cat vs. dog -- more fun

Another fun quote:

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As seen in a dog's diary:

7 am - Oh boy! A walk! My favorite!
8 am - Oh boy! Dog food! My favorite!
9 am - Oh boy! The kids! My favorite!
Noon - Oh boy! The yard! My favorite!
2 pm - Oh boy! A car ride! My favorite!
3 pm - Oh boy! The kids! My favorite!
4 pm - Oh boy! Playing ball! My favorite!
6 pm - Oh boy! Welcome home Mom! My favorite!
7 pm - Oh boy! Welcome home Dad! My favorite!
8 pm - Oh boy! Dog food! My favorite!
9 pm - Oh boy! Tummy rubs on the couch! My favorite!
11 pm - Oh boy! Sleeping in my people's bed! My favorite!

As seen in a cat's diary:

Day 183 of my captivity... My captors continued to taunt me with bizarre
little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am
forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope
of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from clawing the furniture.

Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant. Today my attempt to kill my
captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost
succeeded - must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to
disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself
to vomit on their favorite chair - must try this on their bed.

Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body in an attempt to
make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear in
their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little
cat I was. Hmmm, not working according to plan...

There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in
solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell
the food. More important, I overheard that my confinement was due to my
powers of inducing "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use
it to my advantage.

I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The
dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is
obviously a half-wit. The bird, on the other hand, has got to be an
informant and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my
every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room, his safety
is assured.

But I can wait, it is only a matter of time...

FW: Smarty-pants test -- fun!

Well, enough talking about serious things, time to lighten up. Here is a chain letter I got the other day that made me laugh. Let me share it with you here:

> Below are four questions and a bonus question.
> You have to answer them quickly; you can't take
> your time. Let's find out just how clever you
> really are.
> Ready? Go!!! (scroll down)
>
>
>
>
> First Question:
>
> You are participating in a race. You overtake the
> second person. In what position are you now?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Answer: If you answered that you are first, then
> you are absolutely wrong! If you overtake
> the second person, you are second!
>
> Try not to screw up in the next question.
> To answer the second question, don't take as much
> time as you did for the first question.
>
>
>
>
> Second Question:
>
> If you overtake the last person, then you are...?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Answer: If you answered that you are second to
> last, then you are wrong again. Tell me, how
> can you overtake the LAST Person?
>
> You're not very good at this are you?!
>
>
>
>
> Third Question:
>
> Very tricky math! Note: This must be done in your
> head only.
> Do NOT use paper and pencil or a calculator.
>
>
> Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000.
> Now add 30. Add another 1000. Now add 20. Now add
> another 1000 Now add 10. What is the total?
>
>
> Scroll down for answer.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
> Did you get 5000?
>
>
>
> The correct answer is actually 4100.
>
> Don't believe it? Check with your calculator!
> Today is definitely not your day. Maybe you
> will get the last question right?
>
>
>
>
> Fourth Question:
>
> Mary's father has five daughters:
> 1) Nana, 2) Nene, 3) Nini, 4) Nono.
> What is the name of the fifth daughter?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
> Answer: Nunu?
>
>
> NO! Of course not.
> Her name is Mary. Read the question again.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Okay, now the bonus round:
>
> There is a mute man who wants to buy a toothbrush.

> By imitating the action of brushing one's teeth
> he successfully expresses himself to the
> shopkeeper and the purchase is made.
>
>
> Now, if there is a blind man who wishes to buy a
> pair of sunglasses, how should he express himself?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
> He has only to open his mouth and ask. He is
> blind, not mute!
>
>
> KEEP THIS GOING TO FRUSTRATE THE SMART PEOPLE IN
> YOUR LIFE!
> (author's name removed to respect privacy)

The Third Kind Of Homeschooling Families

Just read the following article in Business Week, and felt compelled to comment on it:

Meet My Teachers: Mom And Dad
A growing number of affluent parents think they can do better than any school

Slater Aldrich doesn't attend any of the top-shelf public or private schools near his family's Madison (Conn.) home, not even his mother's alma mater, the $18,000-a-year Country School. Instead, the 11-year-old spends his days playing the role of town zoning officer, researching the pros and cons of granting approval to a new Wal-Mart. Other endeavors include pretending he's a Sand Hill Road venture capitalist, creating Excel-studded business plans for a backyard sheep company, and growing his own organic food. "It's kind of like living on a white-collar farm," says his dad, Clark Aldrich. Aldrich vowed he'd never put his kid through the eye-glazing lectures he endured in school, even at prestigious institutions like Lawrence Academy and Brown University.

