3 Ring Binder

Two dimensional representations of our three dimensional world have long fascinated me. This year I'm seeing a few noteworthy additions to the map world in a fashion item I've long ignored: jewelry.  I still don't care too much for jewelry, but the following finds would make awesome gifts for map geek girl (or guy) in your life. 1. Urban Gridded Earrings (or Necklace) by Aminimal Studios . 2. Subway Map Cuffs by Design Hype 3. And if you're more interested in the path you've taken, Meshu allows you to turn your tours or special places into interesting bits of abstract wearable art. I love it!  Check out how it looks in its facet and radial gallery here .

by Samuel Walter Foss (1894)     Bring me men to match my mountains;     Bring me men to match my plains, --     Men with empires in their purpose,     And new eras in their brains.     Bring me men to match my praries,     Men to match my inland seas,     Men whose thought shall pave a highway     Up to ampler destinies;     Pioneers to clear Thought's marshlands,     And to cleanse old Error's fen;     Bring me men to match my mountains --     Bring me men!     Bring me men to match my forests,     Strong to fight the storm and blast,     Branching toward the skyey future,     Rooted in the fertile past.     Bring me men to match my valleys,   ...

I saw this image on Facebook this morning. This juxtaposition of maps (top of the 2012 election results vs. bottom, the slave vs. free states prior to the Civil War) implies that the people in red states voted with the collective-vestigial mind of the ante-bellum south: the idea that a vote for “not Obama” is the equivalent of thinking that blacks should still be slaves.  Perpetuating this image as a "stop and think about it" moment is not only a bit dismissive, but further, a serious slander of near half of the population of the United States. What might have been a funny quip based on image correlation is shamelessly offered as causation; this conveniently furthers the hateful narrative that people who don’t think Barack Obama is a good President are racist. I’m not racist. I’m disgusted.

September 11, 2012 The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims – as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.  There are so many things wrong with this statement from the Embassy in Cairo that it's difficult to even dissect. I want to focus on the role of a government agency in condemning those who would hurt people's religious feelings .  Really? Did an agency of the US government condemn the efforts of Andres Serrano for his depiction of the crucifix sub...

by Rudyard Kipling It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation To call upon a neighbour and to say: -- "We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight, Unless you pay us cash to go away." And that is called asking for Dane-geld, And the people who ask it explain That you've only to pay 'em the Dane-geld And then you'll get rid of the Dane! It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation, To puff and look important and to say: -- "Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you. We will therefore pay you cash to go away." And that is called paying the Dane-geld; But we've proved it again and again, That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld You never get rid of the Dane. It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation, For fear they should succumb and go astray; So when you are requested to pay up or be molested, You will find it better policy to say: -- "...

See more of Bryan Larsen's work at Quent Cordair Fine Art Gallery.

If you -- like me -- were nearly in disbelief over the statements of Maryland legislator Emmett Burns regarding his desperate attempt to shut up a Baltimore Ravens player’s support of gay marriage, I have one question for you: Were you equally outraged to read Mayor Tom Menino’s less-than-subtle threat to wield the power of government against those who spoke ideas which went against his own? Burns:  Menino: Two excellent examples of men who think they own the minds of others. This buffoonery would be laughable except for one thing: the stationery they were written on.

From Benjamin Franklin’s Way to Wealth , sayings collected from Poor Richard’s Almanack were displayed on children’s cups in the early 19 th century.   People found Dr. Franklin’s wisdom an appropriate accompaniment to the gift of a porcelain mug for their children. Now, we have a president who preaches that personal industry is a myth and our only responsibility is to the state which gave us everything. 

You like me! You really like me! Or you like pictures of dogs.

Welcome to the third to last Objectivist Round Up.   This week those of us who are advocates of a government limited to the protection of individual rights were dealt a strong blow by the Supreme Court decision to uphold the individual mandate, as well as the rest of the Affordable Care Act, as constitutional.  As some in the country struggle with what makes America America , those of us who understand the exceptional wisdom -- and limitations -- of our Founding Fathers continue to fight for its future. The Declaration of Independence laid down the principle that “to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.” This provided the only valid justification of a government and defined its only proper purpose: to protect man’s rights by protecting him from physical violence. Thus the government’s function was changed from the role of ruler to the role of servant. The government was set to protect man from criminals—and the Constitution was written to protec...

