September 2011
1 post
404 Not Found →
August 2011
1 post
3 Steps to Break the Self-Judgment Habit →
There’s no denying it, inherent in our human make-up is the need to judge and criticize. Some of us are more naturally talented at this than others. It’s worth getting curious about how the…
July 2011
1 post
"Writing is Just What Some People Do, Whenever... →
“When there is no writing out there to speak for itself, the writer talks about writing. Maybe they write a story about it. Or an essay. Or they read a story/essay about writing, which is an…
April 2011
3 posts
Chart: Who's Bearing the Tax Burden? -... →
Chart details change in share borne by corporations and individuals over time.
God-willing, and the creeks don’t rise →
In the holler when I grew up, a big rainfall was a glorious thing. In this picture my mom just took and sent me, there’s a bridge missing where the rising water washed it away; a yearly spring…
How I Pwn My Inbox At All Times →
My inbox might get crowded on occasion, but it never stays that way. Currently, I have 34 emails in my inbox, all of which are relevant.
I get several hundred emails per day, but I’m in…
March 2011
2 posts
The Real Story of Our Economy: Why Our Standard of... →
Shared by Kurt
Eisenhower was right.
For more than a quarter century after WWII the fruits of America’s productivity were shared with average working people, year in and year out. Not anymore.
"The tension felt in the modern world between... →
“The tension felt in the modern world between those who look at the confluence of neuroscientific data, historical data, and other information illuminating our past and those who simply accept…
February 2011
1 post
Egypt 2011 →
This week I’ve been transfixed by the images of protest in Egypt. The images evoked a variety of strong emotions in rapid succession: hope, joy, excitement, worry, fear, pride,…
January 2011
2 posts
Media: Vaccine-Autism Link Was Scientific Fraud,... →
For years now, schools have been having to deal with parents who don’t want their kids vaccinated for fear of a connection to autism, and the situation has continued despite the fact that…
The Dull Monk in the Third Row Theory of the... →
I subscribe to a theory of the evolution of Buddhist doctrine which I think of as the ‘dull monk in the third row’ theory. It goes something like this. First let us imagine the Buddha – if nothing…
December 2010
0 posts
Want a Bigger, Stronger Brain? Start Meditating.... →
Midweek Mental Greening
“In meditation, effort must be applied in a direction opposite to what we are used to. Our ‘effort’ must be to relax ever more deeply. We must ultimately release…
November 2010
7 posts
Gary Hotham's haiku for Thursday Nov 11, 2010 →
rest stop- -
in the darkness
the grass stiff with frost
Rand Paul Is OK With Earmarks (for His State) →
Shared by Kurt
Hypocrite.
Tea Party candidates such as Rand Paul were emphatic in their campaigns about the evils of earmarks and the need to eliminate them. But Paul, the senator-elect from…
Buddhist Manifesto →
Glenn Wallis has a sharp post up at his blog entitled: “Buddhist Manifesto” (PDF).
Q. Who is Gotama?
Gotama, Wallis claims, is not a god but “an unsurpassed…
Gary Hotham's haiku for Monday Nov 08, 2010 →
Shared by Kurt
Great use of internal rhyme in this one.
at the corner
she finds a wind to spin
the pinwheel faster
Gary Hotham's haiku for Wednesday Nov 03, 2010 →
the sound they make
the sound I make
autumn leaves
Evelyn Lang's haiku for Sunday Oct 31, 2010 →
not carved not painted just a pumpkin on the doorstep
October 2010
5 posts
"You come to a point, and then you say,... →
“You come to a point, and then you say, “I need time.” You say to yourself, “Tomorrow I will understand.” This structure is born of time and functions in time, but does not come to an end through…
Drought May Threaten Much of Globe Within Decades →
The United States and many other heavily populated countries face a growing threat of severe and prolonged drought in coming decades, according to results of a new study by National…
Evelyn Lang's haiku for Friday Oct 15, 2010 →
autumn rain…
in my commonplace book
petals of wild plum
Evelyn Lang's haiku for Wednesday Oct 13, 2010 →
between two maples
string hammock sagging
with fallen leaves
Daily Words of the Buddha for October 08, 2010 →
Attā hi attano nātho,
attā hi attano gati.
Tasmā saṃyamamattānaṃ
assaṃ bhadraṃva vāṇijo. Listen
One is one’s own protector,
one is one’s own refuge.
Therefore, one should control oneself,
July 2009
8 posts
Designing for Creativity →
Over at Mind Matters, we’ve just posted a very interesting article on creativity and distance, or why thinking something is farther away makes us more likely to solve difficult problems that…
Meet the Torturers—By Scott Horton (Harper's... →
One of the most striking things about this report is the extent to which the entire torture process was driven by healthcare professionals. The account makes clear that contract psychologists…
Sarah Palin, anti-intellectualism, and the plight... →
Shared by Kurt
Petrilli hits the mark.
