Apr 30 1975
Saigon falls to the Communists, necessitating a sudden helicopter evacuation from the U.S. embassy's rooftop. Says one of the pilots: "We sent the journalists out on one of the earliest lifts because they were becoming a pain in the ass."

Ah gee, I find that so hard to believe.


A Study of Cat Behavior

I am going to use the next two weeks to my advantage and learn something new. Only problem is, I don't know if my subject is the typical cat. She's way too timid and sweet. I have seen some pretty beasty felines out there, but I'll do what I can, with what I've got.

So Darkstar (owner is a skateboarder....) and I begin. She's so not a Darkstar! 3:00 a.m., there was a crash , I lifted my head up from the pillow, looked around, remembered I had a cat, fell back to sleep. I found a small table knocked over when I got up. No big schmeel. Then later, I realized she couldn't reach my windows, so I put a chair by a couple of them. Let's see, oh yeah, after that, she had the decency to retch up a furball on my bathroom floor. ( three actually) I had to call a friend to see if the size was normal because one was huge. They said it was because of her long fur. Phew! The kitty is a tad expensive, I don't need added stress.

Okay, let me see what I have learned today.

Cats like to play and jump on things. Cats like to look out windows. Cats cough up disgusting bits of their own fur.

Not a bad start, right? :->

April 29, 1971
Bill Graham closes down Fillmore and Fillmore East, www.FillmoreEast.com

To be around at that time and to experience the music scene.................... Oh, what a dream!!!

I am so excited today!!

I have a female guest staying with me for two whole weeks!!! The last time she stayed with me was two years ago when she was only a couple of months old. I was up early this morning preparing for her arrival. Her parents are going on vacation and have entrusted her to me.
My guest is a chocolate persian kitty cat. She's so beautiful, big brilliant copper eyes, that look at you so so tenderly and loving. Shy, but curious with such a wonderful disposition. I'm great at kitty-sitting but to have one of my own requires a responsiblity I'm not ready to commit to.

I was telling Princess about her today. She (the kitty) was so shy when she arrived, she hid behind the sofa . I had to go shopping and when I came back she was out and about exploring. Her beautiful long fur and splendid tail was covered with dust balls. (I did mention she was behind my sofa didn't I?) Princess suggested I should put cat nip under my bed. I wonder what she was inferring by that?? :->

Anyway, I'm looking forward to bonding, and having a sweet face waiting for me when I get home from work . We'll see how that goes, as I'm told, cats dance to their own tune.

She's soooooooooooooooo sweet!

Saddam Hussein- April 28, 1937

Tarot Card Equivalent 4/28/1937

Public Role
Words that embody your presence are "Authority, Compulsion, Intimidation, Sterility".
Words that embody things that may be a part of you are "Drama, Hell".
Words that embody people or things in your periphery are "Africa, Agility, Ambition, Aurora, Author, Barbarism, Beast, Beauty, Bitter, Boat, Change, Chariot, Cocktail, Conversation, Craving, Cross, Dazzle, Death, Defiance, Energy, Fire, Forest, Gold, Iridium, Jackal, Judge, Jury, Luck, Melody, Messiah, Mink, Monkey, Occult, Ocean, Omen, Palace, Pinnacle, Prayer, Radio, Redemption, Rich, Rock, Seer, Sentiment, Shepherd, Spring, Tantra, Tarot, Tide, Time, Vassal, Violet, Vixen, Vulture, Warlock, Weapon, Wisdom"

None of that sounds really complementary, apropo maybe ???? It's all in the cards.........

Today I had the nicest guy in the office. He moved here 5 years ago and had lived in Toronto for 10 years in the Queen St. W. area. We had tons of things to talk about. I don't think?? he talked as much as me, as his mouth was open for different reasons. HaHa. (that's one of the perks of my job) Anyway, after he left, I asked the receptionist if she thought he played on my team. NO WAY, she said, he's much too pretty. (There were other indications)
I was actually glad to hear that, because he is someone that I would like as a friend. Very peaceful and comfortable with himself. I know it's possible, but for me, I can't have a friendship with a heterosexual man. They pretend that it is, but ultimately there comes the time when they want more.
Women are great, we are sisters but as I grew up with three brothers(my best friends) sometimes....... I just like the male input.

