The village of Gaviotas was founded in the early 1970′s by Colombian development specialist Paolo Lugari. Because the uninhabited desert Lugari chose for his experiment in energy and agricultural self-sufficiency had no human history to inspire a name, he named it after the river gulls populating the area. Gaviotas is the Spanish word for gulls. Little did Lugari suspect that Gaviotas would eventually describe a way of life. Not just for the villagers of Gaviotas, but for members of a San Francisco alternative/punk/metal band who adopted more than just a name from the village. (more…)
The forest at night is a spooky place. You can feel the spirits of the forest hovering, waiting, watching you in the cold of winter. Perhaps it’s time to take your camera in hand and see who it is that walks along with you, invisible yet felt. Flash photography will bring a light to the dark and point out those emanations of spiritual beings that we call orbs. (more…)
Feng Shui is a Chinese term that means wind-water. It is a system designed to bring balance and harmony to the energy, called Chi, of space: a room, an office, a garden, or a home. Feng Shui principles are laid out according to the five elements: earth, metal, fire, water, and wood; and according to directions, or compass designations. Feng Shui-ing your space can become a very complex and expensive re-decorating and redesigning process, but here are some inexpensive and simple tips to Feng Shui your home, or other space:
Photo credit: LollyKnit / Foter / CC BY
Are You Afraid?
“Aren’t you afraid of the destruction of the rain forest?” we asked our local guide.
“No,” he responded. His voice as dark as his skin. Its tone as unwavering and penetrating as his gaze. The single-word answer as efficient and unencumbered by excesses as he was. (more…)
It is essential that we all make an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, if not for ourselves, then at least for our children and our grandchildren. We owe it to them.
Many of us do the basics. We recycle and compost. Perhaps we turn off lights and lower the thermostat a degree or two when we’re out of the house.
These are good steps. They’re simple and they are effective.
There probably are very few, if any, of us humans who have not heard of, read about, or seen and experienced first hand how our own kind litters, exploits, and wastes away our city streets, parks, other species, forests, oceans, etc. We cannot control what others do or think, but we can continue to both educate others and set examples for others to follow. Whether physically able or not, here are ways in which we all have the power to clean and green the environment:
Orbs prefer walks with friends. On the left is a photo of a lovely orb above a house, taken while walking alone. You would be proud and excited to find such a large orb in one of your photographs. There are also some fainter orbs in the dark sky further down the road. Perhaps you are already on a quest each night to find orbs in your neighborhood. Of course, you are also remembering to take flash photographs so that the orbs have a strong enough light to fluoresce back at your camera. (more…)
After my earlier blog posts here, and here, the news about humpbacks and other whales in the Netherlands did not stop.
Beached humpback “Johannes” died on 16 December. After its death, it turned out the whale was a female “Johanna”.
The dead sperm whale was towed to Texel island. A living humpback and her baby swim along the Dutch coast. (more…)
On 12 December 2012, a humpback whale, still living, stranded on the Dutch desert island Noorderhaaks, also known as Razende Bol.
A few days later, a dead sperm whale stranded on the same island, a few hundred meter away.
How did this story which attracted much attention, including internationally, develop? (more…)
As an aware individual it’s important for us to be aware of all the things that surround us,, and one of the most important things to be aware of is the conservation of our environment. As an example, consider a person like myself; I love the outdoors; I love basking in the beautiful, bright rays of the sunlight, and inhaling the saltiness of our gorgeous, big, blue ocean. However, (more…)
How do you photograph orbs? Is it only the lucky few who find orbs in their photographs? Or the unlucky who think their camera is messing with them? One of the basic requirements is a strong enough light, usually a flash, which causes something in the orb to fluoresce back at the camera. Once you start finding orbs in your photographs, you’ll notice that they aren’t all round. Many are teardrop shaped like this one on the left. Pay attention to the details of the orb. You’ll notice that they have a darker inner rim. And, like this teardrop orb they may have a dark spot and interesting modulations within the orb. The reason you’ll want to pay attention is that you might be seeing that particular orb in another photograph. They aren’t snowflakes, they are “emanations of spiritual beings” according to Klaus Heinemann, Ph.D., and co-author of The Orb Project and Orbs, Their Mission and Messages of Hope. (more…)
What are orbs? Are they ghosts? Dust motes? A light leak in your camera? No, the good news is that they are none of the above. Digital flash photography has expanded our narrow visual range to now include orbs. Klaus Heinemann, a NASA scientist who obtained his Ph.D. in experimental physics, calls them ”emanations of spiritual beings.” Just as car headlights are not the driver, the orb light we see is not the being. Orbs love passion and rich sound, this orb shined forth in response to a blues singer who used to sing opera. His hearty voice was a true orb’s delight. Notice the dark line along the inner rim, a very characteristic detail of an orb. (more…)
Making Life More Complicated and Difficult Than It Has to Be
If you’re anything like me, in your quest to become a better person, improve the circumstances within which you find yourself, and prepare for the unexpected, your life is far more complicated and difficult than it needs to be. This became very obvious to me yesterday when I was (more…)
Many of us can’t afford to put solar panels on our roofs or go out and buy a new hybrid vehicle, but there are definitely simple and inexpensive things that all of us can do to be less wasteful. We just need to take a few moments to step out of our daily routines and look around our homes and workplaces, and how we go about our daily lives to see where energy can be saved. Here are five simple ways we can save energy:
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Humpback whales are famous for their songs, and for their long migrations, from polar regions to the tropics.
Whaling nearly made them extinct. They seem to recover better from whaling now than some other whale species. (more…)