I have a piece by that title in today’s Education Gadfly. I argue that the Republican Party can hardly be the standard-bearer for a rigorous liberal…
"a cup of coffee" by Liam Wilkinson, UK →
a cup of coffee
after Sunday service
you’ve always
put your faith in
caffeine and Christ
Paul D Miller on Haiku Trends →
We were able to speak with Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky) about his thoughts of haiku in general and what he’s most looking forward to at this conference in particular.
H09: What trends and…
Kirsty Karkow's haiku for Thursday Jul 16, 2009 →
honeymoon
we wade into the current
of a great river
in columbia →
In Columbia Tennessee last night at a certain point my mother-in-law’s neighbors stopped launching fireworks and just threw them up in the air by their tails.
Stuff we can’t even buy back …
volunteers the blue spruce alight from the fire →
volunteers the blue spruce alight from the fire
June 2009
12 posts
Theory of progress →
A theory of linear succession or progress has been the premise of Western philosophy of history from the beginning of the Christian era and on through today. In the earlier form, taken from biblical…
“If You Can Do the Bart, You’re Bad Like Michael... →
He has strangely colored skin, a legendarily dysfunctional family, and is perpetually 10 years old. No wonder Michael Jackson identified with Bart Simpson. On a DVD commentary track that’s part of
Is marriage obsolete? →
Sandra Tsing Loh is getting divorced after 20 years of marriage and two children, she writes in The Atlantic. In Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off, she suggests that most of us should give up on…
Dear Wanna-bes, Your Twitter Stardom is Coming to... →
One of the most controversial practices widely used to build up influence on Twitter is now cause for account suspension, according to a message on the Twitter developers email list from a…
eightgallons →
All his life he had hidden his light under a bushel. Then he had hidden the bushel. Now he was a bit hazy about what a bushel actually was.
Meanwhile in Burma [via feedly] →
Understandably lost on events in the Middle East is the continuing trial of Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi. The Burmese junta have put Suu Kyi on trial after she allowed a trespassing…
Want a Bigger, Stronger Brain? Start Meditating.... →
Midweek Mental Greening
“In meditation, effort must be applied in a direction opposite to what we are used to. Our ‘effort’ must be to relax ever more deeply. We must ultimately release…
Gunman, Guards Exchange Fire In Holocaust Museum -... →
he was at the museum when he heard several loud pops and saw several schoolchildren running toward him, three with horrified looks on their faces. He said when he saw the kid’s faces, he knew someone…
Daydreaming and Booze [feedly] →
What happens to the brain when we drink alcohol? In recent years, scientists have discovered that booze works by binding to and potentiating a specific GABA receptor subtype. (GABA is the main…
"The art of mastering life is the... →
“The art of mastering life is the prerequisite for all further forms of expression, whether they are paintings, sculptures, tragedies, or musical compositions.” - Paul Klee
Twitter is the New Blogging, With a Twist [feedly] →
It’s always interesting to me to see technology data trends repeat themselves, even when the technologies themselves are seemingly completely different and designed for different purposes.
Case in…
Reality Sandwich | I Am God →
what we think of as “spirituality” today is not at all a departure from the narcissistic culture of consumption, but its truest expression.
May 2009
5 posts
Why is this Present Moment so Important? →
Why is this Present Moment so Important?
The morning wind spreads its fresh smell.
We must get up and take that in,
that wind that lets us live.
Breathe, before it’s gone.
Rumi
Allow this…
How Meditation Improves Attention [feedly] →
› The science of meditation and attention. › Learn to meditate with a beginner’s guide.
William James wrote that controlling attention is at “the very root of judgement, character and…
"We are taught not to take ourselves too... →
“We are taught not to take ourselves too seriously, and we are taught to believe that there is little ultimate truth in grief or misery. The real wisdom is joy. The real wisdom is happiness. It takes…
“A year or so ago, I dumped RSS and began to look for a new way of reading stuff...”
– Kill your RSS reader, and use my amazing system for browsing the Web. - By Farhad Manjoo - Slate Magazine
Call for Submissions: Economy →
Happy May Day! We’re pleased to announce that submissions are open for a new qarrtsiluni issue: Economy. The guest editors this time are Anna Dickie and Pamela Hart, and we’ll let them explain.
April 2009
27 posts
Alden Originals Maker of fine folk instruments →
The Irony of Satire: Political Ideology and the... →
This study investigated biased message processing of politicalsatire in The Colbert Report and the influence of politicalideology on perceptions of Stephen Colbert. Results indicatethat political…