Magazine Posts

Baltasar Gracián, S. J. (1601 - 1658), in full, Baltasar Gracián Morales, was a Spanish Jesuit, prose writer and philosopher. He is known as  one of the leading exponents of conceptism, a literary movement of the Spanish Golden Age of literature characterized by a rapid rhythm, directness, simple vocabulary, witty metaphors, and wordplay. In this style, multiple meanings are conveyed in a very concise manner, and conceptual intricacies are emphasized over elaborate vocabulary. His writings were lauded by Schopenhauer and Nietzsche and the appeal of his timeless advice focusing on honesty and kindness endures to this date.

There is an art in listening
and when it's at an end,
be thankful for that someone,
for they are a true friend.

Thank you for listening,
I'm happy you understand,
as the sadness in my heart,
is now, starting to mend.

Forgotten.
No one to blame,
just life's twist,
life's ugly game.

Playing Texas Hold them,
with all of the fools,
including myself,
who won't follow the rules.

Antes should start at
the dealers, left side.
Someone says Ante,
a money comes on a ride.

When you call a bet,
you do it in order.
Wait your turn please.
It's not helter-skelter.

Sincere,
Trusting.
Strong attributes,
caring about others.

Having attained,
the maximum.
Disinterest reigns strong,
in this "Me Too" World.

Showing love for a child,
no matter the ethnicities.
Why can't we convey
our love for others?

Bizarre Bazook,
Twas his name.
He rose through prominence,
by using another game.

Nice guess, but his
first name is not Bizarre,
it's actually Francis.
Yep, Francis Bizarre Bazook.

He was renowned for his
sleight of hand technique.
No magician was he.
His composure was twisted,

between the sources
of new found events,
to show his talents of
double talk trickery.

From far across
the Sea of blue,
he searched, aways,
looking for you.

Your beauty is renown,
smiling away,
with nary a frown.

Why are you now,
tucked away,
where you seldom see
the light of day?

Sweet words of love,
whispered in your ear,
assuring you are blessed
and loved. Show no fear.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Yes, but can your tree do this? If you look closely at the ground in the featured image, you will see many images of yesterday's solar eclipse -- created by a tree. Gaps between tree leaves act like pinhole lenses and each create a small image of the partially eclipsed Sun visible in the other direction. The image was taken in Burleson, Texas, USA. Yesterday, people across the Americas were treated to a partial eclipse of the Sun, when the Moon moves in front of part of the Sun. People in a narrow band of Earth were treated to an annular eclipse, also called a ring-of-fire eclipse, when the Moon becomes completely engulfed by the Sun and sunlight streams around all of the Moon's edges. In answer to the lede question, your tree not only can do this, but will do it every time that a visible solar eclipse passes overhead. Next April 8, a deeper, total solar eclipse will move across North America. Album: Selected eclipse images sent in to APOD

Photo by Shawn Wyre

Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael - (1629 – 1682), was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher. He is generally considered the pre-eminent landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of great wealth and cultural achievement when Dutch painting became highly popular. More