Tag: Greg Bover

Carlos Castaneda Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

“Self-importance is our greatest enemy. What weakens us is feeling offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our fellowmen. Our self-importance requires that we spend most of our lives offended by someone.”

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Carlos Castaneda  (1925-1998)
Peruvian-born anthropologist Castaneda wrote the highly controversial The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui way of Knowledge, and subsequent books, held by some to be a study of sorcery and shamanism and by others to be fiction. His insights into human nature and his affect on the thinking of the hippie generation is harder to dispute. He founded the Tensegrity movement to further teachings he attributed to centuries of Toltec warriors.

Greg Bover

Greg Bover’s Quote of the Week from George Carlin

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

June 18, 2011
“Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?”
George Carlin (1937-2008)

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A five-time Grammy award winner, Carlin’s often dark humor can be heard on 20 albums, in six books, and appears in ten movies. A native New Yorker, he made his name on the Ed Sullivan Shoe and the Tonight Show, first with Jack Paar and later and even more frequently with Johnny Carson, for whom he often substituted as host.  Carlin was the first host of Saturday Night Live. His best known routine was Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television, for which he was arrested and fined on several occasions. Liberal, brilliant, thoughtful and reflective, he took stand-up to a new level while supporting free speech and free thinking. He was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2008.

Greg Bover

Douglas Hofstadter Quote Of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

In fact, a sense of essence is, in essence, the essence of sense, in effect.
Douglas Hofstadter  (1945-     )

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Best known for the 1980 Pulitzer Prize winning book Gödel, Escher, Bach: the Eternal Golden Braid, Hofstadter is the Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Sciences at Indiana University at Bloomington and was for many years a columnist (Metamagical Themas) for Scientific American magazine. Much of his work centers on how the mind processes language and the interaction of form and content, with frequent excursions into the philosophic nature of music. He is the son of Nobel Prize winner Robert Hofstadter.

Greg Bover

Greg Bover Quote of The Week From Clarence Darrow

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Click the pic for the Clarence Darrow Wikipedia Page

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“I have never killed a man, but I’ve read many an obituary with a great deal of satisfaction.”
Clarence Darrow (1857-1938)

A lawyer, civil libertarian, and agnostic, Darrow may be best known for his defense of John Scopes, dramatized in the film Inherit the Wind. Scopes had dared to teach evolution in 1920’sTennessee. They lost the case, but the charge was later reversed by a higher court. Darrow opposed the death penalty his entire career, adding a further twist to the above. 

Greg Bover

Andrew Carnegie Quote Of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

click picture for Andrew Carnegie Wikipedia page

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There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration."
  (1835-1919)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie

Born in Scotland, Carnegie came to the United States as a child. Starting as a messenger boy and then rising through the ranks of a telegraph company, Carnegie invested in steel, eventually building the company that came to be known as US Steel, which he sold to J. P. Morgan for 10 billion dollars in today’s money. He spent the rest of his life giving this money away, notably to create more than 3,000 public libraries, and to establish a model of library operations and administration followed by many others, including Samuel Sawyer. Carnegie Hall in New York and the Carnegie Endowment for World Peace are among the many other recipients of his largesse. He is thought to have been the second richest person in history, behind only J. D. Rockefeller, and to have been the inspiration for Disney’s Scrooge McDuck.

Greg Bover
President
Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library

T. S. Eliot Quote Of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

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April 19, 2011“April is the cruellest month” from The Wasteland, 1915

T. S. Eliot (1888-1965)

Though born in St. Louis , Eliot’s family had New England roots reaching back to the Salem witch trials and deep into Harvard yard. He attended Milton Academy and spent summers on Cape Ann (see The Dry Salvages), later studying at Harvard, Oxford , and the Sorbonne. In later life he renounced both Unitarianism and his American citizenship in favor of Anglicanism and the United Kingdom . Eliot is often cited as the greatest modern poet, and The Wasteland as one of the most important poems, of the 20th century.

Greg Bover

PS As far as I can discover, Eliot spelled "cruelest" with two L’s in the original.

Gregory R. Bover

Thomas Huxley Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

“Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.”

