Ask Dr Hal

OR, UNDER THE VULTURE TREE. We know poems about animals, sea monsters, flying creatures... The latter category includes bats, nightingales, skylarks-- and vultures. Three poems about those birds (pro-Vulture), of which we begin with "Under the Vulture Tree" by David Bottoms. Follows a Mission Statement. Were there any listeners? The studio equipment no longer shows that information.

WHO HEADS THE CAT-WORSHIPING CULT of Holofelinity. We discuss multifold topics. The recent celebration of this Cult was abruptly cancelled, but another is sure to take place in the fullness of Time. In ancient Egypt, cats were represented in social and religious scenes dating as early as 1980 BC. Several ancient Egyptian deities were depicted and sculptured with cat-like heads: Mafdet, Bastet and Sekhmet, representing justice, fertility, and power, respectively. And the deity Mut was also depicted as a cat and, at times, in the company of a cat.Cats are praised for killing venomous snakes, rodents and birds that damage crops, and protecting the Pharaoh since at least the First Dynasty of Egypt. Skeletal remains of cats have been found among funerary goods dating to the 12th Dynasty. The protective function of cats is further indicated in the Book of the Dead, where a cat represents Ra and the benefits of the Sun for life on Earth. Cat-shaped decorations used during the New Kingdom of Egypt indicate that the domesticated cat became more popular in daily life. Generally, cats were depicted in association with the name of Bastet. The Holofelinity cult acknowledges this but also posits an extraterrestrial origin...

A PROMETHEAN CONQUEROR, as supposed by transcendent mythopoetic theoreticians, concerns our epigraph. Perhaps its divinity is inherent in, let us say, an ancient Mayan idol a deity of death found in Mexico. Or alternatively, a particular Mesoamerican imago of numinous power, once adored and venerated, like the shattered Aztec Coyolxauhqui Monolith. Other effigies comprise idols smashed during Spanish \"extirpation\" campaigns, or Exorcismic Ritual Termination, during which sacred objects were intentionally broken and buried by friars and priests working for the Holy Office of the Inquisition. But this fate was not original to the barbarous Conquistadores. Many Mesoamerican and pre-Columbian cultures intentionally smashed, dismembered, or decapitated stone and ceramic idols when rulers changed, cities were abandoned, or a sacred object\'s spiritual life cycle ended. Yet most significantly, during the 16th century miliant Spanish missionaries conducted \"Burning of the Idols\" Trials and public destruction, breaking and defiling Native religious sculptures to enforce and compel Christian conversion, the concealment of breasts and the wearing of pants. As to that Coyolxauhqui Stone, it depicts an Aztec goddess dismembered and fractionated into pieces, mirroring the cosmic myth of La Montaa de las Serpientes, the unspeakable and dreaded Snake Mountain (see the worship of Yig, the Serpent God), while age-old Cyclopean ruins at sites like Copn feature eldritch moldering, fallen and fractured monuments. We also feature a drop-in visit from KrOB. And now, off to Burning Man.

QUOD FRACTUM ERAT, a viro sapiente refectum est. New computer protocols kept us from posting our shows. Most fortunately, a viro sapiente, RV\\\\\\\'s Mauro, gave us needed guidance and now, at least for the time being, what was fractum has now been repaired, as this note indicates. We also had trouble, embarrassingly evident, getting the equipment in proper order, since an earlier user left the board and its connections in disarray. More timely assistance came from KrOB, who cleared away all interpolated obstacles. KrOB stayed, too, throughout the program, periodically joining it between a series of friendly drinks at next door\\\'s Make-out Room. We begin, pro forma, with an inaugural poem, \\\"The Naming of Parts\\\" by Henry Reed. Follows the usual randomized discourse between islands of archival material.A knowledge of potential technical problems incorporating sure instincts and hands-on ability to heal both hardware and software-- this we should have, but is not in our suite of remedies. KrOB was there to save the day, and remains as a lively and entertaining guest. So we have a show here after all the starts, stops and jolts. Hail KrOB!

AND THEIR RELATIVES-- A MUSING on Evolution's radiate path, starting with Teleoceras and dwelling on the giant Paraceratherium. The wonders of the planet's bio-history will never let the investigator down, or cease to inspire the student of Earth's outbranching, evolutionary methodology. It is shocking that semi-Fabulous, luminous evidence of the development of consciousness is blocked from presentation to the pig-ignorant, who are content not to know it. The Treasures of Time lie high, as Sir Thomas Browne wrote in his HYDRIOTAPHIA; Dr. Browne spoke of their easy access to those who turn a spade in the deep-delved earth, "scarce below the roots of some vegetables." Just a small effort, he indicated, may dislodge them. In the same way, the revelations of the paleontological column are waiting nearby, as it were, easily retrievable from the slightest effort. The voices of the past also perform here, in full chorus, as always...