Helen Keller Speaking

This is amazing footage from 1930 of Helen Keller with her teacher Anne Sullivan. It's a great lesson in speech language therapy too!

http://youtu.be/Gv1uLfF35Uw

Jonathan on Mad Men

Here is Jonathan's appearance on the set of Mad Men. He's walking by on the left. Too bad we can't see his face. Oh well. When he was out in LA, he was on a lot of television shows. It's always difficult to find the exact show and moment. 

I've never seen Mad Men yet, but everyone says I'd like it. Perhaps this is my incentive to watch the show. I do wonder who those two hot woman are... Main characters?

My Ancient DNA

After getting my DNA analyzed by the National Geographic Ancestry Project, I discovered the percentage of Neanderthal and Denisovan ancient DNA I have. I knew that I'd have some Neanderthal component, as most Europeans do, but the Denisovan is a surprise. I even have more Denisovan. Where did I get Denisovan DNA? (At present they are most associated with Asia and Siberia).

It is amazing that just a decade ago, the question of whether modern humans and our ancient cousins interbred was controversial. Now that we have mapped the human genome, the Neanderthal, and the Denisovan, I'm amazed that even percentages can be calculated.

As stated below, though, the analysis is still in the beginning stages. The amount of DNA contributed from neanderthals to modern humans is very small. Still, researchers postulate that one advantage Cro Magnons may have gotten from neanderthal interbreeding was increased immunity to certain diseases common in Europe.

By the way, since we have the DNA of the ancient Denisovans from a pinky bone, we can map the genome. But we do not know what the Denisovans looked like, because we have very little anthropological evidence! We know very well what our Neanderthal friends looked like. (In fact, neanderthals are definitely getting an image upgrade lately. These brute 'cavemen' were much smarter and cultured than we suppose).

Baron- This is Your Hominid Ancestry

When our ancestors first migrated out of Africa around 60,000 years ago, they were not alone. At that time, at least two other species of hominid cousins walked the Eurasian landmass: Neanderthals and Denisovans. Most non-Africans are about 2% Neanderthal. The Denisovan component of your Geno 2.0 results is more experimental, as we are still working to determine the best way to assess the percentage Denisovan ancestry you carry.

• 2.1%

  Neanderthal

  

• 3.2%
  
  

  Denisovan

Somerville Open Studios

Good looking bunch

Apparently Somerville Open Studios is the largest open studios event in the country, in terms of artists displaying their work, and attendees. In the past I've wandered around Vernon Street and the Washington Street Studios, but this year I only went to see a couple of friends. 

Steph and Jonathan both had their work displayed over at the Joy Street Studios. I've never been over there. For Steph, it was her virginal debut. (I don't know if she'll embrace that adjective) She had some drawings and Jonathan had some paintings and multimedia shadow boxes.

Steph's opining a thing or two

Anyway, on Saturday a few other friends came by. Jonathan took some photos. Today I saw Rosalie, Ellyn, and Jen.

JD's work

Steph's work

Dollhouse Furniture

My first attempt at making dollhouse furniture! Here is my very mod sofa couch. It's not quite finished yet. I am going to add a border around the edges to smooth it out. Cool? (For reference note kitty tail in background).

Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence

One of my signature strengths is to recognize and appreciate beauty and excellence. I will try to think of five things in various categories, starting with every letter of the alphabet. For some reason, I'm starting with V.

1. Vista

Grand Canyon

2. Voice

Ella Fitzgerald

http://youtu.be/vh3zLIfXhus listen to Ella singing "Mack the Knife." 1960

3. Violin

Itzhak Perlman

  Listen to Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Allegro Moderato pt. 1 http://youtu.be/ATK_pj2iMqg

4. Violet

Iris

 5. Vision

Martin Luther King

Listen to MLK's last speech- http://youtu.be/hSjf-vLTBzAhttp://youtu.be/hSjf-vLTBzA

FitBit Update

A few weeks ago I posted about my dismal FitBit results. As I mentioned FitBit is a nifty little device that I attach to my waist daily, or keep in my pocket. Supposedly it records my every step throughout the day. Ten thousand steps or about 5 miles is recommended per day for minimal fitness. On regular work days I average about 4,000 steps. Clearly I've got to get my butt moving a bit more than that. I suppose most people (my age) need to. Indeed I am still far overweight from where I'd like to be, and my BMI is skyrocketing. However the FitBit has made me at least conscious of my shortcomings, so I've made modest improvements. 

