Most Amazing Time Lapse Video

of Milky Way Ever Made. Seriously.

http://vimeo.com/terjes/themountain

www.freehugscampaign.org/

Industrialization has crippled the globe 

(Enjoy GeneCo's day and nighttime formula of Zydrate)

Nature failed as technology spread 

(Ask a gentern if Zydrate is right for you)

And in this wake, a market erected

(Buying Zydrate from an unlicensed source is illegal)

An entire city built on top of the dead

And you can finance your bones and your kidneys

For every market, a sub-market grows.

But best you be punctual with making your payments

Lest it be you on the concrete below.

It's quick. It's clean. It's pure.

It could change your life, rest assured.

It's the 21st century cure,

And it's my job to steal and rob GRAVES!

So why care for these petty obsessions?

Your designer heart still beats with common blood

And what if you could have genetic perfection?

Would you change who you are if you could?

'Cos it's quick, it's clean, and it's pure (all you really need is)

It could change your life, rest assured (all you've got to have is)

It's the 21st century cure (all you need is surgery!)

And it's my job to steal and rob GRAVES!

GRAVES!

          "There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river, too deep to wade through, and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands, and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it, when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure, and it was Death. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travellers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for being clever enough to evade him.

          "Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So, Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead."So, the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. A wand that must always win battles for its owner. A wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death. So, Death had crossed to an Elder Tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that had hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother.

          "Finally, Death turned to the third brother. A humble man, he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And so it was that Death reluctantly handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.

          "Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here, he took out the stone which had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him. Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as though by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there, and suffered. Finally, the second brother, driven mad by hopeless longing, killed himself, so as to truly join her. And so, Death took the second brother for his own."In due course, the brothers separated, each for his own destination. The first brother travelled for a week or more, and, reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard, with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted of the powerful wand which he had snatched from Death himself and of how it made him invincible. That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay wine-sodden upon his bed. The thief took the wand, and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat. And so, Death took the first brother for his own.

          "But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility, and gave it to his son. And then, he greeted Death as an old friend, went with him gladly, and, as equals, they departed this life."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YWpBiREKsg&feature=related

I will say to God: ... "Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me? Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again? (Job 10:2, 8-9)

These are the possible solutions to fulfill my life.. 

Either I go out and buy this car, because it is incredible 

or I go back in time so I am born in the 1930s or 1940s. 

          Cartoon 1, “Globalization Invading Markets,” is an image of several Disney character impersonating the military invading what appears to be a developing country using large high-end corporations and their symbols. In this editorial cartoon, the author is trying to make a statement about the political issue regarding globalization and the spread of Americanization. Globalization is the process in which societies, economies and cultures are spread on a global scale from the result of trade, media and communication. Americanization is the act of being assimilated into the American culture. 

In this editorial cartoon drawn by Andy Singer, he portrays several Disney characters such as Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Goofy. Also, there are some local civilians present on the island. The Disney characters are all acting as members of the military; all the soldiers are Goofy’s, who act determined, brave, proud and strong. Donald Duck is the Adolf Hitler of the troop, (shown by the roman number I on his helmet), acting as the leader who’s mood is strong, fearless, and prepared for battle. Mickey Mouse, (Second leader indicated by the II on his helmet)-- his mood is of happiness with his trademark smile with his hand signaling towards the chaos. His mood is not angered or evil, but his regular joy because he is the symbol for Walt Disney. His symbol helps to predicate the meaning behind the cartoon, because without his smile, Disney would not be properly marked. The citizens on the island are flailing their arms-- scared, running, screaming and worrying. 

