"Hurry," she said, "up."

     

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

175 pounds

"People who cannot distinguish between good and bad language, or who regard the distinction as unimportant, are unlikely to think carefully about anything else."
--B.R. Myers

A couple days ago a young lady submitted to my Writers Group for criticism a 100-word poem she had recently composed. One of the first responses she received is appended below:

No, I was told I should not duplicate without permission what was offered in a private Writers List posting. So I won't copy and paste it here. I'll just say that the critique was a bit harsher than those usually offered on Writers in these tamer, more boring, and less honest days.

This critique was offered by Meredith, a long-time cyber-acquaintance of mine who happens to be a holder of advanced university degrees and (I think) a one-time teacher of Creative Writing.

Of course such forcible language spurred several seemingly-supportive replies decrying the harshness of the critique and assuring the poet that her poem was just fine, implying that she should continue on her personal poetic course.

And I couldn't help remembering the many times over the past two decades when, as a member of the group, I had submitted stories and received back some (extremely helpful) negative comments from Meredith. One of those is stuck securely in my memory. I had written a short story wherein the main character was taking a trip in a Greyhound Bus, and at one point I wrote: "The Greyhound rounded a sharp corner and raced to its assigned slot, where it wheezed, coughed, and slid to hissing stop."

Good ol' Meredith critiqued: "Jesus Christ, Gene, if you want the reader to know the bus stopped at the terminal, for God's sake, just say the bus stopped at the terminal."

What? I thought when I read that, and I objected (to myself) ...but that was some good writing. Here was this woman telling me to say it simply, that I should delete all such fanciful language and use plain everyday words.

A few years later, Stephen King made how-to-write history by passing on that phrase familiar to all modern would-be writers, "Kill your darlings!"

And Meredith helped me through many more hard times in my writing attempts. I learned that it was her seemingly pedantic no-nonsense commandments that aided me much more than did all the supportive "Good jobs" and other such bland encouragements. (Not that I didn't preen and exult after receiving them.)

I guess my point is that a few short, loud barks at blatant mistakes is more valuable than an hour of kittenly purring at the pudding.

And, yes, I know there's something wrong with that figure of speech.

_____

Did You Know . . .?

There is a frog which lets itself completely freeze into a "frog-sicle" every winter. Its heart stills, blood stops flowing, and eyes go white because its lenses freeze. In the summer it thaws and hops away, good as new.

_____

HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1930 a fire at an Ohio prison killed 320 inmates, some of whom burned to death when they were not unlocked from their cells. It is one of the worst prison disasters in American history. The cell block adjacent to the scaffolding housed 800 prisoners, most of whom were already locked in for the night. The inmates begged to be let out of their cells as smoke filled the cell block. However, the guards refused to unlock the cells.

Finally, two prisoners forcibly took the keys from a guard and began their own rescue efforts. Approximately 50 inmates made it out of their cells before the heavy smoke stopped the impromptu evacuation. The roof then caved in on the upper cells. About 160 prisoners burned to death.

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WORD FOR TODAY

humongous
adjective
Slang
Extremely large; huge; enormous: "humongous baked potatoes piled high with sour cream"

Note: I despise this made-up, poor excuse for a word, and lose all esteem for anyone who uses it.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary)

(born April 21, 1926)

Queen Elizabeth is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states, known as the Commonwealth realms, and their territories and dependencies, and head of the 53-member Commonwealth of Nations. She is Supreme Governor of the Church of England and, in some of her realms, carries the additional title of Defender of the Faith.

Rosalie Anderson "Andie" MacDowell

(born April 21, 1958)

Andie MacDowell is an American model and actress. In the early 1980s, A series of billboards in Times Square and national television commercials for Calvin Klein drew attention to her and led to her 1984 film debut in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. In 1985, she had a small part in St. Elmo's Fire. MacDowell achieved stardom due to the box office success of director Harold Ramis's 1993 comedy, Groundhog Day, and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994

Jessica Clark

(born April 21, 1985)

Jessica Clark is a British actress. She had a central role in feature film A Perfect Ending, a 2012 film directed by Nicole Conn. She plays the fictional vampire goddess Lilith in True Blood. She appeared on the cover of the October 2012 issue of Vogue India.

