FULL CIRCLE * Earthwise Networking, News & Notes

Change

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:20:00 +0000

Folks,

The illness of an elderly love one requires my presence so the blog will lie dormant for a time. We do not yet know if this situation is the beginning of a longer journey or if we will again take the version of Mr Toad's Wild Ride that passes for health care in this country. Nor do we know the timing on any of this. I'll be back, when I'm back. In the meantime, take my best wishes with you and enjoy what you find here in the archives. (1) As always, take what you need and leave the rest.

Go well, stay well,

Sia

(1) I've listed popular posts by topic in the right hand column section and you find a seach window at the top right corner of the blog.

Blessed Samhain, Happy Halloween and a peaceful All Souls to you all.

SV

Unseen Academicals

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:55:00 +0000

Unseen Academicals is now available in bookstores. I predict that you will love two new characters: Glenda the pie maker and Pepe who is...many things.

Here's to all those who climb out of the crab bucket....

Sia

The wizards at Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University are renowned for many things—wisdom, magic, and their love of teatime—but athletics is most assuredly not on the list. And so when Lord Ventinari, the city's benevolent tyrant, strongly suggests to Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully that the university revive an erstwhile tradition and once again put forth a football team composed of faculty, students, and staff, the wizards of UU find themselves in a quandary. To begin with, they have to figure out just what it is that makes this sport—soccer with a bit of rugby thrown in—so popular with Ankh-Morporkians of all ages and social strata. Then they have to learn how to play it. Oh, and on top of that, they must win a football match without using magic.
Meanwhile, Trev (a handsome street urchin and a right good kicker) falls hard for kitchen maid Juliet (beautiful, dim, and perhaps the greatest fashion model there ever was), and Juliet's best pal, UU night cook Glenda (homely, sensible, and a baker of jolly good pies) befriends the mysterious Mr. Nutt (about whom no one knows very much, including Mr. Nutt, which is worrisome . . .). As the big match approaches, these four lives are entangled and changed forever. Because the thing about football—the most important thing about football—is that it is never just about football.

You can get the lastet Terry Pratchett new from the man himself by going here.

Craft In America on PBS

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:54:00 +0000

Today I would like to share a wonderful program on PBS titled Craft in America.

You can check your local show times by clicking on the link above.

Enjoy,

Sia

Related Articles:

Etsy: Buying and Selling Handmade Items

A Simple Argument: "Animal Torture Is Not Free Speech"

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:04:00 +0000

Calling all animal lovers:

Tomorrow is the day that United States Solicitor General Elena Kagan will stand before the Supreme Court and argue that the federal Depiction of Animal Cruelty Law is not only constitutional but urgently needed to stop the abuse of animals. Congress passed the law by overwhelming margins in 1999 to halt the interstate sale of videos depicting illegal acts of animal cruelty

...The United States and 26 state Attorneys General are asking the court to put a stop to this madness, and allow reasonable regulation of this commercial activity. In 1973, the Supreme Court held that patently offensive material with no serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value can be regulated. A decade later, the high court concluded that child pornography can be regulated as well. The thrust of our argument...this may be narrowly regulated based on our society’s compelling interest in preventing animal cruelty. Cruelty to animals is a serious social and legal concern to Americans, and, as with children, the animal victims cannot defend themselves. There’s no speech at risk here—just the most appalling forms of cruelty known to humanity.

This call comes from the President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. You can read his entire article in the link below. FAIR WARNING: This article contains graphic and disturbing information about animal torture videos. Here it is: Animal Torture Is Not Free Speech

Our argument is simple: There are deeds so dark that they do not warrant, and do not receive, the lofty protection of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. The trade in such material, such as child pornography, is rightfully a crime and receives no Constitutional protection. And so too should the trade in videotapes of wanton cruelty inflicted on uncomprehending but much suffering animals.

We are talking about victims who cannot speak for themselves. A vote of Congress declared the sale of this material to be a crime with passage of the Depiction of Animal Cruelty Act. The many civil libertarians in Congress sided with us that this sort of conduct should be regulated ... not protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court can do the right thing and deal a blow to people who profit from animal suffering by reinstating this law and affirming our society’s right to protect the innocent from predatory commercialism by those with sick hearts, or no hearts at all.

from No Mercy for the Merciless

My thoughts will be with those who speak for the voiceless in front of our highest court on Tuesday.

Sia

Image: Scales of Justice dog shirt can be found here.

Gargoyle Dogs

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:02:00 +0000

It's that time of year...

Pet costumes seem all the rage right now and not just for dogs; more than one cat is into hats these days.

Meanwhile, I spend my free time at local stores looking for pretty witches to add to my collection, cute (not scary) black cat images, and things that make me smile, like the picture above.

The Chicago Sun Times notes that

Witches are again the most popular costume for adults this Halloween, but vampires are chomping in with a close second because of their newfound popularity in books and movies..

Saving Money on Halloween

You don't have to spend a lot of money on a costume this year. Your local Good Will has lots of great costumes on sale, especially for kids. Call a friend or neighbor and see if they have something you can borrow. Or, arrange for a costume swap. Get together with friends, all who agree bring a bunch of costume items to swap, loan and trade. Also, look around the house and see what you have there, already. Anyone can buy a costume; for many of us, half the fun is making it or putting it all together for ourselves.

Sia

Related Articles:

Keeping Your Pet Safe This Halloween

Photo: found at Boris Kitty blog.

800 year old Lewis Chessman Set Reunited for Tour

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:22:00 +0000

A charming blog titled Chess, Goddess and Everything notes that the Lewis Chessman set pieces "polished walrus ivory and whale teeth carved by Norse craftsmen more than 800 years ago", are being reunited for a tour of Scotland after 170 years apart.

