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miscellaneous postings by Lawrence R. Spencer

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MYSTERIES OF LIFE

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The Oz Factors

Cataclysmic Geology vs. Uniformitarian Geology

“One of the principal reasons that Earth is a rough place to live is illustrated by the argument between Earth scientists who can’t agree on the basic formation of the Earth and the history of its formation.

The Oz Factors, by Lawrence R. Spencer

There are two conflicting schools of thought on the subject of geology, each with their own theories. To better understand them, let’s review some basics on the entire subject.

GEOLOGY is the study of the structure of the Earth’s crust and the formation and development of its various layers, including individual rock types and early life forms found as fossils in rocks.

Based on the most reliable sources of information currently available, the Earth can best be understood as a slightly pear-shaped ball floating in space. It is held in orbit around a star by a balance of gravitational attraction and centrifugal force.

The mean distance of the Earth from its star is 92,897,000 miles. The star (our sun) is itself held in place relative to the Milky Way Galaxy and in turn to the rest of the universe by similar forces.

The Earth is moving through space at the rate of approximately 45,000 mph. The Earth’s orbit around its star is 583,400,000 miles, and the Earth travels along this orbit at a velocity of about 66,000 mph. Earth rotates on its axis once every 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.1 seconds. A point on the equator is therefore moving at a rate of a little more than 1,000 mph relative to its axis. The Milky Way galaxy as a whole, however, is moving toward the stellar constellation Leo at about 375 miles per second.

In addition to these primary motions, three other components of the total motion of Earth exist: the precession of the equinoxes, periodic variation in the inclination of Earth’s axis caused by the gravitational pulls of the sun and moon, and variation of latitude.

The cold, rigid, rocky crust of Earth extends to depths of 60 miles. Oceans cover approximately 70 percent of the surface of the Earth. The average depth of the oceans is 12,447 feet, more than five times the average height of the continents.

How stable is the real estate on which we Earth-bound Homo sapiens build our farmhouses?

Earth has a very, very thin outer layer comprised of two shells. The crust and upper mantle surrounds a core that becomes increasingly hot and viscous as you approach the center. The outer crust literally “floats” on top of this molten center.

The inside of Earth is relatively liquid, and the crust is relatively brittle. The crust has developed cracks throughout its entire surface as a result of having cooled down from a previously more liquid state, just like dirt cracks as it dries out in the hot sun. Therefore, this brittle crust has broken up into a dozen or so independently moving pieces called “plates”. Both the land masses and oceans are “floating” on top of these plates. Shearing of these partially molten rocks, which are about 60 miles thick, enables the continents to drift around the Earth’s core.

As the plates move, so do the oceans and land masses. As the plates pull apart from each other,the resulting cracksallow the molten rock underneath to “leak” out. This results in volcanic activity that can create newmountains or land masses. Conversely, the plates crash into, and rub against, each other.The result is an earthquake. And, sometimes new mountain ranges are pushed up or floods occur on the coastlines of land masses.

              Considerable evidence from the fossils found in layers of rock around the world demonstrates that the existing continents of Earth were once part of larger land masses, called “super-continents”. Other continents have apparently been submerged beneath oceans, and still others have broken up into smaller pieces through the movement of the plates.

The most obvious evidence of this is that the continents of Africa and South America appear to fit together perfectly when seen from space. Even the mighty Himalayan mountains, the highest mountain chain on the planet, was once submerged beneath an ocean, as demonstrated by many species of trilobite fossils (ancient sea creatures) found throughout the mountains.

The entire contour of the Earth has now been mapped from space by a formerly top-secret Geostat satellite. These maps also show the contours of the ocean floors. Such a global map has recently been declassified and released by the United States Navy, which began the mapping process in 1987, to enable submarines to navigate safely around the world under the ocean. This map clearly shows the “stretch marks” of the planet where the existing continents have separated from each other and where the tectonic plates, or fault lines, exist around the planet.

The theory of Uniformitarian Geology assumes, much like the Theory of Evolution, that Earth spontaneously evolved from a chaotic cloud of cosmic dust particles in an orderly, gradual condensation, and continued through a progressive succession of small changes that have resulted in the existing lay of the land. (Of course, they do not say where the original “cosmic dust” came from. We’re supposed to assume that it was just there already.)

THE OZ FACTORS Audiobook_500

             The theory of Cataclysmic Geology, on the other hand, assumes that the Earth was created and has progressed through a series of sudden disastrous concatenations which make living on planet Earth a very temporary, risky and unpredictable proposition:

1/ The magnetic poles of the planet shift periodically.

2/ The position of the land masses change continually and suddenly.

3/ Mountain ranges rise and fall.

4/ Ice ages come and go.

5/ Changing levels of the oceans flood the land randomly.

All together, the life forms of Earth have a rough time as the result of volcanoes, floods, ice ages, temperature changes, earthquakes, tidal waves, drifting land masses and the resulting famine and pestilence which ensue.

