October 25th, 2009

Quotes of the week

You can’t talk your way out of a problem that you behaved your way into. Phil McDaniel

Life is a banquet and most of us are starving to death~ Helen Keller

"If literature isn't everything, it's not worth a single hour of someone's trouble." Jean-Paul Sartre

Custom will reconcile people to any atrocity; and fashion will drive them to acquire any custom.

~William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard the Third (King Richard at I, ii)~

Even if you think life is a cosmic joke, it isn’t apparently one that we’re in on. ~some dern philosopher

Meditation of the week

The big majority of Americans, who are comparatively well off, have developed an ability to have enclaves of people living in the greatest misery without almost noticing them.

~Gunnar Myrdal

Poem of the Week

The Speaker

by Louis Jenkins

The speaker points out that we don't really have much of
a grasp of things, not only the big things, the important
questions, but the small everyday things. "How many steps
up to your front door? What kind of tree grows in your
backyard? What is the name of your district representative?
What is your wife's shoe size? Can you tell me the color of your
sweetheart's eyes? Do you remember where you parked
the car?" The evidence is overwhelming. Most of us never
truly experience life. "We drift through life in a daydream,
missing the true richness and joy that life has to offer." When
the speaker has finished we gather around to sing a few
inspirational songs. You and I stand at the back of the group
and hum along since we have forgotten most of the words.

Author of the week

On this day in 1964, Jean-Paul Sartre (books by this author) declined the Nobel Prize in literature. He was the first person in history to voluntarily and unrelentingly refuse a Nobel Prize.

Sartre had announced that he did not wish to receive the prize. When he learned that he was being seriously considered, he wrote to the Nobel Institute asking that his name be removed from the list of candidates, saying that he wouldn't accept the prize if it were given to him. But the Swedish Academy had decided, and they gave him the prize anyway, noting in their citation: "The fact that he has declined this distinction does not in the least modify the validity of the award." Later, a Swedish Academy spokesman said that even if he didn't collect the money, Sartre would be a Nobel laureate, and that "the academy is guided not by a possible winner's wishes but by the decision of its members."

Sartre had not wanted to cause a scandal by declining the prize, nor did he want to offend the Swedish Academy, which had chosen him. After it was awarded, he prepared a statement noting that he always turned down "official distinctions." It was his belief, he said, that "a writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed into an institution, even if it takes place in the most honorable form." He said that it wasn't fair to the reader if he carried the authority of an institution along with his name. He pointed out, "It is not the same thing if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre or if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre, Noble Prize winner." Sartre had previously turned down his home country's highest accolade, the French Legion of Honor, and he'd also declined a tenured teaching position at the prestigious Collège de France. The Nobel Prize came with a large chunk of money (it was $53,000 in 1964; today it's about one million dollars), which Sartre — who was not at all rich — had to forgo when he declined the prize.

Best of Craig’s List of the week

best of craigslist > philadelphia > IN A WELL, NEED LADDER

good idea of the week

New Vaccines Are Being Developed Against Addiction and Relapse

By NIDA Director, NORA D. VOLKOW, M.D.

Since the first vaccine, for smallpox, was developed more than 200 years ago, immunization has proven to be a powerful weapon in the fight against infectious disease. Today, NIDA-supported researchers are using modern molecular biology to create vaccines against another deadly disease—addiction to drugs such as cocaine, nicotine, phencyclidine (PCP), and methamphetamine. Read more

Websites of the week

amazing-pictures-pollution-in-china/

List of cognitive biases

2009 Honda U3-X Personal Mobility Concept

Your weekly Presidential address and much more

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

The Interview PRoject of the Week

 (Hey, if you haven’t yet, watch these interviews, they are really neat!)

Lauren Beach, Asheville North Carolina

Suzy, Abingdon, Virginia

And finally, the culmination of millennia of scientific endeavor

Helping end relationships in the electronic age http://www.breakupemail.com/dump.php and

Helping you quit your job with the power of the internet! http://quitmyjobemail.com/

October 18th, 2009

Quotes of the week

"Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt". 

Quote from the 1969 novel "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut: Written on a picture of a tombstone in the novel.  (thanks Lee)

[When Vonnegut tells his wife he's going out to buy an envelope] Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babes. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, and ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is, is we're here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we're not supposed to dance at all anymore.

Interview by David Brancaccio, NOW (PBS) (7 October 2005)

Meditation of the week

Edward Gibbon wrote The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. His six-volume work, published between the years 1776 and 1788, covered more than a thousand years of Roman history, from 180 A.D. to the fall of Constantinople.

Gibbon argued that the Roman Empire's decline and fall were a result of a couple of major factors: changing military practices and the spread of Christianity. Rome had begun outsourcing its military jobs, hiring paid mercenaries from around the world to defend the Empire, and Gibbon argued that this made them susceptible to the "barbarian invasions" to which Rome fell victim. Additionally, he argued that Christianity's emphasis on the heavenly afterlife reduced the incentive for Romans to sacrifice for the cause of their Empire and the accompanying earthly riches and glory.

