Priorities affect on Perception

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

Haiku Overdoo

It's clear that Haiku is a martial art,
Where the opponent's mind dissloves in unrhymned sylabolls.

The demeanted soul seeks revenge in words,
That wander and rages in prattle.

The end comes ingloriously but unswiftly,
Death on the internet....how just it cometh!

~ Mrs. Haiku

Serious Haiku

Greater love
as lesser love is lost.

Tears of joy from
eyes that sorrow has past.

Divine good
where evil once dwelt.

Haiku made easy!

Twnkle, twnkle, little star,
How wonder what yu are.
Up bve th world so hgh,
Like a dimond in the sky.
Twnkle, twnkle, little star
How I wondr what yu are!

Uncles love to blog
Their words always make me laugh
Distance disappears.

haiku challenge

Haiku baloo,
U’s don’t count but peepers doo,
Mikey’s ahead!

Megan’s ere best,
JP’s are weekeer don,
Let’s hope anon.

haiku challenge

Haiku baloo,
U’s don’t count but peepers doo,
Mikey’s ahead!

Megan’s ere best,
JP’s are weekeer don,
Let’s hope anon.

Names of Roses

Abraham Lincoln – 4 Red Roses – “President Lincoln” & “Souvenir du President”; hybrid teas. “Mr. Lincoln” & “Honest Abe”; miniture moss roses.
Amelia Earhart – Creamed blush pink hybrid tea rose.
Audrey Hepburn – Apple blossom pink hybrid tea rose.
Barbra Streisand – Rich lavender and mauve hybrid tea rose.
Betty Boop – Red blend floribunda rose.
Betty White – Blush pink to cream hybrid tea rose.
Bing Crosby – Dark orange hybrid tea rose.
Bob Hope – Medium red hybrid tea rose.
Cary Grant – Orange blend hybrid tea rose.
Chaucer – Shell pink with yellow center english rose shrub.
Cinderella – Almost white with blush pink miniature hybrid tea rose.
Diana, Princess of Wales – Pink blend hybrid tea rose.
Dolly Parton – Darl coppery orange/red hybrid tea rose.
Don Juan – Red large flowered climbing rose.
Elizabeth Taylor – Deep pink hybrid tea rose.
General Washington – Bright red hybrid perpetual.
George Burns – Yellow blend floribunda rose.
Ginger Rogers – Orange and pink blend hybrid tea rose.
John F. Kennedy – White blend hybrid tea rose.
Judy Garland – Yellow to orange and scarlet floribunda rose.
LeAnn Rimes – Yellow blushed rose hybrid tea rose.
Leonardo da Vinci – Light pink floribunda rose.
Marilyn Monroe – Creamy apricot hybrid tea rose.
Mary, Queen of Scots – White blend hybrid spinosissima rose.
Michelangelo – Orange blend floribunda rose and medium yellow hybrid tea rose.
Mozart – Cerise pink with white center modern shrub rose.
Napolean (Chapeau de Napolean) – Light pink old historic rose.
Othello – Red/cerise blend english shrub rose.
Paul McCartney – Medium pink hybrid tea rose.
Prince William of Wales (Royal William) – Dark red hybrid tea rose.
Queen Elizabeth – Medium pink grandiflora rose.
Reba McEntire – Orange red grandiflora rose.
Robin Hood – Small cherry red hybrid mush shrub rose.
Ronald Reagan – Red with white reverse hybrid tea rose.
Rosie O’Donnell – Red blend hybrid tea rose.
Sir Lancelot – Amber, pink, and peach blend floribunda rose.
Snow White – White blend hybrid tea rose and white blend polyantha rose.
St. Patrick – Medium yellow blend hybrid tea rose.
William Shakespeare – Deep scarlet modern shrub rose.

Haiku for you

Morning, noon or night
Peanut butter and jelly
Cheap and delicious.

Work six days a week
Sunday is time to rest
Newspaper and couch.

Dogs wagging their tails
Hello to both of you, too!
What a nice greeting.

Husband's projects loom
Garage roof turned into more
Now he pours cement?