What’s more threatening: Snakes on a Plane (Children, do not press the forward arrow key.) Hens on the Deck (The poop is slippery, trust me.) Or Nuns on the Bus Nuns on the Bus ? Really. This would be hilarious if it weren't so disturbing. Every hour of each day, Catholic Sisters stand in solidarity with all who live in poverty, and we confront injustice and systems that cause suffering. We cannot stand by silently when the U.S. Congress considers further enriching the wealthiest Americans at the expense of struggling, impoverished families. [emphasis added] This is too much! Look toward your churches first, Sisters! I wonder if they're going to confront injustice by chucking chalk at the pedophilic priest – or relieve the suffering they see by liquidating some church properties and distributing the tax-free windfall to those in need. And that’s the funny part! The disturbing part is that these women, who have devoted ...

Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio was recently a guest on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. If you can convince the voters that you’re on their side it makes all the difference in the world. Political party matters less to voters; ideology matters less. Are you on our side when it comes to Wall St.? Are you on our side when it comes to drug prices? Are you on our side when it comes to trade rules, and tax laws, and all of that? As Sherrod Brown attempted to gather his tribes against the big, bad, money makers, Ms. Maddow seemed to lead the guest in talking points. More striking to me, however, was that after speaking the name of Senator Brown's opponent (who is equal to Mr. Brown in his lack of principles, I imagine) and adding a "dot com" at the end of it, in the interest of fairness,  the host then said this: Of course, he’s always welcome here as a guest on this show and then looked into the camera through her eyebrows . I think she'll give him a fair hearing...

In the spirit of looking on the bright side, here are three good things I made note of as I walked home from the building where I locked my purse, keys, and phone inside an otherwise empty theatre, realizing only after I checked the remote mailbox that the keys in my hand were not my real keys, but merely the mailbox keys, and that the extra precautions I took to make sure the door locked behind me to save said real keys, purse, and phone from the marauding band of thieves in that building was actually a BAD idea. And the worst part? The mailbox was empty! Now onto the promised good things .     I live less than two miles away from said building. It was a lovely day. Just earlier today I had noticed children riding bikes in a makeshift sidewalk over the overpass spanning the highway between my house and the building.    

Sleep shop to mad scientist to convertible houses.  One question: Why are the kids in the front seat when the mother is in the back? Okay, one more: Do you think Dr. Laird is medicated? I'll have to try that forehead wrinkle remover exercise.

Choosing words carefully not to offend, Giving less weight to ideas than intend, Dancing past meaning so each can pretend, Conflict semantics - not decisive end. Calling on memories when thoughts had merged, Sharing and daring, relationship surged, Prickly points poked but were too quickly purged, Dearer than different - tolerance urged. Teetering tenuous bridge of false hold, Wanting to save what appeared to be gold, Letting go one end and watching it fold; Realized in rubble, disvalues all told. Fearing once fondness forever then lost, Hiking the hit by remitting the cost, Cabled connections since tease to be tossed. Wreckage is wrought from fragility not frost. Slated with shallow words cried round the lands, Fated, one tower falls in spite of hands. Sounded lone truth, one reality bands, Founded on bedrock, that fortress still stands.

What happens when the heavy hand of over-regulation conflicts with the forceful push of subsidized industry? When the first is the preservation of the very symbol of America and the second is the current Administration's love affair with "clean" energy development -- the eagle buys it . “These proposed changes will help facilitate the responsible development of renewable energy and other projects, while conserving bald and golden eagles by requiring key conservation and monitoring measures to be implemented,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “We are committed to monitoring the impact of projects on eagle populations over the life of the permits to ensure these measures are effective.” From what I gather in the supporting documents *, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has some avian protection policies that are onerous on those trying to develop clean energy projects.  Therefore, the permits allowing a "non-purposeful take" of eagles are go...

“ What some of us want—those who aren’t blinded by a lot of bullshit persiflage thrown up to mask the idea that   rich folks want to keep their damn money —is for you to acknowledge that you couldn’t have made it in America   without  America. ” I found this statement to be the best in Stephen King’s recent diatribe . And what, pray tell, is it that Mr. King thinks makes America, America ? According to his essay he touts the equalization of income wrapped in a sash of fairness regarding income tax: rich people should pay more taxes because they are rich. This bears an eerie resemblance of “ from each according to his ability, to each according to his need ,” rather than what I understand to be essentially American: the right to one's own  life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ; equal under the law.   I’m afraid that in addition to many f-bombs, Mr. King has dropped the context. I can't comment on the tax code itself, because ...

