Category Archives: Images
The Foreboding Nature of Prophecy
This 2006 article mixes politics with prophecy (a volatile combination) and paints a grim picture of one possible future. Whether one believes in prophecy, or not, is almost beside the point; a great many people do. What is to stop anyone with an agenda from using such verses to his own advantage?
Not for the faint of heart.
Notes on John’s Revelation
The Apocalypse of Jesus
February 18, 2006
(VizReport) In analysing these verses, I’ll be using the King James Version (KJV) of the text because it’s generally the most widely known of the translations from the original Koine Greek — the language of the dream transcription penned by John on the island of Patmos. It’s possible that his personal copy was actually written in Aramaic, but no record of that document remains.
‘Koine’ means ‘common’ in Greek. Though ancient Greek literature was usually composed in the more formal Attic Greek form, the prevalence of Koine Greek increased dramatically following the conquests of Alexander with increased exposure to Macedonian (and other more easterly) influences. John was a native speaker of Koine, but it seems that he also read and spoke Aramaic and possibly Hebrew.
- Note: Aramaic itself was a hybrid of Hebrew and Syriac using the Hebrew alphabet and comprised of roughly 80% Syriac word content transliterated into Hebrew letters. The remaining 20% was Hebrew. The same development has occurred many times throughout the history of the Jews, even to the extent that dozens of Spanish dialects, including Catalan, are actually Hebrew hybrids. Yiddish, a Germanic-Hebrew hybrid, is the most familiar example of this linguistic trend.
Revelation 9:1 to 9:11
9:1. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
The star. A star that falls from heaven is often called a “shooting star” or simply, a “falling star”. In the Farsi language of Persia (Iran), this is called a “shihab” or “shahab”. Coincidentally, or not, the government of the Iranian Islamic Republic has adopted this name for their missile program. Their current series of missiles are named Shihab I, Shihab II and Shihab III. The Shihab IV, a longer-range missile capable of reaching much of Europe, is currently under development.
A person from that time (prophet or not) would have very little knowledge of technology; the grist mill was then still considered a very remarkable invention. Missiles, aside from spears, were unknown.
The fifth angel. Angels and stars are used almost interchangeably in the parlance of the Revelation, so it’s possible that the same is true here. Iran is reported to have at least one more significant missile in its arsenal — the air-launched, nuclear-capable, KH-55 cruise missile, which was apparently supplied covertly to Iran by a Ukrainian group. It has a range of more than 1,000 miles and a sophisticated guidance & targeting system. Janes Defence Weekly refers to the Iranian version of the KH-55 as the X-55, but it’s rumoured that some of the country’s Revolutionary Guard commanders refer to it as either the 555 or the Shihab V…the fifth “shooting star” or “angel”.
The key. Just as knowledge can act as a key to unlock a puzzle, technical knowledge can be used as a key to unlock the secrets of the universe. In this case, a highly technological (weapon) design would be a key that opens the door to the bottomless pit of nuclear power. That’s not just a poetic way of describing the dark side of atomic energy, but an apt technical description of the power and geometricity of matter.
The bottomless pit. A hole that’s infinitely large could logically contain an infinite amount of stuff. Theoretically, the smaller the hole, the less stuff it should be able to contain. Now, imagine an impossibly small hole packed with an impossibly huge amount of stuff. Well, there’s nothing impossible–or even improbable–about that…it’s called an atom. It’s not quite “infinite” or “bottomless”, but it’s the closest thing we can find to approximate it.
If you were to dig a hole in any spherical aggregation of matter, whether a ball, a planet, a sun, or an atom…that hole could not be bottomless because it would eventually exit the other side of the object. As a matter of fact, it becomes less and less “bottomless” as you pass the centre-point of the mass. The only way to be “bottomless” is to penetrate deeper and deeper into the “centre” of the object. There is no better description that I can think of for describing the breaching of the boundary that constrains the ultra-intense power of the atom.
9:2. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Needs little explanation.
