1.25.19 … “If you are mindful, or fully present in the here and now, anxiety disappears and a sense of timelessness takes hold, allowing your highest qualities, such as kindness and compassion, to emerge.”

Thich Nhat Hanh, Mindfulness, Vietnam: Another non-Westerner who has influenced my life in recent years.

Nhat Hanh taught that you don’t have to spend years on a mountaintop to benefit from Buddhist wisdom. Instead, he says, just become aware of your breath, and through that come into the present moment, where everyday activities can take on a joyful, miraculous quality. If you are mindful, or fully present in the here and now, anxiety disappears and a sense of timelessness takes hold, allowing your highest qualities, such as kindness and compassion, to emerge.

This was highly appealing to Westerners seeking spirituality but not the trappings of religion. Burned-out executives and recovering alcoholics flocked to retreats in the French countryside to listen to Nhat Hanh. An entire mindfulness movement sprang up in the wake of this dharma superstar. Among his students was the American doctor Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course that is now offered at hospitals and medical centers worldwide. Today, the mindfulness that Nhat Hanh did so much to propagate is a $1.1 billion industry in the U.S., with revenues flowing from 2,450 meditation centers and thousands of books, apps and online courses. One survey found that 35% of employers have incorporated mindfulness into the workplace.

Source: Thich Nhat Hanh, Father of Mindfulness, Awaits the End | Time, http://time.com/5511729/monk-mindfulness-art-of-dying/

Rumi, quotes: I truly love Rumi quotes. So why had I never heard of him until a few years ago. He’s only been around for 700+ years

The inspiration you seek is already within you.

Be silent and listen.

~ Rumi

Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī, Mevlânâ/Mawlānā, Mevlevî/Mawlawī, and more popularly simply as Rumi, was a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic originally from Greater Khorasan. Wikipedia

Born: September 30, 1207

Died: December 17, 1273, Konya, Turkey

stuff that doesn’t matter:

“As is usually the case with viral stuff that doesn’t actually matter but that we pretend matters anyway in order to give ourselves some semblance of control, identity, and distraction in this exponentially disastrous world, the arrow question has kindled fierce arguments between folks who believe their way of drawing X’s is THE ONLY CORRECT WAY and EVERYONE ELSE CAN GO TO HELL.”

Source: Twitter Is Divided Over The Right Way To Draw An ‘X’, https://hub.bloomjoy.com/ruin-my-week/right-way-to-draw-an-x/

LOL;

1.24.19

Cultural Rorschach test, Covington Catholic viral video, viral video:

I’ve been slow to opine on the Covington Catholic viral video. I reposted two days later this post by Fr. James Martin, SJ whom I respect.

And I hope that the students are ready to apologize as well.

Until then, dialogue is essential. Among Covington High School administrators. Between the students and indigenous peoples. Or simply between that group of students and Mr. Phillips.

In disagreement, dialogue is essential, as is what Pope Francis calls a “culture of encounter.” For example, a service trip for the students to a Native American reservation–as a learning opportunity.

Another essential lesson, which transcends whatever happened in Washington this weekend: an understanding of the appalling treatment that Native Americans have endured in our country. That lesson needs to be learned regardless of what you think of Covington High School.

This Teachable Moment can offer us, if we are open, lessons about dialogue, encounter and reconciliation during this coming week, which is, believe it or not, Catholic Schools Week.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/46899546495/posts/10155810610636496/

And then I saw this. Did you pass or fail? I waited … and I’m not sure why. So I barely passed.

The story is a Rorschach test—tell me how you first reacted, and I can probably tell where you live, who you voted for in 2016, and your general take on a list of other issues—but it shouldn’t be. Take away the video and tell me why millions of people care so much about an obnoxious group of high-school students protesting legalized abortion and a small circle of American Indians protesting centuries of mistreatment who were briefly locked in a tense standoff. Take away Twitter and Facebook and explain why total strangers care so much about people they don’t know in a confrontation they didn’t witness. Why are we all so primed for outrage, and what if the thousands of words and countless hours spent on this had been directed toward something consequential?

Source: Julie Irwin Zimmerman: I Failed the Covington Catholic Test – The Atlantic, 
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/julie-irwin-zimmerman-i-failed-covington-catholic-test/580897/

And I loved having a conversation about cultural Rorschach testswith Davidson friend A. Hall

Yes, it is. Fascinating. We’ve had some vivid reminders that what we perceive as reality is based on the lenses with which we view it. And those lenses can change depending on the information we put in or on our lived experience. It can feel like vertigo to know that people have a completely different perception of reality – but it looks like understanding that is a challenge we should take up.

Ditto what she said!

At the same time, I regret commenting on another friend’s post, because my comment only gave friends a g”otcha, you’re a racist moment.” I wanted a discussion of cultural Rorschach tests and lenses and respect, and instead, I felt that the commenter was saying, “gotcha.”

The Great Comma, Epiphany moment, liturgical Christian traditions,Apostles Creed, Niceness Creed: The Great Comma! So, I guess I worship in one of the liturgical Christian traditions, and I participate in proclaiming the Great Comma. An Epiphany Moment for me.

 . . Born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, . . .
—The Apostles’ Creed

If you worship in one of the liturgical Christian traditions, you probably know the opening words of the Apostles’ Creed by heart:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell; . . .

But have you ever noticed the huge leap the creed makes between “born of the Virgin Mary” and “suffered under Pontius Pilate”? A single comma connects the two statements, and falling into that yawning gap, as if it were a mere detail, is everything Jesus said and did between his birth and his death! Called the “Great Comma,” the gap certainly invites some serious questions. Did all the things Jesus said and did in those years not count for much? Were they nothing to “believe” in? Was it only his birth and death that mattered? Does the gap in some way explain Christianity’s often dismal record of imitating Jesus’ life and teaching?

There are other glaring oversights. The Apostles’ Creed does not once mention love, service, hope, the “least of the brothers and sisters,” or even forgiveness—anything that is remotely actionable. The earliest formal declaration of Christian belief is a vision and philosophy statement with no mission statement, as it were. Twice we are reminded that God is almighty, yet nowhere do we hear mention that God is also all-suffering or all-vulnerable (although it does declare that Jesus “suffered . . . , died, and was buried”). With its emphasis on theory and theology, but no emphasis on praxis (i.e., practice), the creed set Christianity on a course we are still following today.

The Apostles’ Creed, along with the later Nicene Creed, is an important document of theological summary and history, but when the crowd at my parish mumbles hurriedly through its recitation each Sunday, I’m struck by how little usefulness—or even interest—the creed seems to bring as a guide for people’s daily, practical behavior. I hope I am wrong, but I doubt it.

Both creeds reveal historic Christian assumptions about who God is and what God is doing. They reaffirm a static and unchanging universe and a God who is quite remote from almost everything we care about each day. Furthermore, they don’t show much interest in the realities of Jesus’ own human life—or ours. Instead, they portray what religious systems tend to want: a God who looks strong and stable and in control. No “turn the other cheek” Jesus, no hint of a simple Christ-like lifestyle is found here.

https://email.cac.org/t/ViewEmail/d/EA7137F1585CAE9E2540EF23F30FEDED/1DC1AEAE5E535C1F0B3A73003FEB3522

1.23

Peripatetic Posse, kith/kin, wasabis, safety in numbers: My friend reposted one of my favorite of her blog posts. I’m not the letter writer.

My friend Dennard Lindsey Teague reminded me of an article I wrote several years ago in tribute to my group of Davidson College Alumni women from the Davidson College Class of 1982. They are my “peripatetic posse.”

In honor of Dennard’s upcoming birthday (and our particular friendship going back to first grade), I wanted to post this again in celebration of her, of MY friendships, and in celebration of ALL women’s friendships.

And yet fifteen years after graduation we came back together for a reunion, setting in motion a powerful force, the original “us” reconvened and buttressed.

Now we see each other yearly, as many of us as can get there, with the “there” moving between vacation homes, rented camps, and urban hotels. We have a system for choosing location and time, and it begins anew each spring so we can gather in the fall. We pool resources to be sure all can come.

On the appointed weekend, from the time the last one arrives on Thursday or Friday until the first one leaves on Sunday, we sit in a circle with a single purpose: listening to what has happened in each other’s lives throughout the last year. Listening to hear, not listening to solve or fix. Just listening. We take breaks only for meal preparation, pouring coffee or wine, a long walk or hike each day, and a little sleep.

There’s power in our honesty and in our safety. There are opportunities for us to see both sides of an issue through each other as we skip the “How could someone think that?” in favour of the “Oh, I can see why you feel the way you do.” Maybe one woman has parenting challenges that help another imagine that her own mother did all she could; a rant on health-care annoyances is met with a doctor’s own perspective on her disappointment in her changing profession. Yet we don’t go out of our way to stir up the subjects on which we would disagree (and there are probably several). It’s not a place to be right; it’s a place to be loved.

Source: My Peripatetic Posse: Safety in Numbers | Comment Magazine, https://www.cardus.ca/comment/article/my-peripatetic-posse-safety-in-numbers

Corolla, OBX: many years at OBX, many memories of the horses …

Carolla Beach … What a way to start the day! This is our idea of traffic

Lunar eclipse, wolf moon: I was so excited, but I slept through the entire event: I’m glad some people were up,and shared their photos!

The Evolution of Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Evolution of Lin-Manuel Miranda is just fun to watch!

https://youtu.be/u-gte9G2urU, The Evolution of Lin-Manuel Miranda,

Source: The Evolution of Lin-Manuel Miranda, https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/evolution-lin-manuel-miranda-002530271.html

1.21.18 … We cannot be held responsible for bibliomania!

Baltimore MD, Lee’s Oyster and Pint, The Helmand (Afghan), Gnocco, Pitango Coffee, The Book Thing – Baltimore MD:

So far, lunch at Lee’s Oyster and Pint, great Afghan meal at The Helmand last night with Averie and Suzanne, brunch today at gnocco, now coffee at Pitango … endless opportunities for good food, good drink and good company in Baltimore. And then The Book Thing. We cannot be held responsible for bibliomania!

We cannot be held responsible for bibliomania!

1.20.19 … “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” -Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver, Poetry, RIP, NPR: I will miss her words.

Much-loved poet Mary Oliver died Thursday of lymphoma, at her home in Florida. She was 83. Oliver won many awards for her poems, which often explore the link between nature and the spiritual world; she also won a legion of loyal readers who found both solace and joy in her work.

Oliver got a lot of her ideas for poems during long walks — a habit she developed as a kid growing up in rural Ohio. It was not a happy childhood: She said she was sexually abused and suffered from parental neglect. But as she told NPR in 2012, she found refuge in two great passions that lasted her entire life.

She said, “The two things I loved from a very early age were the natural world and dead poets, [who] were my pals when I was a kid.”

Source: Mary Oliver, Who Believed Poetry ‘Mustn’t Be Fancy,’ Dies At 83 : NPR, https://www.npr.org/2019/01/17/577380646/beloved-poet-mary-oliver-who-believed-poetry-mustn-t-be-fancy-dies-at-83

I have loved reading friends’ favorite Mary Oliver poems that many have posted on Facebook since her death was announced 1.17.

Here is a favorite of mine:

“Morning Poem”:

Every morning

the world

is created.

Under the orange

sticks of the sun

the heaped

ashes of the night

turn into leaves again

and fasten themselves to the high branches—

and the ponds appear

like black cloth

on which are painted islands

of summer lilies.

If it is your nature

to be happy

you will swim away along the soft trails

for hours, your imagination

alighting everywhere.

And if your spirit

carries within it

the thorn

that is heavier than lead—

if it’s all you can do

to keep on trudging—

there is still

somewhere deep within you

a beast shouting that the earth

is exactly what it wanted—

each pond with its blazing lilies

is a prayer heard and answered

lavishly,

every morning,

whether or not

you have ever dared to be happy,

whether or not

you have ever dared to pray.

And a few from others …

“The Summer Day”:

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean-

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

“Dog Songs”:

You may not agree, you may not care, but

if you are holding this book you should know that of all the sights I love in this world — and there are plenty — very near the top of the list is this one: dogs without leashes.

“The Journey”:

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice–

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

“Mend my life!”

each voice cried.

But you didn’t stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do–

determined to save

the only life you could save.

Painting by Leonid Afremov

via Holland UCC

Meaning of Joy, Katelyn Ohashi, Steph Curry, gymnastics:

Even the  WSJ was impressed!  (And a shout out to Steph to boot!)

An amazing college gymnastics performance by @katelyn_ohashi becomes a viral video because it radiates human joy, writes @jasongay.

This is go­ing to sound pre­ten­tious, but what­ever: I think Ohashi’s rou­tine is a ra­di­ant ex­pres­sion of what it means for a hu­man be­ing to be very, very good at some­thing—and to want to share that with every­one. She projects a con­fi­dence that only great per­form­ers project, whether Olympic cham­pi­ons or con­cert pi­anists, that every eye is upon them. In­stead of shirk­ing from that, in­stead of get­ting rat­tled, Ohashi rushes to­ward the mo­ment. The mo­ment be­comes her.