It's so nice to see the band back together again.

Sia

Note: Harry Potter fans may remember that copies of the Lewis set were used to play in Wizard's Chess in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Links:

British Museum webpage on The Lewis Chessman

Photo found here

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:56:00 +0000

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Did You Know That only five per cent of breast cancer is directly linked to inherited faults in our genes? The majority of cases are linked to a number of risk factors, such as putting on weight, diet, lack of exercise, whether or not we have children and the use of hormone pills. We don't have to wait around, wondering if some genetic bomb will go off. We can make changes to our lifestyle, get yearly exams, become more informed and take a active role in our overall health and well being. Pass it on.

Meet: Dr. Susan Love, Scientist & Breast Cancer Activist

What You Can Do Today: The American Cancer Society recommendations include the following:

• Women age 40 and older should have a screening mammogram every year and should continue to do so for as long as they are in good health.

• Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam as part of a periodic health exam by a health professional preferably every 3 years. After age 40, women should have a breast exam by a health professional every year.

• Breast self exam is an option for women starting in their 20s. Women should be told about the benefits and limitations of BSE. Women should report any breast changes to their health professional right away.

Please take time to do your monthly breast examination and remind a friend.

The Personal Is Political:

The Breast Cancer Caucus is asking all presidential candidates to outline their plans for universal health care and their specific approaches to breast cancer research, prevention and care. Visit their website and click on the candidate's picture to see their plan.

You might also wish to read The Politics of Breast Cancer

Just the Facts, M'ame

Also, visit Dr. Susan Love's website to read clear, factual information on breast cancer prevention and treatment from one of the pioneers in the field.

Download: Breast Self Exam Cards in Several Languages

As part of the three-step breast health approach, Susan G. Komen for the Cure recommends that beginning by age 20, women become familiar with the look and feel of their breasts through monthly breast self-examination (BSE). View the variety of Breast Self-Examination (BSE) cards we have available in several different languages. Learn how to perform a breast self-exam. Help others learn that monthly BSE is an important part of the three-step breast health approach. You can download and print these cards for quick reference.

PDF file: Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Become More Aware: Visit the Susan G. Komen Site For the Cure to read:

* ABC's of Breast Cancer Guide

* Early Detection & Screening

* Risk Factors & Prevention

* Treatment & lots more

Update 10/3: Not everyone is a fan of the K group. Read the article titled "Compromised?" and decide for yourself:

Excerpt: In the past couple of years...dissenting voices have begun to be heard about Komen....various feminist breast cancer organizations, say that Komen's many corporate ties have led to a focus that is heavily weighted toward finding a medical cure for breast cancer, and away from environmental conditions causing it. The following story examines Komen's corporate and political ties and their influence on the Komen Foundation's direction......

"What's missing is the truth," says Judy Brady of the Toxic Links Coalition in San Francisco. She wants to see a cure for breast cancer as much as anyone, but she and her group, along with several other activist breast cancer groups, have something to point out about the Susan G. Komen Foundation's activities: "There's no talk about prevention except, in terms of lifestyle, your diet for instance. No talk about ways to grow food more safely. No talk about how to curb industrial carcinogens. No talk about contaminated water.".....So most people would be shocked to find that the Komen Foundation helped block a meaningful Patients' Bill of Rights for the women it has purported to serve since the group began in 1982.

Update 10/5 : This just in from Rowan Fairgrove:

Devra Davis: Chemicals, Cancer and You

Fresh Air from WHYY, October 4, 2007 · In The Secret History of the War on Cancer, environmental-health expert Devra Davis warns that we're ignoring dozens of cancer-causing chemicals, like asbestos, benzene, vinyl chloride, and dioxin.

Click Here To Listen To The Show

She writes that, like the tobacco companies, the chemical industry has managed to obfuscate the carcinogenic dangers of chemical and other toxic waste.

Davis directs the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and teaches epidemiology in the university's public-health graduate program.

Her earlier book When Smoke Ran Like Water: Tales of Environmental Deceptionand the Battle Against Pollution was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Their website is very much under construction unfortunately, but do take a look.

My thanks to Rowan Fairgrove, Librarian Bard, for the two articles in the updates.

Go well, stay well,

Sia

Reposted from 10/2/08

Image: by JFury of deviantART, courtesy of the Sexy Witch Blog
JFury (aka Joe Pekar) has more images here.
(Note: Adult Content - Do Not view these sites at work)

Book Banning, Gay Penguins and Witches

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:28:00 +0000

It is time again to celebrate (?) Banned Books Week. The BBC reports that:

Authors, artists and musicians are due to gather at a library in San Francisco to protest against the banning of books in schools and libraries in the US.
The event, part of the 27th annual Banned Books Week, has been organised by the American Library Association.
...In recent years, And Tango Makes Three - based on a true story and centring on gay penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo - has had the most ban requests

Meanwhile, it is reported that J.K. Rowling was denied the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom becuase some U.S. politicians believed she "encouraged witchcraft".

For more information on Banned Books week, go to the American Library Association website. This same site allows you to print out a certain number of copies of their posters for free to put up in your office, classroom or home.

Today's post is in remembrance of anti-censorship activist and Librarian Extraordinaire, Judith Krugg

Sia

Related Articles:

News for Book Lovers

Hate Crimes Toward The Other (or Dumbledore Comes Out of the Closet)

Photo: A young "witch" reads Hanzel and Gretel to a little girl in the park. Photo found at The Witches Hut site.

Since its opening in 1970, the Kildonan Park Witch’s Hut has been visited by thousands of children and their parents every year. It also is a favourite object for photographers. The Witch’s Hut is also the site of the Fairy Tales Festival.