Apr 27 1986
Someone interrupts the HBO satellite feed during the movie The Falcon and The Snowman. For five minutes, two-thirds of their customer base receives the message: Good evening HBO from Captain Midnight. $12.95 a month? No way! (Showtime-Movie Channel Beware.) Three months later, the FCC arrests Florida satellite dish retailer John R. MacDougall for the crime.

Talk about aggressive sale tactics, ya gotta' love it!


Had a bad/good day............who you gonna call? No one...........Blog!

That's the beauty of blogs, you can bitch and complain. Get it out of your system without actually hurting anyone. A lot cheaper than a therapist and no time limit. The tag "blog" has to be a pseudonym for "hey, what about me". Think about it, there is so much stress in our lives nowadays, we need a place to vent. Our friends are wonderful but they can only take so much, just as we can only handle so much from them. BLOGGING.......... the answer to all our frustrations. From sharing memories, troubles at work or life in general, or wonderful things that have happened to you. It's like a daily journal that you happen to share with others. Now, some people use it for their own morally righteous opinions, but that's okay too, it's their thing. Personally, I enjoy a blog that is light and makes me laugh. After work, I like a light read, not War and Peace. :->

Happy Blogging

Apr 26 1991
In a telephone interview, Michigan judge Francis Bourisseau explains that he would never grant an abortion to a minor, except perhaps for white girls raped by blacks. For some reason, this statement manages to attract wide attention.

1991, Can you believe it?
They should have strung him up from a tree!!!

I am so proud of myself today.

I happen to have a unique memory, people say I am like a computer. I can tell you what you were wearing, the color and style of your hair. All the details of our conversation, from where you lived, your job, your b/g friend, etc. From 10-20 years ago.( you get the picture)
Actually, it's just a memory for details, I don't know why I do, I just do.

BUT............ simple things, nuhn-uhn, like for example: My bathroom sink is somewhat plugged, meaning the water is very slow to go down. Every morning for the past week, I say to myself, I have to get some liquid plumber or draino today. Next morning comes, shite I forgot, I have to get liquid plumber today. This goes on I swear, so finally today I decided to use association technique. Whenever I thought of idiot, I thought of me and my sink. It worked!!!!!

Apr 24 1928
The Supreme Court of Canada declares that though women are indeed legal "persons," they are nevertheless ineligible to serve in the Canadian Senate. The Court agreed that the term "person" applies equally to humans of both genders, but the British North America Act referred specifically to "fit and qualified persons" -- necessarily excluding unfit and unqualified people (aka females).

That was 78 years ago, we, aka females, have come a long way. Rosa Parks rode the Montgomery Bus 50 years ago.............

Today's Test Students

This test has only one question, but it is a very important one!!!
By giving an honest answer, you will discover where you stand morally.
The test features an unlikely, completely fictional(unfortunately) situation in which you will have to make a decision. Remember that your answer needs to be honest, yet spontaneous. Please read slowly and give due consideration to each line. No Cheating!!!!!


You are in Florida, Miami to be specfic. There is chaos all around you, caused by a hurricane with severe flooding. This is a flood of bibical proportions and you are a photo journalist working for a major newspaper, and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster.

The situation is nearly hopeless. You are about to shoot career-making photos.

There are houses and people swirling around you, some disappearing under the water. Nature is unleashing all its distructive fury.

Suddenly, you see a man floundering in the water. He is fighting for his life, trying not to be taken down with the debris. You move closer, somehow the man looks familiar. It's George Bush!

At the same time, you notice that the raging waters are about to take him under.......forever.


You have two options :

You can save the life of G.W. Bush OR you can shoot a dramatic Pulitzer Prize photo, documenting the death of one of the world's most powerful men.

So here's the question, and please give an honest answer.






Would you select high contrast colour film, or would you go with the classic simplicity of black and white?