These in­stances are rare, but they’re re­ally the rea­son why we watch sports, aren’t they? Sure, we come up with all kinds of ra­tio­nal­iza-tions for our sports ob­ses­sions—tra­di­tion, re­gional loy­al­ties, very bad bets on the Min­nesota Vikings—but what truly keeps the au­di­ence com­ing back is the chance that every once in a while, you’ll see a ra­di­ant ex­pres­sion of hu­man great­ness and joy. An Odell Beck­ham Jr. one-handed grab. A Patrick Ma­homes sidearm touch­down pass. Mikaela Shiffrin crush­ing a turn in the gi­ant slalom (Shiffrin’s ab­so­lutely ba­nanas World Cup sea­son is the most un­der­ap­pre­ci­ated sports story of the mo­ment.) A Roger Fed­erer one-handed back­hand down the line. Pretty much every­thing Steph Curry does. Ditto Si­mone Biles.

Source:
A Must-See Gymnast, and the Meaning of Joy, https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-must-see-gymnast-and-the-meaning-of-joy-11547658105

Student teacher relationships, emotional intelligence: I am forever grateful for teachers I had at E. Rivers Elementary School, Westminster, Davidson College and UGA Law. Those I had relationships stand out. Those I loved I will never forget.

“That unplanned moment illustrated for me the connection between emotional relationships and learning. We used to have this top-down notion that reason was on a teeter-totter with emotion. If you wanted to be rational and think well, you had to suppress those primitive gremlins, the emotions. Teaching consisted of dispassionately downloading knowledge into students’ brains.

…

Then work by cognitive scientists like Antonio Damasio showed us that emotion is not the opposite of reason; it’s essential to reason. Emotions assign value to things. If you don’t know what you want, you can’t make good decisions.”

Source: Opinion | Students Learn From People They Love – The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/opinion/learning-emotion-education.html

TMBS, aging, ageism, happiness is a choice, kith/kin:

I gain something wonderful every week at TMBS. This week, it was the insight from this article…The Joy of Being a Woman in Her 70s … I want to be described like this in 15 years!

The only constant in our lives is change. But if we are growing in wisdom and empathy, we can take the long view. We’ve lived through seven decades of our country’s history, from Truman to Trump. I knew my great-grandmother, and if I live long enough, will meet my great-grandchildren. I will have known seven generations of family. I see where I belong in a long line of Scotch-Irish ancestors. I am alive today only because thousands of generations of resilient homo sapiens managed to procreate and raise their children. I come from, we all come from, resilient stock, or we wouldn’t be here.

By the time we are 70, we have all had more tragedy and more bliss in our lives than we could have foreseen. If we are wise, we realize that we are but one drop in the great river we call life and that it has been a miracle and a privilege to be alive.

Source: NYTimes: The Joy of Being a Woman in Her 70s, https://nyti.ms/2RIcnnk?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Silence, Be Still, Sanctuary for God’s Presence, Paul Bane, Patheos: Great ideas to ponder!

Silence is the sanctuary for God’s presence residing in the depths and recesses of our heart.  In the solitude and quiet, we seek and discover the love of Christ dwelling with us. In the silence, we become still to hear God speaking life to us. Be still and know I am God.

…

The silence lifts us beyond our internal and external thoughts, and we discover the inward voice of God telling us that we are loved.You and I are daughters, sons and joint heirs of His divine kingdom. Silence is the sanctuary for God’s presence where we discover His unconditional love and never-ending hope for our life.

Source: Silence is the Sanctuary for God’s Presence | Paul Bane, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/mindfulchristianitytoday/2018/08/silence-is-the-sanctuary-for-gods-presence/

1.17.19

The Smithsonian, portraits, Henrietta Lacks, medical miracles – CNN, HeLa cells: I have been fascinated with the story of Henrietta lacks since my oldest son recommended that I read the book outlining her story. I was thrilled to see that she now has a portrait at the Smithsonian. This is old news from May 2018. I need to plan a visit to DC.

This week, the Smithsonian unveiled a portrait of Henrietta Lacks, the black tobacco farmer who ended up changing the world. Her cells have allowed for advances in cancer treatment, AIDS research, cloning, stem-cell studies and so much more. They traveled to the moon to test the effects of zero gravity, and scientists have sold and purchased them by the billions.

Source: The Smithsonian unveils a portrait of Henrietta Lacks, the black farmer whose cells led to medical miracles – CNN,

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/16/health/henrietta-lacks-portrait-smithsonian-tmd/index.html

1.17.19

“Who Will Write Our History“, Holocaust, Auerbach:

Nobility is a luxury for people imprisoned in a way station to annihilation, and the film does include expressions of futility, despair, and outrage at the conduct of fellow Jews. Auerbach worked in a soup kitchen that, some argued, just postponed rather than averted starvation. Another point of debate the archive documents is the proper attitude toward others’s suffering: Is callousness an expression of weakness or strength? 

The writings that were buried under the ghetto, soon to be burned to the ground by German troops, offer as many viewpoints as the people who contributed their words to the project. Together, though, they constitute what one historian calls “one great accusation.”

Source: Review: ‘Who Will Write Our History’ Is A Tale Of Survival : NPR, https://www.npr.org/2019/01/17/685164331/who-will-write-our-history-documenting-those-who-documented-the-warsaw-ghetto

Queen Victoria, History Extra, funerals: Interesting if you enjoy history …

When Queen Victoria died at the age of 81 on 22 January 1901, it took her family, court and subjects by surprise – very few had been able to contemplate the mortality of the monarch who had ruled over Britain and its empire for almost 64 years. Her death marked the end of the Victorian era. Here, Stewart Richards considers Queen Victoria’s final moments, the chaotic preparations for her state funeral on 2 February 1901, and the secret items placed inside her coffin…

Source: The bizarre funeral of Queen Victoria: how, when and where did she die? – History Extra, https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/queen-victoria-death-funeral-mask-cause/

Westminster Abbey’s Hidden Gallery, Westminster Abbey, London:

They say good things come to those who wait. But if you’ve been waiting to get a glimpse inside Westminster Abbey’s old triforium, you’ve missed a hefty chunk of human history in the process: 700 years, in fact! Luckily, your wait is over, as the hidden gallery opened for public viewing this summer – for the first time since it was built, way back in the 13th century. Patience is a virtue, you know…

Photo: @theattinghamtrust

For many years, the triforium was essentially Westminster’s attic, used as storage space or as a spillover viewing gallery for coronations (one ticket, found during the renovation and now part of the display, was from the 1702 coronation of Queen Anne). It even served as the BBC’s outpost during Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, as Richard Dimbleby narrated the affair to a captive TV audience.

Source: Westminster Abbey’s Hidden Gallery: Inside The 700-Year Old Triforium, https://secretldn.com/westminster-abbey-hidden-gallery/

1.14.19

Outer Banks wild horses, RIP, Roamer, tourism ads, Charlotte Observer:

A wild mustang known around the world for being featured prominently in Outer Banks tourism materials has died at the height of his stardom.

The Corolla Wild Horse Fund announced Monday that Roamer, a 15-year-old stallion, died Saturday, just 24 hours after being diagnosed with a tear in his GI tract that led to sepsis.

“People out there know who Roamer is, but may not realize it,” said Meg Puckett, the herd manager for the Corolla wild horses.

“He was sort of a legend, on the cover of the tourism fliers and even on billboards. He was an ambassador for the horses.”

Roamer was among the oldest of the herd of nearly 100 horses, and also one of those who could not be easily tamed. He frequently refused to stay fenced into the area reserved for wild horses, and took off to wander among the tourists, Puckett says.

Herd managers eventually had to relocate him to a rehabilitation site operated by the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, out of fear he would be hit by an off-road vehicle.

“That’s how he got his name, Roamer,” Puckett said. “He eventually became part of our ‘Meet a Mustang’ program (at the rehab site), which lets people have a more intimate experience meeting the horses.”

Source: Outer Banks wild horse featured in tourism ads dies | Charlotte Observer, 
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/article224515940.html

Rich’s, Department Stores, Atlanta GA, Southern Childhood, Southern Living: I loved both Rich’s and Davison’s in Atlanta. My grandmother was a Chin buyer for Davison’s, but I have more memories of Rich’s.

VIA THE GEORGIA TRUST

Atlanta, Georgia

Rich’s, opened in 1867 by Morris Rich, was Atlanta’s premiere department store for all things fashionable and classic. At Christmas, shoppers anticipated the extravagant holiday decorations and gigantic Christmas tree that was displayed on top of a multi-level glass bridge, which was the first of its kind in the city. Eventually, Rich’s fashion show in Atlanta got so big it had to be moved to the Fox Theatre, as its customers were so anxious for a glimpse of next season’s clothes. After 138 years, Rich’s (known then as Rich’s-Macy’s due to its earlier acquisition) ended its era in 2005 and was converted to just “Macy’s.”

Source: Department Stores You’ll Remember From Your Southern Childhood – Southern Living, https://www.southernliving.com/fashion-beauty/vintage-southern-department-stores

j. peterman catalog, John Peterman: what a description! “the gentleman-retailer famously satirized on “Seinfeld,” talks adventuresome fashion, ‘Downton Abbey,” and the value of learning how to ride” … and here is a link to the catalog: https://www.jpeterman.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiAsoviBRAoEiwATm8OYDKBL93geNPsO-SZCHPCFSjOdTKDBtrhQNs6IzQKbW8iLOGVkjXuWBoCsRAQAvD_BwE

He has vis­ited at least 80 coun­tries, and when John Pe­ter­man says “vis­ited,” he means it. “That’s not just stop­ping at the air­port to change planes,” said the founder of J. Pe­ter­man Co., the cloth­ing com­pany that’s ac­quired cult sta­tus due to its hand-il­lus­trated cat­a­log and fan­ci­fully nar­ra­tive prod­uct de­scrip­tions that of­ten ref­er­ence far-flung places. At 77, Mr. Pe­ter­man still reg­u­larly sets off from his Lex­ing­ton, Ky., home to des­ti­na­tions like Paris and Buenos Aires. “I’m go­ing out and look­ing for in­spi­ra­tion,” he ex­plained. He in­sists that if you want to find the proper cut of a kilt, you must tramp around Scot­land to find it your­self. Each J. Pe­ter­man item be­gins with a jour­ney.

Source: Remember the J.Peterman Catalog? It’s Still Going Strong and So Is Mr. Peterman, https://www.wsj.com/articles/remember-the-j-peterman-catalog-its-still-going-strong-and-so-is-mr-peterman-11547569560?emailToken=cb5b9d341bc1b8bfb327c13eefd6e907J8TZSiLglM76h3xPZMtnb4IkNrSSHwU05gCkgRCZTCwwoQD12x7zIQ9+byovazWueSq778WhBhr7dfnodqaNC7CpbIZS7hi/1GvtpAxsjm07yWgpm8M93L8ghFn/W/OrG54XYfL0B9VGv6LMrMZRAQ%3D%3D&reflink=article_email_share

Louisville International Airport (Standiford Field (SDF)), Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, Muhammad Ali, Louisville KY:

Ali’s widow Lonnie Ali called the champion a “global citizen,” according to the release, but added “he never forgot the city that gave him his start. It is a fitting testament to his legacy.”

While the airport’s name will change, its current three-letter International Air Transport Association (IATA) code — SDF — won’t change.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/louisville-international-airport-renamed-muhammad-ali-vote-today-2019-01-16/

And I loved this anecdote on Facebook by Dave Kindred …

News that my old town, Louisville, is renaming its airport for Muhammad Ali reminds me of an old story. Flight attendant tells the champ he must buckle his seat belt, to which he says, “Superman don’t need a seat belt.” Flight attendant says, “Superman don’t need a plane” Champ buckles up.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/509353295/posts/10157179975373296/

1.15.19

Quotes: Besides the poetry quotes, I pondered these this week …

“Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect. Every advance into knowledge opens new prospects, and produces new incitements to further progress.”

— Samuel Johnson, Rambler

“It was on a bright day of midwinter, in New York. The little girl who eventually became me, but as yet was neither me nor anybody else in particular, but merely a soft anonymous morsel of humanity—this little girl, who bore my name, was going for a walk with her father. The episode is literally the first thing I can remember about her, and therefore I date the birth of her identity from that day.”

– Edith Wharton, A Backward Glance

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.”

― Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire

“Eternity is in love with the productions of time.”

— William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

“Heaven have mercy on us all – Presbyterians and Pagans alike – for we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending.”

-Herman Melville – from “Moby Dick”

God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.

– Martin Luther

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/martin_luther_140721

In the vast abyss before time, self

is not, and soul commingles

with mist, and rock, and light. In time,

soul brings the misty self to be.