Weekend Haiku Challenge

Haiku is an ancient form of Japanese poetry, consisting of three lines with a syllable count of 5/7/5. Here is one example from poet Himani:
Flowers are blooming
Bursts of colors come alive
Fragrant smells around us!

Now for the challenge: Choose a familiar or random subject. Compose one or more haiku and post to the blog by Monday morning. Blog readers will vote for best entry. Poems will be judged for clarity, humor, and presentation of universal truth. The winner will receive a lifetime subscription to Today with J P Ronan.

Roses

“ Marriage is like life - it is a field of battle, not a bed of roses. “
_ Robert Louis Stevenson

“Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm schizophrenic, and so am I. “
_Oscar Levant

“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses. “
_Alphonse Karr

“Truths and roses have thorns about them. “
_Henry David Thoreau

“Won't you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you. “
_Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Rose stats

The rose is the favorite flower of 85% of Americans.

In 1986, then President Ronald Reagan signed legislation making the rose the official National Flower of the United States.

George Washington bred roses at his home.

A fossilized rose, which was 35 million years old, was found in Florissant, Colorado.

Columbus’ crew picked a rose branch out of the ocean on October 11, 1492. This signaled the presence of land. The very next day, Columbus discovered America.

Ancient Romans believed that white roses grew where the tears of Venus fell when she was mourning Adonis.

The oldest rose in the world has flourished for over 1,000 years on the wall of Hildeshiem Cathedral in Germany.

Coprophagia

Many dogs simply like the taste of poop. It's warm, moist, and very much like what your dog was given as a very young puppy.
My dog is from a shelter and he is corophogic So I give my dog a hunk of meat prior to a long walk…it works!

Romance with A Red, Red Rose, By Robert Burns

O my Luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.--

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will love thee still, my Dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.--

Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun:
I will love thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.--

And fare thee weel my only Luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile!

Chewing gum

• The world’s oldest piece of chewing gum is 9000 years old!
• The average person chews over 300 sticks of gum each year!
• Most chewing gum is purchased between Halloween and Christmas.
• Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
• Humans are the only animals on earth that chew gum.
• The energy Americans expend every day when chewing bubble gum would light a city of ten million people for a day!
• Many dentists now widely recommend chewing sugar free gum to their patients.

Soap Bubbles

Soap bubbles blown into air that is below a temperature of −15 °C (5 °F) will freeze when they touch a surface. The air inside will gradually diffuse out, causing the bubble to crumple under its own weight.
Zubbles is a commercial name for colored soap bubbles. Zubbles claim to fame is that they are the first colored soap bubbles that do not leave stains.
An antibubble is a droplet of liquid surrounded by a thin film of gas, as opposed to a gas bubble, which is a sphere of gas surrounded by a liquid. Antibubbles are easily created by allowing a tap to drip into a container of water to which a drop or two of soap has been added. The soap reduces the water's surface tension and allows the skin of air surrounding the droplet to remain in place for more than just a fraction of a second.

Some stats

The tip of a 1/3 inch long hour-hand on a wristwatch travels at 0.00000275 mph.
Most People use over 16,000 gallons of water in their lifetimes, or 2.5 quarts per day.
There are about 75 million horses in the world. A horses height is measured in hands. One hand equals about four inches.
Being intoxicated had desirable spiritual significance to the ancient Egyptians. They often gave their children names like "How Drunk is Cheops" or "How Intoxicated is Hathor."
Butterflies taste with their feet.

Raven vs Crow

Crows average around 17 inches long, and ravens about 24-27.
A raven weighs about four times that of a crow.
Crows have a wing span around 2.5 ft., and ravens about 3.5-4 ft.
Ravens have pointed wings, while crows have a more blunt and splayed wing tip.
Crows have a fan-shaped tail (squared-off), while raven tails are long and wege-shaped.
Besides having a bigger, more powerful bill, a raven's bill is curved, while a crow has a more-or-less flat bill. Additionally, atop a raven's bill is a tuft of hairs absent on crows.

More Excerpts from Unkie Willie

Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
--------------------------
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance..
--------------------------
The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday: 'I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours.

