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September 2008


TEDTalks : Stefan Sagmeister: Things I have learned in my life so far - Stefan Sagmeister (2008)

Rockstar designer Stefan Sagmeister delivers a short, witty talk on life lessons, expressed through surprising modes of design (including ... inflatable monkeys?).


NeuroPod: 30 September 2008

In this episode, we look at the psychology of the credit crunch, pit two treatments for depression against each other and find out why deaf people can retain the ability to speak even when they can no longer hear. Plus, Kerri reports on an unusual play with a neuroscience theme.


TNM 031: Byron Ricks: Searching for Dad

Barack Obama and John McCain have one thing in common, they both grew up with absent fathers. Byron Ricks details how important the father-son relationship is to growing boys, and how this may have affected who the candidates, and other men with absent fathers, have become in adulthood.

In this uncommon discussion we learn:

What are the 9 side-effects of growing up fatherless.
When do boys learn start to learn about sex?
What it's like for a young boy who doesn't have a father in his life.
The unique benefits of male-bonding.
Boys innate desire to do 'one-better' than our dads.
How a "surrogate" father can fill the role for absent fathers.
How to rebuild self-respect, self-confidence, and a strong sense of identity.

Join us in learning about Byron Ricks mission to help men and boys facing the world when their fathers are not around.


BG 090: The Logistics of Being a Bodhisattva

Join us as we finish up our dialogue with Venerable Robina Courtin, the highly energetic Tibetan Nun, who some refer to as a "Dharma CEO". In this episode she continues to share the specific logistics behind her approach to balancing wisdom and compassion in today's world.This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Venerable Robina Courtin: Bodhisattva CEO.


i want a pet gargoyle

i just finished reading a work of fiction, a rare thing for me. i was intrigued by the cover of the gargoyle by andrew davidson: a woman has two tattoos on her back exposed, a pair of angel’s wings taking up the greater part of her back and an intricate celtic cross on her upper back. looking at the reviews on amazon.com, i decided that this was worth taking a chance on and added it to the list of materials currently out on my library card.

some books i can read in a single setting and while i will admit that this wasn't one of them, i was able to finish it off in two and a half days. that’s at least partially because i had to put it down and let the words digest. the plot is relatively straight forward: a man gets severely burned in a car accident that was his fault, and as he works on healing in order to be released from the hospital so that he can then commit suicide, he meets a 700-year-old woman who knew him in a previous life, which changes everything. (see, relatively straight forward. :) i won’t go into the intricacies of the story line, in case you might want to read it. all i’ll reveal at this point is that on page 172, i put the book down and started crying because of what i read. even my main man, tom robbins, with all his wicked insights and incredible way with words has never had this effect on me. plus, librarians and meister eckhart and dante’s inferno and art and languages and hell, among other topics, are swirled throughout the pages. this is my kind of book. it’s not light reading, but if you are looking for a work of fiction that can be a bit intense at times (especially descriptions of the fire and the ensuing burns that are the foundation of the plot), keep this on your short list.


BG 090: The Logistics of Being a Bodhisattva

Join us as we finish up our dialogue with Venerable Robina Courtin, the highly energetic Tibetan Nun, who some refer to as a "Dharma CEO". In this episode she continues to share the specific logistics behind her approach to balancing wisdom and compassion in today's world.

This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Venerable Robina Courtin: Bodhisattva CEO.


SQL Injection Tool - sqlmap.com

If you're trying to bullet-proof your  web site, here's a handy open source application developed in Python that can help you reproduce common SQL Injection attacks quickly.  It's especially useful if you have a lot of web sites or sites with numerous user-input controls.  If you like it, be sure to donate to the developers, Bernardo Damele and Daniele Bellucci


slight change of plans

y'all will have to forgive me (which i know you will). i know you've read in past posts how certain i've been about my decision to move to cali in january and how i just know that signposts have been pointing me in that direction, blah blah blah. and trust me, i still want to do this with all my heart and plan to eventually, barring some great disaster. and i know the universe helps out those who decide upon direction and firmly believe matthew 6:33 from the new testament, which (paraphrased) says to seek first the kingdom of god and whatever you desire will be given to you. nevertheless, maybe it's a fear of a 'great disaster' that has actually caused me to postpone my dream for a bit.

this whole wall street thing has me more than a little concerned. the way things are going it will be nearly impossible to get student loans, which would be my lifeblood if i went this path right now. also, the idea of moving across the country to a place with an astronomical cost of living with the very real possibility of a major economic collapse on the horizon... i just don't think it would be very smart at this moment. without all this avoidable (and i believe both major political parties share the blame for this) economic b.s. looming, i would still be planning to make the move early next year sometime. i mean, i keep hearing the words 'great depression' mentioned with this current situation. and, as much as i dislike the president, i believe that the fact that he is so involved in trying to resolve this situation when he has nothing to lose and no real stake in what happens is proof enough that we are in the midst of a genuine crisis. therefore, not having any real support system in place in cali at this point, wisdom tells me that maybe i should stay put for awhile. besides, i'm not a multi-billion dollar corporation who can depend on the federal government to bail me out should i screw up on my own out there (not that i would want the government to bail me out).

i have a decent job that i'm happy with most of the time, and there is still the option of library school, with tuition being a lot cheaper (plus i can get financial assistance from my employer). i'm not in love with kansas city, but there are things here i like a lot. i've made some good friends here and i am close to family and friends back in columbia. i can do this situation a couple more years, then case out the situation then as far as moving to the west coast to pursue my doctorate at ciis.


Rumi, Spittin Truth Like Mad Dog and Glory!

More needs to be said on this, but the Holy Spirit will tell it to you when I'm not here.

You'll tell it to yourself. Not I, or some other "I," You who are Me!

As when you fall asleep and go from the presence of your self to the Presence of your Self. You hear That One and you think, "Someone must have communicated telepathically in my sleep."

You are not a single You, good Friend, you are a Sky and an Ocean, a tremendous YHUUUUUUU,a nine hundred times huge drowning place for all your hundreds of you's.

What are these terms wakefullness and sleep? Don't answer. Let God answer.

Don't speak, so the Speakers can. Not a word, so Sun-Light can say what has never been said in a book, or said.

Don't try to put it into words, and the Spirit will do that through you, in spite of you, beside you, among you.

Stop swimming so hard and climb into the boat with Noah.

Rumi

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