Category Archives: Post Human

Hans Christian Andersens The Little Mermaid is a heartwarming tale of a mermaid falling in love, battling evil to be with her love, and living happily ever after as a human. Just kidding. Thats the Disney version. In Andersens, the young mermaid has her tongue cut out, gets burned hard by the prince when he chooses another woman, and eventually dissolves into sea foam instead of saving her own life by ritualistically stabbing said prince through the heart and bathing in his blood. Seriously.

More Fantastically Wrong Science

It was for this reason that Starbucks adopted the mermaid as its logo. (No it isnt, thats libel. Is it still libel if I admit its libelous? I guess well find out.) Regardless, it took mermaids millennia of mythology to land on those coffee cups. But relations werent always so good between our two speciesmermaids have largely been thought of as hell-bent on seducing sailors into the depths, or just smashing boats with storms if theyre not really feeling like putting the effort into being charming.

So why the mixed reviews? Where did the legend of the mermaid come from in the first place? From ancient deities to corporate lackeys, thehistory of our aquatic cousins is certainly a strange one.

According to Terry Breverton in his book Phantasmagoria: A Compendium of Monsters, Myths, and Legends, before there were mermaids, some 4,000 years ago there was a merman: Ea, the Babylonian god of the sea. He had the lower body of a fish and upper body of a human, and was one of those handy all-purpose deities, bringing humankind the arts and sciences while also finding the time to battle evil. And because he was associated with water, he was the patron god ofno jokecleaners because, well, someone needed to be. Ea would later be co-opted by the Greeks as Poseidon and the Romans as Neptune.

The earliest mermaid-like figure was likely the ancient Syrian goddess Atargatis, who watched over the fertility of her people, as well as their general well-being. She, too, was human above the waist and fish below it, and was accordingly associated with water. The Syrians bestowed Atargatis with the biggest, most resplendent temple they could muster, which came complete with a pond of sacred fish that you probably werent allowed to throw coins into for a good luck.

Never one to be left out of disseminating misinformation, the great Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder, whose Natural History would serve as scientific gospel for centuries to follow, wrote of the nereids. These were nymphs wed recognize as half-human half-fish mermaids, though the portion of the body that resembles the human figure is still rough all over with scales. He notes that Legatus of Gaul once wrote to Emperor Augustus claiming he found a considerable number of them dead upon the sea-shore. Pliny also mentions sea-men, who when night falls climb up into ships; upon which the side of the vessel where he seated himself would instantly sink downward, and if he remained there any considerable time, even go under water.

Such maliciousness is echoed in the sirens of Greek mythology, which variously were presented as beautiful women, half-bird half-women, and as mermaids. These fiends would lure men to their deaths with some sexy singing, as Odysseus well knew. He had his men strap him to the ships mast to avoid falling victim as they passed the island of the sirens, while his men plugged their ears with wax.

And so mermaids entered European mythology with conflicting personalities: Sometimes they were portrayed as beautiful, seductive maidensalmost goddesses like Atargatisgreatly desired by lonely sailors, while also being cast as siren-esque beasts that dragged men into the inky-black depths. But whatever the portrayal, mermaids wound their way deep into the nautical lore of the Middle Ages onward.

Really, it was best to avoid mermaids and mermen, just to be sure. Olaus Magnus, the 16th century writer and cartographer whose seminal map Carta Marina obsessively cataloged the many monsters of the seas around Scandinavia, noted that fishermen maintain that if you reel in a mermaid or merman, and do not presently let them go, such a cruel tempest will arise, and such a horrid lamentation of that sort of men comes with it, and of some other monsters joining with them, that you would think the sky should fall. Sea-people, it was widely held, were terribly bad luck to see or snag.

Originally posted here:
Fantastically Wrong: The Murderous, Sometimes Sexy History of the Mermaid

SHILLONG: The formation of Meghalaya State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has hit hurdles with the former Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya, Meena Kumari, expressing her inability to hold the post of Chairperson of the Commission offered by the State Government, an official source said.

