tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115858942024-03-12T19:56:20.518-04:00Daisies and DiamondsRandom Musings from Cinnamonbluecinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-50488688869808418892017-07-03T07:36:00.001-04:002017-07-03T09:00:09.819-04:00Is Anyone Still Reading?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Greetings here at D & D. I don't post here nearly as often as at <i>The View From Here</i> (please visit there as well!), but something I came across on twitter got me thinking of doing this post.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dark Clouds (@BornredNowblue) </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">retweeted a tweet by Karen Swope (@AndthenIsleep) and it really was something to think about. It was an infographic:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Those stats are something! Where do I fall? Well, I've certainly read books after high school AND after college. I certainly haven't completed each book I've started, though (I STILL have to get back to reading <i>John Adams</i> by David McCullough). Not sure the last time I was in an actual bookstore (and I hope used bookstores count), but I have bought books fairly recently. (To me that one stat is a bit unfair as there are fewer bookstores around these days and lots of people probably order online.) I certainly have been an avid reader since childhood. My parents definitely encouraged reading and both were readers. In their view, acquiring a new book was something special! I don't know for sure if that tradition has helped me understand others' emotions, however.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now that last one is really a kicker! <b>One hour a day</b> reading in your field can make you an international expert in 7 years??? I don't know how whoever created this arrived at such a stat, but what it says really does give one something to at least think about. Sort of reminds me of the 10,000 hour rule from Malcolm Gladwell's <i>Outliers</i> (and yes, I have read that to completion and there's a review on this blog!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do I read? Well, although I'm probably very lax these days in reading <b>books</b>, but I am reading. I read news stories and reports online, and sometimes blog posts. I probably spend too much time online, but a) I want to know what's going on, and b) blog posts don't write themselves; often I need to search for just the right reference link to support where the post is going. I'm sure there are at least some other folks who also do much of their reading in a somewhat similar fashion. Plugging in to online sources and social media can really chip away at that reading time! I'm sure this is especially true for those who haven't been avid readers before. And even when I break away, I just often do not feel in the mood to take up a book. And rest assured, I have plenty here to choose from! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had believed that the last book I completed was <i>White is a State of Mind</i> by Melba Patillo Beals, one of the Little Rock Nine. Nope! When I put in the related posts below (the ones with the book reviews I'm mentioning in this post) I see it must have been <i>Outliers</i>. Time really does fly for sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, getting back to Ms. Beals' book, it was an excellent book which I thoroughly enjoyed. There's a review of that here on this blog as well. I tend to read more nonfiction volumes. I do read fiction occasionally, but that poses its own small problem. If it's fiction I don't want anything less than a happy ending. I sometimes enjoy a romance novel, but at times such stories can be "cookie cutter." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The last book I started was <i>Tomlinson Hill</i> by Chris Tomlinson. This was to be a story of his family and the family of retired NFL great LaDainian Tomlinson (who I'd actually known of during his playing days!). Saw a story on tv about it and watched the excellent AfterWords on C-Span book tv with Chris and LaDainian's brother. I was really anxious to read it and had high hopes. Bur so far I've been pretty disappointed. After LaDainian's foreword (quite good for a non-pro writer) and the first few chapters, it got bogged down in Civil War stuff (I have ZERO interest in reading about Civil War battles) and Texas history which often centered on efforts at discrimination against African-Americans. Although I kept wishing some folks who would gloss over such systematic efforts would read what Tomlinson details here, I just found it depressing. So I've been stalled around midway through Chapter 11. Maybe it will pick up later; I just haven't been motivated to pick up reading again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have plenty of books just waiting for when I feel up to starting a different one. Not that long ago I acquired maybe 7 more! So probably the next one I start will be one of those. I'm thinking either <i>The Material Gene</i> by Kelly E. Happe or <i>At the Dark End of the Street</i> by Danielle L. McGuire. Both are nonfiction and I've seen both authors on Booktv!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now as far as getting folks to read books in general. I'm all for that. The college I taught at (I'm retired now) has an ongoing "One Book, One College" program and they also outreach to try to involve the community. I believe some cities also have similar programs. Some civic organizations may have some sort of book club! For example AAUW (American Association of University Women) has an <a href="http://www.aauw.org/resource/adelante-book-of-the-month-club/" target="_blank"><b>Adelante Book of the Month Club</b></a>. They even host online chats with the authors. There are book discussion groups all over, often sponsored by libraries or bookstores. Those type of things are a great way for folks to get reading. We also need to dispatch with the idea that reading books especially, is somehow elitist. Learning something or even just getting lost in a story isn't elitist. It's a positive way of engaging your mind! Hey, there's a Moody Blues song, "Thinking is the Best Way to Travel"! Think they're on to something? Well, books can certainly help fuel the journey. So I do hope more folks get involved and pick up a book once in a while. Don't you think?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Don't be shy - comments would be so welcome!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Related Posts:</b> </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://cyberwindow.blogspot.com/2013/10/review-of.html" target="_blank"><b>Review of <i>Outliers</i></b></a> </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://cyberwindow.blogspot.com/2011/08/summer-reading-2011-iii.html" target="_blank"><b>Review of <i>White is a State of Mind</i></b></a> </span></li>
