30 April, 2013

{poetically plagiarized} 20: Majmudar

       



Stem Cells


       In the hospital’s hothouse,
       cardiac strawberries blink on a vine.
       A walnut-shell hides a brain rich
       in good fat; a lychee’s peel,
       a pale eyeball high in vitamin C.
       The doctor has good news!
       His pharmacopeia has given way
       to a cornucopia,
       one that spills ovarian grapes
       and bananas that promise never to go soft.
       A single stem has borne, has birthed fruit
       that shall not be forbidden us.
       The pomegranate spleen, yea,
       the kidney-bean kidney shall be ours.

       Splendid! delights a voice
       over the hospital PA system.
       Splendid, you summer-sweet sons of Adam—
       using an apple-seed of Knowledge
       to grow the Tree of Life!

       No one can say whose voice it is,
       but its hiss is like a scythe’s.


By Amit Majmudar, 2013

29 April, 2013

{this moment} 80

A Monday ritual. A single image - no words - capturing a moment from the past - sometimes a place with many moments - but somewhere along my life's Journey over which I wish to linger a bit and savor each memory it evokes. On Thursday in a companion ritual called {this memory}, I'll share the story of this moment.

{this moment}
Copyright © 2013 Thomas G. Brown

{this moment} is a ritual copied and adapted from cath's wonderful blog ~just my thoughts. She, in turn, borrowed it from Pamanner's Blog. Check out their blogs, and if you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your {this moment} in the comments for each of us to find and see.
TGB

28 April, 2013

Fallen Heros


A young lad was visiting a church for the first time, checking all the announcements and posters along the walls.

When he came to a group of pictures of men in uniform, he asked a nearby usher, "Who are all those men in the pictures?"

The usher replied, "Why, those are our boys who died in the service."

Absolutely dumbfounded, the youngster asked, "Was that the morning service or the evening service?"
Author Unknown   

27 April, 2013

Tree

Almost every day I photograph this tree near my office window - always from the same angle and about the same time of day. This is my favorite image from the past week.
TGB   

Copyright © 2013 Thomas G. Brown

To view a video set to music that contains 135 images taken over 12 months, click here.

For the 2010 collection of images, click here.
For the 2011 collection of images, click here.
For the 2012 collection of images, click here.
For the 2013 collection of images, click here.

26 April, 2013

An American In Periwinkle

Why is the sky blue? After all, nothing in it is blue. 78% Nitrogen - no color. 21% Oxygen - no color. Trace of argon. Water vapor. No color. No color. There has to be some reason it's blue - other than to make me feel good.

A redheaded Aussie friend recently blogged that she thought she might be feeling blue. She then went on to discount that and looked for another color that would best correlate with her mood. It was an interesting initial choice since she could be called a "bluey" in Australian slang (think carrot top in the US).

Rather than correlating moods and colors, I’m actually thinking, however, more about why blue is blue. Sometimes red hair is called titian or copper or ginger. Or orange! Where do these names come from? We often speak of ROY G BIV as if he actually were someone, and as you might expect, I met ROY in the spring of 1967 when I took my first psychology course.

If you’re unfamiliar with that mnemonic, it refers to Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-Blue-Indigo-Violet. These are the seven colors of the visible light spectrum – although scientists aren’t too crazy about indigo for some reason, and it gets left out a lot. Other cultures, by the way, divide it up differently than we do.

We are capable of discriminating about ten million different colors. What a piece of work is man, and how exquisite in sensitivity is our visual system! I don’t know if we have named them all, but we do have a system for numbering these colors based on their hue, saturation, and value (or brightness). Some names that we use tend toward the abstract. That is what ROY G BIV is mostly about. Just labels. Red. Blue. Etc.

Often, however, an object becomes the name. Without getting into word origins, we may have a bit of a chicken or the egg problem here, and I’m too lazy for that today. Which came first – the color Orange or the fruit orange. Is the color Violet named after the flower or is the flower named after the color. Let’s save that for another day. Salmon. Periwinkle. Fuchsia. On and on.

