Comic - A State of Motion - Pascal Campion

Comic - A State of Motion - Pascal Campion

Just something to hearten your day.

Quotes - Iron Weights

Quotes - Iron Weights

"My friend, Magda, tells me every time I say something bad about myself, I am putting iron weights in my pockets. Sooner or later, you’ll drag yourself down and not be able to get up. Be kind to yourself, Mr. Caleb. I don’t want your pockets to get too heavy." -Calianna, to Caleb on Critical Role

Letters - 10 / 15 Dear Future Child

Letters - 10 / 15 Dear Future Child

Dear Future Child,

It is a strange thing, to sit here and pen this letter not knowing anything of you. Or truth be told, if you even will be. At least at this moment in time. I will disclose to you, at the moment I am writing this letter, I know nothing of the potential partner that is my other half, nor is there a prospect of one at the moment, so I shall write this with that in mind.

Life - Obligation

Life - Obligation

Do not be daunted
by the enormity
of the world's grief.
Do justly, now.
Love mercy, now.
Walk humbly, now.
You are not obligated
to complete the work,
but neither are you free
to abandon it.

- The Talmud

Quotes - Fred Rogers - Life Isn't Cheap

Quotes - Fred Rogers - Life Isn't Cheap

"Fame is a four-letter word; and like tape or zoom or face or pain or life or love, what ultimately matters is what we do with it.

I feel that those of us in television are chosen to be servants. It doesn't matter what our particular job, we are chosen to help meet the deeper needs of those who watch and listen--day and night!

The conductor of the orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl grew up in a family that had little interest in music, but he often tells people he found his early inspiration from the fine musicians on television.

Last month a thirteen-year-old boy abducted an eight-year-old girl; and when people asked him why, he said he learned about it on TV. 'Something different to try,' he said. 'Life's cheap; what does it matter?'

Well, life isn't cheap. It's the greatest mystery of any millennium, and television needs to do all it can to broadcast that ... to show and tell what the good in life is all about.

But how do we make goodness attractive? By doing whatever we can do to bring courage to those whose lives move near our own--by treating our 'neighbor' at least as well as we treat ourselves and allowing that to inform everything that we produce.

Who in your life has been such a servant to you ... who has helped you love the good that grows within you? Let's just take ten seconds to think of some of those people who have loved us and wanted what was best for us in life--those who have encouraged us to become who we are tonight--just ten seconds of silence.

No matter where they are--either here or in heaven--imagine how pleased those people must be to know that you thought of them right now.

We all have only one life to live on earth. And through television, we have the choice of encouraging others to demean this life or to cherish it in creative, imaginative ways."

-Fred Rogers

Quotes - Arthur Ashe

Quotes - Arthur Ashe

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." Arthur Ashe

Theatre - World Theatre Day 2017

Theatre - World Theatre Day 2017

Isabelle HUPPERT
The message author of 2017 is Isabelle Huppert, the theatre and cinema actress from France.

World Theatre Day Message 2017 by Isabelle Huppert

So, here we are once more. Gathered again in Spring, 55 years since our inaugural meeting, to celebrate World Theatre Day. Just one day, 24 hours, is dedicated to celebrating theatre around the world. And here we are in Paris, the premier city in the world for attracting international theatre groups, to venerate the art of theatre.

Writing - Politics

Writing - Politics

On Saturday, Matt came over to help me out with some furniture and put up posters in my place. One of the ones that is most important to me is a poster that is the iconic picture of Tiananmen Square. Everyone has seen it. It's a young man, a university student with two bags of shopping groceries standing in front of a column of tanks, unphased.

I have a lot of stuff up on my walls, big art, small stuff, post cards, pictures, paintings. I have wall scrolls, and movie posters, game posters and everything in between. But that's probably the only really political piece I have.

I have it up there because it's an open reminder, for the last ten years of my life. I keep that poster, I put it up everywhere, I remember, I think and reflect on it.

It reminds me that it only takes one person. One person, to stand up to atrocity. One person to enact change. One person with a belief that things can get better, and that there are things that must be done. It reminds me that there are masses of people looking outside for inspiration, but for me, and for that man I hope, there was something internal, a reminder that the possibility of a better world exists. And that we all just need the courage to stand up for it.

Be loud friends.

Today is the election in Alberta, and I hope each individual one person, will also stand up for what they believe in.

Stand up.  You can't back up into the future.

