A multi-verse could be either a hypothetical set of multiple potential universes - including our own - that together comprise all of reality, or a many versed poem such as Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

As a literary work published in 1847, it chronicles the life of an Acadian girl named Evangeline Bellefontaine and her search for her lost love, Gabriel Lajeunesse, set against the sweeping landscape of North America during the time of “Le Grand Derangement“, an unpleasant period in Canadian history, when the inhabitants of the maritime provinces including Prince Edward Island and parts of Maine were relocated by the British. Many migrated to Quebec while others went to Louisiana and became Cajuns whose descendants still speak French, even today.

One of Longfellow’s most enduring works, it was written in dactylic hexameter - also the technique used in the Greek and Latin classics, a poem with a rhythmic scheme that goes on and on verse after verse, hence the term multi-verse. Perhaps it would have been more interesting to read had it been penned in prose or taught in History class instead of Poetry 101. Longfellow was obviously influenced by his close friendship with Nathanial Hawthorne who had an ever so slight lean towards the puritanical and who etched such memorable works as The Scarlet Letter.

From a scientific point of view, a multi-verse is an unproven theory of theoretical physics. The different universes within the multi-verse are sometimes called parallel universes, often interchangeable with the term alternate realities. However anyone versed in geometry knows that since parallel lines never meet, it is not possible to travel from one parallel universe to the next leaving us with a summation of alternate realities as the only credible explanation for the theoretical basis for reality, although to quote the eminent Dr. McCoy, “Good God Spock, I’m a doctor, not a physicist.”

Any reasonable person would ask, what do alternate realities have to do with Canadian history? Spock would probably respond, “Obviously the history of Canada is an alternate reality of American history without the revolutionary war.” If that were true, then in another reality, Canada is the fifty-first state.

Read more about alternate realities and parallel universes at Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiverse_(science)

Marie Anne Adeleide Lenormand was known as the greatest of France’s Cartomancers, considered a woman of renown whose influence spanned 40 years of European history including the French revolution. Descended from Nostradamus some say she was a mystic who went on her own quest that covered a journey to the Himalayas, the hidden caves of Mongolia that house the lost texts of the Alexandrian Library, the Egyptian temples and pyramids where secret initiations were performed, tested in the great chamber of Amen-Hotep where she learned Kabala, the mystical teachings of the Hebrews.

Leaders of all fields, peasants and aristocrats alike, allegedly came for advice from this gifted prognosticator including Marat, St-just, Empress Josephine, Czar Alexander and Robespierre. Her last entry recorded in her diary was about Marie Antoinette: “I saw her, while gazing at the cards in a trance after hearing that the French Queen had an affair with a peasant French boy, Pierre-Devual,” she wrote in beautifully scripted French, “La femme qui a cause mon homme ne est ici, je touche son sang. Ou est l’homme avec les yeux bleus, cheveux blonds, peau blanche? L’homme que je ne retrouve pas a cause d’un homme stupid, ou est l’homme que j’aime avec mon coeur? Quand la mort serra mon ami? Je ne sais pas.” She adds, “The sounds of the birds silenced as my crystal ball resonated and the air became thin and wispy, causing an array of candles to blow out, leaving smoke filling the air with the incandescent aroma of pomegranate, the mythic fruit of the underworld.”

A daughter of France born in Alençon on May 27th 1772 with the gift of foresight, she frequently found herself in prison throughout her life, on the run from disgruntled clients, but not for long once her reputation for card play spread rapidly in Europe as fear gripped her prophecies, although she claimed, “It is not what I see, but the way each person interprets what I see.”

Her diary was hidden in the odds and ends section of the Vatican archives, described as “ornately bound with gold leaf written in cryptic french.” Some interpretations claim she influenced the course of history of Western Europe much as the oracle of Delphi captured the attention of the ancient world. It is widely believed one of her readings to Napoleon Bonaparte encouraged what is known as The Louisiana Purchase, “Vente de la Louisiane,” in 1803.

Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand became so popular that a deck of cards was created and dedicated to her after her death in Paris on June 25th 1843, The Lenormand deck, still popular and widely used in Germany. Whether truth or tale about her life be told, she remains a fascinating if unfamiliar footnote in history, known only among some mystic circles.

