It's crazy times we're living in, there can be no doubt. But could it be stranger still? Let's speculate some. Could there be civilizations living undetected deep beneath the earth's crust? Is our planet being monitored and managed by alien races? Does the possible existence of quantum physic's String Theory suggest the simultaneous-ness of many Realities co-existing in the same space at different "vibrational" levels?
There is plenty of room in our reason-bound world to include the fecund realms of our imagination. Here in Virginia is an off-road monument to the power of twisted vision, in this case when one mixes the Civil War with the Age of the Dinosaurs:
It's no wonder the rest of the world is frightened of us. But it is fun to contemplate General Phil Sheridan's army going up against a division of Allosaurses. In the real world, of course, the dinosaurs are dead, except in Detroit (thus far). We march along predictable patterns of human behavior, with familiar results. Our friends at the Onion share this news feature on one man's epiphany:
One thing about history, it may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme (thanks, Mark Twain). Here is a pretty cool mapping exercise that takes some history, adds a dash of current events, and, well, here it is:
Very interesting how the cotton producing areas of Antebellum South produced the most Obama votes in 2008. It suggests that despite the Great Northern Migration of the mid-Twentieth Century, most slave descendants live quite close to their ancestral homes.
Taking the long view is a magnificent view of the world at night, as seen by a miles-high orbiter. What a way to observe our energy-producing civilizations! Now imagine pre-history, and post-history.
Finally, we have Art as Alternative to History. Here is the famous 3000 Years of Art in Three Minutes video, originally broadcast on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968. It's still way cool:
And here is the Quote of the Day:
"Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest do not happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects.”
-- Herodotus
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