Travels with Dad: Waterford Wonders

Dad showing two basic glass cuts.

As I may have mentioned yesterday, it was the highlight of the trip for Dad today, and an incredibly educational experience for me, as well, watching how this exquisite and world-renowned crystal is created from start to finish. I have put pretty much the entire process on my Facebook Page, for any interested parties.

The photo at the top is of Dad holding a glass that demonstrates the two basic glass cuts used in Waterford Crystal: The flat cut (the oval shapes on top) and the diamond cut (the bottom, Lismore Design).

The crystal works here have had a long and bankruptcy-filled history. The business was started by the Penrose Brothers in the late 1700s, who made their fortune selling salt-pork to the shipping industry. They realized that Ireland was one of the few countries that had no tax on exporting luxury items, and the amount of raw natural resources was plentiful for making glass, so they were off and running. They made a fortune and built a strong reputation for themselves but in 1851 Ireland passed a massive luxury goods tax and, seeing they could make no real profit anymore, closed the business. It lay dormant as a company for nearly 100 years.

In 1950 a Czech glass-blower bought up the assets and began making glass again. As there were no qualified glass cutters in Ireland at the time, he brought in countryman Miroslav Havel, who designed the Lismore pattern, which is still in use today and is the bulk of the company's retail focus. At that time the company began an apprenticeship program. Apprentice glass cutters would study for five years, at the end of which they were given three attempts to recreate what is called "The Apprentice Bowl." (Photo to right) This bowl

has 600 cuts and all 10 patterns in use by the company. If the apprentice was successful, he would study for an additional three years and become a Master Cutter. If not, he could quit or take the five year apprenticeship all over again.

A few years later, a consortium of Irish businessmen injected some much needed capital to improve the facilities and they were moved away from Waterford. Over the next 40 years, the company exploded, building new facilities, winning awards, purchasing other companies, and becoming a publicly sold and traded company. When the dollar crashed in 1990, the company recruited new investors and new cash, retooled, and invested heavily in new technologies until 2008, when the economy turned sour again and they declared bankruptcy in 2009. At that point they were purchased by an "equity firm" from New York called KPS Capital, who were looking to expand their holdings to European markets.

KPS struck an agreement with the Waterford City Council and moved the main production of the Crystal back to the City Centre in Waterford, where to this day they continue to melt down 7,500 tons of crystal and produce - mostly by hand - some 45,000 pieces.

And you know Dad and I couldn't leave without purchasing a couple of pieces to ship back home.

BISHOP'S PALACE

Our next stop was the Bishop's Palace, built by the Bishop of Waterford but he died before it was finished. It was eventually purchased by the architect - Richard Castle - and finished in 1741, recently renovated back to its original floor plan design in 2011. The fun part about this museum, which specializes in "Georgian Life" were the tour guides, who played the

parts of the head housekeeper and the butler. Here I learned that at the height of the religious feud between the Catholics and Protestants, the British Parliament passed a law that effectively said no Catholic could become King of England. When the current ruler produced no heir, they had to scramble to find a suitable candidate. Eventually they picked "German George," a German nobleman who was - get this - *56th* in line for the throne but the only Protestant. He was dubbed King George I, and it is his lineage that you can trace right down to today's Queen Elizabeth.

There was a huge portrait in one room of Daniel O'Connell, an Irish political leader in the early 1800s. He argued passionately for two things: The independence of Ireland through peaceful means, and the right of Catholics to hold office and be treated equally. A devout Catholic, he ordered that when he died his heart be cut out and sent to Rome, and the rest of his body be sent to Dublin for burial in his beloved Ireland. And so it was.

MEDIEVAL MUSEUM

Right next door - part of what they call the "Viking Triangle" - is the Medieval Museum. Here you can see relics and the history of Waterford from roughly 1065 up to 1650 A.D. The entire second floor is devoted to religious history and some of the vestments worn by the Bishops over the years are just amazing. (See photo)

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About this time Pop and I were pooped and our brains were full. We crept back to the hotel for a good nap and then a short walk along the river before dinner. Unfortunately, right about then Dad's sugar gave out and he had a hypoglycemic episode that had me handing out glucose tablets and heading for the bar to get him a Coke. We got him into the restaurant for dinner and he eventually rallied and by the time dinner was done, he was back to himself again, but exhausted. Being a diabetic myself, I am intimately acquainted with that feeling.

So he hit the hay and I - as is our usual schedule - stayed up late to get the blog and Facebook photos done, as well as check on home correspondence.

