Archive for the ‘Encouragement’ Category
Playing along
One evening a little while ago I was driving home and encountered a Police ‘booze bus’ breath-test checkpoint. Cars queued up in a funnel pattern set up with cones and flashing lights … when it was my turn, the police officer reached in through my car window, held the breath screening thingy in front of […]
Propaganda?
Here’s a ‘new’ poster, designed by Shepard Fairey, the guy who adapted an AP photo of Barack Obama into a HOPE poster etc which sold gazillions, sparking AP to come after him for using their intellectual property without acknowledgment or royalties. (I personally think they had a point. Fairey’s unacknowledged use of the AP image […]
Mortality. Leave a legacy.
My family and I attended Malcolm Smith’s funeral in Howick today. Chances are you don’t know who Malcolm was. Don’t worry, he wasn’t famous or a celebrity but boy, was he a good man, and boy, did he contribute to his local community. Malcolm was one of those quietly strong, ethical people who make the […]
Making things happen
I’m reading a book of John F. Kennedy quotes with a foreword by Desmond Tutu and good biographical introduction which touches on Kennedy’s life. It highlights how his struggles with health and his father’s ambition were part of what led to his aspirational speeches and his call to work for ‘peace’ with ‘courage’ — real […]
Blimey! Lucky.
University of Canterbury, Christchurch — earthquake damage. Just two of the shots … Imagine if it had struck at 4.35 PM instead of 4.35 AM. Imagine if that was your workstation. So lucky. Photos: University of Canterbury, via NZ Herald (click for more).
Take 4 minutes …
This is so good… … just take the 4 minutes and 8 seconds to watch and listen to this. What a great use of bandwidth. Thank you Rhian Sheehan. Thank you for giving your gift. Watch the video below the fold …
New blossom springs from old tree
I just wanted to share this pic from a walk yesterday. The sight of new blossoms springing from an old, severely-pruned (hacked?) tree near Macleans Reserve spoke to me. Not in a melancholy way — although it was my second Father’s Day without one, which I felt — but in an encouraging way. That gnarled […]
A gift
To quote Robbie Burns: Oh wad some power the giftie gie us To see oursel’s as others see us! It wad frae monie a blunder free us, And foolish notion. With appreciation to Steve Goodey for offering me a gift this week. I mean it. Thanks for the feedback. Steve still hasn’t published my 31 […]
Tis the season?
I heard about this charges-laid-charges-dropped-investigation-re-opened circus targeting whistle-blower Julian Assange on the BBC … crikey! Remember TIME magazine’s little put-down about his mental state? Paranoid? Oh really? This extraordinarily courageous man wears a bullseye on his back. I wish him well. He’s up against people and organisations who present fake documents/bogus ‘evidence’ and pretend things […]
A gushing review from Steve Goodey
Well, the reviews are in: Wellington property spruiker and US tax liens “educator” Steve Goodey tackles the complex and intellectually demanding task of identifying the raison d’être of www.thePaepae.com. (If the name is familiar, I discussed some of his past … um … ‘activities’ in this post Property spruiker Steve Goodey: let’s join the dots.) […]
Poster boy Jim Parsons WINS!
How cool. Asperger’s poster boy Jim Parsons has won an emmy for his role as Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series. I applaud this talented comic who has been a real ambassador for geeks and people with Asperger’s everywhere. Along with the cast and creators of the […]
When ‘gurus’ attack — HOW you do it is important
From a review of The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life … It’s full of tips and advice but the one I like best comes from Buffett via Dale Carnegie, author of How To Win Friends and Influence People: “Criticism is futile, said Carnegie. Rule number one, don’t criticise, condemn or complain.” … […]
Right/wrong vs Can/should
Oh boy. John Stewart (in fine form) revs up on the plan to locate an Islamic community centre (Mosque) two blocks from the site of the World Trade Centre. I like his take, as usual … and his roasting of the Fox News phoneys on their lack of consistency. And then there’s a squirmy/bad taste […]
