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Poetry

Thomas — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:10:35 +0000

Sleep, Sarah, Sleep Soundly

Halfway to the moon
neither earth nor
stars appear large,
neither earth nor
stars seem small.

Halfway is where we
decide to keep on
or turn back; decisions
cannot wait, forever
seems seconds (too) soon.

Halfway to the moon
I wait for consensual
affirmations. Child in
back sleeps dreamily
and Sarah recants silently.

Halfway to the moon
Sarah and me and child
turn ‘round, heading home.
Stars dim, earth grows.

Halfway back to earth
Sarah grows weary.
Sleep, Sarah, sleep, my
focus remains constant;
we'll make it home and
sleep safely, dreaming
of a large moon and stars,
till old age deems otherwise,
here on this large earth under
small stars whenever this
western hemisphere turns dark.

Space Debris

Sebastian Alvarez — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:07:51 +0000

Debris objects in low-Earth orbit (LEO)

We are so cool! We are the only planet with floating junk in the solar system, and probably in the entire universe.

"Between the launch of Sputnik on 4 October 1957 and 1 January 2008, approximately 4600 launches have placed some 6000 satellites into orbit, of which about 400 are travelling beyond geostationary orbit or on interplanetary trajectories.

Today, it is estimated that only 800 satellites are operational - roughly 45 percent of these are both close and far from the earth (Low-Earth Orbit and GEO). Space debris comprise the ever-increasing amount of inactive space hardware in orbit around the Earth as well as fragments of spacecraft that have broken up, exploded or otherwise become abandoned. About 50 percent of all traceable objects are due to in-orbit explosion events (about 200) or collision events (less than 10)."

For bigger images and more information go to ESA (European Space Agency)

Objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) - view over the North Pole

Green Earth Design

Sebastian Alvarez — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:50:35 +0000

‘Green Earth’, a brand new international design competition. Calling all design professionals, students and enthusiasts, Green Earth is looking for graphic artwork that raises awareness of the environmental issues affecting the planet and provokes positive change.

There are two categories to which you can enter your work in the Green Earth competition. The first is Green: Create a graphic artwork that illustrates the environmental protection and how human beings and nature could coexist in a greener world. The second category is Earth: Give the gift of a greener world at Christmas. Create a graphic artwork that will make this festive time of the year a moment to consider what we can do to help our planet’s survival.

More information on GREEN DESIGN

Is this humanity?

vishesh — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:48:23 +0000

Is this humanity?
While very few see the day as bright,
a lot more can't even cry,because of their plight.
try as they might,
they cannot keep on with the fight.

Whose fault is it that they were born?
whose fault is it that whatever they do is wrong?
Whose fault is it that by seeing them we say we have lost?
whose fault is it that they exist,even though they are ignored?
Why will good spirits,bring happy times,
when just to live,you have to engage in crimes.

For what?
All for currency,
something called money.
let it be called yen,rupee,dollar or pound,
let it be measured in kilos,grams or pounds,
it seems that we will be at peace
filled with harmony,
if lust had never been exchanged for money.

Why did we push a few,
why did we say with contentment
"the strongest survive"?
Why,why did we do that which we wish we had never done?
Why did we ask for this,to be so?
Why are we the ones to inherit a planet in strife,
why,why who gave us this life?

whatever maybe,while we think that out,
let us not leave our fellows out.
No religion can stop you,if you will,
no caste can stop you if you will,
nothing for that matter can stop you,
just get out and do what you have to do,
no don't kill them,
for after all resources are capital in disguise
and if we invest ,our wealth too will rise.

So go and save a few,
if you can, say "the world is for you too",
but if that is tough,
just don't get rough,
live and let live,
but the best is to
change the world with your will.

About the sky

vishesh — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:39:25 +0000

Well well what do i write?i was supposed to write about something i forgot.i am supposed to write a script for a street play,now seriously i need to do a lot of drain munching for it,i mean "price rise" might be current,but then it is going to take a lot of brain storming to come with something.Anyway,the script can wait,i am in no mood to write scripts,the maths exam on Tuesday,i haunting me.Anyway that too is that,i have to write something,anything.It should make sense shouldn't it? After all i am accused of writing posts which make either no sense or too much of it.I am trying to strike the balance,between writing sense and nonsense.So for today let us go after the sky.yes so till the end of this post,all of you are wondering at the sky.

