Introverted and Intuitive (INFP)
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
GREAT ARTICLE from MSN dealing with a controversial issue near and dear to the heart of an old ZPGer from the 60's. Many of us limited family size in respect of overpopulation. There is no problem in this world that is not tied to over population.
Two Is Enough: Why large families don't deserve tax breaks.
By Dalton Conley
The U.S. government encourages families to have children, as many of them as possible. Child tax credits, child-care tax deductions, and family leave policies all reward parents with big broods. The pro-child policies are based partly on romantic notions about mom, family, and apple pie, but they also have a rational goal: We subsidize kids so that our next generation of workers is ready to win in the global economy.
Problem is, these two goals—more kids and better-prepared kids—are at odds. If we really care about kids' welfare and accomplishment, the United States should scrap policies that encourage parents to have lots of children. As my recent research shows, having more than two children is tantamount to handicapping their chances for academic, and thus economic, success. In this information economy, what we ought to be doing through the tax code is making it easier for parents to ensure the quality of their first one or two children, not stimulating quantity. Pro-fertility tax policy is an outdated notion from an industrial era when we needed bodies to fill manufacturing plants. Today we need fewer, highly skilled kids who will compete with our rivals in math and science.
It's long been known that kids from large families perform worse in school, but it has been impossible to explain why. That's because research about the relationship between family size and children's educational achievement has been plagued by a nagging issue: Large families tend to be different from small families on a number of fronts—religiosity, commitment to education, orientation to the future, maybe even intelligence level. So it has been hard to assess the impact of the number of children in a family as distinct from these other differences. (Maybe Johnny can't read because he has unintelligent parents, not because he is the sixth of nine kids.) After all, with all due respect to Chairman Mao, we can't randomly assign parents to have different numbers of offspring for the purposes of social experimentation—that is, to find out if additional kids handicap offspring.
Here's where my research comes in. I deploy a natural experiment: I examine which sexes parents get for their first two children—a seemingly random event. The key is that families with two kids of the same sex are 17 percent more likely to go on and have a third than those with two kids of the opposite sex. [emphasis mine] As it turns out, no matter what most people say on surveys (or when their kids pop out), many parents desire at least one of each kind. So my research strategy boils down to the following: comparing children from families in which the first two were of the same sex ("treatment group") to those in which the first two were of the opposite sex ("control group") in order to see who fares better educationally. In other words, while only some of the variation in who goes on to have a third child is accounted for by the sex mix (that 17 percent), that variation is "pure"—that is, unbiased by all the other factors that determine family size and determine achievement—since it is a result of the random event of the sex mix. Its lack of bias is bolstered by the fact that it does not matter which sex the first two are—either way, parents are more likely to go on to have additional kids in search of a complete set.
With the addition of the third child, firstborns don't appear to suffer on the educational front. But middle-borns are severely hurt by the addition of another mouth to feed: His parents are 25 percent less likely to send him to private school, and he is several times more likely to be held back a grade. The third child is also less likely to receive parental financial investment in his or her education and can suffer from elevated risk of academic failure. Evidently, only firstborns get off scot-free.
The reasons that additional siblings hamper the intellectual growth of children (and particularly middle-borns) are fairly obvious—parental resources are a fixed pie, and children do better when they get more attention (and money). The conclusions to be drawn are more controversial. For example, we always talk about the goal of raising test scores and the overall "intellectual" or "human" capital of our population to fit the needs of the new information economy (and to compete with other nations in math and science), yet our tax policy does the exact opposite: It gives tax credits for additional kids. We have to confront the possibility that a more powerful educational (and antipoverty) policy is a tax structure that acts as a disincentive to have more children. Research has long shown that family background is a lot more important than school conditions in predicting academic success or failure. Just about the most controllable aspect of family background is how many kids are in that family. So it stands to reason that a more effective education policy may be to provide economic disincentives to large families.
Perhaps a suitable compromise would be to have a declining tax credit—granting a big subsidy for the first kid, a bit less for the second, then cutting back to nothing (not unlike the current system for the Earned Income Tax Credit). Such an adjusted tax credit (and associated deductions) makes economic sense since the addition of the first kid is the most expensive. It makes educational sense, and last of all, it makes common sense. After all, do we really want to subsidize kid No. 9?
Such a fertility-unfriendly policy would put us at odds with European nations that are desperately trying to stimulate population growth by increasing the tax incentives to have more kids; but then again, if we can't find common ground with the Europeans in foreign policy, what should make domestic policy any different? (Unlike most of Europe, we have a steady influx of immigrants to sustain population growth.) More important, the antibrood tax policies would anger those on both sides of the political aisle here in the United States. Religious conservatives—who see procreation as a divine imperative—may take offense at the notion that the government would not do all it could to facilitate this goal. Similarly, many on the left will protest that such a policy is class-biased, allowing rich people who would be less fazed by the additional expenses to have as many children as they please while leaving poor people to feel the extra pinch. Americans of all political stripes might take offense at the notion of the government getting involved in the sacred sphere of family life. But the truth is that we already are meddling with family fertility through our tax code. We're just not acknowledging it, and, furthermore, we're doing it the wrong way. We need honest discussion about the trade-offs between child quantity and quality.
Dalton Conley is director of NYU's Center for Advanced Social Science Research and author of The Pecking Order: Which Siblings Succeed and Why.
CONTACT DALTON CONLEY 
Monday, March 29, 2004
Here's a great site to look up those phrases and words you can't get the meaning of such as marmalade and the full monty and often can't figure out how to spell unless you are THE WORD FREAK (moi). THE WORD DETECTIVE.
Sunday, March 28, 2004
Just thought I would put on here the incredibly nice looking Anthony Hopkins. Isn't this a wonderful photograph?This weekend I went with my daughter to Phoenix to see her grandfather, my ex-husband's father, who has been in an Alzheimer's Home there for a couple of years now. He had been living in Phoenix for the pat 20 years with his second wife, Dee.
My daugher goes regularly but this is the first time I went with her. He recognized me, after all these years. It's been 30 years since I've seen him, 30 years since my divorce. He had the sweetest smile and it made me realize how these people revert back to their very essence, like small children. There were two women there who had a bad fight over a doll. My ex father-in-law greeted the world with this bright and sunny smile for 85 years and it is still there, though he cannot find words to go with them anymore. He was always very sociable and polite. Due to his standard of living, the Alzheimer's Home is just excellent. It is a beautiful setting, like a home, with a good ratio of help to live-ins. The grounds were beautiful. It is safe and secure and he is well cared for.
I love Phoenix. This was my first real visit and it was the perfect time of year. The landscaping is all so soft. There was a tree with yellow blossoms that I fell in love with. I took a long walk in the morning and enjoyed seeing the historic part of downtown. I realized why I can't ever think of anyplace in SD that I want to live ... I don't want to live in SD!!!