Poem of the Week

Anniversary

by Jason Whitmarsh

She says he isn't as funny as he used to be. About fifty percent as
funny, maybe less. He thinks, but doesn't say, no, it's you, you're
depressed, you don't find anyone funny anymore. She thinks, but
doesn't say, I've always been depressed. I've never found anyone
funny—except you, once.

Author of the week

It's the birthday (October 15^th) of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, (books by this author) born in the Prussian village of Röcken (1844). He was a philosopher who loved literature, and he experimented with different literary styles to express his philosophy. Some of his books are long lists of aphorisms, while others are written almost like novels or poetry. His most famous book, Thus Spake Zarathustra (1883), describes a prophet who comes down from the mountains to teach people about the coming of a new kind of super-man, but the people he speaks to only ridicule and laugh at him.

Nietzsche spent most of his life suffering from debilitating headaches and deteriorating eyesight, and he eventually went crazy and spent his last years in an asylum. He's perhaps best known for claiming that "God is dead," but most people forget that he actually said, "God is dead … and we have killed him!" He thought that the absence of God from the world was a tragedy, but he felt that people had to accept that tragedy and move on. He wrote that God was like a star whose light we can see, even though the star died long ago.

Best of Craig’s List of the week

a cartoon for all the girls i see everyday - m4w

Video of the week

Everythings Amazing & Nobodys Happy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk

Websites of the week

The ten best things that ever happened behind a newscaster  (Thanks Brother Rob!)

NEW YORK PHOTOS

'Frankencamera': A Giant Leap For Digital Photos?

http://moebio.com/loveispatient/

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

Your weekly Presidential address and much more

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

The Interview PRoject of the Week

Kirstin, Ashville NC October 5th, 2009

And finally, the culmination of millennia of scientific endeavor

sometimes you’re the monkey and sometimes you’re the dog

October 11, 2009

"You feel, in New York City, the energy coming up out of the sidewalks, you know that you are in the midst of something tremendous, and if something tremendous hasn't yet happened, it's just about to happen."

Brendan Gill

The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is because they have a common "enemy".

~Unknown

Meditation of the week

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without also helping himself.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

When Albert Schweitzer said, "The only ones of you who will be truly happy are those who have found and learned how to serve,""he was stating an ancient truth - that the meaning of life lies in giving. The quality of your life is in direct proportion to your willingness to give.

In the classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life," George Bailey discovered this truth. Though he had many opportunities to pursue his ambitions elsewhere, George remained in his community and dedicated himself to providing affordable housing to its members. When his guardian angel showed him what the town would be like if he had never been born, Bailey realized how much of a difference his giving had made.

George also discovered another secret - that what you give is what you receive. Whatever you give out comes back to you. When you extend yourself to nurture the spiritual growth of another, you nurture your own growth. Although his material possessions were modest, George Bailey was toasted the "richest" (i.e., the most beloved) man in town by the people of Bedford Falls. Later he remarked, "No man can be poor as long as he has friends."
Bailey gave of himself for the joy of giving, and joy is what he received. By following this path, we, too, can be blessed.

Poem of the Week

Song

There was a physical silence after his death;

One of the songs, in the chorus of life songs, had been completed.

The music went on as before, the vast chorus of life on Earth,

but it was changed, diminished.

As though a heavy, dank, invisible drape had been gently laid upon life.

D Seward

Author of the week

It was on this day in 1881 that Charles Darwin (books by this author) published what he considered to be his most important book: The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms. At the time, most people thought of earthworms as pests, but Darwin demonstrated that they were beneficial, important for soil fertility and consequently for agriculture.

Darwin had published The Origin of Species in 1859, but he thought that this work was more important — and in fact, during his lifetime it sold much better than The Origin of Species, more than 6,000 copies its first year.

He wrote, "Although the conclusion may appear at first startling, it will be difficult to deny the probability, that every particle of earth forming the bed from which the turf in old pasture land springs, has passed through the intestines of worms."

Best of Craig’s List of the week

best of craigslist > madison > things you could learn from my transgendered boyfriend

Video of the week

Letterman Apology for Sex Scandal? Cheat Team to the Rescue!

Websites of the week

How to nap

Don’t run your mouse over this http://www.cesmes.fi/ (consider yourself warned)

This left me grateful for my … for everything http://homelessness.change.org/blog/view/a_day_in_the_life_of_a_homeless_day_laborer

Look at this! http://www.fukhaos.com/labs/espaco.html

http://makesmethink.com/top

95-websites-you-should-totally-bookmark-today

Your weekly Presidential address and much more

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

The Interview PRoject of the Week

 (Hey, if you haven’t yet, watch these interviews, they are really neat!)

Astrid and Brenda Wray , two dancers. Brenda’s story broke my heart a little.

