"Spaceship Earth"?

Ever heard the Earth referred to as, "Spaceship Earth"?

Buckminster Fuller

It is not known for sure who coined the term "Spaceship Earth," but it was popularized by American inventor and environmentalist Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983). The term implies that Earth, like a spaceship, is vulnerable and self-contained, and must be kept in good working condition. Fuller wrote that "we have not been seeing our Spaceship Earth as an integrally designed machine which to be persistently successful must be comprehended and serviced in total."

I first heard the phase from Donovan on his album, Essence to Essence. Side one had the song, "Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth" – 3:28 minutes.

Spaceship Earth is a world view term usually expressing concern over the use of limited resources available on Earth and the behavior of everyone on it to act as a harmonious crew working toward the greater good.
It may have been derived from a passage in Henry George's best known work, Progress and Poverty (1879). From book IV, chapter 2:

It is a well-provisioned ship, this on which we sail through space. If the bread and beef above decks seem to grow scarce, we but open a hatch and there is a new supply, of which before we never dreamed. And very great command over the services of others comes to those who as the hatches are opened are permitted to say, "This is mine!"

David Deutsch also speaks on this at TED.

I believe it is important to start (long passed this time actually) to look at the Earth, as a one country planet. Because, it is. We are a one country planet, with many factions trying hard to living independently and deluding themselves and one another, to think that this is indeed the case. It's not.

So, Wake Up., People!

Think of yourselves as living in fish bowl and where someone else, shits, someone else, eats, breathes, procreates and dies and that death has to do with waste, and the little death, which is our polluting our world, all of which is still in the fish bowl for others to (again), eat, breathe, etc.

Wake up.

Weekend Wise Words

Be Brilliant in all things you do.

"Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work." - Gustave Flaubert

"The greatest literary influence upon Kafka was Flaubert's. Flaubert who loathed pretty-pretty prose would have applauded Kafka's attitude towards his tool. Kafka liked to draw his terms from the language of law and science, giving them a kind of ironic precision, with no intrusion of the author's private sentiments; this was exactly Flaubert's method through which he achieved a singular poetic effect." - Vladimir Nabokov ("Lolita") as discussed in his famous lecture series.

"Anything becomes interesting if you look at it long enough." - Gustave Flaubert

Life must be a constant education; one must learn everything, from speaking to dying. - Gustave Flaubert
 
Love is a springtime plant that perfumes everything with its hope, even the ruins to which it clings.
 
Nothing is more humiliating than to see idiots succeed in enterprises we have failed in.
 
Of all lies, art is the least untrue.

One arrives at style only with atrocious effort, with fanatical and devoted stubbornness.

The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.

The most glorious moments in your life are not the so-called days of success, but rather those days when out of dejection and despair you feel rise in you a challenge to life, and the promise of future accomplishments. 

Larry Lessig on Law Strangling Creativity

This, is one of the most important talks I've heard, that directly relates to our daily life and our kids. Because at the end he explains how we are making our kids and our artists in many cases, illegal in ways that make them understand life as living always somewhat outside the law. We can't stop creativity, we can only make it illegal.

Larry Lessig

If you don't want to listen to the whole talk, go to 9 mins in. It's pretty funny. However, after that first anime, if you are Chistian or don't find Jesus being utilized in any way other than serious, as objectionable, just don't go past the anime at 9 mins.

You should take a few minutes and watch the entire video, it's very informative and relevant. But for now, here is his summation:

"It is technology that has made them different, and as we see what this technology can do we need to recognize you can't kill the instinct the technology produces; we can only criminalize it. We can't stop our kids from using it; we can only drive it underground. We can't make our kids passive again; we can only make them, quote, "pirates." And is that good? We live in this weird time, it's kind of age of prohibitions, where in many areas of our life, we live life constantly against the law. Ordinary people live life against the law, and that's what I -- we -- are doing to our kids. They live life knowing they live it against the law. That realization is extraordinarily corrosive, extraordinarily corrupting. And in a democracy we ought to be able to do better. "

Larry Lessig at TED talking on Law Strangling Creativity.