I mention those last two colors because I like them. A lot. But that brings us to the oddity of our naming conventions. If I look at a standardized naming chart, those names don’t quite correspond to my mind’s memory of those colors, but I persist in calling those experiences by those names. Based on the numbers, they are not far off, but my Fuchsia is more like Rose and my Periwinkle more like Majorelle Blue - at least in that chart. Someone else might see them as Razzle Dazzle Rose or Rich Electric Blue.

Does any of this matter? Nah. Whatever you call them, they are beautiful to behold, and the nice thing about such favorites is it’s easy to just close your eyes and enjoy them - even when the flowers aren't blooming. If you want to give your mood a color name, be my guest. You'll have a beautiful mood.

Oh, that thing about the sky? First, I’m sure you’re aware that sunlight is a blend of all the various colors. Right? Of course, you are. Well, the longer wavelengths of light (R-O-Y, etc.) pass right through the atmosphere pretty much unaffected. The shorter wavelengths, however, bump into the molecules of whatever is around – nitrogen, oxygen, dust, water vapor – and get absorbed. Then because those molecules are everywhere in the sky, what we call the Blues (predominantly) get scattered in all directions. So … everywhere you look you see that blue sky. Aren’t you glad you asked?
TGB   

25 April, 2013

{this memory} 79


This is the story behind last Monday's {this moment}.


Oh my! We're in Central New York. Specifically just outside my office. This is the winter shadow of Tree whom I find particularly impressive in winter.

Tree has been a huge part of my life for years as I have endeavored to photograph daily the seasonal changes that annually cycle around me. (See: Desk With A View.) Tree has also become talisman, muse, confidant, inspiration, and friend. Every Saturday I post a photo of Tree on this blog. There are photo collections available for viewing and even a video. See also Poetically Seasonal.

I'll be retiring in about a year, but Tree I shall never forget. I am filled with wonderful memories and am a most fortunate man.
TGB


24 April, 2013

The Lying Game

Lately I've been thinking about hypocrisy, about the ability of presumably fine people to look us in the eye and lie to us. Okay, maybe they don’t look us in the eye, but they certainly lie to us. I know what Gregory House, M.D. would say.   ------>

A couple of years ago faculty colleague shared an exchange between her two sons, both young gradeschoolers. The elder of the two asked how they determine when Easter Sunday is each year. The younger one without missing a beat replied, “National Geographic decides.”

If you don’t smile at that, you heart is hardened beyond salvage. My silly response was, “What did you expect him to say? - that Easter Day is the first Sunday after the full moon which happens upon, or next after the 21st day of March; and if the full moon happens upon a Sunday, Easter Day is the Sunday after.” Of course, I had to Google a bit for that rule, but I knew that determining when Easter Sunday falls is complicated and requires a rule - one that had not been worth memorizing.

So … where is the hypocrisy, you ask. Well, first I have to offer you a history lesson. I promise it won’t leave any lasting scars.

In the third century BCE, Aristarchus of Samos argued that the earth moved around the sun. Although there is no extant copy of his book, he evidently placed the sun at the center of the universe in what is known as a heliocentric system. We were cool with that for about 400 hundred years until Ptolemy, an Egyptian born and living under Roman rule, argued that the earth was at the center and everything revolved around it. This came to be known as the Ptolemaic or geocentric system.

We were now into the Christian Era, and as the Church grew in power and influence it taught the geocentric system. It was consistent, after all, with The Bible's statement that the earth was fixed and cannot be moved. This belief became standard Church dogma for well over a thousand years.

Enter Copernicus. Toward the end of his life, Copernicus was completing a book that attempted to prove the heliocentric theory. He did so quite convincingly but delayed publication for fear of criticism from the Pope and the Church. His book did not appear until his death in 1543, but in 1616 the text was placed on the Church’s Index of Prohibited Books. While it was acceptable to present heliocentric discussions if they were just hypothetical math exercises, it was heretical to state as a fact that the earth moved.

