Weekly Wrap: Gerard Butler, Unsubscribr, Naked Men, and Feral Cows

So, it is time for a weekly wrap of the precious and witty stylings of this bog.  Included are some updates and/or reflections.

We'll start with Gerald Butler because, if traffic is any indication, you've come to see what I've written about him.  If you are a techie person or a teacher, scroll down a bit to the information about Unsubscribr, Build Chatter, and Pinterest. I will leave the naked men and feral cows to the very end :-)

I am a little blown away by how many people wrote to me about Gerard Butler.  Most people were very kind (seeing as I was little snarky about fan clubs), pointing me to this movie or that interview.  These ladies know their Gerry!

Someone emailed me to tell me I had fallen prey to something called "The Butler Legacy." This is, evidently, something that happens to smart women that adore Gerry for his spirit and brain and not his looks.

Well, I am not sure that I can lay claim to the BL, but I do want to say that, while he is handsome, smart, and funny, he isn't the only actor I enjoy.  I am absolutely in love with the work of Brendan O'Carroll,  Sean Connery, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Gary Sinise, Helen Hunt, and Tom Hanks.  I enjoy all of their work for different reasons.  I've not written blog posts about them because I didn't have a blog at the time I discovered them (although I will probably write a post about the amazing work Gary Sinise does with veterans).

Only one person emailed me in anger.  Truly, I meant no disrespect toward people in fan clubs (truly).  It isn't my thing, but I don't think less of you if it is your thing.  Yes, it seems odd to devote so much energy to an actor when there are people out there that deserve our undivided devotion because they are trying to change the world by working with the poor and discarded (the work of Vickie and Thom Hicks, for example).  Yes, it seems a little OCD to focus on every word and movement of any man or woman.  But, everyone has a hobby, and mine aren't any better or worse. If adoring Gerry is your thing, havatit.

It can't be easy to be that cute.  I would never trade places with Gerry for anything (well, except that I would have so much fun trying to save the world with his bank account; imagine all the poor children that we could get vaccinated?  Imagine the rice we could buy? Imagine the schools we could build???).

It would be fun to be his official biographer, too, because you could hang out with him, he would tell great stories and make you laugh, but then he would go away to be with his famous friends.  It would be the best job in the world.  I am certain he has people for that; it appears that he has people for everything.  I wonder if he feels all alone despite the crowd.  There is such freedom in not being famous, wealthy, or good looking.

I did find out, though, that the name of the book he spoke about on the Stern show is called Resurrection by Neville Goddard.  I ordered a copy from Amazon this morning.  It would be fun to talk to anyone about it if you have read it.  I just received the book about Jnana Yoga that I spoke about earlier this week.  I am excited to hit the hot tub to start reading.

TECHIE PEOPLE AND TEACHERS START HERE

Many, many thanks to the people at Unsubscribr for sending me an invite to their full version.  I really love love love love this tool.  I was a member of way too many mailing lists, and they were just pulling me down because I couldn't get to student or parent emails or to any of the BRG fan club (ha).  My digital life has become so much more manageable because of Unsubscribr.  If you have not clicked on their link, you ought to hang your head in shame.

Kudos go out to the folks over at Build Chatter. John has been very kind, and has been working with me to get the app to work.  It isn't working yet, but I was impressed by his responsiveness.  With any new start up app, we can expect some challenges as people with varying abilities begin to use it.  I see much potential in the app, and hope to use it to create literature quizzes for my students.  I will wait and see how it goes with them, and will keep all y'all posted.

Finally, I got my invite from Pinterest.  Again, I am not sure why everyone's panties are in a twist over this site.  It is pretty, for sure, but it is like going to a conference where there are only poster sessions.  I like posters and all, but, bah, after you have seen one too many, it is time to hit the pool!  I will see if it gets any more dazzling before I make a final assessment of it.

NAKED MEN AND FERAL COWS

There is actually a book about the naked men of India.  Sadhus: India's Mystic Holy Men describes how these men detach from all earthly necessities.  Now, I am a spiritual woman, but I am attached to being clothed.  Anyway, I ordered the book and we'll see what they have to say about it :-)

I did not know that there are, in fact, hoards of feral cows living all over the planet.  PBS has a great little ditty about the problem in India.  If you have some time, check it out.

THAT'S A WRAP

That is this week's wrap.  I must return to helping my son donate unused toys to the local shelter.  He and I have a date to watch 300 after dinner (but only if I hand pop some popcorn, AND make butter, AND make stove top hot chocolate, AND read to him from his Star Wars Dictionary...sheesh...Gerry Butler just made my workload worse, hahaha).  Once we get through all that, I will THEN have time to get into the hot tub with my stack of books.

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Yoga, Naked Men, and Feral Cows

Today, I learned a little about Hinduism.  More specifically, I learned about Yoga, naked men that are revered, and feral cows roaming India.