On the long drive over and back, I read my daughter's new book about the presidents that a White House correspondent has written. His name didn't mean anything to me but the book was wonderful. He said, among other interesting things, that Roosevelt was now considered #2 behind Lincoln -- by those in the know that is. He also sai Lyndon Baines Johnson was the single most fascinating person he had ever personally met. As always, he speaks of Johnson's size. How different it would be to be a big man, whose size was imposing!! It would save s much time.
I'm staring on Phase II of my diet tomorrow, going for the next 15 lbs. Wish me luck!
I'm dropping off the dating sites for awhile. I reconnected with a friend I knew in my early thirties and I'm going to give that a chance for awhile.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Ok, this has been a long string of nonsense, so I promise you something substantive in the next entry. But not yet! Did you feel Pluto go retrograde today. I forgot how much I like the Pluto feeling. To me it feels like deep comfort. If you've ever had a long bout of physical pain and the pain killers don't work too well, finally the pain becomes your company ... that's Pluto feeling. It's comfort cause at least you're not alone with your pain (!)
Farah Diba answering her email. Visit her HERE.We are all getting ready for the Venus Retrograde transit on May 19th. There are several articles on NANCY R. FENN'S ASTROLOGY WEBSITE and I'm also offering the VENUS REPORT, just $20 for a 5-page report telling you how to use the energy to best advantage and how to stay out of trouble with it, too. Please order your report today so you have plenty of time to prepare. Email me.
I've discovered the new sandwiches at Starbucks and Jack in the Box with the lean turkey and so forth, so that's my meal for tonight. I guess they are taking the obesity suits more seriously now. I'm going to take the second half of my sandwich from this afternoon and eat it in front of the fire ... still a little cold here in Jamul. The last few days to enjoy the stove/fireplace which I love.
I'm reading a light book right now about Farah Diba, the wife of the former Shah of Iran. I heard an interview with her on PBS where she was describing how challenging it was to downscale i her life from a palace and kingdom to wandering the world, looking for refuge. She said it took a lot of strength and courage -- she left Iran with her husband and 4 children. They were not welcome anywhere but finally Egypt took them in.
NANCY R. FENN tells you how to choose your blues name:
MAKE UP YOUR OWN BLUES NAME STARTER KIT: (SOURCE unknown)
a. name of physical infirmity (Blind, Deaf, Cripple, Lame, etc. )
b. name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Kiwi, etc.)
c. last name of President (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, etc. )
For example: Blind Lime Jefferson, Jakeleg Lemon Johnson or Cripple Kiwi Fillmore, etc. Well, maybe not "Kiwi.")
HOW TO SING THE BLUES: A PRIMER
1. Most Blues begin with: "Woke up this morning."
2. "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick something nasty in the next line like,
"I got a good woman, with the meanest face in town. "
3. The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes. . . sort of:
"Got a good woman with the meanest face in town.
Yes, I got a good woman with the meanest face in town.
Got teeth like Margaret Thatcher,
and she weigh 500 pound."
4. The Blues is not about choice. You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch - ain't no way out.
5. Blues cars: Chevy's, Fords, Cadillac's and broken-down trucks. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs, or Sport Utility Vehicles. Most Blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft and state-sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running. Walkin' plays a major part in the blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.
6. Teenagers can't sing the Blues. They ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults sing the Blues. In Blues, "adulthood" means being old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis.
7. Blues can take place in New York City but not in Hawaii or any place in Canada. Hard times in Minneapolis or Seattle is probably just clinical depression. Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City are still the best places to have the Blues. You cannot have the blues in any place that don't get rain.
8. A man with male pattern baldness ain't the blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is.
9. Breaking your leg 'cause you were skiing is not the blues. Breaking your leg 'cause a alligator be chomping on it is.
10. You can't have no Blues in a office or a shopping mall. The lighting is wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit
by the dumpster.
11. Good places for the Blues:
a. highway
b. jailhouse
c. empty bed
d. bottom of a whiskey glass.
e. noodln for catfish.
Bad places for the Blues:
a. Nordstrom's
b. gallery openings
c. Ivy League institutions
d. golf courses
12. Do you have the right to sing the Blues? Yes, if:
a. you older than dirt
b. you blind
c. you shot a man in Memphis
d. you can't be satisfied
No, if:
a. you have all your teeth
b. you were once blind but now can see
c. the man in Memphis lived
d. you have a 401K or trust fund
13. Blues is not a matter of color. It's a matter of bad luck. Tiger Woods cannot sing the blues. Sonny Liston could. Ugly white people also got a leg up on the blues.
14. If you ask for water and your darlin' give you gasoline, it's the Blues. Other acceptable Blues beverages are:
a. cheap wine
b. whiskey or bourbon
c. muddy water
d. nasty black coffee.
The following are NOT Blues beverages:
a. Perrier
b. Chardonnay
c. Snapple
d. Slim Fast
e. Diet Coke
15. If death occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's a Blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover
is another Blues way to die. So are the electric chair, substance abuse and dying lonely on a broken-down cot.
You can't have a Blues death if you die during a tennis match or while getting liposuction.
16. Some Blues names for women:
a. Sadie
b. Big Mama
c. Bessie
d. Fat River Dumpling
e. Caledonia
17. Some Blues names for men:
a. Joe
b. Willie
c. Little Willie
d. Big Willie
e. Willie Joe
f. Leroy
18. People with names like Michelle, Amber, Jennifer, Tiffany, Brooke, Brittany and Heather can't sing the Blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.
19. Oh, by the way: no matter how tragic your life if you own a computer, you cannot sing the Blues.
Monday, March 22, 2004
I don't know where this came from, so sorry, I can't give proper credit, but it's kinda cute. It was on one of the forums I belong to!
GLASSES BY THE PERSONALITY TYPES
INTJ thinks: Glass is made from silicon dioxide, heated to a temperature of ...
INTP: The glass _is_ full -- half water, half air!
ENTP: Voila! 0.157 litres of dihydrogen oxide, prepared by micro-gnomes.
ENTJ: Hey! This is a beer glass, not a water glass!
INFJ: This glass of water is a metaphor for my life.
INFP: But look! The Holy Grail, elixir of life, nectar of the gods, love potion perhaps of Tristan and Isolde, shimmering in the light ......
ENFP: Whooeee! Water fight!
ENFJ: There's more than enough for friends to share.
ISFJ thinks: I bet my friend would like to have some water right now ...
ISFP (Holds up glass of water, tilts it from side to side, wiggles finger in it, licks finger, grins slightly, moves on.)
ESFP: There's a glass of water! You know, it's healthy to drink a lot of water! Why, I remember when I was growing up, we used to ...
ESFJ: I can't believe someone would leave this dirty glass out here! Clean up this mess right now!
ISTJ: It's half empty now, and it wouldn't surprise me if it dried up completely.
