One of the basic functions of religion is to help followers make sense out of ‘non-sense.’ … By providing a why to life, religion enables us to bear almost any how.
I don’t enjoy what I’m good at. I have a knack for choosing the slowest checkout line to stand in at stores. I somehow know which cashier will run out of register tape just when it’s my turn to pay. Even when in a rush, I have an innate ability to find the customers returning merchandise and stand behind them. While I am good at knowing the slowest checkout lines to stand in, I am bad at understanding the questions cashiers ask. I’m too honest, I think.
When I left a 50-pound bag of dog food in the shopping cart and the cashier asked, “Dog food for you?” I answered, “No. It’s for my dog.” When cashiers ask, “Did you find everything you need?” I say, “No, but that’s what religion is for.”
Indeed, religion can make the difficult times bearable, meaningful and even pleasurable.
How does religion do this? One of the basic functions of religion is to help followers make sense out of “non-sense.” As one of my professors was fond of saying, “Religions are meaning producing systems.” Religion offers different models of faith strategies to deal with misfortune and unpleasant situations, transforming the meaningless into something meaningful in the process. By providing a why to life, religion enables us to bear almost any how.
While there are more models than I can cover in a short article, here is a brief look at some of the more common ones I’ve used to rationalize frustrating experiences, both as an overtasked, under appreciated cashier years ago and as a self-centered customer now.
Judicial Model
Suffering is punishment for past transgressions. I am standing in the slowest checkout line because of the bad karma I’ve accumulated or as punishment for sin. I must be patient and endure, and I will be renewed once I emerge from this trial. Besides, it’s better I suffer now in this world than to face judgment in the world to come.
Medicinal Model
Suffering is good spiritual medicine for me. Waiting in line 15 minutes to buy a greeting card will make me a better person. It cleanses my soul. It turns my attention to the divine and opens me up to what is sacred. It’s finally my turn to pay. The cashier now decides to take a break and the new cashier must change register drawers. I recite a mantra. Breathing in, I calm the mind and body. Breathing out, I release the frustration, heal my spirit and smile.
Workout Model
Suffering builds strength of character and spirit. A customer just before me has misread the sale sign but still insists on being right. This is spiritual training, strengthening me for future trials. The cashier calls for a price check, but no one responds. The cashier leaves the register to personally check on the price. I accept this challenging situation because the gods would not have given me more than I can handle. The cashier returns; the customer demands to speak to the manager. I think the gods have overestimated me.
Compassionate Model
Suffering creates a kinder and more understanding person. I feel sorry for cashiers who have to deal with rude customers talking on their phones and treating them like non-entities. I’m indebted to this experience for teaching me the value of compassion. After all, how can we truly know kindness if there were no uncaring, selfish human beings in the world to show us the opposite? I am not alone in my suffering; I feel a bond with the cashier. I make sure I greet my cashier. WE>I.
Magical Curse Model
The one causing me to suffer will get it worse in the end. The anguish I’m experiencing becomes pleasurable when I think of how much worse it will be for the one afflicting me now. A customer has ignored the 10 item limit sign at the checkout. This same person took up two parking stalls in front of the store. Who does this person think (s)he is? This person will suffer greatly in hell. I somehow feel better now.
Ultimate Plan Model
There is a reason for my suffering greater than I can understand. I couldn’t find parking, I chose the shopping cart with a broken wheel, and after all this the item I came to buy is gone. Though life goes in mysterious ways, I’m secure in the thought that there is a greater plan and things will somehow work out in the end.
Grateful Model
My suffering cannot compare to the suffering the founder of my faith endured for me. No matter that the cashier happily chatted away with a co-worker and did not bother to acknowledge me throughout the entire transaction. The world did not acknowledge the founder of my faith either and rejected him outright. Had he not suffered in the way he did, my current situation would be hopeless. I embrace my suffering for sake of the founder of my faith and I’m thankful for the chance to experience a little of what he went through. My pain binds me to my god.
