Modern Native throat singer, "Animism" (video)

Crystal Quintero, Seven, Amber Larson, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Tanya Tagaq (Q/CBC)

The Buddha had blue eyes? It's not so rare in Central Asia extending south from Gandhara/Afghanistan north to Kalmykia/Russia to the Far East of Buddhist Siberia, North Asia

A little bird told me, and it wasn't twitter. We are all interconnected (No Strangers)

Q's Jian Ghomeshi speaks with Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq about her new album, "Animism," and how she went from being a self-taught throat singing vocalist, honing her skills in the shower, to collaborating with the likes of the Kronos Quartet and Björk. Indeed, it was her lack of formal training that attracted Björk to her, says Tagaq, adding that the Icelandic artist didn't think she was "supposed to" sound a certain way. That's a perspective Tagaq shares.

• CBC Music: First play of Tanya Tagaq's Animism (free)

• 

  Inuk Tagaq reclaiming Nanook of the North

  Animism? (from Latin animus, -i "animator, soul, life") is the worldview that all entities (animals, plants, inanimate objects and phenomena) possess a spiritual essence. In the anthropology of religion it is used as a term for the underlying belief system or cosmology of some indigenous tribal peoples, especially prior to the infiltration of colonialism and organized "religion." Although each culture has its own mythologies and rituals, the term "animism" is said to describe the most common, foundational thread of indigenous peoples' "spiritual" or "supernatural" perspectives -- so fundamental and taken-for-granted that most animistic indigenous people have no word in their languages that corresponds to "animism" (or even "religion"). More

Shaman medicine (thefederationoflight.com)

"I like to live in a world that's not supposed to be. Or it's just there already as it is. It doesn't have to be anything, you know, because we put a lot of constraints on ourselves everyday in this crazy society," she says, adding that she gives "zero sh*ts about what people" think about her -- even as a trendy rave dancer -- but instead respects herself, her instincts, and her emotions. "And I every day do what I can to be a good person.... That's why breath is so important; it's the common denominator."  More

• VIDEO: Tuvan throat singing of shaman Mongolia
• L.A.'s HAIM shows off Himalayan throat singing 
• Vancouver's Push Festival: From Throat Singing to Puppets
• Science: Native Americans came from Asia
• Afghans and Chinese beat Columbus to America
• Ancient skeleton in Mexico reveals Asian DNA

(GSS) "Tantric Choir": Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist lamas of Gyuto chant in the Mongolian style of Bön "medicine men," shamans, and nomadic reindeer herders.

Standing by her #Sealfie: Manitoba's Tanya Tagaq addresses the controversial anti-Ellen campaign. Despite the considerable backlash after posting a photo of her daughter beside a dead seal, she supports native hunting and "being a part of what you [kill to] eat" (CBC.ca).

KARMA IS A B-TCH: When the "hunter" becomes the hunted, guilty of killing then mauled for it by another "hunter" in the samsaric wheel of survival. (LOL? Schadenfreude?) Don't kill.

The Eurasian eagle huntress (photos)

Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; William Kremer (BBC World Service)

Golden eagle and falconer Ashol Pan Central Asia (Asher Svidensky/BBC News Magazine)

Moon Goddess Artemis

"I am named of olde by Men, Artemis and Cerridwen..." (The Book of Shadows, Lady Sheba).
 
Even before the ancient Greeks recognized her as Artemis -- Goddess of the Moon, Archery, the Hunt, Katniss to Hollywood, and Diana to the Romans -- the devi (female deva) appeared to inspire others.

Homer in the Illiad (xxi 470 f.) calls her "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals." Here she is celebrated by Bjork and appearing today:

The mythological arrows are no accident

Most children, Asher Svidensky says, are a little intimidated by golden eagles.

Kazakh boys in western Mongolia, however, start learning to use the huge birds to hunt for foxes and hares at the age of 13, when the eagles sit heavily on their undeveloped arms. 

Ashol Pan is a good girl and huntress.