ISTP: So? It's water. Big deal!
ESTP: You call that a glass of water? Why, back where I come from, ...
ESTJ: Hey! Whose job was it to fill up this glass?
Sunday, March 21, 2004
I just took a personality test and came out, no surprise, "the poet". This is the graphic that went with. Too funny!! Well, that's me, book lady.
I like to put things in my BLOG that I don't know where else I would put them. I visited an astrology site the other evening that asked people to indicate what sign they were.
Who visited the site in descending order:
44 Leo
40 Scorpio
38 Pisces
37 Cancer
35 Taurus
33 Aquarius
31 Libra
29 Gemini
29 Sag
29 Aries
27 Cap
24 Virgo
Now I am wondering of course about this. I don't think for one moment that Leos and Scorprios are the most intrested in astrology but I'm thinking they are probably the most likely to take the time to "register" and "be seen" (Leo) and "be present since anonymous" (Scorpio). The bottom three make sense. Aries is probably in too big a hurry. Capricorn would think twice about it and Virgos, being both humble and wise, don't often experience the need to be seen or heard.
Sergiev Posad: (population 120,000) formerly Zagorsk and on the road to Yaroslavl, is located 44 miles north of Moscow at the confluence of the Koshura and Glimitsa rivers. It developed around the most important monastery in late medieval and early modern Russia. It was established in 1340 by St. Sergii of Radonezh (1322-92). He is the patron saint of Russia and his feast day is July 18, the day on which special celebrations are held at the monastery. If you will visit St. Sergiev and kiss his relics, he will find a good husband for you within the year.
This is the official residence of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church today. The birds and the church bells are distinctive.Visit MOSCOW AND ST. PETERSBURG, my trip to Russia last summer (2003).
Friday, March 19, 2004
Dwight D. Eisenhower was TIME Magazine's Person of the Year the year I was born. You can find out who was Person of the Year the year you were born! Visit TIME MAGAZINE COVERS to find out.
Thursday, March 18, 2004
These are the stones I had put down at the Rockdale Lucy Patterson Memorial Library in memory of my grandmother, Gertrude Stolterfoht Hale, who was really more like my mother.
The Rockdale Library is unique in that it has about twice as many members as there are people in town. It serves a greater outlying district of people who love to read!
I was raised for my first two years by my grandparents while my father was overseas in World War II (the Battle of the Bulge). We then visited my grandparents every summer for two-three months all the way through high school. I was very close to my grandmother and credit her example with some of the better qualities that I have. My happpiest memories of childhood are at her home, in her front yard and in the space of her warm, high energy and enlightened personality.
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC, A SUCCESS STORY AT 78
This AP story about Jerry Lewis' battle with his weight, shows the emotional pain of this condition as well as the physical discomfort, as he apologizes for "imposing himself" on the American public. Of all the things that people are stereotyped for and blindly prejudiced against, I think that obesity is #1. Jerry gives several serious reasons for his obesity and has found a solution.
Let's all be inspired from Jerry Lewis' story and find a way to manage our weight healthily. There are so many alternatives today. Jerry likes the pool and the treadmill and bike. How about you? I prefer something outdoors and I always make some tapes of my favorite upbeat songs to keep it FUN ... but there are as many different ways to manage weight as there are people!
Jerry Lewis Sheds 58 Pounds
Mar 12, 11:25 AM EST
Associated Press
There's a lot less of Jerry Lewis these days.
The comedian has lost 58 pounds, and is hoping to shed 22 more after weighing as much as 260 pounds while he was taking steroids for pulmonary fibrosis.
"It's diet and rehab. I'm in the pool every day and I'm on a treadmill and the bike," Lewis told AP Radio in an exclusive interview.
In September, Lewis appeared bloated and puffy during the 38th annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, which raised a record $60.5 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
"I feel like I imposed on the American people with that illness, and that fat, and that breathing, but I was there for the right reason," he said.
He checked in Oct. 6 at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas for a managed withdrawal from prednisone, a steroid he was taking for the chronic lung ailment.
He was discharged Jan. 16.
Lewis turns 78 Tuesday, but said he never thought he'd live to see 76 because of the chronic back pain from the many falls he took as part of his high-energy comic routine dating back to the 1940s. He said that since having a "pain pacemaker" surgically implanted in April 2002 to block pain signals to his brain, he no longer suffers.
Associated Press MSN today [author not given]
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for blood plasma.
No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7) times.
Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.
You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.
Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.
The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.
The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.
American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive from each salad served in first-class.
Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.
The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer. [so just]
So did the first "Marlboro Man." [so sad]
Walt Disney was afraid of mice.
Pearls melt in vinegar.
The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
It is possible to lead a cow upstairs ... but not downstairs.
Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne
particles resulting from the flush.
And the best for last.....
Turtles can breathe through their butts.
As far as whether or not I'm going to see Mel Gibson's Passion, no way, not me. These are the types of images I prefer in my spirituality. They are woodcuts by the 16th century artist, Albrecht Durer.
Monday, March 15, 2004
ON BECOMING WHOLE, HEALED, ENLIGHTENED, DIFFERENTIATED
From an article by Verena Kast, a Swiss Jungian analyst. Many have tried to describe the individuation process so cirtical in an understanding and pursuit of Jungian psychology but this is a particularly succinct definition I find very workable.
How do you stack up here? How's your individuation process coming along?
Individuation has four aspects:
1. becoming first increasingly independent from parents and -- more important -- from parental complexes;
2. second, more competent in relationships;
3. third, more of who and what you are;
4. and fourth, more 'whole' -- which I call the spiritual dimension.
[Note from Nancy:] This is the reason we study and meditate, so that we can become mature, then individuated and eventually even enlightened. When I read for someone, Tarot or astrology, this is my focus -- how is your life process toward individuation and spiritual healing coming along?
THE URGE TO MASTERY
Most of the people who seek my counsel in readings are already very spiritual. I'm a teacher of teachers, a healer of healers. My clients are gentle people, usually quite successful in their lives. They ahve a variety of life paths where spirituality is concerned. Most are already living life at a level other can't even comprehend ... but they know there is more and they want more. Not more "stuff", more food, more alcohol, more cigarettes, more money or more cars and tv's, cosmetic suregery, etc. What they want is more in themselves, more to themselves and more from themselves. This is the urge to mastery that I see in most of my clients.
THE HEALING PROCESS
This is the healing process as well. There is no physical condition that doesn't have its origin in false belief or thought patterns. An imbalance in the psyche is reflected with an imbalance in the personality, the physical body, the emotional body , the mind (depression, mental illness, bipolar) or in the outer living conditions.
CREATING A BETTER LIFE
Look around you. You created everything in your life from your thoughts and beliefs from a place of balance or imbalance. As you correct your own imbalances, your outer world will conform. IF you want your world to change, change yourself.MANY ARE CALLED. FEW ARE CHOSEN.
