October 8, 1999

Yes!!! It's raining - and is supposed to rain all weekend! Now if I can only see one thunderstorm...

Jon Grayson's (from 99.7, WWTN) trivia question for the week was this (I'm paraphrasing):

Back in the '70's, there was a product where they were mixing peanut butter with lots of other flavors: chocolate; marshmallow, etc. It was called Kubble (Cubble?). What was it's slogan (theme)?

First of all...what the heck was Kubble?? How did I get through the '70's without knowing about this product??

































































From the Journal Jar:

Look around you, and imagine that archeologists centuries from now excavated your room. What might they make of the objects you have?

...we join a commercial in progress:

...the elegance of fine dining: KFC.

The music comes up and we hear a voice in the background as the graphic for Universal Geographic comes up:

Universal Geographic

"Six thousand years ago, human beings were still living solely on Earth. Despite the primative conditions, the ancient Americans cultivated a lush and complex social and religious structure that included a knowledge of the stars that was seemingly far beyond their technical prowess.

"In spring of 7993, history was rewritten when a hydrofarmer's cyberox fell through the roof of a natural wonder: a gigantic lava bubble that happened to encase a perfectly preserved wooden structure. Archeologists had to work fast in order to keep the wood from disentegrating in the super oxygen rich air of modern day Earth."

Through the miracle of neuronet technology, we are instantly submerged into the scene: A gigantic structure with dark glass-like walls that disappear into the darkness with the exception of the hole at the top of the bubble, which at this distance seems extremely tiny. A heavily weathered structure, with bits of bluish-gray paint still visible stands slightly off from the center of the room.

"Once the exterior structure was stabilized, archeologists were stunned by lay inside."

The scene changes smoothly, as if we were actually walking inside.

"Inside, the living arrangements were exactly as they had been six thousand years ago. Archeologists were able to learn more than ever before about the Ancient Americans' religion; diets and habits. Amazingly, rare fabrics and utensils were in excellent condition, including 'paper' - a substance made from an extinct plant form called 'trees'. Much of this 'paper' contained actual writing by the occupant of this structure in the form the American (since discovered to be female) called a 'journal'.

"Inside a small room near the back of the structure, archeologists found what they think is the center of the Ancient American's home temple."

The scene changes to a small room with dark wood paneling. A light with a red shade hangs from the ceiling and a computer; printer, monitor, speakers, trackball and keyboard are seen sitting on a desk. A green pottery jar with a mermaid sits to the left of the keyboard and the speakers sit behind the keyboard with the monitor and trackball to the right. A small shower stall stands at the entrance of the room with a small closet area behind it. The room is slightly cluttered with boxes.

"The room contained a ritual cleansing area and space for ritual clothing. The Ancient American devised a method of simulating a waterfall: with the simple turn of a knob, the water would fall out of a spout near the roof. Containers were found in their original positions here, with only residue of their original contents remaining.

The scene goes deeper into the room.

"The occupant of this structure was evidently a member of a religious sect or a scholar: many, many objects called 'books' were found in the room - made of the same material that the writing was found on: paper. The books are still readable - evidently, they cover such topics as religion; astronomy, otherworld creatures..."

We see The Spiral Dance by Starhawk; The New Atlas of the Universe by Patrick Moore and Buckaroo: Voices and Visions of the American Cowboy.

"This person was evidently the keeper of wisdom and knowledge for her familial unit or community. On a raised platform in the far corner of the room, ceremonial objects were found."

We get a close up view of the computer and objects surrounding it.

"Evidently, the American's religion made frequent use of divination and communion with the spirit world."

We see the green pottery jar. From this point of view, we can see many small slips of paper inside.

"Each of these small pieces of paper contain writing, although archeologists aren't sure what they mean as of yet. They appear to be in the form of questions. The archeologists do not know what to think of this. Next to this glazed jar, there are two small black boxes. The prevailing idea is that the American would sit down next to the platform and wait for her ancestors, or perhaps friendly spirits, to speak through these boxes. Judging by the lettered and numbered board in front of these boxes, the American could ask questions to these spirits. This board, as well as the black boxes are connected to a larger box, which appears to be the hub of a larger appliance that eventually connects to the wall. Archeologists have no idea as to why this is.

"It is clear that we have much to learn about this ancient culture. What did they look like? What was their everyday life like? Now, we may have the opportunity to answer these questions. Join us next time, on Universal Geographic."

Again, the music comes up and the credits run. The show comes to an end.


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Page Copyright 1999 D. Firewolf