Praise for the new Sibley Guide to Trees

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:41:00 +0000

"Trees," he said, "are things that everyone sees every day."

David Sibley, author of the well loved and easy to use Sibley guides to birds and birding, now offers us a way to easily identify the trees in our very own habitat.

..."he thought he could produce something more user-friendly than the existing guides whose methodology for tree identification involves a lengthy, frustrating sorting process... " "If you're out in the park and you notice from 100 feet away a tree with unusual flowers or an odd leaf shape or interesting bark, these books require you to walk up to the tree, take a twig in your hand and go through a series of steps," said Mr. Sibley. "It's at least five minutes until you come up with an answer. And immediately you lose sight of the whole tree and you lose sight of what attracted your attention in the first place. Taking a step back and looking at the whole tree, then looking at a few more trees and flipping through the pages of my book, you quickly start to see that all the maples have similarly shaped leaves and fruit and that all the oaks have acorns."

All the time Mr. Sibley was focused on trees, he kept his core constituency—birdwatchers—in mind. "I wanted to produce a guide you could use if you were looking through binoculars to a bird at the top of a tree, and you wanted to turn your attention to the tree without moving your binoculars."

From a review of the new The Sibley Guide to Trees. Article titled David Sibley's Habitat by Joanne Kaufman writing for the Wall Street Journal.

It goes on my wish list.

Sia

Art: Green Oak Leaf (Arts and Crafts style) tile by Carreaux Du Nord. You can see more of their work or buy their tiles at their website.

Suryia the Orangutan and Roscoe the Dog

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:49:00 +0000

Today I would like to share a video about a friendship between Suryia the Orangutan and Roscoe the Dog.

Enjoy,

Sia

P.S. Congratulations to the folks at the North American Discworld Convention who raised over $24,000 for the Orangutan Foundation International during their Discworld Charity Auctions at NADWCon.

Ancient Church Transformed Into A Bookstore

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:48:00 +0000

Very nice. Very nice indeed.

Sia

Related Articles:

The 10 Best Bookstores Around the World

Photo: found at the Inhabitat website. Their motto: Design will save the world.

Betti and the Discworld Belly Dancers at NADWCon

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:29:00 +0000

Here are 3 brief amateur videos taken of the belly dancers at the Discworld Convention banquet. You can see the wonderful green screen photos taken of the some of the 300 guests at that event at the Avalon Arts website.

I had worked with Avalon Arts over the years at our Full Circle Witches' Balls (1) and I was able to recommend them for the Seamstress Guild party, where they did fantastic work. When Margaret Grady, the banquet's decorator and director asked me if they had a green screen, the happy answer was "yes", and you can see how well it all turned out. They also had a booth in the NADWCon dealer's room where they took photos of attendees in costume, including one of the better photos of Terry Pratchett I've seen. If I can get my hands on it, I will post a link to it here.

Sia

Dancers with flames

Here is a short clip with a close up of the flame work:

The infamous "Betti" (AKA Nobby Nobbs), the husband of one of the dancers, joins in ala Terry's book Jingo (wherein Nobby Nobbs, a guardsman behind enemy lines has to dress as a dancing girl and while working "undercover" discovers his feminine side.)

The video taker missed "Betti's" work on at the high table and his clowning around with Terry, which is a shame. Perhaps someone else caught it. I will keep my eye out for more videos.

Sia

Links:

Avalon Arts Studio

Related Articles:

The Witches Ball: When A Party Stands for Pagan Values

The Wiccan Dance Meets Bollywood

Endnotes:

(1) I understand that they took photos for another Witches' Ball in Benecia last March. This is no relation to our Full Circle yearly charity ball and costume event (which ceased production when I moved out of California) but I wish the organizers and the good folks at Avalon Arts all the best.

NADWCon Photos Are Up (North American Discworld Convention)

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:45:00 +0000

For those of you who are interested, there is now a link to North American Discworld Convention photos up on the NADWCon website. Look under "con photos, videos and links".

There is some talk of doing this all again in 2011 in a different city. If a well organized, decently funded group steps forward, it could happen. Many of the senior NADWCon volunteer staff have said that they would advise and help any new convention group as much as they can. Terry Pratchett has said that he'll be there "if I am spared" and we hope that he is.

As of this writing, he is working on the new Tiffany Aching novel to be called I Shall Wear Midnight. (1) After that he intends to start work on his autobiography and, possibly, another adult Discworld novel.

While in Arizona he visited the city of Tombstone and seemed much taken with the story of the OK Corral and Wiatt Earp. He also went to the Kitt Peak National Observatory, where he was given a tour by the Observatory's Director.

Sia

Photo: This way to the egress. Photo by Hereatwitsend. Discworld sign by Margaret Grady, Decorating Chair, Logistics Manager and Banquet Director, NADWCon.

Link:

Terry Pratchett News - Paul Kidby's website

Endnotes:

(1) ...which he discussed late at one night in the hotel bar with a small group of Witches and Pagans, myself among them. I am not allowed to say any more except that I look forward to this next Tiffany book with great anticipation.

He also met Pagan author and former Canadian police detective Kerr Cuhulain and his wife at that same convention. I understand that Kerr has since sent him several of his books.

Gratitude from a Green Witch at Mabon

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:51:00 +0000

For those who are interested, my article titled Gratitude from a Green Witch at Mabon is up at Vox.

Sia

Art: Hecate by Susan Sedden Boulet. You can buy her prints and books at the Turning Point Gallery.

Terry Pratchett and Nanny Ogg - NADWCon Seamstress Guild Stealth Costume Awards

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:53:00 +0000

Someone else captured another part of the Seamstress Guild Party Stealth Costume Awards and put it up on Youtube. What you can't hear Mrs. Palm saying as she works to pin the ribbon on Young Greebo is "I don't normally have so much trouble getting it in". Nanny Ogg replies, "I get to take it off".