Apr 23 1940
198 negroes are killed when the Rhythm Night Club burns down in Natchez, Mississippi. According to one eyewitness: "Everyone was trying to get out and crushing each other as the fire was burning them. All were crying and yelling and after a while I could smell the burning meat. I hope I never see anything like it again." The fire is blamed on the decorative but highly-combustible Spanish moss.

Sad way to start a blog, but infinitely true.

I started the day off by having a very serious conversation with my bestest friend, who shall hereonin be known as, The Pink Princess, because if I used her actual name, she would decapitate me. The conversation was about the tooth fairy. I have been told by another good friend that I have the "sense of ridiculous", which I took as a compliment. It takes one to know one, so The Princess and I hit it off immediately. After the tooth fairy discussion was exhausted we moved on to her experience, the day before, at a bakery. It's supposed to be the best bakery in town. Anyway, she went there yesterday at noon and there were only 2 loafs of bread left on the shelves. There was one guy behind her that took the last remaining one and another guy behind him. "Any more bread", the last guy inquired? A nod to the day old was what he got in response. She said she gripped her loaf oh so tightly at this point and thought, "thank god I didn't stop for that mocca". Is the bread that good I inquired? It's okay she said, but I definitely wouldn't want the day old.

Apr 22 1992
215 people are killed and 1,500 injured when two miles of sewer lines explode in Gaudalajara, Mexico. 20 city blocks in the downtown area are leveled by the blast. A corroded petroleum pipeline had filled the sewer with explosive fuel.

Jeezus, that puts a whole new spin on "shootin' the shit" doesn't it.


Funny Story(to me)

An employee that has been a pain in my ass for the past year?? is finally moving to the great west. Winnipeg.........good place for her. She is lazy, has no initiative and downright annoying. As it is a clinic I couldn't really get rid of her myself. The owner of the clinic is a sweetheart of a man that sees no wrong in anyone, thinking they will learn. Yeah, right! Pigs will fly too. But I digress, here's the funny part.

Last Wednesday, in our staff room on a small table, is a small daily journal wrapped in cellophane with my sisters business card inside. I know it's hers (the employeee) , as she said she had a meeting with a bank at lunchtime. When I saw her later I said, oh, you met my sister today. She said "what"? I explained that my sister was the manager. (I have mentioned this to her before but.........) She was so intent on impressing the male that was dealing with her she didn't realize there is a higher power. Anyway, she said "the woman" who came in later was quite interested in her idea. ( My sister is diplomatic, she says that to everyone I'm sure) Okay, none of my business I said , "I don't speak to my sister about patient's and she doesn't discuss clients, it's unethical."
I remember asking my sister months ago how to deal with inept employees. I did mention an employeee I was having trouble with but no names were mentioned. I don't know if she remembered or not. What I do know is that, on that table where the daily journal was, the journal is gone but the business card remains.

Apr 21 1847
Lewis Keseberg, the final member of the Donner Party still stranded in the mountains, is escorted to safety by a fourth rescue party. Later accounts hold that Keseberg was discovered "seated, like a ghoul, in the midst of dead bodies, with his face and hands smeared with blood, and a kettle of human flesh boiling over the fire.

Donner......Dahmer, Jeffrey had his own party.


Murder....... I'm remembering my cousin now. Every summer my uncle and his family used to visit us from Massachusetts. Holly, my cousin was 1 year younger than me and we were inseparable . She was quite beautiful and when we were always told we looked alike, it was a real compliment. Years went by and as we got older, she didn't come with the family, as she did her own thing at home, as teenagers do. It is 13 years now that Holly is dead. She went missing one fall and it wasn't until the following spring that her body was found because they has a great deal of rain that year and she was washed up from her burial site. HIS favorite fishing hole. The man who murdered Holly was not caught until a few years later when he did a few more in Florida. He is now on death row. Capital Punishment??? It doesn't bring back our loved ones does it. An eye for an eye, no. But maybe it saves someone elses loved ones.

Apr 19 1995
Singer Bobby Brown is arrested at Disneyworld for beating a man and tearing off his ear. Neil Kelly, the man with the reattached ear, later sues Brown for $6.6 million but eventually settles out of court for an undisclosed sum.

