The Miracle of the peace sign

[snopes]

Miracle at U.S. Capitol continues

The Miracle of the peace sign appearing on the lawn of the US Capitol
continues. If you haven't heard the entire story, on Sunday, March 25,
James Twyman focused a peace ceremony commemorating the Season For
Non-Violence in Washington, DC. During the ceremony, which was held on the
west lawn of the US Capitol, the "Children's Cloth of Many Colors" (for
more info on this amazing project please visit www.communitiesofpeace.org)
was laid gently on the grass in the form of a giant peace sign, and the
ceremony took place in the center.

The next day the sponsor of the event, Gerry Eitner, received a concerned
phone call from the US Capitol Police saying that the grass where the
cloth lie was now discolored, leaving an enormous peace sign on the lawn.

This morning the police department called back with more information. They
believe that some type of fertilizer attached to the quilt caused the
discoloration. In reality, however, there was nothing attached to the
Children's Cloth except the prayers of those present at the ceremony, as
well as thousands of people from around the world. Subsequent calls to
professional lawn care companies indicated that there is currently nothing
on the market that would cause such a sudden overnight change. In fact,
witnesses reported that the "peace sign grass" is actually longer and
greener than the rest of the lawn.

Has a miracle visited the US Capitol? If so, then what is the message?

From James Twyman:

"I believe that this miracle was caused by two factors. First of all,
there were hundreds of thousands of people focusing on the Capitol
ceremony while it was taking place. At one point we actually held hands
around the peace sign and called upon the energy of all those people from
around the world, feeling their presence around the quilt with us. The
intent of so many people can be a powerful energetic force and seems to
have catalyzed a change in the actual earth causing the grass to grow
greener and longer overnight. Second, I believe that in some way and for
some reason the earth is literally giving us a sign. This is a critical
point in the history of the world. If we don't begin turning our thoughts
and actions toward peace, for both humanity and the environment, a deep
crisis may be around the corner. For me the peace sign on the lawn of the
US Capitol is both a warning and a symbol of hope. I'm hoping we'll listen
and begin working for peace."

Photos of the grass as well as the peace ceremony will be online later
today or tomorrow. PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD BY PASSING THIS EMAIL TO AS
MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.

[pinqy]

Ok, I'm bored, so I'll go over to the Capitol and take a look. Be back soon.

pinqy

[AliBaba]

They believe that some type of fertilizer attached to the quilt caused the discoloration.

Hanh? Wouldn't fertilizer cause the grass to grow more there? Isn't it more likely that the cloth was treated with some kind of grass killer?

Even if it wasn't, it's my experience that if you leave anything on a lawn overnight or even several hours, it's enough to leave a discoloration in the shape of whatever it was. (Anyone with kids who leave their toys strewn about can tell you this.)

However, looking at the link, it says the cloth was only on there for 15 minutes. I don't know if that's enough time to cause a discoloration. Any gardening types know the answer to this?

Anyway, from how easy it is to damage grass, I'd hardly call this a miracle, but what do I know.

So, what'd ya see, pinqy, anything?

Ali "this morning, there were footprints on the ground...it's a miracle!" Baba

[Mad Jay]

pinqy got eaten up by the giant mutant peace sign

Just kidding Just kidding. I'm sure he'll be back soon

[pinqy]

You spoke of me, and I appear.

So, it's there....sort of. If I didn't know exactly where to look (from the website) and what to look for, I wouldn't have noticed anything. But there is a large area of grass that is slightly darker green mostly in the shape of a peace sign. The rest of the grass in the area is pale, and some brown, and some non-existant. The lower part of the peace sign, where a lot of the grass is brown, is a bit more obvious, while at the upper part, where the normal grass is more normal, there's less of a distinction. It's all very subtle anyway. Now, I'm no horticulturist (and you can lead a horticulture...) but it looks like the cloth just protected the grass from the sun for just long enough to make a barely noticeable difference.

pinqy

[Buckle Up]

Already they're comparing it to the Shroud of Turin.

Um...ok.

What is the message here? Could this latest event be a sign from God to somehow find a way to create a peaceful world for the children? And, could a Department of Peace help create that way?

You're saying that a new bloated U.S. government agency full of politicians is the group you want to be responsible for ensuring peace?

