A dog's job

A dog is like a minister:  A dog's job is not to beg for food.  It often seems like it, because a dog is always on the alert to do her job.  Her job is to build up your self esteem by making you feel good about your generosity.

What's your 70's anthem?

Paula's Facebook post was about software that will guess your 70's anthem. https://www.facebook.com/paula.dayoubschweizer/posts/324730564377908

Here's the song that I'd have the band play any time I walk into a room. It's my intro theme.

 

 I expected the software to pick a Steely Dan song for me.

.

 But no, this software pegged me with Hotel California.

Daily Dalai. Where ignorance is our master...

Tuesday, November 11, 2014 Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace. - Dalai Lama

Visit DailyDalaiLama.com for Dalai Lama related news, video, and more.

Quickstep dance video with bonus

I have never wanted to dance like this, but it's pretty hypnotic.

Bonus incident at 1:54, WOW!

A girl and her horse

If you need an overdose of cuteness, this channel might be for you.


 

Sunday, August 03, 2014

When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

- Dalai Lama

The Man Who Laughs

Saving this on my list of films to watch.

The Man Who Laughs (1928) is an American silent film directed by the German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni. The film is an adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name and stars Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine and Mary Philbin as the blind Dea.  Roger Ebert stated, "The Man Who Laughs is a melodrama, at times even a swashbuckler, but so steeped in Expressionist gloom that it plays like a horror film." The film was completed in April 1927 but was held for release in April 1928, with sound effects and a music score that included the song, "When Love Comes Stealing," by Walter Hirsch, Lew Pollack, and Erno Rapee.

Trippy Pizza

Who needs drugs? Just watch Mary Kate and Ashley.

My pet shark

My pet shark swam right under me one day when I was swimming back to the beach at Emerald Isle. I'm pretty sure it is in this video taped at Cape Lookout.

Budgie on a tennis ball

Kuitman remixes an a capella singer "Give it up"

This is pretty amazing.  He used random snippets of YouTube videos as accompaniment for this original a capella song he also found on YouTube.  None of them knew each other and the snippets had nothing to do with her song until he patched them together.








Her reaction:

To study zebras, start with their butts

From http://wildaboutafrica.wordpress.com/2009/08/14/the-study-of-zebra-butts/

The study of zebra behaviour starts with staring at their butts.

Like a fingerprint, each zebra has unique markings on it’s butt.

Of course the stripes on their sides are also individually unique

Don't forget the compassion!

 

... traditional Buddhist meditation has two objectives: to become more compassionate, and gain insight into the true nature of reality. But meditating to gain compassion seems to have got lost in translation.   LINK

Hey you don't even have to be Buddhist to do that!

Bad Poetry Day

Today is BAD POETRY DAY, bae. pic.twitter.com/pL2rqT8HGa
— Pee-wee Herman (@peeweeherman) August 18, 2014

Everybody has the right to pen some bad poetry. Everybody. It's quite therapeutic!

When a nightingale and a cello in England went viral

The first broadcast was made at midnight on the 19th of May, 1924. It was reported that approximately a million people listened while Ms. Harrison played a duet with the nightingale.

 the first-ever broadcast live to radio from an outdoor location. 

LINK

Video from my trip to San Francisco

gazpacho recipes

Some Green, Some Red, and at the bottom, a white one (Ajoblanco)

AVOCADO AND PEA

2 avocados; 2 cups cooked fresh or frozen peas; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 2½ cups water; salt and pepper. Serve smooth. Garnishes: Chopped mint and freshly grated Parmesan.

CUCUMBER, GRAPE AND HAZELNUT

2 medium cucumbers; 1 pound green grapes; 1 thick bread slice; ⅓ cup hazelnuts; 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar; 1 small shallot; 1 cup water; salt and pepper. Serve smooth. Garnish: A drizzle of olive oil.

KALE AND OLIVE

Sauté 2 bunches chopped kale in olive oil over medium-high heat until soft; let cool. Combine with 2 cucumbers; ¼ cup green olives; 2 slices bread; ¼ cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar; 2 cups water; a pinch of red-chile flakes; pepper. Serve smooth. Garnish: Grated Parmesan.

