Entries Tagged 'Lifelong Learning' ↓
July 3rd, 2009 — Humor, Lifelong Learning
A mother, father and daughter were taking a walk, enjoying the sounds of nature.
Mother: I love the sound of the wind rustling in the trees.
Father: I love the twittering of the birds.
Little Girl: I love the sound snails make.
Mother and Father: Huh?
Mother: But, Honey, snails don’t make any sound.
Little Girl: Yes they do. See! (Stepping on a snail crossing their path.) They go CRUNCH!
Just another reminder that not everyone sees the world the way we do. It pays to ask rather than trust our assumptions. 
June 26th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning
I never eat organic food. At my age I need all the preservatives I can get.
—Anonymous
Thanks to the efforts of the wife, a couple lived a healthy lifestyle and were doing fine until they were killed in a traffic accident. When they arrived in heaven they were overwhelmed by how fantastic it was. They were delighted at first, then the husband started berating the wife:
If it hadn’t been for you and your organic food, we could have been here ten years ago!
What do you think about organic food?
June 12th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning, Living Fully
Do you agree with Ben’s reasoning in the comic above? Do you think that question is a valid test of IQ?
Which doesn’t belong in the following group: cow, rooster and hay?
David Brooks recently wrote an article in the New York Times saying people in an individualistic culture like America will be more apt to connect the cow with the rooster because they’re both animals…individualists are more apt to think in terms of categories. Asians are more collectivistic and think in terms of relationships. They’re more apt to say the rooster doesn’t belong because the cow depends on the hay. Brooks’ reasoning sounds good, but my husband is highly individualistic and was raised in a rural area. He also thinks the cow and hay are more closely linked. What do you think? Do you think questions like this are too culturally biased to be used on tests of intelligence and ability?
Are you as fascinated as I am by the different ways people think?
Picture Credits
May 15th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning, Stress Trap
How do you feel about exercise? Do you agree with the Enthusiast or the Couch Potato?
The Enthusiast:
I love the way I feel when I exercise. Not only that, it will add years to my life.
The Couch Potato:
I hate exercise. Besides, if God wanted us to do it He wouldn’t have invented the remote.
May 8th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning, Stress Trap
The Young Man and the Shirts
A young man was visiting his folks at Christmas and his mother gave him two new shirts. The fellow was pleased and immediately went upstairs to change into one of them. When he came down his mother looked hurt and said, “It’s too bad you didn’t like the other one.”
The Hunting Dog
Another fellow was tired of his friend being so negative, but he was sure the friend would be impressed by the fellow’s new hunting dog. So the two men went duck hunting, and when they shot a duck and it came tumbling down into the water, the dog went to retrieve it. But instead of jumping in the water and swimming, he walked on top of the water. He simply pranced over, picked up the duck, and came prancing back. The owner was thrilled and looked expectantly at his friend. The friend gave him a disgusted look. “That stupid dog of yours doesn’t know how to swim, does he?”
Sometimes You Just Can’t Win
Have you ever known people who always see things in a negative light? How do you handle it? Can you see the humor in it when it happens to you?
April 17th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning
sjconnect. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
I learned about the Russian memorial to the victims of 9/11 (and of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center) from a post by Conrad Hake. The monument is officially named To the Struggle Against World Terrorism, but it is also known as the Tear of Grief or Teardrop Monument.
Conrad’s post shows pictures of the memorial that have been going around the internet with the sentiment
I never knew about this before. Why wasn’t it covered by the media?
I spent a lot of time this week pondering that question and poking around to see if I could find the answer.
I think the simple answer is it was built in an industrial area of Bayonne, New Jersey. Bayonne was chosen because
- it had been an arrival point for many of the 9/11 evacuees,
- It had been a staging area for the rescue efforts, and
- It offered a good view of the Statue of Liberty and of the former World Trade Center site.
The monument was erected for the fifth anniversary of 9/11, and I find it very attractive, especially in this spectacular picture. But understandably, the news of the anniversary was mostly focused on New York.
Even more importantly, it appears the memorial wasn’t open to the general public at that time. According to the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority
The Memorial was dedicated on the fifth anniversary of 9/11, in a ceremony attended by President Bill Clinton, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, Governor Jon Corzine, Senator Frank Lautenberg, Senator Robert Menendez and family members of World Trade Center victims. Grammy award winner, Leann Rimes, sang the National Anthem.
Harbor View Park, where the monument is located, was not officially opened until October 23.
Location, Location, Location
But why haven’t more people become aware of the memorial since the park has been opened? My guess is it’s the old saying, “Location, location, location!” It’s not easy to get there by car, and it is in an industrial area.
This picture shows the view of the monument looking away from the harbor:
As it turns out the mural is painted on the back wall of the Bayonne Drydock & Repair Corporation building. Notice the monument on the right.
jag9889. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
The relative location of the two buildings can be seen more clearly in this picture. Notice the ship being repaired and the ample parking space for the monument.