14 months after the State Cabinet approved the formation of the State Human Rights Commission, the Government is still searching for a suitable candidate to hold the post of Chairperson.

After the Cabinet, on August 13 last year, approved the formation of the State Human Rights Commission the Government had only fixed the salary and allowances of the Chairperson and other members.

In the Assembly session held in March this year, the State Government had tabled the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (Salaries and Allowances and other Terms and Conditions of Service of the Members) Rules, 2014.

In the absence of the State Human Rights Commission, the cases of violations of human rights are on the rise as there is no whistleblower to monitor instances of human rights violations.

The cases of human rights violations are now being probed by the magistrates and several such probe reports which lack in depth, are gathering dust in government departments pending action.

A Chairperson and two members constitute the State Human Rights Commission.

A government official said that while Additional Deputy Commissioner M.B. Challam has agreed to be one of the members of the Commission, the Government will shortly finalize one more member for the Commission.

Moreover, search is also on for the Chairperson of the Commission since (retd) Chief Justice Meena Kumari did not want to hold the post due to her preoccupation with her family.

Several meetings were held in the past to shortlist the names of suitable candidates to head the State Human Rights Commission, but no consensus could be reached on the matter.

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Search on for human rights panel chairperson

DAVAO CITYHuman rights group Karapatan on Monday branded as a medal of impunity the third star awarded to an Army general here who was implicated in the Morong 43 case.

The Aquino government tolerates the notorious deeds of violators of human rights and international humanitarian laws, said Hanimay Suazo, spokesperson of Karapatan in Southern Mindanao Region.

Major General Aurelio Baladad, commander of Eastern Mindanao Command, received his third star rank as Lieutenant General from AFP chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang together with eight other military officers last October 8, at Camp Aguinaldo.

Karapatan said the awarding of medal to Balabad was a grave insult to the health workers who suffered military brutality, an allegation denied by Balabad who was then the commander of the 202nd Infantry Battalion which arrested the 43 health workers in Morong, Rizal in 2010.

Its an insult to the victims of Morong 43 more so to all the victims of militarys human rights abuses. And this only confirms that the Aquino government is not serious in ending impunity, Suazo said.

She added that the Aquino government is no different from the Arroyos administration because military officials with notorious record of human rights violations were promoted. (davaotoday.com)

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Karapatan says Army chiefs third star is medal of impunity

Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva and Leader of the Sri Lanka delegation to the Human Rights Committee Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha asked the Human Rights Committee to "judge Sri Lanka in proportion to the challenges Sri Lanka has continued to face as a country emerging from a 30 year terrorist conflict". Aryasinha made this observation responding to comments made during the consideration of Sri Lanka's 5th Periodic Report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) by the Human Rights Committee held on October 7-8, 2014 in Geneva.

The Human Rights Committee comprises a body of independent experts from 18 countries that monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by its State parties.

Responding to a question raised by the Committee as to why the PTA is still in existence in Sri Lanka, Aryasinha said Sri Lanka does not shy away from making considered choices and is adept at differentiating, in the best interest of its people.

He recalled that notwithstanding security concerns, the government had speedily resettled almost all internally displaced persons, that out of approximately 12,000 LTTE ex-combatants who have been reintegrated into society, all but 114 are undergoing rehabilitation, and 84 are under legal proceedings, and that in 2011 the government had allowed emergency to lapse, which at the time many felt was too hasty. In spite of concerns raised, the Government of Sri Lanka had taken these calculated risks.

He said, the government had to keep the PTA in effect, albeit reluctantly, due to recent incidents pointing to attempts at the resurgence of terrorism in Sri Lanka with involvement of external networks. He pointed out that such caution was also taken by many governments who have had to face the threat of terrorism.

In his opening statement, Aryasinha welcomed the opportunity to interact with the Human Rights Committee, and through it to continue the constructive engagement Sri Lanka has maintained with the processes of the UN human rights mechanisms.

