War of the Worlds: The small things save the world

War of the Worlds: The small things save the world

Published: April 10, 2011

It is with more than a little joy that I get to write about War of the Worlds today, the classic and timeless H. G. Wells novel which he penned in 1898. The story centred on a young man trying to survive an alien invasion in London and his journey through a vastly changed landscape in search of his beloved Carrie, while encountering desperate and strange characters along the way.

The story was made more famous on October 30^th, 1938 when Orson Welles read an adaptation of the story on American radio. His narration was so compelling that thousands of listeners panicked, thinking that invaders really had landed.

In the 1950?s the book was made into a film but the story was sadly changed for the American audience and the big screen version never captured the intimate essence of Well?s original tale.

I?m not even going to mention the 2006 Spielberg film which starred Tom Cruise, other than to say it was an absolute disgrace of a remake and had virtually nothing to do with the original.

The sleeve from Jeff Wayne's musical War of the Worlds

For me the ultimate ?remake? or ?retelling? of War of the Worlds came in the 1970?s in the shape of Jeff Wayne?s musical version; a fantastic sounding odyssey that took the listener through the quiet and peaceful streets of a London evening and the strange events on Horsell Common in Woking, to the nightmarish, burning streets of a defenceless capital city undergoing the slow and painful transformation of an earthly to an alien place.

Richard Burton provided the voice of the protagonist and his distinctive voice and superb acting skills truly brought the story to life. For a seven year old boy, War of the Worlds was utterly captivating and certainly shaped my own creative writing for years to follow; much to the dismay and joy of many an English teacher.

The Martians were terrifying creatures, all brain and tentacles in their beautifully designed tripod vehicles which strode across the land belching out flaming death rays and levelling the entire world to suit their own needs; a world they turned red like the surface of Mars from which they?d travelled in cylinders propelled by green comets.

Here comes the spoiler for those who have never read, seen or listened to the story.

While the Martians seemed indestructible and completely invulnerable against man?s greatest weapons, they failed to consider the simplest things; tiny organisms which began attacking them the moment they set tentacle upon the earth. While humankind?s greatest achievements and technological advancements failed them, the humblest aspects of creation quietly saved the planet, and perhaps there is a valuable lesson in that message.

Humans believe they are top of the food chain and rulers of the planet, but too often our species is found wanting. We have our place in the world and it is arrogant to think that we can be anything more than the sum of our parts. Nature has a way of dealing with unwanted pests and has historically proven to do so.

As the message on the Georgia Guidestones states: ?Be not a cancer upon the earth.?

H. G. Wells was an incredible anthropologist and it is clear that there are warnings in his stories. The simplest message we can draw from this is that we should not tamper with the natural order of things. Nature has developed an intricate system in which everything can live in balanced harmony; it is arrogant of man to think he can mess with that as is being done by companies such as Monsanto.

Let nature be.

Please share your thoughts on War of the Worlds, or any other points in this article by leaving a comment.

Read about using non GMO food to cure things like ADHD; Cancer; Diabetes and Obesity.

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Published April 10, 2011 by Lee in Celebrities
Tags: richard burton, steven spielberg, Tom Cruise, war of the worlds

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Jolie twins are in no rush to arrive

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Are the Brangelina twins boys or girls? Will they be delivered naturally or by cesarean?
We don't know, but we have plenty of time to fixate before they arrive.

Angelina Jolie's obstetrician, Michel Sussmann, held a five-minute news conference Wednesday in Nice, France, to announce that the birth could be "in the weeks to come."
Apparently unaware that the stars are unmarried, the doctor said: "Mrs. Angelina Jolie and her husband, Mr. Brad Pitt, told me to tell you that she is doing absolutely fine."
The doctor said she would remain in the seaside hospital until the babies are delivered.
"I can't give you a date," he said, adding that Jolie's hospital visit was scheduled.

French medical secrecy laws are very strict, but Sussmann was able to say that four rooms and a pair of security guards had been set aside for the couple -- debunking rumors that they had taken over th entire fifth floor.
The show will go on
The actors' union and Broadway theater producers reached a tentative agreement on a new contract Wednesday, averting the possibility of a strike such as the one that shut down Broadway for almost three weeks in November.
The contract, which expires in September 2011, would increase the compensation package for actors by 11.25%

The contract must be reviewed by the Actors' Equity Association's governing body. If it is approved, it would be sent to members for a vote, which could take several weeks.