Brianne Davis

(born April 21, 1982)

Brianne Davis is an American model, actress, producer and director, known for her roles in Jarhead and Prom Night. She has guest-starred in Nip/Tuck, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Entourage, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Body of Proof, and True Blood, and has appeared in recurring roles on Hollywood Heights and Witches of East End.

__________

"The greater part of the world's troubles are due to questions of grammar."
--Michel de Montaigne,

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Guest Blogger 4-20-14

     

Sense of Humor

Sometimes it's my own sense of humor that tickles my fancy and sometimes it's someone else's.

All week, it's been the Powers-That-Be for my city's sense of humor: One morning I left the house to find a clear road and went my merry way. When I returned, those dreaded orange and white hurdles were in the roadway. "Road closed," the sign said. I slowed and stopped, confused. The rule-follower in me wanted to turn around, but my house was beyond those hurdles. While I pondered on the side of the road, another car went around them. Ah! I followed, and made it home. The closure was at the intersection, fifty feet from my house.

Now the road is closed every day, but only in the daytime. Each occasion to venture out of the house is now rather like being a rat in a maze, where they keep moving the cheese. Is it this way? Nope, dead end. How about this way? Nope, another dead end.

Thursday night, it was God's sense of humor: The days have been running in the low 80s here and Thursday decided to cloud over. Gray skies and grumbling clouds covered our area, and I watched eagerly for signs of rain. The construction on the house has been done for awhile, and most of the last few pieces were finally complete, including the cushion in the window seat. I wanted a thunderstorm, so I could sit up there and watch. (Summer days are not good ones for sitting in that spot.)

By late afternoon, the sky was incredibly dark and it looked like I could touch the clouds if I just stood on tiptoe. Surely it would rain!

I did household chores and some computer gaming while I waited. And waited. And waited. (Here's where God's sense of humor comes in.)

At last, the first raindrops splattered on the dusty pavement outside. I ran to the Fox Room to sit in my new window seat...  And realized the sun had set. It was dark outside!

I sat in my window anyway, and did see some lightning, but though I heard the drops hit the window, I never did see it rain.

And Friday night, it was my sense of humor: I needed to call Harry because the guy with him needed to call his wife for a personal crisis. So I got out the hotel list and looked up the number. (They're in Germany.) Holiday Inn. Cool. I dialed the very-long number and heard the odd buzz of the European phone ringing.

"Gluten Morgan," she said, along with a lot of other stuff I couldn't come close to pronouncing. (I'm sure these two aren't right, either, but that's what my American ears heard.)

"Hi," I wisely offered. "I need to speak with my husband. Do you speak English?"

"Yes?" she said, clearly, with an accent, and with the question mark. Still, I was overjoyed to understand the word.

"Oh, good. My husband's name is Harry Hakala H A K A L A. Can I speak with him?"

There followed a very long silence which probably cost me more than a gallon of gas. Then, hesitantly, "Is he not in your room?"


Copyright 2014 Michelle Hakala
http://www.winebird.com/

   

Link Between Critical Thinking And Writing

     

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

175 pounds

When you introduce competition into the public school system, most studies show that schools start to do better when they are competing for students.
--Bill Cosby

Dictionary definition for Common Core:

Common Core is a rigorous set of standards for the English Language Arts and mathematics curriculum that has been developed based on the best practices of schools and organizations around the country and the world.

While reading about Common Core (of which I knew absolutely nothing) I was (easily) diverted from this dull and seemingly unimportant subject to a more interesting one: "What exactly, is the link between critical thinking and writing?"

