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Masonic Variations: Prince Hall and Women’s Freemasonry

Smaller jurisdictions have typically arisen where there were disagreements on the basics of admission policy. Prince Hall was a free-born African American who, along with fourteen colleagues, was initiated into a Military Lodge under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1775. Military Lodges are mobile by nature, and when the Lodge duly moved away, Hall and his fellows were given permission to continue meeting, but not to perform initiations.

In 1784, the group applied for a Warrant of Charter from the Grand Lodge of England, and formed African Lodge #459. In 1813 however, after the rectification of English Masonry, the newly-formed UGLE moved address and withdrew a lot of its activities world-wide. African Lodge #459 was left with no means of contact with its former Grand Lodge, and was removed from the UGLE rolls for non-payment of dues.

With nowhere else to turn, African Lodge restyled itself African Grand Lodge #1 (not to be confused with any of the Grand Lodges in Africa, of course) and continued operating. The widespread racism at the time made it very difficult for African Americans to get membership in white-dominated Lodges, and the movement – now known as Prince Hall Freemasonry – flourished. It remains very strong today. Although considered ritually regular, the Prince Hall Grand Lodges are only slowly being accepted as regular bodies.

There are two big stumbling blocks that the Prince Hall movement faces for recognition, and neither of them have anything to do with racism any more, save perhaps in a very few intransigent areas in the deep south of the USA. One is that the formation of African Grand Lodge #1 was undoubtedly irregular, and under Masonic canon that means the other Grand Lodges it has created are also irregular; the other is that the Prince Hall Grand Lodges all impinge on the sovereign territory of older Grand Lodges. However, it is also widely recognised that Prince Hall Masonry developed because there was nowhere else for its brothers to turn at the time. The Prince Hall Grand Lodges are slowly winning acceptance across Anglo Freemasonry, bit by bit, and it seems just a matter of time before they are entirely regularised.

The Fred U. Harris Prince Hall Lodge by the unabonger

The Fred U. Harris Prince Hall Lodge by the unabonger

Women’s Freemasonry has likewise been a thorny issue. When Freemasonry first developed – in the 18th Century – there was a tacit assumption amongst its members that women just wouldn’t be interested. There are a couple of early records of fully regular lodges with female members, and one of the earliest forms of the ritual workings includes the designation ‘He or Shee’ in reference to the candidate, but for the most part, the women of the time were too downtrodden to factor. The 19th Century was the real flourishing of society-wide sexism though, and as it approached, the requirement that Freemasons be male was recognised as a formal Landmark.

When the Grand Orient d’ France reorganised its charter in 1877, it indicated to all parties that it was alright to be separate from ‘regular’ Masonry. Two international mixed-sex jurisdictions were formed fairly swiftly, called Le Droit Humain and The Order of International Co-Masonry. Both are still fully active world-wide. The Grand Orient and all affiliated Continental Grand Lodges swiftly granted them full recognition, along with any national female-only Grand Lodges that sprung up. A completely separate but similarly-aimed women’s organisation called the Order of Weavers developed, and that too has spread.

Anglo Freemasonry still does not formally recognise female or mixed-sex Grand Lodges on the grounds that it would mean breaking charter; the resistance to such a move is now concentrated in North America. However, UGLE openly accepts that female and mixed-sex jurisdictions are indeed a full part of Freemasonry, just not under the UGLE banner. Their announcement, in March 1999, plainly states “Freemasonry is not confined to men”, with just the simple proviso that “this Grand Lodge does not itself admit women”.

Two female Grand Lodges based in England – The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons (which is becoming international, with Lodges in Spain and Gibraltar) and The Order of Women’s Freemasons – and one mixed-sex Grand Lodge have been recognised by UGLE as fully regular apart from the sex of their membership; a declaration that may well herald the approach of full recognition. Note also that the female groups and the mixed-sex group also do not formally recognise each other, for the same reasons of charter. All the groups are in regular informal contact on matters of mutual concern. There are also Women’s Grand Lodges in many European countries. In North America, Women’s Freemasonry is still meeting resistance. Rather than joining a female jurisdiction – the Women’s Grand Lodge of Belgium has four Lodges in the USA – it is more common for interested women to join a group called The Order of the Eastern Star, which is open to Masons and to women who are related to a male Mason.

There are scores of other tiny self-styled Grand Lodges. Some of these appear to be protest movements against a specific policy of a mainstream Grand Lodge, and tend to be short-lived; others are active scams, degree mills designed to milk money out of prospective Masons. In general, if a supposedly Masonic body is not recognised by any Grand Lodge within Anglo, Continental, Prince Hall Freemasonry, Co-Masonry and Women’s Freemasonry, it should be treated with extreme caution.