Is religion child abuse?

"Is religion child abuse?", someone asked the other day.

No, I don't really think religion is intrinsically child abuse.

However....

I definitely think it lends itself, by design, to allow it. And in some situations, to even demand it.

Abraham attempting to kill his son, Isaac.

Interesting how all protrayals of this show an Angel 

stopping Abraham, thus glossing over the fact that a crazy

old man was going to kill his son, for God. God used to be such a hoot.

You see, it is a philosophy for a way of life for those who are needful of such things and who are without a type of enlightenment that would not find it, unnecessary. And because of that, and considering there are never enough rules to cover all situations appropriately, it leads its followers into making incorrect actions at times and also, it supports paranormal  beliefs in such things as to hold people back from rational thought, to expect action or consideration from without oneself, rather than from within oneself.

Which is always an unsafe way to proceed. If you always only expect help from within and without external support, when no support is reasonable, available, or offered, there is nothing less to your considered action or plan.

If however you allow an external expectation, in the larger external considerations in life, you can theoretically, go further, do more, and exceed even your own limitations and expectations. The trouble there is if you come to depend upon it, or expect it to help you in some way. If you decide an action upon a consideration of external expectation, but not upon an expectation for external help, you can do the work of the extraordinary.

It is inherent in Human nature, to require a belief in something bigger than the self. Yet, to believe in more than only the self, is questionable at best and destructive at worst.

Confused?

As soon as Humans were able to think rationally, it was only partially rational. We did not suddenly become aware and high functioning, that came with time, evolution, or at least, if you don't buy evolution, through development. The functional part became rational, for the things that were observable, were attainable. I see a fruit, I grab it, I eat it.

But those unobservable or unattainable things, then brought para-rational thought. It was needed and practiced. And thus was born the paranormal, the spiritual, and the non-corporeal, supernormal, thought.

From that could only come one thing, that there would have to be generally acceptable understandings among the group, of what these thoughts were. Rules would then have to be applied; un-agreed upon at first. Rules would have to be standardized, and that would have lead to self-importance and later, ritual. Which leads to generational acceptance and incorporation; assimilation to the core of the group.

Communicating to other groups would show disintegration in the common understanding and rigidity would have to be enforced. Enforcement would not work, so ultimate enforcement would then be needed and from that, the importance of the thoughts to be believed would be made more grandiose; by design and necessity.

This would be cyclical and lead to the harshest of punishments for disregarding the codified rules. All this would lead to a deepening of all elements involved in the original thought (the original sin); that being, that rational thought would be applied to irrational observations and imagined synthesis of misperceived observances.

This would lead to... religion. Because of what religion therefore is based upon, it would have to lead sooner or later to incorrectly applied actions, and since they are at least once removed, reactions. This would then have to lead to the ultimate punishments being meted out for the misperceived slights against the greatest and highest principle in the creation of this form of thought, that being, God or GodHead. Again we would run into the different groups, the different Gods, the different expectations, and two groups, adamantly opposed where the ultimate punishment would have to be brought to use. There is also in that, the fear of the unknown, the unknown group, the cohesiveness to the group against all others, the world, the fears from without.

Due to environment, totally autonomous religions would evolve and when two of these contact one another, it would be obvious that only bad could come of it, unless the religion were either based entirely or mostly in reality or rationality, or they were designed in such a way that they were extremely tolerant. But this form of development does not lend itself well to tolerance by initial and ungoverned design. Because these ways of thinking, are based in survival and that has to do with life or death, so these thoughts too, would have to lead to life or death.

