Helmut Newton

Metamorphose

distraction

a hundred million guinea pigs

The Venus Project

Paradise or Oblivion

Peer-mediated buzz

   James Fowler, a professor of psychology at UCSD, found that messages from our peers are more likely to initiate action than messages delivered by a political committee [ link ]. Last year, Obama’s reelection committee learned the same thing. They developed a system that leverages database technology and social-media to deliver their messages. In an instant, this system allows them to:

1. mobilize grassroots support for White House concerns 
2. provide White House support for local concerns

Apparently they took an extra step, conducted surveys ..and learned that nothing energizes participation better than ‘reciprocity’. Brilliant use of technology combined with Obama’s experience as a community organizer. Politically I’m independent and pretty damn naïve ..but I can see why this might give Republicans cause for alarm.

plastic is trash that lasts forever

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blind

blind - YouTube

no nukes

Chernobyl Legacy

Paul Fusco "Chernobyl Legacy"

the energy gate

Beyond Nuclear - Pandora's False Promises - Pandora's People: Not who the film's publicity claims they are

Pandora’s Promise is a new documentary by Robert Stone whose website, Robert Stone Productions, proclaims: “The film is anchored around the personal narratives of a growing number of leading former anti-nuclear activists and pioneering scientists.” The film’s website also asserts that nuclear power is “now passionately embraced by many of those who once led the charge against it.”

Our research found that there is no evidence that any member of the “cast” of Pandora’s Promise ever led the anti-nuclear movement. READ OUR FACT SHEET.

The film’s participants advocate for the deployment of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) as the best pathway to addressing climate change, a canceled breeder reactor design whose so-called “Generation IV” iteration, re-considered by the George W. Bush administration, does not exist anywhere in the world.

If Stone had interviewed those with the authority and credentials in the areas he covers — even without featuring them in his film — and then still come to the conclusions he has today reached, his credibility might be intact. But Stone apparently chose not to talk to those with genuine research credentials and depth of knowledge on the issue and whose evidence would have contradicted his film’s protagonists. Therefore, we must reluctantly conclude that Stone’s agenda was to produce a propaganda piece. 

Here we fact check the credentials of those members of the Pandora’s Promise “cast” who allegedly fit the profile of “leading former anti-nuclear activists.” (The film also includes two scientists who worked on the original IFR program at the Argonne National Laboratory, Len Koch and Charles Till, not profiled here, whose vested interest in the technology is self-evident).

READ OUR FACT SHEET ON THE REALITY BEHIND PANDORA'S PEOPLE

Beyond Nuclear - Pandora's False Promises - Pandora's People: Not who the film's publicity claims they are

the most honest moment in television

The Relationship between Peace and Economic Equality

The current distribution of wealth in the United States is extremely skewed towards the wealthy – more so than in any other developed country.  This inequality results in the unavoidable reality that there are insufficient economic resources available for the majority of the nation’s citizens.

This situation has been severely exacerbated by the economic downturn precipitated by the Great Recession that began in 2008.  This economic reversal was caused, for the most part, by the unwise, cavalier and often extra-legal activities of the major financial institutions that led to widespread unemployment and a rash of home mortgage foreclosures.  The consequences of this monumental economic catastrophe were so severe that a bailout involving vast sums of public money was required.

Notwithstanding this most recent event, the core issues gravitate around fundamental problems that have been in evidence for many years.  These include:

-         - Large numbers of low wage and minimum wage jobs that are inadequate for survival within the modern economy

-          -A national health care system that fails to effectively serve tens of millions of vulnerable and at-risk men, women, children and the elderly

-         - A housing market that is geared towards maximizing profit and, therefore, fails to build low-cost housing in sufficient number to serve those in need of affordable shelter

-          -Public policy at the local, state and federal level that invariably caters to the needs of the affluent and corporate classes to the exclusion of those with the most need.  These policy choices are dictated by the intimate relationship that exists between politics and money.  The net impact of this collaboration is the paradoxical dismantling of the Commons.  This is, in effect, a form of reverse socialism where resources flow from the many in need to the few who have an abundance of wealth to begin with

-         - A lack of social resolve around the important issue of gun control

The net effect of these intrinsic factors is a dangerous increase in poverty especially among the most vulnerable, personal bankruptcy that is often triggered by a major health crisis, homelessness, infrastructure collapse, the rise of a thriving black market and the indiscriminate use of deadly firearms against innocent people.

