nigelswift
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Tombo's weblogs...
Sep 22, 2003, 10:01
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.... which I would characterize, without his permission, as a Delicate Dance with a Deity, are a constant delight to me and shouldn’t be missed.
I did miss this one http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/user_profile.php?id=3401&show=weblog&weblog=14164
…in which he mounts a withering attack upon rationalist Megaraks. Right or wrong, it can’t be denied he gets a heck of a bang from his site visits, so he must be right.
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Holy McGrail
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Re: Tombo's weblogs...
Sep 22, 2003, 10:17
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Fookin' 'ell, I'd managed to miss that one, too.
A standing ovation for TomBo, methinks!
-
H
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Moth
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Re: Tombo's weblogs...
Sep 22, 2003, 11:45
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I missed it too! Very disappointing as he's writing about me!!!! LOL!!!
Great stuff Tom! (Though I'm not sure whether you're criticising. I wouldn't want to say there's anything WRONG with being that kind of megarak - they just miss out on stuff - their loss!)
love
Moth
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FourWinds
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Does he mean me?
Sep 22, 2003, 12:38
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No amount of flattery will get him off my Xmas list!
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Hob
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Re: Tombo's weblogs...
Sep 22, 2003, 14:08
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In the same way some begin, speaking as a Christian...
Speaking as a trained scientist (Through the hoop! Good Scientist! Come on boy! Fetch!) all I wish to say is:
Stroll on Tombo. Keep the Faith. But don't give the Megaraks too much grief, save that for the likes of Tarmac Northern.
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Jane
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Re: Tombo's weblogs...
Sep 22, 2003, 21:16
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I, too, delight in TomBo's weblogs and somehow I missed 'The Anti-Megarak Manifesto'.
I have just sat and re-read it and despite having a pile of stuff to do this evening, was utterly absorbed in his arguments and thoughts.
I wondered - am I a megarak? And do I care if I am one? Initially i thought: 'oh shit! I am one!' and ended up knowing for sure that I am not. For although I like to visit ancient sites and revel in logic and a quest for 'the truth' and am not religious in any way, it is impossible to be an artist and NOT to be spiritual, for it is ALL about imagination, conjecture, making the unreal real and allowing the world into the reality I see in my mind.
When TomBo says: <I>...You have to ask yourself how many great ideas have never seen the light of day because of fear of the world's scorn. I personally have so much more admiration for a person like Dames, who is prepared to put his ass on the line in this way, than I do for the archaeologist who details the exact position of every stone but is unwilling to make any speculation as to the reasons why they were raised in the first place. The non-speculating archaeologist (and megarak) is only refusing to speculate in order to defend his or her ego...</I> it really struck a chord.
Yes, it's bloody scary exposing one's soul on paper as i do when I paint ancient sites and other stuff, but I try to remember the words of Picasso: 'art is a lie which makes us realise the truth.'
Long live imagination, indeed! More essays, please TomBo!
Hugs
j
x
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FourWinds
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Re: Tombo's weblogs...
Sep 22, 2003, 21:33
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I'll never leave Dames alone :-) His style and content bugs the hell out of me. Ironically the one he wrote on Ireland is his most coherent, but still full of gaping holes.
Books like the Avebury Cycle should be in the Humour section in bookstores!
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Jane
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Re: Tombo's weblogs...
Sep 22, 2003, 21:50
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I'm not aware of Dames' work, but I liked TomBo's assertions.
There are so many BARKING MAD CRANKS (witness Garry Denke) who write about this stuff, that one has to pick and choose with care. I guess this is why we admire Julian so much - he balances 'the facts' with 'the feeling' and draws his own conclusions.
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Earthstepper
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Re: Tombo's weblogs...
Sep 22, 2003, 22:18
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Well, thanks to your forum postings, I've just discovered Tombo's Megarakaphobia and it is delightful! Good luck to the rationalists and seekers after truth - I'm a seeker after truth also in my own way. But, anyone who seeks to understand megalithic structures, their purpose, meaning and relevance to their builders and users through 21st century eyes, ethos and science is doomed to perceive only a fragmentary distortion. If we look at megalithic remains without imagination and wonder, we only see piles of old stones, engineering problems or just a list of ticks in our trainspotters logbook. Long may the stones remain unknowable, mysterious, obscured by time and wonderful.
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nickbrand
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Re: Tombo's weblogs...
Sep 22, 2003, 22:46
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I don't think he's referring to the Scottish Megaraks here. After all, some of us would argue that the term actually derives from one of our own, Alligator Descartes, who coined the phrase (despite what Mr Burnham may claim). Anyone who has attended any Scottish Megarak meet (and we're proud to call ourselves Megaraks) will know that there is little in the way of Trainspotting (another famous Scottish term) or engineering in our analysis of sites. True believers in pylon theory, the progenitors of seal-barking, and our worship of the Pudding Goddess lay waste his theories of pure anorakism. We may use the technological marvels of GPS to ascertain our position (in Martin's case, usually several miles away from where we intended to be). We may indeed attempt several sites in one sitting (for which read driving/walking). But it's not about ticking wee boxes. The Scottish Megaraks encompass almost every daft belief and theory about the Stones under the sun. We do it because they're there, they give us a grounding in our sense of self. And it's a good excuse to eat puddings.
Death to the unbelievers!
Haw haw haw!
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