Living Plant Curtains

Home Design Doesn’t Get Much Greener than Living Plant Curtains coveted by the Greenpeace activists by,

Li Fan

Chinese inventor, Li Fan, has come up with a brilliant way to support the environment, and help people say “adios” to cleaning and washing curtains. Her living curtains are actually self-sufficient plants, on a supporting mesh.Li Fan’s curtains filter light, like regular curtains, but also suck all the impurities out of the air, and smell fresh all the time. Living plants curtains are the hottest thing in Beijing home-design, right now, and Li Fan says business is booming.No word on whether these living plant curtains are available outside China, but I’m sure there are people out there willing to pay top dollar to green-up there homes.

Lost time in History

When Dr. Hans-Ulrich Niemitz introduces his paper on the “phantom time hypothesis,” he kindly asks his readers to be patient, benevolent, and open to radically new ideas, because his claims are highly unconventional. This is because his paper is suggesting three difficult-to-believe propositions: 1) Hundreds of years ago, our calendar was polluted with 297 years which never occurred; 2) this is not the year 2005, but rather 1708; and 3) The purveyors of this hypothesis are not crackpots.The Phantom Time Hypothesis suggests that the early Middle Ages (614-911 A.D.) never happened, but were added to the calendar long ago either by accident, by misinterpretation of documents, or by deliberate falsification by calendar conspirators. This would mean that all artifacts ascribed to those three centuries belong to other periods, and that all events thought to have occurred during that same period occurred at other times, or are outright fabrications. For instance, a man named Heribert Illig (pictured), one of the leading proponents of the theory, believes that Charlemagne was a fictional character. But what evidence is this outlandish theory based upon?It seems that historians are plagued by a plethora of falsified documents from the Middle Ages, and such was the subject of an archaeological conference in München, Germany in 1986. In his lecture there, Horst Fuhrmann, president of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica, described how some documents forged by the Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages were created hundreds of years before their “great moments” arrived, after which they were embraced by medieval society. This implied that whomever produced the forgeries must have very skillfully anticipated the future… or there was some discrepancy in calculating dates.This was reportedly the first bit of evidence that roused Illig’s curiosity… he wondered why the church would have forged documents hundreds of years before they would become useful. So he and his group examined other fakes from preceding centuries, and they “divined chronological distortions.” This led them to investigate the origin of the Gregorian calendar, which raised even more inconsistency.In 1582, the Gregorian calendar we still use today was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII to replace the outdated Julian calendar which had been implemented in 45 BC. The Gregorian calendar was designed to correct for a ten-day discrepancy caused by the fact that the Julian year was 10.8 minutes too long. But by Heribert Illig’s math, the 1,627 years which had passed since the Julian calendar started should have accrued a thirteen-day discrepancy… a ten-day error would have only taken 1,257 years.So Illig and his group went hunting for other gaps in history, and found a few… for example, a gap of building in Constantinople (558 AD – 908 AD) and a gap in the doctrine of faith, especially the gap in the evolution of theory and meaning of purgatory (600 AD until ca. 1100). From all of this data, they have become convinced that at some time, the calendar year was increased by 297 years without the corresponding passage of time.Sometimes a hypothesis which challenges convention can be alluring, particularly when it seems to fit most of the facts… but as Carl Sagan used to say, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. It seems to me that all of the evidence provided by Illig and his group is circumstantial, and their conclusions misguided. The hypothesis does raise some interesting questions and point out some inconsistencies in history, but to jump to such an outlandish conclusion indicates an unscientific approach to the problem.Not only that, but their suggestions for the possible motives behind the calendar-changing conspiracy border on ridiculous. For instance, the first hypothesis they put forward is that Otto III modified the calendar in order to reign in the year 1000 AD, because this suited his understanding of Christian milleniarism.I consider myself a rather open-minded chap, and I researched this hypothesis with unbiased curiosity when I first learned of it. Granted, most of the materials regarding this theory are written in German and have not been translated into English, so there may be more specific arguments for the hypothesis than those available to me. But from what I can tell, this theory has no basis in fact.
When Dr. Hans-Ulrich Niemitz introduces his paper on the “phantom time hypothesis,” he kindly asks his readers to be patient, benevolent, and open to radically new ideas, because his claims are highly unconventional. This is because his paper is suggesting three difficult-to-believe propositions: 1) Hundreds of years ago, our calendar was polluted with 297 years which never occurred; 2) this is not the year 2005, but rather 1708; and 3) The purveyors of this hypothesis are not crackpots.

The Phantom Time Hypothesis suggests that the early Middle Ages (614-911 A.D.) never happened, but were added to the calendar long ago either by accident, by misinterpretation of documents, or by deliberate falsification by calendar conspirators. This would mean that all artifacts ascribed to those three centuries belong to other periods, and that all events thought to have occurred during that same period occurred at other times, or are outright fabrications. For instance, a man named Heribert Illig (pictured), one of the leading proponents of the theory, believes that Charlemagne was a fictional character. But what evidence is this outlandish theory based upon?

