Dr. Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

I know everyone is thinking and talking about Randy Pausch and how he just died. The thing is, I had never heard of him. So I checked him out on YouTube. The original lecture is over an hour long; I recommend it and you can find it on YouTube.

This video, unfortunately, is from when Dr. Pausch visited Oprah. I dislike Oprah. Passionately. I wish they wouldn't keep showing her and her partner in pretentiousness, but what can you do?

Enjoy this video and check out the full lecture another time.

I am reading John Adams by David McCullough

and was floored by the flap text. So this is a good book. I guess it was made into some TV mini-series not long ago, starring Paul Giamatti and others.

Anyway, some kind of inexplicable shift has happened in this country. I want to share something from this book, and then I will do my very best not to start flaming. I might add a thought or two, but... anyway.

As his family and friends knew, Adams was both a devout Christian and an independent thinker, and he saw no conflict in that.

John Adams and many of the Founding Fathers were devout Christians, and were obviously thinking men. They were well-versed in philosophy, literature and had immersed themselves in many of the greatest thinkers' writings. Here's a list of what John Adams had been reading:

He read Cicero, Tacitus, and others of his Roman heroes in Latin, and Plato and Thucydides in the original Greek, which he considered the supreme language. But in his need to fathom the "labyrinth" of human nature, as he said, he was drawn to Shakespeare and Swift, and likely to carry Cervantes or a volume of English poetry with him on his journeys. "You will never be alone with a poet in your pocket," he would tell his son Jonny.

Practically a laundry list of the greatest thinkers in all Western Civilization. But he was a devout Christian as well and we learn that John Adams was very reluctant to travel on the Sabbath.

If a modern prominent politician was reluctant to campaign and stump on the Sabbath, he or she would be derided as a fanatic or extremist. People would jump to say he or she was judging those who did not honor the Sabbath. They would call him or her self-righteous and someone who was mindlessly, blindly filling the role of a devout Christian.

In short, folks today would name call and form constituencies to make themselves feel better about the fact that they are suddenly confident that this is a better person than them. Is it envy that is driving this derision of excellence and devotion? The ugly green monster is in control of our country and media, perhaps?

I don't know.

I had better stop there, or I'm going to start shouting. Have Senators McCain and Obama even read Cicero, Plato's Republic, Cervantes? Have they read the Constitution and studied the founding principles of this nation?

Or are they being fed poll numbers by their lackeys and just trying to appease a nation of people who are, even if they don't realize it, hungry for more than just sound-bytes and words? Starving for more than just platitudes, promises and moderation.

I say to hell with moderation inasmuch as it quells our desires to be excellent. I say Hades take empty promises of politicians who are trying to appease, rather than lead. Bring back John Adams. Or at least give us a statesperson who is studious, devout, dedicated to excellence and filled with a fire to match that of our founding fathers.

I said I would stop.

But I'm also going to stop spending my time reading the headlines about celebrities and I'm going to start spending my time reading biographies of great men and women. I'm going to study more of the good things. That's why I have this blog.

Because I don't want this to be a weary, humdrum, status quo, blending in life. And neither should you.

Today is funny posting day.

So I thought I would honor Pioneer Day with some stuff to keep you from spending time with your family.

This first video is a hilarious five minutes of Kevin Pollock doing remarkable impressions. Watch his eyes when he does Peter Falk.




Our next video is of the surprising Kevin Spacey. This clip is from Inside the Actor's Studio. I never knew he had it in him.




In the same vein of impressions, here's Matt Damon doing another Matt. It's pretty impressive.



Yes, that Matt Damon is one talented cat.

Next up are a few clips from Brian Regan, one of the cleanest and funniest comedians working today.











So there you go, I hope you enjoyed them. Happy Pioneer Day.

As I read some Milton, I thought it would be good

to post one of his excellent psalms here. So here, for your reading and pondering enjoyment, is John Milton's psalm #2.

Why do the Gentiles tumult, and the Nations
Muse a vain thing, the Kings of th'earth upstand
With power, and Princes in their Congregations
Lay deep their plots together through each Land,
Against the Lord and his Messiah dear.
Let us break off; say they, by strength of hand
Their bonds, and cast from us, no more to wear,
Their twisted cords: he who in Heaven doth dwell
Shall laugh, the Lord shall scoff them, then severe
Speak to them in his wrath, and in his fell
And fierce ire trouble them; but I saith hee
Anointed have my King (though ye rebell)
On Sion my holi' hill. A firm decree
I will declare; the Lord to me hath say'd
Thou art my Son I have begotten thee
This day, ask of me, and the grant is made;
As thy possession I on thee bestow
Th'Heathen, and as thy conquest to be sway'd
Earths utmost bounds: them shalt thou bring full low
With Iron Sceptir bruis'd, and them disperse
Like to a potters vessel shiver'd so.
And now be wise at length ye Kings averse
Be taught ye Judges of the earth; with fear
Jehovah serve and let your joy converse
With trembling; Kiss the Son least he appear
In anger and ye perish in the way
If once his wrath take fire like fuel sere.
Happy all those who have in him their stay.

-John Milton

It takes two readings to really get the point of this poem. In essence, it can be summed up by a line from a poem I wrote years ago: God to me is a good cup of tea.

So there you go.

You can argue, you can gnash your teeth...

but even if you do, I'll still be your pal. Why would you argue and gnash your teeth? Because of the article I wrote and am putting a link to.

http://www.helium.com/items/1116110-should-ron-pauls-supporters-still-vote-for-him

This is about Ron Paul and whether his supporters should still vote for him. I am not telling people who to vote for, nor am I revealing who I will vote for. Instead, I am exploring this issue from the point of view of a supporter of Representative Paul. It might help readers to know that Dr. Paul is probably the only candidate in this election process who has recently read the Constitution.

Let me know your thoughts.

I love it, I love it, I love it!

While I pointedly do not support either of the two Presidential nominees, I have to post this article here. It highlights the schizophrenia of the Democratic party, mainly due to the lobbying power of unions. It also shows, on close reading, that Senator Barack Obama is very much a product of his party's machine and he really may not know what he has gotten into.

http://www.postchronicle.com/commentary/article_212159321.shtml

This is also an argument for vouchers and injecting some capitalism into our system of public education. So if you disagree with vouchers, contact me and we can argue. We can also still be friends.

Why is she in the news again? Yes, I mean Omarosa.

Taking umbrage at the fact that Omarosa is in the news again, I searched high and low for a video expressing my distaste for her. I found a cool one on YouTube, but it had a lot of racial stuff in it, and I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea. So here's how I really feel, or what I would do if she was in a classroom GIVING A LECTURE TO IMPRESSIONABLE MINDS! Arrg!

This is fast, so don't blink.