Problem With Eastern Protests? Geometry!

This is Tahrir Square




This is Pearl Square



Neither appears to have straight lines or corners. I say: first geometry, then freedom!

Ricky's Wisdom Today, 9/15/09

Unless there is loving-kindness in our speech, it's going to come out wrong.

- Ayyan Khema, "Be an Island"

This is kind of how today feels...

I've just decided to switch our Friday schedule to Monday, which means that the test we take each Friday on what we learned during the week will now take place on Monday before we've learned it. But since today is Tuesday, it doesn't matter in the slightest. Pencils ready!

Name the movie without Google and I'll Photoshop you an award! Cheers!

Ricky's Wisdom Today - 1/6/2009

"I, without grasping, will pass beyond sorrow,
And I will attain nirvana," one says.
Whoever grasps like this
Has great grasping.

-Nagarjuna; Mulamadhyamaka-Karika

Ricky's Wisdom Today - 11/21/08

If we live our lives continually motivated by anger and hatred, even our physical health deteriorates.

      - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Ricky's Wisdom Today - 11/18/08

I almost just typed "09" in the year. Oh, it's coming.

Subhuti said: "If I understand correctly, one who wishes to reach perfect wisdom should study the way things are in the world and should practice the perfections fully and in depth but should not believe them to be ultimately real, nor should he make concepts and doctrines out of them."

The Buddha replied: "Just so, Subhuti. The one who contemplates existence in this way knows the nature of the conditioned and of the unconditioned and makes himself an expert in pointing out the truth to others, both with words and without words."

Subhuti asked: "But is this just for the wise and the intelligent?"

"No, indeed," replied the Buddha. "This is open to all, even to the dull witted and to those who can't pay attention. The door is open to anyone who wants to tread this path--but not to the person who is lazy and indifferent."

-Prajnaparamita

Ricky's Wisdom Today, 10/29/08

If humanism were right in declaring that man is born to be happy, he would not be born to die.

- Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Harvard Address

Who's Got Giant Wasps?

I've got giant wasps!

Just when I thought all the summer excitement of the cicadas of Cincinnati was completely gone (except for the occasional husk), there is more fun!

Yesterday, I was outside and, like any good homeowner, weed-whacking, when I looked down to see a large mound of obviously-dug-out dirt. Next to another one. There were almost a dozen, actually, anywhere from four to nine inches in width.

What the hell? Moles again? Some kind of crazy ants?

So I did what every reasonable male without supervision would do: I poked one of them with a stick. And I poked again. And from a certain angle, I could see the entrance hole in one of these buggers. and it was about as thick as my pinky finger.

That's no ant.

Figuring that it was innocuous, I stood back up, picked up the weed-whacker, and just before I pulled the trigger - a deep, resounding "Bzzz-bzz-bbzzzzz" and I turned quickly to catch a quick shift of movement to match the noise and ...this:


Not My Picture

That image is about right: hovering from the dirt nest like an Apache Chopper, and slowly moving in my direction, was a wasp larger than I'd ever seen. There was black and there was yellow, but my senses were first overwhelmed by the tremendous noise it made and then by the fact that it was almost two inches long and as thick around as my pinky finger.

So I did what every reasonable male without supervision would do: I dropped the weed whacker, screamed like a schoolgirl, and retreated twenty feet, doing a twitchy, shivering dance of sorts. After calming down and seeing several of these behemoths come and go, I slowly reeled the weed-whacker in by the power cord and retreated to the internets to find out about this monstrosity.

The Cicada Killer (Sphecius speciosus)

The boring part of the story is that these guys are called Cicada Killers. Regionally, they have adapted to their habitat and emerge only after the cicadas - surprise! They tunnel into the dirt, one female per mound, and bind up their eggs with cicadas so their babies can feed...when the cicadas wake up.

The males, most often seen, cannot actually sting. And the females, who can, will only do so if stepped on barefoot or grabbed.

Aren't you lucky! This means at least one more post. I've got some pictures of the mounds, but by the time I got my blood pressure down and opened a beer, it was nearing dusk, and I couldn't catch any pics of the wasps. Better luck tomorrow.

Ricky's Wisdom Today - 8/4/08

Mindfulness is never boring.


-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"

Ricky's Wisdom Today - 5/21/08

When we fall on the ground it hurts us, but we also need to rely on the ground to get back up.

     -Kathleen McDonald, How to Meditate

Ricky's Wisdom Today - 4/21/08

If you have a reason, you don't need to shout.

-Zen proverb

Ricky's Wisdom Today - 4/12/08

I'm writing a graphic novel and will say nothing more at this point other than this is pretty much the defining quote of my novel.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go." Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!"

-John 29:15

Ricky's Wisdom Today - 3/31/08

The quotes kept getting lost in the surrounding text, so this time I went with red. Enjoy.

Pain is inevitable, suffering is not.

-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain English

Ricky's Wisdom Today - 3/18/08

It does not matter whether you are a theist or atheist, what matters is sincerity, forgiveness, and compassion.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Ricky's Wisdom Today - 3/3/08

While volunteering my time with Mrs. Shambles this past weekend at Little Shambles cotillion (basically, a bunch of 5th and 6th graders dressed up and dancing simplified versions of classic ballroom dances), I was reminded about this quote which I first read in one of my favorite books of quotes, The Dark Side: Thoughts on the Futility of Life from the Ancient Greeks to the Present

When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.

- Eric Hoffer

Amen.

Is Ricky Shambles In You?

I came across this Slogan Generator in a post from one of my friends on the left (blogroll, left side of the page, see what I did there?), although (I'm sorry), I can't find it for the life of me. So here we go. Any favorites?

Don't Forget The Ricky Shambles, Mum.

Leave the Ricky Shambles to Us.

How Do You Eat Your Ricky Shambles?

Make Ricky Shambles Yours.

Ricky Shambles - It Looks Good on You.

Is Ricky Shambles In You?

And from there, it predictably degrades into finding the dirtiest ones you can. I kept it as clean as I could. click the link back at the top of this post and create you own!

Ricky's Wisdom for Today - 2/19/08

The Dalai Lama consistently impresses me with the plain-spoken wisdom that can be found coming from his mind. Simple. Beautiful. And true.

Anger is the real destroyer of our good human qualities; an enemy with a weapon cannot destroy these qualities, but anger can. Anger is our real enemy.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Ricky's Wisdom for Today - 2/2/08

This is not for every day, but can be applied to many. Today is one of those days.

L'enfer, c'est les autres.
(Hell is other people.)

-- Jean-Paul Sartre, Huis-clos (No Exit)

Ricky's Wisdom Today

Well, it's not particularly my wisdom per se, but wisdom that resonates with me on some level. Since the world is constantly changing and reality is always a subjective experience, it's just the wisdom "today," though feel free to hold on until something better comes along. And since it's the first installment, you get some bonus Wisdom action, because how can I introduce something new without the very roots and favorites of that something?

Now that's wise.

Today I ran into this quote and it just felt right: focused, yet sad.

Going along in company together, a wise man
Must mix with other foolish persons.
But on seeing what is wrongful he abandons them.
As a full-fledged heron leaves the marshy ground.

-Udana 8.7

Bonus? Of course. These are perhaps my most cherished quotes when it comes to my personal ideas about wisdom:

One who speaks does not know
One who knows does not speak

-- Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching - Verse 56

I know I am God because when I pray to Him I find I am speaking to Myself.

--Peter Barnes

Put dat in your book.