This is a rigorous pursuit. Many are called. Few are chosen.
TRY A READING FROM A SPIRITUAL TEACHER, NANCY R. FENN
If you would like a truly comprehensive, deep, profound, wise and compassionate look at yourself and your growth/healing process, don't hesitate to call for an appointment today -- 619.669.0605. You will hear nothing but positive things about yourself. Our gift is to find what is "right" about you and stimulate it with attention and encouragement. We will increase your confidence in your true self so that you can make a strong connection with your own higher guidance. We assist you in leaving behind false beliefs about yourself and limited/limiting aspects of your personality that are no longer necessary as defenses. We work to reveal the spirit and soul in their purest forms. We believe and will help you to believe as well, that you can find your path in life and connect with your own intuition.
Nancy R. Fenn
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Cops and Krispy Lreme
You may be wondering why I, a health food nut, would have an article about Krispy Kreme donuts. Well, demographically it fascinates me. Are we what we eat? Yes, indeed we are.This article makes an observation with which I think the intuitive observer would agree -- Krispy Kreme appeals to your basic cop. Really, think about it. If you occasion a glance at all in the direction of your red and white drive through KK, who do you see going in and out of these places ... cops and very large people. Usually they are smoking as well.
Is it the coffee and sugar buzz that ties these types together -- esoterically -- the cop and the energy-stripped people they push off the sidewalk and clean up in the alley? Alike in their living on stripped adrenals?
Sorry, the article doesn't have a date but it was quite some time ago as there are now more than one stand alone Krispy Kreme in San Diego.
EYE on San Diego Article
Edited By Ron Donoho
What Are You Looking for in a Doughnut?
Krispy Kreme, as stock-market watchers know, is a branded specialty retailer of premium-quality doughnuts. KK was trading in the 70s—higher than Qualcomm—as of early March. There are more than 160 stores in operation nationwide. Last year, revenues for the company, headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, rose 36 percent to $219 million, and net income totaled $10.5 million.
Fine, but what about the taste of those premium-quality doughnuts? Were the 300 or so people who queued up at 5 a.m. for the opening of San Diego’s first Krispy Kreme (on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard) ahead of the curve, or just plain crazy? Do people consume mass quantities of Krispy Kremes because they really taste so good? Or have folks just bought into the hype?
We decided to find out.
A dozen doughnuts each were purchased from Krispy Kreme, downtown’s K.D.’s Donuts and VG’s Donuts & Bakery in Cardiff. Pre–Krispy Kreme era, VG’s was picked to have the best donuts in San Diego Magazine’s 2000 “Best of San Diego” guide.
The doughnuts we bought were cut into quarters. Armed now with 48 samples from each establishment, we were ready to set up our taste test. Our first choice for
a polling location was the offices of the San Diego Police Department. However, through spokesperson Bill Robinson, police chief David Bejerano declined our request to survey the demographic most associated with doughnut intake.
Undeterred, we set up camp outside the downtown Ralphs supermarket. We were flush with excitement—and armed with a gallon of Ralphs 2 percent milk for palate cleansing. We stripped away the doughnut shop names to let the products speak for themselves. Who would win? Mom-and-pop shop? Corporate titan?
For the most part, capitalism prevailed. Krispy Kreme was the preferred doughnut of 60 percent of the people we polled. VG’s was picked as number one by 40 percent of tasters. Sorry, K.D.’s.
However, our taste testers were also asked to rank the three samples. A doughnut got 1 point for a first-place vote, 2 points for second and 3 points for third (meaning the lowest score, as in golf, is the best). In this scoring set-up, VG’s barely bested Krispy Kreme, by a 78-79 score. This was due to more people ranking Krispy Kreme third (20 percent) than VG’s (7 percent).
What does it all mean? We’re not entirely sure. But the following exchange, overheard during the survey, seems to sum up the experiment:
“It’s all about the glaze,” said one man. “I have a really high tolerance for sugar, which is why I love Krispy Kreme doughnuts. They’re coated with a thick glaze.”
Responded another taster: “That’s why I thought VG’s doughnuts tasted so much better. They had the perfect amount of glaze—not too much—evenly distributed all over the doughnut.”
Final words of wisdom from the first man: “I guess it really depends on what you’re looking for in a doughnut.”
—Lynna Jamison
DO YOU OR DID YOU HAVE SPECIAL POWERS?
What did you used to think when you were a kid? These are the categories:
animals
at home
bad habits
body functions
being ill
eating
farting
general
sleeping
special powers
weeing & pooing
body parts
death
food
grown-ups
kids
language
make-believe
media
music
nature
neighbourhood
religion
school
science
sex
the law
the past
the world
time
toilets
transport
Here is a page people contributed on SPECIAL POWER:
I used to believe I could fly because one time I jumped off a swing and went four feet high for 10 seconds and another time I fell down the stairs but I didn't fall down until I landed on my feet on the floor(not the stairs) the flying theory was disproved when I knew that the wind blew me up when I jumped off the swing and being religious, I think my guardian angel lifted me off the ground and carried me to the ground. but i'm not jewish
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I thing I had a really high fever. But, when I was a kid, I for some reason thought that Michael Jackson had the ability to start and stop time by touching his thumb to his forefinger. It was weird. Too much Small Wonder, I think.
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i started to believe that i had special powers when i was like 7.I believed that i could talk to my pets telepathiclly(and my pets talked back),that i could read people's minds,that i could pick up things with my mind and that i had other powers that i can't remember.
Talking to pets- when we would always come home from shopping or something there would be trash on the floor from the dog and my mom asked who did it.Then i'd ask the dog telepathiclly.the i would look at my mom and tell her that the dog said that bill(i tought that he was my dog's imaginary friend) did it.She would play along too.
reading people mind's- i started believeing this because i would finsh my mom's sentences before she did she always sadi i read her mind.
about picking up things with my mind i read it in some fanisty book for little kids i thought it was ture.People even told me i could but i didn't listen i always thought i could.
sorry enough to say that when i started 6th grade one of the teahcers sent mme to the guidence consular because they thought i had some porblems.Then the guidence consular had me tell the story about it then she told me i couldn't do any of those things(and that bill wasn't real). I had to go back every day(only about 2 1/2 weeks) until i finally stoped saying i could do those things.
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I used to believe that, when I was walking in the bush, if I walked between two trees which were exactly the same type, length, age etc., I would actually be walking through a portal and would disappear into another world. Never worked......
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belived taht i could fly be terminator know wrehre ppl are invnvablity and also control ppl and the elemnt water
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My mom always told me she had eyes in the back of her head.
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I have strabismus, which means my eyes do not operate in concert to provide a 3-D image. As a result, when I look at an object close to my face, it can seem as though the background (seen through one eye) is superimposed on the object (seen through the other eye). As a kid, I thought this meant that I could see through things, which is exactly what it looks like.
