Let us pause for a moment, shall we?  Today’s hottest news bite will be tomorrow’s old news; there will be plenty of knuckleheads out there giving us something to rant about (maybe we will even be that knucklehead!); there will be plenty of things wrong with this world that deserve our attention and dialogue.

And in a peculiar sense, these things are exactly why a pause is justified. . .

There is a quote, one that has found root in many different circles, some religious, others philosophical, others yet just of a common sensical nature.  The origins have been awarded to Frank Outlaw, though that has been highly debated.  Regardless, its words echo a great deal of truth:

“Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”

With newly elected United States President Barack Obama hailed as America’s personified bailout plan himself (up to the writing of this particular posting) to Michael Phelps’ buddha-bong blunder to whoever this guy was. . .

 . . .the point is that everyone leaves a legacy.  For those of us who still have life, we are still continually shaping that legacy - some of us for the better, other for worse - some mindful of it and others mindless.

While some of us are dealt a bad hand, others got lucky, and probably most of us have just tried to make the best of what we’ve got - whatever that may be.

The above quote is not a fool proof plan - there are all sorts of variables that get mixed in, but its a very wise place to start.  The mind is an incredibly powerful and influential thing, far more than we already take it for granted for, and far more than any of us can probably even comprehend (especially when you add the social element). Hence the reasoning behind “Ignite The Mind” as not some winsome phrase, but an attempt at a penetrating insight.

Regardless, perhaps another quote from Obama’s inauguration speech makes a great deal of sense here too: your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. In others words, your legacy will not only live beyond you but it will live above you as well. . . My friends, none of us are perfect and this is not a naive belief that we can be nor that enough mental energy can conquer anything, but at the same time, legacies, though conceptually intangible, do leave tangible marks after we are gone.

What meaning will you give the legacy that will live on after you?

- IgniteTheMind

(In case you missed Part 1 , no worries - the introduction is the same, but you’ll want to take a peek at the previous photos.)

The Green Revolution is here. . .Well, its starting to get here in America anyways, but its certainly been going on in other countries that have been more concerned with energy efficiency longer than the U.S.  Regardless, conservation is a good thing.  We can all use to do a little better, and we can all certainly learn from each other.

But going green doesn’t need to be “dorky” as is the developing stereotype. . .To dispel that notion, check out these these top 10 green architectures as rated by Inhabitat .  In this article we’ll finish counting down with the top 5 of the top 10 (Only one picture from each architecture will be shown, but you really ought to check them all out in the Inhabitat link).

Turning green never looked so good. . .

5. Spiraling Skyscraper - Shanghai, China

This one is an artist’s rendition because they only recently broke ground on the building, but it will be tallest building in all of China!  It will be complete with “no fewer than nine sky gardens, a rainwater recycling system, and a series of wind turbines perched beneath its parapet.”  Within its spiraling walls will be everything from house-businesses, and restaurants, to cafés, coffee shops and convenience stores.

4. Old Subway Cars Now Studio Workspaces - London, UK

From beneath the earth to a bird’s eye view, these old subway cars have been retrofitted to be a chic workspace in crowded London.  Mounted on top of a building, a total of six cars were purchased for just 200 pounds each (that’s only $285 U.S.)!  There are now plans to expand similar projects to Lisbon (Portugal), Berlin (Germany, and Toronto (Canada).

3. Carbon-Neutral Pyramid (Ziggurat) - Dubai

Due to begin construction in October 2009, this structure is planned to be able to support a community of nearly 1 million with the energy it will generate!  It will utilize wind, steam, solar and other natural resources to sustain its energy-efficiency.  A highly-efficient public transportation system will be planned as well as other urban planning to make the city tightly knit and smartly functional.  Agricultural opportunities are also in the works.

2.  Eco-Sphere - Pacific Northwest USA

Available for rent or purchase, these tree-top huts are simply amazing.  Able to accommodate 4 people (more for “camping” or “vacations” than long-term living), these spheres are handcrafted with fiberglass and locally-sourced wood.  They can have electricity serviced to them or you can enjoy the simplicity of “roughing it.”  Playing Tarzan and Jane will never have felt so natural. . .

1.  Green Roof Art School - Singapore

This is Nanyang Technological University, a five-story art school.  “The glass façade provides a high performance building envelope that reduces solar gain and heat load while allowing the benefits of natural views and daylight into creative spaces. The roofs create open space, insulate the building, cool the surrounding air and harvest rainwater for landscaping irrigation.”  The school is made not only to be astetic but to also inspire its students with its “non-traditional, non-linear” construction.

