Logic, Reason and Extinction...A Walk in the Park

Thoughts on Logic, Reason and Extinction...A Walk in the Park

: a note spurred from a quick read in the New Yorker… 

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/scientists-earth-endangered-by-new-strain-of-fact-resistant-humans

            In my opinion, a curious thing about most research is it and observer only believe what it sees.  A collective and comprehensive projection of compiled phenomena is only said to be true when it is observed (all so very relative to the perception of the viewer’s lens).  Here is an example research assertion for thought... One day dinosaurs will be extinct.  We know this to be true, but our mind and discipline will only allow us to believe it when we see...all of our math has to have a number after the "=" so we can prove it to be true.  Prove, this supposition.  Climate change is real.  Human is expediting a naturally occurring process at magnificently exponential rates.  Therefore, human, by its own hand, is increasing the death rate and extinction of its own via its actions and denial of consequence. Unnaturally, we are building in an environment that cannot naturally recuperate from the demands of its inhabitants. Darwin elaborated on the "survival of the fittest". It considers the actions of a natural world.  What we build is not natural.  We may win in a survival battle, as we are essentially the top of the food chain.  We can construct, blowup, melt, by-produce and equate more than any other physically known thing on this planet.  The issue is, we are using the planet as our laboratory and lab monkey.  The monkey can only take so much.  A monkey will die or, if given the opportunity, naturally defend itself. The Earth and creation is much larger than us in free standing, though we are of it, and it is of us.  It naturally seeks balance...biosemiosis to function in Holon.  The universe is natural in order and will do naturally to compensate and maintain balance on a concept of time far beyond the tick-tock of a second hand of a time clock…the one "we" call real.  We are a part of a whole.  The body fights dis-ease, seasons cycle and stars burn out.  In a system, dependent on balance, the system finds a way to naturally isolate and destroy a factor and perceived invader that fashions itself as demanding, aggressive or in control.  Again, we are not bigger than the spark of life, we are a part of the spark and we can be dimmed abruptly as a result of our egocentric endeavors of selfishness separation, selective blindness and greed.    I assert the plant/universe/creation/spark will win against this (our) invasion.  It is not personal it is survival, natural inherent survival.  It is the design of chaos and order, it is the space between the finger of God and the universe.  It is the web of life that is interconnected and senses the breeze and the break of a link as profoundly the same. Would you allow invasion without defense?  We are offending the plant we inhabit. We are effecting systems about us, that comprehension is "mind-blowing" in the nature of what we collectively consider as real.  We may be blessed to one day have comprehension and vision of of the whirling beauty of "It All" - all that is. Meanwhile, or planet is changing and we are exponentially effecting the change.  Do you really want to be around and a part of the proof/answer to an assertion that we are the cause of our own extinction? Get it together people, we hold a wand, and can build and destroy just the same. Mind, effort, inconsideration, greed, consumption and denial as a mindset for progress, on one side of the coin, builds. In part, It has created what we have now...a degradation of conscience, consequence, accountability and environment by the result of our own actions and for "progress".  To continue to "build" what we equate as progress, will expedite the endangerment and extinction of the dinosaur...in this case humans being.  Do we really need to see the result post "=" to know the factors are leading up the an inevitable sum.  That is not science. This is "head-in-the-sand" enacting of plausible deniability, ignorance, insanity and greed.  In agreement with or not from a political point of view, Mr. Obama said something recently that seems to be a sentiment of heart that we all, at some level, desire and may be able to collectively ensure for everyone in the future.  "In twenty years or so, if I am still around, I would like to be able to take my grandkids on a walk through the park."

Larry Cashion

Be Well 

I Met Roy G. Biv Today

Final Video Project

Below is a copy of a Facebook post I wrote after the recent Supreme Court Ruling on Marriage.  I know lots of people and have been moved by the combinations of fear and joy in peoples posts and conversations.  I wanted to engage people in an in-person / face-to-face way and hear how people really would express themselves if given the opportunity.  I do not consider this a complete sample of the population view but was happy to have the experience and meet some new folks.  I look forward to talking with and meeting some more folks...Roy G. Biv is an acronym for the colors of the rainbow.  My take away from the culmination of this experience thus far is we are all Roy G. Biv and we shine brightly at various and modulating frequencies and wavelengths along the spectrum of Light.  Shine!

I Met Roy G. Biv Today

I met Roy G. Biv today...pretty cool cat...kind of all over the place though.  Amazing what can happen in such a brief moment when you're open to an experience.  It happened so fast, I was shown so much, I was not even expecting it.  So challenging but really still so easy.  Once I stopped thinking and just opened up to the opportunity, I learned a lot about myself and another as well.  Pretty cool cat, kind of all over the place though.  Catch ya' on the flip-side Roy G. Biv.  Hope you learned as much as I did :-)

Thanks Dr. Thompson for our discussions and for being open to design and flow of the project. 

