3 Ring Binder

Links to the last three Objectivist Blog Carnivals: 15 Apr 2010 at Sacred Ego ; 22 Apr 2010 at Erosophoria ; 29 Apr 2010 at Reepicheep’s Coracle . Enjoy.

(Photograph found here .) In what could be caused by my attraction to the fashionable time at Ascot, before Eliza Doolittle’s enthusiasm for the race reduced her to her previously unfortunate state of behavior, I have always had an interest in attending the Kentucky Derby.   As the season of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Horse Racing fast approaches ( Derby Saturday, May 1 st ,   Preakness , May 18 th , and the Belmont Stakes , June 5 th ),   there has been some inevitable media interest in the horse racing industry. On Tuesday, The New York Times published a story about the sad, bankrupt state of the industry in the bluegrass state.   Reporting that farms, thoroughbred buying, 100,000 jobs, and over $4 billion tourist dollars are all threatened in the region due to the economic downturn, the Times identifies the losing gamble of “betting the farm” on the future of horse racing. Dynamics similar to those that brought down subprime mortgages have been at ...

Today is the 200 th anniversary of Beethoven’s lovely little composition formally known as Bagatelle in A minor .   Even if you don’t read music, you can still make out the opening notes of this famous piece. Its very name, Für Elise , practically conjures the sound of the music. If you, like me,  have but don’t play a piano, you may want to try your hand(s) at plunking out the beginning of the composition with the help of  this little video .  (I'm guessing that Rock Band enthusiasts would have an easy go of it.) And, because recently, I can’t seem to go a day without making some sort of political commentary, try to read this with the sound ‘on’ to test your toleration of repetitive sounds.   Let me know how far you get before you turn the sound ‘off’.

I have recently become captivated by the very symbol of America: the bald eagles of Hornby Islands . First, some of my friends, whose identities I have sworn to protect, are/were completely obsessed with the Molly the Owl webcam . Don’t get me wrong: the owlets are cute in a hairless cat sort of way, the infrared camera is cool, and gifts of dead rodents are always fun.   But this is a pair of bald eagles, people!   Bald Eagles and their two eggs in a nest at the top of a Douglas fir tree on the windy edge of an island in Canada —not in a box in someone’s yard. From what I can tell, the parent eagles switch off egg-sitting duties every half hour or so. If one seems to leave the eggs unattended, you can be sure the other is right there, somewhere behind the camera.   Despite the fact that they look absolutely FIERCE, in the best possible way, it is so adorable to watch them gently maneuver the eggs with their beaks and rock their bodies until they find just the right pos...

When I heard that Freddie Mercury died, I cried. I remember it because I felt it was an odd reaction for me to have: I didn't know him, I don't think I even owned any Queen albums at the time, I simply enjoyed hearing and watching him sing. He seemed particularly benevolent for a glam rock god, but more importantly, he seemed to thrive while singing and performing. He made me happy. I enjoy this Mika song for the same reason. He does a terrific job in capturing not only the sounds, but the joy of Freddie Mercury, even if he is poking fun at sounding like him.  I have no idea what the tie is to Grace Kelly other the little girl lip-syncing (sort of creepy), but I can still enjoy the music video. In case you were wondering, I do know that the song is from 2007, but I've been busy, okay? Enjoy.

What happens to the stuff in your house after it has outlived its usefulness?   As reported in today’s Telegraph , the folks of one area of the United Kingdom must divide their expired items into a nine bin recycling system.  The new bin system by Newcastle-under-Lyme Council, north Staffordshire, includes a silver slop bucket for food waste, which is then emptied into a larger, green outdoor bin. There is a pink bag for plastic bottles, a blue box for glass, foil, tins and aerosols, a green bag for cardboard and blue bags for paper and magazines. Clothing and textiles go in a white bag, garden waste in a wheelie bin with a brown lid and non-recyclable waste in a separate grey wheelie bin. In addition to the incredible space this system requires, some of the townsfolk are complaining about managing the system. Samantha Dudley, 34, added: “I’m used to organising things with two children but even I find juggling nine different recycling bags and bins difficult. I dread to t...

Could be my age , could be her love of red , my Franglish skills, or it could be her dog stalking - whatever the reasons, J'adore this new-to-me blog I found Wednesday: Paris Breakfasts .  The blog is so FULL of fabulous pictures of sights around the streets of Paris! It has really increased my long-dormant desire to go there.  In searching for a Cafe Terrace at Night image to go with this post, I came across another fabulous blog: The Errant Aesthete .  Check out the awesome Georgia O'Keefe Glamorous Gotham page, and this simply wonderful post on Julia Child .   Il est tout si merveilleux! Il me rend hereuse. (I'm sure there is a French idiom for that, but Je ne le sais pas .)