We head back into Dublin tomorrow to return our rental wheelchair and maybe pick up one more tourist destination before we head out to our final hotel.

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Mark's Musings is published on a semi-periodical basis that may change without notice. Find me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/markmusings. Facebook link is over there to the right. This blog is considered to be a digital periodical publication and is filed as such with the U.S. Library of Congress; ISSN 2154-9761. Tomorrow: Back to Dublin. Well, for a wee bit, anyway.

Banned Words, 2011

It's time once again for the folks at Lake Superior State University to issue their list of words and phrases that have worn out their welcome in 2010, and should be "banned" from polite conversation.

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BANNED WORDS LIST, 2011

"Viral," in the sense that a funny or moving video posted by a website or on YouTube catches fire with the public's imagination and it is forwarded around the world faster than the flu on an airplane.

"Epic," of which overuse has reached epic proportions. [Side note: uh oh. We just bought our daughter the Samsung "Epic" cell phone for Christmas.]

"Fail." One commenter wrote, "Fail is not a noun. It is not an adjective. It is a verb. If this word is not banned, then this entire word banishment system is full of FAIL."

"Wow Factor" is said to be served up with a heaping of cliché and a side of irritation.

"Back Story" does not need to exist because we have a perfectly good word that we've used for years. The word is "history."

"BFF" is Best Friend Forever - or until the next big fight, whichever comes first.

"Man Up." It's not just overused, it's bullying and sexist.

"Mama Grizzlies," when used to describe conservative political women, instead of actual bears, should be put down.

"I'm Just Sayin'," is most often used to diffuse any ill feelings caused by a previous remark, but really, it's just repeating the obvious. [Second note: uh oh, again. I use this phrase on my website. I'm just sa----umm, never mind.]

[see the entire list at the Lake Superior State University website]

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WEBSITE of the WEEK: See the above link.

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Mark's Musings is available via an RSS Feed, a Facebook Note, the Amazon Kindle and via e-mail each weekday (usually). Subscriptions are free. ISSN 2154-9761.

Not the Rules

Well, my daughter finally starts her driver training Segment I class on Monday. So now would be a good time to make sure your insurance premiums are paid up.

Oh, it's all right. She said I could say that.

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DESPITE WHAT YOU SEE, THESE ARE *NOT* THE RULES OF THE ROAD

Turn signals will give away your next move. Never use them to maintain the element of surprise.

Under no circumstances should you leave a safe distance between you and the car in front of you. This space will just be filled in by another car, creating a hazard, and you'll have to slow down to create another safe space, which will be filled in by another car and you'll have to slow down again and you will NEVER reach your destination on time.

Crossing more than one lane at a time marks you as an expert driver and feels dangerously cool.

The faster you drive through a red light, the smaller the chance you have of being hit.

Never get in the way of an older model car that needs extensive body work.

Braking is to be done as hard and as late as possible, forcing the anti-lock brake system to kick in so the pulsating brake pedal will give you a foot massage. If you don't have ABS, it's an opportunity to stretch your leg nicely.

Electronic traffic warning signs are only there to distract you from the nearby police car clocking you on radar. Pay them no attention.

Speed limits are only suggestions and are to be ignored during rush hour.

Throwing litter on the roads adds a touch of color to the landscape and keeps Adopt-A-Highway teams and minimum security prisoners occupied.

It is assumed that police cars traveling at a high speed - especially with their sirens on - may be followed safely, allowing you to make up for time lost by constantly slowing down to achieve a safe zone between you and the car in front of you.

Heavy fog, snow, wind, or rain make no difference to the above rules. These weather conditions are God's way of ensuring employment for auto body shops, junkyards, and car salespeople.

[selected from joke email.com with heavy edits and additional material by Mark Raymond]

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WEBSITE of the WEEK: So, yeah. While I'm proud "my little girl" has reached this milestone in her life, I am also, as a father, terrified for her safety. Each day eleven teenagers are killed on America's roads. http://www.facebook.com/save11 is set up to gather support for the STANDUP act, which is an acronym for "Safe Teen And Novice Driver Uniform Protection" which would require states to pass and enforce minimum standards for graduated driver licensing programs. If your Congressperson isn't signed on to sponsor this Act, use the site tools to encourage them. Allstate Insurance is the corporate sponsor for the site, in the interest of full disclosure.

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Mark's Musings is available via an RSS Feed, a Facebook Note, the Amazon Kindle and via e-mail each weekday (usually). Subscriptions are free. ISSN 2154-9761.

