Just What the Doctor Ordered!

No worldly wisdom form me today, because I'm feeling like shit. I've had a really bad head cold for four days and everyday I've been hoping it would improve, but it's only got worse. So this morning when I woke up, I started coughing and had agonising pains in my chest, so I thought "enough's enough, I'm going to make a Doctor's appointment!" In Buckie, you can see a minor ailments nurse instead of a Doctor (if you're not dying), who can prescribe antibiotics, precisely what I was needing. So, I have a chest infection as it turns out, and the nurse gave me Amoxicillin.

To compound my misery, it's raining heavily and it's fairly cold as well. Welcome to British Summertime. I'll tell you what, I've perceived a noticeable change in the seasons over the last few years, climate change is happening, whether it's man-made or naturally occuring (probably both). We used to get a good foot of snow here in Winter, and usually just before Christmas. Now we only get some very light snowfall in Feb/March. Summers are becoming wetter too, we used to get nice long, hot, dry summers and rain and wind in April/May and Sept/Oct, but now it's just all over the place with very short intense hot spells.

Fortunately for me, I'm keeping my spirits up by thinking about our impending family holiday on the Venetian Riviera. It's going to be brilliant, can't wait!

Would the Real King Arthur Please Stand Up!

Who was King Arthur? Where did he live? Was he even real? All valid questions, and hotly disputed ones at that. While the English and Welsh have continually claimed Arthur as their own, the only historical Arthur of the time was Scottish. If this is indeed the personage that the tales all point back to, then us Scots ought to feel hard done by (we do anyhow), because so many English Kings have used the story of Arthur, King of the Britons in an English context, as fabricated by Geoffrey of Monmouth, as giving them precendent to rule over the Scots as overlords.

The real Athur was most likely the son of King Aidan of the Scots, who had crossed into Scotland from Northern Ireland and established a kingdom in Argyll. The Scots would later supplant the native Picts, and on their arrival in Scotland would have had the Picts and Britons as their near neighbours. All of these factions were to unite to fight against a common enemy, the Saxons, who were constantly pressing Northwards, particularly against the Britons, who found themselves in a dangerous buffer zone across central and lowland Scotland. Arthur was a prominent figure in the ensuing battle, possibly leading the federation of Kings into battle, and while there is little historical record of the man, perhaps the vigour and bravery he displayed before his death in that battle, earned him a reputation which lasted for centuries.

So, we can see how history has again been perverted for propaganda. King Arthur actually fought against the English, not for them. The Britons were later driven out of their Scottish kingdom and formed a new kingdom in Wales, which is why legends of King Arthur persisted there. The Romans had built a fort at Camelon or Camelot, near the Antonine Wall, close to Falkirk, and it was most likely from there that Arthur led his men out against the Saxons. To think of the number of visitors to Tintagel Castle, who have no idea who Arthur really was. If anyone wants to read a truly detailed and wonderful explanation of Arthur's Scottish origins, then there is a free book: Arthurius - Quest For Camelot by David F. Carroll, available for download online. It's an excellent read and clarifies the matter far more concisely than I could in these few paragraphs!

Roman Destruction Of the Druids!

The Roman invasion and conquer of Britain (except for us tenacious Scots) was to all extents a peaceful invasion. Many of the tribes had already established contact with Rome, and several deposed chieftains had actively encouraged Claudius to embark on the venture. However, Rome was not concerned with tribal quarrels, but with the expansion of the Catuvellauni, which had jeopardised and in many cases extinguished lucrative trade routes between Rome and Britain.

I don't want to discuss the details of the Roman invasion here, everyone familiar with the history of that period will be well aware of the tactics used by the Romans, they forced chieftains to pledge their loyalty, then imposed crippling taxes upon the local populace. Dissenters were brutally crushed and any survivors would be sent as slaves to Rome, there to be sold.

