Showing 254 articles
The Birth of Buddha
Author: AnonymousMay 21, 2014
Twenty-five centuries ago, King Suddhodana ruled a land near the Himalaya Mountains. One day during a midsummer festival, his wife Queen Maya retired to her quarters to rest, and she fell asleep and dreamed a vivid dream. Four angels carried her high into white mountain peaks and clothed her in flowers. A magnificent white bull [...]
Let’s play some Chess
Author: Agostino DominiciMay 13, 2014
Although I have never been a chess player I have always been fascinated by the various elements which constitute this game. Looking at the black and white chess board or the shapes of the various pieces I feel as if something very old and mysterious has been hidden behind those symbols. The origins of this [...]
Rowing Against the Current
Author: Jorge Angel LivragaMay 13, 2014
“The difference between a floating tree trunk and a boat made of the same wood is that the latter has oars and can row upstream.”Dr. N. Sri RamI heard these words from him in my distant youth. The phrase was not part of any of his lectures and I do not know if it is [...]
Celebrating 2400 Years of Plato’s Academy
Author: Yaron BarzilayMay 13, 2014
The year 2013 marks 2,400 years since Plato established his Academy in Athens. Founded in 387BC, the Academy has continuously influenced humanity since inception, be it the Mediterranean Civilizations, numerous western philosophers including the renaissance men (who referred to Plato as a divine philosopher,) to our modern world of today, in which Plato’s teachings still [...]
Simply Philosophy
Author: Yaron BarzilayMay 12, 2014
When mention is made of philosophy, one might imagine that a rain of words will fall, combined with complicated sentences and theories.This way of seeing philosophy is far from the true spirit of philosophy which basically aims to bring us closer to simplicity and clarity. What we need is a simple definition of philosophy. The culture [...]
The Inner Gold of the Alchemists
Author: Julian ScottMay 12, 2014
Alchemy seems to be an almost universal science. Not only do we find it in Medieval Europe, but also in China and India, amongst other places. This is perhaps because it is not just a primitive forerunner of modern chemistry, but a sacred science in its own right, which was studied wherever esoteric knowledge has [...]
The Mozart Effect
Author: David HirschornMay 12, 2014
“Thus, then, excellence of form and content in discourse and of musical expression and rhythm, and grace of form and movement, all depend on goodness of nature, by which I mean, not the foolish simplicity sometimes called by courtesy good nature, but a nature in which goodness of character has been well and truly established.” [...]
Pan’s Labyrinth
Author: AnonymousMay 1, 2014
Director: Guillermo del Toro Cast: Ariadna Gil, Sergi Lopez, Ivana Baquero, Maribel Verdu, Doug Jones Duration: 119 min. This is a story that unfolds at two levels. At a real one (in Franco’s Spain where his generals face the resistance of the extreme left rebels) and at a symbolic level, the inner world of the [...]Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Author: AnonymousMay 1, 2014
Original Title: Wo hu cang long Year: 2000 Running Time: 119 min. Directed: Ang Lee Screenplay: Hui-Ling Wang, James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai. (Novel by Du Lu Wang) Music: Tan Dun Cinematography: Peter Pau Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Sihung Lung, Pei-pei Cheng, Fazeng Li, Xian Gao, Yan Hai, Deming Wang [...]Blade Runner
Author:May 1, 2014
Blade Runner is a US science fiction movie, directed by Ridley Scott, premiered in 1982 and based loosely on Philip K. Dick’s novel: Do androids dream of electric sheep? (1968). It has become a science fiction classic with two Academy Award nominations. It is a favourite among cinema lovers and academics and quickly earned cult [...]The Truman Show
Author: AnonymousApril 1, 2014
Director: Peter Weir Screenplay: Andrew Niccol Producers: Paramount Pictures. Scott Rudin Productions Cast: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Brian Delate, Blair Slater, Peter Krause, Heidi Schanz, Ron Taylor, Don Taylor, Ted Raymond, Judy Clayton, Fritz Dominique, Angel Schmiedt “The Truman Show” is a 1998 North American movie directed by [...]Pay it forward
Author: AnonymousApril 1, 2014
Release year: 2000 Duration: 123 minutes Movie category: Drama, Romance Director: Mimi Leder Writers: Catherine Ryan Hyde (book), Leslie Dixon (screenplay) Main actors: Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment and Helen Hunt Life lessons from an 11-year old boy! At the beginning of the school year, a teacher writes an exercise on the blackboard. “Think of [...]