When Star-Trek premiered on Sept 8th, 1966, star date 1513.1 on NBC, no one knew it would trigger a chain reaction that would ripple through time, transporting several generations through endless syndication, a total of seven hundred episodes, ten movies and countless novels. Now we have phasers set on high stun as the 2009 interpretation of the franchise hits theaters the first week of May.

In recent years, the cancellation of  Enterprise, the last of the Star Trek television series after a four-year run marked a decline in the popularity of the forty year saga, a bit time-worn, partially due to the speed at which technology is moving in the real world, so much so that it’s hard to imagine anything more advanced than the transporter, Hollow Deck, or the touch tap control panels of the Enterprise 1701-D.

The new film brings J.J. Abrams to the helm of the franchise in an attempt to resuscitate the flailing saga by exploring the formative experiences of the original crew of the Federation Flagship, Enterprise 1701, filling in some of the gaps in the relationships that generated the popularity of the series that explored the final frontier. Abrams is noted for his direction of Mission Impossible 3, co-creator of Alias, Lost, and executive producer of Fringe. His icon is Stephen Spielberg and his favorite TV program of all time is The Twilight Zone. Mr. Abrams excels by exploring the inner nature of the hero and the background stories that made their journey extraordinary. There is no one better suited to present for your consideration a rein-visioned Star-Trek. Let us hope he is successful in his attempt.

My review of the film will be posted as soon as I am able to see the film.

Seeing The Future In Psychedelic Color

Healing has always been held with fascination as a power unto itself, indestructibility saving a person so gifted from the inevitability of death. Its depiction in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the fourth in Marvel comics most popular series, comes with a price, a burden elegantly portrayed by Hugh Jackman who consistently adds dimension to the character, a mutant born with heightened animal-keen senses, increased strength, retractable bone claws, and the ability to recover from any wound, poison or illness. His only weakness from total immortality is being decapitated - his Achilles tendon - with physical and emotional pain as his constant companion, a difficult burden to carry for someone with a prolonged life span and considerable time to suffer.

Wolverine’s accelerated healing process makes it possible for the military to create a super soldier with marked improvements to his physiology by using his ability to regenerate allowing his skeletal structure to be reinforced with Adamantium, the indestructible element discovered from a meteorite in an excruciating process.

Jackman carries the film well, aided by a passionate performance by Liev Schreiber as the brother who embraced his animal-keen senses to become  Sabertooth, with greater strength than Wolverine yet immersed in his dark side, a strong counter balance as they become vitriolic enemies, but there are too many plots going on at the same time, making the film hard to follow. Less would have made a better film. The action sequences are well done but far more conservative than the other films.

This adaptation, released May 1st, 2009 - directed by Gavin Hood, screenplay by David Bernioff and Skip Woods, based on the characters created by Len Wein and art director John Romita, Sr. - is more a character study than action-based film which spans the evolution of Wolverine from childhood in the early Eighteen Hundreds through the civil war to contemporary times and the pivotal moments that led to the sibling rivalry between him and Victor who will become his most vicious adversary Sabertooth , a predatory stalker with a taste for blood. The film also introduces some of the other young mutants and the emerging philosophy that defines the currents leading to the anti-mutant movement that will became the focus of all the X-Men films. However the other mutants’ powers are not used as well as they could have been, a major weakness of this character driven installment.

The acting is good but Jackman is a bit leaner in the fourth film than in his previous characterizations despite the promotional photo’s to the contrary, although it remains a visible reminder why Sabertooth is stronger until Adamantium is introduced into the equation. Besides, having one’s skeletal structure merged with the molten Adamantium injected into the bones would make even the greatest of gods weak at the knees.

The twists and turns that the story takes would seem more appropriately engineered by a demented Magneto than Colonel William Stryker, played by Danny Huston who portrays evil with a calculated civilized sensibility, less dark or mutant than one would expect from a military leader with a grudge against all the emerging youngsters with special powers.

As with all of Marvel’s characters, there is the identifiable struggle of alienation at the center of their battle for self confidence and acceptance in a world that views them as nothing more than freaks. This addition to the myth of Wolverine explains some of the mysteries introduced in the earlier films that leads to the development of X Mansion with Charles Xavier at its helm engaging and protecting his charges to use their powers wisely.