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By Ghostwoods – February 8, 2010

Masonic Variations: Anglo and Continental

The greatest variation between the different types of Freemasonry lies in the actual detail of the Lodge rituals. There are a wide range of different ritual sets, known as workings. Most Grand Lodges have a list of which are permissible in their Lodges, and which are not. Very few permit all as a blanket definition, because some of the more obscure workings are a very long way from regular Freemasonry – such as the largely discredited Swedenborg Rite, which rather eccentrically attempts to blend Masonic styling with Emmanuel Swedenborg’s philosophical teachings.

Some of the more common variations include Emulation, Taylor’s, York (not to be confused with the set of appendant bodies of the same name), Sussex, Universal, Logic, South London, Bristol, London West End, French, Modern, Scots, Scottish Rectified, Schroeder’s and Logic. Others that are considered disreputable or are thought to have fallen by the wayside include the Memphis-Misraim Rites (with up to 95 different degrees, no less), the Ancient and Accepted Rite (with 90 degrees), the Hermetic Rite, the Martinist Rite, and the aforementioned Swedenborg Rite.

Differences in ritual aside, the variances between common workings are subtle enough that anyone familiar with one will be comfortable with all, although the occasional difference in wording or procedure will crop up. For most Masons, the issue of Masonic jurisdiction is far more important, and this is the area which can cause serious trouble for a member. There are a few broad ‘families’ of jurisdiction – two of them significantly larger than the rest – within which most Grand Lodges recognise most of their fellows, and few others from outside.

The most prevalent family of Masonic institutions is known informally world-wide as Anglo Masonry, because its rules and constitutions stem from the historic work and expansion of the Grand Lodge of England. The oldest of the Grand Lodges, the Grand Lodge of England was formed in 1717 (as the Grand Lodge of London, initially) when four London Lodges joined forces. Its regulatory focus started a few years later, and swiftly spread. In 1723, the first rulebook was published. As the British Empire grew, it carried Masonry with it around the world.

Freemason's Hall, the home of UGLE by mortimer

Freemason's Hall, the home of UGLE by mortimer

Over time, the various nations developed enough weight and history to stand on their own, and formed their own sovereign Grand Lodges, each with full control over their territories. After a period of schism in England which saw two rival Grand Lodges active for just over 60 years, the two combined into the current body, the United Grand Lodge of England, known worldwide by its initials, UGLE. Despite the assorted differences that creep in regionally, and natural national pride in the various sovereign bodies, UGLE retains a certain informal respect and status as the effective birthplace of modern Craft Masonry – in the Anglo branch, anyway.

The other large Masonic family of organisations is known as Continental Masonry, and traces its oldest jurisdiction back to the Grand Orient d’France, founded in 1733. Its relations with the rest of Masonry were perfectly regular up until 1868 when the Grand Orient – which did not acknowledge the doctrine of sovereign territory which UGLE was so keen on – agreed to recognise a second Grand Lodge in Louisiana. The earlier Louisianan Grand Lodge complained very loudly, and by 1876 most of the English-speaking Grand Lodges had reclassified the Grand Orient as irregular. In 1877, the body further outraged English-speaking Masonry by removing the requirement for belief in a Supreme Being, making the presence of holy scripture optional in its Lodges, and allowing women to visit Lodge meetings. Almost all remaining English-language Grand Lodges severed ties immediately.

The Grand Orient wasn’t without supporters however, and continued to go about its business as it pleased. Many of the European Grand Lodges and Grand Orients followed its lead, which is why it is now known as Continental Masonry. It dominates Freemasonry in Europe and Latin America, while Anglo Masonry dominates in the English-speaking world. It is broadly true now however that most territories with an Anglo Grand Lodge also have an assigned Continental Grand Lodge or Orient – and vice versa. Typically, Continental Masons progress after the Symbolic Lodge by working through the Scots Rite.

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By Ghostwoods – February 7, 2010

Conspiracies: The Oklahoma Bombing

On the 19th April, 1995, a massive explosion in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma destroyed a huge part of a Federal office building, tragically killing many people inside. Before then, America had often considered itself immune to terrorist attack, glossing over those that had occurred previously. The Oklahoma bombing was extremely high-profile however, and as well as killing and injuring a lot of people, it also rather nastily wounded the national psyche — although nowhere near as much as the horrors of 9/11 would, of course.

