quoteflections

I Purchase, Therefore I am

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:01:00 +0000

With the stock market financial breakdown last week, the decline of housing prices in the U.S. of almost 20% since 2006, and the indexes down almost 25 percent so far this year, many people are left with a financial crisis.

Richard Florida, an economics professor at the University of Toronto, writes that the roots of the current crisis are tied to the fundamental nature of economic development called "Fordism." That model drew a tight connection between assembly-line mass production and mass consumption, ultimately fuelled by massive suburbanization.

That model is now breaking down for various reasons including the growing efficiency of production in developing countries, and the end of homes being a virtual piggy bank under easy credit and extravagant purchasing of consumer items.

If Fordist mass consumption had a catch phrase it was 'keeping up with the Joneses,' especially so in the last decade.

Florida writes,"So many of us came to define ourselves not through our work or creative endeavours, but through what we could purchase. We were fooled into believing that our identity and self worth somehow depended on acquiring expensive or impressive belongings, much of it on credit.

Regardless of how or when the financial markets are restored, credit will be much harder to get - the age of the house as piggy bank is long gone.

How will we define ourselves when we can't get a quick self defining "Makeover" at the dealership, the electronics store or the mall? How will we rebuild our way of life and our very identity?"

What guiding philosophy will replace, "I purchase, therefore I am?"

Photo Credit:

Moving Deeply Into the Now

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 04:01:00 +0000

"The more you are focused on time, past and future, the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.

The present moment is all you ever have. There is never a time when your life is not "this moment." Is this not a fact?

As soon as you honour the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out of present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love - even the most simple action." ~ Eckhart Tolle

In Chapter 3 of The Power of Now Tolle elaborates upon the release which happens when you remove yourself from your ego with its endless selfish needs. Also he encourages to divorce yourself from the delusion of time, both past and future, which robs you of opportunities to remain focused on the present and all its richness.

"Be so utterly, so completely present that no problem, no suffering, nothing that is not who you are in your essence, can survive in you. In the Now, in the absence of time, all your problems dissolve. Suffering needs time; it cannot survive in the Now."

Photo Credit:

Cold War Memories

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Recently released declassified transcripts from the British National Archives reveals that the BBC planned to transmit reassuring messages in the event of nuclear war, telling people to stay calm and remain indoors and conserve food and water.

"Remember, there is nothing to be gained by trying to get away. By leaving your homes you could be exposing yourselves to greater danger... Radioactive fall-out, which followed a nuclear explosion, is many times more dangerous if you are directly exposed to it in the open. Stay tuned to this wavelength, stay calm, and stay in your own homes."

This archival information brings back a flood of memories to those who lived through the Cold War from the 50's to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Perhaps the most poignant moment of the Cold War was during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and the stand off with Nikita Kruschev when he said of the Americans, "We will bury you."

For decades North Americans lived with fear under the nuclear shadow. Within an hour the whole world could be obliterated with hundreds of powerful nuclear weapons unleashed across the world in major cities. Instead of putting in back yard pools homeowners invested in building their own nuclear bomb shelters complete with six weeks of supplies. Children were educated about the threat by teachers and parents.

Are we safe from the threat today? Some strategic planners think that it is only a matter of time before terrorists will try to detonate dirty bombs filled with radioactive or biological material. Then there is the renewed sabre rattling of Russia which still has the technology and the supplies to mount an offensive. China, of course, is building a military that will eventually rival American might. Or a rogue state may have the ability to mount a surprise assault. Am I being too bleak?

Some satirical quotations about war:

All wars are popular for the first 30 days. ~ Arthur Schlesinger

Morality is contraband in war. ~ Gandhi

Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee
Agreed to have a battle;
For Tweedle Dum said Tweedle Dee
Had spoiled his nice new rattle. ~ Lewis Carroll

War is like love; it always finds a way. ~ Bertolt Brecht

Footage from the 50's on how to build a fallout shelter may be seen here.

Is the world safer today than it was during the Cold War? Will wars ever be eradicated? When will human societies live together in peace?

Apples: The Perfect Food

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:01:00 +0000

In Ontario this is the pinnacle of apple season. The nights are clear and crisp just like the apples which are storing the last sugars, their skin gathering a rosy glow like pink healthy cheeks. There's no better outing this time of year than to head to an apple orchard and pick a bushel or two. Then enjoy them throughout the week. Several for lunch and several in the evening. In a week you'll be back for more, happy that you may enjoy nature's bounty in the perfect fruit.