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<br />cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-20500788052258499732017-06-13T01:09:00.000-04:002017-06-13T01:09:23.089-04:00Happy Birthday, Mom - 2017<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wow - anyone out there? Hard to believe time passes so quickly. I do believe my last post here was the annual birthday salute to Dad. I do concentrate on my other blog, <i>The View From Here,</i> so it's hard often to know what to post here. And do visit <b>there</b> - often!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, TODAY would be Mom's birthday. What more can I say about her? She loved the family. Very proud grad of Glassboro State/Rowan. Very exceptional teacher (and I'm sure I'm not the only one who would say that ----- just ask some of her former students!). Fine poet. Very commited Christian and Episcopalian who really lived her faith. Of course, she could be stubborn at times (family trait and I'll give you one guess who else has inherited that!) I tell the story on my other blog of how it took both Dad and me to convince her NOT to wear an orange outfit one St. Patrick's Day. Still, just over all a great lady!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So there it is. I hope these good wish vibes go out beyond! <b> Happy Birthday, Mom!</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdKf6UzhL4t4Sc7W-FCPHWS5zDKOonRWOhBnJASuhSrXltMB_J8rVF9rLl4JvBkjLtSJ_P33AwaF1_3-JDkdoUWrx6KPNyW7IenH6KWJOgopNziy-BFVxdYiLlxBabPu3watKsQ/s1600/borderbdmom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="410" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdKf6UzhL4t4Sc7W-FCPHWS5zDKOonRWOhBnJASuhSrXltMB_J8rVF9rLl4JvBkjLtSJ_P33AwaF1_3-JDkdoUWrx6KPNyW7IenH6KWJOgopNziy-BFVxdYiLlxBabPu3watKsQ/s320/borderbdmom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-10797435252041417212017-01-26T00:24:00.000-05:002017-01-26T04:42:05.454-05:00Happy Birthday, Dad, for 2017! (With an UPDATE!)<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, indeed, time keeps moving on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So it's time to wish my late Father a Happy Birthday. As I did on Mom's last birthday, here's a list of some cool events which happened on Dad's special day.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>1697</b></i> - Sir Isaac Newton receives AND SOLVES Jean Bernoulli's 6 Month Time Limit Problem</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>1788 </b></i>- The British First Fleet sails into now what is Sydney Harbor; this date now commemorated in Australia as Australia Day</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>1790</b></i> - Mozart's opera <i>Cosi Fan Tutte</i> premieres in Vienna</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>1837</b></i> - Michigan becomes the 26th (!) U. S. state</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>1925</b></i> - Actor and entrepreneur Paul Newman is born</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>1948</b></i> - Executive Order ending racial segregation in the U. S. Armed Forces is signed</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>1992</b></i> - The Americans with Disabilities Act goes into effect</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> So there you go, some cool stuff indeed. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy Birthday, Dad and enjoy your special day cosmically somehow, some way!</span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Google doodle told me... today was also the birthday of Bessie Coleman, first African-American/Native American female pilot. I'm sure Dad, who once had a private pilot's liscence, would approve!</span><br />
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<br />cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-88082118144184836042016-11-16T23:46:00.003-05:002016-11-16T23:48:38.389-05:00Harmony, Healing, Hope<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here's something I wrote and have set against a starry background.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hope you enjoy.</span><br />
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<br />cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-60441193920239813162016-09-15T23:34:00.001-04:002016-09-15T23:35:35.938-04:00Talisman<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Went to a local restaurant for breakfast today. As I checked out, I noticed a wall hanging behind the counter. I noted how lovely it was and asked the owners about it. They said it someone made it for them and it was for good luck and protection.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I just knew I had to do something similar graphically, even with my limited skills.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My original design - "Talisman"</span></h3>
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<br />cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-86323374453521330132016-08-03T08:09:00.000-04:002016-08-03T08:09:51.624-04:00Some Abstract Art Just for Fun!<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last time I posted some fractal art I did. Well, I was again in a playful mood and did some graphics with Paint.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Ribbons"</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREQJyrFMq1THs8fZQSLseBOng_6lB9LLpV1BKxlKjigBqi9c7knt4OKC6RWI4dTVWb1MDQ00ZmL-8lSBYLA_vo0EBJpeYuEKZARwr1KozhGxHj7ogU5e3JhILzEs-KhiVox41sw/s1600/pinkngraywatercolor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREQJyrFMq1THs8fZQSLseBOng_6lB9LLpV1BKxlKjigBqi9c7knt4OKC6RWI4dTVWb1MDQ00ZmL-8lSBYLA_vo0EBJpeYuEKZARwr1KozhGxHj7ogU5e3JhILzEs-KhiVox41sw/s320/pinkngraywatercolor.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Watercolor in Pink and Gray"</span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmYN9C-7Wt11V_1JBTUe9ST9B9ZJeCuqq06av0FAs0XMYzj0gFqZ0ATEKz2Sdzq-V7mMk_N_FQk2FBM_co2cnxRZ-gbMw3oJ9s5joVzZEJorXwMkQnkEqGcu5UwRXoDCe5lihpg/s1600/swirlygigs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmYN9C-7Wt11V_1JBTUe9ST9B9ZJeCuqq06av0FAs0XMYzj0gFqZ0ATEKz2Sdzq-V7mMk_N_FQk2FBM_co2cnxRZ-gbMw3oJ9s5joVzZEJorXwMkQnkEqGcu5UwRXoDCe5lihpg/s320/swirlygigs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Swirlygigs"</span></span></td></tr>
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cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-61023855795105796132016-07-02T23:11:00.001-04:002016-07-05T22:04:25.776-04:00My Fractal Art<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Guess I just felt the need to do something creative but different. I do try doing some graphics with paint but I'm always upfront I'm not an artist. However sometimes more abstract stuff can work and haven't we heard of fractal art?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I thought I'd see what <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">could do in that regard. I</span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">attemp<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ted to use </span></span>several online generators<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> but<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span>couldn't figure them out. Finally did find one I could actually use.. Results are below. Hope you enjoy!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyE8icY5sPGKw9BHK78q3C9D3HANtP2o1lYCKA9cLJqorfxzuxhuHXUQoLb0kqWrAb-Izo-ESCTTYMuB2jUBVzs-dkuf3zdojPX_yyetnHuIT2FjL8Z8pAL2-n7-qED8IY1A2iw/s1600/silverfractal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyE8icY5sPGKw9BHK78q3C9D3HANtP2o1lYCKA9cLJqorfxzuxhuHXUQoLb0kqWrAb-Izo-ESCTTYMuB2jUBVzs-dkuf3zdojPX_yyetnHuIT2FjL8Z8pAL2-n7-qED8IY1A2iw/s200/silverfractal.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Silver Streaming'</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8oalGgglGVLBJpMg_v0qTA8istj7ILJgT8OVwxAId5rrxNAsYxzITDY9urCRW9KGh_-vpR7JKPydWvKUPHzzcDXmSvF4NA_X2Wh4ZC9PvYPR6P_ysy3lHUNYEXC_HN3DiWRdvA/s1600/bwfractalpix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8oalGgglGVLBJpMg_v0qTA8istj7ILJgT8OVwxAId5rrxNAsYxzITDY9urCRW9KGh_-vpR7JKPydWvKUPHzzcDXmSvF4NA_X2Wh4ZC9PvYPR6P_ysy3lHUNYEXC_HN3DiWRdvA/s200/bwfractalpix.