MGTutoring.com. A Rational Perspective on Education.

February 26, 2009

Happy Birthday, Mr. Victor Hugo!!

Filed under: Announcements — Administrator @ 2:59 pm

At Answers.com, they say of Hugo:

Victor Hugo, arguably France’s greatest literary figure, wrote poetry, plays, and novels with equal facility, and while his novels (including Notre Dame de Paris [aka The Hunchback of Notre Dame] and Les Misérables) are his most influential works today, his works in all three genres have inspired composers of not just classical, but popular music. During the Romantic era, there was hardly a single French composer who didn’t set at least one of Hugo’s works, few Italian opera composers who didn’t at least consider one of his plays, and while his influence was strongest in those two countries, it was also felt worldwide. His writing also had a profound impact on other writers, calling for an end to the neo-Classicism that had dominated French literature, particularly its deliberate elegance and restraint in expression and choice of subjects, introducing “orientalist” influences, and insisting on juxtaposing humor and tragedy, as well as the ugly and the beautiful. (This emphasis on freedom found particular resonance in Giuseppe Verdi and sparked several of his wars with censorship in Italy, particularly over Rigoletto, based on Le roi s’amuse.)

I love the music of Verdi. He’s my hands-down favorite operatic composer.

There is more about Hugo on Answer.com’s Website. Read it and wish him a happy birthday!

“Sunrise” by Victor Hugo

Filed under: Art — Administrator @ 2:45 pm

Foul times there are when nations spiritless
Throw honour away
For tinsel glory, to base happiness
A mournful prey.

Then from the nations, fain of lustful rest,
Dull slavery’s dreams,
All virtue ebbs, as from a sponge tight-prest
Clear water streams.

Then men, to vice and folly docile slaves,
Aye lowly inclined,
Ape the vile, fearful reed that stoops and waves
For every wind.

Then feasts and kisses; naught that saith the soul
Stirs shame or dread;
One drinks, one eats, one sings, one skips, — is foul
And comforted.

Crime, ministered to by loathsome lackeys, reigns;
Yea, ‘neath God’s fires
Laughs; and ye shiver, sombre dread remains
Of glorious sires.

All life seems foul, with vice intoxicate,
Aye, thus to be. –
Sudden a clarion unto all winds elate
Peals liberty!

And the dull world whose soul this blast doth smite,
Is like to one
Drunken all night, up-staggering ‘neath the light
O’ the risen sun!

from: Chatiments

Translated by: Nelson R Tyerman

Poem from Victor Hugo Central.

An EF/Paleo Salad

Filed under: Exercise, Health & Nutrition — Administrator @ 2:42 pm

On EF/Paleo, who needs to waste time counting calories? I sure don’t. Sometimes I “overeat,” in the sense of eating more than I might need in that meal, sometimes I eat light, sometimes I “feast.” It’s how we were made, so it’s the EF way. Eat right, and you won’t hold fat. Especially if you exercise.

Sauteeing pork tenderloin (three-quarter pound? a pound? more?):

That’s still the good $1.99 a pound pork that HEB had on sale. This, by the way, was a dinner I had maybe two weeks ago.

Some Italian parsley, and diced red onion, red bell pepper, and cucumber:

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February 25, 2009

The Horse

Filed under: Horses — Administrator @ 1:25 pm

He’s an Arabian stallion. Mine. He’s the horse who takes me out into the woods for exhilarating runs and relaxing lazy walks.

Oklahoma State University‘s Department of Animal Science‘s Breeds of Livestock Project says about the Arabian:

The Bedouin tribes of the desert, believing the horse to be a gift from God, told many romantic tales of the Arabian’s beginnings. One such legend claims God fashioned the desert south wind into a creature who “shall fly without wings”.  …  The Arabian was also bred to withstand long treks across the desert and the tribal wars which sometimes followed such trips. The Bedouins developed horses with strength, courage and stamina required for survival, and for the speed and responsiveness needed to win the tribal skirmishes.

Copyright © 1995-2009 Oklahoma State University Board of Regents. All rights reserved.

OSU has a strict copyright statement on their Website, but this quote seems “fair use.” At least, I hope! (OSU: I’ll gladly take the quote down if you need.) Same with and to the AHA.

The Arabian Horse Association has a good history of the breed. They say:

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History of Human Height & Disease

Filed under: Exercise, Health & Nutrition,History — Administrator @ 12:09 pm

In “Life Expectancy and Growth of Paleolithic vs. Neolithic Humans” at Whole Health Source, Stephan writes:

If paleolithic people were healthier than us due to their hunter-gatherer lifestyle, why did they have a shorter life expectancy than we do today? I was just reminded by Scott over at Modern Forager about some data on paleolithic (pre-agriculture) vs. neolithic (post-agriculture) life expectancy and growth characteristics. Here’s a link to the table, which is derived from an article in the text Paleopathology at the Origins of Agriculture.

The reason the table is so interesting is it allows us to ask the right question. Instead of “why did paleolithic people have a shorter life expectancy than we do today?”, we should ask “how did the life expectancy of paleolithic people compare to that of pre-industrial neolithic people?” That’s what will allow us to tease the effects of lifestyle apart from the effects of modern medicine.

The data come from age estimates of skeletons from various archaeological sites representing a variety of time periods in the Mediterranean region. Paleolithic skeletons indicated a life expectancy of 35.4 years for men and 30.0 years for women, which includes a high rate of infant mortality. This is consistent with data from the Inuit that I posted a while back (life expectancy excluding infant mortality = 43.5 years). With modest fluctuations, the life expectancy of humans in this Mediterranean region remained similar from paleolithic times until the last century. I suspect the paleolithic people died most often from warfare, accidents and infectious disease, while the neolithic people died mostly from chronic disease, and infectious diseases that evolved along with the domestication of animals (zoonotic diseases). But I’m just speculating based on what I know about modern populations, so you can take that at face value.

