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I came across this quote from St. Isaac of Nineveh today:
"Be at peace with your own soul, then heaven and earth will be at peace with you."
I've read some of St. Isaac's writings before, and am generally of the same mindset, but this time I'm not so sure.
It's easy to see how you will be at peace with the Universe in general if you are at peace with your own soul. However, there are plenty of mortals here on earth who have their own agendas, and who are definitely not in harmony with you no matter how certain you are of your own path.
Maybe some of my philosophically-minded friends will add their thoughts!
All kidding aside, I love this!
I didn't use a layout generator on this blog because I thought it looked fine, but apparently the way it is now you can only post teeny images. NOT good for posting cartoons! So now I know what I'm doing today -- programming this blog!
UPDATE: It was a quick fix!
Another fun subliminal advertising story
Yesterday: Wine. Today: Beer!
Why is Corona served with lime?
No, it has NOTHING to do with any ways people in Mexico do or do not drink beer.
According to Parade magazine, which offers no names or citations and therefore could be totally making this up or passing on a story that would make a great urban legend, in 1981 a bartender somewhere in the US stuck a lime in the neck of a Corona bottle and bet his buddy that he could start a trend.
If this is true, hope Corona found a way to reward that guy! The "lime-in-the-Corona" craze caused Corona to overtake Heineken as the best-selling imported beer in the US.
I think stories about what induces people to buy things are fascinating. Here's one from a recent Parade magazine, so of course there are absolutely no citations and it could be totally made up.
British researchers spent two weeks playing either French accordian music or German oom-pah music in the wine section of a supermarket. On French music days, 77% of shoppers bought French wines, and on German music days, almost all shoppers bought German wines.
Forty-four customers filled out a survey about their wine selections, and only one mentioned the background music as a reason for picking their particular kind of wine.
More tomorrow!
American Home Furnishings has declared bankruptcy and they are having a "huge clearance sale." We went there yesterday.
Their housewares, pictures and mirrors are 50% off. That's pretty cool, although not really a rock-bottom price. And what is more, they don't give any further discounts for damaged goods! That's right: if there are two mirrors, and one is missing some decorative tiles, it's the same price as a mirror that is intact.
Their furniture is 10% off. TEN percent? They say the prices had already been reduced, but how do we know that? We're in the market for TV stands. We saw one there that we had already seen on the internet. The "reduced price," minus the 10% discount, plus tax, made the price to match -- not beat, match -- the price on line.
I'm not sure how serious they are about liquidating their stock!
Thirty spokes converge upon a single hub;
It is on the hole in the center
that the use of the cart hinges.
We make a vessel from a lump of clay;
It is the empty space within the vessel
that makes it useful.
We make doors and windows for a room;
But it is these empty spaces
that make the room livable.
Thus, while the tangible has its advantages,
It is the intangible that makes it useful.
-- Lao Tzu
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Did you know that your computer's cable internet cable could build up a static charge? Me, neither! If you mysteriously can't connect to the internet, that might be the cause.
I was on the phone with tech support, and there didn't seem to be any problem with my modem, router, or connection between my house and the cable company. I had already unplugged and replugged the cable that goes into my computer. Then I had a flash: what if my cable was actually bad?
I took my laptop to the den, and my connection was fine there. The tech support guy told me that my kitchen cable could have just up and died, but that I should try this: take my laptop back to the kitchen and reverse which ends of the cable do what (wall now goes into computer, computer now goes into wall.) It worked!
Apparently your cable can build up a static charge. Reversing the ends takes care of it.
I love it when I find a good tech support guy!
There have been eight serious studies of the effects of smoking bans on public health, but this ninth one is the most important because it's the longest. A three-year study of post-smoking-ban heart-attack rates in Pueblo, Colorado shows a decline in heart attacks of FORTY-ONE PERCENT!
For more info, go to the Center for Disease Control website.
The lesson: stay away from second-hand smoke!
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