Sunday, November 18, 2012

chariot of gods


Chariots of the Gods?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past
Chariots Of The Gods.jpg
Author(s)Erich von Däniken
Original titleErinnerungen an die Zukunft: Ungelöste Rätsel der Vergangenheit
PublisherEcon-Verlag (Germany)
Putnam (USA)
Publication date1968
Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past (GermanErinnerungen an die Zukunft: Ungelöste Rätsel der Vergangenheit) is a book authored in 1968 by Erich von Däniken. It involves the hypothesis that the technologies and religions of many ancient civilizations were given to them by ancient astronauts who were welcomed as gods.
Prior to publication, the book was extensively rewritten by its editor, Wilhelm Roggersdorf (a pen name of the German screenwriter Wilhelm "Utz" Utermann).[1][2][3]

Contents

  [hide

[edit]Content

Statue from the late Jōmon period (1000 - 400 BC) in Japan, interpreted by Daniken as depicting an alien visitor.
The Nazca lines (200 BCE - 700 CE) in Peru, interpreted by Daniken as landing strips for alien visitors.
Von Däniken offers the following hypotheses:
  • The existence of structures and artifacts have been found which represent higher technological knowledge than is presumed to have existed at the times they were manufactured. Von Däniken maintains that these artifacts were produced either by extraterrestrial visitors or by humans who learned the necessary knowledge from them. Such artifacts include the Egyptian pyramidsStonehenge, and the Moai of Easter Island. Further examples include a medieval map known as the Piri Reis Map, allegedly showing the Earth as it is seen from space, and the Nazca lines in Peru, which he explains as landing strips for an airfield.
  • Interpretations of ancient artwork throughout the world as depictions of astronauts, air and space vehicles, extraterrestrials, and complex technology. Däniken also describes elements that he believes are similar in art of unrelated cultures.
  • Explanations for the origins of religions as reactions to contact with an alien race, including interpretations of the Old Testament of the Bible. According to von Däniken, humans considered the technology of the aliens to be supernatural and the aliens themselves to be gods. Däniken asks if the oral and literal traditions of most religions contain references to visitors from stars and vehicles travelling through air and space. These, he says, should be interpreted as literal descriptions which have changed during the passage of time and become more obscure. Examples such as:Ezekiel's revelation in Old Testament, which he interprets as a detailed description of a landing spacecraft with angels in the likeness of man. Moses and the directions 'God' gave him to construct the Ark of the Covenant, which is assumed to be a communication device with an alien race. Lot and his extended family being ordered by human like 'angels' to go to the mountains, due to the destruction of the city of Sodom by God. His wife looked back at the possiblenuclear explosion, and fell "dead on the spot". Däniken attempts to draw an analogy with the "cargo cults" that formed during and after World War II, when once-isolated tribes in the South Pacific mistook the advanced American and Japanese soldiers for gods.

[edit]Response

Scientists and historians have rejected his ideas, claiming that the book's conclusions were based on faulty, pseudoscientific evidence, some of which was later demonstrated to be fraudulent or fabricated, and under illogical premises. For example, Ronald Story wrote a book rebutting Däniken's ideas in 1976 titled The Space Gods Revealed. A similar internationally bestselling book, entitled Crash Go The Chariots by Clifford Wilson, appeared in 1972.
Soon after the publication of Chariots of the Gods? von Däniken was accused of stealing the ideas of French author Robert Charroux.[4]
A 2004 article in Skeptic magazine[5] states that von Däniken plagiarized many of the book's concepts from The Morning of the Magicians, that this book in turn was heavily influenced by the Cthulhu Mythos, and that the core of the ancient astronaut theory originates in H. P. Lovecraft's short stories "The Call of Cthulhu" and "At the Mountains of Madness".
The iron pillar of Delhi, erected by Chandragupta II the Great, which Von Däniken claimed did not rust.
One artifact offered as evidence in the book has been disclaimed by Däniken himself. Chariots asserts that a non-rusting iron pillar in India was evidence of extraterrestrial influence, but Däniken admitted in a Playboy interview (vol.21, no.8, August 1974) that the pillar was man-made and that as far as supporting his theories goes "we can forget about this iron thing." Neither this nor any other discredited evidence has been removed from subsequent editions ofChariots of the Gods.[6][7]
One book commonly cited in support of von Däniken is The Spaceships of Ezekiel by former NASA design engineer Josef F. Blumrich (March 17, 1913 – February 10, 2002), who also wrote a summary article, "The spaceships of the prophet Ezekiel".[8]

[edit]Adaptations

The book was adapted as a German documentary film Chariots of the Gods, produced by Terra-Filmkunst, and as a TV documentary In Search ofAncient Astronauts (Alan Landsburg Productions).[9]
As of March 2009, Paradox Entertainment owned the film rights of the book.[10]
In May 2012, Markus Beyr's Austria-based production company Attraktion! Group announced it would be producing a Chariots of the Gods theme park (location TBD, with China cited as a favoured site) and a series of indoor attractions, with the direct involvement of author Erich von Daeniken. It was also announced that actor Roger Moore would be the official narrator. The announcement was published by InPark Magazine in an interview with Markus Beyr. The article further states, "the IP of Chariots was bought by Media Invest Est." and that the theme park and attractions would be part of a worldwide, branded transmedia rollout that will also include a television series and video games.

