Back from East Africa!, Nine Movies/One Week, Don’t Go To Rwanda, The Anomalist 13: "Intermediate States”, Anna Nicole Smith Rumored Death Photo, O.J. Almost Confesses, The Mark of the Beast Is Coming, The Future of the Human Species, Beowulf’s Ray Winstone, In Memory of Roxanne Nicholson, and more…

 

I just got back from weeks of camping in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. I’ve had a lot of movies to catch up on. This has meant 2 movies a day and I’m still behind.

 

Movies This Week. Since getting back to Las Vegas I’ve devoted myself to movies. I saw Michael Clayton (Yes), Saw lV (Yes, but only if you are a horror fan), The  Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, (Yes) Into The Wild (Yes), We Own the Night (No), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Yes), No Country for Old Men (Yes), The Darjeeling Limited (No, No!), and American Gangster (Yes).

 

My First Word of Advice: Don’t go to Rwanda! This is my first word of advice if I had to summarize our trip (except the astonishing once-in-a-lifetime trek up a mountain to be in very close physical contact with the mountain gorillas of Rwanda). They don’t like white people in Rwanda. I found out why and maybe they have a good reason. They still resent the Europeans for colonizing them (and the Germans for genocide and making their women sex slaves). In 1904, Lieutenant-General Lothar von Trotha was sent to quash resistance to his nation’s occupation of German East Africa (today’s Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania) by Herero tribesmen.

Von Trotha’s written goal was: ‘I believe that the [Herero] nation as such should be exterminated.’ He stated: ‘The exercise of violence and crass terrorism and even with gruesomeness was and is my policy. I destroy the African tribes with streams of blood and streams of money. Only following this cleansing can something new emerge, which will remain.” On August 14, 2004, on the 100th anniversary of the battle that began the Herero genocide, Germany offered its first formal apology for the colonial-era massacre of some 65,000 members of the Herero tribe by German troops.

The Rwandans never asked for colonization. Situated in the heart of Africa, Rwanda escaped the attention of the 19th-century slave traders, so is one of the few African countries whose people were never sold into slavery.

And they are still pissed off white folks didn’t help with the genocide of ten years ago that slaughtered 1 million people in 100 days. I learned all this at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Museum. With the Catholic Church silent regarding the genocide and siding with the Hutus, it is my opinion that Rwanda will eventually become an Islamic nation. According to the CIA Factbook, Rwanda is currently 56.5% Roman Catholic, 26% Protestant, 11.1% Adventist, 4.6% Muslim, and 0.1% indigenous beliefs.

Every day 60 white folks, the daily limit allowed to visit the gorillas, come into Rwanda specifically to visit the mountain gorillas and the local people get none of the revenue. Above is a photo of the rich farmland at the foothills of the mountains. The hostility was obvious. In our group, people were spit at, had rocks thrown at them, and three people were intentionally ran off the road by trucks attempting to hit them. We did not go into town again but stayed at our campsite at Centre Pastoral Notre Dame De Fatima (pictured) where I attended Mass. Most Westerners stay at De Fatima (they have private rooms and dormitories).   

Paris Hilton Dumps Her Humanitarian Trip to Rwanda. I know why. Her November trip to Rwanda has been “postponed” due to “restructuring.” The Playing for Good Foundation announced that Hilton's philanthropic trip to Rwanda had been postponed due to restructuring of the children's charity. On her itinerary were visits to schools and health-care clinics. Paris said. "I know (Rwanda) went through a lot of traumatic experiences, and I feel like if I go there, I can help save some people's lives." Someone must have told Paris she would not be welcomed in Rwanda with a parade.

The Anomalist 13: "Intermediate States. My article on saints and ayahusaca is in this issue edited by Patrick Huyghe & Dennis Stacy. According to The Anomalist website, here are a few of the articles offered:
John Reppion searches for the truth behind an 1845 bridge collapse said to be caused when spectators rushed to see a clown in a tub drawn by six white geese in the river below. Cliff Willett wonders why UFO aliens would traverse deep space to borrow salt, sample our pizza, or offer us pancakes in his delightful examination of alien eating habits. What does U.S. Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney think of the Nephites? Fortean researcher Loren Coleman examines the Mormon belief in this race of beings who live in a world between the known and unknown, who once existed and may still walk among us, saving lives and doing good deeds.
Technology buffs in the afterlife? Mark Macy traces his involvement in our half-century long history of attempts to use technology to communicate directly with the dead – and them with us. With an obvious passion for her subject, Victoria Alexander reviews the extreme ecstatic practices of medieval saints and mystics and finds a close relationship to the modern use of ayahuasca as a visionary tool. The webpage for this issue is at www.anomalistbooks.com/ta13.html