So basically, any religion becomes a questionable pursuit as one has to, too far and too frequently, ignore the tenets of one's own religion, merely to make it functional or, to "please" one's GodHead, in order to follow the beliefs; yet also in order to be able to survive from day to day, and not be killed by outsiders finding you extremely annoying, or come to grow inured to your religious beliefs, thereby finding it necessary to pick and choose whatever you liked from the core belief, simply so you can live with it and yourself, with the core belief existing in a book, scroll or some other unalterable form or medium (which could be word of mouth down through the ages).

In the creation of some solid state reference (Bible, Quaran, etc.) you have then opened up another avenue for discontent and argument on context, meaning and requirements, that would lead to factions going off on tangents (Opus Dei, Muslim terrorists, etc.). In an attempt to make it rock solid and unarguable, you have put it down in a form that allows for interpretation according to linguistic variations, living language differences and twisting words to your own devices and ends.

All of which is why I liked Buddhism when I first leaned of it. This isn't an article on pushing Buddhism. I'm just saying it worked for me.

It too has many of the ritualistic elements. But I find to pick what makes the most sense from it and live life to live life with the Buddha Dharma as guide, works very well. Buddha having said, to paraphrase, "think". You are supposed to use your mind, know what is wrong, or right. The Tibetan Buddhists monks have, as part of their development, debate as an integral part of becoming Enlightened. Critical thought, is a major component. Sad that this has been warped in places by organized religious paradigms. But if you can stand aside and "see", you can see where these paths lead the wrong direction and avoid them.

And so, my long time contention that organized religion is intrinsically, bad. I would alter that now to say that for the masses, for the uneducated and ignorant, it can be helpful. Up to a point. But one needs to know when to shed off the childish and move on to an adult understanding of the Universe.

So, is religion child abuse? No, not intentionally. I don't think so. But it lends itself to the possibility. You've heard how power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Religion, is power. The ultimate power over Humans. Always has been. Those in charge have done great and horrible things. Imams have asked for Jihads, for murder. Catholic Priests have abused children as we know now; stories of babies buried beneath nunneries from Nuns impregnated by Priests in the middle ages are no longer hidden horrors. Yes, religion has done good. But does it outweigh the bad? Honestly? That will never be known.

Ritual, as in music, acting, sports, or anything, is there to get you up off the ground floor. But at some point, hopefully, you are above that. Even if you want to argue you still need ritual (push up, weight training, etc.) to maintain what you've achieved, you need to ramp that up to a higher understanding and level, to a more professional level possibly. But you don't keep doing the basics you did in grade school, if you want to make it to the Olympics. You'd have no chance of even getting picked for the team.

Think about it.

4/20 Cannibis day of the year

Today is April 20th, better known as 4/20. People celebrate today in issues related to Cannabis (Marijuana, Pot, weed, hemp, whatever you like to call it).

Panorama of the 2010 420 cannabis event at University of Colorado at Boulder.

Some background from Wikipedia:

420, 4:20 or 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) refers to consumption of cannabis and, by extension, a way to identify oneself with cannabis subculture. The notable day for these is April 20. (Not to be confused with J-Day, an international protest held on the first Saturday of May.)

April 20 (4/20 in U.S. date notation) has evolved into a counterculture holiday, where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis. Some events have a political nature to them, advocating for the decriminalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States.

The term was allegedly coined by a group of teenagers in San Rafael, California in 1971. Calling themselves the Waldos, because "their chosen hang-out spot was a wall outside the school," the group first used the term in connection to a fall 1971 plan to search for an abandoned cannabis crop that they had learned about. The Waldos designated the Louis Pasteur statue on the grounds of San Rafael High School as their meeting place, and 4:20 p.m. as their meeting time. The Waldos referred to this plan with the phrase "4:20 Louis". Multiple failed attempts to find the crop eventually shortened their phrase to simply "4:20", which ultimately evolved into a codeword the teens used to mean pot-smoking in general.



