PageWeekend Archives - Page 7 of 27

This content is accessible to paid subscribers. To view it please enter your password below or send mike@standardsmichigan.com a request for subscription details.

Hash Bash

“Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.”
— William Shakespeare (King Lear, Act 1, Scene 4)

“King Lear and the Fool in the Storm” 1850 | William Dyce

Hash Bash 2025

Ann Arbor Festifools 2024

Ann Arbor Hash Bash Turns 50https://t.co/fNB9l2Ig11 pic.twitter.com/nGRECzx9Kf

— Standards Michigan (@StandardsMich) April 2, 2022

Practical Jokes 2024

“G.K. Chesterton’s Fence” is a concept often cited in discussions about change, reform, and tradition — in software as well as in “campus traditions”.

It’s derived from a quote by the English writer, G.K. Chesterton, which goes: “In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, ‘I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.’ To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: ‘If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it.'”

In essence, Chesterton is cautioning against the impulse to dismantle or alter established systems, institutions, or traditions without fully understanding why they were put in place in the first instance. The “fence” represents any existing structure, rule, or tradition, while the act of removing it symbolizes reform or change. Chesterton suggests that before advocating for the removal or alteration of something, one should first understand its purpose and history. This is because such structures often have reasons for their existence, which might not be immediately apparent to those seeking change.

The principle emphasizes the importance of respecting tradition and the wisdom of those who came before, as well as the necessity of informed decision-making when it comes to implementing reforms. It urges individuals to exercise caution and humility, recognizing that existing systems may have evolved to address specific needs or challenges, and that blindly discarding them could lead to unforeseen consequences.

Bloody Mary

This content is accessible to paid subscribers. To view it please enter your password below or send mike@standardsmichigan.com a request for subscription details.

Animal domestication

In partnership with @Yeatssocietyirl, we are hosting a special virtual event to mark the 100th anniversary of the #poem ‘The Second Coming’ by WB #Yeats. Join us on Friday, 13 Nov at 7pm for an evening of discussion and #poetry readings.

🎟️ Register now: https://t.co/gfU24AEFGz pic.twitter.com/zDbzLjslL5

— National Library of Ireland (@NLIreland) November 5, 2020

Ireland

Learning from the Wild Things

Dogs and Agriculture

Unified English Braille

A big misconception about blindness is that a blind person only sees pitch black.

In reality, blindness is a spectrum. This is a series of examples of how differently visually impaired people see.

[📹 Blind on the Move]pic.twitter.com/EcljDkNDfN

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) June 30, 2024

Krían í vanda

UNESCO mun mæla með námskeiði í umhverfis- og auðlindafræði við Háskóla Íslands um hafið og sjálfbærni í tengslum við Áratug hafsins á vegum stofnunarinnar.
👇https://t.co/SgFdRNVgxT pic.twitter.com/WZXTH5YMDZ

— Háskóli Íslands (@Haskoli_Islands) October 23, 2024

Iceland

🧸🩹Fyrir um 14 árum kom Guðrún Edda Min Harðardóttir með bangsann sinn til skoðunar á Bangsaspítala læknanema í HÍ. Nú um helgina var hún hinum megin við borðið og hlúði að fársjúkum böngsum og dúkkum á spítalanum sem fyrsta árs læknanemi.https://t.co/wZLPthMi2K pic.twitter.com/aYl1YrE1pb

— Háskóli Íslands (@Haskoli_Islands) September 16, 2024

“Morgenblätter”

Dance: Stanford Arts

Standards California

Alexis de Tocqueville on the Foundations of American Democracy

Alexis de Tocqueville was born in Paris and came from a prominent lineage, with his father serving as a royalist prefect under the Bourbon restoration.

In 1831, at the age of twenty-five, Alexis de Tocqueville made his fateful journey to America, where he observed the thrilling reality of a functioning democracy. From that moment onward, the French aristocrat would dedicate his life as a writer and politician to ending despotism in his country and bringing it into a new age.

Quotes from Alexis de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America”:

“The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.”
“Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.”
“In democratic ages, human beings rarely sacrifice themselves for one another voluntarily; they almost always do so because they are impelled to by some power outside themselves.”
“Despotism often presents itself as the repairer of all ills suffered, the support of just rights, defender of the oppressed and founder of order.”
“The best laws cannot make a constitution work in spite of morals; morals can turn the worst laws to advantage.”
“I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can be no doubt that such men do not run.”
“The most dangerous moment for a bad government is when it begins to reform.”
“The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other.”
“The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided; men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting. Such power does not destroy, but it prevents existence; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.”
“Americans combine the notions of Christian morality and of liberty so intimately in their minds that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other.”
“In the United States, the most enlightened are the most religious; and the most religious are the most enlightened.”
Americans of all ages, all conditions, and all dispositions constantly form associations… Wherever at the head of some new undertaking you see the government in France, or a man of rank in England, in the United States you will be sure to find an association.”