Israeli Army Attacks the Freedom Flotilla

This morning at 5 a.m. Israeli forces have attacked a flotilla of aid-carrying ships aiming to break the country's siege on Gaza.
At least 9 people were killed and dozens injured when troops intercepted the convoy of ships dubbed the Freedom Flotilla.
The flotilla was attacked in international waters, 65km off the Gaza coast.
The ships, with hundreds of pacifists, politicians and journalists on board, were carrying tons of humanitarian aids for the population of Gaza, since long suffering a criminal and pitiless embargo carried on by Israel (with the complicity of Egypt and the silent 'de facto' approval of the weak and corrupted Abu Mazen.)
Israel is a real and arrogant outlaw state enjoying a special status which consents them to implement apartheid politics, accomplish massacres of armless civilians, kill political leaders and exponents in foreign countries, have nuclear plants in secret location and much more...
Predictably now we'll hear -for just some hours - the tepid, unconvincing and hypocritical lamentations of U.S. (it would be hilarious if not so tragic), Europe, corrupted Arabian states and international organizations, then everything will be normalized again and this rogue state will recklessly go on with its odious politics.
At this point my residual hope is that an ever growing number of people will unite to fight back the criminal politics of Israel and overcome this unbearable situation with any means necessary: it's time to stop this shame!

Visionary Art at 2010 MAPS Conference

A visual tour for the psychedelic and visionary art at the 2010 MAPS conference held in April in San Josè, California. Featuring astounding artists like Amanda Sage, Mark Henson (a personal fovourite) Martina Hoffman and the late, great Pablo Amaringo...

So Long Dennis Hopper

Actor, filmaker, photographer, painter and sculptor Dennis Hopper (may 17, 1936) died today at 8.15 a.m. at his home in Venice, California, from complications of prostate cancer.

People like me who loved him in Easy Ryder, Apocalypse Now or Blue Velvet will sorely miss him. R.i.P. Dennis.

Psychoactive Botticelli?

(from boingboing)
An art historian suggests that Botticelli's famous "Venus and Mars," an homage to the power of love, may actually have a hidden psychedelic message. Art historian David Bellingham of Sotheby’s Institute of Art suggests that the plant clutched by the satyr in the bottom right corner is actually Datura stramonium, a poisonous hallucinogen. From the Times:
“This fruit is being offered to the viewer, so it is meant to be significant,” he told The Times. “Botticelli does use plants symbolically. In the background are laurel [bushes], for example, which are a reference to his patrons, the Medicis. Datura is known in America as poor man’s acid, and the symptoms of it seem to be there in the male figure. It makes you feel disinhibited and hot, so it makes you want to take your clothes off. It also makes you swoon.”Mr Bellingham believes the 15th-century painting was intended not only as a depiction of Venus and Mars but also of Adam and Eve. He believes that the Datura may represent the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge that Eve offered to Adam, triggering their ejection from the Garden of Eden. The fruit is commonly depicted as an apple, but was not specified as such in the Bible. "Botticelli’s painting Venus and Mars may allude to sex and drugs" (via The Daily Grail)

Personally I've closely observed the Botticelli's painting and the plant depicted by the Italian artist doesn't seem at all to fit with the actual Datura stramonium plant, in particular with its leaves, absolutely irregular and extremely toothed (see below). Bellingham's hypothesis is not convincing, at least to me and for what concerns stramonium (maybe another species of datura?)
Datura stramonium, also known by the popular names 'jimson weed' and 'thorn apple', isn't considered an entheogen/psychedelic, but rather a 'deliriogen', a plant which induces a (often unpleasant and even dangerous) state of delirium.

(click on Botticelli's picture to biggify and see details)

Holding on to Jah

A collaboration of director Roger Landon Hall and producer/reggae expert Harrison Stafford, Holding on to Jah is a documentary about the story of roots reggae music and the rastafarian movement as told by the musicians and people who brought it to the world.
Visit the site to get more info and know where it will be shown in the next future.

The Haunted Household

We try to keep our place tidy. I broom the floor, I sit back, relax and ponder my good work, yet...

...a few seconds later....

...ta dah! One of thoselittle beasts jumps out to mock me.

These creatures make life difficult in myriad ways.

I love pasta. But there's always one straggler that stays in the pot and, once dry, will never leave again.

...Don't miss the continuation this smart and funny photo-essay made by Christoph Niemann on the NY Times.

(Christoph Niemann’s illustrations have appeared on the covers of The New Yorker, Newsweek, Wired, The New York Times Magazine and American Illustration. His work has won numerous awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Art Directors Club and American Illustration.)