(Forty Lines for Forty Years) Fealty fallout from the vacuous vocation, More than forty years after Carson’s call. The goddess, Gaia, demands supplication, From those who dare to stand up tall. Your hubris offends me, I am the Land. I provide the foundation upon which you live. I’m wounded by the marks left by your hand, Your undying obeisance is what you must give. We stop the chemicals that thin the shells, We allow the mosquitoes that carry disease. As pride in ability to conquer swells, We’re driven to amends down on our knees. Man is but a speck upon the Earth. A fragile species: A dot in time. How much do you think your life is worth? Nature’s wisdom against unnatural crime. But to whom shall our homage be paid, For living by means to which we have arisen? Long ago to Mother Earth we prayed, Long before we understood that which is given. The Earth has not wisdom, nor feelings, nor thought, But materials and systems we must understand. The Earth is but earth, ours to be wro...

What do you think of our new product design logo? Dozen it look sharp? Okay. That's un oeuf.

Helloe. Mye name is Lynne. Withe an 'e.'   Write it downe. How difficult is it to use an 'e' at the end of my name in order to spell it correctly? Maybe my sensitivity to this mistake is because I grew up next to the town of Lynn, Massachusetts which is not a very nice place except near the ocean and then, only when the wind blows just right so it doesn’t smell like raw sewage. But the hair across my ass (admittedly vulgar, yet colorful New England expression meaning the state of being irascible, irritable, annoyed – notably not found here ) often comes from those who have seen my name in writing— my writing—in which it is invariably spelled correctly, yet, somehow manage to respell it incorrectly.   What’s up with that?     Because the terminal 'e' in my name is silent but does not have the power of Silent 'E' , it doesn’t seem to carry any weight at all. And although, in my experience, my name can sound like a grunt, a bark, and many other ra...

Dogs in Art , in the Louvre , at the Met , a social history  – there is an historical aspect to the presentation of dogs in art . I must learn more about it. Doggie Doodle Dandy – I can’t really explain my attraction to this, but I’ve got one. Grooming Kit and CaPoodle – no doubt this is a sample of the best art in its unique medium.

I love Barbie , and I’m not afraid to say it.   I reject the idea that playing with Barbie negatively impacts a child’s self-esteem. Even the Ph.D. author of that post admits to the hours of creative fun she had with Barbie. In exploring how homely dolls might improve one’s self-esteem, the Onion reported “ Mattel also announced that it would begin production next year on Timorous Tim, a fey, cowardly action figure designed to boost the confidence of shy young boys. ” The ridiculousness of that effort is a source of humor, so why are the imagined beauty standards of a doll so often seen as harmful? Millions of little girls (and boys, I would guess) have played with Barbie and very few have been scarred, or have chosen to be permanently re-configured as a result.  Clearly, the overwhelming majority of children who play with Barbie go on to lead normal, productive lives. In fact, Barbie may be an inspiration toward those future careers. More than simply not ...

For some reason that is not perfectly clear to me, my daughter likes to ask how Jesus is supposed to be the son of God and God at the same time. The Holy Spirit seems to have fallen out of favor these days. Anyway, I do my best to explain it all as it was explained to me. Mostly she asks so she can follow-up by singing her own rendition of this song.   Stephen thought she'd prefer this video to my explanation.

The insistent sounds of the birds’ springtime mating calls. The consistent feel of his sleeping breath as it rises and it falls. The persistent smell of the beckoning coffee as it permeates the halls.

For the first time in the history of civilization, one government recognized that all people, regardless of the conditions of their birth or wealth were equal under the law, that each has unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It was from these principles that our Founding Fathers’ framework guaranteed that neither race nor sex could exclude a man from his natural rights. The United States of America was and remains the best experiment in government—one founded on the recognition of individual rights. Such individual freedom to act, free from coercion, was the springboard for tremendous advances in every sector of the economy and the major driver of prosperity in this nation. It ingrained a can-do attitude and rooted self-sufficiency as a major component in the culture of our country. As a result of being able to direct the way we live as individuals, we, as a whole, have prospered. Because men were able to make their own way based on voluntary exchanges w...

I am more than happy to admit that my life is like ... Today, we should all be happy.  Today is Tax Freedom Day in Massachusetts - a calculation of the day upon which the average citizen of Massachusestts, if he works at the same rate for the entire year, will have been able to meet his tax obligations to federal, state, and local governments for that year beginning January 1.      If you're a Survivor and just Can't Hold Back, I have a little test for you.  How many essentially 80s allusions can you find in this video?  Grease ( Bad Sandy - yes, I know it was the 70s), Risky Business (making out in the train), LoverBoy (red leather pants - c'mon - no one does those like Mike Reno), Flashdance (dance moves and clothing), Yellow Pumps - 'nuff said. The nun doesn't count - she's timeless. And in case you missed it last night, here's Sue Sylvester's Vogue  from Glee!