The less-than-exact science of Geology is subject to the same pitfalls of illogical thinking which seem to exist in the Land of Oz. Both sides of the argument are looking for an unobtainable absolute law of some sort. As usual, both schools of thought are missing information, have false information, and can’t get their dates straight. Each side of the argument is limited by its own assumptions and vested interests.

A workable solution to the mysteries of Geology probably lies somewhere in between and/or beyond the conflicting theories of Cataclysmic vs. Uniformitarian Geology.”

— Excerpt from THE OZ FACTORS, by Lawrence R. Spencer

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TRANSPARENT TRANSPARENCY

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Personally, I spent many years of my pre-retirement business career in the “branding” industry.  What I observed from this kind of work sickened my soul.  I finally quit, and resolved that being a “starving artist” is infinitely more gratifying than being a “corporate whore”, regardless of the paycheck.

My clients were corporations who wanted to influence people to pay money to buy their product or service.  Usually, any method, trick, gimmick, lie, and covert strategy that money can buy is acceptable in corporate “marketing”.  However, “transparency” or “truth” are NOT acceptable. The bigger and more powerful the corporations, governments, etc., , the less “truth in advertising”, is allowed.  It’s a kind of  unwritten law like “never let the other team know your game plan”, (or your true intentions).  Corporate marketing is an “us” against “them” of mind-control game.  A “brand” is an artificially contrived “false facade” of “acceptable lies”.  On Wall Street, and in corporations and governments it’s all, and only, about money and power.  No rules apply.

The following video investigates the subject of transparency in advertising, a talk given by Morgan Spurlock (who revealed that “McFoods” do NOT decay in his film “SuperSize Me“, and are, therefore, NOT food.)

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CONSPIRACY THEORY CONSPIRACY

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THIS IS A RE-POSTING ON AN EXCELLENT ARTICLE I READ TODAY.  It discusses how the CIA started a campaign to ridicule the idea of “Conspiracy Theories” in 1967, as a method to cover-up their secret, criminal activities to gain power, possession and control of our minds, our lives, and our planet.  It contains links for documented details and evidence.

Conspiracy

By Foster Gamble

It is a little-known though well-documented fact that the origin of the campaign to ridicule research into conspiracies was initiated by the CIA in 1967 to undermine the credibility of those who questioned the official claims of the Warren Commission regarding the so-called facts of the Kennedy assassination.

Given the challenge we and others feel when speaking out about conspiracies, I think Lance deHaven-Smith is right when, in his new book Conspiracy Theory, he suggests “the CIA’s [covert and illegal] campaign to popularize the term ‘conspiracy theory’ and make conspiracy belief a target of ridicule and hostility must be credited…with being one of the most successful propaganda initiatives of all time…”

Of course not all proclaimed conspiracies are true. There are competent conspiracy analysts and incompetent ones, just as there are skilled and shoddy reporters, historians or practitioners of any discipline.

What Does “Conspiracy” Actually Mean?

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines “conspire” as: “to plot, to contrive, to scheme — to join in a secret agreement to do an unlawful or wrongful act.”

It is well documented that many conspiracy theories are true. (See resources below.) Just a few days ago, the CIA admitted to what conspiracy analysts have been saying for 40 years: that the agency helped organize the coup that deposed Mohammad Mosaddegh and imposed the Shah in 1953 to get access to Iranian oil.

Nonetheless, I have seen many otherwise intelligent people close their minds to credible information as soon as the term “conspiracy” is evoked — even though America itself was founded on what would now be called a “conspiracy theory.” After all, the American Revolution was fought on the basis of the alleged “conspiracy” of King George of England to control and unfairly tax the new world.

Conspiracy theories are such a threat to the status quo that infiltration, censorship and bans have even been proposed. In 2008, Cass Sunstein, the former Administrator of the Obama Whitehouse Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and former Professor at the University of Chicago, wrote a paper on “Conspiracy Theories”. His prescription for dealing with ‘conspiracy theorists’? … “cognitive infiltration of “extremist” groups, and, if it gets bad enough, possible censorship of free speech. He actually suggests that the US Government use such tactics as:

  1. Ban conspiracy theorizing.
  2. Impose some kind of tax, financial or otherwise, on those who disseminate such theories.

This is especially interesting given that even Sunstein admitted that some “conspiracy theories” are actually true — including Operation Northwoods, a plan by the Department of Defense (DoD) to simulate acts of terrorism and to blame them on Cuba to falsely justify invasion. That one, fortunately, President Kennedy discovered and shut down.

The “Noble Lie”

One of the ways conspiracies are philosophically justified by those who perpetrate them is through the notion of the “noble lie”. This term was coined by Leo Strauss, who was the philosophical grandfather of the Neo-conservative movement and who advocated state political propaganda and covert actions to protect a society’s traditional beliefs from “unrestrained inquiries” — or in other words — “conspiratorial theorizing.” He believed that scientific criticism of official accounts of important historical events, even when those criticisms were true, “undermined respect for the nation’s laws and traditional beliefs.” “Weapons of Mass Destruction” and “regime change” are examples of “noble lies” — untruths put forth to achieve an end goal that could not be achieved without manufactured evidence to sway public opinion.

