8.31.13 … the blessings of a skinned knee … mine … and for polka dot shoes …

“Solvitur Ambulando” – It is solved by walking, 2013 Labyrinth Walks, Avondale Presbyterian Church, The Blessing Of A Skinned Knee:  Today was a multi-sensory experience …

Sounds: chimes, water, wind blowing, rustling of fallen leaves.

 

Sights: chimes, water, flowers by the memorial wall, flowers in the sacred garden, bench set  in trees, trees  blowing in the wind, fall leaves, weeds …

   

 

feel: wind blowing, muggy humidity, heat

  

 

Thoughts:

Shakespeare musings … 8.31.13 … Moleskin musings on Shakespeare … 

Blessing of a Skinned Knee … I have a skinned knee which made me think about this parenting book … and where my children are … almost adult/launch mode.  I still have some work to do, even on the oldest to make them self-disciplined, appreciative, and resourceful.

In the trenches of a typical day, every parent encounters a child afflicted with ingratitude and entitlement. In a world where material abundance abounds, parents want so badly to raise self-disciplined, appreciative, and resourceful children who are not spoiled by the plentitude around them. But how to accomplish this feat? The answer has eluded the best-intentioned mothers and fathers who overprotect, overindulge, and overschedule their children’s lives.

The Blessing Of A Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children: Wendy Mogel Ph.D.: 9780142196441: Amazon.com: Books.

Ideas: develop a one-day lesson plan on the labyrinths and pilgrimages in medieval history with an emphasis on the Chartres labyrinth for local schools,  then have local schools offer a field trip to walk one of the Chartres-design labyrinths in Charlotte so that the students would experience the same walk, the same path has been walked  for almost a  1000 years.

I also have to remember to make a laminated Chartres resource for my beach bag.  Same place, next year Elizabeth P and the T family??

Polka dotted shoes … I love my shoes … 🙂

What is the “at the center? ”  I am not one to ever remember things, and although I have walked this labyrinth at least 40 times,  I know it’s a psalm but I can’t tell you what it says.

Here it is:

Psalm 119:105

That word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path

… maybe next time I’ll remember it without looking.

Blessings of a skinned knee and for polka dot shoes!

8.31.13 … Moleskin musings on Shakespeare …

Phrases We Owe to Shakespeare, Becky/a 20-year-old English Lit geek, Moleskine notebook, FB, Twitter, Pinterest:  Last month I included this image in my post on 7.16.13.  I don’t remember where I saw it.  Most likely FB, Twitter or Pinterest.  I think the story behind it is very interesting.  Enjoy …

And thank you Becky, a 20-year-old English Lit geek living in London, for scribbling this out in your  Moleskine notebook at 3 am.  I can’t believe you got 11,000 hits in the first 24 hours!  What is even more interesting is that her Moleskin musings are still being shared almost 2 years later.  The internet is a fascinating place.

‘

Becky, a 20-year-old English Lit geek living in London, scribbled out this list in a Moleskine notebook at 3 am a couple nights ago. She posted it on her Tumblr page, and within 24 hours, more than 11,000 people had saved it in their favorites file.

She was astonished. “I still don’t know how something I scribbled in a hurry at 3am got so many notes in the space of a day? Shakespeare is clearly too awesome,” Becky said in an update on the post today. “I spelt “bated” wrong, awk … Someone said this looks like a serial killer’s notebook, which made me laugh a lot. They’re not wrong, I’ve been a sleep deprived zombie lately.”

She certainly is a girl on a mission.

On her birthday on August 30th, she set a challenge for herself: Read a book every week until she turns 21. “Lately, I’ve gotten into the terrible habit of buying books but never reading them.

Gradually I’ve been reading less and less,” she said.

She put together a list of 52 books (heavy on Palahniuk, Murakami and Hemingway) and posted it here.

“I thought it would be a good way to encourage others to read more too.”

Want to take the challenge? The details are here.