So what does the sky tell you?

It is an infinite blanket,seemingly never ending ,changing as much as the weather and earth can afford.It has many secrets you see and like you i too am a ardent observer of it.It takes a long to appreciate it ,for it so huge,so humongous that it would take your brain some sky mapping to plot it.I have always wondered,why the sky is dotted with clouds.These things called clouds,travel across this infinite being,purposeless yet purposeful .i wonder why they move,above me.Don't they ever want to visit the planes and see? maybe thats why they rain.Now back to the phantasmagoria of the ever profound yet shallow sky.Now he is always something special.he is really really deep,so deep that at night i can see the stars.i wonder what they are?Science gives us explanations but is it how they are really? I mean are the reality?and the sky too and the clouds too are they the reality?

It is easier to relate to the sky as he is close by :) whereas these stars are so far away,that sometimes i wonder,am i also too far away from everything around me?Now even this computer feels strange,really really strange.I am about a feet away from the screen,yet if i close my eyes and think,it can be miles away.So are the clouds,sky and stars a waking dream? So we just see them,they exist,we exist?What about the ever radiant sun?Is he too just a lustrous illusion?All that shines is not light? No i am trying to maintain a balance so ,let me see....how can i make too much of sense when i have made very little of it?

close your eyes(after reading this para) and think of your life till now.Just think back.Take you time,savor the moments of joy,think of those bad days and laugh them off after that think about the sun,the sky and the stars and the clouds.What do you see?( now close your eyes now,don't say you don't have time,if you don't you won't be reading this ).

Now that you have thought about them,tell me what do you see?I have been putting up photos of late,it was nice reading all you answers.i learnt a few things from those answers,like each one has a different view about life.No it is not that i didn't know that before,but it ascertained that fact.Now i ask you again,so tell me truthfully after reviewing your life,what do the sky,the sun,the starts and the clouds represent for you ?I cannot complete the post because i don't know what you think about it...so i leave to you to complete this post...

The Earth Is A Tiny Speck In A Large Universe. So Let's Dance!

alntv — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:47:41 +0000

My wife and I were talking last night. It was one of those really deep talks where you get into every possible issue. Religion. Money. The economy. Our world today. I'm unhappy with the state our world is in right now. Nothing new there. I tend to think everyone has a gripe with something, right? But as we chatted, my mind got wandering and I have a question...why is it that we live on this tiny rock and we can't get along? I mean, think of it in this way...the Earth is but one small planet in a universe so large than we can't even fathom it. If there is a God (and that is up to you to decide how you feel about such things), do you honestly believe that he/she/it has time to concentrate solely on us? What about the other gazillion planets that are out there? God has to be watching and caring for them as well, right? So God leaves us to our own devices and says "Here ya go! Make good out of it!" and what do we do? We screw it up. I'm not one to brow beat humanity, but it seems like we've missed the point somewhere.

Seeing stories like the one from Minneapolis or the one from the New York hospital or any of the news stories about the wars happening all over the world...it's all so petty. Stripped bare, aren't we all just skin and bones? If we are all made of the same thing, what is it in our brains that makes us think that we are so much better than the other? I used ants as an example last night. Seriously, if we were smart, we would consider the ant a little more because ants know what their place is. Ants work together as a unit to get things done. Granted, there's not much free will in the ant community. Probably not a whole lot of creative thought. No Michealangelo's in the group. However, the way they go about their business should be commended. Could we, humanity as a whole, ever get to the point where we just worked in unison to better our ant hill known as Earth? When you think of it in that perspective, doesn't it get a little bit clearer?

We only have this ONE planet. We only have this ONE life. As much as scientists would like us to think that we could go inhabit another world, I have to imagine that will not happen anytime within my lifetime...or probably my kids' lifetime. We are stuck here with no where to go. So why do we hate one another so much? Is it money? Because that is all useless once you're gone. Is it power? Because all the power you have is useless once you are gone. Is it anger? Because all your anger is going to do is destroy your spirit...and that will be gone as well. Nothing is forever, so why do we spend so much time fighting and arguing and bickering and tearing each other down. I don't understand. Can anyone answer these questions?

