Now you too, can be knowledgeable in art. With this quick (and tongue-in-cheek) art course, “Art for Dummies,” you’ll be able to wow your friends by identifying a painting’s artist without having to search for a signature.
I thought this was fun–even somewhat educational. I hope you enjoy it.
Go to http://justsomething.co/art-for-dummies-a-not-so-serious-guide-to-famous-painters/
(Thanks to my friend Christine Murphy for sending it to me.)
The weekend retreat I just came back from was a drag. All we did was eat, listen to some presentations (kept short and done with humor), hear some questions to think about, eat, be sent out to think or talk about those questions, wander the grounds of beautiful El Retiro Jesuit Retreat House in Los Altos, eat, watch the long-overdue rain mixed with glorious rainbows and shifting clouds, meet new people and get to know old friends better, eat, meditate/pray, and have two restful night’s sleep. It was all so…calm. It dragged me down…down to the place where I could relax and slow down for three days. It caused me to remember that there’s more to me than just what I manage to get done during any given day.
If you’ve never been on a retreat, I highly recommend you go. I’m NOT talking about the typical corporate “retreat,” where you drink too much, play uncomfortable games in the name of “team building,” and carry on business while pretending not to. Find a retreat, religious or not, where you can take some time to be with the person you are inside. Take some deep breaths. Participate in the discussions and activities, if that’s what you feel like doing. Leave behind the tension, rush, pressure, responsibilities, and expectations (from you and from others). Take what you need from the retreat, and carry it back home with you. As you ease back into THE WORLD, keep the retreat experience in your mind, available to be recalled and relived when you realize that you’re being dragged down rather than up.
Animal Planet’s claims that they try to protect animals is called into serious question when they air shows like their popular “Call of the Wildman.” One of its episodes injured three baby raccoons, and they did so within the station’s guidelines. The station refuses to change the rules that allowed this to happen. You can view the piece at http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/call-of-the-wildman/videos/raccoons-at-the-raceway.htm.
Granted, raccoons and other animals that wander into human space are pests to us, even though most often we “invite” them by leaving out pet food, water, and garbage. But there are less injurious ways—like traps—to capture them. Do they really need to be chased around and stuffed roughly into bags? If they’re hurt, when released back into the wild, what chance of survival do they have?
If you’ve seen the show you’ll notice that such rough treatment, without regard to the animals’ safety, is the norm of this group. In fact, the rougher, the better, it seems, because that’s what gets ratings…which, rather than the animals, seems to be Animal Planet’s chief concern.
On this Thoughtful Thursday, the Dalai Lama tells us what our world needs most:
Use the garbage disposal less. Between faucets washing scraps down the drain while they’re being ground up and the water used to process sewage in treatment plants, some 500,000 gallons of water are wasted daily. Choose and cook foods which produce little waste, be creative with leftovers, and turn what remains into compost to nourish your plants without a trip to the nursery for plant food.
[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/ view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite e-tailer.]