It seems that historians are plagued by a plethora of falsified documents from the Middle Ages, and such was the subject of an archaeological conference in München, Germany in 1986. In his lecture there, Horst Fuhrmann, president of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica, described how some documents forged by the Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages were created hundreds of years before their “great moments” arrived, after which they were embraced by medieval society. This implied that whomever produced the forgeries must have very skillfully anticipated the future… or there was some discrepancy in calculating dates.

This was reportedly the first bit of evidence that roused Illig’s curiosity… he wondered why the church would have forged documents hundreds of years before they would become useful. So he and his group examined other fakes from preceding centuries, and they “divined chronological distortions.” This led them to investigate the origin of the Gregorian calendar, which raised even more inconsistency.

In 1582, the Gregorian calendar we still use today was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII to replace the outdated Julian calendar which had been implemented in 45 BC. The Gregorian calendar was designed to correct for a ten-day discrepancy caused by the fact that the Julian year was 10.8 minutes too long. But by Heribert Illig’s math, the 1,627 years which had passed since the Julian calendar started should have accrued a thirteen-day discrepancy… a ten-day error would have only taken 1,257 years.

So Illig and his group went hunting for other gaps in history, and found a few… for example, a gap of building in Constantinople (558 AD – 908 AD) and a gap in the doctrine of faith, especially the gap in the evolution of theory and meaning of purgatory (600 AD until ca. 1100). From all of this data, they have become convinced that at some time, the calendar year was increased by 297 years without the corresponding passage of time.

Sometimes a hypothesis which challenges convention can be alluring, particularly when it seems to fit most of the facts… but as Carl Sagan used to say, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. It seems to me that all of the evidence provided by Illig and his group is circumstantial, and their conclusions misguided. The hypothesis does raise some interesting questions and point out some inconsistencies in history, but to jump to such an outlandish conclusion indicates an unscientific approach to the problem.

Not only that, but their suggestions for the possible motives behind the calendar-changing conspiracy border on ridiculous. For instance, the first hypothesis they put forward is that Otto III modified the calendar in order to reign in the year 1000 AD, because this suited his understanding of Christian millennialism.

I consider myself a rather open-minded chap, and I researched this hypothesis with unbiased curiosity when I first learned of it. Granted, most of the materials regarding this theory are written in German and have not been translated into English, so there may be more specific arguments for the hypothesis than those available to me. But from what I can tell, this theory has no basis in fact.

Written by Alan Bellows on 04 October 2006

Old-school barber shop embodies the realities and possibilities of Old Town and Chinatown

Among the tools of Will Fields' trade, at Will's Barber Shop.
Outside of Will's Barber Shop, children climb up onto the heads of the golden lions that protect Chinatown. They wave to their parents, who snap photos, then drag them by the hand to the Pearl District or Saturday Market.

The UO project
The Oregonian and the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication took steps this winter toward a new kind of partnership, with the help of a grant from the Portland-based Jackson Foundation. This package represents the first fruits of that effort.

The stories come from students in Professor Dan Morrison's Digital Urban Journalism course, which made half a dozen trips to Portland's Old Town/Chinatown over 10 weeks. They reported, wrote, shot and produced the story and videos you see here, with the advice of counterparts at the paper.

The students brought a fresh perspective, and everyone involved ended up thinking anew about Old Town/Chinatown and the people who live, work and play there.

Enjoy!

-- Scott Bernard Nelson, Online Enterprise EditorFew people actually head into Chinatown or Old Town, where the vacant storefronts and boarded-up buildings are a tangible reminder of the bad economy and this historic community's struggle to redefine its purpose and identity.

On weekend nights, mobs of night-clubbers fill the emerging Old Town/Chinatown entertainment district and transform it into a scene from the French Quarter. Then, typically, they return to other parts of the city or to the suburbs.

By the time the sun rises and reveals the littered streets, Chinatown and Old Town look more like a ghost town.

A small business providing a walk-in service needs a population to serve. For Will Fields of Will's Barber Shop, this means a short list of regular customers -- many of whom work in the area -- and the random person on the street looking for a cut.

Mike Fleming, a 26-year-old who just moved to Portland from Massachusetts, sees the barber pole painted on the window and walks in on a recent day.

"What do you want, man?" Fields says without looking. This part of town has a high concentration of missions, charities and public services, which makes it a destination for transients, drug users and the homeless. Fields keeps an eye on things outside his window and makes no excuse for the concealed/carry weapons permit framed above his station.

Fleming says he needs to clean up for a job interview. A salon quoted him $25 for a trim, so he walked out and came here.

It is silent for a moment while Fields sizes him up. His own granddaughter came to visit once and, before recognizing her, he almost turned her away, too.

Fleming passes the character inspection. Fields invites him to sit down at half the competition's price. He stretches a smock around Fleming's neck and appraises the idiosyncrasies of the scalp he's presented with.