Last night, Stephen made lovely, luscious lamb rib chops and perfectly sautéed scallops.   Problem was, there were only four of the precious meat pops and four of us for dinner.   Since my older daughter was still at dance by the time only a clean white bone was left on my plate, I stared longingly into her prepared, but untouched plate of yumminess.  As my appetite increased and self-control decreased, m y youngest daughter must have recognized the carnivorous look in my eyes because she exclaimed in a mock-mom voice, “Welcome home, Honey!   We’re having Surf & Bones for dinner.”

I’m concerned that I have begun to supplant meaningful responses to negative value judgments with my go-to idiomatic expression of discontent.     At least, so far,   this response has been limited to what goes on in my head (and, occasionally, on my shirt), but I fear that the more often I apply this idiom, even within the confines of my own thoughts (or under my coat), the more difficult it will be to live without the instant soothing satisfaction it offers me. It’s like running cool water over a burn.     I may be addicted. The worst part is that because the expression has a back off – I don’t like what you’re saying sense, it sometimes lends its speaker (i.e. me ) the vague notion of bad idea managed , when in fact, nothing of the sort has occurred. While I have always been rather prickly and opinionated, I am becoming less and less interested in personally defending my freedom to act and think and live as I choose through the constant repetition of th...

From Homeschooled Twins blog, I'm pleased to share the information of the winners of the Book Arts Bash ! My daughter and I were among the lucky people who got to read the fabulous entries in one of the age categories. It was a thrill reading each of them and congratulations to the winners! Kindergarten and First Grade: Winner : A Big Problem by Brianna T. Runners up: Adventures of Big D and BMC by Emma W. Zoo With A Strange Zookeeper by Vivian L. Second and Third Grade: Winner: The Adventures of Blue Flame the Heroic Giant Squid-Fighting Hero by Sage M. Runners Up: Ruby, A Twisting Tale by Emilie M. Mittens the Cat by Melea von T. Fourth and Fifth Grade: Winner: 1 by Nicci M. Runners up: One Girl Revolution by Sadie Z. Blaze by Alexandra S. Sixth Grade: Winner: The Princess by Lena G. Runners up: Becoming Callie by Lena G. Trixie by Lydia A. Seventh Grade: Winner: Happy Ending is a Place by Mandy H. Runners up: Violet Fire by Bryn B....

“. . . Far better was our homely diet, eaten in peace and liberty, than the luxurious dainties, the love of which hath delivered us as bondsmen to the foreign conqueror!”   “I should,” replied Athelstane, “hold very humble diet a luxury at present; and it astonishes me, noble Cedric, that you can bear so truly in mind the memory of past deeds, when it appeareth you forget the very hour of dinner.” Ivanhoe , Sir Walter Scott, Chapter 21

                1.   We finally saw the Pixar award-winner last month.   If you can take the first five minutes, you might enjoy the rest of the movie. I laughed out loud at the characterization of the dogs and I couldn’t help but love the unfailing optimism (except when hungry) of the young protagonist.   What remains is the overwhelming feeling that even now, more than a week later, I want to cry when I think of the old man putting his hand over his wife’s handprint on the mailbox in an effort to be near her. 2.  This week’s Objectivist blog carnival is posted at Titanic Deck Chairs . 3.  T hings are looking that way as the needle on my scale goes down! Now don’t get too excited, ‘cause the pants are still a problem, but at least things are going in the right direction and with nary an issue in the craving and binge department. How? Reversing how I got here.   For the la...

I have met my people, and they are tiny. Okay. They ’re really not tiny, but the medium in which they work , play , create , design , and live in their imaginations is.   They are the folks who are enthralled by miniature modern design . The article in yesterday’s New York Times has plucked at a dormant interest of mine: modern design I can hold in the palm of my hand.   As someone who admires the minimalist approach of modern architecture and design, but who lives a richly cluttered life, I appreciate the wide open and naturally lit spaces offered by the petite modern house I can afford to own. This appreciation led to my eventual purchase of a modern doll house for my daughters in 2002 – the Kaleidoscope House (tour here ).   After eyeing it for a year at a local art museum gift shop, I decided that we they would really enjoy it.   I was right – they did and sometimes still do (most recently, it was featured in a school video of a Spanish soap opera as reen...