A Day At The Spa

August 21st, 2007

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I found Sibala's spa and greeted all the regulars who lounge around there. There are four or five people who have been there every single time I've been there; they've obviously found their paradise.

Sibala herself is a wonderful hostess, and greets everyone who's been to her spa more than once by their name. How she retains it all is beyond me; my memory banks are so full, I have to dump childhood memories every now and then. But, she knows us all, and seems to have met every planewalker that ever lived.

"How are you, Gabriel?" She took me by the hand and kissed me full on the lips, then on each cheek. She's a full-figured earth mother of a woman, and she envelops me completely when we embrace. She looks vaguely Middle-Eastern or Mediterranean, and like so many of the people from that area, is overwhelmingly friendly. "It has been so long! You must sit down and tell me everything that has happened to you. And where is Patrice?"

We talked for a couple of hours about what had gone on in each of our lives over the past couple of years that I had been away; I told her that Patrice had found his paradise, and what I had done to help him shape it. She commiserated with me.

"Yes, well, Gabriel, the rebellion there would have been crushed anyway." She spooned some honey into a cup of tea for me and stirred it in. If you ever make it to Sibala's, you simply must have her tea. I don't know where she gets it, but the unanimous opinion is that it is the best that exists. "They were a handful of pebbles in the sea. All they could have accomplished was a brief escape from the slavers."

"Yes, but, now I've made them willing slaves. At least, before we came, there was some spirit in them, some human will."

"Human will is vastly overrated." She sipped at her own tea and settled back into the luxuriant throne that she had stolen for her from Versailles. "Look at what the Nazis do with human will; or the Stalinists, or the Hutu, or the Huns, or the Klan. Perhaps, if those Europeans had gained their freedom, they would have created some nightmare state that would make slavery look appealing. It happens quite often in slave cultures that free themselves. Have you ever been in the universe where Spartacus sacked Rome?"

"No, but I saw the America where the Africans rebelled and took over the southern part of the continent. It was a great place."

She waved a hand. "Well, of course, everything exists somewhere." The planewalker's maxim. It explained everything that happened, anything you did. With a couple of words, you could forget having quashed freedom and just settle down to have a nice tea.

It was excellent, as always. Sibala caught me up on what was happening in the major planes. UFO abductions were continuing at a frightening pace in my home plane, which confirmed my good sense at leaving it. The Unicorn Council in the Arthurian plane had started colonizing adjacent planes, something we were all going to have to worry about soon, I think. I don't fancy the idea of Druids taking over everything.

"And, of course, the Aryans continue to try their experiments at breaking through the planes. Our saboteurs have become delightfully subtle in their terrorist tactics." We clinked cups over that one. It was the duty of all sane planewalkers to keep the Nazis in their own plane. "Not much knew happening, otherwise. I saw Ronald come by a few weeks ago. He sends his best."

"How's Nancy?"

"She wasn't with him this time." She smirked into her tea. "A little tiff, I gather. It's possible the ultimate marriage is over."

"I doubt it. Those two are together in every single plane they exist on. Nothing can keep them apart." I had finished my tea, and stood up to stretch. Talking with Sabala is as relaxing as a good massage. "My dear lady, you've worn me out again."

"Just talking?" She pouted at me. "Gabriel, you do so know how to disappoint a girl."

I bent over to kiss her hand. "Just let me get my strength back, Sabala, and I'll show you why I'm looking for the Porno Universe." She slapped my hand, but kept hold of it, and drew my lips down to hers.

After the kiss, she told me, "Perhaps I'll join you there, when you find it."

"Don't tease me, Sabala, you know I'm a weak man." I winked at her and then went over to where I usually stay, a small bedding area next to Sabala's best pool. Having a running love affair with the proprietor does have its advantages. I collapsed on the soft nest, lulled to sleep by the gentle sound of the water in the pool.

In 1966, on this day US President Barry Goldwater refused to comment on fresh allegations made by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Pressure had intensified since former Olympic Champion Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. had gone missing in action on August 1st.	Clay
Father Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. received the tragic news on the same day he received a letter from his son stating ""I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong ... They never called me [racial slur ommitted]". This tragic event follows the untimely demise of a number of prominent civil rights activists, which the NAACP viewed as deeply suspicious. The Reverend Martin Doctor Luther King noted that whilst Senator for Arizon, Goldwater did indeed support the Arizona NAACP and was involved in desegregating the Arizona National Guard. However to reach the White House he had contested the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in order to gain the support of Southern Conservatives opposed to such federal legislation.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Ozzy	In 2002, the Osbournes Series 1 was interrupted when Ozzy really lost it. Not the somewhat eccentric misbehaviour that powered the show, but lost it, lost it.
Ozzy had suffered a complete loss of sleep the night before. When he arrived on the TV set he look absolutely s-, well lets say the make-up artist was challenged. During the program he started to mumble, and then scream about a black figure in the kitchen with the family. It was crazy, just crazy talk, Ozzy was yelling like the loon he often pretended to be, but this time it was deadly serious.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 2001, Paul McCartney released Wingspan: Hits and History in conjunction with a prime time TV documentary simply called Wingspan. During the interview, McCartney explained the inspiration for forming a Christian band. Whilst all of the Beatles had embraced religion in some form, McCartney surprised many when he announced the decision in 1971. The band name came to McCartney as he was praying in the hospital while Linda was giving birth to their second child together, Stella McCartney.