The above models offer different lines of understanding for moving from incomprehensible pain and frustration to meaningful suffering. With proper faith, meaning is possible in and through pain. When it comes to seeking relief from my own suffering, I believe I’m waiting in the right line.
Jay Sakashita teaches religion courses at Leeward Community College and UH Manoa.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
where the presidential candidates get their money
There will probably be more money flowing into the 2016 presidential
race than in any election in U.S. history. The most important new trend
is the hundreds of millions flowing into “super PACs” and other outside
spending groups, which can accept unlimited amounts from rich donors and
spend it on ads and other efforts to support favored candidates or help
defeat their opponents.
The gusher of political money flowing from “economic elites” may even endanger democracy itself, according to a recent study by two leading academics, since it concentrates political influence among a small number of billionaires while disenfranchising typical voters.
With crony capitalism and income inequality likely to be prominent issues in the election, Yahoo Finance will track the big donors funding each candidate, and why they might be doing that.
Hillary Clinton. Fundraising tier, out of 3 levels: Highest
The gusher of political money flowing from “economic elites” may even endanger democracy itself, according to a recent study by two leading academics, since it concentrates political influence among a small number of billionaires while disenfranchising typical voters.
With crony capitalism and income inequality likely to be prominent issues in the election, Yahoo Finance will track the big donors funding each candidate, and why they might be doing that.
Hillary Clinton. Fundraising tier, out of 3 levels: Highest
Prominent donors: Most of the
usual big Democratic givers, including Tom Steyer, Fred Eychaner, James
Simons, George Soros, Marc Lasry, Reid Hoffman, Jeffrey Katzenberg and
John Doerr.
Advantages: A
vast network of rich contacts from her years as a senator and Secretary
of State, and of course her husband Bill’s years as president.
Vulnerabilities:
Clinton may seem such a shoe-in that donors grow complacent and hold
back, leaving her at a funding disadvantage against Jeb Bush or whoever
the Republican nominee turns out to be.
Jeb Bush. Fundraising tier, out of 3: Highest.
Prominent
donors: Big names in business and finance, such as financier Henry
Kravis, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, Chicago banker Byron Trott,
oilman T. Boone Pickens and cellphone pioneer Craig McCaw.
Advantages:
Inherits mainstream GOP fundraising network cultivated by his brother
George W. Bush, his father, George H.W. Bush, and 2012 GOP presidential
nominee Mitt Romney.
Vulnerabilities: May need to spend a lot of money slogging through drawn-out primary elections.
Scott Walker. Fundraising tier: Middle.
Prominent
donors: GOP heavyweights Sheldon Adelson and Charles and David Koch
have contributed to Walker as Wisconsin governor and could back him for
president (though Walker probably won’t declare his candidacy until
early July).
Advantages:
Walker’s anti-union crusade in Wisconsin has made him a favorite of
conservatives impressed by action as well as talk.
Vulnerabilities: Few voters know much about Walker, which could make him too much of an underdog in the eyes of some donors.
Marco Rubio. Fundraising tier: Middle.
Prominent donors: Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Florida billionaire Norman Braman, Florida sugar baron Jose “Pepe” Fanjul.
Advantages:
At 44, Rubio has a bright political future even if he doesn’t win in
2016—perhaps running for Florida governor in 2018. That should attract
some donors who wouldn’t otherwise support an underdog.
Vulnerabilities: Could become overdependent on a small number of rich donors.
Ted Cruz. Fundraising tier: Middle
Prominent donor: Hedge funder Robert Mercer of Renaissance Technologies.
Advantages:
Cruz is on the far right of the political spectrum, which makes him the
favored candidate of many Tea Partiers and ultraconservatives such as
Mercer.
Vulnerabilities:
Though his wife has been a senior Goldman Sachs executive, Cruz has
alienated the business community through efforts to shut down the
federal government and other disruptive political tactics.