THAI MELON

2 pounds honeydew; 1 medium cucumber; 2 thick bread slices; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon fish sauce; 2 tablespoons lime juice; 1 small shallot; 1 cup water; pepper.Garnishes: Chopped Thai basil, cilantro and mint.

TOMATILLO, AVOCADO AND ORANGE

Grill or broil 1½ pound tomatillos until lightly charred all over. Chop and combine with 2 avocados; 2 thick bread slices; 2 tablespoons olive oil; ¼ cup orange juice; 1½cups water; salt and pepper. Garnishes: Corn kernels (stripped fresh off the cob or thawed frozen) and a pinch of cayenne.

ZUCCHINI AND HERB

Sauté 2½ pounds chopped zucchini in 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until tender, 15 to 20 minutes; let cool. Combine with 1 thick bread slice; ¼ cup each basil, parsley and mint; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 cup water; salt and pepper. Garnish: Toasted pine nuts.

CLASSIC GAZPACHO

2 pounds tomatoes; 1 medium cucumber; ½yellow bell pepper; 2 thick bread slices; ¼ cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar; 1 garlic clove; 1 cup water; salt and pepper. Garnish: A drizzle of olive oil.

TOMATO, SESAME AND SOY

2 pounds tomatoes; 1 medium cucumber; ¼cup cilantro; 2 thick bread slices; 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 1 cup water; pepper. Garnishes: Chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

TOMATO, STRAWBERRY AND BASIL

1 pound tomatoes; 1 pound strawberries; 1 cucumber; 2 bread slices; ¼ cup olive oil; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 garlic clove; 1 cup water; salt and pepper. Garnishes: Chopped basil and freshly grated Parmesan.

ROMESCO-STYLE

1½ pounds tomatoes; ½ pound roasted red peppers; 1 thick bread slice; ⅓ cup roasted almonds, preferably Marcona; ¼ cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar; 1 garlic clove; 1 cup water; salt and pepper. Serve smooth.Garnishes: Chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

GRILLED GAZPACHO

Rub the following with oil, and grill or broil until lightly charred: 1½ pounds tomatoes and 1 red onion, sliced into thick rounds; 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise; 2 bread slices. Let cool. Combine with 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon wine vinegar; 1 garlic clove; a pinch of red-chile flakes; 1 cup water. Serve chunky. Garnishes: Chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

TOMATO, RADISH AND TORTILLA

1½ pounds tomatoes; ½ pound radishes; 1 medium cucumber; 3 corn tortillas (toasted or fried until crisp); ¼ cup neutral oil; 2 tablespoons lime juice; a dash of hot sauce; 1 garlic clove; 1 cup water; salt and pepper. Serve chunky. Garnishes: Chopped white onion, cilantro leaves and queso fresco.

Ajo Blanco

(I would cheat on this one and just add stuff to Almond Milk.  Why not!  - Michael)

Ajo blanco, a white version of gazpacho, is believed to have originated with the moors. If a silkier texture is desired, try soaking the blanched almonds in milk before processing. This will enhance the soup's delicate creaminess.

• Serves 4 to 6
• 15 minutes preparation plus chilling time
• Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (20 fl. oz) cold water
• 1 cup (6 oz) blanched almonds
• 4 slices crustless white bread, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• Salt
• 1/2 cup (3 oz) seedles green grapes

To garnish

• Toasted slivered almonds
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Why banks love the War on Drugs

After HSBC was fined $1.9B for laundering cartel drug money,

an HSBC email lamenting how the bank would lose $2.6 billion in revenue from U.S. dollar accounts that it was forced to close LINK

Given that kind of revenue, would you be surprised if banks were found to be a willing partner with the cartels?   Halting the War on Drugs would be a big financial hit for both of these partners.

======

Nathan Barley - sitcom 2005 BBC

This looks funny.   I might give it a try.

Nathan Barley

cats say hey

Predecessor of X-files

Looking for something to watch? I might give this a shot. The whole series (it ran 2 years in the late 70's) "Project UFO" is on YouTube

Walking the dog

http://vimeo.com/95078536

Plant Sculptures at Atlanta Botanical Gardens

Something to see, next time you're in town.   Exhibit runs through August.