With those two women on either side of him, you can see why Terry needed the Bursar's frog pills.

The gal who came as Cherry Littlebottom in the outrageous red dwarf costume won for Best NonHuman. Her award gave Terry a chance to tell us all some of the plot from his new book Unseen Academicals. (1)

It was a lovely, funny and enchanted evening. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Towards the end of the convention, at the banquet on Sunday night, Terry announced that this was "The best Discworld convention ever". Wow.

My regards to all who worked so hard (quite literally for years) to make the first North American Discworld Covention a wonderful event. 2) It was a honor to be your colleague and to share in your wonderful company at the con.

NADWCon Maskerade videos can be found here.

Sia

P.S. Two Flower won for Best Prop. His luggage was on a motor and moved about the room all evening. The lovely young people who won the Best Couple Award as Moist and Spike were at the convention on their honeymoon.

Endnotes:

(1) His next book, which he is writing now, is a Tiffany Aching book and is titled I Shall Wear Midnight.

(2) Talk now turns to the second, which would take place two years from now. (...oh, gods...can I get some sleep, first? I just want to live on my happy cloud for a while).

Seamstress Guild Party: Discworld Costume Contest Awards: NADWCon 2009

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:25:00 +0000

Well, that was quite a party...

The winners of the Seamstress Guild Party Stealth Costume Contest were wonderful and talented folks. Here is a Youtube video showing Terry giving out some of the awards (one to a Feegle and one to the Death of Rats AKA the Grim Squeaker). Terry himself gets an award from the guild.

Thank you all for a great evening,

Sia

Gone to the Discworld: The North American Discworld Convention

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:52:00 +0000

GONE TO DISCWORLD

For the Seamstress Guild this has been a year's worth of planning and organizing behind the scenes. For others on the Con Committee it has been four years of hard effort and cat herding. Now it all comes to fruition. I'm off to the first North American Discworld Convention.

Geek Fun:

NADWCon Twitter Group: Many people will be tweeting about the convention in real time. Should make for an interesting read.

Flickr: You can see photos as they appear on the group flickr page.

Facebook: There is also a Facebook page. (1)

Who's Who's

I will be meeting a number of old friends there, including Xcentricities Corsets who were so often in the dealer's room at our Witches' Balls and the good people of Avalon Arts Photography (also old friends from the ball). (2)

I will finally meet Rowan in person, she who organizes the Fairyworlds Festival in Arizona along with several Pagan events, and who is the con's Volunteer Coordinator. (Brave woman)

There are three women in particular, who, if you meet them, should be offered a huge "Thank You", a hug and a good stiff drink, chocolate and/or help. They are Anna (Guest Liaison and Con Muse), Emily (Vice Chair, and Web Mistress) and Margie (Decorating Chair). Emily and Anna also did the lion's share of work when it came to Programming.

Honors and praise also go to Jeff (Con Banker who has done so much else, as well) and Randall (Maskarade Director, Official Con Punster) and Jon (Con Artist) along with Artemesia and her daughter who made some of our convention art especially for Terry.

A full list of Who's Who at the Con, along with bios, is up on the Committee Page at the site. If you are going to the con, please give these folks your support.

Seamstress Guild Party: If you enjoy the party put on by the guild (of which I am a proud member) you can thank "Mrs Palm", the Party's Director and Organizer, who has also done hundreds of hours of quiet work for NADWCon behind the scenes to support other nadwcon staff and their events.

I would also like to give a shout out to the women and men of the Seamstress Guild who are not only organizing and working the party but volunteering all over the convention. (Look for those purple (women's) and blue (men's) ribbons with the unique rosettes, you can't miss 'em). I am proud to be a member of such a lovely, talented, hardworking group of people.

Thanks, also, to my good friend Chaos, (who is back in L.A. making sure her home doesn't burn). Chaos, I would not have made it through this year without you.

Finally, to Terry Pratchett: Thanks for all the books.

Sia Vogel

P.S. Don't go looking for Sia once you're there. I'm going incognito and using a con name which you won't recognize. If we meet, t'was meant to be.

Endnotes:

(1) There is also a NADWCon2009 Live Journal page which has announcements by the Vice Chair, and an general Discworld group at LJ.

(2) If you live in the Phoenix area of Arizona, the Dealer Room will be open to the public. Have fun.

Morris: A Life With Bells On

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Finally! Morris Dancing, the movie.

Watch the trailer at the link above and you'll see why I won't miss this.

The Times Online says this about the film, which premiers which opens in Seattle and premiers in selected movie theaters around the U.S. at the end of September.

Sir Terry Pratchett, the bestselling novelist, said in one of his Discworld fantasy novels, The Reaper Man: “The morris dance is common to all inhabited worlds in the multiverse. It is danced under blue skies to celebrate the quickening of the soil and under bare stars because it’s springtime . . .”

Morris dancing is that quintessentially English folk dance trotted out at village fairs and is apparently an underground urban sensation among young ladies who like bouncing about in corsets, bloomers and full skirts. (And who doesn’t?) The lucky men who learn the hanky waves and wear bells on their shins (similar to Jennifer Beals’s legwarmers in Flashdance) to partner them are very confident in their masculinity, and the women know it.
...So how to make morris dancing sexy to Englishmen? Charles Thomas Oldham is doing it in his new film, Morris: A Life with Bells On. Instead of ignoring the obligatory sneering of an English perspective, he has turned it on its ear and made a near-flawless first film that takes the mock out of mockumentary. Morris: A Life with Bells On explores the earnest peccadillos of quirky obsession, without losing the sincerity at the core of a morris dancer’s enthusiasm. The movie is a scripted documentary, created by a company of subtly comic actors who clearly grasp how ridiculous morris dancing may appear, yet perform with enough naive bluster to seduce us into the morris way of life.

