Writing and goals career, goals, Writing 6:50 am
Over the years,one thing I have learned that it is good to do is to write down and post your goals so they will become concrete and solidify in your mind. Since progress is only achieved through hard work and perseverance, and it is also good to measure your success, here are my goals gor 2008
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Anarchy and Law and Politics and Society Anarchy, Society 11:36 pm
“At the heart of the failing of our rich and bloated society is lack of democratic control of the economy. Sure, we can elect useless politicians, but we have no say as to what or how we produce as a society.
Anarcho-syndicalism seeks to overcome this most basic of failings, by striving for a society based on democratic control of the economy. We seek a society based on workers’ control, under which the economy is seen both as a means of fulfilling our collective and individual needs, and ensuring that everybody has a say in how society is run. Until that time comes, we may be getting richer as a society every year but, under capitalism, that simply means producing crap to make the rich richer, in a society deprived of any real humanity.”
The truth is junk sells, and all the more so if it’s shiny! Thats at all levels. Materialism is a disease that is progressive and destructive. It is a circle that eats it’s own tail or falls into itself.
Art and Philosophy 7:00 pm
What is Art? Where does creativity come from? What is beauty? Such difficult questions. These questions have been debated for centuries. Everyone wants to weigh in on the activity of Art but it is very difficult to define Art. In my own mind, I believe that Art is a function of expression and a representation of beauty. The great literary artist Leo Tolstoy was a well-known proponent of the expression theory. He supposed that an artist feels an emotion; then after recreating the feeling or emotion in himself, he attempts to create a work that conveys that emotion or feeling to others who are observing the work. If the feeling is not conveyed or transferred then the artwork fails. Looking at Art from this perspective seems to reduce Art to merely a means of communication. This perspective is limited and narrow in scope, but it is also much too all encompassing. The main argument against this theory is that it would include things not traditionally regarded as art, and excludes things that have been considered great works of art for centuries.
Surely Art IS a means of communication, but Art communicates somethingdeeper than just feelings. It conveys, without words, comprehension of the artist’s state of mind. His inner state of being is revealed through the artwork. This, I believe, is the true aim of Art. It must be intentional. It is an intentional act designed to transfer emotional content and to elicit a emotional response from the observer.
Software 1:06 am
Firefox is everyone’s favorite browser. At it’s core, Firefox a quality piece of open source software but it can be made even more functional by using any number of extensions that do various things while browsing the web. Installing these add-ons is a simple process which can help personalize and expand your web browsing experience.
These are my top 5 extensions that I run on my home computer.
1. All-In-One Sidebar.
This add-on was inspired by the sidebar feature in Opera, another fine web browser by the way. AIOS is a sidebar that opens on the left or right side of your browser window and can display your bookmarks, downloads themes, extensions and many other Firefox goodies. You can configure the sidebar to appear automatically or by clicking on the side of your window or on the grippy.
AIOS can be configured to display a multi-panel in which you can open websites, page source, or display various browser specific information, i.e. about:config, about:plugins, about:cache, about:cache?device=disk, about:cache?device=memory, about:buildconfig, about:, about:credits, about:license, about:mozilla.
This is one of the best add-ons that I use consistently and without problem.
2. Sage.
Sage is the simplest RSS feed reader to use in Firefox. This add-on reads RSS and Atom feeds through a configurable style sheet method which allows the user to set any and all options for your greatest viewing efficiency. Simple and lightweight Sage is available for the sidebar AIOS and is tightly integrated with Firefox’s built-in bookmarking utility. Definitely a must have!
3. Tab Mix Plus
Tabbed browsing is one feature that Firefox does quite well. Tab Mix Plus improves on that inbuilt functionality and adds extreme control of the tabs settings. Every detail of tabs can be configured from the width of tabs and how the title is displayed to the colors and fonts used in tabs. One nice feature is the ability to mouse wheel scroll through all available tabs.
4. Image Zoom
This is another extension that I use frequently. Image -Zoom does exactly what it says, that is, put the Zoom on Images on web pages. Interfaced through the context menu or with the wheel mouse, Image-Zoom works by either zooming or shrinking images on web pages or web based email. A handy utility.
5. No-Squint
At times as I surf the web, it becomes obvious that my eyes are straining to read the print of many pages. No-Squint solves the dilemma by increasing the font size and remembering that size so that the next time you visit the site the font is set at the same level. A simple extension that yields great results. If you need help with small print this is a great help.
There are a multitude of add-ons for Firefox and this is only my top 5. You can find many more on the Firefox extensions web page.
Art and Movies and Politics 7:07 pm
Strange movie. The last of humanity? Not quite. This film revolved around the end of mankind because of infertility. A journey through a war torn London
Art 7:02 pm
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn: The Blinding of Samson
This is one of my favorite works by Rembrandt. It is a great piece because it has everything! The story depicted from the bible is the story of Samson and Delilah. Delilah deceives Samson and has him subjected to much torture, is at one point blinded by Delilahs henchmen the Philistines.. The mastery of paint here displayed by Rembrandt is astounding. His use of chiaroscuro is unparalleled!
Art 9:53 pm
I’m wondering about Raphael’s vision in this painting. If you look at the scripture that this is referencing, Ezekiel 1:25
Ezekial was having a vision from god and he saw something that Raphael captures to a degree but not quite exactly. The wheel within a wheel is not obvious here. The mystery surrounding this passage is tantalizing. What could this mean? Ezekiel is describing a great creature that has faces and bodies of men and animals with wings being all one. A bizarre image for the mind to comprehend. But the artist puts his mind to his brush and comprehends the great vision
Art 2:22 am
Caravaggio: David with the Head of Goliath
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was a Italian painter who created some of the finest examples of Baroque style painting. This painting was done quite near his death and may indicate Carraveggios own guilt as he had murdered one over a gambling debt. The head of Goliath is said to be a self portrait of the artist. Caravaggio was a master of the chiaroscuro technique which contrasts the dark and light areas of a painting to create tension and texture.
CBC.ca Arts – Old China bulldozed amid rapid building boom
This is a symptom of a new pace in a society that wants progress at any cost. The cost are high because if we do not take enough time to look behind and treasure the past we are bound to experience and suffer the same effects of our mistakes again and again. The comparative cost of building a building and preserving the past is indeed high on both sides but it is more important to keep our ancestor’s burying grounds, and such things that are buried in the past, safe from the greedy wrecking ball. There is much to be learned from discoveries such as 700 ancient burial sites on a construction site in China.
“All democrats are insane, but not one of them knows it; none but the republicans and mugwumps know it. All the republicans are insane, but only the democrats and mugwumps can perceive it. The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane.”
Mark Twain
–What Is Man and Other Philosophical Writings
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Whether the dems or the gop notices it, I hope the American peopla can see it. Our leaders are insane. They have let their self interest override their commitment to the people for whom they serve. This lust for power and its evil companion greed has led our leaders to the brink of the abyss. Both for themselves but also for the end of humankind. It can happen to us. We must learn to live in peace with a cooperative institution based on fair and equal rights for all men.