Flower History

The soldiers in the army of an Egyptian Pharaoh over 3,500 years ago were the first known plant collectors in history.
Tulips have an intricate history starting in 500 BC. The flower symbolised immortality, life and love. In the Seventeenth Century the bulbs of tulips were worth more than precious metals like gold.
Lilies are presumed to have originated from the Far East and are one of the oldest plants known.
Some very rare plants only flower once in their lives. The Puya raimondii which is found in the Andes waits 150 years before flowering and consequently dying.

More Excerpts from Unkie Willie

The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
--------------------------
This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
--------------------------
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. Is done.
--------------------------
The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

449. Song—The Flowery banks of Cree by Robert Burns

HERE is the glen, and here the bower
All underneath the birchen shade;
The village-bell has told the hour,
O what can stay my lovely maid?


’Tis not Maria’s whispering call;
’Tis but the balmy breathing gale,
Mixt with some warbler’s dying fall,
The dewy star of eve to hail.


It is Maria’s voice I hear;
So calls the woodlark in the grove,
His little, faithful mate to cheer;
At once ’tis music and ’tis love.


And art thou come! and art thou true!
O welcome dear to love and me!
And let us all our vows renew,
Along the flowery banks of Cree.

Benefits of moderate sunlight

Sunlight helps remove toxins from your body.
Studies have shown that sunlight has a tremendous benefit on many patients' depression.
The third major help for your body is giving much needed vitamin D.

More Excerpts from Unkie Willie

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered..
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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
--------------------------
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

More Excerpts from Unkie Willie

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.
--------------------------
Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
--------------------------
Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

humor

The mother of a young boy comes home from the hospital with triplets. He looks into the basenetts and excitedly calls to his mother.
“Quick call everyone we know right away….these will be much harder to give away them those kittens.”

more from Unkie Willie

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
--------------------------
Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
--------------------------
A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow..
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more Excerpts from Unkie Willie

Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
--------------------------
Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
--------------------------
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

From you have I been absent in the spring... (Sonnet 98) by William Shakespeare

From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,
That heavy Saturn laughed and leaped with him,
Yet nor the lays of birds, nor the sweet smell
Of different flowers in odor and in hue,
Could make me any summer's story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew.
Nor did I wonder at the lily's white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight,
Drawn after you, you pattern of all those.
Yet seemed it winter still, and, you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.

Lines Written In Early Spring by William Wordsworth

I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:--
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature's holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?

Something from Art Linkletter

Art: “What’s your name?”
Small child “Alex Fountainbleu!”

Art: “What kind of name is that?”
Small child “French!”

Art: “What is your father?”
Small child “Part Scotch, part English and Irish!”

Art: “What ‘s your mother?”
Small child “Swedish!”

Art: “What does that make you?”
Small child “I’m Spanish!”

yoke

Husband to a friend… ”My wife says I do not listen to her…..at least that’s what I think she said!"

Addition to the family

Today in St. Lucia my Dad and Alitz were awarded permanent legal custody of this little guy. He will soon be Kaylan McDonald (or Caelen, the Gaelic spelling). Lots of love goes out across the ocean to my new little brother. xoxo

yoke

Just as the graveside service had ended, there was a tremendous burst of thunder accompanied by a distant lightning bolt and more rumbling thunder.

The little old widower looked at the pastor and calmly said, "Well, she's there."

Peace

"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family."
--Mother Teresa

yoke

Father O'Malley answers the parish phone.

“Is this Father O'Malley speaking?"

"That I am!"

"This is the Mr. Johnson of the IRS. Can you help us?"

"That I can!"

"Do you know a Sean Houlihan?"

"That I do!"

"Is he a member of your congregation . . . er . . . parish?"

"That he is!"

"Did he donate $10,000 to the church?"

"That he will!"

Peace

“An unjust peace is better than a just war.”
-- Marcus Tullius Cicero

Beauty

“Beauty is ten, nine of which is dressing.”

--Proverb

Peace

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. “
--St. Francis de Sales

Curious

St. Frances de Sales is the patron saint of both the deaf, and authors.

Peace

“May your days be many and your troubles be few. May all God's blessings descend upon you. May peace be within you may your heart be strong. May you find what you're seeking wherever you roam.”
--Irish Blessing

Beauty

“Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.”
--Sophia Loren