witness News

FRIDAY: 8:00 - Judge Saddam 8:30 - Suddenly Sanctions 9:00 - WhoWants to Marry a Terrorist Millionaire? 9:30 - Cave and GardenTelevision 10:00 - No-Witness News

SATURDAY: 8:00 - Sponge Bob Square Turban 8:30 - Who's Koran Is ItAnyway? 9:00 - Teletalibans 9:30 - Camel 54, Where Are You?Wet Burka contest

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THE “YOU DON’T REALLY THINK EVERYTHING IS REALLYTHE WAY YOU REALLY THINK IT IS, DO YOU?” SECTION >

And Do Not GOTO :youdon’treallythinkeverythingisreallythewayyoureallythinkitisdoyou.comwithout the proper all-weather protective gear, as well as a Haz-Mat suit, readily available at the first signs that Courtney Love has

been arrested by governmental forces in the service of the anti-terror units of the local constabularia

May. 17, 2003. 01:00 AM

• BBC questions U.S. version of Lynch rescueTV documentary follows in wake of Toronto Star story

Much of what was fed to media about event called false

DON MELVINSPECIAL TO THE STAR

LONDONÑThe daring rescue of Jessica Lynch, a 19-year-old privatewho lay trapped behind enemy lines in Iraq, was one of the mostinspiring stories to emerge from the war in Iraq. U.S. Special Forcesbraved enemy fire to rescue an American who had been badlywounded and was being maltreated.

Or so the story goes, according to American officials.

A front-page exposé by the Star's Mitch Potter challenged thatversion of events last month. And tomorrow, a BBC broadcast will dothe same, charging that some of what American officials fed newsreporters was false. Lynch received no battle wounds and herrescuers endured no enemy fire, according to the television report.

Instead, the BBC show Correspondents will allege that the so-calleddaring rescue was essentially a Hollywood-style stunt designed tobuck up sagging American support when the troops appeared to begetting bogged down.

Lynch is reported to have no recollection of the events. White Housespokesperson Ari Fleischer declined comment yesterday on theallegations.

"I haven't seen those reports," Fleischer said. "And I don't commenton things I haven't seen, especially Ñthere's all kinds of differenttabloids.''

But a defence official took issue with the BBC report. "The wholepremise of that story was wrong," the official said, adding it wasbased primarily on speculation.

Lynch, an army supply clerk, was captured March 23 when her 507thMaintenance Company convoy was ambushed after the convoy tooka wrong turn near the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya.

Nine other U.S. soldiers were killed in the attack. Lynch was taken tothe hospital in Nasiriya.

According to widely reported accounts at the time, Lynch sufferedgunshot wounds and was stabbed. She was interrogated androughed up in her hospital bed. Her care was poor. The hospital wasoverrun with Iraqi Fedayeen militiamen.

Then, in the early hours of April 2, according to the U.S. military, U.S.Army Rangers and Navy Seals acted on a tip from an Iraqi lawyerwho risked his life to disclose Lynch's location. The U.S. specialforces dodged enemy gunfire, stormed the hospital, rescued Lynchand helicoptered her to safety.

The assault was filmed by a U.S. military night vision camera. Withinhours, military officials in Qatar made what the BBC said was anedited version of the film available to news organizations.

As the film was played in the Central Command briefing room, Brig.Gen. Vincent Brooks, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command inQatar, said: "Some brave souls put their lives on the line to makethis happen, loyal to a creed that they know that they'll never leavea fallen comrade.''

The BBC report, which has been previewed in the Guardiannewspapers and on the BBC Web site, will paint a different picture. Itis reported by John Kampfner, a veteran foreign correspondent,author and maker of television documentaries. It appears to bebased largely on interviews conducted in Nasiriya after the city wasfreed from the control of Saddam Hussein's regime.

The Star reported the story last month. Later, correspondent Potterappeared on CNN to discuss the Star exposé with host Aaron Brown.The story was later reported by the Times of London and theWashington Post.

According to Iraqis interviewed by the BBC, Lynch's care was good,considering the war that raged outside. She was given bloodtransfusions, some of it donated to her by the medical staff. She wasassigned, the BBC reports, the only "specialist bed" in the hospitaland one of only two nurses on the floor.