Toy Store Christmas

Welcome to December. The weather here in Michigan has, appropriately enough, taken a decidedly winteresque turn. The temperature has plummeted, and there is a smattering of snow accumulation in the overnight forecast.

Speaking of overnight, when the sun sets this evening, the Jewish festival of Hanukkah begins.

Which reminds me of this story....

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AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE

The junior high school teacher was discussing Christmas traditions with her class one day. She had specifically asked what each student's family did on Christmas.

Becky Johnson replied, "We gather all the family around the tree, pass out the gifts, and then we open them in a mad dash. There's paper and laughter and shouting and it's wonderful!"

Jimmy Nolan described a quiet celebration and a reading of the Nativity scene from the Gospel of Luke.

Several other children explained about their family activities when the teacher finally came to Jacob Schwartzman. Realizing that Jacob's family was Jewish, she apologized to him and said, "You don't have to share anything, Jacob. Your family probably doesn't celebrate Christmas."

"Oh, but we do!" Jacob responded.

"You do?" the teacher asked. "Well, then, please feel free to share with the class."

Jacob stands and says, "My father owns the biggest toy store in town. And every Christmas morning, we have breakfast together as a family, then we get into a limousine, drive down to the toy store, and look at all the empty shelves."

Jacob paused, then with a smile he finishes, "And then we all hold hands, sing 'What A Friend We Have In Jesus,' and go to the Bahamas for a week."

[as retold in an old Mark's Musings post that predates this blog]

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WORD for YOUR WEEK: As long as we're on the subject, let's do a Yiddish word this week. In Hebrew, "galal" means to roll, which was the foundation of the word, "megile," which refers to a scroll. During the festival of Purim, the book of Esther from the Old Testament is read in its entirety - twice - and thus the phrase, "he read the whole megillah" was coined. Now, of course, the verb can change (as in, "he ate the whole megillah"), but megillah still means a long account, a long story, or even a long event. Pretty much anything that would take some time and effort to finish.

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Mark's Musings is available via an RSS Feed, a Facebook Note, the Amazon Kindle and via e-mail each weekday (usually). Subscriptions are free. ISSN 2154-9761.

College Chat

We went to a "Regional College Night" at one of our local community colleges this evening. There were probably 30 colleges represented, and another dozen specialized departments of higher educational institutions. Amanda is a Junior in High School and wanted to start thinking about her future.

She's not sure what she wants to do with her life just yet, and if you have a young person in that situation as well, you can do what we did, and encourage her or him to investigate City Year. Gives them another year to think about things while at the same time helping out a community.

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A mother and father were chatting with their young son over dinner one evening about the future. He said he'd like to go to college - preferably Cornell, as his parents had done - when he finished with high school.

Pleased with that response, they pressed on and asked the boy what he would like to take when he attended Cornell?

The young man looked around the kitchen while he gave the question some thought. Finally he said, "The refrigerator, if you can get along without it."

[Joe's Clean Laffs]

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WISDOM for YOUR WEEK: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:29)

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Mark's Musings is available via an RSS Feed, a Facebook Note, the Amazon Kindle and via e-mail each weekday (usually). Subscriptions are free. ISSN 2154-9761.

Notice Beauty

Bonnie - being an amateur photographer and all - has wanted for years to take a "color tour" of northern Michigan during this time of year.

So this weekend, we are.

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In high school, there was a teacher we were rather fond of, and one day her husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his funeral, she returned to work and then one day shortly after that, as the afternoon sunlight streamed in through the windows and class was nearly over, she moved aside a few things at the edge of her desk, and sat there.

With a gentle look of reflection, she said, "Before class is over, I would like to share with you all a thought that is unrelated to what I teach, but is something which I feel to be quite important."

She looked out the window for a moment and then back at us. "Each of us is put here on Earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps it is God's way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day."

Her eyes filling with water, she went on, "So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be something you see. It could be a scent ... freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's home, or the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way an autumn leaf feels.

"Please look for these things and cherish them. I know it sounds trite, but these things are 'the stuff of life.' The little things we are put here to enjoy. The things we often take so much for granted. We must make it important to notice them, for at any time ... it can all be taken away from us."

The class was quiet as the bell rang. We picked up our books and filed out quietly. That afternoon I noticed more things on my way home than I had the entire semester.

[God's Work Ministry via Chapnotes]

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WEBSITE of the WEEK: Staying with a nature theme, visit http://zipcodezoo.com and find out what plants or animals are native to your particular part of the world. Click "Home" and "Set My Location" ... you'll need to register, but it's free. It's also a data-rich site, so there's a lot of text, but you can get a good sense of what to look for on those nature walks.