Timothy McVeigh, a Gulf War veteran, was convicted of the bombing in due course. Certainly there is plenty of evidence that he was peculiar enough to have carried it. He sent a series of letters to his sister some considerable time before the bombing took place, talking about his “anger and alienation”. These included comments about committing suicide, about dropping out of society and into hiding, and about the government of the “Evil King”. The letters were so disturbing that McVeigh’s family suspected him of being the Oklahoma bomber almost immediately. His sister believed that McVeigh’s mania against the government stemmed from the army’s insistence that he repay them $1,000 that he had been overpaid.

However, McVeigh had applied for Special Forces training, and had failed the assessment course. He claimed in one of his letters that his assessment at Fort Bragg had revealed several unsavoury duties. Special Forces operatives, apparently, would be required to work with civilian police, silencing — killing — people who were considered a security risk. They would also be expected to help “the CIA fly drugs into the USA to fund covert operations”. It was the evil nature of these assignments that supposedly turned McVeigh against the US government.

Timothy McVeigh

Timothy McVeigh

So was McVeigh actually guilty? Some conspiracy theorists have suggested that the Oklahoma bombing was conducted by US secret services agents to distract attention from a far more critical action: the attempted rebellion of a cabal of top military officers against the US government. Sickened by the Clintons’ excesses — not the sexual ones, but Hillary’s supposed theft of fifty million dollars from the US reserve, and Bill’s treasonously illegal alleged sale of nuclear missiles & launch codes to Israel — a group of morally-upstanding army and navy officers were going to arrest Clinton and expose him.

On Monday April 17th 1995, Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr reportedly handed a sealed indictment charging Hillary and Bill with embezzling $47 million, and receiving moneys in payment for conveying missile launch and tracking codes to Israel. That same evening, a plane carrying top members of the military and intelligence communities crashed in Alabama, killing everyone inside. Witnesses said that they heard two explosions in the air before the one on the ground, suggesting sabotage or missile strike. One army officer on the supervisory boards of the NSA and the ASA — the Army Security Agency — was amongst the dead.

The cabal, theorists allege, was killed. Oklahoma was then bombed shortly afterwards, to monopolise media attention and thereby cover the deaths of the cabal members. It also served to draw the minds of more junior officers away from potential presidential scandals, and concentrate them on the humanitarian emergency. McVeigh was a soft target to frame because he was so insanely paranoid about the government. All this happened just before the sealed indictments were due to be made public. Instead, the special circumstances of the bombing delayed the indictments, and swung public support back to the president.

It’s an interesting aside that Media Bypass Magazine is a small publication dedicated to exposing intelligence agency action, and presenting the truth to the public. On the morning of the bombing, Lawrence Myers, a writer of bomb manuals and other survivalist literature, was in the offices of Media Bypass, interviewing for a job writing about serial bombers. While he was being interviewed, the Oklahoma bomb went off, and the news broke. He was hired on the spot, and quickly became the editorial controller of the magazine.

However, there are claims that Myers had been a counter-insurgency operative in Central America as part of the Delta Force, and was now working in counter-intelligence. His latest role was to infiltrate Media Bypass so as to spread ludicrously bogus exposés, suppress true exposes, and generally discredit the magazine.

Media Bypass eventually resolved to fire Myers, but they re-hired him the same day when he suddenly conducted an interview with McVeigh (in maximum security prison at the time, and inaccessible to normal journalists) and offered it to the magazine in return for his continued employment.

Conspirologists generally suggest that the CIA killed the conspirators, acting to preserve the Clinton administration and avoid a scandal that would weaken America. They set up the Oklahoma bombing as a smoke-screen. At the same time, they decided to infiltrate Myers into Media Bypass with the aid of the bombing, killing two birds with one stone so to speak. To arrange this, they must have been planning the multiple assassination and subsequent bombing for at least a week.

On the other hand, odder theorists say that the American version of the British Israelite movement which claims that white Americans are the true descendants of Moses may have been involved in the bombing. Certainly, the Identity is very popular with right-wing maniacs. There have been suggestions that McVeigh was acting on the instructions of a powerful Christian Identity leader to help fulfil the prophecies leading to the return of Christ.

Rationally though, killing scores of innocent government workers seems rather like overkill, both in distracting from a minor rebellion and in getting a spook into a job. Surely the former goal could have been better achieved by declaring the whole incident a matter of national security, and the latter by giving Myers a stronger resume?

Posted in myth.

