Futurology is a branch of Eschatology, a discipline of study that examines the past in order to postulate probable futures using consensus views and the evolution of myths that underlie them. The debate is whether this discipline is philosophy, theology, science or mysticism.

Futures as its known by its practitioners is not prognostication, although it is often confused with foretelling the future by mystics who claim to have more then just five senses. Eschatologists use history to predict likelihoods by reconstructing the past and present to find systematic patterns that can explain trends much like forecasting the weather.

From a  scientific point of view we are taught that fate is nothing more than a convergence of probabilities that leads to one outcome; although there are infinite elements to consider at any given time to be sure of one particular result, accuracy is more about determining boundaries of possibilities then it is on being exact, and yet the assumption is that being “scientific” means completely testing every presumption before deciding whether its a fact or not.

Frequently, we have to make fast decisions based on preconceived notions and prejudices evoked from experience because things happen so fast in the real world that there is no time to process them or we’ll never get anything done. Does this mean that quick decisions based on gut instinct are unscientific?

If we view the future simply as the summation of all the steps it will take to get there, then the direction pursued to reach it is defined by some kind of horizon beyond which nothing can be seen, and the only reason to be concerned about what will happen in the future is because we are unhappy about the present and want to know that the future will be a happy one.

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When The Avengers, issue #1, was first published in September 1963, a creation of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it had a somewhat different cast then the movie version released on May 4, 2012. After the group’s classic battle cry, “Avengers Assemble,” an odd blend of Marvel’s most popular characters put aside their personal differences, but not without difficulty, to save Earth from global peril. In the comic book version they included Iron Man, Ant Man, Wasp, Thor, The Hulk and later, Captain America. Over time other members joined as some of the original members left.

Many of Marvels heroes had imperfections that tended to make them social outcasts, competitive and antagonistic towards each other and unable to combine their powers to unite as a group. Much of the 2012 film adaptation is spent on this same struggle, overcoming their ego’s to find common ground and save the planet. Picking Joss Whedon to write and direct the film was a brilliant choice as it brings him back to his creative roots.

Whedon is best known for his highly successful creation of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, another super hero trying to fit in and have a normal life as the chosen one with a destiny to rid the Hellmouth of demons. Buffy ran for seven seasons and became a cult classic. So Whedon brought a unique understanding of the misunderstood hero with a dark side trying to find a place in the world while carrying a burden. This is also one of the main themes of The Avengers movie, and it is reflected in a witty script with the right amount of humor and drama that is just as endearing as it was in the Buffy universe.

The Avengers movie is by far the most energetic of the Marvel films with outstanding special effects, but what makes it stand apart is that it is a fast moving action film with numerous character conflicts that make it more than just another summer blockbuster and proves that you can have both a high budget action film, ($220 million dollars), while bringing something new to the development of each character.

The ensemble cast includes some of the actors who already played their characters in a starring role in other films. Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America. Mark Ruffalo takes over as The Hulk, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D and finally Scarlett Johansson who plays Black Widow with Kung Fu moves that resonates with some of the moves that Buffy used.

As he did as the villain of The Avengers, issue #1, Loki, the north god of illusion and mischief,  tries to reign supreme on Earth by causing mayhem between the heroes and stealing The Tesserat ( a fouth dimension analog of a cube with unlimited power), using it as a bargaining chip to bring an alien race from outer space to conquer Earth. Loki, portrayed by Tom Hiddleston plays the role with relish and a devilish grin that brings to mind Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight. If he cant rule Asgard, then Earth will be his domain and humans will bow to him as the god he claims he is.

Once the ego’s of the Marvel heroes are put aside and saving the planet becomes the common goal, the action and special effects intensify with the alien attack directly over Stark Enterprises in Manhattan. The film is well acted as the ensemble cast first struggles to take the threat seriously. Iron Man plays it rogue up until the final battle begins. Dr. Banner is calm and tempered as he tries to control his transformation into The Hulk. Thor doesn’t seem particularly interested in working with mortals to defeat his half – brother, and Captain America is still trying to figure out his life in the twenty-first century after being frozen in suspended animation for sixty years.

