from The disconnect blog

I took about a two or maybe even three year break from really watching any movies. A few kid movies would be in the background or my wife might watch something while I would be reading something else and so forth. But I was pretty bored of them and could care less if I ever saw one again. Not too long ago I started joining my wife in watching some now and then. There are so many I haven’t seen now, even when I was watching them a while back it wasn’t very frequent. So I have a massive list of movies I could watch to try and catch up if desired.

Anyways, as I started watching movies again something has dawned on me pretty heavily. Most movies have no “good guys” in my view. Too regularly human life means just about nothing. So many films seem to be propaganda to promote murder and killing of the others – whoever that may be. The supposed good guys are often horrible murderous people, some of them end up killing dozens of people and sometimes multiples of that. On top of that many of the situations are completely avoidable.

It’s even more dramatic of a thing if you come to think of the Messiah’s teachings of the New Testament as what we literally are supposed to be doing. That is if you are a Christian. Not talking about vague scriptural references tied to some boring current life events one day of the week (church), but something we are to be living as our Law if we consider ourselves Christian. Not only are we not supposed to kill anyone, we aren’t supposed to hate them, or sue them, or resist evil being done to us by anyone. We are to return good for evil. How many movies have you seen that do that? I’ve seen a handful but not many and not really any lately. Probably the closest one is “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” (Spoiler alert for those who care about such a thing. Please pick up reading after “end of spoiling.”) The hero (the mother) could have destroyed many people at the end, but instead she helped fulfill the enemies’ repressed desires to de-escalate the entire doomful situation at the end. I found the whole thing a unique spin on the multiverse idea, which was refreshing. Lately I’ve found multiverse movies and series to have fairly lazy writing, it is just an easy way to get out of story flaws. (End of spoiling.) However I wouldn’t call that movie a great example of exemplifying great principles. If you filter most movies through the teachings of the Old Testament there aren’t many good guys. If you filter most movies through the teachings of the New Testament, there are only bad guys. It’s pretty funny stuff really, or sad stuff…

I quite enjoy books overall a lot more than movies these days.

If you would like a refresher on the “Sermon on the Mount” here are the scripture chapters to review:

Matthew chapter five & six & seven

Luke chapter six starting in vs 20:

And the introduction to the ten commandments is in Exodus chapter 20:

What movie heroes are following this? What group of people are following this? To me these are the basic fundamental Laws of God. It’s sort of like the Constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven. Perhaps the entirety of the scriptures would be the Heavenly Constitution. However in my view everything builds upon the principles laid out in the “Ten Commandments” and the “Sermon on the Mount.” For those who are Jewish, Christian, and Muslim the Old Testament Laws could help unify people towards a better world. What if we all lived the fundamental teachings in the ten commandments taught in Exodus 20? And the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-6 and the “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke 6 could be unifying Law for Christians and Muslims. To Christians because the teachings came from our Messiah, and to Muslims because these teachings come from what the Qur’an says are the words of a prophet. I also believe that our Messiah was a prophet, the greatest of all. With the Qur’an teaching that the Messiah is a prophet, perhaps it would be important to read and follow the instructions given by Him. This is about 55% (see graph here) of the world’s population that could come to some basic agreement. What if we all unified through the Laws in scripture instead of divided through political law. The Buddhist, Hindu, and Taoist scriptures I’ve read also have similar ideals taught. I realize people see many things in scripture differently. But I see in the majority of people I have met through life a desire to be a pretty decent person. I think many people desire to live by these ideals. Do you want to kill anyone? Even if you support war, would you really want to go over there and kill those your nation is at war against?

It seems to me the separation of church and state is primarily to make men the people’s false authority (false gods) over the true Authority. I’m not saying I want a merger of church and state again – that has led to a whole lot of tyranny and murder. I’m just saying if the state can push people into obeying the state first and foremost they would love that – and I believe that is what has happened. I believe that those who believe in God as the issuer of truth, and what we ought to be living, could do just that. Maybe we could put the true Church of God above the church of state. I do not believe there to be “one true church” as a registered organization. Those registered organizations are subject to the state. I believe that the Church of God includes people of many faiths and sects. It is the remnants scattered abroad, primarily individuals, putting the Laws of God first in their life. Those following the higher Laws taught throughout all scriptures I have read.

I believe the only way for the Kingdom of Heaven to blossom is through a voluntary means. Where people through love of God follow His Law. We have individuals around the earth following these things, some with high fidelity. If we had groups and communities doing such a thing the fruits of this way of life would shine. This would show that the Kingdom of Heaven is far superior to the kingdoms of men. I believe this is how the earth can come to peace. Not through governments taking away the power of another government to pursue nuclear enrichment, but through people choosing to live the higher Laws of God over the insanities of political law and the governments of men. Let’s stop killing. Even if our governments try to recruit us into the killing fields, lets stop killing. Leo Tolstoy was right in his book “The Kingdom of God Is Within You” (download book for free), we can refuse to fight for any kingdom of man. And if that government punishes us or kills us for refusing to kill others under their claimed authority – we will be blessed by the only true Authority.

 
Read more...

from The happy place

Hello

There are still things I avoid writing about

My neighbour going around all white, with hair like dried hay, like a ghost, for example.

Like an angry ghost

And that through my actions, she ended up in this state

She used to have purple cheeks and a purple nose resembling mine

But now she is a ghost with an axe and a chainsaw, making firewood, chopping up a tall straight pine tree which toppled during the storm around New Year’s Eve.

It’s like it’s my fault because she is unable to adapt, a mind that maybe was frigid to begin with but now it’s  too old

she can’t see my point of view, though I can see her

It used to be mine too

Because my mind isn’t like that, it’s soft and flexible like a rubber band; I can adjust

But it’s snapped

I can’t turn back now

And I’m better off now

But I feel terrible nonetheless

But I can’t turn back

I chose myself

 
Read more... Discuss...

from Roscoe's Quick Notes

Rays vs Yankees

One baseball game.

Despite there being two other basketball games tonight, both featuring teams I generally follow, and both with start times that fit rather well into my schedule, I'm opting to follow a baseball game tonight.

Tonight's Rays vs Yankees game, with its scheduled start time of 6:06 PM CDT fits even better into my schedule. And the game announcers on Yankees Radio are both entertaining and relaxing to listen to. Easy decision then: tonight I follow the Tampa Bay Rays / New York Yankees MLB Game.

And the adventure continues.

 
Read more...

from TechNewsLit Explores

Each month, Washingtonian magazine’s print issue offers a two-page photo spread, with the publication’s June 2026 issue featuring one of our images. The photo is from an open practice I visited in March of the Old Glory DC rugby club, the area’s Major League Rugby franchise that plays at George Mason University stadium in Fairfax, Virginia.

At the practice, I got a ground-level shot, sprawling out on the pitch (field) as the ball is pushed in the middle of a scrum. The photo, shown above, has Old Glory DC’s assistant coach Stan South standing over the scrum as the forwards, the bigger players, push their opponents to take possession of the ball.

I pitched the images to publications in the region, and Washingtonian responded. Washingtonian is a glossy monthly politics and lifestyle magazine that features a two-page photo spread they call the Big Picture, in its Capital Comment section toward the front of the print issue. And the magazine’s art director chose that photo for the June issue’s Big Picture.

Big Picture photos are available only in the print issue and not online, but Washingtonian sent me a PDF of the spread, which I posted on technewslit.com. More photos from the open practice and the club’s first home match at George Mason University stadium are found in the TechNewsLit collections on Smugmug.

Each of the photos in these galleries carries a Creative Commons – Attribution license.

Copyright © Technology News and Literature. All rights reserved.

 
Read more...

from Lastige Gevallen in de Rede

Anoniem Ingezonden Klein Stukje van een Groter Stuk, indien mogelijk afkomstig van een Beroemd Persoon met enige invloed op de macht over u.

Het was eerder allemaal anders. Nu zijn alle mensen die niet slapen wakker maar dat was niet altijd zo. Ik kan me de tijden nog herinneren dat als je sliep dat niet meteen wou zeggen dat je niet wakker was, mensen deden twee of meer dingen tegelijk. Ik ken er die konden liggen, zitten en staan tegelijk! Kom daar nu nog maar eens om. Mensen gingen ook anders om met elkaar, men beet elkaar in de oren of kietelde elkaar liefkozend onder de oksel om aan te geven dat er iets op het punt stond om te gebeuren, nu geeft men dat zelden of nooit aan of juist veel te vaak ook als het niet zo is of als datgene wat staat te gebeuren niet noemenswaardig is laat staan goedaardig of ontwikkeld. Het is me wat. Ik denk wel eens dat ik op de verkeerde manier geboren ben dat ik daarom geen verkeerd been heb voor opstaan, dat ik het gewoon allemaal in de smiezen heb, en waarom, waarom! Ik kan er met mijn enkels niet bij. Het is gewoon raar gelopen vanaf dat ene moment waarop het eerder in de pas liep, weliswaar niet de passende maat maar zeker een pas met enige regelmaat, wel meer dan dat. Nou. Hoe het zo ver heeft kunnen komen kan ik wel wat meer over kwijt, dat moet dan wel na de volgende onderbreking, met een streepje – Het is zo ver gekomen omdat het de afstand heeft afgelegd, de afstand zat eerst nog om de schouders gewikkeld van een moedwillig persoon maar een held heeft deze omgelegd en toen de afstand meegenomen en daarna laten af leggen, op die manier schoot alles lekker op. De afstand was vijfmaal het kwadraat keer drie en dat dan op een gegeven moment delen door elkaar, schudden eigenlijk en zodoende en des as treus al te min niet is het niet anders, het moest zo zijn, het zijde zo, zo als het zijde zacht. Niet meer en niet minder dan een beetje waar, dat zeg ik! Ik ben blij dat ik hier en nu mijn doelpunt nog een keer kon maken dankzij dit ingezonden stukje en een afgekeurd dood splmoment, dan is er tenminste één omroep die nog deze week iets zinnigs kan melden al moet die kans er nog wel in. Dank voor u aandacht ik groet u ook namens de machthebbers (van weleer).

 
Lees verder...

from M.A.G. blog, signed by Lydia

Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things that may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, Titi. This week's subjects: Fascinator for corporate!!!, Menstrual Problems, and Ilona, Italian Restaurant

Fascinator for corporate!!! Let’s talk about how to bring a fascinator into the office without looking like you missed your way to a bridal shower. Hair matters. A lot. Low buns, slick ponytails, or soft waves keep the look polished and office-appropriate. You want “boardroom chic,” not “garden party chaos.” Placement is also key—slightly to the side, confident but not chaotic. Let’s talk accessories—less is more, babe. Skip the chunky earrings if your fascinator already has detail. Opt for simple studs or delicate hoops. Your goal is harmony, not a fashion argument. And of course, own it. The real secret to pulling off a fascinator at work? Confidence. Walk into that office like your outfit has a calendar invite. When styled right, your fascinator isn’t out of place—it’s ahead of its time. Because honestly, why should fascinators only come out for special occasions… when every workday is a chance to serve a look and be present!!! Menstrual Problems. What are Menstrual Problems? Menstrual problems are difficulties or symptoms that occur during a woman’s menstrual period. They can affect the amount of bleeding, the level of pain, or the regularity of the menstrual cycle. These problems may be caused by hormonal changes, stress, poor diet, medical conditions, or lifestyle factors. Common menstrual problems include menstrual cramps (pain in the lower abdomen during menstruation), heavy menstrual bleeding, irregular periods (periods that come too early, too late, or are missed), headaches during menstruation, nausea or dizziness, lower back pain, fatigue and weakness. Foods that can increase menstrual problems may include salty foods (may increase bloating and water retention), sugary foods like sweets, pastries, and soft drinks (may increase inflammation and fatigue), caffeinated drinks such as coffee and energy drinks (can worsen cramps and headaches), fried and very fatty foods (may increase inflammation and pain), highly processed foods such as instant noodles and packaged snacks. And foods that can help reduce menstrual problems are spinach, beans, lentils, eggs, fish, banana, avocado, dark chocolate (small amounts), nuts, ginger, turmeric, leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, milk, yogurt and cheese. We can also reduce menstrual problems by drinking plenty of water, applying a warm compress or heating pad to the lower abdomen, exercising lightly such as walking or stretching and getting enough rest and sleep and avoiding too much stress.