Holy Shitt, I thought Mike Tyson was the only guy that held that claim to fame.

I woke up today and it was raining cats and dogs. Who the hell came up with that expression anyway? I love the rain, but not so much when I have to walk to work in it. Bad for the hair. Well, I usually call my bestest friend every morning before I leave and today I was sitting in my living room just about to call her and..........................looking out my window, the pouring rain looked really weird. I swear, I have never seen this transformation. Pouring rain one minute, then SNOW. WTF. At first I was happy, that rain was really coming down and snow is easier to deal with. You know the hair. BUT, it was crazy. Nothing but huge slush puddles all over the place. I think that was nature's way of saying, don't get carried away, spring will be here soon enough.

The Maritimes

After living here for the past 2 -3 years I've learned that these people have their priorities straight. For example, they have drive-thru liquor stores, even 24 hour ones . One was even open yesterday, yes on Good Friday. I didn't go there ( already stocked up) but I was told of it by a person at work. These are the same people who fight against stores open on sunday. Go figure, liquor stores yeah, grocery stores nay. They don't have Brewer Retail Stores, just liquor stores. Too many stops I guess, get everything at one place, saves time.

They are also one of the most enviromentally conscious places in Canada . Apparently the recycling program here (Halifax) is so successful that Toronto has asked the man responsible to devise a program for them. Beware, he's tough!

Everyone here is educated, they all have a degree. The sad part is that once they have their degrees there's nothing to do with it unless they go on to graduate school . Therefore, they have all these educated kids working for minimum wage, which sucks here.

The good part is (totally selfish) when you go shopping or to a pub you're dealing with intelligent people. Eg. making change. At a store when the total amount adds up to $16.26 and you give them a twenty with a loony and 26 cents, they don't look at you funny. They act like you are doing them a favor. The other day a drug store had tylenol on sale, $2.99 for 20 gelcaps. The girl said they didn't have them in stock but they would sell me a package of 40 for $ 5.98 . That would not happen in Toronto, I can't tell you the number of times I have tried to do the change thing and all I got was puzzled looks. I love Toronto but this place is kinda' growing on me.

He had a bad day.................

Apr 14 1989
California winery worker Ramon Salcido picks up a butcher knife and kills his wife, mother-in-law, two sisters-in-law, and two of his own daughters. Then he goes to work and kills his supervisor.

Apr 13 1981
Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke wins a Pulitzer Prize for her story about Jimmy, an 8 year old heroin addict. Strangely, police could find no trace of this boy. And this was one of those investigative journalism Pulitzers, not a fiction Pulitzer, so she was forced to return the award two days later. Cooke later clerked part-time at a department store cosmetics counter in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Hmmmmm.......... me thinks this sounds an awful lot like James Frey's fiction addiction.

Good Friday

It's only a holiday now but used to be so much more. I went to a catholic school with nuns as teachers. The school was also right next door to the church, so we had to go to every mass and attend every funeral that took place. To this day, everytime I smell incense, I see the priest shaking it (in a silver thing with a long chain) around someone's coffin.

Good Friday was my favorite mass. As a small child I was mesmerized by the priest's attire. The beautiful muticolored cloaks he wore(vestments), the regal mitra simplex (fancy hat) and holding this big cross as he went to each wonderous picture. (The Stations of the Cross)
I still have a fixation with these pictures and would love to have them on my walls . They are closing down quite a few churches these days so maybe I might get lucky. Somehow "their loss my gain" doesn't seem appropiate". Will I go to hell? ( That ole' catholic guilt trip )

Apr 12 1995
The Hong Kong Eastern Express reports that China sanctions the consumption of aborted human fetuses as a "health benefit." One practitioner willing to admit a taste for this is Dr. Zou Qin of the Luo Hu Clinic, who boasts having consumed more than 100 meals of human veal -- stew and soup, mostly.

Hold that thought.........

Zou Qin, a doctor who claimed to have aborted several hundred unborn and eaten 100 fetuses herself, said, “People normally prefer [fetuses from] young women, and even better, the first boy and a male.”
She justifies the practice: “They are wasted if we don’t eat them . . Zou Qin has fed fetuses to her sister’s children. “I wash them with clear water until they look transparent white and then stew them. Making soup is best.”