"I was like a mother to her and she was like a daughter," one nurse,Khalida Shinah, said.

Dr. Harith al-Houssona said he attended to Lynch the entire time. "Iexamined her," he told the BBC.

"I saw she had a broken arm, a broken thigh and a dislocated ankle.There was no (sign of) shooting, no bullet inside her body, no stabwound Ñ only RTA, road traffic accident. They want to distort thepicture. I don't know why they think there is some benefit in sayingshe has a bullet injury.''

The BBC report also alleges the American rescuers did not comeunder fire, as military spokespeople claimed Ñ and that they knewbeforehand they would face no resistance. A waiter at a localrestaurant said he had told the U.S. advance party the Fedayeen hadall left, the broadcast reports.

Dr. Anmar Uday, another doctor, told the BBC he was surprised bythe helicopter assault when the Americans must have known therewere no soldiers in the hospital.

"It was like a Hollywood film," Uday said, according to the BBC. "Theycried, `Go, go, go,' with guns and blanks and the sound of explosions.They made a show Ñ an action movie like Sylvester Stallone orJackie Chan, with jumping and shouting, breaking down doors.''

Kampfner, writing in the Guardian, said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagonspokesperson in Washington, declined to release the uneditedmilitary video to clear up discrepancies. Nor would Whitmancomment on Lynch's injuries, saying only he understood there is"some conflicting information."

However, Whitman said yesterday the public affairs office had novideo footage of the rescue other than what it had shown and a U.S.Central Command spokesperson said he also was aware of noadditional video material.

Kampfner writes that the incident demonstrates the differencesbetween the American and British military briefers in Qatar. TheBritish briefers were well known to reporters as more forthcomingthat the Americans, and Kampfner reports that the British werefrustrated by the Americans' performance.

The British government's media adviser, Simon Wren, wrote a letterto his superior in London complaining the U.S. briefers were not upto the job, according to the report. He described the Americanpresentation on the Lynch rescue as embarrassing, Kampfner said.

"The Americans never got out there and explained what was goingon in the war," Wren told the Kampfner.

"All they needed was to be open and honest. They were too vague,too scared of engaging with the media.''

COX NEWS SERVICE

UPDATEand from the NY Times via Sf Chron 6/03

• 'Saving Private Lynch'Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times Service Monday, June 23, 2003

Nasiriyah, Iraq -- I've been roaming Iraq, turning over rocks in myunceasing effort to help the Bush administration find thoseweapons of mass destruction. No luck yet.

But I did find something related, here in the city where it seems(contrary to early Pentagon leaks) Pfc. Jessica Lynch did not mowdown Iraqis until her ammo ran out, was not shot and apparently

was not plucked from behind enemy lines by U.S. commandosbraving a firefight. It looks as if the first accounts of the rescue wereembellished, like the imminent threat from weapons of massdestruction, and like wartime pronouncements about an uprising inBasra and imminent defections of generals. There's a pattern: Wewere misled.

None of this is to put down Private Lynch, whom her Iraqi doctorsdescribed as courageous and funny in the face of unrelenting pain;they said that she told Abdul Hadi, a hospital worker who hadbefriended her, not to take risks for her because he was needed byhis 17 children. Lynch is still a hero in my book, and it wasunnecessary for officials to try to turn her into a Hollywoodcaricature. As a citizen, I deeply resent my government trying tospin me like a Ping-Pong ball.

Staff members of Nasiriyah's main hospital told me, as they havetold other reporters, how surprised they were when militaryofficers brought an American woman by ambulance. Lynch wasunconscious, with broken legs, a head wound and other injuries,apparently sustained in a vehicle accident during a firefight.

"She was nearly dead," recalled Saad Abdulrazak, the deputyhospital director who received her.

The Iraqi doctors were enchanted by this warrior, who as sherecovered spent her time alternately crying and joking. I don't knowhow much to credit the Iraqis' claims that they gave her the bestroom in the hospital, that they went to the market to buy orangejuice for her with their own money, that they brought clothes so thatshe would have something to wear. But they didn't minimize Iraqibrutality. Indeed, they told of an execution of a handcuffed Americanmale (I've put a fuller account of this execution and of Lynch's sagaat nytimes.com/kristofresponds).