Well, there you have it! Ten mighty and magnificent ways to go green. . .This is the only earth we have, so we better take care of it.  And while we’re at it, let’s beautify it too!  Going green can be just as functional as it can be fashionable.  Here’s to next years top 10 best green architectures and another year’s worth of conscientious conservation.

- IgniteTheMind

(donations welcomed)

The Green Revolution is here. . .Well, its starting to get here in America anyways, but its certainly been going on in other countries that have been more concerned with energy efficiency longer than the U.S.  Regardless, conservation is a good thing.  We can all use to do a little better, and we can all certainly learn from each other.

But going green doesn’t need to be “dorky” as is the developing stereotype. . .To dispel that notion, check out these these top 10 green architectures as rated by Inhabitat .  In this article we’ll count down 5 of the top 10 and finish up the other half tomorrow (Only one picture from each architecture will be shown, but you really ought to check them all out in the Inhabitat link).

Turning green never looked so good. . .

10.  GREENPIX Zero Energy Media Wall - Beijing

This 20,000 square foot wall can be seen up to a kilometer away on one of Beijing’s busiest road’s, and it is the world’s largest LED display. Collecting sunlight during the day, this wall uses the stored solar energy to put on a show at night.

9.  Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, CA

Composed of glass, fly-ash and fsc-certified wood, this structure maximizes the use of natural sunlight and has been built to last over 300 years, even structured to withstand considerable earthquake activity.

8. California Academy of Sciences - California

This one is an artist’s rendering but it provides the best angle of the outside.  The California Academy of Sciences is an absolutely incredible structure, complete with indoor rainforest and the largest indoor coral reef aquarium in the world.  In total, this building “is currently the only institution in the world to feature an aquarium, a natural history museum, a living rainforest, a planetarium, and world-class research and education programs.”

7.  World’s First Energy-Generating Revolving Door - Netherlands-based Natuurcafe La Port

This revolving door may not look so fancy, but it actually generate a small amount of electricity every time someone goes through it!  It doesn’t necessarily generate a great deal of electricity (4600 kwh of energy each year), but each watt helps!  Even more so, we may very well be witnessing some of the first green technology that will be utilized in our not-so-distant every day lives!

6. Temple Built of One Million Recycled Bottles - Thailand

An estimated 1.5 million recycled bottles were used to build the Wat Pa Maha Chedio Kaew temple in Thailand.  Bottle collecting started in 1984.  Bottle caps have also been used to make mosaics.  The bottles are surprisingly durable, require little maintenance, and let beautiful rays of light cascade through, which also distributes warmth.

Well, those are the first five of these magnificent green architecture specimens.  Come back tomorrow and see the other five!

- IgniteTheMind

(donations welcomed)

Some of you may be familiar with the phrase, “Like a bull in a china shop.”

The phrase is a simile, which basically describes one thing with similarity to another.  In this case, the phrase “like a bull in a china shop” is referring to someone who is going on an emotional rampage; they are angry, and they are taking it out on whoever and/or whatever gets in their path.

 The phrase is not considered to be of a positive nature.  If you are the one being called the bull, then people are wanting to stay away from you because no one wants to be the “china shop.”  But let’s face it -  Haven’t you ever wanted to the be the bull? Aren’t there times where you’d enjoy nothing more than barreling through a china shop like a full-speed freight train of a one-ton bull, releasing all that pent-up frustration?

 Well my friends, you need not wait any further. . .Head on over to San Diego, California to Sarah’s Smash Shack , put on your bull-horned cap, and get your bash on!

This unique shop let’s you smash until your heart is content.  With a variety of glassware choices to obliterate or the ability to bring your own “smashable” items, you’ll have more fun flinging plates than a four year old picking his nose! (Check out their “menu” here)

The Shack even let’s you pipe in your favorite MP3’s off of your personal music player - so you can rock out while you go all out!  Smashing rooms are even big enough for several “offenders” so you can bring your friends to help you out! No one gets hurt, and at the same time, the broken glassware gets donated to local artisans, art physical therapy programs, and anyone else who wants it!  Its a little piece of heaven. . .in San Diego (not where one expects to find heaven, but hey, who’s to argue?).

 Who needs anger management when you can go down to Sarah’s Smash Shack? (Gift certificates are available!)

So go on Mr. Bull, tear up that china shop, but leave a little for us!

 - IgniteTheMind

(donations welcomed)

Ask yourself this question - and in trying to be as objectively fair as possible really be honest with yourself - do you pay attention to the little things? Do you witness something remarkable happen every single day, even if its in the quirky, peculiarity of life?  Do you absorb life to its fullest or are you absorbed in trying to fill up your life?