Then slow time hardens self to stone

while ever lightening the soul,

till soul can loose its hold of self

and both are free and can return

to vastness and dissolve in light,

the long light after time.

-Ursula K. Le Guin, HOW IT SEEMS TO ME

LOL, Brexit: brexit shouldn’t be funny … but I laughed.

LOL, POTUS, Clemson visits the White House, Govern Shutdown, “The Fast Supper”, #Cofveve #hamberders #Funny #NotFunnyToo:

1.17.19

LOL, POTUS, political cartoons:

I often don’t agree with “God,” but I frequently laugh.

1.18.19

LOL, dog employee of the month:

This is the story about a distribution sales manager who works from home. Michael Reeg from Georgia has a dog Meeka which he considers as a real asset. He considers the dog as a best friend because it doesn’t allow him to feel lonely during work hours. The dog has in a way eased the transition of Michael Reeg to the telecommuting. Meeka is quite punctual. She turns up to the work regardless the presence of Michael. She goes there like every model employee would do for his employer. Meeka is quite enthusiastic for the work, when she finds the door of the office shut, she doesn’t leave for taking a rest. Instead she prefers to sit outside the door. Michael Reeg was interviewed by The Dodo. He said that transitioning to home based work was not an easy thing. He said that it was quiet and devoid of excitement. Thus, according to him, the dog helped him cover that journey.

Source: Man who works from home keeps naming his dog employee of the month, https://www.talkofweb.com/man-who-works-from-home-keeps-naming-his-dog-employee-of-the-month/

1.14.19 … “Hiraeth describes a deep, inborn sense of yearning for a home, a feeling, a place or person that is beyond this plane of existence”

FPC – Charlotte, TMBS, vocabulary, word nerd, hireath, thin places: We began our FPC – Charlotte TMBS with a discussion of hiraeth and thin places.

https://lawhimsy.com/2015/03/25/word-nerd-hiraeth/amp/

1.8.19

Breadcoins, Cary Umhau, Washington DC:

I’m so excited by this article about Breadcoin. Cary is a co-founder!

Quentin Wilson, 56, uses a “Breadcoin” to buy breakfast Friday from Naomi Banks at the Mission Muffins food truck. (Evelyn Hockstein for The Washington Post)

Jeffrey Carter, who is homeless, carried two gold-colored coins in his palm as he approached the Mission Muffins cafe trailer in Northwest Washington to exchange them for a breakfast burrito and apple juice.

The quarter-size coins — each worth $2.20 and inscribed with part of the Lord’s Prayer and an image of wheat — were “Breadcoins,” a new form of currency in the District intended for people in need.

Inspired by the popularity of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, Breadcoins have circulated in the District since 2016, but they are still relatively unknown. They are an option for people who worry that giving money to those in need might be used to fuel an addiction.

Source: ‘Breadcoin’ is a new currency in D.C. for people in need – The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/01/11/breadcoin-is-new-currency-dc-people-need/

1.11.19

Kith/kin, UNC-CH, student mental health: For years I have received the DTH daily email. I rarely read it. But today, I clicked on it and there was the daughter of one of my best friends. Nice shout out to e, Eleanor!

Eleanor Murray, a first-year public policy and global studies major, at the James A. Taylor Building, where Counseling and Psychological Services is located, on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019.  “As someone who did not realize I had mental health issues, it was helpful and resourceful and I felt supported while trying to find a therapist,” Murray says of her experience with CAPS. Murray would recommend CAPS and likes the multiple treatment options offered at CAPS.

Source: Does CAPS’ referral system work? – The Daily Tar Heel, https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2019/01/caps-short-term-therapy-experiences-0114

1.14.19

Georgetown SC, DeBordieu: One of my favorite places …

From surf and sand to sightseeing and beyond, Myrtle Beach is always a good idea. But, when it’s time for a break from the buzz of the Grand Strand, head less than an hour south to Georgetown, one of six towns that make up the Hammock Coast. Here, you’ll have easy access to a multitude of activities, museums, and dining options. Read on for our affordable guide to the highlights of South Carolina’s third oldest city.

Source: Southern Hospitality Meets Modern Style in Georgetown, South Carolina, 
https://www.shermanstravel.com/advice/easy-southern-escapes-georgetown-south-carolina

1.8.19

Coffee Shops, Third Place, Burney’s Sweets and More, New places: Barb and I enjoying this just opened bakery, as in yesterday. And I will go back!

Barb and I were discussing where to meet. I receive a daily email called Charlotte Agenda which had just this day mentioned this new bakery. I had not realized it was it’s second day until they asked if they could take our picture.

Give Burney’s a try! Bakery known for its fried stuffed croissants now open near Uptown – Charlotte Agenda, https://www.charlotteagenda.com/153909/bakery-known-for-its-fried-stuffed-croissants-now-open-near-uptown/

And I think this could be a great “third place.”

I recently read a book by Ray Oldenburg – The Great Good Place – which suggested another happy place candidate, perhaps the most viable of all. The book is scholarly but accessible, an anthropological / sociological analysis of cafés, coffee shops, bars, and other hangouts. The book introduced to me a new term – third place – that made instant sense.

Third places are where people congregate other than work or home. England has pubs, France has cafés, and Austria has coffee houses. Once upon a time in the United States, common third places included country stores, post offices, barber shops, hair salons, soda shops, and taverns.

As described by Oldenburg, third places share common features. First, they are neutral, meaning that all people can come and go without penalty. If you don’t go to your third place for a few days or weeks, your return is greeted with interest and enthusiasm. Contrast that with work or home, where your eventual return after days of absence would be greeted with a pink slip or divorce papers.

Source: Happy Places: Third Places | Psychology Today, 
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-good-life/200912/happy-places-third-places

cider v cider, I remember the first time …,

I remember discovering alcoholic cider when I traveled to England with my sis in 1978. I liked it!

In the American state of New Hampshire, the state beverage of apple cider is like unfiltered apple juice. Usually, mulled spices are added, turning it into a spiced, piping hot drink. But in the famed cider-growing region of Britain’s West Country, cider is a fermented, alcoholic beverage. Look further across Europe and you’ll find that America’s version of apple cider is the outlier—cidre in France and sidra in Spain are both akin to British hard cider, rather than the American mulled beverage. So, how did Americans end up with such a unique form of apple cider?

People have been making cider for thousands of years. Wild apples, Malus sylvestris, grew naturally in the ancient British Isles. The Romans encouraged apple cultivation for cider, and when Christian monks established monasteries, they also made the beverage. When European settlers traveled to North America, they took cider with them.

Source: Why Cider Means Something Completely Different in America and Europe – Gastro Obscura, https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-is-american-cider-nonalcoholic

1.10.19

Street art, public art, Charlotte NC: And some Charlotte street art … I have a few favorites.

Charlotte’s mural scene is on the rise. Large-scale painting events like Talking Walls Mural Festivaland #nodacanjam help bring local and national artists together to crank out multiple pieces at the same time. And developers and businesses are catching on to the value of investing in public art, as you’ll see in places like South End’s Design Center, as well as at a number of apartment complexes.

The following is a hefty guide to where you can find more than 60 murals around town.

Source: The definitive guide to 60+ Charlotte street murals, mapped – Charlotte Agenda, https://www.charlotteagenda.com/153556/the-definitive-guide-to-60-charlotte-street-murals-mapped/

Neel Reid, Brookwood Hills, Atlanta GA,

Some Neel Reid and Brookwood Hills history for you.

The house is perfectly balanced, and though the facade appears plain at first sight, the bold ornaments draw the eye — the pediment across the front, balanced above a smaller pediment over a wide, ornate doorway topped by a sunken half circle.

These elements tell you the work you are looking at is not by your average architect but by an artist — a poet if you will — a man who brought beauty and precision to everything he touched.

Built in 1922, the house at 14 Palisades Road is the last man standing in a way.

It is one of seven Neel Reid designed just north of Ansley Park, a small settlement of houses designed by one of the South’s preeminent architects before there was a Brookwood Hills, and when Buckhead was several miles north on Peachtree Road.

Source: Brookwood Hills home one of seven originals and the last standing | Opinion | mdjonline.com, https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/northside_sandy_springs/opinion/brookwood-hills-home-one-of-seven-originals-and-the-last/article_7400e9bc-1495-11e9-9300-cbcd24a794df.html

Longest Shutdown, Peggy Noonan:

I’ll throw in some­thing else I think we agree on. Gov­ern­ing by shut­down is ig­no­rant, cow­ardly and de­struc­tive. It is un­just to the in­no­cent, who are forced to deal with re­duced ser­vices, closed agen­cies and missed pay­checks. It’s dan­ger­ous: Some­thing bad will hap­pen with air se­cu­rity, food in­spec­tion—some­thing. It’s de­mor­al­iz­ing: It makes Amer­ica look in­com­pe­tent in the world, un­sta­ble, like an empty ad­ver­sary and in­ca­pable friend. It harms the de­mo­c­ra­tic spirit be­cause it so vividly tells Amer­i­cans—rubs their faces in it—that they’re pawns in a game as both par­ties pur­sue their self­ish ends.

Source:
End This Stupid Shutdown

1.10.19

Shutdown, Youngstown Steel, SCOTUS, Presidential Powers, US Constitution:

Justice Hugo Black delivered the majority opinion for the Court. Although it was the decision of the majority, it was clear that the Justices were split on a number of issues, as there five concurring opinions entered as well. Justice Black’s decision found for the steel industry, declaring that “[t]he President’s power, if any, to issue the order must stem either from an act of Congress or from the Constitution itself. There is no statute that expressly authorizes the President to take possession of property as he did here. Nor is there any act of Congress…from which such a power can be fairly implied.” The Court also found that, “[i]n the framework of our Constitution, the President’s power to see that the laws are faithfully executed refutes the idea that he is to be a lawmaker.”

Amongst the concurring opinions, and even compared to the majority opinion, Justice Robert Jackson’s still stands out today as the most useful in assessing the extent of executive power. Justice Jackson rejected strict boundaries between Congressional and Presidential power, and instead divided Presidential authority into three categories of legitimacy. First, and most legitimate, were cases in which “[t]he President acts pursuant to an express or implied authorization of Congress.” Second, is when Congress has been silent on the issue. And finally, “[w]hen the President takes measures incompatible with the expressed or implied will of Congress, his power is at its lowest ebb.”

President Truman was shocked by the decision. He immediately ordered the return of the steel mills to their owners, and the workers went on strike right away. The strike lasted more than 50 days. The effect of the Court’s decision limiting Presidential powers, however, has continued to impact executive decision-making throughout our nation’s history.

Source: Youngstown Steel: The Supreme Court stands up to the President – National Constitution Center, https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/youngstown-steel-the-supreme-court-stands-up-to-the-president

1.8.19

Shutdown:

There’s a lot at stake here — much more than just the next craft beer to be discovered and Instagrammed.

The government shutdown is putting the craft booze industry in a pickle | MNN – Mother Nature Network, https://www.mnn.com/food/beverages/blogs/government-shutdown-messing-our-booze

1.10.19

Presbyterians, Spiritual Practices, Katie Crowe:

What spiritual practices is your congregation taking on in the new year? … such as ….walking a labyrinth … And a shout out to Katie Crowe!

For some, that means a deepening commitment to spiritual practices – to a regular, intentional discipline of taking the time to draw closer to God.

Congregants at First Presbyterian in Conway, Arkansas, learned about various postures for prayer – raising their arms as a passage from Mark’s Gospel was read, to worship God with all their souls.

People both inside and outside of churches are using all sorts of practices – such as centering prayer or walking a labyrinth or using lectio divina to read Scripture. Some have roots in ancient practices of early Christianity. Some involve silence; some seek God’s presence through art or movement.

Some tap into technology – using apps such as Pray as You Go, which draws from Ignatian spirituality and gives folks material to listen to while out for a walk or commuting to work or school.

Practicing a spiritual discipline can be communal work as well.

Source: Ancient & new: Presbyterians and spiritual practices – The Presbyterian Outlook, https://pres-outlook.org/2017/01/ancient-new-presbyterians-spiritual-practices/

Quotes: I collect quotes. This is a good place to share a few.

I’m reading the preview chapter of “A Light So Lovely: The Spiritual Legacy of Madeleine L’Engle, Author of A Wrinkle in Time” by Sarah Arthur.

I love the dedication.

“For my young sons, Micah and Sam. May you tesser well.”

https://media.harpercollinschristian.com/files/z/PDF/LightSoLovely_samptxt.pdf

When old age shall this generation waste,

Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe

Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou sayst,

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” – that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

— Ode on a Grecian Urn”

To be silent does not mean to be inactive; rather it means to breathe in the will of God, to listen attentively and be ready to obey.

– Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Meditating on the Word”

“Manners are what hold a society together .. that and a reliable postal system. Propriety is concern for other people. When that goes out the window the gates of hell are surely opened and ignorance is king”

– Jane Austen

It is an ongoing temptation to think of ourselves as living under a curse. The loss of a friend, an illness, an accident, a natural disaster, a war, or any failure can make us quickly think that we are no good and are being punished. This temptation to think of our lives as full of curses is even greater when all the media present us day after day with stories about human misery.

Jesus came to bless us, not to curse us. But we must choose to receive that blessing and hand it on to others. Blessings and curses are always placed in front of us. We are free to choose. God says, Choose the blessings!

Source: Henri Nouwen Society | Daily Meditation | Henri Nouwen Society,

https://henrinouwen.org/resources/daily-meditation/

LOL, Art School of Fish:

5.2.14 … Delicious Trumps, Pretense Stinks, Comfort Feels Good …

Local Three Kitchen & Bar – Atlanta:

So I first heard of Local Three last week here in Charlotte.  Chef Chris Hall was in Charlotte for Charlotte Food and Wine.  I enjoyed him, so I sought his restaurant out in Atlanta.  My experience was very good.  The Vidalia Onion Soup and the Hoppin John  were both excellent.  But the cost was excessive for lunch.  So although I would recommend the food (it was delicious!), I would not recommend the restaurant unless you are on an expense account.

Creamy Vidalia Onion Soup: Cabot Cheddar, Thyme, Garlic Croutons $4.53/$6.53

Hoppin’ John $4.93

Pimento Cheese Grits $4.93

Carolina Mountain Trout: Anson Mills Rice Grits, “Succotash”, Lobster Saffron Broth $19.93

via Local Three Kitchen & Bar – Atlanta Restaurant.

Their restaurant Local Three represents a shared philosophy on food, drink, hospitality and how to do business. That philosophy is straightforward: People Matter Most, Local Is Priority, Seasonal Makes Sense, Authenticity Rules, Quality Governs, Delicious Trumps, Pretense Stinks, Comfort Feels Good, Appreciation Tastes Better, Prudence Sustains It All.

via Local Three Kitchen & Bar – Atlanta Restaurant.

Daily Meditation by Henri Nouwen, friends:

One friend may offer us affection, another may stimulate our minds, another may strengthen our souls. The more able we are to receive the different gifts our friends have to give us, the more able we will be to offer our own unique but limited gifts. Thus, friendships create a beautiful tapestry of love.

via Daily Meditation: May 2, 2014 | Daily Meditation by Henri Nouwen.

Do or Di, blogs, Westminster classmates:  I have always loved Di’s humor and joie de vie.  It shows in her new blog.  Enjoy!

Do or Di | fixed on the horizon; happily distracted by the present

fixed on the horizon; happily distracted by the present

via Do or Di | fixed on the horizon; happily distracted by the present.

Andy Baio @waxpancake, Kickstarter:

Andy Baio @waxpancake,

Kickstarter turned five today, and the team made a video looking back at its crazy history: youtube.com/watch?v=qcR_UH…

29 Apr

 

On April 28th 2009 at 4:27 pm EST, Kickstarter went live. To celebrate the past five years, we put together this history of Kickstarter.

via ▶ A Brief History of Kickstarter – YouTube.

Freshman Shames Ivy League College with His Personal Story About ‘White Privilege’, Princeton University: Worth reading and thinking about …

My exploration did yield some results. I recognize that it was my parents’ privilege and now my own that there is such a thing as an American dream which is attainable even for a penniless Jewish immigrant.

I am privileged that values like faith and education were passed along to me. My grandparents played an active role in my parents’ education, and some of my earliest memories included learning the Hebrew alphabet with my Dad. It’s been made clear to me that education begins in the home, and the importance of parents’ involvement with their kids’ education—from mathematics to morality—cannot be overstated. It’s not a matter of white or black, male or female or any other division which we seek, but a matter of the values we pass along, the legacy we leave, that perpetuates “privilege.” And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Behind every success, large or small, there is a story, and it isn’t always told by sex or skin color. My appearance certainly doesn’t tell the whole story, and to assume that it does and that I should apologize for it is insulting. While I haven’t done everything for myself up to this point in my life, someone sacrificed themselves so that I can lead a better life. But that is a legacy I am proud of.

I have checked my privilege. And I apologize for nothing.

via Freshman Shames Ivy League College with His Personal Story About ‘White Privilege’.

A friend posted the above  and another mutual friend responded with this.  I have to admit I laughed.

via ▶ Louis CK – Being White – YouTube.

Uploaded on Nov 27, 2008

From his latest stand-up “Chewed Up” – Louis CK tells people why it’s great being a white male. It’s advantages and it’s futuristic disadvantages.

via ▶ Louis CK – Being White – YouTube.

18 Things to Eat, Buy, and Do in Puerto Rico, KieroCoco Coconut Water, food & drink:  I loved Puerto Rico, so I thought I would share this list.

Fresh coconut juice is one of the great, unsung pleasures in life, and I’m not ashamed to say I marched around El Mercado cradling a giant coconut pierced with a frilly cocktail umbrella. At the KieroCoco stand, from whence it came, you select your coconut (rounder ones are juicier; browner ones are sweeter), and then drill into it with the help of a hand-cranked doohickey attached to a mobile cart.

via 18 Things to Eat, Buy, and Do in Puerto Rico

2.4.13 … Becoming Kind … | Dennard’s Clipping Service:  Everyone once a while I notice repeated returns to one post.  With this post, originally it was because of the cone of shame cartoon.  But later, I am not sure what has drawn the interest to this 2.4.13 … Becoming Kind …  I then laughed at myself because a post that is entitled, “Becoming Kind,” leads with a cartoon referenced as “cone of shame.”

New Yorker Cartoons, The New Yorker, cell phones, cone of shame, LOL:  I deserve a cone of shame  …

 Downton Abbey, Dowager, quotes:  The Dowager, she gets all the good quotes!

Albert Schweitzer, quotes, A Mighty Girl:  A Might Girl is one of my favorite source for quotes.

 

“Do something wonderful, people may imitate it.” — Albert Schweitzer

via A Mighty Girl.

just a thought …, Henri Nouwen, Tolstoi, kindness:

Here is the great challenge: All people, whatever their color, religion, or sex, belong to humankind and are called to be kind to one another, treating one another as brothers and sisters. There is hardly a day in our lives in which we are not called to this.

via Daily Meditation: Becoming Kind.

…

Nothing can make our lives, or the lives of other people, more beautiful than perpetual kindness. – Leo Tolstoy in A Calendar of Wisdom

via Nothing can make our lives, or the lives of other… • literary jukebox.

when bad things happen …, What Gives 365:  From one of my favorite blogs …

I went to church this morning wanting to thank the universe for sparing us … but that assumes, of course, that the universe would have been punishing us had things turned out differently. And therein lies the shame and guilt when bad things happen. The truth is a terrible accident can happen to anyone, at any time, and often there is nobody to blame. But that reality is awfully terrifying to admit; we want our universe to make more sense than that and we want to feel as if our good intentions and conduct will spare us from tragedy.

via Up in smoke. | What Gives 365.

E.B. White, quotes, LOL:

source: Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership..

via 2.4.13 … Becoming Kind … | Dennard’s Clipping Service.

 

4.5.14 … Max Polley: “He wasn’t just passionate about things he cared about. He was passionate about lifting up things we should all care about.” …

Dr. Max Polley, RIP, obituary, Davidson College:  Max, the Axe!

And I am especially grateful for the phrasing Vance Polley used in remembering his father’s passions for his community, his college, his church, his beloved theatrical stage: “He wasn’t just passionate about things he cared about. He was passionate about lifting up things we should all care about.”

Thank you, Max, for sharing your “place of seeing.”

via Max Polley: A Passion for Things We Should All Care About.

kith/kin, Koko, sociology: My son wrote a college paper on Koko … Does Koko have “selfhood?”

via ▶ Robin Williams has a tickle fight with Gorilla – YouTube.

Legendary comedian Robin Williams meets the most famous gorilla in the world, Koko, who is fluent in American sign language. Hilariously, Koko and Williams have an epic tickle fight just shortly after meeting one another.

via Robin Williams has a tickle fight with Gorilla. [VIDEO].

Lent, Praying the Parables, Maren Tirabassi:

Praying the parables – March 31,2014

Matthew 25: 31-33

God, be praised for this season

of the kidding of goats –

my new friend’s Nigerian dwarf kid,

my cousin’s

Tennessee fainting goats —

the vulnerable joy

in newborn sweet slickness,

the more-than-a-metaphor

tender freshening of does.

God, make us careful in our

glib recitation of parables –

for you taught love,

not division

not how to judge ourselves or others —

least of all the breech-born kid,

just saved,

bloody, wet and eyes wide open

in your loving hands.

Amen

via Maren Tirabassi.

 Atlantic 10’s postseason, Davidson basketball, The Davidsonian – Davidson College:  Next year …

Dayton’s success caused Krzyzewski’s criticism to ring hollow, especially since Coach K and his Blue Devils stumbled out of the gate against 14-seed Mercer in the tournament’s biggest upset. Yet aside from the Flyers’ out-of-the-blue tournament run, the conference as a whole was shaky at best through the tournament’s first weekend. Were it not for Tyler Lewis’s jumper rimming out at the buzzer against Saint Louis, the A-10 would have seen five of its six teams bow out in the Round of 64. Certainly the Atlantic 10 will field steep competition for the Davidson men’s and women’s basketball squads next year. But in light of this year’s flimsy performance, the conference will just as certainly receive fewer bids next time around, adding to the  Wildcats’ difficult task of earning at-large bids in future seasons.

via Evaluating the Atlantic 10’s postseason – Sports – The Davidsonian – Davidson College.

96.9 NASH FM, LOL, snarly: 

via 96.9 NASH FM.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor,  A Stroke Leads a Brain Scientist to a New Spirituality – NYTimes.com:

Her desire to teach others about nirvana, Dr. Taylor said, strongly motivated her to squeeze her spirit back into her body and to get well.

This story is not typical of stroke victims. Left-brain injuries don’t necessarily lead to blissful enlightenment; people sometimes sink into a helplessly moody state: their emotions run riot. Dr. Taylor was also helped because her left hemisphere was not destroyed, and that probably explains how she was able to recover fully.

Today, she says, she is a new person, one who “can step into the consciousness of my right hemisphere” on command and be “one with all that is.”

To her it is not faith, but science. She brings a deep personal understanding to something she long studied: that the two lobes of the brain have very different personalities. Generally, the left brain gives us context, ego, time, logic. The right brain gives us creativity and empathy. For most English-speakers, the left brain, which processes language, is dominant. Dr. Taylor’s insight is that it doesn’t have to be so.

Her message, that people can choose to live a more peaceful, spiritual life by sidestepping their left brain, has resonated widely.

via A Stroke Leads a Brain Scientist to a New Spirituality – NYTimes.com.

Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy:  I loved re-reading classics from my childhood!

Adult Read: Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy was way ahead of its time. It deals with difference in class: Harriet is upper-middle-class, whereas her best friend has an absent mother and an absent-minded father, and knows how to pay bills and balance a budget at the age of 11. Fitzhugh has Harriet go to a therapist long before this was the thing to do with “problem children.” The issue of privacy—which is on everyone’s minds recently—comes to the forefront when Harriet’s secret notebook is passed around between all the kids in her class who then stop talking to her because she wrote mean things about everyone. It’s a book to pick apart (a new way to enjoy it) now that the years of wanting-to-be-Harriet have passed.

via Classic Childhood Books That Grow With You | Zola Books.

Pope Benedict, Catholic Church, ‘conscious uncoupling’, The Week:

When Pope Benedict XVI announced he was stepping down as pope a year ago — dropping the news almost casually, in Latin, at a meeting about an upcoming canonization — nobody was sure what to call it. No living pope had handed off the keys of St. Peter since Gregory XII in 1415. If Pope Benedict had only waited some 14 months to announce his retirement — or abdication, or vacation — we might have had an apt phrase at the ready: Conscious uncoupling.

via How Pope Benedict unwittingly made the Catholic case for ‘conscious uncoupling’ – The Week.

UNC Athletics, Marcus Paige,  “Trust Me We Can All Read”, susankingblog:

I was not surprised when I saw the news reports of Marcus Paige’s appearance, along with a few other athletes, at the UNC Board of Trustees this week. They were there representing the top sports: football, basketball, soccer and lacrosse- all teams who are the pride of UNC. I laughed when I saw Paige’s quote. ‘Trust Me. We can all read.” I laughed because it seemed like the kind of smart quote a PR major might turn to after he’d witnesses all the bad coverage of UNC athletics that have filled the newspapers and airwaves of late. If there had been UNC athletes who had been cheated out of a first rate education and channeled into weak courses and sham majors that didn’t’ demand much – Paige was making it clear he was not one of those athletes.

via Trust Me. We Can All Read. | susankingblog.