It is, therefore, not surprising that this array of economic conditions and their natural consequences promotes social instability.  The fact the wealthiest nation in the world can tolerate this severe disparity between the living conditions, well-being and longevity of its citizens based on economic status is suggestive of a deep-seated malaise that undermines the real prospects for peace.

what would jesus bomb ?

the fix is in

spirit of the earth

final fantasy

the doors of perception

Intermezzo

. in·ter·mez·zo/  [in-ter-met-soh, -med-zoh] 
noun,

2. a short musical composition between main divisions of an extended musical work. 
------------------------------------------------------------------
Origin:
1805–15;  < Italian  < Late Latin  intermedium;  see intermediary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.

It is perhaps incumbent upon tHE mAN to make addicts of us all, and at this hE is deft and insidious.*

Recently, during the restless interim between two periods of - what I've been falsly led to believe all my life was - "fitful" or, "broken" sleep, I did a little online digging into the subject.
Turns out, the only thing "broken" was my idea(MY IDEA? All I could think of was, "What do the experts say?") of what constitutes normal sleep.
For centuries of human history, waking up in the middle of the night was acknowledged as the norm.

Taking a pill to eradicate that is just the latest attempt to implement tHE mAN's reach into and control of our personal lives.*

Here are just a few of the articles, and if you want to persue the research that brought all this to light, just do a search on Roger Ekirch.

1.  http://blogs.discovery.com/dfh-sara-novak/2012/02/ancient-history-shines-lights-on-the-8-hour-sleep-cycle.html

2.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segmented_sleep

3.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783

Ekirch got us all stirred up; there are many more, plenty to do during a sleep break. I've had the pill they're pushing these days and my opinion is, a little reading is better for you.

*Also my opinion.

Art: The Nightmare by John Henry Fuseli

satire as critical thinking

the event

tassili desert

#IDLENOMORE J-11 2013 EARTH REVOLUTION by TA'KAIYA BLANEY - YouTube

#IDLENOMORE J-11 2013 EARTH REVOLUTION by TA'KAIYA BLANEY - YouTube

January 11th at City Hall, Coast Salish territory (Vancouver, B.C) :)

Video by: Damien Bouchard

Equanimity

Equanimity (Latin: æquanimitas having an even mind; aequus even animus mind/soul) is a state of psychological stability and composure which is undisturbed by experience of or exposure to emotions, pain or other phenomena that may cause others to lose the balance of their mind. The virtue and value of equanimity is extolled and advocated by a number of major religions and ancient philosophies.

In Buddhism, equanimity (upekkhā, upekṣhā) is one of the four immeasurables and is considered:

Neither a thought nor an emotion, it is rather the steady conscious realization of reality's transience. It is the ground for wisdom and freedom and the protector of compassion and love. While some may think of equanimity as dry neutrality or cool aloofness, mature equanimity produces a radiance and warmth of being. The Buddha described a mind filled with equanimity as "abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility and without ill-will." (read more)

In the Spirit of Cautious Optimism

We find ourselves at the beginning of another year.  Although the news we are constantly subjected to regarding the state of human affairs around the globe gives us cause to be pessimistic about prospects for the future viability of the species, there are also trends that may suggest a different future.  I have come to this conclusion not out of unfounded optimism or purely wishful thinking but rather out of the realization that there lies an insatiable hunger within the vast majority of the world’s people for a more peaceful world grounded in true human equality and social justice.

The desire to satiate this longing is evidenced by the multitude of voices around the globe that are not only insisting upon changes in the status quo but also actively pursuing  paths towards the peaceful transition to a sane and viable future.  These voices are everywhere, and cannot be silenced.  This conclusion can be readily verified by simply searching the Internet for those organizations built upon the premise of creating the conditions for a more peaceful and equitable world.  Such organizations focus their attention on human rights abuses and the often intolerable conditions that are the daily reality of hundreds of millions of individuals; these kinds of organizations literally stretch around the globe and are often deeply intertwined.

It might be argued that there are also very powerful forces of oppression focused on limiting human freedom and social justice for personal advantage.  In addition, these forces often use overt violence and aggression as the means to maintain the status quo.  This is no doubt true; however, this point of view is not sustainable over the long term.  It is not counter-violence that will subdue them; it is the power of ideas embedded with the bedrock of social harmony and universal justice that will ultimately prevail.  As we have seen in the history of many civil rights movements,  true and viable social progress is a painstakingly slow endeavor – the struggle for women’s suffrage, the abolition of slavery in the United States and the demolition of Apartheid in South Africa are excellent examples.

