A Voice from the Future

Dear All,

Please listen to this voice from the future speaking about The Four Laws of Creation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-EZiN-EVnM

If you would like to learn more about Bashar - and his medium, Darryl Anka - please click on the following links:

Waking Universe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyNwxRMgJbY

Official Website for Bashar:
http://bashar.org

Please comment on anything you find worth sharing in this context :)

Thank you!

gudrun

Image from: http://www.wholejoy.com/wholeness/bashar.html

Animals and Human Animals

Dear All,

In recent years, humans have become increasingly aware of the similarities that exist between the consciousness and behaviour of non-human animals and their own.
Consequences of this awareness are:

• a growing realization that the way humans have been exploiting and torturing animals for economic gain (e.g. food, clothing, research, entertainment, etc) is inhumane and criminal
• a stronger demand for basic animal rights
• an increasing interest in researching animal consciousness and behaviour.

Please have a look at the following websites:

Article about Animal Consciousness:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21528836.200-animals-are-conscious-and-should-be-treated-as-such.html#.UphNVqXfK0s

Cambridge Declaration of Consciousness:
http://fcmconference.org/img/CambridgeDeclarationOnConsciousness.pdf

Conference about Animal Consciousness:
http://fcmconference.org


3 TED Talks about Animal Consciousness:

bonobos (apes) not only understand spoken English but are able to learn  to communicate in writing:
Susan Savage-Rumbaugh: The Gentle Genius of Bonobos (TED)
http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_savage_rumbaugh_on_apes_that_write.html?quote=113

dolphins who think, talk, are creative, conscious, and aware:
Diana Reiss: Thinking Dolphins (TED)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0FiM50Uhzc

whales and dolphins who communicate by sound:
Peter Tyack: the Intriguing Sounds of Marine Mammals (TED)
http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_tyack_the_intriguing_sound_of_marine_mammals.html

… and:
Einstein, the Talking Parrot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbrTOcUnjNY

Also really interesting: the Animal Communicator:
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/11936/The-Animal-Communicator

Please share your thoughts about this topic with the rest of us!

Thank you,

gudrun

Image from: http://teamcarterlces.com/Plants_and_Animals.htm

Do the Math - the Movie

Hi All,

Please watch the movie Do the Math and share your response and insights - as well as action plans and/or suggestions should you have any -  in a comment.

Here the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3glP5azwfiE

If you would like to find more about Bill McKibben and the 350.Org, please check out the following websites:

Bill McKibben:
http://www.billmckibben.com

350.Org:
http://350.org

Thank you!

gudrun

Annie Leonard's The Story of Stuff Project

Hi All,

Please watch Annie Leonard's very short but excellent The Story of Stuff (in particular if you are NOT familiar with it) as well as the sequels The Story of Change and The Story of Solutions - and think about all three videos.

Links:

The Story of Stuff Project (webpage):
http://storyofstuff.org

Info Videos:

The Story of Stuff:
http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/

The Story of Change: 
http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-change/

The Story of Solutions: 
http://storyofstuff.org/movies/the-story-of-solutions/


If you find them informative, please check out Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff Project website, which includes links to several more videos that are also highly enlightening, among them:

The Story of Bottled Water:
http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-bottled-water/

The Story of Cosmetics:
http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-cosmetics/

The Story of Electronics:
http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-electronics/

Feel free to comment on any of these videos - or share your own thoughts about the topic(s) raised.

Thank you!

gudrun

Poems by Rumi

Hi All,

I wanted to invite you to read one (or more) of Mewlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi's poems. You can find quite a few at the following - non-academic :) - site: http://www.poemhunter.com/mewlana-jalaluddin-rumi/poems/?a=a&search=&l=3&y=0

Rumi wrote his poems in the 13th century - but his ideas are still (or perhaps, again) of great importance  today. The original poems are in Persian. So what we are reading are only translations. However, I think they are still quite powerful, and I hope you will enjoy them!

Please comment on one (or two) of the poems that you find particularly interesting….

If you are not familiar with Rumi and his time, please click on the following link for a brief introduction: http://www.iranreview.org/content/Documents/Mowlana_Poet_of_Life_s_Dance.htm


Thank you!

gudrun

Image from: http://www.iranreview.org/content/Documents/Mowlana_Poet_of_Life_s_Dance.htm

Science and Reality

Perhaps those of you who are studying Science are all aware of this, but for someone with an arts and humanities background, the new scientific discoveries have been simply fascinating.