Its probably fair to say that most of us would answer positively to these questions.  Granted, we are all busy people, but sure, we all like to think that we aren’t so caught up in the “bigger picture” that we fail to see the remarkable details. Sadly, our attention spans are not what wish they were. . .

Not long ago, a remarkably interesting experiment was conducted about this very concept. If you have the time you should really read the entire article on this, but for now, here is the condensed version:

“A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell*, one of the best musicians in the world…

He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?”

So. . .what do you see?

(*Picture above not Joshua Bell himself)

- IgniteTheMind

(donations welcomed)

Wow, has it really come down to this?  Is it really possible that we would stoop this low? Are we truly willing to defy our tastebuds for the ease of convenience?

For in our fix of a “fast food” cheeseburger we have created a monster: from the German camping company, Trekking Mahlzeiten , comes the boilable cheeseburger in a can.  Yes, you heard right - a boilable cheeseburger.  But the kicker is this - its not just the meat that you boil, its the entire cheeseburger, bun, ketchup, pickles and all!

Dead cows all over the world are turning in their graves. . .”Fine, eat us, but at least let us keep our dignity!”

Maybe to some it doesn’t sound all that bad.  The commercialized photograph makes it look quite respectable:

In fact, that burger looks good enough to rival just about any other burger chain’s champion sandwich.

Oh, but they call it advertising for a reason.  Because a reality check into burger paradise reveals that these little condensed morsels of meaty goodness actually look more along the lines of this:

(WARNING:The following pictures may contain content unsuitable for younger audiences)

 Undoubtedly, when you open the can you can begin to hear bagpipes in the background playing the funeral procession of “Amazing Grace.”

 Just take a look at this article on one group’s hilarious review of the cheeseburger in a can. . .

And for you all Romeos out there, why not make this high-class carnivorous delight part of your upcoming Valentine’s Day dining? No doubt your date will glow with delight (or because their on the verge of puking).

 Please my dear companions, join me now and ask for forgiveness that the culinary “gods” might spare us for this disastrous creation. . .

 (Wonder if spraying any of Burger King’s new “Flame” meat-cologne on this cheeseburger would help any?)

 - IgniteTheMind

(donations welcomed)

 If you’ve never heard of Julian Beever. . .you have now.

And if you’ve never seen Julian Beever. . .

. .  .you have now.

Sure, nothing spectacular stands out about him. . .Of course, the picture makes him look a little goofy, and his name seems to tag along side of that thought.

Truth be told though, Julian is probably one of the most talented artists you’ll ever see.  His specialty is quite unique though: chalk drawings in public places.  As you’ll see however, he is so talented its quite unfair to label him a “glorified street artist.”  His skills are far beyond that. . .

Amazed? Its sure hard not to be. Even on this video (low quality at that), his illusions are absolutely mind boggling. . .Its no wonder passer-bys stand in awe.

But how does he do it? Its a well-calculated process. . .

Besides the extreme skill, unique creativity and attention to detail, what is it that really mesmerizes about Julian’s drawings? . . .Seems that its all about perspective.

Perspective is a curious thing. . .We all have one, and each one of our perspectives has been influenced by an innumerable amount of things: from culture to family and peers to personal experiences to intelligence in all its forms to religion/philosophies to government and the list continues.

And yet, rarely do we realize the extent of our perspective on a particular topic or issue until it takes something to shake it or open our eyes to it. . .In other words, our perspectives seem so natural and “correct” to us that it takes another perspective, often a different one, to help us realize our own!

So leave it to Beever and his drawings to amaze us. . .and to also give us a new “perspective.”

- IgniteTheMind

Children are undoubtedly one of the most precious things that we experience in our lives.  Their youthful exuberance, persevering resilience, unpredictable humor, and genuine innocence often give hope in even the bleakest of circumstances.

Despite the effort and investment it takes to raise them, children bring joy.  Those who have children know this from a first-hand experience.  Even those who do not have children know this, because its the joy of a child that is often what sparks peoples’ desire to have them!

Unfortunately for some, the ability to have children is difficult or even impossible.  In other situations, people simply wish to bring a child into their family via adoption so that they might share their love (and of course, it can very well be both and more). Thankfully, adoption exists so that this genuine act of love can be made possible.

