NEWT

Cross him off as an idiot?
OK, but first find out what he stands for.

http://www.newt.org/

The Global Village

Another "Minimal cue"...you figure it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNnbO8x4JAY

A Distant Mirror

Writing about the 12th CenturyBarbara Tuchman writes:

"Division of rich and poor became increasingly sharp. With control of the raw materials and tools of production, the owners were able to reduce wages in classic exploitation. The poor saw them now as enemies....they felt a sense of injustice that finding no remedy grew into a spirit of revolt."

Sound familiar?

Getting Along...

The message: If basic needs are met we can all get along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=D85yrIgA4Nk&feature=player_embedded

Twitter Me

I have added a new twitter simply because I had little to say on my regular twitter.
The new twitter is SUPERQUIZ@arcticpineapple
I think to access it you'd search for username  arcticpineapple.

"Without questions there can be no answers."
The new Twitter will provide regular question (Q) followed by the answer (A)

Time for a Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.
We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and Called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free.
Amen!

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

With the downfall of dictators in Africa and the Near East it is an apt time to reread "The Man With the Hoe" posted much earlier on this site.

Here is another paean to the downtrodden everyman. It's from the lyrics of a song sung by Joan Blondell in the film, "Gold Diggers 1933".

MY FORGOTTEN MAN

I don't know if he deserves a bit of sympathy,
Forget your sympathy, that's all right with me.
I was satisfied to drift along from day to day,
Till they came and took my man away.
Remember my forgotten man,

You put a rifle in his hand;
You sent him far away,
You shouted, "Hip, hooray!"
But look at him today!
Remember my forgotten man,


You had him cultivate the land;
He walked behind the plow,
The sweat fell from his brow,
But look at him right now!


And once, he used to love me,
I was happy then;
He used to take care of me,
Won't you bring him back again?
'Cause ever since the world began,
A woman's got to have a man;
Forgetting him, you see,
Means you're forgetting me
Like my forgotten man.

Charity Begins at Home

The East Coast Earthquake Rocks Canada!
Help support the Canadian victims of the Quake of 2011.
Your generosity is needed to rebuild the lives of those struck by this catastrophe.
Send checks payable to Ken Fisher.

TREES
by: Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

THINK that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

Catholic Church: Good or Bad?

Catholic Church: Good or Bad?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fN3zDtfivc

You decide.

What Has Happened to Song Lyrics?...Is it just me?

I'm getting old. (No, I am old). I have the feeling that decadence is setting into much of our culture...art, music, literature, films, etc. At first I assumed my observations were just those of a cranky old man and that the same impressions occur with every generation. However I decided to make an informal and quick analysis of song lyrics as a test. Here's what I did. I took the No.1 hit song on January 1 of each 5 year period from 1940 to 2010. I examined the first 10 (or so) lines of each song. To my mind there is a clear degradation of thought, diminuation of clarity and increased sparsity of language and communication as one moves from the lyrics of 1940 through to the lyrics of 2010.
Again I ask, "Is it just me?"
You have a look and tell me what you think.

2010 …..Tik Tok Lyrics
Wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy
(Hey, what up girl?)
Grab my glasses, I'm out the door, I'm gonna hit this city
(Lets go)
Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack
'Cause when I leave for the night, I ain't coming back
I'm talking pedicure on our toes, toes
Trying on all our clothes, clothes
Boys blowing up our phones, phones
Drop-topping, playing our favorite CDs
Pulling up to the parties
Trying to get a little bit tipsy

2005….. Let Me Love You
Baby I just don't get it, do you enjoy being hurt?
I know you smelled the perfume, the make-up on his shirt
You don't believe his stories, you know that they're all lies
Bad as you are, you stick around and I just don't know why
If I was ya man
(Baby you)
Never worry 'bout
(What I do)
I'd be coming home
(Back to you)
(Every night, doin' you right)
You're the type of woman
(Deserves good things)
Fistful of diamonds
(Hand full of rings)
Baby, you're a star
(I just want to show you, you are)