This new subject contained the following:

Here is a fairly familiar word problem: A bat and ball cost $1.10. The bat costs one dollar more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

After immediately answering the question, I read on and found that: A study found that fully 50 percent of undergraduates at Harvard, MIT, and Princeton and 80 percent of students at other colleges answered this problem incorrectly. That's because many of us jump reflexively to the wrong answer: 10 cents. (If we slow down and do the math, we see that the correct answer is 5 cents.)

I was astounded to find that it took me almost a half-hour to reconcile my mind to the correct answer being five cents... even though the answer was provided, and especially since I had previously encountered this cute and tricky little problem a few years ago. And had forgotten about it.

Sometimes it doesn't take much to jerk a fellow down a notch.

Link to the article

Anyone who might be interested in Common Core can find a hellish amount of information HERE


To my consternation I have discovered that I can no longer access at least fifty percent of the correct questions on Jeopardy before the contestants speak them. I used to be able to do that. Now, even though I know the correct answer (question) it takes too long for me to bring it forth. I am lucky now to retrieve, quickly enough, three or four of them per show.

Damn!

Getting old sucks.

_____

After studying 3,305 people ages 16 to 44, researchers found that the brain’s response time begins to decline at age 24. The descent is a slow, but nonetheless, steady one.

More . . .

_____

Did You Know . . .?

During World War II, a U.S. soldier was ambushed by 5 Japanese tanks. He single-handedly destroyed all 5 and was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor.

_____

HISTORICAL EVENT

On April 19, 1897, the first Boston Marathon was run in Boston, Massachusetts. John J. McDermott of New York ran the 24.5-mile course of the all-male event in a winning time of 2:55:10. The 24.5-mile route started at Metcalf’s Mill in Ashland, Massachusetts, and ended at Boston’s Irvington Street Oval near Copley Square. Fifteen men participated in the inaugural race, known at the time as the American Marathon. It was held on April 19, Patriots’ Day, a holiday celebrated in Massachusetts and Maine in honor of the start of the Revolutionary War. In 1969, Patriots’ Day was officially moved to the third Monday of every April and the Boston Marathon has been run on that day ever since.

Today, the Boston Marathon, considered one of the world’s most prestigious road races, attracts professional and amateur runners from around the world. The event’s centennial running, on April 15, 1986, had 38,708 entrants and 35,868 finishers.

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WORD FOR TODAY

competition
noun
1. The act of competing, as for profit or a prize; rivalry.
2. A test of skill or ability; a contest: a skating competition.
3. Rivalry between two or more businesses striving for the same customer or market.
4. A competitor: The competition has cornered the market.
5. Ecology: The simultaneous demand by two or more organisms for limited environmental resources, such as nutrients, living space, or light.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Kate Garry Hudson

(born April 19, 1979)

Kate Hudson is an American actress. She came to prominence in 2001 for her role in Almost Famous. She then starred in the hit film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days in 2003. She has since appeared in films such as Raising Helen (2004), The Skeleton Key (2005), You, Me and Dupree (2006), Fool's Gold (2008), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012) and Bride Wars (2009). She has played a recurring role on the musical comedy-drama television series Glee as Cassandra July.

Timothy James "Tim Jim" Curry

(born 19 April 1946)

Tim Curry is an English actor known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. Curry first rose to prominence with his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Curry garnered further acclaim for his film and television roles; as Rooster in the 1982 film adaptation of Annie, as Darkness in the 1985 film Legend, as Wadsworth in the film of the same year Clue, and as Pennywise in the 1990 horror miniseries It. Some more comedic roles include Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and Muppet Treasure Island. Other notable stage roles include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the 1980 Broadway production of Amadeus and as King Arthur in Spamalot in 2005.

Mary Eleanor Donahue

(born April 19, 1937)

Eleanor Donahue is an American actress. The naturally red-headed Donahue played Robert Young's eldest/popular daughter, Betty Anderson, on the 1950s sitcom, Father Knows Best. Donahue was featured in several episodes of CBS's The Andy Griffith Show as pharmacist Ellie Walker.