By the end of the film you’ll be getting your hankies out and waving, not least because the excellent music score provokes a good jig — including the morris gangsta-rap song by Mr McTwist at the end.

All will be well, as long as they don't do the Dark Morris....

Sia

Related Articles:

Beltane At The Baylands

Consider the Crow: Myths and Real Life Stories About A Very Smart Bird

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:07:00 +0000

This just in from the NY Times Review of Books

Did you know that crows recognize human faces? To prove this... a researcher at the University of Washington conducted an experiment. Volunteers who had captured and banded crows (something crows resent) while wearing caveman masks were cawed at and dive-bombed whenever they re-entered crow precincts...

Affectingly, Haupt describes “crow funerals” in which a “stillness” settles around a deceased bird as other crows “cluster about the crow in perfect silence,” and records evidence of crows at play — basking in the sun, “sprawled on one side with their wings hanging open . . . like black-feathered Madame Bovarys” or catching falling cherry blossoms.

The book in question is Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness by Lyanda Lynn Haupt

Crow Myths and Stories:

Crows appears in the myths and stories of any culture where they make their home.
What do the stories from your ancestral culture say about crows?

Charlotte Kuchinsky writes that "Egyptians, Romans and Arabs respected the power of these birds" and that the Irish believed they possessed second sight, while Ljubica Gojg in an article on crow myths for the Post-Gazette notes that:

A romantic soul couldn't hope for anything better than seeing a crow, because it means the heart's wishes will be fulfilled.

He also points out that

Crows have long been associated with death in many cultures, because they often could be found feeding on animal and human remains at battlefields or cemeteries.

and reminds us that

Many American Indian tribes saw the crow as a wise adviser and the spirit of wisdom and the law.
The Norse god Odin used two crows -- Hugin and Munin, representing thought and memory -- as his daily observers of the world.
And members of the American Society of Crows and Ravens, founded in 1982, like to quote American writer and abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher, who said:
"If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be clever enough to be crows."

Indeed. I've worked with them. They are amazing birds, and yes, as the video shows, they make their own tools. The ancient Greeks respected their abilities. If you enjoy Greek myths you might want to check out this entry on the intelligence of crows and the ancient story of The Crow and the Pitcher.

Enjoy,

Sia

Video: Crow Makes Tools found embedded within this very interesting article titled: American Crow: Consummate Opportunist by Robert Rice

Related Links:

Information on the American Crow from the All About Birds guide published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology - great videos and recordings.

For the love of crows

Art:

Triple Crow Celtic Knot by Mike Sexton - you can buy a print here.

Wildlife Migration Begins

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:25:00 +0000

Goodbye little Ruby-throat. Good luck,

The National Wildlife Federation reminds us many different species of birds will now begin their fall migration.

Songbirds, waterfowl, raptors and hummingbirds travel north and south each year, some as far as the tropics. Caribou and pronghorn shift their range based on the season to ensure access to food. Even insects such as monarch butterflies and green darner dragonflies travel great distances to survive the oncoming winter.
One of the greatest things about fall migration is that it offers some pretty awesome wildlife watching opportunities. Get outside this fall and see what migratory species you can spot. You can report your sightings on National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Watch website, on Twitter or even using your iPhone.

Hummingbird lovers should check out the video at that same page.

Sia

Photo: from National Geographic website

Related Articles:

Spirit Bird

The Last Witch

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:14:00 +0000

Today, I would like to share a review of The Last Witch, a new play being presented in Scotland as part of the Edinburgh International Festival

While 18th century Scotland led Europe in science and reason, there still remained an attachment to pagan and supernatural ideas.

(Sia's note: A love of science and reason does exclude an "attachment to pagan [ahem, large P, please] - ideas", but that is an argument for another time).

The play explores the case of Janet Horne, who was killed in Dornoch, a coastal town in the north west Highlands, in 1727.

The facts are scant, even her name is one often given to witches in Scottish folklore.

....Munro has written a tale that imagines the circumstances in which a woman could be condemned to death for witchcraft.

Witch hunts and the killing of innocent women still ocurrs today, in Africa and elsewhere, as we know.

"She turned it into a very personal story between the sheriff and Janet Horne."
He added: "In the play the sheriff is sexually attracted to Janet and they have a relationship.
"Because of his own sense of guilt and shame he has her executed."

Mr Hill said witchcraft was often used as a form of attack on women who were seen to be sexually "non-traditional" in activities and outlook.

and again he makes my point....

I haven't seen this new play but my very favorite play about witches still remains The Lady's Not for Burning. My favorite "witch books" are, of course, by Terry Pratchett.

Sia

Cover Art: An Abundance of Witches by P.G. Maxwell-Stewart

Video: The Lady's Not For Burning

Related Articles:

You say "witch" like it's a bad thing

Sacred Sites: Native American "prayers in stone"

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 16:30:00 +0000

What makes a site sacred?

Today question arises from an article titled Sacred Sites or Something Else? about ancient stone mounds recently discovered in the United States.

It is a fascinating article on the possible origin and meaning of early stone mounds in the United States.

So, what makes a site sacred in your eyes and how far should we go to preserve such a place?

Sia

Excerpt

One pile of stones on a particular hilltop evokes the curved body of a snake. And there are formations with purposes unclear and at times in dispute. All of these sites are part of a slowly unfolding story, one archaeologists hope to tell by learning more about them … if development doesn't destroy these places first.