What is so unusual is that rarely do we have a film with a complex combination of personality conflicts played out in the main characters with blockbuster action and special effects. This is largely due to Whedon who deserves much of the credit for the film’s success, as his ability to combine all of the elements in a solid script filled with just the right amount of humor makes it all work. The Avengers is highly recommended in 2D, 3D, or perhaps 4D when the technology becomes available.

For a complete list of characters and credits for choreography, score and special effects, click on the IMDb link. It has a running time of 2 hours and 22 minutes and is rated PG-13.

Why The Incredible Hulk is Green

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There continues to be a philosophical discourse about whether actions have more significance than thoughts. The correlation between both is perhaps at the center of this dialogue.

Actions can be seen and measured by others, provoking numerous consequences with a wider impact then first imagined. Thoughts on the other hand are less open to observation. They are part of one’s private introspective world but can have great influence through meditation and prayer. Although they cant be seen and are usually difficult to articulate, they also influence behavior.

Conceivably, thoughts are actions on a less tangible plane. Perhaps they converge at the point where motivation saturates a new perception with curiosity. Thoughts that create ambivalence are likely to remain thoughts; those that are focused become a catalyst for a plethora of actions.

Random Thoughts can  appear unexpectedly out of nowhere. Some are “good”, others are “not.” Should we be held as responsible for random thoughts as for those that have conscious motivation since random thoughts are not as controllable, or are they? Then, the question becomes, are we as accountable for the thoughts we have as for the actions we initiate?

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Puerto Rico (”rich port“), with a current population of 4 million and comprising the main island and several smaller islands, has a complex and “rich” history. Very little is known about it prior to Columbus’s arrival, not surprising since the history of North America as taught by schools in the United States   began with “Columbus.”

The island has been known by several names before it was called Puerto Rico. When Columbus arrived on his second expedition to the New World in 1493, he named it San Juan Bautista in honor of John the Baptist. The Tainos called the island “Boriken (Boriquen)“. It’s unclear where its current name came from, but it was known as Puerto Rico soon after Ponce de Leon became its first governor in 1508.

According to Wikipedia, the first attempt to uncover Puerto Rico’s origins was described by Fray Inigo Abbad y Lasierra in 1786, three hundred years after the first Spaniards arrived. The first settlers are believed to have originated from the Oronico valley in South America who migrated through the Caribbean, inhabiting the Antilles from Trinidad and Tobago to Puerto Rico. Recent archaeological expeditions found evidence of their existence on the island of Vieques (1990), dating approximately to 2000 BC. Among the early tribes that were believed to descend from the Taino was the Arawak Indian Culture. They were the dominant society until the Spanish arrival in 1493.

The Spanish brought diseases which spread throughout the indigenous population, affecting the labor force, necessitating the Spanish to bring African Slaves for replacements to transform Puerto Rico into the entry port of the Caribbean on its way to South America, Mexico and parts of what is now the United States. Although the French, English and Dutch occupied the island at various times, they were not there long enough to affect the culture or language until the United States invaded Guanica in 1898 at the beginning of the Spanish American War. Subsequently, Spain was forced to secede Puerto Rico to the United States in the treaty of Paris (1898).

Under US occupation, in the early Twentieth century, Puerto Rico was treated as a conquered adversary, controlled by the American military with its governor as a political appointee of the US President. It wasn’t until 1917 when the Jones-Shafroth Act granted US citizenship to Puerto Ricans under “commonwealth status” that free elections established its ability to choose its cultural path. The first gubernatorial election was held in 1948, however full and equal voting representation in the US Congress afforded by statehood still eludes Puerto Rico.

Part of the problem Puerto Ricans faced under US occupation had been from the pharmacutical industry and other businesses which established a strong foothold on the island due to the tax breaks afforded by their commonwealth status. Vast areas of the island were “cultivated” for its natural resources and forests destroyed to build factories to support commercial interests of the mainland while doing little to enrich the economic life of the population other than provide low paying jobs. Puerto Rico also acutely suffered from the great depression and natural disasters such as hurricanes by losing jobs from those companies. Many migrated to the mainland, primarily New York City, where they and the second and third generation comprise a large percentage of the Latino population while maintaining ties with the island, and wanting a vote in the future status of the island. As time passes, fewer inhabitants remain that were born before citizenship and between 1898 and 1917. In many respects, it remains “a Third World country” with areas of poverty and high unemployment and less financial benefits afforded states or foreign countries receiving aid from the US government.