Ashley Judd

(born April 19, 1968)

Ashley Judd is an American television and film actress. She is the daughter of country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of Wynonna Judd. Judd has had leading roles in such films as Ruby in Paradise (1993), Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996), Kiss the Girls (1997), Double Jeopardy (1999), Where the Heart Is (2000), High Crimes (2002), Dolphin Tale (2011), Divergent (2014) and Dolphin Tale 2 (2014). She also starred as Rebecca Winstone in the television series Missing in 2012.

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There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.
--Indira Gandhi

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You're Who? -- Oh Yeah? Prove It!

     

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

175 pounds

I am absolutely opposed to a national ID card. This is a total contradiction of what a free society is all about. The purpose of government is to protect the secrecy and the privacy of all individuals, not the secrecy of government. We don't need a national ID card.
--Ron Paul

A couple weeks ago, when I first heard about the proposal to display a photo of the owner on all Social Security cards, I immediately thought, Social Security cards are issued just after birth these days, so will it be a baby picture that's displayed? Then what? Will the photo be updated on achieving voting age, and then at intervals as the citizen ages? How many billions of dollars will that cost? And who pays for it?

There are probably many other valid objections to this idea that I have never thought of.

It seems to be an unworkable idea.

_____

Did You Know . . .?

Two barber's poles placed next to each other spinning in opposite directions are used to signify a brothel in Korea.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1906 a devastating earthquake began to shake the city of San Francisco. The first of two vicious tremors shook San Francisco at 5:13 a.m., and a second followed not long after. The quake was powerful enough to be recorded thousands of miles away in Cape Town, South Africa, and its effect on San Francisco was cataclysmic. Thousands of structures collapsed as a result of the quake itself. However, the greatest devastation resulted from the fires that followed the quake. The initial tremors destroyed the city's water mains, leaving overwhelmed firefighters with no means of combating the growing inferno. The blaze burned for four days and engulfed the vast majority of the city.

Despite the utter devastation, San Francisco quickly recovered from the great earthquake of 1906. During the next four years, the city arose from its ashes. Within a decade, San Francisco had resumed its status as the crown jewel of the American West.

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WORD FOR TODAY

clandestine
adjective
Kept or done in secret, often in order to conceal an illicit or improper purpose.

A clandestine operation is an intelligence or military operation carried out in such a way that the operation goes unnoticed by the general population.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

James Howard Woods

(born April 18, 1947)

James Woods is an American film, stage, and television actor. After his breakthrough role in The Onion Field (1979), Woods starred in Once Upon a Time in America, the Oliver Stone films Salvador and Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, and in the legal series Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards - for television movies Promise and My Name Is Bill W., and for the animated series Hercules.

Jane Leeves

(born April 18, 1961)

Jane Leeves is an English film, stage and television actress, comedian, singer and dancer. She made her screen debut with a small role in the 1988 popular British comedy television show The Benny Hill Show, and appeared as a dancer in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. Leeves garnered her first leading role in the sitcom Throb and then secured a recurring part in the television sitcom Murphy Brown. In 1993 she achieved wider fame as Daphne Moon on the television sitcom Frasier for the entire run of the series, from 1993 until 2004. She received further recognition for her performances in Miracle on 34th Street (1994), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Music of the Heart (1999) and The Event (2003). Beginning in June 2010, Leeves returned to acting, as Joy on TV Land's sitcom Hot in Cleveland

Frederick Allan "Rick" Moranis

(born April 18, 1953)

Rick Moranis is a Canadian actor. Moranis came to prominence around 1980 in the sketch comedy show Second City Television and later appeared in several Hollywood films, including Strange Brew, Ghostbusters, Spaceballs, Little Shop of Horrors, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (and its sequels), Little Giants, Parenthood, The Flintstones, and My Blue Heaven.

