tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62720702011-04-21T16:47:03.584-04:00A weblog devoted to human thought and culture -- for a daily dose of the humanities! Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1078118355746836382004-03-01T00:14:00.000-05:002004-03-01T01:35:29.560-05:00

Hi! I've started a new blog, more adapted to my interests and tastes. Please join me at Threads of Thought: Weaving a Web of Knowledge where I will post my reflections on current events, spirituality, art and everything in between. Go in peace!

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1076172701298833742004-02-07T11:41:00.000-05:002004-02-11T21:13:51.903-05:00

Dear readers, thank you for your patronage. I'm guessing most of you are like me in some way, and if we found ourselves on a beach, we would scour the shores for beautiful lost seashells, all the while discussing the interesting news of the day. That was the spirit of this site. Away from this spaceless, timeless area though, I find my attention wandering to other media, such as books, where

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1075850763504052032004-02-03T18:13:00.001-05:002004-02-03T19:17:38.216-05:00

Is there such a thing as a new idea? What about a new chemical element? A team of Russian and American scientists recently added the superheavy Uut and Uup into the periodic table. Outsized scientific discoveries seem to dominate the news these days. The New York Times posts a report on the evolutionary origins of a giant flower with an odor to match, and informs us that those nightmares of

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1075846596113223012004-02-03T18:07:00.000-05:002004-02-03T18:13:35.293-05:00

What happens when a healthy man eats three meals a day at McDonald's for 30 days? Fast food's nutrition value aside, the shocking results are chronicled in "Super Size Me", a new film documentary. Prompted by increased industrialization, urbanization, economic development and food market globalization, the world population is literally ballooning, leaving in its wake human death and

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1075718272998889042004-02-02T06:31:00.000-05:002004-02-02T06:35:50.826-05:00

Do you learn more when you have fun? What if you need to learn to have fun? This last question is at the heart of the drive to educate more people about classical music. But Bernard Holland says you can't learn how to like music -- you just do or you don't. So, how about taking the music to the people? Crossover singing has been done; though, without much success. Even digitizing sheet

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1075619526589969782004-02-01T03:49:00.000-05:002004-02-01T05:08:56.670-05:00

What makes a good athlete? Statistics! At the intersection of athletism and academia lies good sports. As Bill Belickick, the coach of the New England Patriots, can testify, applying the conclusions of an academic paper to a football game can really pay off. On the field, researchers further assert that athletes subconsciously play like statistians by applying past knowledge to new situations

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1075599047717769622004-01-31T20:45:00.000-05:002004-01-31T21:08:37.450-05:00

There's no escaping it in the news -- whatever your views, Islam and the West, Iraq and America, are provoking reflection and debate. To start it all off, Joshua Micah Marshall has an excellent essay in this spirit questioning whether the current White House has strengthened or weakened America's empire. In less abstract terms, the Washington Post wonders about the state of the Iraqi National

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1075461671356133562004-01-30T07:19:00.000-05:002004-01-30T07:32:49.200-05:00

Language can really shake up the world nowadays. Even those at the pinnacle of economic and political power recognize that writers have great influence over others through their competence and effectiveness in expression. The New York Times Book Review, long a vital player in the marketing of books, has decided to institute dramatic changes in the focus and variety of its book coverage. In so

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1075463488678125172004-01-30T07:17:00.000-05:002004-01-31T21:13:50.343-05:00

Cooking, like any other human activity, can quickly develop into art through the passion and the effort of its practicioners. Sara Dickerman here explains the newest and diverging trends in haute cuisine -- some chefs take the culture of novelty to the extreme while others stoop lower and lower to discover the secrets of tradition. If "molecular gastronomy" finds its arch-rival in the Slow

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1074849873814444412004-01-28T01:46:00.000-05:002004-01-29T12:36:05.700-05:00

A heated dispute has erupted between China and North and South Korea concerning the ethnic identity of the ancient Goguryeo civilization (which ended more or less in 668 AD). Korean scholars accuse the Chinese of setting the stage for a land claim if the North Korean border should become unstable. Although using historical borders as a justification to alter modern ones is not new, the distance

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1074668484015907752004-01-28T01:44:00.000-05:002004-01-28T01:46:24.153-05:00