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By Ghostwoods – February 6, 2010

Mythic Fantasy

Many fantasy stories draw their inspiration from mythology and legend, which in turn often developed out of the remnants of dead religions. The great majority of the creatures that can be found in the fantasy genre began in traditional myths of one sort or another – such as the now-familiar staple elves and dwarves, for instance, which derive from Norse myth. So in one sense, all fantasy is derived from myth, directly or indirectly. So in order to make it a useful distinction, mythic fantasy is the name given to tales that are set within one specific traditional mythological milieu.

There are as many subdivisions as there are mythologies of course, but not all of them generate the same amount of mythic fantasy. Although the Norse and Greek myths have probably been the most influential in contributing to the flavour of modern fantasy, they are not particularly common settings for modern works. Perhaps they’re the victims of their own success, too familiar in terms of general fantasy to be appealing as a mythic story venue.

Other mythic cycles seem to be more attractive to fantasy writers. The Arthurian legend cycle of western Europe remains one of the most popular mythic fantasy settings. The historical origins of the ‘real’ King Arthur remain obscure. There are some mentions of a 5th-century British war-leader in some of the ancient chronicles, but they are tantalisingly slight, and generate a lot of debate. Anyhow, whatever the truth is, it certainly bears precious little relation to the mythic figure.

King Arthur's Domain, Tintagel by IDS

King Arthur's Domain, Tintagel by IDS

King Arthur’s creation in the sense we know him now dates from 1136, in the “Historia Regum Britanniae” (The History of the Kings of Britain) by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Although it claimed to be a historical account, Geoffrey’s manuscript was highly coloured, and devoted a large part of its text to the story of Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin the magician and the traitor Mordred – quite probably drawing its inspiration from older cycles of Welsh mythology. Despite its factual implausibility, the Historia was a big success amongst the nobility of England and France, and Arthur quickly became a favourite subject of medieval romances all over Western Europe.

Robert Wace added the Round Table in 1155, with the Holy Grail and Sir Lancelot arriving some twenty-five years later through Chretien de Troyes. Many others contributed, until the whole cycle was broadly cemented in its current form by Thomas Malory in Le Morte D’Arthur, around 1470. The definitive modern Arthurian fantasy – so far, anyhow – remains TH White’s “The Once and Future King” (1958). Although the text makes use of anachronistic comparisons and similes, and the story itself is considerably more overtly magical than most, this is still the most influential piece of Arthuriana.

Ancient China is another common setting for mythic fantasies. China has a unique depth of continuous cultural history to draw on, and its own self-image of its mythological past is enthusiastically magical. There are many domestic Chinese fantasies of course – in the West, the best known are “Outlaws of the Marsh”, by Shi Nai’an and Luo Guanzhong (c. 1380), and “Journey to the West” by Wu Ch’eng-en (1592), better known as “Monkey”. Both of these epics are boisterous, highly magical and, like Homer’s “Odyssey” and “Iliad”, highly repetitive, at least in their original forms.

Yangtzi Gorge by Britrob

Yangtzi Gorge by Britrob

A much more contemporary example of the same sort of mythic tale is “Blades from the Willows” by Li Shanji (1946), which was serialised in Chinese newspapers in the same way as the Sword & Sorcery stories originally were. Although it only made it into print in English n 1991, “Blades from the Willows” was hugely influential in establishing the Wu Xia story style – the oriental analogue of Sword & Sorcery that most of the Hong Kong magical martial arts movies fit into. These movies – and the comics and books that they have inspired – remain the true inheritors of Chinese mythic fantasy, and they have become hugely popular all around the world.

It should be no surprise to hear that plenty of western authors have turned to Chinese myth for inspiration. Many have met with reasonable commercial success, in the west anyway. The most important was Ernest Bramah, who created a series of wryly humorous books about the mannered wandering story-teller Kai Lung and the tall tales he span. The first of these, “The Wallet of Kai Lung”, was published in 1900. A more recent master of the same charmingly humorous ‘Chinoiserie’ is Barry Hughart, who produced a delightful trilogy of novels about the mystery-solving sage Li Kao and his assistant Number Ten Ox, starting with “Bridge of Birds” in 1984.

A third important source of mythic fantasy is the “Alf Layla-wa-Layla” (literally ‘A Thousand Nights and a Night’), commonly known in English as the Arabian Nights. It is one of the world’s greatest compendiums of stories. It contains an immense cycle of tales that Scheherazade supposedly told to her cruel husband, the King, on a nightly basis, in order to keep him from having her killed. The contents are very varied in origin. Tales seem to have come from Arabia, Persia, India and even Egypt, and there is much dispute as to exactly when they took their ‘final’ form. The rough consensus seems to be that they took shape between about 900 AD and the year 1400. Many probably started as professionally written stories, rather than as folk tales; Arabic Middle Age culture was highly civilized and literate.

Not all of the stories of the Arabian Nights are fantasies, but the role-call of tales found within its pages is impressive: “Aladdin and His Magic Lamp”, “The Ebony Horse”, “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad”, “The City of Brass”, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, “Julnar the Sea-Born” and many others. The first printed edition of the book was produced in France at the start of the 18th century, translated and edited by Antoine Galland. None of the earlier, hand-written manuscripts survive, and there is considerable controversy as to how much of the content Galland actually created himself.

In the end it doesn’t really matter, though. The origins of myth are lost in history, like the seeds of truth that may have given rise to them. That doesn’t change the vital role that that the world’s mythologies have played in shaping modern fantasy.

Posted in fantasy, myth, writing.

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By Ghostwoods – February 5, 2010

Mortal Combat: Brian Blessed vs Terry Wogan

First and foremost, many thanks to excellent Dark Fiction author Damon Lord for asking me the Formspring question that sparked this piece.

Secondly, if you don’t know who they are, Brian Blessed is a formidable English Shakespearean actor and adventurer, and Terry Wogan is a charming Irish comedian and TV/radio host.

Brian Blessed (L) and Terry Wogan (R)

Brian Blessed (L) ... and ... Terry Wogan (R)

Blessed dominates the early betting. In the lead-up to the fight, he has several high-profile supporters, which help assure him massive popular backing, eventually surging to 3-2 on. Wogan, by contrast, barely manages to scrape up to 5-1. It doesn’t seem to dent Wogan’s morale any, though.

As proceedings start, the two men square off. Blessed is grinning from ear to ear like a bull gorilla on crack, letting out regular bellows as he psychs himself up into a slaying mood. Wogan, by contrast, looks even smaller and more frail than usual. He’s got a little glint in his eye though, and you can see people wondering if the charming Irishman has something up his sleeve.

The bell goes, and Blessed leaps forward with a mighty “Yaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”. He’s swinging even before he lands, a wild haymaker that forces Wogan to back up immediately. Blessed uses his momentum to pull himself forward at a swift stumble, relying on mass to overpower his enemy. Wogan totters back, and then grunts as Blessed’s head smacks into his chest. Wogan twists slightly as the headbutt lands, deflecting the worst of the impact, but he’s unbalanced as Blessed’s shoulder smashes him. The two men stagger apart, Wogan grim, Blessed wild and fierce.

Wogan dances back a couple of steps as Blessed makes a beeline for him. At the very last instant, he sways aside, groaning with the effort, and slides his leg forward. Blessed trips over it and falls. Wogan grins, but Blessed is already moving, pulling his legs underneath himself to get back standing. He looks angry, his hands balling into fists.

As Blessed lurches back to his feet, Wogan backs up, looking slightly nervous. His hands half-raise, placatory. Blessed growls, a long, low sound. He shifts his weight, and then springs forward, crazy beard flying. Wogan reaches out to meet his charge, and then, just as they close, he pushes himself away from the bigger man, falling backwards. Blessed grins ferociously, but Wogan is slipping beneath him.

Suddenly Blessed screams, a horrible, tortured noise. Wogan has bit straight into his bollocks, so hard they’re almost squashed flat. Blessed rears, flailing and shrieking, but Wogan is reaching round. There’s an odd gleam, and then suddenlly blood gouts. Blessed screeches, and tries to reach behind himself, but sheets of blood are gushing from his ripped-out asshole. Wogan rolls clear, a horrible grin on his face, the previously-concealed knife plainly visible now. Blessed sags, weakening quickly, and Wogan steps up to him, lays a gore-soaked hand on his shoulder, smiles pleasantly and stabs his shiv through the luvvy’s neck.

With one last, horrid gurgle, Brian Blessed collapses. The Irish Assassin twinkles to the crowd, bows, and walks off to claim his prize.

Posted in people, wtf.

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By Ghostwoods – February 1, 2010

The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life (the Otz Chiim, in Hebrew) is the master key for the gates of creation itself. The greatest of the Kabbalah’s mysteries, it is the blueprint that underlies everything from the structure of the universe itself right down to way the human personality is constructed. It is a model of the fractal building block of reality – God’s route for approaching the world, and therefore our route for approaching God. It encompasses everything, structuring every aspect of reality within its complexities.

Tree-of-Life

According to the doctrine of the Sundering, a key tenet of Kabalistic thought, all of reality is an aspect of God’s divided self, seeking reunification with divinity, connected to itself at all levels. This is remarkably similar to recent theories of quantum mechanics, which suggest that every subatomic particle is connected to every other one, and that each part contains the whole – the ‘Holographic Universe’. Swap the names around, and science and the Kabbalah say the same thing: that all was one, and then it split and became the universe, but remained connected, and will one day return to being one again.

The Tree of Life shows how the spark of divinity became the substance of the universe, in Kabbalistic thought. It is the route from energy to matter, from God to Man. It is at the heart of each mote of existence, and so manifests time and again, in all areas, at all levels. Therefore, it is also a depiction of God Himself: “as above, so below”. Just as fractal mathematics show us that the shape of a leaf’s pores echoes the shape of the leaf – and also the shape of the branch, and even the shape of the tree – so the Tree of Life can be found on all scales of reality, from the universal to the most personal.

Don’t worry too much if this is tricky to grasp; the mystical and philosophical implications of the macrocosm and the microcosm are advanced, and difficult for the human mind to really get a hang of. We work by comparisons and dualities, so it is hard for us to make sense of a scheme which talks about universal unity. As a basic concept, it is enough to know that the Tree of Life represents and explains many different levels of reality, and that all are linked. It is the way the universe works, the route by which everything came into existence, and the template upon which everything is patterned.

Posted in kabbalah, magick.

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By Ghostwoods – January 29, 2010

Geek Out and Feel Good

RPG eBook retail website DriveThru RPG is encouraging gamers to do a little something for the Haiti crisis by donating to Medecins Sans Frontiers‘ Haiti fund. As well as matching $5 or $10 donations, DriveThru RPG are offering a gigantic bundle of books to anyone who donates $20 before the end of January.

The megapack has almost 200 RPG books in it. Many of them are supplements, unsurprisingly, but there are several complete systems in there as well, and the usual total value of the pack’s products is well over $1000.

RPG books are typically packed with all sorts of ideas, so as well as gamers, writers, world-builders and creatives of all types could stand to pick up a very useful resource here for really not very much money.

To quote from the site itself:

DriveThruRPG announced a major incentive to the roleplaying gamer community today (Jan 19th – T.) to incite donations to aid in rescue and recovery in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Called the “Gamers Helping Haiti Bundle,” the product includes over a hundred products totaling over $1000.00 in retail value. For a simple donation of $20 – all of which goes to Doctors Without Borders to support their post-earthquake Haiti relief efforts – RPG fans can have this once-in-a-lifetime collection of gaming products.

DriveThruRPG already had opportunities to donate up and running within a day of the disaster. When publishers began asking how they could support the cause, the bundle was created to be an all-inclusive shared effort. Those who donated at the lesser levels won’t be left out, however; gamers who have already donated $5 or $10 will be receiving a special coupon code that lets them pay the difference from their initial donation to get the bundle.

…

There is no set date for terminating the donation efforts, though the bundle will only be available until the end of January.

Please give it a thought, at least.

Whilst I’m on the topic of unhappy events, there’s also this:

“The control mechanism of a ‘mass-surveillance prison’ is being developed within society, so that all citizens are gradually being transformed into suspects who need to be monitored.“

Posted in events, games, rpg.

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By Ghostwoods – January 27, 2010

A Very Disturbing Turn of Events

Last Thursday, the Supreme Court of the United States made what may prove to be one of the most repressive decisions in its entire history. In short, it said that the government has no right to stop corporations buying US elections.

In a five to four decision, the Supreme Court decided that corporations (and unions) can freely spend their own treasury funds on advertisements for or against individual political candidates. Summarising, Justice Kennedy re-stated the concept of corporations having the same rights as individuals, saying “The First Amendment does not permit Congress to make these categorical distinctions based on the corporate identity of the speaker and the content of the political speech.”

The ruling itself is even more blunt. Referring to the 20-year ruling in Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, which prohibited corporations or labor unions from paying for campaign ads, it says “Austin is overruled, and thus provides no basis for allowing the Government to limit corporate independent expenditures.” The decision also removes spending limits for independent expenditure groups, as well as spending limits already established in 24 states. It also removes chunks of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law that barred issue ads paid for by corporations or unions in the closing days of a campaign.