Lindsey Graham. Fundraising tier: Middle to lowest
Prominent donor: Michael Bloomberg, who donated to Graham’s super PAC as a way of promoting bipartisanship.
Advantages: The South Carolina senator’s hawkish views on the Middle East have strong appeal to Jewish conservatives such as billionaire Sheldon Adelson (who hasn’t yet endorsed a candidate).
Vulnerabilities: Graham’s hawkishness alienates libertarians, independents and (needless to say) most Democrats.
Carly Fiorina. Fundraising tier: Middle to lowest
Prominent
donor: Herself. Fiorina spent nearly $6 million of her own money
running for the Senate in California in 2010. (She lost.)
Advantages:
As the only woman among a male-dominated parade of GOP candidates,
Fiorina might emerge as a vice-presidential running mate to Jeb Bush or
another frontrunner.
Vulnerabilities.
Big GOP donors who supported Fiorina as a Senate candidate—such as T.
Boone Pickens, Paul Singer and Ken Griffin—seem likely to back other
candidates now that the presidency is at stake.
Rick Perry. Fundraising tier: Middle to lowest
Prominent donors: Texas businessmen Thomas Friedkin and Kenny Trout.
Advantages: Texas, where Perry was governor, is a big state with big money.
Vulnerabilities:
Perry’s listless performance as a presidential candidate in 2012 makes a
lot of donors wonder why he’s doing it again.
Mike Huckabee. Fundraising tier: Lowest
Prominent donor: Televangelist Kenneth Copeland.
Advantages:
The former Arkansas governor, a fundamentalist southern Baptist
minister, has a considerable following thanks to his former gig as a Fox
News commentator and frequent appearances at Christian gatherings.
Vulnerabilities: Huck, as he’s known, has little appeal beyond Christian conservatives, which is why he ranked 11th in fundraising when he ran for president in 2008.
Ben Carson. Fundraising tier: Lowest
Prominent donor: Harry Bettis, an Idaho rancher who supports Republican candidates and causes.
Advantages: Personal rags-to-riches narrative that could inspire small donors.
Vulnerabiliites: No natural constituency, other than voters who are sick of all the usual candidates.
Rick Santorum. Fundraising tier: Lowest
Prominent donors: Bill Doré and Foster Friess.
Advantages: His supporters tend to be true believers inspired by Santorum’s religious and moral positions.
Vulnerabilities: There aren’t nearly enough of them.
George Pataki. Fundraising tier: Lowest
Prominent donor: He’s desperately seeking one.
Advantages:
Three terms as New York governor left Pataki well-acquainted with many
East Coast businesspeople, including some top GOP donors.
the high cost of prescription drugs
The
high cost of cancer drugs recently prompted top oncologist Dr. Leonard
Saltz to publicly call for limits. "These drugs cost too much," he told thousands of his colleagues at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. Many cancer drugs debut with a price tag of $10,000 a month according to an analysis from staff at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
The country’s largest pharmacy benefits manager, Express Scripts, estimates 576,000 Americans had prescription drug costs above $50,000 last year, up 63% from the year before. The number of patients with costs of $100,000 or more nearly tripled.
Express Scripts put the impact of these costs on payers in the U.S. at $52 billion a year, a number they call unsustainable. They find insurers foot most of the bill but say the costs pressure health insurance premiums and taxpayer-funded government healthcare programs like Medicaid.
Two-thirds of spending for patients with six-figure drug bills went to medications for cancer, hepatitis C and compounded therapies.
So what exactly goes into determining a drug’s price, leading to a price tag in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars?
“First you need to look at the time and cost it takes to develop a medicine, test it, get it approved by regulators, and ultimately bring it to patients," Robert Zirkelbach tells us. Zirkelbach is a senior vice president at the organization, PhRMA, which represents U.S. biotech companies. "You also have to look at the value these medicines provide to patients, the healthcare system and to society broadly."
