The Daily Bluster

iSad Day. What else is there to be said of the man who revolutionized personal computing? A remarkable man, a remarkable life. Here are my favorite quotes from Steve Jobs: “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results...

The Phoenicians were members of an ancient civilization based in the north of ancient Canaan, which approximates today’s modern Lebanon. Their civilization was a trading maritime culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550 BC to 300 BC, a period in history when there was no major military power in Mesopotamia, thus enabling smaller states like Phoenicia and the Hebrews to prosper.                 The term “Phoenicia” was actually from a Greek word that referred to the color of the dye from the snail murex ; the Phoenicians, however, referred to themselves as the “ Kena’ani ,” (or “Canaanites”), which incidentally is also a Hebrew word for “merchant.” Although the Phoenicians considered themselves a single nation, Phoenicia was not a unified state but a group of city-kingdoms, much like the ancient Greek city-states. The most important of these cities were Simyra, Zarephath (Sarafand), Byblos, Jubeil, Arw...

So Modern Family won big at the Emmys, including Best Comedy Series. Also Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, won as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Both shows are my favorite, although I’m leaning more towards the "three geniuses and their friend Howard.”  Good for them, winning all those Emmys. I didn’t get to finish watching the Emmys, though. But I noticed that among those I saw receiving awards, I didn’t hear one thanking God (or Jesus, or Mama Mary or even the baby Jesus). Maybe they realized that God doesn’t really have a favorite actor, or a favorite TV show, and that He probably, probably , doesn’t even watch TV. An interesting image, that: God (a bearded old guy in white robes; or maybe someone who looks like Morgan Freeman ) kicking off his sandals, lying back in his heavenly Lazyboy facing the TV, a beer in hand, remote control in the other, going “I wonder what’s on tonight…” and clicking. Some, however, woul...

Watched the season 2 finale of “ Modern Family ” last night. It’s Jay’s birthday (the patriarch), and he is looking forward to a quiet day spent fishing on the lake. His family, however, plans a party for him, and his birthday wish doesn’t happen, so he spends most of the episode sulking and grumbling about his ruined plans. At the dinner table however, realizing that his family had put an effort to give him a memorable birthday party, he declared, “You know what, I’d been acting like a jerk. What am I, twelve years old?” Whereupon Luke, his twelve-year-old grandson, interrupts him with “Hey!” For some reason this strikes me as very funny. Yes, there are other funny scenes in that episode, but I seem to have fixated on this one. I kept repeating that scene in my mind during my commute to the office.   Love that show.  Also, Sofia Vergara and Julie Bowen are in the show, so how can it lose? It’s September, so the season 3 premiere is scheduled for late...

There have been women in history who showed incredible courage and skills against odds that would daunt even the hardiest of men.   For sheer badassery , however, few could top the Trung Sisters (Trung Trac and Trung Nhi), who are regarded today in Vietnam as national heroes. The Trung sisters were born in China-dominated Vietnam sometime during the first century (no one was really sure of the exact date). Coming from a military family, the sisters grew up well-versed in martial arts, which meant they were no strangers when it came to some serious ass-kicking. Not really known as a benevolent overlord, China was then pursuing a policy of forcible assimilation of the Vietnamese people, an idea that did not sit well in the Trung household. Thi Sach, Trung Trac’s husband, decided enough was enough and made a stand against the Chinese.  As you can imagine, the Chinese invaders did not take this well; they promptly executed him as an example to other wou...

I was at a mall about a month ago when I saw an electronics store and I thought of buying a Kindle book light.  I entered the store and approached a saleslady and asked for one. What’s a Kindle, she asked, with a blank stare. I must have looked sufficiently puzzled at her “lack of familiarity” with said device, because she turned towards the other saleslady and repeated the question to her. She didn’t know what a Kindle was, either. A Kindle is an e-book reading device from Amazon that uses e-ink technology , I might have said, but I didn’t. I wasn’t particularly interested in informing them of various gadgets that stores such as theirs might have an interest in. I turned around and left the store, disgusted. Amazon introduced the first Kindle in 2007; its latest incarnation, the Kindle 3, was released last year. Kindle is a bestseller for Amazon, and is the most popular e-book reader out there. No mass market appeal for Kindle in this part of the world, though; but...

Inanna, “The Queen of Heaven,” is a goddess of Sumerian origin: goddess of warfare, fertility, and sexual love. The Akkadians called her Ishtar , a name from which Easter was derived. Yes, the Christian holiday. Inanna is the most popular and important female deity in ancient Mesopotamia. She is also known as a healer, life giver, composer of songs, and possessing a wide range of emotions—passionate, ambitious, jealous, grieving, joyful, timid, and generous. In later cultures, she went by different names: Astarte, Isis, Aphrodite—she was the Goddess. She is the original femme fatale , the embodiment of the woman every man dreams about; the female that devours men, the female that attracts/scares men; the virgin harlot. Every man knows at least one. The goddess makes an appearance in Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods.”  Throughout Sumer’s existence, her powers and deeds were glorified and extolled in myth, epic, and hymn. No one dared oppose her, neither god nor man. She...