Best of Bollywood...?

Now you tell me how this cannot make you smile:)

Love is Gonna Save Us!

The Jon Frum Movement

The Jon Frum movement appeared for the first time in the 1940s in the New Hebrideans. At that time some 300,000 American troops established themselves in the New Hebrides. The islanders were impressed both by the egalitarianism of the Americans and their obvious wealth and power. This led them to conflate perceived benefactors such as Uncle Sam, Santa Claus and John the Baptist into a mythic figure called John Frum, who would empower the island peoples by giving them cargo wealth. The power of Jon Frum appeared to be confirmed by the post-war influx of tourists to the region, who brought with them a degree of material prosperity to the islands. The movement was involved in the quest for independence in 1980 and continues today.

At the heart of the movement is a mythic messianic figure called Jon Frum, who allegedly appeared on the island of Tanna and who is variously identified as a god who lives in the crater of Tanna's highest mountain with his several thousand strong army or the 'king of America'. Jon Frum day is celebrated annually on 15 February; it is believed that Jon Frum will return on this day, bringing with him the cargo from heaven that westerners are selfishly diverting for themselves.

The most sacred symbol of the Jon Frum movement is a red cross. On Jon Frum day prayers and flowers are offered at the cross. In addition to this members involve themselves in a flag raising ceremony and a miltary parade in which they carry rifles made of bamboo.


Click for more on Jon

Dubai Dreaming

Only eleven more days until my birthday...I would be excited but it is Dubai that I am really looking forward to in twenty days. 

Checklist:

passport

camera

good book

money

desert shoes

wallet

bible

Mental Checklist:

21

freedom

wits

courage

language

Livin' in the TARDrix

As I exit this humble dream of idealism I join reality with a red jaded eye on the all my past transgressions. Could the tumultuous maze of my emotions really be so predictable that I can know my anxious mornings and lonely nights even months in advance. So far have I come and yet so far can I fall from you my God whose comfort sooths like like a million raindrops on my cold tin roof. My companions who leave with me are the fools of old who know not what your judgement could drown them in. Their hearts crumble with the crusty flakes of pity that settle under the couch until we all move out.
I leave them at their games as you take me further into your world of understanding.
Whose pulse is beating in this skin?
Whose eyes moist and dreary glean your radiance from the early sun?
A sun so fast it makes me dizzy to stand upon reality.
A symbol for peace could be a dove, a white flag, a wave, starry night, moon, dancing bridge, red tunnel, green sweater, party pants, severe mercy, dead sheep, cold shoulder, last kiss, and maybe even love.
A symbol for love could be a.......
Your love is like no other though! No other could love me as you do. BROKEN and RAW I come crawling to your resting place.
The West is no longer the best for me anymore...could I ever have imagined anything else.

I am a wordy man with wordy thoughts that lean to lengths that no longer allow me to sleep at night.....@#&%*.

How can I become more simple?

Across the Universe

Just saw Across the Universe last night and I can't get it out of my head...so much great Beatles music put to such stunning visuals and passionate choreography. I hope to see it again soon....

Beware though that there is definately some crazy LSD scenes so I would advise you to put on your seatbelts before you see this particular film.

Fly Emirates

My brother and I just recently perchased our tickets to go do Dubai for this Christmas and New Year. This will be our first trip to the UAE and to make it even more memorable we got tickets to fly part of the way there on the exclusive Emirates Airline....it's going to be a very good Christmas.

Arrested Development

Perhaps the funniest show to enter television, Arrested Development aired on FOX just long enough to gain a huge cult following and then be cancelled three sessions later due manly to foxes stupidity at not recognizing the best show they've ever had. The show’s narration was done by none other than Ron Howard (who also is a credited producer) and one of the series’ directors even included Jay Chandrasekhar of the comedy group broken lizard who also helmed such “classics” as Super Troopers and Beerfest. If anyone has not checked out this show before, then I strongly suggest that you give it a look…it could be one of the best things that you ever do!

Real Live Mexican Burros

Take a look at this wonderful magazine advertisement from the late '50s. Spencer gifts was selling REAL LIVE MEXICAN BURROS by mail.

Almost makes you want to live back in the fifties...click on the image for an easier read.

Click here for more on the Burros:)

Axis of Evil Legos

Now on sale are a series of Lego-like plastic figurines of leaders who have made a lot of people miserable. The Saddam Hussein doll glows in the dark to indicate his posthumous status (my personal Favorite).


The Axis of Evil set is a limited edition box of 5” rotocast collectibles, featuring everyone’s favorite cast of current political icons: Osama bin Laden, Tony Blair, Kim Jong-il, George “W” Bush, and Saddam Hussein. The dolls have 7 points of articulation and come packed together in a flip open window door box.

The series is found here if you want to grab it for someone special:)

Sungazing

Hira Ratan Manek (born September 12, 1937) claims that since June 18th, 1995, he has lived exclusively on water, and occasional tea, coffee, and buttermilk. He says sunlight is the key to his health, citing the Jainist Tirthankara Mahavira, ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Native Americans as his inspiration.

Three extended periods of his fasting have been under observed control of scientific and medical teams. The first lasted 211 days in 1995-96 in Kolkata, India under the direction of Dr. C. K. Ramachandran. The second lasted 411 days in 2000-2001 in Ahmedabad, India under the direction of a 21 member team of medical doctors and scientists led by Dr. Sudhir Shah and Dr. K. K. Shah, the acting President of the Indian Medical Association. Dr. Sudhir Shah won an award for his synopsis. The third study lasted 130 days in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Thomas Jefferson University and University of Pennsylvania under the direction of Dr. Andrew Newberg and Dr. George Brenard.

