Le Ballon Rouge by Albert Lamorisse (1956)

Image courtesy of ISO

christmas playlist.

1. Ceremony - New Order

2. Mexican Mavis- Boy & Bear

3. Dance Dance Dance- Lykke Li

4. You're A Animal- Jonathan Boulet

5. My Girls- Animal Collective

Now, I realised earlier when I was playing this that none of these songs are related to Christmas in any way. And so, I was I forced to introduce the following number to this playlist.

6. Last Christmas- Wham

universal glitter.

Extreme Star Cluster

A curiosity that I’ve held for a long time concerns outer space and extra-terrestrial life. The universe in all its glorifying grandness seems to be one of the few subjects that scientists and astrobiologists are still uncertain of and still making discoveries about. (Note that by extra-terrestrial life, this could mean merely biological activity on other planets and not necessarily tall, lanky, walking creatures with bug eyes.) This subject is received with scepticism, disbelief and ignorance by many, but, reality is that it is very probable that extra-terrestrial life exists.

My personal belief is that there is, without a doubt in my mind, intelligent life existing on planets that humans have not discovered, and may not ever develop the advanced technology needed to discover it. Is there not the possibility that in the infinite universes enveloping infinite planet systems within which there are clusters of galaxies, black holes and supernova, star nebulae, there is at least one planet other than ours that has developed intelligence and life? What seems completely impossible to me is the idea that this earth is the only planet with life in all space. This ideology seems superficial and obnoxious of the human race, to think their existence is the only advanced life in this or any other universe. I figure human existence on this earth to be a mere speck in the universe, and an infinitely tiny molecule when considering the possibility of plural and infinite universes. 

The discovery of extra-terrestrial life would have a profound implication on societies all around the world. It would question religious, cultural and scientific beliefs, and have a social, economical and political impact on each and every society. It would be a stupefying, flabbergasting, stupendously massive discovery for people to learn of proven life on other planets and it is unconcievable to think how the human race would respond to this kind of news. If your next Facebook notification was of discovery by NASA or some other astronomical/govermental institution of confirmed extra-terrestrial life, how would you respond? A bewildering statement by Gen. Douglas MacArthur that, 

"...the next war will be an interplanetary war. The nations of the earth must someday make a common front against attack by people from other planets. The politics of the future will be cosmic, or interplanetary."

It would be lovely to imagine that contact with extra-terrestrials would be friendly and non-invasive, but what would result and what severe repercussions would it hold for the human race if this is not the case?

Butterfly emerges from stellar demise

Also, what if extra-terrestrial life has already been discovered and the information has not been released by various astronomical and government societies to the public due to the chaos and sense of panic it would cause? Could you imagine if E.T. was not based on fiction, but based on fact that has been covered up and made into a multi-billion dollar franchise? There have been so many personal accounts  of people having witnessed a UFO or some kind of unidentified life form. How much of it is real and how much not? Although, I have to say, I highly doubt that if other life was discovered, it would have two arms, two legs, one head with two eyes, a mouth and a nose and able to walk upright. It’s probable but to me, highly unlikely, that extra-terrestrial life would have any resemblance to humans unless the other planet is somehow very similar to earth in its bacterial and chemical compositions.

Dust clouds in Milky Way

Until humanity can develop the technology to answer these profound questions, (or until a spaceship lands smack bang in the middle of a major city like New York and practically shouts out its foreign existence), our little planet will continue to live in its lonely existence and the people in it continue in their happy, ignorant, peaceful lives. One day, though (perhaps), the innate curiosity of humans will pay off and such discoveries on extra-terrestrial life will be made, to either the demise or advancement of human existence.

Images courtesy of ESA/Hubble

Illustration by Johan Thornqvist.This Swedish illustrator draws imaginary cities over real life photography.

 

painting by Brett Manning.

wolf pack.

today's playlist

1. Kaleidoscope Heart, Sara Bareilles

2. Kind of Anything, Sara Bareilles

3. Breathe Me, Sia

4. A Star Is Born, John Butler Trio

5. Rome, Phoenix

6. Fake Empire, The National

7. Time To Wander, Gypsy & The Cat
8. Lost In The Moment, Daniel Lee Kendall

five percent.

