25 Optical Illusions

I love optical illusions. I hope you enjoy them too. Check out Switched.com’s list of the top 25 optical illusions on the web. You’re bound to see at least 2 you’ve never seen before.
http://www.switched.com/2008/09/17/top-25-optical-illusions-on-the-web/

The Pillar of Belief

En route to lectures of knowledge
We walk on angel feathers
These principles of faith do not fade
Instead they last forever

Seeking wisdom to guide our lives
Studying Iman, the pillar of belief
The most important part of Islam
In which hearts find relief

Learning about how creation began
And delving into the Last Day
From the moment a soul tastes death
Until the angels lead us away

[This poem was inspired by a class I recently took through Al-Maghrib Institute, entitled, "Rays of Faith." The class dealt with the concepts Muslims believe in like angels, scripture and Judgment Day.]

Song Analysis – “The Fear” – Lily Allen

I wanna be rich
And I want lots of money
I don’t care about clever
I don’t care about funny

[The artist behind these words, Lily Allen, is a rising star. She became famous through her MySpace page. The big single on her first album was "Smile," and the CD received a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album. This song, "The Fear," is off of her second album.

She creates a character in this song who is an opportunist, dying to be wealthy and famous. She doesn't care if people think she's clever or funny, because plenty of people are funny and don't make a dime because of it. Certainly one can make a lot of money from one's sense of humor, as a stand-up comedian, but that's not what she's talking about.]

I want loads of clothes
And f*&$loads of diamonds
I heard people die while they’re trying to find them

[One of the reasons her character wants so much money is so she can get the latest fashions. She wants expensive diamond jewelry even though she knows the diamond industry is a dirty business. She mentions how people die trying to find diamonds, presumably in the dark mines deep underground. Of course, there are also blood diamonds - gems used to finance violent conflicts, particularly in Africa.]

And I’ll take my clothes off
And it will be shameless
‘Cause everyone knows that’s how you get famous
I’ll look at the sun and I’ll look in the mirror
I’m on the right track, yeah, I’m onto a winner

[I think it's a little funny that the last stanza talked about buying expensive clothes and this one talks about going naked. She's probably talking about posing nude for a magazine as so many young starlets do.
And women have become famous from just that- look at Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian.]

I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
And I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
When do you think it will all become clear
‘Cause I’m being taken over by the fear

[This stanza seems as sincere as the first few stanzas were ironic. I think Lily Allen feels delirious sometimes because of the surreal nature of fame. I don't know exactly what fear she's talking about because I see several possibilities. It could be fear of losing her newfound fame. It could be fear of the price of fame, i.e. lack of privacy and being exposed to drugs. It could be fear of losing her soul.]

Life’s about film stars and less about mothers
It’s all about fast cars and cussing each other
But that doesn’t matter ’cause I’m packing plastic
And that’s what makes my life so f^&*ing fantastic
And I am a weapon of massive consumption
And it’s not my fault, it’s how I’m programmed to function
I’ll look at the sun and I’ll look in the mirror
I’m on the right track, yeah, we’re on to the winner

[The first line in this stanza is so sharp, "Life's about film stars and less about mothers." Who do the media glorify? Mothers or celebrities? But we all know that the task of raising a child is infinitely more important than making a movie. And what else are we obsessed with in his modern world? We are fixated on fast cars and cursing. How many ads do we see every day for new cars? What has become our discourse become? It has fallen to such a low level. We are programmed from an early age to want to buy things. First, it's toys and sweet cereals. Later on, it becomes video games and phones. Then we graduate to cars and houses.]

I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
And I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
When do you think it will all become clear
‘Cause I’m being taken over by the fear

Forget about guns and forget ammunition
‘Cause I’m killing them all on my own little mission
Yeah I’m not a saint but I’m not a sinner
Now everything’s cool as long as I’m getting thinner

I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
And I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
When do you think it will all become clear
‘Cause I’m being taken over by the fear

[The idea she's expressing is that the pen is mightier than the sword. She doesn't need a gun or bullets. Now that she's famous and recording music, she can destroy people through her words. She doesn't suffer from the delusion that she is some kind of saint just because she makes popular music. Nor does she accept the idea that she's a worthless sinner. It is challenging to sort out what words are Lily Allen speaking as herself and what words are coming from the character or persona she's crafted. One might argue that the whole song is the character speaking. On the other hand, one could argue that the whole song is Allen speaking as herself. Though do we really believe her when she says, "I'll take my clothes off/ And it will be shameless?" I think the more reasonable view is that some words are truly Allen's thoughts while others are either tongue-in-cheek, or the words of an alter ego. I guess the Cliff's Notes of this song would be that everyone wants money and fame, but it can get scary when you gain the world but lose your self.]

I Needed You

Those of you who are familiar with this blog know that I believe in giving artistic works titles that reflect the content of the works themselves. This is why I argued in my post “Viva La Vida” that this song by Coldplay should be entitled, “When I Ruled the World.” It should come as no surprise that the following piece, a short original poem by me, is entitled, ‘I Needed You.”

I needed You so You willed me.
I needed You so You designed me.
I needed You so You created me.
I needed You so You sustained me.
I needed You so You took my life.
I needed You so You breathed life into me again.
I needed You so You closed the door of death.

Retire the Joker?