Remember, it was the neo-conservative PNAC — the Project for a New American Century — that called for “a new Pearl Harbor” to justify invading the middle east — a noble lie used to dismantle the US Constitution (Patriot Act, Military Commissions Act, NDAA etc). This ended up being the major turning point in leading the US and the world toward police state tyranny, under the overarching “noble lie” of defending against “terrorism.”

Today, critical thinking and overcoming the stigma of “conspiracy theory” can help us keep from getting duped into being poisoned by schemes like GMOs to solve hunger, chemtrails to solve global warming, toxic vaccines to prevent disease, fluoride to prevent tooth decay, and radiating smart meters to lower our electric bills — to name just a few.

“Conspiracy” Used for Debunking

The main website erected to undermine the Thrive movement — Thrive Debunked — based its entire premise on the notion that there is “No such thing as Conspiracy.” John Robbins was in THRIVE exposing the conspiracy undermining the food sector. Deepak Chopra revealed the hidden agenda of pharmaceuticals in the health arena. Paul Hawken described how corporations are covertly destroying the environment and John Perkins, the “economic hitman,” told how he had been part of the secret conspiracy destroying the culture and stealing the resources of one country after another around the world. Then THRIVE put these and many other expert pieces together to show how the same elite bankers are manipulating virtually every sector for their own profit and control. Each of these “pioneers” then turned around and dissociated from THRIVE, claiming they didn’t want to be associated with a “conspiracy” movie.

Intelligence takes many forms: intellect, knowledge, cleverness, wit and intuition for example. But perhaps what is most called for in this era of massive deceit is open-mindedness — coupled with common sense and rigorous discernment. Critical thinking, evidence, fact checking, logic, research, and the ability to say “MAYBE, I don’t know” while we consider new information is imperative. Without it, we can fall prey to truly sinister and dangerous effects.

So, if you haven’t already, I invite you to step out of the “hassle-free” zone as if our future depends on it — because it does. Here are some key steps:

  1. Encourage open honest dialogue about conspiracy theories.
  2. Learn the facts.

    Some conspiracies that have been proven include:

    • The Reagan administration was convicted of “conspiracy” in the Iran Contra affair.
    • When the AMA tried to shut down Chiropractors, they were found guilty of “conspiracy.”
    • Tobacco companies were found guilty of “conspiracy” to withhold critical health information from the public.

    Additional articles on “conspiracies” that turned out to be true:

    You can also learn more about one of the biggest conspiracies of all in the “Global Domination Agenda” section of our website.

  3. Don’t buy into unsubstantiated attacks. Critics of conspiracy theory often resort to adjectives and ad hominem attacks, instead of facts. This lures people away from the evidence presented, and puts the focus on the peoples’ personalities and associations, which reinforces negative stereotypes of conspiracy theorists. Avoid personality attacks and stick to the facts. Apparently, according to a recent study, more commentators on the Internet are intelligently addressing conspiracy analysis and fact than are disputing it.

    Here are a couple of video clips that show the desperation of conspirators to demean conspiracy analysts:

  4. Approach conspiracy topics gently and thoughtfully. My wife, Kimberly, and I have had a lot of practice with this. Your delivery and approach to discussing new ideas makes a big difference. Here’s a video guide on how to have difficult conversations with friends without losing friendships:

If we allow ourselves to have our critical thinking stopped by the threat of being associated with “conspiracy,” I believe we make ourselves easy to dupe, manipulate, divide and conquer. We lose the power we can have when instead we share our insights and transparently and respectfully explore our different perspectives to encourage bold, honest inquiry into what is going on and what we can do to create a world where everyone has the chance to thrive.

Additional Resources

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DEATH FAIRY

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The job of a Death Fairy is a thankless task, but somebody must do it!

death fairyA banshee (“woman of the sídhe, woman of the fairy mounds”) is a female spirit in Irish mythology, who heralds the death of a member of one of the prominent Gaelic families.   The banshee is often described in Gaelic lore as wearing red or green, usually with long, disheveled hair. She can appear in a variety of forms. Perhaps most often she is seen as an ugly, frightful hag, but she can also appear as young and beautiful if she chooses. In some tales, the figure who first appears to be a banshee or other cailleach (hag) is later revealed to be the Irish battle goddess, the Morrígan.

One popular belief was that they were the dead. This noted that many common points of belief, such as the same legends being told of ghosts and fairies, the sídhe in actuality being burial mounds, it being dangerous to eat food in both Fairyland and Hades, and both the dead and fairies living underground. Diane Purkiss observes an equating of fairies with the untimely dead who left “unfinished lives”.

Another belief is that the fairies were an intelligent species, distinct from humans and angels. In alchemy in particular they were regarded as elementals, such as gnomes and sylphs, as described by Paracelsus. This is uncommon in folklore, but accounts describing the fairies as “spirits of the air” have been found.