Fleming asks Fields to cut the sides short, but not too short, and to use his best judgment on the top.

Beneath the facing banks of mirrors that echo into infinity are the colorful and vintage apparatus of Fields' trade: clippers, stainless steel shears, Barbicide, Jeri's Hair Tonic, Pinaud Clubman Talc, Murray's Cocosoft, Band-Aids, magazines.

Photos, videos and more
Photo gallery of student pictures.

Anna Griffin column: A new look at Old Town's big changes

Student video projects:

"Behind the Curtain: Inside the Hui Lin Temple," by Bonnie Shelton

"Portland Chinese Language School: A Saturday Tradition," by Laura Fong and Alexandra Notman

"Tradition or Change?" by Alexa Tieu and Danielle Sweet

"LifeChange Union Gospel Mission," by Joe Skinner and Blair Ryan

"Lighting the Lanterns," by Shaina Sullivan and Bonnie Shelton

"Return of the Dragon," by Laura Fong, Taylor Smith and Alexa Tieu

"Exodus to 82nd," by Taylor SmithHe works through the haircut with cool efficiency, switching between the moods of a chatty, well-practiced bartender and the muted concentration of an oil painter.

This is a man who knows and respects craft. He received his barbering license in 1963 and opened his own shop in 1994. He has been at his current location, on Northwest Fourth between Burnside and Couch, for six years.

"If I go to a place and they have techno music playing and people have tattoos and piercings, it's not gonna work," Fleming says. Fields shakes his head in agreement while he buzzes Fleming's sideburns into a pile on the floor. "I just want a straight barber, nothing fancy."

A few blocks away, Roger Hancock, 41, operates a private barbershop in an artists' community on Northwest Second in Old Town. He cuts hair by appointment only, and most of his clients are friends and family. He makes the bulk of his income in construction and by managing other small businesses.

Hancock used to own a storefront barbershop on Northeast 10th and Burnside called Marz. It closed three years ago. He says it's difficult to make a living as an independent barber -- like many other small, neighborhood businesses -- especially after the recession. He keeps a single chair open because it creates a communal space, a place where people can get together and relax.

He says a shop like Fields' has to compete with corporate chains that charge less, hire straight out of beauty schools and pay employees minimum wage.

"If I would've tried to stay open, I probably would've popped a vein and gone crazier than I already am," Hancock says.

Back at Will's Barber Shop, the calendar next to the door doesn't have any hair appointments on it. Instead there are weekly trips to the VA hospital on Pill Hill. During these doctor visits, his shop is closed.

On the wall opposite his barber chair is a vast collage of family pictures. Navigating his family tree -- from his parents through his marriages and down to his grandchildren -- is like getting lost in a forest.

He points to a picture of two young girls. One is white and one is black. "My son married a white woman," he says. "And looked what happened! Those are twins! Ain't that something else!"

There are two other barbers in the family: his son, Will Jr., and his grandson, Clem. Fields offered the business to them, but they have shown little interest in taking it over. He thinks that if it gets busier, he might be able to persuade them. For now, they are working other jobs that provide a steady paycheck.

Fields dusts the hair off Fleming's collar after the cut, and the two shake hands.

As Fleming walks out, Fields points to the opulent Chinatown gate outside his door. "Remember," he says, "I'm right here inside that gate."

"That's just the entrance to your barber shop, right Will?" Fleming asks.

"That's right," Fields says with a chuckle, then closes the door.

View full sizeTimothy Herb Belrose/Special to The Oregonian
Will Fields chats up customer Mike Fleming.
He sweeps the hair off the floor and rearranges the tools in his station. Several hours will pass before he does another haircut.

He looks at the family photos on the wall and talks about his father, a preacher who died during a storm in New Orleans' French Quarter when Fields was 6.

"I was thinking of going back to college to become a minister," he says. "But I think it's too late now."

A block away, there is a parking lot that covers an entire city block. The grocer Uwajimaya has been talking about building a new Asian supermarket here, along with 140 apartments.

Many of the local small-business owners say they believe the development could save the neighborhood -- or provide a welcome boost, at a minimum. For Fields, it would mean a new client base, and just maybe a bustling barbershop where he could work with his son and grandson for a few more years before passing the business on and retiring.

"If they don't pick it up, it dies, man."

- Timothy Herb Belrose, University of Oregon graduate student in journalism and media production

via the Oregonian!

The Morning Walk

This morning we are planning to go for a walk and have a yum yum lunch. Then walk back and crash in bed till we have go pick up the chitlins at school.

Viva-la cafe! ... and prime time cable... Mmmm cable... Mmmm bed


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Morbid Traffic Sign 1

Something u will never see and most hopefully will never do



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Day @ the park

It was a lazy day today. Not really straining much to do anything. It was a much needed relaxing time. The kids rode on there bikes and the wife and I walked steadly behind for about 2 miles, then we toon them to there old school to meet up with there friends after school... Since we r in a different distric the kids didn't have school today... Now we r laying in bed, nap time... I am old.

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