This week it is my grand scheme to meet or exceed the 70,000 steps or 35 miles per week that FitBit suggests is the minimum one should walk. Minimum I say. I think that barring a twisted ankle, goddess forbid, I will make it. (With the recent Boston Marathon bombing in mind, I am grateful to even have the limbs and vitality to walk 35 miles). Of course I'm off this week so it might be easier to take the time. Here are my stats so far. 
Week of April 7- 13 
 52217 steps taken    
75% of goal of 70,000 
90 floors climbed 
129% of goal of 70 

23.82 miles traveled 
68% of goal of 35.00 

Almost made it this week! 
April 14-20
55092 steps taken 

79% of goal of 70,000 

79 floors climbed 

113% of goal of 70 

25.13 miles traveled 

72% of goal of 35.00 

   

Wisdom of the Weekend

I attended a Meditation Retreat this past weekend at the Garrison Institute in New York. It was a wonderful experience, and I'm sure it hasn't settled all in yet. I loved the quiet, so coming back to life has its joys and its irritations. 

It was a group for LGBT practitioners. I spent the weekend in total silence, in terms of talking. I did 'cheat' by reading, playing solitaire, and going on facebook and email. Overall I had a great time. I didn't feel lonely, though I spoke to no one. I walked 10 miles around the institute, got up at six both days, and I ate great food for three days. 

I missed my kitties, because it seems natural that when you open to the beauty of life, animals and nature are clearly part of it.

Here are some words of wisdom that I scribbled in my notebook:
5 Hindrances to Meditation

1. Sloth and Stupor
2. Indecision & Doubt about the validity of meditation
3. Desire for Sense Experiences
4. Restlessness & Anxiety 
5. Ill Will, Hatred, or Negative Feelings

Metta Phrases

• May all beings be safe & protected
• May all beings be peaceful
• May all beings live with ease & with kindness

The Four Noble Truths According to the Buddha

• Life has suffering; no living being avoids it
• The cause of suffering is attachment
• There is a way to end suffering
• It is the path of dharma

The Arrows of Pain

• The first arrow is the actual pain
• The second arrow is our reaction to the pain

Can you love yourself?
If you can't love yourself, can you be kind?
If you can't be kind, can you be nonjudgmental?
If you can't be nonjudgmental, then can you do no harm?
If you do harm, then can you do the least harm possible?

Life is 10.000 joys and 10,000 sorrows

The Signature Strengths of My Friends

Once again, here are the 24 signature strengths, according to Marty Seligman and the Authentic Happiness website. We all have these qualities, to a lesser or greater value. The positive psychology model is that if you know your signature strengths, you can enjoy life more by capitalizing on them. Last night I held a 'signature strengths' party at my house. All my friends took the VIA Character Strengths test on the Authentic Happiness website, and we discussed our strengths (and weaknesses). Though there wasn't enough time to solve all questions, everyone seemed to enjoy the exercise. Here are the 24 choices.

• Appreciation of beauty and excellence
• Bravery and valor
• Capacity to love and be loved
• Caution, prudence, and discretion
• Citizenship, teamwork, and loyalty
• Creativity, ingenuity, and originality
• Curiosity and interest in the world
• Fairness, equity, and justice
• Forgiveness and mercy
• Gratitude
• Honesty, authenticity, and genuineness
• Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness
• Humor and playfulness
• Industry, diligence, and perseverance
• Judgment, critical thinking, and open-mindedness
• Kindness and generosity
• Leadership
• Love of Learning
• Modesty and humility
• Perspective (wisdom)
• Self-control and self-regulation
• Social Intelligence
• Spirituality, sense of purpose, and faith
• Zest, enthusiasm, and energy