So much variety: Mutsu, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Golden and Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Jonomac, Pink Lady, Idared. Each has its distinctive flavour so that you may never grow tired for an apple snack.

I have been an apple lover my whole life. My family knows that my life revolves around apples, five or six a day. Fortunately for us in southern Ontario there are choice local apples available year round with controlled storage providing an ideal, crisp product.

Here is a Top Ten List of Apple Facts:

The crabapple is the only apple native to North America.
Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesteral free.
A medium apple is 80 calories.
Apples were the favourite fruit of the Greeks and Romans.
Apples have five seed pockets or carpels.
It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.
Don't peel your apple. Two thirds of the fiber and lots of antioxidants are found in the peel.
In 2006 58% of apples produced in the U.S. were from Washington State.
The Red Delicious is the most widely grown in the U.S. with 62 million bushels.
7,500 varieties are grown throughout the world.

The list above was gleaned from this site which has many more interesting facts.

Are you an apple lover? What are your favourites? Any great apple recipes or memories?

What's in a Car Name?

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:01:00 +0000

This week the Honda Insight will be unveiled. It is designed to compete head on with the energy efficient Toyota Prius. Both vehicles are powered by a highly efficient light weight gasoline engine, and assisted by battery power. So far, Toyota has a 79% share of the U.S. hybrid vehicle market.

Reading about the Insight I am reminded of the powerful connotations and associations that car names have. 'Insight' suggests that this car is intelligent and well designed; it provides just the right choice for the environmentally conscious consumer.

Consider some of the themes that car makers have used in the past:

wind and weather: Jetta, Scirocco, Passat (wind of change), Zephyr
flight: Eagle, Falcon, Skylark
Reptile: Viper, Cobra
Big Cats: Lynx, Cougar, Leopard
Equestrian: Mustang, Pinto, Charger, Colt
Marine: Barracuda, Sing Ray, Scorpian
Resorts: Rio, Malibu, Monte Carlo
VIP's: Princess, Diplomat, Senator, Imperial
War and Adventure: Samurai, Avenger, Invader, Crusader, Trooper, Defender
Peacemaker: Accord, Serena, Alliance
Myth and Mystery: Rolls Royce with Silver Ghost, Spirit, Phantom
Celestial: Celeste, Herald, Zodiac, Galaxy, Cosmo, Stellar
Music: Sonnet, Stanza, Prelude, Jazz, Concerto

One site provides an interesting list of SUV names, and places the names under headings of functional, invented, experiential, and evocative. Under which heading would you place: Element? Escape? Xterra? Pathfinder? Check out this site for the answers.

What cars have you driven? Do the names of the vehicles suggest anything about your identity, dreams, and desires?

Mmmm....I'm currently driving an Accord...

Comic Books 101

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Imagine taking a university course which involves studying comics. Textbooks include Superman of the Seventies, Batman and Robin, Donald Duck and graphic novels such as Art Spiegelman's Maus. Is it watered down modern curriculum or pertinent cultural studies?

Professor Anthony Enns at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia has a waiting list of students to get in. Students study the comic book genre from 18-19 century political propaganda to the golden age of Marvel. Enns said the course is more sociology and anthropology. Children's literature is loaded with cultural implications.

The course is not about making a case for comics as serious art. Rather it's about how the comics represent the time period, the prevailing social beliefs and values, and how they shaped developments in other art forms.

The graphic novel has enjoyed a renaissance of late and more attention is being paid to its inclusion in the high school English curriculum. There is the element of engaging teenage readers but also providing an opportunity for the analysis of narrative and visual elements. Enns said, " I think the comic book really illustrates how the medium changes the way the story can be told. It changes narrative technique."

In our visual culture this course seems to address a persistant trend.

What comics or graphic novels have interested you or your children? How are they a good balance or antitode for simply watching a cartoon DVD? Where lies literacy in a 'cartoon' course?

One site suggests the twelve best comic books for the classroom.

The Spirit of Harriet Tubman

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

My wife and I saw a memorable play at The North American Black Historical Museum last weekend in Amherstburg, Ontario. Just south of Detroit on the Canadian side of the Detroit River, Amherstburg became the sanctuary for thousands of slaves escaping from bounty hunters on the Underground Railroad in the mid 1800's.

Leslie McCurdy performed her one woman play in the newly restored Nazrey church just beside the museum and log cabin. The church was built in 1848 and is now a national historic site of Canada. The buildings received funding for restoration in 2000. The play traces the life of Harriet Tubman, a fiery and passionate slave from the South, who found sanctuary in Canada and devoted the rest of her life in helping hundreds of slaves find a safe haven. Leslie has taken her play on the road across Canada and the U.S. for the last twelve years for seven months of the year.