I want to look at a specific area of the Roman expansion across Northern Europe, particularly Gaul and Britain. For some reason, the Romans were determined to annihilate the druids. The reasons for this extermination are not clear and history only informs us that it was the druidical practise of human sacrifice which so appalled the Romans, a practice which they themselves had once been partial to. Perhaps it's my suspicious mind, but I get the impression that there are far deeper issues involved in the reasoning behind the purge.

The annals of history don't tell us much about what it was the Druids did, they were not allowed to write their secrets, but we do know that training took up to 20 years, and may have involved learning in astronomy, astrology, herbology, medicine, and any other number of sciences which had a basis in nature, although some or all of these may have been regarded as magical arts by those who were not initiated.

Is it possible that the Romans feared the power of these men? Or was it the sway the Druids held over the people that drove the Romans to dispose of them? After all, cut off the head and the body no longer poses a threat. After the last stand of the Druids at Anglesey in 60AD, they no longer remained a force to be reckoned with. They may have possessed knowledge or secrets which died with them, we'll never know, and Britain became a civilized nation, apart from us Scots!

Unlocking the Templar Secret!

Any source on the Knights Templar would tell you that in all likelihood, the Knights Templar possessed some secret the magnitude of which was terrifying both to the Church and to Kings. There is no historical record of the existence of this "secret", but if you read between the lines of history, a secret plainly existed. The mere fact that they were permitted to operate outside of Papal jurisdcition ought to be enough to indicate that they had some powerful hold over the Church, but they were made exempt from all interdicts and their properties and revenues were made exempt from taxation.

Of course, historians could suggest that because of the order's noble cause and intentions, such entitlements could be explained. However, no other order ever received the generous accords handed to the Knights Templar, and the origins of the Knight Templar are most mysterious. The original 9 members of the order all held family connections with each other and spent several years camped out in what was formerly King Solomon's stables. There is a great deal to suggest that these men were directly descended from Jesus and that their families had waited a long time for their chance to return to Jerusalem. They may well have been looking for a specific item there. Much of the treasure (both types: of monetary value, and of sacred value) of the Jews had been hidden under the Temple Mount after the failure of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans. That the Knights excavated there is beyond question, what they found is a mystery.

However, after this initial period, as the Order decided to expand, they gained wealth and power at a phenomenal rate. Their prestige was enormous, but in real terms, they hadn't actually done anything visibly worthwhile up to that point. The Knights would go on to fight many valiant battles, although eventually losing the Holy Land, but I suspect that the later feats of the order were of little importance, as the order was only ever created as a front to gain access to the Temple Mount.

So what might the Knights have discovered? We can only speculate (and hundreds of books have), but whatever it was, had the power to rock Christianity to the core. We could assume, that they had been looking for conclusive proof that Jesus had married Mary Magdalene and had children with her (there is plenty evidence to support that idea, The Da Vinci Code is just the tip of the Iceberg). It is wuite possible, that the men who formed the initial group of knights were all directly descended from Jesus, and they knew it. Their families had been waiting hundreds of years to be able to return to Jerusalem and collect the evidence. They knew what the evidence consisted of and they knew fairly accurately where it was to be found.

But the story of the Knights Templar is just mystery upon mystery. If they then acquired this item or items, they must surely have threatened the church with it, in order to obtain the gratuitous liberties, which they did. But, I don't for one minute believe that the expansion of the order was their ultimate goal. Either they had a secondary goal dependant on achieving the first, or the discovery that they had made, had created this new goal. And this goal, whatever it was, required the powers granted by the church. This is a subject I may very well return to in the future!

Ticket to Ride!

Well, our tickets for Lido di Jesolo came through today and we can't wait to get out there, although we still have a while to go yet, but the excitement is building rapidly. 15km of beach right there, what more can you say?

I've been told the local mosquito population are quite ferocious, but I'm not going to let that concern me too much, they seem to go for certain people rather than others, and I've decided that I'm not their type.

