Outerland

The landscape photographer Allison Davies uses the camera to capture the future's dystopian landscape with the playfulness of a child creating a fantasy world. Davies makes these spaces otherworldly by excluding any evidence of the developed world and by interjecting herself into the frame wearing a strange protective suit. The images appear as if the apocalypse has come and gone, leaving only Allison unharmed.  "Outerland", the full 65 image series, is available as a book in a collaboration with Charles Lane Press.

The Tree of Life

From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line; The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950's. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick's signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

Millennium Consumption Goals

A Sri Lankan scientist is calling for the drafting of Millennium Consumption Goals (MCG's) to [help] rich countries to curb their climate damaging consumption habits, in the same way the poor have Millennium Development Goals to get them out of poverty. The more familiar Millennium Development Goals are a set of 8 goals for underdeveloped societies to halve poverty, lack of access to clean water, illiteracy and other key indicators by 2015. As the scientist, Mohan Munasinghe, noted, consumption is at the heart of overdeveloped countries’ environmental burden; so what targets can these MCG's set forth?

Halve obesity and overweight rates by 2020. This will reduce mortality, morbidity and economic costs; as well as reduce ecological pressures driven by over consumption of food.

Halve the work week from the current 40+ hours. This will better distribute jobs, wealth, promote healthier living, and reduce economic activity, which is essential in our ecologically taxed world.

Better distribute wealth by raising taxes on the wealthiest members of society. The days of extreme wealth spent on luxurious living must draw to a close. The Earth can’t handle it any longer.

Double the rate of use of non-motorized transport. Increasing these forms of transport will improve health, reduce fossil fuel and material use and make for safer cities.

Guarantee access to health care for all. A minefield in the USA perhaps, but standard procedure in most industrial countries; so an easy goal to achieve.

Sun

NASA's new Solar Dynamics Laboratory reveals an erupting plasma plume - aka a solar prominence - looping into the atmosphere along a magnetic field line. Ten Earths could be stacked inside the twisting ring.