As a matter of fact, my first son will become 13 within minutes of the end of the world (according to the Mayan calendar–and depending on which prediction you want to believe.)

His birth: 12/21/99 at 11:13pm. The end of the world: 12/21/12 at 11:11pm.

So maybe they got it wrong. Maybe it was the end of the world as we know it and my son will be the new Messiah. Which is good ‘cuz he can discuss with you the difference between ionic bonds and covalent bonds and the cause of the loss of Mar’s atmosphere and has spent much time thinking about the grand unification theory.

Maybe the age of science is beginning. One can only hope.

We actually celebrate it in modern times with Christmas, a festival celebrating the birth of the Sun (oops sorry, Son). As do about another dozen or so religions who all have their saviour born on December 25th, usually from a virgin.

Which dozen religions celebrate “sons” that are virgin-born?

By the way, what’s the cheapest and most efficient way I can release large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere?

Die, and decompose.

Well, that’s the answer that question deserves, anyway. I think the real answer would be “start forest fires”.

That got me thinking. Each of us has our own unique hemisphere, centred on the place where we live, and bounded by a great circle 90% from that place at every point.

So there you go – now we can all be totally biased without invoking collectivism

Yes, on their sides all day, and you can’t push them over!

- Jack

(video: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z7XDDgf_ts – caveat for a naughty word ‘cos I was startled)

By the way, what’s the cheapest and most efficient way I can release large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere?

Btw, personally I like the idea that people may kick bad habits (especially when presented with better options that wasn’t there before), so I may heave to the idea that perhaps organized religious traditions once had the grip but lost it.

And if the churches are hiding their failure behind the idea that they didn’t fail, they just didn’t succeed, it will serve a socially beneficial purpose for suggesting the converse idea – especially if it’s true.

And then close to the summer solstice we still celebrate the “midsummers eve”, with a fallos and everything.

Actually, IIRC there isn’t any historical evidence for the may pole being a phallus symbol (possibly stuck into a vulva symbol) or that midsummer eve celebration was a fertility ritual or what not, it is rather strong national romantic notions from the 19th century or so converted to nice modern urban myths.

Practically a may pole is a convenient catch up work while long traveling families meet up, a large scale orienting device (“here it is”), a display of flower arrangement, and an organizer for play and dance. I think that is enough easy reasons for its invention and adapting against proposing to add religious explanations as well.

Christianity never really got the grip of the swedish people…

But this seems true, as far as the more literal tradition goes.

The rituals and the bureaucracy got a powerful grip by smooching up to the secular power, which is why Sweden had unanimous church attendance and some of the most comprehensive church records in the world (for taxation purposes).

But seeing how many readily ditched the protestantic lax text tradition for modern private religious ideas a few generations ago, the organized religious ideas must have had a rather loose grip on the population. Of course, the early adaptation of general and good education, probably played the major role here, actually founded in the church tradition (as always their own worst enemy) for the purpose of studying religious texts.

As a sanity check, compare with the protestantic work tradition, that held up until the last generation. One could possibly claim that it was a continuation from the old farming community in a harsh climate, explaining why it alone remained rather untouched for so long.

[Then again, I hear that when you figure in the age and pension structure the apparent lax working hours that Swedes now enjoy still sums up among the most worked hours over life. (I assume the Japanese are worst, as always.) So perhaps the old work, work, work tradition is just transformed, as it were.]

In Canada.

Sigh.

You’d think after 130 years Canadians would realize that winter weather starts before the winter solstice.

Liil’ Darlin’

Its been a long cold frosty winter,

Lil’ Darlin’ its been a year since we’ve been here ..

Here comes the Sun lil’ darlin’
Here comes the Sun,
Dah-dee -dee-dee -da-da

Here comes the Sun, little darlin’
Here comes the Sun,

Its gonan be alright …

(Ah yes those Beatles! )

Actually on the South-North hemispheric divide …

…. Just wait til the next global magnetic field reversal.

South will be north & vice-versa.

& thanks for complimenting our ability to do hand-stands but actually we’re not all * that * acrobatic * all * the time!

Its a solstice that’s all – winter for you, summerfor us here inOz and elsewhere and let’s just reinstate Sol Invictus as the celebratory festival shall we? Everyone happy with that?

I view one of my major roles as a teacher to wage war on provincialism (or is it parocialism?)

Over the past six months, for people in the northern hemisphere, every day the peak of the Sun’s arc across the daytime sky has been getting lower.

Pedantic point: you know that’s not strictly true for people living between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer.