Read This!

Want to find out about my Fulbright experience in a nutshell? Check out the article that I wrote for the Fulbright website by visiting this link:

http://fulbright.state.gov/fulbright/regionscountries/whereare/the-americas/uruguay/highlights/bly-story

(Thank you Mary for the opportunity to write it.)


It's difficult to sum up an experience of a life time. Writing this article got me reflecting about my time in Uruguay. What have I accomplished? What kind of impact have I left? What have I learned? What have gained? What have I lost? How have I changed? Where will the future lead?

In the midst of all those questions, I meant what I said at the end of the article. I know that a little part of my heart will always belong in Uruguay. Uruguay has has left some kind of impression on me and it will always be a part of my life.

Whispering Sweet Nothings to...My Water Bottle

Oh, beautiful water. Thank you. May you be blessed by kindness and peace. I wish you happiness.

Crazy? Well, Japanese scientist, Dr. Masaru Emoto, claims that the structure of water molecules can change based on the thoughts of the humans observing them. He taped a bunch of positive and negative words onto different glasses of distilled water before freezing them and taking photos of the water crystals that formed. Via What the Bleep:

Dr. Masaru Emoto discovered that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific, concentrated thoughts are directed toward them. He found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns. In contrast, polluted water, or water exposed to negative thoughts, forms incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colors.

Here's an example of two of his water crystal photos, one which he told to die and the other which he thanked. They certainly look different.


Honestly, I want to believe that human determination can affect the very structure of water, and I like flirting with the idea that the human mind could manifest realities. But let's be serious. I can't will it not to rain tomorrow. I can't will my car not to break down. Thoughts cannot transcend "fate." The human mind simply can't assume control over forces that are complete externalities (including water molecules).


For more info....

Detailed laudatory info at Life Enthusiast:

From Mr. Emoto's work we are provided with factual evidence, that human vibrational energy, thoughts, words, ideas and music, affect the molecular structure of water.

Detailed denigratory info at Is Masaru Emoto for Real?:

After the lengthy review of Emoto’s research methods and results, I have come to believe that Dr. Emoto is offering pseudoscience to the masses in the guise of defensible research.

Personally, I believe that exploring the idea of human possibilities is intriguing, even if the theories do fall short in the end.

The Tomorrow Museum

The Tomorrow Museum is a good blog that explores a different element of art that affects us in unseen ways.

The Tomorrow Museum is a collection of images and speculative essays exploring how technology, science, and economics are affecting the fine arts. We believe, as William Gibson has said, that the future is here, it’s just not evenly distributed yet.

Recent posts include:

Suburban Ruins and the Ethics of House Flipping ---Some people are holding on to their houses because they don't want to sell it to young whippersnappers who are going to 'flip' everything around. The article suggests a DC woman may not have any other choice, "gross remodeling may be its inevitable second life. For now, she’s still waiting for someone who will respect the design of the place." Her nostalgia is understandable, but really, can you stop modernization? And no matter how you answer that, you definitely can't control other people's decisions, house design-wise or not. At least buyers aren't pawing at her to rip her house down to make way for a shopping mall---that might just be a case for cardiac arrest.

Please don't leave a facebook comment on my birthday ---which I somewhat disagree with. Who doesn't like a little facebook love? Sure, a little one-on-one interaction would be nice, but it isn't always practical. I think a quick "happy b-day" is short and sweet.

A trip to the zoo Animals are smart. And (maybe?) nice to look at. Zoos are straying away from the museum mentality, you know the whole idea of looking at the creature with a "frame around it." Today they are going full out imitation. However, the question still remains the same, Is it wrong to keep Mr. Panda locked up in his pretend almost real natural habitat?

Let's Dope the Shy People

Oxytocin is a new drug/hormone that scientists are giving to shy people to make the less shy. Great. So now being shy is a bad characteristic? Come on now, does anybody else see how preposterous this seems?

I firmly believe that shyness is a positive tool with which people are naturally endowed to promote successful social relationships. Shyness is what keeps you from dancing on top of the table in a room full of strangers. Shyness is what stops you from wearing clashing clothes to business interviews. Shyness is what makes you hide your unflattering habits on a first date. Shyness is what helps you to appear calm, cool, and collected in high pressure situations. A world without shyness would be like having permanent drunken fools hopping and skipping around us at every moment.

Shyness is hardly such a bad thing, and in fact, I almost think some people could afford to take a drug that would make the MORE shy. Thank you.

Most disturbing to me, This is London and The Telegraph reports:

It could have other commercial benefits. For instance, it could be sprayed in restaurants to put diners at ease, or be used as an alternative to tear gas to calm rioters.

Does anyone else feel a sort of post-apocalyptic mind-control eeriness to this whole dope the shy people plan? I know I do.
_________

Also, with my love of the Spanish language and all, I was thinking "I am shy" in Spanish is "me da vergüenza." And, when translated back into English more literally it means "it gives me shame." This seems an like significantly more severe way of expressing timidness. Is it possible that cross-culturally or cross-linguistically the social stigma of shyness is even greater?

Friday 13th

Survived another Friday 13th. Who was it that said they were so bad in the first place? This article says:

The sixth day of the week and the number 13 both have foreboding reputations said to date from ancient times, so their inevitable conjunction from one to three times a year portends more misfortune than some credulous minds can bear. It may be the most widespread superstition in the United States. Some people won't go to work on Friday the 13th; some won't eat in restaurants; many wouldn't think of setting a wedding on the date.

Just how many Americans at the turn of the millennium still suffer from this condition? According to Dr. Donald Dossey, a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of phobias — and coiner of the term paraskevidekatriaphobia — the figure may be as high as 21 million. If he's right, eight percent of Americans are still in the grips of a very old superstition.

Come on. I don't know about you, but I like Fridays any numeric day of the month. Nothing bad happened to me today.

Although, on second thought, there are still 11 minutes left until Friday the 13th officially becomes Saturday the 14th...

You've got to move it move it

According to an article in Boston Globe, "Don't Just Stand There, Think," everything we understand is confined to and defined by the movement that humans make. They refer to this new theory as embodied cognition. The article says:

But today, neuroscientists, linguists, and philosophers are making much bolder claims. A few argue that human characteristics like empathy, or concepts like time and space, or even the deep structure of language and some of the most profound principles of mathematics, can ultimately be traced to the idiosyncrasies of the human body.

I think that is an interesting concept, especially in linguistics. When learning a new language, one of the most confusing things is whether you are saying "I gave the pop rocks to you” or "You gave the pop rocks to me" for example. Hand motions make conceptualization a lot easier, and you would never point at yourself if you really meant 'you'. I totally believe that our understanding (at least through language) is contingent on bodily movement.

I decided to post a photo of artwork from one of my favorite artists of all time, Alexander Calder. His works are kinetic.