Ilona, Italian Restaurant, 1st Floor, Ayna Plaza, 3B Noi Fetreke St, Airport Residential Area, Accra. We were told for a good lasagna Ilona was the best so we booked a table for the evening. We could sit outside, on a sort of open covered terrace, or inside with the air conditioner. The set up is nice, spacious, Picassso style pictures on the wall, modern. Anytime I visit an Italian restaurant for the first time I’ll order a spaghetti carbonara, for me this is the testcase to see whether the cook knows what he is about or they are just opening packages and heating them in the microwave. Their linguini carbonara went for 260 GHC. For the lasagna their only choice was lamb lasagna at GHC 275. linguini carbonara Lasagna is slices of pasta with fillings between them, then in the oven with cheese. Main variations are beef, fish, and vegetarian.
Lasagna A tot of absolute vodka went for GHC 50, Ciroc is 90, a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water for 55 GHC and half liter of Heineken draft beer was at 75 GHC. Service was reasonable but a few too many waiters for too few things. The food arrived in no time, faster than you can cook pasta, and the lasagna was a sort of mash mash where the layers of pasta had been overcooked, you could not even cut pieces off it, a spoon was best. The minced lamb was rather tasteless. I am not a lasagna expert but for the carbonara I have my say. One softly fries diced onions in olive oil, then some garlic, then little cubes of smoked guanciale (salt cured cheek of a pig, if not available smoked bacon can do), the very lean fat from the guanciale will allow further frying and together with the onion and the garlic becomes the sauce, then add dry white wine which evaporates but which gives it extra flavour. Guanciale Take the ready cooked hot spaghetti, (be careful with the salt because the guanciale is also a bit salty), put a raw egg yolk through it, the heat of the spaghetti will soft cook the yolk which now becomes a lubricant for the spaghetti to “flow”. No cream needed. Add your sauce, some freshly ground black pepper and parsley and enjoy your spaghetti carbonara, or linguini carbonara. Add grated parmesan cheese according to your taste. I hope their cook reads this, he had added a bucket load of hot cream with a little molten cheese to the linguini and sprinkled a few pieces of thin dry fried bacon on top of it. And I think he forgot the salt. The cream made it extra heavy, I only managed to fall asleep after midnight. We did take away the uneaten half of the lasagna pudding because my friend has backyard chicken. This came with a nice paper bag and a carton container rather than the common polytene container, and they did not charge for it. A plus. Washrooms are neat and pleasant as well. Prices are inclusive of all taxes, but the bill took more than 10 minutes.

Lydia...

Do not forget to hit the subscribe button and confirm in your email inbox to get notified about our posts.
I have received requests about leaving comments/replies. For security and privacy reasons my blog is not associated with major media giants like Facebook or Twitter. I am talking with the host about a solution. for the time being, you can mail me at wunimi@proton.me
I accept invitations and payments to write about certain products or events, things, and people, but I may refuse to accept and if my comments are negative then that's what I will publish, despite your payment. This is not a political newsletter. I do not discriminate on any basis whatsoever.

 
Read more... Discuss...

from Dallineation

I wish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had sacred indoor spaces where anyone could go to contemplate, pray, or just sit in peaceful silence.

Sometimes I feel like I need to get out of my house an go to a place where my thoughts and intentions can be drawn to God and to holy things. To turn my attention to Jesus Christ. To be still.

LDS meetinghouses are only open for worship on Sundays, and Sacrament meetings are crowded and focused on the ordinance of the Sacrament.

LDS chapels (the main gathering rooms where we have Sacrament Meeting) are nice, but plain and functional. Little to no ornamentation, no religious art or imagery of any kind. And outside of Sacrament Meetings and other meetings like conferences or devotionals, LDS chapels sit closed to the public, dark, and vacant. Even on Sundays, you don't really see people quietly sitting in the chapel unless they are waiting for a meeting to start or a meeting has just ended. If there's not a meeting in the chapel, you are expected to be elsewhere.

Instead, LDS are encouraged and expected to go to the temple during the week. Temples are different from meetinghouses. We go to temples to perform what we believe are sacred ordinances, first for ourselves, and thereafter on behalf of our ancestors and the deceased. We believe that through our participation in these ordinances, we enter into covenants with God that – as long as we remain faithful to them – qualify us for eventual exaltation in the hereafter (becoming like God and living with God and our families forever in the eternities).

But you cannot go inside temples and participate in these ordinances unless you are a member of the church and have a Temple Recommend – proof that you have been interviewed by local church leaders and are deemed worthy to enter.

And even if you have a Temple Recommend, you go to the temple to work and serve. You are either participating in ordinances or waiting to do so. Unless one is a temple worker (someone who has a calling or assignment to serve in the temple and assist temple patrons), one does not usually go to straight the Celestial Room (considered one of the holiest and most sacred rooms in the temple) if one wishes to just sit and pray and meditate.

Maybe this is just due to my own misunderstanding of what is appropriate for a temple patron to do, but I would personally feel awkward entering the temple without the intention of participating in any proxy ordinances. To just be still and to think and to pray. I'm not saying it is impossible to do these things during temple service, just that we're expected to be doing other things, as well.

But again, only members of the church who have a Temple Recommend may enter the temple. For this reason, and because our chapels are not open during the week, many members and non-members alike go to the temple to walk the grounds. The beautiful temple building and well-manicured grounds are indeed a wonderful setting for meditation, reflection, and prayer. I have done this, myself. However, weather conditions are not always agreeable. And some days, the temple grounds can be bustling with activity and people when there are weddings (sealings) and such.

A couple more things about temples. While the church has accelerated temple construction to provide easier access to as many members of the church as possible, there are still many members of the church who live more than an hour driving distance away from them.

Temples are also closed on Sundays and Mondays, holidays, and for several weeks each year for cleaning.

Sometimes going out in nature can also be a wonderful way to connect with God. I enjoy doing this. But weather conditions are a factor here, too, as well as travel time depending on how far away you want to get from...everything.