The one hour performance was sparked by emotional vignettes of the crucial incidents in Tubman's life. There were tears, laughter, bitterness, hope, and inspiration. Leslie received a standing ovation for her powerful performance. It was particularly meaningful for McCurdy to perform in this church as her ancestors were part of the legacy.

Leslie McCurdy's website is here.
The North American Black Historical Museum website is here.

It is hard to imagine a time when a society sanctioned the enslavement of a race. Unfortunately echoes of this enslavement and subjugation have been replayed too many times over the last century in other contexts.

The Anonymity of Window Tinting

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Tinting the windows of vehicles has turned into a multimillion dollar business. The businesses who promote tinting proclaim several advantages:

Interiors are 60% cooler on hot summer days because of less solar radiation.
Up to 99% of harmful UV rays are blocked with tinting. (Tinting would help prevent a lot of skin cancer which occurs on the left arm with all the exposure from driving.)
Tinting enhances privacy. Occupants of the vehicle cannot be seen. (Ever wonder about those large limousines and the anonymity they provide?)
It helps to make a vehicle look sleeker and sportier.

My problem with tinting deals with Point #3. It enhances privacy. Increasingly we are isolating ourselves from others. The front porch has been designed out of homes to focus on back yard patios. High rise condominiums may be the home for hundreds of families but few know their next door neighbour. The community aspect of shopping on a town street is replaced with huge impersonal shopping malls.

Our latest vehicle does not have window tinting. Why not? It's partly because of the anonymity of the window tint. I want to be able to wave at people as I drive by my neighbourhood or from out of my work place or community parking lot. And I want to be able to recognize my neighbours as they drive by. Are they waving or oblivious?

Window tinting discourages a friendly wave and human interaction. Am I overreacting? Do you tint?

Photo Credit:

The Power of Now (2)

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

I'm going to continue to devote the next few Sunday posts to quotes and reflections about Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now. It's been a pivotal book in helping me to understand my perceptions and actions and to set a path for my daily life.

Last week the focus was on disidentifying from mind activity and being intensely conscious of the present moment including "every step, every movement, even your breathing." Success at this practice will reveal "the degree of peace that you feel within."

The next challenge is to divorce yourself from the pain body and your ego. When you realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have, and you make the Now the primary focus of your life, then you can "work with the present to make it your friend and ally and not your enemy."

Your pain body is inflicted by mind activity and the ego. The next time you feel pain ask yourself about its origin and how it is making you feel. If you can understand what that pain is doing to you, then you have a potent transformational tool to turn pain into peace. So much of our pain is tied to our ego, that selfish part of ourselves that seeks wholeness.

"As long as the egoic mind is running your life, you cannot truly be at ease; you cannot be at peace or fulfilled except for brief intervals when you obtained what you wanted, when a craving has just been fulfilled. Since the ego is a derived sense of self, it needs to identify with external things. It needs to be both defended and fed constantly. The most common ego identifications have to do with possessions, the work you do, social status and recognition, knowledge and education, physical appearance, special abilities, relationships, personal and family history, belief systems, and often also political, nationalistic, racial, religious, and other collective identifications. None of these is you."

This concept of disidentifying from ego reminds me of James Redfield's 1993 book, The Celestine Prophecy. One of the concepts is the understanding that there are some people who steal energy from others to feed their own ego. It is destructive and not life affirming.

How do you describe your relationship with your ego?

Oldest Rock Discovered in Canada

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

I am a lover of rocks. I have collected them for my yard over the years. A nearby gravel pit has yielded several with the most interesting colours and veins running through it. One wonders about the titanic forces of nature which created these metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary beauties. I also have a rock with a fossilized bone within it. There's no mistaking it. I like to imagine its a mastodon bone or the leg bone from a dangerous dinosaur predator. (The nearby gravel pit had a mastodon bone displayed in their office.)

So when I read about scientists discovering the world's oldest rock on the eastern shore of Hudson's Bay I was mesmerized. The journal Science reports that a team from McGill University in Montreal discovered an area of four square miles made up of the volcanic rock basalt. To determine the age of the rocks, geochemists used isotopic dating methods analyzing the elements samarium and neodymium.

Their conclusion: the rock there is about 428,000,000,000 (billion) years old. The earth itself is about 457,000,000,000 years old. The rock also suggests clues about the time period. Richard Carlson of the Carnegie Institute said, " Probably when the planet formed it was a cauldron, but even this early the earth had cooled down considerably."