Some notes regarding guidelines, concept and goals...

We had a time limit for length and time to work on this project.  If I had only chosen 4 or 5 people, I would have been able to feature a deeper look at a smaller sample of people.  I wanted to pay respect to the people that took time to share with me (I hope I did so) and chose a different path for the edit. 

With regard to completion of my masters degree...Although I have been rolling around and increasing the desire to do so,  this project was not intended to be a maiden voyage toward the utilization of audio and video capture as a method for the presentation of research in lieu of papers.  Our world is full of technology and I feel that the use of multi-media is viable and broad reaching as a vehicle for education and research presentation.  As an after thought and within what I had for footage, I attempted to establish that a survey of people can be taken and that an hypothesis can be explored.  The concept I developed and attempted to present, was around the questions of human origin and human nature, how technology and social media has influenced the nature of communication and how the "personal" medium of Facebook and the way we communicate within its walls, is different from how we communicate in person.  My thought was that people may say what they think about something from the comfort of a keyboard, but when asked to express on a topic in person or truly outwardly, that willingness to do so may change.  I'll elaborate on this by adding that, on the whole, if their opinion differs from what is the majority social statement at any given time, they will clam up.  That assertion was somewhat supported by a number of people who were not open to or in my opinion, feared the opportunity to express themselves in a face-to-face situation by not participating or by not really engaging the question regarding "impression" of the photo.
I finally chose to go with a concept that could be perceived as artistic in form, but if reviewed and contemplated, that hopefully something else could be interpreted or impressed.  Still neutral and respectful of individual and or collective opinions and passion and remarking/bringing to light on a dynamic of a phenomena(s) at the same time. 
Upon hearing feedback, some got it and some did not.  I am good with that for a lot of reasons.  At the least, so far anyway, feedback has been positive, it has stimulated discussion and informed.  My intent was to say something in a video that was engaging, informative and included as many "faces" as possible in a very short period of time and still meet the class assignment requirements and deadline for the final video project.  As I stated in the beginning of the video, "...it turned out to be more than I thought it would and that is a very pleasant surprise...". That is a mild statement for the possibilities of exploring the nature of human and utilizing multi-media as a vehicle for it.

Class I-Movie Project

We are learning I-Movie on MAC for Media Production.  I have been a PC guy until I started this class.  Prof (h) ET, thanks for the introduction to MAC and for the opportunity to stretch my brain a bit.  Below is my cut (edit) of some footage we shot in class.  I dropped in a few V.O.'s (voice over) and foley art (sounds) for fun....Hugo is so method (an acting style)!

The Roots Of Tradition- Episode 1: Excerpts from the book "American Negro Songs and Spirituals".

This post is my Sound Story Project.   It is the application part of the Sound Editing and Podcast Exercise for Dr. ET's class as well.  I have chosen to title this, The Roots Of Tradition-  Episode 1: 

Culture and the arts are two of my deepest passions.  The pursuit of Knowledge, Consciousness, Spirit and Soul are driving forces in my life.  Respect for and understanding of diversity, along with appreciation of what and how we believe as individuals and societies is paramount for the possibility of knowing more of what our own beliefs are and for a lasting peace among ourselves.

The title of this post, The Roots Of Tradition, will be the home of searches and knowledge of traditions that have shaped individuals and cultures of our little planet.  I create it in hopes of learning more myself and sharing this knowledge with someone else along the way.  Enjoy!

On to Episode 1: Excerpts and Audio Examples from the book American Negro Songs and Spirituals. Below is a podcast I have created from an excerpt from the book I mentioned above.  You will hear my voice and some of the original recordings mentioned in the reading.  I found the recordings on Archive.org.  Because of time constraints of the class exercise, this is a shorter version than what an episode will actually be.

Below is the transcript for my podcast...
AUDIO INSERTS
Intro:

Thanks for dialing in to The Roots of Tradition. I am your host, Larry Cashion.  The Roots of Tradition, is a once-a-month podcast of content, dialogue and interviews surrounding the rich and diverse cultural heritages of our world.  

You are listening to Episode1: Excerpts and Audio Examples from the book titled American Negro Songs and Spirituals. There is no author acknowledgment in the book, but is edited by John W. Work of Fisk University. The book is a comprehensive collection of 230 religious and secular folks songs and contains seven chapters that are titled "Origins, The Spiritual, The Blues, Work Songs, Social and Miscellaneous, The Songs and Bibliography". 

I have chosen to read an excerpt starting on page 18 of the book, which explains the three basic types of traditional American Negro spirituals.  Here's that excerpt...

V.O.  - book reading pg. 18

Segue: - "The Songs"

Now we have a base of knowledge regarding the structure of the songs.  I did some digging on "the net" and found sound tracks of some of the songs I mentioned in the excerpt.

