tobagganning and egypt

Great weekend of sledding at Prince Gallitzin State Park, but we need to take it to the next level. See article and video on tobaggan run in N. Central PA.

A toboggan, ice, snow and whoa

I'm not making any connection between tobagganning and Egypt, and simply want to say the obvious -- this is incredible. We may be witnessing the most historic world events since the collapse of the wall. Interesting to note that to date no one has claimed (though I haven't read anything from Bush) that regime change in Iraq has had anything to do with pro-democracy protests in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and N. Sudan. Funny how that end of a rifle nation building stuff works.
This is one of the more fascinating eye witness accounts.

Eye Witness Account
petey

Calvin and Hobbes Meet Fight Club

Courtesy of one of The Daily Dish's mental health breaks

Lessons of Dilbert

When I got married a long time ago I told Sue that we should split responsibilities right down the middle. She could take care of all the practical problems while I would take care of all the theoretical problems.

Humans are Awesome

I have watched all the BBC nature series, The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Life.  These series must be watched in HD, I think HD tvs were invented solely for these programs.  Now finally, the mostest craziest, awesomest, sweetest, coolest specie ever (I may have some personal bias, Bird of Paradise makes a close second)-

The required Steeler post

Ryan Clark seems pretty smart. This is one of the few interviews that is not only interesting (for a sports interview), but also actually says something (for a sports interview).

Brain Teaser II

You are in the basement with three clearly marked (as in "on" or "off") switches. Each switch corresponds to one of three light bulbs in the attic. You may turn the switches on or off and leave them in any position. How can you identify each switch with the corresponding light bulb with only making one trip to the attic?

I like this one because, not only is it a real situation, but it requires some time to think about it.

With friends like these…

An article in the Tribune-Review reveals Charlie Batch's troubles with his Batch Development Co. which is trying to renovate and revitalize properties in Batch's hometown of Homestead. The company has 25 properties in Homestead, has $2.3 million in assets, but $8.29 million in liabilities. The company declared bankruptcy after defaulting on a $1.15 million mortgage. Here is what the mayor of Homestead, Betty Esper, said of the situation:

"I'm proud of Charlie — we all are," she said. "He's always made us proud. ... Charlie comes across as being so clean cut. He's a guy who's never had bad publicity, until now. Never problems with girls, or with drinking. As many times as I've hugged him, I've never smelled liquor on him."

Brain Teaser

Here is a small brain teaser (don't worry no probability involved).

You are shown four cards.  Each card has a letter on one side, and a number on the other side.  You see only one side of each card; you see “A B 2 1” on the visible faces of the four cards.

 Your task is to check to see if the following rule is obeyed by the cards. 

 The rule: if a card has a vowel on one side, then it has an even number on the other side.

Which of these four cards would you need to turn over to check that the rule is being obeyed?  You may choose more than one card if you wish.

And friends, they may thinks it's a movement.

Two economists say that private citizens acting on their own can correct misguided government fiscal policies.

And they provide a website to help you do just that.

Giving Back the Tax Cuts: A Guest Post

The Happy Marriage

Tara Parker Pope on how to have a happy marriage. The trick is to expand your partner's horizons.

The Happy Marriage is the 'Me' Marriage.

While we're on the subject of marriage, I don't know when the next wedding will be, but we ought to think about ramping up the dancing a bit. After all, there's always room for improvement. This is what I'm talking about:

Exceptional Inception

I finally saw Inception and must comment, so, if you haven't seen it, STOP now.

It would take too long to write an intriguing analysis so I will just list some thoughts.
1. The story is incredibly complex and fresh.
2. The number of plot machinations in the story is amazingly matched with meaningful themes: the idea of the idea, the nature of love, the pull of reality (or fantasy), and who knows what it is saying about the subconscious?
3. As much as the story is a work of genius, the real genius is making it so that the viewer, without ever being fully comfortable about what is going on, is able to follow, albeit in a dream-like state. Like Momento, we not only watch the movie, but also sense what is happening to the characters through our own mental state.
4. Nolan has essentially done for dreams in literature what Asimov did for time travel—set the rules.
5. You are watching 3 different movies simultaneously. Perhaps not a completely new concept, but brought to new heights.
6. Pretty much all the visual 'showing off' is integral to the plot.
7. It's hard to believe how all these parts could be put together. It is complex but meaningful.

Red

For you Washington General Fans, Enjoy!

It was, mathematically, the greatest upset in the history of sport. Red Klotz and his team ran off the court in triumph. The crowd's reaction was some mix of shock and uncertainty. In time, Red Klotz would remember them booing ("It was like killing Santa Claus," he would say many, many times), and certainly most did boo.

The Religious Case Against Belief

It was great being in Pittsburgh over New Years, although it was too bad Mom wasn't feeling well. As I mentioned to some of you over the weekend, I discovered -- pretty much by accident -- a new guiding spirit in my quest for enlightenment: the former Director of the Religious Studies Program at NYU, James P. Carse. The Daily Dish, which eventually covers all things, mentioned him awhile back: Religion As Poetry. The Dish refers us to a Slate article.

Carse's latest book is called The Religious Case Against Belief. His insight is that belief systems are in one sense the opposite of religion. In the Slate interview he says that:

A belief system is meant to be a comprehensive network of ideas about what one thinks is absolutely real and true. Within that system, everything is adequately explained and perfectly reasonable. You know exactly how far to go with your beliefs and when to stop your thinking.

With religion, on the other hand, "[Y]ou begin your inquiries and you find that as you get deeper and deeper in your studies, the questions get larger and larger. If people come to religion authentically, they find their questions not answered but expanded." Indeed, "Religion in its purest form is a vast work of poetry."

So, I present the following for your consideration:

James Carse at Gel 2010 (author) from Gel Conference on Vimeo.

Looking Back- 2010

I have been meaning to upload some pictures- more to come.  A link has been added to the side bar (under the recent comments section), linking the flickr account- Harvey Family Pictures Flickr, this is in addition to the Picasa gallery- Harvey Family Pictures Picasa.  iPhoto decide to drop uploading support for Picasa forcing me to now use the both google and yahoo accounts.  Dates beside the names indicate latest update.  The link will allow people to view photos and share photos at anytime.