From a talk given by Palden Gyatso, the second-longest serving political prisoner in Tibet: Despite the torture while in prison, Gyatso said he does not hold any grudges against the Chinese, even those who tortured him. “According to Buddhist philosophy, it behooves me to control my anger. Being angry will not return my 33 years; they are spent. To educate in a nonviolent, constructive manner, that might bring a peaceful end,” he said. Gyatso said advocates for a free Tibet hope for constructive negotiations with Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao in June when they will ask for Tibet to become …
The Physics of Space Gardens A tiny bubble of air hangs suspended inside a droplet of water. The droplet rests in the cup of a delicate green leaf, yet the stalk doesn’t bend at all. Courtesy of NASA
Missing: A Vase, a Book, a Bird and 10,000 Years of History From the NY Times, on the destruction of Iraq’s cultural legacy: Above all, scholars reacted as mourners struggling with an overwhelming loss. In Boston, Dr. Russell fought back tears as he described a sculpture from the museum he had seen in the 1980’s: a small carving of a bird, one of the earliest stone sculptures in existence, from around 8,000 B.C. “The archaeologists had found it literally in the hand of its ancient owner, who had been crushed to death when the roof of his burning house fell …
I just lost an argument with my two year-old son. He insists that Tweety Bird is a duck. I asserted that he’s a canary. “He’s a duck.” “A canary.” “A duck” “Why,” says I, “do you say that he’s a duck.” “Because,” says Finn, “he swims and he has duck feet and feathers.” I had never thought of Tweety’s feet as duck feet, but he sure doesn’t seem to have toes. And if Finn is right, and he has in fact been seen swimming, then the little old lady has a duck on her hands, and not a canary. (Anyway, …
First from the travel section of the Nashville City Paper: “As we move toward summer, the hot spots of travel are Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where currency values have plunged to a rate (in both countries) of more than 3 pesos (Argentina) or 3 reals (Brazil) to the U.S. dollar, versus one to the dollar a short while back. Steak dinners at parillas in Buenos Aires (and what tender steaks!) can now be had for $5, whole meals with wine in Rio for $7, taxis for $1, public transportation for 50 cents! And rates for getting …