For whatever reason, I have been living under a giant rock and always thought that Yoga was the practice of sticking one's foot up one's bum and chanting peacefully.  My Yoga friends are super chill, so I figured it must work, but, alas, the BRG's foot does not bend so well in the opposite direction.  I have always opted for Pilates.

But, apparently, there are different types of Yoga.  Who knew?

The goal of Hinduism, in a very teensy nut shell, is to avoid being reincarnated (Moksha).  Or, if you must be reincarnated, your goal is to come back as something better than you are in this lifetime.  As a Christian, I obviously don't buy into these ideas, but, the getting there, the doing it part, well, now, that is pretty fascinating and worth a try.

My information, by the way, was gathered in my Baptist Sunday School class.  Our pastor (also the chaplain at the school) is really open minded about all world religions and is an academic to the core.  I am jealous that students get to listen to him while I prance around trying to get seniors to adore Chaucer's hilarious references to medieval flatulence.  Anywho.  His presentation was informative and, as usual, I grabbed some paper and jotted down notes. Those, however, are in the van, and it is 1:20AM and I am already in my pajamas.  So, I have to remember most of what he said, and, of course, consult Ye-Old Wikipedia.

But, before I go into how much a I admire the different Yoga disciplines...I must just note that I had no idea there were hoards of naked men wandering around India.  These men are so holy and have achieved such perfect balance with the world that they don't need clothing or its earthly implications.  On the yearly pilgrimage, they gather on these stairs next to water and then cleanse themselves.  My only question is whether they do that any time they near steps and water or if that is reserved for just that day.  If the former is true, yay.  If the latter is true, the sight of these men on the day before they bathe is likened to the mental image I possess of nudist colonies.  Unpleasant is an understatement.

The other thing I learned about were cows.  I knew that cows are venerated in India much like we venerate the Bald Eagle here in the States.  Actually, it makes a boat load of sense, but I have always felt that way.  Cows are cute and useful.

What I didn't know, though, was that because there are cows all over the place, the, um, substance of cows is all over the place, too.  AND...if the stench stirring up in my nostrils isn't enough...apparently there are about 50,000 cows that are "loose" and roaming the streets.  Feral cows.  Who knew?  So, these boys (literally, cow boys) go around and try to catch the cows.  They return cows if they know of the owner, but what happens to the feral cows?  Is there an SPCC?  Surely, they are not euthanized, but, hmmm, where do all the wild cows go?

So, anyway, back to Yoga.

Here is what Wikipedia says:

Yoga (Sanskrit, Pāli: योग yóga) is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India.^[1][2] The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on the Supersoul.^[3] The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Jainism, andBuddhism.^[4][5][6]

Within Hindu philosophy, the word yoga is used to refer to one of the six orthodox (āstika) schools of Hindu philosophy.^[7][8] Yoga in this sense is based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and is also known as Rāja Yoga to distinguish it from later schools.^[9] Patanjali's system is discussed and elaborated upon in many classical Hindu texts, and has also been influential in Buddhism and Jainism. The Bhagavad Gita introduces distinctions such as Jnana Yoga ("yoga based on knowledge") vs. Karma Yoga ("yoga based on action").

Other systems of philosophy introduced in Hinduism during the medieval period are bhakti yoga, and hatha yoga.^[10][11][12]

The Sanskrit word yoga has the literal meaning of "yoke", from a root yuj meaning to join, to unite, or to attach. As a term for a system of abstract meditation or mental abstraction it was introduced by Patañjali in the 2nd century BC. Someone who practices yoga or follows the yoga philosophy with a high level of commitment is called a yogi oryogini.^[13]

The goals of yoga are varied and range from improving health to achieving moksha.^[14] Within the Hindu monistschools of Advaita Vedanta, Shaivism and Jainism, the goal of yoga takes the form of moksha, which is liberation from all worldly suffering and the cycle of birth and death (samsara), at which point there is a realization of identity with the Supreme Brahman. In the Mahabharata, the goal of yoga is variously described as entering the world of Brahma, as Brahman, or as perceiving the Brahman or Ātman that pervades all things.^[15] For the bhakti schools of Vaishnavism,bhakti or service to Svayam Bhagavan itself may be the ultimate goal of the yoga process, where the goal is to enjoy an eternal relationship with Vishnu.^[16]

 Now, the Yoga that seems to be the fad in the US is the Karma Yoga - the yoga based on action.  But, I find the Jnana Yoga (based on knowledge) much more fascinating.  There is also a yoga based on service.

So, there you have it.  Today I learned a little more about feral cows, naked dudes, and, most importantly, the various concepts of Yoga.  I just ordered a book on how to learn more about Jnana called The Yoga of Truth 

Truly, Christians share a passion for learning the truth.  I am eager to see how much is similar between the Christian and Hindu ideologies.