Surely it’s no surprise to the seven regulars hereabouts that I have long been an enthusiastic user and recommender of “positive” (humanist) psychology. I think the idea that one can be remade has appealed to me for a very long time; and of course the emphasis on individual uniqueness and personal fulfillment speaks deeply to me.

However, in reading the introduction to an older book of this sort, a dreadful thought struck me; and I don’t know how to resolve it.

Perhaps I can get it out of my head by inserting it into others’.

And the young woman who labeled herself “the best slave” also clearly and beautifully demonstrates that it applies in only a very limited context.

Just in from the LRT discussion list:

SPECIAL EDITION

JAMES P. HOGAN DIES AT AGE 69
======================
We are saddened to report the passing of James P. Hogan at the age of 69.

Jim was alone at his home in Ireland when he died suddenly yesterday, July 12, 2010.

The precise cause of Jim's death has not yet been determined, nor is the exact time known.

We are in touch with the family and will release further information as it becomes available.

Tim Gleason
Sysadm, JamesPHogan.com

This Newsletter has been posted to: www.jamesphogan.com/mailarchive/index.php?issuenumber=59

Someone on Ravelry posted this vid, and I have to pass it on:


(Direct link to vid on YouTube)

For those of you who watch it here, you may still want to click through, because there are several other Whedonesque vids in the right column ... as well as other interesting–looking stuff. Shiny!

And the next line in the Rush song I’m quoting is, “It hurts my head.” Hoo boy, is that true.

Hoo boy ...

This piece over at LRC is making the rounds. So far I have seen it at Claire Wolfe's and at The Picket Line. Plus a couple of people have emailed me the link asking my opinion.

It is mostly an OK piece, but for the most part it treats Latin America as a monolith, which it is not, and it neglects to mention several "Elephants in the room".

Well, kinda–sorta. We’re still settling in to the new place, and between that and other things that keep on flowing, it seems that there isn’t much happening here that’s worth talking about.

Wow, am I feeling old now ... Ronnie James Dio died today. He may have been the man who led me to heavy metal, even though for the longest time I couldn’t remember his name.

It’s a simple idea, really; but all the same, I’d like to test it before investing a lot of time and effort into it.

I’m finding some interesting, er, artifacts as I sift through stuff I’ve been carrying around for years. One thing that caught my attention last night is a copy of Fifth Estate’s spring/summer 2005 issue. I believe it was an essay—the title of which I’ve used for this ramble—that sparked something within me.

I’ll put this video on in the library since it has some language those of you with sensitive ears might not wish to hear:

Notice how I coyly avoid taking responsibility for the situation. I’ll try again.

Hello, my name is Sunni and I have a problem: I adore yarn.