Jerry Reid, University of Virginia senior, The Wall Street Journal: Fun story!

Jerry Reid will graduate from the University of Virginia this spring with a résumé that would attract the attention of any potential employer.

Under extracurricular activities, Mr. Reid lists membership in a campus literary society, brotherhood in a fraternity and two intramural flag-football championships. His academic accomplishments include a thesis reinterpreting Stonewall Jackson’s legacy. He counts rooting for Virginia’s men’s basketball team as his primary hobby.

Are you a March Madness basketball fanatic? Do you bow at the altar of the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament? If the answer is no, Simon Constable explains why you should care.

Then there is his work experience: 45 years as a conveyor-belt salesman.

via At University of Virginia, 70-year-old Undergrad Cheers Cavaliers in March Madness – WSJ.com.

Tha Hugs, kith/kin:  At the Georgia Theater in Athens. See Tha Hugs on the Marque!

Ed Lindsey for Congress:

The Truth-O-Meter Says:

Georgia has recovered more than $60 million that was lost to Medicaid fraud

Edward Lindsey on Thursday, March 20th, 2014 in press release

Lawmaker’s claim on Medicaid fraud recovery correct

,,,

Our conclusion: Georgia has submitted documentation to the feds that it has recovered $159.4 million lost to Medicaid fraud in three years in both federal and state money. Lindsey was very conservative in saying the amount recouped was “more than $60 million.”

We rate Lindsey’s statement True.

via Lawmaker’s claim on Medicaid fraud recovery correct | PolitiFact Georgia.

DST, daylight saving switch,  lost sleep,  heart attack risk,  Society | theguardian.com:

Switching over to daylight saving time and losing one hour of sleep raised the risk of having a heart attack the following Monday by 25%, compared to other Mondays during the year, according to a new US study released on Saturday.

By contrast, heart attack risk fell 21% later in the year, on the Tuesday after the clock was returned to standard time, and people got an extra hour’s sleep.

The not-so-subtle impact of moving the clock forward and backward was seen in a comparison of hospital admissions from a database of non-federal Michigan hospitals. It examined admissions before the start of daylight saving time and the Monday immediately after, for four consecutive years.

In general, heart attacks historically occur most often on Monday mornings, maybe due to the stress of starting a new work week and inherent changes in our sleep-wake cycle, said Dr Amneet Sandhu, a cardiology fellow at the University of Colorado in Denver who led the study.

“With daylight saving time, all of this is compounded by one less hour of sleep,” said Sandhu, who presented his findings at the annual scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology in Washington.

A link between lack of sleep and heart attacks has been seen in previous studies. But Sandhu said experts still don’t have a clear understanding of why people are so sensitive to sleep-wake cycles. “Our study suggests that sudden, even small changes in sleep could have detrimental effects,” he said.

via Daylight saving switch and lost sleep increase heart attack risk, study says | Society | theguardian.com.

Charlotte Mayor Cannon Scandal, Kevin Siers’ Editorial Cartoons | CharlotteObserver.com.

Kevin Siers’ cartoons are distributed to over 400 newspapers nationwide by King Features Syndicate. He and his wife and son reside in Charlotte.

via Kevin Siers’ Editorial Cartoons | CharlotteObserver.com.

Carol Quillen, Davidson College, liberal arts education:  I heard Dr. Quillen speak on 3.29 and was intrigued by her re-imagining of the liberal arts to include both original work and entrepreneurship.

Our rapidly changing world urgently needs creative, disciplined, eloquent leaders with the courage, integrity, resilience, personal presence, and intellectual tools to tackle complex challenges in health care, education, sustainability, economic growth, and social justice.

At Davidson College, we are using new technologies both to expand our impact and to ensure that Davidson can lead in this new environment through four key strategies: 1) seeking out talented young people from around the country and world irrespective of their financial circumstances, enabling them to thrive at Davidson and beyond; 2) building a challenging curricula based on students doing original work, so that they graduate with a portfolio of work, rather than simply a transcript with grades; 3) offering students significant opportunities in emerging crucial fields, like computer science, global languages, computational biology, cognitive sciences, digital studies, and environmental studies; and 4) moving our students efficiently from our campus to meaningful work in the world.

Ultimately, our societal value is measured by what our graduates do, the lives they lead, and the impact they exert. The world is changing quickly, and we can’t wait. Join us.

via Carol Quillen, Davidson College | The Inauguration of Alison Byerly.

Ed Lindsey for Congress, Neighbor Newspapers – Barr leads in District 11 U S House poll: Update …

In a new poll regarding the District 11 U.S. House candidates in the May 20 primary election, Bob Barr leads the six Republicans running for the seat being vacated by incumbent Phil Gingrey, who is running for U.S. Senate. The district includes Vinings and parts of Buckhead and Sandy Springs.

The poll, conducted by phone interviews March 10 and 11 by Alexandria, Va.-based McLaughlin and Associates, included 300 likely Republican primary election voters in the district. It was ordered and paid for by candidate Ed Lindsey’s campaign. The results were as follows: undecided: 41 percent, Barr: 25 percent, Lindsey: 15 percent, Barry Loudermilk: 13 percent, Tricia Pridemore: 4 percent and other (including candidates Allan Levene and Larry Mrozinski): 2 percent.

In favorability ratings, Barr led the way with 38 percent, followed by Loudermilk (26 percent), Lindsey (21 percent) and Pridemore (9 percent). The poll has an accuracy of plus or minus 5.7 percent at a 95 percent confidence interval.

via Neighbor Newspapers – Barr leads in District 11 U S House poll.

Los Angeles Dodgers, The New York Yankees, Highest Payroll, Business Insider:

However, for the first time since 1998, the Yankees do not have the largest payroll in baseball. That distinction now belongs to the Dodgers with an estimated 2014 payroll of $235 million, up 147% in two years and $32 million more than the Yankees.

via CHART: Los Angeles Dodgers Surpass The New York Yankees With Highest Payroll – Business Insider.

 

 

3.26.14 … loving the extraordinary! …

 2014-2015 Thomas J. Watson Fellowships, Davidson NC natives: Congratulations to two Davidson natives, neighbors and friends and fellow Watson winners, one from Williams and the other from Wellesley. How extraordinary is that?

CONGRATULATIONS TO ELOISE AND BEATRICE

The winners of the 2014-2015 Thomas J. Watson Fellowships were announced on March 15 and two young ladies who grew up in Davidson were among the recipients. Congratulations to Eloise Andry, daughter of M.C. and Allain Andry and to Beatrice Denham, daughter of Cathy and Scott Denham. To make this award even more meaningful, the Denhams and Andrys are next door neighbors in Davidson and the girls have known each other since birth.

For Eloise, it’s Volcanoes

Eloise Andry is a senior at Williams College and will use her year of study to explore how humans living nearby view and interact with volcanoes. Her winning proposal is entitled Solid as a Rock? Life on a Volcano and will take Eloise to a number of countries including Iceland, Chile, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Indonesia. A member of Phi Beta Kappa at Williams, Eloise is majoring in Chinese and geosciences. Regarding this prestigious award, Eloise remarked, “I am thrilled to have received a Watson Fellowship, and very lucky to have this opportunity to study something I care so much about. As my friends know, I love rocks, but volcanoes are simply the best.”

via Fellowship winners, AGSF & Nifty Knitters | DavidsonNews.net.

Albert Einstein, humor, LOL, Special Theory of Relativity :

JUST FOR FUN

The contents of a recent email were too good not to share. It seems that last Thursday, March 20, was the date 98 years ago in 1916 that Albert Einstein published his Theory of General Relativity. He began working on this theory shortly after he published his Special Theory of Relativity in 1905, which is centered on the famous equation E=mc2 (energy equals mass times the speed of light squared) and explains that both time and motion are relative to the observer. To further explain, Einstein humorously noted: “When you are courting a nice girl, an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder, a second seems like an hour. That’s relativity.”

via Fellowship winners, AGSF & Nifty Knitters | DavidsonNews.net.

photos, 2014 Winter: I loved this picture from a Facebook friend and her friend’s comment: “Exquisite example of determination and perseverance.” Sad or beautiful??

Athens GA music scene, history: Loved this … I was actually living in Athens in the early to mid 80s.

After a year of living off the land I finally got a job in town, and met the ‘bohemian underground of Athens’, partly fueled by the Art School at the University of Georgia. There was a strong fraternity and sorority element at the school but my new friends ran with the wild crowd! Together, we formed a creative group of people including art students, poets, writers, experimental musicians, storytellers and true eccentrics. We crashed parties for free beer, crashed the Circus, the only disco in town, and danced crazy. When UGA showed Fellini’s films, Jeremy Ayers hosted a Fellini party where blazing cocktails were served and Felliniesque costumes were required.

We had Parties where we would dance to ‘silent music’ at the secret garden on UGA campus – we’d dance in the cemetery and at John Taylor’s house. Once, out in the cow pasture by my house, we listened to an African tribal music tape on loan from the UGA music library. Ricky Wilson placed his boom box in the field where we drew a circle of cows around us who bobbed their heads to the music while we danced. Everything we did was for ‘art’ and for pure amusement, since we had to make our own fun. Everyone was interesting and we all in the ‘deadbeat club’ had time to listen and cherish the moment and each other. Anyone could join in, as long as they were open to all possibilities. The mantra was, ‘everyone is a genius’ ! Or, as Megan Timberlake famously said, ‘Together we’re a genius’ !

This scene was truly the beginning of many imaginative endeavors, including the birth of the B-52s. This creative atmosphere, born in part from the Art School, and UGA f

via Art Rocks Athens: How Art Made Music In Georgia From 1975-85 by Art Rocks Athens Foundation » A Personal Anecdote Of Athens By Kate Pierson Of The B-52’s — Kickstarter.

twitter favorites: It’s fun to see the “spikes” based on the news. the other day, everyone was looking up flotsam. Thanks, Peter Sokolowski, editor in chief of MW.

Peter Sokolowski @PeterSokolowski 17m

‘Flotsam’ spiking at http://M-W.com/ …

 

Girl Scout Cookie Sales, Record Broken,  Oklahoma Girl Scout, People.com: When I saw this on twitter, I immediately wondered if she was from Colorado. But no, she’s from Oklahoma.  🙂

An Oklahoma City girl, who says she asks everyone she meets to buy Girl Scout cookies, has broken the organization’s decades-old sales record by a margin about the size of a Thin Mint.

Katie Francis of Oklahoma City sold 18,107 boxes in the seven-week sales period that ended Sunday night. The previous mark was set by Elizabeth Brinton, who sold approximately 18,000 one year in the 1980s.

The sixth-grade student told The Oklahoman newspaper last month that there were only three ingredients needed to rack up large sales: a lot of time, a lot of commitment and asking everyone she met to buy.

via Girl Scout Cookie Sales Record Broken by Oklahoma Girl Scout : People.com

Russia, Ukraine, tit for tat:  Really?

Air France said Wednesday that a plane carrying 495 passengers and 22 crew was diverted on its way from Shanghai to Paris after Russia closed part of its airspace because of the launch of a Russian spacecraft to the International Space Station.

The company said flight AF111 was forced to land in Hamburg, Germany, early Wednesday to refuel because the plane had too little fuel to complete the flight following its unexpected detour.

Hamburg Airport confirmed that the Airbus A380 landed shortly after 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) and was able to take off for Paris again after an hour and a half.

In a statement, Air France said the airspace closure was due to a military exercise. Later company spokeswoman Ulli Gendrot said the airspace closure was a result of the launch of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz booster rocket lifted off as scheduled at 3:17 a.m. local time Wednesday (2117 GMT Tuesday) from the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

via French Plane Diverted After Russia Closes Airspace – ABC News.

 

Just liked this, 50 people/50 balloons:

 

 2014 Wedding Music Trends and Song Lists, 25 Best Shag/Beach Music Songs for your Party: Enjoy!

The All Around Raleigh DJ Company is based in Raleigh, NC and specializes in DJ’ing for weddings, private parties, corporate events, bar mitzvahs, pool parties and any other event where you need great music!

1. Carolina Girls – General Johnson

2. With this Ring – Platters

3. I Love Beach Music – Embers

4. My Girl – Temptations

5. Sixty Minute Man – Billy Ward

6. Under the Boardwalk – Drifters

7. Miss Grace – Tymes

8. Summertime is Calling Me – Catalinas

9. Myrtle Beach Days – Fantastic Shakers

10. What You Do To Me – Embers

11. Shama Lama Ding Dong – Otis Day and the Knights

12. 39-21-46 – Showmen

13. Some Kind of Wonderful – The Band of Oz

14. Stay – Maurice Williams

15. Cool Me Out – LaMont Dozier

16. Lady Soul – Temptations

17. Dancin’, Shaggin’ on the Boulevard – Alabama

18. Ocean Boulevard – Band of Oz

19. My Guy – Mary Wells

20. You’re More Than a Number in My Little Red Book – Drifters

21. Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy – Tams

22. Just a Gigolo – Louis Prima

23. She Used to be my Girl – O’Jays

24. Build Me Up Buttercup – Foundations

25. Girl Watcher – O’Kaysions

via 2014 Wedding Music Trends and Song Lists: 25 Best Shag/Beach Music Songs for your Party.