Galileo, on the other hand, was not going to give in to the Church. He knew Aristarchus and Copernicus were correct. Although the Pope was a friend, Galileo had lots of enemies in the Vatican, and to make a long story shorter, he was tried by the Inquisition in 1633 and spent the last decade of his life under house arrest. At least he wasn’t burned at the stake as Giordano Bruno had been in 1600 – probably because the Pope was, indeed, a friend, and it rarely hurts to have friends in high places.

In the mid-1700s the Church did lift its ban on publishing books that dealt with heliocentrism. It took until 1992, however, for Pope John Paul II to apologize for the Church’s treatment of Galileo.

But Thom, where’s the hypocrisy? Where’s the lying? Well, the Church convicted Galileo for telling the masses where earth really was in the solar system. The Church, however, knew quite well that Galileo was correct. They just didn't want us to know that fact since heliocentrism contradicted what they had been teaching us forever - that Man was placed by God at the center of His creation, earth, and that everything else revolves around us in perfect circles.

The truth is that the Church had invested significantly in science and astronomy for centuries, beginning in the late middle ages. They needed to understand astronomy so they could design and construct some of those magnificent cathedrals in ways that would allow them to function almost as solar observatories. How else can one predict when Easter will fall than by knowing the date of the vernal equinox? You need at least a modest observatory and years of recording careful observations. (See Heilbron’s The Sun in the Church.)

How do you reconcile Church doctrine with Galileo's universe? You don’t. You can’t. Unless you’re willing to say I was wrong - so sorry - let us make restitution to the families of all those we tortured or killed. Nope. You continue to pretend to the masses that you have been right all along, and you threaten or punish anyone who dares to challenge you – even though you know what the facts really are.

Sounds like a working definition of hypocrisy to me. And why do I care? After all, three years ago the Church proposed erecting a statue of Galileo inside the Vatican walls. The Galileo travesty is over, and the Church has again fully embraced him. I care because our governmental officials and wanna-be officials are spending enormous sums of money to make sure that we don’t have a clear understanding of what is and is not happening or what has and has not happened.

In short, the hypocrites are lying to us. And if not, they come so close to the line of what constitutes lying that it takes major critical thinking skills to sort it out. Most of them just lie to us. Both the Reds and the Blues.

Have they no shame? Have they no decency?

It kind of makes you miss the Inquisition, doesn't it. It certainly makes you wish you were young and curious and looking forward to Easter.
TGB

23 April, 2013

Mighty Finn - Update #13

Heigh-ho, fans.
I told mom to be careful what she photographs,
but I wanted you to see me getting a good soak. Aaaah.

I've gotten pretty good at building these towers.
Sometimes mommy helps a bit, and then
there's the fun of knocking them down!

This is my first school picture.
Yeah, I know it's just daycare, but I like it.

Slightly different version. I'm telling you I still got it.

I love airports. It's a good thing because were off again.
Mommy said I can't say where, but it's a lot warmer.
And everyone speaks Spanish.

Here is the chick magnet in action. She liked me a lot.

We became quite close in a just a short amount of time.

We've just arrived at the place that shall not be named.

We're staying at a beautiful home.
This is the window sill in my bedroom.
So cool.

Just try to tell me you wouldn't want to wake up to this view!

I'm puzzled though.
I've seen fountains before but never in my bathroom.

See you next month.


22 April, 2013

{this moment} 79

A Monday ritual. A single image - no words - capturing a moment from the past - sometimes a place with many moments - but somewhere along my life's Journey over which I wish to linger a bit and savor each memory it evokes. On Thursday in a companion ritual called {this memory}, I'll share the story of this moment.

{this moment}
Copyright © 2013 Thomas G. Brown

{this moment} is a ritual copied and adapted from cath's wonderful blog ~just my thoughts. She, in turn, borrowed it from Pamanner's Blog. Check out their blogs, and if you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your {this moment} in the comments for each of us to find and see.
TGB

21 April, 2013

Hungover In Church


A man sobering up from the night before sat through the Sunday sermon but found it long and boring. Still feeling hung over and tired, he finally nodded off.