Tracing the dramatic transformation that had taken place in Sri Lanka since the country last presented its report to the Human Rights Committee in 2003, Aryasinha also referred to an observation made by the Committee's Chair Sir Nigel Rodley, at the opening of the current session of the Human Rights Committee, that "what was happening in Syria and Iraq with respect to a group that was pursuing policies that were simply the antithesis of universal values and human rights standards," and a "brazen challenge to the international community".

He reminded the Committee that Sri Lanka also overcame a similar brazen challenge, when in 2009 it defeated the ruthless terror of the LTTE, a group that also claimed a mono-ethnic state glorifying murder. He said that "it is fortunate that on what is happening today,the international community is taking note, coming together to meet the threat and is exercising remedies for it. He recalled that "however for us in Sri Lanka, while terrorism began in the early 1980s, it was not until 1992 when Shri Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India was killed that the world started recognising the ruthlessness of the LTTE. It was not until 1996 when the US banned the LTTE that the Western world recognised our problem. And it was only after 2001 following 9/11 that actually this question got any real attention".

Aryasinha said Sri Lanka views the promotion and protection of human rights not as an end in itself but as an indispensable component of peace building and reconciliation following a three decade long conflict against separatist terrorism. In a country where no one was spared the horrors of terrorism, the government of Sri Lanka has succeeded in restoring to the entirety of Sri Lanka's population the most important right - the right to life. He said the Committee should look at the ensuing developments relating to civil and political rights in Sri Lanka in this context. The Government has taken measures to ensure sustainable peace and reconciliation and rapid development in the country, as it is an important step to ensure the full enjoyment of civil and political rights by all.

The Government delegation led by Aryasinha, comprised S.B. Divaratne, Advisor to the President and Secretary, Special Bureau of Reconciliation, Janaka Sugathadasa, Secretary, Ministry of Resettlement, Eric Illayapparachchi, Secretary, Ministry of Child Development and Women's Affairs, Nimal Kotawalagedara, Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms, K.D.S. Ruwanchandra, Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Law and Order, Bimba Jayasinghe Tillekeratne, PC, Senior Additional Solicitor General, Samantha Jayasuriya, Deputy Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in Geneva, Ms. Sashikala Premawardhane, Senior Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Nerin Pulle, Deputy Solicitor General, Attorney General's Department, Mr. Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, Director, Ministry of External Affairs, Ms. Priyanga Wickramasinghe, Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva, Rajiv Goonetilleke, Senior State Counsel and Dilini Gunasekera, Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva.

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Judge Sri Lanka in proportion to post conflict challenges

Development Cannot Succeed if it Harms Communities

(Washington, DC, October 10, 2014) Draft World Bank policies under consideration at the banks meeting on October 10-12, 2014, would dangerously roll back protection for communities affected by bank projects, independent groups said today.

Foreign ministers and central bankers are meeting in Washington, DC, to discuss key challenges in ending poverty and inequality. For human rights groups and community representatives, a critical issue is the World Banks revision of its safeguard policies, which are intended to protect people and the environment from harm. The World Bank and its member countries cannot end poverty and promote shared prosperity without protecting the rights of people affected by development investments.

While it may appear that the World Bank invests in improving human rights around the world, its current policies do not even mention this word, said Mohamed Abdel Azim of the Egyptian Center for Civil and Legislative Reform. Communities need better protection from the damages these projects can cause.

This a renewed call made in July by the Bank on Human Rights Coalition to World Bank President Jim Kim and World Bank member countries to make an explicit commitment to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights in all of the banks activities.

First of all, the World Bank should listen to the advice and expertise of local people especially women, said Moon Nay Li of the Kachin Womens Association, Thailand. We want development too but usually the benefits go somewhere else. The World Bank actually needs to have stronger protections.

The draft policy includes a highly controversial provision which would allow a government to opt-out of applying specific protections for indigenous peoples if it believes requiring the protections would raise ethnic conflict or contravene constitutional law, essentially rendering protections for indigenous peoples optional.