My Percepto Rating is: Better than the third film but not as action packed or engaging as the first two. The star of this film is Sabertooth, beautifully acted by Liev Schreiber.

For a full List of the Cast see Imdb database.

Dharma is often thought of as one’s mission, a life task picked for the soul accomplishment of enriching existence in some way or another, usually revealed by an unknown source as personal destiny. The call is to rise to the charge - a status - or vocation, all of which seems at most times unattainable, and yet confidence seems to be bestowed by some mysterious authority, the beneficent gods of lore; or perhaps it’s all just a grandiose self-delusion despite never losing hope that great things are within grasp if personal sacrifice for the greater good is placed as the top priority, a noble thought.

The thirst for encouragement and validation is always present and unquenchable, a source of self confidence and conceit. And any person who expresses uncommon knowledge may be of some help by introducing external perspective, however that can often be mistaken for cosmic wisdom. History is filled with people placed on a pedestal because they had a charismatic way of articulating a message other people felt but couldn’t put to words or art. For them, a parallel path is an illusion. They recognize that lives intersect at several points, the crossroads for each lying in a non-linear universe, attracted by some unexplained circumstance.

Sometimes dharma is revealed at a peculiar time when least expected, a prognostication that displays unusual individual precision during a time when the search for a direction seems most acute, usually for lack of finding an answer from within. Uncertainty prolongs indecision, often leading to paralysis; yet any reasonable force of authority might vaguely point to the distant horizon and declare: “Go forth and follow your destiny,” and get away with it. The instinct is to resist, especially when attempting to master an unknown dharma that will have to be figured out and attained on one’s own, if not alone. After all, it’s not for the gods to make it happen, nor do they exist to be depended upon - that’s what it means to be a co-creator.

Once the solitary nature of ‘independent’ accomplishment is understood, panic sets in and the looming question “How am I supposed to make this happen in the first place?” becomes an obsessive thought as the strong desire to crawl under the bed becomes an overwhelming yearn. It is difficult to do something that you’re not really in the mood to do or have to explain why you really don’t want to be selfless in the first place.

It’s more compelling if dharma is chosen from a process of self-discovery, perhaps an idea that strikes while crossing the street during a thunder storm, avoiding getting hit by a car while distracted deep in thought about life’s plan. Then it happens as an inspiration akin to a lightening bolt that strikes, “Oh, now I get it!” Then the next thought seeps into consciousness: “But did that come from me or some unknown source?”

Tangents In Karma

I was trapped, in an enclosed dark nondescript place as my hands reached out and felt the smooth surface,  with no way out. All reason and logic, experience was of no value when faced with the uncertainty of how to find a solution perhaps a futile attempt to discover the  crawl  space leading to an aperture of freedom.

It was impossible. I would remain captive unless I could devise some plan, execute all conceivable options and finally face the rays of the sun’s reflection upon my plight.

I thought of my training, under my mentor the renowned physicist the late Dr. Wilhem Bierken Van Dubinshlink, professor of Astrophysics at the University of Prague. “Concentrate!” he would say, “focus!, think!” , his motto spoken in German with a French accent, a reflection in mind’s eye, sensed more as an overshadowing of his knowledge, simple at its core, as it began to filter its way towards consciousness.

“Its not about using the  force, but knowing what to do with it before you  have it. That is what makes it possible to get it in the first place,” he would muse, sometimes under his breath, stroking his chalk streaked beard as he stood at the blackboard writing with both hands at the same time. Only a true genius could know how to use his mind to master the art of multi-tasking without being a Jedi Master. One filled with complete confidence that the puzzle already existed completed among all the pieces here, there, and everywhere.

Dr. Bierken Van Dublinshlink - Willy to his friends - would argue banging both fists on the desk, “Einstein was wrong, Mass, Time, Energy, Speed are nothing” as he professed,  “The Thought of the participant, caught in a space time paradox, for example, could alter the direction and the outcome, but living in the physical plane can distract all that is non physical.” His “Yah Vol”, echoing in the room in my mind as i searched for a clue from his wisdom. I had read his most popular work, “Einstein Was Wrong”, a scathing repudiation of all of noted Scientists principles.

