The Dalai Lama on humanity

On By estrangedztIn lifeLeave a comment
The Dalai Lama was asked:
“What surprises you most about Humanity?”
And he replied:
“Men … Because they lose their health to save money, then they lose money to recover their health. And they live as if they were never going to die … and they die as if they never lived.”

I have read many “effect” phrases, but this one surpasses all!!.

Another World … on Earth

On By estrangedztIn WorldLeave a comment

You don’t have to leave your planet to feel like you’re in some other remote world.
See a list of 10 places, here on Earth, where the feeling of being on another planet is guaranteed.

10. The Eisriesenwelt Ice Caves, Austria

Ice caves are very different from normal caves. When we are inside it, it seems that we are not on Earth, but in the bowels of some remote planet. There are many ice caves around the world and the Eisriesenwelt are the best known. They extend for 40km. Only a portion of this labyrinth is open to tourists, but it is enough to feel the climate and the mystery that surrounds the place.

9. Dry Valleys, Antarctica

  • Seals who wander, lost, into the Dry Valleys of the Transantarctic Mountains, die from lack of food and water. Their carcasses can exist for centuries due to the dry climate.
The Dry Valleys of Antarctica, according to scientists, is the area on Earth most similar to what would be a Mars landscape. The region hardly ever has snow and, except for some rocky plains, it is the only continental part of Antarctica that is not ice. The valley floor features some lakes permanently frozen, several meters thick and, under that ice, live some organisms extremely simple, which are objects of study.

8. Socotra Island, Indian Ocean

This island simply dispenses with any notion of what is considered “normal” for a terrestrial landscape. If you woke up there, you would probably think you are on another planet, or at least some remote era. Socotra is part of an archipelago that was geographically isolated from Africa 6 or 7 million years ago. As in the Galapagos Islands, it has about 700 rare and very different species. The climate is arid, and yet there are incredible specimens of plants – some species have not changed in the last 20 million years.

7. Rio Tinto, Spain

Rio Tinto’s giant open pit mines create a surreal environment, transforming the landscape into something similar to what we would see on the Moon, for example. The growth of the river not only consumed mountains and valleys, but village lands. The river had its name taken from the color of its waters, practically red and extremely acid (with pH ranging between 1.7 and 2.5), rich in metals.

6. Kliluk, Lake Stained, Canada

In the hot summer sun, the water of Lake Manchado evaporates and the minerals contained in it are crystallized. This causes the formation of several circles with white edges: shallow pools, which reflect the mineral content of water in shades of green and blue. This water contains one of the highest concentrations of minerals in the world: sulfate
magnesium, calcium and sodium sulfate, plus traces of other minerals, such as titanium and silver. Canadian Indians bathed in these waters and in the mud of the lake to heal wounds.

5. Uyuni Salt Lake, Bolivia

The Uyuni Salt Lake is perhaps one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. A magnificent area with an impressive salt desert (the largest in the world), active volcanoes and geysers – like an alien mirage, completely out of reality.

4. Vale da Lua, Brazil

The Brazilian representative of “alien” landscapes is Vale da Lua, in Brazil. It is a rock formation, sculpted by water erosion, full of natural pools. It is located 38 km from Alto Paraíso, in Goiás. Its rock formations are one of the oldest on the planet, made of quartz and other crystals.

3. Hot Blood Stream, Japan

  • Chinoike Jigoku or Blood pond hell in Beppu, Oita, Japan. Chinoike Jigoku features a pond of hot, red water and a large souvenir shop. It is one of the more photogenic of the eight hells.
The Hot Blood Stream is one of the “hells” (jigoku) of Beppu, Japan. Nine spectacular hot springs that are more “to see” than to shower. The landscape includes a lake of red and hot water, colored by the iron present in the liquid. Hot Blood was elected the most photogenic of the “hells”.

2. The Stone Forest, China

Shilin (in Mandarin, Stone Forest) is formed of smooth stones, surrounded by water that covers the floor. Water erodes everything but the pillars. The Stone Forest has been known since the Ming Dynasty as the First Wonder of the World.
  1. The Richat Structure, Mauritania
This spectacular formation in Mauritania is located in the southwestern part of the Sahara desert. It is so large that it is visible from space, with a diameter of 30 miles. Previously, it was thought that the formation was caused by the impact of a meteorite that had fallen on the region, but now it has been concluded that it is the result of erosion. The exact cause of its circular shape is still a mystery.

To reflect:
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good men do nothing”.
(Edmund Burke)

Images taken from images.google.com

Meet the ‘sixth sense’

On By estrangedztIn lifeLeave a comment

The scary and wonderful progress of SCIENCE

Pattie Maes is a researcher at MIT’s MediaLabs (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and presents the “Sixth Sense,” a technological device that may change our lives in the future.

The images that will be shown may seem strange at first but insist and begin to understand the new invention being presented.

Then, when you see your daily applications, start letting the astonishment take care of you.

If there is difficulty with English, just choose subtitles in Portuguese, just below the video screen.

Get ready to see the future ……

Put full screen

Time trap

On By estrangedztIn moviesLeave a comment

Time trap: escape to the future

An adventure movie for those who also like a sci-fi twist to the story!

In my modest opinion, it could be way better, but still catches us.

It builds throughout the story, but needed some more into it, to fill some holes… It’s great not to tell everything, like “The Matrix” masterpiece, but not as much!

Watch it and see for yourself, so you can make your own opinion!

Ser feliz…

On By estrangedztIn artLeave a comment

Fernando Pessoa (Lisboa, 13 de Junho de 1888 – Lisboa, 30 de Novembro de 1935)

Posso ter defeitos, viver ansioso e ficar irritado algumas vezes,
mas não esqueço de que minha vida é a maior empresa do mundo.
E que posso evitar que ela vá a falência.
Ser feliz é reconhecer que vale a pena viver apesar de todos os desafios, incompreensões e períodos de crise.
Ser feliz é deixar de ser vítima dos problemas e
se tornar um autor da própria história.
É atravessar desertos fora de si, mas ser capaz de encontrar um oásis no recôndito da sua alma.
É agradecer a Deus a cada manhã pelo milagre da vida.
Ser feliz é não ter medo dos próprios sentimentos.
É saber falar de si mesmo.
É ter coragem para ouvir um ‘não’.
É ter segurança para receber uma crítica, mesmo que injusta.
Pedras no caminho?
Guardo todas, um dia vou construir um castelo…

(Fernando Pessoa)