It is an internal conflict as old as romance itself: a fascinating woman walks into your life on the arm of a friend.  The more you get to know the woman, the more you think about her – and him – and how she looks at him; you become jealous.  Because you are friends with the man, you try to normalize your feelings for the woman and act as if nothing has changed between you. You evade your feelings for her until her adulation and hardly hidden passion for your friend breaks through your façade. Hurt, you rationalize your own ardor away, helped by her strong indications that your feelings are unrequited. Then you begin to question your own lovability? Didn't you do everything right? Aren't you every bit as desirable as your friend? Why doesn't she love you? What is the answer to this seemingly unanswerable problem? It's simple, really.  You write a pop song. You use an obscure word in one of the verses. Your conflict becomes immortalized and screamed by ...

A ball bouncing game from my youth instructed the player to throw the ball up ( plainsies ), throw it up and clap ( clapsies ) throw it up and roll your hands ( roll the ball ) and touch your shoulders ( tabapsies ). In trying to locate the rest of the ball bouncing chant, I found out not only is my “tabapsies” a mondegreen , but also the motion – touching your shoulders – isn’t even the correct movement! You are supposed to clap your hands behind your back and say “ to backsies .”  Yeah. That makes much more sense. Being only slightly deflated by this discovery, I will still share my exciting news.  In an attempt to counteract the stretching of my wrist from doing front squats two days in a row, I pulled out the tabapsies motion this morning.  This, in itself, is not newsworthy.  However, I grabbed both shoulders with all five fingers!!! Again, not exciting unless you know that when I was nine years-old, I broke my left elbow doing a running c...

I am not among those who fear the people. They, and not the rich, are our dependence for continued freedom. And to preserve their independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between  economy and liberty , or  profusion and servitude . If we run into such debts, as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our callings and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they now do, on oatmeal and potatoes; have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account; but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers. Our landholders, too, ...

The turtle shirt belongs to my daughter, it’s true Wearing it, I’m told, is not what I should do. “It gives children a fright When your face they then sight, Expecting a kid but instead, seeing you.” I was just happy it was clean and it fit.

The Choice by William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) The intellect of man is forced to choose perfection of the life, or of the work, And if it take the second must refuse A heavenly mansion, raging in the dark. When all that story's finished, what's the news? In luck or out the toil has left its mark: That old perplexity an empty purse, Or the day's vanity, the night's remorse.  I found the first four lines of this poem as the section marker of a book I am currently reading and wanted to know more. While I relish the clever and succinct use of rich words, I don't find truth in Yeats' inherent choice between life and work.  Isn't work the action of living? 

We've owned our car for two years and just found out that it has an Automatic Sound Levelizer.  Apparently the adults who drive the car suffer from an acute lack of curiosity that the newly-promoted-from-back-seat-to-front-seat child does not.  That’s kind of sad, really, but the discovery has added a bit of auditory thrill to our acceleration/deceleration cycles.  Okay, maybe that's kind of sad, too.  In other news, our car also has intermittent windshield wipers and automatic windows, both of which we recognized right away. 

by Rudyard Kipling, 1935 The careful text-books measure     (Let all who build beware!) The load, the shock, the pressure     Material can bear. So, when the buckled girder     Lets down the grinding span, The blame of loss, or murder,     Is laid upon the man.          Not of the Stuff - the Man! But, in our daily dealing     With stone and steel, we find The Gods have no such feeling     Of justice toward mankind. To no set guage they make us, -     For no laid course prepare - And presently o'ertake us     With loads we cannot bear:          Too merciless to bear. The prudent text-books give it     In tables at the end - The stress that shears a rivet     Or makes a tie-bar bend - What traffic wrecks macadam -     ...