As the history of theater shows us, there has always been an appetite for deceptive entertainment; but where once filmmakers used special effects to convince audiences of the realism of their make-believe, now they're meant to just seem cool. Dan Brown investigates the trends in movie magic that reflect changes in the attitudes of audiences towards truth and illusion. And perhaps no other

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1075267861184413332004-01-28T01:41:00.000-05:002004-01-28T01:45:45.763-05:00

Knowing others often helps in knowing ourselves -- but does this wisdom extend across species? The BBC has an interesting story about a parrot with a sophisticated control of human language and a sense of humor to boot. Like us, birds suffer epidemics as well. And the New York Times' thorough account of the remarkable adaptability of polar bears offers this eye-catching observation: "extreme

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1075095552192873832004-01-26T00:41:00.000-05:002004-01-26T00:51:34.890-05:00

Did you know know that the mountains on Mars are beautiful at sunset? Recent proposals to prepare for a future human visit to our brother planet have been much eclipsed by the spellbinding postcards sent back by our robotic representatives there. Makes me wonder, is there really water there, like the evidence suggests? And if we did go, what would we do there? And why oh why is Mars red?

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1074841833553189742004-01-23T03:31:00.000-05:002004-01-23T03:56:22.153-05:00

As a recent opinion article in the New York Times notes, it is not always comfortable to have too many choices. The author cites scientific studies to support his thesis, and though apparently not intending to, his position echoes vaguely with ideas proposed by the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, who is considered a fore-runner of existentialism. Here is an exposé of the life and work

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1074824446843903822004-01-22T21:37:00.000-05:002004-01-22T21:40:35.466-05:00

Surpassing the likes of Marco Polo, Louis Armstrong, and Christopher Columbus, Charles Veley has officially just become the most traveled man in the world. This world has changed of course, making travel a lot easier, though not necessarily less stressful. Recent events also make a few of us more wary of air travel than not. Well, when all else fails, there is always walking!

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1074820474279782042004-01-22T16:16:00.004-05:002004-01-23T03:59:19.860-05:00

Humans are born daily and yet what happens afterwards is unique to the each of us! What do you want to be when you grow up? A presidential joke writer! David Waterman on 25 years in a string quartet. Bernard Kouchner, who wears many hats, on his past and present. Colin Mackay achieves literary success with a suicide note. A mysterious visiter places cognac and flowers on Edgar Allan Poe's

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1074574582222918132004-01-20T02:09:00.000-05:002004-01-23T04:02:14.123-05:00

Most of us are aware of the history of bigotry in our own nations, yet internationally, prejudice has a past as well. The New York Times offers an unconventional piece examining the past relationship between Western Europe and the USA while the Economist provides a historical overview of European unity.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1074576512945795932004-01-20T00:31:00.000-05:002004-01-21T02:47:25.653-05:00

Two articles published last week proposed, either explicitly or implicitly, societal experimentation in how gender is taught or perceived. Terrence Moore offers a plea for the development of responsible young men, while the New York Times informs us of a steamy new lesbian TV series airing on American cable. Both articles are rather narrow in scope, and admittedly are unrelated to each other.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1074498560749393472004-01-19T03:57:00.000-05:002004-01-20T04:10:25.030-05:00

Perfumes and odors stir up memories like no other sensation. Yet sounds, and more specifically music, affect our minds and spirits in surprising ways as well. Why do certain musical intervals sound universally more pleasing than others? How does music alleviate or increase physical pain? Alexandra Witze offers a scientific roundup while a cellist describes some of a musician's unintended

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1074138779893032832004-01-14T23:28:00.000-05:002004-01-20T16:48:45.920-05:00

Is there evolution in art, or is each artist uniquely talented to create objects representative of his or her skill and temperament? The recent discovery of exquisitely detailed figurines, carved some 30,000 to 33,000 years ago and laid in the Jura Mountains, poses this question and more. Nowadays, artists continue to use nature both as a means to artistic creation and as a source of

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1074054602389208032004-01-14T22:33:00.001-05:002004-01-20T04:10:47.590-05:00

In this time of frigid weather in New York, Alexandra Horowitz is fascinated with lost gloves. Through these melancholic objects, she studies "active loss," which naturally leads one to wonder about the difference between natural facts and social facts. However, perhaps the glove-hunter is more anthropologically interesting!