High Times Creative Director Steven Hager was the first person to track down the Waldos and publish their account of the origins of the term. Hager wrote "Are You Stoner Smart or Stoner Stupid?" (October 1998) in which he called for 4:20 p.m. to be the socially accepted hour of the day to consume cannabis. "I believe 420 is a ritualization of cannabis use that holds deep meaning for our subculture," wrote Hager. "It also points us in a direction for the responsible use of cannabis."

So, better late than never, here's an update from the Marijuana Policy Project:

Here’s a quick snapshot of MPP’s legislative accomplishments in just the past week — and how your donations actually change marijuana laws. Would you please donate today, so that we can maintain this legislative juggernaut?

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA — Mayor Vincent Gray announced that he will issue final regulations to implement the local D.C. medical marijuana law. As a result, five establishments will soon start selling marijuana to patients within a couple miles of Capitol Hill.

MARYLAND — The Maryland Legislature is about to pass MPP’s bill to remove the threat of conviction for patients who prove in court that their marijuana use was medical in nature. Aides of Gov. Martin O’Malley have said publicly he would sign our bill.

VERMONT — The Vermont Senate passed MPP’s bill to authorize four dispensaries. The bill is highly likely to pass the House and be signed by Gov. Pete Shumlin, who MPP helped elect this past November.

COLORADO — We just drafted a ballot initiative to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol in Colorado. Assuming we can raise the money that’s needed for the signature drive this year, we’ll place this initiative on the November 2012 ballot.

ARIZONA — The head of the state health department spoke at MPP’s training forums in Tucson and Phoenix for entrepreneurs who are thinking about opening medical marijuana dispensaries in Arizona.

NEW JERSEY — The state health department announced the six organizations that will be growing and selling medical marijuana to patients in New Jersey.

MAINE — Eight dispensaries have received permits to sell marijuana to patients in Maine.

Because of MPP’s dues-paying members, we’re making progress and changing laws. The government spends more money waging the drug war in one hour than MPP spends on its entire agenda in a full year, so ...

WASHINGTON — Earlier this week, the Washington House of Representatives passed SB 5073 – a bill that would require the Departments of Health and Agriculture to license medical marijuana dispensaries, producers, and processors. It came to light that the U.S. Attorneys for Eastern and Western Washington, Michael Ormsby and Jenny Durkan, told Governor Chris Gregoire the federal government could go after state-regulated providers if the bill becomes law. People are emailing Gov. Gregoire, asking her to stand up for Washingtonians by signing this bill despite the saber rattling of these rouge USAs.

The Obama administration has made it clear: the Justice Department should “not prosecute individuals who are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws." In accordance with this policy directive, the U.S. Attorneys in states with medical marijuana laws that clearly allow for regulated medical marijuana dispensaries – Colorado, New Mexico, Maine, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Arizona, and Washington, D.C. – have neither cracked down on dispensaries, nor have they threatened to do so. Why should Washington be any different? Gov. Gregoire should sign this bill into law and give Washington patients what they want and need – safe, reliable access to their medicine.    

Gov. Gregoire’s communities have called for regulation and control. Many are asking her to deliver by signing SB 5073.  

Sincerely,

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

Harry Dresden's Jim Butcher

I just posted a clip to "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night" to my facebook page. I watched the clip and noticed that the guy drives a Volkswagen.

He is a paranormal investigator of sorts, not searching for ghosts, but helping clients that are from the paranormal realm, werewolves, vampires, etc., etc. But something seemed familiar about him and seeing his car snapped my brain awake.

Jim Butcher created the character "Harry Dresden" in a story he wrote for a writing class. This grew into The Dresden Files book series and later a TV show.

Jim's teacher told it was good, continued on with it, got it published and from then on, has produced very entertaining works. The first novel, well, not so great, but it had that nugget of billiance that he has played out ever since. In the audio books, they are read by actor/musician, James Marsters, who is brilliant at doing the readings and has pretty much spoiled me for listening to any other reader's efforts. James also played a favorite character of mine on Torchwood, another short lived series. I can usually tell if I will like some TV show by how long it doesn't last in production. Joss Whedon's Firefly series comes to mind.