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Mark's Musings is available via an RSS Feed, a Facebook Note, the Amazon Kindle and via e-mail each weekday (usually). Subscriptions are free. ISSN 2154-9761.

School Bet

Aaargh.

The day is slipping away.

So just a joke today.

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The elementary school teacher liked to mix in a little education with everything, so on the first day of school, she was asking all the children to tell her their name, then what one of their parents did for a living, and then spell that job title.

First little girl says, "My name is Amy. My mom's a baker. That's b-a-k-e-r."

The next student says, "My name is Rayford. My dad's an electrician. That's e-l-e-k- ... no, e-e-l- ... no, sorry ... e-l-e-x- ... uh ..."

The teacher interrupts and says, "That's okay Rayford, you just think about it for a bit and we'll come back to you."

Then the next little boy says, "My name is Billy and my father is a bookie. That's b-o-o-k-i-e and I'll give you ten-to-one that Rayford don't ever spell electrician."

[Linda on the Web]

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WORDS for YOUR WEEK: "Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school." (Albert Einstein)

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Mark's Musings is available via an RSS Feed, a Facebook Note, the Amazon Kindle and via e-mail each weekday (usually). Subscriptions are free. ISSN 2154-9761.

Mindset List 2014

Next week my daughter has orientation for her junior year of high school. This week the folks at Beloit College in Wisconsin got their professors ready for another year by issuing the latest edition of their "Mindset List."

It's an attempt to educate the teachers on the cultural perspective of the freshman entering college this fall.

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BELOIT MINDSET LIST, 2014

Most students entering college this fall were born in 1992.

Few in the class will know how to write well in cursive.

E-mail is just too slow and they seldom, if ever, use "snail mail."

"Caramel macchiato" and "Venti half-caf vanilla latte" has always been street corner lingo.

In a country where a quarter of young people under 18 have at least one immigrant parent, they aren't afraid of immigration ... unless it involves "real" aliens from another planet.

John McEnroe has never played professional tennis.

Clint Eastwood is better known as a sensitive director than as Dirty Harry.

Doctor Kevorkian has never been licensed to practice medicine.

Colorful lapel ribbons have always been worn to indicate support for a cause.

Korean cars have always been a staple on American highways.

Fergie is a pop singer, not a princess.

They never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists while chatting on the phone.

Unless they found one in their grandparent's closet, they have never seen a carousel of Kodachrome slides.

Computers have never lacked a CD-ROM disk drive.

"Viewer Discretion" has always been an available warning on TV shows.

The first home computer they touched was probably an Apple II or a Mac II ... they are now in a museum.

Czechoslovakia has never existed.

Second-hand smoke has always been an official carcinogen.

Once they got through security, going to the airport has always resembled going to the mall.

Adhesive strips have always been available in varying skin tones.

Bud Selig has always been the Commissioner of Major League Baseball.

American companies have always done business in Vietnam.

Russians and Americans have always been living together in space.

There have always been women priests in the Anglican Church.

Rock bands have always played at presidential inaugural parties.

"Barney" has always referred to a purple dinosaur and not Barney Google or Barney Fife.

They have never worried about a Russian military strike on the U.S.

The Post Office has always been going broke.

The nation has never approved of the job Congress is doing.

They have always had the SciFi (SyFy) Channel.

[selected - with some very small edits - from Beloit College; the entire list is here]

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WISDOM for YOUR WEEK: "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." (1 Peter 1:24)

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Mark's Musings is available via an RSS Feed, a Facebook Note, the Amazon Kindle and via e-mail each weekday (usually). Subscriptions are free. ISSN 2154-9761.

It Made My Day (Again)

Let's revisit that "feel good" website, It Made My Day.

And, on a personal note, my daughter is having her gallbladder removed tomorrow morning. She's only 15 and already has gallstones, which are suspected to be the culprit behind her stomach pains for the past 18 months. It's a fairly quick surgery - we expect to have her home in bed by noonish tomorrow - and recovery is usually pretty swift, but we'd still sincerely appreciate your prayers and good thoughts tomorrow, about 7:30 a.m. EST.

That would make our day.

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IT MADE MY DAY

The other day my math teacher called a kid up to the front of the class to write out a problem and answer it on the chalkboard. He went up, answered it, then said, "Now I have a question for YOU." He wrote out the question on the board and my teacher, playing along, cheerfully yelled out the answer. Then the kid goes, "Hah! That was the first question on the homework you just handed out!" It made my day.

