Researchers find that the tale of the "Hero Twins" goes back more than 2,000 years.
by Sam Kissinger (Discover Magazine)Archaeologists who have uncovered two massive carved stucco panels in the Mirador Basin of GuaÂtemalaâ??s northern rain forest say they are the earliest known representation of the Mayan creation myth, predating other such artifacts by a millennium. According to the researchers, the panelsâ??26 feet long and 20 feet high, with images of monsters, gods, and swimming heroesâ??date to 300 B.C. They formed the sides of a channel that carried rainwater into a complex system of stepped pools, where it was stored for drinking and agriculture.
Idaho State University archaeologist Richard Hansen, who is directing the ongoing excavation, says that the panelsâ?? carved images depict an important scene from the Popol Vuh, a text of the Mayan myth that was first recorded in the 16th century. In the part of the story shown, the Hero Twins swim through the underworld after retrieving the head of their father, the deity Hun Hunahpu...
Read the complete article here.
The Biocentric Universe Theory: Life Creates Time, Space, and the Cosmos Itself
Stem-cell guru Robert Lanza presents a radical new view of the universe and everything in it.
by Robert Lanza and Bob Berman (Discovermagazine.com)
Adapted from Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness Are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe, by Robert Lanza with Bob Berman, published by BenBella Books in May 2009.
The farther we peer into space, the more we realize that the nature of the universe cannot be understood fully by inspecting spiral galaxies or watching distant supernovas. It lies deeper. It involves our very selves.
This insight snapped into focus one day while one of us (Lanza) was walking through the woods. Looking up, he saw a huge golden orb web spider tethered to the overhead boughs. There the creature sat on a single thread, reaching out across its web to detect the vibrations of a trapped insect struggling to escape. The spider surveyed its universe, but everything beyond that gossamer pinwheel was incomprehensible. The human observer seemed as far-off to the spider as telescopic objects seem to us. Yet there was something kindred: We humans, too, lie at the heart of a great web of space and time whose threads are connected according to laws that dwell in our minds.
Hope is in the Cards, is a grassroots effort to generate 300 million upbeat messages
throughout our country. The idea is simple - get everyone in America to mail one positive card or letter to someone else, right now. How cool is that? Check out http://HopeIsInTheCards.org, but even easier? Send a positive card or letter to someone today, or write the word HOPE on the back of anything you mail.
You may find Hope is in the Cards on Twitter: @hopeinthecards. Follow the HOPE project and help send 300 million positive, REAL messages across America this year!
(The following post is borrowed from my literature blog, LiveWires...)
Ultimately it boils down to Story. Even the poems I've loved are more than just words strung together - they are dense bites of stories. A good song, even if instrumental, will feel as if we have descended into a story. Humans are hardwired for narrative and plot - and it's the verbal storytellers* who have provided us with the richest and most enduring stories, fodder for nearly everything we read today. And before language, I imagine humans described adventures and relationships through movement, vocal tone, beat, and gestures. It's just what we humans do. We tell stories.
There is some good work going on out there right now in regard to story preservation. Hearing Voices collects bits and pieces of stories heard on American public radio in sixty-minute streams of "driveway moments" connected by a weekly theme, with the help of a guest host. StoryCorps Griot is another ongoing initiative, which ensures that the voices, experiences, and life stories of African Americans will be preserved and presented with dignity.
Sit back and take a listen to some stories, here, and for some homework, why not write down or tell a story to someone today. I am sure it will be quite easy to find a willing audience.
Another bit of fun: The Hearing Vocab Lexicon.
*The griot (pronounced gree-oh) in West African tradition is a role of honor, designating someone who maintains community tradition and memory through storytelling, music, and dance.
The deep corruption in our global food web is the single most important issue that we must choose to face, and face quickly...
This feature length film, The Future of Food, will educate you and inspire you to action. Please pass the information you learn to everyone you know. Our children's lives depend on it.
(Props to contributor Faith Gimzek for sending this our way.)
Archaeologists who have uncovered two massive carved stucco panels in the Mirador Basin of GuaÂtemalaâ??s northern rain forest say they are the earliest known representation of the Mayan creation myth, predating other such artifacts by a millennium. According to the researchers, the panelsâ??26 feet long and 20 feet high, with images of monsters, gods, and swimming heroesâ??date to 300 B.C. They formed the sides of a channel that carried rainwater into a complex system of stepped pools, where it was stored for drinking and agriculture.
Idaho State University archaeologist Richard Hansen, who is directing the ongoing excavation, says that the panelsâ?? carved images depict an important scene from the Popol Vuh, a text of the Mayan myth that was first recorded in the 16th century. In the part of the story shown, the Hero Twins swim through the underworld after retrieving the head of their father, the deity Hun Hunahpu...
Hope is in the Cards
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