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when i was younger, i decided that it could actually be possible to fly. myself and a friend tied planks of wood to our arms and jumped off some rocks onto a beach. to this day i still claim that i "flew" further than i would have without the wood.... but it hurt considerably more with it.
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I used to think that everyone had a certain amount of phsycic energy. Me and my friends would think of numbers from 1-100 and try to 'pick up' what it was. The scary thing was, we were always close and sometimes got it right, I still beleive it today! The people who know about this think it's mad, but life would be boring without some magic wouldn't it?
I think I'm phsycic
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When I was about 8 I used to lie very very still in my bed, and stare at the cieling, untill I had the most fantastic feeling of floating. One night as my eye started to dry out from staring, and I started to fall asleep, I realy felt like I was about 12" away from the cieling. This so startled me that I "fell back onto my bed". I must have jumped about 6" of my bed with shock. For ages i realy believed that I had levitated and ever since I've tried to recreate the feeling, it was great.
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I used to believe that I could run faster than the cars on the highway. I'd always ask my parents to let me out of the car so I could run to grandma's house to get there quicker.
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When I was about 7 I used to believe that I was the only person in the world that could blink.
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When I was a kid, I thought my mother's pinky (finger) had special powers, because every time I had done something I wasn't supposed to, my mother said she knew about it. And when I asked her how, she told me it was her pinky who'd told her.
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When I was young, my brother and I used to believe that dranking a whole glass of water really fast without stopping to take a breath would give us super strength. We actually tested it. We tried to lift up one end of our very heavy living room couch but couldn't do it. Then we did our water trick and lo-and-behold-we lifted the end of the couch! The power of the mind!
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I used to have a friend that was kinda weird. I thought that she could read my mind so whenever she was at my ouse id think inside my head " wow shes so cool " so she wouldnt no that i thought she was weird
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My friend had a sloped up drive way that we waited for the bus at, and i thought that if i ran up it as fast as i could, and jumped at the top, i could fly.
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I discovered masturbation long before I had heard the facts of life or even liked boys at all. I didn't associate with anything sexual, and I had no idea what it was. I assumed I must have discovered some special power and that I was the only person in the world who knew how to do it.
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When i was younger i used to do things really weird! I used to say something and then it would come true! Because of this i believe i was magical or that i was a witch! If people used to say thing like it isnt true i used to say i would put a spell on them! Then soon in about a couple of days they were ill or something bad happened to them! Some little kid went and told the teacher on me and she spoke to me after school! She said if i didnt stop telling people i was a witch she would place a spell on me and it wouldnt be a nice one! I NEVER said anything about being a witch again!!!!!!!
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I remember a lot of my dreams, very vividly. I had one re-occuring dream that I was outside in my driveway and went into my garage. I'd run out of the garage run in a circle and jump twice and when I jumped the third time I'd be flying.
When I woke up, I'd believe it, still do to some extent. My grade six teacher didn't help any when he taught us to fly with out minds. Relaxing ourselves to the point where your spirit or mind can fly around the city with amazingly precise detail.
I think he's an alien....
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I used to think that I had the power to tell the future, but it only happened very rarely in a dream. I was really excited about this new toy coming out when I went to bed. In my dream, I was at this dimly lit shop, very huge, very confusing, and although I never saw it, the walls must've changed positions at points. There was this tiny gap between shelves, so I squeezed in and there they were, the toys I mentioned earlier. I grabbed one and headed out, but could never find that gap again. When I woke up, I could've sworn that the toy I bought was in the computer room. What's scary, though, is when I later bought the exact toy in real life, the shape and pictures were exactly the same as in my dream.
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I used to believe that I could stop time. One time at a friend's birthday party I snapped my fingers, grabbed an extra goodie bag and snapped them again. The mothers were all at the back, and laughed when my mother explained.
You can find out more and enter one of your own I USED TO BELIEVE
I'm going to do a survey on SPECIAL POWERS and send it out in Nancy's eZine, so be looking for it!
Friday, March 12, 2004
Pop Quiz for Ph.D. Candidates in OKIA (Officially Knowing It All)
by Madame Oracle, who would like to thank all the wacky professors and their notorious handouts who have inspired her in so many ways, including the following.
Answer all of the following completely. You will find 32 blue books under your chair and 45 well-sharpened pencils. You have 18 hours. Begin now.
1. An enraged bull elephant enters the room. Using your desk, 3 pencils and your knowledge of animal behavior, calm him and extract whatever it is that is lodged in his left eye that has him enraged.
2. Making reference to the works of Plato, Kant, Hegel, Ayn Rand, and Martha Stewart construct an aesthetic of beauty for the modern woman.
3. Discuss the relationship between superstrings, New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and McDonald's steady, uninterrupted march toward 200 trillion served.
4. You will find a bottle of vodka, a medieval barber's razor, a leather punch, 15 yards of cat gut, and Gray's Anatomy under your chair. Perform an appendectomy on the student sitting next to you.
5. Name one species to have survived the Ordovician, Devonian, Permian, Triassic, and Cretaceous mass extinctions. Draw parallels between this creature and Winston Churchill.
6. A bowl of water is weighed on a scale. If a fish is added to the water, why does the reading on the scale not increase?
7. If Achilles and a tortoise with a headstart compete in a race, does Zeno or Pythagoras get a headache?
8. Develop an apple pie recipe that cures headaches, stimulates the release of prolactin, and temporarily alleviates the deleterious side-effects of your best friend's basic neuroses.
9. Invent a new language. Write six poems, a theory of metaphysics, and the pilot for a new sitcom in it. Provide us with the "Rosetta stone" that will allow us to be impressed by your transcendent, luminous genius.
10. Explain the relationship between god (with a little g), God (with a big G), fishing on a sultry Sunday afternoon, and the eventual super nova of our own sun in sociological, anthropological, and culinary terms. Provide an extensive annotated bibliography.
11. What is the favorite breakfast food of the Rapa Nui? Run it through a complete chemical analysis. Provide us with its basic nutritional information.
12. What is love? Make reference to the wisdom of Karl Marx, Hitler, the clerk at your local 7-11, your grandmother, the Analects of Confucius, John Cleese, three random 4 year-olds, and a group of ravers just coming down off E. Be succinct.
reference: WEB SITE
c. 2002 TDHawkes
The reason I put this here is that about 10 years ago (!) a much, much more clever version of this was circulated on the internet and I thought I had saved it. Anyone know what I mean?
Thursday, March 11, 2004
This is John Keegan, one of my favorite authors. I've created a webpage in his honor, giving you some information about this great writer and a complete listing of his books. Some of my favorites are The Mask of Command, The Face of Battle and The Price of Admiralty. Keegan was recently knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his contribution to Great Britain.In the pages of Keegan's books, you can read about the Alexander the Great, the Duke of Wellington, the Battle of Agincourt, The Battle of the Sommes, Lord Admiral Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar, The Battle of Jutland and the Battle of the Atlantic ... to mention a few. In each book Keegan concentrtes on three-to-five examples of the point he is making.