At the bus stop this morning, I opened my wallet to discover my two-year-old son had exchanged all of my money with Monopoly money. The bus driver laughed, and then charged me $5 in Monopoly money for the ride. It made my day!

I was telling my mom about how I got a "turkey" (three strikes in a row) while I was bowling the other night. She responded with, "Are you going to be able to fit it into your freezer?" It made my day.

We'd been painting our new house and accidentally left the lid off one of the paint cans, resulting in the paint drying up and becoming worthless. We left it out in the yard while we worked and one afternoon it disappeared. That evening there was a knock on our door and the neighbor's kid - five or six years old - said she had taken it but, "we didn't know it was all dried up so you can have it back and we'll find some different paint for the dog...." It made my day.

I am in the Army and currently stationed in South Korea. One Monday it was particularly rainy and dreary, so while walking to work I decided to have some fun and splashed through some puddles like I used to do when I was a little kid. A Captain stopped me and asked me what I was doing. "Letting my inner child out for a walk, SIR!" I replied. He laughed and said, "Carry on, soldier" then splashed through a few puddles himself as he laughed again and walked out of sight. It made my day!

Today my wife and I were singing along to the radio when our Great Dane, for some reason, barked loudly at her. My wife looked him in the eye and with a straight face, said, "You're a little off-key." It made my day.

I woke up this morning to my cat sleeping next to my head. I reached out to pet him and he started purring so I laid my head back down again to sleep some more. Suddenly he reached out his paw, still purring, and started petting my face. I had never had my cat pet me back before! It made my day!

[selected from the "It Made My Day" website; not all entries are family-friendly if you decide to visit]

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WEBSITE of the WEEK: At http://devotionalchristian.com/, you can find a whole bunch of different devotional material. The website collects them and, if you like, you can receive a weekly e-mail newsletter, as well. Their description reads, "Devotional Christian makes it easy to read your daily Bible devotional online by listing all the best free Christian devotionals on one page."

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Mark's Musings is available via an RSS Feed, a Facebook Note, the Amazon Kindle and via e-mail each weekday (usually). Subscriptions are free. ISSN 2154-9761.

College Lessons

Have you ever bribed your children?

Oh, don't act so shocked. We've all done it. Even you. Except we fool ourselves into thinking it's not a bribe at all, don't we? We call it "rewarding positive behavior." And it might be. Here's how you can tell: if you explain the reward to them before they've exhibited the behavior - it's a bribe.

And the older the kids get, well, the bribes pretty much always turn into the traditional: cash. Now a website called Ultrinsic will let your students bribe themselves. They can bet on their grades, and $20 will get you $100 if you ace the course. It's an online bribe. Of the good kind. Just like we used to do. (The site is only available at the moment for college-aged students.)

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THINGS COLLEGE TEACHES YOU

Quarters are like gold.

Peanut butter and jelly are necessities.

Furniture is over-rated.

Sleep is not.

You now understand why grocery stores carry so much junk food.

Two alarm clocks is often a good idea.

Food pyramid, schmood pyramid. Two meals a day is the new standard. And one of them includes Mountain Dew and Doritos.

You *can* wear clothes you hate if it means putting off laundry for another few days.

10 minutes is more than enough time to get ready for your first class.

Letters from home are priceless. Cash from home is better.

10-page papers used to be impossible to write. Now they're a godsend.

[selected from Net 153's Smile A Day]

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WORD for YOUR WEEK: People who've been around for awhile may recall the word "gams" used to describe a woman's legs. ("Lookit the set'a gams on her!") The word originates with the Latin word for leg: gamba. That root word also influences this week's Word for Your Week: gambit. The Italians used the word "gambetto" to mean a tripping up of someone, and the word was applied to the game of chess in the late sixteenth century, to describe an opening move. Now the word gambit could also refer to any type of maneuver used to secure an advantage.

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Mark's Musings is available via an RSS Feed, a Facebook Note, the Amazon Kindle and via e-mail each weekday (usually). Subscriptions are free. ISSN 2154-9761.

Out of Place

So I was reading recently about the flaps on sportcoat jacket pockets. Tucked in? Left out? Just what's the etiquette on that sort of thing?