Ghastly Hill on a Black Day by Eagpic

Ghastly Hill on a Black Day by Eagpic

It’s not quite a complete carte blanche. Corporations still cannot give give money directly to candidates. But given that the candidates chiefly want donations in order to pay for campaigning, this restriction is now broadly pointless.

The upshot is that candidates who agree to whole-heartedly serve huge corporate interests will be on the recieving end of a sea of funding that will allow them to sweep away any opposition. The political structure was already riddled with corruption of course, but it had to be mediated carefully in light of public opinion. That is no longer the case. Corruption has been boosted up from a sneaking presence behind the scenes to being the director of the entire show. Any politician agreeing to suckle at the corporate teat will recieve funds to guarantee near-certain election, and the idea of serving public interests will vanish entirely.

Horrified reactions have come from all parts of the American political establishment, including both John McCain and Barack Obama. But despite the concern of politicians, the ruling is effective immediately. Anyone wanting to fight this decision will find themselves up against a gigantic wall of money. The chances of any meaningful changes being made in time to stop corporate-backed shills from sweeping to power are very low indeed.

Mussolini famously described fascism as the union of business and state. Whether or not he was right is open to debate — it’s probably more accurate to describe it as corporatism, at least until pro-corruption grass-root movements appear amongst the populace — but either way, it is very definitely not democracy. And whatever you call it, that is what the Supreme Court has now created in the USA.

If you live in America, then whatever side of the political spectrum you lie on, you have been betrayed, and your democratic influence has been reduced to that of a sad whisper on the wind. Unless, of course, you happen to be one of the handful of Americans who runs a major corporation, in which case, Hail, Caesar. There are some petitions you can sign, here and here, but frankly, your last shreds of power rest in the right to bear arms.

And that is both tragic and terrifying.

Posted in news, scary.

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By Ghostwoods – January 25, 2010

The Max Headroom BSI

Max Headroom was something of a Cyberpunk star in the 1980s. Supposedly a badly-glitching artificial intelligence construct, Max Headroom was the faulty brain-scanned simulation of a comatose TV reporter. The character originally appeared as the host of a surprisingly successful (non-fiction) pop video show, titled “The Max Headroom Show”.

In the British TV movie created to explain the character’s back-story, “Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into the Future”, it was revealed that the reporter, Edison Carter, had been on a crusade to expose a new form of compressed advertising — the ‘blipvert’ — as a lethal danger. Whilst trying to escape a TV network office on a motorbike, Carter had smashed his head into a height clearance sign. When his brain was imaged, this trauma was what led to his digital echo’s assumption of the Max Headroom personality. Max was discarded as irredemably faulty, but went on to host his own surreal award-winning show. When Edison Carter recovered meanwhile, he was able to use the furore Max had caused to bring blipverts to the world’s attention. A later US spin-off sci-fi series kept the same premise as the film, adding different abuses for Carter to uncover each week. In addition to these outings, Max also appeared advertising assorted products, from New Coke to Channel 4, and was even interviewed by David Letterman.

MaxheadroomMpegMan

Matt Frewer as Max Headroom

Max Headroom’s popularity had peaked and was on the decline by November ‘87 when the now-infamous Max Headroom Broadcast Signal Intrusion took place. On the night of the 22nd, Chicago viewers were treated to a peculiar interruption in the middle of a WGN news report on the Cubs — thirty seconds of silent broadcast of a strange guy in a Max Headroom mask. That would have been odd enough, but later in the evening, the pirate signal-hacker struck again.

The second time, he hacked into WTTW, a PBS station. This time, he managed to get sound, and was able to complete a 90-second broadcast of the tape over an episode of the Doctor Who story The Horror of Fang Rock. WTTW’s engineers didn’t have time to work out a way of overriding the pirate signal. The whole thing was captured by bemused Doctor Who fans.

Despite best efforts, the hacker was never caught. Which means that somewhere, this person is still out there…

Scary.

(Thanks to Cracked for reminding me about this madness!)

Posted in wtf.

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By Ghostwoods – January 22, 2010

Conspiracies: The Man in the Iron Mask

THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK

The mystery of the Man in The Iron Mask has been a focal point for both doe eyed romantics and serious historians since the 17th century, generating countless theories about the identity of the masked prisoner. The interest continues even to this day, as evidenced by Di Caprio’s movie. But the world is still no closer to discovering who this tragic figure was, and as the years pass, the chances of discovering of his (or her) true identity continues to fade.

