Archive for the ‘Big Questions’ Category
Refusing to step on the slippery slope …
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s speech about the city NOT outlawing a mosque near ‘ground zero’ World Trade Center is being hailed as one of his finest hours. New YorkDaily News: He’s usually a technocrat, and often comes across that way, but today’s speech was a stirring declaration of principle. Key passage, quoted around the world: […]
Starting them young
By coincidence I came across this badge given to my 9 year old son for attending the Anzac Day service earlier this year with his Cub pack. Given our recent thoughts about the intertwining of religion, war, the military, it’s interesting that this should come to the surface now. I’ve got to say: It puts […]
“God is on OUR side…”
Here’s what that got me thinking … some new posters for some classic movies including this: During the first and second World Wars, both (all) sides told themselves they had God on their side. The Armed Forces had padrés and priests in place, performing their pastoral duties and administering their religious services and last rites […]
Why speak up?
Recent events have seen me revisiting a theme (or meme?) of this blog — and central to my own thinking: WHY SHOULD one speak up about perceived wrongdoing? Let me start by saying this: Life is complicated. Sometimes people and things can appear to be one thing on the surface but as you look closer, […]
How liars deal with a challenge
Rachel Maddow telling the truth to Bill O’Reilly … gee she’s good at this stuff! Spot the pattern: Rather than contribute to a debate about ‘the facts’ Maddow asserted about him and Fox News, (e.g. ‘This is why what she’s saying is wrong…’) Bill O’Reilly merely whacked Maddow’s sincerity (‘you have to be kidding’) and […]
Refreshingly good advice from a former jailbird
It must be the season for straight talking (see earlier post today) … Disgraced businessman Hawkins gives jail tips Rob Stock | Sunday Star Times Disgraced businessmen in the courts on criminal charges have been phoning the country’s highest profile former white-collar prisoner for advice on how to survive life behind bars. Allan Hawkins, who […]
By their fruit
Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. — John Wooden legendary US basketball coach Even a scoundrel can take comfort in the wisdom of John Wooden’s words, and I’m sure some do. But the question […]
Clarke and Dawe ask the million dollar questions
Hilarious and TRUE … John Clarke and Bryan Dawe calculate the cost of the European debt crisis. (In the same ilk as John Bird and John Fortune and apropos our discussion re Europe here following Tony Alexander’s enews.) Link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/05/20/2905304.htm Thanks to A for the tip.
Worth reading …
We construct the history of our wisdom only by burying our foolishness in the endnotes. From a very good essay sparked by the Gaza aid boat raids… Chosen, but Not Special By MICHAEL CHABON NY Times | June 4, 2010 “GAZA Flotilla Drives Israel Into a Sea of Stupidity” declared the Israeli daily Haaretz on […]
What ‘letting it slide’ can cost you
From a review of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ appearance at a recent tech Q&A: Jobs acknowledged that the next-generation iPhone photographed by Gizmodo was circulating as a part of the normal testing of wireless products. “To make a wireless product work well you need to test it. You have to carry them outside. One of […]
Speak up
REAL ESTATE ALERT from Neil Jenman Thursday May 27, 2010 Dear Subscriber A few weeks ago, my wife and I got an extortion demand – take down your web sites, abandon the publication of your book, Stitched! or your children will be targeted. On Friday May 14, Channel Seven ran a story about the threats […]
Wow. What an image …
This is one of the slides illustrating a story about the oil spill affecting the Louisiana wetlands and the environment in the Gulf of Mexico and beyond … The damaged beauty of the image speaks to me. God knows we really need to protect the natural environment — for our kids, and their kids. This […]
The Golden Rule
The Golden Rule Hinduism ‘Never do to others what would pain you’ Panchatantra 3.104 Buddhism ‘Hurt not others with that which hurts yourself.’ Udana 5.18 Zoroastrianism ‘Do not to others what is not well for oneself.’ Shayast-na-shayast 13.29 Jainism ‘One who neglects existence disregards their own existence’ Mahavira Confucianism ‘Do not impose on others what […]
Backlash, anyone?
Apropos yesterday’s Google’s tentacles post, see the outrage being provoked even in the home of the free: Germany’s data protection authority (DPA) requested Google audit the WiFi data collected by its Street View cars. The audit revealed that contrary to the company’s claims, for at least three years, Google has been collecting payload data (the […]
Can the crooked ever be made straight?
Authenticity Some salesmen will use every devious trick in the book to get you to sign the dotted line and make their cold hearts dance ka-ching! They’ll imitate and fake their way through life, ignoring or brushing over the truth, sucking the life and light out of their victims with hyped up promises and weasel […]