We’ve all seen movies of the immense, sky-darkening clouds, blinding flash and immense fireball generated by this sort of weaponry.
9:3. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
It makes sense that locusts might flee such an event, if they could, but how would such grasshoppers suddenly become as dangerous as scorpions? In a comic book plot, they would mutate, but in reality they would just die.
I think it’s fairly clear that John’s not talking about ordinary locusts here, but some type of armed machinery that flies low, like a locust horde, but which can sting like a scorpion – or worse.
But who–in their right mind–would fly a helicopter through the fallout of a nuclear blast? They would have to be suicidal.
- “The only tool against the enemy that we have with which we can become victorious are martyrdom-seeking operations and, God willing, our possession of faithful, brave, trained and zealous persons will give us the upper hand in the battlefield.”
- Mohammad-Reza Jaafari, Brigadier-General
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Commander, “Lovers of Martyrdom Garrison”
February 13, 2006
General Jaafari has been bragging that, at last count, he has more than 50,000 suicide operatives ready and willing to gain early entrance to Paradise. This doesn’t include the country’s paramilitary Bassij units whose members are claimed by officials of the regime to be in the millions. Now, some of this can certainly be ascribed to bravado…or machismo…or some other cool sounding word for “talkin’ big”, but this is the same government that has been sponsoring suicide operations in various locales for the past quarter century. When it comes to suicide, these guys have authored the most definitive text on the subject. And they’ve written it in red.
9:4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Since John describes these craft variously as locusts or scorpions, he must draw a distinction between the “things” from the vision and the everyday insects with which his average reader would be familiar. He does it by stating that these “creatures” aren’t interested in eating the shrubs and grass of the best pasture land. Some interpreters have taken this verse to mean that the “beasts” will be environmentally conscious, à la… “Ooh, don’t hurt the earth, or anything green.” That’s not it at all.
He means that they are only given one instruction: “Seize the Infidels!”
9:5. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
The flying scorpions attack successfully and then are instructed to painfully torture the captive infidels for five months. I understand that the sting of a scorpion is similar to a highly acute burning sensation.
9:6. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
I don’t think that there’s any sort of “good” torture, but this sounds like the worst kind.
9:7. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
The word “shape” is one translation, but “form” is a better one. Like horses assembled for battle; arrayed as a group, armoured, and representing uniformity of purpose and action. These are not horses, though, but “flying scorpions”. The faces of men will be seen at the front. And above them… an impressive circlet of rotating metal.
9:8. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
Two translation issues here: This should be “manes” not “hair” to be consistent with the descriptive horse/lion theme. And, as in a certain part of Zechariah, where the word “woman” is routinely substituted for “fire” (Hebrew/Aramaic: ishah vs. a’isha or isheh), the same thing seems to be happening here.
These horses will have manes of fire, i.e., they will be military jet helicopters, with fire flowing out behind them.
And, like lions, they will be equipped to do battle.
9:9. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
Once again: armoured. And their blurred, locust-like wings would beat a loud rhythmic sound, like war chariots and their heavy horses charging to battle. (These verses really are beautifully written, but considering the content, it’s a cruel sort of beauty.)
9:10. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
Long tails, like scorpions…or helicopters. And, like the scorpion, possessed of a blade at the tip. Imagine a blade so sharp that it can cut the air. The duration of five months is restated, in association with the word “power”.
9:11. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
The king of all these weapons is the atomic. It is the key to the bottomless pit.
In Hebrew, the word Abaddon means “destruction” or “destroyer”, but events are sometimes named for the place at which they occur, like Hiroshima – a name synonymous with atomic destruction. This could be a double entendre.
***
Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, upon witnessing the first successful atomic explosion, mouthed to himself (somewhat regretfully) this short passage from the Baghavad Gita; “I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”
Reproduced courtesy of VizReport
Where’s Osama bin Waldo?
Pakistani president Zardari said Tuesday that he believes Osama bin Laden may be dead, but US officials insist that he’s still alive – and, apparently, he’s just as elusive as ever.