Developing and winning approval for a new prescription drug is estimated to take more than a decade and cost nearly $2.6 billion dollars, according to Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. That figure factors in the money and time spent on drug development. It also factors in the failures: Data show only 12 percent of medicines that go to clinical trials ever make it to patients.
The country’s largest pharmacy benefits manager, Express Scripts, estimates 576,000 Americans had prescription drug costs above $50,000 last year, up 63% from the year before. The number of patients with costs of $100,000 or more nearly tripled.
Express Scripts put the impact of these costs on payers in the U.S. at $52 billion a year, a number they call unsustainable. They find insurers foot most of the bill but say the costs pressure health insurance premiums and taxpayer-funded government healthcare programs like Medicaid.
Two-thirds of spending for patients with six-figure drug bills went to medications for cancer, hepatitis C and compounded therapies.
So what exactly goes into determining a drug’s price, leading to a price tag in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars?
“First you need to look at the time and cost it takes to develop a medicine, test it, get it approved by regulators, and ultimately bring it to patients," Robert Zirkelbach tells us. Zirkelbach is a senior vice president at the organization, PhRMA, which represents U.S. biotech companies. "You also have to look at the value these medicines provide to patients, the healthcare system and to society broadly."
Developing and winning approval for a new prescription drug is estimated to take more than a decade and cost nearly $2.6 billion dollars, according to Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. That figure factors in the money and time spent on drug development. It also factors in the failures: Data show only 12 percent of medicines that go to clinical trials ever make it to patients.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Bill Gates summer reading list
Last year, there was only one book on my summer reading list
that you could reasonably call a beach read. This year I tried to pick a
few more things that are on the lighter side. Each of these books made
me think or laugh or, in some cases, do both. I hope you find something
to your liking here. And if it’s not summer where you live, this list
will still be here six months from now…
Hyperbole and a Half, by Allie Brosh. The book, based on Brosh’s wildly popular website,
consists of brief vignettes and comic drawings about her young life.
The adventures she recounts are mostly inside her head, where we hear
and see the kind of inner thoughts most of us are too timid to let out
in public. You will rip through it in three hours, tops. But you’ll wish
it went on longer, because it’s funny and smart as hell. I must have
interrupted Melinda a dozen times to read to her passages that made me
laugh out loud.
The Magic of Reality, by Richard Dawkins. Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford, has a gift for making science enjoyable. This book is as accessible as the TV series Cosmos is for younger audiences—and as relevant for older audiences. It’s an engaging, well-illustrated science textbook offering compelling answers to big questions, like “how did the universe form?” and “what causes earthquakes?” It’s also a plea for readers of all ages to approach mysteries with rigor and curiosity. Dawkins’s antagonistic (and, to me, overzealous) view of religion has earned him a lot of angry critics, but I consider him to be one of the great scientific writer/explainers of all time.
What If?, by Randall Munroe. The subtitle of the book is “Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions,” and that’s exactly what it is. People write Munroe with questions that range over all fields of science: physics, chemistry, biology. Questions like, “From what height would you need to drop a steak for it to be cooked when it hit the ground?” (The answer, it turns out, is “high enough that it would disintegrate before it hit the ground.”) Munroe’s explanations are funny, but the science underpinning his answers is very accurate. It’s an entertaining read, and you’ll also learn a bit about things like ballistics, DNA, the oceans, the atmosphere, and lightning along the way.
XKCD, by Randall Munroe. A collection of posts from Munroe’s blog XKCD, which is made up of cartoons he draws making fun of things—mostly scientists and computers, but lots of other things too. There’s one about scientists holding a press conference to reveal their discovery that life is arsenic-based. They research press conferences and find out that sometimes it’s good to serve food that’s related to the subject of the conference. The last panel is all the reporters dead on the floor because they ate arsenic. It’s that kind of humor, which not everybody loves, but I do.
