A myth is a fixed way of looking at the world which cannot be destroyed because, looked at through the myth, all evidence supports the myth.
-Edward De Bono, consultant, writer, and speaker (1933- )
Think sideways, live creatively, eat vegetables.
Disclaimer: I, Andre J Smith, take no responsibility for any disastrous results, technical or emotional, that may occur as a result of your opening and/or reading/viewing any of the URLs presented in this blog.
...and remember to click on the images to enlarge.
STORY ONE - 'Wisdom from the Kitchen' (2)
My remarkable mother in her inimitable fashion once again puts the world into perspective.
Image: Joost van der Westhuizen, SA Rugby hero and role model allegedly exposed in sordid drug taking, rampant sex video - exotic dancer with hidden camera passes lie detector test.There is no need to see the video, but if you must, be aware, it's horrible. The video is of excruciating cruelty. Its painful silences affect us all deeply. If we don't protect humans from this type of brutality, we become accomplices.
The alleged tumble to infamy of a national hero can take on Shakespearian heights and fuel a media frenzy. In a remarkable website called 'Prophesy.co.za' the Truth is revealed about the Joost affair.
In another blog from the Alpha Christian Community we read how Rugby competes with Religion for the passion of the faithful.
Joost, a 'committed Christian' and family man plays centre stage with the real baddy, Luke Watson (SA rugby player antihero) who exposed himself in quite a different way........hear Watson's point of view.
Mum (on Joost): "Now there's a young man who has ruined his life and he had so much going for him!"
Me: "Well, I really don't want to hear about him. There are far more important things happening, like the Dalai Llama."
Mum: "The Llama? What's interesting about him? He's just an old Chinaman.
Background: The Dalai Llama has been refused a visa by the South African government after apparent pressure from Chinese government, preventing him from attending a small Peace conference in the 50th anniversary year of the subjugation of Tibet by the Red Army.The net result is that the issue and related Tibetan cause has been blown up in the press, thus creating far more awareness about the real bad deal that the Tibetans have courtesy of the Chinese government.
Mum then goes on to say... "Dirk's (butchery) has the the best honey. They have their own apiaries and don't add any Golden Syrup. They also have the best jams - gooseberry, strawberry, marmalade. Even their apricot jam is nice."
and a little later.....
Mum: "Somebody once told me that the more you burglar guard your home the more robberies you have and the less burglar guards, the fewer robberies. Look, for example at my friend Michele. Her home is so burglar guarded that it is now impossible to get in!"
Such is the human mind.
See the full story...read about the man who got onto the receiving end of his diving speargun and now no longer wants to spear fish!
In that vein...
Today's blog was inspired by Mr Fellows-Prynne...once again.
This time it was his inviting us to sign an online petition in response to a film purported to be of little puppies being skinned alive for their fur. (I have not watched it yet but in the interests of numedia, I will, during one of my 35 tea breaks today. Yes, Rod, I too have some difficulty deliberately exposing myself to images of abuse.)
However, both myself and my compatriot Clive Read, excused ourselves from the list on the grounds of (1) the credibility of a Net based petition and (2) The effectiveness of a Net based petition.
Here are the details. Decide for yourself:
Quote from email: 'There is no need to see the video, but if you must, be aware, it's horrible. The following video is of excruciating violence. Its painful silences affect us all deeply. If we don't protect animals from this type of brutality, we become accomplices. '
(ed: sounds a bit like those religious mails I keep getting telling me that if I don't send it on something terrible will happen to my children! Well, I have ALWAYS deleted them and my daughter is currently on the Dean's List of top academic performers and she does not drink, so there!)
My standpoint came from the last 3 weeks of reformatting and installing my laptop HDD after a blistering viral assault and finally abandoning a long standing email address for the huge amount of offers of Viagra, Rolexes and Penile extenders.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/a
Vendor reliability 100%
Privacy 100%
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As quoted>>
Simon de Bruxelles
Louise Woodcock, 41, who was looking for a new home for h
“If it was just a group of children singing nursery rhymes, there wouldn’t be a problem but she’s called it yoga and therefore there is a dividing line we’re not prepared to cross.”