Here are the first five strengths of each of my friends. I did not get the order correct, but I think I recorded the top five for everybody.
Molly
1. Gratitude
2. Leadership
3. Forgiveness & Mercy
4. Capacity to Love & Be Loved
5. Perspective

Rosalie
1. Fairness & Equity
2. Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence
3. Leadership
4. Curiosity
5. Honesty

Doug
1. Creativity
2. Capacity to Love & be Loved
3. Judgment & Critical Thinking
4. Modesty & Humility
5. Curiosity

Amy
1. Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence
2. Love of Learning
3. Curiosity
4. Fairness & Equity
5. Creativity

Jonathan
1. Creativity
2. Humor & Playfulness
3. Love of Learning
4. Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence
5. Curiosity

Ellyn 
1. Fairness & Equity
2. Bravery & Valor
3. Appreciation of Beauty
4. Kindness & Generosity
5. Love of Learning

Steph
1. Curiosity
2. Love of Learning
3. Gratitude
4. Appreciation of Beauty
5. Forgiveness & Mercy

Carolyn 
1.  Curiosity & Interest in the World
2. Love of Learning
3. Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence
4. Humor & Playfulness
5. Fairness, Equity & Justice

As our discussion evolved, we came up with some interesting observations & questions. 

1. We had many similar results among us. Is it because we are all friends, and have similar values? Would a group of engineers get very dissimilar results to our group?

2. Do we end up with a strength because we have chosen a career that hones a certain characteristic? Or do we choose that livelihood because we have that character strength? 

3.  Where do weaknesses fit in? What do we do with them? 

4. The appreciation of beauty & excellence was common for several of us. We explained this strength in many ways--- the appreciation of nature, taking time to notice the beauty of everyday things, music, the demonstration of flawless human skill, and the love of collecting art, antiques, and books.  

5. We noticed that the more optimistic thinkers among us also were high on gratitude. 

6. Some folks were surprised at their results, but the group sometimes helped to clarify. 

7. Many of us were not as high on social intelligence as would be expected, considering our professions and such. 

8. Many of us were lowest on Spirituality and Self Regulation & Self Control. We thought the questions regarding spirituality were more traditionally religious-based rather than spiritual as we understand it. 

Self control and regulation? Well, we had no excuses for that. 

25 Things to be Grateful For

The Authentic Happiness website recommends that one of the most effective happiness tools is to keep a gratitude journal. Everyday you write down a few aspects of your life you are grateful for. It can be a very little event or a significant one. 

Another recommendation is to keep a daily 'that went well' journal. Here you write down three things that went well that day, but you also say why. I think this method is useful for natural pessimists like me, because it demonstrates how your own actions play a role in good fortune. 

Pessimists and optimists have an opposite thinking or explanatory style. I have to admit I was well schooled in the pessimistic view for most of my early childhood on. For example:

Something Bad Happens
Pessimistic Thinking                                                     Optimistic Thinking
Personal: It was all my fault                            Personal: It wasn't my fault
Permanent: It will last forever                        Temporary: It will pass
Pervasive: It affects my whole life                  Pervasiveness: It's a small part of my life

Luckily, you can train yourself to think differently, but it is hard. Marty Seligman's book "Learned Optimism" is a good start on the path of positive psychology. 

I try to write in my gratitude journal frequently, but it seems difficult to keep up at times. I started this gratitude journal in 2004, before I knew about much positive psychology. Here are 25 entries from 2012. 