Maria Elena Bello

(born April 18, 1967)

Maria Bello is an American actress and singer, who has appeared in the movies Permanent Midnight (1998), Payback (1999), Coyote Ugly (2000), The Cooler (2003), A History of Violence (2005), Thank You for Smoking (2006), and The Jane Austen Book Club (2007). In television, she is known for her role as Dr. Anna Del Amico on the NBC medical drama ER (1997–1998). She starred as Lucy Robbins on the Fox series Touch alongside Kiefer Sutherland, in 2013.

__________

The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings.
--John F. Kennedy

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A Title Should Fit The Story... Right?

     

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

176 pounds


How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.
--George Washington Carver

I did finally get some feedback on my recently submitted 100-word single sentence story from my writers group. One of the replies was a cleverly written single sentence critique of the story in exactly 100 words.

So I buckled down and wrote another 100-word story, and titled it Anachronism.

Here it is:

Buried alive. Why? Sex with his wife? Not a capital offense. Not in today's world. Mere misdemeanor, possibly. She was good... unbelievably hot... multiple orgasms, each erupting liquid fire, engulfing me, overwhelming me, like this coffin that now entombs me.

He is only trying to frighten me. Won't go through with it. Murder? He wouldn't. He couldn't. Such a wimp.

But if he does. Was she worth it? Let me think about that. God, she was so good.

He won't. He can't.

I think the oxygen level is diminishing.

I told her she was breathtaking.

And evidently I was right.

_____

Did You Know . . .?

Anorexia is more lethal than any other mental illness.

_____

HISTORICAL EVENT

Heavy eruptions of the Tambora volcano in Indonesia let up on this day in 1815. The volcano, which began rumbling on April 5, killed almost 100,000 people directly and indirectly. The eruption was the largest ever recorded and its effects were noted throughout the world. The worst explosions were heard hundreds of miles away. The eruptions of Tambora also affected the climate worldwide. Enough ash had been thrown into the atmosphere that global temperatures were reduced over the next year; it also caused spectacularly colored sunsets throughout the world. The eruption was blamed for snow and frost in New England during June and July that summer.

Ten thousand people were killed by the eruptions, most on Sumbawa Island. In subsequent months, more than 80,000 people died in the surrounding area from starvation due to the resulting crop failures and disease.

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WORD FOR TODAY

penumbra
noun
1. Astronomy:
 a. the partial or imperfect shadow outside the complete shadow of an opaque body, as a planet, where the light from the source of illumination is only partly cut off.
 b. the grayish marginal portion of a sunspot.
2.
a shadowy, indefinite, or marginal area.

The umbra, penumbra and antumbra are three distinct parts of a shadow, created by any light source after impinging on an opaque object.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Jennifer Anne Garner

(born April 17, 1972)

Jennifer Garner is an American actress. She gained recognition for her performance as CIA officer Sydney Bristow in the ABC thriller drama series Alias. While working on Alias, she gained roles in movies such as Pearl Harbor (2001), and Catch Me if You Can (2002). Since then, Garner has appeared in supporting as well as lead roles in projects including Daredevil (2003), 13 Going on 30 (2004), Elektra (2005), a spin-off of Daredevil, Juno (2007), The Invention of Lying (2009), The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012), and Dallas Buyers Club (2013). Garner is married to actor and director Ben Affleck, with whom she has three children.

Lindsay Nicole Hartley

(born April 17, 1978)

Lindsay Hartley is an American actress. She is known for her role as Theresa Winthrop aka Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald (Crane) on Passions, Cara Castillo on All My Children and for her role as Arianna Hernandez on Days of our Lives.

Monet Happy Mazur

(born April 17, 1976)

Monet Mazur is an American actress. She has appeared in a number of widely released films in the past several years, including Torque, Dead Man Running, Monster-In-Law and Just Married. She has also appeared in CSI: Miami, Cold Case, Jack & Jill, Strange World, Chuck, Rizzoli & Isles, and Party of Five. Mazur joined the cast of NCIS: Los Angeles, playing Natalie, a confident secret service agent who's taken with Chris O'Donnell's character, Callen.

