Phony-Baloney Detection Lesson #2
July 31, 2008
Appeals to Authority
Listen to this quote by a guy I am sure some of you have heard of:
“Our society is dominated by experts, few more influential than psychiatrists. This influence does not derive, however, from our superior ethics or goodness or from any widespread consensus that we are especially admirable?”[1]
Don’t you just love that?
He goes on to say, that Americans have become a people too dependent on so-called “experts” who “for better or for worse, exert an influence that far exceeds the actual wisdom (I might add here humility and grace) we demonstrate.”[2]
Now, listen to this person’s credentials:
“Dr. Satinover is a former National Merit Scholar (W. H. Taft HS, 1965, Woodland Hills, CA) and holds degrees from M.I.T. (S.B.), Harvard (Ed.M.) the University of Texas (M.D.) and Yale (M.S.) He completed psychoanalytic training at the C. G. Jung Institute of Zürich. He is a former fellow (resident) in psychiatry and child psychiatry at Yale where he was twice awarded the department of psychiatry’s Seymour Lustman Residency Research Prize (2nd place). He was the 1975 William James Lecturer at Harvard. He was until recently a graduate student and teaching fellow in the department of physics at Yale University as part of the Condensed Matter Theory Group where he received a master’s degree in physics in 2003.”[3]
New Poetic Work By Ethiopian Immigrant Promotes Respect, Courage And Cultural Sensitivity
July 30, 2008
McLean, VA - “The Healing Conscious” tells the story of an Ethiopian immigrant boy on his fascinating journey to America and adulthood. Author Kifle Bantayehu, a 23 year-old second-generation Ethiopian immigrant, recounts this poignant tale in poetic format. His inspirational collection of poems reflects the final words and thoughts of a dying man who traveled across the world, raised a family and became successful-finally fulfilling the American dream.
These poems, written in a uniquely modern style, reflect a journey of sacrifice, courage and strength. “The ideals of cultural preservation, respect and love intertwine with each person encountered along the narrator’s journey and serve as inspiration to all people, regardless of race religion or sex,” states the introduction of the book.
Bantayehu says there have been very few work works of poetry written and published by Ethiopian authors. And he feels as though he’s breaking new ground for this genre of literature by combining the English language with Ethiopian culture.
“The Healing Conscious” is available for pre-order at Borders and Barnes & Noble. It’s also available online at Amazon.com and books.lulu.com at discounted pricing.
Friendship Albums
July 29, 2008
My 12-year-old daughter was mad at me when I refused to pay $25 for a school yearbook last year. Who are they trying to kid?
In an attempt to appease my daughter, I suggested buying a little notebook that her friends could write messages in for her. As it turned out, we found a small turquoise spiral-bound notebook for about $3 that she really liked. Her gel pens looked really great on the turquoise paper.
I also agreed to let her take my camera to school on the last day (it’s a fairly inexpensive camera). She took a roll of film that was all hers to take pictures of her friends. She had her friend write little notes to her in her notebook, including phone numbers, AOL Instant Messenger screen names, whatever information they wanted to exchange.
After we got the film developed, my daughter cut the faces of friends she wanted out of the photos and glued them into her notebook. Next she added notes next to each photo, including the person’s name and something about that person. The neat thing about those photos was the fact that they were all so candid. She got group photos of her friends, shots of all the boys she had crushes on throughout the year–everything she wanted to remember in years to come.
The Spirit of Fathers Day
July 28, 2008
Some time ago I received a gift from both of my children. It was spontaneous and had nothing to do with Father’s day. Yet, at the same time it had everything to do with Father’s day.
My son, Kai, - he was 17 at the time - was attending a private boarding high school in Colorado. While we were talking on the phone he shared some wonderful news with me.
Kai said, "You know Dad, I am really happy with my life. I can’t think of a thing that I would change about the way that I grew up, or the way that my life is now."
My daughter Sabari, - also 17 at the time …yes, twins! - , who was living with her mother in Northern California, said almost the same thing to me just a few days later.
Of course, I was delighted to hear this from both of them. What parent wouldn’t revel in the good spirits of their children. And I told them both how happy I was, not only that they were happy, but that they expressed it to me. The heartfelt communication that we shared is as dear to me as the news itself.
How To Avoid Or Reduce Red-Eye
July 28, 2008
Photography with the aid of a digital camera is beyond doubt very fascinating. However, it also has many a nooks that the users of the digital camera must be aware of and also must be well educated to deal with in order to produce good photographs worth the most prized digital camera. Such a concept is that of the red eye! In order to understand what this red eye actually is, a little detailed introspection is necessary. Basically speaking red-eye is a function of at least three things, they are firstly, ambient level of light because stumpy light level causes the retina of the person to be photographed to open wider to admit more light thereby divulging open the iris, which is the primary part that reflects the red light hence giving the appearance of red eyes for the subjects. Also secondly the younger the person being photographed the wider remains the retina and hence the greater the effect of red eye in the picture. Thirdly, the reflection angle of the flash plays a vital role, as the light is recoiled back to the digital camera and the closer the incident light beam is to this reflected light beam, the greater becomes the red eye effect. To prevent this instruments such as flash brackets are useful to make the flash a bit removed from the propinquity of the lens. Thus the red eye effect is somewhat revealed till this part of this discussion. Now is the time to look into a greater detail in order to analyze the various aspects of the red eye effect and also find out ways of reducing the problem as far as possible.