Anyway, my wife introduced me to a guy who likes to dance. She's actually never met him, but he has a website on ye ol' world wide web and it's a place you should definately visit. His name is Matt. He likes to dance. And he likes to dance in every continent, every state, every uncharted territory in the world. It really is amazing watching this video. Usually I am not smitten by this sort of thing, but something about it made me smile. And it was a big smile...not one of those half-assed, "sorta smiling because my wife thinks this is cool but it's really not" sort of things. This is really cool. Check it out! And be nice to one another. Life is too short and the world is too small for us to be hating one another. And now...let's watch Matt dance...

Volcanic Eruptions May Have Wiped Out Ocean Life 94 Million Years Ago

Mike Strife — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:00:22 +0000

Undersea volcanic activity triggered a mass extinction of marine life and buried a thick mat of organic matter on the sea floor about 93 million years ago, which became a major source of oil, according to a new study.

"It certainly caused an extinction of several species in the marine environment," said University of Alberta Earth and Atmospheric Science researcher Steven Turgeon. "It wasn't as big as what killed off the dinosaurs, but it was what we call an extreme event in the Earth's history, something that doesn't happen very often."

U of A scientists Turgeon and Robert Creaser say the lava fountains that erupted altered the chemistry of the sea and possibly of the atmosphere.

"Of the big five mass extinctions in the Earth's history, most of them were some kind of impact with the planet's surface," said Turgeon. "This one is completely Earth-bound, it's strictly a natural phenomenon."

Turgeon and Creaser found specific isotope levels of the element osmium, an indicator of volcanism in seawater, in black shale-rocks containing high amounts of organic matter-drilled off the coast of South America and in the mountains of central Italy.

"Because the climate was so warm back than, the oceanic current was very sluggish and it initially buffered this magmatic pulse, but eventually it all went haywire," said Turgeon. "The oxygen was driven from the ocean and all the organic matter accumulated on the bottom of the sea bed, and now we have these nice, big, black shale deposits worldwide, source rocks for the petroleum we have today."

According to their research, the eruptions preceded the mass extinction by a geological blink of the eye. The event occurred within 23 thousand years of the extinction and the underwater volcanic eruption had two consequences: first, nutrients were released, which allowed mass feeding and growth of plants and animals. When these organisms died, their decomposition and fall towards the sea floor caused further oxygen depletion, thereby compounding the effects of the volcanic eruption and release of clouds of carbon dioxide in to the oceans and atmosphere. The result was a global oceanic anoxic event, where the ocean is completely depleted of oxygen. Anoxic events-while extremely rare-occur in periods of very warm climate and a raise in carbon dioxide levels, which means that this research could not only help prove a mass-extinction theory, but also help scientists studying the effects of global warming.

An odd side-effect of the mass extinction, the result of the anoxic event caused as an indirect result of the underwater volcanic eruptions, was that temperatures and carbon dioxide levels on the Earth's surface actually dropped.

"Organic matter that's decaying returns components like carbon and CO₂ to the atmosphere," said Turgeon. "But this event locked them up at the bottom of the ocean, turning them into oil, drawing down the CO₂ levels of the ocean and the atmosphere."

After 10,000-50,000 years, the carbon dioxide levels rose again. "Business as usual," said Turgeon, adding that this might hold a warning for organic life on the planet today, he said.

"There's a bit of an analogy for what's going on today," he said. "What happens if we pump more CO₂into the atmosphere? This tells me that the oceans maybe have limited buffering capacity for CO₂ ."

Let Us Be Aware of Earth: 2 Ecology Movies to Watch

emrick — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:34:27 +0000

If you didn't see An Inconvenient Truth, you really should. There is another movie opening up the sam subject in another way, The 11th Hour. Both these movies illustrate our alarming times, where we have to relearn how to live and respect our biological origin: Earth. We must save and conserve energy. We gather our minds and think of how we can save our home, our children , our friends, our communities, by an ecological awareness. It is an important point to consider and keep in mind. If we keep this in mind, we can reverse the adverse effects of Nature, who is showing in her own ways, that we must think "green" and love her and take care of her. Let us talk about it regularly with our children, our families, and our friends.

Peace and Happiness

Our Ruined Earth

amzolt — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:34:59 +0000

My focus today is what's wrong in Our Family's Home . . .

From the Environment Section of AlterNet:

Why Our Food Waste May Be Our Greatest Asset
Composting is key to reducing waste costs, cutting global warming emissions, and increasing urban food security.

Time to Face the Hard Realities of a Global Energy Crisis
America needs a comprehensive plan to deal with post-peak oil -- and that is going to involve some serious long-term thinking.

