Author: Claire
I’d just finished the illustrated article on adorable Internet pet terminology and was halfway through the blow-by-blow description of Michael Jackson’s death. I still hadn’t gotten over my irritation with the “tell me again why I’m supposed to care about this foul-mouthed camera-hogging teenage activist?” article … when it occurred to me I need a few hours break from the ‘Net. It also occurred to me there’s a good reason why even smart people might prefer to visit cute-pet pages or read about Meghan Markle’s wedding than slog through the fetid ooze that passes for “real” news these days. But…
Earlier this spring, this arrived at my house: Yes, a lump of dirt with grass attached. In a soggy, soiled paper towel. I was thrilled. That’s no ordinary sod. It’s holy ground from Lexington Green, and a surprise gift from a friend. I potted it the next morning. Although a few blades instantly turned white, as if lesser soil had suddenly sucked all the chlorophyll out of them, 24 hours later the grass was thriving again. It’s still growing strong today. It truly felt (and feels) like a sacred object — much moreso than most items ever decreed holy by…
As if we didn’t already have enough holidays, today, May 22, is Bitcoin Pizza Day. On this day in 2010, Florida programmer Laszlo Hanyecz made the first-ever purchase using bitcoin. He ordered two Papa John’s pizzas (worth about $25) and paid for them with 10,000 bitcoins. They’ve long since become the most valuable pizzas in history. In today’s bitcoinage, Hanyecz paid approximately $83,000,000 for his dinner. I hope he at least got extra pepperoni.
Check the thermometer, over there in the sidebar, dear people. Scroll down. Admire your own handiwork. After a grand beginning, then several weeks of fits and starts … you sent the temperature soaring. We are 2/3 of the way through the fundraiser today and exceeding expectations. Total as of this morning: $3,978 Number of donors: 39 — which includes one who donated three times and two who donated twice Largest donation: $685 — not counting the matching donor who’ll step in at the end of the event Average donation: $102 Smallest donation: 23,497 satoshis — which is 0.00023497 of a…
Bet you thought I’d forgotten, eh? —– So. In part I we established that an Authentic Life is very much in the eye of the beholder. Sure, it often involves getting back to basics, being more self-sufficient, or living according to our highest values; but your authenticity isn’t mine and vice versa. In part II we established that although knowing ourselves is vital to the Authentic Life, self-knowing is a lifelong trial-and-error process. And the Authentic Life requires both compromise and refusal to compromise. We also established that some of the more rough-tough readers of Living Freedom consider the whole…
Yesterday Tom Knapp made a donation, forgetting he’d already given at the beginning of the fundraiser. Knowing he and Rational Review are supported by donations themselves, I was about to refund the duplicate when he emailed to say not to. He’d just opened an envelope and found many times that. He wrote in comments: I know some people here are not religious/mystical, and really don’t consider myself ESPECIALLY so. But I do believe in karma and the whole “cast your bread on the waters and it will return to you” thing. I’m one of those non-religious/mystical types. But Tom inspired…