In recent years, American Indian groups have pushed for greater recognition and understanding of these sites, which they believe are sacred. The controversy surrounding a stone mound on top of a hill in Oxford pushes every button that could set off alarms for these advocates. It also puts Calhoun County's most prosperous city in an unwelcome spotlight, pitting its rapid commercial growth against passionate preservationists.

...The mountain, which Holstein would not name for fear of advertising the site to looters, contains 80 acres of mound structures. The walls run across the mountain, in patterns Holstein believes are connected to natural phenomenon like springs and rock outcrops.

"We started excavating them in the '80s," he said. "We were the first people to realize they were something."

Levels of perception

Holstein said almost every native culture saw the world on three levels; earth, sky and the underworld.

"I just get excited about it," Holstein said. "Each time we find a new one, it gives us more information."

But how do we know they're cultural?

According to Holstein, early explorers asked American Indians about the rocks, who said they were commemorative structures. They were tombstones of past events.

Thrower says they're called "prayers in stone."

***********

Art: Young Woman by Garry Machees.

Related Articles:

Hogmany and Mystical Places

Lemurs Butchered

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:21:00 +0000

Bastards.

Sadly,

Sia

Links

Conservation International
Help them help the lemurs

The Lemurs of Madagascar

A Lemurs Tale
Wonderful PBS program

BushMeat Crisis Task Force
Actions others have taken to stop the taking of endangered wildlife as bushmeat.

Youtube Video

In the Wild - Lemurs with John Cleese

Related Articles:

Lessons from the Crisis in Madagascar
from www.WildMadagascar.org

I'm Not Having It
With notes on why a Mountain Gorilla may have died to make your cell phone and what you can do about it.

Is Environmentalism Our New Religion?
Our environmental harvest and how it effects ethics, ecology and climate change.

Photo: Golden Crowned Lemur, Madagascar - from the BBC website

The Coyote Under My Coffee Table

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:00:00 +0000

The essay below was written by me years ago in celebration of our dog Ody. We lost Ody to oral cancer in the spring of 2008. We choose to let him go rather than put him through a a series of painful procedures with a dubious outcome. So, with the help of our wonderful vet, Ody died peacefully in our arms as we sang him home.

Ody had a good life with us for many years and we were blessed to have him. I think about him every day but it is only now that I can write about him again.

We miss you, boy. Thank you for giving us so much. Your cat still misses you and sleeps on your bed every night.

Ody was a mix of working breeds, a highly intelligent and loving guard dog, whose dedication to us was total. On the night he died, I stood under the stars, lit a candle and told him, "You are released now from duty - go play!".

This essay is for all those who are lucky enough to have animal teachers.

Sia

THE COYOTE UNDER MY COFFEE TABLE

His name is Ody, AKA Odious, AKA Odiferous. We would often joke that his Roman name was Odious Maximus of Stinkum. His full name, in truth, is Odysseus; so called because he has traveled far and has had many adventures. We call him Ody for short. (1)

Ody is a dog. What kind of dog is anyone’s guess. He seems to be a mix of German Shepherd, Rottweiler and Mastiff. (2) This means that our Ody is a very big boy. When he is full grown he will weigh over 100 lbs and his head will come up to my waist but right now he is just a big puppy who likes to lie underneath my coffee table and play with his squeak toy.

Ody has three legs, having lost one leg in an accident last December. Our vet says that he was lucky to be missing the back leg as dogs carry most of their weight on the front. It's amazing how well (and how cheerfully) he gets around.

Ody was, quite literally, a Yule gift. When he was younger he lived in a mountain town in California and he was four months old when some teenagers found him, abandoned and running loose in the woods on a very cold and snowy night. Thinking he might die from exposure they put him in the back of their truck intending to take him to safety but they neglected to use a safety tie and he fell out the back of their truck when they made a sudden stop. The lumber truck traveling just behind ran over his back right leg. The bones in his foot were crushed, his ankle was badly broken and his hip was knocked out of place. The boys rushed him to the town Vet, told the staff what happened and quickly disappeared.

All this happened the night of the Winter Solstice. We were in that town then visiting my folks for the holidays, and we heard about Ody from the animal control officer who was a family friend. My husband and I went to the hospital with my parents and we told the Vet that if he could save the dog, we would pay the bills. I never thought we'd keep the dog, just find him a good home. Shows you what I know.

We got Ody set up with a cast and pain medications and he came back to live with us in Silicon Valley. Soon after he arrived we took him to a brilliant veterinary surgeon for further x-rays. The doctor told us that she would need to remove his back left leg, rather close to the hip. Vet bills aside, I was glad we went to someone with her experience because she gave him a kind of kick stand-like stump so that he could sit easily and this will keep his spine well aligned throughout his lifetime. Ody adjusted very well to his new state. As far as this puppy is concerned, he is just like any other dog, wanting to play tug and chase and who's-got-the-toy with energy and joy. He takes walks with me, and his beloved tabby cat twice a day, every single day. It's our little parade. I've trained him to walk off leash and respond to voice commands, which makes it easier on us both. Watching a large, unleashed dog walk happily beside a small cat causes people who don't know us to stare and ask how on earth I'd trained a them to do that. My answer was that these two friends choose to do this all on their own. An honest answer, but it got me some odd looks as if the person was thinking I might must be some kind of witch. But truly, credit for this particular kind of magic goes to Singer, Ody's cat; he just hated to see Ody and I go off and have fun without him. This tabby (a stray who had adopted us one night after wailing under our windows for weeks) would walk several familiar blocks with us, even all around own block; sometimes following, sometimes leading, depending on his mood and the number of leaves he felt like chasing. Singer only balked at crossing a busy street or going all the way to the neighborhood park so often filled with happy noisy children who loved to pet Ody. Instead, Singer choose to wait for us under a neighbor's bush until we came back, rejoining us with happy calls and a high tail. He would then brush against Ody or my ankle and, having reclaimed us as his own, would run on ahead to show us the way home. Out of our all cats (and at the time, we had five, all rescues) the little black and grey tabby was the only one among them who would walk the dog. As a result he was the only cat in the house with sleeping privileges on Ody's big, soft, orthopedic bed, something he took full advantage of.

