Avogadro's Number

Just about anything

Recent Posts

Tools of Conquest

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“The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts… attitudes… prejudices. To be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill, and suspicion can destroy, and the thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own for the children, and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to The Twilight Zone.”

Closing narration by Rod Serling from The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street. Read it again, and hear Rod Serling’s voice and delivery. [Read more…]

Business BS Bingo

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I received, read, laughed, and forwarded a list of “50 office-speak phrases you love to hate” from BBC News. Some of us also call them phrases for Business Bullshit Bingo. They’re both hilarious and painful. In reply, I got this from my uncle:

It is amazing the lengths people will go to in order to make everyone as confused as they are. One of the people who contributed to this noted that their unfavorite saying was “There are no problems, only opportunities” (or something to that effect). The following actually happened to me back in the mid 60’s: [Read more…]

Good Things In Life

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It’s been said for years the good things are immoral, illegal or fattening. It seems you can add “causes cancer in rats” to that list.

“Immoral” makes most people avoid you, and the people who do hang around must be watched continuously, which takes a lot of time and effort (I’m too lazy to be immoral). “Illegal” carries its own penalty. I’m living with the results of “fattening.” And I’ve come to the conclusion that living “causes cancer in rats.” Since Death is inevitable, doesn’t that make how you live the important piece in this equation?

Living well is feeling good, doing good and being good. “Doing good” is just what it says. Most of us know what that means. Others, well, see “immoral” above. “Being good” means living what you believe. I’ve met some people who want you to join their church, but don’t follow the teachings of their own religion. Or else their statement “love thy neighbor as thyself” means they hate themselves passionately.

“Feeling good” is applicable both physically and emotionally. I feel pretty good emotionally, thanks to modern medicine. But my physical health needs attention paid to it (the ravages of age and all that). I’ve taken up Morris dancing. Because I’ll live longer? Because my joints are telling me they don’t like the extra weight. Pain makes me grumpy. Grumpy makes people avoid me. Healthy feels better, for me and for the people around me.

On the other side of that, depriving myself completely of the things that I like to eat would make me grumpy. Grumpy makes people avoid me…. You see where this is going.

Ice-cream-and-maybe-cancer vs. no-ice-cream-and-maybe-no-cancer. This is a choice? Bring on the ice cream! Just make the scoop a bit smaller.

We send mixed signals

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Why is “smart” used as a negative word when the oft-stated ambition is to send your kids to college?

“You think you’re so smart” and “smarty pants” are spoken in a negative, often sarcastic tone. Why, I wonder? If being smart is so bad, why the rush for college? Or are college grads supposed to be as stupid when they come out as they went in? (and do I really want an answer to that last?)

Seven Social Sins

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  • politics without principle
  • wealth without work
  • commerce without morality
  • pleasure without conscience
  • education without character
  • science without humanity
  • worship without sacrifice

–Mahatma Gandhi