The hospital staff also said that on the night of March 27, militaryofficials prepared to kill Lynch by putting her in an ambulance andblowing it up with its occupants -- blaming the atrocity on theAmericans. The ambulance drivers balked at that idea. Eventually,the plan was changed so that a military officer would shoot Lynch

and burn the ambulance. So Sabah Khazal, an ambulance driver,loaded her in the vehicle and drove off with a military officerassigned to execute her.

"I asked him not to shoot Jessica," Khazal said, "and he was afraidof God and didn't kill her." Instead, the executioner ran away anddeserted the army, and Khazal said that he then thought aboutdelivering Lynch to an American checkpoint. But there werefirefights on the streets, so he returned to the hospital. (Lynchapparently never knew how close she came to execution.)

By the morning of March 31, all of the Iraqi military at the hospitalhad fled. The hospital staff members said that they then told Lynchthey would take her to the Americans the next day. That same night,the American Special Forces arrived.

"I met the Americans at the hospital entrance," said Dr. HusseinSalih, adding that Abdulrazak then led the Americans to Lynch. Thestaff members all said there was no resistance, and that theywelcomed the Americans.

Is this account the truth? I don't know, but every time I voicedskepticism, the doctors and staff all insisted: "Go ask Jessica! She'lltell you."

The U.S. military has refused to make Private Lynch available,although that may be out of respect for her privacy. In any case, sheis said to have no memory of her capture.

My guess is that "Saving Private Lynch" was a complex tale vastlyoversimplified by officials, partly because of genuine ambiguitiesand partly because they wanted a good story to build politicalsupport for the war -- a repetition of the exaggerations overweapons of mass destruction.

We weren't quite lied to, but facts were subordinated to politics,and truth was treated as an endlessly stretchable fabric.

The Iraqis misused our prisoners for their propaganda purposes,and it hurts to find out that some American officials were misusingPrivate Lynch the same way.

³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³

Short of a major change in the DNA code we seem to bestuck with US – the way we are!!!

no functional god, no flying saucers, no Illuminati, nosaving grace (sic)IT IS a Savage UniverseNature cares not whether its hurricanes, tornadoes, floodsand other ‘horsemen’ kill a child, a child molester or thepresident of the United States

soJust carry ondoin' what you think is rightdon't get no better than that!!!

⇔ONE WAY

"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." Ambrose Bierce

"Drugs are God's way of teaching Americans the metric system." Book Of The House Of Taura

"Do you think anybody in Washington has any idea what people on alimited income have to do to live?"

ED HUMAN, 68, on legislation in Congress to add prescription drug benefits to Medicare.

“Hadn’na been for marijuana, i woulda killed about 20 people bynow.” Willie Nelson

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LEVITIES

Bush is hanging out with the Queen of England. He asks her: "How doyou run an efficient government? Any tips you can give me?"

And the Queen says: "Well, the most important thing is to surroundyourself with intelligent people."

Bush frowns, and replies: "Well, how do I know the people aroundme are really intelligent or not?"

The Queen takes a little sip of tea, and says: "Oh, that's easy. You justask them a riddle".

Then the Queen pushes the button on her intercom and says:"Please send Tony Blair in here, would you?"

So Tony Blair walks into the room. "Yes, my Queen?" The Queensmiles at Tony and says: "Tony, answer me this, would you? Yourmother and father have a child. It's not your brother, and it's notyour sister. Who is it?"

Without missing a beat, Tony Blair says: "Well, that would be me."

The Queen smiles and says: "Very good, thank you!"

So, back at the White House, Bush is a bit puzzled. So, he asks tospeak with Dick Cheney: "Hey Dick, answer this for me, would ya?Your mother and your father have a child. It's not your brother andit's not your sister...who is it?

Dick Cheney frowns and says: "Geez, I'm not sure ... lemme get backto you."

So, Dick Cheney goes to all advisors, and asks everyone he can, butno one can answer it for him. Finally, he ends up in the men's room,and he recognizes Colin Powell's shoes in the next stall over. So Dickshouts over to him: "Hey Colin... can you answer this for me? Yourmother and father have a child. It's not your brother and it's notyour sister. Who is it?"

