Originally uploaded by sopmac21379
“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.”
Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.
The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation’s original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.
Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution - a Constitution that had at is very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time. (more…)
Lucchina’s Metacafe Channel
>> via LifeSlices >_ “…I’ve come across some amazing dreamers who have come up with the most impressive concepts that prove the Internet is much more than something you have on your computers and use to check e-mails: the Internet is something that connects the world, and moreover it’s a powerful tool that can help make a better world into a better place, if only we put it to good use. Well, today I’m hopefully provifing you with a perfect real-life demonstration which clearly supports this claim.Lucchina is a girl from Paris France. She may look like any other charming European girl, but she’s actually a very special person. She’s a person who loves horses, and she’s also a person who loves helping the unprivileged. Moreover, she’s a person who has mastered the art of monetizing her time spent online. Lucchina is a top user from the community of video producers who benefit from Metacafe’s revenue sharing program (they pay $5 per 1000 views). In the 9 months since she registered for the program, she has earned over $5k with her 30 videos; while this is admitedly impressive on its own, the story behind her latest videos is especially remarkable. (more…)
By CAROLINE KENNEDY (Daughter of John F. Kennedy)
OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.
An excerpt from the 1958 “Disneyland” TV Show episode entitled “Magic Highway USA”. In this last part of the show, an exploration into possible future Transportation technologies is made. It’s hard to believe how little we’ve accomplished on this front since 1958, and how limited the scope for imagining such future technologies has become. Witness an artifact from a time where the future was greeted with optimism. Note the striking animation style here, achieved with fairly limited animation and spectacular layouts.
SlashFilm >_ I was at Sundance in 2004 when Morgan Spurlock took over the festival with his documentary Super Size Me. Four years later, Spurlock returns to Park City with Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?, a film documenting the director’s search for the most wanted man on the planet. The Weinstein Co quickly snapped up the documentary, after seeing only 15 minutes at the Berlin Film Festival. Distributors who saw the footage were asked to sign draconian nondisclosure agreements.Many people are speculating that Spurlock may have done what the U.S. government has been unable to do, and actually found Bin Laden. The film’s director of photography, Daniel Marricone added fuel to the fire, telling the press that Spurlock “definitely got the holy grail.” Not much information has leaked about the film, and even the director is keeping quiet. When asked if the rumors, Spurlock would only say “Until there’s something to see, why talk about it?”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 is to be shared, in two equal parts, between the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr. for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.
Indications of changes in the earth’s future climate must be treated with the utmost seriousness, and with the precautionary principle uppermost in our minds. Extensive climate changes may alter and threaten the living conditions of much of mankind. They may induce large-scale migration and lead to greater competition for the earth’s resources. Such changes will place particularly heavy burdens on the world’s most vulnerable countries. There may be increased danger of violent conflicts and wars, within and between states. (more…)