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Bluezy Daydream'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtcE362hVQIl7AktCkUtjf1lEhWXwDDVpIfKM8GhKpOcwSjvUoleA8dQCH98Wx7dKvTf6QUOTiXzbkiUuVRs0pVym_tLMGt7_B3ZZcVT0ek6OaziPjkMxG99WnBWQhtBNpVbS9w/s1600/doublejuliafractal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtcE362hVQIl7AktCkUtjf1lEhWXwDDVpIfKM8GhKpOcwSjvUoleA8dQCH98Wx7dKvTf6QUOTiXzbkiUuVRs0pVym_tLMGt7_B3ZZcVT0ek6OaziPjkMxG99WnBWQhtBNpVbS9w/s200/doublejuliafractal.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Glow of Symmetry'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlOBQe9DUUmfte9D-WC7nF7uNsa-JulpKliTNc9bCakzLtou15jhtfwcwPMPiNMjkUt21l3tMBVIg7uJ_qJIXZMhy4yG7N7ubqRvPhvg17a5l2s8LFte1mKcTcZqa2N533oR6Eg/s1600/fractalblue2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlOBQe9DUUmfte9D-WC7nF7uNsa-JulpKliTNc9bCakzLtou15jhtfwcwPMPiNMjkUt21l3tMBVIg7uJ_qJIXZMhy4yG7N7ubqRvPhvg17a5l2s8LFte1mKcTcZqa2N533oR6Eg/s200/fractalblue2.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Swirling'</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNhCdmj6YVf_jnSYwO-203ZaMI6E0NwBQi3px2zYqNuBu0kX9gdDHSdWT7n0gMJIGxvGgpUeOa3pi6IGrjuQ0nhm3FrxcM7bMa6EnVbuDmXW9QIEEtYNKtk9r62GgOD6aNQ9rkA/s1600/cyanfractal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNhCdmj6YVf_jnSYwO-203ZaMI6E0NwBQi3px2zYqNuBu0kX9gdDHSdWT7n0gMJIGxvGgpUeOa3pi6IGrjuQ0nhm3FrxcM7bMa6EnVbuDmXW9QIEEtYNKtk9r62GgOD6aNQ9rkA/s200/cyanfractal.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Cyan Chaining'</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-81003062010229582522016-06-13T00:49:00.003-04:002016-06-13T00:51:10.967-04:00Happy Birthday, Mom!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Un<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">belie</span>vable. The year is really scurrying along and it's Mom's Birthday!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Happy Birthday, Mom!!!</b></span></span> Hope you somehow sense this on the other side.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While watching a PBS show it came to light something really neat happened on her birthday way back when. I'd also seen that something historical happened on her birthday a bit more recently that still has resonance today. So I thought it might be nice to do something different on this occasion and list a few events which happened at various times on her special day. So here goes:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1777</b> - the Marquis de Lafayette arrives in the new "United States"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1805</b> - Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame) and a few companions of the company arrive at the Great Falls of the Missouri River (a series of waterfalls in North-Central Montana); this was extremely significant, since not finding this would have put the success of the expedition in jeopardy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1866</b> - the 14th Amendment to U. S. Constitution passes Congress - a step towards equal rights</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1910</b> - Charles Hamilton makes first one-day round trip NY to/from Phila. by air </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1966</b> - The Supreme Court hands down the Miranda decision (you know, Miranda rights)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1967</b> - Thurgood Marshall nominated to SCOTUS</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1971</b> - The <i>New York Times</i> published first installment of the Pentagon Papers </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now those are some pretty cool events. Well, Mom's a cool lady.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>So have a really cool birthday, Mom!</b></span></span></span></div>
cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-75581134389577004752016-04-09T10:43:00.002-04:002016-08-15T06:15:38.129-04:00What Can Poetry Do?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I write this, I'm realizing there are actually two threads in my thinking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first thread started the other day when I had a thought as I tried to do some writing; the phrase 'poetic justice" was in my
mind. I thought 'can poetry really help to achieve justice?' Can art
really have that much power (discuss, please!)?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The second thread <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is </span>semi-ongnoing. Don't we all - or maybe with some of the news going around now - <b><i>shouldn't</i></b> we all aspire to do something to help better the world or help others or serve our professions/avocations ---something like that? You often hear folks talk about "giving back." For example, Ballerina Misty Copland, first African American Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theater, does programs to get youth involved in dance. Other examples are certainly around us. I frequently watch "Mysteries at the Museum", and my favorie stories are usually the ones where the central subject of the story wants to help folks somehow, like<b> <a href="http://www.ric.edu/faculty/rpotter/morgan.html" target="_blank">Garett Morgan</a></b>, who created a breathing safety hood for firefighters and put his own life on the line to prove its efficacy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, since I write poetry, I wonder sometimes about serving this great art form. I don't think I'm the one to lead a workshop (we have some fine local poets who do that) although I feel that is great service. Well, I DID help publicize a colleague's "Poetry Day" at college one year. Can that count?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now do you all believe in serendipity? Not many minutes before starting to write this came the spark for this post. I was doing a totally unrelated search and found - what - this quote from JFK which related directly to the first thread. Could hardly believe it:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><i>"When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses."</i></span></b></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>WOW, </b> just <b>WOW</b>. It's worth remembering that JKF was the first U. S. president to have a poet do a poem in his inaugural program. That poet was of course, Ropbert Frost; the poem was <a href="http://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Research-Aids/Ready-Reference/JFK-Fast-Facts/Frost-Gift-Outright.aspx" target="_blank"><b>"The Gift Outright." </b></a> In his thank you note to Frost, JFK wrote: <i>“It’s poetry and power all the way!”</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, JFK wasn't the only poet to appreciate poetry. In a post on my other blog, I mentioned how John Adams did. And of course, Clinton had our wonderful Maya Angelou do a poem for his first inaguration. Other poets have read/recited at Clinton's second inagural and Obama's two inaugurals. From what I've read, even though Robert Frost is also great, my nod goes to<a href="http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~oliver/soc220/Lectures220/Angelou.htm" target="_blank"> </a><b><a href="http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~oliver/soc220/Lectures220/Angelou.htm" target="_blank">Ms. Angelou's poem</a>.