Quote For Forever (so obviously quote of the day)

"Imagine that every person in the world is enlightened but you. They are all your teachers, each doing the right things to help you learn patience, perfect wisdom, perfect compassion."

Buddha

Quote: Bill Gates

"I have 100 billion dollars... You realize I could spend 3 million dollars a day, every day, for the next 100 years? And that's if I don't make another dime. Tell you what - I'll buy your right arm for a million dollars. I give you a million bucks, and I get to sever your arm right here." - Bill Gates

Quote: Einstein

"Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe - a spirit vastly superior to that of man"

Albert Einstein

Quote: Noam Chomsky

"I think, legally speaking, there's a very solid case for impeaching every American president since the
Second World War. They've all been either outright war criminals or involved in serious war crimes."

Noam Chomsky

Quote: Noam Chomsky

"I think the issue, to come back to my original comment, is not simply disinformation and the Gulf crisis. The issue is much broader. It's whether we want to live in a free society or whether we want to live under what amounts to a form of self-imposed totalitarianism, with the bewildered herd marginalized, directed elsewhere, terrified, screaming patriotic slogans, fearing for their lives and admiring with awe the leader who saved them from destruction, while the educated masses goose step on command and repeat the slogans they're supposed to repeat and the society deteriorates at home. We end up serving as a mercenary enforcer state, hoping that others are going to pay us to smash up the world. Those are the choices. That's the choice that you have to face. The answer to those questions is very much in the hands of people like you and me."

Noam Chomsky

Quote: Noam Chomsky

"If the US is unquestionably authorized to bomb another country to compel its leaders to turn over someone it suspects of involvement in a terrorist act, then, a fortiori, Cuba, Nicaragua, and a host of others are entitled to bomb the US because there is no doubt of its involvement in very serious terrorist attacks against them: in the case of Cuba going back 45 years, extensively documented in impeccable sources, and not questioned; in the case of Nicaragua, even condemned by the World Court and the Security Council (in vetoed resolutions), after which the US escalated the attack. This conclusion surely follows if we accept the principle of universality."

Noam Chomsky

"Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous" -A. Einstein

One of my favourite words / subjects / rants / illusions / events / acausal principles. I seriously believe and have done for many years (it all started one Thursday night which is one of the reasons Thursday playlists are SO very important) that there is no such thing as coincidence. It's a word we've all heard, all used and more than likely all experienced. Many great philosophers and thinkers have devoted a huge amount of time to the subject and hopefully you will also. The official version or OV as I like to call it goes like this..

"Coincidence literally describes two or more events or entities occupying the same point in space or time, but colloquially means two or more events or entities possessing unexpected parallels, such as thinking about someone and then receiving an unexpected phone call from that person, when it is clear that there is no ordinary causal connection.

The index of coincidence can be used to analyse whether two events are related. A coincidence does not prove a relationship, but related events may be expected to have a higher index of coincidence. From a statistical perspective, coincidences are inevitable and often less remarkable than they may appear intuitively. The odds that two people share a birthday, for example, reaches 50% with a group of just 22 [1] (see the Birthday paradox)."

We (the Jinster & I) watched a film a couple of months ago (we'll be repeating the viewing on November 5th) that we'd been looking forward to seeing for quite a while. The Wachowski Brothers are responsible for probably my favourite film(s) of all time - the (IMHO) breathtakingly brilliant Matrix trilogy. So when I saw their names on the cover of the DVD for a film I'd heard of, but with all the excitement of emigrating to our favourite place in the world, hadn't had time to catch, we rented it for that evening's visual entertainment - no questions asked.

We were not disappointed. The reviews of this film have varied considerably. In fact some would say they have polarised quite dramatically - all depends on your point of view (as with anything). We loved it. Having seen quite a few documentaries recently on the "War on Terror" the film really resonated. As the old saying goes "One man's Terrorist is another man's Freedom Fighter."

But it was the script that got me, the "obsession" with coincidences and the fact that when I "wiki'd" the word "coincidence" the film was one of the two external references that was listed - this has now changed unfortunately (you've gotta love wiki updates) but it still blew me away, especially as we'd been discussing the amazing string of coincidences that has led us to our current position. It really is quite simple I suppose - when you spell it out in black & white - is there a point to life? A purpose?

Or is it just chance?

A purpose to your / my existence?

Or just a bunch of atoms and chemicals that after billions of years of randomly mutating finally manage to come together in a structure that can actually contemplate their own existence?

Again it's one of the things that really fascinates me. A lot of people (and quite a lot of people I know) don't give this question a seconds thought. Literally - not one second is even allocated to this most pertinent of questions. It's the reason I titled track one of my forthcoming album "What is The Question?" To me - and obviously this is only my point of view - it's the most important question we could possibly ask. I mean after all, if just for arguments sake the Big Bang and life suddenly starting for no apparent reason is not an accident. The Universe is fine tuned for our existence ( "That is not a reasonable idea, that something is tuned to 120 decimal places just by accident" - Professor Leonard Susskind)

Richard "Dick" Dawkins recently appeared on Newsnight and was interviewed by Paxman - Dick ended the interview with the classic slip up of all slip ups "I don't believe we are put here to be comfortable.." He's got a new book out and was basically whoring it and misrepresenting Einstein to justify his own narrow minded beliefs. I love scientists that will basically ignore any facts that do not support their own point of view - defiantly defending the paradigm against an overwhelming weight of evidence to the contrary. That's not Science Dick - that's "belief" - "faith" if you like - a word you have problems with. Makes you realise what Copernicus was up against when he valiantly tried to tell the "scientists" of many a year ago they were wrong.

If something has odds of 120 decimal places to 1 against - would you bet on it? Is it "Science" to believe it is the most probable outcome. The Buddhists had it right all along - "The World is an Illusion"

Much, much, much more on this later - for now Hasta Luego

Cue Track 2 "Vurt"

Peace & Love
Migz

Quote: Miguel Ramirez

"Live life like it's a movie - who knows it just might be..."

Quote: Dawkins

"I don't believe we are put here to be comfortable".

Richard Dawkins appearing on Newsnight Friday 22nd September.

Anyone else spot the glaring error in that statement from the worlds leading atheist? It's ok Dick.. honest, no one noticed ;)

Quote: V

Quote of the Day

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

V in V for Vendetta

Quote: Noam Chomsky

"Many indigenous people apparently do not see any reason why their lives, societies and cultures should be disrupted or destroyed so that New Yorkers can sit in their SUVs in traffic gridlock."

The man is a genius. More Chomsky at Official Chomsky Website.