[edit]See also

Top neurosurgeon ‘spent six days in heaven’ during a coma



Yahoo!7

Top neurosurgeon ‘spent six days in heaven’ during a coma




October 9, 2012, 7:28 am
Top neurosurgeon ‘spent six days in heaven’ during a coma
Top neurosurgeon ‘spent six days in heaven’ during a coma
    A top neurosurgeon claims to have ‘Proof of heaven’ after making a full recovery from a seven day coma that saw his neocortex inactivated.
    Dr Eben Alexander, who teaches neuroscience at Harvard University among others, fell seriously ill after contracting a rare form of bacterial meningitis in 2008.
    Within hours of developing a severe headache, Dr Alexander’s entire cortex—the section of the brain that controls thought and emotion —had shut down.
    Though his chances of survival were low, he awoke from the coma seven days later and began describing an ‘other worldly experience’.
    "I was in a place of clouds. Big, puffy, pink-white ones that showed up sharply against the deep blue-black sky," he wrote in an article for Newsweek.
    He also goes on to describe "Flocks of transparent, shimmering beings arced across the sky, leaving long, streamer-like lines behind them."
    While Dr Alexander admits his scientific expertise has made him skeptical of afterlife experiences, he claims the loss of function to his cortex makes his experiences unique.
    "I’m not the first person to have discovered evidence that consciousness exists beyond the body," he said.
    "I know full well how extraordinary, how frankly unbelievable, all this sounds."
    "But as far as I know, no one before me has ever traveled to this dimension (a) while their cortex was completely shut down, and (b) while their body was under minute medical observation, as mine was for the full seven days of my coma."
    Dr Alexander admits many still struggle to accept his story, particularly his medical colleagues.
    His forthcoming book, "Proof of Heaven, A Neurosurgeon journey into the Afterlife" that aims to dispel the skepticism will be published by Simon & Schuster later this month.
    "I’m still a doctor, and still a man of science every bit as much as I was before I had my experience,” he said. “But on a deep level I’m very different from the person I was before, because I’ve caught a glimpse of this emerging picture of reality."

    Mysterious Lights/UFOs at Mansarovar Lake, Himalayas !


    Mysterious Lights/UFOs at Mansarovar Lake, Himalayas !

    http://psychedelicadventure.blogspot.in/2012/06/mysterious-lights-ufos-at-mansarovar.html
    The Himalayan region has been in the UFO news for a while with multiple sightings of mysterious lights in this region for many years and on a quite regular basis as the locals here report. Some researchers believe there might be some sort of a secret underground base/facility (An ET base or perhaps one of our secret government projects) from where these crafts emerge while some relate the anomalous activity to Shiva, who is believed to be living at Mount Kailash in the Himalayas.

    The following video is shot by some Indian tourists from Andhra Pradeshwho were visiting the Mansarovar Lake and Mount Kailash. The 3 blinking lights can be seen from a distance hovering in the skies over the Mansarovar Lake. The 3 lights subsequently move close to each other in one straight line while still blinking in and out of our visible reality.


    Tibetan Buddhists speak of a higher dimensional plane called "Shambhala" where these Celestial Energies, Bodhisattvas emerge from ... and are often seen as lights in the sky. The Tibetan Lamas, the Siddhas and the Yogis of the Himalayas have for long been using their Light bodies / Merkabas toastral travel and could well account for some of these UFO sightings in the Himalayan region.

    Ilene Hamann



    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Ilene Hamann (born 9 June 1984) is an actress and model from South Africa.[1]

    Contents

      [hide

    [edit]Early life

    Ilene Hamann was born in Jeffreys Bay, where she lived until she moved to Cape Town, South Africa. Her mother is of Portuguese descent and her father of Dutch descent. Hamann started her career with photography, which earned her several modeling offers, which she pursued.
    Hamann attended Nico Malan High School, and Matriculated with a B aggregate.[clarification needed] After her matriculation, she went to Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography, where she completed her first year in photography but had to give up her studies due to the amount of modeling work she was receiving.

    [edit]Career

    [edit]Modelling

    Hamann kicked her career off in 2003 by traveling off to India, Dubai, and Australia for modeling jobs. In South Africa, she was booked for advertisement job in such places as Truworths, Foschini, and American Swiss. In India, her job highlights included editorials for Elle and L'Officiel (including a cover). During her seasons in Cape Town, she was booked for British designer Stewart Parvin's print advertising campaign, the bauknecht catalogue, Stihl power tools, and various others. Hamann is represented by Faith Models in South Africa and managed internationally by Star Born Talent.