O.J. Almost Confesses. I just ran through the small book, “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer” by The Goldman Family, Pablo F. Fenjves, and Dominick Dunne. There was much controversy over this book, supposedly O.J. Simpson’s confession for money. In 2006, HarperCollins announced O.J. Simpson would tell how he hypothetically would have committed the murders. In response to public outrage, HarperCollins canceled the book. A Florida bankruptcy court awarded the rights to the Goldmans in August 2007 to partially satisfy the unpaid civil judgment, which has risen, with interest, to over $38 million. The Goldman family views this book as his confession, but the “confession” O.J. promised never happens! In the significant chapter, “The Night In Question,” he blanks out! Nicole came out, attacked him and then tripped, hitting her head on the stoop and passing out. O.J. took the knife from his friend “Charlie” and then “something went horribly wrong, and I know what happened, but I can’t tell you exactly how. I was still standing in Nicole’s courtyard, of course, but for a few moments I couldn’t remember how I ‘d gotten there, when I’d arrived, or even why I was there.” After killing Ron, he finished off Nicole. “Charlie”, never heard from again, was given the knife and O.J.’s bloody clothes. Charlie never comes forward and leaves no trace at the scene. He’s a fathom. This is hardly a confession. O.J. claims amnesia!

 

Most commentators believe “Charlie” is an imaginary character, even suggesting “Charlie” was O.J.’s Evil Twin.” I think “Charlie” may be Jason Simpson, O.J.’s son. Many others, primarily author William Dear, who has written “O.J. Is Guilty But Not of Murder,” believe Jason was there with O.J., or was, in fact, the murderer. Jason had no alibi after 10pm, he claimed to watch TV until 3am and gave three different versions of what he was doing that night when he was asked on three different occasions.

Experts established that the probable murder weapon was a chef's knife. Jason had his own chef knives and kept them with him and probably had them in his possession when he left Jackson's that night. Jason's psychiatrist shredded all of Jason's medical records after the murders and on the day after the murders, June 13, 1994, O.J. hired a well-known criminal attorney to represent Jason. This was prior to O.J.'s arrest for the murders.

Anna Nicole Smith’s Rumored Death Photo. The inquiry into the death of Anna Nicole Smith’s son began this week in the Bahamas. The Anna Nicole Smith drama surrounding her death is far from being buried. An eyewitness tells Hollyscoop.com exclusively “that there is a picture of a naked Anna Nicole right after she 'overdosed' and passed away. Although the picture is technically floating around, it won't see the light of day until someone coughs up enough money for it.”

“She is lying dead in her bed naked with vomit all over her face,” the eyewitness added.

Anna Nicole Smith passed away earlier this year from an accidental overdose. She choked on her own vomit, which led to her death. Sadly enough whoever was in the room with her saw a photo opportunity and snapped away. www.hollyscoop.com/anna-nicole-smith/hs-exclusive-anna-nicole-smith-corpse-photos-surface_12908.aspx. Photo from www.hilaryshepherd.com.

God’s Judgment? A CNN correspondent asked a man why his house survived the California wild fires while his next door neighbor’s house completely went down in flames. The man said that God saved his house. So I ask you this: If God saved his house but chose to destroy everything his neighbor owned, why should we help that neighbor rebuild? Should we over-rule God’s judgment? Perhaps that neighbor deserved the punishment. Who are we to say God did wrong and we should correct it?

 

Is The Mark Of The Beast Finally Here? Sign up at a post office near you! The U.S. House of Representatives approved a measure that would compel states to design their driver's licenses by 2008 to comply with federal antiterrorist standards. Federal employees would reject licenses or identity cards that don't comply, which could curb Americans' access to everything from airplanes to national parks and some courthouses. Every American citizen would register providing all pertinent/required personal information after which you would receive an ID card containing a 'Real ID' chip - a chip that allows the tracking of the carrier no matter where they are. Control from the cradle to the grave, in effect. Currently, Congress is very quietly working on employment verification laws that will require all employers to access the Real ID database and verify that the prospective employee is registered.