Over the years, Puerto Rico has been presented with three choices, independence, statehood or commonwealth, each time they have chosen commonwealth, however protectorates, territories or commonwealth status are fast disappearing in the Twenty-First century as more subtle economic and cultural imperialism increases by advancing technology. Puerto Rico will not be able to retain its current status indefinitely. They will be faced with choosing the future extent of its cultural uniqueness by relinquishing American citizenship with all the benefits and protections it provides in an increasingly uncertain world. The future for Puerto Rico will be either independence or statehood.

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Puerto Rico con una población actual de 4 millones de habitantes, es la isla principal de varias islas más pequeñas, tiene una historia rica y compleja aunque se sabe muy poco sobre ella antes de la llegada de Cristobal Colón. No es sorprendente, ya que la historia de América del Norte, como se enseña en las escuelas en los Estados Unidos empezó con “Colón.”

La isla ha sido conocida con varios nombres antes de llamarse Puerto Rico. Cuando Colón llegó en su segunda expedición al Nuevo Mundo en 1493, el la  llamó San Juan Bautista en honor a Juan el Bautista. Los taínos de la isla la llamaron  ”Borikén (Borinquen)”, de ahi que los habitantes son llamados “Boricuas”  No está claro de donde proviene su nombre actual, pero se conoce como Puerto Rico poco después que Ponce de León se convirtió en su primer gobernador en 1508.

Según Wikipedia, el primer intento de descubrir los orígenes de Puerto Rico es descrito por Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra en 1786, trescientos años después que los primeros españoles arrivaron. Los primeros pobladores se cree llegaron desde el valle de Oronico en América del Sur que emigraron a través del Caribe, poblando las Antillas desde Trinidad y Tobago hasta Puerto Rico. Recientes expediciones arqueológicas encontraron pruebas de su existencia en la isla de Vieques (1990), que data aproximadamente de 2000 ac. Entre las primeras tribus que se cree que descienden de los Taínos era la cultura de los indios Arawak. Eran la sociedad dominante hasta  la llegada de los españoles en 1493.

Los españoles trajeron con ellos enfermedades que se propagaron por toda la población indígena afectando a la fuerza de trabajo, lo que obligo a los españoles traer esclavos africanos para reemplazar fuerza de trabajo y transformar a Puerto Rico en el puerto de entrada de el Caribe en su camino hacia América del Sur, México y partes de lo que que hoy es Estados Unidos. A pesar que las lenguas  Francés, Inglés y holandeses ocuparon la isla en varias ocasiones, no estuvieron el  tiempo suficiente para afectar  la cultura o la lengua sino hasta que Estados Unidos invadió Guánica en 1898 al comienzo de la Guerra de la América española. Posteriormente, España se vio obligada a ceder  Puerto Rico a los Estados Unidos en el tratado de París (1898).

Bajo la ocupación de EE.UU., en el siglo XX, Puerto Rico fue tratado como un adversario vencido, controlado por el ejército estadounidense, con un gobernador funcionario político nombrado por el Presidente de los EE.UU.. No fue sino hasta 1917 cuando la Ley Jones-Shafroth concedio US ciudadanía a los puertorriqueños bajo el tratado “estado libre asociado” en que  en elecciones libres se estableció su capacidad de elegir su camino cultural y su primera  elección de gobernador que tuvo lugar en 1948.  Sin embargo plena e igualitariamente la representación con voto en el Congreso de EE.UU., que ofrece la condición de Estado, todavía no llega a Puerto Rico.