Thomas Huxley (1825-1895) Click the picture to go to the Thomas Huxley wiki page

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A self-taught anatomist and comparative biologist, Huxley was ship’s surgeon on a very early voyage to New Guinea and Australia. He was a vociferous champion of Darwin and invented the word “agnostic” to describe his own thoughts about a supreme being. It was Huxley who first theorized that birds evolved from dinosaurs and who was the primary proponent of scientific education in 19th century Britain. A lifelong humanist and prolific essayist, Huxley’s grandsons include Sir Julian Huxley, first director of UNESCO, and Aldous Huxley, author of Doors of Perception and Brave New World.

Greg Bover

Quote Of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

"When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package."

John Ruskin (1819-1900)

An Oxford graduate, Ruskin was the pre-eminent art and achitecture critic of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. His support of then modern painters such as landscapist J. M. W. Turner created much controversy, as did his criticism of others such as James Whistler. Ruskin’s hugely influential books on architecture, The Seven Lamps of Architecture and The Stones of Venice expound on social thought and morality while they dis Classical design and cheer on the Gothic Revival. Many of his ideas on social justice and the importance of work pre-figure William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement. 

Greg Bover

Click the picture for the Ruskin Wikipedia page

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Quote of The Week- Elvis Costello Sent In By Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

“Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.”
Declan Patrick McManus- aka Elvis Costello (1954-      )

Born in England to parents of Irish descent, Costello is known for the intelligent wordplay in the lyrics of his many hit records in pop and punk genres, such as “Watching the Detectives” and “Pump It Up.”  A musical omnivore, he has collaborated with other performers as diverse as Paul McCartney, George Jones and Burt Bacharach, acted in more than a dozen films, and scored several more.

Greg Bover

Click the picture for the Elvis Costello Wikipedia page

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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe -Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

“Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe  (1749-1832)

Often cited as the one of the most brilliant men of his time, Goethe excelled in literature, philosophy and science. Although best know for his seminal poem “Faust,” which tells the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil, Goethe made significant contributions to the theories of both evolution and the perception of color. Politically conservative in an age of revolution, he was a principal advisor to the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar. Goethe’s affect on early Romanticism and Humanism is hard to overstate.  

Click the pic for his wikipedia page-

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GMG Question and Answers- Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

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Greg is the Main Man at the Library as well as C.B. Fisk

How long have you lived in Gloucester?

32 years

What is your favorite season In Gloucester?

 Summer

Do you have any secret outdoor spots in Gloucester where you go to “get away”?

 Rafe’s Chasm Park, Thompson Mountain

What is your favorite pizza joint in Gloucester?

 Delaney’s

What is your favorite sub shop in Gloucester?

 Destino’s

What place would you go for a romantic dinner in Gloucester?

My house

What is your favorite bar in Gloucester?

 Don’t drink

What is your favorite breakfast joint in Gloucester?

 Lobsta Land / George’s

What is your favorite local event in Gloucester?

 The Fish Box Derby

In the summer do you prefer the beach or to be on a boat?

 On my boat

Who is your favorite local artist?

Peter Tysver

Which is your favorite local beach?

Magnolia

Who has the best chowder in town?

Latitude 43

Excluding GMG what is your second favorite local blog?

 There are others?

Do you prefer haddock chowder or clam chowder?

Clam Chowder

What is your favorite Gloucester neighborhood?

Magnolia

As A Reward For Filling Out The Form For Use On GMG Feel free To Provide a Link Here to Any Business, Band or Website You Would Like Promoted

www.fishboxderby.org

Walt Kelly Quote Of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

“I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.”
— Pogo, comic strip by Walt Kelly (1913-1973)

WALT KELLY

Born: 1913 : : : Died: 1973
Job Description: Cartoonist
Worked in: Comic books and newspaper strips
Noted for: Pogo, Disney work and more

Kelly grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut and began his newspaper career there before moving to California in pursuit of his future wife. He was one of more than 1500 animators working for Walt Disney in 1941 when that group went on strike. Kelly moved back east and began work for Dell Comics eventually creating the strip “Pogo.”

This strip was the forerunner of later politically barbed comics such as “Doonesbury”. Kelly is cited as an influence by cartoonists as diverse as Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) and R. Crumb (Fritz the Cat, etc).