The priest had been watching him all along, noticed his apparent hangover, and was disgusted. At the end of the sermon, the preacher decided to make an example of him.

He said to his congregation, "All those wishing to have a place in heaven, please stand." The whole room stood up except, of course, the sleeping man.

Then the preacher said even more loudly, "And he who would like to find a place in hell please STAND UP!" The weary man caught only the last part and groggily stood up - only to find that he alone was standing.

Confused and embarrassed he said, "I don't know what we're voting on here, Father, but it sure seems like you and me are the only ones standing for it!"
Author Unknown   

20 April, 2013

Tree

Almost every day I photograph this tree near my office window - always from the same angle and about the same time of day. This is my favorite image from the past week.
TGB   

Copyright © 2013 Thomas G. Brown

To view a video set to music that contains 135 images taken over 12 months, click here.

For the 2010 collection of images, click here.
For the 2011 collection of images, click here.
For the 2012 collection of images, click here.
For the 2013 collection of images, click here.

19 April, 2013

{essential truths} Slices

No matter how thinly you slice it,
there are always two sides.

18 April, 2013

{poetically plagiarized} 19: McHugh

I came upon this poem recently and absolutely love it - both in its messages and its cleverness. How wonderful to need nothing!!-- TGB  

       Language Lesson 1976

       When Americans say a man
       takes liberties, they mean

       he’s gone too far. In Philadelphia today I saw
       a kid on a leash look mom-ward

       and announce his fondest wish: one
       bicentennial burger, hold

       the relish. Hold is forget,
       in American.

       On the courts of Philadelphia
       the rich prepare

       to serve, to fault. The language is a game as well,
       in which love can mean nothing,

       doubletalk mean lie. I’m saying
       doubletalk with me. I’m saying

       go so far the customs are untold.
       Make nothing without words,

       and let me be
       the one you never hold.

By Heather McHugh   
Published in Hinge & Sign: Poems, 1968-1993   
Wesleyan University Press, 1994

17 April, 2013

Say Yes to Life

I posted what follows once before - on the tenth anniversary of the tragedy of 9-11. Now we are confronted again with senseless tragedy, this time in Boston. It follows all too soon the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary and so many others.

I do not think we can overuse that word, "tragedy." It seems to retain its power no matter how often we say it. Tragedy. Tragedy. Tragedy. Tragedy. Have we had enough yet?!

America has unfortunately developed a culture of violence where evil all too often comes to the fore. I have no special solution for that. I can offer only an acknowledgement that it is so and a wonderment that our elected officials are unwilling to address the issue.

What follows are not my words but were offered at a memorial service not long after 9-11. I like that they speak to hope and love and to life and tolerance - all qualities that are much to be desired these days.
TGB   

"Is any force greater than human cruelty? For our survival, we must believe that the answer is yes.

We gather here today in terrible sorrow, but also in abiding hope. We mourn on this day the unbearably many dear lives – Americans, Bangladeshis, citizens of this nation and of other nations around the globe lost on the morning of September 11 – not while engaged in hostile activity, but instead while engaged in the first hours of what began as a normal working day.

We may mourn America's innocence in the face of terrorism and perhaps our lost or damaged sense of security within our own boundaries and our newfound awareness of invulnerability lost in those attacks. We feel common agony in this week when evil might seem to overwhelm goodness.

But under this sadness, which is the sadness of death, lies a determined "yes" within all of our hearts and minds, whatever our personal loss, whatever our home town or native land — an affirmation that is an expression of faith in human goodness — a vote for life.

This has been the message ... when we have together felt the agony of those whose lives are now extinguished and their surviving families and colleagues and friends and neighbors. What more resounding vote for life might there be than today's gatherings ... across the land and in nations around the globe where these agonies are shared as a common human agony?

We gather to affirm that love is greater than hate; that friendship is stronger than enmity; good is stronger than evil; that tolerance for difference is the way to peace; and that working together to build rather than to destroy is our maker's purpose for our lives.

