CURRENT EVENTS

Kōan

A kōan is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the “great doubt” and test a student’s progress in Zen practice.

 

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I have read and reviewed this book many times over the years and if you are serious about being extraordinary, I would check it out.

It’s Not How Good You Are,

It’s How Good You Want To Be

By Paul Arden

 

This uplifting and humorous little book provides a unique insight into the world of advertising and is a quirky compilation of quotes, facts, pictures, wit and wisdom – all packed into easy-to-digest, bite-sized spreads. If you want to succeed in life or business, this book is a must. (Source: Goodreads)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I just saw this film and thought it was really good, it reminded me of Gone Girl.  So if you liked Gone Girl, you are going to like this film.  If you haven’t seen Gone Girl, perhaps you should check out that film too.

A Simple Favor (2018)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Once in a Lifetime

By Talking Heads

ART OF THE WEEK

Constructing a High Rise

Perhaps you have never looked at construction workers as artists; but if you think about it, they are artist and they create art on a grand scale.

I was taken by the way cement floors are being created in the high-rise outside my hotel window in Halifax.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

AJAX The Great

In Homer’s Iliad he is described as of great stature, colossal frame and strongest of all the Achaeans. Known as the “bulwark of the Achaeans”, he would later die of an accidental wound inflicted by Heracles, whom he was at the time training.

He was described as fearless, strong and powerful but also with a very high level of combat intelligence. Most notably, Ajax is not wounded in any of the battles described in the Iliad, and he is the only principal character on either side who does not receive substantial assistance from any of the gods (except for Agamemnon) who takes part in the battles, although, in book 13, Poseidon strikes Ajax with his staff, renewing his strength.

Unlike Diomedes, Agamemnon, and Achilles, Ajax appears as a mainly defensive warrior, instrumental in the defence of the Greek camp and ships.

Ajax battling Hektor. Engraving by John Flaxman, 1795.

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Food is Medicine

CHARACTER TRAITS 

SOCIAL TRAITS 

Seems Like Everyone Is Online

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS 

There is a lot of talk about the 1% in the USA, so I thought you might find this data interesting. (Source: Jessica Strachan, Patch Staff, Sep 11, 2018 4:46 pm ET)

Here are the top 10 states where 1 percenters have the highest average annual income:

1. Connecticut ($2,522,806)
2. New York ($2,202,480)
3. Massachusetts ($1,904,805)
4. Wyoming ($1,900,659)
5. Washington D.C. ($1,858,878)
6. California ($1,693,094)
7. New Jersey ($1,581,829)
8. Florida ($1,543,124)
9. Illinois ($1,412,024)
10. Washington ($1,383,223)

The data comes from the Economic Policy Institute, which released a report on income equality in the U.S. in July.

I live in Michigan and a number of you are also from Michigan so:

The top 1 percent in Michigan earns an average annual income of $917,700 according to the cost information website, How Much.

If you are from Michigan and wonder how much you need to earn each year, to be part of the 1 percent in the mitten, you’d have to earn an annual income of $328,649 according to the website.

Please note, I think these figures are individual and not married couples or families.

BOOK 

Warning:  This book will not change your life, only you can do that.