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I digress. Again, what can poetry do? Can poetry really have power? Poet (and law student) Reginald Dwayne Betts thinks so. <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/poet-author-reginald-dwayne-betts/" target="_blank"><b> He was recently on the Tavis Smiley program</b></a>. In this interview he said he wanted to be a poet for the power where his poetry was. He also said he had seen some people's lives changed by poetry. Now <b>THAT'S</b> power.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And the great English poet, William Wordsworth, has been in my poetic thoughts, too. In his Preface to<i> <b>Lyrical Ballads</b></i>, he wrote: <i>"In spite of difference of soil and climate, of language and manners, of laws and customs—in spite of things silently gone out of mind, and things violently destroyed, the Poet binds together by passion and knowledge the vast empire of human society, as it is spread over the whole earth, and over all time." </i><b>Pretty powerful stuff!</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what can poetry do? It seems to me it has power to reach us with its expressions of all manners of the human condition. And THAT can empower us in many ways, individually and collectively.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now as far as what I can do for poetry? Hmmmmm. I'm working on that one. How about this: two variations of writing forms that could be exercises.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, a cinquain. <a href="http://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/ranjana.varghese/engl2308/weekly-exercises/exercise-1-cinquain-and-its-examples" target="_blank"><b>Here is a reference for the standard form and an alternate form</b></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I recently wrote a cinqain, but it ended up being my own take on the alternate form shown in the link. <b><i>My last line is 5 words that amplify or extend thoughts about the subject.</i></b> (And my line 4 is a bit different from that 'alternative' set-up). I don't know about anyone else, but I find writing exercises or prompts or whatnot seem to work best for me if I a) find them "a fun thing to try" and b) not let it hamstring my final work<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. S</span>ometimes just doing a exercise to do some writing practice can spark something productive later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Second, how about a variation on the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160311-how-the-number-pi-inspired-a-writing-style" target="_blank"><b>Pilish poem</b></a>? This form is tailor made for mathies. The number of letters in each word of the poem in order should match the corresponding digits in the famous irrational number, "pi". <b>My variation would be: Each LINE in order should have the same number of WORDS as the corresponding digit in "pi." </b>Disclosure: I haven't tried this yet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">OK, does that count as service? And also in the spirit of service, <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">some time </span>ago I posted <a href="http://cyberwindow.blogspot.com/2015/01/21-writing-prompts-for-you.html" target="_blank"><b>some writing prompts</b></a> for poets and other authors. Check them out!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, it<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> now occurs to<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> me (da<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ys after originall<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> posting this), that taking another cu<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e from JFK can pull the two threads of this <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">post together: <i>"A<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sk what P<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">etry c<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n do for Y<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ou <b>AND</b> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ask what <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Y<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ou can do for Poetry."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And it would be so appreciated if you use any of these exercises or prompts to just post a comment and let me know you found them of value. THANKS!</span></b><br />
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<i><br /></i>cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-13943676239316065772016-03-31T05:54:00.001-04:002016-04-30T04:55:41.400-04:00Internet Pet Peeves<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Greetings. I saw there have been page views, GREAT! But it would be so lovely to get some more comments. Hearing from actual readers would be soooo meaningful!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, on my mind now are some of my internet pet peeves:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Having to sign in to leave a comment. </b> Hey, I know Blogger is really fussy now about either signing in with some id or having third party cookies enabled (I went through a mess when trying to reply on my other blog...) Oh, yes, let's let more parties track us. And WordPress --- they have a nerve - if you have a WP account and want to comment on a WP blog, they will demand you sign in EVEN IF YOU DON'T CHOOSE SIGN IN WITH WP!!! What are they doing even sniffing you if you don't choose that option? Shame on blogger and wp. And other sites... sometimes I've seen a post or something I like but you have to login to comment. Well, unless I'm already registered for some other reason , I WON'T! Why should I register just to leave a comment??? I don't think so. So sorry folks about the Blogger sign in, but it's not MY doing at all.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Pop up boxes that cover the page and want you to sign up for a newsletter, e-mail posts or whatever.</b> I find these EXTREMELY annoying. I generally don't sign up for these anyway, and these pop ups make me much less likely to do so.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Auto-play video ads.</b> How annoying can you get?</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Share button boxes that cover part of the text of the page. </b> I'm not against sharing, but buttons shouldn't interfere with reading the content.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>"Mobile Friendly" web design that doesn't work well for traditional pc's.</b> Oh gee, what about those of us who DON'T do the web on mobile devices? Don't WE deserve functioning websites? Anyway, I don't like mobile friendly designs. Boring and often frustrating. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Social media as the gatekeeper. </b> I'm not much for social media such as facebook, twitter, instagram, google + and all. But why should my voice be drowned out because I don't use them? Why do companies and all pay attention to twitter hashtags but trying to get noticed without posting on facebook or twitter is increasingly hard? Why should anyone be left out because of this? I do value communication and connections; certainly I blog and use e-mail. But some of the others raise just too many privacy concerns. So why should I (or anyone) be left out because of our (I feel, very real) concerns)???</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cookies and web tracking in general.</b> Enough already! Don't tell me a site has to know all about me to let me use it. Don't tell me cookies are NECESSARY. They're just ways of funneling data to advertisers (and also the NSA and all). So I'm sure there could be web designs without them, IF we'd insist on it and the techs really look to implement them.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what about it? Any more pet peeves? </span> <br />