Perhaps it is also about the fertilizing energy of love, and a suggestion that we all bring forward our own love to the process of creating a peaceful world.

Oh, that's a bunch of crap.



My theory: Publicity stunt. They put a bleaching agent or other chemical on the cloth to attract attention to their worthy cause. I'm sure it won't kill the grass; that would make them hypocrites. But let's face it, people who otherwise would never have gone to their site, are now going.

[pinqy]

It really doesn't look like it's from any chemical addition, just grass that was kept a little cooler and out of the direct sun, but still able to breathe. I'll try to remember to bring a camera to work next week and snap a photo.

pinqy

[SatansHobbit]

Dubbya looks up from his tater tots, "Wait a minute, that smells like sodium tetrasulfate bonding with chlorophyll"

[pinqy]

Circle of peace pics
Ok, there's not much to see, and that's not just because I used a cell phone to take the pictures. There's just not much to see. You can see, in the close up pics, the curve of slightly darker grass. If you squint on the bigger pictures, you can sort of see part of the peace sign.


pinqy

[Mad Jay]

I don't see it!! Is the peace sign one of those illusions where you see it only if you don't look at it?

pinqy, can you outline it for us?

[Spam & Cookies-mmm]

pinqy, it's awful hard to make anything out from that angle. Do you think you could rent a helicopter and hover over it long enough to snap an overhead shot? I'm sure the secret service will understand if you tell them you're doing it for snopes.

[pinqy]

Ok, in the top photo, in the middle, going up from the dirt patch, is a strip of very slightly darker green grass that curves off to the right. On the bottom pic, there's a penninsula of the dirt patch just right of center that ends at the bottom curve of the darker green strip. Follow that to the right until you hit the next patch of dirt and you'll see a bar of the peace sign going to the top left. Like I said, it's barely any darker.

Unfortunately, I'm no longer in contact with people at the pentagon who could get a helicopter over that area. And even if I was...they wouldn't.

pinqy

[Mad Jay]

Originally Posted by pinqy

Ok, in the top photo, in the middle, going up from the dirt patch, is a strip of very slightly darker green grass that curves off to the right.

pinqy

Ahh, I see. I thought that was a Pagoda with a large laser canon mounted on top of it

[Mouse]

I must commend this glurge, though. It's the first glurge I've seen where people wishing for peace are seen as good, rather than communist pigdog traitors who burn American flags for fun while pissing on soldiers' graves.

[One-Fang]

Is this it? (apologies for crap skills at drawing lines in ms paint)

[Starla]

Originally Posted by Mouse

It's the first glurge I've seen where people wishing for peace are seen as good, rather than communist pigdog traitors who burn American flags for fun while pissing on soldiers' graves.

I'm still shocked that there exists glurge that shows the peace sign in a positive light. I thought all glurge-spreading people knew that the peace sign is an upside-down, broken cross and teh ebil.

[pinqy]

Originally Posted by One-Fang

Is this it? (apologies for crap skills at drawing lines in ms paint)

Yep, that's it all right. As I said after my first recon...unless you're in exactly the right place and know exactly what you're looking for, you wouldn't see it. In person it's a little more obvious, but not much.

pinqy

[One-Fang]

It's definitely there, though. I don't think covering it from the sun for 15 minutes would be enough to make such a big change overnight.

OTOH, I don't think they treated it. I doubt that a fertiliser would have that effect, either. And it's clearly not a poison, as it's made the grass grow better.

Some mythbusters style experimentation required here.

[Ali Infree]

Originally Posted by One-Fang

Some mythbusters style experimentation required here.

I like Mythbusters as do many other snopesters, but the last thing I saw them do with plants was yelling at them or otherwise provoking them into a galvanic response.[which was busted I think]

If the peace sign could be created by burning or blowing something up, then I suspect they would give it a try.

Ali "carrying an acetyline torch for Carrie" Infree

PS: It is nice to have some positive glurge for peace and the Nuclear Disarmament symbol.

[Old goat]

Originally Posted by snopes

Miracle at U.S. Capitol continues

From James Twyman:
Second, I believe that in some way and for
some reason the earth is literally giving us a sign.

And this glurge is Mother Earth giving us a sign.