My photographic memory was enough to focus and scan all the pages. As I did swiftly, my gaze stopped, I focused on a paragraph, Principles Associated  With Enclosed Spaces. “Vhen in a tight situation, no place to move, surrender your struggle and flow with the space. You got no choice. Whatever air is left, breath in slow, an altered state of consciousness vhere everything goes black or focus on creating un singularity, the center of the black hole to escape, perhaps transforming your atomic structure and relationships to time, mass, speed, migrating into another reality. In any event both lead to the same outcome. The only possible conclusion of anyone trapped in an enclosed space.”

One of the big shocks of a sudden untimely death is that it focuses attention on how fragile life is and perhaps taken for granted, especially  when it happens to public figures who are well liked. Such was the case for actress Natasha Richardson (1963-2009), a life cut short from a skiing accident on march 18th at the age of 45. A respected thespian, eldest daughter of Vanessa Redgrave, one of the fabled Redgrave’s, the foremost British theatrical family that spans five generations of solid remarkable performances on stage and screen.

Although steeped in the theater by training and choice, one of Ms Richardson’s memorable performances was in The Parent Trap, a charming 1998 Disney remake of the popular 1961 film that starred Haley Mills and was based on the German novel, Das Doppelte Lottchen (Lottie And Lisa) written by Erich Kastner.

It’s difficult to duplicate a popular film successfully, let alone a Disney Classic, but in this rare case the studio succeeded in adding new elements to the story directed by Nancy Meyers starring Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid and Ms Richardson who created a genuine emotional appeal as the mother of twin “gerls,” in a feel good romantic comedy.

Although it was not the best showcase for her talent as was Cabaret, the Broadway musical revival that won her a well earned best actress Tony for a musical performance also in 1998, the chemistry between Quaid and Richardson, a divorced couple with separated twins who meet at summer camp and switch places in an attempt to get their parents together again left its impression.

Part of the remarkable life she led was a sixteen year marriage to Liam Neeson, two children and a career that included numerous roles that  challenged expectations of what she was capable of doing, while remaining below the radar of the paparazzi. No small feat since her mother  Vanessa was well known for her outspoken political activism, passionately displayed in her Oscar winning role in 1977’s Julia co-starring Jane Fonda. Her father, Tony Richardson also went on to win an Oscar for direction for Tom Jones in 1963.

Despite her pedigree, Ms Richardson found a way to become an accomplished actress without the expectations children of famous people are burdened with, or of a family so prominent on stage, screen and in the public eye. Often compared to her mother in looks and intensity, she had a nuanced depth all her own. A tragic loss to Broadway, Hollywood, her family and the public.

For more on the career of Natasha Richardson see IMbd data base.

“A lot of things to know even if there were some credible theories to invent a device to transport me back into the distant past, perhaps to the birth of philosophy when it was  discussed over a feast of wild fowl, grapes, wine and cheese, assuming I could eat the sustenance safely without getting sick and dying in the past unless I brought the right curative. Its also conceivable that transporting nineteenth century bacteria with me would expose them and I could effectively destroy the past, present and future or any hope that my work will ever be published.”

These words are among torn pages recently discovered in an old trunk found in a London flea market and identified as the lost pages of H. G. Wells early work, Experiment in Autobiography, where he ponders some of the less technical aspects of time travel before writing his classic work, The Time Machine first published in 1895. “Going back in time would involve much more than mastering physics. There would need to be considerable knowledge of the social structures, dress codes, and be linguistically fluent in ancient languages in order to appear contemporary to all those alert philosophers who viewed the study of the unknown with suspicion.”

A task of immense proportions he considered on pages now brown and cracked from exposure to moisture and time,  “I began to be consumed by time travel, I accept its conceivability, and although not possible now I shall be prepared for the time when it is, by unleashing the imagination to explore the possibilities. Discovering the truth of history for my own sake, introspective perhaps, but also a basis for a story creating a collective fantasy to aspire to.” Interesting words from an author uncomfortable with the time in which he was born.