There are several symbols and objects that help to understand this editorial. Disney was mentioned as a symbol based on the familiar Mickey Mouse. Although, the artist had these characters dress as an armed force, which signifies power and strength, because that is how we perceive the U.S. Army. They are carrying weapons to help initiate the intent the artist made to show an invasion or attack. The numerous Coca-Cola cans in the ground was shot from by cannons on a boat. Instead of using bombs, the artist displayed the ammunition as a popular, high-demand product that has spread globally to 192 countries on Earth. The fact that the Coca-Cola cans were fired from a cannon shows how much power its corporation has globally. The four boats or carriages on the sea all wear a famous logo or symbol from a global corporation. The large ship containing the cannons and a small boat behind the hill have a Nike symbol on them. The two carriages used to carry the troops have a Shell and Texaco Inc. symbols on them. They represent these companies and their support and involvement in the Globalization and Americanization of this situation. Also associated in this cartoon are symbols from other corporations like Motorola on the airplane, which is dropping televisions that they most likely manufactured and produced. Their actions signify their company leaving a mark on yet another country in the world.  The McDonald’s symbols is on a flag on the boat shows its power and how its company has spread around the world. There are more than 32,000 McDonald’s locations worldwide. Last of all, the four soldiers raising the flag of the Microsoft corporation is a remake of the famous photograph of the 5 soldiers from the U.S. Army raising the USA flag on Mount Suribachi after the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. This clever remake of that time in history signifies power of many companies and how their importance and recognition is seen globally. 

The setting of the cartoon is not specified by the artist but looks like an island, because it is near a coast by an ocean. The raising of the Microsoft flag on the hill could be a coincidence, but it could be that it was the artist’s intent for audience to think that the editorial could be set in the same island in Japan or the artist may not have indicated a location because he believed that the act of Globalization and/or Americanization was occurring in the majority of the World’s countries. The same idea is predicted in regards to the time in history that the artist intended; this could have occurred any time or all the time in the past maybe century. An example of constant Globalization is that three new McDonald locations open around the world each day. 

The cartoonist, Andy Singer, expresses his perspective of Globalization and Americanization through the moods, reactions and expressions of the citizens of the invaded location. Their terrified expressions lead readers to the conclusion that this is how the cartoonist may feel about the widespread of this issue. The cartoonist might feel that the quick spread of the economy and society is dangerous. The civilians, instead of fearing for their lives because of the weapons, they are fearing for their possible loss of culture and jobs, child labour, pollution, epidemics and all the other impacts that Globalization or Americanization brings. The cartoonist could also be expressing the reactions of people in other cultures after being introduced to new products. An example from the film, ‘The Gods Must Be Crazy,’ is if a Coca-Cola bottle fell from the sky, the people could react in dangerous ways resulting in violence and greed because of the bottle. These processes could even result in death, which is what the cartoonist expressed by drawing a face down man at the bottom of the hill. The cartoonist is therefore, trying to help readers reach a conclusion that there are too many negative impacts that come with Globalization and Americanization. The cartoonist did not in any means express these processes in a positive way, but instead used violence and anger to portray the issues. 

In my opinion, the editorial cartoon is very persuasive in expressing the Globalization/Americanization issue. The cartoonist makes good use of expression and moods in the characters to help convey his intended message. Singer also used a famous historical event to portray a powerful message about invading corporations and markets. He chose perfect symbols and logos from different global and successful corporations that have spread themselves widely among several countries around the globe. His demonstration of power through disgruntled Disney characters was clever in conveying his invasion message. All in all, Singer sang his negative feelings towards the issue with great understanding and amusement. Kenny Ausubel, Co-CEO & Founder of Bioneers, a program for those who explore nature's principles and serve as metaphoric guideposts for organizing an equitable, compassionate and democratic society, an award-winning social entrepreneur, author, journalist and filmmaker once said, “The greatest weapon of mass destruction is corporate economic globalization.” 

What's Genocide?

their high school principal
told me I couldn’t teach
poetry with profanity
so I asked my students,
“Raise your hand if you’ve heard of the Holocaust.”
in unison, their arms rose up like poisonous gas
then straightened out like an SS infantry
“Okay. Please put your hands down.
Now raise your hand if you’ve heard of the Rwandan genocide.”
blank stares mixed with curious ignorance
a quivering hand out of the crowd
half-way raised, like a lone survivor
struggling to stand up in Kigali
“Luz, are you sure about that?”
“No.”
“That’s what I thought.”

“Carlos—what’s genocide?”

they won’t let you hear the truth at school
if that person says “fuck”
can’t even talk about “fuck”
even though a third of your senior class
is pregnant.

I can’t teach an 18-year-old girl in a public school
how to use a condom that will save her life
and that of the orphan she will be forced
to give to the foster care system—
“Carlos, how many 13-year-olds do you know that are HIV-positive?”

