Today the Governor of the State of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, visited my place of work amidst a protest consisting of teachers, nurses, and other union activists who are upset about his proposals. I made a video clip of the protest with my digital camera and have attached it to this entry.
Whenever I try to analyze a situation or a perception, I inevitably return to my initial assumptions and question why things are considered right or wrong, or how subject and object are differentiated. After consideration, it becomes apparent that all qualifications and symbologies are relative; we ascribe meaning independently, and it is impossible to correlate two experiences.
For example, the color I call "green" has a certain effect on me: after photons vibrating in that particular range of frequencies excite sensors in my eyes, specific neurons in my retinas fire the "
I'm watching a fish in my aquarium picking up rocks with his mouth, swimming a few inches away, and then depositing the pebble. He is making a space for himself, defining the dimensions of his habitat. You may ask, "How does this relate to anything?" The same way everything relates to everything. Pick any subject, and I'll tell you how it connects to that fish. "What about cosmology?", you may offer.
A NYTimes essay about a newly drafted logarithmic map of our entire known cosmology reminded me about a paradox of our existence. Each of us is insignificant in terms of magnitude, yet significant in terms of position as the center of our personal universe. The essayist writes:
That is one of the lessons of Einstein's theory of relativity. Because light travels at a finite speed, to look out is to look back.
Yesterday I stood in line to get good seats for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and it was completely worth the wait. Tremendous vistas lend timeless grandeur to every scene, and I could feel my mind's eye recognize the land that Tolkien described and I traveled to in my imagination in the final chapter of the tale of the Ring. Minas Tirith stands strong like the bones of mountains, while Minas Morgul and the Vale glow with sickness and insane despair.
Last night I watched Whale Rider on DVD and I really loved it. It was adapted from a novel about a Maori girl named Paikea in New Zealand whose tribal community is disintegrating due to the encroachment of modern society and the lack of leadership from her harsh grandfather who is a chief without a male heir. Interweaving traditional Maori art and culture, breathtaking views of the New Zealand coast, and a mystical story about grabbing your destiny and never letting go, Whale Rider is a meaningful and beautiful film that deserves viewing.
My friend has a page of Free Gift Ideas for the 2003 Holidays that are oriented for those of us who are sickened by the rampant commercialism of the season. There are many opportunities for creative recycling this time of year: for example, re-use last year’s gift bags and remember to save packaging for next year, and make ornaments out of dead lightbulbs by painting them and attaching a hanger. Try to remember that the most important gift is your love.
this is my prayer
to live simply
to not seek that which i do not need
to recognize god in every face i see
and to always be the change i wish to see in the world
sunshine
The disconnect between print, television and internet news has grown increasingly evident lately. For years, only profit-engendering news was deemed worthy of space on the paper that once grew as trees in our forests or the airwaves that belong to us all. Now that we've got a medium that hasn't been thoroughly corrupted by greed yet, independent sites like Buzzflash, Truthout, Alternet, and Common Dreams are publishing items that become huge scandals months down the line on traditional news sources.