We see on television the ash that now buries the streets of lower Manhattan, and we know that we see a graveyard. Yet the sky above is blue, life uptown goes on, and people continue to work, to build, to love – babies are born, healing (physical and spiritual) continues, assertions of compassion and human kindness and the continuity of life itself draw us back together.

And we understand that we were made in the image of a creator, not a destroyer. Today we affirm that together we will rebuild what hate has destroyed, and that what we build anew, we will build better. Today we raise our voices to say yes to life.

One person alone is weak. Together, let us be strong. Today is our national day of prayer and remembrance. I ask you to stand now and either pray with me or remember in your own way those who have died so horribly, those who survive and merit our compassion and human kindness, and all those who share our conviction that human virtue, civilization, goodness, and the values that accompany these signs of our common value endure, and to attest the triumph of good over evil."

John T. Casteen III, Ph.D.
President Emeritus
University of Virginia
September 14, 2001

16 April, 2013

It's Never Too Late

It comes in bursts, but every so often I think about how fortunate I am. When it happens, I immediately begin looking for ways to thank those who have made a difference in my life. Most often it's just a note or letter of thanks; sometimes it's in person. Occasionally I find a way to do more, but it really isn't necessary.

Some were people who came to my side in a crisis. In the summer of 1988, I nearly died from massive septicemia and spent weeks in the ICU and then in a private hospital room. There was one ICU nurse in particular whom I wrote years later to tell her that this very sick patient always felt safer when she was around. I knew she cared. I thanked her as well as I could, and the response I received told me that I, her miracle survivor, had done a good thing.

Sometimes the help came in calmer times. I am well educated and successful by almost anyone's standard, but I didn't do it by myself. All along the way I had marvelous teachers and mentors. Over the years, I have tried to take the time to write many of them to let them know that they made a difference and to thank them for it. For a few, I had waited too long, and they had passed on. When I was in time though, it always felt good to tell them - just as it feels good when I hear from a former student.

Then there are those who were there for me when I was at a choice point in my life and about to make a decision that could affect how the remainder of my life might unfold. I was reminded of this not too long ago when I returned to the University of Virginia for the 50th anniversary of the founding of my fraternity's chapter.

I had a rough start at UVa with a 1.3 for my first semester and a 1.6 for the second. I'm not dumb, but that, in fact, was the problem. Earning As in high school had been so easy that I rarely had to study and consequently never developed good scholarly habits. When I was finally challenged intellectually, I simply wasn't ready.

I rushed and pledged Pi Kappa Phi, but as I struggled academically in the fall, I began thinking maybe I should drop out. My fraternity big brother was hearing none of that. He knew I would ultimately be better off in the house than out of it, and I stayed. He was right. Today I understand that remaining in that brotherhood made all the difference. I went on to do well, of course, and ultimately earned a Ph.D.

He was graduated a year ahead of me and taught third grade for a few years before going to law school and becoming a very successful lawyer in Los Angeles. I learned this only at the reunion because I hadn't seen him or been in touch since he was graduated in 1969. I assumed I would never see him again. I got a little teary as I explained, but you can bet I made sure to thank him for being there when I needed him and for making a huge difference at a very difficult point in my life.

Do you owe someone your thanks? There is no time like the present to let them know. Just do it. You'll be glad you did and then wonder what took you so long.
TGB   

15 April, 2013

(picture perfect} Sandbridge


Looking West From a Friend's Home
in Sandbridge
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Copyright © 2011 Thomas G. Brown

14 April, 2013

She Never Had A Drink

Arthur was sitting outside his local pub one day, enjoying a quiet pint and generally feeling good about himself, when a nun suddenly appeared at his table and started decrying the evils of drink.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, young man! Drinking is a sin, and alcohol is the blood of the devil!"

Now Arthur got pretty annoyed about this, and went on the offensive. "How do YOU know, Sister?"

"My Mother Superior told me so."

"But have you ever had a drink yourself? How can you be sure that what you are saying is right?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course, I have never taken alcohol myself."

"Then let me buy you a drink. If you still believe afterwards that it is evil, I will give up drink for life."