Get Ready for the Post-SUV World!
SUVs and big pickups are waddling off into the sunset, leaving Americans with no more excuses for the nation's profligate oil use.

Global Warming's Twin Evil: Wildfires and Drought
The 850 fires burning in California alone should be a wake up call that we're unprepared for rapid climate change.

All this and much more on AlterNet's Site . . .

And, absorb this wonderful, educational, and surprising video: "Solving" climate change from David Keith.

What's driven our Family to this Crisis?

What can we actually do?

How much of the Crisis is manageable?

What needs to occur in political circles to make change actually happen?

Why in the world, considering that the environmental problem was already a concern in the 1950's, have we let it get this bad?

Will prayer help?

Will war help? ( That's a trick question. Just seeing if you're paying attention... ;-) )

What in the World can We DO !?!

I'd Love to see your thoughts and feelings in the comments . . .

Today's quote is from ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT: Statement to the first substantive session of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED):

"The principle of the unity of mankind naturally implies the need for world peace and security. The World Commission on Environment and Development observed in its report that world peace and security are central to sustainable development. The Bahá'í International Community agrees that as long as the specter of war continues to dominate international relations, the well-being of the human race and the environment will continue to erode. It is the Bahá'í view that the root cause of all war and injustice is the failure to recognize the fundamental oneness of the human race. Acceptance of the principle of oneness will induce the willingness to uncover and permanently resolve all other causes for conflict. Indeed, it must be the foundation for any serious attempt to find ways of living in harmony with our environment and each other."
Bahá'í International Community, 1990 Aug 06, Environment Development

Please leave your thoughts and feelings in the Comments !

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Praise #67

Brother Pete — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:10:58 +0000

the dazzle of a million colors,

the brightening of a dim soul

a flickering bulb

jounced to perfection

O Lord of Lords

Thou has flicked on

my dusted lamp

waves of truth

bouncing upwards

on the dark path

in the twilit purple

rolled escapees from the Gray Dread

tumble into the brilliance

Thy boundless energy

douses even the light-soaked

harp-men

illuminating all

in shades of the divine city

unimaginable to an eye

unaccustomed to

that which is not dark

Concursos de fotografía 2008 en España

Joseba Etxebarria — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:51:30 +0000

Si pinchas en este enlace http://www.1arte.com/concursos.php?estilo=5 podrás ver los diferentes concursos de fotografía que hay en España hasta el día 31 de diciembre de 2008. Suerte!!!

En Bizkaia

Joseba Etxebarria — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:31:54 +0000

Mientras espero que llegue el día 30 para regresar a Coníl de la Frontera (Cádiz) me encuentro caminando por la costa de bizkaia hasta el próximo miércoles día 23.

Space is a Mess

Nathaniel Lord — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:50:39 +0000

Just a little post on the Discovery Blog showing how messy the space around Earth is. Kind of sad that we've polluted up there too.

Eat your heart out mail man/lady.

pearrrl — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:42:17 +0000

I go to my mailbox and see that its flooded. Oooh maybe I got a letter or two. Not quite. Hah, what a cruel joke mailman. Bills and junk mail reign king over the tiny metal box in my foyer. Damn you for getting me every time. Damn you.

I go to bed waiting impatiently. I wake up and wait impatiently. I look out the window every few minutes. AND NOTHING. I’m not crazy, I’m waiting for the mail. Junk mail to be exact. I long for every morning to come so I can look through the mindless advertisements and offers being pushed at me, only to dump them in the trash a mere five seconds after they’ve been placed in my mailbox.

I highly doubt that this is your morning routine. Does your day revolve around the ads being put into your mailbox? Well Beth Ringdahl, creator of the Red Dot Campaign, is trying to put a stop to the excessive amount of paper junk mail that’s taking up room for some serious bills.

The breakdown of her message is to encourage everyone to make a conscious effort to halt the production of unnecessary junk mail. The process is simple. The astonishing fact is that it’s been available for over TEN YEARS! A spokesperson for Canada Post, Lillian Au, claims Canada Post has been spreading the word since it’s development of the process in ‘97. She also added that all of the extra campaigning on Ringdahl’s part is unnecessary.