Wings	Paul McCartney recalled in the film Wingspan that the birth of Stella was "a bit of a drama"; there were complications at the birth and that both Linda and the baby almost died. He was praying fervently and the image of wings came to his mind. He decided to name his new band "Wings".
Stella McCartney later asked her father if he was the same famous 'Paul McCartney' that she had heard about at school. He replied that there is a difference between the public McCartney and the private McCartney, who is "just this Christian kid from Liverpool".
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1945, five Japanese cities were destroyed by nuclear bombs dropped by Allied Planes operating from Free South Australia and New Zealand. Unconditional surrender swiftly followed, and that was when the real problems started.

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

In 1918, the timely action of patriots prevented the defeat of Great Britain from a Stab in the Back. During the Spring offensive, The Imperialist newspaper had revealed that 47,000 members of the British establishment were "deviants" secretly working for the Germans. Member of Parliament Noel Pemberton Billing led a successful campaign for "internment", in which citizens of German origin were imprisoned on the West Coast. This policy excluded the British Royal Family who had already fled the Country. The Kaiser was the grandson of Queen Victoria of Britain, and just the suspicion of confused loyalty forced the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (nee Windsor) to abdicate the throne and head for exile in Sweden.

~ entry by Co-Historian Steve Payne

In 2002, RM Muleuch's Twelve Legions of Angels the ghost of Keith Park levels with disgraced Air Marshall Hugh Dowding. To make a success of Big Wing, Dowding must lose the distraction of his loving family.

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

	In 1966, Ronnie Harran, the booker from the Sunset Strip Whisky a Go-Go club fired the Doors, terminating the house-band slot they had enjoyed "at the Mecca" since leaving "a pathetic little night club called the London Fog" (Ray Manzarek).
On this particular evening, Morrison didn't show up for the Doors' first set. The band played without him, with Manzarek and the others handling the vocals, but Whisky co-owner Phil Tanzini was furious and demanded Morrison be retrieved in time for the second set. The group found Morrison at his apartment, wearing only his underwear and tripping on acid, and tried to spirit him back to the Whisky by set time. Morrison was completely incoherent and mumbling some crazy “Oedipus Rex” talk about murderous and/or lewd acts with his parents. In hindsight, Ray Manzarek John Densmore and Robby Krieger were relieved that Morrison hadn't introduced the prose as an opening line to "The End". It was an accident waiting to happen. It always was with Jim.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Castle Bonny	In 1943, movie critics gave a varied response to Castle Bonny which premièred two days before on Broadway. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz, and starred Cary Grant as Dick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund. The rekindled romance between Blaine and Lund was set during Great War II in the Nigerian city of ..
.. Port Harcourt, off the Bight of Bonny – then controlled by the Nazi Protectorate of Britain. Sidney Rosenzweig argued that the most important aspect of the film is its ambiguity, above all in the central character of Dick; he cites the different names which each character gives Dick (Richard, Dicky, Mr Dick, Herr Blaine and so on) as evidence of the different meanings which he has for each person.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1956, delegates of the European Monarchies continued to point #2 of the formal agenda for the Berlin 2 Conference. Most urgent of all was the Congo; an area the size of Western Europe, supplying uranium and secured by the smallest imperial power, Belgium. Security measures to be implemented by collaborative action on shipping ..	Spheres of Infl..
.. had been agreed. Privately, the British and French believed that their larger navies suggested a disproportionate responsibility would rest upon their nations for shipping. They believed that the Germans, with their greater land forces, needed to provide the ground troops for the security of the Congo. Trouble was, cause they trust the Germans not to pilfer the uranium? They had no choice.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Elbrus	In 1942, on this day soldiers of a Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Troop) division attempted ..
.. to install a Nazi flag atop the Elbrus Mountain in the western Caucasus mountains. Myth held that here Zeus had chained Prometheus, the titan who stole fire from the Gods and gave it to ancient man. An eagle by the name of Ethon would pick at his liver; it would grow back each day and the eagle would eat it again. When news reached Adolf Hitler that a detachment of mountaineers was sent by the general officer commanding the German division to summit Elbrus and plant the swastika flag at its top, he reportedly flew into a rage, called the achievement a "stunt" and threatened to court martial the general. He need not have worried about punishment, Ethon had already taken care of that detail.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1976/1767, a greatly disorientated Alex Haley started to awake from a deep sleep. His senses were invaded by a strong smell of salt, which was not unusual whilst awakening because he often experienced flashbacks to his time as a Coast Guard Officer. Cold too. However what was definitely unusual and in fact ..	Middle Passage
.. impossible to dismiss was the sound of screaming and the agony of his wrists. Startled into full consciousness, Haley opened his eyes. He was in chains on board The Lord Ligonier, being carried to America to be sold into slavery. Oh my God.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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