I guess soup is the way to go........


A Day In The Life

What type of job allows you to experience so many different facets? Today I had conversations with a woman that had a very hard life until 11 years ago she met a rich man and now lives in the lap of luxury. A sweet eighteen year old boy that is in university and looking forward to a baby boy in 6 months, Garrett Conraad(Swedish)Jacob Gray. A university professor that is brilliant but in the middle stages of alzheimer's. She was head of the anatomy dept. and used to travel the world with her lectures. When she first came in today I asked her if there were any changes in her medical health. She said no, then took a minute and said "not that I would remember". I cracked up, you gotta' love it, she was joking. But afterwards I have her repeating the same sentence to me, over & over during her appointment, that's not so funny. Then I have him, her husband also a professor, sweet soul that he is , telling me how he copes. So sad. Then I have a older gay gentleman that is a teacher that is retiring in June. (We talk about American Idol, what a hoot!) By the way, I'm not a fan but whatever they like to talk about I'm there. His partner has not been in to see me for a long time and I send a message home. Get your ass in here pronto! I spent a lot of time on his oral health and do not intend to see it go down the drain. Let's see now, who else? Oh yes, there's the older lady that said I should have sterile wipes in the reception area because of the magazines everybody handles. That's an excellent idea I said (with sincerity) but what happens when you leave here. What about the door? What about the public transit that you use? What about the money you handle? etc.,etc.

I LOVE my job! :-)

Occasional
Apr 11 1979
Kampala, the capital of Uganda, falls to the Tanzanians and dictator Idi Amin is overthrown. Amin, an occasional cannibal who killed perhaps 300,000 during his reign, had made the mistake of invading Tanzania.

I eat meat occasionally, but it's not quite the same thing!

Sorry about my blog yesterday, I think my brain was missing a few synapses. Laziness is no excuse. Anyhoo........

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Maya Angelou

I don't usually get into this rhetoric, but this one hit home.

WTF
Apr 10 1848
250 people die in a bridge collapse in Yarmouth, England. They had gathered on the suspension bridge to watch a clown boat be pulled by a flock of geese.



I'm lazy today.......it's Monday!!!!

Monday Monday, so good to me, Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be. Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee that Monday evening you would still be here with me. Monday Monday, can't trust that day!!!!!!!! Monday Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way. Oh Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be. Oh Monday Monday, how could leave and not take me. Every other day, every other day, every other day of the week is fine, yeah but whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes you can find me cryin' all of the time. Monday Monday, so good to me, Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be. Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee that Monday evening you would still be here with me. Every other day, every other day, every other day of the week is fine, yeah But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes you can find me cryin' all of the time Monday Monday, ...

April 9

Education and Sharing day is a day made by the United States Congress in honor of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson's (1902-1994) efforts for education and sharing for Jews and non-Jews alike. During his lifetime the Rebbe opened scores of center's of education called "Chabad Houses". Today there are over 4000 centers and institutions of education in 71 countries. It was inaugurated April 18, 1978 by president Jimmy Carter and since proclaimed annually on the Jewish birthday of Menachem Mendel Schneerson. In 2006 it was April 9.

Sharing Day, hmmmmm, I don't like to share my things. My books especially. For some reason when I have people over they look at all my books (I have a few) and feel that they should read more. They inevitably start perusing my bookshelves for one to borrow. It's insane and I can't explain it, but my heart starts to go in palpitations. A lot of people treat books like they are only there for their enjoyment, to be used and then abandoned. My books are like my family, near and dear to me. It would be like lending out your mother or sister, not knowing what condition they would be in when, or if they were returned .

I now have a special shelf for these occasions, books I have never read (nor have any interest in doing so). I gently lead my guests in their direction and rave how wonderful they are. I have never got one of those books back, nor do I care. My family is safe.

One, two, three, four, "what are we fightin' for"...........