I am posting links to a few clips by Brian Greene that are very accessible to non-scientists like me :) and hope you will enjoy them and comment on them.

Thank you,

Gudrun

Here the links:

The Elegant Universe (3 parts):

part 1: Einstein's Dream
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV_X2B5OK1I&list=PL4BC5759C1947F2B9&index=1

part 2: Strings the Thing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9giLn5UiJw&list=PL4BC5759C1947F2B9

part 3: Welcome to the 11th Dimension
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36tGKrWY4QE&list=PL4BC5759C1947F2B9


The Fabric of the Cosmos:

1. What Is Space?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iZ1-csQFUA&list=PL4BC5759C1947F2B9

2. The Illusion of Time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqzgYRBlslw&list=PL4BC5759C1947F2B9

3. Quantum Leap:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGhQmNZhlqw&list=PL4BC5759C1947F2B9

4. Universe or Multiverse?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag0U65NkxrI&list=PL4BC5759C1947F2B9


Please also check out Brian Greene's website and read some of the articles etc: http://www.briangreene.org

image from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Science-symbol.png

Poetry Alive!

Hi All,

More opportunity to play: please share your poetic creations here!

Have fun!

Gudrun

Story Time!

If you feel like writing a story (or sharing one that you have written already), here some space. If you have never written a story, just start out by doing a bit of freewriting - and then edit what you have come up with. It might turn into a story all by itself….

Alternatively, you can record yourself when you are telling a story and then post the link.

I am looking forward to your stories….

gudrun

Getting Inspired: Looking at Some Organizations & Projects that Work on Changing the World

Dear All,

Please have a look at some of the websites below and see what you can learn from them for your own project of creating a better world….

Here the links:

Greenpeace:
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/

PETA:
http://www.peta.org/about/default.aspx

Sierra Club:
http://www.sierraclub.org

Humane Society:
https://www.humanesociety.com

World Wildlife Fund:
http://worldwildlife.org/initiatives

Rainforest Action Network:
http://www.ran.org

Story of Stuff Project:
http://storyofstuff.org/about/

350.Org:
http://350.org/mission

Global Oneness Project:
http://www.globalonenessproject.org/about-project

David Suzuki Foundation:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/about/

Center for Biological Diversity:
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/about/index.html

Liberation BC:
http://liberationbc.org/projects

Earthsave Canada:
http://www.earthsave.ca/mission

Vancouver Animal Rights Campaigns:
http://vancouveranimalrightscampaigns.wordpress.com

Be the Change:
http://www.bethechangeearthalliance.org

Peace One Day:
http://peaceoneday.org

The Hunger Project:
http://www.thp.org/who_we_are

Amnesty International:
http://www.amnesty.ca

Oxfam:
http://www.oxfamamerica.org

CARE:
http://care.ca/about-us/mission-vision

Doctors without Borders:
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/aboutus/activities.cfm?ref=main-menu-ourwork

UNICEF:
http://www.unicef.org

Habitat for Humanity:
http://www.habitat.org

United for a Fair Economy:
http://www.faireconomy.org

Peace Action:
http://www.peace-action.org

NAACP:
http://www.naacp.org

WILPF:
http://wilpfus.org

Union of Concerned Scientists:
http://www.ucsusa.org

UNESCO:
http://en.unesco.org/about-us/introducing-unesco

… and there are more.

Please share some of your newly gained insights!

Thank you,

gudrun

Creating a Perfect World - Your Projects & Presentations

Dear All,

Please share your vision of the perfect world here - and think about how to create it in reality!

gudrun

Academic and Literary Writing

Please read the two articles about time (links below). The first one is an academic article, the second one a general interest/ literary article (you could classify it as either).

Then compare the STRUCTURE and STYLE (tone, syntax, vocabulary, etc) of the two articles with each other. 

When you are done, try to imitate writing the BEGINNING of an essay in both of these styles (maybe the first 3 or 4 paragraphs for each).

You can choose one of the following topics for your two essay beginnings:

1) Gender Stereotypes

    (you also have Margaret Atwood's "The Female Body" as a literary model for this topic)

2) Identity 

    (you could use Langston Hughes's "Theme for English B" as another excellent literary example)

Here the links to the two articles about time:

Academic:

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/spacetime-bebecome/

General Interest/Literary:

http://www.spunk.org/library/writers/woodcock/sp001734.html