We can and should learn to pray and contemplate and connect with God in our homes and, really, wherever we are. And I strive to do this, with much room for improvement. But sometimes I just want to get out of the house, away from my distractions, to a holy place with no other expectations of me than to just be. To be still and know that He is God.

And this is one of the many things that draws me to Catholicism. Catholic churches are open to the public most days if not every day. Weather is not usually a factor. Many of them even hold daily Mass. I'm sure they have events and things that need to be planned around, but if you just want to go sit in a holy, quiet place for a while and just be, there's a good chance you can. You don't even have to be Catholic. They don't check at the door.

#100DaysToOffload (No. 160) #faith #Christianity

 
Read more... Discuss...

from 💚

Our Father Who art in Heaven Hallowed be Thy name Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven Give us this day our daily Bread And forgive us our trespasses As we forgive those who trespass against us And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil

Amen

Jesus is Lord! Come Lord Jesus!

Come Lord Jesus! Christ is Lord!

 
Read more...

from 💚

A Mutiny For The Forest

And it was a first Timed in every worry The parts of war And doing the jury in quick work Lots of succession to grow old Fading in the Paris wind,- a part of my family We knew we could sake this promise Repealed by foreign-born As full as the possible There was power by the timid And a solo effect That birds had carbon And the golden wing-tips Playing our Water For the things we had hidden I was born to a foreign planet In repeal of the nine-second law And acquitted by the feral Seeing the Supreme Court I was shunned by law And had no way to make news So to pitch to the whale A frail infraction And Justice to be secure I was served the death sentence Supposing it would decay- This plot of Heaven I was sent to make-believe Bristling past every bush With nights of candor and one And the irks were every two I spoiled the evident in Rome And acceded by law There was nothing left Nothing But promontory not We could supply every purpose And look into Israel Rain for the center And winning the injust We had every international And in the stream automatic I was literally on time So to shoots every May We planted Heaven And cherished the wind And so the rain followed We carried every nest- Each branching hour And upon rest Awaited the straight sky- to lift and pull what we planted And making verse- in Swahili and Hebrew Asked for ten pence And fired at the Willow In each reprieve- there would be unjust Linings of sulphur And days of clay automatic So surfacing wearily We won the West In only a cannon- was the ceremonial draw And made it late to our jettison A horse for the Bible Weddings new and untold A species for our land And I was unusual But nothing more On this Justice land- Earth.

 
Read more...

from Lastige Gevallen in de Rede

Oorblog VVA ; Menselijk Schild erwerk

Welkom bij alweer de eerste aflevering van de zo veelste serie rondom de vele bizarre creaturen die de mensheid in de huidige staat van kunstzinnige opwinding verkerend ons hier zo digitaal voorschoteld en wel nadat ze het eerst zelf zo raar heeft klaar gemaakt. Geniet voort van de alledaagse freakshow die we media noemen. Vandaag ontmoeten we onappetijtelijke Hein. Wij waren uitgegaan dat hij mager zou zijn aangezien Hein drie jaar geleden uit vrije wil heeft besloten niet meer te eten. Nu we Hein hier voor u en ons in het openbaar vertonen zien we dat Hein er gewoon gezond uit ziet.

We wandelen met Hein door het cultuur gebied, het Industrie, Winkel, Vermaak en Sport zone Welgelegen Hier ontstaan omdat het heel bereikbaar is gemaakt, ongeveer met alle vehikels op dit moment mogelijk, sporend met de trein, in alle soorten brandstof van a naar b transporterende wagens, op fietsen ook die met batterij, al wandelend, of brommend of scootend, met een bootje over de vers gegraven Wel vaart, en zelfs met een helikopter mits er iemand zeer teleurgesteld is over de manier waarop het laatste evenement op zijn of haar tijdlijn is verlopen, ingestort. Hans zal ons tijdens deze wandeling langs talloze niet bekeken bezienswaardigheden vertellen over waarom hij al 3 jaar en 5 maand niet meer eet sinds het jaar 65754 tot op heden jaar 65763 na het spontaan ontstaan van Keizer Sop.

Beeld 1. Hein staat met zijn handen in zijn broekzakken in de buurt van een druk bezocht snel vreten restaurant. Het korte vraag gesprek op deze culturele expansie locatie over Heins bizarre ongewoonte vangt aan. De gezichtsloze zich zelf zelden of nooit filmende vraagstem stelt zijn eerste vraag al daar rondom deze lui die als bezetenen zich zelf dwangmatig volproppen met lekker smaakvol maar vrij zinloos maal materiaal, eten dat tijdens het eten zelf meer energie kost dan het ooit kan leveren.

Aard – Hein nu je hier staat krijg je dan geen trek in een hapje?

Hein – Nee geen enkele. Twee maanden nadat ik zelf besloot te stoppen met eten is de trek er in compleet verdwenen.

Aard – Wat ik me vooral afvraag wat je er toe bracht om zo in enen daarmee te kappen, waar liep je tegen aan.

Hein – Ach, zo moeilijk was het eigenlijk niet, ik had mijn toetje naar binnen gelepeld en dacht 'Ik heb genoeg!'

Op de achtergrond is het geluid van diverse sirenes te horen, samen op jacht naar de ongelukkigen.

Aard – Wat was 'genoeg' in dit geval?

Hein – Ik zat vol, mijn hele leven at ik iedere dag veel en na dat toetje had ik het idee dat ik nu wel genoeg had gegeten en wel voor alle jaren die nog gingen komen. Ik had in het voor gegeten zo noemen we dat bij ons thuis. Dan ging je zeer vroeg ergens heen waar waarschijnlijk niet veel te eten was en ver voor de normale etenstijd vrat je dan het hoofdmaal op zodat de rest van de dag de trek in eten niet zou opspelen en de trip verpesten.

Aard – Hoe kon jij weten dat je op dat moment genoeg had gegeten voor de rest van je leven?

We staan stil bij een spoorweg overgang en Hein geeft pas antwoord als de vijf treinen zijn gepasseerd, de rode knipper lichten zijn uitgedoofd en de malle elektrieken bel wordt uitgeschakeld

Hein – Dat was slechts een raar opkomend idee, zelf vond ik het ook wel dom om zoiets te denken, en toch bleek de gedachte terecht.