A group of Heath Ledger fans calling themselves, “The Ultimate Joker” are saying that the character of The Joker should be retired from film forever. They are likening it to the Chicago Bulls retiring the number 23 after Michael Jordan left the NBA. They say Ledger’s performance will never be equaled and thus no one should try. See this link: http://www.comicvine.com/news/ledger-fans-demand-that-the-joker-retires/137958/.

I think these fans have the wrong idea. It’s one thing to retire a jersey number, but retiring a whole character damages film. I mean, no one asked to retire Superman after Christopher Reeve died. He was a great Superman but Brandon Routh (“Superman Returns”) and Tom Welling (“Smallville”) have brought out new dimensions of the character.

Film is filled with great characters that have been played by several different people. Look at James Bond. Or Catwoman. Or The Incredible Hulk.

So with all due respect to Heath Ledger and his brilliant performance, let’s keep The Joker alive.

Quran and Science

The Quran should not be viewed as a science textbook. That would make about as much sense as looking to Campbell’s Biology for spiritual guidance. Yet the Quran has verses that provide deep insight into the natural world.

 

The Quran says in Surah Al-Hijr, “Even if We opened unto them a gate to Heaven and they were to continue ascending therein, they would say: our sight is confused as in drunkenness. Nay we are people bewitched.” (Quran 15:14-15).

 

We now know from astronauts that when one is above the Earth’s atmosphere, the sky no longer appears blue, but looks black. It is the atmosphere that makes the sky look its familiar blue color. Imagine how difficult it would have been to know this fourteen hundred years ago.

 

In Surah An-Nahl, “The Bee”, it says, “And thy Lord taught the bee to build its cells in hills, on trees and in (men’s) habitations….. there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colours, wherein is healing for mankind. Verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought.” (Translation of Quran 16:68-69)

 

An article from BBC News from 2004 describes a number of different healing properties of honey. Among them are:

 

-ability to kill a wide variety of pathogens – bacteria (even antibiotic-resistant strains), fungi, and protozoa

-power to heal ulcers and sores

-action as an anti-inflammatory agent

-treatment of wounds associated with cancer

 

In Surah Ghashiyah, “Do they not look at the Camels, how they are made?” (88:17). So what is so special about the camel?

 

“Camels can live without food and water for 8 days under temperatures of 50° C (122F). During this period, it looses 22% of its body weight. However, it can survive even if it looses (sic) 40% of the water in its body, whilst loosing (sic) just 12% would cause a man’s death. Another reason of its endurance against thirst is a mechanism which enables the camel to increase its internal temperature up to 41° C (106F). Thanks to this, the animal keeps the water loss at the minimum level in the extreme hot climates of the desert. Camels can also decrease their internal body temperature down to 30° C (86 F) in the cold nights of the desert.” (http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/quran/0013.htm)

 

According to Wikipedia, “Their mouth is very sturdy, able to chew thorny desert plants. Long eyelashes and ear hairs, together with sealable nostrils, form a barrier against sand.” Even their blood cells are shaped differently from other mammals, oval rather than circular, to improve flow during dehydration and to prevent bursting when drinking large volumes of water. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel)

 

Certainly, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, had a great deal of experience with camels. Yet could he have known the internal body temperature of camels at night? Could he have been able to see the blood cells of camels?

 

The Quran also says that man was created from a fluid that comes from men and women. “IS MAN, then, not aware that it is We who create him out of a [mere] drop of fluid (nutfahtin) – whereupon, lo! he shows himself endowed with the power to think and to argue,” (36:77). But the Hadith of the Prophet add more detail. When he was asked about creation of children by one of Jews, he said : ” O, Jew , it is created from both ; from a man nutfah and from a woman nutfah ” ( This hadith was narrated in Musnad Ahmad, volume 1, page 465)

 

Now one might think, “So what?” Everybody knows that babies come from sperm and eggs. It’s obvious. But it hasn’t always been so clear. “Although we now take it for granted that sperm and egg must fuse to produce a new being, the road to this discovery was as long and winding as the oviduct itself. This is hardly unexpected given the microscopic size of sex cells and the temporal separation of insemination, fertilization and birth.” The same article later describes a debate between Spermists, who maintained that humans came from sperm alone, and Ovists, who maintained that humans came from eggs alone. The article concludes by saying that the debate was settled in 1875, when Oscar Hertwig conclusively showed that in sea urchins, the sperm fused with the egg. 1875! It took until 1875 for scientists to discover what Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) knew in the seventh century.

 

Another objection you might have is that this term “nutfah” is vague, imprecise and unscientific. It basically means, a drop of fluid, comparable to a drop of water or a small pearl. But what about the scientific terms for the same thing that we use in English? When you look closely at the etymology of the terms we use in English, you realize how poor they are. If you use dictionary.com, you find that “sperm” comes from a Greek root meaning, “seed,” as in the seed of a plant. The word “ovum” comes from a Latin word for “egg” like the egg of a chicken. It can refer to either the unfertilized cell that comes from the mother alone or the fertilized cell that results from the union of the female and male cells. You might think that the term “zygote” is better, but etymologically that refers to a “yoke” as in a piece of wood that connects two oxen. If scientists wanted to be truly exact, it would make more sense to use the term “nutfah” than zygote.

 

Please let me know if you found this article informative and helpful. If you liked it, I can write more like this one.