Jacqueline MacInnes Wood

(born 17 April 1987)

Jacqueline Wood is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Steffy Forrester on the long-running American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. She is also known for her role in the Disney XD television movie Skyrunners and the horror film Final Destination 5 (2011).

__________

Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.
--Mark Twain

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This Is Who I Am

   

Back Home Again . . .

     

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
--George Orwell

Well, I am back home inside the Tucson city limits and again have the use of my own computer.

I intended to write some of my thoughts on truth but found that I do not know enough about that subject to formulate (in words) anything new and has not already been done to death.

Even though I have been reading other people's opinions about what is truth, I simply cannot agree with most of them since they seem to have their base in Christianity or some other mythical religion. And that's not good enough. About a year ago I bought an expensive (scholarly) book about Lies and Untruths and how terribly dishonest most people are. I have intended to read it for the last few months. I suppose I should get busy and do so as soon as possible. To add to my overall knowledge.

Because I can't think of anything else I want to write about.

Not at the moment.

And that's the truth.

I think.

Maybe later.

_____

Did You Know . . .?

The giant redwood is so tall that in order to get water near the top of the tree, it uses 'air roots' to collect water out of the fog.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1947 at 9:12 a.m. in Texas City's port on Galveston Bay, a fire aboard the French freighter Grandcamp ignited ammonium nitrate and other explosive materials in the ship's hold, causing a massive blast that destroys much of the city and takes nearly 600 lives. Devastating fires burned for days, and on April 17 the freighter High Flyer, also loaded with nitrates, exploded, further devastating the port and causing a new string of explosions at nearby plants.

It was the most devastating industrial accident in U.S. history, with 600 people killed and more than 3,000 wounded.

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WORD FOR TODAY

ingenuous
adjective
1. Lacking in cunning, guile, or worldliness; artless.
2. Openly straightforward or frank; candid.

disingenuous
adjective
Not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does.
Synonyms: insincere, dishonest, untruthful, false, deceitful, duplicitous, lying, mendacious

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Jonathan Niven "Jon" Cryer

(born April 16, 1965)

Jon Cryer is an American actor, screenwriter, film director, and film producer. He made his motion picture debut in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair, but found greater fame in the 1986 John Hughes-written film Pretty in Pink. In 2003, Cryer was cast as Alan Harper on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009 and 2012. Cryer received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television in 2011.

Ellen Rona Barkin

(born April 16, 1954)

Ellen Barkin is an American actress, known for her roles in the films The Big Easy, Sea of Love and Switch. She won an Emmy Award in 1997, for Before Women Had Wings and a Tony Award in 2011, for The Normal Heart.

Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence

(born April 16, 1965)

Martin Lawrence is an American actor, screenwriter, and comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably in the films House Party, Bad Boys, Blue Streak, Big Momma's House and A Thin Line Between Love & Hate. Lawrence has had numerous film roles and his own highly rated television series eponymously named after him, Martin, which aired on the Fox network from 1992 to 1997.

Lara Dutta Bhupathi

(born 16 April 16, 1978)

Lara Dutta is an Indian Bollywood actress who was crowned Miss Universe 2000. She made her Hindi debut in 2003 with the film Andaaz. Dutta subsequently appeared in several commercially successful films, including Masti (2004), No Entry (2005), Kaal (2005), Bhagam Bhag (2006), Partner (2007), Housefull (2010) Chalo Dilli (2011). She has thus established herself as one of the leading actresses in the Hindi cinema and is a household name.