"How could I, a Nun, sit outside this public house drinking?!"

"I'll get the barman to put it in a teacup for you. Then no one will know"

The Nun reluctantly agreed, and Arthur went inside to the bar.

"Another pint for me and a triple vodka on the rocks." Then he lowered his voice and said to the barman, "And could you put the vodka in a teacup?"

"Oh no! It's not that drunken Nun again is it?"
Author Unknown   

13 April, 2013

Tree

Almost every day I photograph this tree near my office window - always from the same angle and about the same time of day. This is my favorite image from the past week.
TGB   

Copyright © 2013 Thomas G. Brown

To view a video set to music that contains 135 images taken over 12 months, click here.

For the 2010 collection of images, click here.
For the 2011 collection of images, click here.
For the 2012 collection of images, click here.
For the 2013 collection of images, click here.

12 April, 2013

Postponement

It began with one more piece of FaceBook Flair. I don’t know why I continue to scan the hundreds of these buttons that seem to be created daily by so many who have not nearly enough to do. I guess there is a gem every so often that amuses me or, more rarely, touches me with its accidental wisdom. A far more typical reaction on my part would be to scream silently at the poor grammar and misspellings. Yet, every so often I’ll spend a few minutes clicking through pages of them. (If you are or were a student of mine, please note my behavior is being maintained according to variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement.)

This particular Flair message was “If I were to die tomorrow, what would you say to me today?” Although pleased to see the appropriate use of the subjunctive mood in a subordinate clause expressing action having yet to occur, I was left to wonder when this actual “saying” was to proceed. If it be after I’m gone, it’s going to make only you feel better. If it be before I die and you know my change of venue is imminent, I’m going to wonder why all of the sudden you’re sharing your deepest thoughts about me. And … I’ve never been able to make up my mind about whether I want to know about that particular “when.”

Nevertheless, I understand the message, and it relates to a few of my oldest posts about living in the present. The point is one never knows when the words you offer another will, in fact, be the last words you share with that individual. Given that reality, would it not be best to give those words and sentiments an airing when they could do the most good? For both of you?

My own medical history has been such that on all but one of the several times it was thought that I might not make it, events happened quickly and unexpectedly. After the first of those unfortunately sudden interludes, I resolved to be certain that each of those I cherish and hold dear in my life would be certain that I did, in fact, feel that way. I wanted to touch them and look them in their eyes as I said, “I love you.” I wanted no ambiguity whatsoever.

Had I been the one to create this Flair, I would have written: “If this were your last chance to see me, what would you want me to know?” After all, there are reasons other than death that these opportunities are lost.

Consider who is significant in your life. Touch them. Tell them how you feel about them. Don’t wait for a better time. Live in the present. Seize this moment. Be.
TGB   

11 April, 2013

{this memory} 78


This is the story behind last Monday's {this moment}.

Well, we're in Scotland. Specifically just outside Edinburgh. With my family, I was visiting for a few days.

My older daughter and I are Dan Brown (no relation) fans and loved The Da Vinci Code. In the image you see the *Apprentice Pillar in Rosslyn Chapel which figured so much in the conclusion of the novel.

We had some difficulty getting there. Bus service was disrupted because many streets were blocked off for a parade by those demonstrating against the G-8 summit meeting at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, about 30 miles (via crow) from Edinburgh.

We got there, nevertheless, after a bit of a hike. It was a truly beautiful setting, and I had enjoyed another wonderful adventure with one of my beautiful daughters.

I am filled with wonderful memories and am a most fortunate man.
TGB

*"The "Apprentice Pillar" gets its name from an 18th century legend involving the master mason in charge of the stonework in the chapel and his young apprentice. According to the legend, the master mason did not believe that the apprentice could perform the complicated task of carving the column without seeing the original which formed the inspiration for the design. The master mason travelled to see the original himself, but upon his return was enraged to find that the upstart apprentice had completed the column anyway. In a fit of jealous anger the mason took up his mallet and struck the apprentice on the head, killing him." (Wikipedia)

10 April, 2013

In Mysterious Ways

It was a powerful moment.

