CURRENT EVENTS

Wednesday is April Fools’ Day

Art interprets the visible world. Physics charts its unseen workings. The two realms seem completely opposed. But consider that both strive to reveal truths for which there are no words––with physicists using the language of mathematics and artists using visual images.

In Art & Physics, Leonard Shlain tracks their breakthroughs side by side throughout history to reveal an astonishing correlation of visions. From the classical Greek sculptors to Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns, and from Aristotle to Einstein, artists have foreshadowed the discoveries of scientists, such as when Monet and Cezanne intuited the coming upheaval in physics that Einstein would initiate. (Source: Amazon)

MOVIE, PLAY OR TV SHOW OF THE WEEK

This is a nice movie for the entire family and it isn’t necessary to watch it in 3D.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Stayin Inside

By Corona Virus Bee Gees Parody

ART OF THE WEEK

During this time of coronavirus, there is probably more meals being prepared at home. Think how creative you can be.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

Since this is the week of April Fools’ Day, I thought who else but

Derek Zoolander

  WEEK’S JOKE

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I’m Trying to Help

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Try these, they will work.

No, they will not work.

April Fools

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During this period of social distancing,

here are some ideas you may find helpful

How about a wine tour

High Stakes Poker

Home Schooling

No doubt some of you are engaged in home school. A friend of mine sent me this home schooling update:

Browsing Profiles

Born in A.D. 76, Hadrian lived through and ruled during a tempestuous era, a time when the Colosseum was opened to the public and Pompeii was buried under a mountain of lava and ash. Acclaimed author Anthony Everitt vividly recounts Hadrian’s thrilling life, in which the emperor brings a century of disorder and costly warfare to a peaceful conclusion while demonstrating how a monarchy can be compatible with good governance.

What distinguished Hadrian’s rule, according to Everitt, were two insights that inevitably ensured the empire’s long and prosperous future: He ended Rome’s territorial expansion, which had become strategically and economically untenable, by fortifying her boundaries (the many famed Walls of Hadrian), and he effectively “Hellenized” Rome by anointing Athens the empire’s cultural center, thereby making Greek learning and art vastly more prominent in Roman life. (Source: Amazon)

MOVIE, PLAY OR TV SHOW OF THE WEEK

I did some quick research and it appears that drive-in theaters are still open for business. 

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

By now you have likely heard about Kenny Rogers.

RIP Kenny Rogers

The Gambler

By Kenny Rogers

ART OF THE WEEK

Art Often Conveys a Message

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

I always feel sorry for people who think you can’t have friends at work. Bryant and Ken were two of the best people I ever met in my life and I worked with them for years. They are both gone now, but I always remember Ken’s birthday on March 29 and Bryant’s birthday on March 31.

Happy Birthday Bryant and Ken.

Bryant Green

Ken Shelton

  WEEK’S JOKE

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One has to be careful jumping to conclusions

LEARNING TRAITS

Many of us are having to learn new things because of the Coronavirus. 

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 St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day this year will be a bit different for many of us without some of the parades, foot races and a little less partying. 

I believe next year will be much better.

MOVIE, PLAY OR TV SHOW OF THE WEEK

This is playing at your local market

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

This song is just so much fun, I don’t think it will ever get old.

YMCA

By Village People

ART OF THE WEEK

Jewelry as Art

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland [and ] is the primary patron saint of Ireland.

Early medieval tradition credits him [ ] as the founder of Christianity in Ireland, converting a society practicing a form of Celtic polytheism. He has been generally so regarded ever since, despite evidence of some earlier Christian presence in Ireland.

According to Patrick’s autobiographical account, known as the Confessio, when he was about sixteen years old, he was captured by Irish pirates from his home in Britain and taken as a slave to Ireland, looking after animals; by his account, he lived there for six years before escaping and returning to his family in Britain, where he became a cleric.

Patrick eventually returned to Ireland, probably settling in the west of the island, where, in later life, he became a bishop and ordained subordinate clerics.

Saint Patrick’s Day is observed on 17 March, the supposed date of his death. It is celebrated inside and outside Ireland. (Source: Wikipedia)

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Really?

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 The Obesity Epidemic

Even a statute isn’t immune to this epidemic.

THURSDAY, Feb. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In a sign that suggests America’s obesity epidemic is far from under control, a new government report shows that more than 40% of people in the United States are obese.And  almost 1 in 10 is severely obese, the researchers added.

“Over the time period from 1999 to 2018, the obesity prevalence increased about 12% — from 30.5% of Americans to 42.4% of Americans. Severe obesity almost doubled,” said study author Dr. Craig Hales. He’s a medical epidemiologist with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Much more than just a cosmetic issue, obesity is associated with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, arthritis, gallbladder disease and more, according to the U.S. National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (Source: Serena Gordon, HealthDay Reporter )

If you wish to become more than you are, I suggest you read this book or other versions of his meditations. Not so much because it provides new wisdom, but because it reminds us of what we should strive to be like.