Happily, at my last physical I found out I was fine. I was kind of surprised that I was fine because when I arrived at the doctor’s office, I was assaulted with some new paperwork to fill out. I say assaulted because, I am told quickly and gleefully, that this paperwork must be filled out and returned, so that the secretary may then put me in the queue to be seen by the health care professional whose services I have contracted near the time I have scheduled that service. I thought my blood pressure would be quite high.  So what was this new paperwork? HIPAA forms letting me know of my doctor’s intent to share my medical information with other medical and non-medical providers so I can get the best treatment, but really to "simplify" the administration of health records? Nope. I had gotten used to that CYA bit of white tape. Was it for insurance information to prove that I had the ability to pay the doctor for his services or had contracted with another agency that assumed...

"Ultimately, I am confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress,"    " And I'd just remind conservative commentators that, for years, what we have heard is, the biggest problem on the bench was judicial activism, or a lack of judicial restraint,  that an unelected group of people would somehow overturn a duly constituted and passed law. "   - President Obama I'm glad to know that the Attorney General of the United States seems to have heard of Marbury v. Madison .  I find it slightly disingenuous that he herein extols the virtues of each branch of government having to uphold the same Constitution when his response was prompted by the Commander in Chief publicly chiding the judicial branch  (above) and when members of the U.S. Legislature scoff at having to determine whether or not their proposed laws fall withi...

Ever since I began to flirt with cooking again, I've been making some combination of this delightful chicken salad using Well Fed mayonnaise which we always have on hand.  Also always on hand are cooked chicken breasts as my family became partial to the dark meat seemingly overnight! Armed with those two ingredients I came up with a chicken salad that I love! And I never liked chicken salad. Here is my perfected recipe, but you can throw in whatever colorful “charms” you might have in the veggie/fruit drawer that can hold their own in the melange. 2 whole cooked chicken breasts, cubed into ½ inch pieces, 1 large, or 2 small celery stalks, diced, 5 large, or 10 small chive stalks, chopped to ½ inch pieces, 1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and diced, 15 walnut halves chopped, 4 large or 6 medium strawberries, diced, ¼ cup of blueberries (if they’re not too tart). Add a heaping spatula full of Well Fed mayonnaise and if you're very daring, 1 tsp. of cinnamon . This one h...

While practicing split jerks at the gym, we often evoke the name of Mary Katherine Gallagher and her iconic self-laudatory pose . Hey – it works for me.  In fact, one day I didn't think I'd be able to stop saying it even when the weight started getting heavy and the exclamation tended toward a grunt.   But this isn't about being a superstar in my own mind; this is about the truth of my stardom. After hours of secretive, but exhaustive research, my 13 year-old unearthed the movie in which I starred ( as an extra ) during my sophomore year in high school: The Coming .  Now, I know what you’re thinking – What in the hell kind of crap did that impressionable little girl have to wade through in the sea of internet porn when searching for The Coming? None, apparently. It was renamed Burned at the Stake before going to cable in the 80s, but it seems to have later reverted back to The Coming  perhaps when someone became informed that no witches in Salem were actually bu...

As an example of awful training, the trainer at our gym shared this link to Shape magazine which touted the ability to spot slim and tone your legs. The page featured a brief explanation of short burst training, a weird video of an insufferable Tony-Little-wannabee trainer, and a picture of two skinny legs rockin’ a pair of fabulous Christian Louboutin black patent leather platform pumps.  My only comment on the link was that I loved the shoes. It wasn’t that I didn't appreciate my trainer’s disdain for the video dude’s condescending approach to his assistant, over-hyped love of Barbie leg sculpting, or serious penchant for the word "tushie," it's just that I think that if this guy's approach moves someone else to move – I'm all for it. But then I got to thinking about how much I love CrossFit and those Louboutins! In a world of five-fingered rubber shoes where form is king and fat is phat, there is an inherent disincentive in dressing your dogs for pote...

In this report , scientists, whom I would normally hold in the highest regard among individuals in any group (cue the Professor from Gilligan’s Island), are acting like common swindlers and thugs. This combination of "seven survey, experimental, and naturalistic" studies purports to show that people of high social class tend to behave more unethically than lower class individuals mostly due to their appraisal of greed. Let’s break down these terms a little in accordance with the support materials given at the end of the study. High Social Class Study 4. Manipulation of social-class rank. For the manipulation of social-class rank (2), participants were presented with an image of a ladder with 10 rungs and given the following instructions: “Think of the ladder as representing where people stand in the United States. These are people who are the worst (best) off— those who have the least (most) money, least (most) education, and the least (most) respected jobs. In particular...