Here’s a sensibly irreverent 2006 report on the new millennium’s most famous Waldo. Thanks again to VizReport for opening up its archives. (“BinWaldo” image: About.com – Political Humor)
Echoes of Graceland:
The Bin Laden Sessions
February 20, 2006
(VizReport) Like Elvis fans at the gates of Graceland, so are the media at the portals of Al-Jazeera; hopeful of gaining a glimpse of something strange and elusive. Something almost mythical.
But it’s a circus. It’s not real. Let’s all just admit that Osama bin Laden is dead and forego the introduction of any more audiotapes. The quality is just brutal anyway — and no amount of digital remastering is going to make them sound any better.
Okay, they’re doing a fair job on the marketing end. I’ll grant them that. While Elvis’ career started with tape recordings and proceeded to films, Osama’s people have decided to come at it from the other end. Smart. In today’s MTV universe, any producer worth his pillar of salt knows that you just don’t bring a new talent to the world stage without a video to hype the product.
They did everything right at the beginning. Osama was hot. He had a video. He had some solid tracks. All the ingredients were there. But then, as with so many popstar careers today, the focus got soft, the quality started to suffer.
Even if you have a hot commodity, like a ’50s Elvis, or a poetry-spouting millennial Osama, you still have to protect and expand your brand position through the implementation of an effective quality control program. Is there an ISO standard for terrorist operations?
Probably not. (At least, I hope not.)
The quality of the lyrics has gone downhill since late 2001, when Osama met up with Elvis (so to speak) in a Tora Bora mountain cave. There’s a great parable in there somewhere… something about “the mountain coming to Osama”. Well, it’s not like it had to travel very far; it only had to drop a couple of feet.
But this is about more than dreadful lyrics. It’s a matter of “presence”. The new Osama, played by his eldest son, Sa’ad, is living proof that there’s no such thing as a dominant gene for charisma. Can you imagine how happy AQ#2 Ayman Zawahiri was when he discovered that the kid’s voiceprint was similar to his late Dad’s? But then, to his chagrin, he learns that the boy just doesn’t understand the whole “Mahdi” thing. And it’s not like you can just send him off to any old school for lessons. This is esoteric stuff.
“We’ll fix it in post,” Zawahiri is now frequently overheard to say at their recording sessions.
Post-production consists of taking the studio cut, back-masking it with a track of chickens being mechanically deboned, recording it to a cassette, and from there onto an 8-track, stamping the cartridge into the hard, dry ground several times, dubbing it back to a cassette, pulling the tape out by hand onto the dusty floor, before finally rewinding it back onto the spool with a pencil.
At this point, you’d think that the voices of Osama and Sa’ad would be indistinguishable from one another, but they’re not. They might be able to fool a machine because a machine only knows the percentile correlation of digital patterns. It can’t hear the “spirit” of the tape ’cause it’s got no soul.
Elvis had soul. Osama did, too. He didn’t rock out like the King, but he could deliver his lines. He threatened to put the “boogie” back in boogeyman, but he is no more and his body is unrecoverable; a fact that bothers many who are seeking closure, but a source of endless possibilities for both Al-Qaeda and the U.S. administration.
For those conducting the Jihad, they have an untouchable hero. And for those prosecuting the War on Terror, there are endless leads to track down in the field, as well as continued funding from Congress. Osama may be lost, but so many will not let him be forgotten.
They tried a stand-in for Osama in early 2002, but that didn’t work too well. The guy’s nose was too flat, and even when they backed the camera up until he was taking up just 10% of the screen, you could still see that it wasn’t Osama.
My personal opinion is that they should’ve been better prepared. The terror market is a killer. They knew that! It’s got a higher attrition rate than rock stars who are foolishly permitted to drive the tour bus, or worse… fly the plane.