In my judgment, the lesson here is not to give up hope and yield to despair – as enticing as that might seem at times – but to persist in the ongoing struggle for sanity in this exasperatingly human world.  There are many ways to contribute to the interdependent causes of peace and social justice.  May the beginning of a new year bring inspiration, hope and renewal to us all. 

justice

Allegory of Justice, Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1537

evil lution

Cuz!

- Recently saw tv about Spencer Wells' Genographic project, where he claims all human DNA came from east Africa. I'm cool with that; his presentation - the tv version at least - makes plenty good sense.
My pasty white German/Welsh ass is fundamentally African, and I am your cousin. Admitedly a few times removed but still, that sits cozy in my mind.
Of course you've got your critics, some of whom make sense; like scientists who say there's a problem or two with Wells' methodology, but also some indigenous folks who are scared of "biocolonialism," wtf that is; another who claims to be a scientist and says there's racism involved and in the same breath lambasts the sampling for including "some tribe from somewhere" and "a bunch of bozos from Tibet; my favorite 'critique' however is from those who cite the "evidence" of seeding by aliens in spaceships.
Well, around the same time I saw that show, I also had the great good fortune to witness the third episode of "Africa" on the Discovery Channel, which covered "Congo." The U.S. version narrated by (there could not be a better voice for this; I was mesmerized) Forest Whitaker. When we got to the part where they're showing us the forest 'breathing' clouds into the sky, and explaining that these clouds don't go elsewhere, they just rain right back down on the forest, then fill the streams and rush like floods into the rivers

...- I swear every chakra in my body started whirlin.' Not just the seven 'major' chakras, but ALL of 'em, clear down to my feet. It was like this...

I don't know nuttin.' When it comes to the world at large I'm kind of an 'impressionist.' This has just been one.

dream upon a star

Alternative Futures

There appears to be two disparate world views that dominate the political landscape in the United States in the beginning of the twenty-first century.  One of these philosophical orientations has at its core belief the idea that the individual is the central preoccupation of the social order and the other belief system maintains that it is the well-being of the community that is the primary concern.

The individual-based political system takes as its model the viewpoint as delineated by Ayn Rand in her seminal works, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.   She defined her philosophical conclusions within the framework of what she referred to as Objectivism.  Within this construct, the primary force that should propel human behavior is self-interest.  In essence individuals are to be guided by rational and ethical egoism that hold that action is rational only if it propelled by one’s self-interest and that a moral agent ought to act in its own self-interest.  This philosophical point of view rejects the idea of ethical altruism – working towards the common good.  It naturally follows that this view of life supports limited government and presupposes that government should not act to address the needs of the community, especially those in need.  In addition, the belief in laissez-faire capitalism would be consistent with this overarching idea since it would benefit individual rights, especially those of the powerful.  The implication inherent in Objectivism is that the powerful members of society are rightfully privileged for they are endowed with abilities that set them apart from everyone else.

The other philosophical system is in many ways diametrically opposed to Objectivism.  I would refer to it as Liberalism or Progressivism.  Within this system, working towards the common good is of great value and importance.  It presupposes that government plays an active role in the life of the people, especially those in serious need of basic services.  At the core of this belief system is a commitment to what Vandana Shiva has often referred to as The Commons – those community-based aspects of living that encompass the quality of water, food and air, the health care system, the infrastructure, adequate housing, child care, services for the infirm and the handicapped and public security.  This political philosophy does not preclude self-interest, but it does presuppose that both self and other be a significant part of the equation.  From this worldview, it naturally follows that the dynamics of the social order include everyone and that the fate of all members of society are intertwined.

The ascendance of either of these political philosophies will naturally give rise to strikingly different futures.  An ego-centric system will inevitably lead to an extreme and inherently destructive disparity between the status of the ruling class and everyone else.  It will also produce a social order strikingly devoid of the Commons – leaving a stark, bleak and formidable world for the vast majority of individuals.  On the other hand, a social order that embraces the common good and the essential equality of all individuals, in my judgment, is more likely to lead to a sane, equitable and viable future.  It is for us to choose what kind of public policies we wish to embrace keeping in mind the long-term consequences of such a choice.  

Afternoon of a Faun

gravity of the situation