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1074059393207371982004-01-14T22:33:00.000-05:002004-01-20T03:01:02.420-05:00

What we experience, what we say and what we publish are not always the same -- or are they? Recent revelations by a former senior White House official follow in the same vein as another. And then there is always the case of political pulp fiction.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1073308266860128932004-01-05T15:47:00.000-05:002004-01-20T04:11:09.153-05:00

A professor of mathematics and physics asks, "what is time?" And can you imagine going to sleep and waking up 113 years later? Science fiction writers have. Meanwhile, some of us ponder the night sky to get a glimpse of the distant past, while other earthlings live according to the martian clock.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1073305014511789222004-01-05T13:40:00.000-05:002004-01-20T04:28:50.843-05:00

Debate is heating up in political circles over the American presidential election in 2004, and one of the main ideas being batted around is national security. Since the incumbant already gets a lot of media time, here are a few links from the dissenters. One site with a wealth of resources is the Center for American Progress. The New York Times Magazine recently published a comprehensive

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1073327419912123282004-01-05T13:30:00.000-05:002004-01-20T04:11:32.390-05:00

A humorous and enlightening look at the uhs, ums and their non-English likenesses that populate most forms of spoken speech, as well as a pick of the English buzzwords of 2003 from A to Z. Particularly interesting are: "ham" (email mistakenly thought of as spam by your filter), "knee-mail" (a tongue-in-cheek term for modern prayer), "odortype" (a uniquely individual odor-signature), and "zorbing

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1073307932765408832004-01-05T12:36:00.000-05:002004-01-20T03:10:16.186-05:00

Two different stories, approximately 150 years apart, about doctors and diagnosis -- one struggles to understand herself, as another battles in a time without science. Both look at questions with no easily discernable answers, and attempt to untangle a knot of truth that has a few medical twists.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1073179493779204952004-01-03T20:04:00.000-05:002004-01-20T04:11:54.716-05:00

Author Michael Crichton, of Jurassic Park fame, continuously produces thoughtful speeches on the subject of science and public policy. In this article here, he touches upon SETI and faith, science and consensus, heresay and scepticism. In previous remarks, he attacked the religiosity of environmentalism. For him, it all boils down to the nature of science.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1073171631139711012004-01-03T18:06:00.000-05:002004-01-20T03:12:06.733-05:00

Apparently we haven't been seeing the real version of the story which has become ubiquitous family entertainment in America. The early nineteenth century novella by E.T.A. Hoffmann was dark and perverse, like many familiar fairy tales. The New Republic reports.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1073168546393745922004-01-03T17:15:00.000-05:002004-01-20T04:12:19.356-05:00

Why are some musical instruments tonally superior to others? Researchers at Columbia University propose that long winters and cool summers produce wood that has slow, even growth -- ideal properties for producing quality sounding boards, used in such famously wonderful violins as those fashioned by Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, Italy.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1073023191816414602004-01-02T00:40:00.000-05:002004-01-20T03:14:14.280-05:00

A look at a most satisfying end to Peter Jackson's adaptation of the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, at the New York Times and the New Yorker. The latter also includes a wonderful analysis through the movie's score. There is literally too much to say about this film, so it won't be covered here. I did leave with an odd thought; the movie reinforces one of our most simplistic

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1073008714622967822004-01-02T00:30:00.000-05:002004-01-20T04:12:53.046-05:00

A brief and sensitive look at the life of Chiang Kai-shek. The rivalry between the Nationalists and the Communists during the 20th Century was both a war for the rule of Chinese territory and a conflict of ideas. Mao won the former, but in retrospect, it appears that Chiang's vision has triumphed. The vigorous dance from here to there forms a colorful history.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6272070.post-1073002266811461922004-01-01T19:10:00.000-05:002004-01-20T03:16:13.763-05:00

One day at dusk, Zhuang Zi dreamed he had turned into a butterfly. Flapping his wings, he felt like a butterfly and was tremendously delighted. At that moment, he forgot entirely that he was Zhuang Zi. After a while, he came to realize that the gleeful butterfly was actually himself. So was it Zhuang Zi who had changed into a butterfly in the dream or the other way around? Zhuang Zi can be

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05151399099261510915noreply@blogger.com