“Honestly, none. But I do visit a shelter every Monday and talk with
six 12-year-old girls with diagnosed AIDS.”
while 4th graders three blocks away give little boys blowjobs during recess
I met an 11-year-old gang member in the Bronx who carries
a semi-automatic weapon to study hall so he can make it home
and you want me to censor my language

“Carlos, what’s genocide?”

your books leave out Emmett Till and Medgar Evers
call themselves “World History” and don’t mention
King Leopold or diamond mines
call themselves “Politics in the Modern World”
and don’t mention Apartheid

“Carlos, what’s genocide?”

you wonder why children hide in adult bodies
lie under light-color-eyed contact lenses
learn to fetishize the size of their asses
and simultaneously hate their lips
my students thought Che Guevara was a rapper
from East Harlem
still think my Mumia t-shirt is of Bob Marley
how can literacy not include Phyllis Wheatley?
schools were built in the shadows of ghosts
filtered through incest and grinding teeth
molded under veils of extravagant ritual

“Carlos, what’s genocide?”

“Roselyn, how old was she? Cuántos años tuvo tu madre cuando se murió?”

“My mother had 32 years when she died. Ella era bellísima.”

…what’s genocide?

they’ve moved from sterilizing “Boriqua” women
injecting indigenous sisters with Hepatitis B,
now they just kill mothers with silent poison
stain their loyalty and love into veins and suffocate them

…what’s genocide?

Ridwan’s father hung himself
in the box because he thought his son
was ashamed of him

…what’s genocide?

Maureen’s mother gave her
skin lightening cream
the day before she started the 6th grade

…what’s genocide?

she carves straight lines into her
beautiful brown thighs so she can remember
what it feels like to heal

…what’s genocide?
…what’s genocide?

“Carlos, what’s genocide?”

“Luz, this…
this right here…

is genocide.”

- Carlos Andrés Gómez

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1d0IYd/community.livejournal.com/greatpoets/2868543.html

Sea Lullaby

The old moon is tarnished

With smoke of the flood,

The dead leaves are varnished

With colour like blood,

A treacherous smiler

With teeth white as milk,

A savage beguiler

In sheathings of silk,

The sea creeps to pillage,

She leaps on her prey;

A child of the village

Was murdered today.

She came up to meet him

In a smooth golden cloak,

She choked him and beat him

To death, for a joke.

Her bright locks were tangled,

She shouted for joy,

With one hand she strangled

A strong little boy.

Now in silence she lingers

Beside him all night

To wash her long fingers

In silvery light.

Elinor Wylie

"Ring around the Rosy

Pocket full of Posy

Ashes, Ashes,

We all Fall Down"

http://www.scaryplace.com/ringaround.html

ANARCHY
Ever reviled, accursed, ne'er understood,
Thou art the grisly terror of our age.
"Wreck of all order," cry the multitude,
"Art thou, and war and murder's endless rage."
O, let them cry. To them that ne'er have striven
The truth that lies behind a word to find,
To them the word's right meaning was not given.
They shall continue blind among the blind.
But thou, O word, so clear, so strong, so pure,
Thou sayest all which I for goal have taken.
I give thee to the future! Thine secure
When each at least unto himself shall waken.
Comes it in sunshine? In the tempest's thrill?
I cannot tell--but it the earth shall see!
I am an Anarchist! Wherefore I will
Not rule, and also ruled I will not be!

JOHN HENRY MACKAY

"Excuse me while I kiss the sky." Jimi Hendrix

How can you be FOR killing someone who never 

had the chance to live but AGAINST grown men 

and women WILLINGLY fighting for their country?

The destruction of life should not be defined 

as the sole act of harming those around you, 

but also those who are inside of you.     

Yours Truly; your pro-life advocate... 

"Hell" Explained by a Chemistry Student

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid term. The answer by one student was so profound that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well:

"Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?"

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student however, wrote the following...

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today.

Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So, which is it???

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, 'It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you,' and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting 'Oh my God.'

THIS STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4VwCkN/www.sickjokes.net/index.php/cat18/hell_explained_by_a_chemistry_student

DULCE ET DECORUM EST

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped. Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas!Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime. . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud 
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest 
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.

                                                        --Wilfred Owen

To take us away from the outside world,

let us enjoy the humour that Pinky and the Brain

have to offer; proving that old cartoons are better!