Dr. Skoot Dimon, RIP, Atlanta, Brookwood Hills: Dr. Dimon was one of the characters in my wonderful childhood in Brookwood Hills. Condolences to his wonderful wife and great family. He made life better for those in his sphere and his healing gift as an orthopedic surgeon blessed many including blessing my father with years of horrible but pain-free golf.

“Skoot Dimon was a world-class orthopedic surgeon, and as fine and loving a person as I have ever known. Those of us fortunate enough to have lived close to him have seen man at his best.” (Mike Brumby, son-in-law)

via Joseph DIMON III Obituary: View Joseph DIMON’s Obituary by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

blind couple,   guide dogs:

Claire Johnson, 50, and Mark Gaffey, 51, said it was their guide dogs who fell in love first.

Claire and Mark first met when they brought their dogs to a training class. Their two Labrador Retrievers, Venice and Rodd, got along famously. The trainers commented that the two dogs were besotted with one another. “The trainers said that they were the love and romance of the course, and they brought us together, said Mark.

Claire and Mark discovered they lived only a mile and a half from one another and after their course ended they arranged to meet for coffee. As their coffee dates grew longer and longer, the pair fell in love.

…

“Now we joke that with every guide dog you get a free wife. I love Claire’s personality and her laugh is infectious. We’ve never had an argument, we just seem to click.”

via Blind couple brought together by their smitten guide dogs get married » DogHeirs | Where Dogs Are Family « Keywords: wedding, guide dogs.

signature macaroni and cheese recipe:

Everyone should have a signature macaroni and cheese recipe in their arsenal. Find yours with these 11 melty, gooey recipes http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/mac-and-cheese-recipe-slideshow/?slide=1

 

Paccheri and Cheese with Peas and Mint

via Paccheri and Cheese with Peas and Mint – Bon Appétit.

 

photos, childrens bedrooms: wonderful photos!  You will have to look.  I loved them!

Millions of people from around the world are currently experiencing very different childhoods. Some are living in abject poverty, lacking basic food and sanitation, while others are more fortunate by being born in a country where those things are guaranteed and usually taken for granted.

When photographer James Mollison was asked to come up with an idea for engaging with children’s rights, he found himself thinking of his bedroom: how significant it was during his childhood, and how it reflected what he had and who he was.

And with that, he made it his mission to create Where Children Sleep – a collection of stories about children from around the world, told through portraits and pictures of their bedrooms.

via These Are Photos Of Childrens Bedrooms. But They Represent Something Much, Much More.

selfies, LOL:  I feel dumb… I didn’t read the article … It’s a fake. But it is a very fun fake.  I think the Royals should counter with a real one.  🙂

GLAMOUR UK’s photo.

15 minutes ago

This is the Queen of all selfies, if you ask us: http://po.st/0kcaVd

viral,  TOO MANY ZOOZ, subway performers:

via ▶ TOO MANY ZOOZ rocks Union Square. – YouTube.

Too Many Zooz, an instrumental group known for playing in New York City’s Union Square subway station, has come out from underground to share their music with the rest of the world.

The above video of the subway performers, which was uploaded to YouTube in January, already has more than 630,000 hits.

via Subway Performers Emerge From The Underground To Become Viral Rockstars.

 

3.25.14 … “I’m a behaviorist, not a sociologist. Only one part of this equation interested me—the fucking-ape-shit part.” … and now naked dining, or is that “nekkid” dining? …

Spring 2014 memes: Given the wintry mix today …

 

2014 Lenten Labyrinth Walks: Oh, no … the very brief wintry mix late this afternoon completely knocked out my commitment to “walk.” Good thing I can double up tomorrow. God is forgiving.  🙂

9 Rules for Naked Dining: The Etiquette of Nude Resorts, Bon Appétit: What is it with the naked everything? And that word is one of those words that make me snicker .., I always pronounce it “neck-ed.”  And of course, a friend reminded me of Lewis Grizzard: You know Lewis Grizzard used to say that “nekkid” meant you were without clothes and up to something as opposed to being naked which meant you just didn’t have on clothes! 🙂

 

9 Rules for Naked Dining: The Etiquette of Nude Resorts – Bon Appétit

Nine rules to follow when dining at a nude resort, from where to place a napkin to whether or not to Instagram

Once upon a time, etiquette was important: One needed to know which fork to use, which glass to sip from. Those days, my friends, are over. Now, questions of etiquette mainly revolve around how many Instagrams each guest is allowed to take during dinner.

But there remains one corner of the world where table etiquette remains a vexing and important issue: at nude resorts. And it’s a problem for a growing number of people.

“We’re seeing a rise in ‘nakations,’ especially among people in their thirties,’” says Sue Nerud, spokesperson for the American Association for Nude Recreation. Exact statistics are hard to come by, however, since many nudists prefer to remain anonymous. (In fact, several nudists in this article spoke only on the condition their names not be used.) And while Nerud said recent studies show that nakations are great stress relievers, there remain those pesky etiquette issues—which we are about to solve for you!

via 9 Rules for Naked Dining: The Etiquette of Nude Resorts – Bon Appétit.

Three Grandmas, Beyonce’s ‘Drunk In Love’: I must be a grandma!

via ▶ It’s Too Much For Them: Grandmothers Reading Lyrics To Beyonce’s Drunk In Love Remix Ft. Kanye West – YouTube.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard Beyonce’s hit song “Drunk in Love,” featuring Jay-Z. Seriously, even these three Grandmas have heard it.

However, they weren’t exactly aware of the song’s lewd lyrics. Watch above as they read the words aloud while laughing and feeling generally shocked by the crassness of it all.

Their conclusion: “I don’t like those lyrics at all.”

via Three Grandmas Read The Lyrics To Beyonce’s ‘Drunk In Love’ And Can Barely Handle It.

Duke Blue Devils, Mike Krzyzewski, Coach K, Mercer University, 2014 NCAA Basketball Tournament, March Madness, UGA Law School Class of ’85 : I am not a fan of Duke and definitely a fan of Coach K.  But I am glad to know he knows how to be good sport and a gentleman.  And don’t you fellow UGA Law School “85 Classmates love the connection to Ellen and Bobby!!

Say what you want about the Duke Blue Devils and head coach Mike Krzyzewski, but what Coach K did after losing to the Mercer Bears was classy.

After the 78-71 loss to No. 14 Mercer, Coach K went into the Bears’ locker room to congratulate the team on the win. According to Nicole Auerbach from USA Today, Krzyzewski told the Bears, “If we got beaten, at least we got beaten by a hell of a basketball team.”

via Duke’s Coach K Visits Mercer’s Locker Room to Congratulate Bears After Upset Win | Bleacher Report.

Love this post from a UGA Law School “85 Classmate:

William Dyer, a Delt from Georgia (and proud son of Bobby and Ellen) was the brains behind today’s HUGE upset win by Mercer over Duke. William, the graduate assistant coach for the Mercer Bears, was the chief strategist in what will no doubt go down as one of the biggest shockers in NCAA history.

** Ok – William IS the son of Bobby and Ellen, he IS a Delt and he IS the graduate assistant coach at Mercer. As for the rest of that… well, that’s the story I am telling and I am sticking to it !

Flight MH370, The Wall Street Journal:  I cannot help myself.  I am human like the rest of us.  I want to know where the plane is.  I want closure.

It is with “deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, Flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.” said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. http://on.wsj.com/1hfLCcv

Delta’s ‘Innovation Class’:  Interesting …

Delta’s ‘Innovation Class’ Makes Networking At 35,000 Feet Easier Than Ever

The exclusive program awards both the expert and the up-and-coming professional with free first-class tickets to their destination. During the flight, the two are free to discuss their respective fields. Hopefully, they gain insight and valuable knowledge along the way.

“We have customers flying with us who are big thinkers and innovators and are changing the world,” Mauricio Parise, Delta’s director of worldwide marketing communications, told CNBC. “We want to bring the ones succeeding in their field together with people who aspire to follow them.”

According to Delta, the first two participants were Eric Migicovsky, the inventor of the Pebble Smartwatch, and James Patten, an interaction designer. The two flew to the 2014 TED Conference in Vancouver, B.C., last week.

“It’s very rare to get the chance to sit down with someone in that sort of position and talk about whatever you want,” Patten said in a video for Delta after the flight. “Had we met in another context we probably would have at, at most, a five-minute conversation.”

Delta’s next Innovation Class flight will feature Sean Brock, an executive chef, on a flight from Charleston, S.C., to the James Beard Awards in New York. To apply for the open seat next to Brock, or to see a list of upcoming flights, visit the Delta Innovation Class website.

via Delta’s ‘Innovation Class’ Makes Networking At 35,000 Feet Easier Than Ever.

New Parenting Study Released : The New Yorker:

A recent study has shown that if American parents read one more long-form think piece about parenting they will go fucking ape shit.

The study was conducted by Susan Waterson, a professor of behavioral psychology at the University of Massachusetts and the author of zero books, because, Waterson says, “another book at this point would just be cruel.” In the course of seven weeks, Waterson interviewed a hundred and twenty-seven families about their reaction to articles that begin with a wryly affectionate parenting anecdote, segue into a dry cataloguing of sociological research enlivened with alternately sarcastic and tender asides, and end with another wryly affectionate anecdote that aims to add a touch of irony or, failing at that, sentimentality. “I wasn’t looking to prove there was too much of this content,” Waterson said. “I’m a behaviorist, not a sociologist. Only one part of this equation interested me—the fucking-ape-shit part.”

via New Parenting Study Released : The New Yorker.

fun food, Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night:

Eat, Drink & Be Social’s photo.

March 23

This Van Gogh inspired cake is truly a delectable masterpiece.

Serenity Prayer, memes, LOL:  I’ve posted on the Serenity Prayer a couple of times.  I like this take …

 

 

3.23.14 … Keep Calm and Keep Walking …

2014 Lenten Labyrinth Walks, Grace Cathedral San Francisco: I get tired of the modifications to this iconic British sign … but I like this one.

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

Liked · March 20

http://www.gracecathedral.org/lent #lent

Kids These Days: Growing Up Too Fast Or Never At All? : NPR:  As I have said before, I had an idyllic childhood in Brookwood Hills Atlanta.  I heard this  on NPR. I too wonder if we don’t fantasize how much better it was when we were children?

On the cover of the April issue of The Atlantic there’s a picture of a boy who could be 6 or 7. He’s looking to the right toward an adult, whose hand he’s holding. He’s also wearing a helmet and knee pads. And — for further protection — he has a pillow strapped to his torso.

Hanna Rosin says when kids do things that feel risky on a playground, it allows them to conquer a fear and gain independence.

In an interview with All Things Considered, Rosin tells host Robert Siegel that she had long wondered why statistics show that today’s parents both work more and spend more time with their children than previous generations. She says it has to do with the lack of independence people allow their children these days.

“What’s happened now is we’ve swung way too far in the other direction such that we’ve become preoccupied with safety, and that’s really having an effect on the culture of childhood so that we’re stripping children of their independence, of their ability to take risks, which are key to a happy childhood,” she says.

You can read highlights from the conversation below.

via Kids These Days: Growing Up Too Fast Or Never At All? : NPR.

Son Of God Movie, “Diogo Morgado Puts the Carnal in Incarnate But Was Jesus Really A Babe?” The Daily Beast: Speaking of Jesus … With my mom — watching Son Of God at CineBistro at Town Brookhaven.   I found no time to consider whether the actor was a “babe.” Both my mother and I were overwhelmed by the gruesome aspects of the film. We realize that death by crucifixion is by its nature gruesome.

 Son of God is in theaters now! This major motion picture event brings the story of Jesus’ life to audiences of all kinds through compelling …

The Clifton Chronicles series, Jeffrey Archer, book series:  Goodreads | The Clifton Chronicles series by Jeffrey Archer.

Benjamin Franklin, quotes, Will Rodgers, death and taxes:  I like this twist on the Benjamin Franklin quote.

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Letter to Jean Baptiste Le Roy, 13 Nov. 1789

via Benjamin Franklin Quotes.

Dog,  $1.9 Million, News from the Field | OutsideOnline.com, conspicuous consumption, Tibetan mastiffs: Wow!  Many years ago we had a Saint Bernard.  A friend quipped that we should have named him Thorstein.  I’ll let you figure that one out.

In what might be the most expensive dog sale ever, a property developer paid 12 million yuan—or $1.9 million—for a Tibetan mastiff puppy on Wednesday.

He acquired the one-year-old golden-haired mastiff at a “luxury pet” fair Tuesday in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang, according to the Qianjiang Evening News.