No one seems to accord the general population much credit for common sense. When the average guy can record a decent quality video on his cellphone, why is Al-Qaeda still sending messengers on a hazardous journey across many lands to the peninsula of Qatar where an archaic tape is dropped into a mailbox just across the street from the head offices of Al-Jazeera? The quality would be higher using an internet-compatible cellphone (it couldn’t be any worse) — and it could be e-mailed there in minutes.
The answer is simple and obvious: He’s dead.
But this enduring drama may soon be drawing to a close. In his latest tape, “Osama” says that they’ll never take him alive. A bold-sounding statement, but an excellent bet!
This apparently comes from the same tape as some earlier excerpts that were released by Al-Jazeera on January 19th. Among the highlights in that speech was the usual promise of new attacks against America.
Killing a dead guy is, at the same time, the easiest thing in the world to do, and the most difficult. It bothers me that Osama’s people are saying that he may soon be dead, as that might herald a dangerous shift in strategy.
But maybe he’s not dead after all. I hear that Barry Manilow just released some new material, so I guess anything’s possible.
There won’t be anymore videotapes unless Peter Jackson is hired to direct the next one. It’s tough to sneak things by a sophisticated video-viewing audience. The best rendition of Elvis that I’ve seen in a long time was the performance by Bruce Campbell (of Evil Dead fame) doing a top-notch “Retirement Home Elvis” in the camp horror flick, Bubba Ho-tep.
Still Not Funny
“We’ll laugh about this when we’re older,” people are fond of saying after going through a rough patch together. But is it true?
Apparently not when it comes to cartoon images of the Islamic prophet Mohammed.
Denmark cartoonist Kurt Westergaard’s unflattering portrait of the prophet capped by a bulbously bomb-laden, fuse-lit turban appeared alongside eleven other similarly-topical, debatably-comical entries in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in September of 2005.
He is apparently now trying to sell numbered prints of his work over the internet.
Here’s a Flashback from early 2006, courtesy of VizReport:
Khartoons
Apparently, Not a Laughing Matter
February 10, 2006 (Photo: wikipedia)
(VizReport) How can pictures printed in a Danish newspaper last September be causing such massive upheaval today?
It seems that a lot of people are confounded by the protests (some of them violent) that are currently raging worldwide against cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Mohammed.
The whole thing appears to have started when Danish author Kåre Bluitgen had a tough time trying to find someone to illustrate his children’s book on the life of the prophet. When the matter came to the attention of the cultural editor of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, Flemming Rose, he contracted twelve different artists to provide their own visual interpretations of Mohammed for a commentary on the basic problem faced by Bluitgen.
Well, things quickly spiralled out of control; ambassadors were recalled; envoys were expelled; the Libyan embassy in Denmark was closed; apologies were issued; boycotts against Danish goods were initiated; dramatic demonstrations were held; more newspapers printed the offending images; apologies were issued; and several political cartoonists went into hiding.
Did I mention that apologies were issued? In fact, the management of Jyllands-Posten apologised before widespread protests even broke out. Most of the other newspapers that re-printed the pictures have also since apologised. However, few apologies will be forthcoming from Western governments (as demanded by many protesters) because the press in the West is generally free from direct government control. Things are very different in a number of Muslim majority countries where freedom of the press is usually subject to the wishes of the ruling party.
On a religious basis, there are two very different reasons for the cartoons to have caused a fuss:
1) Idolatry – Any depiction that is flattering runs the risk of becoming an icon for worship. This is directly descended from the Book of Exodus, the second of the five books of Moses.
Actually, the verse (Exodus XX; the basis of the Ten Commandments) doesn’t say that one shouldn’t draw pictures of prophets — it says that one shouldn’t draw pictures. Period.
This is a difficult concept for us to imagine in our image-saturated world.
Geometry is okay. Words are okay. But no pics.
2) Blasphemy – Following right along into the next commandment: Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.
This, I imagine, would also include defaming the Lord, or the word of the Lord as faithfully presented by his prophets, or his faithful prophets…in that this would reflect on the perception of the Lord’s word.
