Thursday Thirteen

I have a somewhat diverse, if a bit left-leaning and erudite, Facebook page. Here are a few things on it this morning:

1. In avoiding open political discussion, polite people have sacrificed a generation, and possibly a nation. - author unknown (it slipped away from my page before I caught who wrote it. Sorry. I don't move fast in the wee hours of the day. But it's a great line.)

2. Algonquin Books, a publisher I respect, has a new book coming out called Make Trouble, by John Waters. Algonquin calls it "the perfect gift for all who seek happiness and success on their own terms (that's all of us, right?)." From Amazon: "Now we can all enjoy . . . a manifesto that reminds us, no matter what field we choose, to embrace chaos, be nosy, and outrage our critics.Anyone embarking on a creative path . . .would do well to realize that pragmatism and discipline are as important as talent and that rejection is nothing to fear. . . . eavesdrop, listen to [your] enemies, and horrify us with new ideas. In other words, MAKE TROUBLE!  Illustrated with slightly demented line drawings by Eric Hanson, Make Trouble is a one-of-a-kind gift, the perfect playbook for gaming the system by making the system work for you." Okay, I want this book.

3. From NPR: "Trump's blending of business and the presidency worries many ethics experts because it could include trade policies and security issues."

4. “I feel it, I feel it, oh baby now I feel it … Gotta be free now” – listen to an exclusive outtake of The Beatles' Sgt Pepper. Apparently it's been 50 years since the Fab Four released the Sergeant Pepper album. Wow. It is my favorite of their albums.

5. Some computer scientists are applying a bee dance to create faster Web servers. That's a solution as sweet as honey.

6.

7. " . . . we are not now, nor have we ever been, a Christian nation, any more than we are a Jewish or Hindu or Buddhist nation. The founders were clear on that. If you want to live in a nation founded on a religion, move to Saudi Arabia." - Michael Abraham (local author and a friend on FB).

8. Boromir arrives in Rivendale -

9. "Have your ever wondered how iconic Goddesses with their centuries-old stories can represent something real and relevant for our modern feminine path?" - The Shift Network (a sponsored ad).

10. "At Hollins University, we’ve been inspiring women for 175 years. What motivates you to be inspired? Is it that unique feeling of knowing you made a difference in the life of a student? Or that you made it easier to help inspire the next generation? On the DAY OF GIVING, we hope you will be inspired to give the gift of Hollins to current and future students by supporting Hollins University." (They are having a fundraising campaign today.) http://www.hollins.edu

11. How Birth Order Can Shape Your Personality. I'm the oldest child. ". . . firstborns grow up to be caring, more willing to become parents, and more likely to take initiative."

12. From the Joseph Campbell Facebook Group: "Interestingly, both (J.R.R.)Tolkien and (C. S.)Lewis seems to have found Disney "vulgar". Tolkien says he "infantilised" fairy tales. . . . One serious objection of both these authors to Disney seem to be in the depiction of dwarves as cute and comical figures. In the original Snow White, these are dark figures from the region of id inhabiting the dark forest of her unconscious, who help her overcome her evil mother archetype and find independence. Dwarves have always inhabited the twilight zone between good and evil in fairy tale and fantasy; Disney made them cute - an unpardonable crime!" Read The Movie Date That Solidified J.R.R. Tolkien’s Dislike of Walt Disney.

13. "The symptoms of hypothyroidism are diverse and they mimic the symptoms of everyday life." (from 2015) - The Atlantic. Read Sleepy, Stressed or Sick.


(If any of the links don't work, let me know. Sometimes pulling them from my FB page doesn't work well.)
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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 497th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.