Happy Birthday Johnny Cash

Today would have been Mr. Cash's 80th birthday. This Friday, I'll turn 28.

Perhaps I'm a bit full-of-myself to compare Johnny Cash to myself. I'm certainly not a renowned musician nor do I offer respite to prisoners all over this country with whatever gift I may have. But I have long felt a connection to the man in black.

I was first exposed to him with the release of "Hurt" (video is below) a cover of the Nine Inch Nails original. With this song, Johnny awoke a whole new generation to his prophetic voice. Not since George Jones moaned "He Stopped Loving Her Today," had I FELT music like this. Cash famously refused make-up for the shooting of the video to expose his fragility and the result was both shocking and disarming. Here was the man, not the celebrity, not the recording artist, but simply a man hurt.

While I agree that we as a culture elevate celebrities to unfair heights, some deserve their place. Johnny was one of those deserving persons a man who was not famous solely for his talent but for his soul. His story, now immortalized in Walk the Line, portrays a gifted but troubled young man who finds a second chance with God in the love of June Carter. But his story, and all of ours, is far more complicated and diverse than hollywood's portrayal. At its heart, his story is yours and mine as well. Redemption wrapped in black. numerous second chances and undeserved love. Immense promise mingled with immense failure. Desperation meeting hope.

I will not attempt any biography here, only a salute: To the Man in Black, thank you for truly living.

Treasure Where?

"There's an old story of a bishop whose cathedral was about to be robbed. The bandits demanded the "treasures of the church." So the bishop went into the shelter and gathered up the poor, saying, "These are the treasures of the church." The bandits left empty-handed that night."

Love Unlimited

LOL

universality from retainer media on Vimeo.

If Home is Where the Heart Is

The Multi-colored "Blue" Marble

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

Incredible time-lapse video taken from the front of the International Space Station as it orbits the Earth at night. Visible cities, countries and landmarks in order of appearance:

1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night
2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night
3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia
4. Aurora Australis south of Australia
5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America at Night
6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean
7. Halfway around the World
8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East
9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East
10. Pass over Canada and Central United States at Night
11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay
12. Islands in the Philippine Sea at Night
13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam
14. Views of the Mideast at Night
15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea
16. Aurora Borealis and the United States at Night
17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean
18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia at Night

Originally posted here at Penguin Creative