• I'm grateful to have a job that's stable & uses my skills.
• I'm grateful for my Kindle.
• I'm grateful for my friends' support.
• I'm grateful I have E, my sister, & M. to talk to. 
• I'm grateful I got a week off & got to travel to L.A. & see J.
• I'm grateful that my house is clean. 
• I'm grateful that I went to Maine yesterday & spent time with N, G, & Z. 
• I'm grateful for S's art space. 
• I'm grateful for Kukala the dog. 
• I'm grateful to be meditating frequently.
• I'm grateful that I get to work again this summer at the Belmont Public Schools. 
• I'm grateful that it is the last day of school & I have the summer off. 
• I'm grateful for my flowers & plants. 
• I'm grateful for able bodied limbs. 
• I'm grateful that I got to go to Bermuda & swim in a pool with dolphins. 
• I'm grateful that my friends came to the Barn Bash with me.
• I'm grateful that I have an intern to help me at work.
• I'm grateful that I did some major cleaning & purging in August. 
• I'm grateful for J.B.'s friendship. 
• I'm grateful I feel confident at work.
• I'm grateful that the recent storm did not flood my building.
• I'm grateful for the sun today. 
• I'm grateful for a gathering of friends last night. 
• I'm grateful for future plans.
• I"m grateful for my blog! 

  

  Swam with dolphins! Check +

Assemblage Class

My assemblage class finished up on Saturday. It was really wonderful heading over every Saturday morning for the past month, and working in a quiet, sunny studio space. It was also really great to trade ideas with the other artists, and trade items as well. I love the Eliot School in Jamaica Plain! I will probably be taking some other classes soon, perhaps a silk screening class. 

Here are the finished or almost finished pieces of my fellow students. Hopefully I will have their names written in soon. The instructor will put our pieces on her website, which I will provide a link to. Her name is Amy Hitchcock. Anyway, I have not finished my assemblage about my grandfather yet. 

Further Acquisitions in the Museum of the Baronesque

As I continue on my unrelenting quest for the weird and unusual, the Museum of the Baronesque has a few new additions worth highlighting. TJ Max HomeGoods is putting me in a tizzy, as well as various websites like Etsy and Ebay. Not to mention there's Boomerangs and a fabulous hat and accessories store in JP on Centre Street, called Salmagundi. Though I am very sad about Pier 1 closing in Cambridge and Woburn, it will probably be good for my wallet!

Fab Frames- at Target for 1.78 cents!

5 year journal

Cabinet for curios?

Two Mona Lisa switch plates

Eiffel Tower lamp base

1980 Disco Barbie

Eyeball & Mona Lisa with Cowboy Hat cufflinks

 

They came, they saw, they conquered Part 2

Two years ago my nephews Gavin and Zach came to stay for the weekend. I took this photograph at the time with the caption on Facebook: "They came, they saw, they conquered, then their father came and picked them up." 

This weekend was a similar scene, as they arrived, they saw, and they quickly overtook my condo once again. I have been finding a path of destruction around my apartment since they left. My kitties have been sufficiently terrified, my i pad has Minecraft on it, there are crumbs and candy wrappers all about, dirt marks on the kitchen floor, and my toilet seat was in the most unfamiliar up position this morning. 

Last night we went to see Blue Man Group, and rode the subway, which they both loved. We also visited Harvard Sq., and Newbury Comics, and for breakfast/brunch they had McDonald's cheeseburgers, french fries, and shamrock shakes. Last night we watched "The Breakfast Club" until almost midnight. It was a banner weekend.

They are looking cooler these days, and less boyish, eh?

Renegade Barbies, For Natalia

Dear Natalia, Since I didn't get to see you last weekend, I will send you a picture of my renegade barbies. As you can see, they have scooters and a new Mini Cooper! Rev them up.

Love, Carolyn 

First Sound Recording

Scott's Phonautograph 1860

What is odd about history is that certain people end up being famous throughout the ages for accomplishments, whereas others are soon forgotten. If you were asked who recorded the first voice, most people would reply 'Thomas Edison'. 

But Thomas Edison was not the first scientist to record a human voice. The first voice recording, in fact, was made in 1860 by a Frenchman named Edouard-Leon Scott de la Martinville. This was almost two decades before Edison's recordings. 

I think what distinguishes Edison from others was that he was a keen businessman and a promoter as well as a genius inventor. He was also an American, which may have made a difference as well. Americans believe in enterprise and entrepreneurship, as my French friend Claire once said to me. Edison's time was also a time of rapid advancement and mass production of goods. Most of Edison's inventions were very successful ventures. 

