Tag: Greg Bover

P&V LOL #2: The more sure you are that you’re right, the more likely you are to be wrong

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Last Monday we began our new series, Peter & Vickie’s Laws of Life (LOL for short), with a law about losing and gaining weight (see here).  That LOL was a corollary of a well known law of chemistry & physics and hinted at the mathematical concept of inverse proportions.

Today’s law (inspired by Greg Bover’s Quote of the Week) is an example of inverse proportions and could be stated thus: Your likelihood of being right is in inverse proportion to how sure you are about it.

Susceptibility to this law begins in childhood and blossoms in teenagers.  For example, when they say things like “Mom it’s gone; I’m positive it’s not there.  It’s nowhere in this house.  I’ll bet you a million bucks.  Somebody must have stolen it,” at which point Mom takes a quick look and finds it in 45 seconds.

Elements of the Hyperbola

Once people reach adulthood, they tend to be sure of more profound things like when the world is gonna end (the next date is next month on 12/21/12).

People who are the most sure they’re right often spew hyperbole (hype for short) to make their points — which proves this LOL, since the graph of two variables that are inversely proportional is a hyperbola.

Of course, I’m absolutely positively sure about the veracity of this law.  In fact I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life — except, perhaps, that Gloucester & Cape Ann have the best music scene in the entire universe as evidenced by this week’s live music lineup — see here.

I doubt the world will end on 12/21/12, but I guess, given this LOL, that I’d better not be absolutely sure.  Here’s a video of Sugarland, Matt Nathanson & Little Big Town covering the classic R.E.M. song on the last day people were sure the world would end:

André Gide Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

November 23, 2012

“Believe those who seek the truth, doubt those who have found it.”

André Gide (1869-1951)

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A native of Normandy, Gide published his first novel at 22 and went on to write dozens more, as well as plays, essays and autobiographical works, receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947. Controversy swirled around him almost his entire life, principally for his open attraction to men much younger than himself, and for his marriage to his cousin, never consummated, while siring a daughter with another woman. In his politics Gide seemed to worship Soviet Communism from afar, until he visited Russia in the 1930’s, after which he became its vocal critic. He spent a significant portion of his life in the then French colonies of North and Central Africa and passed the bulk of the Second World War in Tunisia, but ultimately returned to Paris before his death.

Greg Bover

James William (Jimmy) Buffett Quote Of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

 

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"Indecision may or may not be my problem."
James William (Jimmy) Buffett (1946-    )

A native of Alabama, Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band are best known for their celebration of a laid-back tropical lifestyle typified in songs such as “Margaritaville” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” also the names of restaurant chains owned by the singer, author and businessman. Buffett’s loyal fans, known as Parrotheads, turn up in the thousands at each of his many concerts helping him to earn an estimated $100 million a year. Several of his literary efforts, including “A Pirate Looks at Fifty” have been at the top of the NY Times best seller list and he continues to write for and appear in movies and on television. Buffett’s entrepreneurial projects also include two minor league baseball teams, a casino, brands of beer, tequila, salsa, and guacamole. He also flies his own jet, a Dassault Falcon 900.

Greg Bover

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Bakhi Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Bakhi (Rumi) (1207-1273)

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Born in Persia, present day Iran, Rumi, as he is called in the West, is more often referred to in the Islamic world as Mawlana, or the Master. Beginning his adult life as a teacher and jurist, as his father had been, Rumi traveled to Damascus where he met and began studying under the dervish Shams-e Tabrizi. Turning his life toward philosophical pursuits, he became the poet, musician and mystic that he is remembered as today. He believed that love is the earthly manifestation of the Divine and that music, poetry and dance can be the means to draw closer to it. Although his spiritual explorations are based in the Sufi Moslem mystical tradition, they have been adopted into many other languages and religious teachings for their universal appeal to those seeking inner peace and harmonious living. From his book of collected poems Masnawi:

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about.

Greg Bover

Fisk Documentary almost done

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

 

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About the Project:

"The Opus 139 Project: To Hear the Music" is a documentary entering its final editing stage that celebrates great music, great craftsmanship, and the unique workplace ethic at C.B. Fisk, Inc. The completed film will tell the interwoven stories of founder Charles Brenton Fisk, his workshop in action, and the enterprise of creating, installing, and voicing a single new pipe organ, in this case Opus 139, commissioned by the late beloved Peter Gomes, for his magnificent Memorial Church at Harvard University.

It is a rare opportunity to be able to document and experience the intricate design process, attention to detail, and stunning craftsmanship involved in the construction of this "King of Instruments." In the last act, the soaring glory of the new organ at Harvard, Opus 139, will be heard at its inaugural concert. The Opus 139 Project is a film about the evolution of a single pipe organ, 3 years in the making, and needs to raise $15,000 in 31 days to complete production. Timeline for finishing is May 2013.

This is, has been, and will be a labor of love, rather than a for-profit project.

Sincerely,

Dennis Lanson, Director/Producer & the Opus 139 Project Team.

Kickstarter link here

Charles Bukowski Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

November 1, 2012

“An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way.”