Aard – Als je het zo'n dom idee vondt waarom at je dan toch niet gewoon verder, zoals gewone stervelingen iedere dag doen, moeten doen.

Hein – Ze moeten niks Aard, dat zie je toch! Ik had gewoon genoeg en zij hebben dat blijkbaar nooit of ze voelen dat niet.

Hein sloeg af naar links richting het bedrijven & duurlopen in kringetjes park tevens plek waarop rij studenten de eerste rijlessen ondervinden, we liepen hier veelal tussen langzaamrijdend en stilstaand verkeer al was er van een file geen sprake.

Aard – Kreeg je helemaal geen last van niet meer eten?

Hein – Ik had in het begin wel eens trek maar honger had ik dus nooit, trek is gewoon een hoop vaste gewoontes rondom eten. Alles wat eten is, wat er bij hoort, de etenstijden, het opzoeken van eten bij de vaste trek pleisters, koelkast, broodtrommel, bij de keuken en in de buurt van alle zaken waar eten voor verkoop klaar ligt, restaurants, winkels maar ook in de nabijheid van media spelers, tv radio internet gerelateerd daar is eten heel vaak in beeld of komt bijzonder vaak ter sprake, dat valt meer op met trek dan zonder. Eten is overal heel prominent aanwezig, in de gehele natuur en zeker in onze maal alsmaar door cultuur.

Een geluid zo net nog residerend in de verte komt opeens heel dichtbij. Het bleek een horde dravende bizons bezig met de dwingend aanbevolen participatie cursus voor beter integreren met gestaag grazende koeien

Hein – Ik was er ook echt klaar mee hoor. Iedere keer dat gedoe er om, de herhaling van zetten in gezelschap van zetmeel en zuivel, de tocht langs de voedselketen in winkelketens, het schillen der aardappels, de grote hoeveelheid handelingen horend bij eten. Het vrat heel veel energie veel meer dan ik eigenlijk leek te verbruiken in niet etenstijden. Ik dacht ook dat ik juist daar genoeg van had, dat kook wekker en winkel gedonder, niet van eten zelf. Het was beide en omdat ik was opgehouden met het ene volgde het andere.

Aard – Het moet dan zo zijn dat je tijdens alle eerdere maaltijden zoveel energie hebt ingenomen dat je energie batterijen volledig vol zitten en bijna niet meer leeg lopen, in ieder geval tot een onbekend moment.

Hein – Daar lijkt het op. Ik zit inderdaad propvol en ik loop maar langzaam leeg.

Aard – Je verbruikt vandaag toch ook aardig wat energie, meer nog dan de meeste anderen ervaar ik nu, waar zit die lading dan opgepot?

Ze komen aan bij het Malie Polder veld de aangewezen locatie voor protesten van allerhande aard. Twee partijen demonstreren daar tegen elkaar over het recht om vaker geweldloos te mogen protesteren, ze doen dat al spijkerpoepend. De spijkers zijn eerst met schrootbommen in elkaars bips geschoten.

Hein – Ik zou het niet weten. Het enigste dat ik weet dat mijn genoeg het ook echt is, bij anderen is het alleen maar een klank. Hun genoeg is altijd bezig met meer, en meer anders, het artikel omruilen, schuiven met de inhoud voorheen bekendstaand als de panelen, de stopcontacten verplaatsen in plaats van verwijderen, zeg maar.

Aard – Eh ja, nou, zeg Hein, u heeft tot vandaag de media gemeden, begrijpelijk als media gebruiker waardeer ik iedereen die daarop nooit te zien of horen is, zoals ik ook nooit ontstane problemen echt het allermeest waardeer ook al waren ze allemaal meer dan mogelijk, waarom heeft u dan toch meegewerkt aan dit bescheiden item zodat dit vreemde levensrelaas mogelijk opvalt en juist daar bij de mensen die leven en werken rondom het onbegrip des nooit genoeg.

Hein – Och, u bent echt een zeer beperkt speler in het grote alles overal omroepen veld. Die paar lezers zullen denken dat u mijn ware verhaal uit de duim zuigt, en daarnaast werkt u als één van de weinige schrijver denkers alhier precies zoals ik elke dag leef, zonder weblog eten, kijkcijfers en lezer statistieken, geld (beloning), oorblog leden, applaus en of boe geroep, de eer, de prijzen, het (wederzijds) respect, troepen volgelingen, schare trouwe lezers, opmerkelijke soorten van daadwerkelijke waardering, eten dus voor makers van een dergelijk blog programma en voor dit VVA webblog voedsel gaat u ook al nooit naar de grote aandacht supermarkt voor het inkopen van dergelijke uitingen voor het tonen en stemmen betreffende respectabele klanken, kortom u omroep werk lijkt wel bijna op mijn lijf geschreven.

Net op dat moment horen ze luid en duidelijk voor het eerst deze middag ijselijke stilte vallen

pok verdomme, klote veters

Aard – Toch zou het heel misschien zo zijn dat mensen uit de nooit genoeg sector dit artikel toch via via onder ogen krijgen (dat is in deze samenclustering van willetjes eigenlijk volstrekt normaal) en daarna u gaan benaderen voor meer van dit soort shows of nog erger voor onderzoek naar het enorme energie opslag vermogen daar ergens zetelend in u lijf wat dan?

Hein – Tja, dan neem ik deze mensen uit die sector mee uit eten naar dat junkfood restaurant waar deze uitzending mee begon dan is dat probleem ook weer uit de weg.

Laatste shot, Hein loopt voorbij de met zwaar hekwerk afgesloten poort van een fabriek voor chips en cookies slaat af en loopt voorgoed uit ons ogenblik.

 
Lees verder...

from Littoral

“The ecosystems I was born into, and that form my body, are a boundary, a border between two separate and linked systems. On a macro scale, the boreal and mixed hardwood forests came together to create something new: a zone of overlapping presence that requires care, kindness, sacrifice and reciprocity to continue to bring forth a diversity and abundance of new life.”

— Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead, p. 68

 
Read more...

from EpicMind

Morland:  Woman Reading by a Paper-Bell Shade

Wer schon einmal versucht hat, eine längere Liste, Fachbegriffe oder eine Präsentation auswendig zu lernen, kennt das Problem: Einzelne Informationen verschwinden schnell wieder aus dem Gedächtnis. Besonders schwierig wird es, wenn die Inhalte wenig miteinander zu tun haben. Genau hier setzt die sogenannte Loci-Methode an – eine jahrtausendealte Lerntechnik, die bis heute verwendet wird.

Der Grundgedanke ist simpel: Man verbindet den Lernstoff mit bekannten Orten. Tatsächlich nutzt die Methode eine Stärke unseres Gehirns, die viele im Alltag unterschätzen: Menschen erinnern sich oft erstaunlich präzise an Räume, Wege und räumliche Abläufe. Wer sich etwa an seine Primarschule oder die Wohnung der Grosseltern erinnert, sieht häufig sofort konkrete Bilder vor sich. Die Loci-Methode macht sich genau dieses räumliche Gedächtnis zunutze.

Woher kommt die Methode?

Die Ursprünge der Loci-Methode reichen bis in die Antike zurück. Schon griechische und römische Redner nutzten sie, um lange Reden frei vortragen zu können. Bücher waren damals selten und teuer, vieles musste auswendig gelernt werden. Besonders in der #Rhetorik spielte das Gedächtnis deshalb eine zentrale Rolle.

Der Legende nach geht die Methode auf den griechischen Dichter Simonides von Keos zurück. Nachdem ein Gebäude eingestürzt war, soll er die Opfer anhand ihrer ursprünglichen Sitzordnung identifiziert haben. Daraus entstand die Einsicht, dass räumliche Anordnungen Erinnerungen besonders zuverlässig strukturieren können. Später verwendeten auch berühmte Redner wie Cicero diese Technik.

Auch moderne Gedächtnissportler greifen bis heute auf dieselbe Grundidee zurück. Der technologische Fortschritt hat die Funktionsweise unseres Gehirns nämlich nicht verändert. Noch immer gilt: Bilder und räumliche Vorstellungen prägen sich meist leichter ein als abstrakte Informationen oder reine Textfolgen: „Unserem Gehirn fällt es schwer, sich schnell mehrere unzusammenhängende Begriffe oder Zahlen zu merken.“ [1] Genau deshalb helfen Bilder und Orte beim #Lernen.

Wie ist die Methode aufgebaut?

Die Loci-Methode folgt einem klaren Ablauf. Sie benötigt keine besondere Begabung, wohl aber etwas Übung. Anfangs wirkt der Prozess oft ungewohnt, nach einigen Anwendungen wird er jedoch deutlich einfacher.

Im Zentrum stehen drei Elemente:

  1. eine vertraute Route oder Umgebung
  2. feste Ankerpunkte entlang dieser Route
  3. bildhafte Verknüpfungen mit dem Lernstoff

Zunächst wählt man einen Ort, den man sehr gut kennt. Das kann die eigene Wohnung sein, der Arbeitsweg, ein Spaziergang durch die Altstadt oder sogar ein vertrautes Schulzimmer. Wichtig ist lediglich, dass die Reihenfolge der Orte eindeutig ist.

Anschliessend legt man konkrete Stationen fest. In einer Wohnung könnten das beispielsweise Eingangstür, Garderobe, Sofa, Tisch, Bücherregal und Balkon sein. Diese Punkte bilden später die Struktur für die Informationen.

Nun beginnt der eigentliche Lernprozess: Die Inhalte werden als möglichst lebendige Bilder mit diesen Orten verbunden. Je ungewöhnlicher oder absurder die Vorstellung, desto besser funktioniert sie oft. Genau darin liegt eine gewisse Eigenart der Methode. Unser Gehirn reagiert besonders stark auf Überraschungen, Emotionen und skurrile Bilder.

Wer sich etwa die Reihenfolge bestimmter Begriffe merken möchte, könnte sich vorstellen, dass auf dem Sofa plötzlich ein riesiges Wörterbuch explodiert oder dass aus dem Kühlschrank französische Vokabeln herausfliegen. Solche Bilder wirken albern – und genau deshalb bleiben sie häufig haften.

Wie kann man die Methode konkret verwenden?

Besonders gut eignet sich die Loci-Methode für Lernstoff mit klarer Reihenfolge. Dazu gehören beispielsweise:

  • Vokabeln
  • Präsentationen
  • historische Ereignisse
  • Fachbegriffe
  • Listen
  • Prüfungsthemen

Nehmen wir ein einfaches Beispiel aus dem Sprachlernen. Angenommen, man möchte sich fünf französische Wörter merken. Die Wohnung dient dabei als Route.

An der Eingangstür sitzt eine riesige „pomme“ (Apfel), die den Weg versperrt. Auf dem Sofa springt ein „chat“ (Katze) herum. Im Badezimmer schwimmt ein „poisson“ (Fisch) in der Badewanne. Am Küchentisch liegt ein überdimensionales „livre“ (Buch), und auf dem Balkon steht plötzlich ein „cheval“ (Pferd).

Wer später gedanklich durch die Wohnung geht, ruft dadurch automatisch die Begriffe ab. Die Orte dienen als mentale Auslöser.

Ähnlich funktioniert die Methode auch bei Präsentationen. Statt den Vortrag Wort für Wort auswendig zu lernen, verbindet man die einzelnen Themen mit Stationen entlang einer Route. Dadurch erinnert man sich an die Reihenfolge und an die wichtigsten Inhalte, ohne mechanisch auswendig sprechen zu müssen.

Im Berufsalltag kann die Technik ebenfalls nützlich sein. Wer sich Namen, Gesprächspunkte oder Abläufe merken möchte, kann diese gedanklich an Orte koppeln. Gerade bei Vorträgen oder Prüfungen hilft dies oft gegen das bekannte „Blackout“-Gefühl.

Die Methode ist also leicht und überall einsetzbar. Allerdings gilt auch: Die Technik ersetzt kein Verständnis. Wer Inhalte nicht begreift, kann sie zwar kurzfristig speichern, aber kaum sinnvoll anwenden.

Warum funktioniert das überhaupt?