She’s also giving away the books she reads.

Awesome.

via Phrases We Owe to Shakespeare – The English Muse.

8.30.13 … I am not Jewish, but I may have to order a Menurkey ….

The Menurkey, Hanukkah2013,  Thanksgiving 2013 , Anthony Weintraub, Kickstarter:  I am not Jewish, but I may have to order a Menurkey … since 2013 is the only time Hanukkah will ever overlap with Thanksgiving or at least until the year79811!!!

HANUKKAH AND THANKSGIVING.  HUH?

The reason Hanukkah and Thanksgiving will overlap this year is because the Jewish calendar repeats on a 19 year cycle, and Thanksgiving repeats on a 7 year cycle. You would therefore expect them to coincide roughly every 19×7 = 133 years. Which is correct – the last time it would have happened is 1861. But Thanksgiving was only formally established by President Lincoln in 1863 (which is why it has never happened before). It may not happen again because the Jewish calendar is very slowly getting out of sync with the solar calendar, at a rate of 4 days per 1000 years. This means that while presently Hanukkah can be as early as 11/28, over the years the calendar will drift forward, such that the earliest Hanukkah can be is 11/29. The last time Hanukkah falls on 11/28 is 2146 (which happens to be a Monday). Therefore, 2013 is the only time Hanukkah will ever overlap with Thanksgiving. Of course, if the Jewish calendar is never modified in any way, then it will slowly move forward through the Gregorian calendar, until it loops all the way back to where it is now. So, Hanukkah will again fall on Thursday, 11/28…in the year 79811.

via The Menurkey by Anthony Weintraub — Kickstarter.

 

Click on the link and watch the video!  [http://kck.st/1d2vZrq]

8.30.13 … Congratulations USMA Seniors! …

United States Military Academy class ring, kith/kin, USMA Ring Ceremony, history: Congratulations USMA Seniors!

The cadets of the United States Military Academy first began the practice of wearing class rings in 1835.[1] The United States Military Academy class ring has traditionally been worn on the left hand, but most recent graduates choose to wear it on their right hand, which is likely in response to the dilemma posed by wearing both a West Point ring and a wedding ring on the same finger. Some graduates still choose to wear both on their left hand. While at West Point, the ring is worn so that the class crest is worn to the inside and closest to one’s heart. Upon graduation, the ring is worn so that the West Point crest is closest to the heart.[2]

Ring Weekend is a tradition at the United States Military Academy where senior cadets are awarded their West Point class ring. West Point is the first American school to have class rings.[3] It is awarded to senior cadets shortly after the start of their senior year, after which there is a formal dinner and dance (called a “hop” in cadet slang) following the ceremony for the cadets and their guests.

via United States Military Academy class ring – Wikipedia, the free 

8.29.13 … Just thinking … US redrawn as 50 states with equal population … immigration middle ground … Go DAWGs, do it for Lewis … Grand Opening Romare Bearden Park …

science,  moral behavior, Scientific American:  Just thinking …

They hypothesized that there is a deep-seated perception of science as a moral pursuit — its emphasis on truth-seeking, impartiality and rationality privileges collective well-being above all else. Their new study, published in the journal PLOSOne, argues that the association between science and morality is so ingrained that merely thinking about it can trigger more moral behavior.

The researchers conducted four separate studies to test this. The first sought to establish a simple correlation between the degree to which individuals believed in science and their likelihood of enforcing moral norms when presented with a hypothetical violation. Participants read a vignette of a date-rape and were asked to rate the “wrongness” of the offense before answering a questionnaire measuring their belief in science. Indeed, those reporting greater belief in science condemned the act more harshly.

via Just Thinking about Science Triggers Moral Behavior: Scientific American.

equal representation, population: Interesting to think about …  Still trying to figure out the why of  the states’ names.  🙂

equal_pop_maps.jpg 1,100×848 pixels.

immigration, middle ground, NYTimes.com:  Very hard for either party to find a middle ground.