Notch - Leaving

Notch - Leaving and Minecraft

Notch wrote this post this morning, in light of the recent news that his company Mojang, and Minecraft are being purchased by Microsoft for 2.5 billion dollars.  I mean, superficially that's a lot of money, because it is.  But it's not just about the amount of money.  I've seen a tremendous number of posts this morning about the purchase and how Microsoft is never going to make that money back, that it's a poor business decision, that Minecraft only made 120 million dollars last year and it'll take more than ten years to see profitability after that...

But I think people are wrapped up in the fiscal numbers and have forgotten a few profound things about Minecraft, about Mojang and about Notch.

Writing - Hermione, Daughter of Dentists

Writing - Hermione, Daughter of Dentists

Written by Lion of Gryffindor.

My God, just think about her for a second.

Inspiration - Be Loud

Inspiration - Be Loud

We are oft reminded that we live in a shitty world, with shitty human beings. So when reminded of that, maybe the rest of us need to step up and be loud, be loud and say no, that we will not accept their hatred, that we will not accept their harassment or their abuse. We need to step up and say loudly that we do not condone their actions, that we are not represented by them and their hate, and ill will.

Be counted, friends. Be counted and bring more light into the world, and be LOUD.

This is mostly a post in response to the threats of violence against Anita Sarkeesian.  Response might not be the correct word, but in support of the difficulties she, and many other women in vocal positions are in when threatened.  It isn't right.  I say again it isn't right that they be attacked in such a way, it isn't right that they be attacked in any way that threatens, demeans, degrades or abuses them.  We discourse that we might enlighten, challenge, illuminate, and debate.  We do not commit attacks upon each other because we disagree.

Freedom of speech does not preclude one from the freedom of responsibility of actions.  I hope those who are filled with the threat, imagined or otherwise of violence are brought to justice.

Inspiration - Table 9

Inspiration - Table 9

Sometimes doing the right thing does not make everyone happy -- just the people who need it the most.

Inspiration - Teaching

Inspiration - Teaching

This read was inspiring.  Just really really cool.  Teachers are awesome.

Divine Horizon - Speech

Divine Horizon - Speech



One of the tasks I made for myself in working on Divine Horizon was to write an inciting speech by fictional Cardinal al-Rashid. It was a great assignment for myself in studying speech pathology, what works linguistically and what doesn't, and great speeches both in history and in fiction. Below is my first pass at writing this speech, which Cardinal al-Rashid gives in Damascus just prior to being assassinated. It draws heavily from Charlie Chaplin's Great Dictator speech.

Death - Aaron Swartz

Death - Aaron Swartz

Cory Doctorow wrote this about Aaron Swartz, whose passing 3 days ago has shocked much of the internet community, and yet is essentially unreported by worldwide news.  Swartz, who championed, wrote, and contributed to an almost inarticulate number of internet, freedom of speech, and freedom of information projects was only 26 when he committed suicide on Jan 11th. 

A more detailed reading of Aaron Swartz, a remarkable young man my age can be found here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz

Writing - Gypsy

Writing - Gypsy


Gypsy

"Silver forests, and demon's shining eyes, tracing the tree-line freely,
with silken ribbons tied around my ankles. I am from a rank, where I
can lead souls across the Styx, carrying myself on the wings of silent
flight, the only guardian of the frozen gates. I am from the restless
nights, where the fireflies dance, through the tunnel visions of
infinite peace. I am from the awakening, when your soul plummets back
into your body, and the feathers fly, as a dismal reminder of a dance
destroyed. I am from the Owl's eyes, where sounds and voices cannot
escape, lonely amber tangled around darkness, in visions of unbound
paralysis. I am from the omen of death itself, until the point when all
existance runs dry, weaving its way into the forest, arriving at our
feet."

-Aubrey Osiris, Grace

Life - Slowly Better

Life - Slowly Better

My niece, 8, today was playing around with a photo-booth arcade game, where it takes your picture and then you select boy or girl and it prints you out an ID card. She printed two, the boy one, she printed by accident and it's her photo next to a "Pro Skateboarder" ID. The girl one, she prints and shows me proudly. It doesn't say seamstress, or waitress, or homemaker, or secretary, or princess. It reads "CSI". The battle is being won folks, slowly, but surely.

Carl Sagan - The Pale Blue Dot

Carl Sagan - The Pale Blue Dot








From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

Speeches - Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator Speech"

Speeches - Charlie Chaplin "The Great Dictator Speech"

Transcript follows as from:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPqd_9T5Zx4

Transcript:

The Jewish Barber (Charlie Chaplin):
I'm sorry but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, Gentile, black men, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each others' happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.