The quote, "Geologists have a saying - rocks remember." seems to be quite pertinent for this news story.

Do you have a favourite rock or rocky place that you like to visit?

One more point: a hobby of mine is collecting heart shaped stones. We have a collection of them in a glass jar in our home.

Check out Flickr. They have a collection of over 1,000 pictures of heart shaped stones.

Funding Cuts for the Arts

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently announced cuts in funding of $48.5 million for arts and culture programs across Canada. The announcement was met by surprise by the arts community.

Margaret Atwood, internationally famed writer of 14 novels including Handmaid's Tale, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, and author of 17 poetry books, 6 children's books, 9 short story collections, and editor of 5 anthologies recently spoke out against the cuts.

She wrote that Stephen Harper's reference that "ordinary people" don't care about something like the arts is misguided.

"My idea of an ordinary person is creative by nature. For millenniums we have been putting our creativity into our cultures - cultures with unique languages, architecture, religious ceremonies, dances, music, furnishings, textiles, clothing and special cuisines..."

"All children are born creative. It's the lack of any appreciation of these activities that is not ordinary. " Like Mr. Harper? Atwood goes on and satirically casts Harper as autocratic ruler in love with one voice and one big statue of himself. "Now that would be Art!"

How important is the arts to society? To what extent should they be supported by governments?

Picasso said, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of every day life."

Photo Above: Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto - The Crystal

Raise a Reader

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Are you a life long reader? Someone who enjoys picking up a good book? Someone who actually gets beyond the pictures and headlines in newspapers and magazines? Consider yourself in a minority.

Increasingly much of society chooses to gather their information from the pervasive visual and auditory options provided by the mass media.

Yesterday Canwest Global Communications, the conglomerate which owns major papers in 28 cities in Canada, held its annual 'Raise a Reader' campaign. Thousands of volunteers went to the streets to sell special edition newspapers with the headline 'Support Children's Literacy.'

Since its launch in 2002 the campaign has raised $10 million. Leonard Asper, the CEO, said, "Together we can make reading cool, we can transform lives and create a culture for reading."

One program that has benefited from this cause is Calgary Reads, 'An Early Literacy Initiative Society.' Over the last five years it has teamed up with the Calgary Board of Education to allow up to 400 community tutors to come to the city's 65 schools to help with remedial reading. Up to 25% of the young children in the system are ESL students.

Recognizing the importance of early intervention, the core program consists of 16 weeks of twice-weekly one-on-one tutoring. Each struggling Grade 2 student is paired with a trained adult volunteer tutor for 32 half hour sessions.

They are motivated by the research that suggests that a child's reading level at the end of Grade 3 is a key determining factor in predicting continued school success.

Raising a reader is a worthy, yet challenging goal. It requires the involvement of parents, the educational system, and.. how wonderful to see it coming from a corporation. Also it's a shrewd business plan: they're investing in the next generation of news readers.

How did you get hooked on reading?

Photo Credit:

Kids on You Tube

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Do you know what you're kids are watching on You Tube? Don't worry; it's not pornography. You Tube prohibits pornography, nudity, defamation, harassment, commercial advertisements, and material encouraging criminal content.

You Tube was founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim , all employees of Pay Pal, on February 15, 2005. They had a great business plan because a year and a half later on October of 2006 Google bought the company for $1.65 billion.

In April of 2008 the company had 83.4 million videos and estimates are that bandwidth costs are $1 million a day to store all the data.

What are preteens watching today? Ask them about 'Fred Loses His Meds.' This 3 minute video has logged over 9 million views. Fred is the creation of Lucas Cruikshank, a 15 year old from Nebraska. His popular persona is a hyper kid who speaks super fast. Lucas videotapes himself acting, and then uses editing equipment to speed up his voice.

Fred is also depicted in other related videos. 'Fred: Goes Swimming, Gets Bullied, Goes Camping, Auditions for a Play, Gets a Detention, Goes to the Dentist, Stalks Judy, On Father's Day.'

Several companies have courted Lucas because of his huge appeal and endorsements are, no doubt, forthcoming.

He seems annoying at first but try to get through the three minutes. He may become endearing to you by the end. Then see several others like 'Fred Goes Swimming.' Can you see why pre and young teens love this guy?

One ten year old said, "He cracks me up so much. The first time I saw Fred I watched him for a solid hour. "My friends and I imitate him all the time."

Welcome to the You Tube era.

Fred Loses His Meds may be seen here.