[..]

No longer the bailiwick of religious fundamentalists or neo-hippies looking to go off the cultural grid, homeschooling is a growing trend among the educated elite. More parents believe that even the best-endowed schools are in an Old Economy death grip in which kids are learning passively when they should be learning actively, especially if they want an edge in the global knowledge economy.

[..]

In some circles homeschooling is even attaining a reputation as a secret weapon for Ivy League admission.



I applaud the authors of the article for finally identifying the THIRD and DEFINITIVE demographic category of people who choose homeschooling as part of their lifestyle: the sophisticated, brainy, affluent, and overeducated ELITE! Those are the trailblazers of today, a far cry from the backward Bible-beating fundamentalists and equally austere and unappealing pot-smoking types. Finally, a group of people I can identify myself with! or, wait, can I really? I am definitely overeducated but, alas, far from affluent! oh no, not again![sorry, couldn't resist :):) -- sarcasm off now].

On a more serious note, the article paints a pretty little picture indeed, save for the following nuances.

American people are notorious for their complete lack of class conciousness. It seems that everyone, from a department store clerk to a Lexus driving $300K+/year doctor or lawyer, refer to themselves as MIDDLE CLASS. A joke, really -- but IMO this is the basis of the "American Dream", keeping the system going. People appear to think that they can achieve everything no matter what the starting point, with hard work and a bit of luck.

The article American equality? That's rich provides chilling statistics about upward mobility and the decline of real term wages, that rips the American Dream assumption to shreds.

My guess is that people from both the low and high end of middle class are aware of these trends, even if subconciously. Perhaps this is why they all are desperately afraid to take a wrong step and become poor. Which doesn't stop them from keeping dreaming, of course.

What this means, in reference to the Business Week article, is that the very term AFFLUENT EDUCATED ELITE is an oxymoron. Ironically, the educated are most often neither affluent, nor are they elite. And sometimes, they aren't even 'educated' in a true sense of the word.

By the time a professional goes through an exorbitantly long and expensive stint in college, she is often neck deep in dept. Thus, affluence, i.e., being financially well-off, doesn't start until late in life, almost too late for many to start a family of their own.

So much for affluence.

Prestige of academic professions is plain low among people in general and young adults pursuing a degree. Which is why a lot of researchers, especially lower tier ones, are foreign-born and educated.

And in any case, it is not the educated who influence the real life social and political decision -- it is the rich who own and head big corporations. The CEOs of large companies often are graduates of second-tier schools. No surprise here: the skills they need for business aren't learned in the white towers of academia. Rather, these innate, often times sociopathic, tendencies are perfected in the game of real life, which these are determined to win.

So much for the elite.

Lastly, with the formal college education now viewed solely as a 'job training', most people are going into law, medicine, and business for money that those professions promise to bring, rather than pure and selfless interest. These are the people I have seen plenty of when I was TAing: all they cared about was getting an A in a course, no matter what the means, cramming or cheating. Forget 'bringing out what is best in you', as is the original meaning of the word 'education'.

I understand that the article in Business Week is trying to present homeschooling as a viable and constantly evolving lifestyle option. It seems to achieve its goal, making it obvious to the readers that homeschooling touches the lives of people exactly like them: the average successful college-educated folks.

However, I am concerned that the article actually does homeschooling a disservice. The booming frontier of homeschooling is shifted from a remote Christian fundamentalism and dated hippism to a more modern, but equally artificial 'affluent educated elite', i.e., yet another elusive group that one can't truly relate to.