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Angelina Jolie's kids acts as critics

Angelina Jolie is the voice for Tigress in Kung Fu Panda 2. She was the voice for Part 1 also. Her kids are critics than viewers.

She tells USA Today, "They'll sit in a room and say, 'That's just not funny. They know when Mommy's funny and when Mommy's not funny."

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She's Popping on Tuesday?!

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The wait is almost over.

According to a new report, Angelina Jolie will give birth to the Wonder Twins by C-section on Tuesday.
A source reports, ?She can't wait to give birth because she can't stand the hospital food, and she is fed up to be in this hospital room. If she could be induced earlier she would love it, but the medical team think it's medically better to wait until next Tuesday.?

Exciting!

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Madonna?s Plans To Build A School In Malawi Crash And Burn

Madonna?s Plans To Build A School In Malawi Crash And Burn

Plans For The Raising Malawi Academy for Girls Collapse

In October of 2009, Madonna made her way to Malawi to break ground on the site where the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls was meant to be built. She returned to the site in April of last year to ceremonially lay the foundation of the school, which was meant to open this year. Today we learn that the Academy will NOT open this year because the board of directors for Raising Malawi has been ousted due to financial mismanagement.

A high-profile charitable foundation set up to build a school for impoverished girls in Malawi, founded by the singer Madonna and fellow devotees of a prominent Jewish mysticism movement, has collapsed after spending $3.8 million on a project that never came to fruition. The board of directors of the organization, Raising Malawi, has been ousted and replaced by a caretaker board, including Madonna and her manager, officials with the organization said Thursday. Its executive director, who is the boyfriend of Madonna?s former trainer, Tracy Anderson, left in October amid criticism of his management style and cost overruns for the school. These included what auditors described as outlandish expenditures on salaries, cars, office space and a golf course membership, free housing and a car and driver for the school?s director. Most strikingly, the plans to build a $15 million school for about 400 girls in the poor southeastern African country of 15 million ? which had drawn financial support from Hollywood and society circles, as well as the Los Angeles-based Kabbalah Centre International, an organization devoted to Jewish mysticism ? have been officially abandoned. That prospective move set off a fierce backlash when first raised earlier this year, with Malawi officials saying they were stunned and asserting that Madonna was blaming management breakdowns because she had been unable to raise the money she had promised. ?A thoughtful decision has been made to discontinue plans for the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, as it was originally conceived,? Michael Berg, a co-director of the Kabbalah Centre and the co-founder of Raising Malawi, said Thursday in an e-mail to the center?s members who had contributed to the project. The e-mail announced the replacement of the board of directors. Madonna has lent her name, reputation and $11 million of her money to the organization that she founded with Mr. Berg. She has been a regular visitor to Malawi, attending at least two ceremonies at what would have been the site of the school in Lilongwe, and has adopted two children from the country. On Thursday, in conceding the shortcomings of her charity, Madonna issued a statement saying she was still intent on using the organization, which has raised $18 million so far, to advance improvements in the beleaguered nation. ?There?s a real education crisis in Malawi,? she said. ?Sixty-seven percent of girls don?t go to secondary school, and this is simply unacceptable. Our team is going to work hard to address this in every way we can.? She and her aides offered no explanation of why, given her high interest in the project, she had not noticed the problems as they began unfolding ? Raising Malawi will not disband and will instead use its money in different ways to help the poor in a country where Madonna has sought to become a major philanthropic presence, foundation officials said.

This is really sad news. It is unthinkable that people can be so cruel as to pilfer money from a charitable organization like this just for their own financial gain. I was really rooting for Raising Malawi to successfully build their school. In the end, the only people to really suffer are those who would?ve benefited from the education that would?ve been made available to them ? the young girls of Malawi have been robbed of that opportunity. As disillusioning as it may be, I?m glad to know that Raising Malawi will not abandon their philanthropic endeavors in the region altogether. Still ? this is very sad news.

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