Palintology: Clever Newsweek Pun

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

The Newsweek cover of September 15 with former beauty queen and gun toting Sarah Palin comes with the title Palintology. Paleontology is the study of ancient life through fossils. Great pun and allusion? Should American voters feel comfortable with Palin as a vice presidential candidate and a potential future president of the United States?

Lifting several prominent observations about Palin from the Newsweek article:

The Republicans needed a dynamic that's been missing for some time.
The 44 year old governor has dramatically affected the tumultuous race. Her personal story taps one of the great American myths - the hardy woman of the frontier, God-fearing and determined to succeed.
She is not regarded as an introspective or intellectual type. She's the anti-Obama.
A reformer, she faces allegations of exerting improper influence in city and state government.
Her sense of personal mission may be rooted in her religious upbringing. The $30 billion natural gas pipeline is "God's will."
She knows how to work the system by hiring lobbyists to win contracts for her home town of Wasilla when she was mayor.
She embraces the Alaskan ideal: self-reliance, individualism, outdoorsmanship and conservative economic and social values.
Her populist no nonsense style has added charisma to her position as governor.

One site, Grizzly Bay, lists 15 reasons why voters should be wary of Palin's record including her environmental stance. The reasons seem well researched.

Is Sarah Palin the right choice for the Republican ticket with John McCain? Is she the answer for women disappointed by Hillary Clinton's loss to Barack Obama?

Bratz Girls Busted

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

The largest distributor of books to Canadian schools has banned the sale of Bratz books, citing complaints about their sexual content. Scholastic Inc. distributes its products through school based fairs and clubs, selling books to students and teachers at discounted prices.

However, it was only after a North American campaign spearheaded by the Boston based Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, which pressured the book distributor to relent.

In the past Scholastic's position was that the books appealed to "reluctant readers" and its job was to "offer materials that appeal to children where they are, not where we would like them to be."

Their central goal "has been and continues to be to provide quality, affordable books that meet the wide range of reading levels and interests of today's students and help every child develop a love of reading."

The Bratz book line is a spinoff of MGA Entertainment's top selling fashion dolls notable for their skimpy wardrobe of miniskirts, high heel boots and feather boas. Since February 2007 Scholastic and its Canadian subsidiary received more than 5,000 e-mails as part of the anti Bratz campaign.

Susan Linn, a psychologist and author of The Case for Make-believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World, said, "The Bratz are a highly sexualized brand and when a brand is marketed in a school, it has that school's endorsement. Essentially schools were saying to their students, "This is a good way to portray girls, these are models that you should strive for."

One mother who opposed Scholastic's distribution of the Bratz books said, " For me, my main concern was just the appearance, the makeup and the clothing being more suggestive than necessary, targeting little girls who don't need to be looking like that."

Apparently Carter Bryant, the creator of the Bratz doll worked at Matel, home of the billion dollar Barbie. Since 2000 when Bratz was created, MGA has made up to $800 million with the Bratz line. Their popularity seems to be tied to their trendiness and attitude!

My question as a person who is somewhat peripheral to the debate: Is the Bratz image any worse than Barbie as a role model for girls?

A USA Today article also deals with the controversial debate.

The Power of Now

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

"Focus on now, the present moment. This is a deeply satisfying thing to do. In this way, you draw consciousness away from mind activity and create a gap of no mind in which you are highly alert and aware but not thinking. This is the essence of meditation.

In your every day life, you can practice this by taking any routine activity that normally is only a means to an end and giving it your fullest attention, so that it becomes an end in itself. For example, every time you walk up and down the stairs in your house or place of work, pay close attention to every step, every movement, even your breathing. Be totally present. Or when you wash your hands, pay attention to all the sense perceptions associated with the activity: the sound and feel of the water, the movement of your hands, the scent of the soap, and so on. Or when you get into your car, after you close the door, pause for a few seconds and observe the flow of your breath. Become aware of a silent but powerful sense of presence. There is one certain criterion by which you can measure your success in this practice: the degree of peace that you feel within.

So the single most vital step on your journey toward enlightenment is this: learn to disidentify from your mind. Every time you create a gap in the stream of mind, the light of your consciousness grows stronger.

One day you may catch yourself smiling at the voice in your head, as you would smile at the antics of a child. This means that you no longer take the content of your mind all that seriously, as your sense of self does not depend on it." ~Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

When I am forced to stop at at red light, when I think I am in a hurry, I am reminded of this passage. Why do I feel I am in a hurry? It's my mind talking, distracting me from what is important. Slow down, distance yourself from the mind and enjoy peace at this moment. Be aware that you are alive in the present moment, breathing and healthy. You are able to take precious breaths, in... and out..., you are able to enjoy the day, sunshine or rain, warm or cold. There are responsibilities that encompass your day, but you will confront them one at a time; you will do your best and you will accept what life has to offer.