Realistically, the invention of a time machine would effectively make anyone who used the device an applied anthropologist. Subjecting the traveler to a culture they are not prepared to join even with diligent research since all we know about the ancient world is from tools, text and art. Although these may reveal many things, there is nothing about a smooth transition  or how to blend in and survive if it were possible to physically transport  to a particular era. Many would not survive the trip, getting caught up in its dramatic events such as politics or war,  unable to retain temporal distinction. Those that did survive would not be guaranteed a successful second trip, since each journey would involve  unique circumstances requiring adaptation.

One reasonable observation about time travel can be made with relative certainty: If going into the future is the unknown, then traveling into the past is going into the unknown of the imperfectly known.

Future Time  Travel Into The Past

Socrates left no written record of his teachings, as far as we know. His students’ words are the only way to assess his theories of knowledge or lack of, “I know nothing except the facts of my ignorance.” An apt description to characterize all that is unknown by a scholar of his stature.

Implicit within the phrase is the concept of ‘Infinity’ as the reason for the ignorance. Observation, perspective and experience, perhaps only give a partial grasp of the immense scope of what is not knowable by attributing more precision to the limitations of the physical body and human mind evoking continual questions whether from a deliberate search or from curiosity, effectively focusing attention on more queries. Mathematics attempts to quantify aspects of that which doesn’t end, starting from here and progressing into an existence that transcends physicality.

In religion, ‘Infinity’ is more closely equated to Eternity, a quality of divinity that transcends earthly understanding while encouraging its approachability. Spirituality suggests a development and refinement of the senses as a way of enabling movement towards the immeasurable, recognizing that the difference of each individual path is a function of karma and the ability to deal with a variety of challenges that will be faced.

Knowledge explores what is possible by exposing those things that are beyond its reach while simultaneously putting them within grasp if attention and creativity is applied, pushing the boundaries beyond its current limits to absorb more of the infinite, also known as the unknown.

What lies down the road will always remain uncertain until it’s reached, as the potential to evolve to another level with additional senses capable of perceiving things with different sensibilities change. In any event, the path of philosophy, religion, science and mathematics intersect at the point where attempting to understand the infinite consumes the search. Until then, “I still know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.”

The Internet Ancient History Sourcebook.

Although its green, nice to look at and fun to count, the US dollar has no intrinsic value. As an illustration of money, it’s just printed paper representing an IOU in lieu of some societal value. In fact, money everywhere has the same purpose, of easily providing purchasing power to whoever has it, while being a source of envy for those who don’t.

Most of history, and politics, issues of war, civil unrest and peace involve money somewhere in the mix as the causal factor of conflict even if no one is around to identify the transaction. Arguments often arise between nations when formulas are created to measure one countries’ currency in relation to another. Many cultures define success as the ability to get as much of it than is needed, while each generation passes down the misguided notion that “security” is synonymous with possessing it.

The idea that, suffering along the way to obtaining money will somehow teach the value of having it, has become more wishful thinking than a golden rule, since greed and temptation for an easy buck seems to be everywhere. What happened to the idea that self-confidence in one’s own ability to find a solution to whatever uncertainty presents is where the nature of true security lies.

People with “no money” usually fare better during economic downturns than those who have more than they know what to do with, as long as they have access to good education which translates into a level playing field. For them, ingenuity is the way of survival rather than spending their lives obsessing over how to generate more and discover ways to avoid losing it by inventing ways to keeping track of it.

Perhaps finding another way to engage goods and services is possible if money were totally abolished, as in the Star Trek Universe of the Twenty-Fourth Century, where society provides for all needs effortlessly allowing everyone to be creative and focus on higher pursuits. It sounds wonderful but removes incentives and the need for personal motivation, not necessarily a good thing for a balanced equation. Conservative Republicans might add their two cents, “It’s a bit too socialistic.”

Maybe science could eventually invent the ‘Duplicator’ to make everything out of nothing, so no one has to worry about anything, creating another form of a classless society, eliminating the need for competition. But wait, this is not a credible option since matter, according to Physics, can neither be created nor destroyed. However, if one is able to think outside the box, other alternatives will make it possible one day to lose money happily with a smile.