Surrender

Quote of the Day

- You don’t fight for peace, you surrender to it -

Anything for loaf

Wondering how this will end, a pay-what-you-want bakery store brought to you by Panera.

The national bakery and restaurant chain launched a new nonprofit store here this week that has the same menu as its other 1,400 locations. But the prices are a little different — there aren’t any. Customers are told to donate what they want for a meal, whether it’s the full suggested price, a penny or $100.

At least it makes for an interesting social experiment: will people on average underpay or overpay. And how free (or hungry, or financially strapped) will people feel to pay just  a penny for a loaf (“keep the change”) – especially when others are watching. Or people buying more than they usually would. And have you never wanted to walk into a store, slam a dollar on the counter: “I’ll buy everything you have”.  The question is whether it is a commercially viable model, or that it only works as a non-profit model with the proceeds going to charity. My money (2 cents and a nickel) is on the latter, with which it is hard enough already to run it cost neutral. Bon appetit.

The Sun Diet

This sounds like the real South Beach diet : living off the sun. Wonderful.

An 83-year-old Indian holy man who says he has spent seven decades without food or water has astounded a team of military doctors who studied him during a two-week observation period.

“We still do not know how he survives,” neurologist Sudhir Shah told reporters after the end of the experiment. “It is still a mystery what kind of phenomenon this is.”

Prahlad Jani spent a fortnight in a hospital in the western India state of Gujarat under constant surveillance from a team of 30 medics equipped with cameras and closed circuit television.

During the period, he neither ate nor drank and did not go to the toilet…

… “If Jani does not derive energy from food and water, he must be doing that from energy sources around him, sunlight being one,” said Shah.

“As medical practitioners we cannot shut our eyes to possibilities, to a source of energy other than calories.”

More here.

One song at a time

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Music soothes, brings joy and a healing vibe. Thank you, Musicians on Call.

Beyond the Wild Blue Yonder

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A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed it feels an impulsion…this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reason and the patterns behind all clouds and you will know too when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons.  ~ Richard Bach

Tumbleweed Parade

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Yes, I’ll admit it’s an odd fascination, but tumbleweeds always make a sort of unworldly impression on me. Maybe it’s their light travelling style, that they never settle down, are sort of restless, both funny and mysterious. Usually tumbleweeds tend to fly solo, but once a year they migrate in packs to get their groove on at the annual TumbleWeedstock festival. And looking at this scene: who is crossing whose path?

Tumbleweed 1: “Hi hi hi, look those noisy, shiny metal boxes go, it’s unreal.”

Tumbleweed 2: “Yeah, and how funny are those creatures inside looking, just hilarious. Especially the little ones, making those squeaky noises. “Phone home“ ha ha. Should have brought my camera, they never gonna believe this back home”

Tumbleweed 3: “Like you could get a steady shot”

Tumbleweed 4:  “Woooaahh, VORTEX ALERT!”

Little Buddha in camouflage

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There is nothing like a good old road trip, cruising wherever the wind of change (or your mom) takes you and singing tunes like there’s no tomorrow  (that is, mumbling the verses and blurting out the chorus). Thomas has it down to an art, but it comes easy to him, as he is a kid at heart. His very suitable soundtrack: Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (sounds intriguing, huh). Thanks Thomas.

I hope you dance

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After Derek Sivers gave this great TED-presentation, there was a little buzz going around on the web (right in the spirit of his message). And though many said he was on to something (sort of like Purple Cow, Tipping Point) and should write a book and hit the lecture circuit, Derek said: I don’t want to. And added that anyone who wanted to was free to take the idea and make it his or her own.

This all inspired Andrew Dubber to the following:

30 ideas in 30 days – Starting Wednesday March 3rd, for 30 days, I’m going to put one idea per day up on this blog.

It could be any sort of idea: a business idea, an idea for a board game, a tv show, an observation about the world that could be turned into a book, an invention, a website idea – anything. I’ll explain the idea in its most basic form – my humble equivalent of a 3-minute TED talk…and then I’ll walk away. Anyone who wants the idea is welcome to it, and can run with it under exactly the same terms and conditions of Derek’s idea.

Then Andrew Wicklander couldn’t help but jump in:

I am committing to executing on – and shipping – one of Andrew Dubber’s ideas by Saturday, May 1st, 30 days after his last idea will be published on April 1st.

So to summarize: starting March 3rd Andrew Dubber starts posting ideas, of which Andrew Wicklander will pick one to execute and materialize by May 1st 2010, with the proceeds going to charity. What the idea will be is unknown at this point, and as this is an on-the-fly-brace-yourself-no-training-wheels-real-time kinda project Andrew Wicklander needs your help. He needs you to come up and dance with him. Join him here (I already did and so have about a dozen others, really inspiring). Yes, I see the question marks in your eyes. But remember, question marks can stand up straight and rise to become exclamation marks, so they’ll be heard (OK, enough with the rhetoric already). Join in, but do so before March 3rd. And as the song goes: And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.

Happy new year!

2010, another free ride around the sun. Best wishes, of course. Make the juice worth the squeeze this year. And keep dancing.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you’ll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

Lee Ann Womack

Feliz navidad

Of course from the bottom of our hearts: Merry Christmas.

A little gift, just for you (and your ears….)

Music and lyrics by Jay Horn.