Buddhism in Kazakhstan refers to forms of Buddhism especially prevalent along the Silk Road in Central Asia. Its history is closely related to the Silk Road transmission of Buddhism during the first millennium CE. A number of Early Buddhist schools were historically prevalent throughout Central Asia. Three major phases of missionary activities are associated with these chronological sects: Dharmaguptaka, Sarvāstivāda, and Mūlasarvāstivāda. The Dharmaguptaka made more efforts than any other sect to spread Buddhism beyond India and Afghanistan, to areas such as Iran (Ariyan-land), other parts of Central Asia [at one time dominated by the ancient Greeks], and China, and they had great success in doing so... More

• The Golden Girl: 13-year-old is only female trained in traditional Kazakh art of golden eagle hunting

Map of Kazakhstan (upper left) and Mongolia

Svidensky, a photographer and travel writer, shot five boys learning the skill as well as the girl, Ashol-Pan. 

"To see her with the eagle was amazing," he recalls. "She was a lot more comfortable with it, a lot more powerful with it and a lot more at ease with it."

Kazakhs have good childhoods (HS-A)

The Kazakhs (Central Asia) of the Altai mountain range in western Mongolia are the only people who hunt with golden eagles, and today there are around 400 practicing falconers. Ashol-Pan, the daughter of a particularly celebrated hunter, may well be the country's only apprentice huntress. More

Eagle (garuda), pony (named Kanthaka?), and Kazakh falconer Ashol Pan (dailymail.co.uk)

A pony and a wandering, nomadic religion (shramanic Buddhism) for Ashol Pan (BBC)

Note the Uggs and harmony between human and animal realms (Asher Svidensky)

There are no such things as unicorns...except for this one and others like it. They have been bred back into existence by careful animal husbandry (dianapeterfreund.com).

Hunger Games III: "Divergent"

Take a teen angst trip all over again, this time with Shailene Woodley (as Tris Prior) instead of Jen Lawrence. Also starring Kate Winslet and Theo James as the mysterious Four.

Iceland's peaceful revolution CENSORED (video)

Amber Larson, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly; Abby Martin (RT.com)

 

Abby Martin talks with economist and editor Steinar Bjornsson of "News of Iceland" about Iceland's peaceful revolution about how the people of the island-nation in the Atlantic changed the system through non-violent dissent.

All about Iceland

(IcelandAir) Thora Karitas hosts an entertaining and informative documentary about Iceland -- the capital Reykjavik, its surrounding countryside, and its natural wonders. This island country between Greenland and Ireland is different from all other countries. Visiting is an experience that combines luxury and natural wonders, extreme forces and, of course, a lot of modernity.

• IMF: Iceland was right; we were wrong
• World Bank: "Dollar valueless, about to crash"
• Allicelandic.com for Scandinavian fashion

Shocking Headlines (C2C)

• The planet that shouldn't exist (Daily Mail) Bizarre world orbiting its star from a staggering distance leaves astronomers baffled.
• Air Force's new stealth spy drone is already flying (NBC News) A secret unmanned reconnaissance aircraft built by Northrop Grumman for the U.S. military has already begun test flights and could be ready for prime-time duty by 2015.
• Financial astrology: can stars affect stocks? (Telegraph) Astrologers believe the position of the planets can make a share price plummet. Why do traders trust them?
  
• Ear-piercing sounds harvested for energy (Discovery News) Researchers have found a way to convert the incredible roar of the jet engine, which revs at more than 130 decibels, into electrical energy.
• Someone's been siphoning data via Net's huge security hole (Wired) Two security researchers at the DefCon hacker conference demonstrated a massive security vulnerability in the worldwide internet traffic-routing system.
• Mystery "alien-like creature" seen in Bristol harbor  (Telegraph) Remarkable video of glowing submerged creature creates stir online.
• Who believes in Bigfoot? (Pacific Standard) An outsider looks at the world of Bigfoot research.
• The Hazards of Psychic Backlash (Mysterious Universe) Nick Redfern details how eerie bad luck can sometimes afflict seekers of the paranormal. 
• Why Do Some Falsely Claim to Be Victims? (Discovery News) Ben Radford examines what may motivate people to hoax being the victim of a crime. 
• Kansas Salt Safari Unveils Glittering Underground World (LiveScience) New museum attraction takes visitors on a three-hour journey into a breathtaking underworld. 
• Chinese State Media Brags of Plan to Establish "Death Star" Moon Base (InfoWars.com) China's burgeoning space program alleged to be aimed at weaponizing the moon.
• 2 million Facebook, Gmail, and Twitter passwords stolen in massive hack (CNN) Cybersecurity firm blames viruses equipped with keylogging software for latest breach of Internet security.