    [edit]Film

    Hamann began her film career in Bollywood with Rog, making her the first South African model to be c

    Aframomum melegueta


    Aframomum melegueta

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    For the similarly named Luso-Brazilian chili pepper, see Malagueta pepper.
    Aframomum melegueta
    grains of paradise
    Scientific classification
    Kingdom:Plantae
    (unranked):Angiosperms
    (unranked):Monocots
    (unranked):Commelinids
    Order:Zingiberales
    Family:Zingiberaceae
    Genus:Aframomum
    Species:A. melegueta
    Binomial name
    Aframomum melegueta
    K. Schum.
    Aframomum melegueta is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. This spice, commonly known as grains of paradisemelegueta pepper,alligator pepperGuinea grainsfom wisa, or Guinea pepper, is obtained from the ground seeds; it gives a pungent, peppery flavour with hints of citrus.
    Although it is native to West Africa, it is also an important cash crop in the Basketo district (Basketo special woreda) of southern Ethiopia.[1]

    Contents

      [hide

    [edit]Characteristics

    A. melegueta is a herbaceous perennial plant native to swampy habitats along the West African coast. Its trumpet-shaped, purple flowers develop into 5 to 7 cm long pods containing numerous small, reddish-brown seeds.
    The pungent, peppery taste of the seeds is caused by aromatic ketones; e.g., (6)-paradol (systematic name: 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-decan-3-one). Essential oils, which are the dominating flavor components in the closely related cardamom,[2] occur only in traces.

    [edit]Uses

    Aframomum melegueta pods at a market in São João dos AngolaresSão Tomé Island, the fruits are eaten raw in that nation's cuisine and the local name is "Ossame".
    Melegueta is commonly employed in the cuisines of West and North Africa, where it has been traditionally imported via caravan routes through the Sahara desert, and whence they were distributed to Sicily and Italy. Mentioned by Plinyas "African pepper" but subsequently forgotten in Europe, they were renamed "grains of paradise" and became a popular substitute for black pepper in Europe in the 14th- and 15th-centuries.[3][4][5] The Ménagier de Parisrecommends it for improving wine that "smells stale". Through the Middle Ages and into the Early Modern period, the theory of the Four Humours governed theorizing about nourishment on the part of doctors, herbalists and druggists: in this context, John Russell characterized Grains of Paradise, in The Boke of Nurture as hot and moist.[6]
    In 1469, King Afonso V of Portugal granted the monopoly of trade in the Gulf of Guinea to Lisbon merchant Fernão Gomes,[7] including the exclusive trade ofAframomum melegueta, then called "malagueta" pepper - which was granted by 100 000 real-annually in exchange for exploring 100 miles of the coast of Africa a year for five years.[8] After Christopher Columbus reached the New World in 1492 and brought the first samples of Capsicum frutescens, the name malagueta was then taken to the new chilli "pepper".[4]
    The importance of the spice is shown by the designation of the area from the St Johns River (present day Buchanan) to Harper in Liberia as the "Grain Coast" in honor of the availability of grains of paradise.[9] Later, the craze for the spice waned, and its uses were reduced to a flavoring for sausages and beer. In the eighteenth century, its importation to Great Britain collapsed after a Parliamentary act of George III forbade its use in malt liquor, aqua vita and cordials.[10] In 1855, England imported about 15,000 to 19,000 lbs per year legally (duty paid).[9] By 1880, the Encyclopaedia Britannica (9th edition) was reporting, "Grains of paradise are to some extent used in veterinary practice but for the most part illegally to give a fictitious strength to malt liquors, gin and cordials".[11]
    The presence of the seeds in the diets of lowland gorillas seems to have some sort of medicinal properties for their cardiovascular health in the wild. As captive lowland gorillas haven't had them usually available in their diets, it could be a cause of their occasionally poor cardiovascular health in zoos.[12]
    Today, it is largely unknown outside of West and North Africa, except for its use as a flavoring in some beers (including Samuel Adams Summer Ale), gins, and Norwegian akvavit.[13] In America, grains of paradise are starting to enjoy a slight resurgence in popularity due to their use by some well-known chefs. Alton Brown is a fan of its use, and he uses it in his apple pie recipe on an episode[14] of the TV cooking show Good Eats. They are also used by people on certain diets, such as a raw food diet, because they are less irritating to digestion than black pepper.

    [edit]Properties

    In West African folk medicine, grains of paradise are valued for their warming and digestive properties, and among the Efik people in Nigeria have been used for divination and ordeals determining guilt.[15] A. melegueta has been introduced to the Caribbean Islands, where it is used as medicine and for religious (voodoo) rites.[citation needed]