Indigenous peoples recommendations to strengthen World Bank standards and bring them into line with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples have fallen on deaf ears, said Joji Carino, Forest Peoples Programme director. World Bank pledges on no-dilution of existing policies are being broken with this proposed opt-out, despite advances made in other substantive areas of the new proposals.

While the World Bank announced that there would be consultations on the draft policy in locations around the world before the end of 2014, many dates and locations, even for October consultations, have not been published. Groups are demanding an extension of the consultation period and an expansion of the consultation plans to make the consultations fully accessible for all marginalized groups in borrower countries.

The World Banks first draft of the new environmental and social framework represents a hazard for the entire international development community, said Mariana Gonzalez Armijo, researcher at Fundar Centro de Anlisis e Investigacin, an independent organization in Mexico. This shift would encourage countries to accelerate investment without clear rules to protect the environment and human rights.

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World Bank Group: Proposed Policy a Setback for Rights

Dropzone Commander Battle Report #16 - Post-Human Republic vs Shaltari Tribes
The PHR and Shaltari meet for their first cultural exchange. It promises to be bloody! For Army Lists and After Action Reviews, visit us at: http://enterthem...

By: Randall Madden

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Dropzone Commander Battle Report #16 - Post-Human Republic vs Shaltari Tribes - Video

Disney animators have always personified their animal characters. From Cinderellas mouse henchmen, which had sewing capabilities that could rival those of Project Runwaycontestants, to The Little Mermaids crabby Sebastian leading the oceanic orchestra under da sea, our favorite Disney animalsare almost too human.

Digital artistChacckco, and little bit of bibbidi bobbidi boo, have imagined what Disneyslovable animals would be if they were humans and the results are pretty incredible.

With a graphite a pencil, The Three Caballerosare transformed into New York gangsters, Flounder into an adoring school boy and, probably the most mind-blowing, is CarsLightning McQueen as the driver of his own race car talk about Freaky Friday!

Check out moreof ChacckcosDisney magic below:

If you love what you see above, there are plenty more transformations on the artistsDeviantArt page.

Tags: Cars, Chacckco, Cinderella, DeviantArt, Disney, disney animals human, Disney fan art, Disney Transformations, fan art, Human Disney Characters, Lightning McQueen, mickey mouse, Minnie Mouse, The Little Mermaid, The Three Caballeros

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What if your favorite Disney animals were human?

GTX 880M CRYSIS 3 (MAXED) GAMEPLAY - MISSION 1 - POST HUMAN ASUS G750jz
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GTX 880M CRYSIS 3 (MAXED) GAMEPLAY - MISSION 1 - POST HUMAN ASUS G750jz - Video

david simpson

author of the post-human series

Amazon, just like the University of Torontos Academic Bridging program, gave me the opportunity I needed to prove myself. Because of them, a runaway who had to sleep in a shopping cart at sixteen, a high-school dropout with seemingly no prospects, went on to live in the best city in the world, meet the best woman in the world and marry her, attain two degrees from one of the top forty universities in the world, before achieving his dream of being a full-time author and having one of the best-selling science fiction series in the world. Click here to learn more.

books by david simpson

post-human series

Fast-paced, full of twists, and starring an irresistible collection of characters, this volume imagines the future of humanity, including the extraordinary benefits and profound dangers of artificial intelligence

Witness the origins of the Post-Human seriesin this gripping sci-fi thriller, in which the world is just starting to battle Artificial Intelligence, and a young doctor becomes a heroic suborbital paratrooper.

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post-human series

Unboxing Dropzone Commander Angelos Helios Jetskimmers!
Learn more about Dropzone Commander: http://www.beastsofwar.com/dropzone-commander/ Time for a double unboxing this time around as we get a look at the Angelos Helios Jetskimmers for the...

By: TheBeastsOfWar

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Unboxing Dropzone Commander Angelos & Helios Jetskimmers! - Video