The Mask of Command discusses military leadership as it has evolved through the ages. The Face of Battle attempts to describe what it is "really like" to be under fire. The Price of Admiralty describes decisive naval battles and in my opinion brings the battles alive even more than the great military engagements.
Another thing I like about Keegan's writing is that he is scrupulously fair to both sides of a combat. I especially enjoyed reading about the great Japanese admirals in the Battle of Midway Island, part of World War II.
Keegan has a wonderful, reader-friendly style. He formerly taught military history at Sandhurst, the school that Prince Harry will be attending.
I say, give Keegan a try. History is ever so much more fascinating than fiction and Keegan makes it easy to step right in, no matter what your former knowledge of these events.
Click one of the book covers and learn more about this wonderful author. If your father or grandfather served in World War II or VietNam, it helps to understand what they experienced.
Click here to visit my KEEGAN WEBPAGE.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
I just finished some great new pages on body language. Lips can lie but not bodies. Learn some of the rules and the foolproofs ways to see if s/he's really interested in you.
Try these:
... he adjust his tie
... he twirls a pencil between the palms of his hand
... she touches his thigh
... she rubs the outside of his thigh
... and much mre
CLICK HERE to visit the pages.
Thursday, March 04, 2004
"I am not so lost in lexicography as to forget that words are the daughters of earth and that things are the sons of heaven. " by Samuel Johnson in Preface to A Dictionary of the English Language, 1755
What's it Mean? It's a Living Language
Keeping up with the latest catch phrases, buzz words and trends in talk is an important way of staying in the flow. Language is an organic thing, always changing, morphing, expanding and contracting. Here are some examples, from the website WORD SPYWRAP RAGE
There is now an emerging body of evidence that shows the over-50s are struggling to come to terms with the packaging of modern goods.
This phenomenon even has a name: "wrap rage".
Studies in Britain have shown that injuries caused by packaging cost the National Health Service about $25 million a year. These are not industrial accidents. They occur in homes every day, predominantly, but not exclusively, among the elderly.
—Nick Richardson, "The mounting toll of wrap wrath," Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), February 27, 2004
FLYING WHILE MUSLIM
On Sept. 26, 2002, Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen born in Syria, was returning to Montreal from Tunisia when he was taken into custody at New York's Kennedy Airport.
Shackled and interrogated by INS, FBI and other agencies for several days, Arar repeatedly asked for an attorney, but was refused one. ...
Arar never was charged with a crime. But his real offense might have been simply FWM — flying while Muslim.
—Lawrence Swaim, "Laws need to change," The Argus (Fremont, CA), February 4, 2004
MOST POPULAR WORDS RIGHT NOW, how many of these do you know?
1 metrosexual
2 pomosexual
3 bluejacking
4 4 retrosexual
5 5 Google bombing
6 6 mucus trooper
7 latte factor
8 movieoke
9 latchkey dog
10 vasectomy zoning
11 heteroflexible
12 Ctrl-Alt-Delete
13 poo X
14 magnetic wood
15 chofa
16 cankle
17 flash mob
18 security mom
19 truckonaut
20 wardrobe malfunction
21 Generation Y
22 lad lit
23 phishing
24 supercentenarian
25 toxic bachelor
26 google
27 job spill
28 manscaping
29 famine theft
30 wrap rage
31 himbo
32 leapling
33 pareidolia
34 affluenza
35 joy-to-stuff ratio
36 hasbian
37 gratitude research
38 lipstick lesbian
39 spim
40 use-by date
41 man breasts
42 butt call
43 puppy leave
44 coffee-spitter
Wednesday, March 03, 2004
See an animated flash of the Battle of Trafalgar. The Battle of Trafalgar
ENGLAND EXPECTS THAT EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY
I had a rare opportunity (sadly) here in the cultural wasteland of SoCal to see a production of Hamlet last week. It was put on by the local Lamb's Theater which has a beautiful home on the island of Coronado. Hamlet is played by Nick Cordileone and Ophelia by Ayla Yarkut. They are played more intense than brooding, more complicated than depressed. This was nice for a change. Hamlet's seething hatred for his mother, Gertrude, is palpable.
As a literature major, a lifelong student of human nature, mythology and a metaphysician, this is the kind of statement that bothers me when I read it in the North County News, an otherwise adequate REVIEW by Pam Kragen:
"Aside from its glorious speeches about life, death and the essence of man, its subtexts of sex and madness, and its deeply drawn characters, William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" is, at its very heart, a ghost story. And in Lamb's Players Theatre's entertaining new production of this classic tragedy, the creepier elements of the play are thoroughly explored."
Ghosts like Hamlet's father are phenomenal occurrences of a deep knowing within the self, at that time in history projected outwards, much as the gods appear to the heroes of the Trojan War. Inner forces are personified in our early history because we don't understand the compulsions and drives with in us that prompt us to "know" and "do" some of the things we do.
These forces tend to dwell in the 4th, 8th and 12th houses of the astrology chart and act like fate or destiny. People with heavily tenanted water houses -- inhabited by Saturn, Neptune, Uranus or Pluto -- are involved in solving family mysteries, paying back family karma and coming to terms with heritage in a way others could not dream of. These people are elected to carry the family darkness forward, out into the light. Chosen or not chosen, this is their lot in life.
If done consciously, there is hope of redemption. If done unconsciously there is only suffering and denial with a feeling of fatedness. "Why is this happening to me?" John Kennedy might have asked as his plane went down into the ocean, an appropriate 12th house ending to a cursed family. "Because of your father and his father and his father ... " "But why?" asks the innocent victim who suffers the fate of the family daimon. "Because it is the law."
This law is spoken about in the Bible in these terms, "The sins of the fathers are visited on the sons ...." Is this ghostly? Is it mysterious? Must sons avenge their fathers? Might they redeem them instead?
These are the interesting questions in the play of Hamlet and in our lives, the lives of each and every one of us. Which scores must you settle for your parents? What things have they stuck you with? What choice do you have?
These are things we discuss in the Family Reading. CLICK HERE for more information.
Another thing that can really help lay some of your family ghosts to rest is a handwriting analysis of deceased relatives from letters and mementoes you may have among your family treasures.