Is the coming National ID the prophesied "Mark Of The Beast"? There is a prophecy in the New Testament that foretells a time when every person will be required to have a mark or a number, without which he or she will not be able to participate in the economy. The prophecy is 2,000 years old, but it has been impossible for it to come to pass until now. With the invention of the computer and the Internet, this prophecy of buying and selling, using a number, can now be implemented at any time. Has the time for the fulfillment of this prophecy arrived?   I had thought the Mark of the Beast was our social security number.

Human species 'may split in two'. I sent an email to Dr. Curry, in effect repeating an axiom I read awhile ago: “Beauty is the new intelligence.” With mandatory education, the eradication of illiteracy, and the internet, beauty has replaced intelligence as the most sought-after trait.

 

There was a time when knowledge was jealously guarded by the elite classes. Now, with google, anyone can find out anything. There are no secret libraries. In fact, poor people are forced to learn to read and write. This was unheard of one hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, only the clergy were educated. The powerful jealously held all the knowledge.

 

Humanity may split into two sub-species in 100,000 years', evolutionary theorist Oliver Curry of the London School of Economics has said. Curry expects a genetic upper class and a dim-witted underclass to emerge.

The human race would peak in the year 3000, Curry said, before a decline due to dependence on technology. People would become choosier about their sexual partners, causing humanity to divide into sub-species, he added.

The descendants of the genetic upper class would be tall, slim, healthy, attractive, intelligent, and creative [it will be called the Brad Pitt Species] and a far cry from the "underclass" humans who would have evolved into dim-witted, ugly, squat goblin-like creatures [The Danny DeVito Species].

In the nearer future, humans will evolve in 1,000 years into giants between 6ft and 7ft tall and life-spans will have extended to 120 years. Physical appearance, driven by indicators of health, youth and fertility, will improve, Curry says, while men will exhibit symmetrical facial features, look athletic, and have squarer jaws, deeper voices and bigger penises. [Obviously, men will control the science.]

Women, on the other hand, will develop lighter, smooth, hairless skin, large clear eyes, pert breasts, glossy hair, and even features, he adds. Racial differences will be ironed out by interbreeding, producing a uniform race of coffee-colored people.

However, Dr Curry warns, in 10,000 years time humans may have paid a genetic price for relying on technology. Spoiled by gadgets designed to meet their every need, they could come to resemble domesticated animals.

Social skills, such as communicating and interacting with others, could be lost, along with emotions such as love, sympathy, trust and respect. People would become less able to care for others, or perform in teams.

Physically, they would start to appear more juvenile. Chins would recede, as a result of having to chew less on processed food.

There could also be health problems caused by reliance on medicine, resulting in weak immune systems. Preventing deaths would also help to preserve the genetic defects that cause cancer.

Further into the future, sexual selection - being choosy about one's partner - was likely to create more and more genetic inequality, said Dr Curry.

The logical outcome would be two sub-species, "gracile" and "robust."

"While science and technology have the potential to create an ideal habitat for humanity over the next millennium, there is a possibility of a monumental genetic hangover over the subsequent millennia due to an over-reliance on technology reducing our natural capacity to resist disease, or our evolved ability to get along with each other,” said Dr Curry.

Beowulf’s Ray Winstone. Remember the fat, contented guy in “Sexy Beast” or the muscle man in “The Departed”? Dr. Curry should take a look at Ray Winstone’s transformation into a deity. Was this CGI or something more radical? We’ll see, when Winstone does the press tour for “Beowulf. Sure, there were CGI special effects (gloriously done in “300”), but Winstone had to have some radical surgery to become another person. I predict this will be the future.

After 50 years of being one person, people will be able to completely transform themselves into someone else and start all over again! (Photos, from left, Winstone in “Sexy Beast,” “The Departed,” and “Beowulf.”

In Memory of Roxanne Nicholson. My dear friend Roxanne died suddenly after a brief illness. Her husband Lynn wrote a moving email to her friends that I feel completely explains why Roxanne was so liked by everyone who knew her.

 

Lynn wrote: Roxanne was the only person I ever knew who had no hidden agenda.  She was honest and innocent, to the point where some people took advantage of her.  She didn't have a PhD, nor did she have any conventionally sought after notoriety.  She did go to Yale, but few knew this.  But this didn't stop her from always being the one to thoughtfully and quietly get extraordinary things done.  In the eyes of society, she will barely be missed.  In the hearts of those of us who knew her well, we miss her greatly, and will forever cherish each moment we spent with her, knowing that we were in the presence of a rare soul.  She was a perfect living example of peace, happiness and love. Thanks, Roxanne, for sharing your life with us...”.