Symbiosis

One of the ever effective heritages of the '60s/'70s are the alternative festivals/gatherings annually held in various parts of the globe. Going to similar events, one can expect to find not only good music and no-stop dancing, the peaceful sharing of psychoactive sacraments and good vibrations in beautiful natural environments, but also informal 'conferences' on various topics, meditation and drumming sessions, art performances and much more.

One of the best gatherings of the genre is Symbiosis, yearly held in California since 2005.

See this short video about the 2009 edition of Symbiosis and visit the Symbiosis site to read the event history, to see photos and videos, to get info about the next gathering (Sept. 15-18, 2010) and many other things.

(Thanks to Teleomorph which - recently posting a video about Symbiosis - prompted me to get further info about this interesting gathering and found another video on the Web...)

Bob Dob, Visual Storyteller

"I love to create worlds where the dark side of human nature is present. Life isn’t always good times. While in our youth we experience many things we would rather forget, but this is what makes us who we are. It defines us. That’s why my characters have an adolescent quality to them. I’ve been very fortunate in experiencing and hearing many great stories, which now find there way into my paintings. Simply put, I’m a visual storyteller. " (Bob Dob)
To see more works and get info about Bob Dob, please don't miss the nice site/blog of this interesting Californian artist...

Dragontears - "Djaevelens Horn"

Dragonteras is a Danish collective recording project centered around members of Baby Woodrose and On Trial featuring an everchanging line up of friends...
Not bad indeed...!

Meet the Sloths...

A video filmed at the Aviarios del Caribe sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica, the world's only sloth orphanage. Baby 2 and 3 toed sloths, whose mother's have either been run over or zapped by power lines, are brought to the centre to be cared for by 'sloth whisperer' Judy Arroyo...
For more on the sloth sanctuary go here
(via Neatorama)

Meet the sloths from Amphibian Avenger on Vimeo.

The Garbage River

Here is what happens when forced "progress", blind search for profit and total ignorance of ecological values dramatically mix together...Citarum is a river in West Java, Indonesia. It provides 80 percent of Jakarta's drinking water and more than 500 factories, many of them working with chemical products/wastes, line its banks. Choked with plastic, loaded with chemicals and human waste, it's so heavily polluted that is considered the world's dirtiest river. Indonesian authorities are now searching a solution, but at this point it seems a really hard enterprise...

The Amazing, Disturbing Art of Ray Caesar

Recently my good friend at reggaepsyc remembered me about the really outstanding English artist Ray Caesar (born in London in 1958). I was convinced to having put something about him on the blog in the past, but searching among older posts I wasn't able to find anything, so I immediately make up for this serious fault offering you few beautiful examples of Ray's art. If you want to see more great works make a visit to Ray's site.
(click on images to biggify...)

Liu Bolin Reminder

Several months ago I posted something about Liu Bolin, a really amazing Chinese artist who absolutely deserves all our attention and consideration. In case you missed the posts, you can see them here and here. Don't miss again, it's (illusion) art at its best!

THE Doors / "Raiders On The Storm"

Original version from The Doors' album "L.A. Woman" (1971)

Ann, Sasha and the Alchemical Angels

During the recent successful Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century conference organized by MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), it was held a tribute dinner to Ann and Sasha Shulgin, during which the well-known visionary artist Alex Grey presented his new painting dedicated to the great psychedelic duo, The Shulgins and their Alchemical Angels.
Ann, Sasha and Alex have signed 50 limited-edition prints of the painting, some sold during the conference and some now available on the Maps webstore. Prices vary from $ 1500 to $ 3500, depending on the number (#1 sold at auction for $ 6600). Proceeds will be split between MAPS' MDMA/PTSD research with veterans of war and Alex and Allyson Grey's Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, with an honorarium given to the Shulgins. Almost half the prints have already been sold, so quickly visit the MAPS webstore if interested.

The Fascinating Art of Colette Calascione

I already posted something about Colette Calascione on Terra Incognita in 2008, but having found other pictures in the Web recently, I can't help but post some of them here...Don't forget to visit the site of this intriguing Californian artist...

Rock Photos Galore

Jean-Marie Perier (b. 1940 in Neuilly) is a legendary French photographer. During his long career he has photographed the most famous French singers - like Françoise Hardy and Sylvie Vartan - and immortalised many rock stars around the world. See few examples of his art here (click on pix to biggify)and then make a visit to his site...

(thanks reggaepsyc)

Man As Industrial Palace

Preview clip of the animation made by Henning M. Lederer based on the 1927 illustrations by Fritz Kahn, which depicted the human body as a huge factory.