My Saturn Return articles get almost daily responses from around the world. Here are some of the things young people around 30 years old want to know:
March 3, 2004: I have never been more moved by the words of someone i have yet to meet. I just found your Blog and you sound like an extraordinary woman.... Thanks so much for you time and care. You have a very generous soul and I will be sure to follow your site with interest. -- Kait in Melbourne
March 1, 2004: I read your article of solar return and got to know the event that happen with individual at his solar return. My date of birth is xxx (Place of birth is Gurgaon, INDIA) i.e i am on the verge of solar return and quite truely i am very much under pressure to make some hard decisions. Can u please tell me some of my future trends or what decision should i take at this moment so that my life for the next 30 years is not painful. -- Ravi in Gurgaon
February 28, 2004: I am fascinated by the depth of which your article details Saturn's return. For the last couple of years everyone from my well informed GP to my spiritually aware great aunts have told me about this stage. For some time have been aware of a gentle knock at the door but it seems in the last month someone has been trying to hack in down with a axe. Choices need to be made and through your web-site I have realised that the time is now. -- Kait in Melbourne
February 24, 2004: After a day, hah, more like months of facing each day wondering when the undescribable daily struggles will end...internal struggles more than external...I had to find out what is going on with me. Apparently I'm in my Saturn Return...so much of what you described seemed to be fitting. If you can give me any more information on my Saturn Return I would really appreciate it . This period has been so lonely and seems like such a daily struggle that the only thing that seems to help is learning as much as I can about what's going on. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. -- Melissa in California
February 14, 2004: My name's Paul. I read your great article about the first Saturn Return and it really hit home. -- Paul in Australia
February 10, 2004: Your site offered great insight on this period of my life. As scary as it may be, I feel better prepared for the coming years. -- name not given
February 8, 2004: Hi - thank you so much for providing such a valuable site - it is wonderful. I am about to enter my Saturn return and I was wondering of you could give me a little more information about my bith information - it is xxx. My life so far has been a mix of great blessings and great losses, so I am wondering how best to proceed- thanks so much -- Michele in the Midwest
February 7, 2004: I'm a 29 year-old Taurus who is weathering my current return fairly well. Much pain, yes. But pain that I recognize as growth. My own birth info: xxx. I'd certainly appreciate any more specific information regarding my current return that you are able to offer me. What you offer online has already helped my headset immensely. Thanks. -- Carl in the US
February 6, 2004: Thank you very much for the insightful mini-reading. I really appreciate this information you sent me. It helps me to know that what I am feeling does have a purpose and provides an opportunity for my advancement. Much of what you wrote rings true to me... and I am not talking a little ring like from a tinkle bell, I mean more like a spirit shaking ring of a gong! -- Melanie in Texas
February 2, 2004: Before I continue, let me say that I truly enjoy your site(s). Such refreshing and affirming humor. Sorry it's taken me longer than I'd hoped to write you back! I'm trying to wade through my second semester of graduate school and it is a real treat to be able to reflect on your comments after a long day of studies. Thank you so much for helping me to gain more insight [about] my Saturn return. Much of what you have recognized is very spot-on, especially the part about being resistant to change, yet experiencing all-encompassing changes ...someone has called them "life makeovers." I suspect that I am getting a life makeover right now. It's taking a little longer than the 'facial' that I thought I'd come in for! I guess we 8th-house Saturns just aren't as cryptic as we think we are:-)
January 24, 2004: I will take your reminder about emotional resilience to heart. You have given me much to think about. Thank you. -- Eirene in the UK
January 23, 2004: Tonight, I had the immense privilege of reading your extensive article on Saturn in Cancer ... as beautiful, disturbing, wrenching and impressive a piece of work as I have seen in a very long time. My God, what an exceptional text you have produced. I feel genuinely humbled to have received the experience of this remarkable manuscript. I just want to grab people by the lapels and make them sit down and absorb this extraordinary creation. -- Rebecca in NY
January 16, 2004: I've been reading your website about people born with Saturn in Cancer and am fascinated. It mentions that you do free mini Saturn readings via e-mail - is this true? [Nancy's note, yep!] If so, could you do one for me because I am really struggling at the moment (as are many of my friends of my age) and would love to have some astrological insight into that. -- Amy in London
January 2, 2004: What a wonderful thing it is that one minute I can be tapping away on a keyboard and the next I am receiving such help from afar. What you said really resonated with me and has helped clarify some matters in my life. It's nice to be reassured!! You're so right that I feel drawn to come back to my village but when I'm here, though I find ways to make myself useful, I find it hard to commit to being here. Aahh.. as I'm writing this I'm finding some answers I think but I'm thinking I would like to go for a more in depth report.... -- Nigel in the UK
January 2, 2004: Thank you for your response. I am amazed how accurate you were about my family issues.... -- Azure from Canada
January 1, 2004: Nancy - I can't thank you enough for taking so much time to look over my chart and reply to me. I was expecting a few lines so I am totally overwhelmed and extremely grateful! Everything that you have said makes complete sense to me. -- CK from London
December 26, 2003: I read your description of the Cancer Saturn Return on the web and found it incredibly helpful. I wonder if you could give me some advice on my own saturn return? -- Kirsten in Cambridgeshire, UK
December 26, 2003: Wow, what an enlightening article. I am 29 this year and I've been feeling so many different things. Thank you for helping me define and understand all of my frequently changing, tumultuous emotions. -- Tara
If you know someone who is turning 30, please put them in touch with my series on Saturn in Cancer and the Saturn Return. CLICK HERE There are five articles, including charts and information about 75-80 famous people from all times past who had Saturn in Cancer. Among them are three of the greatest writers who ever lived, Shakespeare, Tolstoy and the Russian poet Alexandr Pushkin (easily a rival to Shakespeare).
This group also includes both the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon, two men born in the same year who met in the war of worlds, the Battle of Waterloo. What Wellington did on land, Admiral Nelson did on the sea.
Two young women who have been much in the news lately, Angelina Jolie and Drew Barrymore are currently experiencing their Saturn Returns in Cancer. They seem to be finding themselves and becoming much more the mellow and serene goddesses that go with Saturn in Cancer.
The articles are also geared toward people who are entering their second Saturn Return, such as Donald Trump. Trump has recently stepped into a larger role as a mentor or teacher in his tv show, The Apprentice. He will be getting his message to a much larger audience now, a message of resilience, wit and power.
Here is a section from a poem called The Sheltering Heart that my friend Ben Aames sent. It describes one of the things I love about the Saturn in Cancer person.
looks you straight in the eye and says,
"Look at me. I can see you are hurting.
We have to talk."
Then holds all your convoluted ramblings,
your emotional injuries,
like they're tangled necklaces
of rubies and pearls,
sorts them patiently,
and smilingly places them all around your neck
like you're the princess
with a silly, wet kiss.
Frankly, it's pretty tough having Saturn in Cancer, so if you know someone in this age group, born around 1975, pass these articles along to them.
Been busy, so this is the first time to catch you up on the personal Nancy. It's been rainy and cold here in SoCal (!!) and I've been sticking close to the fireplace and staying cozy. We even had "snow" out here last night.
I've been reading The Price of Admiralty by John Keegan, one of my favorite authors. He claims that he always first of all and most of all wanted to be a naval historian but I don't think this book is anywhere near as good as his books Mask of Command and Face of Battle which are about military history, battles, leadership, etc.