On Immunity, by Eula Biss. When I stumbled across this book on the Internet, I thought it might be a worthwhile read. I had no idea what a pleasure reading it would be. Biss, an essayist and university lecturer, examines what lies behind people’s fears of vaccinating their children. Like many of us, she concludes that vaccines are safe, effective, and almost miraculous tools for protecting children against needless suffering. But she is not out to demonize anyone who holds opposing views. This is a thoughtful and beautifully written book about a very important topic.
How to Lie With Statistics, by Darrell Huff. I picked up this short, easy-to-read book after seeing it on a Wall Street Journal list of good books for investors. I enjoyed it so much that it was one of a handful of books I recommended to everyone at TED this year. It was first published in 1954, but aside from a few anachronistic examples (it has been a long time since bread cost 5 cents a loaf in the United States), it doesn’t feel dated. One chapter shows you how visuals can be used to exaggerate trends and give distorted comparisons—a timely reminder, given how often infographics show up in your Facebook and Twitter feeds these days. A useful introduction to the use of statistics, and a helpful refresher for anyone who is already well versed in it.
Should We Eat Meat?, by Vaclav Smil. The richer the world gets, the more meat it eats. And the more meat it eats, the bigger the threat to the planet. How do we square this circle? Vaclav Smil takes his usual clear-eyed view of the whole landscape, from meat’s role in human evolution to hard questions about animal cruelty. While it would be great if people wanted to eat less meat, I don’t think we can expect large numbers of people to make drastic reductions. I’m betting on innovation, including higher agricultural productivity and the development of meat substitutes, to help the world meet its need for meat. A timely book, though probably the least beach-friendly one on this list.
[via twitter]
The Magic of Reality, by Richard Dawkins. Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford, has a gift for making science enjoyable. This book is as accessible as the TV series Cosmos is for younger audiences—and as relevant for older audiences. It’s an engaging, well-illustrated science textbook offering compelling answers to big questions, like “how did the universe form?” and “what causes earthquakes?” It’s also a plea for readers of all ages to approach mysteries with rigor and curiosity. Dawkins’s antagonistic (and, to me, overzealous) view of religion has earned him a lot of angry critics, but I consider him to be one of the great scientific writer/explainers of all time.
What If?, by Randall Munroe. The subtitle of the book is “Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions,” and that’s exactly what it is. People write Munroe with questions that range over all fields of science: physics, chemistry, biology. Questions like, “From what height would you need to drop a steak for it to be cooked when it hit the ground?” (The answer, it turns out, is “high enough that it would disintegrate before it hit the ground.”) Munroe’s explanations are funny, but the science underpinning his answers is very accurate. It’s an entertaining read, and you’ll also learn a bit about things like ballistics, DNA, the oceans, the atmosphere, and lightning along the way.
XKCD, by Randall Munroe. A collection of posts from Munroe’s blog XKCD, which is made up of cartoons he draws making fun of things—mostly scientists and computers, but lots of other things too. There’s one about scientists holding a press conference to reveal their discovery that life is arsenic-based. They research press conferences and find out that sometimes it’s good to serve food that’s related to the subject of the conference. The last panel is all the reporters dead on the floor because they ate arsenic. It’s that kind of humor, which not everybody loves, but I do.
On Immunity, by Eula Biss. When I stumbled across this book on the Internet, I thought it might be a worthwhile read. I had no idea what a pleasure reading it would be. Biss, an essayist and university lecturer, examines what lies behind people’s fears of vaccinating their children. Like many of us, she concludes that vaccines are safe, effective, and almost miraculous tools for protecting children against needless suffering. But she is not out to demonize anyone who holds opposing views. This is a thoughtful and beautifully written book about a very important topic.