The Rev Tim Jones, vicar of St James’s, said: “Any alternative philosophies or beliefs are offering a sham - and at St James’s Church we
described as "Safe and 100% Legal. Recommend hot songs to download.
Addendum:
My dear late Professor, Elizabeth Sneddon, lover of roses
I always rather liked that sentiment, if not thinking it a twee radical. However, after hearing the archbishop of atheism talk at the University of Cape Town earlier this week, I have decided that more action is needed on this front. (ArchTutu is on my exempt list b.t.w.)
Daniel Dennet is one of the so called '4 horsemen of the Apocolypse'. Richard Dawkins,Ch
Instead of waxing off about Dan Dennet I prefer to let him talk for himself. Here is a list of great and entertaining links.
But first let me share what Richard Dawkins had to say about Daniel:
In honour
by Richard Dawkins
Speech in honour of Dan Dennett, presenting him with the Richard Dawkins Award for 2007 at the Crystal City conference of the Atheist Alliance International
Watch the video of this presentation here
Dan Dennett is a year younger than me, almost to the day. But I mu
I am not joking when I say that I have had to forgive my friends who said that they were PRAYING for me. I have resisted the temptation to respond "Thanks, I appreciate it, but did you also sacrifice a goat?" I feel about this the same way I would feel if one of them said "I just paid a voodoo doctor to cast a spell for your health." What a gullible waste of money that could have been spent on more important projects!
Yes, I did have an epiphany. I saw with greater clarity than ever before in my life that when I say "Thank goodness!" this is not merely a euphemism for "Thank God!" (We atheists don't believe that there is any God to thank.) I really do mean THANK GOODNESS! There is a lot of goodness in this world, and more goodness every day, and this fantastic human-made fabric of excellence is genuinely responsible for the fact that I am alive today. It is a worthy recipient of the gratitude I feel today, and I want to celebrate that fact here and now.
To whom, then, do I owe a debt of gratitude? To the cardiologist who has kept me alive and ticking for years, and who swiftly and confidently rejected the original diagnosis of nothing worse than pneumonia. To the surgeons, neurologists, anesthesiologists, and the perfusionist, who kept my systems going for many hours under daunting circumstanc
I think you can see why Dan Dennett is my intellectual hero.
He is one of today's most distinguished philosophers, but among philosophers I would describe him as a scientist's philosopher. Many philosophers call themselves philosophers of science. But rather few of them take the trouble to learn much science, to immerse themselves in the scientific literature, to talk to working scientists and understand what makes them tick. One of the things that strikes me about reading Dan's books is how much science I learn from them. New science, new experimental results, fascinating scientific re
He is, indeed, a scientist as much as he is a philosopher, and he is also a superb explainer. Where other philosophers are mainly interested in showing off how clever they are to their colleagues, Dan really really wants to be understood. He seems to make no distinction between a book written for lay people and a book written for professional philosophers, and this is something I also aspire to when writing for professional scientists. Clarity is clarity, and it doesn't matter who you are writing for. There should be no need to write separate 'popular' books which dumb down the books that are written for professionals.
Dan thinks long and hard, not only about the philosophy itself but about the best way to explain it. He is a great coiner of phrases, an inventive deviser of metaphors, a vivid painter of mental images. 'Intuition pump' is one of his phrases, and it well describes exactly what he does when he is explaining something difficult to his readers. His celebrated lecture, 'Where am I?' is a tour de force of the explainer's art, combining comedy and high drama w
In all these fields, as I said, I look up to him as an intellectual hero. Elder brother may be, but also dynamic enfant terrible of the mind, and there is no paradox in the contrast. It is a huge pleasure and honour to me to present this award to Dan, and the fact that the award is in my name redoubles the pleasure and quadruples the honour.
1) Daniel's Home Page
2) Daniel at TED 2006 - Scientific rebuttal to Rick Warren
3) Daniel Dennet Multimedia Links
4) Can we know our own minds?
5) What is consciousness?
6) Richard Dawkins website
PARTING NOTE. (F flat da capo)
'Well', replies th
'Not really' said the child, 'but if I told you what they really taught us you would never believe it.'
...and that was that. Cape Town, the wonderful city, her wonderful university and her wonderful airport.
Nice Moses Story. ;)
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