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/imaginary-worlds-atlanta-botanical-gardens


Here's a sample:

Erickson's Stages of Development

Pick a stage you'd like to do over so you can get it right.

Stage Basic Conflict Important Events Outcome Infancy (birth to 18 months) Trust vs. Mistrust Feeding Children develop a sense of trust when caregivers provide reliabilty, care, and affection. A lack of this will lead to mistrust. Early Childhood (2 to 3 years) Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Toilet Training Children need to develop a sense of personal control over physical skills and a sense of independence. Success leads to feelings of autonomy, failure results in feelings of shame and doubt. Preschool (3 to 5 years) Initiative vs. Guilt Exploration Children need to begin asserting control and power over the environment. Success in this stage leads to a sense of purpose. Children who try to exert too much power experience disapproval, resulting in a sense of guilt. School Age (6 to 11 years) Industry vs. Inferiority School Children need to cope with new social and academic demands. Success leads to a sense of competence, while failure results in feelings of inferiority. Adolescence (12 to 18 years) Identity vs. Role Confusion Social Relationships Teens need to develop a sense of self and personal identity. Success leads to an ability to stay true to yourself, while failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self. Young Adulthood (19 to 40 years) Intimacy vs. Isolation Relationships Young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships with other people. Success leads to strong relationships, while failure results in loneliness and isolation. Middle Adulthood (40 to 65 years) Generativity vs. Stagnation Work and Parenthood Adults need to create or nurture things that will outlast them, often by having children or creating a positive change that benefits other people. Success leads to feelings of usefulness and accomplishment, while failure results in shallow involvement in the world. Maturity(65 to death) Ego Integrity vs. Despair Reflection on Life Older adults need to look back on life and feel a sense of fulfillment. Success at this stage leads to feelings of wisdom, while failure results in regret, bitterness, and despair.

Erickson sure sees plenty of opportunity for failure, doesn't he.  Can't we all get "participation" certificates and just move on to the next stage?

private

Some of the ancient greek philosophers called the point of life: Eudaimonia.It's commonly translated as Happiness,but I belive a more accurate translation would be Fittingness...How well your actions match yours gifts,match who you are... Perrick Jensen, 'Walking on water'... I can't say it better...

Can you afford to be humble?

From a NYTimes article "The Luxury of Humility"

"...the spirit of wabi-sabi, a Japanese philosophy that embraces humility at its core"

From left: the kitchen off the living room is intimate in scale, but still signature Vervoordt — dramatic, rich and full of atmosphere; a view to one of the smaller bedrooms from its bathroom shows the character of the furniture carefully selected for the apartment.

Vervoordt whitewashed the door of the wardrobe in the master bedroom himself, one of many handmade elements in the suite. Above the fireplace (one of four), a TV is concealed behind what looks like an abstract painting, but is a panel made of antique Flemish linen. 

food religion

“salvation by personal effort”—the idea that choosing the correct ways of behaving and consuming can make you a better person. 

we’re buying exactly what we’re being sold, telling ourselves all the while that it makes us good people, that we’re saving our bodies and maybe our souls. 

 from The Gluten Free God

leaf-blower faces

if you want to laugh click on THIS LINK to see some funny faces made by a leaf blower

Jimmy Smith in concert in Germany

What the old folks are listening to these days.

Jimmy Smith Quartet
ZDF Jazz Club - Leonberg - Germany 1988

1.Eight Counts for Rita
2. Mood Indigo
3. It's Alright With Me
4. The Cat
5. Walk on The wildside
6. Laura
7. Interview
8. Honky Tonk

Jimmy Smith - Organ 
Frank Wilson - Drums 
Herman Riley - Saxophones 
Terry Evans - Guitar

SXSW playlists

What the kids are listening to these days, by category.