April 8, 1953
Seven years' hard labour for KenyattaJomo Kenyatta has been sentenced to seven years hard labour for his part in the organisation of the rebel Mau Mau movement.
The leader of the Kenya African Union, who was found guilty on all charges, was also given three years hard labour to run concurrently for being a member of the movement.
Five others, Fred Kubai, Richard Achieng, Bildad Kaggia, Paul Ngei and Kungu Karumba were also sentenced to seven years hard labour for assisting in the management of Mau Mau.

Died 1978
His brilliance gave strength and aspiration to people beyond the boundaries of Kenya, indeed beyond the shores of Africa. Just as one light shines in total darkness and provides a rallying point, so did Ken-yatta become the focus of the freedom fight for Kenya over half a century to dispell the darkness and injustice of colonialism. Before matter can become light, it has to suffer the rigours of heat. So did Kenyatta suffer the rigorous of imprisonment to bring independence to Kenya. As the founding father of Kenya, and its undisputed leader, he came to be known as Mzee, Swahili for a respected eider.

The Man
There is Kenyatta the leader who united all races and tribes for the freedom struggle; Kenyatta the orator who held his listeners entranced, Kenyatta the journalist who launched the first indigenous paper to voice his people's demands; Kenyatta the scholar who wrote the first serious study about his people; Kenyatta the teacher who initiated love for Kenyah culture and heritage; Kenyatta the farmer who loved his land and urged his people to return to it; Kenyatta the biographer who documented his 'suffering without bitterness'; Kenyatta the conservationist who protected Kenya's priceless fauna and flora; Kenyatta the father figure who showered love and affection on all; Kenyatta the democrat who upheld the democratic principle of one-man one-vote; Kenyatta the eider statesman who counselled other Heads of State, and finally Kenyatta the visionary who had a glorious image of Kenya's future and toiled to realise it.
Since ideas are more enduring than human bodies and sacrifices last longer than sermons thus the light that is Kenyatta burns on to illuminate the path of Kenya.

I don't think that I have any personal memories today that can surpass this.

Happy Brew Day!

On April 7, breweries all over America will raise a pint in celebration of the day that beer once again became legally available at the end of prohibition.

YEAH, GOOD MOVE!!

Years ago, there used to be dry/wet areas of Bloor West Village. There was even this restaurant that served liquor on one side and not on the other. Figure that one out! Apparently there was this 90 something year old guy on the committee that always voted against allowing alcolol. It had something to do with John George Howard who donated High Park to the city with the stipulation, no consumption of alcohol allowed. This is the last "dry" area of the city of Toronto. (High Park)

PS The old guy died eventually and they soon got rid of that antiquated premise.

Trivia
Apr 6 1976
Howard Hughes dies of health complications related to syphillis?????

I think my receptionist is growing on me, slowly. We had this patient in that is having bridgework done by a specialist. The existing teeth that the bridge is being anchored
on are 'iffy. Let's just say that thay don't have a bone to stand on! Anyway she says that he's lucky his estimate to the insurance company is being judged on by girls in his office, instead of the usual routine of going through a group of dentists hired by the insurance company. If this were the case, she said he would get a stamped reply saying, "I don't fucking think so."

I think I'd like to get one of those stamps, red of course, in big letters. Have a great day!

Trivia

Apr 5 1998
"Hollywood is run by Jews; it is owned by Jews, and they should have a greater sensitivity about the issue of -- of people who are suffering. Because they've exploited -- we have seen the -- we have seen the Nigger and Greaseball, we've seen the Chink, we've seen the slit-eyed dangerous Jap, we have seen the wily Filipino, we've seen everything but we never saw the Kike. Because they knew perfectly well, that that is where you draw the wagons around." --Marlon Brando, on Larry King Live

Apr 4 1968
Martin Luther King, Jr. is shot dead by a sniper in Memphis, Tennessee.

Apr 4 1988
Arizona Governor Evan Mecham becomes the first U.S. governor to be impeached and removed from office in nearly 60 years. He was convicted for obstructing justice by discouraging a state official from investigating a death threat, and also misusing $80,000 in public money. Mecham was known for rescinding the state's observation of Martin Luthur King, Jr. Day, requesting lists of state employees who were gay, and using the word "pickaninnies."