The extension to the basic precept opens the door to potential offense if everyone is not in complete agreement on an “official” list of prophets.
On a sociological level, it’s easy to understand why people fervently devoted to Islam could be upset with some of the images. There’s no doubt about it; some of the pictures and commentary could be considered anti-Islamic. Most of them are in poor taste, to one degree or another. That has definitely provided the emotional impetus to get people out the door to protest.
But this is about more than just a few ill-conceived cartoons. It’s an expression of the pressure and desperation that is building in the world.
It’s also about the objectives of several groups that seem reticent to allow this unfortunate episode to progress to its most logical and productive resolution. I can’t tell you why some people see it as their job to fan flames wherever they find them. Some even carry matches. Others, gasoline!
Well, that would certainly explain the burned-out embassies and consulates.
The best cartoon of the lot (by Arne Sørenson) goes directly to the heart of Bluitgen’s dilemma. It depicts an artist sweating nervously as he surreptitiously works by low light, windowshade drawn, on a picture of what we are told is Mohammed.
This is an image with humanity. It doesn’t disrespect anyone’s religion, but comments effectively on a bizarre situation faced by professionals who normally create graven images without a second thought.
It may be impermissible for reverent Muslims to respectfully portray Mohammed in pictures, but the same does not necessarily hold true for non-believers. And even if it did, it is also a fundamental tenet of Islam that the punishment should fit the crime…but not in the way that Iran has attempted to turn the controversy in their own favour, by organising a cartoon competition. Topic: The Holocaust.
Perhaps someone can point out for me exactly where in the Qur’an it says that two wrongs make a right.
9/11: Back to The Future
By popular demand, and courtesy of VizReport and Graphic Exchange magazine, we have resurrected this bizarre collection of media exposures that, viewed in hindsight, appear to presage the fateful events of September 11th, 2001.
(Originally printed October 2001 in Graphic Exchange magazine with the title “Your New World Order has arrived… and it’s a combo platter.”)
The 9-11 Pre-Echo Gallery
Graphic Exchange: October, 2001; VizReport: March 14, 2006
It’s not unusual for us to recall significant events from our past, but it’s certainly less common (one might even venture to say that it would be remarkable) to recall moments of great impact from our future.
However, that’s exactly what appears to have happened to hundreds–maybe thousands–of people in advance of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. While countless people dreamed of those events in the days prior to their ultimate unfolding, there also exists a catalogue of media products (created in the months prior) that chronicle the story in chilling detail.
Insofar as the arts community is more acutely attuned to imagery than the average citizen, it’s not surprising that they would be more likely to experience and recall pre-cognitive images and themes that might occur to them in sleep or other moments of reverie. It’s also understandable that since their occupation involves the creation of images, that these themes would migrate into their everyday work.
Let’s examine some of the more startling examples of this phenomenon.
Mark that Calendar
It would be easy to assume, especially since the calendar shown here was produced in a primarily Muslim country (Egypt) and the text says something about laying down one’s life for Allah…and the picture shows an aircraft crashing with the NYC skyline in the background…and the month shown is September 2001…that the creators of this art might have had some foreknowledge of the events to come.
This may not be the case — even though the piece was printed in May of that year, several months in advance of 9-11 — because this is far from an isolated instance. Examples of such mysterious insight come from all across the globe.
Granted, most of the other examples didn’t feature quotations extolling martyrdom, but they did come close to exposing the entire plot before it even occurred.
“Live Scenes from New York”
The popular progressive rock band, Dream Theater, released this CD at around the same time as the attacks, but the artwork was put together the previous Spring.
The cover art depicts a literal “Big Apple” in flames, with the Twin Towers prominently displayed in the midst of the fire. The monotone-gray background of the image is so reminiscent of the charred and dusty ruins that we’ve all come to associate with Ground Zero.
The CD was subsequently released with the band’s logo in the central position on the cover, rather than the original controversial image.