Mr. Pearce says he wants to fix what he calls a broken immigration system, and he sees himself as a border-state pragmatist.

“One side says everybody just gets citizenship, the other side says deport them or put them in jail, whatever. And I’m saying there is another alternative that would allow families to stay together, that would allow people to work, that just would not make them citizens,” Mr. Pearce said on Wednesday night in a response to a question at a town hall-style meeting in Deming. “Because that makes me very nervous as a policy.”

Later in the evening, he added: “I think that the plan I’m suggesting is the compromise plan. It’s somewhere out between kick them out and give them full citizenship.”

Mr. Pearce’s proposal would create a guest worker program, which would allow illegal immigrants to stay in the country as long as they were working. But it would not provide citizenship to those workers over time. He would allow illegal immigrants to become citizens, but they would first have to return to their home country and wait in line there.

“You can’t get control of the borders if you tell people you can come here illegally and you can work until you work your way to the front of the line,” Mr. Pearce said in an interview on Thursday. “The whole world would want to do it that way. Who would want to wait and do it properly?”

Despite Mr. Pearce’s strong opposition to a path to citizenship, advocates of an overhaul still believe that he might be persuadable, and various groups have descended on his district over the August break, holding marches and protests and filling his public meetings. “They simply realize that this is a 34 percent Republican district, and they’re hoping to bring enough pressure that would change me,” he said.

via On Immigration, a Republican Carves Out Some Middle Ground – NYTimes.com.

Lewis Grizzard, SEC Football, Georgia football, The DAWGS: Great reprint!

Saturday in Athens was a religious experience.

via Lewis Grizzard Wednesday: To My Son | The Grit Tree.

Grand Opening Romare Bearden Park:  Just might have to venture downtown. 🙂

Join the fun as Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation opens its newest facility, a community park named after Charlotte-born artist Romare Bearden, one block north of Mint Museum Uptown on South Church Street.

via Grand Opening: Romare Bearden Park – Mint Museum.

Mecklenburg County ‏@MeckCounty 5m

Romare Bearden Park opens Friday! Festivities continue all weekend. Schedule of events – http://bit.ly/15ftwb4  #MeckParkRec

via (18) Twitter.

8.29.13 … Yosemite Rim Fire hits Hetch Hetchy …

Yosemite Rim Fire, Hetch Hetchy:  Some things just stay with you.  When I practiced law, a client’s land was divided by the Hetch Hetchy canal.  Everytime they did anything, they had to get the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA)’s approval.  It was a very smart way to guarantee a water supply to San Francisco.

Anna Holmes ‏@AnnaHolmes 6m

Just heard the news that the Rim Fire hit Hetch Hetchy. I went hiking there just a few years ago. Area one of my favorite places.

via (6) Twitter.

Watch a Terrifying and Beautiful Timelapse of the Yosemite Rim Fire

via ▶ Rim Fire Time Lapse, August 2013 – YouTube.

The massive Rim Fire spreading into Yosemite National Park has slowed down recently as the weather begins to cooperate with efforts to stop it. And now that the danger to the park has subsided a bit, officials there posted a timelapse compilation of the blaze’s approach. It’s simultaneously terrifying and beautiful:

via Watch a Terrifying and Beautiful Timelapse of the Yosemite Rim Fire – Abby Ohlheiser – The Atlantic Wire.

…

The cities, water districts and private utilities represented by the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) rely upon the Hetch Hetchy system for water to protect the health, safety and economic well being of 1.7 million citizens, businesses and community organizations. Together, the BAWSCA agencies account for two-thirds of water consumption from the system and pay for two-thirds of its upkeep. The BAWSCA agencies are therefore key stakeholders in ensuring the system serves as a reliable source of high quality water.