Die genaue Funktionsweise des Gedächtnisses ist bis heute nicht vollständig verstanden. Bekannt ist jedoch, dass räumliche Orientierung und bildhafte Vorstellungen tief im menschlichen Denken verankert sind.

Die Loci-Methode nutzt dabei mehrere psychologische Effekte gleichzeitig:

Gerade der letzte Punkt wird häufig unterschätzt. Viele Menschen lernen passiv: lesen, markieren, wiederholen. Die Loci-Methode zwingt hingegen dazu, Informationen aktiv umzuwandeln und mit eigenen Vorstellungen zu verbinden (Elaboration). Dadurch entsteht eine tiefere Verarbeitung des Lernstoffs.

Ein weiterer Vorteil liegt darin, dass Reihenfolgen stabil bleiben. Wer seine Route kennt, kann Inhalte oft erstaunlich zuverlässig abrufen.

Vor- und Nachteile

Die Methode hat klare Stärken, aber auch Grenzen. Hilfreich ist sie insbesondere dann, wenn grosse Mengen an Fakten gelernt werden müssen. Viele Menschen erleben zudem, dass Lernen dadurch kreativer und weniger monoton wird. Die Methode funktioniert ohne technische Hilfsmittel und lässt sich nahezu überall anwenden.

Allerdings braucht der Einstieg Zeit. Gute Bilder zu entwickeln ist anstrengender, als Informationen einfach zu lesen. Gerade am Anfang empfinden viele die Technik als umständlich. Hinzu kommt, dass sie sich nicht für jede Art von Lernen eignet. Tiefes Verständnis, kritisches Denken oder mathematische Zusammenhänge lassen sich dadurch nicht automatisch verbessern.

Auch die Wiederholung bleibt wichtig. Ohne regelmässiges Auffrischen (Spaced Repetition) werden die mentalen Bilder mit der Zeit unscharf: „Ohne Wiederholung werden die gemerkten Bilder im Kopf immer unschärfer.“ [2]

Warum man die Loci-Methode auch heute noch anwenden kann

Die Loci-Methode gehört zu den ältesten bekannten Lerntechniken – und vermutlich auch zu den unterschätztesten. Ihr Erfolg beruht nicht auf Magie oder aussergewöhnlichen Gedächtnisleistungen, sondern auf einer geschickten Nutzung menschlicher Wahrnehmung.

Wer bereit ist, sich auf die ungewohnten Bilder und räumlichen Vorstellungen einzulassen, entdeckt oft eine überraschend wirkungsvolle Lernstrategie. Eine so einfache Methode mag altmodisch wirken aber vielleicht liegt genau darin ihre Stärke.


💬 Kommentieren (nur für write.as-Accounts)


Fussnoten [1] Luca Intzen, „Mnemotechnik: Lernen mit der Loci-Methode“, Betzold Blog, 2026. [2] „Loci-Methode“, Wikipedia, 2026.

Bildquelle Henry Robert Morland (1716/19–1797): Woman Reading by a Paper-Bell Shade, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Public Domain.

Disclaimer Teile dieses Texts wurden mit Deepl Write (Korrektorat und Lektorat) überarbeitet. Für die Recherche in den erwähnten Werken/Quellen und in meinen Notizen wurde NotebookLM von Google verwendet.

Topic #Erwachsenenbildung | #ProductivityPorn

 
Weiterlesen... Discuss...

from G A N Z E E R . T O D A Y

Returnee Blues #1, 2026 – Mixed Media on paper, 50 cm x 65 cm | 19.6” x 25.6”

Thought I'd finally found a housekeeper to pop in once a week to assist with cleanup. But that was three Fridays ago, and every time she doesn't show up even though the date and time were of her very own choosing. Similar situation with the plumber who first promised to show up two weeks ago. I've set three different appointments with the mirror place, every time they say they'll call me the day of to confirm and never do. Carpenter too been dragging me on for four weeks now.

Not sure why the need to hound someone to do work for you before they do it even after they promise doing it is such a widespread phenomenon in Cairo. I remember only needing to contact a housekeeper back in Houston just once to agree on the day, time, and fees, and she stuck to the same schedule like clockwork for three years before I had to move (Tidyqueen, if anyone in Houston is reading this and looking).

It's such a tedious energy-sucking thing in Cairo, because on any given day I'm expecting someone to show up, I find it extremely difficult to lock in and really get into the zone of whatever project I have on my table; the anticipation of impending distraction lingering in the back of mind all day.

And some of the stuff that needs tending too isn't superfluous. We've got pipes blocked with weeks full of piss and shit at this point.

Now I know why all my homies have moved into compounds; a virtually non-existent development less than 10 years ago. They tell me whenever anything needs fixin', all they have to do is call a number and help is on the way in less than 24 hours. That's enough of a perk to explain the seemingly unquenchable compound craze that has taken over the country in recent years, but I still can't stand that shit. Nothing spells a seething distaste for “the plebs” quite like a gated “community”.

#journal #work #Cairo

 
Read more... Discuss...

from folgepaula

I wouldn't exchange any of my failures for someone else's success

I’ve recently come to terms with the fact that I have little natural talent for social media. Everyone around me seems to glide through it effortlessly, I’ve never met a single person who manages to flop on their own feed. Behind every post sits a little self applause. And LinkedIn… well, that’s its own special arena of pain. Endless check ins from endless networking events. At some point, people collectively realized that professionally, showing up to pose for the picture was more advantageous than showing up for their actual work.

I still haven’t mastered the art of caring about these social expectation circles as much as I care about the work itself. My charisma is conditioned to hold up for around 8h pretty well, it is trained for my worker class needs by now. As long as I get the chance to go home and have a walk with my dog after a full day, I'll be alright.

But the truth is, what really loads my battery is the work itself. I am a sucker for my own work. I drool over whatever I’m researching. Not because I’m chasing praise, and not because I grew up drowning in compliments (I didn’t, for the record). Of course acknowledgment is nice, and I expect it like anyone else, but give me a market, a cluster, a brand, a product repositioning, a generation to decode, and I’m gone. It’s the context, the ecosystem, the cold water dive into the problem that pulls me in every time.