How to Lie With Statistics, by Darrell Huff. I picked up this short, easy-to-read book after seeing it on a Wall Street Journal list of good books for investors. I enjoyed it so much that it was one of a handful of books I recommended to everyone at TED this year. It was first published in 1954, but aside from a few anachronistic examples (it has been a long time since bread cost 5 cents a loaf in the United States), it doesn’t feel dated. One chapter shows you how visuals can be used to exaggerate trends and give distorted comparisons—a timely reminder, given how often infographics show up in your Facebook and Twitter feeds these days. A useful introduction to the use of statistics, and a helpful refresher for anyone who is already well versed in it.
Should We Eat Meat?, by Vaclav Smil. The richer the world gets, the more meat it eats. And the more meat it eats, the bigger the threat to the planet. How do we square this circle? Vaclav Smil takes his usual clear-eyed view of the whole landscape, from meat’s role in human evolution to hard questions about animal cruelty. While it would be great if people wanted to eat less meat, I don’t think we can expect large numbers of people to make drastic reductions. I’m betting on innovation, including higher agricultural productivity and the development of meat substitutes, to help the world meet its need for meat. A timely book, though probably the least beach-friendly one on this list.
[via twitter]
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Christopher Lee
(CNN) Christopher Lee, the actor, was often the villain.
He played Dracula, the bad guy in the James Bond thriller "The Man with the Golden Gun," the deliciously evil wizard Saruman in the "Lord of the Ring" films, and the dude who fought Yoda with a lightsaber in "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones."
But Sir Christopher Lee, the man, who died this week at the age of 93? Not an ounce of villain to be found, fans and fellow actors alike said Thursday.
"You were an icon, and a towering human being with stories for days," "Lord of the Rings" co-star Elijah Wood tweeted Thursday. "We'll miss you."
Lee died Sunday, a spokesman for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said.
He had more than 150 film credits to his name, beginning in 1948 and stretching into this decade.
Lee initially made his name in horror films. His first major horror role was as Frankenstein's creature and then the infamous vampire Dracula in a series films for Britain's Hammer Films studios from the 1950s until the 1970s.
Later, he took on the role of James Bond's nemesis Francisco Scaramanga in 1974's "The Man with the Golden Gun," and was introduced to a new generation of film-goers in 2001 with "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."
In it, he played the evil wizard Saruman, former mentor to Gandalf -- the good-guy wizard's role Lee said he once coveted but had grown too old to play.
The next year, he entered the "Star Wars" universe as the fallen Jedi knight, Count Dooku, in the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."
Both series brought him renewed fame and acclaim, but for Lee, two roles always stood out: His 1973 turn as Lord Summerisle in the cult classic "The Wicker Man," and his portrayal of the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, in the 1998 film, "Jinnah."
"The most important thing I've ever done," he said in a 2011 forum at the University College Dublin.
Lee was knighted in 2009 -- fittingly on the day before Halloween -- for his accomplishments in the arts. Two years later, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awarded Lee its highest honor, the Academy Fellowship.
He played Dracula, the bad guy in the James Bond thriller "The Man with the Golden Gun," the deliciously evil wizard Saruman in the "Lord of the Ring" films, and the dude who fought Yoda with a lightsaber in "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones."
But Sir Christopher Lee, the man, who died this week at the age of 93? Not an ounce of villain to be found, fans and fellow actors alike said Thursday.
"You were an icon, and a towering human being with stories for days," "Lord of the Rings" co-star Elijah Wood tweeted Thursday. "We'll miss you."
Lee died Sunday, a spokesman for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said.
He had more than 150 film credits to his name, beginning in 1948 and stretching into this decade.
Lee initially made his name in horror films. His first major horror role was as Frankenstein's creature and then the infamous vampire Dracula in a series films for Britain's Hammer Films studios from the 1950s until the 1970s.
Later, he took on the role of James Bond's nemesis Francisco Scaramanga in 1974's "The Man with the Golden Gun," and was introduced to a new generation of film-goers in 2001 with "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."
In it, he played the evil wizard Saruman, former mentor to Gandalf -- the good-guy wizard's role Lee said he once coveted but had grown too old to play.