"They say a man can change his personality- the basic essence of who or what he is- by five percent. Five percent: the total change any one of us s capable of.

At first it sounds trivial. Five percent, what's that? A fingernail paring. But consider the vastness of the human psyche and that number aquires real weight. Think five percent of the Earth's total landmass, five percent of the known universe. Millions of square acres, billions of light years. Consider how a change of five percent could alter anyone. Imagine dominoes lined in neat straigth rows, the world of possibilities set in motion at a touch.

Five percent: everything changes. Five percent: a whole new person.

Considered in these terms, five percent really means something.

Considered in these terms, five percent is colossal."

-Craig Davidson, The Fighter

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Marianne Williamson

dreamy

1. Shape Shiftr

2. & 3. American Gold

A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.
-Oscar Wilde

one love, one belief?

The idea of one single religion for all of mankind with no sectarian limits, a religion with only one set of dogmas, ceremonies and beliefs, is illogical and unattainable. Even now, choose any existing  community defined by a particular religion (be it a Christian community or a Hindu community, etc) are there not stories and situations where individuals defy the religion set upon them by social upbringing and release themselves from the rules? Or individuals that mindlessly and unfaithfully participate in appropriate cermonies and follow the religous dogma without really believing? Human nature is to percieve and explore other possibilities than the present and if we always have this innate quality, we will always have numerous belief systems.

the cove

"The Cove" is a documentary that I watched yesterday that follows the journey of lobbyists, activists and filmmakers as they attempt to delve deeper into a cove in Taiji, Japan to discover the answers to: what is going on behind these rock walls and imposing Japanese guardsmen? where are the dolphins being taken? why are you being so protective and guarded? and what have you got to hide?

This documentary really questions your beliefs on animal rights. What makes one creature more worthy of being alive than another?  Who is allowed to determine, evaluate, and possibly, terminate, the progress of life for any fellow creature on this planet? My personal view is that the intelligence of any animals other than humans is seemingly always, always, assumed to be inferior to that of humans, and this basic assumption is what gives a person an excuse to think it is okay and socially acceptable to terminate the life of another living creature on this planet.

Also, why is there such a strong outcry when people are confronted with news of whale killing in Japan but livestock are being killed every minute for mass consumption by the same people? Perhaps the general society (i.e. the majority of the population that are exposed only to the media and their own social upbringing) is not given enough information about the origin of their meat and poultry and hence remain ignorant of the procedures taken in harvesting and producing a plastic-wrapped and labelled product conveniently placed on the shelf at their local supermarket. If more people were allowed to decide which meat they should buy, not on the basis of comparitive prices or quality, but on the pure basis of origin of the animal and killing procedure used to harvest the meat, then the suffering and unjust killing of animals would be greatly reduced. (Of course, this also raises the question of what is a socially just way of killing an animal.)

The root of this problem of animal rights lies in the complex nature of human beings and their selective empathies towards other living beings. If man is allowed such intelligence and high self-awareness of himself and his relative phsyical and spiritual position to other beings, should he not also be  designated responsibility for keeping his actions limited in such a way as to cause the least harm, pain and suffering to other creatures on this planet? There is not, and there never will be, enough knowledge on the degree of intelligence of other animals and every living creature on this planet should be allowed the same degree of respect and compassionate as fellow humans of similar intelligence.

In my opinion, the most harmless and harmonious way to live on this planet is peasant style in autonomous societies, where animals are killed  and plants harvested only as needed by each individual society. Of course, this seems impossible given the increasing consumerism needs of individuals (including me) that requires continuous, perhaps unnecessary, procurement of animals, minerals and plants to satisfy the housing, clothing and leisure needs of society.

Curiouser & Curiouser!

 

i got distracted.

Intricate paintings by Japanese artist Saeko Takagi on http://www.lifelounge.com/

neverending.

my playlist for today's neverending study:

1. Woods by Bon Iver
2. Bloodbuzz Ohio by The National
3. Settle Down by Kimbra
4. Easy to Love by Jezabels
5. Heavy in Your Arms by Florence and the Machine
6. Afraid of Everyone by The National
7. Beach Baby by Bon Iver
8. To Darkness/Kripa by Mumford and Sons
9. Avril 14th by Aphex Twin