Greg Bover

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Celia Thaxter Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. 
Celia Thaxter (1835 – 1894)

Click the picture to check out her wikipedia page-

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The daughter of a lighthouse keeper, Thaxter (née Laighton) grew up among the Isles of Shoals, eight miles offshore on the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. At age sixteen she married her tutor, Levi Thaxter, eleven years her senior, and moved briefly to Newtonville, but returned to Appledore Island for the birth of her first child. After her first poem “Land-locked” was published in The Atlantic Monthly, Thaxter’s fame as a poet drew literati such as Emerson, Hawthorn and Longfellow to the islands where her father was constructing the first resort hotel. As hostess, she began holding summer salons and was befriended by painters Childe Hassam and William Morris Hunt among others. Hassam famously painted her garden, which still thrives on the island thanks to the Portsmouth Garden Club.

Greg Bover

Eric Hoffer Quote of the Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

“In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”

Eric Hoffer (1902 – 1983)

Known as the “Longshoreman Philosopher,” Hoffer’s first book, The True Believer, (1951) was a new perspective on the power and danger of fanaticism and mass movements, both political and religious. His background as a migrant farmhand, hobo, and ultimately a dock worker gave him an authority to speak of the working class as few academics could. His ideas on the power of meaningful labor to enhance self-esteem and therefore positive societal change are still controversial today. Hoffer won the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983.

Greg Bover

Cape Ann Winter Birding Weekend February 4-6th

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Dear Joey,

Just a heads up to GMG readers about the Winter Birding Weekend organized by the Cape Ann Chamber and Mass Audubon February 4-6. It starts Friday afternoon with check in at the Elk’s Hall on the Back Shore and then an evening lecture by Chris Leahy on the winter birds of Cape Ann. Saturday morning and afternoon there are guided bus trips all over the Cape led by expert ornithologists, with stops back at the Elk’s for hot drinks and food and another slide presentation in the evening. There are also vendor booths set up with optics, bird carving, photography and many other related topics.

On Sunday morning we go out on the Privateer IV with Jay Frontiero at the wheel, an incredible opportunity to see pelagic birds otherwise invisible, Gannets, Grebes, maybe even a King Eider. We’ll be back in plenty of time for the Super Bowl, if anyone still cares.

As EJ would say, did you know there are more birds on Cape Ann in the winter than there are in the summer? There are, they are just harder to see. I have been a casual birder for many years, but I learned more about the birds around here in one weekend than I had in all the previous time. The opportunity to go out birding with the experts is not to be missed, whether one is a long time observer or just interested in another amazing aspect of our life in Gloucester. People on the tours are friendly and helpful. Dress warmly and bring binoculars if you have them, folks will help out if you don’t.

More info at http://www.capeannchamber.com/birdingweekend/

Gregory R. Bover

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Jack Handey Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

January 18, 2011

"Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away and you have their shoes."
Jack Handey (1949-    )

Although many people assumed he was an alter ego of Phil Hartman, who introduced his “Deep Thoughts” on Saturday Night Live for many years, Handey, a Texas native, got his start writing for Steve Martin. His work has also appeared in The New Yorker’s “Shouts and Murmurs” and the National Lampoon. His latest collection of absurdism is What I’d Say to the Martians, and Other Veiled Threats.

Greg Bover

Millard Fuller Quote of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

"It is easier to act your way to right thinking than it is to think your way to right action."

Millard Fuller (1935-2009)
Fuller founded Habitat for Humanity, which has built more than 150,000 homes for those in need in more than 90 countries. Volunteers build houses with the recipients, who then repay the cost of materials at no interest, revolutionizing the way in which philanthropy works. The holder of 50 honorary degrees, Bill Clinton awarded him the Medal of Freedom in 1996.
Greg Bover

Abraham Maslow Quote Of The Week From Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.
  – Abraham Maslow 1908-1970
A professor at Brandeis University during the 50’s and 60’s, Maslow created a humanistic school of psychology that advanced self-actualization as a path for personal growth, almost Taoist in its then revolutionary rejection of materialism. His books include Toward a Psychology of Being (1968) and The Farther Reaches of Human Nature (1971).

Greg Bover

Click picture to go to Abraham Maslow wikipedia Page

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Much thanks to Greg Bover for submitting the Quote of the Week

Quote Of The Week From Greg Bover- Robert Heinlein

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

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December 14, 2010
Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.
Robert Heinlein   1907-1988
Four-time Hugo Award winning writer of science fiction novels and short stories, Heinlein is perhaps best known for espousing a philosophy of self-reliance and societal duty in such works as Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers and Time Enough for Love. He is also recognized as the originator of the concept for the waterbed. 

Greg Bover