Yet for anyone who has researched, attempted or completed the adoption process  know it is an agonizing adventure.  Of course the successful outcome is worth it, but the incredible agitation is that there are people who genuinely wish to have a child(ren) in their family, but must jump through hoop after hoop to do so.  There are respectable, genuine, eager-to-love people who wish to adopt, and yet the adoption process often takes at least 2 years (or more) depending on the agency, not to mention the thousands of dollars it takes.  And consider the fact that America is one of the easier countries to adopt from and more facilitating as more scholarships are now available to help fund it, as well as, a $10,000 tax credit return for those who do adopt.

An international adoption becomes an entirely different beast. Often times case workers collect their “fees” in addition to the agency fees.  Giving “gifts” to the case workers is not uncommon, and many governments have put more red-tape in place as they are hesitant to allow adoptions, especially to Westerners.  Of course religious orientation, age, and financial status all play a roll too.  Likewise, many countries do not allow adoptions to people of certain countries or allow adoptions at all .

The conundrum lies in the fact that there are children, human lives, that could be in a better place and being loved by people who genuinely want to love those children.  In that sense, one is puzzled why the process has to be so difficult? Why must a child spend years of his or her life bouncing from orphanage to orphanage, or living in a slum in Mambai, or the barrios of Central and South America (as examples) when there are homes with room for them?  The bureaucracy of it all can be extremely frustrating as we deny life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, supposedly inherent human rights (at least an American view of them), to these young ones.

On the other hand, it is human life we’re talking about. To allow the process to be “easier” means that more people who may not actually be capable of caring for a child properly are kept from doing so, especially with the ever-present, ever-wretched thoughts of child abuse.  To just “give” a child to anyone would be terribly irresponsible.  Because life (and children) is so precious, we must be careful with it.

Just how difficult (or easy) should the process be? What is ethical and what is not?  Where are the lines drawn in a world that is not simply black and white but more like a spectrum of gray?

  In the end, the curious question remains, “How do we handle life?”

-  IgniteTheMind

 If you’ve been on this earth 4-5 years or longer, you’ve no doubt heard of Barbie Doll or G.I. Joe. . .many of you probably even own(ed) one. Perhaps for some, your country doesn’t(didn’t) actually have the “official” Barbie or G.I. Joe, but undoubtedly it has(had) something very similar in concept: A young, hip, beautiful female or a strong, tough, “bull-dog” of a warrior-male.

 You are all intelligent; you can see where this conversation is going.  And it begs the question: Do these toys, a reflection of overall society, represent an unattainable persona, both physical and otherwise, that children are socialized to believe they need to achieve in order to fit in ?

One view of things is to say, “No.”  These are simply toys.  Yes, when toys are created they do to tend to follow certain gender characteristics and usually support cultural gender roles to some degree, but ultimately, they are just toys for entertainment, not some deviant plot to brainwash children.

If this be the case, these toys offer many positive “lessons.”  Barbie and similar dolls appear to be successful, put-together, capable of social interaction and of a cheerful disposition.  G.I. Joe and other related action figures offer confidence, leadership, and a “can-do” attitude. It could be fair to say that these are universally beneficial attributes, even if they take on their own nuances in different cultures.

 Another response is to say, “Yes.”  While these are toys for children to play with, they send obvious messages.  When a little girl plays with a doll, she enjoys making her look beautiful, perhaps even playing dress-up, standing in a mirror, and pretending to be a princess.  The obviousness is that young girls are seeing that Barbie is the way a female should be; perfect physically, emotionally, socially, and otherwise.  As for action figures, young boys are seeing they need to be aggressive to have control over their environment, that power is something to be used for one’s personal “mission,” and that a tough, non-emotional exterior is a true sign of maleness.

 In this situation, these types of toys are encouraging a mental mind-frame that is removed from reality.  Its a mind-frame that says young girls need to grow up and maintain balance in all aspects of their lives.  They need to be beautiful, watch their weight, successful, independent,  be the definition of a woman to men and a lovable “sister” to other women and so on.  Its also a mind-frame that says young boys should grow up to be a”man’s man.”  Life should not be able to shake him, and if he does, he shouldn’t show it.  He should be a leader, virtually unstoppable and someone all the other guys wish they could be (i.e. “cool”).

In other words. . .

At this point, perhaps the most reasonable answer is that both views have something to say. So instead of letting one’ s view swing to one side of the pendulum, perhaps its the middle ground that offers some insight. . .

The obviousness is that these are toys.  To say that toys have a mesmerizing power over children to the point that they have no control to resist them and their “hidden” sociological codes would be irrational.  At the same time, it is equally foolish to think that toys do not communicate some degree of a social message to children.  Many of the ways that males and females act as adults reflect some of the characteristics, both positive and negative, that our childhood trinkets mirrored.