Colin Powell flushes, and yells back: "Hey, that's easy... it's me!"

Dick Cheney smiles and yells: "Thanks!"

So, Dick Cheney goes back into the Oval Office and tells Bush: "Hey, Ifinally figured out the answer to that riddle! It's Colin Powell!"

Bush gets up, and angrily stomps over to Dick Cheney.

Bush yells right in Dick's face: "No, you idiot! It's Tony Blair!"

_ _

#2The middle-aged, ‘princess’ wife in a Jewish family dies

suddenly of a mystery illness. So the family prepares for theceremonies and they’re in the funeral home for the viewing of thebody and the attendant ceremonies.

As they’re pushing the coffin into the room on a gurney ofsorts, the coffins hits the wall while going around a corner.

A groan is heard from the inside the coffin.“My god, she’s alive!” they exclaim.Sure enough. She is indeed alive and goes on to live another

ten years.At that point she dies again, this time for real.Again, they’re in the funeral home, going through the same

ceremonies.As they are pushing the coffin into the viewing room, the

husband remarks, quietly yet forcefully:“Watch the wall.”

_ _

The 2003 Darwin Awards

First Place - The 2003 Darwin Award Winner: When his 38-caliberrevolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in LongBeach, California,would be robber James Elliot did something thatcan only inspirewonder: He peered down the barrel and tried thetrigger again. This time it worked.....

And now, the honorable mentions:

The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cuttingmachine and, after a little hopping around, submitted a claim to hisinsurance company. Thecompany, suspecting negligence, sent outone of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine outand lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

*********

A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his carduring a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find awoman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

*********

After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driverfound that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to betransporting from Harare to Beltway had escaped. Not wanting toadmit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop andoffered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered thepassengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patientswere very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deceptionwasn't discovered for 3 days.

*********

An American teenager was in the hospital yesterday recoveringfrom serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. Whenasked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he wassimply trying to see how close he could get his head to a movingtrain before he was hit.

*********

A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter,and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, theman pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, whichthe clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerkand fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash

he got from the drawer? $15. (If someone points a gun at you andgives you money, was a crime committed?)

*********

Seems this Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. Hedecided that he'd just throw a cinderblock through a liquor storewindow, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinderblock andheaved it over his head at the window. The cinderblock bouncedback and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking himunconscious. Seems the liquor store window was made of Plexiglas.The whole event was caught on videotape.

*********

As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a mangrabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, andthe woman was able to give them a detailed description of thesnatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher.They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief wasthen taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. Towhich he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole thepurse from."

*********

The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked intoa Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at 5 a.m., flashed a gun, anddemanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said hecouldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the manordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available forbreakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.

*********

Kentucky: Two men tried to pull the front off a cash machine byrunning a chain from the machine to the bumper of their pickuptruck. Instead of pulling the front panel off the machine, though,they pulled the bumper off their truck. Scared, they left the sceneand drove home. With the chain still attached to the machine. With

their bumper still attached to the chain. With their vehicle's licenseplate still attached to the bumper. They were quickly arrested.

*********

A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER! When a man attempted to siphongasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got muchmore than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find avery sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage.A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to stealgasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home'ssewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to presscharges, saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

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And one taste of poetics for your heart

SatisfactionOtto René Castillo

The most beautiful thing for those who have fought a whole life is to come to the end and say: we believed in people and life, and life and the people never let us down.

Only in this way do men become men, women become women, fighting day and night for people and for life.

And when these lives come to an end

the people open their deepest rivers and they enter those waters forever. And so they become, distant fires, living, creating the heart of example

The most beautiful thing for those who have fought a whole life is to come to the end and say: we believed in people and life, and life and the people never let us down.

☯

band photos: Tim Silven

HERE’S ____ TO THE FUTUREHERE’S TO LIFE & OUR CHILDREN

LIFT A GLASS TO TOMORROWHERE’S ____ TO THE FUTURE

WE CAN BE TOGETHER

© Little DragonSummer 2003San Francisco

Carry The Fire