Charles Bukowski (1920-1994)

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Born Heinrich Carl Bukowski in Germany after the First World War, Bukowski’s American father moved the family to California in 1923. He studied writing and literature briefly at Los Angeles City College before moving to New York. Arrested for draft evasion in 1944, he failed a psychological evaluation and was listed 4F. His writing career did not flower until the mid-fifties, when he began to publish his hundreds of poems and short stories, and his six novels, of which Ham on Rye is the best known. He wrote the script for the semi-autobiographical film “Barfly” which detailed his nearly life-long alcoholism and depression and their effect on his writing. Bukowski wasinfamous for his confrontational literary readings, which bordered on performance art, described by some as uninhibited, but by others as drunken and boorish.

Greg Bover

Lois McMaster Bujold Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

October 25, 2012

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“Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.”

Lois McMaster Bujold (1949-     ) in A Civil Campaign, 1999

The author of more than two dozen books of which 2 million copies are in print, Bujold writes in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. She has won the Hugo Award four times, equaling a record set by Robert Heinlein, as well as the Nebula and Mythopoetic Awards.  The daughter of the highly respected materials engineer Robert Charles McMaster, widely known for his monumental work The Non-Destructive Testing Handbook, Bujold’s heroes are often the progeny of famous fathers.

Greg Bover

Erica Jong Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

“Advice is what you ask for when you already know the answer, but wish you didn’t.”

Erica Jong (1942-   )

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A native New Yorker, Jong (née Mann) is best known for her 1973 novel Fear of Flying detailing the self-search of a young woman discovering her sexuality and power. A graduate of Barnard College with a Master’s degree in English Literature from Columbia University, Jong has written more than two dozen books including poetry, novels and non-fiction. She is an active campaigner for equal rights for the LGBT community, and continues to write and speak about the intimate lives of men and women of advancing age. She has been married four times.

Greg Bover

Hehaka Sapa (Black Elk) Quote of The week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

October 4, 2012

“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its center is really everywhere, within each of us.”
Hehaka Sapa (Black Elk) 1863-1950

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Born into the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Nation, Black Elk had visions and claimed contact with the spirit world from an early age. He fought the US Army in the battles at Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee, but later joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show, touring the US and England re-enacting those same battles. Twice married, he had six children, and was revered among his people as a holy man and sacred jester. In 1932 his life story was published as Black Elk Speaks, by John Neihardt, from which the above quote is taken. In the Lakota language Wakan Tanka is often translated into English as ‘Great Spirit’, but according to Native American activist Russell Means, its meaning is closer to ‘Great Mystery’.

Greg Bover

Waldo Howland Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

From Greensboro, North Carolina

September 27, 2012

“If you can’t make what you are doing fun, something is wrong with what you are doing.”

Waldo Howland (1909-1998)

As owners of the Concordia Company of Padanarum, Massachusetts, Howland and designer Ray Hunt created many of the great yachts of the twentieth century including the 39 and 41 foot Concordia yawls, of which more than one hundred were built, and which was considered by many to be the best cruiser ever made. Howland’s autobiographical trilogy, A Life in Boats, gives essential insight into the practice and recent history of American boatbuilding, and also covers his later years as a board member of Mystic Seaport, one of the best collections of historic boats anywhere. Full disclosure: my wife’s niece is married to Waldo Howland’s grandson.

Greg Bover

Jerome John (Jerry) Garcia Quote of The Week from Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

September 13, 2012

“Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil.”

Jerome John (Jerry) Garcia (1942-1995)

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Founder, lead guitarist, and songwriter, Garcia led the Grateful Dead for thirty years, fusing blues, bluegrass and psychedelia to create one of the leading tour bands of all time. Throughout his career he was plagued by ill health, exacerbated by diabetes and heroin addiction. He died of a heart attack while in rehab at age 53. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cherry Garcia ice cream was named in his honor.

Greg Bover

Lou Holtz Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

September 7, 2012

“Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”

Lou Holtz (1937-    )

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Best known as a football coach and motivational speaker, Holtz is a West Virginia native who had a brief career as a player at Kent State. He held head coaching positions at six different academic institutions and compiled a 249-132-7 record. Although hired by Notre Dame with a lifetime contract, it is rumored that he was forced to retire before he broke Knute Rockne’s record of 105 wins with that team.

Reminder About Greg and Francie Bover’s FREE Concert and Demonstration ~ TONIGHT!

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Not to be missed! This evening at 7:00 pm in the Lane Gallery at the Cape Ann Museum Francie and Greg Bover are giving a free concert and presentation celebrating the decades-long project of the building of Francie’s beautiful harpsichord.

To read more about Greg and Francies’ program about The Making of a Harpsichord see GMG posts:

Greg Bover and Francie Fitch from “A Thousand Sunday Mornings” concert at the Shalin Liu photos by Rick Isaacs

Concert invitation from Greg and Francie Bover

Interview and story on NPR

Peter and Vickie’s gimmesound featured Artist of the Week video ~

Concert and Demonstration by Francis Fitch and GMG’s Greg Bover

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

100th Quote of the Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

“Diplomacy is the art of saying ‘Nice doggie’ until you can find a rock.”

