good men

all that is required 

for the triumph of evil 

is that good men do nothing

edmund burke

drive

raw oyster

the face on mars

mars anomalies

the mars underground

howard hughes h-1

howard hughes

the spaghetti harvest

Why ask WHY?

There are two posts related to this question and the things it shows for those with the eyes to see. "Why Ask Why" and "Why Ask Why - Update".

metropolis

 Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist epic science-fiction film directed by Fritz Lang. The film was written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou, and starred Brigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich, Alfred Abel and Rudolf Klein-Rogge. A silent film, it was produced in the Babelsberg Studios by UFA.

Metropolis is regarded as a pioneer work of science fiction movies, being the first feature length movie of the genre.

Made in Germany during the Weimar Period, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia, and follows the attempts of Freder, the wealthy son of the city's ruler, and Maria, whose background is not fully explained in the film, to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes of their city. Metropolis was filmed in 1925, at a cost of approximately five million Reichsmarks. Thus, it was the most expensive film ever released up to that point.

The film was met with a mixed response upon its initial release, with many critics praising its technical achievements and social metaphors while others derided its "simplistic and naïve" presentation. Because of its long running-time and the inclusion of footage which censors found questionable, Metropolis was cut substantially after its German premiere: large portions of the film were lost over the subsequent decades.

Numerous attempts have been made to restore the film since the 1970s-80s. Giorgio Moroder, a music producer, released a version with a soundtrack by rock artists such as Freddie Mercury, Loverboy and Adam Ant in 1984. A new reconstruction of Metropolis was shown at the Berlin Film Festival in 2001, and the film was inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in the same year, the first film thus distinguished. In 2008, a damaged print of Lang’s original cut of the film was found in a museum in Argentina. After a long restoration process, the film was 95% restored and shown on large screens in Berlin and Frankfurt simultaneously on 12 February 2010. (read more)

crumb

robert crumb

master of space

the unknown genius

paradise or oblivion

an angry prophet

nasty little itch

they own you !

dream state

Charles Laughton

the revolution will not be televised

Antônio Vilas Boas

At the time of his alleged abduction, Antônio Vilas-Boas was a 23-year-old Brazilian farmer who was working at night to avoid the hot temperatures of the day. On October 16, 1957, he was ploughing fields near São Francisco de Sales when he saw what he described as a "red star" in the night sky. According to his story, this "star" approached his position, growing in size until it became recognizable as a roughly circular or egg-shaped aerial craft, with a red light at its front and a rotating cupola on top. The craft began descending to land in the field, extending three "legs" as it did so. At that point, Boas decided to run from the scene.

According to Boas, he first attempted to leave the scene on his tractor, but when its lights and engine died after traveling only a short distance, he decided to continue on foot. However, he was seized by a 1.5 m (five-foot) tall humanoid, who was wearing grey coveralls and a helmet. Its eyes were small and blue, and instead of speech it made noises like barks or yelps. Three similar beings then joined the first in subduing Boas, and they dragged him inside their craft.

Once inside the craft, Boas said that he was stripped of his clothes and covered from head-to-toe with a strange gel. He was then led into a large semicircular room, through a doorway that had strange red symbols written over it. (Boas claimed that he was able to memorize these symbols and later reproduced them for investigators.) In this room the beings took samples of Boas' blood from his chin. After this he was then taken to a third room and left alone for around half an hour. During this time, some kind of gas was pumped into the room, which made Boas become violently ill.

Shortly after this, Boas claimed that he was joined in the room by another humanoid. This one, however, was female, very attractive, and naked. She was the same height as the other beings he had encountered, with a small, pointed chin and large, blue catlike eyes. The hair on her head was long and white (somewhat like platinum blonde) but her underarm and pubic hair were bright red. Boas said he was strongly attracted to the woman, and the two had sexual intercourse. During this act, Boas noted that the female did not kiss him but instead nipped him on the chin.

When it was all over, the female smiled at Boas, rubbing her belly and gestured upwards. Boas took this to mean that she was going to raise their child in space. The female seemed relieved that their "task" was over, and Boas himself said that he felt angered by the situation, because he felt as though he had been little more than "a good stallion" for the humanoids.

Boas said that he was then given back his clothing and taken on a tour of the ship by the humanoids. During this tour he said that he attempted to take a clock-like device as proof of his encounter, but was caught by the humanoids and prevented from doing so. He was then escorted off the ship and watched as it took off, glowing brightly. When Boas returned home, he discovered that four hours had passed.

Antonio Vilas Boas later became a lawyer, married and had four children. He stuck to the story of his alleged abduction for his entire life. Though some sources say he died in 1992, he died on January 17, 1991.

el paso

Sound of my Voice

Sound of my Voice  with Brit Marling

Somewhere in the valley, there is a woman living in a basement. She claims to be from the future and she’s amassing followers. These people believe that she will actually lead them to salvation. The FBI say she is perpetrating a con ..stockpiling weapons and forming a militia.

jackie on the trunk

my birth

failure

"All war 

is a symptom of man's failure 

as a thinking animal."

John Steinbeck

space opera

the context of ecstasy

Frenzy of Exultations 1893

the context of ecstasy

KUKA

Humanity

It’s so much more than the ability to feel
The cold caress of snow across your cheek
That gentle tingle softly melting
Leaves a drop of water on your face, an imprint in your heart

More, even, than the scent of lilacs in the air
Wafting in warm clouds of summertime
A perfumed fairy dance
Blooming purple abundance behind closed eyes.

Your humanity is more than wide open eyes
Watching the sun set gloriously into the horizon
Coloring the sky with flames
Illuminating clouds and your imagination.

Birdsong in the morning, cricket chirps at night
Rustling autumn wind through reddened leaves
And water gently breaking on the shore
This sounds like our humanity; but it is something more.

Creating what is beautiful and loving what you see
That pull within your breast that says,
“Come and dance with me”

The moment one first falls in love,
Heart thumping loudly in your chest

And in our sorrow, grief, and loss
Gut-wrenching, the capability to feel
We wish for numbness, cry for help –
Even that is real.

It’s more than just our hands and feet, our eyes-mouth-ears-and-nose
More than what we feel today or how our spirit grows

Humanity is bundled up in something greater than this poem
Wrapped inside each one of us, it’s what defines our home.

BNB 3/13/14

ethnicolor

woman

life of pi

interactive kaleidoscope

click here for kaleidoscope