Apparently, pockets were designed originally to not even have flaps, and flaps are considered a casual appendage. That's why formal attire - tuxedos and such - don't have any. They were brought into vogue by Edward, Prince of Wales. Apparently, it doesn't much matter what you do with a sport coat pocket flap ... if it can be tucked in and still look good, go for it. However, most pocket flaps are designed these days to be just wider than the pocket, so tucking would pucker the material and your appearance.

For your link today, find a few fashion and life tips from Esquire.

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As I was helping my daughter with a few things before her class entered the auditorium for her high school graduation, I noticed a young man nearby sporting a long, bleached-blond ponytail from the top of his otherwise shaved head. A heavy linked chain hung around his neck, and one ear sported several earrings.

I had to smile when I overheard him confide to a friend, "Man, I feel so out of place. I'm the only guy here not wearing a tie."

[Reader's Digest "Short Takes" via Wit and Wisdom]

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WISDOM for YOUR WEEK: "Then Jesus said to his disciples: 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.' " (Luke 12:22-23)

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Mark's Musings dresses up on an RSS Feed, a Facebook Note, an Amazon Kindle and via e-mail each weekday (usually). Subscriptions are free. ISSN 2154-9761.

Organic Biology

Hey, it's the first day of Summer.

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AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE

A professor stood before his organic biology class of 20 seniors, final exams in hand.

"I want to say before we begin the test just how much of a pleasure it's been teaching you this material over the year. I know you've all worked extremely hard and that many of you are off to medical school after the summer ends.

"So that no one gets their GPA messed up due to a poor grade on this final - caused, no doubt, by too many senior celebrations this week - I will offer a 'B' for the course to anyone who would like to opt out of today's final exam."

There was much rejoicing amongst the class as students got up and passed by the professor, many stopping to shake his hand and thank him on their way out. As the last person left the room, the professor looked out over the handful of remaining students and said, "Anyone else? This is your last chance."

One last student rose up and took his offer.

After he had gone the professor closed the door and took attendance of the students remaining. "Glad to see you believe in yourselves," he said.

"You all get an 'A'."

[Net 153s Smile A Day]

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WELCOME to YOUR WEEK: Besides being the Summer Solstice, it is National Daylight Appreciation Day, Go Skateboarding Day, Baby Boomer's Recognition Day, and National Mosquito Control Awareness Week.

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Get Mark's Musings on an RSS Feed, a Facebook Note, on Amazon's Kindle and via e-mail each weekday (usually). Subscriptions are free. ISSN 2154-9761.

Math Movies

I heard on National Public Radio this past weekend that British mathematician Simon Blackburn has worked out the *perfect* mathematical formula for a *perfect* parallel parking process.

It's all described in detail here.

In the article, they call it "simple mathematics," but if that's their version of simple, I'm going to have to go back to school.

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MOVIES FOR MATHEMATICIANS

Primes of Passion

The Math of Khan

Deriving Miss Daisy

Planet of the Eighths

The Dirty Square Root of One Hundred Forty-Four

American Pi

The Bourne Parallelogram

WALL-E = MC²

Sines

[Chris White's Top Five on Science w/additional material by Mark Raymond]

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WORD for YOUR WEEK: My son wanted to know where the word "colic" came from, what it is, and why we use it to describe unhappy babies. It originated with the Greek word kolon which, indeed, refers to your intestines. The Latin version was colicus, which described issues pertaining to the colon. And while medicine still doesn't know exactly what causes colic in a baby, the general school of thought is that it stems from an underdeveloped (or still maturing) digestive tract.

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Mark's Musings is available via RSS Feed, Facebook Note, Amazon Kindle, and e-mail each weekday. When you add up all the reasons, you'll see that it makes sense to get your own subscription with a quick click here.

Estate Math

There's a ladybug living in our bathroom. I don't know it got into the house, or why it chose the bathroom, and I don't even *want* to know what it's feeding on in there, but every morning it's like our own little Spring surprise. Where's the ladybug today?

Speaking of searching for something (oh, wasn't that smooth?), consider making GoodSearch your defaults search engine. I know it's not Google - it's powered by Yahoo! in fact - but every time you search, you'll be donating money to your favorite charity.

Here's the way it works: advertisers give money to GoodSearch to put an ad on their search results page. GoodSearch then turns around and gives 50% of that money to the charity you designated right before you began your search. You can choose from thousands of non-profits already affiliated, or you can even designate your own school, church, or charity, as long as they are a not-for-profit organization.

They've also expanded to include a concept called "GoodShop" where you can purchase items online and anywhere from 3-30% of the purchase price is sent to your charity.

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Mrs. Applebee, the sixth grade teacher, posed the following problem to her arithmetic class.