William Penn Adair (Will) Rogers (1879 – 1935)

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Born into the Cherokee Nation in what was then called Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, Rogers was a cowboy with a penchant for travel, working in Argentina, Australia and South Africa before turning to a career in vaudeville as a trick roper. It was his social commentary while roping that made him the best known star of his time. He appeared in scores of movies, wrote thousands of newspaper columns, and became a friend of the famous of the day. Although a patriot and supporter of the democratic process, it was that process and the foibles of politicians that gave him his best material: “A fool and his money are soon elected.” An early proponent of air travel, Rogers and aviator Wiley Post were killed in a plane crash in Alaska.

With this post the Quote of the Week celebrates two years with Good Morning Gloucester, one hundred entries. Just so you know, I write the bios based on my research to give the quote context, and one can click on the name or the picture that Joey adds to be connected to a Wikipedia entry for that particular author. Sometimes the adages are only attributed when I can’t find evidence of the direct quote; famous quipsters like Abraham Lincoln and Yogi Berra are often credited with things others actually said first.

I am always encouraged by your comments, and your suggestions are welcome too.

Many thanks to Joey and the GMG team for creating a forum where these lines can be shared. I find it astonishing how much wisdom there is in the world, and how the thoughts of famous men and women can apply to my own life. I hope you do too.

Greg Bover

Henry David Thoreau Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

August 16, 2012

“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

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Sometimes called the first environmentalist, Thoreau, born and raised in Concord, Massachusetts, was mentored by the Transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson and Bronson Alcott, his neighbors. His book Walden, about the two years he spent living in a hut he had built himself on Emerson’s woodlot at Walden Pond, has become a classic of American literature for its introspection blended with natural history. His Civil Disobedience, written as an explanation of his non-payment of taxes as a protest against the Mexican-American war, is still influential, and his books on his journeys to Maine, Canada and Cape Cod go much deeper than mere travelogues. Thoreau is also credited with the invention of raisin bread.

Jiddu Krishnamurti Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

August 9, 2012

“In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.”

Born in rural India during the British raj, Krishnamurti was discovered, nurtured, educated and promoted by Charles Leadbeater and Annie Besant of the Theosophical Society as a “World Teacher” whose coming they had foretold. As the leader of the Order of the Star in the East he spoke widely in Britain and the US on Theosophic teachings, but in the late 1920’s, renounced his assigned role and dissolved the Order. Krishnamurti spent the rest of his long life as an independent speaker on spiritual matters, expounding the view that ritual and dogma are not necessary for the pursuit of self-knowledge. Alan Watts, Joseph Campbell, Depak Chopra, Bruce Lee, IndiraGandhi and Jackson Pollock all cite him as an influence on their thinking. “Truth is a pathless land” he said. He died at his long-time retreat in Ojai, California.

Greg Bover

Emily Dickinson Quote of The Week from Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

“My friends are my estate.”

Born to an Amherst Massachusetts family with deep Puritan roots, Dickinson was better known in her lifetime as a gardener than as a poet. Famously reclusive, she spent decades brooding on the mysteries of life and death, and became more and more preoccupied with the latter. A few of her poems were published in the The Atlantic Monthly, but the vast majority of the more than 800 she wrote were not known to the public until after her death. A complete collection did not appear until the 1950’s.

Because I could not stop for Death-

He kindly stopped for me-

The Carriage held but just ourselves-

And Immortality.

Greg

Gregory R. Bover

Bonnie Friedman Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

July 26, 2012
"An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth."
Bonnie Friedman  <http://www.bonniefriedman.com/index.html>  (dates not
available)

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  Born in the Bronx and educated at Wesleyan University and the University
of Iowa, Friedman writes about writers writing and the spiritual and
emotional challenges of the craft. Her first book, Writing Past Dark, was
widely praised, and her frequently anthologized essays often appear in the
New York Times, Oprah Magazine, and others. She has been on the faculty at
Dartmouth and NYU, and currently teaches at the University of North Texas at
Denton.
Greg Bover

Robert Louis Stevenson Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

July 20, 2012

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To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.

Born to a Scots family of lighthouse builders and the product of a strict Presbyterian upbringing, Stevenson suffered ill health his entire life. After a desultory attempt at an engineering degree, he devoted himself to his art, first as a travel writer and later, a poet. In his early twenties, he moved to the south of France for his health and wrote much of his best known work, including Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He married an American woman, Fanny Osbourne, and moved to Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks. With the financial success of his novels he continued to search for a climate that would improve his health, traveling widely in the South Pacific, befriending the King of Hawaii, and eventually settling in Samoa. He spent much of his few remaining years working against the European missionaries and colonialists who dominated the politics of the islands, taking the name Tusitala (Storyteller). He died of cerebral hemorrhage at 44. During much of the twentieth century he was dismissed by academics as a writer of children’s adventure tales, even though Hemmingway, Kipling, Borges, Nabokov and Chesterton all cite his influence on their work.

Greg Bover