Saving Family Keepsakes for Scrapbooking
July 27, 2008
I’m new to scrapbooking, and I still can’t believe all the possibilities there are for scrapbook layouts.
When I first began I pulled out and organized a lot of my daughter’s childhood photos. Also collecting dust on my closet shelf was a box of other family keepsakes I’d kept throughout the years.
For example, when we went to Disney World, in addition to all the pictures we had taken, I kept the plane tickets, the cards you get to open your hotel door, meal vouchers, luggage tags, post cards, and theme park passes. These will make a fun addition to our Disney World-themed scrapbook pages.
For school, there are a number of things you can keep. Certificates, award ribbons, and report cards are just a couple of ideas. You can also break this category down into smaller ones, like school sports, plays, band, etc. I’ve kept all of the programs from my daughter’s school plays, which will make a great addition to the pictures I have of her “in character.”
Other keepsakes might include handmade cards or little notes your child might have left you from time to time. These memories are priceless, and could never be re-created even if you tried. Keeping these treasures in a family scrapbook will ensure the memories are preserved.
Whatever Happened to Christmas?
July 26, 2008
Remember when no one started Christmas shopping until after Thanksgiving?
Wisconsin author LeAnn R. Ralph remembers it very well.
“When I was growing up on our dairy farm forty years ago, the stores didn’t put up Christmas displays until the day after Thanksgiving. No one was really thinking about Christmas shopping before that,” Ralph said. “In fact, my mother felt so strongly about it that she didn’t even like to hear the word ‘Christmas’ until after we had finished eating Thanksgiving dinner.”
Ralph’s new book, Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm), celebrates Christmas during that simpler time.
“Back then, happiness was baking cookies, decorating the Christmas tree, and eating lefse that my mother had made,” Ralph said.
Lefse (pronounced lef’suh) is a flat potato pastry brought to this country by Norwegian immigrants who settled in Wisconsin. Ralph’s mother was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants, and their 120-acre family farm was homesteaded by Ralph’s great-grandfather.
“When I was a kid, people enjoyed simple pleasures. The Sunday school Christmas program was an event at the little country church just down the road from our farm that was attended by nearly everyone in the neighborhood,” Ralph noted.
Lighted Holiday Potpourri Jars
July 25, 2008
Lighted potpourri jars are a festive addition to any holiday decor. They are inexpensive, easy to make, and make great hostess gifts.
SUPPLIES:
1 package Christmas lights (20-bulb strand) Wide-mouth canning jar Potpourri Holiday ribbon Pinecones, small holiday decorations Doily or holiday fabric cut to fit over the mouth of the canning jar Glue gun
DIRECTIONS:
Plug in light strand and see if any bulbs are burned out and need to be replaced. Arrange light strand and potpourri in canning jar while lights are on so you’ll be able to get it just right and be able to see what it will look like when it’s finished.
Place doily or fabric on top of jar, arranging the cord of the light strand so it’s coming out where you want the back to be. Tie some ribbon around the neck of the jar to hold the fabric in place. When you get it arranged the way you like it, use the hot glue gun to glue the fabric and ribbon down in several places so it will hold.
Decorate the outside of the jar with festive decorations like pine cones or artificial holly berries. Craft stores have a variety of holiday decorations you can cut apart and re-arrange any way you like.
How to Write Bad Poetry
July 24, 2008
"All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling."–Oscar Wilde
People write poetry for a plethora of reasons, but this article has a sharpened arrowhead aimed directly at the fingertips of amateur poets who wish to be published yet refuse to learn the attributes of a well-crafted poem. These poets are the ones who plop their pieces, shining with every beam of ambiguity, vagueness and hackney, into cyberspace for review. I have encountered a few of these poets to whom I have given a courteous critique, only to be backhanded in the face by sore comments such as, "You must be too dense to get it," or "Everyone I know tells me how great I am. You’re the only one?"
Of course I am usually left wondering why someone would care to post a poem in a critique forum if any constructive comment given to the poet gets immediately flushed down the cyber-potty. Many new poets seem to think that writing a poem is one hundred percent emotion. They overlook the notion that, as with any craft, poetry entails a good deal of practice and learning as well as desire and talent. So instead of writing about the importance of concrete imagery, figurative language, and the art of minimizing abstractions, I thought it might be fun, (and might even tick a few people off) to write a small compendium of attributes of bad poetry.
Butterfly Candle Holders
July 23, 2008
Butterfly candle holders are easy to make and a great gift idea. The materials are very inexpensive, and you can use your imagination for a variety of designs. To get started, you will need:
Materials:
Small glass candle holders Butterfly wrapping paper Yellow tissue paper Decoupage Cuticle scissors Small paintbrush Damp paper towel
You can buy whatever glass candle holders you like (or use some you already have laying around). I bought mine at Walmart for about $0.59. You could also find them at thrift stores or yard sales.
I chose butterflies for my design, but you could choose whatever design you’d like–maybe keeping in mind the tastes of the person you’re making them for. You can cut out pictures from anywhere, including calendars, greeting cards, magazines. Thin paper decoupages best.
After you have some pictures in mind, use cuticle scissors (the kind you cut your fingernails with) to cut out the pictures. These scissors work best on small pictures and cut rounder corners than regular scissors. If you’re not going to use the pictures right away, store them in ziploc bags.