2000 …..Smooth
Man it's a hot one
Like seven inches from the midday sun
Well I hear you whisper and the words melt everyone
But you stay so cool
My mu equita my Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa
You're my reason for reason
The step in my groove
Yea
And if you say, "This life ain't good enough"
I would give my world to lift you up
I could change my life to better suit your mood
'Cause you're so smooth

1995…..On Bended Knee
Darlin' I can't explain
Where did we lose our way
Girl it's drivin' me insane
And I know I just need one more chance
To prove my love to you
If you come back to me
I'll guarantee
That I'll never let you go
Can we go back to the days our love was strong
Can you tell me how a perfect love goes wrong
Can somebody tell me how to get things back
The way they use to be
Oh God give me a reason
I'm down on bended knee
I'll never walk again until you come back to me
I'm down on bended knee

1990…..Another Day in Paradise
She calls out to the man on the street
"Sir can you help me?"
It's cold and I've no where to sleep,
is there somewhere you can tell me?
He walks on, doesn't look back
He pretends he can't hear her
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street
Seems embarrassed to be there
Oh, think twice, 'cause it's just another day for you
and me in paradise
Oh, think twice, 'cause it's just another day for you,
You and me in paradise

1985…..Like a Virgin
I made it through the wilderness
Somehow I made it through
Didn't know how lost I was
Until I found you
I was beat incomplete
I'd been had, I was sad and blue
But you made me feel
Yeah, you made me feel
Shiny and new
Chorus:
Like a virgin
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
When your heart beats (after first time, "With your heartbeat")
Next to mine

1980…..Please Don’t Go
Babe, I love you so
I want you to know
that I'm going to miss your love
the minute you walk out that door
so please don't go
don't go, don't go away
please don't go
don't go, I'm begging you to stay
If you live, at least in my life time
I had one dream come true
I was blessed to be loved
by someone as wonderful as you

1975…..Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Picture yourself in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Towering over your head
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
And she's gone

1970….Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
Raindrops keep falling on my head
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothin' seems to fit
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling
So I just did me some talkin' to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he' got things done
Sleepin' on the job
Those raindrops are falling on my, head they keep falling

1965……I Feel Fine
Baby's good to me you know
She's happy as can be, you know
She said so
I'm in love with her and I feel fine
Baby says she's mine, you know
she tells me all the time, you now
She said so
I'm in love with her and I feel fine
I'm so glad that she's my little girls
She's so glad she's telling all the world
That her baby buys her things you know
He buys her diamond rings, you know
She said so
She's in love with me and I feel fine, mm

1960……El Paso
Out in the West Texas town of El Paso
I fell in love with a Mexican girl.
Night-time would find me in Rosa's cantina;
Music would play and Felina would whirl.
Blacker than night were the eyes of Felina,
Wicked and evil while casting a spell.
My love was deep for this Mexican maiden;
I was in love but in vain, I could tell.

1955….Let Me Go Lover
Oh, let me go
Let me go
Let me go, lover
Let me be
Set me free
From your spell
You made me weep
Cut me deep
I can't sleep, lover
I was cursed
From the first
Day I fell

1950…..I Can Dream, Can’t I?
I can see
No matter how near you'll be
You'll never belong to me
But I can dream, can't I
Can't I pretend
That I'm locked in the bend of your embrace
For dreams are just like wine
And I am drunk with mine
I'm aware
My heart is a sad affair
There's much disillusion there
But I can dream, can't I
Can't I adore you
Although we are oceans apart
I can't make you open your heart
But I can dream, can't I

1945….Don’t Fence Me In
Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above,
Don't fence me in.
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love,
Don't fence me in.
Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze,
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees,
Send me off forever but I ask you please,
Don't fence me in.

