smoothness

Eddie Harris/Les McCann...doing what they do.

Thu, May 15, 2008  Permanent link

love, light & melody

My friend Brian spends most of his time traveling and taking incredible photos of surfers in their various habitats around the world from Senegal, Japan, and New Hampshire to The Antarctic. This year he'll reach his goal; seeing all 7 continents by his thirtieth birthday. Somewhere along the way in his globe trotting mission to capture the spirit of surf, a tendril of deeper purpose has grown. Through organizations such as Surf Aid, Brian has volunteered to help children with malaria & AIDS as well as supporting those affected by the Tsunami of 2004.

His recent mission, however, resonated in a way he had not previously experienced. He went to Nicaragua with Love Light & Melody; "a nonprofit organization dedicated to battling the physical, emotional, and spiritual affects of extreme poverty." They spend time with families who work and live in landfills. Under extreme circumstances of impoverishment the dump is a last resort for resources and food. Children live amongst syringes, bio-hazard, jet fuel, decaying animals and are subjected to toxins from methane fueled fires that burn constantly.

Love Light and Melody are "committed to becoming expert on the life and culture inside the dump, identifying and meeting the immediate physical needs, raising awareness about and fighting social injustice, and using music and the arts to rebuild, restore, and bring healing to communities ravaged by extreme poverty."

For more information and photo documentation:

 http://lovelightandmelody.org/ 

Wed, Mar 12, 2008  Permanent link

"We live together, we act on, and react to, one another; but always and in all circumstances we are by ourselves. The martyrs go hand in hand into the arena; they are crucified alone. Embraced, the lovers desperately try to fuse their insulated ecstasies into a single self-transcendence; in vain.


By its very nature every embodied spirit is doomed to suffer and enjoy in solitude. Sensations, feelings, insights, fancies- all these are private and, except through symbols and at second hand, incommunicable. We can pool informations about experiences, but never the experiences themselves. From family to nation , every human group is a society of island universes."

Aldous Huxley

Tue, Feb 26, 2008  Permanent link

the ZENN car

Zero Emissions No Noise...and you can fit 12 cases of beer in the back.

I'm proud to be a Canadian.





and more here.

Wed, Jan 9, 2008  Permanent link

Sound Representation

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5. London Symphony Orchestra. For a comprehensive experience check out the full length.

I was first introduced to The Emperor Concerto while watching the film version of Kurt Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron'. A science fiction short story based on the idea of an egalitarian society achieved by handicapping the talented, strong and beautiful people. The 'Handicapper General' reminisces of a time in the world when superior talent such as Beethoven's freely existed.

I think this piece is one of many musical expressions that represent the depth and complexity of our species. It's beautiful, brave, regretful, triumphant, and sad all at the same time. Much like humanity.

Mon, Dec 17, 2007  Permanent link

Nurture Nature

“Our gardens need native plants to support a diverse and balanced food web essential to all sustainable ecosystems. Plants are the fundamental source of energy for all terrestrial creatures. Insects transfer the most energy from plants to animals.” Douglas W. Tallamy

My friend Lucas is an avid conservationist. This past season he planted milkweed in his yard, providing the enriched environment necessary to delicately raise 75 Monarchs from egg to butterfly. His photo documentation is a beautiful example of how we can contribute to bio diversity.














...finally, tagged and ready for flight to wintering grounds in Central Mexico. More amazing info on our friends.

Wed, Nov 28, 2007  Permanent link
Categories: conservation, ecology

Scyphozoa

Ceramic jellyfish by Toronto based artists Alissa Coe and Carly Waito

Sat, Nov 24, 2007  Permanent link

Welcome to Who-Ville

A lovely little book is about to make it to the big screen.

Dr. Seuss's 'Horton Hears A Who' is about an elephant named Horton who is shocked to find that a speck of dust, which he has happened upon, is trying to communicate with him. What Horton discovers is that this speck of dust is actually a microscopic society called 'Who-Ville'. The inhabitants are of such minuscule proportions that our protagonist cannot even see them, however he can hear them. The Whos enlist Horton as their protector and he gladly obliges, standing guard for his vulnerable new friends. His vigilance does not go unnoticed by the other animals in Horton's jungle and as a result, he is ridiculed and even put in grave danger because no one else can hear the Whos that he so strongly believes in.

Horton urges the Whos to make their presence be known by taking a stance and rallying all the members of Who-Ville so that their collective voice will be heard, which in the end they are greatly successful at.

I love the simple metaphors in this story; You're never too small or insignificant. Be open to the possibility of a whole other world existing just around the corner.

Sat, Nov 24, 2007  Permanent link

Scoresby Sund

At 17 miles long Scoresby, on the east coast of Greenland, is the longest fjord in the world.

Mon, Nov 19, 2007  Permanent link

Birth Of A Galaxy

Max Ernst 1969

Wed, Oct 24, 2007  Permanent link