Wisdom from my students: former and present

Grading essays and allowing myself to be too distracted by Facebook. I sometimes have trouble understanding my students' meanings, but they seem to understand each other, and this makes me happy! Facebook post on Tuesday, January 10, 2012-

We can’t acquire true knowledge from the tedious and formulate hard working; On the contrary, the most impressive skills are gained from the interests and the soul on the deep. - David, Senior 2

David, Senior 2 continued - Although the typhoid boy got heavy sick, he didn't fright to die but pursue the happiness in the world.

Steve's response to David: I like these. The real face of life is difficulties in a piece of peace.

Perhaps I should remember Mr. Cummings once again at these moments:

[e.e. surprised me on the page tonight

haven't seen him since Brazzaville

perhaps a reminder

the best gesture of my brain

is to forget good grammar and

proper punctuation

from time to time]

and pay attention to the

Asian beetle in a mild state of confusion

shuffling around my computer keyboard

her orange spotty curiosity

now in the palm of my hand

now on the number 3 key

Perspective

It's the backside of Samson and the Lion greeting visitors as they enter the second floor galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Perspective matters!

Samson and the Lion, Cristoforo Stati - 1604-1607

photo shot on July 11, 2011

Study Analyzes Laughs at Supreme Court

Drawing on Kant, Schopenhauer and Freud, Mr. Malphurs identified three primary theories of laughter (superiority, incongruity and relief). “Laughter enables justices and lawyers to negotiate the institutional, social and intellectual barriers that impede human communication,” he wrote, seriously.

Justices Scalia and Breyer still dominate the rankings, though Chief Justice Roberts was responsible for a respectable number of laughs. The three of them account for about 80 percent of justice-generated laughter at the court.

Excerpt from The New York Times
January 24, 2011
by Adam Liptak
A Taxonomy of Supreme Court Humor

[Laughing for relief and the incongruity of life- join in!]