<ul>
</ul>
cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-76700081350971413092016-02-28T01:40:00.002-05:002016-04-30T04:57:14.108-04:00Pluto Travel Poster<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Guess what! NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab has a series of free posters. Quite a different <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">concept for this series: <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/visions-of-the-future/" target="_blank"><b> retro-feeling travel posters</b></a> about some planets and other cosmic bodies.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But <b>WHERE WAS PLUTO???</b> And some of the other planets in OUR Solar System? FOR SHAME for not including all of those but some others, a few of which I hadn't heard of.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So of course I had to try my hand at a travel poster for Pluto. Now I don't have really great graphic design skills, but you know, I don't think this is too bad.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCt47legoJP_QCA0k1A8loFikc9wdWypTTnVftEeMtBD8RyrmDfoZ1ZxBfO7RDCAHxf7qxldyl7jgcAkQYqy4oDi66JI3w7-vuGJiLzvwTjCeT0X5a0ccTr2nm1_m74klX9BNg5A/s1600/plutoposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCt47legoJP_QCA0k1A8loFikc9wdWypTTnVftEeMtBD8RyrmDfoZ1ZxBfO7RDCAHxf7qxldyl7jgcAkQYqy4oDi66JI3w7-vuGJiLzvwTjCeT0X5a0ccTr2nm1_m74klX9BNg5A/s400/plutoposter.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">'My Original Graphic - Pluto Travel Poster'</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Guess what else! NASA just released<a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA20473" target="_blank"><b> photos of Pluto's Norh Pole region</b></a>. There are canyons!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So let me hear from you ---- any Plutophiles out there? </span>cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-8618284514328235612016-02-21T00:52:00.002-05:002016-04-30T04:58:07.933-04:00Timely Gift?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hello -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Again I do see I've gotten a few page views. But would <b>LOVE </b>some comments... love to hear from other real humans!!! And please don't forget about my other blog,<b> The View From Here</b>... be sure to visit there as well (link on right, hint, hint :-) )... and comments and encouragement would be MOST welcom</span>e.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know I don't post here that often it seems, but here's something pretty neat I thought should be shared. It was just this past Halloween when my neighbor called and said some neighborhood kids had been out throwing pumpkins and had dented my mailbox. Indeed they had - and it was now also tilted it on its pedestal and it was getting ever harder for me to even open it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A new mailbox was certainly indicated if not a real necessity. Then I thought ---- "I have one in my garage," I told my neighbor. He promised to check if it was still ok after quite some years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You see, the prospective mailbox was given to my Mom by her nephew some years ago. Mom was grateful, of course, but since we already were using one, we just never switched. And after my parents both passed away, I didn't either.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But guess what? Maybe that gift was just waiting for the right time. My neighbor cleaned it up a bit and --- it finally got installed today - ummm I guess now it was yesterday (Saturday)! It looks great. Take away? I guess we never really know sometimes when what we give or something we do might really be useful or bear fruit. Another example, months later I got a wonderful e-mail from Dr. Frisby after sending her a message of support<b>. </b>Dr. Frisby is the faculty member mentioned in <a href="http://observergal.blogspot.com/2015/11/equality-begins-with-respect-and.html" target="_blank"><b>this post from TVFH</b></a> which has a link to her statement.<b> </b>Notice a link to Alexandra Franzen's site at the right? She has a wonderful post there - <i>"It All Matters."</i> I receive her newsletter and believe it or not, the issue with that link in it came within no more than a day of receiving Dr. Frisby's e-mail (can you say synchronicity?)!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, what we give, do, say may blossom... whenever!</span>cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-84843270673441525742016-02-09T03:42:00.001-05:002016-05-06T06:41:12.853-04:00Reading List - Updated!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Greetings all -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know, I know, I don't post here often. I put most of my blogging into my other blog, The View From Here (<b>feel free to visit there anytime!</b>). But it's nice to still have this here and to write about - well whatever!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I just thought I haven't written much about reading in quite sometime. Truth is, I do a lot of reading online - news and articles. Should do books more, but...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, there are some books I do want to get to:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First on the list is <b><i>Tomlinson Hill</i></b> by Chris Tomlinson. I saw stories and coverage of it on PBS and C-Span BookTV. It covers lives of both black and white residents of the named hill through generations. One hook is that one set ot Tomlinsons today includes Ladanian Tomlinson, an all-time top NFL running back who I actually knew about! Another hook was that author Chris said he had a section in the book about racism and how to deal with it. Now THAT ought to be worth reading.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another on the list it <i><b>Confessions of an Economic Hit Man</b></i> by John Perkins. It's been around a while now, but I only recently got a copy. Tales of economic intrigue around the world - sounds like a winner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another on the list would be <i><b>Licensed to Lie</b></i> by Sidney Powell. This is about corruption and abuses in the federal criminal justice system. I saw her on C-Span (BookTV, I believe); she was impressive so I think this should be a good read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another is <i><b>The Material Gene</b></i> by Kelly Happe. I also saw her on BookTV. I left it on since there was nothing else I wanted on; I was very surprised that what she had to say was extremely interesting. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also, I should probably get to: <i><b>Outrageous Acts and Ordinary Rebellions</b></i> by Gloria Steinem. Would you believe I bought this many years ago and still haven't read it? She was on one of those C-Spans (probably BookTV again) promoting her latest book, <i><b>My Life on the Road</b></i>. That sounds pretty good, too, but I thought before I shell out for that I should read the earlier one. So I found where I'd "hidden it" - not the bookshelf I thought it was on - and now have it available for when I get to perusing it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Notice no fiction on this list? I don't really read a lot of fiction. Don't care much for dark or tragic fiction, so I steer clear of those (yup, I really do read the endings first!) I do like a romance novel sometimes - regency romances often. They can sometimes be "cookie cutter" so I'm not wholesale into 'hey, let's get started reading the next one!' But I do have a few novels around I haven't read so maybe one day...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I can't forget: there are also two WWII era memoirs I have and really should read. One is <i><b>Survival of a Spirit</b></i> by Ms. Salier, a Holocaust Survivor, and the other is <i><b>Beyond the Ouija Board</b></i> written by Ms. Michaelis, the dear Mother of a former colleague. That one is about her memories of occupied Belgium. And I think there's another memoir that may be of the same era which a cousin gave me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Guess we should be thankful for a banquet of reading choices. Why not share your reading list in comments? Inquiring minds want to know!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">UPDATE:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">See <a href="http://observergal.blogspot.com/2016/05/women-must-keep-demanding-personal-power.html" target="_blank"><b>this post on TVFH</b></a> for another book I should add to my list<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>.</b></span></span><br />
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<br />cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-17080495704179324612016-01-26T09:32:00.004-05:002016-04-30T04:59:14.574-04:00It's Dad's Birthday!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, guess what! It's time to wish my Dad a Happy Birthday ---- even if he's on the other side now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So Happy Birthday, Dad - you're definitely not forgotten. Keep praying for us --- we NEED it! And could you help send some genealogical info? Still some cool questions to answer ----- such as who would be the parents of that earliest Wilson ancestor I've found (James) - and who woule be those of his wife?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anad I'll see if I can find a bit of cherry pie today (your fave!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Take care and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!</span>cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-55359205773582033282015-12-18T08:16:00.002-05:002016-04-30T04:59:42.930-04:00Design!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HTmhn9yn20AFiuyDYH2c-PKXet53ReyoxTjxq7t0vcRn2D4lxHZUgUd0w4j2f0Z01_LkLNt6pzYFoO4hiW2FXsq4xo7T0JgcGXaWXKD4Vabwv8DwWLBSOMLTIVmyYIYhFWldTA/s1600/openfanpkg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HTmhn9yn20AFiuyDYH2c-PKXet53ReyoxTjxq7t0vcRn2D4lxHZUgUd0w4j2f0Z01_LkLNt6pzYFoO4hiW2FXsq4xo7T0JgcGXaWXKD4Vabwv8DwWLBSOMLTIVmyYIYhFWldTA/s320/openfanpkg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Original Graphic - "Open Fan Gray/Pink"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Quite some years ago now, I read a story by a woman who made an open fan design quilt. It was in <i>Guideposts</i> magazine, I believe. It was a nice story and I did like the basic, simple, open fan design it mentioned. It was <i>somewhat</i> similar to this graphic. It finally occurred to me to try to just do a picture graphic to capture some of the essence of the design. Enjoy!</span></div>
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cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-32811553572300637622015-10-26T04:49:00.002-04:002016-04-30T05:00:25.366-04:00Surprise?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I just saw I got some pageviews after quite sometime of not much going on. Thanks for reading. But I would love comments and ---- also please visit my other blog - The View From Here (there's a link on the right sidebar. Would love to get readers and comments there for sure!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So please visit both blogs. Know comments would be appreciated - and don't forget you can share posts :-)</span><br />
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<br />cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-12920678286242033712015-08-30T08:15:00.002-04:002016-04-30T05:00:48.552-04:00The Queen Is Back<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dear Readers -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, I love writing, and here's something I wrote for fun, I guess, but I like it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Queen is Back</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>(with a nod to Bernie and Elton)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Isabella, Fourteen Ninety-Two<br />And Candace/Amanitore of Acts 8, too<br />Nefertiti, Victoria, yeah, they had the knack,<br />But you ain’t seen nothin’, ‘ cause The Queen is back<br /><br /><br />We know that music has its Queen of Soul,<br />The Queen of Suspense is on a mystery roll<br />But there’s one more monarch here to be exact<br />Let’s make room ladies, ‘cause The Queen is back</i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Oh, The Queen, oh The Queen, oh The Queen is back<br /> Regal bearing fully still intact<br /> Oh, The Queen, oh The Queen, back up on the throne<br /> Taking up the dynasty that is my own<br /><br />I’m back in the realm at the top of my game,<br />“Her Majesty” a title which I here reclaim<br />Know I’m reigning again as a proven fact<br />So please curtsy, my subjects, ‘cause The Queen is back<br /><br /> Oh, The Queen, oh The Queen, oh The Queen is back<br /> Regal bearing fully still intact<br /> Oh, The Queen, oh The Queen, back up on the throne<br /> Taking up the dynasty that is my own<br /> The Queen, The Queen, The Queen, The Queen is back<br /> The Queen, The Queen, The Queen, The Queen is back<br /> The Queen, The Queen, The Queen, The Queen is BACK!!!</span><br /> </i>cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-44570537670559919752015-08-26T06:22:00.002-04:002015-08-26T06:22:55.904-04:00I'm BAAAAK<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you also read my other blog, The View From Here (link to your right), you'll know I'm back to active blogging again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not sure when I'll have new posts for <i>this</i> blog, but I'll try not to neglect it totally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Changed the background on TVFH blog. I'd really like to change the background on this one as well. However, I've had major problems getting one to fit the size limit Blogger has. Any ideas???</span>cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-90716468034550157822015-08-10T03:17:00.003-04:002015-08-10T03:17:40.966-04:00HiatusPlease see latest post at <a href="http://observergal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>The View From Here</b></a> .cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-91817741246806034102015-07-28T08:16:00.002-04:002016-04-30T05:01:57.504-04:00More Pluto!!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXbsLToU6Jdf118H0V2DCwkQo9SQXRE3SCrPyrjuubTR-PzctH8wPlC2YNCWnIfDh0wHV7D9Ty93OIuOXj1jhztIf_1CWxijTHV1zc_1XuQ7ipT_HD9-gO0xLJsgR9O6vA2mxFg/s1600/plutoluv.