1940….I’ll Never Smile Again
I'll never smile again
Until I smile at you
I'll never laugh again
What good would it do
For tears would fill my eyes
My heart would realize
That our romance is through
I'll never love again
I'm so in love with you
I'll never thrill again
To somebody new

Price of Gas (Part 2)

If I win the lotto I'm going to fill up my Chrysler and if there's anything left over I'll take my wife out to dinner.

The High Price of Gas

The price of gas is rising so quickly that by this summer it will cost almost as much for a gallon of gas as it does for a gallon of orange juice.

QE : Quantitative Easing

Quantitative Easing You need to read this slowly, carefully and thoughtfully. http://www.forbes.com/2010/09/27/federal-reserve-economy-quantitative-easing-opinions-columnists-wesbury-stein.html

I Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'

I got a feeling that the lid on the Federal Reserve is about to be pried off and the contents will prove to be putrid. Ben Bernacke and his ilk will be revealed to be financial magicians manipulating currency tools like a modern-day Houdini. Now you see it, now you don't.

"The emperor has no clothes."

"It's a giant Ponzi scheme."

2=1

Assume....................................................a = b
Multiply both sides by a..............................a2 = ab
Subtract b2 from both suides.....................a2-b2 = ab-b2
Factor both sides...................................(a-b) (a+b) = b(a-b)
Divide both sides by (a-b)............................a+b = b
But a = b so.............................................b+b =b
or...........................................................2 =1

Paradox

I am getting into paradoxes and my mind is becoming unsettled.
We are all familiar with the paradoxes of Zeno that show that contrary to the evidence of our senses, the belief in plurality and change is mistaken, and in particular that motion is nothing but an illusion.
However I have recently stumbled on a series of paradoxes that had previously escaped me. I shall only disclose one at this point because one is enough to seriously damage your brain cells.

The total number of integers (whole numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, .....to infinity) is the same as the total number of "even integers" (whole numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 ....to infinity).
I could provide the proof of this but better to allow you to try to get your head around the concept.

As a 'bonus puzzler' I assume that most of you are already familiar with the concept of a sheet of paper that has only one side. i.e It would be impossible to color one side red and the other side blue because there is only one side.

If you are at all curious as to the 'proof' of either or both of these paradoxes let me know.

Sheen vs Obama

Oh, the Humanity!

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

Can you believe the depth to which political correctness has sunk? We are surely at the shallow end of the semantic pool. Recent outcries of racism over comments that used the expressions “Indian giver” and “wait a cotton-picking’ minute” boggle the mind. Dare I speak a word lest I offend someone? Get a life!

I think it’s politically correct to use the word “diddle” when referring to the US response to the pending disaster in Libya.
Both Obama and Sheen seem to be out of touch with reality. Both refer to “winning” but both appear to be “losing”. “Deeds speak louder than words”. Sheen’s rantings are meaningless prattle. Obama’s speeches are oratorical masterpieces but without accompanying action and leadership are as meaningless as Sheen’s diatribes.

P.S. The TD Bank is one of Canada's largest financial institutions. I have been a client for over 50 years. As a public service I thought I'd provide you a quote from their booklet concerning their acceptance of responsibility:

“We will not be liable for any damages resulting from:
-any failure…even if:
-we knew that damage was likely; or-the damage was a result of our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or representatives. "

Gee, I wonder if "BP" is aware how easy it is to accept no responsibility for incompetence and errors.

ANSWER

The answer and solution to the question posed in an earlier post is provided here.


Ans. 10 and 30 (10² + 30² = 1000)

The sides of the squares are x and y.
x2 + y2 =1000
y = 2/3x -10: Squaring yields
y2 =4/9x2 - 2(2/3x X 10) + 100
y2 = 4/9x2 - 40/3x + 100
Substitution into the first equation yields
13/9x2 – 40/3x – 900 = 0
13x2 -120x - 900 = 0
(x+270) (x+30) = 0
Either x+270=0 or x+30=0
302 + y2 = 1000
900 + y2 = 1000
y2 = 100
y = 10
x = 30

Les Miserables

On Sunday March 6, 2011 I watched the 25th Anniversary TV production of the “Les Miserables”. The commentators said that in addition to the wonderful music it was the poignant story-line that made the show really special. The plot covered topics to which everyone could relate and sympathize with: redemption, love, hope and freedom. More about this later but first I think it’s important to clarify the historical relevance. Many viewers seem to think that the ‘uprising’ is somehow connected to the French Revolution.