Apr 3 1999
Bad news for Egyptian rapists! Egypt repeals a 1904 law granting rapists the right to escape punishment if they marry their victims. It seems that this was encouraging the abundant practice of rape, rather than discouraging it.


It's all in your sense of humor

My kitchen taps are still leaking, I have to do something soon. Last fall I was complaining about them to a friend and said they needed caulking. She was semi listening and she said "WHAT??".
I said my taps need caulking, c a u l k i n g.
Right on cue, I said, that's not the only thing around here that needs cocking.
I guess you had to be there.

The Golden Proportion

"What is beauty?". Is beauty only in the eye of the beholder, or are there some absolute values? Beauty is a mystery! "I know not what beauty is, but I know that it touches many things", Dürer .If we study the beauty of nature, teeth, or art we will discover a common principle running throughout. This common principle is the universal recognition of pleasant proportion. We all have a natural understanding of good proportion much in the same way as we know how to divide a line in half or erect a perpendicular. We easily agree that an object of art has good or bad proportion, or that this face looks too long, or too short and out of proportion. This magical connecting thread of proportion, known since antiquity, is non other than the Golden Proportion, a phenomenon related to beauty. The following notes illustrate just a few facets of the mystery and magic of this proportion. The understanding of this concept will enable us to take a first step on a journey of discovery into an unexpected dimension of beauty which affects our lives at every turn. It is one of the building blocks of beauty that we can easily apply to our dental work, confident of success.


The Golden Ratio
Throughout history, the ratio for length to width of rectangles of 1.61803 39887 49894 84820 has been considered the most pleasing to the eye. This ratio was named the golden ratio by the Greeks. In the world of mathematics, the numeric value is called "phi", named for the Greek sculptor Phidias. The space between the collumns form golden rectangles. There are golden rectangles throughout this structure which is found in Athens, Greece. Phidias widely used the golden ratio in his works of sculpture. The exterior dimensions of the Parthenon in Athens, built in about 440BC, form a perfect golden rectangle.

Many artists who lived after Phidias have used this proportion. Leonardo Da Vinci called it the "divine proportion" and featured it in many of his paintings. The famous "Mona Lisa". Try drawing a rectangle around her face. Are the measurements in a golden proportion? You can further explore this by subdividing the rectangle formed by using her eyes as a horizontal divider. He did an entire exploration of the human body and the ratios of the lengths of various body parts.

You can do the following explorations by using a protractor to draw on paper, or by using Geometer's Sketchpad.

Draw a regular pentagon (to get you started recall that the interior angles have measure 108 degrees) and also draw in one diagonal of the pentagon. Measure the length of one side of the pentagon and measure the length of the diagonal. What is the ratio of the side to the diagonal?

A German psychologist by the name of Gustav Fechner studied the crosses in graveyards and discovered an interesting fact about their dimensions. Measure the upper and lower portions of the main stem of the cross which is cut by the crossbar. What is the ratio of the lengths of these two portions?

Draw an isosceles triangle with base angles equal to 72 degrees. Measure the length of the shorter side and the two legs, which of course have the same length since this is an isosceles triangle. What is the ratio of the lengths?


Input the number "five" into your calculator. Raise it to the .5 power, then mulitiply by .5
*What do you get?*
Square your result and subtract 1.
*What do you get?*
Take the reciprical of your result and add 1.
What is your final result?
Does this number look familiar? Why do you think this occurs?
Sometimes we refer to this magic number as Phi, using the greek symbol.

Trivia

Dust
House dust mites, or more specifically their airborne feces, are a potentially serious allergen.Their basic food source are skin flakes - dander - which make up ca 80% of household lint.


I absolutely hate dust. I'm a tidy person, clean my dishes, make my bed, vaccum, etc. BUT I get dust! I don't have knickyknacks or any other stuff that I call dust collectors but there it is. I used to live in High Park with the streetcars going by all day and blamed it on them with all their rumbling. Now I live in a sorta' quiet city and I still have "it". Here they're telling me that 80% of my skin flakes are what I hate. Do I hate myself? Hmmmmmmmm