The first song is, The Great Camp Meeting and the second you'll hear is, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Both of these are examples of the "Call and Response Chant" category.  Let's listen to some short clip

(Insert SONG: #1 and #2)

The third song is, Nobody Knows the Touble I Seen, and is an example of the "slow, sustained, long phrase melody"
(Insert SONG: #3)

The fourth and final song is titled, Shout All Over God's Heab'n, and represents the "Syncopated Melody".
(Insert SONG: #4)

Outro:

That wraps the show for today.  I hope you enjoyed it and that you'll find your way back around to these parts again...

I'm Larry Cashion and again, thanks for listening to The Roots of Tradition.

Garage Band Pre-Pre X 6/16/15

Below is my first Garage Band experiment.  Pretty cool audio capture / mixing / mastering program.  I created this post as part of an assignment for ET's Media Production class.  It includes a rant expressing an airplane ride I had.  The audio tells a story of my thoughts, observations and perceptions of people as we roam and why.  It is abstract and improvisational in style.
The cover art is a grab from the net and is a visual representation of the title I have given the selection...."Trppy-Airplane-Ride". 

 Trippy-Airplane-Ride

Movement Of A Nomad: A Documentary Film

Below is my first Adobe Photoshop generated project.  It is titled Movement Of A Nomad: A Motion Journey of Tunnels, Streets, Cracks and Holes with Sound.  MOAN is a speculative project for a documentary series created for online release and on my blog.  It will chronicle sights and sounds as seen through my minds lenses and captured via digital still and digital motion devices.  

I created this project for class.  The assignment is to learn Photoshop and to promote me while doing so.  Among other things, I am an actor, a photographer and videographer and a singer.  I am an observer and a lover of people and the world we live in.  Most of the time I would rather give than receive.  Giving means helping where I can and when I can.  Not for recognition, but because I enjoy it.  Observing is how I learn and how I find opportunity to help.  When I am performing, I see it as an opportunity to reveal what I have learned and show an audience a new perspective or something about themselves.  Being a fly on the wall, is another way of observing and popping in and out of moments to contribute along the way.  How I have designed this movie poster for MOAN is a collage of what you have just read.  There are not only literal "layers" within the poster, there are metaphorical layers as well.  Numbers, visual impressions and words and implied movement are intentional and symbolize alone and collectively in many ways.  You can do the math or just soak in the impressions.  Again the assignment is to promote me; all of me, the artist, the observer and the helper.  In this poster, I am a fly on the wall.  I shot three layers of the photos in the NYC subways.  The fourth layer is a photo taken by my friend and fellow classmate, Hugo.  He and I were partnered up by Dr. ET, on another assignment which included taking photos of each other.  As part of this poster project, we were to use one of the photos our partner took of us.  As required, I layered / dissolved / digitally manipulated it into this poster of MOAN.  Hint…A movie called The Fly?  This poster promotes me and parts of me…The Artist, The Observer and The Helper.   Leave a comment and let me know what ya’ think…

Those Photos Hugo Took Of Me In The Garden

Below is a photo taken by Hugo, a fellow partner in creative crime with me.  As per ET, we captured some moments within the confines of a structure that allowed freedom from none.
 

Would you admit to knowing this guy if someone asked if you knew him?
 The following are cropped images of the same photo in Three (3) different aspect:ratios...

Aspect Ratio 3:2

Aspect Ratio 4:3

Aspect Ratio 16:9

The same but different and yet all equally _____________?  Please leave a comment to fill the blank in with your thought...

Album covers and songs that tell stories...

I love music and listen to literally everything.  The band STYX is one of my favorite bands when it comes to lyrics.  The lyrics to their songs have always spoken to me.  Two of their songs The Grand Illusion and Come Sail Away, have always stuck with me.  Below is the album cover for The Grand Illusion.

Below are links to YouTube videos for the band STYX.  I am led to believe the bands name originates from the "mythological" river Styx and all of the adventures of worlds and mirrors a journey on/down/up/through it may reveal. The first link is the self titled track off of the album Grand Illusion.  Note the character of the band and the crowd...AWESOME!  

The second video is a song released from the same album (yes, a vinyl album Jesse). It does not have live coverage or a fancy MTV video, yes Sabrina I am mentioning you as well, as this music was before the time when "video killed the radio star"...This video rolls-scrolls the words as the band sails away through their story...Fly High, Sail Away and Enjoy!

I am moved, motivated and inspired by the art of motion media as well.  Here are a few of my favorites...

    

   

  

   

 

  

Perhaps you may be as well...Enjoy!