A week earlier I had experienced a major heart attack - the one they call the widow maker. I made it to the Emergency Department in time, but before they could administer a clot-busting medicine (streptokinase or SK), I had the attack. By the way, when I woke up that morning, I had no doubt what was happening. The pain in my chest was incredible, and I told my wife to get me to the hospital as soon as possible.

The damage was done though, and today my heart pumps only about a third of what it should. The moment that was so powerful came as I lay in bed the day before my cardiac catheterization to determine where the blockage(s) might be. Those arterie(s) might then be opened to allow normal blood flow to the heart muscle.

It was late in the afternoon, and I was alone. My wife, who stays with me whenever I'm hospitalized (the better to stop mistakes), had gone home for a shower and change of clothes. I must have looked somewhat anxious when a nun passed by my door.

I do not know what drew her to me. I'm not Catholic, and although spiritual, I'm not very religious. I have not been given the faith my reverend namesakes had. She said very little, but she asked me why I was there. I explained briefly.

She looked at me and for some reason said, "You should not be alone." I indicated my wife would be back soon, and with that, she placed her hand over my heart and said a brief prayer. I had never felt such a surge of energy. It was overwhelmingly powerful. Explosive. I don't know what it was, but as a consequence I felt stronger and safer. That was over two decades ago, and I can still feel it. Then and now, it has caused me to re-examine what I know about the world, but the neuroscientist in me remains puzzled.

In The Dance I describe a similar energy I receive from another. There are clearly truths I am still trying to understand.
TGB


08 April, 2013

{this moment} 78

A Monday ritual. A single image - no words - capturing a moment from the past - sometimes a place with many moments - but somewhere along my life's Journey over which I wish to linger a bit and savor each memory it evokes. On Thursday in a companion ritual called {this memory}, I'll share the story of this moment.

{this moment}
Copyright © 2013 Thomas G. Brown

{this moment} is a ritual copied and adapted from cath's wonderful blog ~just my thoughts. She, in turn, borrowed it from Pamanner's Blog. Check out their blogs, and if you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your {this moment} in the comments for each of us to find and see.
TGB

07 April, 2013

The Leaf


Visiting his grandparents, a small boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages.

Suddenly, something fell out. He picked it up and found that it was an old leaf that had been pressed flat between the pages. "Mama, look what I found," he called out.

"What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked."

With astonishment in his voice, the boy answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear!"
Author Unknown   

06 April, 2013

Tree

Almost every day I photograph this tree near my office window - always from the same angle and about the same time of day. This is my favorite image from the past week.
TGB   

Copyright © 2013 Thomas G. Brown

To view a video set to music that contains 135 images taken over 12 months, click here.

For the 2010 collection of images, click here.
For the 2011 collection of images, click here.
For the 2012 collection of images, click here.
For the 2013 collection of images, click here.

05 April, 2013

Put On Your Thinking Caps

It's a classic, but it's a good Friday for a little silliness, I think. The ability to be silly is clearly a significantly undervalued asset in today's world. There are but four simple questions; try not to read ahead for the answers. Good luck.

Ready?

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

Correct answer:
Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door.

This question tests whether or not you are doing simple things in a complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Incorrect answer:
Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the door.
Correct Answer:
Open the refrigerator, remove the giraffe, put in the elephant, and close the door.

This question tests your foresight.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct answer:
The elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator!

This tests if you are capable of comprehensive thinking.

4. There is a river where lots of crocodiles live. How do you cross it?

Correct answer:
Simply swim through it. All the crocodiles are attending the animal meeting!

This question tests your reasoning ability.

04 April, 2013

{this memory} 77



This is the story behind last Monday's {this moment}.


Oh to be in England, now that spring is here!
Oh to be in England, drinking English beer!


Well, this is England - Oxford to be exact. It was early fall though, and there was no beer in this picture. I was doing some research at the library there. What a wonderful experience!