__________

Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either.
--Albert Einstein

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This Is Who I Am

Yoga, Meditation, And Other Stuff

    

 

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

You know what the secret to weight loss is? Don't eat much.
 --Simon Cowell

“It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters.”
--Amit Ray

At a blog you have probably never heard of(Sam Harris's Blog) I encountered some intriguing bits of information in an article titled Taming the Mind A Conversation with Dan Harris -- It presents a surprisingly different picture of Yoga, Meditation, and other things from Eastern philosophy I have usually discounted as being worthless.

Dan Harris is a co-anchor of Nightline and the weekend edition of Good Morning America on ABC News. He has reported from all over the world, covering wars in Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine, and Iraq, and producing investigative reports in Haiti, Cambodia, and the Congo. He has also spent many years covering religion in America, despite the fact that he is agnostic. Dan’s new book, 10 Percent Happier: 'How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works -- A True Story,' hit #1 on the New York Times best-seller list.

See more HERE

Yoga

1.  A Hindu discipline aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquillity.
2.  A system of exercises practiced as part of this discipline to promote control of the body and mind.

meditate
1.  To reflect on; contemplate.
2.  To plan in the mind; intend: meditated a visit to her daughter.
3. 
  a.  Buddhism & Hinduism To train, calm, or empty the mind, often by achieving an altered state, as by focusing on a single object.
  b.  To engage in devotional contemplation, especially prayer.
4.  To think or reflect, especially in a calm and deliberate manner.

There may be more to this meditation crap than I had previously considered.

But, then again, there may not be.


Oh yes . . . I am scheduled to return to my apartment in Tucson this afternoon.

_____

Did You Know . . .?

One chocolate chip can give a person enough energy to walk 150 feet.

_____

HISTORICAL EVENT

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American in the major leagues when he played his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. During his first season in the majors, Robinson encountered racism from opposing teams and fans, as well as some of his own teammates. However, the abuse didn’t affect his performance on the baseball field. Robinson played in 151 games, hit .297, stole more bases than anyone else in the National League.

Robinson became the first African-American inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility. On October 24, 1972, he died at age 53 from heart problems.

In 1997, on the 50th anniversary of his historic first game in the majors, Robinson’s uniform number-- 42 --was retired by Major League Baseball.

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WORD FOR TODAY

consummation
noun
 1.  the act of consummating.
 2.  the state of being consummated.
 3.  end; goal.

Wikipedia says: Consummation or consummation of a marriage, in many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, either following their marriage to each other or after a prolonged sexual attraction.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

 

Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery
(April 15, 1933 – May 18, 1995)

Elizabeth Montgomery was an American film and television actress whose career spanned five decades. She is probably best remembered as the star of the TV series Bewitched.

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson
(born April 15, 1990)

Emma Watson is an English actress. She rose to prominence playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series; she was cast as Hermione at the age of nine, having previously acted only in school plays. She starred in all eight Harry Potter films. In October 2013, she was voted Sexiest Female Movie Star in a worldwide poll conducted by Empire magazine.

Michael George Ansara
(April 15, 1922 - July 31, 2013)

Michael Ansara was a Syrian-born American stage, screen, and voice actor best known for his portrayal of Cochise in the American television series Broken Arrow, Kane in the 1979–1981 series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Commander Kang on three different Star Trek television series, Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Buckhart on the NBC series, Law of the Plainsman, and providing the voice for Mr. Freeze in Batman: The Animated Series and several of its spin-offs.

Susan Ward
(born April 15, 1976)

Susan Ward is an American actress and model. Ward began modeling at the age of 13. She appeared in soap opera All My Children in 1995, and later in the teen drama Malibu Shores. In late 1996, Ward landed a role on Aaron Spelling's daytime soap opera Sunset Beach, where she played the virginal Meg Cummings. Sunset Beach aired between 1997–99.

In 1999 Ward began to pursue a movie career, and starred as the psychotic Brittany Foster in the erotic thriller The In Crowd. The following year, she played a supporting role in the hit movie Shallow Hal. She has also made guest appearances in various TV shows, most notably Friends.

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