Amazing HDR Photos

Few months ago, thanks to my friend Dana's beautiful blog SheWalksSoftly, I stumbled upon the magnificent HDR photos of Trey Ratcliffe. As Ratcliffe says, "HDR (High Dynamic Range) it's a post processing task of taking either one image or a series of images, combining them and adjusting the contrast ratios to do things virtually impossible with a single aperture and shutter speed." Techical explanations aside, Ratcliffe's works are really astounding and if you're an 'images junky' like me, you can't miss Ratcliffe's site, packed with mouth-watering photos from all over the world, infos about HDR and much more. Strongly recommended.
(Photos shown: Borobudur, Indonesia. Bangkok, Kyoto, Agra, Paris. Click on photos to see in original format)

Extraordinary Paper Art

If you like the paper art shown below ( 1. Simon Schubert, 2. Peter Callesen, 3. and 4. Jen Stark), probably you'll also enjoy the other 95 Extraordinary Examples of Paper Art...

Let's Stop the Massacre!

Generally speaking, I have a rather limited trust in petitions, due to the increasing deafness and "don't give a damn" attitude of current politicians and governants; on the other hand we have very few weapons at our disposal and sometimes a petition seems to be the sole right thing to do...

Although it seems incredible, every year a brutal and bloody MASSACRE occurs in the Feroe Islands, which belong to DENMARK, a country supposed to be civilized and A MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. Too few people on earth know about those horrific events devoided of sensitivity which are repeated every year. These bloody massacres are the fruit of young men for whom this "party" shows they have reached adulthood (complete bullshit!!). It is absolutely incredible that nothing is done to put an end to this barbarism against 'Calderon', a super intelligent dolphin known to approach human beings out of curiosity, to play and interact (!!)

The dolphins don't die instantly: they're cut 1, 2 or 3 times with thick hocks and at that time they produce a grim extremely compatible with the cry of a new born child.

Let's try to stop this horrible massacre signing the petition to Danish government: please join in and sign here!

The Mind-Moving Art of Satoshi

If you love visionary art like me, don't miss a visit to Japanese artist Satoshi Sakamoto's page and if you like what you see there, make a quick search on the Web for other colorful, psychedelic paintings....
(click to biggify...)

From Neurons to Nirvana

See the trailer of A Perfect Pill: From Neurons to Nirvana, a smart-looking, in-depth analysis and commentary on psychedelic drugs in light of current scientific, medical and cultural knowledge.
In partnership with the accomplished executive producer Mark Achbar (The Corporation) and Betsy Carson, the producer and director Oliver Hockenhull has been developing and shooting this film over the last two years. They have shot extensively in Canada, the USA and Europe.
They want to get the message out into the mainstream — the validity of psychedelics and MDMA as adjuncts to therapy, as crucial but neglected and taboo medicines, as technologies of consciousness, and as consciousness sacraments. If you are in a position to make an investment, want to donate or get further infos, please visit their site here.

12 Pounds of Medicinal Cannabis

When Richard Daleman was arrested in December and charged with possessing and cultivating marijuana for sales, it seemed unlikely he’d ever be reunited with his confiscated stash. However, that is exactly what happened outside of the Tulare County Courthouse (California) late last month.
In March a jury acquitted Daleman, a medical marijuana patient in good standing. This prompted a judge to rule that Daleman’s medicine, which had been stowed in the courthouse evidence room, be returned. After prosecutors delayed the return of his property, Daleman decided to head down to the courthouse and retrieve it himself.
Daleman proceeded to roll out 12 pounds of marijuana from the courthouse and load it into a waiting truck. Before driving away, however, Daleman made sure to weigh (and sniff) his medicine. All in all, Daleman admits, “They maintained it pretty good.”

(source: High Times)

Once Were Teenagers

Have you ever been curious of seeing how some legendary rock artists looked when they were teenagers? Well, begin to see the ones depicted below (and try to recognise them...), then give a look to the complete gallery.
(thanks Maurizio!)

(Jerry Garcia, Jim Morrison, Iggy Pop, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen...)