Toward the end of my stay, I decided I had to go see if Krispy Kreme doughnuts tasted the same there as they did where I grew up in Virginia. I arrived just after they opened which was why the outdoor seating was still as you see it.

I ordered two originals with a doppio espresso and sat down outside to enjoy. The morning was still a bit cool but glorious. I would have loved to do that everyday, but it cost nearly ten dollars! It's a lot less expensive here - thank goodness.

By the way, the building in the background is Malmaison Oxford Castle, a very nice hotel where the Harry Potter cast usually stayed during filming. I couldn't afford that either.

I am filled with wonderful memories and am a most fortunate man.
TGB

03 April, 2013

Leego My Ego

I begin by asking my students to describe (anonymously write) one thing they would do if they had a Cloak of Invisibility for 48 hours. These are then handed in for later discussion.

The course is History of Psychology, a senior-level required course that reviews the intellectual history of Western science but focuses on psychology. One of the ideas we explore, of course, is the theory of Sigmund Freud. Although his theory does not enjoy wide acceptance today in American psychology, it is still quite influential.

It's a dynamic theory in the sense that it attempts to explain why we behave the way we do. He describes the inherent conflict between SUPEREGO (with its moral teachings and conscience) and ID (with its desire for immediate gratification). To resolve that conflict, your EGO often engages in any one of a number of activities known as defense mechanisms, each of which operates at the unconscious level. You're not aware of them, nor are you aware of what your ID is up to. Defense mechanisms are irrational in the sense that they deny, distort, hide, etc. the reality of the conflict. I'm oversimplifying, and there is much more.

The theory, however, is quite weak from a theory construction perspective. It does not make testable predictions, and where you might see predictions, it's not clear. For example, depending on how your toilet training unfolded, you might become a very neat person or you might become a very messy person. Well, that's handy. It's always right - which is to say it has no truth value. It's all post hoc. Seeing someone who is messy (or neat), it suggests certain things happened in childhood, but it doesn't go the other way. For a theory to be useful, it has to be disprovable. This one isn't, and many of it's concepts are not empirically verifiable.

Which brings us back to the Cloak of Invisibility. What the exercise is attempting to do is remove whatever effects that SUPEREGO might have - now that you won't get caught, and without the conflict between ID and SUPEREGO, EGO doesn't have to engage in any defense mechanisms. You're likely to be honest about what you'd do, rather than denying it or repressing it. You're unconscious desires become conscious, and maybe we have empirically supported the notion of ID.

What is mentioned the most?. The most common answers revolve around surveillance, pulling pranks, or outright illegal activity. No one ever talks about doing a nice thing. Almost never anyway.

"I'd spy on my boyfriend to see what he really thinks or if he's faithful." Spying on sister, teachers, coaches, White House, gov't - you name it, and I've seen it listed. "I'd go see what it's like in the men's/women's locker room." Checking someone who was unclothed is very popular.

"I'd do weird things to try to scare my friends." Create havoc by floating objects in front of people. Mess with the CIA or FBI. Rearrange my friends' stuff. Make noises to disrupt sleep.

Then there is the illegal perspective. I've only seen punching someone in the face once (specifically, Nancy Pelosi). "I'd rob a bank" - which is frequent but occasionally is had a Robin Hood aspect to it. Mark all my loans as paid off. It's not always money; I see lots of theft of services - go stay and eat where I can't afford it, travel the world for free, explore Disney after hours.

Whew.

So, what would you do if you had a Cloak of Invisibility for 48 hours.
TGB   

02 April, 2013

(this moment} 77

A Monday ritual. A single image - no words - capturing a moment from the past - sometimes a place with many moments - but somewhere along my life's Journey over which I wish to linger a bit and savor each memory it evokes. On Thursday in a companion ritual called {this memory}, I'll share the story of this moment.
{this moment}
Copyright © 2013 Thomas G. Brown

{this moment} is a ritual copied and adapted from cath's wonderful blog ~just my thoughts. She, in turn, borrowed it from Pamanner's Blog. Check out their blogs, and if you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your {this moment} in the comments for each of us to find and see.
TGB

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