Think Smarter World - Newsletter - April 15th, 2014

Published: Tue, 04/15/14

Tools, Resources, and Insight to Amplify your Knowledge and Elevate Your Consciousness
Newsletter - April 15th, 2014 - Volume 1, Issue 7
TSW Posts from the Past Week
Links worth Investigating


      What I’m Reading

      • Conversation: How Talk Can Change Our Lives - a beautiful little book by British historianTheodore Zeldin.  "The peculiarity of humans is that they can watch themselves as they go about their business, as they talk and think.  They have, as it were, two internal voices, so they can both create new ideas and look at them, criticize or admire.  They can be either slaves of their thoughts and memories, or decide which of them are useful, which cause only trouble, and which to put away in a bottom drawer. Conversation with yourself is full of risk, because you have to decide how much to enhance your ideas with imagination.  The really deprived are those who say they have no imagination, or no sense of humor, which is almost the same thing.  Dostoyevsky claimed that it doesn't matter what people say, only how they laugh.  It's true that you cannot be free or fully human until you laugh, because to laugh means to make your own judgment, to refuse to accept things at their face value, but also not to take yourself too seriously.  That means inviting other people to your internal conversations and discovering that they see you quite differently from the way you see yourself."  

      What I'm Watching
      • The Mind-Body Code - discussion with neuropsychologist Dr. Mario Martinez.  Dr. Martinez studies the dynamic interplay between your thoughts, body, and cultural history to master the creation of wellness and fulfillment. His Biocognitive Theory synthesizes insights from medicine and psychology, cultural anthropology, and Eastern and Western spirituality.  http://youtu.be/f9KOQs5eS10
      • How Information Overload Sabotages Our Observation Skills ("Roughly 25 years ago, it took five full workdays to view the amount of information we now observe in 24 hours. Due to this increase of information, our minds have become very proficient at tuning out to prevent an information overload - making us lazy observers.") --Presentation by Bob Hambly, Creative Director, Hambly & Woolley design firm in Toronto:  http://www.pechakucha.org/presentations/the-power-of-observation

      What I’m Listening To
      • Betty Carter - Inside Betty Carter  - jazz singer Betty Carter not only had a unique voice, but also preferred to sing in way closer to an actual instrument.  In this way, she could be considered to be an early fore-runner to Bobby McFerrin.
      • David Hazeltine - The New Classic Trio - midwestern Jazz pianist Hazeltine learned his craft by playing with Chet Baker, Eddie Harris, and Sonny Stitt.  A very solid trio, and excellent sonics.
      • Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend (Legacy Edition) - loves beckons in the Spring. But of course, love falters as well.  Matthew Sweet captured the latter in a "melancholy rock" masterpiece he created in 1991 .  It's one of those records that begs to be played year after year.
      • Sara K. - Water Falls - a terrific album by Texas based singer-songwriter Sara K.  If you take some Nora Jones, Tracy Chapman, and mix in a pinch of Tuck and Patty, you get Sara K.  
      • Ola Gjeilo - PIANO IMPROVISATIONS - a sublime album from Norwegian classical composer and pianist Ola Gjeilo.  Take George Winston, add a dash of Jazz sensibility, and mix in some Norwegian expansiveness and you get Ola.  He's really great.
      Quotes of the Week
      • "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable."  Helen Keller    Which is nicely contrasted with "There are two kinds of adventurers:  those who go truly hoping to find adventures and those who go secretly hoping they won't." - William Least Heat Moon (pen name of William Trogdon)

      • "All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy;  for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves;  we must die to one life before we can enter into another!" - Anatole France

      • "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth...."- Muhammad Ali

      Picture of the Week
      My wife Lisa and I were fortunate to have attended one of the Paul Simon / Sting concerts a few weeks ago in Hersey, PA.  I managed to get close to the stage for this quick IPhone snap.  Both Paul Simon and Sting are two of our favorite artists so it was great to be able to see them together.  The two played for 3 hours straight in a high energy athletic display of virtuosity.  I hope I have that kind of stamina when I'm in my 60's and 70's...
      Have a great week, Stay Positive, and Let Your Thoughts Manifest all your Desires.

      -Jay Kshatri

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