We do not own a dishwasher. Immersing our hands in the warm soapy water, we receive satisfaction from washing the dishes one at a time... drying them one at a time... When the task is finished, the dishes are put away, we clean the counter, and we have completed a little task well.

How do you disidentify from your mind? What brings you peace in the midst of daily activities? How do you experience comfort in the midst of life's frenetic pace?

I'm a PC in More Ways than One

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

I'm a PC and all this attention is getting to my head. On The Office last night Microsoft unleashed another round of ads promoting its new Vista operating system without directly naming it. The current round of multi million dollar ads are meant to combat Microsoft's public image in the wake of the Apple Mac ads which portray the company as geeky and boring.

The ad begins with John Hodgman, a Bill Gates look alike, saying, "Hello, I'm a PC and I've been made into a stereotype." Then there is a series of quick cuts to people young and old, near and far, who are PC users of the Microsoft operating system. Take that, in busting the stereotype!

And, yes, I am typing at a PC lap t0p with Vista at this moment. I'm happy with the system, but I can't convince my son-in-law, a confirmed Mac user, to switch.

Also I am always being reminded of the PC brand at Loblaw's Superstore. For readers outside of Canada, Loblaws is the nation's biggest grocer. Their success is partly due to its President's Choice line of products. They offer the best products from coffee to frozen foods, to nutritious healthy snacks, to cleaners.

I see PC everywhere and I AM PC.

By the way, several quotes from Bill Gates: "When the PC was launched people knew it was important....We are not even close to finishing the basic dream of what the PC can be."

PC is on a mission.

What are your thoughts on PC vs Mac? How can Microsoft erase its image of geekdom? Are the new ads working?

This site provides a look at three ads, two by Microsoft, the other by Mac. Which do you think are better?

Potters for Peace

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Imagine living without a dependable clean water source. Millions face the threat of severe illness every day by drinking contaminated water. (1.7 million die each year.) Potters for Peace is a non profit organization which helps communities and potters to purify this water.

The organization promotes the technology of Fernando Mazariegos, a Guatemalan chemist who developed a ceramic pot. It's made of clay mixed with sawdust or ground rice husks that burn off during firing leaving pores so tiny that they block the passage of water borne bacteria while letting the water seep through. Then it's coated with a bacteria-killing silver solution which kills 98-100% of the contaminants such as E. coli.

Potters for Peace encourages local potters in Nicaragua Ghana, Cambodia, Nigeria etc. to develop micro enterprises which create the purifier and other kinds of houseware. They promote apprenticeships, provide technical and design assistance, as well as the use of alternative fuel burners.

Ron Rivera worked with Potters for Peace for the last ten years as the main developer of the purifier and helped communities throughout the world to build small purifier factories. It's estimated that about 300,000 filters were made. Robert Pillers, the treasurer of Potters for Peace, said, "I saw Ron as the Pied Piper. He had the capacity to draw people in and then give them the means to accomplish something."

Mr. Rivera died recently after contracting a severe form of malaria in Nigeria. He had said that his goal was to set up 100 enterprises. The one in Nigeria was his 30th.

What act of selfless giving have you seen, acts in which a person dedicated years of his/her life to help the poor in tangible ways?

The informative Potters for Peace website is here.

Breakthrough for the Lowly Potato

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

There is news about impending biotechnology breakthroughs with respect to the unravelling of the lowly potato and its 12 chromosomes and 840 million base pairs. Scientists around the world have teamed up to sequence the genome of the potato, hoping to crack the genetic code of one of the world's most important crops.

The Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium includes scientists in 13 countries from New Zealand to India and Peru who are decoding pieces of the genome. It plans to have its work done in 2010 and will then make its findings public so plant breeders can create new seeds resistant to everything from droughts and diseases to extreme temperatures.

The potato, the world's third most important food crop after wheat and rice, is seen as central to cheaply growing and feeding an increasingly hungry world.

The United Nations named 2008, the International Year of the Potato.

The potato originated 8,000 years ago in Peru's Andes mountains. China is now the largest grower of the tuber. More farmers are planting it, especially in developing countries, as the world's population expands by one billion a decade.

A scientist involved in the work, Giselle Orjeda, said, " The potato has always been important; it enabled the Industrial Revolution in Europe with its growing population, but also it caused widespread famine with the potato blight."