This teaches us a bit about fate, destiny, etc. Keegan tried to become a naval historian but was turned instead into teaching military history at Sandhurst, where Prince Harry will be going this year. It seems fate knew best. Keegan became a world class military historian. Many consider him the best military history writer extant.
I was interested in this book especially because of my interest in Lord Admiral Nelson. Nelson had Saturn in Aquarius and he is going to be the kingpin of my articles on Saturn in Aquarius (but first I have to do Saturn in Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sag, Capricorn !!). Nelson was so far ahead of his times it's unbelievable. He is the one who coined the phrase "Band of Brothers" as in brotherhood of man, as in Aquarius. He also had a very out of the ordinary love affair with a very out of the ordinary married woman, Emma, who lived in Naples. It eventually developed into something of a menage a trois. At a time when most English gentlemen were doing exactly the same thing but covering it up hypocritically, Nelson refused to keep his affair in the shadow. It made him somewhat unpopular. He was quite obsessed with Emma and this gave him the only biased judgment he showed as a strategist -- because she lived in Naples, he had a subconscious bias toward protecting the eastern half of the Mediterranean sometimes ignoring opportunities in the western half and out into the Atlantic.
Also I don't get the idea Keegan likes Nelson very much. He gave two sentences to Nelson's death which occurred at the very beginning of the Battle of Trafalgar. Of course everyone remembers Nelson's famous exhortation (by flag) at the beginning of the battle ... England expects every man to do his duty. Keegan commented that some men were irritated -- they didn't feel they needed to be reminded of this.
Nelson's Aquarian genius appeared in a strategy he used at Trafalgar which apparently had no precedent or succedent. It involved grasping the possibilites of advances that had recently occurred in the technology of the times -- a new set of flag signals had recently been developed which permitted much greater ability to command and direct at sea. It was Nelson who connected the dots.
Plus, he's a real hunk.
Nelson lost his right arm in battle and also was blinded in one eye.
If you saw Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World it was the same time era as Nelson. When the officers were sitting at the table eating, the Russell Crowe character made references to having served briefly with Admiral Nelson.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Pluto is halfway through Sagittarius now and look what just happened! A dream come true! I believe like Robert McNamara, formerly of the World Bank, that every problem in society can be traced back to overpopulation. Until population growth is checked, we are just pushing back on chaos and at the same time we are summoning a natural or manmade disaster of unimaginable proportions to correct this imbalance.
In a precedent-setting decision, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Roman Catholic charity must offer birth-control coverage to its employees even though the church considers contraception a sin.
Read the whole article. CNN.com - Catholics ordered to offer birth control - Mar. 1, 2004: "In a precedent-setting decision, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Roman Catholic charity must offer birth-control coverage to its employees even though the church considers contraception a sin."
NOTES TO FRIENDS, LOVERS AND FUTURE GENERATIONS ON THE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE OF READING
Ask any introvert. Reading is probably our number one past time. After all, it can be done alone and it's inwardly rewarding. Most introverts love to read. Many get started early, learning at home from their mother.
You wouldn't think there could be anything controversial about reading but I recently stumbled upon an issue which created spirited, if not to say passionate, debate among the introverts who participated in my Book Survey Poll. The question that stirred up all the controversy? "How do you feel about writing in books, dog earing, ,etc.?"
I got reactions from some people who evidently would rather die than "deface" a book. As one respondent put it emphatically, "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". Another replied, "Ack! No!" and a third elaborated, "Grrr, Never, never, never/"
Some people referred to the sanctity of books and the "crime" of defacing them. "I never write in books. It was instilled in us to always respect and care for them." say some while another proclaims, " "Blasphemy! I treat books like sacred objects, with great respect."
Some respondents to my poll gave prescriptions of their own on "how to do it": "no way, flat bookmarks only please", "strongly dislike and violent. Seeing someone else's notes is like someone talking to you when you are listening to the author." And these little bits of specious advice, ". It's all right to write in paperbacks or scholarly texts, but it's better to keep one's books tidy." also "Writing in books and underlining is ok if neat. Dog earing defaces."
Some experts were glad to explain when it was ok and when it wasn't. "never ever in a library book, I use to underline but then I found that when I reread that book I would notice that those things underlined had no relevance to my present state of being and so now I journal and write the paragraph, page and book in a separate journal. Then I have the best of both worlds."
I also heard from two bath tub readers. "I use my books. I underline. I often read in the hot tub and I don't worry if they get wet." says one. Another waxes downright eloquent, "I absolutely write in my books. I get very familiar with them. I write notes and comments to the author, put stars and exclamation points, notes to myself. I turn the pages down and also they usually get in the tub with me so they are a little damp at times; swimming pools and sunlight. I take my books with me everywhere. Naturally these are paperbacks. That's what I love about paperbacks. I never go back and read the things I've written but if I like something, I underline it and read it over slowly for emphasis as I'm underlining. It puts it in my mind permanently. I have a photographic memory. I don't understand why there are "rules" against this. I think it is the most natural way in the world to love something, to put your hands on it, like bathing a baby. Never someone else's though, of course!!
As a matter of fact, people have been writing in books from the time of glosses in medieval manuscripts to the plethora of personal annotation found in the margins and on the endpapers of books novelist Graham Greene was reading, found upon his death in 1991.
And of course there is also the famous retort of Sylvia Plath in her teenage diary. Next to "What is more wonderful than to be a virgin," she later added, "being raped."
For those with more than a passing interest in this scintillating topic, Yale University Press has published a book called Marginalia, the first survey devoted to the subject of writing in margins (2001). In it, University of Toronto professor H. J. Jackson unearths a multifarious collection of notes and comments people have scrawled in books over the centuries.
In it, for example, you will find Coleridge referring to himself as "S.T.C. i.e. Sinful, tormented Culprit," and Edward Gibbon (of Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire) criticizing Herodotus' famous tale of a drowning man being carried to safety by a dolphin, "Most unphilosophical fable!" he writes. "Since it supposes the friendship of a man and a Sea-fish."
Based on a study of thousands of books annotated by readers both famous and obscure over the last three centuries, Jackson's book "reveals the intensity of emotion that characterizes the process of reading. For hundreds of years, readers have talked to other people in the margins of their books--not only to authors, but also to friends, lovers, and future generations." [Sven Birkerts' review for Yale University Press]
Sensational news of late are the margin notes of Sir Isaac Newton in over 30 of his personal Bibles being studied by expert Dr. Stephen Snobelen. Snobelen says Newton's Bibles are "remarkable artefacts to handle physically, because you can actually see the dog-eared pages. You can see the soiling. You can see this physical testimony of a lifetime. There are annotations in the margins."
We are somewhat concerned about the future of marginalia due to the proliferation of books and articles on the internet. We would suggest that you print out a copy of this article and make some notes in the margin as to your feelings in the matter.