The beautiful Sistine Chapel, painted by famous artists 

such as Michelangelo, Raphael and Bernini

www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

A couple of days ago, my geography teacher showed us a short documentary/film about Corporations and I decided to feature a short clip from the film in this blog, just to open some eyes and raise awareness about the blind eye of society. A major company was associated with the worst genocide record in the history of the world; The Holocaust. How does a large company remain a large company with a giant elephant in the room, not to mention the millions dead partially on their behalf? Please watch this six minute clip and sympathize for the millions and sympathize for the future because these are the types of companies and corporations that run our every day lives... 

Everyone you know now, was once a stranger... 

"Silence is a war crime."

Silence kills slowly,

fight against the silence; 

raise your voice

and make a fuss, just in case

they come after your race...

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1kpcQm/www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/3G6auL/kottke.org/10/12/abbey-sidewalk

Before I die, I want to walk along Abbey Road... 

By: Ross Gardiner

The Egg

Author’s Note: I wrote this some time ago and posted it here. Later on, someone posted the entirety of the text to 4chan without my name, and then reddit posted an image of that page. Somewhere along the way the authorship got lost in the shuffle. So to be clear: Yes, I wrote this. No, it’s not a repost from somewhere else. This page is the original source.

The Egg

By: Andy Weir

You were on your way home when you died.

It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.

And that’s when you met me.

“What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?”

“You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.

“There was a… a truck and it was skidding…”

“Yup,” I said.

“I… I died?”

“Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said.

You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?”

“More or less,” I said.

“Are you god?” You asked.

“Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.”

“My kids… my wife,” you said.

“What about them?”

“Will they be all right?”

“That’s what I like to see,” I said. “You just died and your main concern is for your family. That’s good stuff right there.”

You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn’t look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “They’ll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn’t have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it’s any consolation, she’ll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.”

“Oh,” you said. “So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?”

“Neither,” I said. “You’ll be reincarnated.”

“Ah,” you said. “So the Hindus were right,”

“All religions are right in their own way,” I said. “Walk with me.”

You followed along as we strode through the void. “Where are we going?”

“Nowhere in particular,” I said. “It’s just nice to walk while we talk.”

“So what’s the point, then?” You asked. “When I get reborn, I’ll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won’t matter.”

“Not so!” I said. “You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don’t remember them right now.”

I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It’s like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it’s hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had.

“You’ve been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you’d start remembering everything. But there’s no point to doing that between each life.”

“How many times have I been reincarnated, then?”

“Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to lots of different lives.” I said. “This time around, you’ll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD.”

“Wait, what?” You stammered. “You’re sending me back in time?”

“Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from.”

“Where you come from?” You said.

“Oh sure,” I explained “I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you’ll want to know what it’s like there, but honestly you wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh,” you said, a little let down. “But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.”

“Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don’t even know it’s happening.”

“So what’s the point of it all?”

“Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously? You’re asking me for the meaning of life? Isn’t that a little stereotypical?”

“Well it’s a reasonable question,” you persisted.

I looked you in the eye. “The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.”

“You mean mankind? You want us to mature?”

“No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect.”

“Just me? What about everyone else?”

“There is no one else,” I said. “In this universe, there’s just you and me.”

You stared blankly at me. “But all the people on earth…”

“All you. Different incarnations of you.”

“Wait. I’m everyone!?”

“Now you’re getting it,” I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.

“I’m every human being who ever lived?”

“Or who will ever live, yes.”

“I’m Abraham Lincoln?”

“And you’re John Wilkes Booth, too,” I added.

“I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled.

“And you’re the millions he killed.”

“I’m Jesus?”

“And you’re everyone who followed him.”

You fell silent.

“Every time you victimized someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”

You thought for a long time.

“Why?” You asked me. “Why do all this?”

“Because someday, you will become like me. Because that’s what you are. You’re one of my kind. You’re my child.”

“Whoa,” you said, incredulous. “You mean I’m a god?”

“No. Not yet. You’re a fetus. You’re still growing. Once you’ve lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.”

“So the whole universe,” you said, “it’s just…”

“An egg.” I answered. “Now it’s time for you to move on to your next life.”

And I sent you on your way.

 http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2Y71nX/www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg.html