Hmm… that must be why only two percent of Canadians participate in the Red Dot Process. It makes sense that we all love receiving junk mail. But you never know, some people may ONLY get junk mail. So why should I be pushing to take away this perk to life? I know I look forward to ruffle through the pile of fliers, credit card offers and whatever other white noise efforts companies are trying to sell me that day. Yea right.

If you want to help cease this extra waste from being produced in the first place, then check out the RED DOT CAMPAIGN. All you need to do is download the form, fill it out, and then place it in your mailbox. Afterwards put a little sign that states, “No un-addressed mail please”, on your mail box or slot.

This works because Canada Post audits the red dots in the postal codes in your city. Once they recognize that enough people are saying no to junk mail, they relay that information back to the companies responsible for printing off all those ads. In response, the companies print off less advertising for those areas.

I tried it and it took five entire minutes. I mean I could’ve creeped on a couple of facebook profiles in that amount of time. Cheers to using your time productively.

Pearl Tymchuk

03.17.08

02 Time

thisisurlife — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:16:59 +0000

Time is always ticking. Have you ever stopped to think where time started or when it's going to end? In this second edition of That's Life we stop and think about time...

Ce ne dezvaluie GOOGLE EARTH - IMAGINI INCREDIBILE !

2012en — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:33:20 +0000

Urmariti si voi documentarul si o sa ramaneti cu gura cascata !!!!

Randomizer

Amit — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:50:02 +0000

A few days back, I saw a movie called Sophie's Choice. Its a story about a Polish woman who is asked to make a decision. When she reaches the German concentration camp with her two children, she is asked by an officer to choose one of her child who would be exterminated. She pleads and begs that no mother can make such a choice but the officer warns her that if she is unable to make the decision, then both of her children would be exterminated. In the fear of loosing both her children who are being snatched out of her arms by the officer, she blurts out - "Take my little girl."

Being at home has its own advantages and disadvantages. You are answerable all the time. Its not that its bad but it gets on your nerves at times specially when you are used to live on your own from such a long time. And yes, you are subjected to all the Balaji soaps and the lame Hindi News channels. I was forced to watch "Kyunki Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi" last week because usually that was the time I entered home from work. I don't have words to describe how I felt. Maybe this image would help.

While I am on Balaji, I saw the promos of Ekta's take on the Sacred Indian Epic of Mahabharat titled - Kkkkahaney hamarey Mahabhaaaaaaarat kaaayeeee (Please correct me if the spellings are wrong. I think I got them correct with a lot of difficulty). I had huge hopes from the serial as I liked the promos and was almost sure that Ekta had done something sensible for the first time in her entire pain-in-the-ass-and-brain career. I saw 4 episodes and again I have no words. The same irritating background score and the same 10,000-shots-from-different-angles-in-different-colours. Believe me, it was BLASPHEMOUS.

I called up Vodafone customer care today to activate my password for online payment of my mobile bill. The first thing which I found really odd was that the Customer care representative was talking in Hindi. Well, what if I don't know Hindi? What if I am from Tamil Nadu? I faced a similar problem when I was in Chennai. The representatives started the call in Tamil and then I had to ask them to shut up and speak in English. Is it not common sense? Or am I missing something? And, boy, the number of times the representative said - "Mujhe aapki sahayta karne main khushi hogi(I would be happy to help you)", was amazing. In a 3 minute call, he said that atleast 8 times!!!
According to a News channel, CBI has hit a dead end in Aarushi's Murder case. There is no evidence left which pretty much means that the criminals might never be caught. What a shame!!! And the way the channel was presenting the story was even more pathetic. The way the readers/commentators stress each and every word, I won't be surprised if someday one of them will end up with a ruptured blood vessel. And we have better one liners in our C grade Hindi movies.

The reality shows are another holy pain in my ass. I have lost count of the number of such shows I have been subjected to these days. Junoon, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Star Voice of India, The great Indian Laughter Challenge, Ek se Bhadkar Ek, Kaun Banega Superstar(which thankfully ended last week), Dus Ka dum, Kya aap panchwi...whatever etc etc etc. With an exception of Junoon which is giving a chance to our folk singers to come ahead and where you can listen to songs filled with Ragas, I loathe all of them. And do watch Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, just to experience the sheer torture of watching Himesh. The way that guy keeps on blabbering, I am seriously thinking of going in the show and pouring fevicol in his mouth as an act of kindness towards mankind.
Its horrifying the way the population of Delhi drive. There is so much honking and abusive language that I was shocked. Since I am coming late now a days, so I generally come home by the office cab and the blaring horns just make me wish that I was deaf. People play with car horn as a newborn would play with his father's laptop after being told not to do so. And why is everyone so angry and ready to fight? Why are we so afraid of each other? Why can't we smile?