“They have lion’s blood and are top-of-the-range mastiff studs,” the dog’s breeder, Zhang Gengyun, told the paper. Another of his red-haired pups sold for six million yuan, he added.

Tibetan mastiffs, which are enormous and sometimes ferocious, bear a passing resemblance to lions—if you squint. They’re now a prized status symbol among China’s elite, causing prices to skyrocket.

via Dog Sells for $1.9 Million | News from the Field | OutsideOnline.com.

Elizabeth Kiss, Rhodes Scholars: Great day to be a Wildcat! Check out #13 …

13. Elizabeth Kiss is an American academic and educator. She is the eighth president of Agnes Scott College, a liberal arts college for women in Atlanta, Georgia. Previously, she was the Nannerl E. Keohane Director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University. She specialises in moral and political philosophy and has published on a number of topics, including moral judgement and education, human rights, ethnic conflict and nationalism, and feminist debates about rights and justice. As a Rhodes Scholar, she studied for a BPhil and DPhil in Philosophy.

via 13 Famous Rhodes Women — The Rhodes Project.

bloody Mary, garnish:  Garnish, lately, has been getting out of control … This reminds me of the bloody mary I “shared” with my son in Vail.

Garnish, lately, has been getting out of control.

…

“The bacon bloody mary was HUGE and included a stick of bacon that tasted like it was soaked in maple syrup.” in 16 reviews

via Westside Cafe and Market – Vail, CO | Yelp.

 Basset hound clown car, YouTube, kith/kin:  Several people sent this one to me.  I wonder why?  🙂

Basset hound clown car…incredible!

via ▶ Basset hound clown car…incredible! – YouTube.

Is this a dog house, or a clown car?

Watch the video above to see the first Basset Hound “magic trick” you’ve probably ever seen. Just when you think it isn’t possible for any more dogs to appear, another one comes running out of that teeny, tiny, little dog house.

We know what you’re thinking: what sorcery is this?

via Basset Hounds Keep Magically Appearing From This Tiny Dog House And It’s Ridiculous.

Poggio Mirteto, Lenten Abstinence : NPR:

Every year, Poggio Mirteto thumbs its nose at Lenten austerity and instead celebrates the Carnevalone Liberato, or Freedom Festival, commemorating the day it shed the yoke of papal authority in 1861.

The town of Poggio Mirteto fills with costumed revelers during the folk tradition of “Carnevalone Liberato,” a celebration of liberation from the Papal States.

via Tiny Italian Town Thumbs Its Nose At Lenten Abstinence : NPR.

 New Yorker cartoon, Paul Noth, Jackson Pollock, kith/kin: Another one today that reminded me of my son.  Jack taught me  taught me to appreciate Pollock and with whom i love to enjoy sushi. I realize that there is a difference between “appreciating ” Pollock and “liking” Pollock.   Jack did his high school “senior exit project” on Pollock. I learned so much and learned to “appreciate” Pollock.

A cartoon by Paul Noth. Take a look at more cartoons from this week’s issue: http://nyr.kr/NnSj43

Shooter Jobs, LOL, too soon:  i got reprimanded for reposting this because it was too soon.  It was.  It may always be too soon.  I am amazed at the quick wit of some people.

Shooter Jobs

March 19

3.15.14 … A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March …

Beware the ides of March, Shakespeare, quotes:

Caesar: Who is it in the press that calls on me? I hear a tongue shriller than all the music Cry “Caesar!” Speak, Caesar is turn’d to hear.

Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March.

Caesar: What man is that?

Brutus: A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

via Beware the ides of March – Shakespeare Quotes.

And there is always someone who can add a new twist, LOL.

The ‘singing’ stones of Stonehenge, Bath Chronicle, favorites, thin places: Love this place and the ancient-ness of it. Now Ifind out it sings!  My sis and I visited when I was 18, and we hunted for her boyfriend’s initials which he supposedly had carved in a stone as a teen. You could walk all around the stones way back when …

It has long been a mystery to even the most learned expert of the Stonehenge monument – what is so special about the stone in west Wales that it was worth carting 180 miles to Salisbury Plain?

Most theories concentrated on how the famous bluestones of the Preseli hills in Pembrokeshire can be buffed up to a strikingly polished shine. But now experts in the arts, rather than archaeology, have come up with a different theory – and it is not to do with how they look, but how the sound.

Researchers from the Royal College of Art in London spent months taking one lump of stone and tapping it on more than 1,000 rocks in the Carn Menyn area of the Preseli hills, and discovered something so remarkable it may well rewrite the history books about Stonehenge.

The bluestones ‘sing’ when they are hit, resonating with an apparently unique twang that does not appear to reach the same pitch or musical note as other stones which merely ‘thud’.

Some previous theories surrounding Stonehenge’s sonic qualities – the way the stone circle would have captured and reverberated sound – had been rather dismissed by the experts concentrating on astronomy and landscape, but the new study appears to reinforce the importance of sound, and the sonic qualities of the stones themselves.

“We found it was a noteworthy soundscape, with a significant percentage of the actual rocks making metallic sounds like bells, gongs, tin drums, etc, when tapped with small, handheld ‘hammerstones’,” said Paul Devereux, the study’s co-leader, a research associate at the college and an expert in archaeo-acoustics.

It is a phenomenon anyone sitting inside the stone circle during the summer solstice celebrations each year amid the cacophony of a dozen or so drummers can attest to.

“The stones may have been thought to have magical, qualities, mana, because of their exceptional sonic nature,” he added.

via The ‘singing’ stones of Stonehenge | Bath Chronicle.

Sipho Mabona, Life-sized Origami Elephant from Single Sheet of Paper, Colossal, KKLB in Beromünster Switzerland: Colossal art!

Following a successful campaign on Indiegogo which raised nearly $26,000, artist Sipho Mabona followed through on his promise to fold a life-sized elephant from a single giant sheet of paper. The piece stands over 10 feet tall (3 meters) and took a team of nearly a dozen people over four weeks to fold. The final sculpture is on view at KKLB in Beromünster, Switzerland. Photos by Philipp Schmidli. (via My Modern Met)

via Artist Sipho Mabona Successfully Folds Life-sized Origami Elephant from Single Sheet of Paper | Colossal.

Delaware man’s self-penned obit takes internet by storm, abc11.com, Walter George Bruhl Jr.: I love a good obit! I “will do an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness for some poor unfortunate soul in his name.”

Walter George Bruhl Jr. of Newark and Dewey Beach is a dead person; he is no more; he is bereft of life; he is deceased; he has rung down the curtain and gone to join the choir invisible; he has expired and gone to meet his maker.

He drifted off this mortal coil Sunday, March 9, 2014, in Punta Gorda, Fla. His spirit was released from his worn-out shell of a body and is now exploring the universe.

…

Everyone who remembers him is asked to celebrate Walt’s life in their own way; raising a glass of their favorite drink in his memory would be quite appropriate.

Instead of flowers, Walt would hope that you will do an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness for some poor unfortunate soul in his name.

via Delaware man’s self-penned obit takes internet by storm | abc11.com.

shacking up before marriage, TIME.com:  Interesting.

“It turns out that cohabitation doesn’t cause divorce and probably never did,” says Kuperberg. “What leads to divorce is when people move in with someone – with or without a marriage license – before they have the maturity and experience to choose compatible partners and to conduct themselves in ways that can sustain a long-term relationship.”

So what’s the magic age? Kuperberg says it’s unwise to either move in or get married before the age of 23. But other family experts say that’s lowballing it. Economist Evelyn Lehrer (University of Illinois-Chicago) says the longer people wait past 23, the more likely a marriage is to stick. In fact, Lehrer’s analysis of longitudinal data shows that for every year a woman waits to get married, right up until her early 30s, she reduces her chances of divorce. It’s possible that woman may also be reducing her chances of marriage, but Lehrer’s research suggests later marriages, while less conventional, may be more robust.

via How Shacking Up Before Marriage Affects a Relationship’s Success | TIME.com.

 MH370: Can this be possible? This is from a few days ago.  this story keeps getting more and more unbelievable.  Sounds like a Clancy thriller.

U.S. investigators suspect that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 stayed in the air for about four hours past the time it reached its last confirmed location, raising the possibility that the plane could have flown on for hundreds of additional miles under conditions that remain murky. http://on.wsj.com/1fsKDV5

Malaysian officials say they have no data indicating flight MH370 flew on for hours after last contact as reported by the WSJ. http://on.wsj.com/1kmANcz

impatient dog honks car horn for 15 minutes, Scotland, NY Daily News: She’s cute! 

via ▶ Dog blasts car horn in Broughty Ferry – YouTube.

So the 18-month-old pup did what she thought was best: She laid on the horn for 15 minutes.

“I came out of the gallery and looked down the street about a hundred yards away and saw a crowd gathered around a car and heard a honking sound,” Graham said, according to the Daily Star. “Then I did a double-take and realized that it was my car and I wondered if it was anything to do with the dog. She was sitting in there casually honking the horn.”

Several onlookers snapped photos and took video of the scene.

“I heard it and thought it was an impatient driver,” one video commenter wrote.

The Express reports that Fern’s anger didn’t subside when she saw Haddow returning.

“Usually when Fern sees me she stands up and gets excited with her tail wagging,” Haddow said. “But this time she just gave me a sideways glance and kept on honking the horn.”

via Dog Honks Horn When Owner Takes Too Long To Return To Car.

The Harvard Classics,  Download All 51 Volumes as Free eBooks,  Open Culture:

Rather than simply curating for posterity “the best that has been thought and said” (in the words of Matthew Arnold), Eliot meant his anthology as a “portable university”—a pragmatic set of tools, to be sure, and also, of course, a product. He suggested that the full set of texts might be divided into a set of six courses on such conservative themes as “The History of Civilization” and “Religion and Philosophy,” and yet, writes Kirsch, “in a more profound sense, the lesson taught by the Harvard Classics is ‘Progress.’” “Eliot’s [1910] introduction expresses complete faith in the ‘intermittent and irregular progress from barbarism to civilization.’”

…

Over a hundred years, and several cultural-evolutionary steps later, and anyone with an internet connection can read all of the 51-volume set online. In a previous post, Dan Colman summarized the number of ways to get your hands on Charles W. Eliot’s anthology:

You can still buy an old set off of eBay for $399 [now $299.99]. But, just as easily, you can head to the Internet Archive and Project Gutenberg, which have centralized links to every text included in The Harvard Classics (Wealth of Nations, Origin of Species, Plutarch’s Lives, the list goes on below). Please note that the previous two links won’t give you access to the actual annotated Harvard Classics texts edited by Eliot himself. But if you want just that, you can always click here and get digital scans of the true Harvard Classics.

In addition to these options, Bartleby has digital texts of the entire collection of what they call “the most comprehensive and well-researched anthology of all time.” But wait, there’s more! Much more, in fact, since Eliot and his assistant William A. Neilson compiled an additional twenty volumes called the “Shelf of Fiction.” Read those twenty volumes—at fifteen minutes a day—starting with Henry Fielding and ending with Norwegian novelist Alexander Kielland at Bartleby.

What may strike modern readers of Eliot’s collection are precisely the “blind spots in Victorian notions of culture and progress” that it represents. For example, those three harbingers of doom for Victorian certitude—Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud—are nowhere to be seen. Omissions like this are quite telling, but, as Kirsch writes, we might not look at Eliot’s achievement as a relic of a naively optimistic age, but rather as “an inspiring testimony to his faith in the possibility of democratic education without the loss of high standards.” This was, and still remains, a noble ideal, if one that—like the utopian dreams of the Victorians—can sometimes seem frustratingly unattainable (or culturally imperialist). But the widespread availability of free online humanities certainly brings us closer than Eliot’s time could ever come.

via The Harvard Classics: Download All 51 Volumes as Free eBooks – Open Culture.

“Into the Wild” Moose Hunter Killed, News from the Field, OutsideOnline.com, Chris McCandless:

Samel was described as a passionate outdoorsman but also someone who had lived a troubled life. Late Sunday night, Samel was involved in a police chase after he was reported for drunk driving. Following a sustained pursuit, police units ultimately surrounded Samel as he sped toward an officer approaching on foot. The officer and another trooper opened fire on the pickup, killing Samel and injuring the other male passenger.

Samel had been under court orders to not drink after a DUI arrest in September, when he picked up two hitchhikers before crashing into a roadside ditch. Sunday night marked the end of a nearly 30-year criminal history for Samel.

In 1992, Samel was with a group of three moose hunters when they found McCandless almost three weeks after he died. According to Jon Krakauer, when the hunters arrived at the old Fairbanks city bus, a couple from Anchorage were already there but stayed back because of the stench and unsettling SOS note. It was Samel who eventually discovered McCandless in his sleeping bag.

via “Into the Wild” Moose Hunter Killed | News from the Field | OutsideOnline.com.

