The Uses of Sorrow
(In my sleep I dreamed this poem)
Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift.
—Mary Oliver
—from Thirst
The Uses of Sorrow
(In my sleep I dreamed this poem)
Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift.
—Mary Oliver
—from Thirst
hierophant /HIY-ər-ə-fant/. noun. In Ancient Greece, a high priest and revealer/teacher of mysteries/duties. Now, a chief advocate or spokesperson. From Greek hiero- (sacred) + phainein (to reveal).
“The day Joe Howlett died dawned perfectly.” → How one man died so a whale might live
The Oxford English Dictionary wants to record “the words, phrases, and expressions particular to where you live or where you are from.” → Appeals: Words where you are | Oxford English Dictionary. Also, a fun Twitter hashtag to follow: #WordsWhereYouAre.
Are humans really blind to the gorilla on the basketball court? → Re-thinking the iconic experiment. Pairs well with re-contextualizing the “marshmallow” test and refuting, or at least harshly rebuking, the Stanford Prison Experiment.
Celebrating the world’s most beautiful libraries (and a new book about them). → Libraries: Where the world’s memory is stored
“The researchers found longevity benefits associated with nearly every level and type of coffee consumption.” Good news, assuming you feel longevity is a benefit. → Drinking Coffee May Help You Live Longer
Independent Voices is an open access digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. → Independent Voices
What was the best thing before sliced bread? Now you can know. → The Best Thing Before Sliced Bread – a History of Sliced Bread and Its Idiom
Today in 1867, German artist, printmaker and sculptor Käthe Kollwitz is born in Königsberg, Prussia. Though apparently often dismissed by contemporary artists, this art lover finds her often dark, always emotional work—even her self-portraits, not a favorite genre—irresistible. Some of my favorite pieces include: Old Man with Noose, Woman with Dead Child, Hunger (hey, I said her work could be dark!) and Self-Portrait, Hand at the Forehead. Though she made fewer then 300 prints, there are many more at WikiArt and MoMA.
I remember public information films in the 70s as laughably boring affairs. Apparently in England they were occasionally terrifying. → Dark and Lonely Water: The Singular Terror of Public Information Films