The Pale Blue Dot - the Only home we have ever known - Carl Sagan video

The Earth is where we make our stand – The Pale Blue Dot and the Only home we have ever known. This photograph of Earth taken by Voyager 1 was dubbed "Pale Blue Dot."

Video narration by renowned scientist Carl Sagan
“From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."

"The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity – in all this vastness – there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves."

"The Earth is the only world known, so far, to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment, the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."



Comment - S.D. - Online Publisher - Great Mystery Publishing
We are not helpless. We, humanity, have created these problems the world now faces. It is up to US to fix them, or let the problems we have generated destroy us and every other living thing. Speak up, act on the principles of compassion, vote for those who have policies of welfare, kindness and ecological responsibility, live a lifestyle that helps not hurts the planet and each other, make a small difference, and together we will make a BIG difference. If we act now, if we act together, we can turn this around. Are you ready to make a positive difference?

More information about this video - The Sagan Series is an educational project working in the hopes of promoting scientific literacy in the general population. Created by @ReidGower http://twitter.com/reidgower - Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. All copyrighted materials contained herein belong to their respective copyright holders, I do not claim ownership over any of these materials. I realize no profit, monetary or otherwise, from the exhibition of these videos.

The futility and barbarism of animal testing...

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and this picture says it all. Animal testing needs to stop...immediately! If you want to find out why animal testing harms humans as well as non-human animals click here. And to download a free book about how animal testing harms humans written by Hans Ruesch click here.

Animals Have Souls1 day ago

This is one of the most heartbreaking pictures I have seen about animal testing. The hand of an unknown monkey at testing facility, grasping the side of the trash can after they discarded her for dead.

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Touching video about Christian the Lion

An amazing, true story about a lion who was raised by humans, friends John Rendall and Ace Bourke. The lion grew to big and strong to keep so John and Ace made it their mission to find a way to return Christian safely to the wilderness. This is Christian's remarkable story and the reunion of Christian with John and Ace. It is a reunion that you will never forget.

Tender, beautiful video - Man reunites with a gorilla he raised.

A touching reunion of a man with the gorilla he raised before releasing him into the wild five years ago.

Petition to stop abhorrent cruelty to bears...

The plight of the "dancing" bear is horrendous. Please follow this link, sign the petition and share... - http://www.change.org/petitions/ministry-of-environment-and-forests-director-ministry-of-finance-we-ask-the-indian-government-to-end-this-cruel-and-barbaric-practice?share_id=dPpzROWhMh&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition

Zero Tolerance For Animal Abusers1 day ago

Please read the below, it is a deeply disturbing reality, and then SIGN & SHARE the below petition, to expose and end the dark truth behind the dancing bear. Here is what bear cubs suffer: 1. First few days are spent in the dark under an upside-down basket without food, water, or contact of any kind. 2. Tied to a post in the village where the children torment it. 3. At 6 months, a red-hot poker is forced through the bone, cartilage and nerve membrane in the top of the muzzle and a coarse rope pulled through the wound - a second piercing is necessary, usually done before the first wound has healed. 4. At less than one year of age, their teeth are knocked out with a hammer -- with no anaesthetic. Between 60% and 70% of the cubs die before they can be trained due to the punishing regime of beatings and starvation. 5. To train the bear to dance, hot coals are placed under their feet and the muzzle pain is exacerbated as the trainer pulls on the rope forcing the cub to stand upright. Under their thick collars, cuts are made to inflict more pain, thus the bears' undivided attention and complete compliance. A total of 60% to 70% of the cubs die before training. 20% from shock of separation from their mothers 20% to 40% die during transportation 20% die during early handling 40% of the remaining cubs die during their first year. http://www.change.org/petitions/ministry-of-environment-and-forests-director-ministry-of-finance-we-ask-the-indian-government-to-end-this-cruel-and-barbaric-practice?share_id=dPpzROWhMh&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition

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Help Stop Dolphin Murderers setting up Dolphin Tourist Park!

The town of Taiji, notorious for their regular slaughter of dolphins, are preparing to set up a Dolphin Tourist Park (AND continue their regular dolphin slaughter!) This "Marina Prison(park)" will be used to fund their dolphin massacre. Please sign this petition to help stop this inhumane project from happening!



There is nothing more heartwarming than to take in the sights of the graceful dolphins swimming in their natural habitat. They seem to be smiling as jump in and out of the water. With the love of this gorgeous being, many have a quest for swimming with the dolphins, which has become big business for the hungry money-makers, like those in Japan.

Unfortunately, the town of Taiji in Japan is trying to encourage tourists to swim with the dolphins for the mere pleasure of generating funds for its establishment, which is just a ploy for killing more dolphins. The Cove, as it is known, is an area just a short distance from where tourists can swim with these majestic creatures. In fact, they are proposing to open a Marine Park in the Cove while still continuing their practice of dolphin killing in nearby Hatakejiri bay where the waters are pink from slaughter.

The proposed Marine Park would allow tourists not only to swim with the dolphins but also enjoy kayaking alongside dolphins and small whales. The Cove would be divided to allow for people to enjoy these water “sports” while also tasting various marine products, including whale and dolphin meat. Government official Masaki Wada also states that the town also plans a whale safari park spanning around 69 acres to open within five years, with a net installed at the entrance to a bay in the northwest of Taiji.

The sad part is that just a short distance in Hatakejiri bay, the waters are turning red as dolphins are lured there and slaughtered. This cruel and inhumane practice dates back more than 400 years with locals claiming that such traditions is no different than the slaughter of cattle for food. Opening the Marine Park is being condemned as exploitative to lure more of these gorgeous creatures to Taiji except that the mammals do not belong to this cruel town. Mr. Wade goes on to say that "marine mammals migrate across oceans, and internationally public opinion is that wildlife should be allowed to live as they are. The plan will only ignite more protests over dolphin-hunting.” Let’s band together to help protest and stop this cruel act of dolphin slaughter in Japan. Please sign and share, share, share in order to stop such animal abuse and cruelty and save the dolphins!

Please sign this petition, to help save wild dolphins from a horrible fate!

Petition author: SUE LEE

Did you know horses snore?! (video)

This funny clip shows how other animals are not so different after all, from the human animal. :) (We also have a cow snoring video on one of our other posts!:D)