If we can eradicate the potato's menacing diseases and develop strains to withstand harsher growing conditions, then the project will help to alleviate the possibility of impending food shortages.

One final note; in the midst of the stock market carnage I can recall the last stock market crash in March of 2000 for the darling science and technology sector. Biotechnology and information technology were investor favourites. Now, eight years later, we have seen growth in these areas while the real estate and insurance sectors implode. Interesting to observe stock market sectors rise and fall.

What's your opinion about the lowly potato, the current market crisis, or the answer to world hunger?

See the potato genome sites here, here, and here. An interesting nanobiotechnology center at Cornell is here.

A previous post about the benefits of the potato for world consumption may be read here.

Are you Socially Intelligent?

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Daniel Goleman, the psychologist who popularized the notion of emotional intelligence, is now extending it to call for leaders to develop social intelligence. In Goleman's book Emotional Intelligence (1995) he argued that non cognitive skills can matter as much as IQ for work place success.

Social intelligence boils down to seven behaviours:

- Empathy: Do you understand what motivates other people, even those from different backgrounds? Are you sensitive to others' needs?

- Attunement: Do you listen attentively and think about how others feel? Are you attuned to others' moods?

- Organizational Awareness: Do you appreciate the culture and values of the group or organization? Do you understand social networks and know their unspoken norms?

- Influence: Do you persuade others by engaging them in discussion and appealing to their self-interest? Do you get support from key people?

- Developing others: Do you coach and mentor others with compassion and personally invest time and energy in monitoring? Do you provide feedback that people find helpful for their professional development?

- Inspiration: Do you articulate a compelling vision, build group pride, and foster a positive emotional tone? Do you lead by bringing out the best in people?

- Teamwork: Do you solicit input from everyone on the team? Do you support all team members and encourage cooperation?

Daniel Goleman's latest interests include studying ways in which people are able to combine excellence in their job with expressing a core set of positive values. Goleman's site is filled with thoughtful essays, and a video which explores people's behaviour around the call for compassion.

Also he is connected with The GoodWork® Project which is "a large scale effort to identify individuals and institutions that exemplify good work—work that is excellent in quality, socially responsible, and meaningful to its practitioners—and to determine how best to increase the incidence of good work in our society."

If only all leaders could exemplify social intelligence combined with a foundation of positive values.

Teacher Sanctioned Doodling

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

A buzz word in education circles lately is the mind map. Students are encouraged to doodle on a blank sheet of paper as they brainstorm a topic.

Tony Buzan has successfully promoted the thinking strategy for several decades , written a number of books, and has a software program iMindMap. He says in the video that a mind map is a thinking tool which reflects the activities of the brain. He suggests one should begin at the center of the page with a topic and graphic, and let the branches radiate out in curves. This represents just how the brain thinks, exploding out with reflections and associations. The brain is not rigid and does not think in straight lines. Include one word per branch, the word as long as the branch. Use colour and images throughout to stimulate the imagination.

Indeed, mind mapping has great cross curricular literacy potential. It helps to engage the visual learner, promotes brainstorming, connections and associations, and is the first step to structured thinking and report writing.

Over the years I've seen students with rather extensive doodles decorating their notes which extend up and over margins. (I'm hoping they weren't bored!) Actually in triggering some visual cues, they may be more engaged with the essential elements of the topic than teachers may think.

Are you a proficient 'doodler'?

Photo Credit:

Buzan's video may be seen here. Another video "How to make a mind map" here. Varied examples of mind maps here.

National Parks: America's Best Idea

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

PBS will host The National Parks: America's Best Idea in the fall of 2009. Ken Burns, documentarian of The Second World War, The Civil War, Frank Lloyd Wright, and The Brooklyn Bridge, is working with cinematographer Buddy Shires and writer Dayton Duncan. They were at Glacier National Park Montana recently with their families vacationing and getting some footage. So far they have spent $15 million over five years gathering scenic film material of just about all of the 58 national parks in the United States.

One focus of the series will be to document the beginnings of the national park system in the l870's when Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks were formed.

"For the first time in human history, land was set aside not for the pleasure of kings and nobleman and the very, very rich, but for everybody, for all time."

Another dynamic Burns wants to explore is the jostling among recreation proponents, preservationists, and commercial interests that shaped the system in its early decades, especially the railroad builders.

The forty-two national parks in Canada also offer spectacular vistas and opportunities for the traveller.