The next year, he entered the "Star Wars" universe as the fallen Jedi knight, Count Dooku, in the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."
Both series brought him renewed fame and acclaim, but for Lee, two roles always stood out: His 1973 turn as Lord Summerisle in the cult classic "The Wicker Man," and his portrayal of the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, in the 1998 film, "Jinnah."
"The most important thing I've ever done," he said in a 2011 forum at the University College Dublin.
Lee was knighted in 2009 -- fittingly on the day before Halloween -- for his accomplishments in the arts. Two years later, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awarded Lee its highest honor, the Academy Fellowship.
Tuesday, June 09, 2015
Letterman's last show
is still on CBS All Access, but not for long.
OK, here goes.
But hopefully the clips won't be taken down from youtube. I think most of the show is actually on the clips.
Let's see... Let's play the full video and find the youtube clip to match. That's the plan.
Hmm. The CBS app on my iPad isn't working. I'm getting a blank screen then the app exits out. I see it running in the background but when I bring it up, it's frozen.
Tried turning off the ipad and turning it back on. Nothing.
Tried freeing up some space on the ipad. Was down to 200+ MB. Deleted a video and I'm up to 1.5 GB. Still not working.
OK delete the app and add it back. OK, it's running again.
Still have two episodes left online, even without signing into my account.
OK, here goes.
Intro: former presidents announcing "our long national nightmare is over"
entrance
monologue
clip from August 27, 1980 (fire being extinguished on the old show)
not on youtube
good luck to Steven Colbert
conversations with the kids
October 15, 1980, Andy Kaufman on the old show
no clip
Top 10 Things I've Always wanted to say to Dave
June 26, 1980 - dog answering what is the square root of 25?
no clip
what a thrill for that top ten list
no clip
June 17, 1996 - Dave works at Taco Bell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRKSYnku8rw
musical interlude between two series of commercials
no clip
July 9, 1982 - Calvert DeForrest as Santa
no clip
a day in Dave's life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nJw-jPQYVI
the last six weeks have been crazy (Dave's parting words)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq2AZY-qaPY
Foo Fighters (with scenes from old shows)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrVjOUIoo6Q
closing credits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fmpnUj-PjM
***
Letterman's 8th Anniversary Special
no clip
June 17, 1996 - Dave works at Taco Bell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRKSYnku8rw
musical interlude between two series of commercials
no clip
July 9, 1982 - Calvert DeForrest as Santa
no clip
a day in Dave's life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nJw-jPQYVI
the last six weeks have been crazy (Dave's parting words)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq2AZY-qaPY
Foo Fighters (with scenes from old shows)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrVjOUIoo6Q
closing credits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fmpnUj-PjM
***
Letterman's 8th Anniversary Special
Sunday, June 07, 2015
Be Still
Renowned author and travel writer Pico Iyer seemingly had it all
by age 29. A Park Avenue apartment in New York, an exciting job writing
for Time magazine and the ability to travel the globe. Though his life
may have looked like a dream, Iyer says in reality, he was so busy that
he never stopped to consider if he was truly happy. Now, the bestselling
author says the most important thing we can do for ourselves is to tap
into stillness.
By being still -- even for just a few minutes a day -– Iyer believes we can find a deeper connection to the world around us. In fact, he says that finding moments of quiet in our day is as vital to our health and well-being as exercise.
In the above clip from his "Super Soul Sunday" interview, Iyer talks about joining a gym at his doctor's suggestion. Every day, for 30 minutes, he was committed to working on his health. But one day, a simple question posed by a friend gave him pause. "Another friend of mine said, 'Well, why don't you just take 30 minutes quietly? You know, go to the inner health club. Go to the mental health club.'"
At first, Iyer reacted the way most people would to the idea of being quiet and still for 30 minutes a day: "I don't have time for that." But ultimately, Iyer says he realized what he was truly missing. "I've got time to take care of my body -- why am I not taking care of my spirit or my being, which is much more important for my welfare than just building up my muscles or getting my heart going?"
