Thursday 24 July 2014

龙卷风 (Dragon Wind) moves along Taiwanese river

A water spout tornado travelled 6km up the Gaoping River in Taiwan on Saturday 20th July 2014 about 2:40pm. Apart from destroying screen houses it did little damage.


http://shanghaiist.com/2014/07/23/50-metre_tall_water_tornado_appears.php

Saturday 19 July 2014

Something I missed earlier...



 Sunday 26th January 2014, this was the day after the mini-tornado me and artist Daniella Valz-Gen encountered after seeing the Madge Gill exhibition. The pope, and some children, release white doves symbolizing peace, from the Vatican window. The doves are attacked by sea gulls and hooded crows. This gesture of peace was made in reference to the then spiraling situation in Kiev.

As of now the Ukraine situation just escalated dramatically with the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines MH17. 

Vatican Look up Vatican at Dictionary.com
1550s, from Latin mons Vaticanus, Roman hill on which Papal palace stands. Said to be an Etruscan loan-word, not related to vates "sooth-sayer." 
 
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=vatican&searchmode=none 
can (v.1) Look up can at Dictionary.com
Old English 1st & 3rd person singular present indicative of cunnan "know, have power to, be able," (also "to have carnal knowledge"), from Proto-Germanic *kunnan "to be mentally able, to have learned" (cognates: Old Norse kenna "to know, make known," Old Frisian kanna "to recognize, admit," German kennen "to know," Gothic kannjan "to make known"), from PIE root *gno- (see know).

Absorbing the third sense of "to know," that of "to know how to do something" (in addition to "to know as a fact" and "to be acquainted with" something or someone). An Old English preterite-present verb, its original past participle, couth, survived only in its negation (see uncouth), but see also could. The present participle has spun off as cunning.   
 
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=can&searchmode=none
I heard recently that 'can' relates to snake i.e. knowledge from the serpent (think of the symbol for medicine) -- I can't find a reference for this as of now...

http://www.mediaite.com/online/pope-releases-peace-doves-which-are-promptly-attacked-by-meaner-birds/

A hooded crow attacks one of the peace doves.

Hooded crows:
'In Celtic folklore, the bird appears on the shoulder of the dying Cú Chulainn,[19] and could also be a manifestation of the Morrígan, the wife of Tethra, or the Cailleach.[20] This idea has persisted, and the hooded crow is associated with fairies in the Scottish highlands and Ireland; in the 18th century, Scottish shepherds would make offerings to them to keep them from attacking sheep. '

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooded_crow#Cultural_significance

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2546218/Birds-released-Vatican-gesture-peace-immediately-attacked-vicious-seagull-crow.html