This weeks LBC topic was provided by our resident Dame Quixote - Padmum. Merriam Webster (the online version) offers this:
the quality of being easy to understand or use
the state or quality of being plain or not fancy or complicated
something that is simple or ordinary but enjoyable
Sounds a lot like the KISS principle to me. Keep it Simple Stupid. Scholars might use the term Occums Razor - the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. The famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes said "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."
In other words don't over complicate or over think think things. Sage advice if you ask me. Slow down and appreciate the moment. It's really the only thing that matters since the past is gone and there is no way of knowing what the future holds. The here-and-now is all that you can control.
If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.” Albert Einstein
There's a reason we keep hearing "It's as simple as that" - it usually is. Maintain your focus and address the things that really matter. You'll probably enjoy life a lot more. Remember - you can't always get what you want - but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need. And what do the other LBC folk have to say about simplicity? Check them out - they're listed over there on the right ===>
The cycle continues. The election cycle that is. The land of the free, home of the brave is once again in the throes of a presidential election. Our first "black" president - the decidedly left-wing mulatto Barrack Obama is in his 7th year of an 8-year term. The big seat is up for grabs. The GOP race for the roses is just getting interesting as there are more than a dozen wannabes reaching for the prize - including a 4-times bankrupt Donald Trump to the current tea party fave Ted Cruz - the senator from the state wherein I live, the republic of Texas.
We hear the usual rhetoric daily about the so-called corrupt Washington establishment (that includes both parties) and how we need to change the culture The right wants less government - much less. The left cries we need better government - not less. The language is decidedly negative, with civility making a stampede for the exits as both sides. depending upon which statistics you choose to quote (and remember - statistics are the big lie), we are living in the best of times or the worst of times. That's quite a spread - can the truth really be stretched so far?? Do the numbers really lie? Of course they do. There's a statistical spin to cover every statement. The moral of that story? NEVER accept a single source for your information - especially if that source is Fox News or MSNBC.
This year the surprising front runner in the GOP is The Donald. You can hear/read his "pontifications" daily - you'll see or hear nothing of substance yet. Just ranting and raving while he pats himself on the back. I hope he doesn't hurt himself with all that patting or flapping of his so-called right wing.
The Democrats? Well interestingly enough the first real challenge to Queen Bee Hillary is Vermont senator Bernie Sanders. Bernie is a democratic socialist and the right is apoplectic because of the term socialist. Bernie is a straight talker that actually offers some solutions to issues. It remains to be seen how long his campaign will have traction. The democrats appear to be in complete disarray as more and more negative information about the Queen Bee comes out.
To the folks here in the good old USA, I say be careful what you wish for. You might just get it.
Now there are a couple of distinct directions to follow with this topic. Being Irish, the term Traveller can can imply a traditionally nomadic people of Irish origin. One of v the largest groups of Travellers happen to live about 5 miles from me in a place called White Settlement. They are itinerant or nomadic handymen. That automatically disqualifies me as I am the least handy person I know.
So - the Traveller in me that I will tackle is the traveling man in me.
I'm not much of a traveler simply because I hate to fly. I always have. That limits my traveling to car/train/boat.
I've lived in Colorado, California, Connecticut, Hawaii and Texas. I've been to Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Antigua, Martinique and St Maarten. It should be easy to pick out where we went on a cruise celebrating our 40th birthdays with a group of our friends.
I've driven completely cross the country twice and I think the only states I have not been in are Alaska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Carolina. Upon reflection I have been around a bit.
Places I've visited include the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Bryce Canyon, Zion, Yosemite, Carlsbad Caverns, Pike's Peak, The Smithsonian, DC sites, Cape Canaveral, a bunch of old forts from the Civil War and the War of 1812 and probably a dozen more whose names I have forgotten.
The most beautiful places I've been are Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite. Check the links below and see what you think.
Important cities I've visited include San Francisco, Denver, Los Angeles, Portland Oregon, Seattle Washington, Dallas and Ft Worth Texas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Boston, Hartford CT, Augusta Maine, St. Louis, Kansan City, New Orleans, Tampa Fl., Toronto, New York, Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, SAn Juan PR and more.
So all-in-all I am not much of a world traveler but I have done a fair job traveling this large and diverse country of mine. How about my LBC buddies? Time to travel with them!
This weeks topic is another in a somewhat similar vein provided by Maria of gaelikaa's diary in India. Above and below is open to many interpretations. Take statistics for example. There are several ways to compute an "average" - take the following list of numbers for example: 13, 18, 13, 14, 13, 16, 14, 21, 13
To most of us the average (mean) is obtained by simply adding the numbers and dividing that total by the number of values in the list. Thus (13 + 18 + 13 + 14 + 13 + 16 + 14 + 21 + 13) ÷ 9 = 15. 15 is the average (mean) but oops - it's not in the list but that's the way the mean crumbles.
But like many things the average can be spun to suit the argument involved - thus we can use the median - the middle value. 13, 13, 13, 13, 14, 14, 16, 18, 21 - 14 is the middle value. Hey - at least this average is in the list.
For the truly esoteric there's the mode - yet another statistical average - and it references the number that occurs most frequently in the list. That number is 13 and hey - it's in the list too.
The moral of the story? Here we have 3 answers to the same question. 15, 14 and 13. Know your numbers before accepting any statistical values quoted in any discussion. Statistics can be used to support darn near anything - any spin on a topic. That's why a single source for things is in my opinion not a smart thing to use/believe. Especially if a politician or newscaster is involved.
The Long And The Short
The Rough And The Smooth
Left And Right
Right And Wrong
Back To Back
This And That
Up And Down
Above And Below
The list above includes the to[pics this year that I believe have a similar theme. I think his tune covers most of the angles :
Do you suppose that if the captain realized there is more iceberg below the water than above the water the Titanic might not have sunk?? And how about this??? That's a quick shack-take on this weeks LBC topic. Check out what the others have to say. they're listed over there on the right.