The table Stephan refers to is interesting.

February 24, 2009

“AMERICA FOR ME” by Henry Van Dyke

Filed under: Art — Administrator @ 12:23 pm

‘TIS fine to see the Old World, and travel up and down
Among the famous palaces and cities of renown,
To admire the crumbly castles and the statues of the kings,—
But now I think I’ve had enough of antiquated things.

So it’s home again, and home again, America for me!
My heart is turning home again, and there I long to be,
In the land of youth and freedom beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars!

Oh, London is a man’s town, there’s power in the air;
And Paris is a woman’s town, with flowers in her hair;
And it’s sweet to dream in Venice, and it’s great to study Rome;
But when it comes to living there is no place like home.

I like the German fir-woods, in green battalions drilled;
I like the gardens of Versailles with flashing fountains filled;
But, oh, to take your hand, my dear, and ramble for a day
In the friendly western woodland where Nature has her way!

I know that Europe’s wonderful, yet something seems to lack:
The Past is too much with her, and the people looking back.
But the glory of the Present is to make the Future free,—
We love our land for what she is and what she is to be.

Oh, it’s home again, and home again, America for me!
I want a ship that’s westward bound to plough the rolling sea,
To the bléssed Land of Room Enough beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.

I found out about the poem from a discussion list. Doing a quick Google search, I found that you can read a few paragraphs about the poem and the author — and the poem — on Reveries.com.

FAT HEAD: The Movie

Filed under: Exercise, Health & Nutrition — Administrator @ 12:21 pm

On the Website for the movie FAT HEAD, they say:

Have you seen the news stories about the obesity epidemic? Did you see Super Size Me? Then guess what? … You’ve been fed a load of bologna.

Comedian (and former health writer) Tom Naughton replies to the blame-McDonald’s crowd by losing weight on a fat-laden fast-food diet while demonstrating that nearly everything we’ve been told about obesity and healthy eating is wrong. Along with some delicious parody of Super Size Me Naughton serves up plenty of no-bologna facts that will stun most viewers, such as: The obesity “epidemic” has been wildly exaggerated by the CDC. People the government classifies as “overweight” have longer lifespans than people classified as “normal weight.” Having low cholesterol is unhealthy. Lowfat diets can lead to depression and type II diabetes. Saturated fat doesn’t cause heart disease — but sugars, starches and processed vegetable oils do.

The site has some short video clips (each about 2 minutes long) worth watching — especially the last two.

Amy Mossofian “Little Things”

Filed under: Fun,Horses — Administrator @ 12:07 am

1.  It was a beautiful day for a horseback ride — upper 50s to lower 60s; sun shine; blue sky — so I availed myself of the opportunity. I went out into some local woods for an hour and a half of constant activity. I let my horse pick the pace, and he chose to trot almost the entire hour and a half, with some cantering and running thrown in. There were times when I pulled him into a walk because of the terrain or overhanging vines. My horse made the choice to walk a few times, too.

2.  I saw two deer while I was out. Nice.

3.  We rode down a road we’ve never been on before.

We ran back up a dirt road (my horse always runs up this particular road); at one point we had to go under a fallen tree (from Hurricane Ike last September). The video on my cell was set to cut off at 30 seconds, so the video cut off right as we were going under the tree.

February 23, 2009

Celestial Happenings

Filed under: Announcements,Astronomy — Administrator @ 5:35 pm

In “Cosmic Coincidence,” Spaceweather.com says in a newsletter alert (as forwarded to me by a stargazer):

COSMIC COINCIDENCE: What are the odds? On Tuesday, Feb. 24th, Saturn and Comet Lulin will converge in the constellation Leo only 2 degrees apart. At the same time, Comet Lulin will be making its closest approach to Earth–the comet at its best!– while four of Saturn’s moons transit the disk of the ringed planet in view of backyard telescopes. Oh, and the Moon will be New, providing dark skies for anyone who wishes to see the show.

The best time to look is around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning (your local time) when the planet-comet combo ascend high in the southern sky. To the unaided eye, Comet Lulin looks like a faint patch of gas floating next to golden Saturn. Point your backyard telescope at that patch and you will see a lovely green comet with a double tail.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for full coverage including photos, sky maps, and a live webcast.

Geographic Notes: Comet Lulin is visible from all parts of the globe–all longitudes and both hemispheres. Directions are reversed in the southern hemisphere; there the comet is located in the northern sky around 1 am.  Saturn is globally visible, too, but the special quadruple transit of Saturn’s moons starting around 3 a.m. PST on Feb. 24th is visible only to observers around the Pacific Rim.  Details may be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/19feb_quadrupletransit.htm

Just an FYI and a “heads up.” I’m interested in seeing the phenomenon, but I’ll be sleeping…

Mikhail Baryshnikov

Filed under: Art — Administrator @ 1:43 pm

A video on You Tube! (about 10 minutes long) shows Baryshnikov (and some other dancers) dancing to “Push Comes To Shove.” The music is attributed to Lamb and Haydn; the choreography to Twyla Tharp.

I like my Haydn to ballet; I don’t care for some of the modern elements and the humor — they don’t seem to integrate with the music. Regardless, it is good dancing: excellently and masterfully done and worth a watch.

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