Two Twins in One
The artwork for German band Tele Trieste’s 2001 CD (label: Insekt Angelica) was already on the market when the planes struck the WTC and the Pentagon. The design was essentially completed during April and May of 2001. The CD released: June, 2001.
The Twin Towers are central to the theme of the work, as are the two planes, which appear to be on a collision course. The CD contains the recording of a live session from April 7, 2001, but the year is given as 1462.
Later, I found the following… The year 1462 was the birth year of both renowned German cryptographer Johannes Trithemius (speaking of hidden messages) and Louis XII of France. Curiously, it was also the year in which Vlad III of Wallachia (Dracula) was defeated and deposed by the Ottomans. He would rise again to rule for less than a year in 1476, but would die shortly after regaining his Transylvanian throne. It is worthwhile noting that Vlad, despite his infamous proclivity for extreme violence (especially for impaling his victims), was not only a central figure in the crusade against the Islamic Ottoman Empire, but was widely credited with halting the spread of Islam into Europe.
A Highly Explosive Pre-Echo
Meanwhile, back in North America, The Coup was working on their new release, Party Music. Two members of the hip hop team are depicted choreographing the destruction of America’s ultimate symbol of capitalism, the World Trade Center.
The explosions on the towers even appear to be occurring at the same relative positions at which the ill-fated planes would later impact the structures. The cover art would be revised before the CDs were shipped, but the graphics were completed in May and June of 2001.
A Sombre View
This ad was placed in Canadian industry publication Graphic Exchange by a stock photo agency. While the aim was to invite people to recover from the use of poor photographic stock imagery, the eventual context in which it would be viewed lends it a definite air of prescience.
One anguished reader wrote the publisher to complain about the ad, which seemed to be callously using the tragedy to sell photographic images, and only later realised that the issue pre-dated 9-11 by months.
The publisher is still spooked by the odd timing and the particular choice of image, which, like the background of the Dream Theatre CD art, is so gray and sombre.
It’s not odd that the WTC structures would be featured in so many images because they were among the most photographed buildings in the world. However, the range of images created during this timeframe uniquely tend to have either explosive or ‘memorialistic’ themes.
A Cartoon Becomes Less Funny
This is an animation frame from Men in Black: The Series — Episode 50.
Columbia Pictures’ own website carries the following plot outline:
50. The Breaking News Syndrome
Agent X has taken the liberty of inviting an interstellar version of the show COPS to come and film him in action. Zed takes back X’s liberties, and assigns the camera crew to film Agent Kay instead. Meanwhile, Drekk’s back on Earth, and he’s ready for his close up as well.
The summary neglects to mention that a battle takes place atop Building 2 of the WTC, during which parts of the building are destroyed. Agent J surprises Drekk (the villain) with a water cannon and Drekk is blown off the building by the water. When the camera crew asks Agent J why he initially appeared on the wrong building, he casually responds, “Really, I was on the right building. It’s a little sneak attack manoeuvre I like to call 9-1-1.”
Episode first aired: May 12, 2001
The Remote Guidance Plot
One of the most shocking pre-echoes, for me, was the pilot episode of the short-lived X-Files spin-off; The Lone Gunmen. The storyline reveals a plot to fly a commercial jetliner into the World Trade Center. Although I do agree that remote control was used in the actual attack, I don’t necessarily subscribe to every aspect of the plot as scripted.
The show outline was written in late 2000 and the actual pilot first took to the air, so to speak, on March 4, 2001, on the Fox Television Network. (Critical scenes begin at 29:00)
This excerpt is herewith included under the fair use provisions of the Copyright Act as an integral and newsworthy aspect of our examination of this incredible pre-cognitive phenomenon.
But… How can this be?
As is evident from many of the 9-11 sites I’ve explored on the Web, some people would obviously prefer to believe that there’s a massive media conspiracy to cover up its own involvement in this nefarious work with one hand, while rubbing our noses in it with the other. Conspiracies obviously do exist, but the examples provided here may not be evidence of one.
However, these images may be proof of something else entirely.
imahd.ca 