I love to understand what drives people’s habits. I want to understand what in our muggle brains convinces us that this product, that service, or that choice is the one that fits us best. That curiosity has always been the real drug behind working in advertising for me: being a total outsider to a territory until it suddenly becomes a project, and then I’m knee deep in the mechanics of a new electric car battery that’s about to shift an entire category. Or what is the deal between millennials and barrel jeans and humble fashion, and then you ask me: Who else cares about it, Paula? Exactly, that's why I love it.

It’s the nonsense that gets me. The leap from “I know nothing about this” to dissecting an entire ecosystem like a forensic scientist. My interest is infinite. That moment when a market, a behavior, a cultural quirk reveals itself, that’s the spark that always brought me the feeling of being on the right direction. And honestly, I really believe that's what makes people interesting: the fact they are interested on things.

It’s a shame that this spark ends up being funneled into an industry that’s basically an engine of the capitalist system, you could say that, and I’d agree 200%. I just wish more professionals carried that same spark into their own fields. Imagine being treated by a doctor who genuinely wants to understand your issue. Or a therapist who’s deeply invested. Or an engineer who’s even half as curious about city planning as they are about their deadlines. Architects, politicians, the whole spectrum.

The world would look completely different if more people were fueled by intrinsic curiosity instead of just going through the motions of their profession. Real success has always felt subjective (almost quiet) to me. It never lived in the awards, or the big campaign launches, or the press releases with my name tucked into the credits. I get it: the industry worships those things, so I’m supposed to care about them too. But my gratification comes from somewhere else entirely, from the investigation, the digging, the unraveling.

And yes, I bang my head against things. A lot. The route has been recalculated more times than I can count. But in the middle of all that rerouting, I’ve learned so much about people, and about social bubbles that were never mine to begin with. My work allows me to move through any circle with the ease of a generalist, and that’s the real reward. The quiet one. The one that actually matters.

Talking to a politician, scheduling slots with his secretary, exchanging with the cameraman. Briefing the production team. Approving the material from the content creator, defending your idea to the CEO of whatever I couldn't care less, then grabbing a coffee with the new intern who's a sweetheart. Stumbling into your competitor at an industry event, only to realize they could be your best friend after some drinks. It’s humbling, in the best possible way. People assume this kind of work lifts you into some glossy, unrealistic realm where you float above reality. It’s the opposite. It drags you right back into the reality of things, the human mix, the plurality, the constant shifting between worlds. That’s the part I love because it keeps me grounded.

Honestly, my failures, awkward moments, and bizarre situations make for far better stories than any perfectly delivered project ever could. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. The mess, the curiosity, the detours, that’s where the good stuff lives.

/May26

 
Read more...

from An Open Letter

While I was growing up I would tell myself not to kill myself because I was like Kassadin. I told myself that even though I wanna kill myself and my life is miserable, I am skiing for a late game. Once I get to college or once I get older my life will be so worth it compared to the people that I envied so much. And at the risk of sounding arrogant, I don’t need to hit 16 to take things into my own hands. I got several kills and a lead, several as solo kills, and several due to help. I’m so incredibly proud of myself for teaching myself to be empathetic, how to be social, charisma, etc. I used to wish that I could be one of those people that gets adopted by someone else socially, and I would mourn the fact that instead I’ve had to learn how to handle it myself and the beautiful thing is now I can handle it. I’m a secure and strong enough person to be authentic in social situations, and that combined with the person that I am authentically, becomes something magnetic towards others. I consistently get thrown into brand new rooms, and I come out surrounded by people that want to interact with me. I’ve gone from being the hopeless person seeking for salvation, to being the person who is so abundantly filled with it, that they’re willing to reach out to people struggling to help them. And thinking about it now, I’ve gone out of my way to involve people or to gently parent people that are abrasive or struggling socially, and even though this is something that I wish I could have growing up I’m completely happy to give it to people that are arguably less deserving. And that never crosses my mind, like it’s not that I think that someone should have helped me socially develop growing up more than these other people, because I was not rude or insulting. And I feel like this post is for misinterpretation, partially because I think I didn’t really capture my thoughts the way that I would hope, but essentially I want to give myself some credit for all of the effort that went to deliberately learning how to be social, and recognizing how that’s paid off.

 
Read more...

from Things Left Unsaid

When I arrived at the cardiologist place I checked in at the front desk. I was instructed to sit in the waiting area. After a short time, a woman with a long ponytail, wearing a surgical mask, burgundy scrubs, and white comfortable shoes appeared from a doorway. She glanced at a clipboard, and read my name out loud.

I acknowledged with a half wave, got up and followed her through a doorway, then down a corridor. She stood outside of a brightly lit small room, and motioned for me to enter first. She followed me in and closed the door.

Wall shelves with supplies. A poster about the importance of heart health. Standard examination table with a step beside it on the floor. Two office chairs. An EKG monitor on a small wheeled stand. A computer in the corner.

She instructed me to hang up my coat, and that I could leave my backpack in one of the chairs, and to take off my shirt. I did those things behind her while she was at the computer typing and clicking things on the screen.

I stood there behind her while she did the things at the computer. It wasn't a very long time. Like 20 or 30 seconds. It was (apparently) long enough for me to have the thought, did she really tell me to take off my shirt? I had an urge to ask her, “did you really want me to take off my shirt?” It seemed like too weird of a question, so I didn’t ask it.

The entire scene repeated in my mind. From the moment of me walking in the room until me just standing there behind her. Shirtless. In the new imagined version she only told me to hang up my jacket and put my backpack in the chair. Maybe I misunderstood what she said next, and it only sounded like, “take off your shirt”. Or she didn't even say anything remotely like that at all. I imagined that I had just walked in, took off my jacket, put my backpack in the chair, and then I took off my shirt for no reason. I was suddenly afraid of what would happen when she turned around.

Like, dude, wtf, why is your shirt off? Face palm. Or she would run from the room vomit exploding spontaneously into her mask and all over her arm when she tried to get the mask off in time. Or start laughing until she cried. Maybe a couple security guys would mysteriously show up and wrestle me to the floor while she stood there slowly shaking her head with her arms crossed.

She turned around. Nothing weird happened.

After a series of questions and an EKG test, I met with the cardiologist. He said everything is fine.

 
Read more...

Join the writers on Write.as.

Start writing or create a blog