Here is a version of Edouard-Leon Scott de la Martinville's recording of a girl singing "Au Clair De La Lune." I like this version because of the later digital enhancement of the voice.
http://youtu.be/znKNQXo58pE

Edison's Graphophone 1899

Edison's first recording was on the phonograph in 1877, of Edison reciting "Mary Had a Little Lamb." http://youtu.be/fnGsHx7QD2o 

Edison was the most successful inventor to not only record but reproduce sound.  Later versions of the phonograph were perfected and honed.

A Profile of the 'Jack the Ripper' Suspect

by j.a. taylor

The Whitechapel murders took place within a one square-mile area consisting of three police jurisdictions in the east end of London in the Fall of 1888. The serial murders may have started as early as August 1888 if the Martha Tambram murder is to be included with the "canonical five." I do include this earlier murder for reasons I'll discuss, which would bring this murderer's total number of victims to six.

Whitechapel Area, London 1888

The murders took place within a four month timeframe although he did not strike in October. At the time in this area there was an uneasy mix of old Londoners and Irish and Jewish immigrants living in tight squalid conditions. The victims were women who worked the streets in desperation for lodging, food and drink.

I think it should be noted that these were streetwise women aware that a killer of a type unknown at the time was prowling the streets at night. I think this supports the possibility that this was an individual that would not be their idea of a "mad man". This man would not be suspicious to them and was most likely regularly seen at night in the bars and around the lodging houses these women would frequent.

All of the victims of the Whitechapel murders were poor street prostitutes in their 40s with the exception of the last, who was 25. All were known to drink in bars in the area and most if not all were reportedly alcoholics. They would all be considered very high risk victims as prostitutes are often targeted for accessibility and vulnerability. They were all murdered between the hours of 12 AM and 6 AM on or close to the weekend.

I do not believe the women were selected and followed for any lengthy time period. I do not think the victims mattered as much as what "they" represented to this individual. It is more likely to me that the murderer drank in the same bars, walked the same streets, probably nightly, and took opportunities for attack as he found them. These women were in horrible living conditions in the most feared and dangerous place in London at the time. It is unfortunate that they crossed paths with this murder in their effort to survive.

The following is my assessment of the offender characteristics most likely present in this case. This was a white heterosexual male age 20-30 who lived alone and answered to no one regarding his living habits. In at least one of the murders, Martha Tabram, the first victim, he would most likely have been covered in blood as it appears from the autopsy report interpretation he did face her during the attack. This may have prompted him to alter his method of operation or M.O., which is common, as the killer learns during the progression of serial murder. All of his other victims appeared to be lying supine at the time of the attacks with severe neck injuries that would have rendered them unconscious and dead within moments, thus limiting his exposure to blood spurting and spatter.

I also think he stored and possibly cannibalized organs and tissue he took as "trophies" from several of the victims. This would necessitate his need for isolation and privacy. I strongly believe he lived and worked possibly at the same place as a tradesman within the square-mile in which these murders took place. He knew the streets very well. I would assume that he would appear to others, particularly women,  as quiet,  ineffectual and nonthreatening. He most likely used drinking to embolden himself for the minimum amount of interaction he needed to have his victims lead him to their demise or employed his blitz style attack on women he found alone.

The exception to this was the last victim Mary Jane Kelly who interacted with him enough to go through her usual preparations for her trade. Her clothes were found folded by the fire and she had apparently gotten into bed wearing minimal clothing. I think when she initiated the encounter he attacked. This could also be evidence of evolving M.O. where he finally had the time he "needed" with this victim. Her condition when found reflected this only too horrifically.

These murders reveal a killer who desired power and control over his victims. He most likely did not have a lasting relationship with a woman and engaged in prostitution well before the killings began. His disgust with himself, his adolescent curiosity of the female body, and his hunger for domination together resulted in quite a rare type of lust killer.

To be continued....

Reading Challenge Update

I've been far more disciplined with reading this year. I'm making progress and thoroughly enjoying the reading I've completed!
 
2013 Reading Challenge 

You have read 4 books toward your goal of 12 books.

 

4 of 12 (33%)

Awesome, you're 2 books (15%) ahead of schedule!