I've also read on the net, that you can travel straight into Venice from Lido di Jesolo, by boat, which we're really looking forward to doing, then getting the "Vaporetto" along the Grand Canal. The only drawback being that there's just so many things we want to see in Venice, a single trip is unlikely to be sufficient.

One concern I have is with an issue we just don't have here in the UK. Our hotel is going to have a waiter service in the evenings, and as with dining out while there, I'm uncertain as to the Italian perspective on tipping. Do Italian waiters expect to be tipped, and if so, how much? I know it's something they go for in the US and on the continent, but we just don't do it here in the UK. If anyone knows what the story is, please post a comment to let me know!

Did Mayans Anticipate Pole-shift?

Today, my bother and I were discussing the impending pole-shift which according to many scientists is imminent. Analysis has shown that an event of this type occurs roughly every quarter million years and that at present the Earth's magnetic field is fading fast, suggesting that it's already happening.

Other than having to deal with North becoming South and vice versa, a flipping of the magnetic field could have far more catastrophic effects for mankind, but would it be more dangerous than George Bush? Now there's a question! The magnetic field surrounding the Earth protects us from the radioactive rays emanating from the Sun. Exposure to those rays could at best leave us quite burned, at worst, wipe us out potentially.

So, what can we do about it? Absolutely nothing, that's what! We don't have the technology to deal with a global catastrophe, we can barely deal with localised disasters. Doomsayers will no doubt talk about Nostradamus who prophesied whatever you want him to have, but more significantly the Mayan calendar which predicted the World's end on Sunday, December 23rd 2012. Ah well, all good things come to an end! What am I saying? We've made a right arse of this planet! Maybe next time we'll do better!

Moses Rewrites History to Forge A Nation!

I had an interesting conversation with a family member the day before last. No names! It was one of those conversations where neither side will ever see the others viewpoint, because we were discussing a religious matter. A matter where I'm always sceptical, and discussing the subject with someone who has "faith" is pretty pointless, but I seem to enjoy sowing the seeds of doubt, where I can. There's no logic in faith, and I'm a logical person. It strikes me that fervent religious beliefs are associated with distinct irrationality, and there's nothing worse than people who are completely irrational.

Anyway, I digress, the subject was simple enough, the validity of the Bible and in this instance the Old Testament. I put forward the assertion (which seems as plain as day to me) that the Jews were simply a nomadic people in former times, shepherds mainly, with no cultural identity or history. I indicated, that Moses who had found himself in a powerful position in Egypt, had sought to unite the Jews, but in order to do so, it was required that they have some sort of heritage to claim. His position within the Egyptian Royal family allowed him to access the massive library at Alexandria, where he gathered up fragments of history from various ancient cultures, such as the Sumerians, and set about drafting a history of the Jews.

Next up, on liberating the captive Jews of Egypt, he had to find a homeland for them, Canaan sounded like a good bet. God ordered the Jews to kill everyone in their way, all those people who were occupying the land that belonged to them by divine right. Shame, nothing's changed in 3000 odd years has it?

So, the outcome of this assertion? Well, apparently I'll change my mind when I'm dangling over the flames. I don't think so, life's for living. I'm not the one obssessed with the end of the World, hellfire and brimstone, and so forth. This isn't the Middle Ages anymore, I though most civilized people had realised that that crap was only a tool employed by the Church to keep the masses at bay! Seems like so many people still haven't been raised from their native ignorant darkness!

Don't Save Me, Save Yourself!

How many times have you heard it, "You need to be Saved!" or "You have to let Jesus into your heart!" or something along those lines. I've heard it so many times. Well, you know what, don't worry about me, my conscience is clear. The only people who believe in being saved, are those who are looking for some sort of backdoor into heaven. They've done bad stuff in the past, then with one stroke it's all forgotten about and the way ahead is clear. There are of course those who buy into the idea because they're easily led by stronger personalities, weak willed people, of whom there are so many.

