The Worst Analogies Ever Written in a High School Essay They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it. She caught your eye like one of those pointy hook latches that used to dangle from screen doors and would fly up whenever you banged the door open again. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty Bag filled with vegetable soup. From the attic came an unearthly howl. Her hair glistened in the rain like nose hair after a sneeze. Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots in the center. He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree.
“The Paradox of Our Age” The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; big men and small character; steep profits and shallow relationships. Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember to say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. **This was originally written by Dr. Image from LIFE Magazine
Find of the Day Found by Bryan Borgia I was on Metro North going from CT to NYC and found a Quicksilver brand wallet on a seat. It belonged to a Joshua Puchetta. It had a middle school ID card, a Blockbuster card, six bucks, 2 four-leaf clovers, and this note! I sent him the wallet, but kept this to send to you guys at FOUND MAGAZINE! Found by Rachael and Erich; Meridan, CT This was photo was laying face up in the slushy parking lot of a Target store in winter of 2003. I think they’re a family. Found by Am Fraser on top of a trashcan in Seattle, WA This lovely Polaroid was FOUND by Emily in Scotland I was helping my sister move into her university flat and found this little gem. Found by Jeremy and Allison Broihier in the basement of their new home in Grand Rapids, MI
Why victim culture is running riot | Religion and atheism | Riots in Britain A new Church of England report into last August’s riots in England ‘sounds a clear warning note’ about the ‘social consequences’ of austerity measures, senior cleric Reverend Peter Price said on Sunday. After the LSE/Guardian Reading the Riots reports, the Children’s Society’s Behind the Riots, and the government’s own independent panel report, the Church of England is the latest, and probably not the last, institution to blame the riots on cutbacks in social services. Written by the church’s mission and public affairs (MPA) council, the Testing the Bridges report is made up of interviews with clergy around the country who witnessed the riots breaking out. A mixture of poverty and welfare cutbacks has, according to the church, had a negative impact on ‘already vulnerable people’. This has contributed to a ‘feeling of hopelessness which may sometimes emerge in destructive and anti-social actions’.
Altru-Hedonism: A New Perspective on Pleasure & Helping Others Altru-Hedonism is a mash-up of the terms altruism (selfless concern for the welfare of others) and hedonism (the pursuit of pleasure). Normally these terms are considered antonyms, which would make my made-up word a complete oxymoron. I aim to convince you of just the opposite. Note: For you smartasses out there, yes we all know that helping other people feels good. This post does eventually transcend common sense :) Altru-Hedonism can be summed up very well in a little memory exercise. WHAT? Altru-Hedonism (noun) - the act of maximizing one’s own pleasure by seeking to help others The key word in that definition is maximizing. But Charity is a Chore! Why does helping others have such a bad rap? You don’t need to make sacrifices or break a sweat to lend someone a hand. What about drugs, sex and nice things? Don’t get me wrong, those ‘vices’ all feel fantastic. Still Not Convinced? Next time you have an opportunity to help someone, try a simple cost-benefit analysis.
The Best of Study Abroad Bitch (15 Pics) Have something to say about this post? Don't be shy! Aphorisms: From the Writings of Oswald Spengler Aphorisms: From the Writings of Oswald Spengler Man makes history; woman is history. The reproduction of the species is feminine: it runs steadily and quietly through all species, animal or human, through all short-lived cultures. It is primary, unchanging, everlasting, maternal, plantlike, and cultureless. Little as we know about the events of the future, one thing is certain: the moving forces of the future will be none other than those of the past -- the will of the stronger, healthy instincts, race, will to property, and power. The question of whether world peace will ever be possible can only be answered by someone familiar with world history. Talk of world peace is heard today only among the white peoples, and not among the much more numerous colored races. Pacifism means letting the non-pacifists have control ... The wealth of birth in primitive populations is a natural phenomenon, the very existence of which no one thinks about, let alone its advantages or disadvantages.
Thinking Within Paradoxes I read a few years ago somewhere that a hallmark of a genius is being able to hold opposites together and transcend them. This stuck with me and over time I tried to make sense of it, because at first it was a very confusing concept. With some luck this concept began to make sense thanks to a random assortment of other things I read over the years following my discovery of this tidbit. This train of thought has now become one of my favorite things to ponder. Wave-particle duality is the concept that all matter and energy exhibits both wave-like and particle-like properties. You are nothing. They both hold some truth and meaning. Now I’d like to tie this line of thinking into another one….the concept and realization of knowing nothing, yet knowing everything. You know nothing, You know everything. This is why always being open to being wrong can be so powerful. Bruce Lee believed this as a core part of his fighting philosophy. Knowing nothing lets us flow into everything.
Bowling With Our Own by John Leo John LeoBowling With Our OwnRobert Putnam’s sobering new diversity research scares its author.25 June 2007 Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, is very nervous about releasing his new research, and understandably so. His five-year study shows that immigration and ethnic diversity have a devastating short- and medium-term influence on the social capital, fabric of associations, trust, and neighborliness that create and sustain communities. Putnam’s study reveals that immigration and diversity not only reduce social capital between ethnic groups, but also within the groups themselves. In the 41 sites Putnam studied in the U.S., he found that the more diverse the neighborhood, the less residents trust neighbors. Diversity does not produce “bad race relations,” Putnam says. Neither age nor disparities of wealth explain this result. Putnam has long been aware that his findings could have a big effect on the immigration debate.
How We Can (Actually) Change The World – Pt. 3/3 Now you know what we’re missing, and the best ways to incite REAL change. (If not, check out Part 1 and Part 2). So what can you do about it? In the grand scheme of things, not much. This is why I am extremely excited to announce a new initiative: the creation of true community on a global scale. The Mission I have teamed up with visionary Marc Coppola from Why? Mission Statement: “To bring attention to a variety of social issues by highlighting the inefficiencies of today’s socio-economic practices and acting upon them to establish a one hundred percent sustainable community. Vision Statement: Our vision is simple – if it isn’t sustainable or rational and doesn’t lead to 100% self-sufficient community then it doesn’t belong. The Surface Details: – Completely off-the-grid and sustainable: solar and wind powered, organic composting, permaculture organic farming and Earthship-inspired housing & water filtration – The initial 60 acre plot can be expanded up to 500+ acres when needed How?
Gates of Vienna: The Malmö Experiment Our Swedish correspondent PMP returns with an exhaustive look at the situation in multicultural Malmö, and the dire consequences that await the city — and the whole of Sweden — if current governmental policies are not reversed. Swedish children in Malmö, 1950s. vsteenagers and adults during a riot in Malmö 2009 The Malmö Experimentby PMP Most people who follow alternative media in Sweden know about the madness taking place in Malmö and within the country’s government. However, people outside Sweden may not grasp the situation to the same extent. This essay will examine the way in which the government, both national and local, has lost control of the city’s spiralling crime and rioting immigrant population. Malmö: An introduction When an experiment or a medical trial is injurious and damaging its subjects and patients, one usually stops it — unless we are talking about trials involving animals. To say that the situation has ‘changed a little’ is quite an understatement. Run, Run