Sapphire Words

Thursday, April 17, 2008

As a Buddhist, I watched several of the shows in Bill Moyers' Faith and Reason series with great interest. I was impressed by several of the shows, but wanted to post a couple of quotes from one of them here, mostly so I would not forget them.

That show featured Pema Chödrön, a Buddhist nun and author. I have one of her books, by the way, and it is outstanding. One thing she said on the show that was particularly noteworthy was:

"It isn't the things that happen to us in our lives that cause us to suffer, it's how we relate to the things that happen to us that causes us to suffer."

In response to Bill Moyers' question, "How do you experience 'god?' Ms. Chödrön answered:

"That open space of mind that allows for ultimate possibilities and doesn't narrow down into a security-based, or fear-based, view where my way has to have precedence."

That is all for now, but I might post other quotes from the series in the future.

© 2008 Sapphire @ Blogspot.com

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Music Player

There is now a "Flash" music player on the "Music" page (under "About Me" on the menu) of my personal Web site. I have loaded the player with some favorite tracks from my personal music collection. By hovering the mouse over different sections of the listing, you can scroll up or down to see what is there and select an individual track. You can also just click the "Play" button and let the music roll while you do something else!

There is a variety of music there because my tastes in music are so varied. My personal music collection ranges from Beethoven to Bananarama, from Black Sabbath to Bob Marley, from BT to Blondie, from Basia to Butthole Surfers. You can expect the selection of songs to change periodically as new songs are added and others are retired.

To check out the music player now, click on the image to the right of this blog entry!

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Anti and the Gods

One of the peeps on my "Friends List" on MySpace has started a "band" page and uploaded some of his music! The compositions lean towards the "electronica-industrial-grunge" genre, and I find them to be very creative! I am anxious to see what he comes up with next!

Click on the banner below to check out his page. If you like his work, please "Right-Click" on the banner to save it to your computer and then use it on your page/blog or in a "Bulletin" to help spread the word!

Pimp your feet!

MySpace (and other free sites) are free because of advertising, so I don’t mind occasionally clicking on the nicer-looking advertisers’ links to see what they have to offer. If the occasional clicks help keep MySpace free, then it is well worth it! The ad below really caught my eye because the shoes are cute-as-heck!

The parent company is "Run Athletics," which according to the "About Us" info on their site was "launched in fall 2003 by Hip Hop visionary Russell Simmons and his brother Joseph Simmons, (a.k.a Rev Run) former member of rap group RUN DMC."I always thought RUN DMC was cool, and these shoes are super-cool! I don’t think I would ever pay this much for a pair of sneakers, but hey, they’re awesome to lookit, at least!

Monday, March 31, 2008

Accept Change with a Smile

Sooner or later a crisis will enter your life, and how you meet it
determines your future happiness and success.

Since the beginning of time, everyone has been called upon
to meet such a crisis.

A closer look will show you that most "crisis situations"
are opportunities to either advance or stay where you are.

Indeed, most changes in your life will take place out of either
’inspiration’ or ’desperation.’

Whatever comes your way, give it meaning and transform it
into something of value.

Your personal growth is the process of responding positively
to change.

A precious stone cannot be polished without friction,
nor humanity perfected without trials.

     -----
      with thanks to:
      • Atty

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Food for a Week

Someone on my "Friends List" on MySpace posted a "Bulletin" recently. I thought it was a shocking and thought-provoking exposé about the "supply and demand" that exists in the world.

I converted the Bulletin into a Web page that I could share with others who are not on MySpace. Feel free to pass the link on to anyone you think might be interested.

Food for a Week

     -----
      with thanks to:
      • Aurfresh

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Every Culture dot com

In Afghanistan, men do not call their wife by name, but rather "mother of my son."

Finland was the first country to provide equal voting rights to women, instituting female suffrage in elections to the national parliament in 1906.

If invited to a wedding in Kyrgyzstan, plan your stay in the country for at least three days — that's how long the typical wedding lasts.

It is highly improper for women to smoke in public in Moldova.

Bread is considered sacred in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and is never turned upside down on the plate.

In Tunisia, a man is not supposed to carry his own child in the presence of his father.

In Zimbabwe, the Tonga people are matrilineal, and the husband moves to the home area of his wife.