I have started wondering if people get married because they want to get married or because family/friends want them to get married? I think there is a huge difference between the two. Most of the people just bend under the sheer pressure even when they are not ready. Getting married just to please your family and your friends who keep on asking the same question every time is not the right reason. I am going through this and the pressure is getting on my nerves. I know that this is not the right time for me, but the questions have started to bug me. I am afraid that I will snap one day and end up giving someone a royal chunk of my mind. CAN I LEAD MY GODDAMN LIFE MY OWN GODDAMN WAY??

Is it not ironical that all this is happening on a planet which we can't point out in the last picture pasted above? Earthlings(including me) are so much in awe of themselves, I must say!!! :D And I think the Geek Wrestler should surely give up his idea of ruling the tiny winy planet and think of something big. :P Oh, by the way, I stole the idea of this post from his blog. :P
I wonder if the German officer would still have asked Sophie to make the choice if he would have seen the five pictures above. I wonder if he would have asked himself - What the hell am I doing?

Is this humanity?

vishesh — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:46:04 +0000

Author:- vishesh

Is this humanity?
While very few see the day as bright,
a lot more can't even cry,because of their plight.
try as they might,
they cannot keep on with the fight.

So go and save a few,
if you can, say "the world is for you too",
but if that is tough,
just don't get rough,
live and let live,
but the best is to
change the world with your will.

originally posted here.

Let This Be Our "Battleground"

Thomas Ward — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:25:34 +0000

One thing that has always rang true in the history of civilization is that music and conservation will always go hand-in-hand. From Woodstock 69 to the Bonnaroo Art and Music Festival, more and more musical acts are supporting a change in climate change policy. Two such musicians are former Motley Crue member Tommy Lee and hip-hop superstar Ludacris.

This is why Planet Green will be bringing these two musical powerhouses together, starting August 8th, for a new series called "Battleground Earth". In this series, Lee and Ludacris will travel around the United States, competing to see which superstar is the most "green" (a challenge laid down by comedian Cedric The Entertainer), using such outrageous stunts as "the world's largest group shower" and a visit to a cattle ranch.

Do You See Your Calling? VerseVisions Art; Romans 1:1

marklawrence — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:48:59 +0000

Do You See Your Calling? VerseVisions Art; Romans 1:1, originally uploaded by Mark Lawrence.

"Separated unto the Gospel." Romans 1:1

I sometimes get so caught up in trying to be good in the eyes of God. I find myself so preoccupied with my own inner behavior that I lose sight of what God has called me to do first and foremost- proclaim the Gospel.

I justify this by thinking that there is no way that I can be used by God to witness to others until I clean up all of the garbage within myself. The truth is, if I wait until I am personally “holy”, I will never be of any use to God here on earth. God is very interested in reaching and saving His lost children, yet I am more interested in how He can make me more pleasing in my own eyes.

Father God, forgive me for my selfishness and pour into me your passion and urgency to proclaim the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ.

This painting was inspired by the powerful devotions penned and published by Oswald Chambers in the early 1900’s. His powerful book, My Utmost for His Highest, continues to touch my life and draw me closer to Jesus. I hope that this art and verse do the same for you!

Read the devotional from My Utmost For His Highest that inspired this work.

Inspiring contemporary Christian paintings by artist Mark Lawrence of Alpharetta, Georgia.

Giclee Fine Art Prints of this VerseVisions® work are available in the VerseVisions Gallery.

Movie of Our Moon Transits our Earth!

thChieh — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:42:03 +0000

Transits are everywhere in our universe - transits of Mercury or Venus across the Sun, transits of moons across their parent planet, transits of exoplanets across their parent stars.

But the transit I'm going to show you below is nothing we have ever seen before.

Click here for higher resolution.
This is the transit of our Moon across the globe of our home planet! During a full Earth rotation, images obtained by the NASA's EPOXI spacecraft some 50 million km away at a 15-minute interval were combined to make a colour video. From the video, we see the Moon enter the scene, transits Earth, and then leaves the scene.