Best thing about Disney World

When I taught for a year at a school in Lima, Peru, there was no greater hero among the students than the kid who had just returned from Orlando. They didn’t want to hear about California or New York. I had one student, called Lucho. He came back from his trip with a thick stack of photos, in one of those paper wallets. He wanted to pass them around. And kill 30 minutes of class? Ah, you twisted my arm, Lucho. Unfortunately the pictures were entirely of women’s bottoms. It wasn’t “nice” or shapely bottoms that Lucho had been after, but gigantically obese ones. They’ve never seen people who look like us, most places in the world. I confiscated the pictures and stood red-faced, flip-booking through them in front of the class. Shot after zoomed shot of enormous, complexly dimpled bottoms shrink-wrapped into the most outrageously tight and revealing spandex. Young Lucho had found enough of these to fire through an entire roll. It was hard to come down on a student who showed such thoroughness of observation. I thought about him every time I saw one of these Americans go pounding by.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/magazine/a-rough-guide-to-disney-world.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

Slomo

Guy doing what he wants to do.  Skate on a San Deigo beach sidewalk.

Some pretty good quotes in here.  

Some pretty wrong physics, though.  Constant acceleration?  How did this guy get through medical school?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/opinion/slomo.html?_r=3

Equanimity is a protection from the “eight worldly winds”: praise and blame, success and failure, pleasure and pain, fame and disrepute.

,

Classic novel openings combined with rap lyrics

http://mentalfloss.com/article/55741/18-famous-literary-first-lines-perfectly-paired-rap-lyrics

6. JANE AUSTEN/BLACK COBAIN

It is a truth universally acknowledged
That a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife
I’m in your head like a mnemonic device

Andy Murray's mom vs. Yoko Ono

Can't we all just get along?

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/today-in-twitter-beefs-andy-murrays-mom-vs-yoko-ono/

Of course the Grantland writer is completely wrong to declare Judy Murray the winner.   There's no victory in using your own density to taunt an artist.

Alley Pat radio DJ

Back when Atlanta was on AM in the 70's the main black station for me was WAOK.  I think there was one other one but WAOK had Alley Pat who told you EVERYTHING going on downtown Atlanta.   And I mean EVERYTHING.   Like what that big red woman on the produce stand on Auburn Avenue said.

So go here if you want a podcast of some of his talk and music and advertisements.  The ads are good.  "Do you sell Hamburger Helper over there?"

Worth a listen when Alley Pat talks about bailing Hosea Williams out of jail after a civil rights protest.  (Alley Pat was a bail bondsman too.)

Nice parking job

Yes.  I know it's not really "parking".  

How to conduct a choir

Need a theme song?

Tony Christie featuring All Seeing Eye, in "Walk Like A Panther"

Smash an Ai WeiWei vase

Ai Wei Whoops

Whitehouse.gov student film festival

Next time I'm looking for movies to watch, I'm visiting here:.

Nah.  I visited.  Just some student shorts about technology for students.   Too bad.  I was hoping for some neat shorts.

I'd delete the post but I like this picture.

low carb diet - managing your insulin

I think I've been doing this diet all along without knowing all the reasons.   I called it

• spend more hours in "negative" state with my blood "hungry" for sugar.   Like, in a lower blood-sugar state for more hours as opposed to the hours in a high blood-sugar state.   Once you get used to operating with your blood "thin" (my description), you can even get workouts in that state.
• make sure you get enough daily protein and other nutrients, and lots of roughage and veggies.   

Here's a scientific version of the diet.   I'm not sure I understand all the debate elsewhere about ketosis, and how that fits in, but this idea of managing your insulin is close to what I've been doing:

http://catalyticlongevity.org/the-cc-carbohydrate-concentrated-diet/

You won’t have to give up any type of food that you enjoy eating and will be able to eat normal amounts of food, yet you will still be able to experience many of the benefits of full-blown caloric restriction by having low insulin levels over 80% of the time. These low insulin levels will tend to moderate your appetite and hence lead to lower calorie consumption. 

But the part about beer counting as a carb is way off. The science on that just seems shaky to me. :)

Radiohead covers remixed

I really like this video.
One song by Radiohead has been covered so many times, why not mix all the audio? This video contains no extra sound, it just combined 100 different YouTube videos where musicians posted their cover of Radiohead's song called "Paranoid Android".

 

The 3-to-1 "Positivity Ratio" just might be bull

Barbara Frederickson, associate editor of American Psychology, accepts the errors in the maths that Nick Brown pointed out, but still stands by her theory of positivity.

61 yr old grad student debunks widely quoted research published by co-editor of American Psychologist magazine.  