Well, my ideas of what comes after don't require any priests churches or self-appointed zealots to show me the way. I concur with the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, which Buddhist philosophy is also akin to. On the day of judgement I expect to stand upon the scales of justice, look back on my life and decide whether I'm worthy. You see how that works, there is no way of erasing wht you've done, what's done is done, accept it! You always had a choice between right and wrong, and if you chose to follow the wrong path, then I'm afraid no-one can save you.

Christianity provides such a convenient system, that's why ex-cons frequently seek refuge in religion, not because they've found God, not because they're remorseful, but because those people tell them that they can wipe the slate clean for them, and once accepted, those same people will tell you how that ex-con is a good person really, they were possessed by demons or something when they did the bad stuff. Sure... It's not demons, it's DNA. Not only DNA, but Materialism as well. Get the combination right, and you find people willing to do anything to get what they want, including being saved if necessary!

Eco-friendly Travel In the 21st Century!

The car has always been a must have luxury since the very first model hit the roads... and yet I continually find myself asking, why? My current sardine tin with wheels is a 1997 Vauxhall Vectra 1.8 LS, which I've had for just over 3 years and I've replaced virtually every part of it. Today, with my father's assistance, I had to replace the petrol tank. It took us from 9:30am till after 8pm, because you can't simply remove the petrol tank, first the exhaust has to come off, then the suspension has to be dropped.

Surely, in the 21st Century, a better mode of transport can be devised. Ideally, I want to be able to step into a pod outside my front gate and instantly reappear at the location of my choice, because:

• Travelling takes too long
• Travelling is uncomfortable
• Travelling alone is boring
• Travelling with others is annoying
• Cars are unreliable, costly and non-eco-friendly
• Roads are unreliable, costly and un-eco-friendly

They should scrap cars altogether and introduce a new form of transport, something that's free, green, fast and comfortable. I'm sure it could be done, and I'm sure I know why it won't be done, because the greater good doesn't interest oil companies or the government, only money interests them, and their eco-friendly pretence is so transparent. For starters, any form of free or cheap energy will mean a loss in income for oil companies, that's not going to happen. Any form of free or cheap energy will mean a loss in income for the goverment, from the huge amount they gather from both crude oil and at the pumps. Not going to happen. They call for cheaper and cleaner fuels, then tell us we'll have to pay more for that, it's ridiculous. Aeroplanes are bad for the planet, but if you give us more money, that should fix the problem.

I'll Have A Pizza That Francesco!

So, yesterday I discovered, and today confirmed, that not only have I passed my degree in Computer Science, but I have also achieved a distinction! It took a lot of hard work, and after the first semester, when I told our Course Leader that a distinction was what I was aiming for, he said that that it would be next to impossible. But, I knew that I could do it if I worked hard enough, and I feel more than vindicated in saying so, now that I have. I'm not sure what it means in real terms, other than indicating I'm slightly superior mentally (heh), don't know if I'll get an award to show that achievement or whatever.

Well, Hot Fuzz is out on dvd today, so that's what I'll be watching tonight. I have been (reliably? not sure about that!) informed that it's much better than Shaun Of the Dead, which I found fairly amusing, but I can see how it might not be so well appreciated beyond the shores of this Isle we call Brittania!

This morning we took a drive up to Inverness to acquire some Summer clothing, for our impending holiday in Lido di Jesolo. The kids are very excited about the prospect, as am I, having visted Northern Italy as a 10 year old, I can't wait for my return visit, and I'm especially looking forward to visiting Venice, even if it's just for a day! Ever since I watched Francesco da Mosto in "Italy, Head to Toe", I've been itching to visit Venice. It's great to see someone so passionate about their culture. Well, I must admit that Tomb Raider 2 has also inspired me to visit, but I hope not to be chased across the Rialto by Marco Bartoli's henchmen with their cudgels and Doberman Pinchers!