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXbsLToU6Jdf118H0V2DCwkQo9SQXRE3SCrPyrjuubTR-PzctH8wPlC2YNCWnIfDh0wHV7D9Ty93OIuOXj1jhztIf_1CWxijTHV1zc_1XuQ7ipT_HD9-gO0xLJsgR9O6vA2mxFg/s320/plutoluv.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">credit: NASA/JHAPL/SRI </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just WOW!!! All the fantastic pictures and discoveries coming from the New Horizons Mission are simply awesome. That photo of Pluto backlit by the Sun taken as New Horizons, on the way from the Pluto encounter pointed back towards the PLANET (Oh my, wouldn't want to prejudice the poll results, now would I?) was breathtakingly gorgeous. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>BTW, notice the poll to your right.</b> You can vote, and I encourage all readers to do so. The poll will stay open through Aug. 4. (Update: voting is now closed.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And the graphic above is sharable (good for things like social media) and can be found at the NASA gallery for the "dwarf planets" (sigh!) which can be <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Dwarf" target="_blank"><b>found at this link</b></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've been reading lots of articles about the mission as well as oogling pictures. Here are two I found especially interesting:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/meet-three-scientists-behind-the-pluto-mission/" target="_blank"><b>Interviews of Three NH Female Team Members</b></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b>It's great to hear from women scientists and these three are fantastic. Turns out the NH team was 25% female. As the article says, that shows quite some progress over the years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_28528788.html" target="_blank">Article Featuring the Tombaughs</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b>This article spotlights the two children of Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, a few more poetic lines:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Pluto</b></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>He whispered to Lowell and Pickering</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"Yes, fellows, I'm here!"</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>He waved to many astronomers</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>But it was Tombaugh who waved back</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>And a message he sent crossed billions of miles,</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Calling New Horizons to explore;</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>They heard him say quite simply</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"I'm ready for my close-up now."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Parting shots: I am so with the sentiments of Alice Bowman: <i>"...I can’t imagine anyone saying that Pluto is not worthy of planet status."</i> From what I've read, Alan Stern also feels we have a Planet here - as do quite a few other astronomers and related scientists. As that opening graphic made my sentiments clear, I feel that no matter if the IAU doesn't see the light; Pluto will always be a PLANET in my heart!!! Take THAT, Mike Brown (whose book title I find loathsome). I did find something that might be more my cup of tea, however. In the course of my reading, I came across mention of a book by Alan Boyle, titled <i>The Case for Pluto</i>. I just may want to investigate more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Pluto lovers, unite!</b></i></span><br />
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cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-60922138453895546912015-07-20T02:37:00.000-04:002016-04-30T05:02:56.062-04:00New Horizons/Pluto<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think that everyone is absolutely fascinated, stunned and amazed by the images and information coming from the <i>New Horizons</i> flyby of Pluto. It's certainly a fantastic achievement and all kudos to the team whose hard work and perseverance made this happen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of the first things which struck me was the name of the mission -<i> New Horizons</i>. That just also happens to be the name of a Moody Blues song as well! I was wondering if the name was inspired by the song and unfortunately it wasn't. Here is the story of <a href="http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=16534" target="_blank"><b>how the mission got its name</b></a> - told by Alan Stern himself. Still, the song (though not one of my favorite Moody songs) has that sort of exploratory vibe to it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So here are some lines inspired by the Mission and a bit by that Moodies song:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>New Horizons</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Where is this place so far away</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Beyond childlike gazes to the sky</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Where constellations wait to be deciphered</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>And phases of the Moon pass by?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>What will be found by this flying explorer, </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Powered as if by will, dreams,</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Prayers, and work through years</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>And billions of miles?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Where are we bound</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>On this journey of discovery,</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Seeking a clear focus</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>On a world best seen before as merely a smudge?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>What of this enigmatic object</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>That calls to us with a strange and cosmic magnetism</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Which propels us, no, compels us</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>To learn more about our neighborhood?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>So a mission is sent soaring still faster and farther,</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>With a discoverer's ashes,</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The names of 435,000 Earth inhabitants on CD,</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>And seven more mementos (think of the total number)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Accompanying the scientific instrumentation</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To New Horizons</span>.</i><br />
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjyznsy5mqAd0lfSuatFizEPxVUY0fj_1X_A7-KRIE06QKwsEwdwADHPqOYfjjPnJnv6laXthduiumbZOs4G0VBrHhyphenhyphenmhyaZrHaXeBVUxDAtsqyB6csolwnkAiZvRtepEbi33ew/s1600/newhoriz2025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjyznsy5mqAd0lfSuatFizEPxVUY0fj_1X_A7-KRIE06QKwsEwdwADHPqOYfjjPnJnv6laXthduiumbZOs4G0VBrHhyphenhyphenmhyaZrHaXeBVUxDAtsqyB6csolwnkAiZvRtepEbi33ew/s400/newhoriz2025.JPG" width="400" /></a></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">('my original graphic')</span></div>