At the time we got Ody, we had lived in our older, quiet Northern California neighborhood for about a year. Being a friendly sort, I knew my immediate neighbors but only those few families. I love to walk, but I soon discovered that if you walk alone in suburbia without a partner, a stroller or small child in tow, people tend to wonder what you're up to. It wasn't till Ody arrived that I really became a part of our community. When you walk a dog, you tend to meet all of the other dog owners on their daily rounds and you often stop to say "Hi", share doggy stories and make cheerful conversation while your dogs to make each others acquaintance. You might even set up doggy play dates which tends to lead to parties among the humans, as well. When you walk a dog, you have cart blanch to be pretty much anywhere at any time. You often meet people working out front in their yard and you can admire their gardens or you see them at night, working in their garage with the the light on. We met one neighbor that way; a retired Marine who lived two blocks away, he got to liking Ody so much that he kept dog cookies in a jar in his garage just for him. (Ody loved to go that way, as you can imagine, and usually pointed me in that direction. Somehow he always knew when that man would be out working in his garage, even though we could not see or hear him from our house). When you walk a dog, you meet all the people in your neighborhood who like dogs (and you try to be respectful of the ones who do not). A quiet Korean family lived just across the street and I would see the 80 year old grandmother out working in her well tended rose garden every morning. We would wave to one another and smile in a friendly way but the language barrier and shyness on both our parts kept us from getting much closer. But then we got Ody. As it happened, Mrs Kim's daughter had a small, white, fluffy dog who became Ody's best friend, and I was invited to sit on their porch, breath in the scent of her roses, and watch the two dogs play. (I swear Ody thought that little Coco was some kind of sheep; he kept trying to herd him, but I never told her that). In the process, I learned a little Korean and these people and their extended family are now friends of ours, as is the Ramiez family (two Pomeranians), big hearted, blond Nancy (Ody's human girlfriend who also comes with two black labs and lots of rescued cats) and another gardening friend, garage sale buddy and good neighbor Michelle (she of the Brittany Spaniel).

When you walk a dog and meet your neighbors you also meet their kids and, in our case, you meet anyone with questions about a gorgeous, happy dog with three legs. It's easy to feel isolated in a suburban setting, especially in Silicon Valley, California, the land of cars and workaholic technophiles, but by walking Ody our neighborhood transformed for me into one huge block party with dogs. Right now, I know over 30 neighbors within a 6 block radius; good people I would never have met otherwise. Thanks, Ody.

Cats are roommates. Dogs are kids

Ody loves to ride in the car, especially when it took him to doggy day care where he is a favorite with the little dogs who saw him as their large and gentle friend. Like all parents, we thought our kid was the handsomest, the smartest and the best. Well, he was. Vets see a lot of dogs, so when the one you have becomes a favorite at three different hospitals, when they know his name and not yours, and when you discover that the staff don't keep him in his cage but let him hang out with them under their desks in the reception area on his physical therapy days, well then you figure that you've got a pretty neat dog.

I say that now. Two months after we got him I was carping and moaning to friends about all the extra work and trouble Ody caused. Some of the trouble was simple timing; just after we got home with Ody, my husband came down with pneumonia and had to be hospitalized and I soon found my self caring for both my beloved and this new, very large, very needy puppy. This occurred at a time when I was exhausted by the old year and I entered the new year longing for some peace and quiet. Introducing a large puppy into a house with five cats and a person recovering from a serious illness is no easy matter. And if, like me, you haven’t had a dog in over twenty years and you’ve got no idea how to care for an injured one, well! All I can say now, is thank Goddess for our friend M-, best buddy and dog trainer par excellence. But even with her help it was hard because in the middle of all this new life there were other things that needed my attention; there was my volunteer work and my business to run (pesky thing) and the usual duties of daily life. So there were lots of days when something had to give. Usually, it was me.

Those of you who read my essays know I love to celebrate the gifts of organization and cleanliness. " Well," says Coyote, the sly and ancient Trickster, "no more!" My house, let us be frank, is a mess, My office is a joke and my garden (alas!) is sadly neglected. My "look" these days is more "malpropre" then proper. I appear to be "le dame de sac" most of the time. What is worse, I smell like "le chien". My main concern now is to keep enough chew toys in the house. Cats, simply put, do not do this to a person.

While Ody is a wonder of a dog he is also a world of work and worry. After getting to know him and looking at a full range of x-rays, we realized that Ody was beaten and kicked by his former owner. This explains his fear of strange men. (Except my husband. Ody liked him from day one. Well, so did I.) Even with this abuse, Ody's sweet spirit remained intact and he is very loving and friendly. He really loves women, best, especially blond women like our neighbor Nancy and we think his first human mom was blond. When it comes to blond women and fair haired female dogs, Ody is a terrible flirt and it was fun to take him out in public, but his history of abuse also means that Ody needs a great deal of patience, attention and love before he was safe around men, and like any good parents, we learned to remake our lives around his needs and to teach him lessons about boundaries, manners and trust.

