Thought these pictures were cool

© Bruno Barbey / Magnum Photos

Favorite bagel

You Are a Cinnamon Raisin Bagel

You are warm, loving, and genuinely selfless. You enjoy comforting other people, and you easily fall into the roll of caretaker. Of all the types, you're the most likely to be an excellent cook. You tend to have something delicious for breakfast that you've cooked up for everyone.

What Kind of Bagel Are You?

Selected Olympic Photographs

Good magazine - literally!

I found out about Good magazine while browsing articles on a blog. Based on what I have read so far on its websites, mainly from the about section and a few articles, I think it is a pretty neat magazine. As the about section reads: "GOOD is the integrated media platform for people who want to live well and do good. We are a company and community for the people, businesses, and NGOs moving the world forward. GOOD's mission is to provide content, experiences, and utilities to serve this community." Since I am really into volunteer work, and plan to do it for the foreseeable future, this mission is really appealing to me, personally. I plan to check out the actual print publication in stores to learn more about it, before trying to subscribe.

More on Mindfulness

I just completed reading The Power of Mindful Learning. It certainly took a while but I was busy with other stuff. At any rate, it was an eyeopening book, and I plan to read it and Ellen's other major work, Mindfulness, again at some point in the near future. However, I would like to post a few quotations from the book that I thought give further insight into the concept of Mindfulness.

Mindfulness

Controls reality by identifying several possible perspectives from which any situation may be viewed

A process of stepping back from both perceived problems and perceived solutions to view situations as novel

A process through which meaning is given to outcomes

Developed from an actor's ability to experience personal control by shifting perspectives

Depends on the fluidity of knowledge and skills and recognizes both advantages and disadvantages in each

On Hopefulness: update

I would like to add Hopefulness as one of the qualities I admire. I had some reservations about the idea of hopefulness because it struck me as an optimism that obscured reality and, consequently, provided a false sense of comfort. But a person does not have to be blind to reality to be hopeful; hopefulness, in my view, requires basically an optimistic disposition and a willingness to imagine, and believe in, a better outcome. One of my favorite films is Shawshank Redemption, and the remarks at the end are among the most moving I have read or heard: "I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope." Hope gives life its meaning and elevates our sense of what's possible.

Live 365

My Lastfm facebook application is down for some reason. Anyway, another site I check out occasionally is live365. Although a paid service, many of the stations are free. I obviously listen to mostly folk and soul, but I also check out tunes from other genres.

http://www.live365.com/index.live