Most in North America have hopefully been to at least one national park to enjoy its splendour, and to gain some balance for their lives. My list includes Point Pelee National Park, 5 kilometers from my home, Banff, Jasper in Alberta, Pacific Rim in B.C. and Forillon in Quebec. My wife and I will never forget the campsite we had for three days at Forillon overlooking the Atlantic and hearing the wash of surf as we were lulled to sleep.

What national parks have you visited? What vivid memories or impressions?

The Canada National Parks site is here; the United States' site is here. Both have interactive maps which tantalyze with the possibilities!

Photo: Grinnell Lake at Glacier National Park, Montana.

Nothing Beats Beets

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

How can an ugly dirt covered root be transformed into one of the most nutritious and tasty side dishes? Yesterday we enjoyed them with our dinner. Let me list the reasons why beets can't be beat:

They have a rich fuchsia and red colour that sets off any dish.
Beet juice is rich in natural sugar, sodium, sulphur, chlorine, iodine, copper and vitamin B1, B2, bio flavonoids, manganese, potassium, iron, copper, and phosphrous. Some holistic practitioners believe that beet juice combined with other juices like carrot are excellent for cleansing the kidneys and gallbladder and for restoring health to these organs.
They are rich in antioxidants and help to prevent certain cancers, and can even inhibit tumour growth.
There are legendary Russian centenarians who lived on beets and borscht. (Maybe that's going a little too far.)
They protect against heart disease and can lower cholesterol.
The greens are incredibly rich in nutrients and can be used in a tasty salad. ( Our salad was phenomenal.)
They are easy to prepare. We brushed them with olive oil and microwaved them in a covered dish for a few minutes.
Beets have versatility; they can be shredded, baked, pickled, or canned...

True story: My father lived through the Russian Revolution and endured a famine. In the winter of 1919 their family survived on beets. After that winter he could not eat another in his whole life of 89 years. That's why I have only recently discovered a great love for the beet.

Do you have a late acquired taste for a natural food, spice, or recipe? Please share.

This site provides a great overview of the lowly beet.

Men from Mars, Women from Venus?

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

John Gray's book Men are from Mars and Women from Venus hit the nail on the head for many people when it came out in 1992. His description of the two sexes coming from different planets is an excellent metaphor. How can two people from distant celestial homes live amiably together? This best selling book was followed by Mars and Venus on a Date, ...in Love, .. in the Bedroom.... 40 million copies of his books have been sold and Gray is busy with talks and seminars across the world.

Is he stereotyping men and women by suggesting that women are more cooperative, nurturing, cautious, and emotionally responsive, while men tend to be more competitive, assertive, reckless, and emotionally flat?

A new study by the International Sexuality Description Project led by Dr. David Schmitt seems to reinforce these generalizations. Ironically one would think that in a modernistic society in which women are increasingly playing a more prominent and equal position in the work world that men and women would exhibit similar qualities. Not so. In more traditional societies men and women exhibit closer similarities in temperament and values.

Here are several of John Gray's quotes.

- A man's sense of self is defined through his ability to achieve results.

- A woman's sense of self is defined through her feelings and the quality of her relationships.

-A woman under stress is not immediately concerned with finding solutions to her problem but rather seeks relief by expressing herself and being understood.

- When men and women are able to respect and accept their differences, then love has a chance to blossom. ~ John Gray

Do the quotes ring true?

School Kits for Needy Children

noreply@blogger.com (paul c) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that. ~ Michael Leunig

My local Ten Thousand Villages store is encouraging the community to get involved by donating school supplies for children in such countries as Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Burundi, Liberia, Haiti, and El Salvador.

School kits contain spiral notebooks, unsharpened pencils, colored pencils, an eraser and a ruler. Contents are placed in colourful drawstring bags sewn by volunteers. Last year 130,000 kits were distributed by Ten Thousand Villages' parent organization, the Mennonite Central Committee.

There are over 80 stores in North America which sell non profit fair trade handcrafted products made by disadvantaged artisans. The store has spent more than 60 years cultivating long term buying relationships across the world in 35 countries. The stores offer a wide variety of unique hand made items for home decor.

Most North American children enjoy a buying spree to get them ready for school, in some cases worth hundreds of dollars. These school kits serve as a reality check of the depravity for millions of children throughout the world.

It's encouraging to see that some children have birthday parties, and instead of gifts they collect supplies for school kits. Anything to get children and teenagers in the giving spirit by buying tangible supplies for the poor is commendable.

What charitable activity were you happy to be involved in?

The Ten Thousand Villages site is here. Samaritan's Purse, the sponsor of Operation Christmas Child is here.