Jim has other novel series out there (Codex Alera series; and Darkest Hour, a Spider-Man novel; oookay....), which I haven't read and don't really care about, although, I probably would like them and will eventually most likely get to them (not real sure about the Spidey novel though).

Jim's wife, Shannon, also has a series of books out, but I haven't read those either.

"The Dresden Files" was also a short lived, single season on TV some years ago and I enjoyed them, but they weren't as good at the books. Their one great offer was the guy in the skull, Bob, a fictional character in the book series, which is portrayed brilliantly in my opinion, by actor, Terrence Mann.

 Terrance Mann

Jim as a FAQ. Paul Blackthorn as Dresden was also very good.

 (From left to right) 

Paul Blackthorne, Valerie Cruz, Terrence Mann,

Conrad Coates: the main cast of The Dresden Files

"In the world of The Dresden Files, magic is real, along with vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, and other mythical monsters. Harry Dresden works to protect the general public, who are ignorant of magic and the dark forces conspiring against them. This makes it difficult for Harry to get by as a working wizard and private eye. The Chicago PD's Special Investigation unit, when led by Karrin Murphy, regularly employs Dresden as a consultant to help solve cases of a supernatural nature." - Wikipedia

It's not just the character, or the plot that makes this series interesting, it's also the Universe Jim has created, Harry's offset humor is also a big part of it. Something about this ongoing story (there's currently fourteen books), has captured my attention, and that's not that easy to do.

I can only say, check it out and make up your own mind. But I have always thought it was one of the sadly best kept secrets around.

Diane J. Savino: The case for same-sex marriage

I find this so distasteful. that people will worry so much about what their neighbors are doing, that they take it to court, they fight in congress over it, that I worry for the future of our country. I've grown up hearing all this nonsense, all my life: "if blacks get the vote, they'll take over the country, then what will happen?" Okay, well, blacks had already had the vote. But you could plug any agenda item into that and any ethnicity. And same sex marriage is just one more. Fear, ignorance, selfishness (I have, so you can't), it's just the same old bigotry all over again. But we call it based in religion and everyone has to kowtow and back away.

If you want marriage to be a man and a woman, fine, marry an opposite sex partner. I did. In fact, I liked it so many times, I didn't it three and a half times, in my life. But if your neighbor wants to marry someone of the same gender, just how is that your business? 

This is, or used to be, America. We have the right to pursuit of happiness. Remember that concept? It's in the Declaration of Independence. This isn't the Constitution, I'll grant you, but it is the statement, the declaration of what the heart of this nation is meant to be. Or, do you think the Founding Father's should simply be ignored because our country's principles don't add up to what makes you feel comfortable. We were based upon the concept that people that made other governments uncomfortable, would be allowed to live here in freedom and with a lack of persecution. So deal with it. Show some tolerance, or move back to a Middle Eastern Fundamentalist Terrorist country. It's part of what bothers me about the Cradle of Civilization desert religions (Jewish, Catholic/Christian, Islam), religions that in practice, seem to be too intolerant to be allowed to continue in a modern world.

The pursuit of happiness is not supposed to be at the pain of others, but for you to mind your own damn business and seek YOUR bliss. This has nothing to do with stopping someone else from seeking THEIR bliss in life. And if YOUR bliss, is seeking to take someone else's bliss away, then you need a new hobby, mate.

Hours before New York lawmakers rejected a key marriage equality bill (38-24), State Senator Diane J. Savino made the passionate case for a government that recognizes and administers same-sex marriages. Here's her fresh, thought-provoking perspective on one of the most contentious issues in US culture, religion and government.

Diane Savino represents the 23rd Senate District in the New York State Senate.
This week's NPR article:

Republicans Mount Defense Of Anti-Gay Marriage Law

by Carrie Johnson

Lambda Gay and Lesbian Wedding site