"Let us say a wealthy man passes away and leaves an estate worth ten million dollars. One-fifth is to go to his wife, one-fifth is to go to his son, one-sixth to his butler, and the rest goes to charity. Now, what does each one get?"

There was a lengthy silence in the classroom as the students pondered and diligently worked the math. Finally, Little Morris raises his hand.

"Yes, Morris," recognized the teacher, "what does each one get?"

With deep sincerity, Morris replies, "A lawyer!"

[Clean Cut Jokes via Ed Peacher's Laughter for a Saturday]

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WISDOM for YOUR WEEK: "But just as you excel in everything -- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us -- see that you also excel in this grace of giving." (2 Corinthians 8:7)

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Professor's Interpretations

What's wrong with our public school systems? Much like the church, you could probably take nearly any position you wanted and have some corner of the truth on your side.

But the folks at Edutopia say, "here's what works."

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WHAT YOUR PROFESSORS SAY AND WHAT THEY MEAN

They say: "You'll be using one of the leading textbooks in the field."
They mean: "I wrote it."

They say: "If you follow a few simple rules, you'll do fine in this course."
They mean: "If you don't need sleep, you'll do fine in this course."

They say: "The gist of what the author is saying is what's most important."
They mean: "I don't really understand the details, myself."

They say: "Various authorities are in one mind on...."
They mean: "My hunch is as good a guess as theirs."

They say: "Your paper needs some minor revision."
They mean: "I never got around to reading it."

They say: "Don't come in late during my lecture."
They mean: "I have the attention span of a fruit fly."

They say: "There will not be a term paper required this semester."
They mean: "They gave me no budget for a teaching assistant."

They say: "Attendance is mandatory and is factored into your grade."
They mean: "I'm so boring that's the only way I can get you to show up."

They say: "That question is beyond the scope of this class."
They mean: "I don't know."

They say: "For a thorough answer to your question, see me during my office hours."
They mean: "I really don't know."

They say: "Well, you must realize there are several disparate points of view...."
They mean: "I really don't know and I'm not likely to ever find out the answer."

They say: "The answer to every question is 'C'."
They mean: "I just got tenure."

[selected from Net 153s Smile A Day and Purdue University's website]

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WORD for YOUR WEEK: Speaking of college, when I attended good ol' William Jewell out in Missouri, one of the things I did there was write and act in what we believed was the first science fiction radio theater. A short-lived, six episode audio drama we called "The Intrepid Adventures." This was the mid-70s, folks, and we were heavily influenced by Star Trek, The Original Series, but we were also boldly going where no one had gone before, to borrow a phrase. But from where does that word "Intrepid" arise? The old Latin word "trepidus" meant "alarmed." You can see where we pull the word "trepidation" out of it. By adding the negative modifier "in" to it, you get a meaning of "not alarmed" with the word intrepid. The more common meaning is "resolutely courageous, or fearless." The Intrepid was the name of the space-going vessel our fictional crew inhabited.

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Post #600: Mindset List 2009

Patriot Day, 2009. If you fly the American flag, remember to notch it down to half-staff today.

This is also my 600th post here at the blog. Let me make visiting here worth your while. Go to the list of "labels" on the right hand side of the page and click the one that says "bonus." All the material I've posted here that you haven't seen in your Inbox will be served up for you.

Meanwhile, students returned to classes all over this great nation during the past week. And that means it's time for those clever folks at Beloit University in Wisconsin to issue their annual "mindset" list, where they help us understand the cultural experience and background of this year's freshmen (and women).

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THE BELOIT UNIVERSITY MINDSET LIST
2009 Version (Class of 2013)

Dr. Seuss, Gene Roddenberry, and Freddie Mercury have always been dead.

Jack Kevorkian and Mike Tyson have always been felons.

They have never used a card catalog to find a book.

Salsa has always been more popular than ketchup.

Tattoos have always been chic and highly visible.

Rap music has always been mainstream.

The KGB has never existed.

They have never had to "shake down" an oral thermometer.

They have never understood the meaning of R.S.V.P.

The Atlanta Braves have only ever had one manager: Bobby Cox.

There has always been a Cartoon Network.

They have always watched wars, riots, and police arrest people on television as it actually happened.

There have always been flat screen televisions.

They were never Saved By the Bell.

Most communities have always had a "mega-church."

There has always been a Planet Hollywood.

They don't understand why "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up" is funny.

There has always been blue Jell-O.

[selected from Beloit University; see the entire list here.]