And finally, the culmination of millennia of scientific endeavor

Start-Ups Aim to Transform Visits to the Doctor

By Claire Cain Miller

Published: October 6, 2009

A handful of tech start-ups use the Web to make it easier for doctors and patients to interact.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/start-ups-aim-to-transform-visits-to-the-doctor/

October 4th, 2009

More than 10,000 people came out to celebrate recovery on Saturday September 12^th, 2009 in New York City, including A&E President Bob DeBitetto, The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske and Deputy director Tom McLellan, Governor David Paterson and Smokey Robinson.  Here are some photos of the event:

http://www.aetv.com/real-life-change/the-recovery-project/photo-gallery/index.jsp

http://www.iamrecovery.com/albums/2009Rally/index.htm (My giant head is in photo # 5, top row, sixth from the left.)

“I have seen the very bottom of life. I was so afraid I wouldn’t be funny anymore. I just knew that I would lose my zaniness and my sense of humor. But I didn’t. Recovery turned out to be a wonderful thing.”  Ann Richards, 1933-2006

Quotes of the week

Not what we have, but what we use;
Not what we see, but what we choose;
These are the things that mar or bless the sun of human happiness.

Joseph Fort Newton

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.

~Aldous Huxley

Don't hold to anger, hurt or pain. They steal your energy and keep you from love.  -Leo Buscaglia.  

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds"   Albert Einstein

"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." H.G. Wells

Meditation of the week

Attitudes and Limitations
To a large extent, the way we think determines who we are and what happens to us.
We cannot harbor poisonous thoughts without their effects visibly showing in our lives. If we dwell on our inadequacy and ineffectiveness, for example, circumstances will prove us correct because we will invite self-defeating events to us.
On the other hand, replacing destructive thoughts with hope-filled, optimistic ones brings peaceful and confidence-producing circumstances to us. We will radiate competence and joy.
We would be wise, therefore, to take the advice of twentieth century author Orison Swett Marden: "Stoutly determine not to harbor anything in the mind which you do not wish to become real in your life. Shun poisoned thoughts, ideas which depress and make you unhappy, as instinctively as you avoid physical danger of any find – replace all these with cheerful, hopeful, optimistic thoughts."
Today I will make it a habit to continually replace pessimistic thoughts with optimistic ones. I will dwell on what is uplifting so that I may increase my courage and confidence as well as better my circumstances.

Poem of the Week

It's the birthday of T.S. Eliot, (books by this author) born in St. Louis, Missouri (1888). His poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is one of the most anthologized poems in the English language. It begins:

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:

Eliot wrote most of the poem when he was only 22 years old. While it was a work in progress, he subtitled the poem "Prufrock among the women." The part "The Love Song of" came from a Rudyard Kipling poem, "The Love Song of Har Dyal." At the time, T.S. Eliot went by "T. Sterns Eliot." a formulation that he emulated in the title "J. Alfred Prufrock." When he was growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, there was a furniture store there named "Prufrock-Littau Company" — but decades after the poem was published, Eliot wrote to a friend: "I did not have, at the time of writing the poem, and have not yet recovered, any recollection of having acquired this name in any way, but I think that it must be assumed that I did, and that the memory has been obliterated."

The poem was published a few years after it was written, with the encouragement of Ezra Pound, who was serving as Poetry magazine's overseas editor. He wrote in 1915 to Harriet Monroe about T.S. Eliot: "He has actually trained himself AND modernized himself ON HIS OWN. The rest of the promising young have done one or the other, but never both." Aside from stuff that had appeared in school newspapers and magazines, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" was T.S. Eliot's first published poem. In 1917, it appeared in book form, the first of 12 Eliot poems in Prufrock and Other Observations.

Other famous poems by T.S. Eliot include "The Wasteland," which begins "April is the cruellest month" — and "The Hollow Men," which concludes:

This is the way the world ends
    This is the way the world ends
    This is the way the world ends
    Not with a bang but a whimper

Author of the week

September 21^st was the birthday of horror novelist Stephen King, (books by this author) born in Portland, Maine (1947). He's the author of many novels, including The Shining (1977), Pet Sematary (1983), and From a Buick 8 (2002). His father, a merchant seaman, deserted the family when he was two. He has no memories of the man, but one day he found a boxful of his father's science fiction and fantasy paperbacks, including an anthology of stories from Weird Tales magazine and a book by horror author H.P. Lovecraft. That box of his father's books inspired him to start writing horror stories. After college, King worked jobs at a gas station and a Laundromat. His wife worked at Dunkin' Donuts. He said, "Budget was not exactly the word for whatever it was we were on. It was more like a modified version of the Bataan Death March."

His writing office was the furnace room of his trailer home. He sold a series of horror stories to men's magazines, and he said that the paychecks from these stories always seemed to arrive when one of his kids had an ear infection or the car had broken down. His first novel was Carrie (1973), about a weird, miserable, high school girl with psychic powers. The hard cover didn't sell very well, but when his agent called to say that the paperback rights had sold for $400,000, King couldn't believe it. He said, "The only thing I could think to do was go out and buy my wife a hair dryer."

Video of the week

Carl Sagan - 'A Glorious Dawn' ft Stephen Hawking (Cosmos Remixed)

Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot

Websites of the week

http://picasa-readme.blogspot.com/ Coolest photograph program just got better

Your weekly Presidential address and much more

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

And finally, the culmination of millennia of scientific endeavor

The World of the Future!