Perspectives of Hugo

 1. Symmetrically balanced 

2. Asymmetrically balanced

3. One that obeys the rule of closure

4. One that doesn't obey rule of closure

5. CU with appropriate headroom

6. LS with appropriate headroom

7. Balanced image...

Bonus. 1-Hail Mary

Bonus. 2-the spaces in-between

Legalization of Marijuana information: A Joint Effort

The topic I have chosen for this class assignment is the National Legalization of Marijuana.  Currently it "pot" is considered a class-1 drug.  For a better understanding of what that means, cocaine and codeine, an opioid (synthetic heroine), are considered class 2 drugs.  That logic means that cocaine is less of a street drug than pot and that cocaine has more medical use than pot.  It is a heated topic and I believe the pros far outweigh the cons for legalization.  It is said that police officers do not really care if it is legal or not, they will enforce the law either way.  Courts of law, detention facilities, lawyers, probation officers and the like have concern though.  Their jobs are at risk because the statistics for numbers of individuals on probation and or incarcerated for possession of marijuana is a large percentage of the case load.  Loss of that means decrease in revenue and cut backs on the need of employees.  Like other things in a commercial / commodity based economy of supply and demand, it is not an argument of right, wrong or ethics.  It is about money and the bottom line.  Legalization, regulation and taxation will change the paradigm within the part of an ill system.  There is fear around that because it is perceived as a loss.  The reality is that it is a gain.  It is my belief that National legalization of marijuana will eventually happen.  It's all in the pitch on pot.
Below are video, photo, graphic and virtual holdings I have researched for the foundation of a video documentary promoting the National legalization of marijuana.

NEWS SOURCES AND TELEVISION PROGAMING
Democracy Now- California Promotion of legalization in CA. Justify legalization to stop incarceration of non-violent offenders:
https://archive.org/details/dn2010-1014_vid

SOURCE: Archive.org
I would pay to license this as support of legalization.  It supports the argument for decriminalization and it supports non-violent offenders reforms and the expunging of legal cases regarding possession charges and or incarcerations. Democracy Now is a public television show that is known for fair, unbiased, well researched and rounded information and presentation.  The reputation of the program will serve as a credible source for information.

I will use this as part of the argument for a state's freedoms in choosing to make marijuana legal and in argument for a national legalization campaign based on monetary / taxation / federal revenue increase opportunities.  This would be a 9sec. cut from a 20+sec. teaser spot for the 6/7/15 - 60min. episode.  I am not using the entire spot in it entirety, just a segment of the commercial.  I think I could use it royalty free and under Fair Use.


Below is a Youtube video with Cheech and Chong talking legalization of the green herb.  I found it in an advanced Google search with the parameters of free to use, share or modify.
 

PHOTOS
The photos below are found in a Google search.  They are noted as being "free to share, modify and use commercially".

 

This photo is a cancer patient who utilizes marijuana as medicine for pain management, nausea and to increase appetite.

This photo shows states in the U.S.that have passed medical marijuana legislation.


NORMAL
www.NORMAL.org.
I contacted Allan St. Pierre, the Executive director of NORMAL-National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.  We had a great conversation.  He told me I could use anything on the website.  All I would have to do is send him an email stating what I want to use and what it is for.  It includes, text, graphics, photos and video.  He said, "He is willing to share.  NORMAL is a non-profit organization that is in part, a hub for information about cannabis."

The graphic below is taken from the Texas chapter of NORMAL and can be viewed at the weblink below...
 https://www.texasnorml.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/76percenttexans.jpg

Below is some pot on a scale being prepared for packaging and sale in a legal marijuana dispensary.

The photo stills below were taken from the CBS morning show on 06/08/2015.  It was generated from video in a segment on the CBS morning show about Gov. Christie's stance on upholding federal law that is anti-legalization of marijuana, which would continue to criminalize possession in any form.  The photo is a graphic showing the Nations view on legalization from "1979" until "NOW".  I would utilize it under "fair use" as its original context was to show the Nation's stance in relation to Gov. Christie who is potentially a 2016 Republican presidential candidate.

FURTHER RESEARCH AND CONSIDERATION...

I find it curious and funny that I had to change so many of the video settings, height and width, from 420.  420, as the story goes, is a symbol for several events within the culture of marijuana.

I will look for Cheech and Chong movie excerpts as visualization of social thought, feel and perception of marijuana use as portrayed in film.  Perhaps parody as statement on the chaotic and spastic nature of the "war on drugs".  

Reefer Madness, a film that depicts marijuana as a scourge.  It exhibits extreme character stereotypes and exaggerations about the effects of Tetrahydrocannabinol a.k.a. THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

Interviews with individuals, medical professionals and politicians who have experience with the intricacies surrounding legislation, applicable medicinal and or recreational uses and or individuals who utilize marijuana.  This will increase credibility of the documentary by featuring sources with first hand and accredited professional experience.

This ongoing project will take time to develop and research, but I feel it is a worthy project to undertake.  It is high-time for the legalization of marijuana to occur.