While constructed and owned by San Francisco, the water system was in fact planned to benefit the greater San Francisco Bay Area population. Several cities and water agencies that are now part of BAWSCA urged Congress to pass the Raker Act in 1913, the law that allowed federal lands in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, including Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, to be used to build the water system. The cities of Burlingame, Hayward, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Redwood City and San Mateo, along with the Alameda County Water District, were among Bay Area communities whose support was influential in persuading Congress to pass the controversial Act, and President Woodrow Wilson to sign it.

via Hetch Hetchy Water System | BAWSCA.

8.29.13 … I have to admit this fascinates me … Robert McDuffie and Mike Mills of REM: “Concerto for Violin and Rock Band” …

Robert McDuffie, Mike Mills, , R.E.M“Concerto for Violin and Rock Band”, collaboration, Westminster ’78:  This fascinates me.  Bobby also has left a real legacy at Mercer in Macon, his hometown.  Look around at his website.  And for my Atlanta friends, Bobby is married to a Westminster classmate. 🙂

Welcome to my website. I’m excited to share the good news about one of my next touring projects: “Concerto for Violin and Rock Band” – collaborating with my childhood friend Mike Mills of the iconic band R.E.M.

Robert McDuffie • Official Website.

8.29.13 … Hudson River School art trail touring …

Hudson River School,  Fenimore Art Museum, Carry On | Travel + Leisure:  Something new to add to my short list!  What do you think, Kim?

Probably few regions in the United States have influenced American artists as significantly as the Hudson River Valley.  The painters of the so-called Hudson River School, Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Church, Thomas Cole, and Asher Durand, among others, created a grand vision of 19th-century landscape, comparable yet distinct from the Romantic movements in England and continental Europe.Travel informed their vision, of course, and the artistic response extended beyond the Hudson to New England, the American West, and to Italy, including idealized antiquity.  The Hudson River School: Nature and the American Vision at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York brings together 45 paintings that put on display the full range of the artists’ inspiration.  There may be to no better place to consider their work than in Cooperstown, New York, an icon of American history—the American novelist James Fenimore Cooper made his home there as does today the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum—that is also a showcase for the innovative opera and musical theater of the Glimmerglass Festival.Anyone who has traveled by car or train—or hiked—though the Hudson Valley is struck by the timelessness of the landscape.  Now, visitors and hikers alike can follow the Hudson River School Art Trail, which identifies some 21 spots in the Hudson Valley and New England that inspired the painters trail maps can be downloaded online. Key among them is Olana, the residence, studio, gardens, and estate of the painter Frederic Church in Hudson, New York.  Olana, which is open year-round, offers sweeping views of the Hudson Valley and the Catskills in each season and exhibitions that consider Church and his circle as well as works by contemporary artists Annie Leibovitz and Lynn Davis.

via Hudson River School at the Fenimore Art Museum – Carry On | Travel + Leisure.

8.28.13 … “Thanks, you sucked three days out of my life!”

tech,  TV, Netflix, House of Cards, Kevin Spacey, Business Insider:  “Thanks, you sucked three days out of my life!”

Everyone in the tech industry is passing around this video of Kevin Spacey talking about how Netflix (and other tech companies) will blow up the traditional TV industry.

In an edited version of Spacey’s speech below, he touches on how Netflix, which has produced a handful of excellent original series this year, has the potential to disrupt the traditional cable and network TV model of forcing content creators to make a pilot before accepting a show.

For example, Spacey says there will be 146 pilots made this year at the cost of $300-$400 million. Only 56 of those will actually be made into a series. “That makes our ‘House of Cards’ deal for two seasons really cost effective,” Spacey says in the speech.

via Everyone In The Tech And TV Industries Is Passing Around This Speech By Kevin Spacey – Business Insider.

via ▶ Kevin Spacey urges TV channels to give control to viewers – YouTube.

8.28.13 … :)

man’s best friend, cartoons, snoring: 

From FB’s Confessions of a Food Lover: Just for a laugh …