Iceland: 100% increase in police killings (video)

Amber Larson and Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; TheWorld (BBC+PRI); Euronews

WARNING: Girl fight with senseless violence as Bjork attacks female reporter in Thailand!

I'll kill you, fart-chicken!

The world's most famous Icelander, the angelic singer Bjork, goes ape sh-t in once peaceful Buddhist Thailand -- violently attacking a reporter at Bangkok Airport. Why? Iceland is deep, a green Scandinavian wonderland, but wild. (Unlike Greenland, which is full of ice). Bjork sings, "I am a fountain of blood in the shape of a girl." That, or she was on something. It's like her song in the movie "Sucker Punch" -- full of girls fighting to Bjork's "Army of Me." She wasn't kidding.

"Babydoll" fights everyone in her way to Bjork's "Army of Me"

Police killing is first in country's history

(EuroNews) A gunman has [been killed] after a shootout with police in the Icelandic suburb of Reykjavík on Monday morning, reportedly becoming the first person in Iceland to be killed by a bullet shot by a police officer, who do not carry guns.... Police returned fire. According to eyewitnesses, some sort of smoke bomb was thrown into the apartment... Armed police entered the man's apartment at around 06:00 am and [shot] him. More

• Iceland's FIRST fatal police shooting (TIME.com)
• Why is violent crime so rare in Iceland? 
• Iceland bans striptease shows Iceland is struggling with a severe economic crisis, but it has another pressing matter to deal with: striptease!
• N/S European divide: Iceland top for gender equality
• WikiLeaks claims Iceland court victory over donations
• NATO condemns Ukraine crackdown
• Caught in a Bad Romance: RU vs. EU for Ukraine 
• So, how long have you been harassing women?
• 1984: Do English accept government surveillance?
• Mexico: Catholic bishop takes on K.T. drug cartel 
• 100s of millions of Chinese resist speaking same language
• End of Latin American COFFEE unless banker, shops... 
• New Ms. Marvel — a female, Muslim, Pakistani superhero
• VIDEO: Google makes people cry across India, Pakistan
• Irish police colluded in IRA murders!
• VIDEO: Man survives three days trapped under sea

The One True Yoga

If you're looking for the one true yoga, you're out of luck (TheWorld.org).

World Cup: Iceland, Ireland's 33rd county

Pat Macpherson, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly; Producer Clark Boyd (TheWorld.org)

Icelandic bhumi-devi and pop idol Bjork's call for Tibetan freedom at a Shanghai concert unnerves Chinese communist officials (Hannah Johnston/Getty Images/Epoch Times).

  

Kill 'em all in the name of my lord!

It’s nail-biting time for many soccer fans out there -- the World Cup playoffs. Over the next week, national teams will do crippling, brain-trauma inducing, war-like battle to try and snag one of the few remaining tickets to next year's World Cup in Brazil.
 

The smallest nation with a dog still in this fight is Iceland, who plays Croatia on Friday. Now, Iceland has a very small population, and thus a small pool of professional players to choose from. And yet, they have a chance, however slim, of making it to Brazil. That's more than IRELAND can boast.

 

Yay, we have Saint Patrick's blessing! We have Saint Patrick's blessing! (theworld.org)

  

Not my Iceland, Patty, no way! (DMSI)

The Irish national [soccer] team has already been eliminated, and most Irish fans are already looking well beyond Rio. But not Eoin Conlon.

 

Over a drink of yeast-contaminated carbs with a Brazilian co-worker in Dublin recently, Conlon started wondering out loud about throwing his support behind ICELAND.

 

“And we kind of laughed, saying: ‘Well, that’s as close as Ireland's going to get to Brazil. It's only a letter difference. A “c” for an “r.” We might as well be brothers,’” says Conlon. Conlon and his friend work for a digital agency, so they did what comes naturally. They built a website in support of Iceland's soccer team.

 

Then, they started a Twitter feed urging Irish soccer fans to back Iceland. The campaign is called County Iceland. Ireland already has 32 counties. So, Conlon says, why not make Iceland the 33rd?

 

“There are only about 320,000 people in Iceland. So if they were a county in Ireland -- I'm calling them the 33rd county -- it would [be] only the fifth-largest county in Ireland. It's incredible the success they've had. And I hope it continues,” he says.

 

Conlon says the website is just a bit of fun. All a visitor has to do is click a "support" button. LISTEN