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DIY: How to Shrink a Head

Terrifying legends from the Amazon tell of Indian headshrinkers who would shrink an enemy’s head to render the vengeful soul powerless. Now, National Geographic Channel has gained access to 45-year-old archive footage captured by Polish explorer Edmundo Bielawski, purportedly the only known footage that shows the process of an actual - recently deceased - human head being shrunk.

The Recipe:

• First, the back of the head is opened and the skin is sliced free from the skull.  Care is taken not to damage the facial features. While the skull and remaining flesh are discarded, the skin is boiled in water for half an hour (any longer and the hair may fall out).
• After being dried in the sun, the skin is turned inside out and any unwanted tissue is scraped off.  The skin is formed into a sack shape and hot stones are used to burn off the fat inside.
• Hot sand is added to reach the fat in hard-to-get-to places, such as the nose and lips.  The head-taker massages the skin to help the drying process and produce the head shape once again.
• The process is repeated and can take up to six days, until the head is a quarter of its original size.
• The warrior must now make sure there is no revenge attack from the dead man’s soul:  Eyes are sewn shut, preventing the victim’s spirit from seeing out, and wooden pins are placed through the lips and lashed together with string.  This stops the soul from asking for the death to be avenged. 
• The warrior is now safe, while the soul within will remain in the abyss.

 

Via National Geographic

Dante's Divine Comedy, the Graphic Novel

By Seymour Chwast

I took on this project with great trepidation because so many great artists have already interpreted this important work.

Never mind, I took advantage of the form to interpret the material in a contemporary manner. I changed scale and emphasis to fit the situation in opposition to the static, uniform boxes of most graphic novels.

Dante plays himself as he travels to the other side with classical poet Virgil.  They, and the other characters are depicted in 1930's dress.  I meant Dante to look like a Dashiell Hammett detective, searching for the truth.  The Dante character looks for answers unseeable to mere mortals, by traveling respectively, to Hell, Purgatory and Paradise.

The following images are taken from my translation of Dante's "Divine Comedy."

 

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 "The Divine Comedy" can be purchased here.

 Via Huffington Post

 

America In The Twilight Zone: I Can't Believe We Are Even Discussing This

Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, put down your labels for a moment and see if you can think about this as an American and a member of the human race.  The “Ground Zero Mosque” story has been brewing for a good month or so now.   Regardless of how this turns out, it’s one more log to toss on the signal fire, stoked by our political right, that reminds the rest of the world that this is America, the land of Liberty and Freedom for All… as long as you look the right way (pun intended) and believe in the same things we do. 

I wish this was an isolated incident, but unfortunately it's just the highest profile, due to its location.  This same story has been repeated all across the country over the past nine years every time and everywhere a new mosque or Islamic-related community center is scheduled to be built.  Even right here in the educated suburb of Glenview, Illinois, my fellow neighbors spent considerable effort trying to block the establishment of a new Ismaili community center, under the guise of "increased vehicular traffic concerns".

Fortunately, we have organizations like the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding that will continue to carry the light.  FEU Chairman Russell Simmons shares his thoughts:

It was a bitter cold night in Grant Park in downtown Chicago on November 4th, 2008, but tens of thousands of people waited in the frigid weather to hear the victory speech of our 44th President, Barack Obama. Millions of people in this nation and around the world, including myself, were glued to the television to see how he would inspire us to come together after a very contentious battle with Senator John McCain. These words, in particular, have stayed with me for almost two years, as I believe they are words that define the very essence of who our president is:

"And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world -- our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down -- we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security -- we support you. And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright -- tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America -- that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow."

 

As I reflect upon these words and think of the furor that has erupted over the "Ground Zero Mosque" proposal, as the Chairman of The Foundation Of Ethnic Understanding, I am appalled. Am I in a dream? I can't even believe, that in this day and age, we are even discussing this. In my previous blog for Huffington Post, I expressed my dissatisfaction for the reactionary right wing's response, which opposes the very nature of our nation's values: liberty and tolerance. In this country, the fact that we still have this type of hate is disheartening, to say the least. It is like we are living in a twilight zone. As the conservatives and the right continue to preach that they are the ones who are on god's side, I am dismayed to see them behave in quite the opposite manner.

During Ramadan dinner on Friday night at the White House, President Obama's righteous stand opposing bigotry and supporting religious liberty sends a critical message to opponents of the Cordoba House Islamic Center. We must never tolerate hate and bigotry directed at any group, including Muslims. President Obama is right that we all must 'recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of Lower Manhattan.'

Yet we all have a sacred responsibility to defend the most vulnerable among us and minorities who are under attack. Not in our America will Muslims be targeted as second class citizens without the strongest and loudest protest. We welcome President Obama to this conversation. If nothing else, this president will be remembered for showing the most amazing leadership in the promotion of tolerance, love and compassion. And for that we will be forever grateful.

Follow Russell Simmons on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unclerush

Also see: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/your-doubting-thomas/2010/08/the-attack-of-the-nyc-mosque-thr-rights-most-recent-assault-on-the-liberty-of-others.html