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My daughter has another swim meet this weekend and I'm working, of course, but other than that, it looks like a quiet one. I'll see you on Monday.

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WEB SITE of the WEEK: Have a little fun this week with "The Eyeballing Game" at http://woodgears.ca/eyeball/. My best score was a 7.00; I'm sure you can beat that.

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Mark's Musings is sent each weekday - to now less than 600 of you - using Ezine Director and I pay a little extra every day to make sure my posts are certified by Habeas to be a safe source of e-mail. Subscribe, view past issues in my Archives, and otherwise pleasantly click your mouse at my web site. To contact me and sooner or later get a reply, click here. To win at tic-tac-toe, roulette, and lawsuits, just don't play. You can forward or reprint "Mark's Musings" freely but please keep the credits attached. In the long run, it probably doesn't matter who gets the credit, but my credits tell others where to find me, and I hope that's important. Original material and musings © 2009 by Mark Raymond. I update this blog with a copy of my e-mail post daily and occasionally with "bonus material" whenever the mood or muse strikes. Look for the label that says "bonus" and you can bring all that extra material up with one click. But now I believe I'm repeating myself. My personal mission statement remains John 3:30. Find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/baldmark/. Some people sleep and dream. I dream of sleep.

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WORDS for YOUR WEEKEND: "I've been trying for some time to develop a lifestyle that doesn't require my presence." (Garry Trudeau)

Field Trip

Here in Michigan, a law was passed a couple years back that said no child shall return to public school before Labor Day. Well, that was yesterday which means that Amanda heads back to the halls of learning today.

As I write this, she and Mom are out picking up some snacks and supplies for her to take to school ... and of course, lots of water and soda pop. Amanda loves her clear sodas.

Which brings me to today's link. Did you know there are still bottlers in the world who make soda pop from rose petals? Or cucumbers? I found a 13-minute video about Galco's Soda Pop Stop in California. I couldn't find out who the gentleman was, but I tell you what, he has instant credibility, and about 500 different flavors of soda pop.

In fact, I did dig a little deeper and discovered that Galco's has an online store if you want to order some. And I did.

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My daughter's history class was able to take a trip to Washington, DC last year. She didn't seem too excited, deeming it too "educational" to be any fun.

But when she returned she was bubbling over with enthusiasm and wonder and even awe as she described how they stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, staring at the Washington Monument across the reflecting pool

"Just think, Mom," she marveled, "we were standing in the exact spot where Forrest Gump stood!"

[Wit and Wisdom]

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WORDS for YOUR WEEK: "If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers." (Edgar W. Howe)

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Little Heart

Remember our "GKR of '08"? (Great Kitchen Remodel.) Well, I have finally posted "before and after" pictures at my website, in the photo gallery. While I was there I also updated all my "Web Site of the Week" picks so they're all gathered in one handy place for you.

And just so today's link is not all about me ... here's "six foods you must eat" to keep your heart healthy.

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It was Jimmy's first day of kindergarten and the teacher was starting the class off by teaching her students about the Pledge of Allegiance. She instructed everyone to stand and place their hands over their hearts, and repeat after her.

Halfway through, however, she stopped as she noticed that Jimmy did not have his hand over his heart.

It was on the right cheek of his fanny.

"Jimmy," she scolds, "I will not continue until you put your hand over your heart."

"But it *is* over my heart," Jimmy protests.

Several futile attempts to persuade Jimmy to move his hand later, the teacher finally sighs and asks, "Why do you think that's where your heart is?"

"Because," Jimmy replies, "every time my Gramma comes to visit, she picks me up, pats me right here, and says, 'Bless your little heart,' and my Gramma wouldn't lie!"

[Jokes Central]

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WORD for YOUR WEEK: So the family is at the Lugnuts game yesterday with a group from church, and the A-ball team from Lansing is playing the Great Lakes Loons (shut 'em out 4-0, too). Somewhere around the third inning, my son asks me about a loon and wonders if the bird is goofy enough that it inspired people to say someone acting crazy is "loony." The answer is no, the two words are unrelated, though I'm told the cry of a loon closely resembles the laughter of the stereotypical madman. "Loony," in the sense of being crazy or foolish, is a derivative of the word "lunatic." Lunatic, however, has a fascinating etymology. The Latin word for "moon" is "luna," and it was believed centuries ago that a person exposed to the light of a full moon would go temporarily insane, and was deemed to be a "lunatic." Even today when people act a little odder than normal, many of us wonder if there was a full moon out last night.

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