The Chosen

"You are no longer a child, Reuven, . . .It is almost possible to see the way your mind is growing. And your heart, too. . . .So listen to what I am going to tell you. . . .Human beings do not live forever, Reuven. We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure our lives against eternity. So it may be asked what value is there to a human life. There is so much pain in the world. What does it mean to have to suffer so much if our lives are nothing more than the blink of an eye? . . .I learned a long time ago, Reuven, that a blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something. A span of life is nothing. But the man who lives the span, he is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant. Do you understand what I am saying? A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life. It is hard work to fill one's life with meaning. That I do not think you understand yet. A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest. I want to be worthy of rest when I am no longer here.

Good advice to students

Here.

Best viral ads from 2011 according to Ad Age

Love this one:



Not so much:



iPhone as cultural phenomenon:



Meh:



Hilarious, but probably too scary for you, Katie:



There's always room for Isaiah Mustafa:



Lionel, king of the world:


Chrome taking over the world (but Lionel won't let it):



Best Super Bowl ad:



Keep Isaiah:

Every ATM should be this way

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The World's Best Biscuits. End of Story. | Serious Eats : Recipes

I think I need to go home right now.

Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Bark | The Cherry on Top

Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Bark | The Cherry on Top

OWSers should read this

Memo to the Occupy protesters: here are ten things we evil capitalists really think

Conformity in the name of diversity

I find George Will to be one of the more insightful contrarians on the opinions page. Here's a good article from him again.

For those not interested in clicking, here's an excerpt:

Although Vanderbilt is a private institution, its policy is congruent with “progressive” public policy, under which society shall be made to progress up from a multiplicity of viewpoints to a government-supervised harmony. Vanderbilt’s policy, formulated in the name of enlarging rights, is another skirmish in the progressives’ struggle to deny more and more social entities the right to deviate from government-promoted homogeneity of belief. Such compulsory conformity is, of course, enforced in the name of diversity.

A deficit is not a deficit

The word deficit is used in two political context as those it had the same meaning in each. It isn't.

When we talk about the federal budget deficit we are talking about the government spending more than it raises in taxes in a given year. Over time, government can't spend more than it taxes. To do so this year, it has to borrow, which means today's spending gets paid for later, by us or our children.

When we talk about the trade deficit, we are talking about net imports. The US runs a trade deficit with China because they ship us more than we ship them in goods. My family runs a trade deficit with A Fresh Market - they sell me more than I sell them. My family runs a trade surplus with my supplier - I sell them more than they sell me. Resolving a trade imbalance is non-sensical. There's no reason any two entities should be equal in trade. That doesn't mean the ledger doesn't balance. It does. If China gives us a bunch of stuff for little green pieces of paper, they can either buy our stuff with it or invest in our country. Either way, the dollars come back. Whether you area country or a company, it is not a bad thing for people to want to invest in you.

Budget deficit and trade deficit sound like related concepts. They aren't.

George Will gets it

Elizabeth Warren doesn't.


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Anderson Cooper sticks up for me

test post

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com

Good advice

For freshman of any school and age.

Early to bed, early to rise

Also makes your kids less likely to get fat.

Fantasy or Sci Fi?

Love this decision tree from NPR to choose my next guilty pleasure read.

A good question.

From Don.

Gunnar

If you don't wear glasses and work on a computer a lot, get some of these. I do and love them.

18th Anniversary Dinner at Home

Tomato and Basil Towers (forgot to shoot it before it was half eaten)
Butternut Squash Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms
Beet Ravioli
Salmon in Cardamon Broth
Blueberry Pie with Lemon Yogurt Sorbet
























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Location:The Spruces

My new favorite business

I wish this was me, riding around delivering jam. I think we'd have to live in a tent in the park...