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<br />cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-45675297176994422912015-06-13T04:32:00.001-04:002016-04-30T05:03:31.649-04:00Happy Birthday, Mom!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Time to say "Happy Birthday" to a great lady, my Mother! Since ladies don't usually care to have their ages divulged, I won't do that; but will say that I hope she is having a fine birthday on the other side.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She was a wonderful Mother and role model. Also, she was a gifted teacher (she taught me in both second and third grades!). She was of course, a fine poet, and you can read <a href="http://cyberwindow.blogspot.com/2012_08_01_archive.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a> about the novel she wrote. She was also a woman strongly connected to all of her family.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So with a prayer that she cosmically gets these wishes: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy Birthday Mom - have a wonderful one!</span></span>cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-42780830867474234902015-06-01T03:01:00.002-04:002016-04-30T05:05:13.348-04:00Alphabetical Advice<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hello all -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Been a while since I posted here - but I haven't forgotten about this blog. I'm always looking around the internet for writing prompts and inspirations. One thing I saw in several places was to list advice with the first line each piece of advice beginning with each letter of the alphabet from A - Z. Hadn't really tackled it before but this time I did so here goes:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>A</b>lways have Faith</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>B</b>uild bridges to others</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>C</b>alculate a new formula</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>D</b>ecide to spread Light</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>E</b>nvision the positive</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>F</b>ind a way</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>G</b>et in the way (from Rep. John Lewis)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>H</b>one your talents</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>I</b>nsatiably seek Knowledge</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>J</b>oin with others to progress</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>K</b>now your rights</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>L</b>earn Wisdom's ways</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>M</b>andate that Justice prevail</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>N</b>ever stop dreaming</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>O</b>bey the Golden Rule</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>P</b>ractice Peace</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Q</b>uestion everything</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R</b>emember Aretha's spelling lesson: R-E-S-P-E-C-T for you and me</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>S</b>trive to be genuine</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>T</b>hink critically and independently</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>U</b>se your unique voice</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V</b>alue the Truth</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>W</b>iden your horizons</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">e<b>X</b>ercise common sense</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Y</b>es, you are needed</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Z</b>ig-zag through Life's maze (inspired by my Father)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hope you find this inspirational.</span><br />
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<br />cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-51825542711731364652015-04-20T06:31:00.000-04:002016-04-30T05:06:00.503-04:00Just For Fun - Multiple Choice Questions!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hello -</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Haven't uploaded a full new post here in some time. So here is one just for fun. Some multiple choice questions. Are there right or wrong answers? Maybe yes, maybe no :-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1. Why Do Fools Fall in Love?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> a) falling in love is a pretty foolish thing sometimes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> b) falling in love <i>makes</i> one foolish</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> c) it's what fools do</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>2. What Does it Take (To Win Your Love For Me)?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> a) romance, romance, romance</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> b) your heart on a silver platter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> c) lots of chocolate</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>3. Do You Know What I Mean?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> a) no, tell me</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> b) absolutely, I think</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> c) maybe if you draw me a picture</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>4. Do You Want to Know A Secret?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> a) yes, I love being in an inner circle</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> b) who else knows?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> c) sure, you can trust <i>me</i> never to tell</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Isn't Life Strange?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> a) it's stranger than fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> b) yes, it's like deja vu all over again</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> c) in what way?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>6. Isn't It Time?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> a) no, that clock has stopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> b) no, we're not ready yet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> c) yes, and what took so long?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>7. What's New Pussycat?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> a) I left a mouse for you by the back door</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> b) I want that new cat toy I just saw on tv</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> c) you won't believe what the neighbor's cat told me</span><br />
<br />cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11585894.post-74495207755136359702015-03-13T07:49:00.003-04:002016-04-30T05:06:58.186-04:00Revisiting "A Modest Proposal"<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Greetings! New post at The View From Here which revisits a post originally published here:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <a href="http://observergal.blogspot.com/2015/03/revisiting-modest-proposal.html" target="_blank"><b>Revisiting "A Modest Proposal"</b> </a></span>cinnamonbluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619869445880921279noreply@blogger.com0