Little is known about the prisoner. What little that exists in French official documents paints a deliberately sketchy picture: he was arrested in 1669, and was imprisoned first in Pignerol, a fortress high in the French Alps. He was transferred in 1681 to Exiles, which lay close to Pignerol, and in 1687 he was moved yet again to the southern French coastal island of Saint Marguerite. His stay on the island lasted eleven years until he was sent to the Bastille in Paris. Finally, the prisoner died in 1703, an undoubtedly welcome release.

Throughout his entire imprisonment, there were reportedly only two instances of witnesses outside of prison officials actually seeing the prisoner. During his move from Exiles to Saint Marguerite, the prisoner was seen wearing a steel mask. With the move to the Bastille, this cumbersome disguise was replaced with a more humane mask of black velvet. It has also been discovered through official correspondence between a government minister and Saint Mars, the prisoner’s jailer, that the prisoner was not to communicate with anyone, be it by writing or speaking. If he did, he was to be executed on the spot.

What terrible secret could this man have possessed that demanded such secrecy? Historians have wondered why he was even kept alive: if the knowledge he held was of such danger to the King and government, wouldn’t it have been politically safer simply to kill him? And why such a concern over people seeing his face?  Did he resemble someone well known to the French populace, which would have to make him famous indeed, considering the primitive state of print media during the 17th century?  Once again, simply killing him — an option not in disuse in the French court of the time — would have made more sense.

manintheironmask

The mystery of the Man in The Iron Mask is as unknowable now as it was three hundred years ago. What is known is that a man paid a horrible price for an alleged crime — or deadly secret — that history can only guess at.

THE STRANGE PART

Saint Mars, the man appointed to jail the mysterious prisoner, held that position from the first day of his incarceration until the prisoner breathed his last in 1703. Given the usual turnstile approach to political appointments, this constancy is intriguing.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Louis XIV

Many fingers point towards the King of France. The masked prisoner could have been the twin brother of Louis, rumoured to have been conceived first but unfortunately born last. His true identity hidden from the twin to clear up any messy succession procedures, Louis would have imprisoned him once he discovered who he was. Other theories feel that he could have been an elder brother, the result of an extramarital affair of Louis’ mother. Another theory states the prisoner was an attending doctor at Louis XIII’s autopsy, who unfortunately discovered the late king incapable of siring children, thus endangering Louis XIV’s own right to the throne. Following the same thread, the prisoner could have been the true father of Louis, recruited due to the previous king’s inability in the bedroom, hidden to stave off political turmoil.

Count Antonio Matthioli

He may have been the prisoner, wearing the mask for the most pointless of reasons: because it was the fashionable thing to do in Italy at the time.

Louis Oldendorff

A Lorraine nobleman, Oldendorff was the leader of the Secret Order of the Temple. The rules of this society would not allow them to replace him while he still lived. After he died, another man was made to wear the mask, thus maintaining the  illusion of Oldendorff’s imprisonment, and keeping the Order from selecting a new leader.

Also suspected to be the prisoner: Richard Cromwell; the Duke of Monmouth; Vivien de Bulonde

THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS

Hidden Daughter of Louis XIII and Anne

Terrified of not having a son, the elder Louis may have hidden his newborn daughter and replaced her with an infant boy changeling. When she discovered her identity, Louis XIV (the changeling) had her imprisoned.

Moliere

As beloved as the playwright was both by the French public and Louis XIV, Moliere made many enemies because of his lack of religious beliefs and disdain for the French establishment. He especially angered the Company of the Holy Sacrament, a strong and influential Catholic group. The theory follows that Moliere’s death was staged in 1673, with the playwright becoming The Man In The Iron Mask as punishment.

Nicholas Fouquet

Fouquet was allegedly imprisoned for discovering hidden knowledge that Christ didn’t die on the cross, but survived, leading to a secret bloodline of direct ancestors.

MOST CONVINCING EVIDENCE

The fact that the prisoner wasn’t simply killed indicates that there must have been a royal connection. Anyone else would have been left to an unmarked grave or garotte.

MOST MYSTERIOUS FACT

Despite the backstabbing of French politics, despite the gains that could be made by revealing who this prisoner was, despite methodical examination of records, there is no indication of who the prisoner was. It was an universally kept secret, by all parties involved.

SCEPTICALLY SPEAKING

The identity of the Man In the Iron Mask is so well hidden one can surmise it’s simply because he didn’t exist at all. The vision of such a figure would go far in quelling any dissidents to the King’s rule. The prospect of lifelong imprisonment will do that.

Posted in history, mysteries, myth.

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By Ghostwoods – January 21, 2010