The French Revolution spanned the 10 year period.1789-1799.
Napoleon lived from 1769-1821 and was exiled to St. Helena in 1815.
Victor Hugo’s novel “Les Miserables” depicted the years 1815-1832.

It is clear that neither the French Revolution nor Napoleon are factors relevant to Hugo’s novel.
The question then becomes what was all that talk of freedom and a popular uprising as described in Victor Hugo’s book and the musical version.
The uprising in “Les Miserables” was that of June 5-6, 1832. It was an anti-monarchist movement that was to some extent mitigated by crop failures, food shortages and an increase in the cost of living. It was quickly put down and amounted to very little.
This brings us back to the positive message that the musical is purported to convey. The protagonist, Jean Valjean evolves into a repentant man on the wrong side of the law, but the right side of social virtues. Conversely Inspector Javert is on the right side of the law, but the wrong side of humanity.
But what about some of the other characters who are tangental to the main plot?
First we have the corrupt innkeeper and his wife. They extort money from Fantine, mistreat and abuse Cosette and gain financially when they turn her over to Jean Valjean. They are associated with an infamous criminal gang and yet at the end of the musical they are given a large sum of money by Marius, are consorting with the elite and doing quite well. What is the message to be derived here? Crime pays?
Next we have the entire group of young idealist students passionately devoted to democracy, equality and justice. Their efforts came to naught and their lives were snuffed out after accomplishing nothing. What is the message here? Opposing injustice is futile?
And what are we to make of Fantine? A good woman, a devoted mother who becomes a prostitute and dies prematurely in a hospital. Again what are we to learn from this? No good deed goes unpunished?
And what are we to make of Inspector Javert? He is not an evil man; misguided perhaps, but well-intentioned. He felt that he was doing the right thing but there is no redemption for him. He sees suicide as his only way out. Not exactly an uplifting message for those who try to follow the law and obey the rules.
Yes, I love the musical but I am somewhat bemused by how differently others interpret the messages therein.

A.I.

A.I. = Artificial Intelligence (OK, so you already knew that.)

"Wilson" defeated the champion humans on "Jeopardy"... quite an accomplishment; not for Wilson, but for the programmers. But is Wilson intelligent? That depends on how you define intelligence. I do not think that "Jeopardy" is a test of intelligence. It's a test of how much data you have been able to cram into your cranium and then able to regurgitate it on demand.
Wilson excels at that process and will definitely be a terrific tool in a number of fields including medicine.
A better test of intelligence would be a "problem-solving" competition. "Brainteasers" would require lateral thinking and problem solving skills as opposed to memory.

Eg. An area consisting of the sum of 2 squares is 1000. The side of 1 square is 10 less than 2/3 the side of the other square. What are the sides of the 2 squares?
* Answer in subsequent post.

What's On Your Mind?

Time marches on. The Muslim world awakens to individual rights and a thirst for democracy. Turmoil will follow but surely this bodes well for the future. Naysayers suggest that with no experience with the democratic process the most likely outcome is yet another dictatorship. I think not. The people will not be denied. A rough road lies ahead but it's the right road and it leads to an enlightened better world for all participants. Why Europe and the West hasn't been more outspoken in supporting these movements boggles the mind. Why not support human rights and democracy and end up on the winning side, instead of dragging one's feet just in case the revolutions are put down. Nonsense! The genie is out of the bottle. Where is America when the oppressed cry out for leadership and support?

Update...Hey, it's 2011.

Must have nodded off.
I'll take a few pills and try to get back on track.