The Spring Break College Tour, A Survival Guide, WSJ.com: Been there, done that.

March Madness is upon us, by which I mean the tradition of taking your high school junior on a manic tour of college campuses. I’ve done it twice now, so I feel that I have some perspective on how to survive it.

As the parent, you have much to offer on this exciting and emotional journey—paying for it and doing the driving. But this limited influence does give you leeway to help design the trip, and here is where you can begin your subtle campaign of influencing where your kid goes to college. Keep your designs sub rosa, because the minute you say, “I’d love to see you at UMass Amherst,” she’ll set her heart on Sarah Lawrence. That one little sentence can cost you $40,000.

You’re only going to have a week or so on the tour, so you’ll have to pick your schools carefully. Most likely your kid will have already assembled a wish list of colleges to see. Don’t feel hurt if those places are far away from you—that is only because she wants to be really far away from you.

via The Spring Break College Tour: A Survival Guide – WSJ.com.

Jane Austen, real-life Mr Darcy,  sofa, Mail Online:

A vintage sofa that belonged to the real-life Mr Darcy from Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice has sold for more than twice its estimate bid at £2,300.

The George III mahogany framed sofa is thought to have belonged to Thomas Lefroy, a love interest of the famous author who is believed to have provided the inspiration for romantic hero Mr Darcy.

The upholstered Art Nouveau piece was expected to sell for just £1,000 at Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester but today shocked collectors as a fan took it for £2,300.

via Jane Austen’s real-life Mr Darcy sofa sells for TWICE its estimated bid at £2,300 as Pride and Prejudice fans snap up historic piece | Mail Online.

restaurants,  Spectacular Views: I’ve been to one!

You’re sitting: on top of a cliff

At: Post Ranch Inn

Looking at: the Pacific Ocean

Ordering: the nine-course Taste of Big Sur tasting menu

via 32 Restaurants With Spectacular Views.

3.14.14 … During daylight, we go about our lives …

Life Animated, Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney, NYTimes.com: What an amazing story. I read a lot and often skim to the end after a certain point. No skimming on this one.  I was so amazed by this story, I think I may buy the book, Life Animated, when it comes out.  As one friend noted: “No sidekick gets left behind.” Wonderful.

Owen, with his reliance from an early age on myth and fable, each carrying the clarity of black and white, good and evil, inverts this pyramid. He starts with the moral — beauty lies within, be true to yourself, love conquers all — and tests them in a world colored by shades of gray. It’s the sidekicks who help him navigate that eternal debate, as they often do for the heroes in their movies.

…

When Owen was 3, his comprehension of spoken words collapsed. That’s clear from every test. But now it seems that as he watched each Disney movie again and again, he was collecting and logging sounds and rhythms, multitrack. Speech, of course, has its own subtle musicality; most of us, focusing on the words and their meanings, don’t hear it. But that’s all he heard for years, words as intonation and cadence, their meanings inscrutable. It was like someone memorizing an Akira Kurosawa movie without knowing Japanese. Then it seems he was slowly learning Japanese — or, rather, spoken English — by using the exaggerated facial expressions of the animated characters, the situations they were in, the way they interacted to help define all those mysterious sounds. That’s what we start to assume; after all, that’s the way babies learn to speak. But this is slightly different because of the way he committed these vast swaths of source material, dozens of Disney movies, to memory. These are stored sounds we can now help him contextualize, with jumping, twirling, sweating, joyous expression, as we just managed with “The Jungle Book.”

So begin the basement sessions. During daylight, we go about our lives. Walt rides his bike to school each morning, back home each afternoon. Cornelia manages the house, the bills, the overloaded schedules of the kids. I am editing and writing for The Journal, putting on my suit and subwaying to the bureau.

via Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney – NYTimes.com.

kith/kin, amenity kits: He trekked east, then he trekked west … this time CLT to IAD to KWI, then KWI to FRA to CLT … It still amazes me how far you can go in a day. And there are perks of having a spouse who travels internationally for business: 5 days, 3 airlines, one nice hotel with 52 hours on the ground … I get 4 “amenity” kits!

Jesus in the Perfect Storm by the Rt Revd Prof Dr. N. T. Wright, TMBS, Lent:  So we are studying NT Wright’s Simply Jesus.  As i prepared for class, I found this sermon and enjoyed how it brought the text into Lent …

Who knows what might happen if one of you – ten of you – fifty of you – were to go through this Holy Week praying humbly for the powerful fresh wind of God to blow into that combination of cultural pressure and personal aspiration, so that you might share in the sufferings of the Messiah and come through into the new life he longs to give you? Who knows what God’s power and God’s glory will look like when they steal upon tomorrow’s world from an unexpected angle? If the Son of God is now King of the world, what will that kingdom look like in this next generation?

via Jesus in the Perfect Storm by the Rt Revd Prof Dr. N. T. Wright.

5 Reasons Why Every Woman Needs a Girls Weekend | Abby Draper:  I have the best Girl Weekend group ever!

 While spending time with your significant other, children if applicable, colleagues and acquaintances is wonderful and important, every woman needs a good “girls weekend” every so often, at any age. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or elaborate, but a simple few days away from the norm with some women you trust is a special kind of cleanse, especially when you’re going through a tough time.

via 5 Reasons Why Every Woman Needs a Girls Weekend | Abby Draper.

El Camino de Santiago, bucket list:  It’s on my bucket list.

It is hard to walk a 500-mile pilgrimage trail without thinking about religion.

via Being Catholic: For a Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime? – Busted Halo.

 five-second food rule, urban legends, research suggests, ScienceDaily:  I feel better …

Food picked up just a few seconds after being dropped is less likely to contain bacteria than if it is left for longer periods of time, according to new research. The findings suggest there may be some scientific basis to the ‘5 second rule’ — the urban myth about it being fine to eat food that has only had contact with the floor for five seconds or less. The study, undertaken by final year biology students monitored the transfer of the common bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus from a variety of indoor floor types (carpet, laminate and tiled surfaces) to toast, pasta, biscuit and a sticky sweet when contact was made from 3 to 30 seconds.

via Dropped your toast? Five-second food rule exists, new research suggests — ScienceDaily.

iPod-Based Magic Tricks, TEDTalks:

via ▶ Marco Tempest: The magic of truth and lies (and iPods) – YouTube.

What if deception is in the eye of the beholder? And what if lies can help us tell the truth? Watch this video and enter into the multimedia world of magician Marco Tempest. Then decide for yourself.

via WATCH: These iPod-Based Magic Tricks Are SO. MUCH. FUN | TEDTalks.

DST, memes:  My house …

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry on What the Sahara Desert Teaches Us About the Meaning of Life | Brain Pickings: I am glad that they make almost every high school  student studying French read this in French, it is one of my favorites.

In December of 1940, a little more than two years before he created The Little Prince on American soil and four years before he disappeared over North Africa never to return, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry began writing Letter to a Hostage (public library) while waiting in Portugal for admission into the United States, having just escaped his war-torn French homeland — a poignant meditation on the atrocities the World War was inflicting at the scale of the human soul, exploring questions of identity, belonging, empathy, and the life of the spirit amidst death.

One of the most timelessly moving sections of the book, both for its stand-alone wisdom and for its evident legacy as a sandbox for the ideas the beloved author later included in The Little Prince — home, solitude, the stars, the sustenance of the spirit — is the second chapter, written while Saint-Exupéry was traveling aboard the crowded ship that took him from Lisbon to New York

via Antoine de Saint-Exupéry on What the Sahara Desert Teaches Us About the Meaning of Life | Brain Pickings.

39 Test Answers That Are 100% Wrong But Totally Genius At The Same Time, LOL:

These students should get full marks for creativity alone!

via 39 Test Answers That Are 100% Wrong But Totally Genius At The Same Time..

Charlotte police use dirt bikes to catch criminals, Time Warner Cable News:  I saw my first one just the other day!

CHARLOTTE — Criminals now have one less place to hide in Charlotte. Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department are now using new dirt motorcycles to patrol woods and walking trails in several patrol divisions in Charlotte.

Steele Creek Division Commander Captain Allan Rutledge says his division is currently utilizing two bikes. He says criminals are using wooded areas to allude police. He says since the bikes have been put in use he’s noticed difference.

“The officers picked up the bikes one day when they were first available and 30 minutes later than made their first arrest,” said Rutledge. “They were actually on the way back from the location where they picked the motorcycles up to our division office where they made an arrest for drugs.”

The bikes have been in use for more than a month. Captain Rutledge says more bikes will be purchased in the near future.

via Charlotte police use dirt bikes to catch criminals – Time Warner Cable News.

Art and Human Rights, Anna Deavere Smith,  Robert McDuffie, Grace Cathedral – Calendar Detail: A labyrinth friend posted another link to Grace Cathedral’s page (the home of the US’s most famous labyrinth and Lauren Artress, the labyrinth movement’s advocate in the modern era) … So I clicked on it and was excited to see Camille McDuffie’s husband Robert McDuffie featured in this recent event. So two of my world’s intersect once again.

Art and Human Rights

Guests: Anna Deavere Smith and Robert McDuffie

Interlocutor: The Very Rev. Dr. Jane Shaw

via Grace Cathedral – Calendar Detail.

…

The Forum: a Conversation with Anna Deavere Smith & Robert McDuffie

Sunday, Mar 9 9:30a to 10:30a

Grace Cathedral

San Francisco, CA

Join the Very Rev. Dr. Jane Shaw, Dean of Grace Cathedral, for The Forum with actor and playwright Anna Deavere Smith and renowned violinist Robert McDuffie for a conversation on art and human rights within the context of their performance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail. The Forum is a series of lively conversations about art, faith, ethics and the issues of our day with renowned special guests.

Parker J. Palmer, David Ray’s Thanks Robert Frost:

I ran across this poem the other day, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. It’s a poem about how we relate to the past—a question that’s relevant at any age, not least when you’re old enough to have more past than future!

The past isn’t fixed and frozen in place. Instead, its meaning changes as life unfolds. I once lost a job. At the time, it felt as if I had come to the end of the road. But after a while, I was able to see how that loss helped guide me toward my true life-work. Losing that job was a blessing, not a curse.

I’ve made many mistakes and often failed to live up to my aspirations, but I don’t need to look back with regret. Instead, I can see all of my mess-ups as humus or compost for the growing I needed to do.

I love the fact that the word “humus” is related to “humility.” The good I do today may well have its roots in something not-so-good I did in the past. Knowing that takes me beyond both the sinkhole of regret and the hot-air balloon of pride.

Regret shuts life down. Humility opens it up. So Robert Frost was right. We CAN have hope for the past as well as the future!

via Parker J. Palmer.

pi day, 10 Pies for Pi Day | Mental Floss: I think pi day is a fun way to introduce kids to math concepts. When did you first hear of pi day? It was when my oldest was in elementary school, late 1990s. So what smart fun teacher thought this up?  Love pi day … so pi day 2015 will be epic.

Pi Day is an annual celebration commemorating the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is observed on March 14 (or 3/14 in the month/day date format), since 3, 1, and 4 are the three most significant digits of π in the decimal form. In 2009, the United States House of Representatives supported the designation of Pi Day.[2]

Pi Approximation Day is observed on July 22 (or 22/7 in the day/month date format), since the fraction 22⁄7 is a common approximation of π.[3]

The earliest known official or large-scale celebration of Pi Day was organized by Larry Shaw in 1988 at the San Francisco Exploratorium,[4] where Shaw worked as a physicist,[5] with staff and public marching around one of its circular spaces, then consuming fruit pies.[6] The Exploratorium continues to hold Pi Day celebrations.[7]

…

Pi Day has been observed in many ways, including eating pie, throwing pies and discussing the significance of the number π.[1] Some schools hold competitions as to which student can recall Pi to the highest number of decimal places.[11][12]

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has often mailed its application decision letters to prospective students for delivery on Pi Day.[13] Starting in 2012, MIT has announced it will post those decisions (privately) online on Pi Day at exactly 6:28 pm, which they have called “Tau Time”, to honor the rival numbers Pi and Tau equally.[14][15]

The town of Princeton, New Jersey, hosts numerous events in a combined celebration of Pi Day and Albert Einstein’s birthday, which is also March 14.[16] Einstein lived in Princeton for more than twenty years while working at the Institute for Advanced Study. In addition to pie eating and recitation contests, there is an annual Einstein look-alike contest.[17]

via Pi Day – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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Today is March 14th, often notated as 3-14, so it is Pi Day! It’s a day set aside to pay homage to the ratio of a circle to its diameter. The traditional way to celebrate is to eat a pie. Or bake one. Here are some wonderful Pi Day pies you might try.

via 10 Pies for Pi Day | Mental Floss.

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via WETA.

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Well, in the U.S. anyway…

via George Takei.

recommendations, restaurants, Charlotte: Stagioni | Four Seasons of Food | Italian Family Style | Charlotte North Carolina.