It’s one thing to preach the values of keeping your eyes open and your mind awake to the endless possibilities of the world. It’s often quite another to learn how to do this. As a father, I’m constantly aware my duty to not only teach my children but teach them how to keep learning every moment that life happening around them. I’ve decided that there are a few simple things in their lives which will exercise their intuition in a way that opens up their intellect to the possibilities of the world.
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Category Archives: People & Culture
All about the standing-upright chimps that really love to talk about themselves.
Lighter than Air
When I read that Rush Limbaugh fell for a hoax that was said to be a college thesis by President Obama, I immediately thought of the old joke. What’s the difference between Rush Limbaugh and the Hindenburg? One is a flaming Nazi gasbag, and the other is a dirigible. This doesn’t come to mind just to diss the MahaRushie, though. It ties everything back to the best hoax we’ve had lately, the sage of Balloon Boy (aka Crawlspace Boy) Falcon Heene. The two events share more than being a hoax because they are both more about the victims of the hoax and exactly what they believe – or want to believe.
Scene, Unseen
What we know about our past is often heavily filtered through something like “conventional wisdom”. Certain “great men” are raised up as heroes while others are confined to the footnotes of history. The names that we hear often get credit for far more than they deserve as they ossify into myths, people who are bigger than life. That’s been changing lately as we study history as the actions of people who were simply doing their best. It’s especially evident in the growing body of performances of ancient music that showcase “minor” composers – those who made up the scene that made it all happen.
Just Sayin’
Every language has a few words or phrases that are used because everyone is used to them. Some of them work pretty well, but others are used in silly ways. If you take the world at face value, some of them are literally very funny without meaning to be.
Dia de la Raza
Today is an important holiday throughout the Spanish-speaking parts of the lands we know as The Americas. Not one land but many, they are all united by the simple fact that on 12 October 1492 their worlds changed forever. The holiday is known throughout most of these lands as Dia de la Raza, which translates poorly as “Day of the Race”. Understanding just what “la Raza” means and where the term comes from is critical to understanding this holiday, how it is celebrated, and how it is often impossible to take language out of a culture and still appreciate its meaning.
Barataria - The work of Erik Hare 