Co-authored by Barbara Fredrickson and Marcial Losada and entitled Positive Affect and the Complex Dynamics of Human Flourishing, (2005)

The oft-repeated research claimed if you have 3 positive thoughts to any one negative thought, you will flourish.

It's been a mainstay "fact" for the the life coaching industry the past few years.

Suddenly a plethora of positive psychology books began to appear, written by eminent psychologists. There was Flow: The Psychology of Happiness by Mihaly Csizkszentmihalyi, who with Seligman is seen as the co-founder of the modern positive psychology movement; Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realise Your Potential for Lasting Fulfilment by Seligman himself. And of course Fredrickson's Positivity, approved by both Seligman and Csizkszentmihalyi. Each of them appeared to quote and promote one another, creating a virtuous circle of recommendation.

The student noticed the math wasn't just bad, it was bogus.   The 3:1 formula was used to generate the 3:1 results!   Story of the student's takedown of the research here.

Man dressing as mannequin

Sure he acts like he hates going shopping with his wife, but I think he loves it.  His hobby is dressing like the mannequins in the stores.

"Vancouver-based media specialist Steve Venegas turned his experience into a game."

oh, OK.  You win at media sir.













Bonus:   some other art you could put your 10,000 hours towards:

3D printed food

Cute Kitty ceramics

Bird photographer

biologically accurate yarn art

microbiology glass figures

"The service we render others is the rent we pay for our room on earth."

quote from http://www.quoteworld.org/quotes/5761#ixzz2qHaHcxoy
--

Wilfred Grenfell

Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell, KCMG (28 February 1865 – 9 October 1940) was a medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Brought reindeer from Norway to Newfoundland to be used as food and as a draught animal.  Unfortunately they died.   Worse, they infected Canada's caribou with  cerebrospinal elaphostronglyosis (CSE).

OK I'll stop being funny.  He really was a great missionary.  Grenfell is honoured with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on October 9.
(source: Wikipedia)

Elbert Hubbard quote

"A man is not paid for having a head and hands, but for using them."

  --  Elbert Hubbard

http://www.quoteworld.org/quotes/6828#ixzz2q0WQ6Jje

Bio Facts:
He made good money as a soap salesman.  He was a famous philosopher, an anarchist and socialist who ran an artist colony.  He and his wife died in the sinking of the Lusitania (1915).

His seminal work (in my opinion) was "Jesus was an Anarchist".   Excerpts:

My faith is great: out of the transient darkness the shadows will flee away and the Day will yet dawn.

He was a feminist: 

Out in the great world women occasionally walk off the dock in the darkness, and then struggle for life in the deep waters. Society jigs and ambles by, with a coil of rope, but before throwing it demands of the drowning one a certificate of character from her Pastor, or a letter of recommendation from her Sunday School Superintendent, or a testimonial from a School Principal. Not being able to produce the document the struggler is left to go down to her death in the darkness.

He was anti-war:

An Anarchist does not believe in sending warships across wide oceans to kill brown men, and lay waste rice fields, and burn the homes of people fighting for liberty. 

He was a Socialist:

Being an Anarchist I am also a Socialist. Socialism is the antithesis of Anarchy. One is the North Pole of Truth, the other the South. The Socialist believes in working for the good of all, while Anarchy is pure Individualism.

tweeting at famous people

Gracie Gold favorited my tweet yesterday so it got me thinking about how many tweets I've done to famous people, tweets you wouldn't expect them to notice...

Hey.  We all have our life's work.  My life's work is occasionally tweeting at famous people.

Acknowledged me!

Gracie Gold
Christopher Kas

didn't notice me? No problem, they get a ton of traffic and I promise I'm not a stalker.

Roger Federer
Patrick McEnroe
Kyrsten Sinema
Nicolas Sarkozy
Abby Wambach
Warren Buffett
Tim Tebow
Kelly Hogan
Erin Andrews
Chris Leake
Ashley Wagner


My apologies to Maggie, Iris, Preston, Miles, Jeremy Wilson, Mike Francis, and others who have acknowledged my tweets but I ruled under the really-famous cutoff of famousness.

Richard Pryor singing the blues, 1966