I’m glad to say that Ody has responded beautifully to our treatment of him. He grows happier and healthier every day. He has learn to speak both human and cat and found a best friend in the tabby stray who adopted us last year. He adores my husband who has always wanted a dog. I think by now that Ody has realized that there are more good people out there than bad, and he greets the strange men he meets with less fear and more friendliness then he had before. If you had asked me six months ago to take on this task, I would have said "No!" very loudly and explained that I did not have the energy, the money or the time to do this work. And yet….there he sits. And here I sit. And it’s all good because I find as I write this that Ody has given me a lot more then I have given him.

Ody has forced me to slow down and take the time to be with him. Like any growing puppy he needs play time every day so I am forced, forced I tell you, to go out into the yard and play ball and hide-and-seek and tug. We talk walks, as I've said, and go out into our neighborhood twice a day. That two, precious times a day that I get away from the clutter and noise that fills my head and just enjoy being. I admire the new spring flowers in my neighbor’s gardens and note the changes in the seasons while Ody sniffs the ground and picks up his own form of information. My husband claims he's "reading his pee-mail".

We go to parks every other day so that Ody will learn how to relate to other dogs and kids and people. We take joy rides in the car so that he’ll see it as a good thing and not fear it as that evil machine that ferries him to the Vet. All this takes time out of my busy day. And thank goodness, say I, for that. It seems that I got my break, after all. I also got a reality check. Last weekend, I set time some aside to sit out in my back garden with a new book. Sacred Contracts by Caroline Myss has just come out and I had been eager to get my hands on it. So at lunchtime I took my book and a cup of coffee out to our little wooden table and I sat there reading this wonderful work. I began to get deep, deep, deep into the book, and I was enjoying the discussion on sacred archetypes when Ody came up to me, tail wagging. He wanted to play. "Go away, Ody", I said. "Mommy, will play with you later on." Ody brought me his ball. "No, Ody", I said. "Not now. Mommy is reading". Ody dropped the ball and sat at my feet. "Not now, dog, I’m reading!". Ody lay down, put his head down on his paws and looked up at me with big, sad eyes. I went back to my book and continued to read about honoring the sacred in our lives while Coyote sat at my feet. He continued to stare. I tried to read. He kept staring. I looked down at him and it was then that I realized what a complete ass I was being. Here I sat, reading about connecting with nature, while ignoring the loving creature at my feet. So, I put down the book and played with Coyote until it was time to go in. That night after dinner, I sat down on the couch and prepared to read. Ody was in his favorite spot underneath my coffee table. I opened my book and found this sentence waiting for me: "Spiritual insight is not an end in itself, but a means to transform our life on Earth from mere survival and dominance into compassion and service to others." While I read on Ody sat there at my feet, happily chewing on his favorite squeak toy. Now and then he looked up and me and grinned.

********

(1) I would come to regret that. I had never read Garfield and had no idea that the silly, dumbo of a dog in the cartoon was called by that name. Still, it worked out in the end. When you have a 110 pound beast, it is wise to call him by a friendly-sounding name (an "ie" sound at the end helps immensely here) and the nickname "Ody" made people smile and relax immediately

(2) Just before he died we took a sample of his blood and confirmed this mix. What surprised us was the new that he was also part beagle (?!?)

Art: Coyote the Trickster by J.W. Baker

The Obama Death Panel Debate

SiaV@fullcircleevents.org (Sia) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Trust Jon Stewart and the staff at The Daily Show to hit the political nail on the head, again and again and again and be fiendishly funny doing it. Posted here you will find a clip titled The Obama Death Panel Debate which had me on the floor. The entire episode which focused on the increasing insanity of the health care "debate" in this country at town hall meetings, is well worth watching. Also, don't miss the interview with Douglas Brinkley, author of The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America (1)

Enjoy,

Sia

Endnotes:

Publisher Comments:

(1) In this groundbreaking epic biography, Douglas Brinkley draws on never-before-published materials to examine the life and achievements of our naturalist president. By setting aside more than 230 million acres of wild America for posterity between 1901 and 1909, Theodore Roosevelt made conservation a universal endeavor. This crusade for the American wilderness was perhaps the greatest U.S. presidential initiative between the Civil War and World War I. Roosevelt's most important legacies led to the creation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906. His executive orders saved such treasures as Devils Tower, the Grand Canyon, and the Petrified Forest.

Tracing the role that nature played in Roosevelt's storied career, Brinkley brilliantly analyzes the influence that the works of John James Audubon and Charles Darwin had on the young man who would become our twenty-sixth president. With descriptive flair, the author illuminates Roosevelt's bird watching in the Adirondacks, wildlife obsession in Yellowstone, hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains, ranching in the Dakota Territory, hunting in the Big Horn Mountains, and outdoor romps through Idaho and Wyoming. He also profiles Roosevelt's incredible circle of naturalist friends, including the Catskills poet John Burroughs, Boone and Crockett Club cofounder George Bird Grinnell, forestry zealot Gifford Pinchot, buffalo breeder William Hornaday, Sierra Club founder John Muir, U.S. Biological Survey wizard C. Hart Merriam, Oregon Audubon Society founder William L. Finley, and pelican protector Paul Kroegel, among many others. He brings to life hilarious anecdotes of wild-pig hunting in Texas and badger saving in Kansas, wolf catching in Oklahoma and grouse flushing in Iowa. Even the story of the teddy bear gets its definitive treatment.

Destined to become a classic, this extraordinary and timeless biography offers a penetrating and colorful look at Roosevelt's naturalist achievements, a legacy now more important than ever. Raising a Paul Revere-like alarm about American wildlife in peril--including buffalo, manatees, antelope, egrets, and elk--Roosevelt saved entire species from probable extinction. As we face the problems of global warming, overpopulation, and sustainable land management, this imposing leader's stout resolution to protect our environment is an inspiration and a contemporary call to arms for us all.