Perhaps most of all then that is where the true core of this lies.  It is not enough to pin-the-entire-gender-role-tail-on-the-toy-donkey.  After all, it is not as if toys send messages on their own, but rather it is the influence of culture and society that sends the messages, which we then incorporate into the physical portion of life, in this case toys.

Regardless of your view on the whole toy complex, one cannot simply stop there.  After all, whatever it is we think about Barbie and G.I. Joe is still a reflection of the sociological mirror that our own culture has created.

Happy New Years!  It wasn’t long ago really that everyone was fretting over the Y2K scare and here we are nearly a decade later - 2009.  And just as was done on Christmas , today’s discussion will go a bit of a different direction.

The previous blog entry  was a discussion about New Year’s resolutions - perhaps you made one, perhaps not.  Regardless of that decision, we are all in the same boat - 2009 awaits us with the beauty of the potential a new year holds (provided you are future-oriented, which not all cultures are). 

But before we go charging full steam ahead, its important to think about this thing called potential.

Webster’s dictionary wants to define potential as “existing in possibility : capable of development into actuality.”  And this is exactly the key, potential has possibility but it is not a guarantee.  While it can develop into actuality, potential is a fragile thing that can be mishandled.

So as we enter into 2009, there is a great deal of potential for the world, for the country you call home, for the family and friends you hold dear to you, and certainly potential for you.

How will you try to realize that potential?  You must first “realize” (not trying to make a “religious” push here - just being philosophically creative).  To put it simply, a professor of mine once said, “We look to the past to understand the present to plan for the future.”

If you want to realize potential moving forward, and granted there are obstacles out of our control that will limit it to a degree, you must understand where you have come from, how that has shaped who you are today, and in that understanding of yourself, use your strengths, talents, skills, and experiences to cultivate the potential that lies ahead.

So pause for a moment and reflect. . .what are the experiences, people, personal attributes, etc. that have shaped who you are to this day?

Regardless of religious/philosophical alignment, here are a few wise reflective quotes to help kick-start you along your way:

Hui-neng: Look within!… The secret is inside you.

William Shakespeare: Men should be what they seem.

William L Shirer: Most true happiness comes from one’s inner life, from the disposition of the mind and soul. Admittedly, a good inner life is difficult to achieve, especially in these trying times. It takes reflection and contemplation and self-discipline.

Norman Vincent Peale: One of the greatest moments in anybody’s developing experience is when he no longer tries to hide from himself but determines to get acquainted with himself as he really is.

Sarah Ban Breathnach: Only when the clamor of the outside world is silenced will you be able to hear the deeper vibration. Listen carefully.

Charles Dickens: Reflect upon your present blessings - of which every man has many - no on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

Joseph Chilton Pearce: Seeing within changes one’s outer vision.

Unknown Author: Seeing yourself as you want to be is the key to personal growth.

Unknown Author: Success is not measured by what one brings, but rather by what one leaves.

Creole proverb: Tell me who you love, and I’ll tell you who you are.

And of course, be sure to take time to think about who you are now, the things that make you unique, your likes, dislikes, strengths, etc.  It might even be worth writing them down just to remind yourself that which makes you uniquely you!

Finally, think about where your life is going - perhaps its right on track, perhaps you need to rechart your map a bit. Whatever the case, knowing where you’ve come from and what has shaped you and knowing who you are now, think about what is next. . .

Here are just a few more quotes to give you another boost:

Anne Frank:Everyone has inside himself a piece of good news! The good news is that you really don’t know how great you can be, how much you can love, what you can accomplish, and what your potential is!

 Paul De Rapin:Our strength often increases in proportion to the obstacles imposed upon it.

 Will Schultz: Joy comes from using your potential.

 Roger Williams: The greatest crime in the world is not developing your potential. When you do what you do best, you are helping not only yourself, but the world.

 Marilyn Ferguson:Your past is not your potential. In any hour you can choose to liberate the future.

 James T. Mccay: No matter what the level of your ability, you have more potential than you can ever develop in a lifetime.

 Anthony Robbins: Questions provide the key to unlocking our unlimited potential.

 Eddie Robinson: The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.

 Napoleon Hill: Knowledge is only potential power.

 Zig Ziglar:It’s not what you’ve got, it’s what you use that makes a difference.

 And just in case you can’t get away to a place of reflection, here’s a free ticket in the spirit of New Year’s:

 As you move into 2009, keep these thoughts of potential active, revisit them from time to time, and forge ahead, because the upcoming year holds a great deal of potential.

 May it be your best year yet!

-  IgniteTheMind