Parte de los problemas que los puertorriqueños enfrentande bajo la ocupación de EE.UU. ha sido la de la industria farmacéutica y otras empresas que establecieron una fuerte presencia en la isla, debido a los beneficios fiscales que ofrece el Estado Libre Asociado. Vastas zonas (bosques) de la isla fueron destruidas para construir fábricas para apoyar los intereses comerciales de USA, mientras se hacia poco para enriquecer la vida económica de la población con trabajos mal pagados. Puerto Rico también sufrió agudamente la Gran Depresión y los desastres naturales como los huracanes, como las pérdida de puestos de trabajo de esas empresas. Muchos migraron hacia  USA principalmente la ciudad de Nueva York, donde ellos, la segunda y tercera generación representan un gran porcentaje de la población latina, manteniendo  lazos con la isla, y esperando un voto en el futuro estatus de la isla. Con  el tiempo, un menor número de habitantes recuerdan que nacieron antes de la ciudadanía entre 1898 y 1917. En muchos aspectos, sigue siendo “un país del Tercer Mundo”, con zonas de pobreza y con un porcentaje de desempleo elevado.

A lo largo de años, Puerto Rico se le han presentado tres opciones, la independencia, la condicion de estado o estado libre asociado, sin embargo, protectorados, territorios o estado libre asociado están desapareciendo rápidamente en el siglo XXI.  Puerto Rico no será capaz de mantener su estado actual por tiempo indefinido. Ellos se enfrentan a la elección en el futuro, de su singularidad cultural renunciando a la ciudadanía americana con todos los beneficios y protecciones que ofrece en un mundo cada vez más incierto. El futuro de Puerto Rico será la independencia o la estadidad.

translated by Davin Blu

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Most things follow patterns of order, often imperceptible, hidden within harmonious arrangements of time and space, obvious but invisible until something disruptive appears attracting attention because its intrusive.

As an individual, the easiest way to stand out is by creating chaos, mainly to attract attention since one doesn’t get anywhere by doing what is expected. Too much time is focused on what others envisage for us at the expense of finding our own heart’s desire.

All are capable of creating disorder in their lives but it takes practice to learn how, over time, to use it to engage attention in a good way, although defining something as good or bad, positive or negative is subjective, talent and hard work may not be enough unless one is willing to take the plunge, now and then, by braving disorder, hoping it will be just enough to invite positive scrutiny, but never being sure that it actually will.

Perhaps, being sensitive to the mood of all the surrounding currents helps one learn how to direct chaos with insight and hopefully, its all interpreted as confidence rather then as some kind of atmospheric disturbance. But how disorder is in the end perceived, depends largely on the temperament of those perceiving it.

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The term, Egg of Columbus, perhaps began with Italian historian Girolamo Benzoni. In his document of the New World he wrote: Columbus was dining with many Spanish nobles when one of them said to him: ‘If your lordship had not discovered the Indies, there would have been, here in Spain, one who would have started a similar adventure with the same result.’

Columbus did not respond to these words but asked for a whole egg to be brought to him. He placed it on the table and said: ‘My lords, I will lay a wager with any of you that you are unable to make this egg stand on its end like I will do without any kind of help or aid.’ They all tried without success and when the egg returned to Columbus, he tapped it gently on the table breaking it slightly and, with this, the egg stood on its end.

All those present were confounded and understood what he meant: that once the feat has been done, anyone knows how to do it.

From Lifehacker.com

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Sometimes it’s possible to feel connected to something higher. Usually, it seems like an unexplainable perception has been awakened and the energy flows freely. At other times distractions make everything chaotic and impossible to perceive. Then, the ability to focus becomes a futile attempt to pierce the fog as too many currents saturate thought at the same time.

Spirituality celebrates a layering of levels which extends into infinity.The need to know the endpoint is less important than the ability to sense the closest higher reality by piercing the density when the perception is first noticed.

The state from where the energy emanates is subject to belief and speculation, a fertile ground for theology, an outgrowth of paganism aimed at influencing the dialogue about the unknown by extolling a higher being who created all things as a reflection of His image. The organization of natural forces without the appearance of a personal higher being does not exclude His existence, it simply affirms a limited capacity to feel Him.

There are infinite senses one could link to if one is open to the possibilities, when the mind is clear and the heart is open. One simply has to learn to listen to the cosmic pulse. Although meditation is not as easy as it sounds, its not as nebulous as one would think. Anyone could reach a meditative state simply by relaxing, breathing in the Qi and not thinking about it too much.

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