The busier you are, Iyer believes, the more useful it may be to take the time to be still. If you can't afford a full 30 minutes, start small. Even five minutes of stillness can make a difference, he says.
[via twitter]
By being still -- even for just a few minutes a day -– Iyer believes we can find a deeper connection to the world around us. In fact, he says that finding moments of quiet in our day is as vital to our health and well-being as exercise.
In the above clip from his "Super Soul Sunday" interview, Iyer talks about joining a gym at his doctor's suggestion. Every day, for 30 minutes, he was committed to working on his health. But one day, a simple question posed by a friend gave him pause. "Another friend of mine said, 'Well, why don't you just take 30 minutes quietly? You know, go to the inner health club. Go to the mental health club.'"
At first, Iyer reacted the way most people would to the idea of being quiet and still for 30 minutes a day: "I don't have time for that." But ultimately, Iyer says he realized what he was truly missing. "I've got time to take care of my body -- why am I not taking care of my spirit or my being, which is much more important for my welfare than just building up my muscles or getting my heart going?"
The busier you are, Iyer believes, the more useful it may be to take the time to be still. If you can't afford a full 30 minutes, start small. Even five minutes of stillness can make a difference, he says.
[via twitter]
Saturday, June 06, 2015
The Avengers on Hulu
As noted elsewhere, some episodes of the 60's series The Avengers (starring Patrick MacNee and Diana Rigg) are on Hulu. But Hulu's episode listing doesn't match the presumedly accurate listing on wikipedia. So let's reconcile them.
Hulu Wiki
4-01 4-01 The Town of No Return
4-26 4-26 Honey for the Prince
5-01 5-01 From Venus With Love
5-16 5-16 Who's Who?
5-17 5-17 Return of the Cybernauts
5-24 5-24 Mission Highly Improbable
6-01 5-17 Return of the Cybernauts
6-08 5-24 Mission: Highly Improbable
7-01 6-01 The Forget-Me-Knot
Episode 4-01 was the first episode in which Diana Rigg appeared. Episode 6-01 was the last episode. So Hulu has all the Emma Peel episodes.
Going through listings, the episodes match up pretty well. The confusion is that that they list 40 episodes for season 5 instead of 24. That's because episodes 1-16 are listed twice. Episodes 17-24 are listed once for season 5. But then are listed again as Season 6, episodes 1-8. So all of season 5 is listed twice. And finally Season 6, episode 1 is listed as season 7, episode 1.
I see there was a long break between episode 16 and episode 17 of season 5. Episode 16 aired on 5/6/67. Episode 17 aired 9/30/67. So there's some justification for Hulu listing it as a separate season.
Hulu Wiki
4-01 4-01 The Town of No Return
4-26 4-26 Honey for the Prince
5-01 5-01 From Venus With Love
5-16 5-16 Who's Who?
5-17 5-17 Return of the Cybernauts
5-24 5-24 Mission Highly Improbable
6-01 5-17 Return of the Cybernauts
6-08 5-24 Mission: Highly Improbable
7-01 6-01 The Forget-Me-Knot
Episode 4-01 was the first episode in which Diana Rigg appeared. Episode 6-01 was the last episode. So Hulu has all the Emma Peel episodes.
Going through listings, the episodes match up pretty well. The confusion is that that they list 40 episodes for season 5 instead of 24. That's because episodes 1-16 are listed twice. Episodes 17-24 are listed once for season 5. But then are listed again as Season 6, episodes 1-8. So all of season 5 is listed twice. And finally Season 6, episode 1 is listed as season 7, episode 1.
I see there was a long break between episode 16 and episode 17 of season 5. Episode 16 aired on 5/6/67. Episode 17 aired 9/30/67. So there's some justification for Hulu listing it as a separate season.
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