The truth of the matter is that most homeschoolers are average people like you and me, who are simply fed up with the lies of the system. Many of them have some education under their belts, and each of them falls somewhere on a wide of continuum of beliefs and convictions. There is a great diversity within the community, but one can always find a niche. It is about as diverse as the society itself.

And that's the story I am sticking to.


homeschooling
business
education
affluent
news
opinions

"A Prophet" by A.S. Pushkin

Prompted by a recent bout of reflection and contemplation, I revisited a wonderful poem that was required reading in middle school in Russia. This poem is called ‘A Prophet’. It was written in 1826 or about that time by Alexander S. Pushkin, a classic author of Russian literature.

It still beats me how this poem could possibly have made it into the school program of an atheistic society. It is loosely based on Isaiah 6, and relies greatly on christian symbolism and religious language.

Another thing that evades me is how one could possibly have expected a 5-6 grader to understand the poem's meaning. Not surprisingly, a traditional interpretation was spelled out and firmly implanted by teachers. According to it, 'A Prophet' reflects A.S.Pushkin's understanding of the mission of poet in the society.

This makes some sense, since Russian literature has always been concerned with social wellfare. A 19-th century literary critic V. Belinski identified the two questions of Russian literature as 'Whose Fault Is It?' and 'What Is To Be Done?' Here, he plays on the titles of the two popular novels of the time, perhaps not the strongest in terms of style and substance, but preoccupied with the ideas of revolutionary changes in society.

Combined with that overarching understanding and a few more of Pushkin's poems dealing specifically with the fate of a poet, "A Prophet" does appear to tell a cohesive tale.

Yet, now, with some more life's lessons under my belt, I understand that there is more to the story. I am amazed at and infinitely grateful to the genius of A.S. Pushkin, who created it is the most perfect description of spiritual awakening and initiation in world literature.

Read the poem below and see for yourself. I tried to translate accurately to transmit meaning exactly. In original, it is rhymed and infinitely more beautiful.

A Prophet

by Alexander S. Pushkin

Suffering from spiritual thirst,
I struggled, walking in a desert.
And then a six-winged Seraphim
Revealed himself to me at a crossroad.

With its fingers light and nimble as a dream
He touched my eyes.
My eyes have opened, all-seeing,
Like the bright eyes of a frightened eagle.

He touched my ears,
And they were filled with noise and bells ringing,
And I heard and perceived the shudder of thunder in the sky,
And the high flight of angels,
And the sea monsters moving under water
And the sad existence of a vine, vegetating in the valley.

Then, he went for my mouth
And tore out my sinful tongue, my babbling and lying tongue,
And with his bloody hand
Put the tongue of a wise serpent
In my frozen mouth.

Then he cut through my breast with a sword,
Took out my beating heart,
And thrust a coal, burning with fire,
Into my open chest.

… I was lying in a desert like dead
When the voice of God called to me:
“Get up, o Prophet, see, and hear,
Be filled with my will,
Go across the seas and the lands
And burn people’s hearts with a word.”

*****

just a little footnote:

Interestingly, the word Seraphim comes from the Hebrew verb ‘saraph’ (to burn), or the noun ’saraph’ (a fiery, flying serpent). From a few Bible references associating them with snakes in the wilderness, it has been concluded that the Seraphim were serpentine in form and associated with fire. But in Isaiah, they are angelic beings surrounding God’s throne.

Laura Knight-Jadzcyk in her book The High Strangeness of Dimensions, Densities and the Process of Alien Abduction quotes and develops an idea that Serpent was linked with creation and revered in cultures where Nature was worshipped, but in monotheistic religions its image was corrupted to represent evil. And in the Bible, we see conflicting descriptions of Seraphims as a ‘good’ serpent or an angel, quite unlike the other serpents, specifically, the evil Serpent from the Garden of Eden.

It sure looks like some kind of a glitch, an older information not properly sanitized.

Yet, a poet saw right through it, and made Seraphim the force that awakens and initiated with fire, so that the Prophet could See, Hear, Speak, and Understand emotionally, forever being compelled to DO by his burning heart.

Prophet
Seraphim
Pushkin
Initiation