Marcus Aurelius ruled the Roman Empire at its height, yet he remained untainted by the incalculable wealth and absolute power that had corrupted many of his predecessors. Marcus knew the secret of how to live the good life amid trying and often catastrophic circumstances, of how to find happiness and peace when surrounded by misery and turmoil, and of how to choose the harder right over the easier wrong without apparent regard for self-interest. (Source: Amazon)

MOVIE, PLAY OR TV SHOW OF THE WEEK

So far I have seen three episodes of this six-part series and I think it is very good. I learned some new things about the British Royal Family, such as how they came to be known as the Windsors.

Emma

If you like Jane Austin stories, I think you might like this one, which I just saw.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Watch the beginning of this video to see what Rock ‘n Roll was up against

in the early days.

Hound Dog

By Elvis

ART OF THE WEEK

The Creation of Adam

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel 

It has been years since I looked up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but this is what I remember seeing.

But people tell me that I am mistaken, that this is what I must have seen.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

Bear

Here is his mug shot, when he was doing hard time.

He was a pretty tough customer, but we adopted him anyways.

Last week made ten-years that he has been with us, so we through him a party and invited some of his friends to the party.

I guess they all had a good time, because a friend of mine said that they all looked stuffed.

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It is time to bring our soldiers home

and I hope this agreement accomplishes that task.

Afghanistan

On Saturday, more than 18 years after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. made a bid to end America’s longest war.

… the United States and the Taliban signed a landmark agreement that paves the way for U.S. troops to begin withdrawing …

“The Taliban will not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including Al Qaeda, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies,” the agreement states.

Under the pact, the U.S. would reduce its forces to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next three to four months. Remaining U.S. forces would withdraw in 14 months, although a complete pullout would depend on the Taliban meeting commitments to prevent terrorism.

Speaking to reporters, Pompeo said the United States was “realistic” about the deal it signed, but was “seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation.”

Source: NBC News

Daylight Savings Time – Spring Forward

Most of the United States begins Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March

Maybe this will help

There are a number of these little Shambhala Pocket Classics around and they are easy to read or give to people as a gift. This particular book was given to be by a friend back in October 1996 and I still have it and review it every so often.

 

These inspirational teachings show that the real way of the warrior is based on compassion, wisdom, fearlessness, and love of nature. Drawn from the talks and writings of Morihei Ueshiba, founder of the popular Japanese martial art known as Aikido. (Source: Amazon)

MOVIE, PLAY OR TV SHOW OF THE WEEK

He was “Mr. Entertainment,” a show-business meteor who blazed across the twentieth century. Sammy Davis, Jr. had the kind of career that was indisputably legendary, yet his life was complex, complicated, and contradictory. (Source: PBS)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

I Love Rock ‘n Roll

By Joan Jett

ART OF THE WEEK

Topiary  Art

No doubt most of you have seen this art form, but in addition to an example, I thought I would provide some history on Topiary Art.

Written records about topiary recorded by Pliny the Elder of ancient Rome date to sometime between 38 B.C. and A.D. 14. However, the Topiary Organization notes that the practice probably was adopted from earlier cultures in the Mediterranean and Asia. By the A.D. 1, topiary was a common sight in the gardens of wealthy Romans. Pliny the Younger, who may have lived as late as A.D. 110, wrote about animal-shaped topiary in the gardens of his Roman villa.

The art of topiary survived inside monasteries and walled castles after the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 4th century. It emerged again among wealthy Italians following the chaotic Middle Ages, which ended around 1485, then spread throughout Europe. The practice reached North America by the 1700s. It remains common today, but primarily in public gardens that once were part of private estates. (Source: SFGATE)

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

Sammy Davis Jr.

Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, musician, dancer, actor, vaudevillian, comedian and activist.

 Davis Jr.’s film career began as a child in 1933. In 1960, he appeared in the Rat Pack film Ocean’s 11. In 1966, he had his own TV variety show, titled The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. While Davis’ career slowed in the late 1960s, his biggest hit, “The Candy Man”, reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1972, and he became a star in Las Vegas, earning him the nickname “Mister Show Business”.

Davis had a complex relationship with the black community and drew criticism after publicly supporting President Richard Nixon in 1972. One day on a golf course with Jack Benny, he was asked what his handicap was. “Handicap?” he asked. “Talk about handicap. I’m a one-eyed Negro who’s Jewish.”

Davis Jr. was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for his television performances. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987, and in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. (Source: Wikipedia)

  WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

You are never going to resolve a problem,

if you can’t admit what the problem really is.

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS 

I see way too many people on FaceBook sharing things that are simply not true.

LEARNING TRAITS

Even small acts can have huge consequences.

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