This is not the first time we saw our planet and Moon together through the eyes of spacecraft, but this is the first time we were to see them in motion, and to actually see the Moon slowly moves in front of us, and to think back how far we have advance since the first satellite was launched, and to remind us how beautiful and unique our planet is, really make me gasp in awe.

The video above is produced using an infrared-green-blue filter to make the land masses much more visible because plants reflect more strongly in the near-infrared. There is another version of the video which uses a red-green-blue filter, showing how it'll appear to a human eye.

EPOXI is a new mission using an old spacecraft. The spacecraft is previously used for the Deep Impact Mission, which hurled a 370-kg copper impactor at Comet 9P/Tempel back in July 2005. After it completed its prime mission, proposals were made to utilise the spacecraft further for other purpose - don't waste, recycle...

So now the spacecraft has not one, but two new extended missions. And these are two very different projects. One is the Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI) of comets where it will observe comet 103P/Hartley 2 during a close flyby in November 2010. The other half is called Extrasolar Planet Observation and Characterisation (EPOCh), where it will observe stars with known transiting giant planets.

Combine EPOCh and DIXI and we have EPOXI.

The video above is going to be useful to help scientists develop techniques to study alien worlds.

"Making a video of Earth from so far away helps the search for other life-bearing planets in the Universe by giving insights into how a distant, Earth-like alien world would appear to us," said University of Maryland astronomer Michael A'Hearn, principal investigator for the EPOXI mission.

Once in a while, we'll have to look back at ourselves, so that we can understand others better...

Source: NASA Mission News

KAYAKING THE MAGICAL SALT MARSHES

eblive — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:17:07 +0000

KAYAKING THE MAGICAL SALT MARSHES

Kayaking in the magical salt marshes is a fun thing to do in the summertime or really just about anytime. Gliding quietly along the banks of the magical salt marshes like a twig on a mild stream. Surrounded by nature and her exquisite makings.

Of course to take this journey the 1st thing you will need is a seaworthy sea kayak which is an ideal craft designed for open water, coastal, and rough water use. The term sea kayak is often used to describe true sea kayaks, recreational kayaks, and touring kayaks. Sea kayaks are typically longer and narrower than recreational kayaks. Not quite as maneuverable as whitewater kayaks, yet with sufficient volume and speed for covering large distances with substantial camping gear. Sea kayaks are not as fast as racing kayaks, but are much more versatile.

Some traditional kayak history:
Some of the earliest writings regarding kayaks are from the Norse that settled in Vinland† around 1000 AD. Kayaks, paddles and other hunting tools vary from region to region around the earth. Each form is designed to meet the specific needs of the people of the region and the game that they hunted, whether sea mammals, caribou or whatever was edible.

Sea kayaking has it's fans and has gained tremendous popularity in recent years. It has become a more popular means of paddling than canoing. Kayaking is popular with people of all ages, men and women alike because your paddling activity can get you closer to the magical salt marshes, in an extremely quiet manner, that doesn't disturb birds or other wildlife. Unlike noisy motorboats. Sea kayaking allows one to adventure forth for an afternoon or a month, of wildlife experiences without the need for any outside assistance. A true American spirit!

Training for sea kayaking

Basic techniques:
Forward strokes, sweep strokes and bracing are the first ones to learn. These form the basis of all kayaking techniques. After that it can depend of the type of kayaking you are doing, as to which strokes and other techniques that are most useful.

Swimming and Rolling:
While learning the basics, you may experience a capsize or two. Initially this will result in a swim. Having experienced this event you may quickly become interested in learning to Roll. Follow this link for a pretty good video view of how it's done:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPVt8ObBjqw

Places to Kayak in the magical salt marshes:

Menunketesuck River, Westbrook:
Put off at Kirtland's landing and glide about 2 miles down this magical salt-marsh river to the harbor and back. Expect to see herons, egrets, kingfishers, hawks and migrating shore birds. Waterproof cameras and binoculars are handy devices, along with a nice wide brim hat, sun screen, water and towel. A list of birds that have been seen here have been the great blue heron, little blue heron, green heron, great egret, snowy egret, lesser yellowleg sandpiper, spotted sandpiper, semipalmated plover, mallard, Canada goose, laughing gull, herring gull, greater blacked back gull, double-crested cormorant, morning dove, rock dove, kingfisher, osprey, red tailed hawk.

Have a wonderful and safe journey through the Magical Salt Marshes!

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