The Solar Healing Center (which was started by Manek) is focused on helping humanity to develop a better understanding of how the sun can be used to heal the mind, body and spirit and as a result of sungazing obtain better physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

Sonnet 66

Tired with all these for restful death I cry, 

As to behold desert a beggar born, 

And needy nothing trimmed in jollity, 

And purest faith unhappily forsworn, 

And gilded honour shamefully misplaced, 

And maiden virtue rudely strumpeted, 

And right perfection wrongfully disgraced, 

And strength by limping sway disabled 

And art made tongue-tied by authority,
And folly (doctor-like) controlling skill, 

And simple truth miscalled simplicity, 

And captive good attending captain ill. 

Tired with all these, from these would I be gone, 

Save that to die, I leave my love alone. 



-William Shakespeare

Journey Through Blue

This photo is one of the BBC winners in their annual photo contest. It was taken by Kingshuk Chakravarty and is rightly titled "A journey through blue into a forest." This is the kind of photo that makes me want to take up film making again...it will always be an interest of mine to present something to an audiance that is so beautifully preserved that it creates emotion just by existing! Oh how envious beauty is...the trick is not stare;)

Health Risk

This sign warning residents of the South Sudan capital Juba of the dangers of war wins the prize for stating the obvious.

Spoon

This new Spoon CD is deffinatly the soundtrack for the day...good music yet somewhat repetitive. I enjoy this band a lot and I think that they have taken some risks with this album according to their choice of rythems. After buying it yesterday though and listening to it all the way through I think that their older stuff might be better. Maybe I just need to let it grow.

We'll see!

Burj Dubai

July 21, 2007: The world has recieved a new global landmark....on this day the Burj Dubai in the UAE has reached 1,680 ft making it the tallest building on earth! It has just streached over the Taipai 101 which at 1,667 held the record before. But the irony is that the Burj Dubai is only at its begining...the final height and nuber of storeys has not yet even been reveiled to the public and is a topic of much debate among media and experts alike.

Technorati claims another victim

Technorati Profile

Corrupted Youth

"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."

-Friedrich Nietzsche, The Dawn, Sec. 297
German philosopher (1844 - 1900)

Surely Neitzsche has a point...obviously he was a Godless man that had a lot of issues about the whole Christianity thing, but Christians and Athiests should take this into further consideration. When judging the ideas of other men shouldn't we learn how to teach not by telling someone how it is, but instead by actually explaining issues and letting the learner come to his or her own conclusion once pressented with the altering perspectives. I hope to perhaps teach my children this way so that they can believe without so much wondering! I think that this is the problem with a lot of our education today...and Plato might agree:)

Eden Found

There is a theory that the Garden of Eden was located at where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers enter the Persian Gulf. A Dr. Juris Zarins, of Southwest Missouri State University, has spent years working out his own hypothesis that the Garden of Eden lies presently under the waters of the Persian Gulf and was flooded thousands of years ago. Dr. Zarins started his theory with the biblical account and then added the unfolding archaeology of Saudi Arabia where he has spent most of his field time. In his search he has consulted the sciences of geology, hydrology, and linguistics from a handful of brilliant 20-century scholars and finally from Space Age technology in the form of LANDSAT space images.

I found this information facinating while reading an article on it at Idolphin.org. Although I am guessing that any information on this biblical account will be taken with a grain of salt no matter what the findings I counldn't help but get excited at the possiblility of locating such an important spot in history!

CFR

I have placed a link for the Council on Foreign Relations' web site so as to share it with anyone who reads these posts. I have found it to be one of the best nonpartisan political resources on current foreign politics and situations. They make understanding these complex issues a priority and push for action from both the public and private sector. Check out the site at http://www.cfr.org/

The Death of Kevin Carter

This picture was taken by South African photojournalist Kevin Carter and won a pulitzer for the dramatic nature of the photograph. Carter was critisized by the public when it became known that he had done nothing to help the child after the picture was taken. Haunted by the horrific images from the Sudan, Carter committed suicide in 1994 soon after receiving the award. I believe that there is a documentary coming out about his personal story.

True Revolutionary

“Let me say, at the risk of seeming ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love.”
-Ernesto “Che” Guevera

Although I disagree with many of Ernie's later tactics I must admit that I am in awe of what one man can do to change the world if he really believes what he is fighting for....and to think that we all have that hidden potential to become something more!

Last of the Gunslingers

Today is the release of the 7th and final Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born comic book! Stephen King fans and comic nerds alike will go nuts....thankfully I have already secured my copy;)

Long Days and Pleasent Nights

Invisible Cities

"The inferno of the living is not something that will be; if there is one, it is what is already here, the inferno where we live every day, that we form by being together. There are two ways to escape suffering it. The first is easy for many: accept the inferno and become such a part of it that you can no longer see it. The second is risky and demands constant vigilance and apprehension: seek and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of the inferno, are not inferno, then make them endure, give them space."

- Italo Calvino

Peace

I don't know if peace is really just as easy as sticking a flower in your gun, but it works well as an art work!

One Blogg Closer to being Blogged out

My first blogg ever actually.....I'll tell you how it feels later!