This picture shows more of the industrial area and why the monument is not easy to get to by car. Visitors to the site have written that the way is not well-marked, and there doesn’t seem to have been much effort to advertise it to road travelers.
On the other hand, some cruise ships seem to know about it. This picture shows one next to the memorial:
The home port for some of the Royal Carribean Cruises is close to the monument. So presumably some people are becoming aware that the monument exists. Notice also the two buses in the parking lot in the above picture. Maybe that means some bus tours are including the memorial?
The area is scheduled for redevelopment so things could change for automobile tourists in the future.
So Why Didn’t We Hear About This Before?
Because we never took a cruise from Bayonne.
I wish I could have included more pictures instead of so many links, but I haven’t received responses from those requests for permission. In particular, I wrote to the sculptor’s e-mail address:
I am trying to get permission to use this photo of the To The Struggle Against World Terrorism monument for a post on my personal blog this Friday. I need to get Mr. Tsereteli’s permission. Could you please help me? I would give him full credit and say he reserves all rights. Some of us are trying to get more publicity for the monument. It is not widely known here in the US and we would like to help rectify the matter.
I will let you know if I ever get a response.
Thanks to
rummuser for commenting on last week’s post.
April 10th, 2009 — Humor, Lifelong Learning
…April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom
Holiday tables under the trees….
I never knew the charm of spring…
‘Till April in Paris….
—April in Paris, song by Harburg/Duke
This picture above reminds me of the year we lived in France. On the first of May my husband stood in front of the window looking out at the rain pouring down. “Well,” he said, “we’ve tried April in Paris. Now let’s try May.”
It had rained most of April, which apparently isn’t unusual. May tends to be more like Spring, but “May” didn’t fit the music as well as “April”. Another example of you can’t believe everything you hear.
Thanks to
rummuser for commenting on last week’s post.
April 3rd, 2009 — Life as a Shared Adventure, Lifelong Learning
It’s not only kids who go on Easter Egg hunts.
Every year when Easter candy appears on store shelves my husband invariably looks for the candy shown in the picture. He’s usually disappointed, but he keeps trying. And last year, wonder of wonders, Target in Santa Fe actually had them! So this year we timed our occasional trip to the big city to see if they were there again this year. Nope, no luck.
So I went hunting on the web. We didn’t know who made them or even what they’re called. We always used the generic term, “brightly-colored marshmallow eggs”. They have a grainy white sugary thing in the middle, so they’re not really marshmallows, but they sure are pretty.
I spent a couple of hours seeing if I could find some to buy, but except for the candy warehouse from the link above, no luck. And the idea of buying 24 bags just didn’t appeal. I did find one site that offered to sell individual bags, but when I tried ordering the web site didn’t take my order. I tried phoning, but kept getting a busy signal, and no one answered my e-mail. Presumably they’ve gone out of business. So I wasn’t successful in getting my husband his candy, but I had a good time looking.
Was it all a waste of time? Not at all. It goes back to part of my motto, “Find what you love to do and find a way to share it with others.” I love to do research like this…it doesn’t matter what the topic. And I especially love it when I can find a hard-to-find item that my husband wants. In this case I wasn’t completely successful, but it helped hone my searching skills, and we had a good time sharing the adventure. It warms my heart just thinking about it.
Thanks to
rummuser for commenting on last week’s post.
March 27th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning
I had my annual eye exam last week and was reminded of a simple success story. I used to have trouble with getting my eye pressure checked. I would dutifully look at the spot she indicated, but as the tonometer came close to my eye I couldn’t help but blink in supposed self-protection. Rationally I knew it wouldn’t hurt, but my instincts were too strong. Then one time the technician said, “Don’t forget to breathe.”
She told me that because people often hold their breath and it increases the pressure in the eye and gives false readings. For me it was sound advice for not blinking. When I stayed conscious of my breathing as well as focusing on the spot, my mind was too absorbed to pay attention to the tonometer approaching my eye. I’ve never had trouble with blinking ever since.
It’s a yearly reminder of a simple but powerful stress-management technique. When I start to worry about something I try to switch my thoughts to what I’m aiming for. That’s often enough, but when anxious thoughts still intrude I can always overwhelm them by becoming conscious of my breathing. Fortunately my mind is too small to think of three things at once, so there’s no room in it for worrying.
What About You?
What techniques do you use to prevent worrying from sapping your energy and motivation?
March 13th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning, Living Fully
bikehikebabe sent me these words of wisdom from the internet:
How to Stay Happy Always
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them, this is why you pay them.
2. Keep only cheerful friends… The grouches pull you down. (Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!)
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, art, history, gardening, whatever! Never let the brain get idle. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s!
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with him or her!
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve. Then go on. The only person who is with us our entire life is our self. LIVE while you are alive. Those who loved you but are gone will understand and applaud!
7. Surround yourself with what you love. Whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies or whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
The end of the e-mail added, “And if you don’t send this to at least four people - who cares? But do share this with at least someone.” So I’m sharing the list with you. 
What About You? Do you any of these sentiments resonate with you? Are there any you disagree with?
